LATELY

Right now, we are experiencing torrential rain.  I had the delight of walking three children to the car in the midst of it, which resulted in SOAKING wet pants and shoes, which we promptly removed in the shelter of our car.  But, we made it home, safe and sound and are now dry and warm, which is such a blessing.

Here are a few other things that have gone down in the past week.  Bella performed with other children at my Women's Bible Study.  Seeing my child on stage always feels a bit surreal to me - how is that little person all of the sudden big enough to sing along and clap and do motions?  But she is, and she did great.

That afternoon was the Fun Run at Lily's school.  I was roped into marking numbers on the back of shirts, and I felt pretty dizzy by the time about 75 kiddos had run past me 35 times.  Lily had a blast, and it was a gorgeous day to be outside.

That night, we took some of our CFA team and their families to a pizza place with lots of games.  Violet LOVED riding in the Go-Karts, while William literally screamed the entire time.  Then he wanted to get back in.  Because toddlerhood.  The girls had a great time, but after riding in fast circles  twice back to back, Bella later threw up her really healthy dinner of nachos.  Ah, childhood.

Waking up to this view really is something I treasure.  It's easy to take our backyard for granted, but when it blossoms out in red, oranges and yellows, I remember all over again how beautiful it is.

Saturday afternoon turned into a whirlwind that included a movie birthday party we got to attend.



Because the twins are allergic to eggs, I often just let them have frosting from the cake, and V licked the plate clean.



I had the amazing privilege of sharing in some special family time with one of my friends and taking pictures of cherished moments for them.  This is how I felt about it.

John and I saw the new Bond movie on Saturday night.  Spoiler alert: there is a Bond girl, lots of explosions, a car chase, a helicopter crashing and Bond lives through it all.  After the movie, we realized that some of our friends were also out and about without kiddos, and we met up for drinks and dessert and laughter.  I'm so thankful to do life with people who are real.  We laughed a lot about the disasters that abound while raising four young children.



This Honest Toddler blog post sums up what it is like raising a toddler, but there are really sweet moments as well.  We will always say yes to after nap cuddles if the opportunity presents itself.

Here's hoping we all get a chance to dry out soon!

A QUICK TRIP & EXPECTATIONS ADJUSTMENT

Wednesday afternoon found John and I in our closet weighing the pros and cons of leaving for Northwest Arkansas in the next 30 minutes.  He was not feeling fantastic, and we knew that the time in the car would likely be no fun.  In the end, the things that we wanted to do won out, and we loaded up everything and everyone for the three+ hour drive.

The drive was pretty middle of the road as far as drives for us go.  It was not great, but on the bright side, no one dug poop out of their diaper, so it wasn't as bad as it might be either.  John served on a panel at JBU, and I got to hang out with my mom and sis.  The cousins had good times together, though I failed to capture any pictures of their fun.

We did family pictures on Thursday morning, which is always an adventure.  Again, it was not great, but it also could have gone much worse.  I'm sure Luke got some amazing shots, because he is a photo taking boss magic maker.

We went out for lunch at a delicious restaurant, but it took quite a while to get our food.  Violet spent the meal with Nana, and William spent the meal not liking anything at all ever.  And then he managed to pee out of his diaper while sitting on my lap which soaked us both with urine.  Motherhood is unbelievably glamorous.

Our plan had been to head to Silver Dollar City to see the holiday lights and then drive home late Thursday night.  John and I went back and forth on this.  I really wanted to go for the fun.  John wanted to go to make me happy, but really didn't want to go since he wasn't feeling top notch and it would be an extra two hours in the car.  I felt bad, because I didn't want to force him to go, but I also still really did want to go - even knowing that it would mean pushing our family more than we currently need.  

After further discussion, John agreed that we could go to SDC.  I really appreciated his willingness, but in the end, the Lord protected us from ourselves when I realized that I had left our season passes back at our house.  No SDC lights for us this year, which is probably for the best.  Our kiddos never knew it had been part of the plan, so they were none the wiser.

Our family reality is a bit intense at present.  Having twins that are two and a half is one of the most difficult things I've ever faced in every day life.  They both have stepped up their defiance game, and yelling is a favorite pastime for each of them.  We are trying to figure out where to discipline and where to provide extra loving.  It is hard and exhausting, and often it sucks the fun out of anything we are trying to do.

In my head, I still want to be able to just head out for a quick dessert trip after dinner as a Friday night treat.  But - I have to count the cost.  There will likely be screaming involved, and that is just part of the deal with our family right now.  I've quit taking the kids grocery shopping, because the last time I did, I actually had a Kroger employee ask if I needed help finishing my shopping, and then they opened a lane just for me.  That is what happens when you have two screaming toddlers and really nice grocery store employees.  I cannot pick both twins up when they both flip out, so I often find myself cajoling and bribing and walking at a total crawl just to get anywhere with both of them.

I crave fun, and it is in my nature to look for opportunities to provide it for our family.  I'm having to continue to adjust my expectations and be reminded that there are seasons for all things.  I don't need to force family fun that has a higher cost than benefit.  Screaming wears out everyone, and we all come home more exhausted.  It's a balance, because I don't want to miss out on everything, but I am working on reminding myself that next year, things will likely be a bit easier.  There will be a tiny bit more reason, and maybe, just maybe, there will be less yelling.  It will not always feel like this.

But at present, it can feel pretty hard.  I know that we have SO many good and amazing things to be thankful for, and I truly am thankful.  And, we still do get to do fun things - clearly.  Not everything is a drag.  God is working on my heart to be willing to listen to his voice and do what is best for our family right now.  This often means slowing down and not doing all the things - everyone is less pressured when we say "no" and "not right now" to all the extras.  There are beautiful moments every day, and I don't want to miss out on the great things that come with these ages.  But, I won't miss the yelling.  I can tell you that for sure.

FYE FOR NOVEMBER

Something that keeps me afloat is laughter.  Real life can be a downer.  It is good and rich and completely full of things that God has for me and my family, but it can be filled with hard things at the same time.  So, I look for ways to laugh often.  Here are some of the things that have cracked me up recently.

The Active Wear video.  Y'all.  This is so true and funny.  My friends and I have enjoyed sending selfies to each other of all that we do while in our active wear.  It is so stinking versatile.



These next two will allow you to capture my exact age - this song was so popular when I was in high school, and I can probably sing almost every word.  I'm not sure why Alanis Morrissette is suddenly popping up everywhere, but I'm glad she is.

The first one is "Ironic" with updated lyrics including modern problems.



The next one is "Ironic" sung by the "Jagged Little Chicks" on Jimmy Fallon.



John and I have also been working our way through Parks and Rec, which provides endless entertainment.  I'm sure the humor style is probably not for everyone, but it has lightened our evenings up, and I've very much appreciated it.  What's made you laugh lately?

THE HIGHS & LOWS OF LATELY

I actually meal planned last night and realized that Thanksgiving is in about 2.5 weeks.  What the what?  How does this always happen - that thing where life moves so incredibly quickly, and I just need to screw my head on straight and hold on?  Anyway, here are the highs and lows of lately that haven't already been covered on the blog.

High:  It's fall, and fall color is gorgeous.  Fact.  The painted trees seem to sing with brightness that no other season really allows, and I am reveling in it.

High:  I actually made it to lunch at Lily's school for the first time this year.  The time of her lunch is pretty bad for the schedule that we keep, so it was fun to bring her lunch and her siblings all at once.



Low:  My keys have been missing since Halloween.  They seem to be nowhere, and I desperately miss my remote entry.  #firstworldproblems #butreallywherearethey

High:  This past week has been rich with meals shared with friends.  One of the highlights was a sushi lunch shared with my besties last Tuesday where we ordered a bunch of different rolls and sampled everything.  So good.  I want to do it again this second just looking at it.



Low:  Being two years old is straight up the hardest work ever according to William.  This stank face is a norm these days.  But - just you watch, he can also charm with his smile that sneaks over his entire face and shines light whenever he lets it out.  Also, he sleeps with a lot of stuff.



High:  Sometimes he shares the stuff.



Twins really are so funny.  You never quite know what you are going to get from whom.  They keep us guessing!

High:  Lily had Fall Break last week which meant extra time for us to do really exciting stuff like shop for groceries.  They were especially excited about these tiny bananas which we did not purchase.



Low:  My sweet oldest child has always had a dramatic streak, but now she has more elaborate vocabulary to go with it.  For whatever reason, she has decided that certain things make her far "too hot."  For example, when asked to put on pants when she wanted to wear shorts, she said, "These pants make it feel like my legs are touching the sun!"  Or, when I put a bow on her head, and it pulled at bit, she said, "It's making my head so hot.  Like, there is a bomb going off on my head!"  I'm glad there is such descriptive, albeit mislead, imagery at my house.

Low:  It is no fun to see a friend suffering, and this friend's adoption path has not been easy.  BUT - we did get to have a delicious and encouraging dinner on Friday night, reminding me that God knows what we need, and we often need togetherness.  I'm so thankful to do life with these women.

High:  We got to attend the cutest birthday party for my friend's foster son on Saturday.  My children were especially excited about their dog.  Seeing my friends and the child's mother and brother singing Happy Birthday all together had me in tears.  Such a beautiful picture of what the church should be.

Low:  Saturday night I felt pretty ill.  It's never fun to spend an evening on the couch when you certainly had other things in mind.  But - I could just make the sunset out from my place on the couch, and when John came inside, he showed me the picture he snagged of it.  God is so creative!  And, though I still have a slight head cold, I recovered quickly.



High:  Seeing the difference between when you ask two year olds to smile and six year olds.  I'm glad some things get better with time.

(The hand-holding was their idea.)

Low:  Since William is not exactly easy going these days, his haircut did not go entirely smoothly.  However, he settled down after a while as I fed him mint after mint.  Glad that's done.



Hope your week is off to a nice start - it's beautiful here today!  Hoping it keeps up.