Sing in Church, You Won't Regret It

I was able to have 5 hours of non-children bliss last Sunday.  No snotty noses using my person as a kleenex. No sticky fingers desecrating my already stained clothes. No head butting me in the face. No screaming, crying, coughing, whining, pouting, and the like. I will admit, it was enjoyable.

This is what I'm talkin' about folks

Little Goob not feeling well

I tried to get Mr Medic to trade staying home with sickies halfway through church, but he said "You need it more than I do" Im not sure if that was an insult or an...insult!  jk. Anyway...I knew I had to make his sacrifice to stay home worth it. To show my appreciation, I needed to be able to perform the coming week as if I'd had a weeklong vacation to the Bahamas. I needed to be patient, sweet, and pleasant.  I sat quietly asking Heavenly Father to help me do this. 

We sang the opening hymn, "Lead, Kindly, Light" and as I belted out the words (yes I actually do that when I can hold the hymnal and follow along without distraction)  the line "I love to choose and see my path; but now, lead thou me on!" pierced my heart.  

I've sung this song countless times, but never before had that line been important to me.  I sat thinking, "Am I going to be the person who makes my own choices without thought of what the Lord wants...the person who has to see what's ahead without stepping forward?  Or am I the patient, humble, and willing person who allows the Lord to direct me?"

I took some time to search the scriptures for additional support of the idea of being lead.  I came across this gem:

"And ye cannot bear (cross referenced to mean understand) all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours." -Doctrine and Covenants 78:18

 It wasn't a direct answer to my plea to be patient and more pleasant at home, although I do believe letting the Lord lead me will give me sufficient practice in being patient, but it was an answer to many situations in life right now.

Even though I do not understand the reason for all things I still need to be happy and allow the Lord to lead me on a path toward lasting joy.

I felt at peace and I can honestly say I was pretty patient, sweet, and pleasant to these fellas for 4 WHOLE DAYS...all because I sang in church ;)

Sticky Surfaces = Happy Heart

Have you ever felt like your life would never be the same once you had kids?

Well...you're right!

I remember when Twodles was hitting all those little milestones in development, it was fun and exciting but there were also moments when I was a touch annoyed about the change it brought to our lives. Don't get me wrong, those times were very few and far between, but if you've had a child you can identify with the blockades all over the house to keep kiddies out of the untouchables, stained couches, stinky diapers permeating through the house right when someone stops in unexpectedly, sticky surfaces, clothes soaking in the bathroom sink to remove blowout stains, and so much more.  I sometimes felt like our orderly home that once had "nice" things was long gone.

I've come to realize that the little evidences of children living in our home are so sweet and precious.

Battle zone

Twodles clean-up job

Making messes while mommy is busy

Dino's need to be refrigerated, didn't you know!

Very first hand picked flower for mom!  

I am learning to find joy in those things that at times have rubbed me the wrong way, or cause me to lose my patience.  Stained clothes soaking in the sink mean that my baby is getting much needed nutrients and his body is functioning properly, or that Twodles actually ate and enjoyed his lunch.  Sticky surfaces indicate that Twodles has been a good boy and was rewarded with a tasty sucker, or that we have been playing with play-dough or blowing bubbles.  The blockades show that I care about my boys safety and want to protect them from harm.

I just love the little things that catch my attention every once in a while to remind me just how lucky we are to have our boys in our lives!  I am so glad to be a mom and to see each of them change our lives for the better.  Its not the things that matter-the clean smooth surfaces, or pristine living quarters- its the people...and I LOVE MY PEOPLE!  


What are some little things you have noticed that help you to appreciate life just a little more?  

Snap Back to Reality

I was having one of those days...

Twodles, my ever-so-sweet 22 mo. old is developing his own opinions and is VERY willing to let you know if he doesn't want to do something.  Its all about "I do it" or "I not" these days.  Out of sheer desperation of going completely bonkers if I heard "I not" one more time, I taught him to say "no thanks" or in his words "no tanks."  This age is so extremely taxing on my patience and then to add being a pregnant mess on top of it sure makes for just a few runny nosed, mascara shmeared, snort in laughter at how ridiculous I am, sob sessions.

Church the last couple weeks has been somewhat of an embarrassment.  He is quite vocal when he doesn't want to do something, which isn't so great when its supposed to be a quiet place of reflection and worship.  Last Sunday, I was so hot I thought I was going to pass out.  Twodles didn't make things any cooler, insisting that only I hold him, or when he attempted to use my blimp-like body as his personal play place.  Then add a little thing I will forever more think of as pregnant torture...carpal tunnel syndrome!  I felt like Jennifer Garner on Alias being tortured by some KGB member.  I couldn't say or do anything given where I was, but I literally wanted to stand up and run out of the chapel screaming and crying.

I was bombarded by wacky thoughts like, "I can't stand my 'rotten' child right now, I just want him to disappear!"..."My husband has NO IDEA what I am going through!"..."I can't complain because then Mr. Medic will never consent to another child again!"..."I can't do this for 4 more weeks!" (the last one isn't so wacky, its totally legit)  Then just as the service ended and I thought I was spared an embarrassing scene of insanity, I began to bawl!  Darn it all, I couldn't hold it in any longer.

No sooner, I get "the look" from Mr. Medic.  Every woman knows what I'm talking about.  You don't even have to have been pregnant to know.  It comes when any type of unexplained emotion is manifest and he JUST DOESN'T GET IT!  The look of "what on earth is wrong with you, and where is my wife?"  Thankfully "the look" was followed by complete love and compassion.  But you know that didn't matter much, because I felt like a complete mess.  I tried to explain how I was feeling without succumbing to a total fit of hysteria.  But to be honest I was feeling guilty for my wacky thoughts.

After taking the remaining time at church to chill, I came home feeling a bit better.  I was blessed to have my eyes opened to some of the wonderfully cute things that Twodles does and it made me appreciate him, and being a mommy a little better, rather than sulking in pregnant hormonal resentment.

I CAN DO IT!  There is so much good that comes from the hard parts of being a mom.  Here are some of the great things that Twodles is doing that are my tender mercies and snap me back to reality...

Twodles got on a bike kick for a bit there.  I got the idea to teach him to tell Daddy that he wanted a bike.  I quickly changed my tactics and taught him to say "Daddy, I need a bike!"  Twodles recited his line when Daddy got home from work without a problem.  This is what we found, but our little guy is kinda a shrimp and still can't quite reach the ground. 

He's learning all sorts of "boy" things like playing with his "guys" and making what I'm guessing to be shooting noises. (The bandana is compliments of Uncle Kendall.  Twodles loves wearing it.)

Getting in some practice at taking his clothes off all by himself.  I have NO clue how he got this way!

So excited to show me that he put his shoes on all by himself!  

We worked on sorting beans.  He was pretty darn good at it and was excited to say "cheese" for the picture!

Spending time with Daddy just chillin' which doesn't happen too often.

Prime example of  my child's OBSESSION with vacuums!

The SUPER unusual cuddle time with momma!

Working on hand coordination.  

He knows quite a few words.  He gets his smarts from his Daddy.

Again, learning to do "boy" things!

One day I noticed him rolling his arms, and then it clicked that he must have learned it in nursery at church...so cute!  

Waking up from a nap happy!

This one is quite long so I don't blame you if you don't even watch it, but he sure does surprise me with the new words he picks up every time we read together.

I really do love being a momma to this cute little boy, and can't wait to add one more to the bunch.  Mr. Cooper will surly bring more trying times.  But even better, more of those sweet reassurances that all the hard stuff is totally worth it!


SO.....help me out here:

What are some of your tips for dealing with tantrums, keeping your cool when your about to lose it, and ideas to keep kids as reverent as possible during church?