Terrible Twos

Oh. My. Word. My son has dove in headfirst into the terrible twos. I am somewhat beside myself. The past two nights he has put me in tears. I know I'm hormonal because I'm pregnant, but he's really got me at my wit's end lately.

I don't want y'all to think he is a horrible demon-child. He's not. He's just two, and I'm tired and 9 months pregnant (in fact, I don't even remember sleeping last night. I know I must have, but it seems like I looked at the clock a thousand times and just waited for the sun to come up). I'm starting to freak out a little about what will happen when Claire gets here. How will I handle things then?

Anyway, I'm just a little frustrated. It seems like it centers around church. I absolutely cannot keep the child in worship service. He will not be quiet ("Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!") and he will not sit still ("Get down!"). I try to make staying in the auditorium fun for him...we bring books, colors, cars and snacks...but he just won't sit still and be quiet. So we take him out. We do not take him to the nursery so he can play with toys; we make him sit on our laps and be still. This makes him pretty mad, but we feel like he needs to learn that you can't leave worship service and have fun--it's not supposed to be a good thing to be taken out. But, this has gone on for a while, and he still hasn't gotten the picture. So, last night I was upset because I had to take him out, yet AGAIN, and it's just so horribly embarrassing. Everyone knows us; everyone knows Will. It's not like we can just sneak out and fade into the background.

Then, there was tonight. We started VBS tonight and for some reason, which I have never agreed with and still don't understand, we include two year olds in VBS. (I have always thought it should just begin when kids start school, but whatever.) Anyway, since Scott is one of the main VBS organizers and I was a helper, we had to be there at 5:30 (it started at 6:30). So, we ate dinner and went over there. Well, Will just wasn't cool with the fact that Daddy was there in plain sight but could not hold him every second. We tried to sit down in our designated little pew with his teachers, and I even held him and told the teacher I was supposed to be helping that I didn't think I could leave Will because he was on the verge of a melt-down. Even with me holding him, he still couldn't handle it. I was so embarrassed that I just decided to take him home. I felt really bad because when we left, he was the only one in his class, but Scott told me later that five others ended up coming. I asked if they were as horrible as Will and he said no, but they also didn't have their dads there standing up in front of everyone and ignoring them (which Scott really wasn't doing, but that's probably how it felt to Will). Anyway, I was just really upset because Will doesn't usually act like this. It's a new development and I'm having a really hard time dealing with him.

Okay, well I guess I've spent enough time venting about my mothering problems...but I know (well, I hope) that some of you out there have had similar experiences. And I guess I'm just hoping that you understand what I'm dealing with. It's just hard for me because I see so many kids at church that are so very good and almost never have to be removed, and with mine, it's an every-time thing. And we're the youth minister's family!

As for other news, my grandma will be having surgery next Monday. The tumor is benign, but still needs to be removed, of course, because it is causing problems. Thank you so much for all your continued prayers...my family and I appreciate it so much.

Committment

Scott and I will have been married for seven years this coming Sunday! It's hard to believe that seven years have gone by so quickly. We have both grown and changed so much, both as individuals and as a couple, but one thing that hasn't changed is our love for each other.

Maybe I should say it has changed, but only for the better. I know that we love each other more now than we did that hot May evening in 2000. We have gotten to know one another better and that has deepened our bond. We were blessed to spend almost five years just with each other, being able to do a lot of things that we couldn't have if we'd had had children. But then in 2005, 17 days short of our 5th anniversary, we welcomed into our lives the biggest blessing we've had to date--Will. And this summer, we'll be welcoming another precious blessing--Claire (yes, that's what we're naming her!).

Our marriage isn't perfect. We're still young and still face challenges almost daily, but we're committed to working through those challenges together. That's what marriage is about--you must work together to create happiness and good things. I love you, Scott! Happy 7th Anniversary!

In the Middle of the Night

On Tuesday night, we converted Will's crib into a toddler bed, hoping it would help him transition to a "real" bed (which we already have set up for him in another room). The past few nights have gone a little better than expected, but still, it has been interesting. We have been closing his door all the way when we put him in bed so he can't just come out of the room, but before we go to bed, we open the door so he can get to us in the morning and what-not. When we opened the door last night, this is what we found:

We decided to go ahead and put him in the bed (just so you don't think we made him sleep on the floor all night!). It has been interesting waking up in the mornings to a little voice at the foot of the bed instead of over the monitor. The past two mornings it has been an exclamation of "Daddy!" that has woken me out of my peaceful slumber and into sheer panic. It's just not what I expect to wake up to! Yesterday morning, he was kind and woke us up a little after 8:00. Today it was before 7:00. Hmm...I'm not so sure I like this whole gaining independence thing.

Pink Anxiety

Okay, I have a question for all you moms out there who have little girls. When you went for your sonogram and the technician said (without guarantee, of course), "it looks like a girl," did you have anxiety about them being wrong? Maybe I'm just paranoid, but it's hard for me to be really excited about having a girl because I am so afraid that I will have everything for a little girl and she will come out a boy! Not that I wouldn't love having another little boy, but do you know what I mean? Am I nuts? I guess I am just worried becuase she said that there was an 80% chance it was a girl and to save my receipts if I go nuts buying pink. Well, like I said, we did not see a "turlte," and it looked like two lines to me, but I'm still weird about all this. So, my question is, did you all just accept that you were having a girl without question, or did you worry too?

Happy Valentine's Day

If I never hear the word "Valentine" again, I might die a happy woman. No, I'm kidding. But seriously, when you work in the floral industry, it is rare that your Valentine's Day is happy. Not that it's horrible, or sad, it's just stressful! The past two days at the shop have been absolutely insane. The phone rings non-stop (I can still hear it ringing in my head!), there is never not someone needing help, there are constant orders to be typed and filled...ahh! I'm just glad another February 14th has come and gone. I don't think I ate lunch until after 2:00 today and then I barely scarfed it down. But, I did log in almost 12 hours today--good for my bank account :) That does make me happy.




Anywho...my V-day gift was plugged in and waiting for me on the kitchen counter this morning. I am the proud owner of a brand-new microwave! Yea! The one we had was one that Scott had won at his project graduation in 1996 and it was really starting to bite the dust. It would take forever to heat up food. So, I am super excited about my new appliance.





Our trip to Florida was pretty good, under the circumstances. Flying out of Midland at 7:30 AM on Thursday wasn't the best, and landing in Midland on Monday night at 11:00 wasn't either, but other than that, it was a pretty good trip. It was really nice to see all of Scott's brothers together again. I have only met his oldest brother, Patrick, and his family one other time, so it was nice to get to know them a little better. I had also only met my sister-in-law, Monica (wife of another brother), and her kids one other time, so it was really nice to see them again, too. I think that everyone enjoyed getting to spend time together. Thank you again to all of you who have been praying for Scott and his family. It has meant a lot to all of us.





I am including a picture of Scott with his brothers and another of his parents, brothers, their wives and all the kids. Big family!

Patrick, Corey, Scott, and Trey

(From left to right--sort of:) Brett, Monica, Brandon, Kayla, Corey, Tristan, Harvey, Lauren, Will, LaDon, Scott, Becca, Trey, Liz, Abby, Amber, Patrick, Rachel, Michelle, and Andrew

A Sad Day

It is always quite a shock when you get a call and find out that one of your family members has passed away. Today, I got one of those calls. Scott's second oldest brother, Bryan, has passed away. He was 39. Bryan had had diabetes Type I since he was two years old, so we believe that it was complications due to the disease, although we do not know for sure. Since the death was unattended, an autopsy will be performed. We do not yet know when or where services will be held. I am asking that you please keep Scott and his family, especially his mother, LaDon, and Bryan's daughter, Rebecca, in your prayers during this time. A lot of questions are unanswered, and I know many people are going to feel guilty about the circumstances surrounding this death, even though no one is to blame. The picture of Bryan above was taken this past October. He is with one of his loves--motorcycles. We will miss him.

Thankful

Thanksgiving has come and gone. It has always been one of my favorite holidays. I love the food--turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes (or yams), mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce...it's all so yummy. And how could I forget the pumpkin and pecan pie?

We had a great trip...it was much too short, but it was good. We enjoyed seeing family and it was nice to see a few family members that we hadn't seen in a long time. Good news is spreading...my youngest cousin is graduating high school this year and has chosen a university, another cousin is having a baby in the spring, and yet another is getting married in June. What blessings to be thankful for.

I love this time of year when we get to reflect on the blessings God has given us and spend time with those we love most. Somehow, life just seems better.

I have two trees up and one to go at my house. Then I have to put all the boxes away...ugh. That's the worst thing about decorating...finding something to do with the boxes for a month and then packing it all away. But we won't think about that for now. Bring on the season!