All About Me!

Wife.
Praying Mama to three boys.
Teacher.
Believer.
Blessed beyond measure.

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25 July 2012

LOVE This Day!!!

July 25th.  I love EVERYTHING about this day!  It's the day we became a family.  It's a day that I had dreamed about, planned for, and lived for.  
The day itself was beyond perfect. . . a picture perfect HOT summer day filled with joy, friends, love, family, and precious moments.  The boy walked me down the aisle, promises were made, candles were lit, flowers were breathtaking, we celebrated life and held dear the ones who weren't able to join us.  We served our guests communion, we were joined by the most dear angels on earth to celebrate with us, we ate, we drank, and we were filled with The Spirit who joined us in blessing this day.    We danced the night away.  Everything was just as it should have been and all was, and still is, well with the world.  Love is amazing.  Wow.  Beyond blessed, still.

Love!


Joy!

The boy, who for months stated "WE'RE GETTING MARRIED!!!  I'm TOO excited to sleep!!!!!"

I wouldn't change a thing.  xo
**Photos courtesy the beautiful Em of M Photography.  Amazing.

24 July 2012

The Boy and His Dog.




What is it about a boy and his dog?  It's this unspeakable bond of fun, understanding, love, rough-housing, wrestling, and snuggles.  We have been blessed with all of the above from our awesome dog Wrigley.  


He's my dog and I'm his boy.
And so today, I just need a moment.  A moment to hold on to what I so loved about this dog.  As a single mom for 10 years, this is the last link to THAT life.  I don't ever want THAT life back, but of the wonderful things that came out of that life, this dog was one of them.  He was my reason for my feet to hit the floor on the weekends when the boy was away.  That howl, those big brown eyes, and floopy ears, this buddy who needed to be walked, fed, snuggled, and played with.  And that is exactly what I did.  The boy knew in his heart that this dog was HIS and his alone, but he had no clue to the therapy, healing, annoyance, and love that was gifted to me unconditionally while he was away.  

Sweet pup
I need a moment.  I don't do good-byes. . . .I actually don't even enjoy the "see-ya-laters!"  A piece of my heart is broken today as I say my "see ya when we get there" to our precious Wrigley.  And more than ever, I hope the good Lord has a boat for ya to ride on, a pig's ear for you to hide in His couch, and a big lap for you to enjoy.

Love ya Riggs.
xo

Until we meet again, Wrigley.
Thank you for being the most loyal and loved dog on the block. xo


10 July 2012

Long live the nana!



We had a super big day around here yesterday.  Moo, the lover of all nanas, had a very special visitor.  Let me back up just a little bit.  About two weeks ago we had the pleasure of getting his teeth cleaned for the very FIRST time.  He's got about 4 more months until he turns three, so I figured it was about time.  He's great at brushing, his teeth look great, with the exception of a space in the front that the Dr. stated was caused by sucking on his nana.  So, the Dr. very gently suggested that it might be time to give it up!  Along with that suggestion was the hint that while we're giving it up for Moo, we might as well give it up for the little bug as well before it does to much damage!

So, Moo has recently become obsessed with Buzz and Woody and I figured, boy, what 2.5 year old wouldn't LOVE to have two new buddies to play with in exchange for all of the nanas in the house!?!?!?  Yesterday was the day!  Heho even got in on the action.  Distracting Moo while we set things up and we all headed up to the room to do a little "picking up" only to discover that the nanas were gone at there were a few new toys on his bed!  Oh, the excitement that filled those little eyes!!!  He picked up Buzz and Woody and hugged them so tightly and then gently placed them back on the bed.  He turned to us and said, "Oh no!  The nana fairy has come.  She taked all my nanas to give to little babies that need them.  Oh, no!!!"  If only you could see his little hands held out in front of him, and to hear his very breathy sigh as he realized that this was the end of the nana affair for him.  (And the little bug!)

The afternoon went on, and Buzz and Woody were played with constantly.  They were never more than an arm's length away from Moo and after a tubby we prepared for bed.  I very gently reminded him that he had to gather his new buddies to join him in bed so that he would have company, and that tonight he was a REALLY BIG BOY without a nana!  Oh, I laid it on thick.  And, it went perfect!  He hopped right up into bed, snuggled his blankie and his new "Best Friwends"  (Yes, that's how he says it, with the 'w'!) and he was out for the count.  He even made Mama and Dada so proud. . .as this was the first night in 5 consecutive nights that we WERE NOT woken up at 3:30am to help him go and find the nana that fell out of his mouth.  I still woke around 3am, but didn't get up. . .just lifted a little prayer of thankfulness that he was still sound asleep and had no nana to search for!  Whew.

Whew.

What a relief!

Then came nap time today.  He was laying so silently in his bed all snuggled in and I was SURE he was asleep.  Then came the frequent trips OUT of bed.
Round 1:  "I not tired, Mama."
Round 2:  "B-ollie seeping, Mama."
Round 3:  "I firsty (thirsty) Mama."
Round 4:  "Woody not tired, Mama."
Round 5:  "I don't want Buzz and Woody no more, Mama.  I need my nana."

Round 6, 7, and 8. . . quite similar to round 5.  Sigh.

After a little rocking, some snuggles, and praying with him about his beloved NANAS, the moo is FINALLY asleep.

What does all of this mean?  Dada is in charge of bedtime tonight.

I just don't ever want to forget!

This one is for my sweet, perfect, and precious littlest one.  I don't ever, ever want to forget the fun and entertaining details of that winter day when you arrived.  February 18, 2011!  Two weeks earlier than predicted due to this mama having high blood pressure.  I was completely okay with that, as I was BEYOND done being pregnant.  D. O. N. E.  That, and I just couldn't wait to meet you.  I knew you were going to be perfect and I just KNEW you were going to be a GIRL!!!!!!!!!  
You, my little bug, were different than your brothers. . .every day of the 38 weeks was different.  I was as green as green could be. . .the whole time.  So, I prepared myself for a girl.  I just had "this feeling" and just knew!  I had a girl name. . .Finley Grace.  You were going to be my precious, pink wearing, dance lesson takin', pedicure loving little Finley Grace.  Your brothers were going to protect you, never let you date, and dote upon you unlike anything we've ever experienced before!  Your daddy and I loved the name, and I can't even count the number of times that I whispered that name while laboring.  Speaking of laboring, I must be honest with you when I let you know that it was a bit less than delightful.  It was exactly what they call it.  Labor.  A TON of work.  Above and beyond that, I was armed with pink goodies to welcome you to this wonderful family of ours!  I could hardly contain my excitement.  Your daddy had asked a few times if I brought anything blue, just by chance you were a boy.  I confidently reassured him, that I had. . .but there would be no need for it!  I just knew and was so excited!  Everything was going just perfectly, like I had planned. . .and then the meds didn't work, the pain meds didn't touch a thing let alone take the edge off, and our precious nurse walked us through the entire process with faith and grace better than anything I could have every prayed for!!!




So, while being induced with you, things really started to kick into high gear!  We began getting more and more check-ins from our nurse F.  In her very special way, she told us stories the entire day while we waited for your very special arrival.  We heard all about the two children she had in Africa, and the one she had here.  We learned of her desperate longing to move her Mother here to the states.  Stories about her husband and the laughter they share.  Tales of the JOY she experiences doing this line of work.  Each story was more welcoming to our ears as the one before!  Daddy and I tried to keep each other distracted, we even attempted soft music, a movie, and dreamed of a quick nap.  Nothing worked.  The only time that I felt even the slightest bit of relief and peace was when our nurse would be by my side telline me about her family and her life.  The peace in her voice was soothing, kind, gentle, and had just an edge of excitement.  Her stories were alway about her children and her family in Africa.  The accent was thickShe was a bundle of heaven with a smile that could light up the sky, and she was there to help us!  I had never, ever felt so lucky in my life!  This woman knew what she was doing.  The only bad part was that it was almost 1pm, and she got off at 3pm.  Boy, did we have a ways to go.
I recall the story of her three children the best of all.  I had finally asked F, "What did you name your three children."  And she responded with telling us that in Africa, they give their children very spiritual names that have very precious meanings to us.  She has three boys and loves them so very dearly.  Her first boy, she stated they were just so excited to have a son!  She and her husband gave him the African name of "Gift from God!"  I could not even begin to believe how beautiful a name that was!  The way she pronounced his name brought tears to my eyes, as well as hers!  She continued to tell us about her second son, again she was thrilled for a boy, so they named him the name that has the African meaning "Blessed by God!"  Really?  Gift and Blessed?!  Yep!  Doesn't get any better than that!  So, I asked her about her third son as she took my hand and gently sat down on the edge of my bed.  Well, she then looked into my eyes and recalled how desperately she wanted her baby to be a girl.  She loved her sons, just like I do, but had this want and was praying it would be fulfilled with baby no. 3.  She stated that she loves her third son, just like the first two, but really struggled find a name for him, because she was SURE she was having a GIRL.  ( starting to sound familiar?!?!  HA!)  So, as she held my hand, she said, "Well, he wasn't a girl.  So, we named him the African name for 'THIS is how God wanted it to be.'"  In that moment, with the serious look of deep understanding that I was just starting to grasp, the three of us laughed hysterically.  With that, she left the room.  We just sat there and looked at each other as the Mr reminded me, it's really not up to us if it's a girl or not. . .we just need to be prepared for this. . . . and we sure were prepared.  To love our little bug, boy or girl.

A few hours past F's planned departure time, there she was, still with us.  She had told her supervior she was not leaving until WE (yes, all three of us) had this baby and we knew if it was a boy or a girl!  She stayed by our side, she was heaven.  Right there in our room.  God had sent her to us and she was truly amazing.  From start to finish.  F blessed our entire walk that day as we welcomed our sweet, perfect, and precious THIRD BOY into this family.  


Mama & Little Bug
You, my perfect little one, are NOT a Finley Grace.  You are an Oliver Finn and we love you so very much.  We were blessed to have Dr. O usher you in, and she smiled at me and said, "It's a BEAUTIFUL and PERFECT Boy!!!"  She was never more right!  Daddy was over the moon thrilled as he reminded me that he feels so strongly that I am just meant to be the mother of boys.  My heart soared when they placed you in my arms. . .you were familiar, so tiny. . .my little pipsqueak!  My smalled bundle weighing in at 7lbs 11 oz.  You smelled like heaven and were calm, sweet, perfect, and BLESSED.  I could NOT have been more thrilled to be holding you, my perfect boy, in my arms.  Then I looked at the bag and thought, it's okay!  I have 13 weeks of a maternity leave to return all that pink!  Auntie C sent an email with all of your stats to the whole building of teachers stating we added another BOY to our team and that we were over-the-moon excited.  Truer words have never been spoken!  Auntie W brought a bag filled with darling goodies from Oh Baby!, one of our favorite shops and oooood and ahhhhed over how precious you were!  Auntie M stopped in the visit and got some special snuggle time in.  Moo was excited that he was given some new toys from some dear and precious friends, and being 16 months to THE DAY older than you, didn't really know what in the world was going on.  HEHO?  Well, being the fun dude that he is, never missed a beat!  He looked at the board that had your name on it in our hospital room and pumped his fist with a "YES!  It's a BOY!  SWEET!"  That was quickly followed with "Oliver Finn, don't let one it!  He can be our own little Ole the Goalie, Mom!"  Heho was SURE that as soon as you could sit, he's be allowed to place in in the knee hockey net to block the shots.  Dream on, Heho!!!  And F?  She hugged me so tightly with tears in her eyes as she whispered, "THIS is how God wanted it to be!"

JOY in the form of a BOY!  THIS is how God wanted it to be.  Truly it is.  Our life is now all legos, trains (ta-goes), hockey sticks, and pucks.  God is good and I have never, ever been so thrilled that he decided to laugh at my plans and do his own thing!
The beautiful nurse F who gently reminded me that "THIS is how God wanted it to be."