20

How can it be that 20 years have passed since I graduated from high school?  Was it really so long ago that I was sitting in class, passing notes with friends, spending my Saturdays at cross country meets, and hanging out at Friday night football games?  I've probably forgotten much of what I memorized for tests, but can still remember the secret code I developed with my friends based on the periodic table.  I haven't been on a basketball court in years, but still harbor strong feelings against El Paso and U-High because of our basketball rivalry.  It's been years since I've seen many of my classmates, but reminiscing with them this past week-end made me remember why I have so many fond memories of high school.

This past week-end was full of time spent with old high school friends.  From the Homecoming parade and the Friday night football game to a tour of the high school and our reunion dinner, I thoroughly enjoyed catching up with my classmates.  Truthfully, I enjoyed it more than I really thought I would. 

The highlight for me, however, was spending some quality time with two of my best high school friends, one of whom I've only seen once since high school.  Despite the time that has passed, we picked up right where we left off.  We caught up on each others' lives, reminisced about old times, laughed a lot, and took a literal walk through our old stomping (and camping, hiking, swimming) grounds.  It's only fitting that our walk down memory lane ended with picking burrs off our clothes and crawling under a barbed wire fence.  It's nice to know some things never change.

1995

2015

My Cup Runneth Over

The 23rd Psalm.  God really wanted me to read that today.  All morning, I was thinking about the statement, "My cup runneth over."  I know that in the context of this Psalm, God is talking about the overflowing blessings that He provides.  But in the context of my morning, I kept thinking about the fact that whatever is filling your cup to the brim will eventually overflow.  And so, when my cup is filled with fatigue and time frames and things to do and places to be and lists that keep piling up, then what overflows to those around me is frustration and shortness and demands and ugliness.  And this morning as I was apologizing to my girls in the car for getting frustrated with them as we were trying to get out the door, my heart hurt.  Because these days are precious.  There will be a day when my older daughter won't want to tell me every little thing that is on her mind.  There will be a day when my younger daughter won't need me to help her get ready.  There will be a day when my baby won't want to be held.  And when I decide to let my cup be filled with thoughts of things that aren't getting done or all the paperwork piling up on my desk at work or trying to make it somewhere on time, then I will continually have to apologize to my family for my frustration or my words or my sighs or my busyness.  But if I allow my cup to be filled to the brim with the many blessings in my life, if I allow God to help me focus on what is truly important, if I take the time to cherish the little moments (even if they are little moments that always make us late for everything), then what will overflow to my family will be the love and joy and time and focus that they deserve.

 

In the midst of my morning chaos, I needed to remember the words in this Psalm.  "He makes me lie down in green pastures.  He leads me beside the still waters.  He restores my soul."  That's what I need.  To allow God to lead my heart and mind to a place of peace and rest.  I need to let God help me focus on what really matters.

 

Because my cup truly does runneth over...

 

...and I need to remember to always thank God for that!

 

How Old?

Staley has recently been very interested in thinking about what age she'll have to be to do various activities that she's not old enough to do now.  She'll often ask, "How old do I have to be to ________?"  And that blank can be filled in with everything from "drive a car" to "play outside by myself" to "go to Disney World" to "sleep on a top bunk."  The other day, we had this conversation:

Staley:  "How old do I have to be to get a horse?"
Me:  "You'll have to have your own house and your own barn and your own money to buy a horse."
Staley:  "So I'll have to be a grown up?"
Me:  "Yup."
Staley:  "When I'm a mom, I'll let my kids get a horse at whatever age they want."

And I'm putting that in writing so if her kids read this blog someday, they'll know exactly where Staley stands on the issue of getting your own horse.

#greatestmomever

#I'llaskyouagainin30years

Celebrating

In the past, we've celebrated our wedding anniversary with elaborate vacations, Bear's games, romantic week-end get-aways, expensive meals, and thoughtful gifts. 

Celebrating our 6th anniversary in Hawaii

 

Yesterday was our 14th wedding anniversary.  We celebrated over the week-end with a nice dinner out while my parents watched the kids.  We were home by 8:00 to pick up Briggs, and then my parents kept the girls so we could enjoy a quiet night at home, a leisurely Sunday morning, and a relatively uninterrupted viewing of the Bear's first game of the season.

Pretty happy about watching the game with Mom and Dad

It's been 22 years since our first date.  We've been together for about 18 years.  And now we've been married for 14.  Life has changed a lot since our wedding 14 years ago.  College degrees.  Homes.  Jobs.  Vacations.  Kids.  But one thing has remained constant--I am married to my best friend.  And life with him just keeps getting better!!

Happy 14th Anniversary!

Are You Ready For Some Football?

Our newest little Bear's fan enjoyed his first opening day.

Duped by a Two Year Old

One of our recent parenting frustrations is our girls' neediness after we have put them to bed at night.  We've barely made it downstairs when the girls are calling to us with their needs.  "I need a drink."  "I need another hug and kiss."  "I need another lullaby."  "I need to tell you something."  We generally let them know that we are not coming back up and that most of these things can wait until morning.  However, Adelie has realized that when she tells us she needs to go potty, we usually come up.  And so "Mommy, I need to go potty" has become a several-times-each-night-after-lights-out occurrence.  She's got us in a sticky spot.  If she does need to go, we want her to tell us so she can use the bathroom rather than her pull-up.  And sometimes she does need to go when she calls us.  But often she doesn't.  Either way, she has figured out that "I need to go potty" are those 5 magical words that can get us back upstairs.

Last night, Adelie was talking through the monitor, asking for various things, and we were letting her know that we weren't coming up and that she just needed to go to sleep.  A little later, Adelie called, "I need to go potty."  Zach went upstairs.  When he got in her room, he said, "Adelie, do you really need to go potty?"  Adelie responded, "Nope.  I just want a drink."  And there you have it.  Here's a girl who has figured out how to get what she wants.  Only two and a half years old, and she's already learning how to manipulate the system.   And here we are, 30-something years in and getting duped by a 2 year old.

 

Is this the face of a master-mind?

Apparently so.

Bad Ideas

This morning while I took my shower, I put Briggs in his crib with a few rattles and his mobile on.  Although the girls do really well with him, I feel like he's safer confined to his crib rather than rolling around on the floor with his sisters running around, getting into whatever they might have inadvertently left on the floor.  When I got out of the shower, I went to check on Briggs.  He was happily playing in his crib...with an empty plastic zip lock bag.  Apparently Adelie thought he'd enjoy playing with it after she had dumped her toys out of it.  She was right.  *sigh*

Staley tells me every day about what she is going to be for Halloween and what she is going to do for her next birthday party.  It is never the same.  She will up-date me multiple times every day with different costume ideas and different party themes, including what type of face paint she'll use or what kind of cake she'll have or what the games will be. This morning she told me she was going to have a Disney World party for her next birthday.  I asked what a Disney World party is.  She replied, "It will be at Disney World and I will invite all my friends."  I guess it's kind of like a swimming party or a gymnastics party, only a bit farther away...and a few thousand dollars more expensive.

The other day, I was getting changed to go for a run.  Staley likes to run with me (we usually run/walk around the block, then she rides in the running stroller, and then usually runs the last block), so she asked if she could change into some running clothes and come with me.  I said, "Sure."  She went into her room to change out of her dress and came back wearing...a different dress. *sigh*

This morning, Briggs was playing on the floor.  He was lying on his stomach, playing with some toys.  Adelie walked over to him and proceeded to sit on him like a horse.  I reprimanded her.  She cried.  And then immediately tried to do the same thing to the cat.  *sigh*

My girls can have some good ideas.  They recommend fun activities, pick healthy snacks, and make some nice crafts.  But it's probably just as well that they are not always in charge.