Learning to accept the cards we are dealt.

As promised previously, my blog titled as above.
Let me tell you about Lucas. Lucas Oliver is my 2nd child. He is named after my Grandmother Lucille Olive Hazlett. My grandmother was a wonderful woman. I miss her every day. She made quite an impact on my life, and it saddens me that my children will grow up without her. It's encouraging that we will all get to meet her in heaven one day. She was one of those people who as she would say, "never met a stranger." I loved going over to her house and just laying on the couch, eating M & M's and listening to her stories.









So back to Lucas...He is such a happy baby. Always smiling at other's. Very good disposition.......EXCEPT....he is NOT a good sleeper. We thought maybe it was his ears, as he had 5 ear infections and finally got tubes in January, but NO...still NOT a good sleeper.


Oh, he has his moments, but all in all, just not a good sleeper. I have tried everything. Tylenol or motrin before bed, benadryl, let him cry it out. Let me tell you, that kid can cry it out with the best of them. He cried all the way to the Topeka Zoo. Another night, while crying it out, it went on for about 3 hrs...and he was not letting in. So my Mom says to me, "What are you going to do?" Well, what can you do? Pretty much nothing....you learn to accept the cards you are dealt. Now while you know the saying, "God won't give us more than we can handle." I frequently follow that by saying, "Pretty sure he thinks I'm stronger than I am."
Now sometimes, I am a hard learner. I don't quite get it right away. I'm stubborn. (Gee, I wonder where Lucas gets it from.) How did I learn to accept this when sleep is one of my favorite things? Here's my story.
I met a patient of mine. Her baby boy was born in June (Lucas was born in May). During delivery, her placenta ruptured. Her baby was without oxygen, and hence suffers from now many disabilities, one which is being blind. It was like all of a sudden a light bulb went off in my head...Hello Christine!!!!
"Um, hello God, it's me Christine. I had an epiphany moment today. Thank you for my children. My two healthy boys. I am blessed beyond measure. Amen."
So, although the dealer has known my cards since before I was born, and I received my hand and decided to hold'em. I have learned to accept the fact that although I am not holding an ace and a ten spot...I am holding two kings, and for that I will be forever grateful....
1 Samuel 1:27 "I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him."

Be courageous....it's just dirty laundry...

Like any Mom, our laundry pile sometimes reaches gigantic proportions. I mean really, I think it multiplies while we sleep. I seriously don't know how a mother of more than two can keep up. Are there little laundry ninjas that help you when no one is looking?
This is Nick's random thing for the weekend....He yells at Daddy to come here.
"Daddy, put me in the basket, I want to be a piece of dirty laundry (as if I don't have enough dirty laundry already)." Ok....hmmmm....Kids say the weirdest things.

Back to the story...so, I have a TON of laundry to do. I mean really, I think it was like two weeks worth. Here is my problem. I don't mind washing and drying the laundry, but somehow, the last steps of folding and putting away, well, they haunt me. Everytime I do this, I say to myself, "Don't let it get this far next time," but it always does.
So, in our chaotic little world yesterday, we had family pictures at the lake. It went quite well actually, but it did take up our afternoon. After getting back home, I proceeded to get Luke down for a nap, and the boys went to target to get Nick his super cool new shoes (future blog - "If these shoes really were magic..."). After that, we played outside until the sun went down, because after all, when is it 60 degrees in February! Then basically our evenings go like this, eat supper, baths, and bedtime routine. It pretty much starts at 7 and ends at 830. We are finally getting our groove back, and it's nice to have a routine again (only took us 9 mos after Lucas arrived :)
After all that fun, we went and worked out in the basement, and collapsed (literally) on the couch. Well, we have this movie that I got Todd for Valentine's day called Courageous. We have really been trying to find time to watch it, and relax together.
My wonderful husband says to me, "Why don't we sit down and watch this tonight, and I will fold all the laundry tomorrow." Gee honey, twist my arm....OK! (and by the way - he really followed through with this promise today!) Well let me tell you about the movie Courageous, this movie is A-MAZ-ING!!!! If you haven't seen it, I really want you to go out and get it. Buy it. It is worth EVERY penny. WE were both VERY touched by the movie, and hopefully, as every days goes by, a little closer to Jesus, and who he wants us to be.
The bottom line is this...we ALL have dirty laundry. Jesus knows this. He sees right through it, and the awesome thing is, he LOVES us anyway. So kids, keep on tackling those dirty laundry piles cuz let me tell you...the end result is going to be worth all the work.....
Joshua 24:15 "...But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

Not today....

Have you ever woke up and not wanted to be you today? I mean really, let's be honest. Today is one of those days. I woke up, and I don't wanna be a Mom, a wife, a friend, anything...I just wanna go back to the carefree 20 year old without any responsibilities but myself.
Now, before you go getting all judgy judgerton on me, let me explain. I love being a wife. I love being a Mom. I love being a friend people can rely on. These are things that define my character. I would give my life for any of the above listed jobs. It's a choice I make every day.
But, this is a lot of responsibility. Sometimes it's very overwhelming, and life just gets the best of us. That's today....
But, the good news is, Jesus tells us not to concern ourselves with things of this life, to lift our eyes towards heaven. So, when I am having a day like today, I try to remember that. John 16:33 " I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
On days like today, I remember a song by Gretchen Wilson. The lyrics go like this, "I don't feel like loving you today....but you know I will anyway." So, like every other day. We will trudge on. We will put on a happy face. We will do what needs to be done. We will be a good Mom, a good wife, a good friend....
And when we hear those little words, "Mommy, I love you..." all will be forgotten...

A stitch in time....

Well, this wasn't exactly how I envisioned my Sunday off....It was beautfiul outside. We went to church, enjoyed a nice picnic at the park, and were playing on the playground. I was down below holding Luke, and Nick was at the top, doing what he always does I'm sure, RUNNING....Seriously, this kid started not walking, but running at 10.5 mos...and he has never slowed down since.

As I made my retreat to the swings, I heard a familiar screaming, and I knew immediately it was my child. There just happened to be a Mom at the top and she walked him to the slide and I put Luke down on the ground (where he commenced to eating leaves - fiber!), and met Nick on the slide. One look confirmed my suspicion when skin meets durable steel with a firm impact, gaping laceration and chipped tooth. I calmly got a kleenex out of my pocket, as the Mom at the top asked if I needed a napkin, and would he would be okay. I thanked her, and said he will need stitches and we will have to go (Nick had been having so much fun playing with her son Emerson!)



I kept calm the whole time. I kept repeating to myself, "Don't make their emergency, your emergency (ie don't freak out)" I got both kids buckled in, and was just helping Nick get a fresh kleenex when Luke coughed really hard (has a little cold), and threw up all over. Now my Mom says God won't give me more than I can handle, but really God?????

Home we went to wake up Daddy (he worked night shift last night), who agreed with my diagnosis. We put a bandaid on. Nick told me a little later, "it's feeling better Mommy," "Sorry kiddo, we still have to fix it, " although we didn't talk about it anymore, because intially when I talked to Todd and mentioned stitches, he freaked out. Todd goes to work at 5, so we agreed to take Nick in and fix it then. There are some benefits to being in medicine. Nick basically got spoiled all afternoon - popsicles, movies, etc. Don't think I ever told him no...As the afternoon came to an end Nick said, "I have to go and get stitches, but just one Mommy." Okay Nick, yeah, just one :)

At 5, we headed off to the ER. Thank goodness for Grandma Turtle, who came to watch Luke so I could be there for Nick. Nick settled in to the room, watching SpongeBob - which is a treat for him, because I don't allow it at my house! We put some medicine topically on it while we waited. Then came time for the hard part. Nick did SO good. Do you ever sit back in awe at your kids when they exceed your expectations? It's such a great feeling. I was SO proud of him, and proud of Daddy for the awesome work he did. Also, a big thank you to our friend Ryan for his help. When we left he said, "that wasn't bad, except for the hurty part (ie needle)."



When it was all said and done, he got 4 inside stitches, and 8 outside stitches. Such a trooper. Afterwards, we went to the park and played. Any fear that would have stopped a normal child, was immediately absent. We ran and jumped and played until the sun went down. Of course, notice I mentioned RUN...and what did we do??? trip and fall again!! Just a scratch on our hand this time. Slow down child...Finally, off to get his favorite supper, Wendy's hamburger.

MY DADDY - MY HERO!!!!











And when it's all said and done....little boy is all tuckered out....

When enough is too much....

This week we had a challenge offered by our church, University Christian Church. Instead of an offering this week, bring one full outfit for the people of Haiti. My mother-in-law, Dori, and I had a great time shopping. We had fun, and it felt good to be able to do this. We were able to send 9 total outfits together to Haiti. But, why you ask???
Well, in Haiti, you cannot attend church if you do not have the proper attire. This is NOT a church rule, this is a societal rule. So, this deters many people from being able to attend and ever HEAR about Jesus, let alone become a believer.
While I think this is an awesome cause, some of my friends would argue that we first need to help the people in our own country. They would say we have people here who need clothing, food, and assistance. While I am sure that is true, let's take a moment to examine the facts here.
Fact 1 - there is state aid available to many people in the United States that doesn't exist in other countries.
Fact 2 - While some children or adults might be without a little, we really have NO idea of what starvation is in our society. Take an example that was told to us from the recent trip to Haiti. A mother is waiting in line to get medical attention. Workers there notice one of her 4 children are crying, and she is scolding the child. When the woman is helped, they ask her why the child is crying and why is she scolding them? Her answer, "He's crying because he is hungry. I am scolding him because it's not his day to eat." Take that in for a minute....it's not his DAY to eat....Maybe I live in a sheltered world, but I have never know of this type of starvation in America. This breaks my heart...
Fact 3 - The Bible tells us to help ALL of God's people. Not just our own. Not just the ones who believe what we do, but ALL. 1 John 3:17
"But whoever has the world's goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?"

So today at church, at the end of the sermon, he asked for all to start bringing up the offerings. It was SO amazing to see all the sacks of clothing for Haiti. I found myself crying. What an amazing thing that Jesus has done....It made my heart feel good and know that some day in Haiti, some man, woman or child, will get to go and hear about the gospel, because of these generous gifts. Can you imagine a country where you aren't able to just go outside in the clothing you have, where you can be persecuted for your religion? Where you don't even get the oppportunity to HEAR about Jesus, let alone, decide if you believe....
I cannot...and for that I am grateful....Today, I learned a lesson. I'm sure I've learned it before, and I'm sure I will need to be reminded again, but today it hit home....there are times in our lives when we complain about what we have or don't have, but in our country, enough is really too much....

When I am a parent, I will NEVER....(fill in the blank)

So, we have all done it as parents...made that mental list PRIOR to being parents, of things we would NEVER do when we have kids. I'm guilty. I made that list. I can name a few things on it. Some I have stuck to, and other's, well....not so much. First, in my defense, I think you can chalk it up to idiocracy. I mean really, how can you possibly make a "to do" or "not to do" list, on a topic you have no experience in. You are seriously setting yourself up for failure. Secondly, why in the world do I make so many lists???? I mean God himself could not complete some of my crazy lists....again, setting myself up for failure....


Case in point...on our list of NEVER to do things, was letting our kids sleep in our bed. By golly, that bed is for us, and we need our quiet time as a couple. Ha ha, and HA!


Background information first, before you make judgement. Okay, we were really good at this rule with Nick when he was smaller. Nick slept in his crib until he was 2.5 years old. He simply was outgrowing it by that point. So, we moved him straight to a double bed. Why waste time with these transitional beds!!!! So, in the middle of the night, if he got up, we would march him back to his bed, and sometimes even lay with him in his bed, until he fell asleep. This is going great. We are pretty good at this parent thing. And we are sticking to our rules!!!


AND then Lucas came along...Now, it's not fair to blame this poor baby. It surely isn't that sweet little smiley boy's fault?? However, he did throw our whole world into a tailspin again!! Well to say the least, Lucas is not a good sleeper. It's okay, I've accepted that (more on this topic in a future post to be called "Learning to accept the cards we are dealt.") So having said that, working BUSY mother, sleeps wherever and whenever she can! So, that causes child number one, who also wants Mommy to come lay with him, new sleeping issues.


So, what is the scenario? Well, (I say as I giggle), that rule is gone now. Went to the wayside of fictional life -vs- real life. Nick comes into our room almost every night and sleeps beside me on my half of the king size bed (thank goodness we have a king bed). I could have stopped him when it first started. I could have got up and took him back to his bed...but darn, I was tired already. Todd could have stopped him, but let's be honest, a freight train could come through our bedroom and he would never know it :) So, I say, "it is what it is."


I try to rationalize it by saying, "you know they are only young once, and it won't be forever that he wants to do this. (at least one would hope)." But the bottom line is, I failed at this NEVER list....maybe next time I will do my homework before trying to make a list that I know nothing about. Survival of the fittest baby....survival of the fittest....

Never a dull moment...

Think I have forgotten how to blog....It's been over 2 years since I did this.....Welcome to my life...Mother of one first, now two...and I work part time, so you think I would have time to spare, NOT! I will try a little better to blog this time. Don't always have to have all this magic stuff going on....but just get my thoughts down on the computer, and be able to blog some of the funny things that happen on my day to day journey...The life of a mother is never dull. It's finding the funny moments, enjoying the small things, crying over spilled milk, crying over sappy songs and commercials about kids, laughing at yourself, laughing at other mother's crazy days, and sharing it all with the 3 most important people on earth...my 2 boys, and my husband (who is on this chaotic rollercoaster ride with me)....