family pic

family pic

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Happy Birthday Kydon

"I..think...I'm.....gonna......pop"
(after birthday cake with mamaw and papa black in indiana)

The birthday cake I made for him
Tuckered out after birthday festivities




Today my sweet little squirt turned a year old. He has been a joy to me and his brothers. I keep thinking what a lucky little boy he is to have two older brothers that love him so much and look out for him. I was just thinking today about what a great blessing he has been in my life. The start of my pregancy with him marked alot of trials in my life, but God knew what He was doing. I knew that he was going to be a blessing in the midst of chaos. I look back with dissapointment that the labor/hospital visit and newborn phase wasn't the way I wanted it to be, but Kydon was a great joy in the midst of my hurt. I would just look at him and my heart would swell and naturally bring a smile to my face. Now I know that joy can be found in God alone, but He knows that sometimes we need an extra blessing, and Kydon was that extra blessing.








For those of you who read my last post, this next paragraph might be a bit of a shock to you.... are you ready....








This morning I sincerely praised the Lord for Kydon being a handful. The youngin doesn't sleep, is super needy, and is ALL over the place getting into EVERYTHING! I know you are thinking, she must be one of the christians who constantly have a smile on their face and deny pain because they think it makes them more spiritual, saying, "my life if falling apart, but praise Jesus". Nope, not me I hope. I've realized that if Kydon was sleeping, I would have a hard time getting out of bed. If he wasn't all over the place I would be sitting around, not functioning very well. If he wasn't so needy, I would totally be focused on me and wouldn't be thinking outside of myself. So I can honestly praise God for using him to keep me going.








Now don't get me wrong, in the midst of a hard day, I still pray and beg God to make things easier, but in retrospect I can look back and praise Him. We don't always see God's plan, but isn't it encouraging and exciting when you can look back at your life and see how He was working? So, with all that said, I would like to wish my little man a very happy first birthday.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

A glimpse into my night


So this week has been exhausting to say the least! A few weeks ago I was thinking about how I have been pretty healthy this winter, then boom. I came down with a cold last weekend and a stomach bug on Monday and now it is thursday and I'm still nautious and congested. To top it off my...ahem... sweet, precious, sick, NEEDY 12 month old Kydon hasn't been sleeping. He is cutting teeth and has a runny nose. Now this sweet child has never been a good sleeper.... AT ALL, so I have been trying to let him cry it out. This is how it went down


9:00- Lay Kydon down, who quickly stands back up and cries at me and the older boys who do family devos across the room


9:30- all are asleep


10- Kydon is screaming


10:30- all are asleep


2:00 am- Kydon is screaming, me " I will not go in there. This will be worth it."


2:30 am- Still screaming, me "ok, I've done this for a week now and its not helping. What is wrong with this child?? Well, he is teething and has some boogers. He'll get tired and go back to sleep. Yes, its been 1/2 he's gotta be exhausted"


3:00 am- still screaming, me "I WILL NOT CAVE. But he's going to wake up the boys. Quinton's got school in the morning and is going to be so tired. Maby they are still asleep. Yes, they're asleep, they would have come in here if they were awake."


3:30 STILL screaming, I hear Quinton in the other room saying,


"Kydon, it's ok. I'm am here. Carter is here.... God is here"


Carter realizes that Quinton is awake and quickly starts talking to him, but Quinton is shhhing him because what he said made Kydon quit crying.


4:00- Screaming resumes and both boys are in bed with me. Me, "Seriously, his gums can't be hurting that badly, and they are just boogers. He needs to toughen up. Why me? Why do I have to have a child that doesn't sleep? I NEED my sleep. Everyone elses babies sleep at night. People don't understand how hard it is to function when your child isn't sleeping. This is too hard. I can't do this.


4:30- SILENCE, but now I can't go back to sleep!


5:00- I decided to take a hot bath, do my devos, and just get a head start on the day. Then...


5:30- Screaming, I get Kydon, feed him and he falls asleep on my bed, so now I am in my full size bed with all three boys asleep in it!


6:00- I slip out of bed and still have enough time to take my hot bath and read my Bible before tackling the day ahead of me, and I read


"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”


I prayed and told the Lord what my burden was. My physical exhaustion, discouragment, and emotional defeat. I envisioned myself dropping a bag of bricks at His feet in exchange for His rest.


After that I managed to get ready, drag the kids out of bed, take Quinton to school, and God graciously let me have a 1/2 hr nap. He gave me the strength to take care of the kiddos and I even got the dishes done. I won't tell you about the rest of the house, but I am quite proud of my clean kitchen :)

Friday, March 11, 2011

Road trip!




As some of you know, the boys and I recently have returned from a trip to Indiana, where we
surprised my mom for her 50th birthday. Several of you have told me that you don't know how I do it... driving 10+ hours, by myself, with three children ages 5 and under. Well, folks this is how its done...


Because I was making the cake for my mom's party, the day before consisted of me preparing her cake. Midnight hit and the last thing I wanted to do was clean my kitchen, but how awful would it be to return to a mess of a kitchen?!...so I cleaned it until the wee hours of the morning. I hadn't packed yet because I had spent every spare minute during the week working on cake orders, so I decided to make a list and then get some sleep.



Of course I planned on leaving at 7 am or before, but alas, that never happens! I woke up and packed (which was very difficult because I had to figure out where to put the cakes in the car!) and we were ready to leave at 11! Quinton was sad about missing wacky tacky day at school, so he
decided to celebrate it in the car and Carter was thrilled with that idea. I go out to the car, where they have been sitting and buckled up for the past hour, to find them with different pairs of shoes on and mismatched clothes. I decide that its not worth messing with, but did put my foot down on their begging for me to dress wacky as well. I put Kydon in the car, but then realized that it is already time to feed him again because I took so long packing, so I head back into the house, feed him, decide to give him some benadryl, and hit the road.

First stop, 20 min. into the trip, Mcdonalds....mommy NEEDS some... ahem...LOTS of coffee!



Now this part I credit to all the people praying for us and our trip... 2nd stop, 4 HOURS later! With no previous warning Carter yells, "I got to go potty! I can't hold it... its coming". I find an exit, and of course its one where you have to drive a mile down the road to get to the gas station. We find it and he has already had an accident, so I go ahead and feed Kydon in the car before we go in. As we are going it, I realize how AWFUL we look. I have no make up on, food on my pants, my children are wearing different shoes, one has a big wet spot on his pants, and Kydon has his teeting biscuit smeared all over his face and shirt and has leaked out of his diaper. I let the boys pick out a snack, buy gas, change their clothes, avoid all eye contact, and leave.


Remember we had mcdonalds for lunch...guess what was the only restraunt on this exit...yes, Mcdonalds. Quinton informs me that he feels like God is telling him not to eat at Mcdonalds. HAHA, well, I didn't want to get in between him and the Holy Spirit, so we got off on the next exit and ate there.


After that whole fiaso we drove for 4 more hours, interrupted by Carter saying "I have to go potty now. Ahhhhh, I can't hold it." I swerve onto the next exit, but was once again too late... grrr. (Rabbit trail time.... Now I know that you shouldn't get on your child for having accidents...and I don't, because I don't want to shame him.... but that time we did have a little talk. Mommy's gotta have a warning or something). We go in, avoid all eye contact, change, get gas, and hit the road once more.


Now we are in Indiana. The end is in sight, but it is the longest hour of my life (ok maby second to the last hour of my labors). Carter is asking me when are going to be there, what sign are we looking for, etc. We finally get to the town and my dad calls to tell me a shortcut to get to my grandma's house where we are staying. I turn down the road and her house isn't there. He has me back up, go down another road...still no grandma's house. At this point I really don't care about the "shortcut". He is still talking me through this shortcut, while I'm driving the "long" way and I just tell him that I found it. I love my dad, and lot of times will humor him and give into his ideas and "shortcuts", but alas I NEEDED to get out of the car.


9:30 pm we make it to grandma and grandpas :) Was it worth it you ask...yes indeed it was :) More to come later about my mom's party :)