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| Side View... |
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| Aaaand back to a sweetie pie. |
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| Psycho... |
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| Sweetie Pie. |
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| It started really young... |
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Easy, Psycho...
If you have met my beautiful, sweet, smart 4 year old daughter, chances are, you've probably seen her "crazy" side. She's really a sweet girl 90% of the time. But every once in a while she gets this crazy look in her eyes like she could choke someone. Her eyes warn you that an attack is imminent. And the funny thing, kind of scary thing, is that all I have to do to make it go away is say, "Eeeeeasy Psycho!" and she starts smiling and laughing. Huh? In a snap second she goes from rabid dog to my smiling little angel. How does that happen?
She gives me a run for my money, no doubt. Just this morning she told me, "Mom, you are so mean. You are ruining my life!" She learned that from watching "Freaky Friday" of course. Lovely. You know what provoked her outburst this morning? She got out of bed 3 times last night. So she lost her TV privileges and she didn't get to pick her breakfast this morning. Can I just say that I am dreading 16? But you know what, if she learned a lesson from it, I am fine with her "hating" me for a few minutes. Even a few hours.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Oh, September...
What a mixed bag September is for me. One of my favorite, happiest, most sad, and least favorite month all at the same time. More good than bad, but why does the bad have to be so bad? But I try to keep in mind, it could always be worse.
Let's start my blessing counting with a positive. September 2011 marks ten years of Craig and I living together. We were so young. I am sure a lot of people doubted it would last long. I remember the day we moved in. HE picked the furniture. That's right. HE did. (With the help of his Dad). We ended up with leather couches (faux leather, of course), a nice kitchen table that now resides in my Dad's kitchen, and a sage green/oak bedroom set that now resides in his sister's bedroom! We just bought a new bedroom set after all of these years, upgraded to a King size bed, and I am in love. Start counting... He did pretty good. I remember all of the freezing cold Minnesota mornings. Who am I kidding, the cold Minnesota mornings, days, evenings, and nights... I don't miss you Minnesota!
September is one of my favorite months because it is the beginning of Fall. My absolute favorite season. I love jeans, cute flats, cardigans, and dressing the kids in cute, layered clothes. I love the colors, the weather, and letting chili cook in the crock pot all day long. I love going to the pumpkin patch and picking out pumpkins and decorating them with the kids. Start counting...
My sister just lost a co-worker at her daycare center. I didn't know her. I didn't know her daughter. All I know is that she was gone in a heartbeat, and that little girl doesn't have a mommy anymore. And her Daddy has never been a part of her life. I know she'll be well taken care of by other family members, but it's just not the same. It really broke my sister's heart. And mine too. And it made me think. Start counting...
September is also sad for many, if not all Americans. I'm sure many of you have thought about where you were when 9/11 happened. I'm sure you watched some of the 10 year "Looking Back" specials. I did. And then I couldn't sleep at night. I couldn't get those images out of my head. I couldn't stop thinking about when I would tell Callie what happened, how I would say it, and how you explain what pure evil and hate can breed, without scaring her. That was just the extreme, right? I will only have to explain ONE terrorist attack of that magnitude to her, right? The truth is we don't know. We don't know if the terrorists are planning another attack. We don't know who the target would be, although I doubt it'd be where I live. We don't know if, when, or how many more times. I pray that it will never be that bad again. I thank God it wasn't worse. Because it could always be worse, right? I pray to God that we have seen the worse. This has always been a happy day in our family because it's my Dad's birthday. It's not supposed to be a sad day. And most people would say that if I cry and am sad all day that the terrorists win. I don't see it that way. I cry for the families who have lost their loved ones, the soldiers out there still fighting, the heroes that are looking down from Heaven, feeling no more pain, no more fear, and are finally at peace. I can't imagine going through that. And that's why it's so important, and I hope you aren't sick of hearing me talk about this, SO important to be thankful for every day you have. It's not like people only die from terrorist attacks. People are dying every day. Babies, children, teenagers, adults, senior citizens, are all sadly dying. You are not promised a tomorrow. Spend every minute you can with the people you love. Tell them you love them. Don't sweat the small stuff. Keep a positive attitude. Know that someone always has it worse than you, no matter how bad you think you have it. Count your blessings. Be kinder than you were yesterday. Thank God for the gifts in your life. Hug your little ones every chance you get. They grow up too fast. Listen to your friends, invest yourself in them. Play with your kids. Whenever I am in a bad mood, chaos has broken out and I have 8 children under the age of 5 unhappy, you know how I turn it around? I turn on music. Loud. And we dance and dance and dance. And within minutes, everyone is smiling and happy, including me. Keep counting...
I will try to stop all of the "preaching" about how you should live your life:) It is your life, you can do whatever you want. I just feel like we waste so much time with negativity. I have some friends who have gone through unimaginable pain. From losing a loved one, children who are sick and won't be getting better, children losing their parents, it all just shakes me to the core. The fragility of life and how in an instant it can all be gone. If you are reading this, I probably consider you an important person in my life. I count you as a blessing. And if I'm counting up all of those in my life, I can't even count that high. Thank you Lord. Here's to promising a less serious post next time, and that you have so many blessings in your life, you can't even stop counting for second.
Let's start my blessing counting with a positive. September 2011 marks ten years of Craig and I living together. We were so young. I am sure a lot of people doubted it would last long. I remember the day we moved in. HE picked the furniture. That's right. HE did. (With the help of his Dad). We ended up with leather couches (faux leather, of course), a nice kitchen table that now resides in my Dad's kitchen, and a sage green/oak bedroom set that now resides in his sister's bedroom! We just bought a new bedroom set after all of these years, upgraded to a King size bed, and I am in love. Start counting... He did pretty good. I remember all of the freezing cold Minnesota mornings. Who am I kidding, the cold Minnesota mornings, days, evenings, and nights... I don't miss you Minnesota!
September is one of my favorite months because it is the beginning of Fall. My absolute favorite season. I love jeans, cute flats, cardigans, and dressing the kids in cute, layered clothes. I love the colors, the weather, and letting chili cook in the crock pot all day long. I love going to the pumpkin patch and picking out pumpkins and decorating them with the kids. Start counting...
My sister just lost a co-worker at her daycare center. I didn't know her. I didn't know her daughter. All I know is that she was gone in a heartbeat, and that little girl doesn't have a mommy anymore. And her Daddy has never been a part of her life. I know she'll be well taken care of by other family members, but it's just not the same. It really broke my sister's heart. And mine too. And it made me think. Start counting...
September is also sad for many, if not all Americans. I'm sure many of you have thought about where you were when 9/11 happened. I'm sure you watched some of the 10 year "Looking Back" specials. I did. And then I couldn't sleep at night. I couldn't get those images out of my head. I couldn't stop thinking about when I would tell Callie what happened, how I would say it, and how you explain what pure evil and hate can breed, without scaring her. That was just the extreme, right? I will only have to explain ONE terrorist attack of that magnitude to her, right? The truth is we don't know. We don't know if the terrorists are planning another attack. We don't know who the target would be, although I doubt it'd be where I live. We don't know if, when, or how many more times. I pray that it will never be that bad again. I thank God it wasn't worse. Because it could always be worse, right? I pray to God that we have seen the worse. This has always been a happy day in our family because it's my Dad's birthday. It's not supposed to be a sad day. And most people would say that if I cry and am sad all day that the terrorists win. I don't see it that way. I cry for the families who have lost their loved ones, the soldiers out there still fighting, the heroes that are looking down from Heaven, feeling no more pain, no more fear, and are finally at peace. I can't imagine going through that. And that's why it's so important, and I hope you aren't sick of hearing me talk about this, SO important to be thankful for every day you have. It's not like people only die from terrorist attacks. People are dying every day. Babies, children, teenagers, adults, senior citizens, are all sadly dying. You are not promised a tomorrow. Spend every minute you can with the people you love. Tell them you love them. Don't sweat the small stuff. Keep a positive attitude. Know that someone always has it worse than you, no matter how bad you think you have it. Count your blessings. Be kinder than you were yesterday. Thank God for the gifts in your life. Hug your little ones every chance you get. They grow up too fast. Listen to your friends, invest yourself in them. Play with your kids. Whenever I am in a bad mood, chaos has broken out and I have 8 children under the age of 5 unhappy, you know how I turn it around? I turn on music. Loud. And we dance and dance and dance. And within minutes, everyone is smiling and happy, including me. Keep counting...
I will try to stop all of the "preaching" about how you should live your life:) It is your life, you can do whatever you want. I just feel like we waste so much time with negativity. I have some friends who have gone through unimaginable pain. From losing a loved one, children who are sick and won't be getting better, children losing their parents, it all just shakes me to the core. The fragility of life and how in an instant it can all be gone. If you are reading this, I probably consider you an important person in my life. I count you as a blessing. And if I'm counting up all of those in my life, I can't even count that high. Thank you Lord. Here's to promising a less serious post next time, and that you have so many blessings in your life, you can't even stop counting for second.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
All the things you said....
Stop and think, if you will for a minute, of some of the nicest things people have ever said about you or to you. We all have those few things that touched our heart so deeply that we will never, ever forget them. When I am feeling uncertain, down, or second-rate, I pull these simple words out of my memory and almost instantly feel better. Now, this is no where NEAR all of the positive things I have kept in my mind, but just a few.
My old high school Sunday School teacher is probably one that I remember most. She is very wise, a great Christian, compassionate but tough, and a pretty amazing woman. Just seeing her sometimes brings me to tears. I remember a lot of things she told me, but a couple really stand out. And this was probably 13 years ago. She once told me that she can see the love I have for my little sisters in every thing I do. (I was in high school, they were in jr. high and elementary school, and I love my other sisters too, for the record, all 6 of them! My younger two were the ones she saw me with at church all of the time.) She said she could tell how much I loved them just by the way I looked at them. And she was so right. She still is. I feel like I want to protect them from everything, just like I would my children. I want to be a good role model for them (even though they are adults now!) I want them to know (and all of my sisters to know) that I love everything about them. Even when we fight or disagree, even when they make mistakes (who doesn't?), and I really wish I could wipe every single pain away and catch every tear they cry. I felt like that in high school, and I still do. Another thing she said to me was that I was really quiet, but when I did talk, the world better listen because I had something to say. I am probably considerably less quiet now, I have a lot more confidence than I did back then, but I hope that what I say still carries some weight. Her husband passed away a few years back. It was really hard for me, even though I didn't know him nearly as well as her, it hurt me to know that she was in so much pain. I wish that I had something really wise to say to her. Especially on that day. But I was silent....
My dad... oh where do I even begin with the knowledge that he has passed on to me. I wish he would sit and write everything he thinks down so that not only I can draw advice and comfort from it forever, but so that my children and their children could. I don't know a lot of people who would make the sacrifices he does, who can look at life even in the bleakest of moments and know and trust in God that everything is going to be okay. Specifically, he told me what I need to look for in a man. He told me this in my teens. He said first and foremost he had to have God in his heart. If he has God in his heart, everything else will fall in place. Trust was the other thing that he said was extremely important. He always sends me a card for my birthday, and I know to get the box of tissues before I read it. Everything he says is meaningful.
My husband. I have a folder full of cards, letters (when we lived in different states), and pictures of our journey so far in this life. He doesn't like when I "show my friends" all of the sweet stuff he says or does. And I respect that so I won't go into much detail but I will tell you that I will never forget the day he dropped me off (with my family) at college in Minneapolis. It was such a sad day for us. Unsure of what the future would hold, him living 6 hours away, me in this new place. If I only knew then that three months later, he would drop out of college (not a great idea, but he did go back and finish!), transfer stores, and we would move in together, get married, and have beautiful, healthy babies...
I could really go on for days about the people who have touched my life, who inspired me when I needed it the most. I don't want this to sound like I am bragging about nice things people said about me. I just wanted to share a glimpse of what the power of words can have. Negative and Positive. (I didn't share the negative. I won't give those words any more power than they've already had.) So try to be kind to everyone. Say something nice to someone. You never know how badly they need it, or how long they will cherish those words.
My old high school Sunday School teacher is probably one that I remember most. She is very wise, a great Christian, compassionate but tough, and a pretty amazing woman. Just seeing her sometimes brings me to tears. I remember a lot of things she told me, but a couple really stand out. And this was probably 13 years ago. She once told me that she can see the love I have for my little sisters in every thing I do. (I was in high school, they were in jr. high and elementary school, and I love my other sisters too, for the record, all 6 of them! My younger two were the ones she saw me with at church all of the time.) She said she could tell how much I loved them just by the way I looked at them. And she was so right. She still is. I feel like I want to protect them from everything, just like I would my children. I want to be a good role model for them (even though they are adults now!) I want them to know (and all of my sisters to know) that I love everything about them. Even when we fight or disagree, even when they make mistakes (who doesn't?), and I really wish I could wipe every single pain away and catch every tear they cry. I felt like that in high school, and I still do. Another thing she said to me was that I was really quiet, but when I did talk, the world better listen because I had something to say. I am probably considerably less quiet now, I have a lot more confidence than I did back then, but I hope that what I say still carries some weight. Her husband passed away a few years back. It was really hard for me, even though I didn't know him nearly as well as her, it hurt me to know that she was in so much pain. I wish that I had something really wise to say to her. Especially on that day. But I was silent....
My dad... oh where do I even begin with the knowledge that he has passed on to me. I wish he would sit and write everything he thinks down so that not only I can draw advice and comfort from it forever, but so that my children and their children could. I don't know a lot of people who would make the sacrifices he does, who can look at life even in the bleakest of moments and know and trust in God that everything is going to be okay. Specifically, he told me what I need to look for in a man. He told me this in my teens. He said first and foremost he had to have God in his heart. If he has God in his heart, everything else will fall in place. Trust was the other thing that he said was extremely important. He always sends me a card for my birthday, and I know to get the box of tissues before I read it. Everything he says is meaningful.
My husband. I have a folder full of cards, letters (when we lived in different states), and pictures of our journey so far in this life. He doesn't like when I "show my friends" all of the sweet stuff he says or does. And I respect that so I won't go into much detail but I will tell you that I will never forget the day he dropped me off (with my family) at college in Minneapolis. It was such a sad day for us. Unsure of what the future would hold, him living 6 hours away, me in this new place. If I only knew then that three months later, he would drop out of college (not a great idea, but he did go back and finish!), transfer stores, and we would move in together, get married, and have beautiful, healthy babies...
I could really go on for days about the people who have touched my life, who inspired me when I needed it the most. I don't want this to sound like I am bragging about nice things people said about me. I just wanted to share a glimpse of what the power of words can have. Negative and Positive. (I didn't share the negative. I won't give those words any more power than they've already had.) So try to be kind to everyone. Say something nice to someone. You never know how badly they need it, or how long they will cherish those words.
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