Happy 7th Birthday Owen!

I feel like I just wrote my "happy 8th birthday McKay" post yesterday.  That's what happens when your boys are just shy of 17 months apart, and you haven't updated your blog in months!!  Owen turned 7 years old on June 12th, and has a special connection with my grandfather because they share the same birthday.  Each year Owen has several celebrations.  He had a large party with his friends, a family party with my side of the family to celebrate my "Papa" and Owen, another family party with Wess' family, and of course our own immediate family celebration.  I figure you can never celebrate the middle child too much:)  Owen has always been the baby in my eyes, so it is hard to believe he is 7!  He was the smallest of my babies, weighing in at 6 lbs. 15 oz.  To this day he is still the smallest in frame of his two brothers, but don't let his size fool you!  He can do more pull ups than his older brother would like to admit, run until we make him stop, has a set of abs that David Beckham would be jealous of, and has been known to stir up trouble with 4th graders after school.  He can hold his own and one of my friends affectionately calls him feisty!  But, don't let that nickname fool you because he is incredibly sensitive and affectionate.  He loves to snuggle each morning in our bed and LOVES to have his back scratched each night.  He is the sweetest big brother to Chapel and truly puts his needs before his own.  McKay and Owen have shared a room since Owen was 2 years old, and even today they have a hard time sleeping without each other.  He looks up to McKay and wants to do everything he does!  They are both extremely competitive and therefore fight like cats and dogs, but they are each others best friend.  Owen loves to be with Wess and me by himself and have all the attention.  In fact, just the other night McKay and Chapel were with my parents at the lake, and we had the privilege of taking Owen to dinner and spending the whole night completely focused on him.  It was such a joy for Wess and me to have that one on one time with him.  The next morning Owen told me it was his best night ever!  It was one of those priceless moments.  But, it wasn't always that easy.  As a toddler, Owen was very sick with allergies and asthma.  He took 2-3 breathing treatments everyday and never felt 100%.  He was grumpy and rarely smiled, which is documented in pictures.  I worried about him all the time.  After we found a wonderful doctor who truly changed Owen's life, and thousands of prayers later Owen is a healthy, vibrant, thriving young boy.  He is a miracle in my eyes.  We are so blessed and grateful that God healed his sick body.  Today he is confident, healthy, goofy, affectionate, sensitive, selfless, bright, full of energy, compassionate, caring, obedient, loyal, and the cutest, sweetest 7 year old I've ever seen!  I am truly blessed by Owen and I look forward to see how God continues to work in his special life.        

You know you are a boys mom when...

you have your very own dirt bike- yes I said DIRT BIKE!!  Of course I have a pink jersey and helmet to remind my boys that their mom is a girl:)  Sometimes I think they and Wess forget there is a girl living in the house.  I get no sympathy for being deathly afraid of snakes, not being able to catch anymore with McKay because he throws too hard, preferring to use a toilet rather than the great outdoors, and no understanding for how long it takes me to fully fix my hair and makeup.  Of course, sometimes I can't remember the last time I did my hair and put on pretty clothes!  I can't imagine life any different, except maybe the dirt bikes.  The other day the boys went "snake hunting" and I almost broke into tears over the idea of snakes in a trash bag in my backyard.  They looked at me like I was from another planet, and truly did not understand my fear, nor did I understand their fascination with such an evil animal!!  They asked me if I would be happy if they found one, and I almost ruined the whole experience by answering "NO".  Thankfully, I stopped myself and said I would be happy because I knew it would make them happy, but it was not easy for me to respond that way.  God blessed me, because they did not catch a single snake:)  Despite their empty trash bag, Wess said the hunt was a blast!  I feel so privileged to raise these 3 precious boys.  Daily I am reminded how different they are than me, but how important my role is in teaching them the fruits of the spirit- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.

You know you are a boys mom when... you have eye black and big league chew in your purse, you get depressed when you don't have a baseball game, you make bacon and biscuits every morning for breakfast, catching lizards is a daily activity, you picture a baseball diamond in your backyard, and even a dirt bike sounds fun!

The Cowtown

Well, I've barely started my blog and I am already 2 months behind!  Oh well, I am all about NO PRESSURE these days.  Back in February, Owen, Wess, my mom, my sister, and I ran in the cowtown.  They did the 5K and I did the 10K as a soft start to my half marathon training.  We all did great and finished better than expected!  I was most proud of Owen who finished not only among the top in his age group, but also in the top among 8 and under!!  He was truly born to run and has forever inspired me.  We were so proud of him that Wess took him to get a new pair of running shoes after the race.  I think he was more excited about the running shoes than how well he finished the race.  But, as his proud mother, I will always remember how well he finished his first race!

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.