Temporary

Driving alone in my car this morning, I listened a little more carefully to the lyrics of a song that was on the radio.

That's when I heard...

"To know you is to look beyond the temporary"

When I take the time to listen, God really does tell me exactly what I need to hear.


temporary
adj
1. not permanent
2. lasting only a short time

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003

This one word can be used to describe everything in this life...relationships, pain, disease, jobs, emotional state, the status of the economy, a screaming two year old...everything! In college I had to read the book Don't Sweat the Small Stuff...and It's All Small Stuff by Richard Carlson. Now I'm thinking it should have been titled Don't Sweat the Temporary Stuff...and It's All Temporary Stuff.

There's really only one thing that I can think of that's not temporary, and that's what happens after I die...the eternal life with my Father and Savior that has been promised to me.

The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. 1 John 2:17

Knowing this sure makes it a whole lot easier to look beyond the temporary.

Check out the entire song here: To Know You by Casting Crowns

Two!

E is two!!



















I can hardly believe it either.

We celebrated in style with family over the weekend.














We had a hot dog, hot dog, hot diggity dog meal followed by (a cute but very time intensive) cake (that exposed many of Mommy's character flaws) and an ice cream sundae buffet. It goes without saying, but if anyone I know (especially a patient) would have seen my grocery cart filled with the party food, all of my credibility as a diabetes educator would have been out the window.

E LOVED her Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cake.
















Our little princess LOVES her Cinderella glass slippers.















She sang herself "Happy Birthday" for at least ten straight minutes before falling asleep that night, so I think she LOVES being the birthday girl, too!

There's no doubt that we LOVE this birthday girl!




















Happy, happy birthday sweet E! You bring indescribable joy to our lives. We can't wait to see what the next year brings. We LOVE you!

Smart

This makes up for all of J's innocently stated slams. . .

The conversation J had with Steve while waiting for me to join them for our trip home yesterday:

J: We can't leave Mom! She's the smartest one in our family.

Dad: What about me?

J: Dad, you're smart and I'm smart, but we're not mom-smart.

More Hats

Nearly everyone I know is so excited about the arrival of Fall...football, chili, cooler temperatures, changing leaves, etc. Although these are things that I do enjoy, I certainly don't share this enthusiasm. I prefer the long, hot summer days filled with less scheduled activities, more swimming time, and flip-flops. And knowing what seemingly endless season follows this one, I can't help but have this sick sense of impending doom. Dramatic, I know!

As sad as I am to see the empty outdoor pools, I do have a little more free time to attempt more hats.































Now, I just need some babies to see if these actually fit.

Happy Fall!

Dinner Guest

We've quickly replaced the slug, who still remains MIA, with our new pet, Alligator. Alligator the Mantis lives in a cozy insect habitat atop our kitchen table. It is there that it resides even during our meals. In an effort to make it feel like a member of our family, Alligator occasionally receives its 100% organic meal at the same time we enjoy our 85% processed food.





















Nothing adds to a dinner conversation quite like a guest eating a live cricket... head first.

























Bon Appétit!

Scary Animals

Scary Animals” is one of our favorite car games. The concept is simple. We take turns describing a scary animal...

“

and then the other participants have to guess what it is.

If your answer was a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, then you are absolutely correct.

Earlier this week, E chimed in by saying, “It’s my turn.” Having never participated in this game, she had us curious as to what she would say.

Her clue: “I’m dinking ob an aminal (insert long pause here) dat is a ehwepant.”

Any guesses?


(Just in case you’re struggling, her “almost two” language translates into the following: I’m thinking of an animal that is an elephant.)

Transfomed

Since I’ve started blogging, my perspective on our daily lives and events has transformed (a.k.a. become twisted) a bit. Apparently, I’m not the only one changed by it. . .

I was pretending to not notice J as he was “sneaking up” on me to tickle. His sneaking methods are unpolished at best. It’s a good thing for J that the human species doesn’t rely upon ambushing prey for its survival. After the third or fourth time, I attempted to tickle him back. Unfortunately, when I reached out in his direction, he slipped during all the excitement and smacked his head on the coffee table.

This, of course, resulted in a bump on the noggin, crying, screaming, and pain. After an ice pack and some snuggle time, he finally calmed down.

This is when he announced, “Mom, you need to put this on the blog.”

It's a Beautiful Morning

The two hours after we arrived home from work and daycare last night were filled with disobedience. The last straw for me was when I had to ask J four separate times to complete a small task.

I yelled. I shut off the TV. I took away the books. PJs were immediately donned. Prayers were said. And two kids were in bed for the night without any snuggling time.

This morning J greeted me with a hug and kiss. He kindly requested breakfast and politely thanked me when he received it. I asked him to change his clothes, and he replied, “Yes, Mom, I will” and marched to his room to do this. He placed his pajamas where they belong without being asked. I instructed him to pick up the books.

His response: “At your service!”

Now that's something that I could get used to.

Things That Make You Go...Aaawww

On our evening drive home, I felt as if I were navigating our vehicle through a hurricane. The forceful winds and torrential rains had my little E screaming uncontrollably in fear. This terrified cry went on and on and on. But it stopped rather abruptly. I couldn't safely turn around to see what was happening in the backseat until the next stop light.

That's when I saw this. . .















I love to witness unprompted acts of love and kindness!

Piano Debut

J had his first piano lesson today. He left exclaiming, "I love piano! Piano is great!"

Less than six hours later, he has committed his first tune to memory and thinks he is "the best piano player in the world." Obviously, humbleness is not a concept he understands yet.

Here's J's piano debut. . .

My Day

Earlier this week I declared "Katie's Day of Fun." I had the day off work, and the kids went to daycare. . .an entire day to myself!

What I chose not to do:

-- laundry
-- bed making
-- grocery shopping
-- vacuuming
-- closet cleaning
-- appointments

What I chose to do:

-- a six mile run
-- a 30 minute swim
-- camera shopping

Adding a nap and a Bloody Mary to the mix would have made this time nearly perfect, but I had to drive my children home from daycare. Safety and responsibility win again.

Regardless, my day was absolutely glorious!

What's Cooler?

Earlier tonight, I was crocheting away while we were watching Man vs. Wild.

J asked, "Dad, what's cooler? Crocheting or this show?"


I think we all know the answer to that question.

How to Lose a Slug in Two Days

1) Find very large slug outside. (This task is more difficult than one may think.)

2) Place the slug in a cage with small slits for air.

3) Thoughtfully name the slug "Bear"

4) Halve a red grape and place in the slug's new home.

5) Keep slug on kitchen counter top for nearly one and a half days.

5) Place slug house atop the refrigerator to free up counter space for cooking.

6) Leave overnight.

7) Waa-laa! The slug is gone.

8) Hope that your next blog post will be titled "How to Find a Slug in Five Days."

Birthdays are Fun...Right?

We had the great joy of helping this beauty celebrate her fourth birthday.



















How could you ever say no to her?

There were crafts.
















There was cake.





















There was a silly dad.

















There was outdoor play.

















There were a lot of annoyed children due to my picture taking.






























Despite my interference, there was plenty of fun. No really, there was. But since I was unable to completely capture this great fun I speak of, you're just going to have to take me word for it on this one.

Happy, happy birthday to A! We are so blessed to know you.

First Night

E's first night in her big girl bed was a little rough. She was actually scared. Her entire bedtime routine changed, and this had ruffled the feathers of our little lady. When we left her alone, she would sadly sob and sob into her pillow. Since her frightened state was sincere (and not fake or dramatic), I was a little heartbroken myself.

I was already sad about not having a crib up in our house any longer (after nearly five years). It was just another visual confirmation that my baby is really not a baby. Plus, my dear husband didn't take before and after pictures of her room to document this milestone in our daughter's life. How dare he not consider my blogging in his task of moving and constructing furniture by himself! Then I had to painfully hear E sobbing alone in her dark and somewhat unfamiliar room. It took all I had to not snuggle her all night long, but we stuck to our guns and tried to be gentle but consistent with her in establishing this new bedtime routine.

As I laid by her for the umpteenth time that night, I wrapped my arm around her and proposed that we pray to God to bring E courage and peace. She agreed and I began the repeat-after-me prayer.

Me: Dear Father...

E: Dear Father........................dat's Stebe! (That's Steve!)

Family Planning

Nearly two months ago, E successfully mastered the art of climbing out of the pack ‘n play at my parents’ house. She never did scale the slightly taller side of her crib, but logically that was her next step. Because we’re unsure about another addition to our family, we had to discuss the possible options for this transition.

A toddler bed seemed like a good temporary solution, but we don’t own one. We really didn’t want to purchase one at full price since it may not be used all that long and had no luck finding a decent and reasonably priced bed at garage sales.

This past Saturday, I ran by a garage sale with a seemingly nice set of bunk beds. I sent the garage sale master that way when I arrived home. Ten minutes and fifty dollars later, we were the proud owners of bunk beds and two mattresses. After a couple of coats of paint and a comforter on clearance, both of our kids now have new beds.




















The excitement didn’t impair J’s ability to think futuristically.

J: Ok, Mom. . .if you get pregnant again, we can just make these into bunk beds in my room. I’ll sleep on the top one and E can be in the bottom one. I don’t think we’ll need a ladder. Then the baby could sleep in E’s room in the crib. So you can get pregnant now.














Thanks for your opinion, Mr. Family Planner.