Night Night

We had a typical night last night which went something like this:
9:00 p.m. Got home from church and got kids ready for bed
9:30 p.m. Kids asleep early since very tired
11:00 p.m. Adam and Holly have trouble getting to bed even though they are exhausted
11:30 p.m. Cosette wakes up screaming like someone is attacking her, goes back to sleep
12:00 a.m. Adam and Holly lay down and try to go to sleep
12:30 a.m. Finally sleep for all
2:30 a.m. Charlie wakes up screaming
2:35 a.m. The monitor is accidentally turned off by sleep-walking parents (oops)
3:30 a.m. Charlie is still screaming and Holly wakes up
3:35 a.m. Charlie is in bed with Adam and Holly laying down and sucking fingers
3:40 a.m. Charlie is sitting up in bed with Adam and Holly
3:45 a.m. Charlie is laying down again
3:50 a.m. Charlie is sitting up again
3:55 a.m. Charlie is laying down again
4:00 a.m. Charlie is sitting up again and Holly is trying not to scream out loud
4:05 a.m. Charlie is laying down and Holly explains to him that it is the middle of the night and that he needs to sleep in his own bed
4:15 a.m. Charlie is in his bed crying again
4:30 a.m. Charlie is asleep and all are sleeping again
5:00 a.m. Cosette wakes up and comes in to Adam and Holly's room asking for water
5:05 a.m. Cosette has cup given by Adam and lays in bed with Adam and Holly
5:10 a.m. Holly realizes Cosette is all wet...not from the water...YUCK!
5:15 a.m. Cosette is changed, sheets changed, everyone is laying down again
5:20 a.m. Holly can't fall back to sleep so takes Cosette back to her own bed and lays with her
5:30 a.m. Everyone is asleep again
6:30 a.m. Adam's alarm goes off, but thankfully Holly, Cosette and Charlie are still asleep (poor Adam)
7:30 a.m. Adam is off to work
8:00 a.m. Holly and the kids start their day!

For many years (2 1/2 to be exact) I would become soooo angry and just plain mean on a night like this, but God is so gracious to conform us to the image of Christ! Many months ago I read in 2 Corinthians 6 of Paul's "Ministry of Reconciliation" and the hardships he had to endure to minister to people. As a servant of God he ministered "by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, MANY SLEEPLESS NIGHTS, hunger, by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love, by truthful speech, and by the power of God."

WOW! I can't compare myself with this at all, but in the ministry of motherhood I hope to run the race like Paul. This passage changed my perspective of what I thought I needed and instead to strive to minister with "patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love, by truthful speech, and by the power of God."

ONCE UPON A TIME...

Fun in the Mud

The kids would play in the mud every day if they could. On this occasion, Cosie finally learned how to turn on the hose herself while I was doing yard work. They made a huge lake and had tons of fun it! The bad news is Texas clay mud stains everything...even Cosie's bathing suit!

Fun on the Fourth

HAIR, HAIR, IT IS EVERYWHERE

Not sure if you have ever read "The Hair Book" but it is about how hair is everywhere and we definitely have a problem that needs a solution!!!! Adam wants to get Cosie a "pixie" cut so it is all out of her face! Not sure what we will do, but the poor thing twirls her hair into the nastiest knots!

My Little Solo Artist

Summer Days

Recently I felt a bit defeated at all the house work that seems left undone these days. Then I realized it is summer time! I think I have double the laundry since we are swimming, playing in the hose/baby pool, going to the lake, etc. It occurred to me that my kids won't remember that the laundry room was a disaster in the summer of 2008 but they will remember all the fun times we spent as a family. I constantly have to battle the Type A personality of having everything in order and I remember a godly woman in our church saying, "in those days I had to remember to look high whenever I walked around the house." It is SO true...if I look down I see all of the toys, spots on the carpet, unused diapers strung throughout the house (Charlie absolutely loves to pull all the diapers out of his dresser at least once a day...I let him since it is fun for him and really no harm), a ball here, a magnet letter from the frig there. I just try to look up high (and look above) and keep walking! This same godly woman also reminded me that "Where no oxen are, the manger is clean" (Psalm 14:4a).

Charlie learned how to climb up on the couch finally and also discovered light switches which he is elated about! He responds with "tsssss" anytime you say hot (with regard to food or not) and then he tries to blow but can't quite do it yet! He LOVES to be wresstled and rough-housed which is daddy's job when he walks in the door each day!

Cosette is discovering her "special projects" which include spreading glitter glue all over cards and putting together puzzles. She also loves to "run errands" which includes putting on mommy's high heals, carrying a purse and pushing a stroller around the house! She pauses to nurse her baby and comfort her baby from crying "she so sad mommy...she needs her paci...it's ok baby, shhhh, I love you"

Some pictures of our summer days in AZ and in TX:

The Little Things

Adam and I have been taking the kids to the lake one evening each week, but tonight I took the kids on my own since Adam had to work. What an adventure! You would think since I have been doing the mom thing for 3 years now that I would have planning and packing for a small trip down to a science, but no…not so much! I packed our dinner, a blanket, towels, floaties for Cosie, floating sit-in toy for Charlie, the kids cups, diapers, sun glasses, keys, license and debit card. Half way there I thought, “oh no I forgot the water bottles for myself…oh well, I can use the kids’ water if I get too thirsty.” Then I realized I forgot Cosie’s water shoes, or any shoes for that matter, which is a big deal since sometimes there are pieces of glass mixed in with the rocks. We prayed out loud together that God would protect her little feet since I was too far to turn around with the gas prices as they are and the time it was. We got to the lake and I explained to the lady that we wanted to buy an annual pass since we keep using the lake and handed her my debit card. Of course, they only take cash and checks and I only had $1.50 of the $3.00 it takes to get into the lake. “Lord please provide…I can’t drive all the way back to town for $1.50.” I went a different way out of the lake for some reason and passed a couple on the side of the road fixing their trailer…I pulled over and explained to the man that my daughter was crying (Cosie didn’t understand why we were turning around since the lake was not closed…”The peoples were there mommy…why we going this way?...I wanna go in the water…please mommy”) and I needed $1.50 to get into the lake. He pulled out a wad of cash, kind of rolled his eyes, but gave me $2.00 which I held like gold and thanked him profusely for. We pulled into the parking lot after paying and when I got the recently unused stroller out, there was a water bottle (half full…funny how you look at things differently when you don’t have something) and a pair of sandals from last summer that were a little too small but workable. I got a tear in my eye as God graciously provided the money, water and shoes for our time at the lake....trusting in him for the little things is where I seem to wander like a dumb sheep! Anyway, we had a great time and met some nice people that we have seen before. This would be the perfect time to provide pictures of our time there, but of course the camera didn’t make it to the lake either! I am going to make a Lake List and have it on hand next time!

Time Warp

I can't believe so many months have gone by since I last updated our blog. One of my best friends, Krista, has inspired me to blog more often and update our loved ones on GrozaNation!

It has been a long 9 months...we have been sick on and off almost every week for 9 months...some common things, some strange (very strange) things. I have often wondered, "Is it our house?" "Is it the stores we go too?" "Is it our church nursery?" etc., etc....God is pruning me in this time and although it has been hard, He is so gracious to teach us the most important lessons using the most basic things in life.

Anyway, enough excuses about why I haven't blogged!

Charlie turned one on March 20th and Cosette turned 3 on June 7th. There is so much to write about that I don't know where to start! Charlie started walking at about 12 months although he first army crawled at 4 1/2 months and started pushing his walker around at 9 months or so. He loved to push that walker around all over the place and was quite good at it, but now at 15 months he prefers to run everywhere. Cosette is having loads of fun playing with her baby dolls, tea sets, mini-swimming pool (she loves all things water!), and pretend phones....she is a chatter box!

I will post more later but here are the pictures we had done for their birthdays:

Fun at Mainstay Farm's Pumpkin Patch