Shoot...They Got Me.

I've been known to be a gym junkie since I was 16. The weirdest part is I always loved working out at 5:00pm which is "prime time" and super busy...I think mainly because I felt like I wasn't the only one. And of course the people watching was entertaining at times.

And when we moved to our new house here in B'ville last year, I told Jason I was for sure joining World's b/c (a) it was literally about 1.5 miles away and (b) they provided childcare. Fabulous.

But then I found myself not wanting to spend the monthly fees and feeling slightly guilty for putting the kids in childcare 5 days a week while I worked out. Also, we have a perfectly great gym here in our neighborhood. I just have to wait until Jason gets home to go (which can be a challenge during basketball season). Last winter when I couldn't workout with the jogger outside in the day, I would pay $5 to go to World's on the days I couldn't hit our gym.

And since December is Jason's busiest month, I decided to use my free-month pass for this month at World's (I started it at the beginning of this week though!).

The first day was glorious. I did the treadmill for 30 minutes then lifted weights for about 15. No big deal. Didn't feel guilty about the kids being in childcare because it wasn't that long, and they loved it! Lincoln has asked every day this week when we are going to workout - talk about motivation. Ha.

Then today we went slightly earlier than we have been, and I found out at this time EVERY DAY, an instructor takes the 3yo and ups to the aerobics room and does a kid-fit class with them for half an hour! I went over and watched Lincoln in this little class, working out and doing exercises, and thought it was one of the most precious things! They also allowed Noah to go with him today. :) My guilt for leaving them completely left today as I saw how much fun they had in their own workout class and how great it could be for them!

So, World's Gym, your "free-month pass" that I know was geared at me getting to eventually join, is working. I'm usually not a sucker for things like that, but today I kind of got sold. I figure we'll just go at the same time every morning so the boys can work out too.

Oh - and Lincoln has told me 4 times today, "Mom, I had fun working out today!"

Wiseman on the Ottoman

So I'm pretty sure I wrote a similar post last season and if I'm just imagining that, I know I read similar posts by many of you!

Christmas is here again...which is awesome...but I'm finding myself in another quandary of family traditions to set and how to make sure the kids grow up with an appropriate focus. **sigh** And I'm still lost on exactly how to do this.

For instance, this is the first time I've really been creeped out by the old family "Santa Clause is Coming to Town"...
He sees you when you're sleeping,
He knows when you're awake,
He knows if you've been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake????

Creepy.
And then we watched Elf the other night which is all about Believing and some who see to believe and I couldn't help but think of how close some Christmas traditions come to paralleling Jesus Christ, but miss it...
The Polar Express brought about the same thoughts to me too...so close, but obviously without Christ, it's missed.

So part of my struggle with traditions is if I'm going to teach my kids to Believe and Hope, like all the famous classics do, I want them to ultimately believe and hope in Jesus Christ (whom the holiday is all about anyway).

But I also don't want to neglect the fun and my kids' imaginations, either.

Then there's the Elf on the Shelf which seems to be BLOWING up this season in every home. To me it sounds super fun and a great tradition, but then when I think about how it might play out long term, I'm nervous it can be an EXTREME focal point everyday. And this elf is suppose to report to Santa what you're doing? So I'm nervous it can create a sense of "OOH! We need to please the elf today so he tells santa how good we are!"

Again, so close, but sooo off.

Then I thought, what if the Elf brings a piece of the real Christmas story everyday tot he kids and writes them letters about baby Jesus? What if he brings them pieces of the nativity scene?

Instead of "Elf on the Shelf" how about "Wiseman on the Ottoman"? (Totally j/k on that one).

My friend Bethany told me about how she saw an Advent calendar that had a service project on it each day for the kids and parents to do...love that idea!

Anyway, I struggle with how to approach this! Thankfully the kids still aren't that old, but Lincoln's right on the brink of all this stuff.

I, like many of you I know, just want to make sure Christ's birth doesn't get overshadowed by Santa coming, or the Elf watching them everyday, or the presents they get...

So what has worked for you in finding balance with this???? Would LOVE to hear!!!!!!!

Turning 30

This week marks the beginning of the end of my 20's...yup, come Friday I'll be 30 years old. We started the celebrations Sunday with dinner at Hugo's on the Fayetteville square and then some lights-looking, before heading to Amy's house for cake.
It's funny because my gifts from my family all included things to help my "appearance"...a Chi from my mom, a cool Zoe hairdryer set from my sis (mine has been blowing sparks), and gift card for much needed makeup from Kristen. All appropriate for turning 30, I suppose. :)

This week I have a few things planned with friends, the first few Tiger basketball games (exciting!), a Table Mesa dinner in the works, and a dual 30th celebration with Bethany and Brandon in a few weeks.

Here are some pictures from Sunday...it was COLD!!!

Our Baby Girl :)

Most of you know, but to make it blog-official (since I someday plan to print this off as a journal of such), this third little baby growing in my belly is in fact a GIRL.
When my doctor told me this a few days ago at my ultrasound, I just stared at him in disbelief and kept repeating "really?...seriously?...are you sure?...what percentage of certainty?"

It's as if I didn't believe it was even possible...ha. Oh - and his "percentage of certainty" was somewhere between 95-100%. :)

Anyway, that ultrasound was the neatest one I've had so far of any pregnancy. The doctor took his time and just let me looked and awe over this little girl! We watched her for probably 10 minutes and she was super active, moving her hands and feet all over the place, and literally flipping 180 degrees back and forth - it was incredible. It was so clear I could count all fingers and toes! And the biggest blessing of all is that the abdominal wall still looks completely formed. What an awesome blessing and one more thing to add to the thankful list this holiday!

So we're super pumped! I was telling Jason I was a little shocked at how surprised and excited I was finding out it was a girl. I feel like I'm pregnant for the first time all over again. :)

Now, for the more important things in life (totally j/k) - Woo PIG Sooie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And on a Random Note...

Lately...
1. Since I always feel like the Holidays rush up and I find myself frantically trying to slow them down, I decorated Christmas early this year:

No small feet with two toddlers and another one the way. But we got it done. Lincoln is so proud of it all...we had some friends come over yesterday and he took them on a "tour" showing them every piece of decoration. Precious. Along with that, we have "Elf" DVRed and let Lincoln watch it. It's his new favorite (though we learned we're not allowed to call it "Elf"...No. Lincoln says the name is "Buddy".
He has also requested a "little tree" in his toy room. :)
As for Noah? He's only broken one ornament (walked into kitchen with a grin and threw it down - rascal), and has gotten three Christmas-decoration-related spankings. :) We're getting there.

2. My birthday is coming up...30!!! Can't believe it! And my best friend (is that cheesy to say at my age?) is turning 30 a few weeks after me, so CELEBRATION!!! Plans in the making. :) Love her.

3. And speaking of friends, yall, I just have moments where I feel SO blessed sometimes with the friendships God has given me. I am super thankful to be surrounded with some Godly girls (and their amazing husbands, of course) that all share the common goal of serving their Savior. I'm not a "native" here and thought it could be hard to build true friendships, but I was wrong and it's been incredibly rewarding.

4. Cell group girls! Love our 7th graders, and love my fellow leaders. Thankful and humbled to have this position in those girls' lives.

5. Tomorrow we **hopefully** find out our baby's gender!!!! I'll keep ya posted.

6. Lincoln is pretty much passed that "tantrum" phase I was worried about...I mean, he still has them every now and then but I think he must have been going through some other changes those few weeks. Thankful.

7. As of a week ago, I'm done with the first trimester! While I can't say the sickness/tiredness has completely subsided, it has gotten WAY better. I don't need a nap every day, and I have been working out more consistently again (I even ran this morning - which hasn't happened in 2 months!). Loving the return of some energy.

8. Basketball is almost here and I am SO excited! I love getting to hang out with the coaches wives (who are part of that group of friends I'm thankful for) on a regular basis, love chatting with the players' parents whom are awesome, and we're ranked high this year which will be fun!!!

A Beautiful Picture

(**All right Meredith, here's my attempt!**)

In the passed few years, I have been blessed to be a part of numerous "we're having a baby!" announcements and the joys, thrills, and squeals that accompany that. Hearing of a friend's pregnancy has become one of my favorite things (I might go crazy nuts if you tell me, so be prepared).

However, while many of these carry on with no complications, it seems a numerous amount end in tragedy whether through miscarriage, complications throughout the pregnancy, and some in the loss of a child after its birth.

As you read in my post a few days ago, we were possibly faced with these circumstances for a short period of time. And at least as far as we can tell, God has chosen to heal our baby in my belly.

The night we found out our baby was healed (again, as best we could see on the ultrasound), Jason and I got entangled in a discussion of the Psalm 139 verse:

"You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb."

Of all my years of knowing this verse, of reciting this verse, of teaching on this verse, Jason pointed out something I've never pondered:
The word KNIT.

God's living Word says He knit us in the womb...it doesn't say "make", it doesn't say "spoke into being", it uses a word that embodies patient, intricate, delicate, detailed craftsmanship from ONE hand and one tool.

Yall I don't know if that speaks to you about our Maker but it absolutely blew me away that night and created this amazing picture of the detail and design our Father put in each one of us.

I went to bed pondering this and actually had trouble sleeping that night. One of the things that kept being brought to mind were those friends of mine who have experienced tragedy with their children...those that never got to meet them here on earth or got to spend only a short amount of time with them...I began praying for a few specifically that night in the wee hours and I became overwhelmed with this beautiful picture:

Because we live in a world of death, sickness, tragedy...a place where evil tries to dominate and thinks it has won...that sometimes, the knitting process is completed by our Maker in his very lap.

The beautiful picture (that is hard describe) was that of God holding these precious children my friends never got to mother here on earth, in His lap, finishing their knitting, in total perfection and beauty. And how absolutely glorious it will be for the mothers someday to see, meet, and hold the finished project!!

One friend who has experienced such tragedy expressed to me recently how she has struggled with the verse "He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it..." and the feeling of "God, why didn't you complete it in me, but rather took my child before it was born?"

And going back to the above picture, where He finishes the knitting in His lap sometimes, I believe He DOES complete His good work! Again because evil exist in our current world and we're plagued by sin and death, the truth is, I believe He completes ALL His work in Heaven...that's where we are all made perfect...where we are all made anew...where sin and death are no more...

I think this applies to the unborn child and to the 102 year old woman.

This friend and I also discussed the common phrase after tragedy, "Well, you know this all happens for a reason..."
(which I have never been a fan of)
And you know, maybe it's semantics, but doesn't God detest sin, evil, and death? Doesn't He morn with the broken hearted? I think God morns with us at loss and it was never how He intended the perfect world to be prior to sin. But I definitely believe that "What satan intends for evil, God can use for good...". Maybe that's what we should say instead...you know? I just don't think God's "purpose" is ever death or sadness. He can make purpose out of it, but I think it breaks His heart like it does ours. Again, maybe semantics...

Anyway, I am excited to watch my friends unite with their babies for the first time someday...as excited I get about new pregnancies, there will be nothing like watching that scene!

As a side note: A girl in my Bible study yesterday discussed her story of having a miscarriage that I thought was an amazing perspective. She talked about how she went in for a normal doc appointment and found out, surprisingly, she was just barely pregnant. A few weeks later, she had a miscarriage. She said when it happened she was upset and confused and asked "God, why did I have to know! Why did I have to have that appointment and found out? It would have much easier to just have never known!"
Fast forward 12 or so years (I don't remember exactly how long ago it was for her but it was around then), and she said recently she was hit with the thought of now how glad she is she knows...that when she gets to heaven, she knows she has another baby to meet! She told her teenage son about this, and said she was shocked at how excited he was (and mad she never told him before) that he has another little sister to meet someday (she said she always thought it was a girl)! Anyway, I loved that...

Thanks for listening to these thoughts. I hope in some way you can picture the scene God made so alive in my heart that night!

(**Why does spell-check always sugest I capitalize satan's name...I will never.**)

Is This What They're Talking About??

So you forever hear the phrase "the terrible 2's", and upon that arrival of the infamous 2nd birthday, you wince your eyes, brace yourself (maybe crawl into a cave out of fear of that emerging "terrible" child who was once so endearing), and...wait for it...and (for us)...keeping waiting for it...Then when days pass, you take a breath...when weeks pass, you come out of your cave, and when months pass, you wonder "what the heck were they all talking about?"...and you soon move on in happy delight your toddler is just as delightful as he was before he turned two.

Then for us, the third birthday comes.

Nobody talks about the terrible 3's.

And frankly that's the last time I'll refer to it as the terrible...yes, the emotions are trying, but really? Terrible? I think not. Should be the frustrating 3's. :)

Anyway, so yes. I think we might be there? All I know is oh.my.word. over the past few weeks there has been a major increase in whining, defiance, slow obedience, crying, and all out tantrums. What happened???!!!! I was discussing my frustration over these past few weeks with Jason with GREAT concern last night (asking him if he was as concerned), then I realized, that if I talked about these "symptoms" with fellow moms, they'd probably smirk and laugh at with me, then maybe welcome me to their club??
It's not bad all the time, but Lincoln has usually been my more mature, obedient one and yes - I naively thought at one time this naturally strong-willed independent child would magically skip this phase. (I know...chuckle).

So what have we been doing? Jason and I had a "team meeting" (ha) last night to discuss how we were going to consistently handle this to hopefully shorten its length. Some things I have found helpful the past few days have been:

- explaining to him BEFORE we go somewhere (I'm talking anywhere...even down to the store) how the trip is going to go and what I expect out of his behavior. This also includes what the consequences will be if he falls short. Therefore, once we are at the public place, I just have to use short phrased "reminders" to help him stay on track. This has worked...really well the past 2 days.
- Being consistent. If he disobeys or tantrums after he knows what is expected, I follow through with consequences I told him prior. This is a PAIN. He sat in a deserted hallway at the basketball game last night (make-shift time out) while everyone else enjoyed dinner and the game (a pain because I missed too). But VITAL this is followed through, in my opinion.
- At home, if he starts to wine (this almost always turns into tantrum for him now), he either has a choice to talk from a "happy heart" or go sit on his bed until he gets a happy heart.
- And something I started this morning which I felt was WONDERFUL was Lincoln and I started his day with a prayer, asking Jesus to help him with his emotions and to be obedient. He recited his Eph. 6:1 verse and we discussed expectations for the day. And today has been the easiest of all so far in the past few weeks. No spankings or time-outs. This is going to be a part of our daily routine.

So those are a few things that I feel are starting to be helpful with us...would love to hear what you find helpful during this stage!

Another interesting note: his eyes have looked so tired lately with dark circles...no matter the sleep he gets. He has also been crashing hard at nap time, sleeping about 4 hours for the past week, and when he wakes up, he is totally disoriented and usually wakes up in a terrible mood. So not sure if he's in a growth spurt which is aiding in his wild emotions or what. Anyway, have a great day! It's getting COLD here!!!
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