Sweaty Blessings with Absence

Last week was interesting to say the least. My hubby left on Saturday to go on a missions trip.  This is the first time I have had all 3 of my lovelies all by myself for more than a full day. I do not envy single parents with multiple children. I have a ton of respect for those raising their children on their own. Whether it is for life or for just a time. I was beat. When I put the kiddies to bed, I put myself to bed too. I have never hit the coffee pot more frequently.
So trying to get places on time have been so hard. My eldest just does not see the urgency. Starting with Sunday. It was my first full day of just me and the kids. And wow, I don't think I have ever been so stressed out. I didn't think that Sunday's are supposed to be stressful. Trying to get out the door with all three kids on time, to the church, in the door, drop off each kiddo to their class, and get through the door on time proved to be stressful and exhausting!  By the time I sat down I was sweating. Ew. Sweating in church. Blah. When I got home, I decided I wanted to call my hubby and tell him to get his tail back home ASAP. That's what I wanted to do. Instead what I really did was fix lunch and make everyone lay down for a long nap, including myself. I am pretty sure my kids were tired of watching me run around like a crazy lady. Because we all went to sleep pretty quick.
Monday I locked us all up inside the house and decided not to move. Plus there was a heat advisory out there that I, in no way, wanted to participate in.  But oh no...I forgot that I have to somehow get my son to his 2nd ever Tae Kwon Do class ON TIME with twin girls in tow by myself.  Hmmm...  I love Master Yoo's Tae Kwon Do School and the instructors, BUT the space is super tight and limited to those watching their children learn to punch, kick and say HI YA.

 So just imagine me trying to get my son in the door, get his shoes off, pick up his attendance card, all while arm wrestling two car seats with not-so-light-anymore girls.  Sweating...again.  And we were late to class.  sigh.
Tuesday I was a little more on-top of things.  I knew that later in the week my dad wanted my son to go spend some time with him and to attend his church's VBS program.  HALLELUJAH!!!  So I had to get my boy to another class with Master Yoo.  In the middle of my preparations for the day, I got a phone call from my pastors wifey.  She said she wanted to come and watch my kids for me.  WHAT?  Watch MY kids for ME?  She said her week was pretty busy, but she really wanted to help me out.  So we planned for Thursday morning, so that I could go grocery shopping and maybe hit up Starbucks by.my.self.  (who has RARELY heard of doing things by.my.self in the last 4 years).  After being all hopped up on excitement for my by.my.self. Thursday morning, I got everyone in our ride and over to Master Yoo's ON TIME!  whooo hooo mark one up for momma!  I still ended up sweating by the time I sat down with the girls to watch my son get another strip of tape on his little white belt. but darn it, I made it on time.  This was good sweat.  When I went to bed that night I checked my messages and found one from my cousin who lives up north of us.  She offered to watch the girls so that I could take my son to the zoo where they live!  WHAT? Really?  Yes, please!  
Wednesday was AWESOME!  We took our little road trip up north and my son and I had a blast at the zoo.  I am pretty sure the girls loved spending time with their cousins, because they got loads of attention and lovin's.  Sure my son and I were super sweaty after walking around in the hot sun all day, but it was worth it!

Thursday couldn't have been any sweeter.  My pastor's wife and their youngest daughter came and took over the house for me.  I ran out of the house with my breakfast in hand and scarfed it down on the way to Costco.  Unfortunately, I wanted to get so much done in a short amount of time that I once again found myself getting sweaty

Friday I just hung out with my girls until it was time for me to go to work.  My mother in-law graciously agreed to coming and staying with the girls after she got off of work.  

Saturday I got up early and went to work again with my mother in-law watching the girls.  The rest of the day was spent cleaning and relaxing.  
Sunday was a big day.  I had to get up to my dad's church to watch my son's VBS performance.  And I had to pack everything I would need for the girls for the entire day.  So I got up early again and got everything in the car, got myself ready, the girls ready, breakfast down the hatches, and on the road.  ON TIME!  Whew.  I thought, for an easily distracted 4 year old, my son did a great job with his songs and the motions to the VBS songs.  

Afterwards there was a carry-in lunch that was fantastic.  We rested a bit at my dad's and then went up to snap a few pictures of my grandmother's RV that she wants to sell.  Then we headed to my brother's for dinner.  While waiting to eat, we all took turns riding or driving the go-kart they have.  I think I swallowed a bug.  Before I knew it, it was way past time to get home.  I knew that I would be super busy on Monday, preparing the house for dadda's arrival.  

Monday was the day that dadda was coming home and we were all excited!  We were going to pick him up at 4 pm.  I got the message that he just landed and then shortly after that, I got a phone call that the airline had lost their whole groups luggage!  Grrrr.  You would think after paying so much stinkin' money to fly that they could at the very least not lose your luggage.  I mean, what is up with paying for your luggage, if they are just going to lose it?  So the 4 pm arrival time turned into more close to 5 pm.  But nevertheless we were still just as excited to have the absence of the head of the house once more filled.  I have never been so happy to see my hubby with the exception of on our wedding day.  I loved watching our son jump into his arms and get a huge hug and kisses.  


I could have been bitter that my hubby was leaving me and our 3 kids for a little over a week.  But I didn't have time.  What with getting sweaty taking care of three kids and being showered with blessing from friends and family.  I really think that absence makes the heart (and my headaches) grow fonder. 

Time is flying

I remember when I had my first baby and people would tell me that I needed to cherish the time that they are babies.  I thought, 1st of all why are you telling me what to do?  You aren't my mom.  And second of all, why do I need to do that?  Then after my first born was walking and talking I thought to myself,  ohhhh.  Now I see what they meant.  The baby phase does not last long at all.  In fact, it flies by.

With M (my first born), we pushed him to roll over, crawl, walk, talk.  We pushed him to do it all.  With my girls (yes, I have two of them), I really haven't been trying to push them to do much.  I am trying to absorb their baby phase.  And I am realizing without pushing them, they are doing just fine.  And I can't stop them from growing up in front of my eyes.

I am blessed to have two beautiful baby girls, who each now have two beautiful baby teeth.  Teething with two really hasn't been that bad.  They both seem to be very easy going with a few hiccups along the way.

S & A

They are precious girls and I can't imagine life without them.  Teething and all.

~ Selena

Sweet Sunday: Mother's Day

I'm a little late getting to this post.  Seeing how it is already Wednesday.  Oh well, better late than never, eh?

My Sunday was filled with A LOT of emotions.  Don't get me wrong, it was a great day.  I just felt like I was riding the roller coaster of emotions.  Sunday, as most of you know and celebrated, was Mother's Day.  A day to honor the hard working and loving mother in your life.

My day started with not wanting to open my peepers.  I was not looking forward to the day.  But some sweet kisses from my son had me up.  He said in his most quiet voice (which I don't hear very often), "Good morning momma.  Happy Mother's Day."  How could I resist that.  He left a card beside my pillow and flew out of the room.  Next it was my hubby who came in and left a box.  I got up slowly and examined the presents left beside me.  I opened the envelope my son left and was excited as I read the outside.  It was a sweet card...

Doesn't this look nice?  A nice relaxing bath. ahhhh

I should have known...

darn.

But what was inside the card sort of made up for the fact that I wouldn't have peace and quiet for a while.  I got a Hobby Lobby gift card.  :-)  For all my little Artsy Fartsy projects lately.

I also was blessed to get a gift from my hubby.  It is called Two Together from Willow Tree.

Two Together

I opted not to go to church because our baby girls are a little under the weather.  So I got to rest a bit more and have some girl time.  When the boys got back from church, I was presented with a beautiful rose and a marigold that my son planted in a paper cup.  Next, our plan was to find a place we could actually sit down and eat relatively quickly, then go to visit my hubby's mom, go pick up our bikes from storage, visit my mom, and finally visit my dad.  So we decided on Paradise Bakery and we ran into my hubby's family there!  We got to eat a great lunch and spend time with my MIL. It was so nice!  Two for one!  After lunch we picked up our bikes and headed to the cemetery.  I was not looking forward to the visit.  Upon arriving at the cemetery, I got a carnation for Mother's Day.  Which did not really make me feel any better about what we were doing.  I am so new to this and wasn't sure what I should be doing or thinking.  Although what made me feel just an insy weensy better, was that a lot of other people decided to visit their mom's too.  As my hubby stopped and parked the car, I took a deep breath, gathered myself, and shoved the door open.  I made the walk to the place that my mom's body is now resting.  It was like I had tunnel vision.  I had to focus on what I was doing or I was going to lose it.  I knew, before coming, that there would be flowers there.  I had talked to my dad the day before and he mentioned going to see mom.  So the flowers were there he placed out and some tulips were there too.  To this day, I am not sure who put the tulips there.  I cleaned up around her and my dad's marker.  Picking up petals and putting new water in the vase.  I placed my rose and carnation that I got early that day in her vase.  And then I stared.  I remember my hubby praying with me, but I have no idea what he said.  It was not until I heard my son asking my hubby questions that I came out of my daze.  I asked my hubby if I could be alone for a bit.  And he gathered the kids and took them back to the car.  All alone, staring at a bronze marker with my mom's name on it, tears streaming down my face, I asked her for help and guidance.  Because I am feeling like an untrained momma. After that emotional visit, I collected myself and off we went to visit with my dad.  We had a wonderful visit that included seeing my Grandma, Aunt, Cousin, and dinner. After leaving my dad's house, I found myself very quiet and without words.  Which some days seems the norm for me anymore.   My hubby asked how I was feeling.  I contemplated that question for a while and decided that I can't describe it and nor do I want to try. Overall my Sunday was sweet.  Filled with presents, flowers, hugs and love. How was your Sunday? ~ Selena

Sweet Sunday: Sweet Smell, Babies, & Grace

I have a couple of sweet Sunday things I would like to share. 

 The first being the sweet smell of lilac.  We have a lilac bush just outside our house and I love to go and sniff the sweet fragrance.  So I decided to cut a bit to put on our table.  

The second on my list is my babies.  Of course I am partial to them and I think they are super sweet.  

Easter 2011

I also thought it is extremely sweet that my little Ava says my name.  Of course, it is when she is upset and she probably really doesn't understand what she is saying.  But a momma can always dream that her baby is saying her name.  And before the word dadda, is even better.  TeeHehehehe.

And lastly... I really enjoyed our church service today.  The message, the worship, the communion, all of it was so...filling.  The message was about the chain of grace. That grace that comes before us, comes to us, and comes through us.  Pastor Steve spoke about Ruth.  "Ruth is a real story about real people living in a real story."  Ruth's "back story" is about "tragedy and loss."  The "turning point" for Ruth was a "step of faith", but the "revelation is a story of hope."   I loved what he said about hope.  "Hope; when we can not see the hand of God, I can trust the heart of God."  That is so what I needed to hear today.  To be reassured that there is hope and I am not the "end-user of the Grace of God."  Pastor Steve posed a very good question.  

"Who is God putting into your life who needs the grace of God through you?"

What have you found that is sweet today??

P.S. to hear Pastor Steve's message tune in here.  GoLove.org

~ Selena  

Out and About

People ask me all the time, "how do you do it?"  Or they say, "You are brave."  or "You've got your hands full."  I even get,  "I can't believe you are out."  And all I can think to do is to just smile and nod.  And what I really want to say is, "WHY NOT??"  "Am I supposed to be a hermit?"  9 times out of 10, people say this to me while I am out shopping.

You see, I have 4 month old twin girls and a 4-year-old son.  And I go shopping, just like any other person on this planet.  With the exception of my dad, who HATES shopping.  Yes HATES, in all capitols. Okay, I am sure there are other people who hate it too.  But I like to get out of the house.  So when I do, it is usually to go grocery shopping.

You have to know, when I go shopping, a normal shopping trip for you may take an hour in the grocery store.  For me, it takes 2 hours.  Not because I don't know what I am going get or because I am just that slow.  Oh no.  It is because every 2 feet I have someone stop me and say, "Twins!!"  Or "There are two of them."  And then I stand there politely smiling and answering a question or two.  Then we move on a little further down the aisle and it starts all over again.   It doesn't help that my son is a talker.  He can carry on a conversation like no body's business.  What kills me, is that it is the employees that stop me most of the time.  HA!  I think they get a kick out of me and my brood.  In fact, that happened to me just today.  A Kroger male employee came barreling down the aisle giggling at me.  I thought, oh boy, here we go. He was so funny.  He wanted to know who was the oldest and how I get all of my groceries in the cart.  He told me he would invent a cart that accommodate twins.  I said, "Yes please!"  On that note, that is the other thing that makes shopping take so long. I have to lift one car seat out of the cart almost every time.  So just imagine with me.  Imagine a shopping cart, with the child seat in front of the cart, where most put their child or their purse.  I pull that back, out-of-the-way and I put both girls (they are in their car seats) in the cart.  They face out to the side of the cart and the car seat sits on the top rail of the cart.  Now if I get something like trash bags, I have to move to the side of the car and lift one car seat out of the cart, place the trash bags in the cart, and then put the car seat back in the cart, and finally move on to the next thing on my list. Sigh.  Yes, I admit, it is a big production every time.  But a girl has got to get out of the house.  I do come home exhausted and sometimes rather frustrated that it takes so freaking long to go grocery shopping.  But all in all, I am glad that I can do it.

I was reminded, by my brother, about a time when I was younger and Nike just came out with their slogan "Just Do It". My mom wouldn't let me wear that t-shirt because she didn't think it was appropriate.   Yeah, maybe, not so much.  But now when I think about that slogan, I think yes.  I just have to do it.  So to answer the question, "How do you do it?"  I just do.  How do you get up out of bed every morning?  You just do.  How do you go to work everyday?  You just do.  So, I just happen to have been blessed to have 3 children and I have to do it or I might just go crazy.

From experience, I will not go shopping at Kohl's with the twins.  The carts are not big enough for two car seats and the aisles are over flowing with merchandise.  That drives me crazy.  I feel like I am going to knock everything over every time I am there.   I come away from that store more frazzled and exasperated than a hen in a hot-house.

BUT. You know what the biggest blessing is every time I go shopping with all of the kids?  The store that has a large cart and a seat attached to the back for my son to sit in.  Also, people who don't stop me, but take the time to tell me I have beautiful children.

This Is The Stuff

I can't stand it when I lose something.   I lost the remote to the t.v. today.  I mean seriously.  I just had it in my hand and bam, it was gone.  Of course I laid it down somewhere, but I swear it grew legs.  My son and I searched the whole house.  I was thinking, trying to remember.  Did I take it?  Did he take it?  Did I leave it in the kitchen, the bathroom, the office?  Where the heck did it go. This went on for a while.  I finally asked my son to look under the couch.  "Found it!!" He said.   Finally!

I am sure most of us have had those moments.  Now I could have lived without the remote.  I could have even lived without seeing t.v. for a while, I think. ;-)  But man it irritates the crap out of me.

I recently heard a song on the KLove radio station that I thought was really corny. Then after hearing it a couple of more times and really taking the time to listen to the words, I found out that I can really relate.  Some of you may know the song by Francesca Battistelli - This Is the Stuff

The lyrics:

I lost my keys in the great unknown
And call me please 'Cuz I can't find my phone

This is the stuff that drives me crazy
This is the stuff that's getting to me lately
In the middle of my little mess
I forget how big I'm blessed
This is the stuff that gets under my skin
But I gotta trust You know exactly what You're doing
It might not be what I would choose
But this is the stuff You use

45 in a 35
Sirens and fines while I'm running behind
Whoa

This is the stuff that drives me crazy
This is the stuff that's getting to me lately
In the middle of my little mess
I forget how big I'm blessed
This is the stuff that gets under my skin
But I gotta trust You know exactly what You're doing
It might not be what I would choose
But this is the stuff You use

So break me of impatience
Conquer my frustrations
I've got a new appreciation
It's not the end of the world
Oh Oh Oh

This is the stuff that drives me crazy
This is the stuff
Someone save me
In the middle of my little mess
I forget how big I'm blessed
This is the stuff that gets under my skin
And I've gotta trust You know exactly what You're doing
It might not be what I would choose
But this is the stuff You use

Oh Oh Oh Oh
This is the stuff You use

(lyrics from newreleasetuesday.com)

I hope you find whatever you are looking for, but in the process, remember how big you are blessed.  And that it's not the end of the world.