My goal

I read an article the other day that talked to several young adults about their mothers.  It asked them the simple question:  What is one thing you remember about your mother?

Most of the answers were:  kindness, sacrifice, love.   Yes, as mothers, we give all these things.

But, I really started to think about this question.  What is the one thing I want my children to remember about me? 

I certainly don't want them to remember the yelling and nagging that I tend to do everyday.  I don't want them to remember all the hurrying we did to get to one place or another.  I don't want them to remember me bent over a bathtub scrubbing or folding a load of laundry.  What did I really want them to remember?

It has taken me several weeks to come up with my answer.  My answer is very simple. I want them to remember a mother that followed Jesus with all her heart.  Nothing more and nothing less. I want them to remember me in prayer.  I want them to remember me studying and applying God's word.  I want them to remember me singing praise songs.  I want them to remember me praying over anything and everything.

With these pictures in my mind I have shaped our house.

I study my bible in front to my children.  Most of the time it is laying in the most annoying places.  My bible has food on it and baby spit.  The pages are ripped and a 3 year old little boy wrote all over Genesis.   It is greatly loved and cherished.

I have a little stereo in my kitchen.  Every chance I get, I turn it on.  We listen to the Seeds of Family CD's.  The songs are scripture put to music.  I hear my children singing them....they have them all memorized without putting any effort into it.

I pray with my children.  Our nightly prayers are so routine for us that my children can't go to sleep without them (love that).  I have been very intentional about saying long, heartfelt prayers and pouring my heart out to Jesus.  Someday my children will be able to say them on their own.   I pray with my children when we are driving and we see people on the street or hear a siren.  We pray about school and hurt feelings and owies.   I try to be very intentional about praying.

We go to mass on Sundays.  Even though it is impossibly hard with 4 small children.   Bryan and I sometimes leave mass angry and exhausted and frustrated.  I keep going.  Someday I will see the fruit of this labor (I hope).

I read my bible to the kids.  We study children's bible stories.  We watch bible stories on You Tube and the television.   I review the Sunday scripture with my kids.  I take every opportunity to teach my kids about the Bible.  Some weeks I am more intentional then others but, it has become part of our routine.

I tell my children everyday....You are a wonderful, beautiful, child of God.  I tell them that God has a purpose for them.  A holy purpose and I can't wait to see what it will be someday.

Wednesday nights we go to church as a family.  And, this year, Gabe celebrated his First Holy Communion.  It made my heart swell even bigger as I watched him in church that day.  I am so proud of him and the commitment he made to accomplish this!  I will post pictures shortly.

And, as I close my weary eyes tonight I only pray that my children saw Jesus today.  Through me and their dad and our life.  That they are learning to have a heart for God.  And, when they remember me....it will be Jesus that they see.

6 months and growing!

Hi, my name is Grace Marie.  But, sometimes my mommy calls me Gracie.  Here I am.  Six months old already. 

I am getting so big!   I can do lots of new things and I just wanted to show everyone.

I LOVE to eat my toes.  They are so warm and just the right size to put in my mouth.

Every afternoon my mom fills our sink in the kitchen and I get to splash in the water.  I love taking a bath.  It's one of my favorite things to do.

Last week, I wasn't quite big enough to sit up on my own.  So, my mom would put me in this little laundry basket and I would play with my toys.  It was the perfect place to play and I didn't fall over while I was playing!

But, I got really, really tired of this basket.  So, I decided I better learn to sit up on my own.  And, look.  I did it!  Now, I don't have to sit in a silly basket.

My mom puts me in the stroller and we walk up the green belt to Hunters Glen Elementary School.   Then, I get to see Gabe and Owen.  I love riding in my stroller.

 

But, before Gabe and Owen get home from school, Eli and I have a little playtime together.  He is such a good big brother.  This picture was the day we made our laundry basket into a boat...built for two.

I have saved my biggest accomplishment for last.  Yep, here I am eating oatmeal.  I also love peaches, pears, and peas!  I also love spitting at my mom (she doesn't always laugh).

See all the stuff I get to do.  It's all very exciting and I can't wait to keep growing!

A little independence

One of my favorite parts of being a mom is watching my kiddos learn something new.  To watch them gain a new found freedom.  I love that little gleam in their eyes that says "I did it, mom".  And, the selfish side of me loves it when my kiddos learn something new because it means that I don't have to do it for them.

For example, every time Eli climbed on his brothers bunk bed he would scream for me to come get him down.  He just couldn't get down the ladder by himself.  So, I would run upstairs and lift him down.  Well, not anymore!  Now he can do it himself.  And, boy is he PROUD. 

He was so proud that he climbed up and down the ladder a total of 50 times one morning.  50 times!  No exaggeration.  He was so happy to learn this new skill and wanted to relive that moment over and over.

And, I was quite happy to watch him complete this task over and over.  While he was busy learning to climb the ladder, I was setting up his new little bed.  And, with the bed complete, Eli is taking another big step into childhood.  No more crib.  He is a big boy now.  He gets to sleep with his brothers in his big boy bed. 

And, here is our big boy.  So proud of his little bed.

After all our hard work up in the bedroom we run downstairs to make lunch for our Kindegardner before he runs off to school.  So cute!  I'm so glad that Owen is still home with us in the mornings!

hammock time

Breath.  Breath deep.  Breath deeper.  Tonight I have to keep telling myself that.   The silence in my house isn't helping me.  Most nights I would be enjoying this time of peace and quiet while my kids sleep soundly in their little beds.  No screaming, no whining, no fighting, no yelling. 

But, I can't seem to slow down enough to enjoy my time.  There is too much to do.  To plan.  To think about. My mind is filled with each child, a husband who is in another state, our upcoming move, selling and buying a new house, finishing up the school year.....  This is really just to much.    I am only just barely surviving.

But, I don't want to just survive.  I want to enjoy.  Enjoy my kids.  Enjoy all the blessings that God has given me. 

So, today, for the first time in many days, I took that time.  On purpose.  To be intentional.  To stop talking on the phone, browsing the internet for houses, doing the dishes, organizing my kitchen, throwing in a load of laundry.  I stopped it all.  I grabbed my baby girl out of her high chair and headed out to my new hammock.  And, we layed in the hammock and let the sunshine warm us up.

 We sang Old McDonald while we rocked back and forth. 

Until the boys joined us.  Then we laughed and were crowded and yelled at each other to scoot over.  Feet, legs, and arms all entangled.  It got noisy and loud and there wasn't enough room.  But, I stayed on and held onto each one and we sang "The Ants Go Marching".  We made up our own rhymes and we laughed at them.  We soaked up the sunshine and learned how to balance on a hammock with 4.

Tomorow will be the same.  I will have to stop.  I will have to put everything aside and do what is important. 

I will have to trust that our move will be easy.  My husband will make it home safety this weekend.  We will find a house in Phoenix to call our own.  And, this is the hard part.  Trusting that everything will work itself out.  But, if I don't.....I may go crazy.  Crazy with worry.  Crazy that my life is no longer my own and under my control.  Crazy with 4 small children and a large house to maintain.  

And, when I take a "hammock moment" things don't look so complicated.  Because I am so blessed.  So blessed to be able to lay around with my kids and sing crazy songs.  So blessed that we have such wonderful opportunities.  So blessed that we have so much love....and we know how to share it.