adventures in 2 land

This is what happens when mommy uses the potty for 2.5 minutes. And no, it is not washable. It is permanent. Where did she get it? I don't know! Newly painted walls. Ruined. This is not a hidden corner of the house either. This is in the living room. It's the first thing you see when you walk in the house. Time to get the paint back out.

smiles and tears

Look at these little angels. They are so happy with their sidewalk chalk and bubbles. They are smiling, giggling, playing together and just enjoying the lovely spring weather. That's what you would guess from these pictures. It's so funny that when moms see pictures of other people's kids, we always think that everything is just peachy and feel a tinge of jealousy because we think that somehow they've figured it out. Ha!

The bubbles and the chalk were a last ditch effort to kill time before dinner and baths before they killed each other. Winter quickly dumped all of her bubbles into one of the doggy bowls and demanded that Mya give her what was left in her bottle. I ran inside to get another bottle which lasted about 5 minutes before it was dumped on the floor as well. Oh well, we did kill a half hour or so.
The sidewalk chalk was actually a better idea. Although one of the pieces of chalk disappeared and I learned later that Winter fed it to one of the dogs. Wups. Hope it's not toxic.

I do enjoy my children. Especially when they are asleep and I look at these pictures. Somehow I forget about my yelling and the girls crying and I think, man I love those little stinkers. And everything seems peaceful... until tomorrow :-)

fancy french berry

This is my new favorite drink. It's so refreshing and summery. For those of us who are feeling a little less boozy these days, it can be just as tasty as a favorite glass of sparkling wine. And it can be fancy too with the right outfit. And I love Trader Joe's. It's hard to find something that is not delicious there.

mac & peas

 

This is not a crazy clever recipe. This is for lazy days when my husband is at work. He works 24 hour shifts so I usually make something easy for the girls and me when he isn't home. My girls' favorite meal by far is mac & cheese. A couple of years ago when Mya was pretty little, I thought I would make it a little healthier by throwing peas in there. I find that frozen peas taste much better than canned ones. So we always have some on hand. I microwaved some peas in a bowl of water, drained them and threw them in with the mac & cheese. She ate them up. The next time I got even lazier and threw the frozen peas in the boiling water with the pasta. It came out great. I realize everyone's kids will not eat veggies with their mac & cheese but it's worth a try. I've tried carrots and corn but peas are the tastiest I think.

 

black & blue

Winter has two baby dolls she has to have with her at all times. She calls them black baby and blue baby. She named them. I did not. She has always been drawn to dark skin. If there is a black person anywhere in our midst, she stares. She loves to hold black baby dolls. When given the opportunity to pick any baby in the store, guess which one she wanted. To Winter, black and brown are the same color. Hence the name black baby. I have tried to rename her Hannah but that didn't take. I have convinced my husband and Mya to call her Hannah but Winter has named her black baby and that's what she will always be. What can I say? She's 2.

Blue baby got her name from her blue outfit that is sewn on so it cannot be removed. All of the other baby dolls are naked. Blue baby is the only one with clothes. She used to make annoying baby noises until the battery finally ran out. We were so happy when that day came. I can't wash her because of all the wiring inside. She is the dirtiest and most loved of all the toys in our house.

She recently had an unpleasant accident. Well it wasn't really an accident. But the horrible tragedy was very unexpected. Winter threw her off of the balcony on to the wood floor. I have warned her several times not to do this because I know how she loves to watch things hit the floor. But the temptation was too great and blue baby landed with a crack. Winter let out a gasp and walked down the stairs as fast as her little legs could carry her. She picked up her beloved blue baby in two pieces. Her head and body were in two parts with only a wire to connect them. Then she said in a half whisper, half cry, "okaaay?" (Meaning, she's going to be okay right mommy?) I picked up blue baby and said, "Mommy will fix her." I racked my brain until I came up with a plan. Daddy can fix anything. So I took her out to the garage and gave Dan an emergency assignment. He smiled and told us to go back inside. He had to perform surgery and it wasn't going to be pretty. Well he did fix blue baby. He put some screws in her neck and a big bolt through her body and head. Good as new! Winter shouted, "Okay!" and hugged blue baby tight. That could have been a very dark day at the Wagenbrenners. Good work Daddy!

i'm a mommy

I had a conversation with my 89 year old grandma the other day about what it looked like to raise kids in the 50's. Back in the day, women stayed home and raised kids and took care of the home. That was all they did. She hand washed everything, hung it on a clothes line to dry in the sun and ironed everything. They had cloth diapers that she had to hand wash. They did have a diaper service that some opted for. She cooked everything on the stove or in the oven and never had the option of "nuking it." She also hand washed all the dishes and dried them and put them away. But even though chores were a bit harder, life was so much simpler. She knew what she needed to do each day and she did it.

This is my Grandma. Her name is Dora. She's holding my youngest. She is one of the funniest people I know. Mostly because she thinks she's going to die any day. Fortunately for us, there's nothing wrong with her.

I've always wished I grew up in the 50's. I love the music and the way they dressed. I love how innocent the children were. I'm sure there were those rebellious kids that pushed the boundaries just like there are today. But for the most part, people waited to have sex until they got married, 12 year olds didn't shout profanities at each other and families sat around the dinner table. It was before drugs took over and before women showed their thighs and midriffs. Before tattoos and before body piercings. It was before cell phones, ipods, internet, washing machines, dishwashers and microwaves. It was simple. I think that although the chores were harder, it was easier to focus on your children and husband. That's all they had time to do.

Being a mom today is bit more complicated. Technology has given us freedom to be moms while juggling other hobbies. We have a million things we could be doing in our spare time. Literally a million. Thanks to Pinterest, Facebook and endless blogs, we never run out of ideas. We feel pressure to plan perfect parties, make awesome crafts with our kids and have an awesome house full of clever trendy décor and repurposed furniture. We are made to feel like we should fill every minute of our time. And if we don't, we are lazy.

Currently, I have every day of the week filled with activities. I get up to work out at 5:30 AM 4 days a week. I run about 4 miles 3 days a week. I have a bible study on Fridays, a MOPS group that I lead on Thursdays and drive an hour to have dinner at my sister's house on Friday nights. I also volunteer at a school on Wednesdays, then I go to my grandma's house to do bills and make phone calls and other various things she needs done around the house. Wednesday nights we are part of another bible study down the street. Oh I forgot about the book club I'm a part of that meets once a month. That of course requires taking time to actually read the book.

One would think that I would feel accomplished at the end of the day but I'm just exhausted. My house is a mess and my girls are on the go most of the time. I rarely spend time in God's word and by bedtime I'm so tired that I pass out as soon as my head hits the pillow. I tried to set up a play date with a friend at church and had no free time to give her. My poor husband comes to bed to cuddle etc. ;-) and all I want to do is sleep. Two weeks ago, I decided to start training for a marathon ha! I didn't realize how ridiculous that sounded until my husband laughed at me when I brought the books home from the library. He really wanted to be supportive but he has seen how tired I already am at the end of each day and asked me to think about it. I've decided it can wait.

At first, I tried to fill my week so I didn't have to stay at home with my girls. Usually, they just end up fighting and crying and I go insane. So I decided to spend my time outside of the house. I got a little carried away.

I've always had this idea in my head that being a mom wasn't going to interrupt my life. I would still do the things I've always done like spend time with friends, be crafty and creative, keep my house clean, cook like a chef, look fabulous for my husband, maintain a healthy sex life all while being an amazing mom. Somewhere along the way, I've lost touch with friends, have no time for being creative and what is a mop? Rarely do I make a healthy, tasty meal. The looking fabulous part? ha! I can't remember the last time I had my hair done. My roots are about 6 inches now. I had a pedicure about a year ago. And I find no need to go shopping for cute new clothes because I am likely to get pregnant again and be sad that I can't fit into my adorable new skinny jeans. I already talked about being too tired most of the time for a roll in the hay and I am nowhere near an awesome mom but I'm trying.

Sometimes I wish that I could go out to dinner at 8:00 with my single friends or take a road trip to Vegas or Napa on a whim or help my sister plan fabulous Oscar parties.

God has been reminding me a lot lately that I'm a mommy now. This is supposed to be my focus. This is His plan for me right now. And there is nothing wrong with stopping everything else and just focusing on being a mommy. My kids should not be an interruption. They should be my life.

This season in life is not one that came naturally to me. It has been a bit of a shock and harder than I could have ever imagined. I am raising PEOPLE. Little people. That is not a small thing. I have decided that the house will not be clean most of the time and my husband may have to live on less lovin' and friends will have to see a little less of me. I can't spend much more than 30 minutes a day reading the bible or a devotional, 10 if I'm honest. I can wait until my 40's to look fabulous. And I will have time to be creative when my kids are older. But right now, their little minds and hearts are being shaped and I'm missing it.

The devil is sneaky. He just gives us little distractions that pile up until one day we realize that our priorities are nowhere near where they should be. So my prayer lately has been to keep my priorities in check. I need to put God and my family first and my pride and vanity last.

holding hands

 

This is my little Mya and me. She's 3 1/2 and so sweet. She is careful and thoughtful and slow to make decisions. We have already labeled her the responsible one.

We went to a birthday party recently at one of those bouncy house places with giant slides that are fun for everyone, including adults. I pretty much assumed Mya would be hesitant to bounce. As soon as we entered the room with the bouncy houses, she could hear the air blowing into the inflatable jumpers and immediately started to cry. It was too loud and overwhelming and just not something she wanted any part of. I eventually coaxed her in and convinced her to stay. It was a party for her friend after all. After about 30 minutes of playing with baby toys, I finally convinced her to sit on the stair to the bouncy house with me. We bounced on our bottoms for a while until she was ready to enter the net door to the house with me. After minutes of sitting and bouncing inside, she was ready to stand while holding my hand of course. We began to bounce and have a great time. She hopped on my back, we climbed up the inflatable stairs and went down the inflatable slide together. As long as we were holding hands she was good. She never did let go.

Has God ever asked you to do anything so huge and intimidating that you just wanted to turn and run? I can be scared and untrusting just like Mya. But God has never asked me to do anything without holding my hand through it all. He promises to be there for us every step of the way. He doesn't just throw us in to something and say, okay have fun! He's there right beside us, showing us, leading us and guiding us. We should never be too afraid to face something God wants us to do. He will never ask us to do something he won't hold our hand through.

Psalm 25:9
He leads the humble in justice, And He teaches the humble His way.

 

John 14:16
" And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 2:6-9
For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, Guarding the paths of justice, And He preserves the way of His godly ones. Then you will discern righteousness and justice And equity and every good course.

Psalm 37:5 “Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.”