Happy 8th Birthday McKay!

I can't believe my firstborn is so old, although I feel I've been cheated a little because he is the size of a 10 year old!!  I love birthdays with my boys because we have some traditions we all look forward to each year.  Like donuts with a candle waiting for them when they wake up, a night out to their favorite dinner spot, a celebration with extended family with their favorite meal and cake, and of course a birthday party with their closest friends!  I fixed tacos this year (McKay's favorite) and McKay requested a cookies and cream ice cream cake, which I outsourced to marble slab.  He also had a party with his friends, which I have to say was pretty cool.  We took 5 boys to Adrenalina at Willow Bend Mall, which is a surf store with an indoor wave that you can surf on- VERY FUN!!  On their birthdays Wess and I like to talk about their birth story, and all the things we remember about them when they were a baby.  I like to remind McKay how big he was (8 lbs. 15 oz.) and how I pushed for 3 1/2 hrs to get him out!!  I also like to remind him how he was the best snuggler and would lay in bed for hours with Wess and me without making a peep.  He would sit on the bathroom floor for over an hour while I got ready and organize all the bathroom soaps and shampoos.  He was the most calm and laid back baby EVER.  He was such a pleasure to be around, which is probably why we got pregnant so soon with Owen.  We thought babies were a piece of cake!  To this day McKay is still a pleasure to be around.  He never has a bad thing to say about anybody or anything.  Nothing bothers him.  He is tender, sensitive, kind, loving, clueless, loyal, tough, sweet, athletic, clumsy, compliant, and he still loves to snuggle with his mamma!!  He is a follower of Christ which makes us the most proud.  He is more strong willed than we ever thought he would be, but his true love for everyone and everything is an inspiration to me daily.
I'll end with a story about McKay that sums him up beautifully.  About six months ago I had my dining table painted, which I had planned out for weeks.  As soon as the painters left, they told me to make sure no one touched it for a few hours to make sure it dried properly.  Wouldn't you know as soon as they walked out, Owen walked in and immediately put his hands on the wet paint!  I ran over and showed my frustration, but held myself together pretty well.  Not 2 minutes later, Chapel did the same thing and my patience was definitely being tested.  I yelled a little and told them to get away from the table.  As soon as I got them away from the wet paint, and felt like I had avoided a potential disaster, in walks McKay and as he drags his dirty hands across the table he says "mommy why is the table wet?".  I was beyond mad, and completely lost my temper!!  Typical McKay was out in left field while his younger brothers had done the exact same thing and had already been yelled at for touching the table.  I felt bad for yelling but, I was SO upset I had lost touch with reality.  Thankfully, Wess lovingly brought me back to reality and I realized I needed to apologize to my boys.  I sat each of them down and told them how sorry I was for losing my temper, and no table was that important for me to act like that.  When I sat McKay down and begged for his forgiveness, he looked at me in the eyes, put his arms around me and said, "mommy I'll ALWAYS forgive you!"  I am crying as I write this story because it was one of the sweetest things he has ever said.  It describes him so well and reminds me how blessed I am to be his mom!  I love you McKay!!    

Amazing Owen

My middle son, Owen, ran 3.5 miles yesterday without stopping!  I am amazed.  He has been running 1 and 2 miles fairly consistently since this past summer.  Wess and Owen have been sharing this together, and often Owen has woken Wess up early in the morning if Wess forgets.  The first time he ran a mile, we were shocked because he had just turned 6 and he acted like he could've run forever!  Yesterday when he ran 3.5 Wess was truly shocked, and said Owen never hesitated or needed to stop.  Even Wess, who is in good shape, was breathing pretty heavily afterwards.  Before their run Wess set him up with an i touch with his favorite praise and worship songs, and as he was belting out the lyrics he seemed to have extra energy as he ran.  I know music helps me run, so why would Owen be any different?  One of Owen's new years resolutions was to "run more", and he is definitely off to a good start!  He wants some new shoes and so we have told him when he runs a total of 20 miles we will buy him some.  I have a feeling we are going to need to increase that number or we will go broke off new shoes.  Way to go Owen- I am so proud of you!!  

SILLY prayers!

On the last day of the boys Christmas break, they had some of their best friends over to play, David and Ryan Jones.  They had a great time and everything went smoothly until we went to take them home.  David went to put on his shoes and they were no where to be found.  Of course with 5 boys running around in and out of the house, on and off of the trampoline, misplaced shoes is a given.  I assured him they would turn up and put him in some of McKay's and took him home.  But, when several days went by and I had searched all over the house inside and out, even I began to worry.  I called Summer and told her they still had not turned up, but Summer who is always laid back and composed, didn't seem worried.  However, it was starting to consume me.  They had been lost in my house under my watch, actually Wess', and I felt responsible.  He had gotten them just a couple of months earlier for his birthday, and they were not cheap!  Then, a glorious thing happened.  My amazing friend/neighbor TJ came over to visit while we let our kids play.  I was sharing with her the vanishing shoes story, and telling her how I had looked everywhere and how upset I was about the whole situation.  She looked right at me and said "well, have you prayed about it?".  It was more than convicting when I had to tell her no.  In my head I was thinking "that's not really on the top of my prayer list".  But, I quickly realized it should have been on the top of my prayer list.  It had consumed me all week, and I should have modeled to my boys praying without ceasing and nothing is too small for God.  But, sadly I had only shown them worry.  So, we stopped right in the middle of my kitchen and McKay prayed for David's shoes.  Even sweet Essie prayed for the lost shoes.  It was so sweet and I thought if nothing else it gave us all a chance to pray together.  I was very moved and was so grateful for my dear friend TJ who had pointed me to God.  She is a wealth of spiritual and mommy insight, and I feel so blessed to have her in my life.  Within 20 minutes McKay came running in shouting "I found the shoes, I found the shoes!!".  TJ and I looked at each other and broke into tears and laughter.  We were both thinking "NO WAY GOD, SERIOUSLY?!?!?".  It was truly amazing and such a great experience for our kids to see the power of prayer no matter how small.  What probably no one knows until now, is I believe God used the situation to teach ME!  I have no problem praying over big things, but the idea of praying for David's shoes just seemed silly.  Thankfully, God proved me wrong.

"Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you." Jeremiah 29:12
"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

 

Christian Music

I have to confess that I have never been the biggest fan of Christian radio stations.  I know that is terrible to say, but I am being honest.  I love Christian music, especially praise and worship, but sometimes the songs they play on the radio can be a little "cheesy".  When we lived in Abilene, we got a Christian station out of California that was awesome!!  The one here not so much.  However, I was convicted one night when all the kids piled in our bed and Chapel was playing music on my iphone from my playlist.  Owen and McKay knew all the words to the songs by Usher.  It was HILARIOUS.  There weren't any bad words, but probably not the most edifying lyrics for my boys to have memorized.  I have always found it easier to run to Beyonce rather than praise and worship, but God has changed my heart!!  So, I asked my mom to give the boys some Christian cd's for Christmas.  Our favorite one is a kids version of popular praise and worship songs, kinda like those kid bops cd's.  It is amazing how quickly the boys have memorized the lyrics and all have a favorite song.  Even Chapel yells at me from the back to play the "never let go" song!  As I was putting the boys to bed the other night sweet Owen asked, "mommy what does grace mean, like "your grace is enough" from that song we listened to?".  It took my breath away.  The crazy thing is, we talk about grace a lot in our house.  We tell the boys all the time that we are showing them grace when they deserve a spanking or time out!  We've talked about grace before when discussing salvation and I thought they knew what grace meant.  But, it wasn't until a song we listened to in the car with a chorus of "your grace is enough" did Owen ask and open up a discussion of God's grace.  How cool is that?  It was such a wake up call to me to remember how important it is what I and the boys listen to in the car.  As a mom I feel like I do a pretty good job discussing God's truths with my boys daily.  But, it just goes to show that we all learn different ways and Owen needed to hear it through song rather than me vomiting words at him.  There is power in music and I am so glad God used it in Owen's life.        

A New Year!

Happy New Year!  The older I get the faster the years pass by.  I've heard my parents say this a million times, but it really is true.  I feel so blessed to have 3 precious, healthy boys and an adoring husband.  With a new year comes resolutions and new priorities.  My #1 resolution is to do LESS!  Sounds crazy huh?  But, for a mom of 3 boys with crazy sports schedules, and a wonderful group of friends, we find ways to stay busy ALL the time.  So, I want to be at home more spending time with my boys.  I got some great kitchen tools for Christmas and I plan to cook more elaborate meals and learn new things in the kitchen.  Of course, they will be healthy (organic) meals hah, hah!!  But, I'll make sure to cook lots of BEEF for Owen and Wess.  The boys got a lot of great games for Christmas, a trampoline from Santa, and electric "spark" scooters from Meemo and Grandpa.  So, we should have plenty to do.  Also, I am planning to run a half marathon with my mom and 2 sisters in June.  I have never run anything more than a 5K, so it should be interesting.  We are planning on doing the rock in roll in San Diego to make it more enticing!  Wess started a new job with State Farm, so his schedule is changing from crazy, inconsistent hours to a very predictable schedule.  We are both excited to have more of a routine with his schedule and our finances.  I haven't asked the boys what they want to accomplish in 2012, but I am reminded as I write this how important it is to set goals.  So, I will make sure to ask them and write them down.  I look forward to another year with all my boys accomplishing our goals!