Trip to Savannah March 2017

Last weekend we took a quick trip down to Savannah to visit my brother and niece.  We checked Audrey out of school early, went to pick up Luke from preschool, and then hit the road.  Traffic was bad on the way down, but the kids did great and we pulled in right at dinnertime.  My brother cooked us chicken on the grill and we had a tasty meal, made even better when Annelise spilled her water across the table and it somehow resulted in the kids putting on a show.   After dinner, they played some more while we got settled in.  Audrey and Luke adored their 17 year old cat, Norman, and gave him constant love and attention, which he tolerated.  We calmed everyone down with story time and put them to bed, telling the girls they only had a few minutes to stay up and talk.  Ever the rule-follower, Audrey came out about fifteen minutes later and asked if it was time for them to stop talking.  We said yes and then put ourselves to bed soon after.  

Audrey and Annelise slept in the same room and were apparently awake and chatting at 5:15am.  I, on the other hand, slept until 7:15.  I wish you could capitalize numbers, but since you can't, I'll just have to settle for repeating:  7:15!!!  To my recollection, I haven't done that in years!  

After a big breakfast of eggs and pancakes, we hung out at the house and then went over to Tybee Island to walk the beach a little.  Since apparently I am new at this parenting thing, I did not think to bring a change of shorts or towels for anyone.  Why would I?!  We weren't actually swimming and kids always stay perfectly dry at the beach unless they're actually swimming.  (Eye roll.)  BUT, my redeeming move was not caring that they got soaking wet and then sandy, because I am in fact a more experienced parent that has learned to let them be kids.  We weren't trying to take cute pictures, they weren't in danger, so I let them be and they had a blast.  We discovered a dead jellyfish, found handfuls of shells, and wrote our names in the sand.  After the adults had had their fill, we loaded up into the van and went back to their house.  We ate lunch, let them run around outside, and then did afternoon baths.  When they grew bored with playing with Norman, they put on "Just Dance" and cracked us up with their moves.  Since there was no way we could get any of them to have quiet rest time, we put on the movie "Trolls" and they snuggled up together and watched that.

After the movie, we got cleaned up and went out to dinner at a local restaurant that had gluten-free pizza for AJ.  At the end of our meal, the waitress brought out a piece of cake for Annelise and we all sang to her for an early birthday celebration (she was turning eight the next day.) She blushed and loved it.  Back at the house, the kids cleaned off their piles off shells and sorted through their collection.  We let Annelise open her present and then the girls got caught up in her new "Charm U" bracelet while Luke bugged Norman and the adults lounged around and caught up some more.  We went to bed a little earlier than the previous night, full from delicious food and good conversation.

The girls "slept in" a little the next morning and woke up at 6am.  Sheesh.  We were trying to hit the road by 8:45am (we had to be back for small group since we were doing a service project that afternoon), so we got everyone dressed and fed (being sure to sing Happy Birthday to Annelise before eating!) and then they played outside a little.  When it was time to go, we sadly said our goodbyes and loaded up.  It had been a very sweet, but too short visit.  

We drove about halfway back and stopped at a cool local restaurant in Macon called The Rookery that we'd read about on "Find Me Gluten Free"'s website.  It was fun and delicious. We walked around downtown for a few minutes after to stretch our legs and then drove the rest of the way home.  We made it back in time to unpack, start some laundry, run by the grocery store, and be at small group by 4pm.  As you can imagine, we were all in bed and fast asleep pretty early that night.  

I'm so glad we got to go and loved spending the time with them!  Here are a few pictures from our visit:

Luke, Audrey, and Annelise on Tybee Island Beach

Luke, aka Batman, soaking wet after he fell jumping "mini waves" 

David and I with the kids on Tybee Island Beach

 Playing "Just Dance"

Out to dinner with the birthday girl

Beautiful girl with her Daddy on her 8th Birthday

Things I'm Loving Lately

1.)  My new journal Bible with lined margins.  They make all kinds of beautiful ones with nicer covers or coloring pages, but I really just wanted something that had more space for notes.  

Of course I would love to be the artistic type who can make theirs look like this:

But in reality, I know that mine is much more likely to resemble this:

And that's perfectly okay.  I don't fight it any more.  

2)  Cuties clementines.  I have eaten more of these in the last few months than in my entire life combined before then.  I don't know why, but I can't get enough of them lately!  Maybe it's my body crying out for Vitamin C.  

Add a piece of Dove dark chocolate with it and it almost resembles a treat. Almost.

3)  Spring and flowers blooming!  We had a very mild winter this year, so I haven't felt the desperation for spring that I've had in previous years.  Still, it's so lovely to see all of these flowers and trees blossoming and it makes me excited about spending more time outdoors!

Volunteers planted bulbs all along the entrance to our neighborhood last winter 

and it has made for such a cheerful and gorgeous drive home every day!

A Sample Work Week

This week has been a crazy one.  In an effort to both answer the "what do you do all day?" nonsense that some people still ask (or at least think) as well as to document what exactly it is that I am doing all day, here's a bullet point run down of this week.  Thrilling, I know. But I'm trying to blog more about every day life, and it doesn't get any more real than an actual list of what I did!

Monday:

• Woke up at 5:30 and went to the gym to lift weights and do a few miles on the bike.
• Came home, got in the shower, finished getting the kids ready, and took AJ to school. 
• Went by Sherwin Williams to get paint and then took Luke to school.
• Came back and painted the downstairs bathroom.  ALL MORNING LONG.  (What was supposed to be quick weekend project was dragging out because we decided to do it right and spent two days patching a ceiling crack and then painting the ceiling before even starting on the walls.  And a bathroom is just a ton of work to paint!)
• Went to pick up Luke, came back and settled him in for a rest while I met with the exterminator for our annual termite inspection and then a guy giving us a quote on a window replacement. 
• Continued painting the stupid bathroom.
• Got AJ off the bus, fed the kids snack and hung out with them, then started her on homework.
• Made dinner.  Then, yes...I worked on the bathroom some more.
• Ate dinner, cleaned up the kitchen, did laundry, and hung out with family before putting the kids and myself to bed.  

Tuesday:

• Woke up at 5:30 and did the elliptical in the basement.  My cut-off temperature for running (these days) is anything below 25 degree wind chill, so nope.  
• Had coffee and quiet time.  I love those 20-30 minutes of peace before chaos.
• Got the kids up and everyone fed and dressed.  Took AJ to school.
• Came back home with Luke and finished getting myself ready.
• Scheduled HVAC replacement and called four duct cleaning companies for quotes.
• Ran errands with Luke, including Pike Nurseries for a gift card for his teacher, Aldi to restock some of Audrey's snacks, Sprouts to restock some more of Audrey's GF food, and Swim Atlanta to register Luke for swim lessons.  We made a quick return at a store and then had lunch out.  On the way home we stopped and got cupcakes for his teacher's birthday the next day.
• Came home and put Luke down for rest and then finished up some Teacher Appreciation Week projects for Audrey's school.
• Got Audrey off the bus, loaded the kids into the van and went to get Audrey's glasses adjusted, Target for new shoes for her, and Costco.  
• Came home and had dinner, did dishes, supervised homework, put away laundry, etc.
• Gathered, wrapped, and loaded teacher gifts and cards.  Filled out various paperwork and answered various texts and emails about various school stuff. 
• I did not look at the bathroom today except to give it the evil eye when I walked by it.  I am still not speaking to it for the amount of work it is causing me this week.

Wednesday:

• Got up at 5:15 and went to the gym to swim laps. 
• Came home and got in the shower and got ready while David got the kids ready.
• Took Audrey to school and walked her in so I could give her teacher the vase I monogrammed and help put the kids' flowers in it for her.
• Stopped by Sherwin Williams (caulk this time) and then took Luke to school.  Walked him in to give his teacher her cupcake and present.
• Went home and caulked the bathroom.  Stopped only long enough to eat lunch.  
• Picked up Luke from school and we went to Audrey's school to help set up for their teacher's luncheon.  
• Went home for snacks and for Audrey to change, then took her to gymnastics.
• Gymnastics then home for dinner, homework, baths, dishes, laundry, and, finally, finishing touches and clean up of the bathroom.
• Played a round of Uno, did some PTA work, and then glorious sleep for all.  

Thursday:

• Showered and had coffee and quiet time before getting the kids up and ready.  
• Fed them then finished getting myself ready before taking Audrey to school.
• Went to the gym with Luke and lifted weights, trying not to sweat too much.
• Went out to grab some last-minute Teacher Appreciation Week gifts.
• Came home and changed, tidied up, and fed Luke and I lunch.
• Spray painted the vent cover for bathroom vent.  Just when I thought I was finished!
• Took Luke with me up to Audrey's school to watch her class so her teacher could enjoy an extended time at the teacher's luncheon.
• Came home, played with Luke, and caught up on emails.  Got Audrey off the bus and spent the afternoon hanging out with the kids and attempting to put the house back in order.
• Cooked and ate dinner, cleaned up, painted Audrey's nails green for St. Patrick's Day, paid bills, and went to bed. 

Friday:

• Got up and had coffee and quiet time before getting AJ up and ready for All Pro Dads.
• Sent David and Audrey off to her school, showered, and got Luke up.
• Took Luke to school and then made some returns, did a drop off at Goodwill, bought a new set of bath mats at Kohl's and then....
• GOT A PEDICURE.  It was marvelous.
• Picked up Luke at school, put him down for rest, and finished this blog.
• After school I will take the kids out to look for Easter outfits and then we will come home, do baths, cuddle up, and watch Fixer Upper while eating pizza.  

This week was definitely busier than usual.  Some things were anomalies (teacher appreciation week, painting the bathroom) but there always seem to be anomalies of some kind or another.  Then there were of course our norms (workouts, laundry, cooking, playing, homework, housework.)  I didn't include a weekend, which means I left out church and small group responsibilities and the usual Saturday downtown spent as a family.  There were a million phone conversations, chores, and details I skipped, but these are the highlights.  

It's busy, but it's good.  It's a lot of "managing blessings" as I heard one podcaster describe it. When I was talking to a friend at Audrey's gymnastics she mentioned that her husband asked her when they were going to stop being so busy.  Her reply was "We aren't...this is not a passing stage.  This is just our life right now and we chose this."  Did you catch that gem?! WE CHOOSE OUR BUSY.  And it shouldn't be done without a ton of careful thought and consideration.  Every extra curricular you sign your kid up for, every position you raise your hand to volunteer for, every "yes" you give = a lot of time, effort, and energy towards that thing AND away from something else.  So choose carefully and reevaluate often.  But be careful not to play victim to your calendar...at least not long term.

This is our version of busy life right now.  More than some, but for sure a lot less than others, but perfect for us right here right now.  I truly wouldn't trade it for the world.  

Ice Cream on a Tuesday Evening

Ice cream on a Tuesday evening.  Because we're celebrating two years of handling Celiac Disease like a boss.  Because Mama finished a big Teacher Appreciation project a day early. Because yesterday brought about the umpteenth visit to urgent care in a matter of weeks, but today the antibiotics are working.  Because we're supporting a new local business. Because it's more fun than staying home and doing homework and laundry.  Because Daddy really loves ice cream (probably mostly that.)  Whatever the reason, it sure was yummy!

Luke's 5th Birthday & Party

Welp, I have a five year old.  My youngest is now FIVE.  

He is no longer counted as a toddler by any stretch and is barely hanging on to his title of "preschooler."  He is now too big for Paw Patrol or Miles from Tomorrowland.  He has officially outgrown naps. His infatuation with Superheroes is beginning to wane.  He uses phrases "I'd like your opinion on this" and "I am not impressed with that behavior."  

Basically he's five going on forty and there's not a thing in the world I can do to stop it. 

But the good news is that he is still my Lukey, only bigger.  He still loves holding my hand and cuddling with me.  The other night we bumped heads and he said "Are you okay, Mommy?  I'm okay, but I want to make sure you are because that's the menship thing to do." The girls in his class love him because he is such a little gentleman.  He is always eager to hold open a door, lend a helping hand, offer an encouraging word, or share his food with you.  But don't let those things fool you...he is still very much a boy.  He loves to wrestle, make a mess, and talk about all things poopy all the time.  And I couldn't possibly love him more.  

On his actual birthday, we woke him up with a rousing round of "Happy Birthday" in our "Alabama-style" singing (basically as loud, obnoxious, and off-key as you can get.)  I made him pancakes with chocolate chips in the shape of a "5".  After we got ready and dropped off Audrey, I reluctantly took him to school.  (A first for me since Audrey's birthday is in the summer and Luke has always been out for it!)  He was so pumped about taking donuts in for his classmates that I couldn't turn him down.  Besides that, it was early release day so I got to pick him up at 11:45am instead of 1pm.  

After I picked him up, we went home and I gave him a special lunch of a pizza Lunchable. One of the kids in his class has one "all the time" and he "really, really wanted to try one." He was so surprised and appreciative that you would have thought I gave him with a once-in-a-lifetime gourmet meal.  He carefully prepared each little circle of nasty chemical-laden "crust" and then savored every bite.  Audrey had early release too so after lunch we got her off the bus and caught up on each other's days for a few minutes before I sent them upstairs to have quiet rest time. When they got up, they helped me make some chocolate lollipops for Luke's party favors.  

David came home early that afternoon and we gave Luke his birthday present - a new scooter. He was super excited and told us he "just couldn't stop saying thank you!"  We tested it out on the driveway and then went over to Suwanee Town Center to have a little more room. We let them ride around there for awhile, ate dinner at his choice of Brown Bag Deli, chose cupcakes at Jilly's (they always have yummy GF options for AJ), and went home. We sang to our sweet boy, gobbled up the cupcakes, and then did some water color painting - his choice activity before bed.  It was a really sweet, simple day of celebrating him and he loved it.  

The big celebration was that Saturday when we had a "Wild Kratts" (PBS Kids show) themed party.  All of his cousins were able to make it plus a few friends from small group and/or school.  Here are some of the details:

Colors:  Jungle green and animal prints.  

Decor:  I drew chalk paw prints on the sidewalk leading to the front porch and had a welcome sign and the birthday balloon wreath on the front door.  Inside I had the favors on display and a welcome sign hanging above paper vines wrapped with leaves attached to the entryway.  In the kitchen there was a crepe paper palm tree over the island and I made Wild Kratts food signs and placed little wild animal figures around the food.  The chandelier over the table was wrapped with jungle leaves.  On the fireplace mantle there was a birthday interview on display along with an "L" and a copy of the invitation, surrounded by wild animal figures.  A "Happy 5th Birthday" banner hung under the mantle.  Audrey used her artistic skills to decorate the chalkboard in the playroom with a big "Happy Birthday Luke" message and a jungle scene.  I kept it pretty simple in the basement and just covered the tables with brown tablecloths and animal print handkerchiefs.  I put a jar of "Monkey Food" and "Palm Tree Seeds" on the entertainment center down there and scattered a few animal figures around. Animal print balloon bunches served as the centerpieces and another "Happy 5th Birthday" banner hung on the wall.  I put together a slideshow of this past year and had it playing on the upstairs television.  

Food:  "Snake Sandwiches" (sub sandwiches cut into sections with olives for eyes and a pimento for the tongue at the head), "Alligator Eggs" (a pineapple cut to look like an alligator head with grape eyes and green grapes surrounding it), "Shredded Jungle Grass" (cole slaw), "Cheetah toes" (bags of cheetos), "Monkey Food" (dried banana chips), and "Palm Tree Seeds" (chocolate covered raisins.)  The cake was a vanilla Publix cake with a Wild Kratts edible image I'd ordered and we also had cupcakes with "paw prints" (small York peppermint patties and Junior Mints) and vanilla ice cream.  

Crafts/Games:  The little guests got to color their own animal mask and make a snake bookmark out of a popsicle stick.  For the games, we played "Large Mouth Bass" where they had to use their creature power of a big mouth to grab a gummy worm off the hook (hung down from the upstairs catwalk), "Butterfly Break-Out" where they were wrapped in toilet paper and had to use their creature power of strong wings to bust free, and "Fly Trap Game" where they used frog creature power of catching paper flies with sticky "tongues" (stretch sticky hand strings).  The had an awesome time with the Large Mouth Bass game and looked hilarious.  The toilet paper kept breaking on the Butterfly Break Out but the Fly Trap Game was a hit...literally.  :)  I also created and laminated 5 creature power discs - one for each station - and got each kid a lanyard to attach them to when they completed that station. Those were definitely their favorites.  

Favors:  A Wild Kratts book with homemade chocolate paw print lollipops and their lanyards.

The party went really well and everyone seemed to have a great time.  One of the funniest parts was when several of us were standing outside saying goodbye to our families and a small baby snake slithered out of the grass! Most of the kids had already left, but Luke, Audrey, and Annelise got a kick out of it.  I jokingly told Luke I had planned it just for his party!  I mean, what perfect timing!  

Luke's one complaint about the day was that it was too short.  Well so is your childhood, kid. 

I love you so very much and, though I'm sometimes sad about losing my baby, I'm excited about seeing you enter into boyhood with all of its adventures and fun.  You have a heart of gold with just enough of a streak of mischief to keep us on our toes.  I pray the Lord grows you into a man of conviction and courage who follows after Him and loves others well.  Your name means "light giving" and you most certainly are, Bubba.  We love you and wish you all of God's best for all of your life.  Happy Birthday!

The Power of a Voice

This morning I did something I haven't done in twenty-four days:  I walked into Audrey's and Luke's rooms and loudly bellowed, "GOOOOOOOOD morning!  Time to wake up!" and then proceeded to sing them a round of "Rise and Shine and Give God the Glory, Glory."  It was serious deja vu to my time as student ministry camp chaperone.  (Why yes, in fact, the teenagers DID love me!  How did you guess?!)

When Audrey and Luke heard me they didn't even roll over and groan.  In fact, they bolted upright in bed and squealed with delight.  Now before you think my kids are just super morning freaks like their mama, let me explain.  They were ecstatic because this was the first time they'd heard my full, regular voice in over three weeks.  After the flu, I got a terrible bout of bronchitis and laryngitis and it stripped me of my voice.  I hadn't been able to speak to them in my full, regular voice for twenty-three days.  TWENTY-THREE DAYS. Let that sink in for a moment.

Parenting.  

Luke.  

With little to no voice.

For three weeks.  

They missed hearing me so badly.  I missed talking to them.  Ours is a house of words,  y'all. We may miss the mark on a lot of things, but we communicate the heck out of stuff with our kids.  We always have.  I remember the strange looks I would get when someone would pass me in the store and I would be talking to six month old Audrey like she was a forty year old friend.

So here I was, limited to nonverbal gestures and whispers for the first two weeks (which the doctor cautioned against doing because it actually strains the vocal chords more.)  I would write or type things out with David and Audrey, but obviously that didn't work with Luke. Clapping, snapping, and "psssttt" become commonplace attention grabbers the kids knew to listen for.  The last week brought about a deep, broken hoarseness that worked a lot better, but still wasn't me. What began as an annoying inconvenience turned frustrating and disheartening rather quickly.

Most days we managed.  I'd try to keep quiet and nod or signal "okay" when I could.  Other days, like the one when I lost sight of Luke in a store and started calling him as loud as I could with no sound coming out, were terrifying.  I found him about 60 seconds later, looking down and playing "don't step on the crack," blissfully unaware that he'd even wandered away.  He got a huge hug and the whisper-lecture of his life.  

When you're as quiet as I've had to be, you have an awful lot of time to think.  God has definitely taught me some lessons about my words and the importance of them these last few weeks.  I spent time reading scripture about the tongue and how hard it is to tame.  That very same day I also used what little voice energy I had to pass on a not-very-flattering comment about someone when I was chatting with a friend.  The moment I whispered it to her I thought "SERIOUSLY, Heather?  You have such limited vocal strength and you choose to spend it on that?!"  Mercy.  I certainly can't claim that the lessons God was teaching me always sank in right away.  

But over time, I DID actually absorb some things. Wonder of wonders.  I noticed that I nagged a lot less because I didn't want to waste my breath.  I didn't tell Luke to hurry as often as I usually do.  I would tell the kids to do something once and then actually give them a chance to comply without repeating myself. (Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.)  I tried to think about my answers to their questions carefully so I could give them concise, easy-to-understand responses.  I had them take turns praying on the way to school instead of me always doing it and asked Audrey to read the Bible stories at night when David was out of town, which was good for them.  I tried to be thoughtful and intentional in my questions about their days at school.  When I forced a whisper, I tried to use words of encouragement instead of criticism.  I always made strength to eek out "I love you", but found that "clean up your mess" sometimes wasn't worth it.  (Although I could usually manage to clap and point for that one.)

These last few weeks haven't been easy, but they've taught me a great deal.  I need to make my words count.  I need to listen more.  It took me losing my voice to understand the power it holds.  And as a parent it holds a tremendous amount.  I hope that lesson, along with my voice, sticks around for awhile.  

Valentine's Day 2017

I'm still here.  I still have no voice.  But I'm still here!  

On Monday I had Luke's preschool class party.  It was a pretty laid back and not at all fancy, but the kids enjoyed it.  We did three crafts and two games: a love bug bookmark, a tissue paper heart wreath, a birdseed heart, conversation hearts matching game, and heart hopscotch.  The kids were so sweet as they listened intently to my whispers and would often whisper back.  It reminded me of the early days of my laryngitis when Luke and Audrey would do the same. (As opposed to now when they really are so over it that they have taken to pretty much ignoring me completely.)  Another mom brought in cupcakes since it was her daughter's birthday and the class was sufficiently sugared up by carpool.  

Valentine's Day dawned Tuesday morning and I made heart-shaped pancakes for breakfast. I took some pictures of the kids in their Valentine's Day raglan shirts I'd made with my Cricut and then we drove AJ to school loaded down with her cards and her box.  Luke and I spent the morning running errands, which wasn't too exciting for him, but I tried to make the most of it with books and snacks.  When Audrey got home I let them dump out all of their cards and go through their goodies to pick a treat.  (Gone are the days of only cards, ya know.)  The weather was so nice that we went outside to play until it was time for dinner.  

David got home and we ate heart-shaped quesadillas with rice.  (Oh, if only every holiday was as easy as spending two seconds with a pizza or cookie cutter.)  We let the kids open little gifts from us afterward.  They each got some books and Hershey Kisses and Luke got a mini Lego set and Audrey got a "Charm U" starter bracelet pack.  They were ecstatic. Quite possibly more so than over their Christmas gifts.  Okay, maybe not, but they were really pumped.  Let that be a lesson to all of us:  keeping low to zero expectations = a lot of room to have them met!

So that was our day.  Nothing special, but I'm so thankful I got to spend it with my favorite valentines.  David and I are going out on a date this weekend, so I guess we'll count that as our celebration.  He's still afraid to kiss me right now and I can't say I blame him.  Hope you enjoyed your day with your loves!

Luke making a "Love Bug Bookmark" at his class party

Heart-shaped pancakes on Valentine's Day

Dressed up for the occasion

Audrey with her Valentine box

Luke hanging his heart bird feeder

Opening their little gifts from us

So excited to get a "Charm U" bracelet!