Bitten By Busyness

As an avid blog reader, I don't usually appreciate the "I've been too busy to blog" posts on other people's blogs.

Why have a blog if you are too busy to update it?

That's what I think. Judgmental soul that I am.

And here I am, too busy to blog. 

Passing judgement usually has a way of coming around and biting me in the butt. 

I'll watch that next time.

Summer's goodness is throwing a lot at us.

We've been busy pulling socks up to knees and fastening shoes on the wrong feet.

Kids Say the Funniest Things - Mandy Edition

Mandy just came into the room holding a seam ripper and two packages of sewing needles. 

I asked, "Why do you have my sewing stuff?"

She responded, "This is sewing stuff? Oh, well your kids aren't geniuses."

The child is 3.

Going on 16, or so she tells me.

The other day I was applying eye shadow in the bathroom mirror and Mandy said she wanted some too. I told her not until she was 16 and without missing a beat she said, "But I am 16." She had this incredulous look on her face and her hands were flipped palms up. Of course, how could I forget. 

Maybe it is the fact you are three feet tall. 

Or maybe it is because I remember your birthday. 3. Years. Ago.

Mandy is constantly talking.

Constantly.

If she isn't talking, she is either sound asleep or ill. 

Actually, even when she is ill she is telling us all about what ails her. 

No one does sick quite as dramatically as Mandy.

God has a sense of humor because we spent the first 3 years of Emma's life in virtual silence. 

Emma never tried to talk, didn't want to talk and it was at this same age (3 and a half) 

that I took her in to be evaluated for delayed speech.

Emma, who has no speech delay now, but prefers to be quiet, recently told me that Mandy talks enough for the both of them. 

It's true.

Mandy's imaginary world is a crazy place and listening in always gives me pause to chuckle.

"My husband is pregnant and his parents just died. I just don't know what I am going to do!! 

[insert flailing hand motions and dramatic sighs]

This is terrible. Just terrible. Oh, just come with me while I find the princesses."

And she was off to put on a princess dress. Then take off a princess dress 2 minutes later when she was no longer pretending to be a princess.

Even as I type, Mandy is twisting a headband around my arm telling me this is my "creature power suit."

I do feel a little quicker in the fingers. Thanks Mandy.

A sometimes kind of day.

Sometimes costumes are allowed at the dinner table.

Sometimes we forgo nutrition and eat Mac N' Cheese.

Sometimes we have guitar lessons.

(Even though mommy can't remember how to play).

Sometimes we pretend we are in a bluegrass band called the "Beautiful Butterflies."

(The size 9 month halloween costume at Children's Place was totally worth the $1 clearance price).

Sometimes regular life with irregular people is just a whole lot of fun.

Motherhood is.

"My mother had a great deal of trouble with me, but I think he enjoyed it."

~Mark Twain

Growing up... Mandy style.

It seems like my baby girl was just born on Septmber 16th, 2007... but three years passed somewhere in between.

I wrote this 3 years ago:

It's been 1 week since Mandy's birth. I am not quite sure what was longer, the week Mandy was over-due, or this last week with her here! The days and nights are full of challenges. James 1 is a huge encouragement to me and I think of this verse often: 'If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.' Of course, I replace the "he" with "she." This verse is profoundly encouraging whether my life's struggles are big or small. My God wants to help me out, pouring His peace over me when it feels like I don't have no clue.


Mandy is doing good and together we are getting better at nursing. She is a pretty lazy eater and left to her own devises, she would snack all day and all night. I would prefer full feedings every 3 hours or so and I think it is better for both of us in the long run. Whether you agree with demand feeding or not, it is exhausting and can be painful for a new mommy! I'm tired, but am making progress.

Love your neighbor as yourself.

Teaching my children to act with civility toward one another is a difficult job. You would think they were auditioning for a reality tv show the way they carry on at times. I tell the girls constantly to talk through their differences, "Use your words," I say 1,400 times per day. The goal is to love your neighbor as yourself. I don't need them to be best friends, just civil. 

We have 2 basic rules in our house:

• Be kind. In action and in deed. No screaming, grabbing, or other rude behavior.

• No personal injury related activity or retaliation. That covers biting, slapping or hitting, sucker punches, hair pulling.

We have good days and bad days. A fantastic moment is followed by a moment worthy of the WWF. There are times I rejoice in the girls' relational progress and times I shudder at how far they have to go. And time-out and perhaps duct tape are appropriate.

On one of our sunny days, the girls were playing out in the yard. I was trying to read a novel -- a novel and crazy idea in anyone's book (pun intended). I sat and watched them while reading and they were fighting about climbing a tree. Emma could get herself into the tree and was hogging it. Mandy wanted to get in the tree, but couldn't get up. Fight, fight, fight. It's my turn, no it's my turn. I said, "Use your words," "Share," and "Be nice," a dozen times or more from my sunny perch on the front porch.


Eventually it was quiet for a bit and I read more than just a paragraph. I looked up to see this....

It was a proud mommy moment. Big sister helping little sister. It became far more fascinating to watch their interaction than my book about a street wise girl from NYC hiding out with the Amish. As interesting as it was.


Maybe we're making more progress than I thought. I pray for more of this...

I like this picture so, so, so much. I could stare at it all day. I'm thinking about printing it off as a poster for the girls' room. I added a quote to it. Which one do you like best?

A great quote from Anne Frank. "How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."

"It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no one can sincerely try to help another without helping himself." Ralph is a wise guy.

And there is always this Scripture: And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." This is the great and first commandment. And second is like it, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Matthew 22:37-39




Leave me a comment and let me know which one you like the best. Or a different quote that you think would be perfect with this picture.

Sing with me, "These Boots Were Made Like Slippers," and "Please, Do Fence Me In."

Can you believe these boots were only $1 each?

I love end of season sales. My original thought was so give the girls these boot/slippers for Christmas, so I bought them big. But then Mandy got into this phase where she HAS to wear shoes around the house. Since all her shoes are incrusted with mud (how does this happen?), I tried to think of another option. I remembered the slippers and viola!

Who knew something so simple could make 2 little girls so happy. Ask them how they feel when they don't get any Christmas presents, but at least they'll have the memories. Just joking. Maybe.


For those of you wondering if Emma is wearing stilts. No, she's just growing like a weed, 3 inches since Christmas.


And no, I don't let Emma wear this skirt out in public without leggings. Wowsa, it looks short in this picture.



In other news.... do you know what makes me incredibly happy?

These guys.

And this fence that looks so fantastic. More on that later.

a regular ol' update + some beautiful kid pictures

Emma spends hours crafting, creating, gluing, taping, and making beautiful things. Along with huge messes that she doesn't like to clean up (sounds like someone else I know... personally).

She is eager to tell you she is growing strong. Currently she wants to be as tall as daddy. Since she isn't ahead of the growth chart at all (in the 30th percentile), I imagine she won't make it to 6'2".

Emma is still very girly. The word "princess" is thrown around a lot, but we aren't watching Disney movies lately and that helps her attitude. Those princesses are not great examples of godly young women. She wears a skirt most days and tries to dress up her sister who could care less.

Speaking of attitude, I've seen a huge improvement. She has such a strong will and I constantly see her struggle. I explained the idea of a "sun beam" the other day after she asked about the song. Now she usually sighs and says, "I guess I need to be a sunbeam here." Or the other day after playing at her cousins (instead of resting), she said, "I wasn't a sunbeam at my cousins house. I was pretty naughty."


A sunbeam, a sunbeam, Jesus wants me for a sunbeam. A sunbeam, a sunbeam, and I'll be a sunbeam for Him.


I hope you have that song stuck in your head all day. I don't want to be alone.





Mandy's biggest loves are talking and hugging. Her ideal day would have her talking non-stop, being held by mom, reading books (while talking through them), and eatings suckers.

She tells me funny things all the live-long day. From the moment she wakes in the morning, we hear her sunny and sometimes whining chatter. At the grocery store the other day, we were getting out of the car and she asked, "Can I take my blanky into this business?" I am constantly amused by her.


We're working hard on potty training. She is out of diapers during the day, but has at least one accident a day. Usually because I forget to take her. She doesn't ever say she needs to go, but will go when I take her. Of course, she still needs heavy bribery. This is the slow way of potty training and hopefully she'll figure it out before she graduates college.





And now Remi who is 4 and a half months. He seems to develop and grow before our eyes. He is still very easy-going, putting up with all kinds of torture from the girls including pink hats being shoved on his head, baby doll thrust into his face, and stroller rides of terror.

He "needs" toys now -- no more laying on the floor contentedly. He cries if his toy falls out of his reach.

Rem-ster also can roll both ways. He's still pretty tentative and looks really freaked out when he flips over. I found him turned over in his crib yesterday and he wasn't very happy about it.

He sucks on his pointer finger. A little weird, but he is soothed. And yes, his hands are as gigantic as they appear in the picture.

This smily boy brings us so much joy, I'm not sure what we did without him. But I've said that about each of my children. They add dimension and God knew exactly what He was doing when He placed them in our family. I soak up their love every day. I'm so blessed.

So, you think you can dance?

girls dancing to buble from Aly_sun on Vimeo.

Storybook land

It's story time and Emma is "reading." She tells people she can read and they believe her, so impressive for a girl who just turned 5. The thing is, she can't read. She can recognize her name and make some educated guesses on word size for Mandy or Remington. And she can make up a fantastic story from the pictures in a book. Here she is reading the photo baby book I made when Emma was 1 year old.

She regales her siblings with tales from her exciting babyhood. They are mesmerized and Remi is thinking, "That is so unfair. Why couldn't I be the first child and be left alone for three years?"

You have to love the fashion my children are sporting. Just a regular day where tights are a must.

"Baby Emma went swimming with dad and she did 100 bobs." Impressive.

Because you all love the out-takes...

Why go to a portrait studio when you can have this much fun for free? My sister and I dressed our children up for a Fall photoshoot today. Cute clothes can only get you so far. The rest is up to the obedient (or not) children, the photographer, and the production assistant. I hope to repeat this process soon with my kids + 7 cousins on the other side of the family. Because it is so much fun!

I should be concerned that my daughter is entertaining the boys by lifting up her shirt. They thought it was hilarious and soon everyone was showing off their beautiful bellies.

We are still waiting for a phone call from Gap Kids.

Who let the cat on set?

I know you are wondering if any turned out. Or at least if any are worthy of printing for Grandparents....

Viola!

3 baby pictures

Time flies when you are having fun, or so they say. My children are such treasures. I can hardly believe it has been almost 5 years since Emmaleigh was born. It seems like such a short time ago that I was experiencing mothering a newborn for the first time. Emma had lots of black, fine hair, and looked like me from the beginning -- she still does, except for her blue eyes! She was 7lbs. 4oz.

Emmaleigh Danielle

Mandy Rose was born just 2 years ago. She had less hair than Emma, but it was still quite dark. She had the most fabulous lips. Mandy looks a lot more like the Peters. So much so that we've jokingly called her "Jeffica" at times. She was such a hard newborn in comparison to Emma. But she made up for it with her smile. She started smiling contagiously at just a few weeks old. It was awesome, even if I was sleep deprived and nursing every hour. She was 7lbs. 10 oz.

I must admit, Remington looks a lot like the girls at birth. He is 7lbs. and 14oz. His hair is much lighter and I wonder if his dark eyes will be the dominant brown like me or stay blue like the girls and Jeff. He is such a great baby. He is easy and I am thankful for that. It's fun to see the comparison.

My daughters as American Gladiators

Gone unchecked, my children are headed straight for American Gladiators, season 492. The show has been around forever, but in case you've missed it the premiss has super strength, muscle-bound athletes with an attitude engaged in events against everyday, working folks. They do challenges like crossing ice water on high-flying rings, crossing a rolling bridge while obstacles are thrown in the path, and javelin matches where everyone is padded. The real life heros, who are always very fit and strong, are no match for the highly trained and angry gladiators.

My two little beauties would be Defiance and Manipulator. I know, I'm scared. Both nasty character traits are dangerous, but must be handled differently. I take this verse very seriously with my children, "Train up a child in the way she should go and when she is old, she will not depart from it." Prov. 22:6. And training has its challenges, especially when confronted with Defiance and Manipulator. I'm doing my best to keep my girls from being perfect candidates for American Gladiators.

(We had to pose this one, can you tell that I'm not really feeling threatened?)

Defiance is easy to spot in any tantrumming toddler. My eldest child can have a fit that will last and last. Her will is thankfully stronger than her brawn, but even in her younger days she was hard to control. You hear "no" a lot from Defiance and she can't stand help for the simplest tasks. These type of children fight to the finish and are a challenge physically and mentally as they wear down a parent's ability to see the goal. A defiant child also resists discipline with the "I don't care," method. I believe I heard it from Dobson that a defiant child doesn't really like the punishment and to keep on delivering it until you see submission. It can take a very, very long time to see submission. I'm talking hours here and sometimes years for the attitude to completely change. Defiance will wear you down if you aren't equipt. 

There is good news though. The job is so important because the alternative to Defiance is honoring to God. Defiance's stubborn streak will be a powerful advocate for good when her strong will is aimed in the right direction. I've seen this already and love watching my first born battle evil and allowing God to work in her life.

(Not posed, very common attitude)

I thought Defiance was my greatest challenge until I met the Manipulator. While defiance yells in your face, Manipulator plays to your emotions. She might not seem dangerous until you realize that manipulation equals deceit. The 9th commandments talks about bearing false witness and Manipulator is an expert at this:

• whining to get her way
• "needing" to be held and toted around
• crying and wanting hugs to get out of discipline
• showing mean behavior and then immediately saying "sorry"
• stalling obedience with "simple" requests, think endless bedtime

At first glance, you don't mind Manipulators tactics; at least she's not throwing tantrums in public. But without care and training, this child gets what she wants every time. You'll end up with a child who can turn on the tears and manipulate your feelings until you don't know right from wrong. Defiance has you physically, but Manipulator has your emotions. Guard your heart and jump right in. As a parent, I simply can't allow deceitful behavior and teach Manipulator that tears, whining, and stalling won't work. And Manipultor already shows signs of changing her ways. She has great compassion and love and just needs to be given the tools to help others instead of herself.

You might not see the full-blown traits of Defiance and Manipulator in your child, but each one tests the boundaries in ways that are constantly challenging the parent.Hebrews 12:1-3 is such an encouragement as I often feel defeated by the whole team from American Gladiator in my life's role.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart."

I pray for my children daily, that I will be able to train them in the way they should go. Being in the trenches of parenting is hard work and I guess that I why I thought of the American Gladiators today. I might get pummeled occasionally, but the work I do as a parent is so important and I needed to remind myself of that today.

Happy birthday to Mandy!

When I say "Mandy's birthday" you probably think immediately of the adventurous night we had before her birth with the attempted burglary and breaking and entering. Random accointances that I haven't spoken to in years know the story of that night and people still come up to me in the grocery store and ask me about the incident. It was exciting, but I honestly never think about it. We don't live much differently than we did before and you would probably still find the keys to my car in the ignition on any given night (but we lock the garage now and all the doors to the house). Mandy on the other hand, has changed our lives completely. She does her best to break into nearly every moment throughout my days.

There is nothing subtle about Mandy. She's contacurous and crazy fun. Her billowy blond hair, stunning smile that crinkles her eyes up, constant energy, and dark blue eyes are always drawing people's attention. She demands attention and rarely plays by herself, but none of us seem to mind. Emma loves to play with her, I enjoy her company and toddler chatter, and her daddy even enjoys taking her to work with him. She's a joy.

I am mezmerized by her personality. She lights up a room and I wonder often how two introverted people like Jeff and I had a child like Mandy. Then I remember her great grandma. Jeff's Grandma Rosella sadly died before meeting Mandy. We gave Mandy the middle name "Rose" to honor our beloved Grandma, but we couldn't have guessed how her personality would come out in a tiny child. Not only is Mandy very social, but she already shows signs of being compassionate in the way she adores babies and all "little things." She is also hospitable and makes sure everyone has plenty of snacks or food at meal times. Her great grandma would be so proud to see Mandy handing out watermelon slices to the hungry workers when they stopped for a break. Grandma also showered love on others through her hugs and kind conversation. Mandy does that too with her willing bear hugs and animated chatter.

Even though the age of two brings with it inevitable defiance, I am not worried. Mandy's stubborn streaks are short lived and she has a tender heart. She puts herself on timeout many times and says "soshy"/sorry willingly. I don't want to make comparisons to the other child I wrestled with through the "terrible twos", but let's just say that these sisters couldn't be more different in the way they respond to discipline. Mandy does tend to whine, but it is getting better with improved communication skills.

Mandy is a delight to us and I couldn't write enough to express how much we love her. I know she'll love this day, as the center of attention. And today we'll spoil her. Happy birthday, oh, Mandy.