Thankful for Growth

I talk ALL THE TIME about how fast my kids are growing. Most of the time the focus is on Max because he is at an age where milestones are slapping me in the face on a weekly basis. And this week was no exception.

As you already know, when it comes to some things...I have control issues. I'm not ashamed to admit it because I don't see anything wrong with it. Max barely started wiping his own booty about six months ago or so...I didn't want to let him wipe his own booty from the jump because then he would have left himself...dirty, for lack of a better word. Most of the time I still make him drink from a sippy cup if we aren't sitting at the table to eat, because I'd rather not have him spill his drink on the carpets, and I have this rule with all kids in my house, not just Max. Getting to my point though, I also still wash Max when he is in the bath. Some of my friends have been letting their kids wash themselves since like four years old...and I just couldn't bring myself to do that. I like the thought of my children REALLY being clean when they get out of the tub. So Ryan and I decided that since Max is halfway to being six we were going to start teaching him how to take SHOWERS...and last night was night one. At first I was fine, I showed him how all the knobs worked and which one was hot, cold, and shower. I showed him the proper way to wash his hair and his body. Ryan came in and showed him how to clean his private areas. I helped him out and he was drying himself off and in jammies in no time.

It was when I sat down on the couch and was telling Max that since he is getting older he is going to be learning how to do a lot more on his own, that I got the tears in my eyes. I started telling him things that he would be doing on his own like showering, putting away his laundry (more often), and when I got to "and when you turn six you dont have to sit in a booster seat anymore", the tears came. Now of course I wasn't crying hysterically cause then Max would have thought I went and lost my marbles, but they were coming steady hahaha. Then he had to go and ask if he could sit in the front next to me and I said "no buddy, the rules are no kids in the front seat under 12 years old" and I realized how fast 12 is going to come.

My kids growing is a blessing. I wouldn't ask for God to keep them small or anything like that because I love seeing progress. I love knowing that it is my (and everyone else that loves them) nurturing and care that causes the growth and change. I just ask that the memories of my children growing and changing stay with me for the rest of my life. I pray that the moments that I treasure right now will still be in my memory when I am old.

I'll talk to you soon,
J

Thankful Thursdays - 34

After a long (well long for me) vacation with my husband, I am back at home and back to our regularly scheduled programming. So I woke up this morning excited to do my TOAT and share with you guys how thankful I am for everything in my life.


311. I'm thankful that we got through our flights safely and easily. I absolutely hate to fly but I do see the benefits of getting to your destination in a pretty timely manner, compared to driving haha! I prayed the whole way...and yeah some of it was even out loud. Good thing Ryan was sitting next to me or I may have got some funny looks.

312. I'm thankful that we were able to do every single thing that I had planned for us and then some. We loved Graceland and the Civil Rights Museum. And Ryan got an extra little surprise when we got to the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. I knew that would make him so happy!

313. I'm thankful that I was able to be there for Kattie and Brian's wedding. It was in a beautiful location (minus the bees and stuff since Ryan's allergic). I loved spending time with them and especially loved spending time with Jayden and Bentley.

314. I'm extra thankful for my mom and brothers who watched the kids the whole time we were gone. Even with all the things that come with baby sitting a 21 month old and a kindergartener they still did everything that I asked.

315. I am the most thankful though that I am back at home, where I belong, with my children. A vacation is always nice, especially since they're few a far between...oh wait that was our first, our next is probably not going to be for a very long time! I missed my kids like crazy after the second day and couldn't wait to be home with them again but I knew that I needed to soak up the alone time I was getting with my husband, so I did.

316. I'm also thankful for the time Ryan and I were able to spend just laughing together. I was reminded how funny my husband is. I never really forgot but there isn't always time everyday for him to just make me laugh so hard I cry...but with 5 days of just the two of us most of the time he managed to ruin my makeup a bunch of times.

So what are you thankful for this week?
Talk to you soon,
J

Vacation!

Because Ryan and I are full time parents, vacations together...alone...are like figments of our imaginations. We have taken short trips alone to see our siblings graduate high school in Texas but other than that...nothing.
So when I found out that a good friend of mine, who lives in Tennessee now, was getting married I started saving for our plane tickets. We thought about taking the kids with us but ultimately decided that this would be a really good opportunity to spend some uninterrupted grown up time. We would have had to buy another plane ticket for Max since he's over two anyways. I finally bought the tickets (About five months ago!) and started counting down the days and making plans for the five days we are going to spend in various cities in Tennessee.

We are...
going to Grace Land...and absolute dream come true for me. I'm a major celebrity history buff!
going to the Civil Rights Museum...another dream come true. I will go and stand where one of the most influential people in history stood.
going to a few different restaurants that Guy Fieri went to for his show Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.
visiting some other historical places around Memphis and Nashville.
and finally...seeing my friend marry her man.


I cannot wait to experience new things with my husband and to cross off some of the things that are on our bucket lists together.

Talk to you soon,
J

Thankful Thursdays- 33

This week I have tons to be thankful for but these are just a few of them.

I'm thankful...
301. that despite the lack of encouragement from virtually any one my whole life, I have my first college degree.
302. that I have self motivation.
303. that Ryan is proud to have a smart wife, and will tell nearly anyone!
304. that Ryan keeps surprising me.
305. for the help my two younger brothers have been in the last six months. They dont even know how wonderful they are...most of the time!
306. that Maximus was awarded Principle Prize Winner his first month of school! Not only was I proud enough to cry (I know I'm a baby) but he is proud of himself as well and it shows.
307. that we're slowly making headway on this thumb sucking crap...it's beyond irritating but in the end it'll be worth it.
308. for Latchkey...without it I would probably have had to quit my job.
309. for all the people that bought stuff from Max's fundraiser!
310. that Bella is starting to talk more!

What are you thankful for this week?
Talk to you soon,
J

Thumb Sucking

How many of you out there have thumb suckers? I never thought any of my kids would do that because its not cute to me...but Bella came out of the womb sucking her thumb. She gets really shy and sucks her thumb, she gets tired and she sucks her thumb, and when shes upset she sucks her thumb.
I've done a ton of reading on how to make kids stop and when is it age appropriate to start explaining to them what its doing to their teeth. All kinds of stuff. Nothing that I read convinced me that it was time to start cracking down and getting this habit stopped.
THEN, Bella has her first dentist visit. Now she did exceptionally well for a 20 month old if you ask me! There were no tears or anything! They cleaned her teeth and took X-Rays, then it was time for the dentist to take a look. As soon as he looked at her mouth he asked if she was a thumb sucker...uhh ohh. He then let me know what I already knew, that this is a terrible habit and that it was going to be hard to break. After that he showed me how her upper mouth is starting to protrude and how her teeth dont close all the way when she bites down. OH MAN. I left that dental office feeling like crap because we have allowed this to go on for this long! How could I let my baby girls beautiful face be altered in any way even if it is from something so seemingly innocent??

I decided right then and there that there would be absolutely no more thumb sucking. On the advice of the dentist we started that night at bed time with socks on her hands while she slept so she couldn't just stick her thumbs in her mouth while she was sleeping. During the day we have everyone on thumb patrol. Two days of hearing no thumb has worked apparently! Yesterday {my day off} she went the whole day without doing it even one time! So for now we are ahead of the game and I'm hoping to have the whole habit broken before the end of the month!
Wish me luck and keep us in your prayers! I want my baby's face to stay the same forever!

I'll leave you with a few pictures!

Talk to you soon,
J

Thankful Thursdays- 32

Instead of doing a list of things I'm thankful for this week I decided to just share a little something with you.

The Lord is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life-of whom should I be afraid?
When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall.
Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though a war break out against me, even then will I be confident.
--Psalm 27:1-3

I have always been pretty confident in my decisions as a person, as a mother, as a wife, and as a friend. I rarely have ever second guessed myself. That being said there are people out there that dont have the same kind of confidence that I do. There are some people that need more encouragement. So I wanted to share that short part of the Bible for everyone to read. Share it with someone you know that may need the back up.

I am beyond thankful for the strength that I was given and the confidence that I have built up over the years. Without it I don't know where I would be in life.

What are you thankful for this week?
Talk to you soon,
J

The Quarter Life Crisis

It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are many things about yourself that you didn’t know and may not like. You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now.

You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren’t exactly the greatest people you have ever met, and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones. What you don’t recognize is that they are realizing that too, and aren’t really cold, catty, mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as you. You look at your job and it is not even close to what you thought you would be doing, or maybe you are looking for a job and realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and that scares you.

 

Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and are constantly adding things to your list of what is acceptable and what isn’t. One minute, you are insecure and then the next, secure.

 

You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly, change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life, but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away, and there is nothing to do but stay where you are or move forward.

 

You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you. Or you lie in bed and wonder why you can’t meet anyone decent enough that you want to get to know better. Or maybe you love someone but love someone else too and cannot figure out why you’re doing this because you know that you aren’t a bad person. You go through the same emotions and questions over and over, and talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision. You worry about loans, money, the future and making a life for yourself and while winning the race would be great, right now you’d just like to be a contender!

 

What you may not realize is that every one reading this relates to it. We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out. 

 

We call it the “Quarter-life Crisis.”

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This was sent to me via email by my friend Crystal. 

I thought it was so relevant and it actually hit something inside of me. 

I originally had a whole thing typed up and I was about to post it but some thing just told me to delete it all and just let everyone draw their own conclusions and let it touch them without my words guiding them. 

So I hope it means something to you.

Talk to you soon,

J