Smiles

Last week was a very difficult week due to several outside stresses and I know that had an effect on my children in the way I have chosen to interact with them.  Frankly I would not have wanted me for a mom last week if I were them. I knew this week had to be different!

 The Lord help me notice something today as I have was interacting with my children, the more I smiled as I spoke or gave direction the better they responded.  As I drove home today and I smiled at Sam in the rear view mirror and he smiled back I was thinking how a smile communicates so much about the way you care for someone.  I wonder sometimes what does my face look like to my kids as I get frustrated and angry with them or outside circumstances.  Do I look like I love them or enjoy them?  Do I show them Christ in my eyes and smile?  I think the Lord is all so graciously reminding me of my purpose and role as a mother and how I will be naturally one of their prime examples of Christ lived out in someones life.  This week I will be consciously purposing to love my family with smiles and loving eyes.  Thank you Lord for your gentle reminders in my life!

My morning with Sam

Sam is the subject today...all morning he has made me smile.

Sam starts his day with a warm bottle of milk that either Ben, Jack or I usually feed him.  Today was no different I warmed a bottle and gave it to Jack to feed Sam it, well Sam was not having it.  He then decided to walk around and cry to protest his bottle.  I was wrapped up in my morning reading routine, I've gotten pretty good at ignoring silly requests during that time.  This morning that included Sam.  Everything seemed to be upsetting Sam he walked around the house just ticked off about everything.  Sometimes when you know your kids are being ridiculous it all becomes laughable.  Several times while I was reading he brought me a bag of candy and when I told him "no" he went and put his hands against the wall, leaned his head on them and cried it was one of the cutest and funniest things I've seen in awhile.  When I would look at him he would just laugh, I think he knew he was being dramatic.  He non-stop kept coming over to me and want on my lap and then back off, I finally got the clue when I stopped and really watched his cues.  He wanted me to feed him the bottle.  I found his blanket which he calls "baby" we sat on the couch and he very contently drank his bottle.  I spent the next 10 minutes looking into his eyes sweetly  as he touched my face and sometimes hit my face but I'm pretty sure that was just the boy coming out in him.  It struck me that he misses the time we use to spend together breast feeding, it was one on one and it made him feel loved.  I often think I probably try encourage my kids to just grow up.  I wonder how many sweet moments like this morning I have missed out on because I felt they were maybe too old for a bottle or whatever it was I was trying to move them pass.  It's funny that it's taken four kids to finally see some things in my parenting that I would've done different to do over again. 

On another note we have bought a new trash can with a lock because Sam threw everything away.  I have found my cell phone, remote controls, lots of toys and I think Kate's new croc is gone forever.

He has become very frustrated with the lock system so he has decided today that he going to start just tipping the can over and look at me like victory is his.

This is Sam eating breakfast, each morning something always ends up in his food.  Today it was his toy car.  One more thing to make me laugh.

21 people, one house and lots of fun!

Every year we take a family vacation with my parents and most of my siblings, their wives and children.  Each year we have gone some place different.  This year we went to the Outer Banks N.C. . My mom is such a champ she spends far to many hours searching for just the right house for 21 people to fit comfortably.  This year she landed on a 7 bedroom, 4 story house with a pool and hot tub.  The time with everyone is invaluable.  We spent most of our days by the pool and relaxing while kids took naps.  The days were filled with laughs and meaningful conversations.  We didn't spend much time on the beach due to the giant dunes you had to cross to get there, not fun with kids.  Each night for dinner we took turns cooking meals so that the burden didn't fall on my mom alone.  Most of our evenings were filled with back deck talks and cigars, movies together in the theatre room or card games.  Being together for a week with so many people has it's moments but overall it's wonderful to be a part of a large family and be able to share our walks with Christ together.  

Random memories and highlights:

-family dinners, always full of chaos but entertaining

-Our entire family went to ice cream out, the things we ordered were not good the kids were a mess and Kate threw up in the car on the way home.  

-Ben, Sam and I took a walk one night along the road in search for a ice cream place that might be close.  We didn't find one so we bought frozen fruit bars from a camping convenient store.  We decided to walk home along the beach, it ended up being a long walk but a great evening together.

-Ben and I went jogging one day it was short but fun.

-Lots of time just lying on the air mattress with my sister in laws in the pool.

-Yummy margaritas by the pool, compliments of my mom :)

- HGTV in the mornings with Dave and Meg.

-Sweet time with the Lord.

-Kevin making orange juice using a funnel and a narrow mouth container, so entertaining.

 

We don't have many pictures, I think they are all from one day.  That's what happens with four kids.

Evening walk to the beach.

The camera work is terrible but this is a taste of a car ride with us.  This was such a long ride home.

By this time Sam has thrown up everywhere, it was terrible.  We have stopped 4 times in the first 2 hours, yikes!  We just finished breakfast and Lucy is now saying she has to throw up, which she says often but has never done in the car.