Happy 4th of July!

It is raining here in Georgia on this 4th of July (2013).  Gregg and I tend to be home bodies, so we generally stay home on holidays like this.  Therefore, the rain didn't hinder our plans of rest and relaxation!  However, waking up at 5am to nurse kind of did...oh well!

As you all know, I am a little obsessed with making collages, and I love comparing old pictures with current ones.  My mom has made this fun by adding ruffles to some of Zeke's old clothes for Adalynn.  I've compared the pictures of Zeke in his 4th of July outfit from 2010 at 5 months old with Adalynn in the new ruffled version at 4 months.  Enjoy!

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!"

(Psalm 33:12)

Please join me in praying our nation will choose God as Lord.  Also, in thanking Him for the men and women who sacrifice for our freedom.  May God bless America.

Happy 4th of July!

Visit from the "Greats!"

We recently were extremely blessed by a visit from Grandma (GeeGee to her great grandchildren) and Aunt Nancy (Great Nancy).  They came for Harper's Baptism, to meet Adalynn and to visit the rest of us. 

"How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the

 presence of our God because of you?"

(1 Thessalonians 3:9)

Gregg was gracious to support me going to stay at my parents' house for a couple of days with Adalynn while he took care of Zeke over Father's Day weekend.  It was easier than trying to fit all four of us in the guest room in the basement!

I always enjoy spending the night at my parents' house with out of town guests.  I love waking up in the morning and seeing Grandma, Nancy, and other family that I don't get to see often enough.  Those are the moments I cherish.  This time, it also allowed them to get to know Adalynn a little bit before the busy, fun-filled day on Sunday.

Jared and Jami came over with the girls while Adalynn and I were there, which was fun.  I love the picture below of Adalynn and Harper observing one another so intently!

As I mentioned, Sunday was Father's Day.  We all went to church at Perimeter to witness Harper's Baptism.  It was a special day that we got to celebrate over lunch at the Atlanta Athletic Club.  We took our traditional four generations photos, and, of course, the kids went to throw coins in the fountain outside!

When we got back to the house, the kids went swimming.  I started out in the pool, but didn't last long.  Wynna got in and you will see the pure joy on Zeke's face.  He had a BLAST!

FATHER'S DAY

I asked Zeke the questions below about his Daddy.  I did a similar activity for my dad (His Papa).  He said Papa's favorite color was pink, he was 9 months old, and he weighed 7 pounds.  I guess I need to work on measurements with him...ha!  In case you can't read the one about Gregg, here are his answers:

1. His name is Gregg
2. His favorite color is green
3. His favorite food is chicken
4. He always says, "Bazinga!" (a line from the sitcom, "Big Bang Theory")
5. He is the best at making me laugh.
6. His job is to talk on the phone
7. He laughs when "Bazinga"
8. If he had the time, he would talk to Zeke. (he still refers to himself in the 3rd person often!)
9. His favorite movie is penguin (Zeke had just seen a penguin movie while getting his hair cut)
10. We like to go to the woods.
11. He really loves Carlos. (One of Gregg's friends and co-workers...too funny!)
12. My favorite thing about him is that he laughs.
13. And I love him because of God and Jesus! (My favorite answer!)

The kids and I ended up staying Sunday night too because I just wasn't ready to say Good-bye!  What a gift to have family that you would choose to spend time with even if they weren't your family!

"I thank God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy."

(Philippians 1:3-4)

Fun with collages!

Jami has inspired me to create some monthly collages to track Adalynn's growth.  I decided to catch up on the last 3 1/2 months this morning.  Enjoy!

Lessons learned...

As some of you know, today is my 33rd birthday.  My mom had generously offered to go shopping with me and take me (and Jami) to dinner at Seasons 52.  We planned to meet at Perimeter Mall around 3pm Sunday, June 2nd, then made reservations for dinner at 6.  I was going to nurse Adalynn in the privacy of our booth while we chatted and enjoyed our appetizers.  Well, God had other plans!

I wanted to share some of the lessons I've learned from the past two days.  Although, admittedly, some of them are lessons God is continually trying to teach me!

1)  I AM NOT IN CONTROL

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Colossians 3:1

 

As much as I try to be, God repeatedly reminds me that I am not in control!  As I was getting ready to leave for the mall, Gregg said he wanted to check the weather radar.  Storms and heavy rain were predicted, but I continued (in my stubbornness) to insist that Adalynn and I could still go meet my mom.  As I was driving, the rain got heavier and I saw huge flashes of lightening ahead.  I knew Gregg had been right (see #3), but I was already there, so I figured I would go ahead and enjoy the time with my mom and Jami.

2)  BEING A PARENT REQUIRES SACRIFICE AFTER SACRIFICE

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.

Psalm 127:3

This is what I had hoped Adalynn would do in the stroller while we shopped, but she decided not to nap.  Either my mom or I had to push her constantly to keep her from crying.  By the time we got to dinner, she was hysterically crying and wouldn't calm down to eat.  I felt the whole restaurant rolling their eyes at my screaming baby and I felt helpless.  Jami and my mom helped me get her to the ladies room where she FINALLY nursed after much rocking and calming.  I didn't even look at the menu, so my mom ordered me what she was having.  I did get to re-join them eventually and we had a short, but nice dinner!  Then, we headed to the car and it was pouring down rain...I mean pouring!  Our umbrellas were in the car, so my mom borrowed one and went to get my car.  We finally got loaded into the car and headed home through the storm.

In the meantime, Gregg was at home with Zeke who had come down with some sort of stomach bug.  It started before I left, but Gregg and I both thought it was a one time thing.  Zeke had never even thrown up before.  My sweet husband was at home to care for (and clean up after) a very sick little boy.  It looks like we were both learning the sacrifice lesson that day.


3)  MY HUSBAND IS VERY WISE

Gregg had suggested I try to reschedule for the next weekend, but I had my  heart set on a special day with my mom, Adalynn, and Jami.  He knew that, so he supported my decision to go, but he also was not comfortable with it.  He was concerned about the dangerous driving conditions.  He is a cautious man, and I love that about him.

I cannot tell you the number of times I've said, "Gregg is so wise...I should have listened to him," OR even better, "I'm glad I listened to him!"  He has the gift of discernment and I am thankful that he is my husband.

4)  I AM BLESSED

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19

As I sit hear while Gregg, Zeke, and Adalynn sleep (we are all exhausted), I am trying to focus on how blessed I am in the midst of this fallen world.  God protected Adalynn and me as we drove, He allowed Gregg to stay in town, so that I was not going through all of this alone, He gave me an understanding and supportive mom and sister in law, He allowed Gregg to take the day off today to help me, and the list could go on and on.  Zeke has been nothing short of delightful these past two day.  He hasn't complained, and has been so sweet. 

We would appreciate all of your prayers for a complete and speedy recovery for Zeke and protection for the rest of us. 

This year, I'll be deep cleaning bathrooms on my birthday, but as I mentioned above, being a mommy is a sacrifice.  I am blessed to have a loving, involved husband and two beautiful children.  I'm not going to lie and say this is the best birthday ever, but it will probably go down as one of the most memorable!

Blessings to you all!

Love Languages

I have not written much about the parenting struggles we have faced over the past several months.  About halfway through my pregnancy we started to notice a change in Zeke.  He was not the go with the flow, easy little boy he had been since birth.  He became very opinionated and STRONG willed! 

My mom kindly reminded me that I was a STRONG willed little girl.  Gregg's mom told us the story of Gregg literally running out of his kindergarten class the first day of school and climbing up a tree...seriously!  It made the local papers!  So, we are dealing with two strong willed parents.  Why was I surprised that Zeke was suddenly forming his own opinions? 

I sought out advice from mommy friends who were in the same situation or who had been there several years before.  I asked my contact (mentor) mom, Julie, for the book "Growing Kids God's Way."  They all had wonderful advice and offered support, but nothing was changing. 

Julie suggested that the issue seemed to be that he was not getting the attention and love that he needed.  He was acting out in different ways, but that seemed to be the core problem.  She said she needed time to pray about it and would get back to me with some advice. 

It broke my heart to think that he did not feel loved.  I had been trying hard to give him extra attention and quality time.  I remembered "The Five Love Languages" book and how much it helped Gregg and me to show each other love.  Years ago, we learned that I like to receive love through acts of service and he feels loved most through words of affirmation.

I wondered what Zeke's was and thought I'd remembered there being a Love Languages book for children (http://www.5lovelanguages.com/resource/the-five-love-languages-of-children/). 

There was...so I downloaded it and began reading.  The second chapter teaches about the language of physical touch.  As I read it, I began to wonder if Zeke's primary love language is physical touch.  The authors say you can't tell until they are 5 years old, but it seemed to describe Zeke perfectly.

I decided to do a little experiment.  Over the next several days I just showered him with hugs, kisses, high fives, back rubs, etc.  It only took half of the first day to see a HUGE difference!  He seemed much more content, was not acting out, and was much more obedient. 

The pattern has continued over the last several days.  He is not perfect, he is human with a sin nature, after all, but the change has been dramatic. 

I was trying so hard to do "the right thing" as a parent, and I think I failed to truly seek God about what to do.  When my heart was broken, and I was at my whits ends, I FINALLY surrendered it to God.  He quickly provided me with a great resource through that book to show me what to do.

Zeke reminded me that all anybody really wants is to be loved.  God tells us in 1 John 4:8, "Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love."  I had become so focused on my needs being pregnant, then Adalynn's needs as a newborn that I had failed to show my son love in a way he needed to receive it. 

Of course it would be nice to have a child that obeys well for convenience sake, but the reason I should desire for him to obey is because he loves God.  It is our job as his parents to model that love above all else. 

Yes, discipline is necessary.  Proverbs 29:17 tells us, "Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart."  Proverbs 13:24 says, "Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him."

But, when my own selfish desires and needs come before the needs of my children, I am not loving them with the selfless love that God gives us.  I know I will never be a perfect parent (that doesn't exist on this side of Heaven), but I am thankful for the lessons God teaches me along the way and the people He has put in my life to encourage me and hold me accountable.  I am thankful for a godly, loving, supportive husband too.  God is so good!  

Adalynn lately...

I've been looking back through old blog posts from when Zeke was Adalynn's age.  He certainly got a lot more "screen time" than she does, so I thought I'd post a quick video of just her. 

(Remember, if you are looking at this through your email, just look for the blue "Zeke and Adalynn" at the bottom of the email and click on it.  It will either take you straight to the blog or you will be prompted to login with your gmail or blogger account)

Adalynn ~ 2 Months Old

One gown...three generations

I love the fact that my mom is so good at keeping mementos.  She has managed to save the gown that she had her 6 week infant photo taken in.  She had my picture taken in it at about 6 weeks, and we took Adalynn's in it at 2 months old.  I collaged the photos to compare the three generations.  Enjoy!

Another version...