Do Princesses.....?

Have bed head?????????

This one sure does....and a messy face to go with it.

Because I Can

So I told my hubby after this happened that I was going to tell this story on him......but I forgot. So guess what, I'm telling it on here. Is it ridiculously funny....for me? yes, for you? probably not. Its just a story of sweet revenge. And because I put it on here, it means sweet revenge twice.

See Tony does NOT read this blog. I have asked him too, his mother has said he should....but he doesn't see why he should read it. So now I can share whatever I want and he won't know about it.

So here's the story......Saturday night Tony dropped a water bottle we had in the house and it got a hole in it. So as I'm enjoying some coloring with my Little Miss I hear him say "Excuse my immaturity for a minute". He comes in and squirts both me and his daughter with the water bottle. He only stopped b/c his daughter got mad at him. So the next morning while he was getting something for her out of her room I took that same water bottle and pored some of it in a cup....the rest went down the drain and the bottle in the trash. Then when I was able to get him into the dinning room (not the carpeted living room) I said "excuse my immaturity" and pored it on him. It was awesome! Then even better was watching him search for the bottle so he could spray me again.

Anyway, you should tell him that you like reading the funny stories about him on the blog. Tell him you can't believe he lets me put them up. Maybe he will actually read it. I doubt it though. Maybe I will just keep sharing stories until he does.

Do you ever wonder "What if..."

The following blog post if from my friend Karen Beaty.  She is a mom of 10.  One of these children is adopted, four more are foster children whom they intend to adopt.  They have been such an encouragement and blessing to Tony and myself as we walk along this journey.  I'm glad to have great friends like the Beaty's who "get it" to come along beside us!  Thank you Karen for letting me share.

 

 

Once in a GREAT while

- I wonder -

What if....

What if we hadn't decided to foster?

What if we hadn't adopted?

Our youngest would be in 7th grade - we'd be 'home free' from babysitters and diapers and temper tantrums. We'd be thinking about high school & college graduations and weddings - and...wow, in a few years - GRANDKIDS.

Maybe not free from the tantrums..

Instead - I'm thinking about teeth cutting for the first time and potty training and registering kids in pre-school and teaching A,B,C's and I'm the crazy one who, as I walk through the store, you hear me saying "I Spy something yellow that monkeys like to eat".

The big argument Wednesday was that Elmo is RED, and Grover is BLUE. Elmo is not blue.

Yesterday, our two year old decided to take the (pretend) shotgun and shoot the dog. She didn't die - so in addition to shooting with the shotgun, he shot with his other hand as well. Then, he went to shoot Daddy!

Life is so fun with little ones around. What if I didn't get to enjoy that?

Matthew West sings a song called "Motions". I listened to it this morning - and God has been speaking.

I don't want to spend my whole life asking - What if I had given everything? Instead of going through the motions....

WOW! That is so convicting. What if...we don't adopt these 4 little boys? What if we hadn't adopted Elizabeth. What if we let 'the system' have them? What if I don't give EVERYTHING (including my 'freedom' from kids) to God?

Andrew and I are so COMPELLED to care for these boys - We know it will be hard. They are not free from the baggage that comes with orphans. There will be struggles. Somedays I will question my sanity. But God has placed 'an all consuming passion' inside of us to care for the fatherless. You just can't argue with PASSION that is God based.

I wonder.... What if.....

What if they finish high school and graduate?

What if they decided to wait till marriage to have sex?

What if they decide to get a job and serve as an usher at church? or teach Sunday School? or sing on the worship team?

What if they fall in love with JESUS?

What if God gets ahold of their heart?

What if they teach their children to love Jesus?

What if they pray for their grandchildren?

What if they gave EVERYTHING to Jesus?

What if ... we really GAVE everything?

(listen to this song:)

 

 

The Motions by Matthew West

This might hurt, it's not safe

But I know that I've gotta make a change

I don't care if I break,

At least I'll be feeling something

'Cause just okay is not enough

Help me fight through the nothingness of life

I don't wanna go through the motions

I don't wanna go one more day

without Your all consuming passion inside of me

I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,

"What if I had given everything,

instead of going through the motions?"

No regrets, not this time

I'm gonna let my heart defeat my mind

Let Your love make me whole

I think I'm finally feeling something

'Cause just okay is not enough

Help me fight through the nothingness of this life

'Cause I don't wanna go through the motions

I don't wanna go one more day

without Your all consuming passion inside of me

I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,

"What if I had given everything,

instead of going through the motions?"

take me all the way (take me all the way)

take me all the way ('cause I don't wanna go through the motions)

take me all the way (I know I'm finally feeling something real)

take me all the way

I don't wanna go through the motions

I don't wanna go one more day

without Your all consuming passion inside of me

I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,

"What if I had given everything,

instead of going through the motions?"

I don't wanna go through the motions

I don't wanna go one more day

without Your all consuming passion inside of me

I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,

"What if I had given everything,

instead of going through the motions?"

take me all the way (take me all the way)

take me all the way (I don't wanna go, I don't wanna go)

take me all the way (through the motions)

take me all the way

I don't wanna go through the motions

Eating Humble Pie

My sister (whom I love dearly and is an amazing friend) and I had a conversation this weekend about parenting.  Her having 2 and me having 1, all close in age, that is what MOST of our conversations are about.  We were talking about the things that we swore we would never do or let our child get away with before we were parents.  However, being parents you quickly realize that you can throw all of that out the window.

I'm very fortunate.  I had great parents as examples, was surrounded by Godly advice from people like Dr. Dobson, and had tons of experiences with kids.  I thought I knew most of what their was to know about parenting.  I knew it would be hard, I knew I would have trials, but over all I wasn't too worried.  Then the doctors place a beautiful 7 lb 9 oz child in my hands and walked away.  Suddenly it wasn't all so easy.

Right after I snapped this picture I realized I shouldn't let her stand on the chair....ooppss!

I'm quickly discovering that my child is going to do almost everything I said they would NEVER get away with.  I had always planned that if my child ever threw a tantrum in public we would do one of three things: 1. I would walk away from her, 2. I would spank her, 3. We would immediately leave the store.  However, I then experienced my first public tantrum before the age of one.  I was beyond baffled.  I couldn't leave her (I'm sure DCFS would of loved me for that).  I discovered spanking her in public is beyond difficult (plus she had never been spanked before and delaying punishment till the bathroom was not reasonable for her age).  And I couldn't leave because she wasn't going to know the difference, plus I had shopping that NEEDED to be done.  So what did I do.  I got her to a more private area, called my husband about in tears, and distracted her with a toy.  I think I would have scolded myself before I had kids.

I'm learning that books and experts only go so far.  Each child is different, each child is unique.  Each child MUST be raised differently.  I'm also discovering that at least half of parenting is a guessing game.  My sister and I like to run things by each other:  "what do you do about this."  Sometimes we can give advice and other times we are just as lost as they are. 

So daily now I eat humble pie as a mommy.  I realize that I truly had no right to judge those other parents.  God gave me my child to raise for a reason and them their child to raise for a reason.  Their are a 100 different ways to accomplish the same goal and each child needs a way that fits them.  I think I could read every single parenting book available and STILL be baffled by the things my child did that I SWORE they would never do. 

Watching a You-tube video....something I thought I would never let her do at this age.

However, it is also doing on other thing.  It forces me into a position to completely rely on God for my parenting answers.  I'm constantly praying for wisdom that can only come from Him.  Sometimes that's is in books (Bring Up Girls is great) and other parents and sometimes its in the "wow that actually worked" moments (which are even more humbling).  I'm learning that neither I nor my daughter will get through her child hood with out a LOT of prayer.  God has definitely used her to get me on my knees admitting I can't do it on my own.