Adventures with Olive and Georgia

“They may be heathens, but they’re my heathens.” Or from Dolly Parton’s new special Coat of Many Colors- “You’re my worm.” We loved them before they were born, and we fall in love with them when we meet them in person, when we get slobbery kisses, when they hug our necks, and when they learn to be sweet all on their own. But what about when our children are mean, hateful, aggravating, and not at all what we have been trying to teach them to be? We still love them. We love them because they are ours to love. How does God love us? We are sinful and wretched worms. We are heathens. Even in our sin and shame, we are his creation. He made us and he knows us and he still loves us (Jeremiah 1:5, Romans 5:8). It's pretty astounding to imagine that love. Google Search: How long to punish a child I can’t bear to punish the girls all evening for something (even something terrible) they did at school.  At some point in their little brilliant minds, it stops being a less

Matthew 25 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.   35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,   36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?   38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?   39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Just tonight I watched my daughters try to befriend a ma

I don't want to be depressing and all Debbie-Downer here, but I also don't want to only post happy moments of parenting. This blog is not a highlight reel of my experience in motherhood. I just want to be real, friends. So... Being a teacher is hard.  Being a mom is also really hard.    I have spent the past two years trying to figure out how to be both. That process is also extremely hard.   I have been somewhat of a stay-at-home mom during the summers, and I love it, but I am constantly looking forward to a break. That makes me feel guilty for not appreciating the time with my perfect angelic monkeys.   I have spent two school years as a working mom, and I have felt guilty for leaving my needy, whining cherubs at home each day.   I know that I love my children, and I love being their mommy. I also love teaching. I believe I am called to both big jobs, but actually doing both of them is so hard. This week, I have finally felt some relief from all that guilt. The

"Boys will be boys." "He's all boy." "He's a typical boy." "Oh, he's just being a boy." But what about the girls?  The girls who jump and kick and wrestle and head butt? The girls who like bugs and dirt and bikes? The girls who could climb before they could crawl? The girls who can run nonstop for a solid 26 hours, without a yawn? The girls who defy and yell and fight back? The girls who play with animals and trucks and lick everything? The girls who fight sleep and dream up dragons and monsters? The girls who can bust a wooden baby gate by sheer force? The girls who can name all the toys in Daddy's box? I wonder because those are my little girls? They also love dresses, shoes, babies, nail polish, kisses and purses. But let me tell you, they can be WILD! So, when they do the crazy things that are just expected from little boys, what are they then?  Are they brats? Are they being bad?  Are they heathens?  Are they acting like boys

Summer Project No. 1 - complete There is a new favorite room in our house; the play room! It was Tony's office (which is moved to the basement) and it was very dark brown that we never messed with after buying the house. It was a real transformation to be sure! I am a little jealous that I don't get my own space this bright and exciting! Check it out... ;)

I My Sweet Olive, You were just a smooshie squashie newborn, and I blinked. Now you are turning two years old. I can’t even believe it. You bring so much joy and laughter to our family, so I don’t even know what we did without you! I want you to always know just how special you are and have always been, so this little note can be a reminder (sorry it’s open to the public… if you end up being a super private lady). You love shoes and drums and cats and coffee and stickers.Those five things could consume your day. You change shoes like a runway model changing clothes. One trip down the hallway is enough and your ready for the next ones. You like drumming, whether on an actual drum, or the table, or your leg. You also hum when you’re thinking, and it’s the cutest thing ever. Kitties are definitely your favorite animals and you currently have an imaginary one that you feed and pet and play with. You like Mommy’s “cossee” and you pretend to drink several cups a day. You have abou

My Dearest Georgia, Can you believe that it has been two years since you came into the world?! It seems like yesterday that I was so shocked and sleep deprived from your arrival and new life. It seems like yesterday that you fit in my hand, just one hand! It seems like yesterday that you pooped on the wall (and my face), and then spit up almost every bottle in entirety for eight months. In the past year, you have grown and developed and astonished me.   I want you to know what you were like at two years old. You will ask me one day, and even though you are amazing and unforgettable, I’m not going to remember these special little details about you that are fresh in my mind now. You love to play. You are a mommy to many many babies, who cry and whine and poop and get hungry. You ask for “fwiends” to play with all the time.   You like to jump and run and scream and laugh. You enjoy being outside, picking flowers, sliding, swinging and going for walks (which means running t

We partied hard on Saturday, and plan to party all week for the big #2! The theme was PARTY ANIMALS, and it was so fun to plan. That might be my third calling (after mommying and teaching),  kid's birthday party planning. the invite- minus the rsvp number and address a spot for all the "prizes" (Everything they got for their birthday is now called party _____ . Party shoes, party seats, party purse, party babies) sweet treats- animal crackers, iced animal cookies, chocolate teddy grahams cheesy treats- buttery popcorn (not an animal, but whatever) and goldfish the watering hole strawberry marshmallow cupcakes ... with sprinkles and iced animal crackers butterfly PB and Js We have so much stuff left over! I just ate two cupcakes for dinner. we had a coloring station, tattoo station, and animal masks and a chalkboard (chalkboard wrapping paper :) the bounce house is always a hit Olive trying t