Wednesday Muses

Been too long since I've seen my muse, Aubrey. I always enjoy time with her and her momma.Bailey has become quite aware of my camera, and I either get a big giggly, toothy, tongue-filled grin or a more serious pose. Either way, she's gorgeous.Oh and Charlotte, hasn't she grown so much? She is a happy girl and smiles on cue for her momma.Ah and then my little love bunny...The kitchen was really cute (and BLUE!). Reece was making me zucchini bread when it was time to go.We looked at these pictures later together and he told me "I don't want to go." He didn't. I didn't either, Reece, but nap time called for all my muses.

Bubbles to puffs

Bought Reece a new bubble blower today. Had fun with it after his nap."Do you have any cheese puffs?"
I guess bubble making works up an appetite.

Papa Ben's

Helmet. High-five. Play ball. Kettle corn. Cold. Ice cream. New bat.
A win.
Wiped.Happy, Happy Birthday, Papa Ben.
Had a great time at the ballpark today. ; )

As it should be

Been having some heart palpitations lately. Went to the dr Thurs morning, now going to the cardiologist next week.

Meanwhile, sweet Lisa was having a rough week balancing the pressure of work and a sick little girl at home. She asked for some help on Friday (once contagious free), and of course I did.

Was hoping just to hang around here and lay low with the heart palps and all. But, I couldn't get anyone to play hostess for the church playgroup this week, and a new mom was coming for the first time. Felt a little anxious (and maybe a little frustrated) about getting lunch together and hauling them both up there.

We hung out for an hour or so here first. Before Lisa even left, they were already bickering over what was 'mine'. ; )

Didn't quite get to playgroup on time. Harder to get everything ready and them into the car than I thought. Well, not hard, just more time consuming. And I had to remember to get that bladder emptied before we left. Not changing diapers will be VERY nice, but the tick tock tick tock while sitting on the pot is another thing altogether. You mean they don't just sit on there and go immediately? ; )

We made it there about 20 minutes late.
That poor, sweet, new mom was waiting at the door. I know she was thinking, 'I got myself together and hauled my kid in the car for this?' We went into the soft playroom and talked intermittently as I refereed my two.

I REMEMBER so well the place she was in.
I so passionately comforted and tried to encourage her, letting her know how I was there, and how MANY of us were there too. Days feel so long, but it is only temporary, truly.
I could see a sigh of relief as we were talking. Man, this whole ministry was built for days just like today. We need help and resources and community to do this job sanely and as God intended.

I almost let today be about me, wanting to do what would be most comfortable and easy for me. But even late with heart palps and scattered conversation while trying to get the kids to share and not push each other, it was as it should be.

We only spoke a short time, as it was past nap time for her little boy. I gave her my email address and hoped it had been worth it for her.
Then, I took Reece and Olivia outside for lunch and more play.LOVE this pic
We were the only ones out there. They had a great time, and I found myself thankful. The morning likely would have have felt much longer and a lot less purposeful hanging at our house today.
Thank you, Lord, for a day that served you, served others, and yet even served my soul. Here's to more days as they should be.

New spot

Thursdays after school routinely involve lunch with Grayson. The boys are best buds and really enjoy one another. At least I think they do. Well, they talk about and certainly feed off of one another.
Local Chick-fil-a w/ the indoor play area is no longer our Thursday lunch spot of choice. The boys thrive off of the crammed, noisy environment. And, the play area gets too hot and crowded to be much fun.

The past few have been at the mall, involving a nice walk to the food court and plenty of bench space. (Anyone is welcome to join us.) We give parameters and boundaries, and as expected, they are always tested. Reece sat in the stroller twice for not sitting down or for climbing past his designated area. The stroller time worked well, much better than any consequence we could think of at the old place.

Now they just sit, eat quietly, and read books together.Not quite, but funny what a picture implies.

Oh it was a sweet little moment, but their idea of an ideal lunch would be outside with balls and bats for sure. As you know, they get plenty of that too.

The naked truth

People ask me often if the twos are terrible. As of now, I say NO.
Even though I get no's more like this,
"NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I DON'T WANT TO!!!", I still say no.

Reece is learning about his independence which can be challenging and even feel personal sometimes. It is a daily battle, but a necessary one for him to learn and grow.Choices are HUGE...as many I can think of and even in the smallest things. It starts first thing in the morning when he's ready to get out of bed. He wants to start playing immediately, and doesn't want his diaper changed. So, the choice is to change his diaper or stay in bed. That morning battle is going soooo much more smoothly. Choices also help me keep a positive attitude. And sometimes, it's as simple as, 'Would you like to do it (whatever it is) now or in 2 minutes?'.Besides, he's so much fun and curious. His latest is to ask me where we got things. "Where'd you get that book?" There are so many silly things he says, I need to remember.

Plus, he wants to be with me, to help, and do what I am doing.
That is just plain sweet. And I KNOW that won't last too long, but I will hope it does.As I mentioned last post, I am bringing fun back.
It isn't about what we do as much as our heart behind it.
That's the naked truth. ; )

A heart to help and a heart to change

Daily chores around the house and my time with Reece have been more separate tasks lately. I scurry around doing chores during nap time or sometimes when he's busy playing alone. As you can imagine, when I'm in that mode, I'm a lot less fun and a lot less flexible.

I realized I was missing opportunities. Reece has a desire to help, a desire to learn, and a desire to feel important. And why do work and play need to be separated anyway? They don't!

Reece has started helping set the table. He feels so important and such a sense of accomplishment every time he successfully gets his plate of food onto the table. I can see it on his face so clearly, from when he brings me his empty plate until he comes back confident and smiling for something else to do. Not easy to hide how he's feeling, that Reece. I plan to move some of the other plates and forks down lower so he can help more.

Bought him a little broom on Tuesday. I knew he'd like it, but he LOVES it. Seems a little nutty to me. Every once in a while he swings it like a bat (surprising, I know!) and whacks something. Then sadly, it has to go away for a while.

We did laundry together moving clothes from the washer to dryer. We've done it before, but this time it was more fun as we talked about the colors and stuff in there. Each time I pulled something out, it was a game. Plus, he was quite helpful. It was a little slower, but much better on my back.
Maybe next time, we'll talk about the best way to dress: "clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience". A good opportunity when getting ready in the morning too.Today we hung a picture in his room from Tootie that had been displayed atop his wardrobe. Once I made the original hole, he proudly swung his hammer again and again with impressive accuracy. When Daddy came home, Reece showed him what we hung and how he used his hammer.

"I want to do it!" and "I can't do it!" are phrases he uses often. I help him, not by stepping in, but by encouraging him and talking him through ways to accomplish his goal. Then we both cheer so happily when he gets it.

I'm amazed at how fruitful these few things have already been and how his little soul lights up when he achieves something.

Reece, you have a sweet heart to help. I pray you always do, and pray that I always have a heart willing to change. Thanks for helping me have fun and teach through the smallest and boring-ist (I know that's how you'll say it one day) of things. EYE <3 U.

Something green

Reece ate something green today. It IS a marvel.
Made a 'boat' out of the avocado complete with chugging sounds, and then asked him if he wanted to eat directly out of it. Yes!He ate the whole half. (Is that an oxymoron?)'Don't take my picture.'Loves to stick his fork inside the straw of his cup. Then he sucks on the end of it. When nothing comes out, he just squeals and giggles, as if he made a joke.

Dear God

Dear God,
Thank you for baseball.
Amen.
Reece

really something

Today was a service day with church.
When I arrived, bus after bus was lined up, yet all but the first was empty. The bus for my assigned location hadn't even arrived yet.
I couldn't imagine all those buses being filled.

But they were, every one.All those people showed up to serve without any information on what they'd be doing. They just showed up for whatever the need. And even when toilets and bathrooms were mentioned, they still remained energetic to help.I am usually a little afraid of intruding on people's space with my camera, so I sneak around trying to capture a moment here and there. But, instead of hiding in the background today, I took a different approach. I talked, engaged, and throughly enjoyed my time with people, focusing on quality over quantity.

Turns out it wasn't what we were doing for the community that stuck out to me, but the hearts and stories of the people themselves.A family finished cleaning a room, but paused to pray tenderly for the teachers, students, and school before moving on to the next.

It was one couple's first outing alone since their little girl was born 7 weeks ago. What a selfless way to spend their precious time together.

Some had sweet smiles as they worked.Others were quiet, diligent, and focused.A sweet mom friend, months pregnant with her second, spent her hours pouring out note cards of encouragement to each of the teachers.

Saw a friend from my old church with her sister, who came together to serve. I’m always moved by people that just give from their hearts, not because of any membership-oriented obligation.

Made a new friend on the bus who is getting married next weekend. He's new to the church, yet already connected into a community group. The church has gotten so big, yet in many ways stays small. Today, it felt both big and small in all the right ways.One of the drivers was sitting on his bus and realized he couldn’t just sit there and watch. He found a way to help and beamed as he washed the windows. He was simply infectious.
I could have taken his picture and talked with him all day.
He said what we were doing today was 'really something'.

Girl power

Home from the baseball game and the gals were out. It was quite a bit nicer with some shade and small water puddles courtesy of John's car wash service).Then, oh my....Julia emerged from the front door, dressed for a party and looking much more like a lady tonight than someone's little girl.Gorgeous.Oh Reece, what are we going to do with all these girls!

#2 is number 1

(May have thrown you off with the title.)
Saturday, we went to see Dylan's baseball game. Haslet was a bit of a drive, but not too far to see this guy play. Dylan is a great, natural athlete, yet not obnoxiously competitive. He seems to not take life too seriously, and I like that about him.Didn't take many pics because the fence was too annoying. I managed to squeeze my lens through for this one. I suppose it kept foul balls from hitting my little guy, though. ; )Without any shade out there, it was blazing hot.
I thought I was ready for the warm weather, but guess not!Went back to Damon and Michell's for more fam time and some lunch. Was greeted by sweet Ginger with her waggedy tail.Damon had already retreated to his room for a little tv, Metallica, and some sunflower seeds. When did that happen? I can still remember rolling around on the floor playing with the little blond cutie, tiring way before he was ready to quit. It sure doesn't seem like very long ago.Michell whipped up some philly steak sandwiches (YUM!) and Totino's pizza for the kids. That pizza brought back a lot of memories from college and my single days. Didn't we used to live on that stuff? Well, it's soooo good still!Don't be fooled by the picture, Reece isn't eating much these days. Even fruit has taken a back seat. Pasta, aka macaroni and cheese, is still going strong.

Damon fired up his smoker and put on some brisket for guys night tonight. Now, that's a fire!Reece insisted on bringing his baseball, bat, and glove, both to the game and back at the house. Dylan and Daddy both pitched for him a ton and played catch.
He has a one track mind right now...b-a-s-e-b-a-l-l.A little dove made it's nest in the tree in the backyard.
She flew away promptly when we were taking a look, and revealed 2 perfect little eggs.