What they don't know won't hurt them...

One of the things I most looked forward to when pregnant with my first child was the camaraderie of being a mother along side my good friends.

Brad and I were the last of our college friends (all married the same summer) to have children. Even though I took great joy in their new additions (and in picking up some really great parenting tips), I eagerly awaited the day when my girlfriends and I could chat about our kids, exchange cloth diaper ideas, hand down clothes to one another, and be able to do play dates together.

Even though many...well, all of my college girlfriends live in the Cities, we still try to plan special get-togethers so that we (the adults) can have dinner, play games, get caught up on life and the wee-ones can run around, play dress-up, and have sleep overs.

The thing I love the best is that our children...well, Sammy for sure...thinks that these get-togethers are for HER! Our children are completely oblivious to the fact that we are getting together for OUR sake, not theirs.

What they don't know won't hurt them...

About a week and a half ago, a bunch of my Twin Cities and Brainerd friends and I had a scrapbooking weekend. It was a BLAST...aside from 3 of us getting sick, 1 child going to the emergency room, and another child with 103 temp...

anyway...

We had a GREAT time! One of my friend's, Dacia (who, by the way NEVER reads my blog, but really, really should) brought her whole family up for the weekend. She and her 8 month old little guy stayed with the rest of the girls and her husband, Andy, and 2 older daughters stayed with my husband and our two kids.

The four kids got to play like crazy, and our husbands got to play games all weekend.

Dacia and Andy also stayed for the Vikings game, and during half-time and at the end of the game, our daughters put on a very sweet dance recital for us.

They were moving around quite a bit, so a bunch of the pictures were blurry.

This is Sammy in her flower girl dress from this past summer.


Abby and her younger sister Lydia.


Just look at this picture! Lydia is pure sweetness!


And who could leave out the group hug at the end!


So, Sammy will continue to think that these visits and other play dates with friends are solely for her benefit...

because...what she doesn't know (or fully understand) won't hurt her!

A few more lessons learned...

These past few days I have been marveling at several things.

The first being some incredible insights from God. You see, about 6 weeks ago Brad and I were given a big decision to make. One that took a great deal of prayer and discussion.

This big decision was suppose to go into effect on January 1, 2010.

Today it is January 25, and the change has been put on hold indefinitely.

I have been pretty frustrated about the whole thing. I mean, really, it's a bit hard when we are given only about a week and a half to make a decision and then begin to get really excited and make other decisions based on that decision...and then have it put a stop to everything.

So I've been a bit bitter...telling some close friends that it's HARD when things are out of my control...when someone else is calling the shots.

But God in His graciousness has reminded me the last few days that this decision and potential change is NOT in any human hands. Oh, it may appear that way, but God is directing every move.

Nothing, and I mean nothing happens apart from His sovereign design.

And even though I know this in my head, it was something different to experience Him telling me that through His Word and prayer. Plus, I really needed to confess my frustration and bitterness and only then was I able to see how childish and silly I was being.

Yet another reminder that I am not the general manager of the universe!

Another thing that I have praised God for was an extra ounce of patience I was having with my kids. I have been playing with them more, stopping and spending as much time as needed discussing with them poor choices, sharing Bible verses with them about what God says about their behavior, and being very patient and not flying off the handle...especially when little accidents and things happen because they are simply children!

For the first few days, I was praising God and thanking the Holy Spirit for being in control and guiding my thoughts, actions, and words.

Then, it happened....

today...

and just when it was going so well...

I got a little bit proud of my parenting.

I go to the YMCA a couple of mornings a week. I like to get there by 9:00 so that I can sign up for a machine that I like. We were running behind...because Brad and I stayed in bed longer since the kids were up and playing so nicely by themselves...and so we were about 30 minutes late. I calmly got the kids ready and said to myself, "It really doesn't matter when I get there. If all the machines are taken, I can lift weights or read my Bible. No big deal."

Sounds pretty good, right?

I thought so too...

hence my problem...my pride problem.

By this afternoon and evening, I was short on patience, was angry when I disciplined my children, and feeling like quite a failure.

Nothing like a good swift kick in the pants to be reminded that I do NOTHING in my own strength.

How dare I think that I can do anything...parent with patience, give every word and every measure of discipline in love, remind myself that I will miss this time with my children someday...in my own strength?

So, as I sit here, I am ashamed of how I parented today. I desperately want to wake my sleeping children (but I know better...and will do this tomorrow) and confess my wrongs for the day. And I'd also like to drown my grief in chocolate...which I may still do...I am 30 weeks pregnant you know!

But first, I confess my sins...thank God that His mercies are new every morning, and prepare my heart for another long, but rewarding day of parenting.

And grab just a couple of pieces of chocolate...

"Experiencing" Christmas

A couple of years ago, Brad and I stole a great "Christmas presents for kids" idea from some good friends.

Because the the best ideas for parenting are usually stolen!

Anyway, we were torn with what to do about Christmas presents for our kids. We felt like they already received enough presents from grandparents and other family members that we didn't think they needed any more from us.

But we didn't think we could get away with not getting our kids presents either.

Might come across as borderline child abuse if we did that!

So, after hearing what some other friends do, we stole their Christmas tradition.

Sammy and Caleb each receive three Christmas presents from us. The number three represents the number of presents received by Christ by the Magi.

Now, just so that we are clear, I do not believe there were just three Magi...there were probably many, many more Magi and other servants in their entourage. And, just for more clarity, Christ was probably between 1 1/2 to 2 years of age by the time the Magi got to the house where Jesus and His family were living.

Just so that we're completely clear on that! One of my pet peeves is how "commercialized" the Christmas story is and how far off base some of our traditions are!

Okay, I'm now stepping off my soap box.

As I was saying...

Each of our children receive three presents. One present is practical...like new socks or underwear. Another present has spiritual relevance. Last year we got them a nativity scene that they were able to play with an act out when we read the Christmas story. This year we bought them a cloth Advent calendar with pockets that we used daily for our Advent activities. The third present is something fun. Since they really didn't need any more clothes or toys, Brad came up with the great idea of buying them an experience.

Oh, we did also buy them the movie Cars.

The poor kids did need to have something to open on Christmas morning!

Since our children are extreme sports kinda kids...they LOVE being thrown into the air and spun around in circles and have no fear at parks or at the beach...we decided to take them to the Nickelodeon Universe park at the Mall of America.

It was actually very cool! The kiddos could go on rides for 3 hours (for only $10 each), and Brad and I could ride with them for free.

Well, I could only ride a couple of rides due to my ever growing belly.

We had such a blast with them! Three hours was plenty of time to go on rides, and it was such a joy watching them have fun.

My "train obsessed" son had a ball riding on "Azul."



They both thought the hot air balloon was pretty cool.


Both kids needed to have chaperones to ride these "race cars."

I so should not have ridden in those cars! Talk about whiplash!


Thank goodness the kids liked the carousel...if not, I would have been stuck behind the camera most of the day!


The roller coaster was also a hit.


There were actually several rides that Sammy was able to go on alone.

I can't believe she's old enough to go on rides by herself! Someone seriously needs to tell her to stop growing up so fast!


The ultimate, most favorite, and most highly desired ride by both Sammy and Caleb was the Frog Hopper. This ride was only open 20 minutes per hour...BUMMER...but the kids still got to ride it several times.


I have never seen Caleb giggle and laugh before like he did on this ride!


Sammy chose to go on the carousel one last time before we left.

I'm really not sure what she's thinking (or doing), but I simply love her expression!


We had such a great day as a family. And even though it's going to be years before I get around to scrapbooking these pages, we will continue to look at the pictures on the computer with Sammy and Caleb and talk about the fun day we had.

Because, ultimately, I want to create memories with my children...and not just give them their current "favorite" toy. I want to spend quality time with them...not just give them something to keep them busy. And I want to laugh and play and act like a kid again...

even if the that means getting dirty looks from the ride operators as they see me (and my large belly) stuff myself into a little race car.

Of these things, I am certain...

Caleb will play with his trains every day...

...and Caleb will beg to wear camoflague almost every day...


There will be long periods of dress-up every day...


...and Caleb will be a willing victim participant of Sammy's daily dress up routine...


...and almost every day he will be quite happy about it!

Christmas Blizzard 2009

I know, I know...almost a month has gone by since our HUGE snowfall on Christmas Day, but I'm just now going through pictures from our new camera...

...which, by the way, Brad says was our Christmas present to each other.

Right...

Granted, I do get to use it to take pictures of the kids, but all the really great shots, like from our cruise, were taken by HIM.

He has spent hours reading the manual.

I know to how to use about 2 modes...regular...whatever that is called and the action mode.

Pretty impressive, huh?

Yup, pretty sure I have better things to do...like take a shower or play play-do for over an hour with my kids or do 14 loads of laundry.

Anyway, here are some pictures of the kids playing in the snow.

Caleb had a great time "shoveling" with daddy.


It's never too early to start training them in!


And yes, that is Sammy eating snow. Freshly fallen Minnesota snow...yummy!


I love these trucks. They work great hauling sand at the beach, carrying small rocks at the park, or pushing around snow in the driveway.


Oh, and this was our very sad attempt at a snowman. (The kids were getting pretty cold and wet at this point...this was the best we could do.)


Sammy affectionately named him "Frosty."

Very, very original Sammy!

January Blahs...

I feel blah...

I really shouldn't be.

The sun is shining...
It's actually above freezing here in Brainerd...
The recent sicknesses (flu and pink eye) have finally left my house...
My house is getting organized and de-cluttered...
Sammy is "dusting" our house...
Caleb is napping...
I have a million fun and beautiful pictures from Christmas and other recent events to post...

Why am I so blah?

It could be the month. Despite the sunshine, it's still quite chilly outside.

It could be because I haven't been eating very well lately, and poor eating leads to feeling a bit run down.

It could be the fact that I tried to run on the treadmill today and realized my growing belly can't handle even a slow jog anymore...or just bending over, for that matter!

It could be because I haven't had really meaningful devotional time lately. I'm doing my Gospel read-thru and BSF and Beth Moore homework...but even that seems blah.

It could also be because some major life changes are on hold right now, and, even more frustrating, are completely out of our hands...and seem to be changing with each passing day.

Whatever the reason(s), I am grateful for this day. Grateful for a napping toddler, a content pre-schooler, the warmth of my house, the food in my pantry, and the many blessings that I take for granted. I am glad that my emotions are NOT the final authority in my life. And I am glad that God's mercies are new every morning.

So, I will wait on Him. Put aside my blah emotions. Take joy in the little things...

like my daughter RIGHT NOW who is making a row boat out of a laundry basket and two swiffer dusters and having a smashing good time...

and breathe deeply in.

Not Me, Monday!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday...a time to confess all the ridiculous things we have done in the last week...or longer since I haven't participated in a couple of months! MckMama, once again, leads us in our time of confession and fun. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have NOT been doing this week.

Confession is so good for the soul!

I have NOT been going absolutely crazy with painting, purging, and reorganizing our house. And because of this, the extra clutter has NOT been driving me crazy!!!

I also did NOT bribe my husband into getting this lovely Trofast storage organizer from IKEA for Sammy and Caleb's room... (of which I LOVE...and I think Brad does too)


...which also just happened to be on sale...and unfortunately OUT OF STOCK after making the 2 1/2 drive to the nearest IKEA store last week!

But I do NOT have an AMAZING friend who picked it up for us while she was there on Saturday! Kristi, you are the GREATEST!

I did NOT have to let it sit all day yesterday...unorganized...because I was at home with a little guy with a cold and pink eye and later that evening, had to spend my time cleaning up vomit from my sick little girl.

NOR did I ask beg, persuade, plead my husband to let me go to bed and take the first shift with Sammy.

And he did NOT clean up more vomit (and other bodily fluids) until almost 2:00 in the morning while I slept soundly in our bed.

I most certainly do NOT have the GREATEST and most WONDERFUL husband EVER!!!

In a funk...

It's late, and I should be in bed.

But I'm uneasy and can't sleep...

I wish I was one of those people who can just go to bed and deal with it in the morning.

I hate feeling that things are unresolved...unfinished...not fully discussed or processed.

So, here I sit...
trying desperately to figure out why I am feeling the way that I am.

Have you ever had one of those days? Little things that really don't matter...until they are piled up with a million other little things? Or one (or two or three) unmet expectations and your whole evening is thrown off? Or just the realization that you aren't the general manager of the universe?

Yup, had one of those days today.

And the tricky part is that even though I'm an analyzer by nature...when I'm pregnant I become a very emotional analyzer...

not a good combo to have.

I'm trying to process and sort through all of it...while my emotions have me crying every other minute.

So, how did I get to this state? What caused it?

Maybe it's because I haven't had a date night with my husband in several weeks. (We usually have a date night once a week...and it's killing me not having some quality and quantity time with him.)

It could be the fact that our babysitter (of whom I LOVE) was unable to watch our kids 2 different times this week and I've been scrambling to find someone else.

Or then maybe it's because my house is still in utter disarray since we painted the kids' room...and IKEA did NOT have our Trofast storage in stock...even though they said it was a day and a half before...and I can't fully organize like I want.

Then again it could be four of my friends...who are all hurting and struggling and each needing something different from me...and I feel depleted and exhausted as I help carry their burdens.

Oh, and not having a Sabbath last week because we were spending time with my family also might have put a damper on things.

Then there was the "exciting new prospect" we had in our lives...that has recently been put on hold...which has caused several other things to be put on hold.

And it really doesn't help that my husband is in a funk as well...

So tonight, at Starbucks, I met with 2 other friends and poured out to them as we discussed our Beth Moore study. And even though they didn't have any answers, I know that they will be praying and just having their listening ears has helped so much.

Praise God for a community of believers!

And in the midst of our discussion, I realized that I need to focus on what I do know...

These things (and struggles) are temporary and have NO eternal value.

God does NOT allow anything to happen except what has been approved by Him and His sovereign and loving ways.

God is good...all the time...in all things.

God is God and I am NOT!

Maybe what saddens me most is that for much of the time, I believe that I have a strong faith...I believe what God says. I know He is sovereign. I trust His leading. I've become more flexible and teachable.

Yet when the "heat" is turned up and my situation changes, my true heart is shown.

And the Spirit reveals what's been there the entire time...

A lack of trust...

Pride...

Arrogance...

Fear of man...

A self-serving heart...

Selfishness...

Frustration...

How's that for a morale booster?

I long to be like David in Psalm 131...a recent Psalm I've read in Bible study.

"LORD, my heart is not proud; I don't look down on others. I don't do great things, and I can't do miracles. But I am calm and quiet, like a baby with its mother. I am at peace, like a baby with its mother."

Nope, that does NOT describe me tonight!

But even in my unrest, I know that God is with me. I know that He desires change and growth in me. I know that He is compassionate towards me. And I know He loves me.

So, as my uneasiness settles and I focus on who God is (and NOT on what temporal struggles I may have), I can sleep knowing that God already has all the details worked out. He has given me all the time, energy, and money to do what He has called me to do. He has quieted my heart and refocused my mind.

"The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." Job 1:21

Let me check...

Just checking to see if there is any other little boy out there...


as cute and as silly...


as my little boy...


That's what I thought!

Advent 2009

WARNING! EXTREMELY long post ahead!

I kinda went overboard with the number of pictures in this post. I just didn't want to leave any of them out!

Don't say I didn't warn you!

This fall, I really began to think about family traditions and the Advent season and how I wanted to make the holidays a truly special time for my children. I wanted to really build up to Christmas and the celebration of God coming to earth and dwelling among us. And I wanted it to be meaningful.

So, as part of their Christmas present, I found this great Advent calendar on-line (for really cheap...about $17.00) that was cloth and had pockets big enough for me to put little notes about our activity for the day.


One of the first things we did was set up the nativity scene. My kids played with this daily and would act out the story while we read it aloud. VERY cute!


Brad's mom sent Sammy a nativity book that had a bunch of great activities with stickers, mazes, etc. Sammy loved doing these fun activities.


I also found some GREAT Advent ideas on some super websites. This was a Christmas wreath that Sammy made.


This same site also had a lot of great activities to print out. I printed out one coloring sheet a day with a Bible verse and a picture that went along with the story of Christmas. Here Sammy is coloring, cutting and gluing shapes on her tree.


Brainerd does a couple of really fun family days throughout the year. One of them is called Holi-daze. We took a horse drawn carriage ride through downtown to the old Franklin Junior High.


Once we got there, there were several rooms in "Santa's workshop" where the kids could play in balls, listen to a Christmas story, watch a Christmas video, color Christmas sheets, or make jewelry. Caleb just wanted to play in the balls and run around the building, so I stayed with Sammy and helped her make a bracelet.


While I did do some activities with both kids, most of them I did with Sammy while Caleb was sleeping.

I've learned that Caleb is just not ready for Elmer's glue and scissors quite yet!

But there were a few that we did together. The kids used glue sticks to attach cotton balls to a lamb sheet. We briefly discussed how Jesus was the perfect lamb and what He eventually did for us when he died on the cross.


Caleb is so cute!


On another day, Sammy painted some Christmas trees and stars.


Ever since Sammy and her cousin Kaitlyn were 2, I've been doing a gingerbread house every year with Sammy and Caleb. The last 2 years, they have decorated one with their Wiese cousins.

Caleb did a really good job, and I only had to remind him a few hundred times NOT to eat the candy!


Sammy loves this time with her cousins!


Even though I LOVED all that we did and LOVED coming up with our daily activities, near the end I realized that many of the days I was so consumed with preparing them for Christmas and doing all these great things, that I often forgot to enjoy them fully.

Some days I wished we just would have sat on the couch and watched the lights on the Christmas tree sparkle. Or taken more time to drink hot chocolate and talk together about our day. Or even not have done so many "activities", but simply spend time reading and re-reading the amazing story of Christ's birth.

Sometimes, I go a little over the top. I know, it's hard to believe!

But despite the craziness, I pray that both Sammy and Caleb came to understand more fully what Christ's birth meant. Everything about it pointed to His perfect fulfillment of hundreds of Old Testament prophesies, and His ultimate sacrifice on the cross.

The Christmas story is not complete if we don't include what happened on Easter.

But now, looking at my twinkling Christmas tree...yes, it is January 6 and we still have our tree up...I am grateful for the memories we made and thankful that despite my "over the top" ways, we have begun a tradition that my children will remember and might even incorporate into their adult lives some day.

Out with the old and in with the new!

Since we spent a quiet Christmas at home with just our kids, we decided to use some of the extra time to begin preparing for Baby Girl Aust...arriving in just 3 short months!

We live in a 3 bedroom house, so it was time to transition Caleb into Sammy's room. We had tried this before...when Caleb was about 7 months old...but needless to say, it did NOT go well! Caleb struggled with sleeping consistently through the night until he was close to a year, and it just wasn't worth the hassle every night of trying to put 2 kids back to sleep.

Now at 4 and 2 1/2, they play together (most days) like champs and have been asking to room together...and we wanted to move them before they changed their minds!

This room has now been painted 3 times in just 5 short years. (It's a good thing I like painting and am fast at it!)

When we were first expecting Sammy, we painted her room purple.


Just ignore the plants and dirt on the floor. A friend's little girl had a good time "playing" in this room one weekend. That is a story in itself!

Anyway...

Then, after Caleb was 6 months or so, we wanted to move him into Sammy's room so that we still had a guest bedroom. (We have a lot of family from out of state, and we really wanted to have a queen bed and room for them when they visit...sometimes for up to 2 weeks.) So in preparation of moving them into the same room...which, again, never happened...we decided to keep the purple and added yellow and blue stripes.

These pictures were taken right before I began painting.


It was a crazy, but fun little toddler room. And we've had it this way since about March of 2008.


But, boy were we ready for a change!

We spent the last several months trying to find some bedding we liked. Seriously, bedding is EXPENSIVE!!! We finally found something we liked...actually most of the boy and girl bedspreads had at least one color in common. I thought I knew which one Sammy would pick (a pink one with yellow and light green stripes) and then I was going to grab a coordinating one (a blue with tan and light green stripes) for Caleb.

Note to self: Do NOT let a 4 year old girl choose her own bedspread. She will pick one you NEVER thought she would!

So, after much reasoning (on our part) and tears (on Sammy's part), we finally caved and let her choose a pretty purple poka-dot bedspread...which in no way, shape, or form, coordinated with any of the boy bedspreads.

Arg!

But, hopefully, these 2 bedspreads will last a long time...much longer than a princess or Thomas the Train one would last...and the kids can grow into them and use them when if they ever get their own rooms again.

The paint colors were hard to come up with, but we did like the result!


The room does look smaller with these bright colors, but it does look more like a kid's room and less like a baby one!


So, for now, the projects are done...well, that is, until we decide what color to paint the baby's room!