Last weekend

Summer like temps, finally!  We decided a hot weekend like last weekend would not go by without being taken advantage of.  Day one, we get out our baby pool.  Brennan was tolerant, but not too please with water squirting up on her.  She pretty much stayed a statue in one spot most of the time, afraid to move. Although, she did move enough to get her bikini top off; she didn't like that the straps kept falling off.  Kadyn LOVED it.  The water slide was a big hit with Kadyn, although she didn't figure it out entirely.  She'd run up to it and then stop and lay down.  It was amusing, but didn't give her the thrill I was hoping for.  I did get her to slide on her knees at least half way a couple times.  What she needs is a big kid to show her how it's done.  It has a weight limit, so Jeff and I can't really show her.  Plus, I'm not sure my lady parts would take a liking to being pounced on in a flying dive, if you know what I mean.  I was tempted though, I must say.  I have very fond memories playing on a banana slide my friend Sarah used to own when we were kids.

I still have plans to buy some water guns and a fun sprinkler to make our summer yard fun complete.  I'd love to find one of those clowns with the hats that shoot off.  Not sure where to look for those.  Yet another thing my friend Sarah had when I was a kid.  I guess her house was the place to be in the summer if you wanted some cool water toys. 

Anyhoo, it was so nice to get outside and pretend it was summer.  I count my blessings that we can actually get outside again.  It was such a long winter.

Top five things

Just for fun, I thought I'd do a little list.  So many of my blogger friends are into to this,x and I think they're neat.  Here's mine.

Top five ten (who can pick just 5, really) things that are the best about being a Mom:

10. Seeing little parts of you in your children
9. Making them giggle....I mean belly laugh
8.  Getting to witness every development
7.  Knowing you are their hero (for the first 10 years at least)
6.  Sweet kisses baby kisses no matter how slobbery    
5. Snuggling in bed together on an early Saturday morning
4. Watching them open up presents on Christmas morning
3. The funny things they say
2. Chubby armed, squishy hugs
1. Listening to them say, "I love you Mama" when it's completely random

In case you were wondering

I just wanted to say for the record that I am an educated person.  All too often I am in a real toot to get my posts done before some little person demands my attention, so I can't take the time to go back and proof my posts.  I hit publish, and then I go back later and proof (probably after everyone has read my typo ridden posts).  Anyhow, I go back and read through them and then think, "Geeze Darci, not looking too smart there."  I suppose I should just save it as a draft and go back and proof and publish much later.  I guess I just get too excited to share my world with everyone else that I can't help but hit publish..... so in case you are wondering, yes I do know how to spell, punctuate, and use correct grammar.  Forgive me if that drives you nutty when you read a post and it needs proofed.  It's the warty side of me:)

Past two weeks

Sometimes I like to post things that I've been up.  This is one of those posts.  This is in part because it's fun to talk about, to update my family and friends, and to record it somewhere for my records so I know what life was like for me at the ripe old age of 32:).  Anyhoo.....let's get started shall we.

First up I have the cookbook that I purchased last weekend that I hope (knock on wood) will get my Bren eating her veggies.  It's really a 50/50 shot that she'll eat the veggies I put on her plate.  This book teaches you how to puree veggies and gives you recipes to put those purees into so your children will eat them.  Of course, you always put a nice helping of the real deal on their plates too just in case she actually decides to get healthy one day, but until that day, I can rest assured she's still getting what she needs if she neglects that helping of the good stuff.  So far I have pureed and frozen a bunch of sweet potatoes.  Next week I plan on doing a lot more.  Seems like the bulk of the recipes call for pureed sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and carrots, so I plan doing a lot of those and a few more.

Next we have a book that I've been reading.  To say that my parents are somewhat interested in end times would be an understatement.  My mother requested I read this book and promised it was an easy read.  I am about 3/4 of the way through it.  It is a good book.  If you want to understand what the bible says about end times and how that relates to what is going on today, this is the book for you.  I can't say I learned anything I didn't already know from this book, but it was a good refresher.

Next we have a work in progress.  This a project that I started making for Kadyn before she was born but got sidetracked once she arrived.  With all the moves, it was lost for a long time.  Then I found it and started working on it again.  Then we moved....again, and I got side tracked....again.  Now I think we are here to stay so it is time to get it finished.  I will feel guilty if I don't do something similar for Brennan so I've been racking my brain to try to decide what I will do for her.  BUT for now I need to finish this one.  At this rate, Brennan won't get hers until she turns 20!  Needless to say cross stitching is not a quickly gratifying craft.  It takes a long time.

Next up we have a picture of our curtains.  No I didn't make them.  Yes, they are drab, but not hideous.  We were in a real pinch to get something up to help block out the hot sun in the afternoons. Sorry the pic turned out so badly.  They are a dull green color.  So far, we haven't had to turn on the air conditioning except two short times thanks to these puppies.  These are not meant to be permanent, but they fulfill a need in our price range for now.  I spent all day hanging and ironing these for all the windows in our living room and kitchen.  We couldn't find one that was wide enough for our sliding glass door, so we bought 4 panels and I sewed together two for each side.  Problem fixed!

Last we have a picture of a plain ol' fleece blanket. We have a ton of blankets around our house to cover up with when we watch TV.  We are on a tight budget, plus we don't have a fabric store in Branson, so I have to use my resources.  I really want to make a wet bag for my cloth diapers and use that rather than a diaper pail.  Fleece is water repellent.  I have made a couple diaper covers out of it in fact.

For the past year and a half I have been using plastic buckets for my diaper pails.  They work great, except that after about two days the diapers reek of ammonia smells since they are trapped in those buckets and the air can't circulate. As long as they are closed, it is fine, but the minute I open up the lid to put in another, I about pass out.

I did a little experiment and put them in a pillow case instead a day ago, and so far no smell whatsoever.  Of course poos get flushed and those diapers get soaked, so there is never a problem with those odors.  Therefore, today's big task is to make two big wet bags that I will hang from my changing table and put dirty diapers in until I can launder them.

 So there you have it.  A little of what keeps me busy these days.  Of course, I have to run the daycare ,and we are always doing crafty educational things for that everyday.  Overall, I keep myself busy.  It's a good life!

Because I'm a Mom

For some time I've been thinking about the depth of love God has for me.  I could feel it as a child growing up, but I'm not really sure I ever really got it until I became a mother.  It's not because I can compare his love for me with the love I have for my child.  It's more along the lines that I feel so incredibly blessed to have these wonderful little human beings in my life that helps me realize the depths of his love for me.  I really think children are life's BIGGEST blessings.  I feel so unworthy to be given such a precious and special gift and yet he fulfilled my heart's desires with these children.  He knew the happiness and joy they would give me.  He knew I'd screw up sometimes as a parent and yet he gave them to me anyways.  He knew how big of a responsibility it is to raise these precious little miracles and he trusted me to do a good job.  It delights him to see me so in love with these little people in the same way I delight in seeing the joy in my child's eyes when their Daddy chases them around the house, or seeing the excitement in their eyes when they get a new toy.  God wants me to be happy.  Knowing this makes me fall in love with him all over again.  Knowing he wants me to be happy makes me want to make him happy.  His love comes full circle.

I've also been more understanding of his mercy and forgiveness since I have been a mother.  It's not because of the mercy that I have to bestow on my children when they misbehave.  On the contrary, it's because of the mercy I have requested because I have screwed up as a parent.  Before, my mistakes really only affected me.  I could ask for forgiveness and move on.  Now, as a parent,  I know my mistakes have so much more bearing on them.  They affect my children.  The guilt that carries with it can sometimes be overwhelming.  I have failed on numerous occasions in my parenting and it seems I shouldn't be deserving of such forgiveness and yet, he offers it freely.  What a blessing!  What a gift! How loved I feel to be offered forgiveness especially when it concerns his precious little people.


So this post is really just a reflection of how life has really changed since I became a Mom.    How suddenly a little light bulb has gone off in my head.  I finally get it....because I'm a Mom.  Thanks Jesus!

On healthy days

...we actually have a lot of fun.  The turtle we found crossing the road at our house.  The kids were more than excited to get a close look at it and pet it.

Sick

Can you tell in the pic?  I really thought we were out of the woods since Spring has arrived.  At least this time we had at least a month off from the last cold.  Starting in January our family was getting sick every two weeks.  It was awful!  And it's not just our family.  It seems everyone, everywhere is having the same issues as us.  I don't understand what makes this year so different from all the others that we should be more prone to illness, but this one definitely tops the rest for illness.  So to all my friends who are going through this too, my heart goes out to you.  Maybe someday we'll actually have more than a month off from being sick.  We can dream anyways.

Precious

I have to record these somewhere so they won't be lost, so here are two moments in my week that I want to remember forever.  Simply precious!

*I was sharing the story of Cain and Abel with Kadyn and she declared that if she had been there during that time, she would have tickled Cain and he would've felt much better.

 *Last night I put Kadyn down and let her listen to a few beetles songs after I turned off the lights and shut the door.  A minute or two later she's shouting my name. I  go in to find her dancing, twirling around in the dark.  She sees me and exclaims with sheer excitement, "Mom, they said all you need is love.  They said it, in the song!  That's all you need, love."  Apparently it was some big revelation that all you need is love. 

Yes indeed wee one.  All you need is love.  Awe, I love being a mother.  Sigh!

A week of blessings

I became an auntie again this weekend.  My sister had her third baby on Monday.  He weighed in at 9 lb 4 oz and was 21 inches long.  Both Mama and baby are doing great, an answer to prayers.  He is the first grandson on my side of the family so we are all very thrilled and I may be a wee bit jealous, but mostly filled with joy over the new life in our family.

Part way through the week I started having a bit of anxiety over finances.  With the addition of my daycare income we are able to make ends meet, but if I were to loose any of my clients, we would be in a real pinch.  It is kind of unnerving living day to day knowing that.  I've been advertising for more kiddos for several weeks now and the only calls I get are parents looking for infant care. I can no longer accept infants as I am full in that department.  It is sort of a helpless feeling to put yourself out there with the intention of trying to help out, and not getting any response.  I did the only thing I knew to do....pray, pray, pray. 

The following day, I get a phone call.  Jeff had a meeting with his bosses.  They are very pleased with the work he has been doing.  They realize that picking up new business will be a slow process and want to help ease the process for us by giving him a raise.  It was just enough to give us that extra cushion we need in case I were to loose a client.  It was....an answer to prayer.  The raise is only meant to be temporary.  The idea is that Jeff will eventually pick up enough business to pick up in commissions what he is making with this raise.  I confess that until now, I have felt a bit of frustration with Jeff's employers for not helping us out a little more with our move.  We uprooted our entire family and lives for this company.  Opening up a new branch in a town can be a bit of a gamble.  Now, I feel nothing but gratitude for them.  They see the potential in my husband.  They recognize his hard work and dedication.  He is very derserving of this raise and I feel that they know that. 

That day I felt such a love from God.  I KNEW he was listening to my prayers. I knew that he had us safe under his wings of care.  I knew....that he loved me sooo much.  It was the most fulfilling feeling a person can have.  It always makes me feel silly when I worry so much about such trivial things because time and time again he comes through.  Why do we do that so much?

Anyhow, it was a week of blessings.  What a great week!