Photo of the day...December 14

This conversation this morning...with Superman (5 yo)

Me: Superman, did you put all your clothes away in the proper place?

Superman: Yes, I did.

Me: Are you sure?

Superman: Yes, and I got everything that I need already.

Me: What do you need?

Superman: Oh, you know...clothes, pajamas, credit card, pay my rent...

Photo of the day...December 9

When it is icy, we bake cakes.

Lego Man was playing at a friend's house. Wonder Woman was at my parent's house. So Super-Spider-Power-Ranger Man and I made a cake.

And not just any cake. The original Texas chocolate sheet cake.

Photo of the day...December 6

He asked me out on a date. To go to the kaseebo (not gazeebo). And then on the way there, he changed his mind. And we ended up at the park. Sneaky little guy.

Love you Super-Spider-Power Ranger-man.

Letters to His children: the only person you can control is you

Behavior is a choice.  The only person you can control is you. 

Hey you - Wonder Woman, Homerun Kid and Super/SpiderMan...I'm talking to you...

Would you think that just today I was having a "teachable moment" with these cherubs?

This is a difficult lesson to teach you but at some point, you will realize it anyway. I spent many years of my life thinking that if I acted a certain way or did certain things then people would do what I wanted them to do. Sometimes it worked. Most of the time, it didn’t.

I don’t know why I thought I could control another person…another person with their own free will, thoughts, ideas and abilities. But I did. Maybe it’s because when we are babies, if we cry someone comforts us or feeds us or changes us and/or basically takes care of our immediate need. So I suppose that causes us to think we can control other people with our behavior. The problem is that it doesn’t last forever. As we grow, our parents begin to teach us to do things on our own.

And our cries no longer get answered at lightning speed.

What I want you to understand, my dear one, is that the only person you can control is you. When someone is mean to you, nothing you do can MAKE them behave differently. When someone is kind to you, nothing you do can make them change that. They operate out of their own free will.

And that is where the importance of a relationship with Jesus comes in. That’s why it’s important to understand your purpose on this earth. When you understand your purpose, it becomes easier to understand how you are supposed to behave regardless of what other people choose to do.

How you treat other people, that is up to you.

How other people treat you, that is up to them.

You will answer to God for your behavior, just as everyone else will have to answer for theirs. That’s the importance of the message of the gospel  “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35.

The way that people recognize that we follow Christ is through the way we treat one another and show love. If we don’t show love, then that is all other people see. That’s why it’s so important to show love. It doesn’t matter what someone has done to us. It doesn’t matter what they’ve said or done, it matters only how you respond. So remember that as you grow up. You can’t make someone love you. You can’t make someone be nice to you. You can’t make someone do your chores or, well, basically anything. At the end of the day, only they choose.

You have this one life. This one life has many choices. Choose wisely.

That's worship, Mama...

This boy right here. This big, 5 year-old boy. Where did the years go?

He melted my heart today, and I just wanted to stop time. Freeze it. Rewind and get it on video so that I never, ever forget. Oh how I will miss these days...when they're old and big and grown up.

We have a favorite song in our home right now. Aside from "Awesome God" which is our all the time, forever favorite, there is a new song we have on replay, thank you, David Murphy (go Rangers & sic 'em Bears!).

So Superman requests this song every time we get in the car.

You can hear it and see the video here.

So today we were driving to his baseball game. And I turned on his song. And he sang. He sang his little heart out. Sometimes one word behind, because he's listening and trying to memorize the words. Precious.

And then he asked me to play it again.

 And I did...and he sang louder, more confidently. "Take this world and give me Jesus..."

Listening to his sweet voice, the nuances of the way he pronounces some of the words, the lilt of his voice, his earnest attempt to match pitch (and he can). Oh, God, burn it into my memory. Burn it into my heart. Let me remember his precious-ness forever.

And he kept singing. And I continued driving and listening. Thanking God for these moments. And thinking, "I will play this song a million times if it means I get to have this moment that many more times..."

 And then he said...so satisfied as if his little heart was as full as mine...

"That's worship, Mama."

This little guy...

Likes to wear my sunglasses. And he plays baseball. He can hit the ball farther than anyone else on his team. Yea! And he's going to be 5 in just over a month. Five years has gone fast, my friends. Too fast.

Apparently the sun was too bright in the car on the way to the new museum where we live.

That's him at the tee.

First swing...he gets three before he has to run...

This was his third and final swing...the ball ended up going past those two kids in the field...and my oldest is the boy in the bright green shirt helping with fielding.

And he ran straight to first...and they were still trying to stop his ball in the outfield. YEA!

Mommy, I brought you something...

And then he went back again and again and again.

Love you, Superman.

Day 3: Photo a day for December

Superman received a Spider-Man toy at the company Christmas party. Delighted.

And...we're back...

Back to normal. Huh? What's that.

Back to school...see?

Yeah, we do school in the backyard...in footed pajamas and leotards sometimes.

And so thankful for so many things.

Thanksgiving was an adventure. It always is. Four years ago we set the oven on fire. I say "we."

It was me...I let the bacon grease drip into the bottom of the oven and bam...fire starter. It was impressive. There was the whole backdraft type of thing going on and the door flew open with a flash of fire. Nice.

And then last year we went to the ER with husband about 2:30 a.m. before Thanksgiving. Another exciting time. He was so worried he wouldn't have time to smoke the turkey. And yet, none of us went without.

And this year. Ah, yes. This year. Well, let's just say that we ate on time...never happens. I was impressed. The turkeys were smoked perfectly. We ate on paper plates...yikes. And Superman got shot with a BB gun.

Which brings me back to my thankfulness...I'm so glad it wasn't a gun with serious bullets. A BB gun is still a gun. It's still dangerous. It's still a weapon. Superman could have lost his eye...but then I guess he wouldn't be Superman, now would he?

I'm also glad it wasn't his eye.

But I can't stop thinking about it. What could have happened...how bad it could have been...

And although I we believe (as a family) in the right to bear arms, I can't stress enough the importance of knowing that a weapon is a weapon. It doesn't matter what it shoots, if it shoots, if it's broken, jammed, whatever. Guns are dangerous and deserve our respect.

And, just to clarify...no. The gun was not stored away with BBs in it. It was not loaded. The clips were stored separately. The BBs were stored separately. The guns were put in the closet. And still, accidents happen.

And I'm so thankful, because it could have been worse.

I would like to tell you...

I'm fairly new to the blog world. Or at least - the more public blog world. I've been blogging for years but strictly for family, never intending for it to be anything more. Until recently. At the urging of a friend, I have jumped in! My friend told me I should pursue my writing and please post my outfits so she can get ideas. Um, okay.

So, here we are.

I would like to tell you that I know what I'm doing. But I don't. I'm just taking a stab at this every day or as many days as I can.

I would like to tell you that I'm recently unemployed and am embarking on a new journey of full-time, in the home work, mothering three incredible blessings, being wife to my amazing husband, and attempting to keep it all together.

I would like to tell you that I am keeping it all together. But for the past two weeks, I have not. Not even close.

I would like to tell you that if you walk into my home right now you might think I belong on an episode of Hoarders. Since my job ended, I have been cleaning and rearranging like a mad woman. Seriously. I have given away (through Freecycle.org) at least 6 trash bags full of stuff I don't need, and right now there is more sitting on my porch waiting for pickup. Wonder Woman has moved into what used to be our office, Superman has moved into Wonder Woman's old room, and now all the kids have their own bedroom. (Superman and the Homerun Kid used to share a room.)

Looks like he is sleeping pretty well to me. He must have had a hard night of saving the world.

I would like to tell you that if it were up to me and I could knock down a bunch of walls in my house, all the kids would sleep in one, big, bunk room. Truthfully, they'd all rather be in the same room anyway. Then they could each have a sectioned off portion of the room and we could hang cute curtains in between when privacy was necessary. Like this...

Image courtesy of Coastal Living 

Or this...

Image courtesy of House of Turquoise

I would like to tell you that we are about to return to homeschooling after a two-year break. We homeschooled for two years, then the kids went to private school, and now we are returning to homeschool. And I'm excited and terrified all at the same time. So that's why I've been moving furniture, bedrooms, painting over pink walls, purging all sorts of trash and trinkets, and generally staying busy. And preparing our home to be a functional homeschool.

I would like to tell you that I'm thrilled to be blessed to try homeschooling once more because of this...when I look back on our two years of homeschool before, I realize that I spent much of that time worrying and complaining; full of anxiety and frustration. I had prayed for so long to be able to stay home and homeschool. And once that prayer was answered, I sat there and complained about my blessing. Not intentionally...but almost without thinking about it. It was hard. It was frustrating. I loved it. And I didn't love it. And after two years of listening to me whine about it, I feel like God removed me from it to show me and teach me - lovingly - what I had done. I had prayed and asked. He answered. I complained. He removed me from it. Almost as if to say, "well, this is what you said you wanted and since you're complaining, we'll just throw it out." Kind of like my kids complaining this morning about me only buying them ONE donut instead of three per kid. Well, I'll just take that one donut back, thank you very much.

I would like to tell you that in the last two weeks I have cried, I have yelled, I have been depressed about this transition...because it hurts...and because it's CHANGE.

I would like to tell you that I have also rejoiced and thanked and been thrilled and scared about the new season we are entering.

I would like to tell you that I'm completely prepared for what lies ahead, but I'm not. But I know that if God has brought us to this opportunity - again - then He will prepare us for all that lies ahead.
And I rest in His provision, His protection, His preparation (of me), and His plan. "I trust in His unfailing love. My heart rejoices in His salvation!" Psalm 13:5

Superman to the rescue

My little man is 4. He's a big boy now. Went to bed all on his own tonight.

He is slightly obsessed with Superman. And as far as I'm concerned, he can be Superman indefinitely.

We love you sweet boy. You bring such joy to our lives. Daily we thank God for blessing us with you.

(While this post has nothing to do with anything I normally post about, it has everything to do with me. I'm wife to my husband and mom to my kids...and that's who I am every day.)