I used to be a woman who welcomed change and adventure. Not saying that I no longer do...but more these days I am a little slower to warm up to change. With all certainty it has been the addition of each beauty that has made me this way. Once you have a full house it is important to have routine and schedule of day to day activities, but somehow you lose all sense of organization! So strange how that works out.
Around our home has been a busy time getting settled in...to a new home and a new schedule! New routes to school, new obstacles out the door, new rules, new new new!
Yet there are MANY things that remain the same in HollyHome! Kids thrive on knowing what to expect (unless it involves ice cream or roller coasters) keeping the little ones in a solid routine great reduces fits, attitude and confusion. In return making happier and healthier children (so said the girls first pediatrician). Taking that advice and applying it has helped me tremendously as a mother. Bed time got easier, potty training was a breeze, dinner time went smoothly and all around makes us happy. The handsome pilot and I have found these tools to be beneficial in our lifestyle. We relocate for work. We both have ever changing work schedules. We can be know to change directions with a shift in weather. We confidently know that our children will easily adapt because the core of what we do and who we are as a family does not change.
Recently, I have seen how these intangible gifts are even ever changing...we can introduce new routines and new traditions without a huge disruption in their lives. WELL ALMOST! Some changes are out of our control and we do not give up our efforts of healing the uneasy parts of life.
In prayer lies the core of our routine. Every night we say prayer. I have mentioned this before in previous posts and when I say EVERY I mean MOST. There have been some spans of time where our routine was so fast paced at bed time that 'prayer' was a God bless you said on the way to the bedroom. Followed by me sneaking in later to make the sign of the cross on their foreheads whispering to them each individual prayers that I wrote after G was born. Other nights we just all pass out watching a movie or having the Sing It Karaoke Championships. The through line is that we don't forget God at bed time no matter how busy we get and no matter what has changed around us in life. Sometimes it's me saying prayer...sometimes it's Daddy...sometimes Tim. On lucky enough summer nights Grandma G is with them and it is a collection of songs to include 'Amazing Grace'...and that is her special gift to them. They love it and look forward to every visit because of that special time.
After our recent move it has been more important than ever to stick to our beloved bed time routine, as extra assurance that this is home!
A few nights ago as I put the beauties to bed to say prayer they all decided that they would be sleeping in the same bed. Dru in her chosen spot crunched up tightly in the middle of her big sisters. All three pillow pets squeezed in a straight line across the top of the twin bed. Two empty beds stripped of stuffed animals and beloved blankets. One mommy moved to tears at the sight of three beautiful faces with eyes closed gently, hands clasped tightly so God could hear them, and gentle whispers of The Lord's Prayer filling the room. I would give anything for a photograph of that moment! Any thought I had of moving them to their own beds after drifting off to sleep were removed and for the first time since we moved I felt completely and sincerely at HOME once again!
Sometimes I get so wrapped up in taking photos of events and fun times that I lose track of the TIME I am having. I forget to be involved in those moments. Don't get me wrong...I took a hiatus from extreme attachment to my camera for that reason...I know it's important to have those photographs. I sometimes wish I had more photographs, but there are so many moments that I am lucky enough to always close my eyes and go back to immediately. Having moments like that make life worth living.
Our family has finally found a rhythm again. We all know what is going to happen. How long it takes to drive to school. Which days we need to pack an extra snack for the car. Most importantly we have learned that while the world CAN and WILL change around us, we will remain the same. I am proud that we as parents never took the word FAMILY lightly. The Lord knows that with separation and time our family could have lost full sight of what we built our home on from the beginning...LOVE and FAITH. Coming back together again has in no way been easy, but it has not been a challenge either.
Amazing what providing consistency can do for children and for a whole family. Being consistent and having a routine does not mean that things never change, it simply means take some things with you when it does. Enjoy every moment you are given in this lifetime. Take photographs of the great moments. Always remember to be a part of the amazing moments. Know your family has faith in all that you choose to be. Most of all say your Prayers and brush your teeth before you go to sleep!
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Mother's Day 2012--Asked & Answered
Mother's Day this year was fantastic :) Couldn't have asked for more beautiful weather or more beautiful people to spend it with.
Saturday night my girlfriend and her family were here after a fun filled afternoon at the park. The guys pulled together to make us an amazing steak dinner. Even served it to us while we kept our feet up. Sunday morning I woke up to the beauties whispering, giggling and conspiring. I pretended to be asleep, mostly because laying there just felt nice. Grayce cooked my eggs, AJ prepared yogurt and an orange she peeled all by herself while Dru and Daddy made my steak. I am certain her contribution to it was just sitting there saying 'staaake' over and over again. Then I got my cards, gifts they made at school and breakfast in bed. Such a sweet morning...wish they could all be that sweet :)
I will have to post a picture of the cards I received later, but for now an explanation will have to do.
Grayce drew a lovely picture of her and I ... but the first sentence read something like "I promise I will be better." Followed by some bits about how wonderful I am as her mother. To be honest my heart sank a little bit when I read that...my first thought was "what am I doing as her mother that thinks she is not good enough?" My mind started racing back to recent events in the house...
1. TV and video game suspension until further notice due to too much of it recently. Which was something they had worked so hard to gain back after last year.
2. Bickering amongst the girls had lead to ONE full day of NOT being allowed to play with each other. Which lasted about 3 hours and my mission of showing them how lucky they are to have 'friends God gave them'.
3. Overdose of Grayce's homework meant AJ was having all the fun with the TV and Grayce was getting a bit resentful.
4. Hearing many lectures from mommy about all the above topics, plus how we need to be more grateful for the things that we have and worry less about what we don't have.
As a Mommy to 3 GIRLS I tend to worry about the WOMEN they will become someday. While I want them to be mostly like me...I still have hopes they will be better. That things will come easier. That lessons can be learned along the way early on rather than painful later. I am a mommy. I tend to worry about things most wouldn't bother themselves with worrying about. In the last 2 years I feel I have balanced my worrying out with confidence that I am making good choices for them. I am setting good examples for them. I am at least doing something right if I am able to evaluate the job I am doing and question my own methods from time to time. Sometimes I look at how things are going and take out what is not working, leave what does work, then try something new all together.
For my sweet Grayce I have learned that for all the sweet independence and confidence that she oozes out into this world; there is also this quirky, honest, and unsure girl inside. She needs the most reassurance out of all my girls, yet is the only one that never asks for it on a daily basis. After talking to her later I discovered that the lack of confidence was NOT coming from home or from me or from any of the above mentioned occurrences. And for the first time in a few years I looked at her and saw MYSELF. Everyone always tries to convince me she is just like her daddy with the way she is...I have argued this before and was never quite heard. She heart and soul is just like her mother!
Every bit of what I questioned before I had answered...I know just what she needs!
Being a mommy is rarely easy, yet ALWAYS worth it.
Saturday night my girlfriend and her family were here after a fun filled afternoon at the park. The guys pulled together to make us an amazing steak dinner. Even served it to us while we kept our feet up. Sunday morning I woke up to the beauties whispering, giggling and conspiring. I pretended to be asleep, mostly because laying there just felt nice. Grayce cooked my eggs, AJ prepared yogurt and an orange she peeled all by herself while Dru and Daddy made my steak. I am certain her contribution to it was just sitting there saying 'staaake' over and over again. Then I got my cards, gifts they made at school and breakfast in bed. Such a sweet morning...wish they could all be that sweet :)
I will have to post a picture of the cards I received later, but for now an explanation will have to do.
Grayce drew a lovely picture of her and I ... but the first sentence read something like "I promise I will be better." Followed by some bits about how wonderful I am as her mother. To be honest my heart sank a little bit when I read that...my first thought was "what am I doing as her mother that thinks she is not good enough?" My mind started racing back to recent events in the house...
1. TV and video game suspension until further notice due to too much of it recently. Which was something they had worked so hard to gain back after last year.
2. Bickering amongst the girls had lead to ONE full day of NOT being allowed to play with each other. Which lasted about 3 hours and my mission of showing them how lucky they are to have 'friends God gave them'.
3. Overdose of Grayce's homework meant AJ was having all the fun with the TV and Grayce was getting a bit resentful.
4. Hearing many lectures from mommy about all the above topics, plus how we need to be more grateful for the things that we have and worry less about what we don't have.
As a Mommy to 3 GIRLS I tend to worry about the WOMEN they will become someday. While I want them to be mostly like me...I still have hopes they will be better. That things will come easier. That lessons can be learned along the way early on rather than painful later. I am a mommy. I tend to worry about things most wouldn't bother themselves with worrying about. In the last 2 years I feel I have balanced my worrying out with confidence that I am making good choices for them. I am setting good examples for them. I am at least doing something right if I am able to evaluate the job I am doing and question my own methods from time to time. Sometimes I look at how things are going and take out what is not working, leave what does work, then try something new all together.
For my sweet Grayce I have learned that for all the sweet independence and confidence that she oozes out into this world; there is also this quirky, honest, and unsure girl inside. She needs the most reassurance out of all my girls, yet is the only one that never asks for it on a daily basis. After talking to her later I discovered that the lack of confidence was NOT coming from home or from me or from any of the above mentioned occurrences. And for the first time in a few years I looked at her and saw MYSELF. Everyone always tries to convince me she is just like her daddy with the way she is...I have argued this before and was never quite heard. She heart and soul is just like her mother!
Every bit of what I questioned before I had answered...I know just what she needs!
Being a mommy is rarely easy, yet ALWAYS worth it.
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