I probably won't get around to posting anything until after Christmas, even though I have a ton of pics and stories about the kids to share.
So we hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and that you will experience the celebration of the birth of Jesus in an amazing way!
Thanks to a comment from my friend Misty that led me to a Bobbly Flay recipe, I was inspired try them again. This time with diced green chilies, a little tabasco, garlic salt, and much more cheddar.
They still weren't the same, but Clark piled his up so high I almost gagged thinking about how much he was eating.
At his request, I'm making them for Christmas Eve dinner that we always have with Pops and Caro. I'll still be tweaking them a little. Wish me luck.
Also, totally unrelated, I'm quitting Monday Musings. Y'all, I'm not disciplined enough to post on a regular schedule. Then I feel like I can't post about really interesting things, like my crazy kids, b/c I haven't done Monday Musings. I'm sure I'll still get deep and too vulnerable with y'all, but just not every Monday. Or every other Monday. Or the random Tuesday.
Cheddar cheese jalapeno mashed potatoes:
- not good with diced jalapenos
- needs lots of cheddar
Next time I'm trying them with a can of diced green chilies and lots more cheddar cheese. I'll let you know...
I've realized something: I cannot control everything.
Actually God has been teaching me this over a period of time recently. But last night was like a breakthrough.
The past two nights have been horrible sleep nights for the kids. Everyone around here is exhausted. Which makes for a very unpleasant two year old.
So, I was already stressed out when Andrew kept crying until finally falling asleep last night at 11:30ish. But when he woke up at 4:45ish and decided not to go back to sleep, I laid in bed thinking and pondering and seething about how I could not possibly make him go back to sleep.
But, I can't control it. I CAN'T CONTROL IT. You have no idea how freeing that actually was to understand. The weight of the anxiety and frustration was gone.
Think about your life. There are so many things we can't control. But even if we understand that fact, do we let all the anxiety about it go? Or do we just keep worrying and wringing our hands?
I'm challenging you to first realize those things that are beyond your control, then let the worry about them go.
I'm challenging myself especially. I mean, I certainly cannot control whether or not an airplane goes falling to the ground, so why do I worry (you know what I'm talking about Michelle)? Or whether Andrew will poop in his potty, or how long Corinne will sleep, or who will become president, or whether or not the Cowboys will go to the Superbowl, or _________________ or ____________.
Just let it go!
What are the worries you're letting go of?
On another note - Clark thinks Boston accents are really funny. So sometimes he jokingly says things with an accent. Well, now Andrew will only say, "cah" instead of "car." And tonight he said "pahk" instead of "park." Ridiculous.
Okay, okay, okay - I'm not the most punctual. And for those tens of you who have been waiting for this post, its sort of lame.
FOOD!
I love food! I could watch The Food Network obsessively if it weren't for Emeril. I do not enjoy his shows. Oh, and Ace of Cakes is kind of obnoxious, too. Unwrapped is another one that I dislike...
The point is, I'm a foodie and long for the day I have a larger kitchen with nicer appliances and (crossing my fingers) a KitchenAid mixer. I will be whipping up food so delectable that Food Network will want me to have the next hit show (in my dreams!)
Well, last night I attended a Christmas dinner with my mom and sisters and aunts, and we had these cheddar jalapeno mashed potatoes - YUM! I'm going to try and make them tonight with our porkchops - it can't be that hard to add cheddar cheese and a diced jalapeno to mashed potatoes, can it?
My mouth is salivating at the thought of them...
Which brings me back to FOOD! I love it!
Here are a few pics of life in general around here:
Andrew's Pumpkin Party at Mother's Day Out
A pretty good shot of Corinne's lower teeth - there are four more on top
bathtime!
We no longer have an infant carrier - Corinne is in a big girl carseatSo, I don't know if anyone noticed that I didn't muse last week, but I didn't.
And today there isn't anything deep that I've worked through enough in my mind to coherently muse about either. Things like how do I reconcile my belief that God is in control of all things, but that there is still sin and free will affecting life as well... or how all of you feel about the persecution of Christians that goes on all over the world and we have it so easy here in America to believe in God... or that praying and reading my Bible are much more like working out than I ever understood before - they require me to be disciplined and do it whether I feel like it or not...
So, today I'm musing about the fact that it is supposed to be, like, 82 degrees and tomorrow 84 degrees! Isn't it November??? Gosh! (said in my most Napoleon Dynamite like voice)
Finally I'm posting pictures of the kids on Halloween. We went the our church for the Fall Fun Fest, where Andrew played games and we met up with our friends for food and general craziness.
King Andrew the Stubborn
Queen Corinne the Radiant (her costume that I made was already falling apart)
the gang of toddlers
the afro wig made another appearanceIts not just for retired men anymore.
Check them out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4-BLATNHWE
But it really made me desire to want to to believe and trust that God could, would, and wanted to answer prayer. This might sound strange because a lot of y'all know that I love to pray and feel burdened to pray for others. But it seems like when it comes to my own life, there is always this sense of distrust or uncertainty when I pray. But reading this book paved the way for the Holy Spirit to change that in my heart and mind.
Hmmm..I'm kind of having that sense that I was just a little too vulnerable... awkward!
I guess I'd just encourage y'all to think about your own ways of praying and what you believe when you pray. Do you believe God is listening, that He wants to hear you, that He wants to answer you? Do you want to know His answer?
Let me know what you think...
Last Saturday we took the kids to the Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch. We met my older sister and her three kiddos. I really like this pumpkin patch, but oh boy! It was so busy and crowded. We really weren't able to get photos of each kid like we wanted, but it was still really fun. I'm hoping Clark will get some sleep tonight on call and we can go in the morning. So there may be a "Take Two."
I apologize to all of you who were checking the blog until late last night holding out hope that my second Monday Musing would be posted. Clark was post-call so asleep most of the day in our room where the computer is. But, TA-DA, here it is:
I was watching Extreme Home Makeover on Sunday night, and they were building a house for a family who has four members suffering from a chronic illness. The mother and all three of her daughters have it, causing them each lots of pain and multiple other symptoms. The oldest daughter has even had multiple surgeries. Because their family was so affected by the disease and because it can be difficult to diagnose, they started a support group for others. It really was an amazing show. But at one point the mother was talking and she said that she wakes up every day thinking to herself, "Who needs me today? Who can I help today?"
Wow.
Here is a woman in constant pain living in an old chicken coop with three daughters, and each day she chooses to focus on being a help to others. I was so convicted! I wake up most days thinking, "How is Andrew going to act today? What are the chances Clark will be home semi-early?"
How much better would my outlook on life and my circumstances be if I spent my energies and thoughts on others - my family, my friends, people I don't even know but who are suffering? And not even that, but isn't this what part of the Gospel and living life as a believer in Jesus and his way of life is about? Serving others instead of yourself.
I hope that I will continue to remember each day to think about who I need to be praying for all day, or who needs an email, or an encouraging card...
Today I'm praying for a friend and her mom and her life plans.
Think about who might need you today.
I couldn't post about the fair (see below) and not include the videos we took of Andrew. He got all hyped up on caffeine and excitement and went nuts! I apologize for the quality b/c it was with our camera and not our camcorder. Also, you may want to turn down your volume. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94WXjxz5DiI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ2Rt1XxMg4
Clark and I took Andrew to the Fair last Tuesday night. A big thanks to Clark's mom, Grammy, for keeping Corinne while we went. It was so fun and Andrew had a great night. It was fun to be able to focus on just him for a little while and watch as he experienced everything. Also, it was truly a night of forbidden fruits - turkey leg, Tornado Tators, Dr Pepper, cotton candy, ice cream, fried coke... wow! Good times for Andrew. Enjoy the slideshow of pics below!
I've been thinking about trying out a new idea - Monday Musings. Its simple really. On Mondays I'll blog about something I've been musing about and hope you'll comment on it. We'll see how it goes. Especially b/c most of the time I have no clue what day of the week it is!
So for the first musing, I've been thinking a lot about fish. To me, fish are one of th
e most brilliant ways that God has demonstrated his creativity in His creation. A couple years ago on the day before one of Clark's big medical exams (was it the MCAT, babe?), instead of him spending the whole day cramming more studying in, we went to the Aquarium. It has all of these different tanks with fish and sea life from different regions of the world. I just couldn't stop oooohing and aaaaahing over how amazing the fish were! So many colors, shapes, sizes... it really was so neat. Everytime I think about God's creativity and how creation shouts his praises and displays His glory, I'm reminded of those fish at the Aquarium.
What speaks to you of God's creativity or His creation?
I've been blog tagged by my friend Christy, so here goes...
MAN TAG:
1. Who is your man? Clark
2. How long have you been married? 5 years this past May 25th
3. How long dated? 4 years
4. How old is your man? 27
5. Who eats more? oooh... probably Clark overall
6. Who said “I love you” first? Me! - after Clark came home from 4 months in Europe
7. Who is taller? Clark
8. Who sings better? um, neither
9. Who is smarter? Clark by far
10. Whose temper is worse? mine
11. Who does the laundry? me, but Clark does his fair share
12. Who takes out the garbage? Clark
13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? me
14. Who pays the bills? Clark
15. Who is better with the computer? we're both pretty knowledgeable, but Clark really
16. Who mows the lawn? Clark
17. Who cooks dinner? Usually me, but Clark will help occasionally
18. Who drives when you are together? mostly me b/c I'm a a bad passenger
19. Who pays when you go out? Clark
20. Who is most stubborn? I don't think either of us is that stubborn, but it would depend on the situation
21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Clark
22. Whose parents do you see the most? I'd say its pretty equal
23. Who kissed who first? Clark, on his front porch after my little sister's really crappy junior high play
24. Who asked who out? Clark asked me to go to the mall with him to buy new shoes and then he asked me to prom on the way there...I can still remember every moment...
25. Who proposed? Clark proposed at our favorite restaurant on a dessert plate - its a really funny and sweet story
26. Who is more sensitive? me
27. Who has more friends? um, me I guess
28. Who has more siblings? me - 2 sisters (Clark has 1 bro)
29. Who wears the pants in the family? Clark, but I tend to run our day to day lives
I tag...Alice, Staci, Lindy, Cari (in all her free time), and Kim
he used to ride in this carseat!
I'm a crazy teething baby!
Seriously, no one told me whether or not I can peep toe shoes through the winter???
Call nights... they cause the night owl in me to come out. It's 12:48 am and I'm not sleeping. No, I'm not putting someone into an induced coma and regulating their heart beats and blood pressure during a surgery. That's what Clark is doing tonight.
I'm drinking a vodka tonic (thanks Carolyn) and thinking about shopping for Christmas presents online. After I look at Target's website for shoes. Can I wear peep toe shoes this winter?
I don't know what it is about Clark not being at home. I have a hard time falling asleep when he's not here. I usually have a glass of wine and read a little then drift off. But so far this month I just can't seem to do it. So, here I am in the absolute middle of the night sipping my tasty beverage and typing a totally random post.
Sorry readers...
Andrew loves music and dancing. Yesterday we turned the full size mirror in our room on its side so he could watch his feet dancing in more space. Today he and I were dancing together and it just became this wonderful moment for a number of reasons.
I think that's where we are. Andrew hasn't woken up and knocked in the middle of the night again. We turned up the sound machines in their rooms louder. And Corinne is, I hope, well on her way to sleeping through most of the night. Whew!
Clark and I have been looking back at video we've taken of the kids since Corinne was born, and Andrew has changed so much! I know I've been blogging and talking about it, but it was strange to see it on tape. Although he is two, we are constantly enamored with him and his personality.
I've also been very convicted lately about how my relationship with Jesus (or lack thereof) will affect Andrew. Clark and I want him to be passionate about the Lord and worshipping him, but have I been showing him that??? The other night as we were leaving a friends house, he saw airplane lights in the sky and kept saying he was afraid of it. I was trying to explain the scripture "For God did not give us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power and love" but ended up just telling him to tell God "I'm scared. Please help me trust you" It was neat to see him change from being scared to thanking God for the airplane and nighttime. This is where I realized, as I have been so often lately, that I let my fears consume me most of the time. I should take a lesson from Andrew and learn to be thankful instead of frightened!
Andrew taking a bubble bath for the first time.
Flying a kite with Grammy.
Jumping into the pool!Tonight we went to Sonic to get dinner. The whole family likes to drink Cherry Limeades. We ordered Andrew one and I was telling him how good it is. This was the conversation in the car:
E: "It's gonna be good. It has cherries. And limes."
C (thinking he's being witty, not realizing what he's saying): "And ades."
Can you get AIDS from a Sonic drink?
E:"WHAT?!"
A: "WHAT?!"
(Huge eruption of laughter)
You must check out this game online!
www.addictinggames.com/cardtoss.html
There was a sweet spot in these last several, long days of toddlerisms - Andrew actually ate a full meal last night for dinner! It was like a tender mercy from God. He almost never eats dinner. But last night he ate all of it! It was great!
(Sorry Heather - no pics of the pork, asparagus, or carrots)
I decided that Corinne's hair is long enough to try putting pigtails in it - it is so cute! It is definitely my favorite way to do her hair. It is rather difficult at times though b/c she won't stay still.
I had just woken Clark up, so excuse the show of chest hair. :)
We've also recently started trying rice cereal. She's not really taking to it very well, although Andrew had a blast trying to feed her.
Finally, a new Morgan post! Sorry there hasn't been anything new lately, but we've been leading busy and not altogether interesting lives.
I did a "photo shoot" of the kids the other day and got some fun and silly pics:
