for a laugh

renovation

we live in a sweet little house that was built in 1952.  we have been working on updating it--removing all the sweet pea green that was spread through the majority of the house.  it has mostly been a 'lipstick and rouge' kind of home, just needed some deep cleaning and fresh paint in some fresh colors and small projects throughout.

this past weekend, we have begun the upstairs bathroom renovation.  the turquoise plastic tiles needed to go!  we are on day 2 and you honestly wouldn't recognize the place.  no toilet, no sink, no tile, no painted over wallpaper over paint over plaster.  today was the first real setback--holes where we didn't know there were holes and some interesting wiring.  nathan and i probably chatted for an hour trying to figure out the best way, not the easy way like they had done in here before, but the best way that would last for whoever is here next.

tonight has been a reminder to me that what you see on the outside isn't always what you find on the inside.  things can look fine on the outside and can be a confused mess on the inside.  something that appears strong may be weak.  the opposite may hold true as well--something that appears to be weak or small may be the strongest thing there.  sometimes, things just need a little bit of work to be restored back to former glory and sometimes, you just have to put in the work of gutting something out and building it up from scratch.  the best reminder is that things aren't always easy, but there is a joy that is only found after working through the difficulties.

i'm looking forward to the transformation.

don't grow too quickly

i'm sitting upstairs listening to the noise of crazy boys playing downstairs, listening to the gentle breathing of a little one sleeping next to me.  colin wanted to keep playing with carter and the neighbor boys (who are all much older than him), but alas, naptime needed to happen.

there was kicking and screaming right until the moment he fell into an exhausted rest.  he kept crying 'i'm big enough.  i don't need a nap today.  i want to be with the big boys.'  i almost gave in and let him stay up until there was a little voice inside crying out 'don't let him grow up too fast.  he has plenty of long afternoons in the backyard to come.  and remember what he was like last time without a nap???'

so, boys are playing downstairs and in and out into the backyard.  boy is sleeping peacefully next to me.

they grow up so fast...i wish it could slow down just a little.

Global Food Crisis--small things can make a difference

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payoff

there are moments where all the energy, tears, prayers, effort of parenting pays off.  i think God knew i needed to see a few moments of 'payoff' to press on in the journey today.

as mentioned in my previous post, we added another compassion child to our family.  it has been a wonderful thing as we're beginning to learn about mwamnyazi's culture and life.  it has stimulated conversation on how God has blessed our family and how He never wanted us to keep it to ourselves, the blessings are there to share and point others to Him.  we have talked about all the 'extras' we have in our life and how we take them for granted, especially when there are so many people in the world struggling.

a 'payoff' moment today was when i had carter help me close up windows to turn on the air conditioner and he says 'mom, i'm so glad God gave us a nice house to live in.'  i replied 'yes, He sure did bless us.'  moments later, we were going downstairs so he could play down there and carter says 'i'm so thankful we have electricity.  so many people don't have all this.'

but the best was last night in bedtime prayers...carter prayed 'God, be with micaelly and mwamnyazi.  let them have food to eat, let them know how loved they are, and let them have your peace.'

to see him think of others first, to think of their needs...that's payoff.

it's a boy

we are so excited to add another member to our family--

we just got the paperwork for our second compassion child that we will be sponsoring.

mwamnyazi is from kenya and is the same age as carter.

his life is so different from ours--he lives with his five brothers and sisters as his parents are no longer here.  his community is in an hiv/aids affected area.  his home is wood and dirt--

yet we have Jesus Christ in common.

we are so excited that God has crossed our paths and that we can help meet his basic needs.

as we get to know each other more, i will share more here...

going and going

been a crazy busy spinning your wheels answering the same questions from your kids over and over and over kind of day.  i am resorting to a dvd for a few moments of sanity (where i get to clean a bathroom) and then will go back to the crazy busyness.  (we won't even go into the dog's behavior here today.)

fading forward

it hurts to watch people you know fade away.

we visited my grandparents this afternoon.  my grandpa has slowly been slipping away to alzheimer's.  today was a good day, but to know what he was verses what he is makes you realize that things aren't the same.  he's much more light-hearted now, but it's as he jokes about the fact that he remembers little.  it truely is a blessing to know that he remembers my boys each visit--their names, some of their likes...but he has to ask them where they live over and over and over.  he met our dog today for the first time and he really seemed to like that (although he called him a different name each time chewy came to him. chewy was glad grandpa had a bag of treats and kept dropping some :) )

my grandma is changing too.  her age is beginning to really show now--i swear her hair was never that grey before and her wrinkles have multiplied in the past year.  i can tell she is tired and feels like all she does and is is a caretaker.  she also takes care of my cousin who is autistic.  lisa is my age, but acts younger than my three year old in many ways.  i marvel at my grandma who manages both.  i love the fact that today she found an easter egg hidden in her drawer that she was meaning to give the boys that was filled with spare change--she wanted to have an easter egg hunt right then and there.

today, we took my cousin lisa for a bit--to spend time with her and to allow my grandma some moments to relax.  in knowing lisa my whole life, even her personality has seemed to fade some.  things we could do before, we can't now because she isn't able to function well in certain situations.  fixations are stronger and the ability to reach out and try something different is far more difficult than it used to be.  things like general manners have regressed and it's so difficult when people treat her strangely.  i did get her to join me on a new path and she was beaming victoriously when we made it to the top--i'm hoping that's a sign of hope...she still can try new things and grow.  (even if we just go left instead of going to the normal direction of right.)

we ended our visit by treating everyone to ice cream and hanging out on the patio.  it was little, but felt like maybe we encouraged a little bit of life--remember what it is to enjoy outside, watching the next generation run around, laughing about memories...  it was good to be with them today.  i am so thankful we had today, but deep down, i'm scared what tomorrow may bring.

'til then

a simply beautiful day out and i'm letting it be my excuse for not getting laundry done today.  (of course at the moment, i'm inside on the computer :) )

laundry will be there tomorrow--today will not!

through the sprinkler

it's warmer today.  needed to get out and just play--always a good thing!  we filled up the kiddie pool and got the sprinkler out and had our own little water park in the backyard.  boys had fun, dog had fun, mom had fun.

running through the sprinklers was always a summer favorite at my house growing up.  at first it would be just running through to cool off, then different games would start--avoiding the sprinkler, could only go under the water, etc.--then adaptations of things would happen, like making obstacle courses or pretending like you're in a scene from a movie.

without any encouragement, my boys did the same thing.  cool off, could only go under the water, then an obstacle course, then mimicing a video game...  made me feel like a kid all over again too.  too much fun.

only bummer now is--it takes me a lot longer to get my hair done again.

living life

there are things that happen in your life that are there to remind you how precious and wonderful life truly is.  we need those moments to make us remember and reflect and recapture the wonder and appreciation for everyday life.

a small group from our church went to visit a dear friend that is in the final stages of her battle with cancer.  it was heartbreaking to see how much her physical body has changed these last few weeks.  but her life truly has been a testimony of living life with the goal to praise God and love her family and others, no matter what has been thrown her way.  over the past fifteen years that i have known her, she has been a reminder of keeping what's most important in life...important.  she has never been an outspoken person, just one who lived out what she believed--wholly, consistently, with all that she is.  it has spoken volumes to me and many others through the years.

i came home to my family and simply had to love on them.  i hope that i model to my boys (and others) just a fraction of what she has modeled to me.  all i could think of all afternoon was to enjoy each moment and not forget how incredible each simple moment truly is.

what's the deal???

there are some days that it would be best to just get it over with or start back at the beginning and have a do-over.  today is one of those days.

we had major storms come through over the night and i woke up at three watching torrential rains and wind pound against the windows.  we checked everything and it was okay.  went downstairs to take a shower a few hours later and found that water entered our storage room :) and the A/C wasn't working either.  (not related either)

i went into work thinking it would be one way and it ended up being anything but.  tough things, busy things, time-consuming things, things that make you want to cry and things that remind you of how wonderful God is.

having company over for supper tonight and was taking a moment this afternoon to prep food--to be missing a few key ingredients.  (was supposed to pick them up at the store last night, but didn't because of the storm)  got to the store this afternoon to get the vitals.

more big storms are supposed to be on there way--and it is definitely looking like it.

kind of ready for the day to come to a close and to start a new one afresh.

bonus points:  boys were really good today--minus one temper tantrum moment or two.

in transition

school is out.  summer is here.  boys are enjoying long afternoons and popsicles and running through the sprinkler.  we signed up for summer reading at the library and are making plans for fun ways to get out and enjoy the warm days.

one thing this week though...we are SO working through this transition.  my boys are definite creatures of habit and thrive on a regular schedule.  their world is essentially turned upside down as we shift from the routine of school to the new routine of summer.  as a mom, i think the best i can do right now is help them settle into a new schedule--as quickly as possible!

i think that will help the mom out too!  :)

slipping down the cobblestone and feeling groovy

a simon & garfunkle song popped into my head today...my dad used to sing the phrase to us often growing up--'slow down, you move too fast.  got to make the morning last, oh.  slippin' down the cobblestone...something, something, something...feeling groovy.'  (obviously i wasn't listening all the way because a phrase is completely escaping me!)

i love the simplicity of it--SLOW DOWN.

took the boys and dog for an after-lunch walk today.  we went a different route, slowed down and got to see something cool!  close to us, there is a greenspace with lots of big trees.  we were enjoying the shade, listening (which is a big thing to ask my two boys to do!) and got to watch a round of four young squirrels playing hide and seek/tag/tackle.  it was hilarious to watch.  we stayed until they were done playing.  if we were on a mission to hurry and get around the block, we would have missed a moment.  it was a simple moment, but a good one.  what a groovy feeling.  thanks simon & garfunkle and dad!