My Toddler is Perfect, How About Yours?

Who says raising toddlers is a difficult job? Not me. I have a dream child.

She treats her brothers and sisters with the utmost respect and kindness.

She is obedient when I tell her not to touch things that are special to others, like Mommy's camera.

photo courtesy of Toddler Photographer

She is a modest child whom you will never see streaking across the room....especially not more than once a day. Her clothes are always put away where they belong because she loves order. She rearranges her drawers, unfolding all her shirts and pants, because she is trying to learn to put together her own outfits. She is perfectly well behaved, never making messes.

There are no toddler temper tantrums in this house. The few times she needs redirection she is compliant and understanding. "Let's be friends." is her favorite thing to say, not "Leave me alone" and "Go away!"

The nursery workers at church rejoice when they see her walk in the door. They get to relax and enjoy their Sunday morning and not be vigilant about the babies not getting pinched. Or bit. 

I'm thankful for restful nights. I have plenty of room in my bed since she sleeps well in her OWN bed every night. She is a peach to get to sleep too. Just give her a smooch, lay her down and turn off the light. No crying and screaming until puke happens. When she has a runny nose, like today, she brings me tissues and patiently lets me wipe her nose. No pushing me away or wiping snot all over my shoulder.

What an independent girl she is. If bored she will make up her own games, like Pick Up Sticks. With pretzels.

 She is very good at feeding herself. Very rarely does she need a napkin.

I love her self expression! Her creative capabilities amaze even the finest artists.

She allows me to accomplish my daily chores without any interruptions. I consider myself lucky on the days she declares naps unnecessary. Those are the days I sit around with my feet up and let her entertain me with her quiet play. Unfortunately, she decided to take a nap today. How bored I am.

All these wonderfully fun pictures were taken this week. See how much fun I have? I suppose I could share the joy. If any of you would like to spend time (or a weekend) with my perfect toddler, give me a call!

Favorite picture (snot and all) for week 5:

Clutter and Cuteness

My picture of the week is a two-parter. I'm still on the upswing of the new year's resolutions and getting things organized. (No need to remind me that we are only finishing the second week of the year.) I'm in  the process of going through "stuff"; purging, giving away and keeping only what I need or love. I have to tell you (and I don't have to if you really know me), it is hard for me to part with things. I get sentimentally attached to things. Silly things, even.

Do you know anyone else that has kept 90% of every love note plus notes from friends since elementary school??  "Do you like me? Circle yes or no. If you don't like me, do you like Kelly?" and "Can you believe she wore dress shoes with her sweat pants?" and "I can't wait until Olivia's birthday party! I love the New Kids on the Block!" They sure are fun(ny) to reread. I thought I would keep them and let my kids read them. But I don't think I want them read. They show how shallow I was. And mean. I thought I was one of the nice girls, but really I was just as cliquey as the others. And what does my husband think of my old love notes? He rolls his eyes and thinks I'm a little nutty. (I also saved his English tablet from high school. It has my name written all over it with hearts and doodles.)

I'm allowing myself to save some of the silly sentimental things (including the orgami-like folded letters that bare our boy-crazy souls). My main requirement is that everything I want to keep has to have a place and not become clutter. 

Clutter creates chaos and confusion and  right now...I'm foggy-minded enough. It also has a way of "hiding". By hiding, I mean blending in. After a while the 12 inch stack of magazines looks like it belongs next to the coffee pot. 

One of my friends and her family came over for a visit yesterday. The house was in so-so shape. I told her, "Ignore the cluttered sideboard, it's not who I am." Then I laughed and said, "who am I kidding?....it is who I am." It's just not who I want to be. 

There is a little bit of everything on my favorite piece of furniture. Mail, pictures, glue, clothes to be returned, a clock that hasn't been wound up in weeks, vitamins, mismatched socks....the list goes on. This family heirloom is WAS the catch all. It's located in the perfect spot to dump items that don't have a permanent home. No longer, I say. And we all know that kids always listen to what their moms say. 

Cleaning took a couple hours because I can never accomplish just one thing without the interruptions of dumped Legos, dirty diapers, refereeing, hungry tummies, phone calls, wiping noses, kissing boo boos, and absentmindedness. But I'm refreshed by the outcome.

Look, it has shelves. Isn't it cute? It's not my favorite color wood but I would never change it. I bought it at my great grandparent's estate auction. They bought it for fifty cents at my great-great grandparents auction. I love it. (Remember, I'm a sentimental gal.) The clock, bowl, glass and lanterns were also grandparents or great grandparents. Besides a couple of Bibles, that is as far as my antiquing goes. Too many kids live here to worry about having and keeping old stuff nice. Besides, I truly do not want material things to get in the way of what is important.

The picture of the week......this is what happens when Mommy is busy....

Seriously....the markers need to go! She is "bazest" (Corbin's way of saying possessed, which he really means obsessed) with pens and markers. Crayons don't do near enough damage for her taste. This girl will go on marker hunts. And we won't even discuss her attraction to eyeliner and mascara! 

As I sit here holding a sleeping tot, whose face no longer resembles a circus clown, I can hear the ticking of my newly revived clock. The midnight chime is advising me to call it a day. I think I'll obey. And tomorrow....who knows, maybe I'll tackle the top of the fridge!

Beautiful Day

My day started chaotic and crazy, mostly because I was too tired to face it with both eyes open. My own fault. I stay up too late in the evenings. I can't help myself. I love this time of day! I love knowing all my family is home safe and sound. I also love that they are all tucked in, sound asleep! It is the time of day when I can do something... anything uninterrupted. I can eat a snack guilt free without little beggars. Don't get me wrong, I love my little beggars but they can eat their bowls of cereal in the morning. Mommy likes cereal after the sun goes down.

This little girl keeps me on my toes!

She has "mischief-maker" written all over that sweet face. I'm thinking she learns from the best.

I need to keep my eyes on him, more so than most. He is always coming up with new ways to have fun; in other words, make a mess or create an accident-in-the-making. He has now learned how to do wheelies on his bike. Needless to say, he has bandaids on both elbows and one knee.

This cry lasted for all about 20 seconds. I snapped the picture and he opened his eyes and said, "Erase it." It cracked me up. And I couldn't do it. He said, "You're not putting that on facebook." Then I was really laughing. To be fair, facebook means the computer/ internet to him. I promised him I wouldn't put it on facebook. :) Emmaly, the sweet sister that she is, fixed him right up. An ace bandage heals all wounds.

I feel like I am making real progress in my desire to have an uncluttered life. I will share about that sometime. I  woke up this morning with the feeling of chaos and being overwhelmed. After my day of realization and understanding, I have a new perception of chaos. It was a beautiful day! 

Here I Go

Tomorrow is the big day. I'll be on my own for SEVEN days. It's not the vacation I had in mind. But it is what God has in store and I will accept it for what it is and what it can be. It is a time I need to be away to heal from this ugly disease. I will take this time to relax without guilt. I will read novel after novel and watch sappy movies and nap when I start to feel sleepy. I will eat chocolate for breakfast, ice cream for lunch and donuts for dinner. (Ok. Maybe not. But after my diet restrictions are up on Thursday I will be adding those food items!) I will drink my own bottle of soda without sharing a single swig! I will come home refreshed as a                          mom and a wife.

                                                          I will miss my people!!

                And I surely don't have favorites but I think some may miss me more than others.

And one may miss me the most of all.

Speaking of that one.......look who started walking today:

She has been walking little steps from here to there for over a month. But she would still rather crawl. Now I'm going to come home to a baby who walked her way right into toddlerhood. Without permission, mind you. She was so proud she gave herself a round of applause. 

As much as I will miss my family I know they are being taken care of. My biggest desire is to rest in the Lord's arms and in His word as I spend my time reflecting on His will for my life. I want to be exactly where He wants me to be. 

Let's celebrate!

My sister kindly reminded me that when I woke up yesterday morning I would enter into a new age bracket. The bracket for 35-50 year olds. Hmmm.....thanks, Sis, happy to join you. The month of April is a big month in this household. Four out of eight of us celebrate our birthday this month. Here is a recap of Faith's shindig:
Dakota and Brooklyn made the cake and cupcakes. I didn't even crack an egg. I was happy to hand over that chore...er...art project. I let them do whatever they wanted with their canvases.

The weather was ahh..mazing! It was too nice not to take the party outside. It was almost uncomfortably warm. Almost. That seems funny to say today, a day that the temperature is 35 degrees cooler with a bashful sun.

Faithy Pie partied til she dropped. It was a good, no, great day! My only grumble is that I didn't get enough pictures of the cousins! And did you see the pictures of Faith digging into her cake? You didn't?! Well, first of all, she didn't dig in. She poked a little here, picked an M&M there, took graceful bites and barely made a mess. And second, my video camera wasn't charged (and the charger was no where to be found) so I decided to use my digital camera in video mode to take footage of the cake attack. Or cake touch in her case. But, fear not, there is good news! I asked my awesome photographer SIL to capture some cake pictures! She clicked away and I can't wait to see what her artistic eye observed!

Fast forward 6 days from F's party and I am now in my mid-thirties. I awoke to precious, slobbery kisses from my littlest. (She seems to know the secret to wake up in Mommy and Daddy's bed. the secret is to arouse in the night. Mommy loves snuggles and is too sleepy/lazy to deal with crying.) I was treated to breakfast in bed by my so thoughtful 7 year old! It was a bowlful of cinnamon Life filled to the rim with milk, on a tray. I was just as thrilled to receive it as I was to know there was no mess carrying it up the stairs! I shared my Life with my kissy baby. I came downstairs to find that Emmaly also cleaned (straightened up) the dining and living rooms. I also got a foot rub from her. That girls knows how to give gifts! The weather wasn't nearly as wonderful as it was a week earlier. But it was perfect for staying inside, movies, popcorn, games and lounging.

As you can see from the picture, Hubby doesn't like his picture taken. But it was MY birthday and it's what I wanted. So, thanks, Hon. :-) We don't often get to watch tv or movies together as a family. Mostly because there isn't enough time in a day. But also because there aren't a lot of movies that we would all enjoy. What did we watch?......Star Wars. Well...not my first choice. Or my last choice but that's okay. It was a good excuse to eat kettle corn and laze around. I have been so blessed my last 34 years. I wonder what year 35 has in store?? Here I am, Lord, ready or not. But mostly ready!!

Baby Mine

She's one. She's ONE! Never has a year gone by so quickly! I say this every year, but this year it's true. One year ago tonight, after the most amazing labor and delivery, I was holding this precious babe. She was perfect, all 9 lbs 4oz of her; from her dark head of hair, angel-kissed forehead, blonde eyebrows, button nose, dainty lips, and recessed chin to her tiny fingers, smooth tushy and 10 little piggies. I was in love! Again. She was exactly what I had been missing. Though I didn't know I was missing anything at all. She was God's gift to me. How could we not name her Faith?

This blessed little lady was born to a family where she will never know lonely (or privacy). She has many admirers who all vie for her time. She has center stage. Don't let her innocent look fool you, she likes it that way.

She is as pure and sweet as honey and as spicy and flavorful as pepper. She threw my mental parenting books out the window. Who was I to compare her with others? She is a girl all her own.

  I tried to take pictures of her today... good pictures. But my house has the worst lighting and outside there is no capturing little F's attention. She is captivated by all of the sights and sounds our farm has to offer.

Oh well! I'll get you, my pretty!  

We are so blessed God has placed you in our family and I'm so excited to watch you grow. There's just one thing.... let's keep this next year at a slower pace! Happy Birthday, Sweet Baby Mine!

 Momma loves you!