Peaceful Quiet

So, yesterday Dave gave me a precious gift. It's been difficult lately with two kids...especially, since Callie is fighting something. Anyway, Dave went to work at the church yesterday for a few hours and decided to take Noah with him. I managed to get SO much done. I cleaned, and I mean really cleaned, the house. Callie and I sat and snuggled since she was feeling so rotten in between her naps. The TV was off and it was blessedly silent...for 6 hours. I can't remember when it's been that quiet for that long. There is always something happening, someone always seems to have the TV on, someone is always talking. And, as much I don't mind most of that, every once in awhile, the silence is so welcoming. Noah came home exhausted from having so much fun and slept for 2 hours once they got home. My friend Mindy came over in the evening to help out and just to keep me company. Later, Emi came over and we talked and prayed.

Today, Callie is still sick. This is day 3 of her fever (which is mild...around 99-100 degrees), but she has been out of sorts since Sunday. I'm still pretty convinced that it's because she's cutting all 4 molars (ouch!), but my heart breaks for her. Admittedly, it is nice that she wants to cuddle. Historically, she has not been much of one, so I enjoy the times where she just wants to lay on me and rest.

Noah has been really trying to be helpful, which is so endearing. He's such a good kid. Wild at times, but he has such a sweet heart. He brings blankets to us and other things. Yesterday, he layed his hands on Callie as if he were praying for her and sang, "Jesus loves me". It was incredibly sweet to watch.

I'm ready for a break in the rain so that we can be outside again. I woke up to a thunderstorm this morning. I love thunderstorms. I'm not sure why exactly, but there is just something magnificent and powerful about them. I do not, however, like rainy gloomy days, which is what the thunderstorm quickly turned into.

I'm gearing up for our garage sale. It feels good to declutter. I keep slowly adding more things to the garage as I continue to clean/and clear out the house. The idea of simplifying really appeals to me.

Anyway, today is one of those days that I'm glad that I'm a stay at home mom. I'm still in pajamas, the kids are quietly content, I've been able to read for a little bit this morning, it's been very nice.

However, now I should probably get going for the day. Stay dry!

Melodic Monday (on Sunday)

I've heard this song a few times on the radio now, and it always really touches me every time I hear it...



Chris Rice - Untitled Hymn (Come To Jesus) Lyrics

Weak and wounded sinner
Lost and left to die
O, raise your head, for love is passing by
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus and live!

Now your burden's lifted
And carried far away
And precious blood has washed away the stain, so
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus and live!

And like a newborn baby
Don't be afraid to crawl
And remember when you walk
Sometimes we fall...so
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus and live!

Sometimes the way is lonely
And steep and filled with pain
So if your sky is dark and pours the rain, then
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus and live!

O, and when the love spills over
And music fills the night
And when you can't contain your joy inside, then
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus and live!

And with your final heartbeat
Kiss the world goodbye
Then go in peace, and laugh on Glory's side, and
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus and live!

Supdate

It feels as though whole weeks fly by and I don't take the time to really update the happenings in our lives. Dave and I are doing really well. The church building is done and it looks great! It's been fun to be a part of something that seems so daunting, yet so many people came to help out, and you could feel God's presence over the whole thing. We've been in the building for two weeks now and each time I walk in on Sunday morning, I'm awed by what God is doing.

The kids are doing well. Noah will be three here in just a few short weeks. It's so hard to believe, and yet...when I look at him, it really isn't. He's growing up right before my eyes. He LOVES being outside and so the rain the last few days has really stymied him (and me). Callie is pulling up on everything, walking behind a cart or with us, but not quite on her own. It's only a matter of time. She's cutting two more molars and is quite vocal about her feelings about that.

God is really growing me and is providing for all my needs. I see that more and more now. He has put some wonderful people in my life to strengthen and encourage me and I am so thankful. I feel myself being stretched in so many ways. It's good.

We're looking at vacation plans for the summer, and I have to admit, I'm getting excited. It just gives me something to look forward to that's on the horizon. Nothing is finalized yet, but we're getting there. It's going to be lots of fun. I can't wait!

That's about it for the updates here. My mind is kind of in a tired fog right now. I'll try to post a little more often in the future...

Sarah's Prom

So, for those of you who don't know, Sarah is our beloved friend and babysitter. My kids LOVE her. She hangs out with us often and we love spending time with her. Tonight is her prom. I was so excited when she came over to let me take pictures tonight. I felt like a proud mama, or, at the very least, a proud older sister. And yes, tears welled up a little bit as they were driving away. I'm so thankful that God brought Sarah into our life. I hope that she has a great time tonight. We love you Sarah!

This just completely made my day!

Sound of Music Train Station @ Yahoo! Video

Happy Easter!

Noah modeling his new "cow" boots.


Callie with her new Easter piggy bank


First Sunday in the new building. It was such a moving experience!



Callie in her pretty Easter dress


Noah searching for Easter eggs


Our friend Abby took this

Noah Funny

Last night, we were coming home from the church building. I was really tired and just zoning out. Noah was jabbering in the back. All of a sudden, he yells, "Mommy, you gotta talk to me!!"

This one takes the cake. I was at the chiropractor yesterday. We had waited awhile...like 20 minutes and that's hard for my kids, but they were doing OK. Well, the doctor comes in asks how we are all doing. I sit down and he begins to check my back. Out of nowhere, Noah announced, "Mommy tooted!" I was mortified! I actually hadn't, but wasn't sure how much I should protest. To make matters worse, the doctor explained to Noah that every one does. I just sat there laughing in disbelief and my cheeks were SO red. Where on earth did he come up with that at that particular moment? The little imp. It's funny in hindsight, but I was so embarassed at the time!

What a glorious week

I'm totally due for an update. This past weekend, the leaders of our church had a retreat. It was awesome. Dave and I left the kids with Dave's parents and had 24 hours to meet with Jesus, fellowship with others, and even have some time to ourselves. It was fantastic. We both got good prayer. 5 people got baptized in the freezing cold pond. I laid on a blanket in the sun with some girls during the afternoon. It was so nice to just lay there and not have to worry about where the kids were or what they were in to. It was such a great time of rest. The timing was so good because we all have been exhausted with the new church building (we are scheduled to open this upcoming Sunday...) It was wonderful. It's also just been a really good week. I feel hopeful, family is going well, marriage is going well. The church is coming along. There is still a lot to be done, but we are on hold because of the carpet. Once the carpet gets laid...then we can finish up. I've been so proud of everyone who has really banded together to get this project completed. It's been incredible seeing people serve and doing it so joyfully. Dave has been over there every night this week and is currently over there now. I have some girls who have offered to babysit tonight so that I can go over and help. I really really love our community.

Life is good.

Update

OK, so seriously, I think the salt may have worked. Noah has been an angel the rest of the day. Using a big boy voice to ask for things, playing nicely with Callie, playing well with the neighbor girls. I hated playing hardball, but I'm liking the outcome.

Meltdown

Mine...not Noah's. However, partially due to Noah's many meltdowns. On Tuesday, after getting up with Noah 3 times during the night to go potty (a recurring theme for the last 5 weeks), I hit my wall. I don't do well after not getting good rest, and Noah's been more whiny than usual, Callie's cutting 3 teeth, I've had showers, birthday parties, meetings, trying to paint the church in my spare time, maintain the house, prepare for my mom's visit, and all the day in and day out stuff that constitutes my life...and then on Tuesday, I broke. I mean, I couldn't stop crying, could do nothing else but just sit there and meltdown. Dave was WONDERFUL. He saw that I was well beyond my limit, so he took care of ALL the kids needs: diapers, lunch, nap, potty, playtime. He even unloaded the dishwasher, kept the house straightened up, and saw to all the little needs that usually make up my day. And, I...just sat there. If you've ever seen Overboard where Goldie Hawn has that really bad day, and the dad comes home to find her going, "buh-buh-buh-buh..." That was me.

I tell you what. After I had cried significantly for everything and nothing, I felt SO much better. It was like the dam had finally burst. They say that you release toxins in your tears, and I totally believe that. I released A LOT of toxins that day. At the end of the day, I talked to my old roommate and really good friend, Sara. She get's me. She's also seen me in this state before. We talked, and laughed and I finished out the day on a really good note.

Can I just say again, that my husband is fantastic.

So, yesterday, my mom came to visit and to shower the kids with their birthday gifts. It was a nice visit. It turned into an overnight though since she was planning on staying in town (unbeknownst to me) and ended up sleeping on our couch last night.

So, today...I've literally done nothing but try to return my kids and myself to normalcy. Callie took a morning nap, just as I was getting Noah down, she woke up. Figures, I was actually hoping to take a nap today. Dave got NO sleep last night at work, so we are letting him rest today in his room with no interruptions.

I think I may have had a breakthrough with Noah. Last night the idea hit me. I am SO tired of his whining. It's the only voice I hear these days and I can't stand it anymore. I KNOW that there is a big kid voice in there somewhere. So, this morning as he was whining because he wanted a baby spoon instead of a big kids spoon (and ended up winging red yogurt at me), I had had enough. I warned him that he needed to stop. When he didn't, I used a baby spoon (it's what he wanted) and gave him a spoonful of salt. It seemed to work. He obviously hated it, and when he continued whining I threatened him with another spoonful. That seemed to stop him. We talked again about why he got the salt and that if he continued to whine, he would receive more. The rest of the morning has been filled with pleasant big boy conversation. When he started whining a bit, I asked, "Are you whining?" He would immediately stop and move on. Whew. Let's hope this lasts.

If anyone has something different that I could try instead of salt, I'm open to the suggestion. I don't want him to hate the flavor of salt forever because I used it as a punishment. At the moment, I couldn't think of anything else.

Thankfully, Callie is just sitting on the floor, "reading" a book. She has started cruising on her little push cart. Here comes my lion crawling over to me with a big grin, I had better go. :-)