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?

 

One Track Mind

This cute little fella…

IMG_3253has a one track mind these days…..and I LOVE it!

He’s said “Momma” now for a while…remember?  He’s just making it known that it’s pretty much his favorite word and I am totally ok with that.  Watch this…and try not to melt.  I know the link just makes it look OH SO EXCITING (in opposite land) but really, it’s cute.  You’ll probably want to watch it twice.

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Are his little facial expressions and eyebrows not the best?  He is definitely an emoter!

When we were 16 weeks, we had an early ultrasound and our doctor was 80% certain we were having a girl.  We picked out a name, finished up our announcements and sat around and waited for the 20 week because Wrex just wasn’t so sure.  There was a little something between the legs but the doctor was almost positive it was the umbilical cord.  Ahem.

Fast forward to 20 weeks.  I hopped up on the table and she put the sensor on my tummy and immediately asked if we wanted to know what we were having.  Wrex replied with a, “That’s the only reason we’re here today!”  Geez.  She replied, “Well, it’s most definitely…” and I cut her off and said, “A girl!?”  She looked at me and said, “Uh, no…a boy.”

I cried.  Not in a bad way; all babies are blessings and miracles and I’ll take as many as He wants to give me…but I was just so………..shocked and unprepared.  I had the girl thing down!  We had all the stuff we needed for another girl!  I’d already picked out a name and finished my announcements; a boy just didn’t fit in my little type A plan.

Little did I know how incredibly WONDERFUL he would be!  He is such a sweet, smiley, snuggly little guy!  He loves his momma and doesn’t really ever want her to leave the room without him.  He’s sensitive and loving and just down right fun!

wdBy the way, he can say “da-da” and “bubba”…but apparently he has a favorite.  😉  I’m totally digging his one track mind!

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.

Little Coats

I don’t think I ever knew how much I would love to have little coats hanging in my mudroom.

IMG_2543I went through a phase in my life where I didn’t want to have kids.  I was scared to death of the thought of carrying one in my womb, much less the birthing process.  Thanks to Hollywood, the (apparent) pain and screaming and grimacing and cursing and squeezing and pushing just didn’t seem worth it.  On top of that, it felt like the world just kept getting meaner and meaner and I just couldn’t stomach the thought of making a child live in it.  It felt so unfair, so risky, so irresponsible.

I still remember sitting at our dining table talking to Wrex about the perils of the world and in those very seconds, the Lord revealed such sweet wisdom to me.  He showed me how the world would never stop being mean and nasty, especially if there wasn’t another generation to rise up and bring people to His Son.

Mind changed.  And I’m oh so glad it did.

IMG_2328These two have brought more joy to our lives than I could have ever dreamed or imagined.  They love so unconditionally and forgive so fully and show love so willingly.  They are so pure of heart and gentle in spirit; they make me want to be better and do better and say better and act better and think better.

Our life looks nothing like it did pre-children and there are things I miss about it just being the two of us.  I miss the small amount of responsibility I once had…the way we could pick up and go somewhere on a whim…the uninterrupted conversations…the quick meal times and long snuggle times…the way the house would stay clean and picked up for weeks on end…but there will be time enough for all of that again one day.  Yes, there’s more laundry and more dirty diapers…there’s fewer showers and more time-outs…there’s more correcting and less vegging…there’s more stuff scattered about and longer to-do lists that rarely get done…

But I’ve come to cherish those things.  All that I feel I’ve lost, is lost not.  And even if it was, I have gained so much more.

The little notes that get left around on my things, just to say “I love you” in one of the biggest ways she knows how…

IMG_2547The tiny cups of “tea” she makes for me when we come in from playing outside…

IMG_2546The way he always has a smile ready and waiting to send my way…

IMG_2115The pictures I find on my phone that show the things in her world that catch her eye…

IMG_2410The way she finds a flower for me every time we’re outside…

IMG_2094The way he’s always up for an adventure, even if it involves something pink…

IMG_2540The toys she leaves in my spaces because she wants them “to be like mommy’s”…

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Oh, man – I have lost naught.  Those two sweeties are my heart outside of my body.  They are why I do this blogging thing. They are why my husband works so hard incredibly hard to provide for our family so I can stay home to pour into them.  They are our reward and our blessing.

It just seems like those little coats keep getting bigger and bigger, quicker and quicker.  I want to slam on the brakes and put my hands over the rest of the numbers on the calendar and just force the time to STOP.  Because there are days I didn’t do it right and need a second chance…there are memories I want to ingrain in my mind to re-live again and again…there is so much left to do with them while they’re little and I want to make sure we get it all done…there are more things for them to leave about the house so that I’m constantly reminded how empty this life would be without them.

Good gravy, I just don’t want this time to slip right through my fingers; I want to make it count.  I want the wearers of these little coats to know that the Lord loves them exceptionally more than I ever could and that I love them a whole, whole, whole heackuva lot..and still will, even when their coats aren’t so little anymore.