potty training: the intimidation method

During our weekend visit with our niece and nephew we had to do our best to keep up with Noah's potty training. (We didn't want any regression on our watch!) To say we are out of practice in this department is an understatement but I didn't realize just HOW out of practice until I turned to walk down the hallway and saw Brandon literally lording over Noah while the poor boy tried to poop! Ha! Noah was just too busy playing with his cousins to stop and poop during the day and Brandon was tired of helping change diapers so he was determined to make him go ON. THE. POTTY! In case you were wondering, Noah succeeded but it's no wonder he struggled...I would have trouble going to the bathroom too if Brandon was staring at me like that!

temporary mom of four

Since my sister and her family moved to Texas we don't get to see them very often. But one weekend this fall when my sis and her husband had to go to a conference they asked us to watch Elia and Noah, my niece and nephew! Of course we said YES! I was excited but a little nervous. Going from two kids (who are pretty self sufficient these days) to four kids (one a girl and the other a toddler) was going to be a bit overwhelming. Fun for sure but overwhelming nonetheless. As soon as Elia and Noah arrived we hit the ground running! First up, we built tents in the house and watched cartoons!

After evening bath time we discovered that neither Elia or Noah had packed PJ's so we scrounged through our closets and found something that would fit. Noah wore one of Maddox's t-shirts and Elia wore one of Uncle B's! It worked!

Whatcha doing Noah? I'm playing with Uncle B!

With four kids in a teeny tiny house I figured my best strategy for staying sane was to stay as busy (and as out of the house) as possible. On our first full day together we had lunch at Chick-fil-A and then went shopping!

During lunch the kids, of course, wanted to play on the indoor playground. I'm used to sending my 8 and 10 year old into the playground (an 8 and 10 year old who go in and stay in...) but I wasn't ready for an almost 3-year-old who can escape the enclosed playground area, back into the restaurant, and run laps around other people's tables like a wild man! Ha! This kid is hands down the fastest 2 year old on the planet! Not even Maddox could keep up with our little escape artist!

My favorite quote of the weekend was when Noah cuddled up in my bed and said "I wike you bed! Is boootiful!" His little voice melts my heart.

Elia and I ended the day by escaping the icky boys and getting a pedicure! We invited Auntie Kaisha to join us and pampered ourselves silly. To be honest, we didn't want to go back home!

Noah doesn't always drink bath water...but when he does he wants it with extra bubbles!

Our last day together we had big plans! Cinnamon rolls for breakfast and then a day at the zoo!

Noah liked his cinnamon roll but decided he'd rather have a cookie for breakfast instead. What's an auntie to do!? YOU try to say no to that face!

Thankfully Uncle B was able to take the day off to help me corral all these kiddos at the zoo. We really had a blast!

Life would be more fun if I could live in the same city as BOTH my sisters and their families but for now these weekends together will have to do. The visits aren't long enough but we cram in as much fun as we can and make countless memories. Oh and we take a lot of pictures too! A LOT!!!!

many colors, one painting

There are moments in time that not only make me realize how lucky and blessed I am by my two wonderful boys but that also remind me how very different my boys actually are. If this picture doesn't say it all then I don't know what would. Maddox, broad shouldered, holding a water jug. Ash, skinny as a rail, holding his DS.  Their personalities are different, their interests are different, they look different and yet somehow they came from the same parents and are being raised in the same house...!? I will never understand it but I would never trade either of them for the world. Without Ash we would never watch Animal Planet or eat frozen chicken nuggets and without Maddox our house would be startlingly quiet and we wouldn't laugh nearly as much. So different and yet the perfect combination.

dinner and a game

This fall while Brandon took Ash to his Bible Quiz season opener overnight out of town Maddox and I took advantage of the time together and had a fun date night. Maddox chose dinner at Freddy's and then we went to a Bronco high school football game. It was FREEZING outside so we brought our blankets and got our first round of hot chocolate before even finding a seat. Maddox wanted to get to the field early enough to watch the players warm up (he wanted to see if they did the same warm ups that his team does) so we got to sit in the cold for an extra hour. It was worth it, though, to see the expressions on Maddox's face when he saw how fast the Bronco's center could snap the ball and how far the quarterback could throw. He was impressed! Not with everything though. Some of the warm up exercises he was certain "he could do WAY better!" (We're working on how to teach this kid to be a bit more humble...)

By halftime we were almost frozen solid and so Maddox and I agreed to grab our favorite concession stand snack, run to the car and then eat our snacks in the warmth of home. We got frito chili pies and put our plan in motion. It was nice to eat our smothered chips while we were warm enough to feel our fingers and warm enough to enjoy good conversation. Or with Maddox, it's less conversation and more listening while he yells about all the things he's interested in while I listen! 

When you have two kids so close together it's easy to forget what it's like to have one on one time with just one of your kids. Of course, it's fun to spend time as a family of four but date nights with just one of my boys are fun in a totally different way. It doesn't happen nearly as often as I would like but when we do get these opportunities I try to take in and remember every single second.

myst-hair-y

What in the world!?!? Almost every single morning, I'd say 8 mornings out of 10, when I wake up the right side of my hair looks like this! I have no idea what I'm doing in my sleep (again, every single night) but whatever it is it takes a toll on my hair! And only on the right side. Hmmmm...I guess it's a mystery that may never be solved.

ash

He likes big books and he cannot lie! My oldest son Ash is so much like me and so much like his daddy all at the same time. (Both our boys are!) Ash is built EXACTLY like his dad. Skinny, skinny, skinny. He is also a bit scatterbrained, disorganized, intellectual, focused and knows exactly what he likes and what he wants just like his dad. From me Ash received the classic oldest child traits like being detail oriented, more than just a little bit obsessive compulsive, bossy from time to time and unfortunately anxiety ridden. But he also got a love of reading, a love for writing and a healthy dose of perfectionism from me. Ash is a smarty pants who day dreams more than his fair share. He likes to stick to a very strict daily routine and eats the exact same meals almost every single day. He has to escape for some "alone time" when there is too much going on and he prefers a family day at the movies for his birthday rather than a huge party. He's sensitive, loves animals and would eat chips and chips alone if he could survive on them. We often compare Ash to Sheldon from the TV show The Big Bang Theory, lovingly of course. Days with Ashtyn are calm, quiet, filled with little known facts that he read in a little known book and him laughing at mom because she "didn't already know any of it!" I still melt when he asks me for a hug and he can't go to sleep until daddy prays with him. My sweeter than sweet oldest boy.

take two

When you are in full time ministry your whole family is in full time ministry. It's a wonderful, fulfilling life that I wouldn't trade for the world but it comes with it's challenges. Just like all other career choices we, in ministry, feel conflicted about whether or not we want our children to follow in our footsteps. Of course, it's a great honor to be called into full time ministry but when your career is also your hobby AND the weight of reaching the world for Christ seems to rest heavily on your shoulders you tend to put in too much overtime and take your "job" a bit too seriously. Look, I get it, no need to lecture me, I realize that being called into full time ministry isn't more important than any other job and I also realize that the weight of the world's salvation is NOT literally ON our shoulders...however, it is so hard to separate your day to day "work" from the reality of eternity in the lives of those around you. The struggle is real, as they say. It's easy to resent the ministry just as families might resent the military or a hospital or an office building for taking so much of their families time but more often than not the joy of living everyday in full time ministry is something I wouldn't trade for the world. And when we get to work as a family that joy is increased one hundred fold. 

It's hard to teach your kids in ministry that they aren't entitled or privileged in some way. The church is literally a second home to them and they often become TOO comfortable...but getting them involved in what we do makes my heart full. This fall the boys got to be in a sermon series video for our church. It was fun to take them into the attic studio, watch them rehearse their lines and then ultimately see them on the big screen before our pastor took the platform to preach. I don't know what my boys will do with their lives as adults but I'm proud to show them what mom and dad do, tell them WHY we do it and then see what God has in store for them as individuals. I pray that no matter what they do in the future they will live everyday for Christ. After all, we are all in full time ministry whether we clock in at the church office day in and day out or not.