Luke Rides a Bike

The Kitchen Is Closed (Almost)

I've been working on weaning Judah for the past month or so, hanging on to those last morning and evening feedings just for cuddling purposes.  With some baby-free vacations coming up quickly (Judah doesn't know yet, so don't spill the beans.), I figured I needed to finish the job before leaving him with Grandma for a week for three very important reasons: 

1. Somehow I doubt she would appreciate me leaving him with her while he still expects someone to take their shirt off for him twice a day.
2. I have no interest in taking a breast pump on a cruise.  Been there, done that, not signing up for it again.
3. Judah has only been eating on one side for a while now, and while being lopsided in full clothing isn't so bad, it's a little tricky to camouflage in a bikini. 

So, with the exception of the moments when he wants to double check that the tank is indeed empty, I am officially finished nursing Judah. 

Sigh. 

Who Says Men Aren't Observant?

A conversation with my boys after picking them up from school today...

Luke: So, Mama, where did that shirt come from?
Eli: Yeah, is it new?
Me: I've had it for a long time, I just don't wear it that much.  Do you like it?
Eli: Yeah!
Luke: Yeah, it looks like it would be perfect for Valentine's Day!

I felt like I had just been hanging out with my girl friends.  How funny!

Messy

My friend came over for lunch last week while the big boys were in school and Judah napped so we could celebrate her birthday.  She commented, "Your house is so clean every time I come over.  I can't even keep up in our house and it's just the two of us." 

Ummm...of course it was clean.  I knew she was coming over. 

At pretty much any other given moment, this is what my house looks like:

So often I feel like people have the idea that because I almost always have a smile on my face that I "have it all together".  What does that even mean?  Children are messy.  I am messy. Family is messy. Relationships are messy.  Life is messy. NOBODY has it all together.  Some of us are just better at pretending and hiding than others.   

Perfection looks like Jesus.  Period.  When I start comparing my life to anyone else's, I become dissatisfied. I want the things they have while they're wanting what I have.  I wish I could do the work that she does while she just wants to stay home.  I try to mimic his personality while he's trying to be someone else entirely.

"Godliness with contentment is great gain." (1Tim. 6:6)  Everybody gains something when I keep my eyes on Jesus.  I will be the very best version of me when I don't try to be like anyone else but Him. I know this, and yet, I forget.  And the messiness starts to bother me.  

I have to keep reminding myself that if I didn't have the "messy" I wouldn't have the children, the family, the relationships, the life.  What fun is that?

Bye, Bye!

We are all on the mend.  Luke and I both had Scarlet Fever, which is just a scary sounding way to say we had strep throat and didn't know it until we got the rash that goes along with it.  I sent Luke to school on Tuesday  because I had no idea he was still sick until he broke out into a nasty looking rash Tuesday night.  I knew he didn't look like he felt 100%, but I kept trying to talk to him about how he felt until he said, "Mama, you've asked me one hundred times!" 

Okay, then. 

I knew I had a sinus infection but couldn't figure out why I could sleep four hours during the day and still happily go to sleep at night.  Let's just say the laundry got washed, everybody got fed and the rest took care of itself.  Anyway, we're much better.  Unfortunately, over half of Luke's class was out today.  Most with a rash.  I have been assured that it could have come from other sources, but you can imagine that I have heaped mounds of guilt upon myself about not realizing Luke was sick before the rash.  C'est La Vie.

Anyway, Judah is the star of this post with his new, super cute trick. It's much cuter in person, of course.  And I tried to explain to him that the screaming at the end takes away from the cuteness, but he said to stop wasting my breath and feed him more sweet potatoes.

Better Left Behind

Some things are better left behind.  This week is most assuredly one of them. 

WARNING:  I'm about to whine.  If you don't like whining, consider yourself warned.

I'll put it simply.

Sunday: Eli-Stitches.
Monday/Tuesday: Judah-stomach bug.
Wednesday: Luke-fever, Eli-fever (continued through Friday).
Friday: Stitches removed, strep test on Eli negative.
Saturday: Mama-cough, dizzy head, achy.
Sunday: Luke, Eli, Mama - More of the same.  But no stitches.

Here's to a better week starting now!

I Should Have Knocked

The other day I was having a conversation with some friends about how surprising it is that with three active boys I've never had a trip to the emergency room.  One of the moms said, "Knock on wood, right? Hah, hah."

Enter post title.

Sunday night Eli's forehead got in a fight with Grandma's coffee table, and the table won.  Four and a half hours and three stitches later, I can no longer say I've never had a trip to the emergency room.  Has it stopped him from picking fights with his brother and running around the house like a Tasmanian devil?  Not for one second.  All I can say is, "Thank you, God, that it was his head and not his eye, nose, teeth, etc."