Why I love being a Mommy...

I get sweet hugs every day.
I get to cuddle.
I get to see my beautiful girl smile and hear her giggle.
I get to be her comfort when boo boo's happen.
I get to go shopping in the toy section a lot.
I spend a lot more time playing outside.
I have motivation to eat more healthy.
I get to be "tickle monster"
I get slobbery kisses.
I get to watch Veggie Tales for a reason.
I get to hold and sing to her every day.
I get to say prayers with her every night.
I get to teach her about Jesus.
I get to see her be molded into who she is becoming and grow to be the most gorgeous little girl I've ever seen. To know that she is a part of both me and her daddy... that right there in itself is the greatest miracle of all!


I am the luckiest mommy in the world!!!!!!!!!

Scary turned Special Day

Today potentially could have been one of the most traumatic days in our life with Kinsleigh thus far. Thankfully it was the complete opposite. One of the most exhausting though? I could go with that. I slept probably a total of 4 hours last night in worried anticipation for what was coming in the morning. I know that I shouldn't have been since worrying is not of the Lord but I could not get control of it. Finally got out of bed at 5:30am to grab a few last things together before going to pick Kins up out of her bed a few minutes before 6. She of course totally wakes up when we get into the car and decides to be bright and cheery instead of going back to sleep (this however worked to our advantage later). When we arrived, it was a waiting room filled with little children waiting to have procedures done. That made me feel a little better in and of itself because I visually could see "Ok, she's not the only one. MANY children do this each and every day." By the time we got her back to her room, her tiredness was catching up to her so she just kind of chilled in our lap and wasn't her normal running around the room crazy self, which was nice for a change. We put her into her sweet little tiger hospital gown and I must say she is the cutest thing I've ever seen in a hospital gown. I rocked her in my arms until the nurse came in with the "crazy juice" in a syringe. Once Kinsleigh took it, it was only within minutes that she started to get more relaxed and less cranky around the doctors. They then picked her up to take her away and that's when my tears came once I realized she wasn't even scared to go with a stranger. That juice stuff really works well! We went into the waiting room for no longer than 15 min then we were back with her in her little recovery room. She looked so peaceful sleeping with her blankie, an eye patch on her now healed eye, and a bed that was way too oversized for her. She continued to sleep for another 35 minutes and the entire time I'm fearing what her reaction is going to be when she wakes up. I can just envision all the kicking and screaming that will happen since that is what is going on with all the other children waking around us. But what does our sweet little girl do? She slowly opens her one eye, stretches, and after a couple minutes just points up at the ceiling and says "light!" Then started jabbering away and saying her numbers! That's my girl! I'm so proud of her!

I survived!

For the first time this past week, I stayed at home by MYSELF with Kinsleigh while Sean went out of town on a conference. Yes I know, you're probably thinking...this was the first time? He has gone on many trips before, even only a week after Kinsleigh was born but all other times I have had somebody come stay with me. This time I toughed it out on my own and I survived! However, I learned that I would probably never make it as a single parent. I realized just how much I do need him each and every day. I still was able to cook, do the laundry and all the other daily routines, but then I didn't have anyone to clean up the dishes or put the clothes away when I was done. Made a big difference. I also couldn't even come close to finding time to take care of the yard, and the grocery shopping just did not happen. Huge props to you Sean! You are a tremendous help in my daily life and I am so thankful for that. I don't get to tell you enough! Even though you do drive me crazy sometimes, it's all well worth it. You protect me and make me feel safe which in turn makes me feel like I don't need to turn on alarms and prop chairs under door handles when you are home. Only when you're gone. Which I hope doesn't happen again for a very long time cause Kins and I want to come on a trip too! We still need a VACAY!!!!

Why Forgive?

Yesterday I got to sit in on Sean's "talk" with the youth, which I don't get to do very often anymore. I love hearing his passion for God's Word and seeing his enthusiasm for teenagers. He makes me very proud of who he is and his love for Jesus. He's just so stinkin awesome!!! This week in particular, he talked about forgiveness and how we should respond to our enemies and those who do us wrong. He referenced Matthew 18:22 in which Jesus responds to Peter's question of how many times he shall forgive by saying "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy- seven times." Some versions say "seventy times seven." Point is, the number does not matter. We should be willing to forgive over and over and over no matter what. Because that is what Jesus did for us. And when somebody does us wrong, we need to return back to them love and kindness. Both of these things are extremely hard for me, as I'm sure they are for you too. Because when somebody repeatedly hurts us, why in the world would we want to forgive them knowing that it won't be too long until they do it again? Sometimes I feel if I were to do this, it would just appear as if I am letting others walk all over me. I know this isn't really the case because there is a way to repeatedly forgive and return love but still be able to stand your ground. The tough part is just being able to figure out how exactly to do all that. Who knows? Maybe I'll figure it all out one day. But I highly doubt it since I am human. I can only try my hardest to be an imitator of Christ in this way.

Today's Top Story

This morning I was watching the news and was shocked at the top story they were discussing. Then again I was reminded of it as it was also the top story on the radio station as I drove to work. Apparently there is a new maid service opening in Tulsa where you can hire a woman or man to come to your home and clean your house topless/nude, whatever. They do an extensive background check on the homes they are sending their maids to in order to make sure they are safe. I'm like REALLY?! What is this world coming to? I mean, I know there are already places like this and have always been places like this for a really long time in other areas but just seeing it so acceptable and easily talked about on the news just breaks my heart. God did not create our bodies to flaunt. So how anyone could honestly do that or be a supporter of someone who does is beyond me. Open your eyes world and open the Word of God so that you can clearly see our purpose for living on this Earth! I can guarantee you the answer will not be that it's for our pleasure...

My hubby has no grace...

The fam and I just attended our first Family Fun Night at The Kirk and it was a blast! We got to learn some good ole line dancing steps and let's just say Sean and I both need some work (he a little more so than I of course!) I can't wait for nights like these when Kinsleigh gets older and can enjoy it a little more. A big shout out to Carrie Lund for heading it up. I truly think this is one of the best things a church can do because it brings families together to do things (like line dancing) that you would not normally do together. And let's face it, we all need a change of pace in our daily routines. And once again I'm reminded through something as simple as this of why I am so thankful to be a part of our church.

Balance

I'm finding the hardest thing about being a mommy these days is figuring out how to balance all my different roles. Trying to be a good mommy, a good wife, preschool teacher, doing chores around the house, running all my errands...the list goes on and on. Sometimes I wish I had all the money in the world so I could just hire someone to do all my cleaning and my grocery shopping for me. Then life would be so much easier. That is until I would probably figure out something else I needed to do in my time to continue to keep me stressed. And to top it all off with a disease that makes me incredibly fatigued does not help with the problem much. Gosh, I guess this is the tough part about life that everyone always used to warn me about. I'm trying to remind myself each and every day that my family is always #1 and the other things CAN wait until later. I have never wanted anything more than to be a fantastic wife and a great mommy to my kid(s), to raise them in a Christian home, and hope that they will grow to be followers of Jesus too one day. Sean and Kinsleigh, you mean the world to me!