Attitude

Has that ever been a struggle in our house lately! At first I thought this was all about Kiersten (as she and I are battling it out for 1st place in the attitude category). You see, for one so little she sure can give it good. Isn't 6 1/2 a little young to be rolling the eyes? Sighing? Giving me the 'Yes, Mom' with a tone that is anything but sweet? Talking back - sometimes under her breath? And when I get this 'flack', shall we say, it starts to set my blood to boiling. I suppose it wouldn't be so bad if we weren't together 24/7. But since we are there is more than ample opportunity for her to display her attitude towards me. The sad part....she isn't learning this from other kids at school! (Well, maybe she is learning it at school. Although I do not like the thought of who must be teaching her!)

So for the past few weeks it has been tough. Not just on me, but for her too. As these episodes of 'flack' have left me with little respite my tongue has become sharper. Saying things to vent frustration that would be better left unsaid. It has caused me to be overly critical of every little thing Kiersten does and struggling to compliment her. Isn't that just ugly when you read it? Oh dear, my attitude needs some adjusting. And to be honest it didn't occur to me until another Mom mentioned a similar situation with her daughter, of similar age, and how just this past week it occurred to her to stop praying for her daughter to change and start praying for her, the Mom, to change.

As a result of all this I have been making parenting-type topics and speaking in love areas to seek when I read my Bible. Wouldn't you know I read a verse last night that hit me right between the eyes?

'Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.' -Ephesians 4:2

I have been anything but gentle and patient with her. And I think it is safe to say not much has come out of my mouth that has been loving. Wow. Ugliness. And here I thought it was just Kiersten that was the problem! Turns out Mom is the one who needs an attitude adjustment. We are working on it, or rather God is, now that He has my attention. I will say there were some verses in James 1 that also spoke to me about my attitude and my tongue. (James 1:19 & James 1:26 - just to throw a few out there)

And this is where it becomes clear why I enjoy babies so much. Sure, they are cute, cuddly and have cheeks that just beg to be kissed- but the #1 reason....they don't talk back! :)

The Smile vs. The Grin

I have to say Katie smiles but it is not the same thing as when she grins. I adore both, but it is the grin that makes me laugh. She is such a cutie pa-tootie that I find her hard to resist. Hopefully she'll suffer no complex from the amount of times a day I kiss her sweet cheeks!

This is a Katie smile:

And this is the Katie grin (a version of it):

My Beloved thinks she looks almost Asian when she grins because of the way her eyes squint...and then there is her coloring as well. Her mouth gets real flat when she grins. Oh, and did I mention the grin is often times accompanied by a squawk of some sort? Yep, it even comes with sound effects. :)

I was trying to do a bathtub picture similar to one I had done when Kiersten was a baby. She had so little hair and I made her a Mohawk in the tub and took her picture. I was searching for it to add to the post but just couldn't find it. I'll have to look again so I show my girls as babies side by side. Anyhow, the Mohawk didn't quite work for Katie, as she has so much more hair than the KK girl did at this age. Katie has what I call a 'wave' going on. She looks a little Elvisy, although that was not my intention. Oh well, it is the grin I managed to capture, not the hair. :)

And lastly, the Katie kitty (featuring the smile).

These are Kiersten's cat ears from her Halloween costume this past year. As you can see they never were put away. Anyhow, Kiersten got them on Katie's head and there they surprisingly remained! Katie doesn't try to take them off, rather she continues on as if they weren't even there. Too cute. I just think she is too precious for words. She is so special and so loved.

Shocked & a Bit Disappointed

Well, this post is all about me...not the little ones. Although, I have a cute post already formed on the Katie girl that is coming next. Anyhow, my original reason for the post is a confession of sorts. I have been praying daily with Kiersten for a woman at church who has breast cancer. We were in the same Bible study in the Fall and I got to know her a bit better. As the Fall went on she shared that she was down to her last options for treatment and just after Christmas she stopped treatment all together. Now this woman loves the Lord and has been talking about Him non-stop. She has this wonderful testimony and love for God even though He hasn't chosen to heal her.

So where do I come back in? Well, this past Sunday at church we saw this wonderful woman - but the change in her since just a few weeks ago is drastic. I was so disappointed God was not healing her. I had been praying daily with Kiersten and believing He would. I think I thought that because there were no other medical options that He would just do it and show Himself off. You know display His awesome power as only He can and in this case it would undeniable that it was all God. I cannot say it any other way than to say I was completely shocked at her state and disappointed He wasn't healing her.

I do know God knows far more that I do, so there is a plan..and obviously my plan isn't His plan. But the shock will take a little time to wear off. So since this has been weighing on my heart I sat down last night and turned to my Bible and the story of Job. At the end of chapter 1, when he has been stripped of all he held dear he responded - "The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD." (Job 1:21b) So as my heart struggles to get on the same page as my head, no matter what the Lord does or doesn't do for Miss Linda - Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Eco Friendly Napkin

Yep, my children have come up with the perfect 'green' or Eco friendly napkin - bet you didn't know it was their hair! :) Now, I can't lump them all together in this because Kiersten never did it but Isaiah and Katie - what is it with those two? They eat, have messy hands and proceed to rub them through their hair...whereupon their hands get cleaned and you can guess how their hair looks. I will have to add a picture to this post later - as I am confident I can get one tomorrow (Katie does this EVERY time she eats!). Now I have to at least give Katie some grace - she is just shy of 9 months old and doesn't realize what she is doing. Isaiah on the other hand was seriously using his hair to clean his hands - that was his purpose. Other peoples' kids use their pants, but not my boy. :) We have worked on this with the biggest man and he has since gotten better. Although he went from rubbing his hands through his hair to rubbing them on my carpet - not sure the trade off is in my favor as his hair is easier to clean than my carpet!

Down for the Count

We had survived any colds this winter until just last week. And like all things it must travel through every family member...and perhaps more than one time. The funny thing is it wasn't the same cold for each of us. Kiersten was the first to go down with a high fever and good cough. Isaiah was next with more of a stomach bug, low fever and, of course, a cough. I have the sinus type cold with what feels like an ear infection- just one side of the head, mind you. We were hoping to miss Katie, but alas that was too much to wish for. She has struggled the most with fever and the seal like cough. The humidifier is going and the Motrin is in ready supply. And lastly my Beloved has the start of a chest cold with, you guessed it, a good cough. So here we are a week later from where we began and the kids still aren't themselves. We have been laying around with blankies watching lots of cartoons- mostly Tom & Jerry :) and just waiting for it to run its course. Oh well, spring is near and cold season will soon be over!

So Beat Up

I suppose that is what comes with learning how to keep your balance, but I sure have been feeling for the Katie girl. She is wanting so much to not be left out with what the other two kids are doing. She has taken to pulling herself up with whatever is in reach and standing up. Little did she know that she would continually fall and somehow manage to hit her chin or face on her way down! She also didn't realize that when someone gets up from the little rocking chair you are using to stand...it will tip over on you. She had a bruise on the top bridge of her nose into her right eye for a few days from that spill. She also took a tumble down the top 4 stairs...all wooden mind you (that one was all Mama's fault). Oh, was it a rough couple of days for her. I will say this for her, she is a quick learner. After those face hits on the table she has learned to gradually set herself down from standing position. It is quite graceful to watch and so much less painful! She is none the worse for her spills...and thankfully the smile never seems to be gone for long.

Lots of Love

As promised here are 2 of Kiersten's cards. The first is to Grandma Darlene for Valentine's Day. We always send Grandma a Valentine's package, I shouldn't say always - just every year she has been overseas. It can get lonely being so far away from home and loved ones. This is something Kiersten looks forward to doing because we go all out on the package. We put love notes inside with some chocolate, of course, and then proceed to cover the outside with all sorts of Valentine stickers. The package is unmistakable. What those mail men over there must think! Hope it makes them smile too. Anyhow, Kiersten illustrates her cards. She pays attention to the fine details and includes them in her drawings. Grandma is a put together woman - if you know what I mean. Her hair is done, make-up on, jewelry in place. So you'll notice that Grandma is the only one with 'special' lips, that is her lipstick :)

And here is my card. Although it lacks color it was done without any help from me. See, when Kiersten makes cards I write the words out for her on a separate sheet and then she copies them down. This one was all her (that is why Isaiah is Car boy!).

I couldn't not show the beautiful flowers my Mom sent for Valentine's to the house. They were gorgeous and helped brighten up the house. Hope everyone else was feeling the love on Valentine's too! :) What a blessing to love and be loved.