I Gotta Have It

Praying this over my home this morning.  We need wisdom.  I need wisdom.  Parenting two is the hardest job I’ve ever had (the best, yes…the hardest, too) – especially two that are as different as night and day…in the little things and the big things.  I’m sure part of it is just the difference between boys and girls, but still.

He never stops moving…like, ever.  He even wakes up in the middle of his naps and says some unintelligible things, jumps up and down for in his crib for five minutes and then goes back to sleep.  What in the world?  If our house were bigger, I’d be afraid I’d lose track of him.  He’s always into something…the toilet, the trash, the dishwasher, the refrigerator, the pantry, the stairs.  Did you know we never even owned a gate for those things until him?  We moved here when Sawyer was his age and she acted like they didn’t exist!  She never even tried to climb them…seriously…ever.  His favorite things these days are to dive head first into the mudroom, climb the little stair and then slide down again…or toss something and chase it and toss it and chase it.  These things are somewhat manageable – and some are quite cute.

I just feel like I’m constantly on my toes – and that’s ok, I suppose – it’s just not what I’m used to.  Sawyer loved to read and learn and sing and explore and color.  Wryder?  Well, I hope he learns his animal noises and his alphabet by age 10.  Ahem.

Even from a young age, Sawyer received correction so incredibly well.  You could tell her no or remove something from her possession and tell her why you were taking it and she’d just move on.  Wryder?  Not so much.  You can do those things to him and he immediately does them again or throws a fit.

I don’t say these things to bash on him.  I know that he is fearfully and wonderfully made and I love him just as I love her…not based upon his actions but because he is mine.   I just can’t get over how different they are. 

Someone told us that you feel like you have it all figured out after your first one and then the second one comes along and you feel like a first time parent again, fumbling your way through life.  I’m there.

I’m so pleased with the Lord’s favor on our raising of Sawyer and I’m begging for it with Wryder.  I NEED HIS HELP.  I don’t want to grow weary or frustrated or just flat give up…I want to do this well…for Wryder’s sake.  I know I’m going to have to parent them differently, I’m just not totally sure what that looks like right now.  All I know is that he and his heart are worth my time and effort and redundancy to be taught and guided and shaped.  Lord, help me… 

 

1 These are the proverbs of Solomon, David’s son, king of Israel.

Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline,
to help them understand the insights of the wise.
Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives,
to help them do what is right, just, and fair.
These proverbs will give insight to the simple,
knowledge and discernment to the young.

Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser.
Let those with understanding receive guidance
by exploring the meaning in these proverbs and parables,
the words of the wise and their riddles.

Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

A Father’s Exhortation: Acquire Wisdom

My child,[a] listen when your father corrects you.
Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction.
What you learn from them will crown you with grace
and be a chain of honor around your neck.

10 My child, if sinners entice you,
turn your back on them!
11 They may say, “Come and join us.
Let’s hide and kill someone!
Just for fun, let’s ambush the innocent!
12 Let’s swallow them alive, like the grave[b];
let’s swallow them whole, like those who go down to the pit of death.
13 Think of the great things we’ll get!
We’ll fill our houses with all the stuff we take.
14 Come, throw in your lot with us;
we’ll all share the loot.”

15 My child, don’t go along with them!
Stay far away from their paths.
16 They rush to commit evil deeds.
They hurry to commit murder.
17 If a bird sees a trap being set,
it knows to stay away.
18 But these people set an ambush for themselves;
they are trying to get themselves killed.
19 Such is the fate of all who are greedy for money;
it robs them of life.

Wisdom Shouts in the Streets

20 Wisdom shouts in the streets.
She cries out in the public square.
21 She calls to the crowds along the main street,
to those gathered in front of the city gate:
22 “How long, you simpletons,
will you insist on being simpleminded?
How long will you mockers relish your mocking?
How long will you fools hate knowledge?
23 Come and listen to my counsel.
I’ll share my heart with you
and make you wise.

24 “I called you so often, but you wouldn’t come.
I reached out to you, but you paid no attention.
25 You ignored my advice
and rejected the correction I offered.
26 So I will laugh when you are in trouble!
I will mock you when disaster overtakes you—
27 when calamity overtakes you like a storm,
when disaster engulfs you like a cyclone,
and anguish and distress overwhelm you.

28 “When they cry for help, I will not answer.
Though they anxiously search for me, they will not find me.
29 For they hated knowledge
and chose not to fear the Lord.
30 They rejected my advice
and paid no attention when I corrected them.
31 Therefore, they must eat the bitter fruit of living their own way,
choking on their own schemes.
32 For simpletons turn away from me—to death.
Fools are destroyed by their own complacency.
33 But all who listen to me will live in peace,
untroubled by fear of harm.”

Showered in Love

I’m in event planning mode, which is a great place to be if you’re me.   Between spring weddings and first birthdays, I am ready to par-tay…er, decorate at least.  Today’s lovely spring weather got me thinking about one of my favorite events EVER – my ridiculously awesome baby shower.

My adoptive mom and sisters threw Sawyer and I the most beautiful shower I’ve ever attended, and I’ve been to a few.  It was bright and girly and whimsical and fun – all things that describe Sawyer today.  There were paper chains and flowers; homemade paper fans and pinwheels; little containers of homegrown grass and goldfish in flower vases…no detail was spared – it. was. perfect.

In honor of “throwback Thursday” feast your eyes on this beauty of celebration!

On the sidewalk leading up to the locale...
On the sidewalk leading up to the locale…
The entry way, complete with a bubble machine!
The entry way, complete with a bubble machine!
The gift hut and family style seating - my fave!
The gift hut and family style seating – my fave!
Oh yes - isn't THAT adorable?!
Oh yes – isn’t THAT adorable?!
The table centerpieces...
The table centerpieces…
I still have every one of these to give her one day!
I still have every one of these to give her one day!
We were so blessed to receive so many things we needed for our sweet girl!
We were so blessed to receive so many things we needed for our sweet girl!
One of my favorite parts - the pregnant dress form...
One of my favorite parts – the pregnant dress form…
Everything was so charming and whimsical...
Everything was so charming and whimsical…
And of course there was lots of pink!
And of course there was lots of pink!
There were lots of sweets and tasty treats...
There were lots of sweets and tasty treats…
Yummy looking and yummy tasting!
Yummy looking and yummy tasting!
How cute are these?!
How cute are these?!
Lots of pinwheels...
Lots of pinwheels…
Sweet little goodie bags...
Sweet little goodie bags…
Sugar scrub as thank you gifts - another fave!
Sugar scrub as thank you gifts – another fave!
It was a wonderful celebration!
It was a wonderful celebration!
I would love to do it all over again - it was just so fun!
I would love to do it all over again – it was just so fun!
Bumps!
Bumps!

The only thing that could’ve made the day better would have been a little less wind (anybody remember the hurricane force gusts that ripped through Colorado that day?!), but it was still one of those days that I’ll cherish forever.  I’m reliving it now…with extreme fondness…

The Lucky One

Happy St. Patty’s Day from two of the cutest little leprechauns I know!

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I feel so “lucky” to be their momma.  During our naptime prayers, I thanked the Lord for the desire that He placed in my heart to stay at home full-time with my  kiddos…and I thanked Him for allowing me to be a momma.  Even on the hardest of days (and today has NOT been easy), I wouldn’t trade this “job” for anything else on the planet.

I’m the lucky one…even though I’m not wearing green.

Not Where We Store the Lawn Mowers

Dora the Explorer and I have a love/hate relationship.  Sawyer used to really, really like watching her and it brought me joy because it brought her joy, but she has slowly grown out of that phase.

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Halloween 2012 – Dora, Dora, Dora, Dora, Dora!
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She’s that super cool exploradora…

I mean, it’s sort of a cute little show; Map is adorable, as is Boots…they always have a goal, a place in mind that they have to get to…but I’ve noticed an increase in the number of times I have to get up and shut it off because of witches or wizards or other crazy characters casting spells.  As a Bible believing family, we’re just not going to support that kind of stuff, especially in children’s programming.  Same for the overly dramatic, whiny, disrespectful characters that are in way too many shows.  Aint nobody got time for that!

As a parent, it is my God appointed responsibility to act as a gatekeeper for my kiddos.  Our eyes and ears are two huge camps of infiltration and our babies don’t have the full capacity or discernment yet to know when something is trying to come in and inflict warfare on their hearts and minds.

Even though she only gets to watch a (heavily regulated) show a day, there is still sooooooo much stuff all around us that she’s exposed to – radio commercials, stories from other kids, loud phone conversations, pictures that pop up in Google search results (when only searching for “silly kitties”), attitudes and words from neighboring diners in restaurants, magazine racks at the checkout line, spending time with other peoples’ children – the list could go on and on.

At this young and impressionable age, if other peoples’ kids are treating each children disrespectfully (including yours) or don’t get disciplined (or get disciplined poorly or not in love) or have issues with physicality – don’t subject your kids to that!  This can be so hard, especially if you really enjoy spending time with the parents of said children, but it’s just not worth it.  One, they need to be in a place that feel safe and secure and if they’re getting beat up or verbally assaulted every time they “play” together, then they aren’t safe and secure.  Two, they’re gonna bring that stuff home and we can’t be (or at least I’m not) willing to let that happen.

It’s my job to protect my babies from some of the things they’re just absolutely too young to think on, and to talk through and counter the rest with the Truth – the Word of God.  I’m not saying you need to shelter them their entire lives and then just throw them to the wolves one day when it’s time to leave the nest, but I am saying that we have to be intentional about what and who they surround themselves with, even at age three.

We have to act with purpose by planting the wisdom and truth of the Lord into their hearts. Unfortunately, it’s not just going to happen on it’s own.  We have to take an active stance and it’s going to take some (more) of our precious, dedicated time.  (Have you ever had to die to yourself so much in your entire life?!?  Yeah, me either…)

But?  They will be better for it (and so will we).  They will be well equipped with truth to combat the hundreds of lies thrown at them by the world every day.  They will have a firm foundation of the Word of the Lord so that they can begin to navigate these things for themselves.  They will be filled with the wisdom and discernment that comes from being saturated in Him…and they will begin to see themselves and others through the lens of the Lord and not the the lens of the world.  Their hearts and words and actions and thoughts will bear the fruit of the Spirit – it will have no other option!

Guess what all of that means for us as parents?  We have to do those same things for ourselves, too.  We have to be cognizant of what we’re seeing and hearing and thinking on.  We have to be led by the Spirit…we have to be full of wisdom and discernment…we have to be basking in His Word or else we won’t be able to give it away to the littles.

This post comes on the heels of 1.) the Grammy’s, which I did not watch but too many of my friends and their kids did (and I wished they wouldn’t have…see above) and 2.) an overly embarrassing episode in our home last night.  As I was putting a spoon in the sink, our glass, dish soap holder fell (loudly) in the sink and scared the daylights out of me!  (Me?  Jumpy and high strung?  Never.  Ahem.)  Before I had even uttered anything except a small scream, Sawyer said, “Oh, shed.”  Yeah.  Isn’t that nice.  I’m pretty sure she wasn’t referring to the little building where we store the lawn mowers.  Apparently, ahem, I have a habit of saying a semblance of that lovely phrase often enough for her to notice.  I mean, we don’t go too many places for her to pick this language up, so I’m gonna have to call dibs on this one.

I turned around and asked what she said and she replied, “Oh, shed.  That’s what we say when we drop something.”  Nice one, mom.  Dora should be the least of my worries, eh?

So, we then got to have a talk about how imperfect mommy is and how I don’t always say things that honor Jesus, but that I need to work on that.  We talked about how out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks and that I need to do some work on my heart so that my reactions when I get flustered or scared are more righteous.

So now that I’ve completely outed myself (embarrassed, flustered, red face, queasy stomach and all), I hope to practice more of what I’ve preached here.  Lord, help me.  And I’m hoping you’ll still let your kids come over – I really try to make a point not to use curse words, really, I do.

The point is, evil/vile/sinful things, thoughts and words are all around us vying for a piece of our allegiance.  We have to do our best to protect the gates of our homes and the gates of the homes of our souls – our hearts.  Let us love righteousness and hate sin…and watch less Dora…because that’s probably good for everyone.

WDP is 9 Months Old

Wryder Douglas is 9 months old!

I'm a happy little fella!
I’m a happy little fella!

I don’t think it went this fast with Sawyer…I really don’t.  I just went back and looked at what I wrote when he turned six months.

It feels like these 6 months flew by WAY faster than Sawyer’s first 6 months did.  Oh, it’s hard on the heart to be a mommy, ya know it?

It must be true.  😉

At 9 months…

  • you weighed in at just a smidge over 24 pounds.  Dad and I usually have to trade off holding you during worship or if we carry you through a store – you get heavy!
  • you are a big eater!  You’re eating 20-30 ounces of food per day, plus 20 or so ounces of milk.
YUM!
YUM!
  • you have 8 cute little teeth and more that are bothering the dickens out of you.
  • your main mode of transportation is rolling.  I’m thinking you’ll crawl one of these days.  You’ve got a lot to haul around, I get it!
  • your favorite word is “momma” but you are perfecting “dada,” “bubba,” and “hi.”
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Getting big!
  • you like to be WITH people; we don’t dare leave the room without you or you let us know about it!
  • you adore your sister more than ever.  Playing with her is your favorite thing and you will laugh when she laughs, even if you have no idea what you’re actually laughing about.
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Best buddies!
  • you are so smiley and giggly and flirty.  You have great, expressive eyebrows that you get lots of compliments on.
  • you’re a handsome little rascal that brings us so much joy!  You are joy!

I love you, little man!  Let’s spread these next three months out a little, ok?

 

I’m a Puddle

I’m calling this one a “win” for the mom column!

Click on the link below for a cuteness overload…

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Sawyer’s first word was “moo” (totally not kidding) followed by “dada”…and then, 3 months later, “momma.”  (Hey, at least she said it!)

ALL day today he’s been murmuring it over and over and not just when he cries.  I’m a puddle.

A Birthday Blessing

A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.

kiss
She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.

30
She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.

wedding
She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.

turkey
She gets up while it is still night;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her female servants.

foodShe considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.

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She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

hffam
She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.

needy
When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

red
She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

lovely
Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

dave
She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.

skirt
She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.

laugh
She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.

paintHer children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:

may-18-2013
“Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.”
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Honor her for all that her hands have done,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

jeanie

Happiest of birthdays. . .

…to the woman who lets me call her mom; who loves me like I’m her own; who shares her time and energy and resources with me; who helped birth both of my children; who selflessly mentors a younger generation; who is purposefully leaving a legacy of the fear of the Lord; who sees and calls out the things that need to be seen and called out…

…to the woman that forgives freely and laughs easily and hugs tightly and speaks authoritatively (in a good way, oh yes) and loves unabashedly…

…to a discerner, prophecier, encourager, cheerleader, nurturer and creator extraordinaire!

Yes, happiest of days to YOU!  I pray the Lord blesses you with immeasurably more than you could ask or imagine!  I pray that He bestows upon you a NEW thing…that He would make rivers in the desert and a way in the wilderness for you.  I pray that He would give you a crown of beauty for your ashes, a joyous blessing for your mourning, and festive praise instead of despair…that this would be the year He is most glorified in you.

I love you dearly, mom-a-la!  I hope today is sunny and warm; that you have a most excellent hair day; that your tomato plants are bent over with a harvest of deliciousness; that the Partridge Family Sawyer serenades you and that your family spoils you rotten – you deserve all of that and so much more.