So today I decided to put some gel in Mack’s hair and blow dry it straight up. He didn’t really like the process, but he hung in there for the two seconds. When he went to show Ruby and Molly, Molly said, “That’s like Uncle Jason. His hair sticks up.” Very cute…we’ll see what Josh thinks.
Molly plays pbskids.org from time to time. I cannot sit with her very long because she won’t let me touch anything or help in any way. “No, Mama, I can do it all by myself.” Fine. It seems that she has been printing a lot of pages lately. I find them and then tell her, “Molly, you cannot push the button that prints. It is wasting paper. Do not click on the print button, sweetie.” Her response is ALWAYS, “But I didn’t do it, Mama. I didn’t. I did not do it.” I try to explain to her that she didn’t mean to do it and maybe didn’t know she did it, but SHE did it. Today she brought up another paper to me. I said, “Molly, what did I tell you about printing?” She said, ” I didn’t do it. I didn’t. It was just there.” She is hard-headed. And she will not admit that though she didn’t mean to print, SHE DID PRINT THE SILLY PICTURE OF CURIOUS GEORGE!!!!! OK. That is off my chest.
Oh, the joys of having three kids that all have to sit in some sort of car seat/booster device. What kind of car will fit them all? We have had a Yukon or Tahoe or Suburban for the past 4 and a half years, so there was no problem fitting them all in; there was a problem in how GIGANTIC the vehicle was. I don’t know why, but I was just over driving the Suburban. It is so big, and I’d started having to go every Monday to clean it out—a bag of junk that the kids had drug to the car, shoes, socks, hair barrettes, etc AND a bag of trash including, but not limited to, slushee cups, stickers from Wal-mart, Sunday School art, crackers, etc! Molly and Ruby sat next to one another on the back row, which was neat at first, but neither of them learned how to hook their own car seat, so we were forced to climb in each time to hook them in and then un-hook them. (We had even gotten lazy about it and just let them hook the top part of their car seat….horrible, I know!!!) So, I sweetly told Josh about the Volvo Cross Country again. He has been very much against getting a station wagon. He said they were “the ugliest cars in America.” He couldn’t believe I wanted one of these over a mini-van. He just didn’t see much of a difference in them. They are both not great looking cars, in his opinion. Every friend I have that owns a mini-van LOVES them and says they will never go back as long as they have kids to drive around. I think that is wonderful, but I still just didn’t want one. Lame? Shallow? I will own that.
OK, so Josh drove several and had some help from Navar who knows a lot about Volvos. Finally, we came across this one:
Oh, how I love it. The kids all sit on the bench together. Ruby is in a booster seat that is BUILT IN!!! Yipeeeee. Mack is in the middle and Molly is on the other end. She will move to the booster seat before we know it. I am thrilled. Weird that this is my dream car, but like I said, I AM SO IN MY THIRTIES and have three kids. Funny how you get excited about built in boosters and all the room in the back for groceries and a stroller. The girls just kept asking, “Why doesn’t this car have a tv in it?” It will be good for them. Josh is afraid of long trips with them being so much closer to us. They did seem a little loud back there, but we will work on using our inside voices.
Ruby feels much better today. No fever, no nothing. I am so glad. We took a quick trip up to the neighborhood park this morning. Everyone went to the bathroom before-hand, but still Ruby hollered out after being there for only about 20 minutes that she “really needs to go and can’t hold it any more!!!” So, we made our way back to the house. She also felt good enough to dress herself this am. She was sad that I made her NOT wear the hand-me-down from Faith Baker…a jumpsuit that she adores. She even wears it to sleep in. Josh tells her she has to put on pjs when he is in charge (which is a big step for him…there’s a story here, but I will leave it alone for now). I, on the other hand, just let her sleep in it. I have changed which battles I am fighting. AND she has fallen in love with the little cowgirl in Toy Story 2 and has been going around the house hollering out, “RUN LIKE THE WIND, BULLS EYE. LADEEELAHOOOO….YEEE-HAAAWWWW!” while she throws around her princess halo thing like a lasso. Quite humorous. And some pictures…..
On our way to the park Molly wanted to take her stroller. Well, Mack really wanted to push something, too, so I let him push the other stroller. Josh would have a hissy over this, but again, I am choosing my battles. There is truly nothing feminine about the boy—other than pushing this stroller. Ha! My argument to Josh is that he pushes strollers all the time, and he is not gay. I am going to get Mack a wheel barrow or something of the sort for his birthday next month, so that the stroller thing won’t be an issue.
And lastly, here is Ruby in “cowgirl” mode…not sure how this worn out cheer outfit and high-heels fit in, but whatever….
Josh and I had such a fun time at the Sunday School Class Marriage Retreat at the Brasstown Valley Resort. It was a nice resort. The room we had was very cute, clean and up-to-date. We left around noon on Friday and made our way to a BBQ restaurant. It was in the middle of nowhere. Don’t ask me how my husband knows about every country cookin’ cafe or Meat & Three, but he does! This place was really good. It was awesome to eat alone. Josh ordered BBQ and got some fries, too. These were no ordinary fries…they were like FAIR FRIES. Oh, yummy. I was already starting to reach over to grab a fry when Josh said, “Let’s pray…” He thought I was going over to hold his hand, but I was going to steal a fry. Once I realized how wonderful they were, I got a couple more. Josh asked, “Do you want me to order you a side of fries?” Code for, “Keep your hands off of my fries. I will get you your own.” Josh has never been one for sharing food. He just doesn’t go for that.
I thought of Molly while we were eating because there was a stuffed Aunt Jemima standing at the door with tootsie rolls for the taking. Molly would have instantly been best friends with little Miss Aunt Jemima. The child loves Tootsie Rolls. She also asks me, “What are those round tootsie rolls called that I love?” MILK DUDS. I haven’t taken my children to the dentist yet…I know, a great mom…but I am sure Molly will have many issues.
ANYWAY, I enjoyed the massage. The facial is another story. The description of the facial did mention microdermabrasion…..but, ummmm….I didn’t realize it would hurt. It burned and tingled and just didn’t feel great and relaxing. I could just see me walking into dinner with all of our friends with a bright red face. (though at this point many had seen me “drunk” from my massage and walking around in a robe all afternoon, so what’s the big deal about a red face?!) Thankfully, it all calmed down by the time we went to dinner AND the wrinkles on my forehead were not quite as deep as they normally are.
The speakers did a good job. We talked about self-care—giving yourself and your mate permission to do stuff they like to do. I know it is difficult for me to leave in the evenings to do something alone or with girls because I know Josh has been working all day, too, and I like when we are all together as a family. BUT, it is important to get out of the house and laugh with friends or read a book at Starbucks or go for a walk. Josh loves movies (me-not so much), so I want to try and encourage him to go to the movies with his brother or other friends when he sees one coming out that he likes.
We also talked about taking care of your mate…we discussed the love languages…and we got some time to pray together. It was a good time. I know there are several things I want to do to try and take care of our marriage.
I did HORRIBLE on my eating. I ate the whole bag of Jelly Bellys that my friend Cindy left in the room for me. Not to mention the 20 starburst I ate during the sessions….ugh…but today is a new day to a new week, and I WILL DO BETTER. 🙂
The kids had a blast with their friends at the house the whole time we were gone. I am so glad that they enjoyed themselves. I am also appreciative of great, godly friends you can trust…even if poison control is called…it’s all good! (love you Mandy!)
But, in reference to the title of this entry, we are back to reality. Sunday was a busy day, full of fellowship, an awesome Word from our Pastor, lunch with friends, a trip to look at a used car (more to come on this, I promise!), a short nap, and then back to church last night….and this morning Ruby woke up with a fever. Poor thing. She only takes Motrin Berry flavor medicine. I tried to give her Tylenol, and she sipped it for about an hour…all 0.8+0.8 mL of it. Josh came home, forgetting the medicine I asked him to pick up, so he took Molly back out with him. She wanted to get Ruby a card to help her feel better. She came in, took the card to Ruby and said, “Ruby, I love you and I hope you feel better.” It was sooooo sweet. Ruby seemed to feel better after that, before the medicine had time to kick in. Amazing how a timely word can really help your spirits. Ruby told me today that “Molly is my best sister.” This was after Molly had brought her some water. Molly has definitely been a caring little girl today. We hope Ruby feels better tomorrow.
As I mentioned before, we are not royalty–just in case anyone was still unsure about that. BUT, I decided to bring breakfast up to the girls this morning. They both came in around 6:30am, and I let them sleep in my place while I went downstairs to enjoy some coffee and The Word in the quietness that is extremely rare around here…but OH so nice…and I am feeling quite giddy at the thought of tomorrow. Josh and I are leaving tomorrow for 24 hours away for a Marriage Retreat with our Sunday School class. I AM SOOOOO EXCITED!!!! Why would I be so excited you might ask? I can’t figure out if it because I will get alone time with Josh (I am trying to figure out how to discreetly throw his cell phone out the window–any suggestions?) or maybe it is the facial AND a swedish massage (not sure what the swedish part has to do with it, but I don’t care) or if it is the luxury of eating and only feeding myself (I hope Josh will excuse me if I try to stick some mac-n-cheese in his mouth or ask him to say “AHHHH” so that the food will get all the way in his mouth) or hanging out and actually having conversations with so many sweet friends the Lord has blessed us with….and in all this fun, I am praying the Lord will meet us where we are in our marriages and give us glimpses of where He wants us to be in them…I have been praying specifically that Josh and I will reflect Christ and the Church to our kids, to our friends and to strangers more effectively….
Gotta say a special thank you to Mary (and Ben and Katherine) and the Baker family for watching our three munchkins. It is so easy to leave when you know such wonderful people are taking care of your kids. Y’all are the best!!! And just ignore the girls if they ask to eat their breakfast in bed! Ha.
I need to add some pictures for the grandparents. I haven’t been taking as many pictures as I probably should these past few weeks. I think I am just cold all the time, so my brain isn’t quite working right. I don’t see how people live up north. I am near miserable just walking into the garage for two seconds to put our recyclables in their bucket. OK, so that is an exaggeration, but I am REALLY cold when I walk out there. And it stays pretty cold in our house. The stairwell is the warmest place in the house, but it is not very comfortable to hang out on the stairs all day…and can be downright dangerous with Mack around. So we just stay cold. ( I can hear my dad say, “You think it’s cold in here? Just step outside and you’ll know cold.”) Ha.
So, in keeping with the “freezing cold” conversation, here is what the kids have been doing a lot of…not really laying around, but just being in the house. Mack loves the remote and does his best to hang on to it once he gets it in his hands. That is, unless Josh is around. He gladly takes it straight to him. What is that about??? He will even take it out of my hand (the TWO times I have ever held it) to give it to Josh. How do they already know that men hog the remote? Craziest thing I’ve ever seen.
We went to my room mate in college, Paige’s, little girl’s birthday party. It was in Dallas, GA. The kids had fun feeding the geese. Molly made her way to the cake that was intended for Ila Belle to dig into…but as soon as Molly saw another girl stick her fingers into the cake, she was quick to join in on the fun.
I love Valentine’s Day! It is my favorite holiday…a fact that Josh thinks is hilarious. I don’t know if it was all the heart shaped boxes of chocolate I got growing up or the heart shaped lipstick that I remember to this day. My mom was always so great at making my dad look good to us on Valentine’s Day. She bought us cute gifts and gave my Dad all the credit. What a good mom. I hope I can do that for my girls, too….and I hope Josh will be a part of the fun as well, as I am sure my dad was at some level. 🙂 Anyway, you hear a lot of talk about V-day being just another way to get people to spend money. I disagree. I mean, it could be that if you want it to be, but I view it as a chance to show you love someone in a creative way. No doubt life is busy, and we don’t always show our love in neat ways or sometimes even at all. So I want to take this day as an opportunity to DO something for those I live with to let them know that I love them.
Today I was playing dollhouse with Ruby. She had me being a man that was a delivery person, and she was the mommy and the three children inside the house. The delivery man (me) said, “HI. I have a special delivery for the mom of the house–a dozen roses and a box of chocolates.” The mom (Ruby) paused for a second and then said, “Don’t you think the chocolates are for my kids?” I think she didn’t want the kids to be left out….meaning, she doesn’t want to be left out on Valentine’s Day!….especially when it comes to chocolate! I thought it was cute.
Tonight at church we talked to the children about who their #1 Valentine should be….not mom or dad, though they love us a ton. Not our brothers and sisters or friends, even though they love us a lot, too. BUT, we have a God who sent Jesus to live on earth and then die on the cross for our sins and be raised from the dead. I want to learn to think this way and act on this thought, that Jesus showed the ultimate love for me by dying for me. Wow.
“For God so LOVED the world that He gave His only Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
Have fun thinking about how you are going to creatively show your love this V-Day!
Evidentally, my munchkins were born in the wrong family. Josh and I clearly aren’t royalty. However, these are some little comments I have heard in recent days.
Ruby: (in a sweet soft voice as Josh is fluffing her pillows and tucking her in) “Daddy, remember that I want breakfast in my bed in the morning.”
On another occasion, I walked in the kitchen and Molly said, “Hey, Mama, my feet are cold. Could you warm them with your hands?”
And Mack, the little booger, takes a bite of food, then pulls my arm down to provide a soft place for him to lay his head while he eats! I would take a picture of this, but I haven’t figured out how to get the camera and snap the photo without causing the little prince to have to eat holding his own head up.
I could add a few comments about some things that Josh does that could suggest he thinks we live in some sort of royal palace, but we have a marriage retreat this weekend, and I would hate to start things off that way! Ha! I am TOTALLY KIDDING. It is my joy to serve my husband in many diverse ways, and I am sure I could do a lot better at it. (He scheduled me a facial and massage for the weekend, so I better stop right now and go get dinner fixed before I get myself in trouble!) Ta-ta!
I was reading a blog of someone I don’t know…this happens often. I read my friend’s blogs and love, love keeping up with all the fun that they are having. In recent days I have stumbled upon some new blogs, and I laugh out loud at their hilarious stories. In the blog I was reading today a lady challenged us to write a letter to our 20 year old selves. I thought I would take the challenge:
Dear, sweet little selfish Kristy,
Please take no offense to the greeting. It’s me, YOU, writing to you. Only YOU are 12 years down the road. I can see so many things much more clearly than you. Let me take the liberty to help you out some…
1- You need to call your mom AND dad more. You have no idea all that they have done for you and are doing for you while you are away at college. Call them more. Talk to them about your life. It’s good for you. It’s good for them. And your sisters, too. They are FAMILY…think of others.
2- Guys are not as important as you think. You do a lot of things for the attention of others. While I am so glad you do have your quiet time and that you are journaling about all the Lord is teaching you, this guy-thing sort of sends you off the best path. You’ll meet a handsome, godly young man very soon. You’ll be so glad you didn’t embarrass yourself with being attracted to LOSERS. Yes, they are LOSERS. Yeah, he can dance, SO WHAT? L-O-S-E-R. By the way, did you know you love red heads? Yep.
3- OH, would you please stop fretting over your body???? It is a great body. Trust me on this. You will one day have three kids in less than three years. I did not know that was possible either, but it is. Your butt does not look big in those jeans. Wear them proudly. You. are. not. fat. ‘kay?
4- Love the skin you’re in. Wrinkles do come. Crows feet are FOR REAL. And laugh lines are not funny. That’s all I’m saying about that.
5- Hug Paige. She saved you big time. Even though she distracted you from studying by playing some sort of hide and seek game while driving a car, calling you to see her scared of a dog in the parking lot,tempted you to sleep in since she signed up for late classes, and clipped her big toenail and let it fly right between your eyes…the girl is honest. She shoots it straight, and you need her—in your life now and in your life later. Go hug her. Oh, and it is so good that you girls don’t borrow clothes. And just for fun, let her go get your shiny blue shirt back from that short, softball playing blonde chick….let her.
6- Follow hard after the Lord. Really hard. He has so much in store for you, and you need Him more than you can possibly know. Get up early, be still, worship Him wholeheartedly, keep up your scripture memory box…you’ll kick yourself for forgetting all of those verses!!!!, and pray for your lost friends. You should brush up on your witnessing “skills” for Asa. You’ll never see her after Middle…or a lot of other folks.
7- Lastly, but possibly the most important (not really), GET YOUR EYEBROWS SHAPED BY A PROFESSIONAL. And don’t keep listening to your mom and her comment about Brooke Shields…go now, my bushy-eyebrowed friend.
Enjoy your college days and pre-kids days. Sleep until 11:00 and don’t feel guilty or lazy. You will make up for all your “extra” sleep. And just skip the breastfeeding class and don’t buy that silly bra. You won’t need it and YOU AND YOUR KIDS WILL BE FINE, MORE THAN FINE. Oh, there is so much more, but wasn’t this fun? I hope I didn’t scare you…I hope it helps you to live the good life through your twenties. Thirties arrive quick and sort of fierce, I must say.
Love you,
YOU/ME