Wild Thing

Before RC was born I bought a sign for his nursery that said "Let the Wild Rumpus Start". I love Where The Wild Things Are and thought it would be a cute addition. I had no idea that A wild thing was growing in my tummy. Perhaps we should have named him Max. 

Life with RC is certainly more adventurous, exciting, keep you on your toes, about to have a heart attack kind of life. Today has certainly been one of those days. Well actually it's everyday. 

Disclaimer: Now for the record I call my boy stinker pot. It's a term of endearment. My dad called me that growing up and even wrote me a song. So when I say it I don't mean it for others to call him that. Also I say he's crazy, well a lot. This is another thing only I can say. I don't in anyway want him to grow up hearing he's crazy and think that he is. It's more of you're so silly and adventurous you're crazy. So I actually get offended when others call him these words. 

Here is a day in the life of RC (today to be exact) 

Look at this face. It's so sweet 

and cute. It's the eyes. They get me everytime. 

Today we went to CFA for free breakfast. I actually hate taking the boys there because RCS likes to run out of the play place and take off. He doesn't  do it anywhere else. He slips out the door. Looks at me like this 

And then I know he's off. He's a slick one this guy. 

We proceeded to target. I don't buckle my child in because he can slip out of a buckle faster than he runs out of the play place. He proceeded to sit on top of the back of the seat where his back should be the whole time. This is where I get the crazy looks and gasps from people who are nosy. I promise I am not a bad mom. I am fully aware of what he's doing and he's going to be just fine. 

Once he is in the car he can climb in his seat and out and to the front seat so he can "drive" before I can grab his shirt 

This was yesterday but it happens all the time. We get home and he decides flipping over the back of the chair is some good fun. Ok this was actually Jmans doing but he followed him and flipped like  he was an expert. 

He's not as graceful as Jman. About this time of day he declares he wants milk, which is code for I want to nap NOW. Obviously he is exhausted (so is momma)

After nap RC was trying to go upstairs with Jman but the gate was locked. All of a sudden I hear thump thump thump all the way down the stairs. And he had fallen all the way down. Without a scratch or bruise. He was only screaming because he still wasn't upstairs. Once he was upstairs he was fine. 

Later he went in the pantry, probably for applesauce, and found my stash of confetti eggs and cracked 4 of them. Then says "uh oh uh oh"

Then the boys wanted to paint. I covered the entire table with paper and in two seconds RC does this. 

He is his own canvas. It's not about the product but the process. Paper is an obstacle. Skin and the actual table make much better mediums that silly boring paper. 

The boys went to wash their hands after painting. I was making dinner. I knew this was a bad decision. You never let RC in the bathroom without an adult. As I was thinking this I hear " mommy RC is doing something bad" I heard the toilet being flushed over and over. I didn't want to stop making my dinner, knowing the mess I was going to see would require immediate attention and I would have to postpone dinner. So I hurried and finished, threw it in the oven and then looked.  Did you know that in less than two minutes a toilet can flood the bathroom and half the kitchen? Well that's what happens when a wild thing shoves a full roll of toilet  paper in the toilet. So after cleaning up that mess and Trying to calm myself he comes running "Momma" with that big cheeky grin and hugs me. And momma forgets it all. The grin that looks like this. 

The rest of the day was calm. I think he used his wild up for today. Tomorrow we go again. So when you see I am always exhausted this is why! 

Here are 5 things I know to be true about RC: 

1. This guy is passionate! He never misses an opportunity. He loves hard, plays hard, and crashes hard. He is not bad or trying to get in trouble. He is curious and likes to cause mischief and that's it. Maybe we should have named homes Curious George. He's just like him always trying to figure things out not meaning to cause trouble.  My stinkerpot.

 

2. God gave him an extra shot of cute. That way when he is causing all this mischief of one kind or another and Momma's blood starts to boil- he looks at me with those eyes and I forget. Seriously it melts away. 

3. I wanted boys. I prayed for boys. My heart wanted boys. I'm not sure I would make a good girl mom. I think I do a good job as a boy mom. So when I prayed for boys. God said OK you asked for it. He gave me two very much ALL boys including this wild thing. He makes life wonderful and exciting and frightening some times. And I am so thankful every minute for him. Even when I'm mopping up toilet water. 

4. I love this little guy fiercely! I would not change anything about his wild spirit. He is so incredibly smart and amazes me daily. He loves to love and cuddle! One minute he is running circles around you and the next he is snuggled in your lap. 

5.  Jman and RC are very different boys. They both are very all boy and love all things boy. But they are different in their own special ways. Jman has never flooded a toilet! Haha

Look at this snuggle bug! 

I love everything about this guy! I can't believe he will be two so soon. 

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The Kitchen Reveal

For a long time I have had a dream to make a diner kitchen and wanted coca cola everywhere, with lots of red and turquoise. Red I love red! Obviously if you know me at all. So I started collecting things and asked for red kitchen appliances since college. Then I met this guy and we were dating and he says you probably will think I'm crazy but I want a diner table someday for my kitchen. And that friends is the moment I knew Kevin was the one. Ok maybe not exactly but it certainly added to it. 😊

We got married and his parents bought us this for our kitchen. 

It came with 4 chairs and my wonderful Aunt Jan found me two more chairs identical that are actually vintage chairs! Our first home had a very nice kitchen that had been redone so my dream didn't really come true there. We moved to our current home and it needed fresh paint everywhere so a great chance to do It. We are slowly updating things in our home. So this year the kitchen was up. Here's the before picture 

We had the wonderful and talented Mary come redo our cabinets. If you have any work to be refinished and painted she is your girl! She spent about a week painting them from this blah brown and brought them to life with this gorgeous color. 

We updated our appliances. Which Mary and her awesome husband helped with! Added some awesome knobs. And by awesome I mean totally fabulous knobs which really tie it all together. 

We painted the walls turquoise and added some more red decorations, some more coca cola.  And we have our diner kitchen!  It's just as cool as I have ever dreamed. Now all my red really pops and it looks awesome. I just need some black and white tile now. May not be everyone's taste but it's what we love. It's my favorite room in the house right now! Here's some pictures, that don't really do it justice.

I made the "eat" sign and added the arrow. 

This sign hung in my Granny's kitchen for so long. It's my favorite coca cola memorabilia I have.  

So come to the diner and have a milkshake. You will have to bring it from Sonic though. 😉

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Summer of 1991

I've been In a funk for a few days now for several reasons. 

One, this jewelry business is stressing me out. I've been working so hard at a certain goal. I was within hours of it and then *poof* it was gone. And that actually messes up my next step. So feeling a little lost. 

Two, one of very good friends told me they are moving! I am so very happy for them and the opportunities but I am so sad. These two mean the world to us and I'm going to miss them so much! 

Three, I am leaving tomorrow for four days and totally dreading it. Honestly I don't want or need a break from my kids. I'm not a mom that likes that. I am good with an hour break every once in a while. I feel like my heart will be left somewhere else. And if you knew me my last year of teaching you know I don't function well without my heart. So four days sounds awful. I also hate flying. Putting me in a box surrounded by people, that I can't get out of and my ears won't pop. Claustrophobic me will want to scream! 

Four, school. Oh my goodness I never thought that deciding on preschool would be so stressful. Where, when, how long, how much and why?? Oh the why? I keep asking myself that and come back to the same decision. I know what my heart is saying and I need to just make the official decision and let it be. 

Five, and here the is the reason for all of the above to be bothering me so. When I get back from my trip Kevin is leaving for two weeks to Mexico. And it's not the fact he'll be gone for two weeks, I can handle that. I will be exhausted and miss him terribly but that is not what is so hard. It's the where. Mexico. And this is why. 

The summer of 1991 was the worst, most painful and traumatic for my family. Only a handful of people truly know what those three months did to us. I was 9, but I remember every moment as if it was yesterday. Probably since I was so young and this was all so overwhelming that I relate a particular place to the pain. Which makes me not want to ever go they or willingly send someone there. My brother Sam was on a church mission trip in Mexico, a trip I very vividly remember my parents objecting to. He was 14. My oldest brother and I were home when my mom stormed in the house early from work. She said "Sam was in an accident, in the hospital, two broken arms and no one is sure where at." That moment things changed. My parents quickly packed planning to get there as fast as they could, with me in tow. Matt was old enough to stay with a friend. When I was 9, I was incredibly shy. A family I barely knew said I could stay with them and so I did. I hated spending the night with people, still do. My parents left and I was alone. Not with my big brother or my parents wondering if my brother was alive. As information trickled in I heard "Sam is unconscious. Sam is coming in out of comas. Sam this Sam that  ". Things as a 9 year old I didn't understand, I was alone and scared. Finally my parents returned to the states with my brother. He was air ambulanced home where they discovered he had a massive head injury, two broken arms and several other broken bones. He had been thrown out of the van and knocked unconscious. The doctors said that they didn't even treat him in Mexico for his head injury. Only his arms. They were going to do surgery on his arms.  It was a miracle he didn't have permanent brain damage for how long he was left untreated. They wouldn't  release him to the states unless he was air ambulanced home. Thankfully the police association helped and got him home safe where he was properly treated. He was in the hospital for weeks. I remember waiting for him to be home. I remember the way I felt when I saw him for the first time. I remember being told don't cry in front of him. I remember eating a fun dip at those peoples house I stayed at. I remember my big brother packed my clothes and nothing matched. I remember how many people visited us in the hospital. I remember the moment the driver showed up to the hospital and confronted my dad. I remember the rehab center we spent our summer at. I remember being so scared I would never see Sam again and never be able to fight with him. I remember George Gervin coming to meet Sam at the hospital. I remember how Sam was so hurt but still so funny. I remember. I remember. I remember. It all happened in Mexico. Of course it's not necessarily that place but yet I don't really want to go there or have anyone I love there. What if something happens? My brother could have died there. I don't want Kevin to go there! 

The summer didn't end there. That summer my oldest brother was held at gun point in a robbery at work. I don't know much about that because he understandably never talked about that much. But just like that he could have been taken to and by the grace of God he was not! 

And again later that same summer on Labor Day, the very last day of summer we almost lost our mom. My dad was mowing and my mom came out to bring him goggles. At that moment my dad hit a rock and that rock was sliced and hit my mom in the neck. Which cut her neck open. We flew to the hospital that luckily was down the street. The doctors told us that rock was less than an inch from hitting her main artery and that would have killed her. Oh my goodness! That is the reason when anyone, ANYONE, is mowing we do not go outside. The boys and I are never around when Kevin or a neighbor is mowing. It is so dangerous!

That summer was full of trauma! It was also full of miracles. The fact that my family is all here is a miracle. We very easily that summer could have lost three people. I am eternally grateful that all of those stories did not go the wrong way. But I remember it all and it all started with Mexico. A place I will never think fondly of. It could have been anywhere but that is where it was. And I am internally a mess that my husband will be there. That mess is starting to show on the outside. I feel so uneasy and the need to be protective. I can't do that when I'm states away for four days. I can't feel safe or secure away from my heart and then I return and have to send my husband to the one place that brings up so much pain. The place that changed our lives so long ago. I feel like that 9 year old girl again, the one who was so scared and alone.

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Everytime I crack an egg, I think of you!

Sunday marks a month of my Mammaw's passing. Seems weird it's already been a month. I've been dreaming about her a lot lately, very odd dreams. The last year was a gift. My grandparents moved from the small town of Arp 300 miles away to live with my parents in San Antonio. A gift because we only saw them a handful of times a year being so far, all of my life. Now they were 20 miles away and I saw them every week! What a precious gift, time.  I lost my Granny just 6 months ago so it truly made this time special.  I got to hug her every week and watch her snuggle my boys. I sat by her in the swing holding her hand almost every week.  I watched her get a little more weak every week. I had to see her hurt. I feel since I saw her so much more recently and watched her fade that I had a harder time processing this. So I decided its time to share with you this beautiful woman who now dances down the streets of gold. 

When I was a kid I would tell you her name was Mimall. Because that's how I said it with a L. In my head that's really her name. 

But for spelling purposes Mammaw looks nicer. 

My Mammaw was a beautiful lady. She loved Jesus more than anything. She had a faith that we should all strive to have. A faith that could move mountains. I will always remember her talking about Jesus and sharing her faith. Even in those last few days she cried to Him. I know without a doubt she is with Jesus in a much better place. She raised a family that is faithful. 

 She loved her family! She always said she raised the best three kids in the world. And one of those is my mom. That lady is a precious gift! She always got down in the floor and played with you, especially tickling you and making you laugh. Whether she felt good or not. She could crack the funniest jokes that you didn't quite expect. She would say things like "I'm full as a tick" after dinner.  She loved babies.  I cherish getting to see her love my Reed this past year. She always wanted to hold and snuggle that little guy   It was sad the day she realized she wasn't strong enough to hold him anymore. But she still giggled and made him smile.  I will always remember her saying "woowoo". Something I find myself saying often. She always smelled of White Diamonds. She loved to touch you, always her hand on your hand or arm or around your back. Such a light, loving touch. She could be firm with you and tell you to sit still while she combed those rats out of your hair. She wasn't afraid to tell you what she thought. 

 There are many things I learned from her through my mom. Like how to make the best macaroni and cheese and mashed potatoes. She taught me how to properly crack an egg and get that little chick out of there. Jman always cracks eggs now and everytime he says "get that yucky out, get the chick". So everytime I crack an egg I think of her. She taught me make sure to clean your house before company comes over.  

She was a woman of simple means and possessions. You don't need a lot of stuff, just what you need. And as long as you rearrange often it always looks fresh and new. She always wanted to look her best and have hair fixed. She loved Dr Pepper (it runs in the blood) and always washed her can before drinking from it. She loved to be surrounded by pictures of her family. Probably where my mom gets it and where I get it. 

Mammaw was unbelievably strong. She was sick for many years. Most of my life I remember her being sick. But would you know it? No. She could hide it. She overcame such pain and suffering and you wouldn't even know it. She could put on a smile and always make you think she felt great, even when she wasn't. At times that pain may come through in words but that is understandable. 

She is no longer in pain. She is healed and at peace. She is in a much better place and will be waiting for us and will shout "woowoo" when we get there. You will be missed always Mammaw. Thank you for always loving me and sharing your unwavering faith. I sleep with the blanket you gave me every night! Love you always. 

Their 50th wedding anniversary. 

The grand kids and great grand kids. Minus 4 great grand babies not born yet. 

My fave picture of us. She had just been tickling me. 

Three Generations

My Granny, Pappaw and Mammaw all eating what? You guessed it Granny Gravy!!  

Miss both these beautiful women. Miss my Pappaw who went back up north to live. I got used to seeing that sweet guy all the time. 

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Why must you make my life so difficult.....

sippy cups!

That's right I'm frustrated with sippy cups. The transition from bottle to cup is so hard. Something about that bottle is so comforting so when you take it away you better find the right cup or cupssssss or there is no hope. RC has been drinking water out of several different kinds of cups for months but none of them will do when it comes to milk. 

So this means you have to buy multiple cups and make several trips to the store to find a sippy cup that will work. And of course you only buy one in case it doesn't work out. And they are all so expensive. Why in the world is one cup $5 or $6? Once you happen to find that one cup he will drink milk out of, you must go back for more, because you only bought one. Well you need at least 4 so you don't have to wash them multiple times a day. And if you're me you think oh let's just buy one more and oh look at this one, maybe he will like it. It's a $1 cheaper, oh here's a two pack, bonus if it works then you already have two? 

 And you know what happens? This! 

You have a stash of several cups and only one, just one is useful to you! This is 7 different kinds of cups! And some of these I have double of.  Sure he might drink water out of them or in a few months take to them, but that doesn't help the pile of cups you have that you can't use now. And where are you supposed to store all these guys? They don't stack so you need a whole cabinet devoted to useless, expensive  sippy cups! And there's still a pile of bottles to use because you only have one sippy cup he can drink milk out of. So make that two cabinets of bottles and sippy cups. 

Well we finally found one that he will drink milk from. There is some hesitation but he finally gives in. I went and bought another one and you know what? 

Somehow we lost the whole top to it? What? How? Who? Ugh!! So now I need to still buy at least 4 more and add more to pile of sippy cups. And this guy is $6.99. Of course he likes it best. Stinker pot! 

Then there's the search for Jman cups. I don't let him drink  from baby sippy cups and want him to use actual nice water cups for kids. I bought him the nice $10 ones at Target and we have lost them twice! My fault too! So we have bought our third one and I guard it with my life. 

Ahhhh sippy cups you drive me crazy!! 

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True Love

I write. I write to heal. I write to cope. I write to love. I write to hope. I write to process. I write to celebrate.  I write to hurt. I write to grieve. I write. 

I usually write anytime something big happens. It's how I deal. I wrote when I almost lost my brother in a terrible car wreck. I wrote when I met Kevin. I wrote when I became a mom.  I wrote when I struggled with Jmans birth, and still do. I wrote when I hated my job. I wrote when I made a life change. I wrote when my Granny  passed. And now I write because I'm grieving again. This post is not about my grandma. Not yet at least. I can't seem to fully put into words my feelings yet. But they're coming. This one is about love. True love. And one of the greatest men ever to walk this earth. 

I have a secret for you. True love is not about flowers, chocolate, gifts, fancy dates, extravagant weddings, big engagement rings, fancy vacations, huge houses and anything else considered "romantic". This right here is romantic and the perfect glimpse of true love. 

Standing beside someone for 60 years! Putting those wedding vows into action. For richer or poorer and sickness and in health, til death do us part.  My grandparents shared 60 years together, 60! They lives a simple life, followed Christ with all their heart and raised a wonderful family. My Pappaw is the sweetest man I know. He is quiet and strong and hard working.  He loves my Mammaw. He stood by her for 60 years. Through the good times and the hard. The really hard. He never waivered from her even through the harsh words that came out of pain, through the times he was pushed away, he was there. In the end that's what mattered, he was there. She knew that, he never left her side. That is true love. 

I hope to be so lucky to spend so many years with Kevin. That at the end of my life, he is there by my side like this. All the gestures or presents or dates will not matter. This does. 

These two set quite the example of how to keep a marriage going. It wasn't always easy or pretty. But it was strong and it was centered in Christ. Thank you for showing true love can last. 

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Adventures in Potty Training

If you had told me a month ago, actually two weeks ago Jman would ever be potty trained, well I would laugh/cry blubber hysterically. Because just two weeks ago I was so down and figured this child would forever wear diapers. Anytime anyone even talked about potty training or how well their child was doing I wanted to curl up and cry. Because my Jman was still throwing crying fits if you just asked "do you need to potty?" But suddenly two weeks later this boy is, dare I say it? Potty trained!! This has been the greatest challenge I've faced as a parent so far. So much failure because he wasn't ready. 

Here's what I've learned in the year and half of off and on potty training adventures. And most if this is from the past two weeks.  Yep it's been that long. We started before RC was born, trying and talking about it. 

1. It's true what everyone, I mean everyone who has gone through this says! One day it just clicks! No he didn't do the magical wake up and say he needed to potty. We had put all potty things related away and stopped talking about it. A month ago, I was done and I told him "diapers are gross. You will not wear another diaper."  Of course there was fit throwing for a few minutes but I ignored him. And that day he chose to start doing it. Granted it was not great and nothing really clicked until last week. We wore a lot of pull ups (which really is a diaper) that week. But this boy needed a push and I finally did it. And last week it clicked. 

2. I next did something I never planned to do either! I put on..... Elmo! Eek I know. I hate, HATE that creepy, red puppet. We do not watch or have anything Elmo in our house. But I was at the point of trying anything. And guess what? That creepy puppet worked. He said the same stuff I've been saying for a year and all of sudden Jman was listening. Now we watched that thing for two days straight and it helped him get interested. So thank you Elmo. 

3. You find yourself saying a lot of ridiculous things outloud. You cheer for the slightest victory. You ask questions no one should ever really have to be asked. You go around saying things like "Potty Power" in silly voices and cheering as you run around the house and in public if needed. You call family members to celebrate! You share the wonderful news at your nephews birthday party for all to know. Things like "batman doesn't want to be peed on" "Spider-man hates being wet" come out of your mouth. Get over it. Potty training makes you sound like a goober. But it's worth it! 

4. Bribes- do it! Who cares what makes your kid go. Do it! We started with stickers and candy and even a treasure box of prizes (yep I'm a teacher) none of them worked!! Except after Elmo. Then he got candy for sitting, going, making his bear go, looking at the silly potty. Whatever he did, he got candy.  He weaned himself off it too. Awesome. Do whatever you need to do. Our pediatrician even tried shaming. She told him things I've been thinking like "Jman you look like a 4 year old. People think you're 4 and don't potty!" Yep truth. I love our ped. Shaming actually doesn't help though. What really stuck with him was "diapers are gross!" Which he says all the time now. And folks pull up are a diaper. There's no tricking your child there. 

5. Your child will decide it's the right time, right after you buy a giant box of diapers. So I have a box of size 6 diapers with only one used. I know I should keep it for RC but honestly I don't want to look at it for two years and want it gone. 

6. I never thought I would love folding underwear but I do! If it means no more diapers. 

7. Babies throw in a whole other challenge. Imagine doing everything to help one, while the baby repeatedly crawls in and touches the toilet, or starts splashing water everywhere. You can't close the door because who knows what they'll do when the door is shut. You must move baby, help J, move baby and keep repeating. And wash babys hands much more frequently than potty training child. 

8.  No toilet is the same. Everywhere you go they are different heights or sizes. It's quite ridiculous. Thank goodness Jman is tall and it hasn't presented a problem so far. I'm curious how Saturday will go at soccer where there are nasty port a potties. 

9. Pottying is a super power in our house. Jman is officially a super hero! 

10. Get comfortable with naked, especially boys. We spent the first 2 days naked to make things easier. Now he  conviently forgets to put clothes back on after he's done. It's a new battle around the house. 

11. Get out of the house and forget those silly pull ups. Do it. Take the risk. You will be surprised how well they do. First full week in underwear and maybe one or two accidents. Boom. Potty Trained. 

So proud of my Jman. A day I never thought would come has. He chose to do it when he was ready and it's been easy. The months of hair pulling (mine not his) tears and frustrations were not worth it. Here's hoping I remember this in a year when it comes back around for RC. 

Anyone want a box of diapers? 

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