gifts

When I was in high school, I had so many ideas as to what I would do with the gifts God gave me. I thought maybe I would sing Christian music or teach dance since I loved to do both. I thought maybe I would be a math or English teacher because I was a good student. Math was my favorite. And maybe I would be a P.E. coach because I was pretty good at sports. I quickly became disappointed in myself because I didn't use any of those talents.

I went to college and couldn't find my thing. I tried my hand in teaching but didn't really like it. I took guitar lessons so I could sing and play guitar and stopped trying because it was too hard. 

I ended up working for a computer software company where I managed customer service. I was only promoted because the previous manager quit suddenly and I was the only other person working in the department and no one else in the company knew anything about customer service. 

So I did that until I got married and had babies. Then I was a wife and mom. I still don't feel like this is my thing because I'm not a very good housekeeper and I'm sure I yell at my kids too much and I'm sure I don't teach them all the things I should be teaching them.

But I realized something today at church while singing worship songs. God hears me sing to Him and he loves it. He sees me doing laundry and dishes at 9:30PM when all I want to do is fall into bed and He is proud of me. He sees me love my husband like I want to be loved and He is pleased. 

I was all set to teach Sunday School today because I was the summer fill-in but I didn't need to because the regular teacher was back and ready to go. That's beside the point.  I still had a lesson and craft prepared. We were going to talk about chores and how we can do chores for God. We were going to make a little door hanger that said, "I <3 doing chores for my Lord." And I was reminded how when I serve my family I serve God. Whatever I do for my husband and kids, I'm doing for Him. 

So when I think about my many wasted talents, they aren't wasted. I can still use them. I can sing to Addie as I rock her. I can dance with Winter around the living room and I can help Mya with her homework. She is just like I was. She loves to learn. 

I love the lyrics of that song "God blessed the broken road that led me straight to you." It may have seemed like a broken road but it was actually God's plan all along. He made me the way I am with my unique talents and experiences so I can serve my family and friends with all I have to offer.

that was then

When I was in my early 20's I was not a very good driver. I did not obey traffic "suggestions" AKA laws. I sped most of the time and rolled through most stop signs. Okay I still do that sometimes. But I am a pretty safe driver these days right honey?! :)

There is this one time that stands out in my memory pretty clearly and I feel guilty every time I think about it. I used to work in the valley and got out around 5:15 and the traffic was always horrendous. There was this stop sign where I made a right turn every day. I rarely stopped because I was turning right and there were rarely cars to my left going straight. I didn't even really understand why there was a stop sign there.

One day after I had turned right at the stop sign and was sitting at a red light, this lady in a minivan pulled up next to me (in my little 2 door) and motioned for me to roll down my window. I figured she needed directions or something. But instead she said something along the lines of "I saw you roll through that stop sign back there. You know there are kids around here. You need to be more careful!" I yelled back, "Thank you so much!" rolled my eyes and proceeded to roll up my window as she yelled, "You know everything don't you? You blablabla something." What a little brat I was. 

Well now I can totally identify with that lady in the minivan. In fact I can totally see myself doing that to some irresponsible 20 something driver. 

The other day, there was a white SUV that drove through our street WAY too fast. There are kids playing in the street all the time in my neighborhood. So I marched my little hiney around the corner to see if they stopped somewhere and sure enough, the SUV was parked outside a house down the street. So I went over and tried to find the guy but he was in the house and no one was answering the door so I told his son (I assume) to let him know that there are kids around here and he needs to slow down or he's going to cream someone. I immediately thought of the poor lady I rolled my eyes at over a decade ago. 

I don't have any pics that aren't buried in storage because I'm so old that Facebook wasn't around when I was in my early 20's. I realize that most of you could 2nd that statement so sorry if you're old too ;)

Mt. St. Tide

Dan is super helpful when he is home. He does load after load of laundry. He just doesn't like to fold and put away so that's on me...

This is a record setting pile of clean clothes. The pics just don't do it justice. 

I wonder how high I can get it...

Those clothes folded on the right are Mya's doing of course :)

sunday strippin'

"Hi, Winter is in the street with the water hose."

That is the text I received from my neighbor across the street yesterday evening. Seriously, I don't know what I would do without that guy. Thanks Mark! To be fair, she was just trying to be helpful. She was washing Daddy's truck. The one that was just detailed a few days ago =) 

We had a brief discussion on water conservation and went over the outside rules once more. I came back inside, plopped down on the couch to finish my lukewarm tea when Mya came in from outside wearing only her panties and yelled, "Winter is outside naked!! Naked!!" Then she squealed in excitement. I jumped up, horrified, went outside (Mya followed) and grabbed both naked girls, gave them a swat on the hiney and shooed them inside. Winter tried to explain that she was too wet (from washing the truck) to wear clothes. Mya agreed. And on her way upstairs in her birthday suit and in tears, Winter managed to get out, "But that was sooo funnyyyyyy!"

mom tip

My friend Nancy told me to do this. She has 3 girls. We have a ton of stretchy pants and they're mostly hand-me-downs so they get holes in the knees pretty quickly. When the hole forms, I just cut them off and make short shorts out of them to go under skirts for the girls. Genius! No more buying stretchy shorts. 

that's why

My sweet husband asked me the other day, "How do you function?...Seriously." Kinda rude but it is a valid question. The answer is barely Honey. Barely.

These are just some of the things I've done lately:

-I took a shower and forgot to use shampoo and skipped right to conditioner so I had very conditioned oily hair that day.

-I drove to Costco when I wanted to go to Trader Joe's. I was actually looking for parking when I realized I didn't want to go there.

-My neighbor across the street has reminded me on several occasions to close the garage door.

-I never know where my keys, checkbook, purse and sunglasses are.

-I often turn right on Sierra Madre when I should go left or vice versa.

-And below, I forgot to put the lid on the coffee pot... yeah.

Why? Because I'm a mom. 

5

It sounds so cliche to say this but I cannot believe my baby is 5. I mean it hasn't exactly flown by but it kind of has. I've heard the days feel like years but the years feel like minutes with little ones and it's so true.

My little Mya,

You have been such a sweet ray of sunshine and a joy to be around. You are my sensitive thinker. You are observant and kind. Your heart is huge and lovely. You are bubbling with happiness and quick to say I'm sorry. You love to organize and clean. You are a genius when it comes to puzzles. You are the most persistent little thing I've ever met. You practice and practice until you get it right like swimming the length of the pool and  riding your bike with no training wheels. You have taught yourself to read and write and hula hoop! And you have already learned how to put your hair in a ponytail and tie your shoelaces. You love school and playing with your friends. You are beautiful inside and out. Those big blue eyes and thick chestnut brown hair are going to break hearts one day.

I love that you draw a million pictures for me every day because you love me. And I am not allowed to throw a single one away. I love that you add hair bows on the corners of your pictures to dress them up. I love that you go to other people's houses and make their beds. I love that you are always thinking of others and their feelings. I love that you teach me things about my phone and remind me to grab it on the way out of the house. I love that you are sweeter than most children and more responsible than most adults. I cannot wait to see what the next year brings.

oatmeal raisin

I'm baking cookies today. Why? I owe my neighbors big time.

1. Some will go to Tiffany a few doors down for coming down to the pool to tell me the dogs were roaming the neighborhood. She pulled up in her car and asked if we were okay. She said it looked like someone broke in. Garage door open and front door open (It wasn't me Dan. It was Mya), dogs running around. She said she didn't want to put the dogs in the house and shut the door and get her fingerprints on the knob... okaaaaay. She was going to call the cops if she couldn't find me haha. But she did put them back in the house after she found me and I assured her there wasn't any foul play. Anyway, we owe her!

2. We owe Britney and Bryn around the corner for Bryn's near death experience. Winter tried to drown her in the pool. She grabbed both sides of her puddle jumper and held her underwater. Psycho! Good thing Britney saw it because I didn't. She handled it so well. She's all, "Well she did need to practice holding her breath under water!" This is the same Bryn from the previous story. They're getting some cookies!

3. The poor Mullers who just moved to the neighborhood were welcomed by several random children from several different families coming in like they owned the place. She didn't even know Mya was there for like a half an hour playing upstairs quietly. Eh, she was probably cleaning anyway so I don't feel too bad about that. The day after they moved in, Winter and Mya were told not to ride their bikes past the Andersons' so they left their bikes at the Andersons' and walked across the street to the Mullers'. Okay, you got me there guys. It's different around here Melissa sweetie! But you're gettin' some cookies! Welcome! And sorry...

4. And of course Mari gets some cookies because well, she's pretty awesome. And my kids are over there all the time... along with the rest of the neighborhood. She's a trooper.

There are more neighbors to bake cookies for because frankly, my neighbors are the best AND they make up for where I lack. For instance, my neighbor Mark reminds me on a regular basis at 10:00PM to close my garage door. And Jason next door has come over at night to let us know the light in the car is on. Nancy texts me when Winter is jumping on her trampoline and Kim gives me food and clothes for the girls on occasion. And I have "borrowed" garlic, eggs, butter, sugar, lemons, milk, beans, car booster seats, portable DVD players and more. 

Back to the cookies...

These are the best oatmeal cookies. I got the recipe from allrecipes.com. Every time I have made cookies in the past, Dan has said, "These are WAY overdone." Turns out the secret to really good cookies is to only cook them for 6 minutes tops. They look like they aren't done when you take them out of the oven but after they cool, they are moist, chewy and delicious. If cookie dough tastes good, then think of how a half baked cookie would taste... not bad. Thanks Honey!

Click here for the recipe.

oh wise one

Life lessons Mya has taught me this week:

1. If you are bored, clean.

2. Put your things by the door that you don't want to forget when you leave the house.

3. Put a few extra diapers in the bathroom for after the next baby's bath so you don't have to go downstairs and get one every time.

4. Practice makes perfect!

5. Wear whatever you want. If you are comfortable in it, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks :)

play hard, sleep hard

Doesn't this nice, soft magna doodle look so cozy? She NEVER falls asleep on her pillow like a normal person.

She is actually sleeping like this.

One of these days I'm going to put a video cam in the girls' room so I can see how Winter falls asleep. Sometimes, it looks like she just plays until she gets so tired that she just face plants wherever she's at...

just like her doggie.

"selfless acts"

When I am having a really bad day, I have sort of trained myself to try to think of someone else instead of myself. I heard it in a sermon once and it's actually a very good idea. It gets the focus off of my feelings and totally changes my perspective. 

There are so many people that are going through tough times and could use a little extra kindness. In my church family alone, there are families going through messy divorces, families losing their homes, families dealing with cancer and other serious health problems. 

When I think about them, I feel guilty for feeling so sorry for myself when all I'm dealing with is a messy house and a 3 year old headache. Not to say my life doesn't get hard sometimes but there is always someone who has it worse. And if I can bless them in some way, it really changes my attitude. Making a meal for a family who is going through a hard time is SO appreciated. I can say that it has truly warmed my heart to receive a meal from a friend, even if it's just spaghetti or a pizza, it really means a lot. Watching someone's kids for them when they could use a breather is a tremendous help too. 

My friend Mari dropped these off yesterday just cuz.

So sweet. They totally made my day. And now when I look at them, I am reminded that I have a friend who thinks of me.

I've also found that I am blessed when I go that extra step with a stranger to try to make their day a little brighter, like letting someone go before me in line at Target or giving a homeless person some food or cash. Compliments go a long way too, like telling a very pregnant lady that she looks great. Or giving a random compliment like, "cute skirt!" 

So, what I am saying is my "selfless acts" are not actually selfless ;) They make me feel good!

firsts

Saturday was a day of firsts. Mya rode her bike without training wheels for the first time. Go Mya! She taught herself of course. We gave her Winter's bike so she could put her feet down when she needed to. Then she just peddled a little bit then a little more then all the way down the street. That girl can do anything she wants. I'm hoping that means that she's going to do really well in school and life in general. I may be getting ahead of myself.

And Addie crawled! Oh goodness, it's a whole new world of parenting. It is amazing how many little tiny things are on the floor AFTER I vacuum. She's opening dresser drawers and getting stuck under couches. It's on! 

It's okay because Rylie said she would come over and chase her around every day and make sure she doesn't get into trouble. Love her!

8 months

We are eating real food! I forgot how messy this phase is. I should have taken the picture after she ate all (some) of the sweet potatoes and they were in her hair, diaper, eyebrows, toes and smushed into the highchair. She got a bath afterward. You can't wipe sweet potatoes off after like 5 minutes. They harden. Bananas aren't much better. They are super mushy and get into every little tiny crevice. Avocados too... Maybe I'll just hand feed her for a while.

8

Ever since before I had kids, I have always thought that the perfect age for kids is 8. They are old enough to have a conversation with and they don't have too much attitude yet. You can play Monopoly with them and take them to Disneyland without worrying about them getting lost. They feed themselves, clothe themselves, go potty without needing to be wiped and they buckle themselves up when they get in the car. Rylie Anderson has been over at our house a lot lately. She's super helpful. She carries the baby, feeds the baby, and protects her from the littler, more dangerous children (Winter). She also tells me she likes to clean if I need anything done.

She's 8.

baby shots

Otter cleaning Addie's face after breakfast :) gross

BFF's. If only they could figure out how to get through that wall that separates them :)

mohawkin' it

girlfriends, haaaay!