The question asked around the world...

Are you guys trying for a girl?



{sigh}

That question has come to annoy me. Sometimes, if I am being honest it offends me. Why? It's almost as if my three adorable little men aren't enough. Like our family is incomplete due to the missing va-jay-jay. Maybe I am just being a tad bit sensitive or maybe, deep down, I want a little lady to come rock our world. Anyway, I get that question a lot. And while I usually like going into a discourse about how it shouldn't matter if we have five boys or seven girls or thirty elephants, I always say the same thing... Nope. Not right now. We are happy with our boys.

And it 150% true.

One million percent true.

Times twenty.

I can't imagine my life with a girl, now. We are so crazy in love with our little crazy men that I'm not sure we would have room in our hearts for another. Oh, who am I kidding? I know that there's always room. I truly just want what the Lord wants for us. For our family. To be honest... I struggle daily with what that is. I found out that 99.99% of our friends are 'fixed'. Which makes me question if I really want to be done to. I guess it's like everything in life. Whether your 15 or 31 years old you have different types of peer pressure. For me, for our family, we are at a stand still. {Which is okay} Could I possibly love another child like I love these little men? I mean, I didn't think my heart could have love for another baby and my sweet baby {toddlerish} little man has completely stolen my heart? So, maybe the room situation isn't actually a situation.  For now, we are content. What about you? Are you done popping out the babies? Do you want more kids? Are you adopting? I would love to hear YOUR story! 

Toddlers Know A Thing Or Two About Strategery

So, here's the deal, I have been a mom for over 6 years. Which automatically means I can certify myself as an expert {or something like that}. On a side note I will be 21 {plus 10} next Friday which means I am even more of an expert at, well, pretty much everything. The one thing I am beginning to realize is someone forgot to tell this almost 14 month old that his momma knows everything and he should REALLY listen.

This kid has totally ROCKED my little world. Granted, my other two boys were somewhat easy. This oh so special little man has not only began to test his boundaries with me lately but he likes for me to get mad. I am convinced he thinks I am HILARIOUS when I am fuming mad at him. Generally he’s really sweet, so happy, wonderfully well-behaved , but I am seeing lots of conscious defiance.


This part of parenting for me is always hard. I have always been so stern with my older two boys. Although the discipline was different for each one. Brady would have to get the occasional good ole butt spankin. Mason, I could just look at the kid and tell him I was upset and it would bring him to tears. So, in our castle we really try to discipline in a way that fits each individual kid. Then you have my sweet and spicy little Cole. He sees his brothers craziness and wants to join in. Can you blame the kid? Here's the thing, 9 out of 10 times he is just trying to be like his brothers but the discipline part for me comes into play when he doesn't realize that he could get hurt. Did I mention I sweep A LOT. Well, Cole will literally pull the plug out of the wall EVERY TIME I flippin start to sweep. He will start laughing so hard I'm pretty sure he pees in his diaper strictly due to how hilarious he thinks he is. 


Yep, six years of being a expert. Hmm.. Maybe I should rethink the whole "expert" thing. I am learning parenting is STILL such an adventure to adjust and adapt to all of the changes it brings and will continue to bring. It’s going to be really interesting to see how his personality continues to blossom in the coming months. I adore this kid. He is walking/running, and communicating with us in surprisingly eloquent ways. He loves to be LOUD, and has an obsession with pushing things across the floor, and will open mouth kiss on command {still working on the pucker situation}, plus he goes to where my i-pod is and starts to dance just so I will turn on the music. So, really he is pretty much the coolest kid EVER.


I know so many of you are moms who read this fabulous blog and some of you don't have kids but are around sweet little loves all the time... So... I would love to hear more about your experience, and how you navigated this phase of your kiddo’s life.

Patiently. Waiting. Praying. Anxious. {all over a Penis} PART DEUX

My blonde hair, blue-eyed love with Wii controller in hand shouts,"Hey, Captain Whiny Pants go play with sompin."

This little guy has been let's just say a tad bit on the needy side the past couple of days. Maybe because he knows that tomorrow he is having surgery on his "instrument" {as the Urologist called it}. I have heard it called many things but an instrument. Okay?! Remember this post? Well, tomorrow is surgery day. I have to say I was at total peace with it after we went back last week but now... I am getting a little anxious. {sigh} I know. I know. It will be fine. I know it's a ten minute procedure. I know that he has cut over 300 little penis parts this year {ouch}. BUT... I also know that my sweet baby is little, he doesn't understand why he will have an IV. Why all of these strangers will be around him. Why he will be in a little gown and out of his favorite feety pajamas. One day, I know he will be happy that we did this. One day, he wont look at me with tears as they take him into the surgery room. {sigh} I don't know if I can do this. I have no choice. So, I will do it. I will pray. I will pray and then I will pray some more. and I will tell the doctor if he hurts my sweet baby I will cut his penis off 

So, for tonight and tomorrow I will cling to this verse. "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." 
~ Phillipians 4:6

What will your legacy be?

The events of the last couple of months and most recently the news of a good friend who lost her mom last night, reminds me that when we leave this life, we will be remembered by those who knew us for whatever good or not-so-good stands out.   There are some who have a single defining moment in their life that they are remembered by, and that’s it.   There are others who leave a life long legacy by who they believed in, how they treated others and how they loved.

Since my dad passed away in November, it has changed me. I don't know how you can't be changed when you lose a parent.  Even when you know they are with Jesus it still (at least for me) leaves a feeling of heaviness.  One of my girlfriends told me a story about how she heard a random song in her pilate's class and it made her think of her mom (who recently went to be with Jesus). She talked about how she was trying not to let anyone see the tears as she was stretching.  I thought this was such a great story because it is so true.  There are many things you can prepare for but I don't feel like you can be prepared to deal with losing someone. 

Which leads me to what has been so heavy on my heart.... What legacy will I leave behind to my boys? What will they remember about me?  Did I point to Jesus enough to leave a mark on the people that are around me? Will others truly know who I was, what I stood for and who I believed in? 

I know death isn't a topic anyone likes to discuss but it's part of life and the reality is, we aren't promised another minute on this earth.  So, I guess my question to you is.....
What do you want your legacy to be?