Friday Felicities

• Going to the Post Office with three children
• Having oldest child accuse you of child abuse by telling a woman in line that I make him throw away ALL of his baby brother’s dirty diapers…and they STINK.
• Having middle child tell a woman that she needs a boyfriend after learning she had no brothers growing up.
• Being able to lock baby into his seat…that way he can’t go anywhere…how I wish I could still do this with the older two.
• Having a baby who’s still too young to speak, b/c who KNOWS what else those poor people at the Post Office would have been privy to otherwise…

You would think…

Oh you would think that life would be awful with less than $100 in the bank at all times. You would think that life would be awful when I hardly ever see my husband anymore. You would THINK that life would be awful when you can’t get a full night’s sleep and don’t see it happening in the next 18 years…

You would think.

But, I have a hope.

It reminds me of a song we sang when I travelled with my college:

I have a hope
That will never fade away
It’s alive in me
Living day to day

I have a hope
And my hope has a name
His name is JESUS!

Praise God He’s put this hope in my heart that there is relief on the horizon. I’m not sure when it will come or in what form, but He has proven faithful time and time again and I just have to rely on that hope.

But friends, you’re not in the dark, so how could you be taken off guard by any of this? You’re sons of Light, daughters of Day. We live under wide open skies and know where we stand. So let’s not sleepwalk through life like those others. Let’s keep our eyes open and be smart. People sleep at night and get drunk at night. But not us! Since we’re creatures of Day, let’s act like it. Walk out into the daylight sober, dressed up in faith, love, and the hope of salvation.

~I Thessalonians 5:4 (The Message)

Monday, Monday

Monday is a new day…a new beginning…you don’t have to wait for a new year, a new piece of paper, a clean slate…just wait for Monday. Why do we always push everything off? Heh…this is coming from the QUEEN of procrastination. BUT…BUT…I have a secret.

This queen is changing her platform. That’s right!! I posted about my goal towards organization this year but today I finally put my PLAN into action. Anyone who struggles with procrastination knows how difficult it can be to actually DO it.

I was the student who waited until Sunday to start the science project that was due Monday morning. Yet, I am a functioning procrastinator. My waiting until Sunday got me 3rd place in the school science fair. One year I actually competed in the county wide fair…I don’t remember if it was the same year or not, but I can guarantee you it was a project that took me about 3 hours to do…heh.

I was the student in college who pondered themes and rolled ideas around in her head for term papers, only to spend an all nighter the night before the paper was due. You can bet those papers got at LEAST a B. In some ways it’s a gift. I don’t waste time doing something and then deciding later I don’t want to do it that way.

But, mostly, it’s a hindrance. It keeps me from getting things done on a daily basis. I’ve been making lists, creating schedules, scouring organizational themed websites…all in the name of creating ideas of grandeur. But no more. OOOOHHHHH NO MORE!

Here’s the before pics:

Here are the afters:

Not 100% better, but at least it’s clean 🙂 We’re having some major space issues that will be resolved once I get around to doing a thorough clean out…

So…there you have it…nothing a little listy and some good friends to hold me accountable can’t handle 😉

My baby’s growing TOO FAST!!

I think I expected this last baby to stay an infant forever. I truly did. I don’t want to see him crawl, I don’t want to hear him talk. I just want to snuggle him forever 🙂 Ok…on MOST days I want that 🙂

Guess what he did Saturday night? He rolled over…

Yep…only 8 weeks old and he’s already rolling over. Not EVERY time, but if he gets mad enough he flips right on over. I’d have thought it was a fluke, but he’s done it several times since.

*sigh* They grow up too fast.

Jackson Reed!!

I don’t know if I posted his middle name earlier or not…but we had to change the spelling. Well, we didn’t HAVE to, but had the hubby and I discussed it before the day he was born we would have saved ourselves the trouble 🙂 I assumed we would spell it Reid (I WAS the one to come up with the name..heh) but I was in the shower when they came in to do his baby pictures. Because we didn’t discuss the spelling, Mike had assumed it would be spelled REED. So that’s what he told them and instead of worrying about it I just went with the alternate spelling 🙂

As for his birth story…This baby is amazing…can I just say that? He was born on November 16, 2007 at 1:49 pm. The Monday morning before he was born, I went to my final OB appt. We had been keeping a close eye on his size since my belly was HUGE and my doctor thought he was going to be a ginormous baby. My doc was ready to induce me that DAY…I however really wanted a natural experience with no drugs and since I hadn’t been having regular contractions, I wasn’t ready to do that.

He informed me that he didn’t want me going past my due date b/c of my size. So we settled on that Friday (one day past my EDD)since he would be on call. Sure enough I went in Friday morning for my induction. I arrived at 7:45, had my water broken at 9:00, they gave me a chance to go on my own for a couple of hours and after no change started the pitocin around 11am. As SOON as they started the pitocin things started moving QUICKLY. I think I was really making my nurse nervous b/c I like to rock when I’m in labor. I was standing through most of my labor rocking back and forth while Mike held me. My sister was able to be there and she said we danced all morning 🙂 I rocked until I was around 9cm and then got back in bed where things happened VERY quickly.

We started taking bets as to when he would be born…everyone but me thought it would be after 2:30…I said 1:45…he was born at 1:49 🙂 I won!! heh

Anyway, while the doctor was delivering him, Jackson’s cord RIPPED! I had never heard of this happening before. My doctor said he had seen it happen, but it had never happened to him. The cord was lightly wrapped around Jackson’s neck and was surprisingly short as well so the doc didn’t realize it when he was trying to get the cord off his neck. I’ll spare you the details here but it was rather bloody 😉

The cool part of all of this…BESIDES the fact that I was blessed with a healthy pregnancy, delivery, and baby for a third time…my delivery nurse’s husband is the pastor at a church our church helped get started. My mother/baby nurse was a girl I grew up with in youth group!! He had me completely and totally surrounded by amazing CHRISTIAN people and I was so blessed.

So that’s my story. Baby Jack was born a healthy (but SMALL…heh) 7lbs. 14 oz…definitely smaller than the 10 pounder we were expecting…he’s my ONLY baby that was under 8 lbs 🙂

So without further ado…another picture:

New Year…New…Me?

HAHAHAHAHA!!! This title totally cracks me up…why, you ask? Because I KNOW me. Several of you who truly know me will soon be laughing once you read what this post is REALLY about.

But guess what?

I’m getting organized. Alright, alright…stop laughing. Seriously truly I am. I’m tired of living my life scrambling around trying to get things done. It’s not conducive for happy kids, for a happy hubby, and especially for a happy ME. I don’t like that I procrastinate. Really, I don’t. Yes, I have totally procrastinated HERE and I plan on changing that as well!

First I’ll give you an update on my crazy life…Jackson was born! Haha! He’ll be 8 weeks old this Friday! He’s growing like a weed and as soon as I’m done with THIS post I promise to do a post dedicated to his birth story. I promise…it is a really good story and one of which you will totally see how God held my hand…

Anywho…

Back to the organizational stuff…

I am planning on doing something organizational HERE on my blog once a week. My friend Dana is doing a special blog each week devoted to this:

1. How do you want to feel this week? What is one action you can take?

I want to feel satisfied. Satisfied with myself that I accomplished at least SOME of my goals. What action? Just do it. I like to OVER plan sometimes, almost to a fault…I have to stop that.

2. Identify one time waster you can decrease.

Heh…definitely the computer.

3. You are enough. Write down 5 accomplishments from today.

Well, I haven’t really done MUCH today…BUT here’s my goals:
a) Do my daily chores

b) Clean the office

c) Clean the boys’ bathroom

d) Clean MY bathroom

e) Vaccuum the entire house

4. Calm yourself down with deep breathing during stressful situations.

I’ll remember that…thanks…heh

5. Make a list of things you would like to finish up from last year.

Organize the laundry room
tile the kitchen
organize the boys room
get bookshelves for the boys room
organize art supplies in the dining room

6. Do one task that has been on your to do list since 2007

I’m hoping THIS WEEK to get the boys room completely DONE! Well, minus the detail painting…we’re going to paint some coral and a shark on their wall…and I still need to get my sis’ surfboard from her…we’re going to hang that on their wall…OH and I still need to buy them new bedding, but that will have to wait.

7. Do something you are passionate about

I haven’t played the piano in AGES…I’m going to be sure to do that this week.

So that’s it…not too bad, right?

I’ve also decided that I have to set goals for myself. Having a new baby that is constantly eating and needing me, I can’t possibly get it ALL done and be the mom that I need to be to my children. SO…I have set goals that I expect of myself and what gets done, gets done. Besides the daily chores, whatever I DO get done is more than I was getting done before…right?

So here’s to a new year and a new ME! MUAH!!