Two Lines are Better Than One

My Gorgeous Baby...ummm, One Year Old.

Max's FORMAL one year old pictures. Of course, despite taking him to a professional photographer to get them done, we were somewhat disapointed. We have resolved to use our own professional from here on out. Needless to say, my pro did some much needed doctoring to these pictures and they now look decent.

The Battle Rages

Tonight I feel weary. Over the past week, I have felt and seen something very real, very intense, and very supernatural. Never in my life have I felt so whole-heartedly that I am watching a spiritual battle take place. The battle is not mine, although I feel tossed back and forth by its gravity.

A dear friend of mine is struggling. And I feel very strongly it is a battle for her heart, her life, her soul. Satan has been pulling...and pulling hard. He has used so many tricks, many I recognize only because they have been part of my life at one time, and greatly damaged me. He is using confusion, blindness, power, manipulation, and perhaps his strongest tactic...apathy.

I have spent more time on my knees, praying and crying this week than I have in quite a while. I feel in the middle of this battle as I try to interact, love, and speak truth. My heart is broken for the sin of mankind, for what it does to God, and what a mess it makes of our lives. My heart is broken for the consequences we put ourselves in. I am praying that God would take hold of my tongue, and speak directly to the source. That somehow I would be able to speak love, encouragement, and comfort, and yet call out the truth, in all its ugly nakedness.

I am praying that God, who has already won, would arm me to fight. To call out Satan as he hides and manipulates. To remember that God is bigger than Satan's antics. And when we choose to sin and run, that God is big enough to heal and to grow.

But most fervently, and with all my soul, I am praying for the battle of her heart. That God would bring Himself to her, pick her up, and never let her go. That this will be the last time Satan could ever gain so much as a foothold in her life.

And I am praying that I can be there with her, pointing her towards on all-loving and powerful God.

But for now I remain on my knees, my eyes moist, my heart tired and broken, and my thoughts towards God who has already "Overcome the world."

The Year of Max

Today, my sweet baby Max, turns one year old! If I thought things went fast with one child, I am still reeling at how fast the last year went with two precious kiddos.

Since I am feeling nostalgic and weepy, for the birth of my second son, grant me the chance to give you a glance at how much joy, love, fullness, and richness he has brought into our life in the last year. He is so precious to his mommy, who still enjoys his "squishy-ness" and baby-like-ness, despite the fact that he is now 1 year old.

My Max, "Moose"...my baby.

Starting on March 19th, 2008 at 9:55am...

His first bath, 2 hours after he was born...



First official picture with my big brother, Charlie...



2 months old...

Smiling and crawling at 5 months...



Already a goof-ball at 6 months old...



First Halloween as a "beee-utiful baby boy!"



Bath time with Charlie, and LOTS of toys....



Look Mom, I am standing!...



First Christmas....



You LOVE to swing...

My sweet, darling, one year old Max!

Max, baby, you are such a blessing to your Dad and I. You have brought immeasurable joy and laughter. We love you so much, and consider ourselves among the vastly wealthy to be able to love you and help you grow. We love you always, Mommy and Daddy...

A weekend to remember

One weekend equals...

*2 two year olds
*2 one year olds
*One box of waffles
*48 diaper changes
*20 sets of clothes
*1 box of Kleenex
*Unlimited number of nose wipes
*Lots of laughter
*1 bag of frozen chicken nuggets
*1 Gallon of whole milk
*Lots of "tattle-tailing"
*5-6 two year old tantrums, complete with leg-kicking, crying, and "limp-noodle" technique
*LOTS of playing, running, and general rough-housing
*1 brave trip to the store with two adults, 4 kids, 2 shopping carts, and one mini-van
*TONS of questions
*Over 40 books read
*4 pairs of little shoes
*Very little napping
*1 small table with two small chairs and two high chair seats
*Many negotiations
*A bunch of incomprehensible babble
*4 sets of jammies with footsies
*30 pancakes, 3 apples, lots of butter....and NO syrup!
*Plenty of exploration
*4 filthy bibs
*1 wild fro that I could not control
*4 different sleeping arrangements, 2 cribs, 1 bed, and 1 pack 'n play
*Thousands of running laps around the inside of the house
*Plenty of toddling and crawling
*6 Grilled cheese sandwiches, 3 oranges, and 1/3 a bag of goldfish
*1 exciting bath with 4 bodies, not all of wh0 enjoyed the cleaning process





*One ready to eat Rotisserie chicken (thank you Wal-mart), a large bowl of mashed potatoes, plenty carrot sticks and brocolli with Ranch for dipping
*Game after game of the Little Tykes bowling set
*2 night-time bottle feedings
*12 day-time bottle feedings
*1 house that looks like a tornado hit it
*2 exhausted adults

****Cost of helping our friends enjoy a weekend in San Antonio without kiddos****

PRICELESS! (And worth the gift)

Not Me! Monday: Arboretum Edition

When going to the Arboretum (in which we have been members for years) we did not get stopped multiple times for improper behavior in the park of which we were never aware!

When asking Charlie to crawl between to close growing trees (in order to capture a cute pic of him poking his head out between the trees) we did not tell him "Climb the tree Charlie!" just to get him to go stand by them. Then we most certainly did not get stopped by an employee and told "We don't let the kids climb the trees." (followed by a disaproving stare.) And I definetely did not then roll my eyes and huff loud enough for said employee to hear and state not so quietly "He is two years old, he can't climb trees!" Only to be shushed by my embaressed husband!

Then, later on, when we were playing on the gorgeous, soft, grassy-knoll, we did not have an employee drive a golf cart over to us to tell us we aren't allowed to have "sports equipment" in the park because they might get stuck in the trees. Said sports equipment, was not a mini red soccer ball intented to give Charlie something to hold while we walked around so he wouldn't pull all the flowers out of the dirt! And this time, my husband (who had had enough) did not say very loudly to the lady as she drove away, "I can't imagine it is good for the grass that you drive your heavy golf cart on it either!" Then procede to mumble under his breath about how they claim to be a child friendly place, but they really aren't!

We did, though, still have a wonderful time, dispite now the running joke that we can't behave anywhere we go, because our children are such rule breakers!

A Talented Family

Ladies and gentlemen...the Talented Young Family....they sing, and they dance!!! We are so proud of our little people...what joy (and laughter!) they bring!!! (you will need to mute the music at the very bottom of the blog (scroll WAY down) to listen to the videos)

On hour blocks...

Is it just me, or is life with little children like living your life in hour increments? I often feel controlled, run, whipped, by the clock.

When they wake up it takes me an hour to prepare a meal/serve a meal/clean-up a meal. Then it is nap time, which is approx. 1.5 hours. Then you have approx. 2 hours before you must again do the prepare/serve/clean-up a meal. Then it is afternoon nap. Once they get up after 1.5 hours, this is your largest chunk of time. Then it is the meal again, then bath, then bed. Throw in breast feeding every 3 hours, and you feel completely ruled by the clock.

When you go out, even then I do not feel released. I wonder how they went down, and then feel controlled at how long I will stay out and how much I will owe the babysitter.

I am hoping that this too, is a stage. That as they grow up, the naps dwindle, and the day lengthens a bit, I will be able to stretch out the days.

But for now I struggle with my little hour jail. How can I possibly get the house clean in that time limit, or go to the grocery store? Or by the time I drive them to the park, play, and then drive back, how will we ever get back before naps, etc.?

It seems a constant battle. We seem light years away from leisurely trips to the zoo, or day long outings. How would we ever fit it in?

Oh, sorry, I must cut this blogging session short, my hour is up and it is time to go get Charlie from MDO...

Not Me! Monday

Welcome again, to Not Me! Mondays. Join in the blog carnival (by the way, what exactly is a blog carnival?) with McKMama and all her friends. Enjoy being brutally honest about your week!


*I did not spend ALL weekend lamenting and mourning because I am pretty sure I missed the best opportunity to potty train my son!

*6 months ago, when he first turned two, he loved to sit on the potty (then look inside) talk about potty, watch people potty, practice flushing, request diaper changes the moment he had soiled one, and tell me exactly when he was doing everything in his diaper. I was not too lazy and unsure of myself (since this will be my first potty training experience) to just do it then.

*I did not wait until he was 2 1/2 (almost 3) and now have a child who HATES everything having to do with the potty, screams hysterically when placed on the potty, and deliberately lies to me about every time he has dirtied his diaper.

*I did not go buy underwear anyway, hoping I could convince him they were fun and this thing called potty training might really be enjoyable. And of course he did not, think the underwear was cool, but still want NOTHING to do with anything else that involved taking his diapers from him.

*I have not thought about removing all diapers from the house and just FORCING the issue, cause that would be mean, abusive, and most likely counter-productive.

*I am not sooooo sick of changing this child's diapers, that I thought, "Even if he goes in his underwear or on the floor, it has to be better than dealing with the diapers and the everlasting (since 6 months old) diaper rash he ALWAYS seems to have!"

A person this ill-prepared, scattered, inpatient, and mean would have never taken over my body! Nope Not Me! I would never become overly obsessed about the fact that my child will be in 2nd grade and still wearing diapers....that would be emotional, and over reactive....and that is definitely NOT ME!!!

Sunday Musings...

Today is a day for family in our house. We play, we nap, we play some more, we just let the day laze by. It is a Sunday tradition. But, I find my mind still occasionally wandering to the list of things that lives in the back of my head that must be done. So, I am posting a poem I have come across (Interpret: stole from another blog) that seems to be a wonderful reminder to me. There is constantly a list of things that must be done, but my most important job, that never seems to make it to the list, love, enjoy, and raise my precious children. Hope you enjoy this poem as much as I do.

Song for a Fifth Child

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo

The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.