Life Lessons

We could write a laundry list about all that we do wrong as parents. But one thing in which I think we do well as parents is teaching our boys about the reality of life. Our boys live a good life, full of lots of love, all their needs met and almost all of their wants taken care of as well. But they need to learn that not every child has that luxury, their life. So we teach them about homeless children. We teach them that not every child lives with both of their parents. And on patriotic holidays we teach them about the reality of war, that not all kids have parents because of it.
Today we went to the state capitol to look at the 11,000 flags on display, representing all the LA soldiers who died serving their country. We explained that on Memorial Day we remember the soldiers who died at war. P asked questions which led to a father/son discussion and  then he and Rob had time in prayer for the soldiers' families. It was a special time as a family, one I don't take for granted.

I'm thankful for those who gave all for our freedom. Happy Memorial Day!

Vacation of 4

Other than high school events-graduation and sports teams- I haven't been pulling my camera out too much lately (The first four months had been a whirlwind with my business so it was nice to have a little time to recoup.) so I thought I'd take it along to take some "fun" pictures of our mini vacation. Rob was doing a training class in TX and suggested we join him. The boys had fun spending hours in the pool, playing at a local playground and spending their "good grade money" from my parents. I enjoyed eating authentic Mexican food and hanging out with my 3 boys.
I took a few pictures but the one I wish I would've been able to get was of me, both boys and P's beloved "Wolfie" (a life sized stuffed animal) crammed into a king sized bed. When Rob told me that the hotel was sold out of rooms with two queen size beds I figured that a king bed was plenty big enough for me and two small boys. Wrong! The first night P was on one side, I was on the other and E was in the middle, horizontal to the headboard. I kept imaging how we looked from a bird's eye view, like a giant "H". Last night I thought I'd switch things up and put P in the middle because he's kind of outgrown the sleeping sideways phase. But then I had Wolfie to contend with. After E woke up around 11pm, mad at the world because P's pillow was touching his (Gotta love the 3yr old phase of life!!), I had a hard time going to sleep. Every time I rolled over to get comfortable I came face to face with a giant stuffed wolf. It was a little unnerving. A little before 5am Rob got up to use the restroom so I jumped at the opportunity to grab the rollaway bed he'd been sleeping on. I didn't realize that he was coming right back to bed. When he saw me sound asleep, my gracious husband got dressed for work and went to sit in the lobby for 45 minutes before leaving.
Needless to say, the boys and I came back home today. Two nights without sleep seems to be my limit. Now that I'm in the comfort of my own bed sans little ones I find the whole hotel sleeping arrangements comical. It'll be a memory I'll look back on fondly when the boys are older....or maybe just after I get a good night's sleep!

Bittersweet

This past weekend was bittersweet. It was such a fun, family weekend but it's the first Mother's Day I haven't spent with my mom in about 15 years or so. Every Mother's Day weekend my mom, aunt, cousin and I walk the Komens walk in memory of my Nana. But this year neither my mom nor I walked in. Thankfully my aunt and cousin were able to walk in memory of my Nana and my parents were there to root them on.
2500 miles away we spent Saturday as a family- making money, eating great Mexican food, spending time with church family and watching bull riding. Pretty interesting day if you ask me! We had a long overdue garage sale, where we were able to get rid of some of our "treasures". The boys handled selling stuff better than I thought they would but I think that's because they were busy making money for St Jude with their lemonade stand. I was so proud of them because, after paying their helpers, they were able to donate $20 to St Jude in the name of one of P's teacher's sons who was recently diagnosed with leukemia.
We cleaned up, rested for an hour and then headed off to a Cinco de siete church party. Once again I was impressed with our boys. They hadn't taken a nap (or really even rested) yet they powered through, having fun with their friends in the bounce house and having water gun fights. It gave Rob and I a chance to visit with some of the people from our church that we don't talk to regularly. Rob also scored his own banana pudding that our pastor's wife made special for him, knowing that it's his favorite.
By the time we got to bull riding I was wilting on the vine. My sinuses had bothered me all day and I could barely breathe. All the dust in the arena didn't help. But I would gladly do it again just to watch the fun the boys had. It was a rather small event in the fact that only half of the arena was used so we got to get up close and personal with the cowboys and bull fighters. I did have a moment of "sadness" when the age of the bull riders was announced and I realized I was old enough to be their mom...but I had my 3 year old on my lap. All in all, it was a lot of fun and my favorite part was P's belly laughs every time a bull knocked the barrel over when a bull fighter was inside. Thankfully no one was hurt and we were able to stay almost til the end before E started saying he was tired.
Sunday Rob went above and beyond to make it a special Mother's Day for me. He got me flowers and the boys each gave me cards and handmade gifts. After church we went to lunch at one of my favorite places and then I came home and crashed. Rob had given me some medicine the night before but didn't think to tell me that it had codeine in it. Man oh man, that medicine kicked my butt! I slept 10 1/2 hours Saturday night and then took a 3 hour nap Sunday. Sunday evening I was still tired enough to go to bed at 9pm.
I am so glad that we get to spend weekends as a family. It's the happiest I've been in a long time and it's the strongest our marriage has been in years. I don't take for granted our family time together and I love our special memories we're creating as a family!

Motherhood

I confess. I have a guilty pleasure. I look forward to Saturday's mail because that's when my weekly People magazine comes. Saturday night is "me" time- just my People magazine and a hot bubble bath. I was recently reading People's "World's Most Beautiful Women" (by Hollywood standards of course) edition. I was pleasantly surprised to read the section about most meaningful compliments these beautiful women have received. Almost all of them said that the best compliment they've received is something in regards to their parenting or how well their kids behave. It made me stop and think, I mean really think. It's so true. Someone can tell me I look pretty or that I'm nice or thoughtful but it doesn't mean half as much as when someone gives me a compliment about my boys.
Recently P decided to take his Bible to school to read during a rainy day recess. He said that he had a crowd around him, asking about things in the Bible. It gave him a chance to witness to his classmates. I posted it on FB to brag about HIS willingness to share about his faith. Instead, quite a few people wrote comments about what a good mom I am because he feels comfortable doing that. That was not my intent in posting that, but the compliments made me feel good. It made me realize that, if both of our boys serve the Lord all their lives and truly live for Him, then Rob and I have done a great job as parents. Very little else will matter to me as a mom. We have lifelong jobs as parents to teach and model for our sons, to sacrifice and love them unconditionally.
I guess that's why the latest fad of "Me-ternity" frustrates me. If you haven't heard about it, women are fighting for a leave of absence from their job even though they haven't given birth or adopted a newborn. It's selfish is what it is. Maternity leave is because it gives you a chance to bond with your baby without worrying about a work schedule. It means many sleepless nights and showerless days. It means learning a whole new routine/schedule based on your baby's needs. It's not a time to go to the spa all day, get your nails done, have coffee with the girls for hours or go on shopping sprees. It's not about "me" but about the baby and his/her needs.
Motherhood is a journey, the most important job in life. It's not for everyone and I respect women who do not bring children into the world if they don't want to raise them. But, for those of us who choose to be mothers the rest of our lives, my hat's off. Thank you for being selfless, for being patient even when you're tired, for giving of yourself when you have nothing left to give, for putting others before yourself, for loving and teaching and being constant role models. This Sunday, I hope you enjoy your Mother's Day and are told how much you are loved and appreciated. Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful moms reading this!

Catch A Dream...and Make Memories!

Rob and my FIL had a fishing tournament this weekend so we decided to have a family weekend with my inlaws. It was a weekend of dates, riding bikes, a birthday party, swimming and of course fishing. A weekend of fun memories and a little heartache.
The heartache came from the fishing tournament. Last weekend Rob had taken his boat to MS to do some pre-fishing. When he was going back out on the water, after grabbing a quick lunch, he hit something and tore up his lower unit. Thankfully his boat is insured but unfortunately the claim didn't get approved in time to have his boat ready for the tournament. On Sunday morning, well before the sun came up, Rob and my FIL headed out to the lake with my FIL's boat. The boys and I woke up shortly afterwards to go "send them off". We all knew a storm was fast approaching and that the guys would be playing a game of "Beat the Clock". During the church service, the boys and I heard a huge clap of thunder and we knew the storm was over us. I thought the guys would come in due to getting soaked but they toughed it out. According to Rob, they had caught their limit by 8:30am and were going to just try to find bigger fish. But when they started culling they discovered that the aerator went out on my FIL's boat and that the fish had died. Instead of finishing the tournament and getting penalized for the dead fish, they decided to call it an early day. Yesterday, when they saw the results of the tournament online, they were heartbroken to know they could've won it all! They had close to the winning weight at 8:30am and they still had plenty of time to get bigger fish. But, like Rob said, it was the memories and the cause of the event that meant the most to him. He enjoyed the time with his dad despite the storm and end results and that's what counts the most!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

"She speaks with wisdom,
    and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
She watches over the affairs of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.
 Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:
 Many women do noble things,
    but you surpass them all.”

Prov. 31-26-29

60+ years ago (the exact number does not need to be identified) yesterday my mom was brought into this world. And every day I thank God that He created her. She is an example of Prov. 31. She is wise with her instruction and watches over her "household" even though my brother and I are grown and have our own families. I know I can call her day or night and she'll give me her undivided attention. She is also my prayer warrior. If something comes up that I need prayer for, she is the first person I call to ask for prayer. She is giving, thoughtful and generous beyond measure! She gives endless hours of her time and resources just to put a smile on someone's face. She is a woman of integrity and does not compromise her beliefs, even if she stands alone. She has been persecuted lately and still holds firm to what she believes it right. Everyone who knows her are blessed to know her, to have her in our lives. Happy Birthday, Mom! I love you so much and hope to be half the wife/mom you are!!