Let's Get Real Thursday

One of my closest friends from seminary, who is also a student minister's wife, texted me her "Let's Get Real Wednesday night" last night and she is letting me share it with ya'll today. :) We were pregnant together with our firsts and she now has two beautiful little girls.

Most Wednesdays I wonder why I even bother going to church. By the time I get the girls there, after a long day of school, I am exhausted. Then Lord help us all for the rage of emotions that follow. B is mad that she has to leave church. She is mad because she doesn't get a bath because... oh it's already 20 minutes past bedtime. J screams from the moment I pick her up in the nursery until the second I start nursing her... which is a good hour after I pick her up. B gets mad because she can't rinse her mouth out after brushing teeth 20 times. She has to wait for the ceiling fan to completely stop so that SHE can turn it on. All while J is screaming. And there is no husband in sight because parents seem to think he lives at the church and they don't need to pick up their student on time.

 

I'm so exhausted by the end of "bedtime" that all I want to do is be alone and be selfish. Forget all the dishes, laundry, clutter... It's nights like tonight that make me want to throw in the towel all together on Wednesday nights. ... I love my girls and I am thankful for every second with them and all their quirky behavior. But Wednesday nights take a toll on us all and our ugliest sides usually come out.
 

 

Oh how I can relate to my sweet friend!! We love our kids, we love ministry and we love being ministers' wives... But some days/nights are hard. So glad for ministry friends around the country that we can text each other and vent and laugh and cry together.

 

Let's get real... You have those days/nights.. right!? Hopefully we are not alone in this. ;)  Mothers unite! :)

Let's Get Real Thursday

Let's get real, making friends as we get older is harder. When we are younger we make friends based on similar likes/dislikes, what "clique" they are in (or not in if you were me), sports and/or sports teams, etc. As we get older, I think, we crave deeper more significant friendships. As you become a mom, it can be even harder to make friends, or keep old friends. And it can get even harder if you are a working mom to make new friends... because hello, who has the time!? Am I right?

My friend, Cathy, always says that friends are in your life for a reason, season or lifetime. I never understood just how true that was until we uprooted our lives to move to Texas, then as we entered ministry and again as I became a mom. I would much rather have a handful of some amazing depth-filled friends, framily (friends that are your family) and prayer warriors. And I have come to appreciate and celebrate each friends, whether they be for a particular reason, season or lifetime.

Tony and I have been blessed by some incredible friends in all areas. We are blessed to have people in our lives that cry out to God on our behalf, that love us like family, that love our son as their own.... I am blessed to have some amazing sisters who constantly encourage, uplift and point me to the cross.

I have had friends in my life that were for a reason. To help me get through a particular chapter or crossroads, or were going through the same things as us. Friends for a season of life.... Seminary friends (some that will be lifelong), momma friends, high school/college friends. Lifetime friends are a treasure though. Those are the ones that you can live thousands of miles apart and still pick up right where you left off with with every phone call and/or visit. Those are the ones that you know are praying for you and your family, even if you haven't gotten to talk in a month.

There is a group of us from our high school youth group (and spouses) that we have kept up with and get to have a reunion with each one's weddings. We hope to be able to have yearly (lets get real, every other yearly) reunions together and have our kids run around. We have ministry friends from different churches, all of us moving to different parts of the world, that we keep up. Tony has a few good men that he calls weekly/monthly to catch up with and pray with. There are seminary friends that text each other and pray with each other. I am making some amazing friends here at work during this season that are ministering to me and encouraging me. Groups of momma friends always ready for texts for prayer, advice, vents or laughs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I praise God for how blessed we are with all our friends from each reason or season of life. How about you.... Do you have a few good friends? Do you have a hard time making new friends like I do?

 

*Not all friends pictured.... do not be offended if there is no photo evidence of our amazing friendship :)

Toddler Weekend

Sorry I was MIA last week - I was sick all week and ended Thursday going to the Dr. and getting a Z-pack. Then Friday we kicked off the weekend Grayson's 2 year check up. I was so relieved that this appointment required no shots as Friday also kicked off Tony being gone all weekend.

Sitting in the waiting room I was reminded how much Grayson loves babies! There was a little baby that he would not leave her side -- I don't think he likes being an only child ;)  The mother thought it was hilarious and even asked if she could take his picture with her daughter! When the baby started to cry, he ran over to me very concerned and told me "Momma! Baby cwying!"



Everything went great. He is still really skinny, but nothing we are worried about. My little string bean is 28lbs and 38in tall! The Dr. was very pleased with his development and told me we got a smart little one - Yes, I know... Smart and strong willed. Perfect combination. ;)

 

Tony was gone for a middle school boys retreat and I was alone with Grayson and his buddy, Cole. I had volunteered to watch Cole (21 or 22 month old) (part of our family!) this weekend - knowing full well that Tony was going to be gone. How bad could 2 toddlers, 2 and under be!? haha.

Actually, it wasn't that bad at all - these two boys LOVE each other and had so much fun being together! Grayson was so excited and giggled the whole time having a friend in the backseat!

The weekend started out great! My friend and staff wife was husbandless as well on Friday night, so we got the kids together and went to Chuck E Cheese. It was great and the boys had so much fun! I'm so thankful for my friends' kids (who were a little older) shepherding and helping with the boys!

 

 

Unfortunately, that night I was woken up at midnight to Grayson throwing up in bed... And then 2 other times. :(  He seemed fine Saturday all day except for some diarrhea... So we played it safe and stayed home and played.

Grayson taught Cole how to jump off/on furniture (sorry Erika!)

 

 

All in all the boys were GREAT and it wasn't too hard being alone with two toddlers - but it would have been much easier, had I not been sleep deprived and done 3 loads of pukey laundry Friday night.

 Sunday Grayson's diarrhea had gotten much worse and I had to stay home with him from church... But Sunday night we thought it was all better and he finally got down some soup and crackers. But this morning as I was about to leave for work, Grayson threw up all over! :( So my boys are home today doing lots of cuddling and pedialyte.  Please pray with me that Grayson gets better quick (he's been sick and not eating since Friday night) and that Cole didn't catch it!

Wintery Weekend - part 2

Sunday was our Christmaspalooza for our students at church and it was SOO much fun!!  We started in the morning and all went and saw the movie Frozen (oh my word - so cute!! Cannot wait to buy it!). Tony and the student staff team has been planning and working so much for this event - it was so great to see it end successfully!! And what a load off now that it is over! :)

We ended the event with some snow and sledding! The students went crazy over snow and it was soo funny to watch them all play in... shaved ice!

While we were off with big kids playing all day, my sweet friend watched my sweet boy all day for us! I think he had as much fun as we did playing big brother to baby Josiah! So thankful for sweet friends that are Framily here in Houston!

Thanksgiving weekend of Thankfulness!

What a weekend! We had an absolutely blessed Thanksgiving weekend! It truly was wonderful and I'll have to have a couple posts to tell and share pics all about it!

This year was our second year to spend Thanksgiving with close friends here in Houston.  They have a little boy Grayson age and they are best buds - we are starting some sweet, new traditions with them as our framily (friends that are family) and I'm excited for years to come! So thankful for this framily and what they mean to us! Thankful they invited us last year to thanksgiving as we have no family here and that we are making it a tradition.  This year we all went to the Houston Thanksgiving Parade and then relaxed and played all day long - it was absolutely wonderful! I'm thankful for Grayson's friend and how well they play together! Thankful for the friendship we have in this sweet couple. Thankful to get to walk through the same life chapter together. We are blessed.



The boys had so much fun tearing up the place! :)

 

 

 

All bundled up at the parade!

 

 

 

Tomorrow I'll share all about the rest of the weekend when Nana & Papa visted! ;)