Lydia's 3rd Birthday

My baby girl turned three on Monday.  THREE YEARS OLD!  It seems like yesterday that she was born.

We had Kirby's family over to celebrate on Friday night.  We did a zebra theme this year.  I made the cupcakes and got this dress at Hobby Lobby.  I added the pink bow to it using fabric tape.  I didn't take in to account the fact that the ribbon would not stretch, so we couldn't get the dress on her.  We ended up cutting the ribbon on the sides but still had to struggle to get the thing on her.  Add that to the fact that she really didn't want to wear the dress in the first place and she was just plain mad by the time we got it on.  Needless to say, a mad, crying, clinging little girl doesn't make for the best pictures.  This is the only decent one we ended up with on Friday night.  She did get in a better mood later, after we let her put shorts on, but I was so stressed by then that I didn't even think to get the camera out.  She got a bike from Grandma and Grandpa Cass which she can ride like a champ.  I didn't get a picture of it but I'll get one before the summer is over.

Thanks to everyone who came to celebrate with her!!!

Monday morning on her actual birthday.  I got this little tote for her from a Thirty one party I went to.  It's so handy, we've used it a ton already.

 Princess Band-aids

 Trident bubble gum. She's easy to please!

 The traditional cinnamon rolls.

We celebrated with my family on Monday evening.  She's a much happier girl when we let her wear what she wants to wear.

She had a great birthday.  Daddy was home with us all day, which is a rare treat, and had a lot of fun celebrating with friends and family.

Memorial Weekend Fun

The weekend started out with Lydia's 3rd Birthday party on Friday night, but I'll do a separate post for that.

Saturday morning we had a t-ball game that we thought started at 10:00 but acutally started at 11:00.  We didn't figure this out until AFTER we had driven to Bonaparte.  We ended up turning around and going back home and skipping the game so we could make to to our next activity at noon.  We asked Clae if it was ok with him to skip the game.  He said "that's fine, I don't want to play my games ALL the days."  I think he's getting kind of ready for t-ball to be over.

Every year we get together on Memorial weekend to celebrate Kirby's Grandma Brown's birthday, which happens to be the same day as Lydia's.  This year was 91 for her, there were well over 100 people there this year, all her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  Pretty impressive.  This is the only picture I managed to get.  Clae and Lydia and two of their cousins.

Saturday night I had my FIFTEEN year class reunion.  Wow, I feel old.  My sister had her 10 year, it wasn't a special year for my mom, she just never misses an opportunity to socialize!  And it was my dad's 40 year, but I guess we didn't get a picture of him.

Me and one of my classmates and good friends, Val.

All TEN of us who showed up to the reunion.  Woo Hoo!  We had a much bigger crowd at our ten year and hopefully we'll have more people show up to our twenty year.

 The only four girls that were there.

Sunday we went to my cousin Chirstopher's graduation.  We stopped at the automatic car wash on the way.  The kids do NOT care for the automatic car wash!

We also ended up making an unscheduled trip to the PICU at the University Hospital in Iowa City.  Kirby's cousin and his family were here for the weekend from Missouri.  They have a four month old baby who had fallen out of her baby seat and hit her head earlier in the week.  She seemed totally fine on Saturday other than a bump on her head, but by Saturday night she started vomiting so they took her to the ER and ended up taking her to Iowa City by aircare because she had fractured her skull.  Very scary, but she is doing very well and is going to get to go home soon.

This was supposed to be in Lydia's birthday post but it ended up in here.  Sibling love!

Monday we went fishing at Grandpa Cass' pond.

And then ate hot dogs at the timber spot.

Clae wanted me to take this picture and he did this cute little pose.

He got tired after lunch and had to take a little rest.

After lunch we swam in our pool and ate ice cream.

We went to my parents later in the evening for cake and ice cream, pictures of that will be in the next post.

This is what my kitchen looked like by the end of the weekend.  And that's just the kitchen, the rest of the house is about as bad.

3rd Article in the "Mommy Wars" Series

Mommy wars in the local church.

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/mommy-wars-in-the-local-church-a-parable

End of the Mommy Wars

Here is the next article in the "Mommy Wars" series.  I posted the first article yesterday.

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/the-end-of-mommy-wars

Mom Enough?

Another great article from the Desiring God blog.  Puts things into perspective.  We'll never be mom enough.

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/are-you-mom-enough-mommy-wars

Burlington Hawkeye Article

A reporter from the Burlington Hawkeye came to interview Kirby and Kelly about the project we're doing at the old Stockport school.  This article was in the Sunday Edition.  More publicity can't be a bad thing!

Questions

I have been struggling lately with the fact that I sometimes feel like I treat friends, acquaintances and even compete strangers better than I treat my own children. (although I don't hug and kiss complete strangers nearly as much as I hug and kiss my kids:)  It seems like my frustration, my impatience, all of my UGLY comes out with them, at them, to them, around them...you get the point.  And I keep asking myself, "why?"  It really is a serious issue that has been on my mind and my heart as I'm striving to put my faith into action at all times, and to walk by the Spirit, and just generally live a life that is pleasing to God.  As this battle goes on in my mind as to why I struggle in my mothering relationship more than any other relationship this article about working vs. stay-at-home parents came to my mind.  It's a funny answer to a very serious question, but I think it sums it up well.  The reason I don't struggle in my other relationships the way I struggle in my relationship with my kids is because THEY ARE KIDS, there is no adult relationship that compares.  I came across the above article quite a while ago, but I saved it and read it pretty often and I still laugh every time I read it.

Tips on Blogging

I recently came across this blog post, about...blogging on the Desiring God website.  All of the suggestions are taken from the writings of John Newton, who obviously didn't have a blog, but his letters were apparently written in a very similar style to our current blog posts.  It was so nice to read a Christian article that doesn't shun social networking, but gives us practical advice about how to use it most effectively.

I have been thinking a lot lately about how incredibly small my world is.  Living in such a small community makes me SO grateful for the internet and social networking.  I have been thinking lately about using my blog more intentionally to reach out to people close by and far away.  I have been so encouraged by many blogs and by online articles and sermons, I would like to take any chance I can to maybe speak a word of encouragement into someone else's life.

Initially I started my blog when we found out we were expecting Clae, as a way to keep people informed about what was going on in our family.  I usually kept it at a surface level and for the most part kept it light hearted.  Over the years I've hesitated to share everything that is on my heart for several different reasons. 

One, it makes me a little nervous that I have no idea who I'm 'talking to' on any given post.  I'm not that great at just blurting out everything that's on my heart to any random stranger who happens upon this blog. 

Two, I am deathly afraid of sharing 'too much'.  My husband is a very private person and there have been things I've told people that he is completely shocked I would share with anyone outside of our family.  So, in an attempt to protect my husband, I try to keep what should be private, private.  And if there is any question in my mind what-so-ever of whether or not I should share something, I don't share it  That being said, I think there is also a danger of showing just the 'happy' surface stuff and not sharing what's really going on

Three, I'm no writer.  I am amazed at the writing on some of the blogs I follow.  There are people out there who truely have a gift (and use correct puncuation).  It's so easy and enjoyable to read what they've written.  I somewhat know how to write, but not at all like many of my fellow bloggers. I'm afraid I'll lose people right off the bat with my typos and grammar and puncuation errors. 

Four, I don't want to sound like I'm preaching a sermon.  I followed a blog for a while (a short while) of someone I know, and had to quit reading it because every post was like a sermon.  I very much enjoy reading sermons from PASTORS, not from stay-at-home moms.  If I'm going to read something from a fellow mom I want to hear her heart not her preaching.

It has been my goal from the beginning to present our REAL life and not try to look like we're living in some fantasy where everything goes smoothly at all times, or that I think I have all the answers.  AT THE SAME TIME I do NOT want to be one of those people who, uses social media to complain about life NON-STOP.  The goal is BALANCE, which is very hard to find sometimes and has made me delete many posts I've started because I feel like they may be lacking that balance.

Still, I felt like I could be doing more with my blog.  As I started to reevaluate, and think about how so many fellow bloggers have played a big role in my life, in enouraging me as a mother and in my walk with the Lord, I started thinking about what I could change about my own blogging style. That's when I came across the post above which was EXACTLY what I needed to read, and gave me some practical advice about 'how to blog'.  So, I'm praying that God will lay on my heart experiences or thoughts that may be, in some small way, an encouragement to someone else.  That I would fearlessly (with discernment) share what He would have me to share for HIS honor and glory.

First Game

We're hoping the next T-ball game goes a little bit more smoothly than this one.  You can't tell, but Clae is having a total meltdown in this picture.  I went over to the dugout a little before it was time for him to bat to tell him it would be his turn soon.  He thought I meant it was his turn right then.  He started to walk out onto the field.  The mom of another player told him it wasn't his turn yet.  And that was the end of it.  He's a VERY sensitive little guy and that was just too much for him.  I had him calmed down before it was his turn to bat, but when he walked out to the plate he started in again.  So, we gave up for a little while until it was his turn to bat again.

The aftermath of the meltdown.  Poor Little guy.  I mentioned in a previous post that he's the youngest one one the team.  In hindsight we may have started him a little young, but there's no going back now.  Just think of how much more he'll be prepared for next year having this year to learn!

He calmed down after a while and reluctantly took his place in the outfield.  Whatever "his" place was.  There are fourteen kids on the team so they pretty much cover the whole outfield...and infield!



The second try up to bat went much better!

Base hit!

...And what's this on his face?  Is that a smile?

The team we played against was Birmingham, which happens to be Kohen's team!  They were all smiles after the game.

Attitude Check

I had to laugh as I got onto my blog page to start this post. Delighted? Today is one of those days I just don't feel very delighted. Of course, my delight and my hope are in the Lord daily, but on an earthly level...not feeling so delighted. It has been one of those days that you feel like taking a day off from being a mother. Where nothing specific is getting on your nerves, but EVERYTHING is getting on your nerves. The kids don't take a nap, they refuse to use their 'inside' voices and obedience is like a foreign concept to them. And obedience with a good attitude? Forget it. But how can I really expect them to have a good attitude when their mother has THE. WORST. ATTITUDE. of anyone in the house. If their behavior is reflective, in any way, of my own behavior, then I definitely need a time out!

Some days I feel like I'm not cut out for this mothering thing, that I don't have what it takes. Of course, this is a lie I choose to believe. Because I know that GOD gave me these children and started preparing me before they were even born, to make me into the person He wants me to be in order to make them into the into the people He wants them to be. Such a high calling. That requires sacrifice. That requires selflessness. That requires SO much patience. That is so much more important than whether or not the dishes and laundry are done.

So, how do you do it? On days when you really don't feel like doing it. When you really feel like you don't know how to do it. When it's all you can do to control their behavior, let alone shepherd their hearts.  Ask God. If any of you lacks wisdom he should ask God, who gives generously to all, without finding fault, and it will be given to him. James 1:5. Oh, Lord, give me wisdom, give me patience and love for my children that only comes from you, not by my strength, but by Yours.