Battle in Bethlehem

Last week Andrew and I spent a quiet morning decorating while Caroline napped. The tree, the mantle, and the nativities looked perfect. We have one grown-up nativity in the kitchen, and Andrew has a sweet little one for his room. Once the decorations were in place, Caroline woke for her lunch feeding. Andrew dismissed himself to his room for my nursing, for which I was truly grateful.

Caroline and I were enjoying our peaceful moments together when I heard the clinging of toys. Strange, I thought, which of Andrew's toys cling? Hmph. Oh, no.

"Andrew, what are you doing?" I asked as I finished the last minute or two of the feeding.

"Nuffin'. Just playing," he replied ever so sweetly. Uh-oh.

I closed up shop and headed into Andrew's room. As I entered, I saw baby Jesus, the shepherd, and the flock sitting peacefully on the table. Andrew still had Mary in his hand. This left Joseph, now headless, on the floor alone.

"Oh, Andrew! How could you? What were you thinking?..." I berated for a minute and then fell silent.

Sheepishly, Andrew gestured to Mary and Joseph and said, "They were fighting... Mary won."

Apparently, she did. Bring on the super glue.

Merry Christmas.
:)
Anne

Being Thankful

As I read Facebook posts, I am always amazed at the number of people who use it to complain about how bad things are for them. I'm sure I've done it... we all vent. Here are all my knee-jerk complaints that I have thought about posting... this week.

1. My husband is gone once a week for grad school, so we don't see him those days.
2. My husband has night meetings that keep him from us a few times a month.
3. My daughter consistently wakes in the 4 or 5 AM hour to feed.
4. My house's foundation is moving causing the doors to stick.
5. My heater doesn't heat the kids rooms very well.
6. My 3 year old is full of sass and shares it readily.
7.My blah, blah, blah.... bitch, bitch, bitch.

Yuck. I know things are bad sometimes, but I think we all need a wake up call. I recently heard a speaker and had mine. She was just a mom, who has the most amazing outlook on life. All she said to us was this, "No matter what your life is like you are living the dream, so take the time to give thanks to God and enjoy it. You might not like your house: out of date, bad foundation, old siding, lousey neighborhood, etc... But you have a house. And at this very moment, someone is living in a tiny apartment dreaming of your house. You are so blessed. Please don't spend your life dreaming of more when you could be enjoying what you have."

Wow. I took a long hard look at myself and the little things I let bring me down...
1. My husband is gone once a week for grad school, so we don't see him at all. My husband is in GRAD school while working full time, so I can stay home. He's a rock star.

2. My daughter consistently wakes in the 4 or 5 AM hour to feed. I have a daughter. A wonderfully sweet, squeezy ball of love, who can't wait to spend those first few moments of her day with me. She's healthy and happy. What a blessing.
3. My house's foundation is moving causing the doors to stick. I have a house... a house that I love and a yard to enjoy with my sweet babies.
4. My 3 year old is full of sass and shares it readily. I have a very smart and very vocal 3 year old who uses he smarts for sass, but also he uses it to bless me. He realizes things like this, "Mommy, some mommies go to work all the time. You get to play with me. I'm so glad you get to stay home with me and Caroline."
5. My husband has to work late some nights, and I don't get a break. My husband has a job. Scratch that- my husband has a great job that provides for our family.


No matter how hard I try to be upset about something, I am slapped with the realization that my small inconviences are temporary setbacks related to a much greater blessing.

No matter what your life looks like, you are living someone's dream. Why not make it your dream and be thankful?

:)
Anne

Halloween part 1: Trunk-or-treat

Here's a taste of our Halloween weekend! We hosted a trunk at our church's Trunk-or-treat event last night. Here are the trunk and our two trunk-or-treaters!
:)
Anne

Sweetness

The look in her eyes makes my heart shine: Unconditional love for her Bubba.


:)
Anne

Really?!

Andrew hobbled out to the kitchen this morning, and here's the conversation:

A: Mommy, I think my foot hurts.
M: What do you mean your foot hurts? Show me where.
(I bent down to check out where.)

A: it's my ankle, Mom.
M (dumbfounded, I stared at Chris and asked...) really?! What's your ankle?

(Surprisingly, he actually points to his ankle.)

C: Bud, how do you know it's your ankle?
A: (shocked at Chris's ignorance- scoffs and replies) 'Cause it's the circle bone on the outside of my foot.

Really?! Where does he get this!?

:)
Anne

PS: here's a video of some sibling silliness packed with giggles!

Proper usage of f***

We are on our way to our friends' house for dinner, so we are listening to the Ranger's playoff game on the radio. In reaction to a bad play, Chris drops the f-bomb. Cue Andrew's genius:
"Daddy, fuck is a bad word, and that means you shouldn't say it."

Daddy, "I'm sorry, Bud. I shouldn't have said it."

After a moment of thoughtful reflection, Andrew said, "No, Daddy. You can say fuck if people drive slow in front of you, but you can't say it about baseball."

Thank you, tiny wordsmith. We laughed f-ing hard at that.
:)
Anne

Communication conundrum

I am having trouble communicating a few things around my house. Maybe these issues need to be in writing to be resolved, so here goes...

Dear neighborhood cats,

I can see where this might be confusing; however, andrew's sand box is not your alternate litter box. Go home then go pee.

Thanks,
Andrew's Mom

Dear motorcycle driving neighbor,

I will admit I know nothing of motorcycle care; however, I would greatly appreciate it if you didn't rev the engine (parked right outside Andrew's window) several times before and after you drive it. It's loud enough without these "warm up" and "cool down" periods scheduled daily at 6:30am and 8:30pm. Mopeds are cool, too and much quieter. I think I saw one on Craigslist. Check it out.

Thanks,
Andrew and Caroline's mom


 Dear Confused Caroline,

Settle down...The chalkboard is not covered in powdered sugar. Trust me, I've checked.

Love you,
Mommy

Dear Astute Andrew,

Yes you were cute, funny, smart, and very well behaved at the dentist; however, that does not mean you get to watch a movie... nice try, Bud.

Love you,
Mommy

Just a few of the day-to-day issues around the house.

:)
Anne