Lions, Tigers, and Bears...Oh My!

My family and I took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather and a day off on Monday to head to the zoo! If you have never been to the Abilene Zoo, you are truly missing out on a great activity for the family. We asked our sweet niece, Lindsay, and our brave nephew, Kirby, (he had to sit in the middle of Presley and Grayson's carseats...YIKES!) to tag along with us. We had a blast. It was such a beautiful day!

Argh! Pirates!

Everything went fine on Friday. I was home taking a nap by 10:00 that morning, and I have felt fine for the most part. Thanks for praying for me! I must tell you though, that my kids have the most amazing, most incredible, daddy in the entire world....and I get to be his wife! I never cease to be amazed with the fun things he comes up with to entertain the kids...especially when he knows I could use a break. One of his most recent activities had us ALL searching for the pirate loot, walking the plank, and yelling, "Ahoy, Matey!" Let me tell you, this mama can't think of anything cuter than Grayson marching around with a bandana on his head, an eye patch, and a hook hand, wrinkling his brow and saying, "Argh!" Presley knows all the pirate lingo and makes sure we know that the pirate's booty is not really a bad word. Our latest treasure hunt had us searching the house for hidden pieces of the treasure map that had to be taped together and led us to where X marked the spot. We enjoyed a treasure full of Skittles....good times. Beware--My pirate family is looking pretty scary in these pictures!

I Never Expected...

Today started as a normal Monday. Well, all except I didn't have to go to work today. I got up at 6:30 and got ready for the day. As always, at exactly 6:42, Presley's alarm clock went off, so I met her halfway in the living room and herded her to the bathroom to get ready. Then I drove her to school and dropped her off. You see, the only thing different about today, was that I had a doctor's appointment at 11:00. This meant I couldn't take a half day off in the morning or the afternoon, so I had to take the whole day off. While at first, I found this timing kind of frustrating, I thought I would make the most of it. For once in my life, I was able to take Grayson to his PDO class at Calvary and actually meet his teacher (my mom usually takes him). After that, I had big plans...clean my house, do a little window shopping, have lunch with my wonderful husband, and squeeze in a little doctor's appointment in between.
I never expected that I would find myself sitting in two separate doctor's offices for hours on end waiting, waiting, waiting for them to call my name or step into the office. I surely did not expect that after waiting a grand total of 1 hour and 20 minutes (not counting the 30 minutes in the lobby) in the cold, sterile office, sitting on that stupid paper they put on the bed that my new doctor would come in and schedule me for surgery in four days. Yeah, totally unexpected. I never expected that at 2:00 (this all started at 10:45) I would be having a pre-op appointment at North Star, having blood drawn, and given instructions about what to do the day before surgery. I was told I have endometrial polyps, and I need to have surgery to remove them as they have been causing some problems. So much for cleaning, window shopping, and lunch with my wonderful husband....I didn't even eat lunch at all.
So I admit, I am scared to death. I have never had surgery in my life, never been put under, never thought I would blog about this. My doctor assured me that 99% of the time these things come back benign, but they will have to go through pathology testing. The procedure won't take long, and it is outpatient. Recovery should only be a day or two, so it shouldn't be that big of a deal, but I am feeling kinda wimpy about the whole thing. I know this is soooo minor compared to the things many of you have gone through, but I am asking you for your prayers this week. Please pray that I would have peace about the whole thing as it approaches so quickly and that it would go smoothly. I pray that this procedure will cure some of the problems I have been having. Thanks for praying for me....it means the world to me.

On a lighter and sweeter note....One of my favorite sounds in the whole world is hearing Presley and Grayson laugh TOGETHER. Tonight my house was full of laughter as they were playing their first independent game of Hide and Seek. Presley's hiding skills are much better than Grayson's. I love it how he cannot wait to be found, and so he makes it pretty obvious. I love it how Presley knows right where he is, but pretends that she can't find him for a little while. She told him he was such a good little hider. It is such a precious site to see them playing together and loving on each other. I hope your houses are filled with laughter this week!

Toughest Job in the World

Sigh...I am having one of those days. You moms and dads out there surely know the ones. The days when you feel like a failure as a parent. Okay, that's a bit drastic, I guess. I think I know I'm a good mom. I have so much love in my heart and soul for my kids, sometimes I seriously think my heart is going to explode. Sometimes it actually does explode in the form of tears of joy just spilling out or a laughter erupting from deep inside that I can't control.
It all started with a cavity. Presley complained of her tooth hurting last night, so I automatically thought we might be getting close to a visit from the tooth fairy. Kindergarteners lose teeth, right? Well, as I got a closer look, I saw that to my fear, shock, and horror, my daughter did not have a lose tooth, but a big black spot on her tooth. Unfortunately, as I looked closer I saw not one spot, but three! Even as I type this, I know that it probably sounds ridiculous to some, but I feel personally responsible. Yes, we make sure Presley brushes her teeth every night and day, but how did her mother let those cavities get there?
Secondly, I know that it is inevitable that my children are going to make mistakes very, very frequently. However, sometimes we get into a nice swing of life, when all is manageable, and then BAM! We are reminded that parenting is the toughest job in the world. Tough for so many reasons. Again, there is that feeling of personal responsibility for how they act, how I choose to discipline them, and how I am going to make it all better. I know that it is my job and Jim Bob's job to teach our children that while we all make mistakes, there are consequences for the choices we make. Sometimes those consequences require tough love. Sometimes I have an easier time with this than others. It is difficult to see my kids make bad choices, but it is even harder to discipline them while trying to explain that you love them. I mean, come on, how can I LOVE them if I'm taking their favorite toy away until their behavior improves? How can I LOVE them if I am making them go to time out, grounding them to their room, or giving them a spanking?
Don't you think that is how God feels about us? This afternoon, I watched Jim take our sweet kiddo into his arms and just hold her as she sobbed and sobbed because she had made a bad choice and knew there were major consequences to come. I watched him wrap her up with all he had and let her cry on his shoulder. The consequences were still to come, and they both knew that. Her daddy's heart was breaking even more than hers was, I know this for sure. I imagine that when I make a bad choice, that God's heart is breaking. Often, I come to Him, just like Presley came to us, and I say I'm sorry and ask for forgiveness. Often there are tears. I imagine my heavenly father crying with me, forgiving me, but allowing me to suffer the consequences of my choices. Yes, because he loves me.
I feel as if I am rambling, and could go on forever, and if anyone makes it to this part, thanks for letting me be honest about my parenting thoughts and my daughter's cavities. My prayer is for all parents who have had "one of those days" lately. I also thank God that while parenting is definitely hard sometimes, it is also the absolute most rewarding, most incredible, most important job that I have.
Thank you, God, for the gift of my babies. Help me to lead them in the way they should go. Help me to show them your love and teach them to be more like you. Lord, help me to be more like you.

365

Let me start off by saying we had an absolutely amazing Christmas (6 actually)! It has been so wonderful being off work at the same time as Jim Bob. The four of us have had such sweet, sweet family time. We were truly blessed to get to spend so much time with our extended family as well. I was also excited to catch up with friends I hadn't seen in way too long. Thank you Kori, Amber, Misti, and Robyn for making time for me.
I always get a little sad as the Christmas season comes to an end. We have to wait 365 days to get to do it all again. As I was taking down our Christmas tree this last morning of 2008, I spent a lot of time reflecting and thinking about the past 365 days and the future 365 days. You know, A LOT can happen in a year. I realized just a few things that can happen even as I was putting my Christmas card labels on this year. Being the organized person I am (Ha!), I planned on just using the labels saved on my computer from last year's cards. However, as I printed them out and began looking at them, I realized that I have many friends whose address has changed. Some have moved into their dream homes just across town, some to a new city because of a better job, some to a new state many miles away. I also realized that many families have grown in number due to sweet new babies being born. My heart was also broken as I realized that some families had broken apart within the last year. In the last year I have known people who had babies, people who lost precious loved ones, people who got married, people who got divorced, people who were diagnosed with illness, and people who were healed, just to name a few. As I said, a lot can happen in 365 days.
2008 has been a wonderful, amazing year for our family. We have been so blessed through Jim's new job as a Psychology Instructor at SPC. It has allowed our family to have so much more quality time together, and Jim absolutely loves his job now. This year, we became a part of a new church family at The Heights Fellowship. Jim has done an amazing job as the worship leader, and even though it was hard to "leave" our BHBC family, the wonderful folks at THF have embraced us and welcomed us with such love. My "baby" girl started Kindergarten and Grayson has turned into a non-stop, talking, preschooler. I also became an aunt to the sweetest little miracle, Camren.
What will the next 365 days hold for us, for our family, for our friends? In 365 days, my little girl will be 6 1/2 and my baby boy will almost be 4. I have many friends who will have new little ones for me to love on. My incredible husband and I will celebrate 10 years of blissful marriage. I, personally, can spend too much time playing the guessing game of the future. However, one thing I was reminded of this morning that I know without a shadow of a doubt is that my God is and will be Lord of Lords and King of Kings through each of the 365 days ahead. As Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord. "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

I pray that you and your family will be blessed in many, many ways in 2009 and that you will know God's love and peace this new year.

Dear Santa

As I was sitting on my bed early this morning putting on my makeup, I heard a rustling outside my door by the Christmas tree. I figured Presley had gotten up early and was snooping around trying to find presents with her name on them. I tiptoed to the door and quietly opened it. Look what I found....A precious little girl with a paper and pencil, laying by the Christmas tree, writing a letter to Santa! How sweet!

All Aboard!

We had such a great time on the Polar Express last weekend! Thanks Mimi and G-Dad for taking the whole fam to the North Pole. It was so much fun to experience it through Presley and Grayson's eyes! They had a blast...even though Grayson told me he "actually just wanted to look at Santa Claus, not talk to him!" Jim and I also took the kids to the 34th Street parade on Saturday. We picked up a One Guy's Pizza and some Toys for Tots, backed into a parking space on 34th, climbed into the back of the expedition and snuggled until the parade started...It was a lot of fun! I also decided to take Presley to the Nutcracker. I think she really enjoyed it! There are also some pictures of Presley's class party and Christmas with my Memaw! It's beginning to FEEL a lot like Christmas! Only a two more days until school is out! I am already thanking God for the time I will have to relax and spend time with my family, and most importantly focus on Him.