Nostalgia, talking, playing, and other random stuff

Had a moment of reality this weekend.

Josiah received a swing for his birthday in June.  We still have not put it up so I decided this was to be put on the "honey done" list.  (I call it "honey done" because I like to check it off my list and not just have it on there for who knows how long.  I only place things on this list that WILL get done immediately...it gives me a feeling of accomplishment haha.)  Anyway, Matt took Havah to Lowe's to get the chain while Josiah and I picked up some last minute groceries for our family reunion.

While I was inside making a delicious peanut butter pie (thank you Erica) Matt was put in charge of hanging the swing with the kids.  A few minutes later I looked outside to see my husband... pushing our little girl...in the swing... in our front yard... of our house!  OH what a moment of nostalgia!  I asked myself, "Am I really old enough to be experiencing this moment?"  The answer was a resounding yes!  So I did what any mother would do...I cried.  Tears of joy of course but it was such a touching time.  I know I am cheesy but it seems so significant to me.  I feel like we are not only establishing ourselves as adults but as parents.  Such a sweet memory.

Havah and Josiah have loved the swing so far.  Josiah gets a little upset when it is Havah's turn to swing but he enjoys when Havah tries to push him.  She really just hangs on the bottom of it so she can swing too.  haha Whatever makes them happy right :)

Havah is expanding her vocabulary everyday now.  I can't believe some of the things she can say and do.  She can make me laugh and scream all in the same breath.  Here is her newest "funny".  She will tap me on the shoulder or leg or anything just to get my attention and say "Mommy, I talkin'."  Then she will proceed with a mouthful of jibberish with only one or two words recognizable.  It is so funny because I am sure that is what it sounds like to her when we talk right now.  She can pick up one or two words but the rest sounds like a bunch of mush.  I try to let her "talk" as long as she wants but it makes me laugh every time.  Here is a video of her singing to us in the car.

She and Josiah share a room of course, which I really like because I love hearing them laugh at each other when they wake up in the morning.  Havah enjoys making Josiah laugh but also really likes to aggravate him too.  (She comes from a long line of aggravators on Matt's side of the family so she gets it honest.)  Recently she has taken to putting everything she can think of in his crib.  He might be asleep or he might not.  She has put every stuffed animal in his bed before and he won't have anywhere to lay down.  She puts books, dirty clothes, shoes, pretty much whatever she can reach goes in his crib.  So now I scan the room for anything that could be potentially dangerous.  This is how we found Josiah a few nights ago.

Bless his heart.  But he doesn't usually seem to mind.  

Since I now know how to post video here is one of the kids playing in the rental van.  It is amazing what amuses them. 

It seems there was something else I was going to blog about today but I guess I will just post this last picture instead. ......

WaHoo!!!!  You guessed it!  We are expecting baby number 3!  We could not be any happier about this pleasant surprise.  We are 9 weeks so our due date is April 20, 2013!  YAY!  I had my suspicions earlier in August but brushed it off.  I scheduled to have another proceeder done on my ear however when my pregnancy test came back positive the nurse politely informed me that I would not be put to sleep that day.  haha.  We were so excited but kinda in disbelief too...hence the 3 other pregnancy tests. haha So here is the first picture of baby number 3!

Catching up

Please forgive me, I am awful at keeping up with this blogging thing.  I get inspired then I quickly loose motivation to write although I love it so much.  Whatever, I'm just happy I got a blog in this month.

So we will catch up a little bit this time.  Havah and Josiah have quiet the little personalities right now so I think I will share a few stories with you.

Lately Havah and I have been reading her little Bible before nap and bedtime.  This was her idea to read the Bible, usually it is 2 books of her choosing but lately she only wants two stories from the Bible.  I thought, "I'm not going to argue with her good choices."  Anyway, she has loved looking at the pictures and asking TONS of questions.  It's funny how a 2 year old's mind works.  We were reading about David and Goliath and she kept saying, "No, No David not nice throw rocks!"  Then in another story someone died and she kept saying they were going night night.  Again I didn't argue I just let her make her own conclusions.  

A few days ago she had fallen off the diaper changing table (don't ask I feel bad enough that I didn't catch her).  She landed right on her head.  I was pretty upset because again I didn't catch her and I left her up there unsupervised.  So needless to say she let out a soft whimper.....yeah right....she screamed at the top of her lungs and proceeded to scream for a good 3 minutes with big crocodile tears streaming down her face.  So I decided to take this as an opportunity to teach her.  I asked her if she wanted me to pray for Jesus to make it feel better.  She said yes, so I did.  Just a simple prayer, "Jesus please make Havah feel better and let her head not hurt anymore.  Amen."  She went on to tell Daddy that she "bump the head" and that was the end of it.  The next day I was carrying her and she head-butted me in the mouth (on accident).  I told her that that hurt and without missing a beat she said, "Mommy, me pray for it.  Jesus mommy's mouth be better.  Amen."  OH!  The joy and pride that filled my heart was overwhelming!  The innocence of her prayer and the sureness that that was the appropriate thing to do was so sweet.  This is one proud momma!

So we were hanging out on the front porch last night and she saw how much fun it was to stick the bubble wand in between the slats of the porch.  Well it wasn't long before...you guessed it....she dropped it.  So she walked down the stairs and looked under the porch with a puzzled look on her face like, "now how am I going to do this."  She asked Matt if he would get it and Matt informed her that it was too far back and he couldn't reach it.  Again, without hesitation, she looked up at the sky and said, "Jesus you get bubbles please?"  Gasp!  So sweet!  Matt found a way to get that bubble wand for her.  What's funny is that Matt and I have not really talked to her about where Jesus and God live.  We just pray throughout the day and I guess the Holy Spirit does the rest.  haha

We were on our way to the park today and she asked me if we were going to drive to Jesus' house.  Ummmm...is my driving that bad?! hehe (Matt would say yes)

 Josiah's serious face

 Havah "laying out" 

Me and my girl

Josiah is growing and developing as well.  He is imitating Havah during our meals.  She will blow on her food if it is hot and so does Josiah.  Everything is Dada right now.  He has gotten pretty fast walking/running.  He can almost keep up with Havah and his other cousins when they run down the hall.  He is still very sensitive to loud noises and if I have to fuss at him.  He gets his feelings hurt when I get onto him but can make the funniest faces when he doesn't understand something.  He loves being chased and giggles the whole time you get him.  When he wants something he bangs on his chest like a gorilla and goes, mama.   

This boy is a wanderer.  He just wanders aimlessly around until he finds something that is interesting to him.  While Havah is running in circles he just casually walks and picks up things to put in his mouth.  haha He has started aggravating Havah too.  She has her blanket that doesn't leave her side when we are at home and he knows that.  So he will grab it when she isn't looking and run down the hallway with it until she notices.  Then she pushes him down and he cries.  Wow can't wait to see what else he will be doing to her in the coming years.

A few weekends ago I surprised Matt with a trip to see the Atlanta Braves play the LA Dodgers.  He had no idea.  I arranged everything from the hotel, the game tickets and the babysitting.  We had a nice little getaway.  Although the Braves lost, I was just proud of the seats I picked out.  They were awesome!    

Quality Time with My Babies

For every parent you know that there are times when...um...how do I say this gently?... Your kids get on your nerves.  Not trying to be mean but I have certainly experienced this frustration recently.  Havah is 2 and Josiah is 13 months so I should expect for my patience to be a little thin at times but wow!  I keep thinking, "Will this season ever end?!"  What is funny is that my kids are so wonderful (I know this is a bias comment) that they still want to hang out with me, love me and be around me even when I am not so errrr...long-suffering.

So this past Friday I decided that I need to spend some time with Havah.  Just one on one, me and the girl.  We went to a place called the Little Gym where they teach little ones different developmental skills, sing, dance and of course get to play on all the pint sized gymnastics equipment.  Havah is extremely active and will try just about anything with a little encouragement.  This class was a pretty large class with about 12 kids plus their parents.  She was apprehensive at first but, my goodness, she LOVED it!  The instructor was so full of energy and bubbly that every time she opened her mouth Havah would stop what she was doing and listen.  (Maybe I need to try that to get her to listen)  I have to say I was one proud momma.  She flipped and jumped and ran and laughed. Of course, I was thinking "She has to be the most advanced first timer they have ever seen!" (please catch the stereotypical "my kid can do anything and do it the best" sarcasm)  I caught myself grinning and enjoying my 2 year old!!!  I mean, is that possible?  To enjoy a 2 year old?  :)  Just kidding but after the past few weeks I had had I was beginning to wonder.  So for the rest of the day she was my buddy. I couldn't go anywhere without Havah being right under me.  I had to take her to the potty and I had to give her her juice.  No one else would do.  I have to be honest it kinda made me feel good.  She still loves me!  :)

Well later on that day while Havah was taking her nap (I think it took her maybe 3 minutes to go to sleep) Josiah didn't feel that nap time was something that needed to be on his agenda.  So what did I do?  I got him on the lawnmower.  Since I have been staying at home I have offered to cut the grass and not make Matt do it.  He works so hard throughout the week, I didn't want that to be something extra he had on his plate.  We have a little over 3 acres so that is a lot of responsibility.  Ok truth be told, I enjoy getting to be outside, working on my tan, and listening to podcasts.  It is my own little escape during nap time.  Anyway, so I had Josiah out cutting grass with me.  It was such a sweet moment.  He loved it.  He would hold onto the steering wheel, laugh when we hit bumps, and at one point almost fell asleep.  I didn't have to do anything special I just needed to be with him.  That is all he cared about.

I so enjoyed my kids.  I got to spend one on one time with both of them.  It couldn't have come at a better time.  I needed to see my kid's personality and childlikeness.  I forget sometimes that they are children and they act like children.  I forget that they don't reason like I do.   They don't do things just to disrespect me or get on my nerves.  I am so thankful for that special opportunity.  Now if I can just remember this when things begin to unravel again. :)

Sorry didn't take any pictures of gymnastics or the lawnmower ride but this was the same day.  Does that count?  

 

Bearing fruit in every season

Look at me blogging in less than 6 months!  Wahoo!  :)  A little self encouragement before we get back to the lessons from the garden.  I have to say I am proud of myself.

Warning: this post is a little lengthy.  Apparently I write the way I talk :)  Whoops.

Ok so  we talked about the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5.  So as the Lord has been showing me scripture about fruit and growing of course, John 15 comes up.  John 15:4, "Abide in Me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.  'I am the vine, you are the branches.  He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.'" A little self explanatory but for me it goes a little deeper.  

Since our son, Josiah has been born I have been diagnosed with a condition called Meinier's Disease.  This condition is a build up of fluid in the inner ear which eventually releases and causes sever to moderate vertigo.  The condition varies greatly.  Some people it doesn't bother much and others it is debilitating.  For me, I have been having an episode about once a week and it usually last anywhere from 12 to 24 hours where it makes me extremely nauseous.  I have to ask friends and family to come help me watch the kids while I deal with it  because I can't be upright without...um..."tossing my cookies" :)  (Just to answer some questions, no it was not pregnancy related.  No, there is not really a cure-except the blood of Jesus- but there are proceeders that can help lessen the severity, which I have had 3 already.)  Needless to say this has been a very frustrating, angry, confusing time for us.  I have struggled with sharing with anyone because I keep telling myself it's not life threatening so it's not that bad.  But you know what?  It is that bad for me!  For those who know me, I don't slow down much.  Not that I am that busy, I just like to stay active (not that athletic, work out kind because that is definitely not the case, haha)  I like to have get togethers, play with my kids, visit with people and get out of the house....just active...not to mention the house work and kids :)  

When these episodes first started I was extremely frustrated and angry at God.  "I mean, really God?  I have a newborn and a one year old.  I don't have time for this!"  I was scared that I was not going to be able to enjoy them and they were going to have to be MY caretaker for the rest of my life.  So fear set in and I was hesitant to schedule anything and always had a plan B of who I could call to come help.  

So what does this have to do with bearing fruit?  The Lord began speaking to me about my heart during this time.  He lead me to Revelations 22:2,"In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month.  The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.  And there shall be no more cures, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him." A tree that bears fruit in every season?  Huh?  What does that mean?  Well for me, it meant that I was called to bear fruit no matter what was going on in my life.  God was calling me to grow and bear good fruit during this difficult season.  My heart was bitter, angry and fearful which meant my fruit would produce the same things not only in me but in my children!  How was I supposed to teach my kids about the faithfulness and healing power of God when I did not believe it myself?  Get it?  It produces fruit in every season even in my kid's seasons.  So what kind of fruit do I want to produce in my children?  So I have made it a point to be thankful even when a dizzy episode comes at the most inconvenient time.  I try to find the good things about the situation because I want my children to know that the Lord is Good, He is faithful, He is healer.  He teaches us, even when it is hard.  And when we start producing that kind of fruit "the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations".  Again, not just for me but for others, the nations.  

So my healing comes when I produce fruit.  It may not be the healing that I expect but maybe that is not the healing I thought I needed.  Maybe it is not just physical healing but heart healing.  I want to be one that produces good fruit in every season even when all the circumstances says I'm not supposed to be producing.

It wouldn't be a blog post without some pictures of the kiddos.  

Bearing Fruit...or vegetables

This year my husband, Matt, and I planted our first garden.  So needless to say we are very "green" in knowing what to do, how to do it, and when to do all the gardening stuff.  We have heard a very wide range of opinions on how to do a garden from how big it should be to what we should plant.  So our original plans were to have a very small garden as in a 10 foot by 12 foot garden.  We thought, " This is give us the joy of gardening without the responsibility of watering, pulling weeds and then "harvesting" the goods.  Well Matt and I both usually do things bigger than we originally intend so naturally our garden grew to a respectable 20 foot by 30 foot garden with an additional area for cantaloup and watermelon with room to add if we want.    

Here is Havah and Josiah "helping" daddy plant more corn.  (Havah was helping, Josiah was eating dirt, rocks and sticks.  Please notice that Havah is wearing a tutu to help.)

Anyway, the Lord has taught me so much from this bigger than expected garden.  Hopefully over the next few days I will be able to share some of the lessons learned.  But first let me set the "ground work" for you.  Sorry I can't help myself from using gardening puns and cliches, it's too easy. :)  

Over the past few years the Lord has shared with me over and over again about the fruits of the Spirit.  You know, Galatians 5:22,"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."  Some of these fruits come as a gift so to speak and others...well lets just say they are still being cultivated.  I hope I am not the only one who has some work to do.  So in thinking about fruit, I think about it being sweet and refreshing.  My husband can admit to you that sometimes my "fruit" is not always sweet or refreshing.  If you have ever tried to grow anything you realize quickly that this is a process.  It doesn't happen overnight!  So just as we have to wait for our watermelons and cantaloup to grow I also have to grow in these other fruits.  

That's hard!  Especially when I have to apologize to my kids for not being long-suffering and loosing my peace.  It's so not easy but I think it comes with time.  Time in the Word, time in prayer, time in practice.  So even though I am still learning I am still growing.  

  This is some of our harvest :)  Peppers, tomatoes, corn and squash.  Yummy!

See, eating sticks :)  

Havah was focused.

9 months!

No I am not pregnant.  It has been 9 months since my last post!  Time has passed very quickly.  I read a few post from my blog when I first started and I got the fever, the blogging fever.  :)  Call it nostalgia, call it therapy, call it whatever you want but I feel the need to start blogging again.  So let's catch up!

Havah has just turned 2!

Josiah is now 11 months old!  He will be 1 in 3 weeks!  WOW!

Things are beautiful.  Things are hectic at times.  Things are challenging.  Things are developing.  Since my last blog, I have quit my job and am now a full time mommy.  Staying at home with the kids has been such a blessing however I will not lead you to believe that I am super mommy and have no problems, issues or frustrations.  So I thought I would share a few things that I have learned having 2 children and a wonderful husband.  Some are funny, some are not but all are true.  

Things I have learned in 9 months:

1. Two babies = lots of noise

2. I have to run the dishwasher once a day.  (I would like to take this opportunity to say how thankful I am to have a dishwasher!  If we did not, we would be eating the not-so-eco-friendly way.)

3. Sometimes I feel as though we have a breeding ground for clothes.  Laundry...never ends!

4. When you have 2 babies they share lots of things, even germs.  Twice as many trips to the doctor.  

5. You get to say lots of new phrases like, "Havah, let's not ride your brother like a horse." and "Josiah, please don't lick mommy's shoes."  

6. Going to the movies on a date becomes a chance to catch up on some sleep.

7.  I have laughed at the many creative things a two year old can come up with. 

8. My heart still melts when I get a hug from Havah, Josiah, and Matt :)  

9. It takes work to make it work.  

10. I wouldn't change ANYTHING!

Our daughter's name means life and she is certainly full of it!  She doesn't walk, she runs everywhere.  She doesn't do anything slowly or quietly.  She likes for us to sing to her before she goes to bed.  We sing a medley (that she came up with) that is mixed with spiritual, educational and fun.  It consist of, Jesus Loves Me, Itsy Bitsy Spider (with the motions) , E-I-O (Old McDonald with 2 verses a duck and pig), Deep and Wide (with the motions) and ABC's.  She would probably make us sing more but I don't think she knows any more names of the songs.  Whenever we go to my parent's house she watches The Sound of Music and knows the words to The Hills Are Alive.  It takes her a little while to warm up to new people and she is quick with an opinion.  She likes to choose her sippy cup and her clothes for the day.  Sometimes she does a great job picking out what she wants to wear...other times she ends up wearing a tutu, panties on top of her diaper and tennis shoes for a week and a half.  She doesn't like to cuddle unless she is just getting up from a nap but when she wants to give you a hug she will tackle you to let you have it.  

Here she is with her tutu, skinned up knees and mommy's socks.

Josiah is so laid back.  People always describe him as "sweet" and he is!  He is so cuddly, squishy and loving.  He is quick with a smile but definitely a momma's boy right now.  He only as 2 teeth right now and is trying to walk but lacking a little bit of confidence.  He blows kisses, waves bye bye (backwards), and claps.  Matter of fact, he claps for just about anything, when he stands up, when Havah slides down a slide or when he burps.  I hope we are not setting low standards of success.  haha He has a special bond with my grandmother (GiGi).  I have had to ask her to keep him on several different occasions and she tells me every time, "Kimberly, we don't answer the phone or the door because this is our special time. I tell him about what's going on in the world."  There is no telling what she is telling him but he is always happy when I pick him up and is quick to go to her when we see her again.  He loves to watch Havah and his other cousins play and desperately wants to get in the mix but can't quite keep up yet.  He is a big boy, there is only 4 pounds difference between him and his older sister.  When I was pregnant with him, Matt and I prayed that he would be a man of quiet wisdom and soft hearted to the voice of the Lord.  He is so soft hearted.  We had to tell him to stop playing with the fireplace a few days ago and you would have thought we took him out back and beat him.  He cried so hard.  I think it hurt his feelings.  We thought he would be quiet and more introverted however we are beginning to have second thoughts about that assessment.  

This is his first finger painting session.  

So now that we have caught up, let's see if we meet sooner than 9 months.  What do you think?  

Until next time (whenever that is),

   

Peace

Well let me start off this blog with updates.

We went to the doctor a few days ago for well baby visits, Havah for her 15 month and Josiah for his 2 month.  Before I give you any more details let's just say it was...adventurous.  Taking two babies at the same time for shots is not my idea of fun or in the realm of sanity in my opinion.  Lesson learned, take them separately.

Anyway, Havah is a whopping 21 pounds 10 ounces and 31 1/2 inches long.  According to the doctor she is saying more words than the average 15 month old, I could have told him that because she is a little chatter box.  She is right on track with her development, walking, jabbering, and learning at the speed of sound.  Josiah, is a scale breaking 13 pounds 9 ounces and 24 1/4 inches long.  So there is only 8 pounds difference between my two kids!  Amazing what having a full term baby will do.  He, as well, is developmentally right on track with his heart melting smiles and coos.

As I mentioned in my last blog, Father God has taught me so much through our kids. So here is a lesson learned about peace.

When we brought Josiah home, my naive self thought adjusting would be easy, I mean after all I do already have one child, I have done this all before.  I was wrong.  Just being honest I was intimidated by having both children together at once by myself.  A lot of fear went through my head.  "What if I loose my cool with them?"  "What if I don't know what to do with them?"  "What if they don't like me?" "Am I spending enough time with each of them?"  "Are the healthy?"  "Am I doing the same things with Josiah as I did with Havah?"  This list could go on but you get the idea.  I didn't really want to share this extensive list with anyone much less be honest about it with God.  I thought, "this will pass, just keep pushing through."  I tried to just push through but it didn't work.  I found myself in a whirlwind of trying to look good on the outside but emotional chaos was brewing on the inside.   

One night, my incredible sister-in-law convinced me to go to a women's conference with her at the church we used to attend.  I was very hesitant because after all, if I was intimidated with both kids then surely my husband would be as well.  However, after much encouragement I decided to go.  I can't really tell you what the message was about or how amazing the worship was I just know that after I left I felt like a totally different person.  I felt renewed, refreshed, like I had drank a cool glass of water after a long run.  I felt...peace.  Wow!  It is amazing what it feels like when you get it back and you didn't even know it was gone.  My heart felt alive again.  No more just going through the motions and having fear assault my mind anymore.  I was thinking clearly and my heart was beating in time with the Lord's.  

I guess that is why in scripture Jesus says in John 14:27, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."  I was relying on the world's peace not Jesus' peace.  And let me tell you, His peace is so much better.  

I am not saying that my "heart has not been troubled" since but I have been able to recognize when that fear is creeping in or when my peace is dwindling.  What I love most is that the Lord is so faithful to us.  He speaks so kindly to me.  Even when God should probably send fire down from heaven or write it on a wall, He is gentle and patient.  I am so thankful for that.  He knows me and He knows what my heart needs exactly when my heart needs it.  And just to let you know, my hubby survived with the kids...and so did they.