Gordon birthday

There are lots of common themes for little boys' birthday parties...pirates, Thomas, Cars, cowboys, Diego, etc. But have you ever heard of a Gordon party? Levi decided several months ago that he wanted a Gordon birthday party and was pretty adamant about it. Gordon is the big express engine from Thomas the Train. He's the biggest and fastest (and the #4 engine), which is probably why Levi has always loved him. I was confused at first about how we would have a Gordon party, but it was so much fun to create!

Levi's 3rd birthday party was at the farmstead and all he talks about from the party is the balloons. It was a really windy day, and his balloons were blowing all over the place, which made him scream! We had to take the balloons to the car, and Levi never really recovered. So I really wanted Levi to enjoy this birthday. He was a part of the entire planning process, and I'm happy to report that he had the greatest time! I don't think I've ever seen him so happy and excited.

At first the kids just played outside in the backyard. We set up our bounce house so they jumped on that and the trampoline and played on the swingset. We played a game of throwing coal into the troublesome trucks and then went inside for cake. Levi was so excited when he saw his cake. I worked on it for hours! Just kidding. I quickly realized that a Gordon cake was way beyond my abilities so I found a girl who could make it for me. I was amazed at how much it looked like Gordon!




We then opened presents (emphasis on the we!) I think all 15 kids had their hands in the process. At times I think all 15 kids were within a foot of me!
Thankfully, the present opening ended quickly and we scooted the kids to the front yard where we had a barrel train. I had the idea to get a barrel train a long time ago and started calling pumpkin patches to see if anyone had one that we could bring to our house. They all laughed at me, as did my hubby! The boys had taken a ride on a little barrel train at a blueberry patch out in the county just south of us, so I attempted to get a hold of them. But since it's not blueberry season they didn't answer their phone and I could never get them to call me back. Michael told me to give up, but I was determined to get one! You are probably realizing by now where Levi gets his persistence and strong will! I finally convinced the nice old man at the blueberry patch to let us borrow the barrels for the party. Michael pulled the kids around the neighborhood with a riding lawnmower that we borrowed from a neighbor. Michael had been dressed up as Sir Topham Hatt, the conductor of the railroad, but somehow the coat and hat were off soon after the party began.


I think all of the kids had such a great time and the party was just perfect for Levi. He was absolutely beaming all day! He especially loved the Woody and Buzz Lightyear that his cousins and aunt & uncle gave him. This is how we found him in his bed when we checked on him at the end of the night. I think it's a sign of a perfect day...
Sunday was Levi's actual birthday, and he woke up saying that he wanted to have a Gordon party "over and over again." Sorry Levi, not again! After a day of church and a friend's birthday party, we just celebrated at home with our family of 5 and Grandma. Levi wanted to have tacos for dinner and then we had some leftover Gordon cake. He was absolutely beaming all day!



It was such a fun birthday weekend. There's nothing better as a parent than to see your child with a glowing smile from ear to ear for 48 hours straight. And now we have a 4-year old...Yikes!

Happy Birthday buddy!

Today is Levi's 4th Birthday. It seems like it was just yesterday that he came into our world, but when I think of all that has happened and how much we have all changed, it seems like he's been with us forever. I'm one of those moms who gets all sentimental and teary eyed at my kids' birthdays. I don't know why because I really don't want them to stay little forever. It's so much fun to watch them grow and change and to be a part of what God is doing in their lives. I just don't want it all to happen so fast. I don't want to miss a thing!

We are having such a fun weekend. With a party yesterday and a family celebration today, Levi is beaming! Levi insisted on a Gordon birthday party...that was definitely a stretch for my creative skills! For those of you who don't know who Gordon is (probably most of you), he is the express engine from Thomas. I will post pictures soon from all the festivities.

Levi, in honor of your birthday on April 27th, here are 27 things that I love about you -

1. Your smile can light up a room, and it daily melts my heart. There's just something about it.

2. I absolutely love your passion. It can be frustrating at times, but I love it all the same. What you care about, you care about deeply, but if you aren't interested in something, good luck pushing you into it. (ie, swim lessons!)

3. With your imagination, you can become just about anything or anyone. I love listening to you play and act out scenes from movies. I love watching you create things.

4. You don't just watch television and movies, you interact with them. It's actually fun to watch you watch t.v.

5. We can count on you to remember just about everything. Your memory amazes us! You hear a song once and know every word. You remember events from a year ago and who was there. You obviously did not inherit this from your daddy who can't remember what we did yesterday.

6. You love people! You know everyone's name, and you care about others deeply. You can make friends with just about anyone.

7. You love to sing and it's just precious to watch. There is nothing better than watching you belt out praise songs in the back of the minivan.

8. A drive to the grocery store becomes an adventure with you in the car. "Faster, Mommy. The truck is getting closer." The other day we were getting on the highway and you said, "Oh good, we're getting on the race track!"

9. You don't miss a thing. You are constantly soaking in all that is going on around you. We aren't able to hide much anymore.

10. We never have to wonder what you're thinking or how you're feeling. You express yourself so naturally.

11. Instead of coming into our room when you wake up early in the morning or in the middle of the night, you sit in the hallway outside our door and make little noises and fake coughs. We've told you many times that you can go ahead and come into our room, but you don't seem to listen. It cracks us up!

12. You absolutely love your baby brother Graham. You speak to him in a high pitched voice and love to entertain him. When he cries you are the first to try and console him.

13. I receive several compliments from you daily. "Mommy, I love your necklace," or "I love your pink toes". You always notice when I wear something new or different. The other day I had on a jean jacket that I hadn't worn in a long time and you said, "Mommy, I love your jacket. Where did you get it?" I laughed so hard, but your daddy didn't. I think he rolled his eyes!

14. The entire community and family are covered in prayer each night. When we are anxious to get you to sleep and try to speed up the bedtime process by praying for groups of people instead of individuals, you don't allow it. "No Mommy. I need to pray for ALL my people!"

15. You are Ben's protector. Let's just say that you aren't always the kindest to him, but you do not allow others to be unkind to him. If one of your friends hurts him or takes something from him, you are always there to back him up. It's so fun to watch.

16. I love watching you run. You are "Lightning fast" and run with passion.

17. When you're ready for something, you're ready. We have learned not to push you too much because you operate on your own sweet little time.

18. You are a jumping machine on the trampoline. While you are usually a pretty cautious child, you are a wild man on the trampoline.

19. I feel so loved when I'm greeted by you. Whether it's in the morning when you wake up or when I pick you up from Sunday school or preschool, I receive the warmest hug and brightest smile.

20. You are never afraid to express your love. You tell all of us several times a day that you love us. And when you are upset with us, you aren't afraid to express that either.

21. There's a magical twinkle in your eye. I can't explain it, but those of us who love you understand what I'm talking about.

22. You know what you want and you don't back down. Persistent, determined and strong willed are all accurate descriptions. Those qualities can be difficult to parent, but we can't wait to see what God does with that.

23. You can make such a cool train track. Although it's a fun activity that you and Daddy do together, you don't really need his help anymore, and you definitely don't need mine!

24. Your joy and energy radiate from you and make you a delight to be around. You are so much fun!

25. You are all boy. You love to build things and destroy them. You never sit still!

26. Your daddy loves that you like Tiger Woods. On Sundays when you and Daddy watch golf, you look for the red shirt and exclaim, "There's Tiger!"

27. Levi's teacher wrote in her assessment, "what a friendly little boy with the sweetest heart I've ever seen!" That sums it up pretty well.

We love you, Levi. Happy Birthday!

Swim lessons

Tuesday. I used to think it was just another day of the week, but lately it has become a very emotional day at our house because, of course, it's swim lesson day. Yes, I know. Swim lessons are supposed to be fun. Kids are supposed to love them. Levi never received that memo.

Levi is a very cautious child. It takes him a while to get used to a new idea or activity. This can be a good quality, but for his mom and dad, it can also be exhausting! He is also a child who wears his emotions on his sleeve. You never have to guess how he is feeling about something. There are a lot of things that he absolutely loves and then there are those things that he absolutely hates. Swim lessons fall into the latter category.

The first lesson was just as expected...lots of screaming and crying. But then he surprised us and actually started to enjoy it a bit. He didn't necessarily want to go but he didn't complain about it either. He got completely dressed and ready one week all by himself and was proud each week when he finished the lesson and received his coveted reward for "trying his best", a little bag of skittles.

And then there was yesterday. Levi realized it was swim lesson day around 2pm, about 3 hours before we needed to leave. And he used those 3 hours to let me know how he felt about it. I almost ran away around 4pm but then decided to stay. I really thought he would calm down, but he definitely did not. Good thing Michael came home a couple minutes early because I would not have been able to get him in the car. He screamed the entire way there, causing me to "lose it" a few times. I had responded appropriately to his tantrum for the first couple of hours and then I lost all rational thought.

I was not able to calm him down. He was crying as he got in the water and then whimpered as his teacher attempted to calm him down. I sat down along the edge of the room with all the other moms smiling as they watched the successes of their happy children. I realized that my heart was pounding and a few tears rolled down my cheeks. Why was he acting this way? Why couldn't I reason with him? Why couldn't I calm him down? It really was pathetic to watch him - he could not settle down.

I prayed for him as I sat there, that the Lord would comfort him and give me wisdom to know how to deal with this. I had my eyes closed most of the time, not because I was praying, but because I simply could not watch. But then I opened them and saw the most precious thing.

Levi's little friend Meredith climbed up onto the side of the pool and sat as close to Levi as she possibly could. She put her little 3-year-old arm around him and patted his shoulder. I couldn't hear what she was saying but she spoke right into his face. And then she kissed his cheek and shoulder. And then she just kept smiling at him. It was precious. It was more than precious. I really shed some tears and called Meredith's mom, Mindy, to share the sweetness.

Although it would be a great story if I now said that Levi immediately calmed down and loved the remainder of the lesson, it didn't happen that way. He did, however, calm down a bit and decided to just look miserable instead of angry. I think I was the one who had a more significant change of heart. I was reminded that I won't always be the one to comfort my children. I thanked the Lord for Meredith's friendship to Levi and asked Him to continue to bless my boys with sweet friends. While I can do my best and give them all I have, sometimes God will use others to bless, encourage and challenge them. So I will continue to pray that God will bring godly boys and girls into their lives to walk alongside them during all the "swim lessons" of their lives.

It's now Wednesday, which means I thankfully have 6 more days until we tackle this issue again. Who knows, maybe Levi will walk in smiling next week. Or maybe I will run away next Tuesday sometime around 4pm.

Hero

Bear with me here.  I have a lot on my mind and I'm not always very good at getting those thoughts into words...

I have always wanted to be a "good mom".  I envisioned all the creative and fun things I would do with my kids.  With just one toddler, things were good and I thought I had this mommyhood thing down.  Then I had #2 and realized that the same tricks didn't necessarily work.  But life was still manageable, and I felt pretty good at the end of each day.  After all, they were still little.  And then came #3 and lots of fighting between #1 and #2.  I think you get the picture. Maybe it was having three kiddos so close together or maybe it was just simply that they were getting older and more challenging.  Whatever it was, I have definitely not felt like a "good mom".  I will admit that for a while now I have ended each day feeling defeated.  Broken.  Like I am not being the mom God intended me to be.  And that is a horrible feeling.

Most of you moms out there can understand what I'm talking about.  I would start each day committed to making that day different.  I will not raise my voice.  I will not get distracted by other things.  I will be purposeful in our time.  I will be fully present with my children.  But by 10am, I realize that I have broken all of these commitments and am ready to throw in the towel and go get a "real" job.  "Lord," I found myself praying all the time, "give me what I need to be a good mom to these precious little guys because I just don't have it in me." 

But God has worked a real miracle in my life and has changed my heart completely.  I can't even begin to count all the excuses I have made for why it's hard to be the mom God intends for me to be.   And there are so many lies I have chosen to believe.  I won't bore you with lists.  The truth is that God chose me to be Levi, Ben and Graham's mom.  He chose Michael and I to be their parents.  They deserve our very best.  I am so blessed to be able to spend my days with them...playing with them, teaching them, loving on them, learning from them.  There is no higher calling.

And the truth is that on my own, I don't have what it takes to be that "good mom".  But God called me to be their mom and where God leads, He provides.  I can be the mom He intends for me to be.  In a world where children have become more like fashion accesories and something to fit into parents' busy schedules, I can be different. 

I will mess up, probably hourly.  But I know that God's grace abounds.  Thankfully, I am not called to be a perfect mother but rather a mother with a purpose.  Colossians 3:23 says, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men."  Now I know that in spite of sleep deprivation, discouragement, weaknesses, struggles, etc., God will meet me where I am and give me the strength to not just be a "good mom" but a mom devoted to serving God and my children "with all my heart".  It's not about being a martyr for my children but rather surrendering to God and His calling on my life.  

   

So if you aren't asleep by now, I say all of this because I recently heard a song by Mandisa that really spoke to me and summed up everything God has been teaching me.  Every word has spoken pure truth into my life.  Now I know I'm not a hero, but I am a mom and really, isn't that the same thing?  

And the best thing is that the song is from the Veggie Tales movie, The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything. My boys just loved that movie!  Download the song and listen to it.  May it encourage you to do the right thing in whatever situation God has you.

 

The Right Thing

I've got all my excuses.

I've got my list of fears.

I've counted all the reasons why You called the wrong hero to be here.

Doing the right thing is just too hard.

But, I've believed those lies for long enough.

I'm not going to listen anymore because I remember You said

when all hope is gone, help will come. . .

And, give me strength to go farther, to climb higher,

courage that burns inside like a fire.

No turning back, this is the day I do the right thing.

I will do what I need to and when I need You

I know Your love will come to the rescue.

I can do the right thing.

So what if I'm not the strongest.

A little weaker than I'd like to be.

Well, even I can do what's right because I know

the King is calling me to live a life worth looking up to.

Holding on to what matters most.

Nobody said it was going to be easy.

But, I know I'll never be alone,

Cause when all hope is gone help will come, come from above. . .

And, give me the strength to go farther, to climb higher,

courage that burns inside like a fire.

No turning back, this is the day.

I will do what I need to and when I need You

I know Your love will come to the rescue.

First prayer

Tonight was one of those nights that I don't want to forget.

We had family movie night and after Ben had eaten an entire bag of popcorn by himself, he was wired. Really wired. We sang our bedtime song, I love you Lord, twice in an attempt to calm him down a bit. He was singing at the top of his lungs. I then started to pray when he caught me off guard. He interrupted me to say his very first prayer.

"Thank you for this day," He said. (It obviously wasn't that clear except to his Mommy.) "Thank you for Eeevi, Mama, Daddy, Eeevi, Daddy, Mama, Eeevi, Eeevi..." I interrupted him and added, "and Ben and Graham."

He then repeated me and again said, "Thank you for Eeevi, Daddy, Mama, Graham, (pause) Lightening McQueen, Woody."

Sweet little guy. I finished the prayer and we both said "Amen."

He then looked at me and for the first time said, "I love you, Mama."

Moments like these put it all in perspective.