Posts from — February 2008

My talented husband designed this blog for me last night.  I’ve decided to go for it!  Let me know what you think!  I’ll be posting Weight Watchers tips and recipes that I discover along the way on this new blog.

As I’ve mentioned before, I do Weight Watchers and I’m a lifetime member.  I got way off track over this past year and ended up going over my goal weight.  So, for the past month or so, I’ve been counting my points again.  Today, I came home from the “Y” starving, and wanted to find something quick.  So, I cut a pita in half (only using half) and spread hummus (homemade) on the inside.  Then, I stuffed it with yellow pepper and 4 bite-size pieces of sesame chicken (leftovers from last night) and topped it off with a little mozzarella cheese.  I stuck it in the microwave for 10 seconds to melt the cheese and that was it.  It was so good and listen to how many points total…………..5!(and I probably over-estimated)  I’m finding that I love the challenge of looking for as much food as I can eat for the lowest points.  If I choose things that have high points, I’m going to be hungrier because I can’t eat as much.  But, if I choose foods that are low in points and high in fiber, I am satisfied most days.

Next stop, my parent’s house in Hampstead/Wilmington.

I love this place! This picture is taken from my parent’s yard. This was my playground when I was little. When the tide was high, I’d swim, and when it was low, I’d go exploring in the marsh.

My “Daddy”, taking us on a boat ride. I love this picture of him because he is totally in his element.

Notice that shoes are off and feet are in the water! Jared wanted to be sure to take this picture because we left snow on the ground in St. Louis.

Gage tends to choose one main project to immerse himself in when we visit my parents. The last time, it was fishing. This time, it was hunting doves with a pellet gun. He was so obsessed the entire time. And, this is one of his lucky doves. Thankfully, he didn’t bust out the neighbor’s windows!

He even learned how to clean them.

My Mom was so excited about her garden tools. This is her “I’m getting ready to start laughing and not be able to stop” look, and I just love it. She cracks me up!

New Year’s Eve with my sister, Emily (middle) and her friend, Karis.

Jared and I went out to eat and then stopped by to meet my sister’s friends.  We really got a kick out of dropping my sister and her boyfriend off at the bar in our mini-van.

I wish I had more pictures of my family to post, but, I didn’t use my camera as much as I should have.   I was too busy just enjoying my time with them.

This is what happens when a 2 year old puts his underwear on by himself!

 

“I am sorry mom”

 Gage brought this note out to me after being sent to his room.  It was folded up like an airplane.

This is my second day without it!  UNBELIEVABLE!!!!

Here are some highlights of our trip to NC over Christmas break.

Our first stop, Beaufort, to see Jared’s Dad and sister……

Having fun with Aunt Tammy

We left snow and 20ish degree temps back in St. Louis. The next day, we enjoyed lunch OUTSIDE, by the waterfront in Beaufort!

We even got to visit with my friend, Abbey, and her daughter, Haleigha, who live close to Jared’s Dad. (Gage took the picture…..not bad!) Abbey and I have been great friends since 4th grade, and I am so thankful for her friendship. We always pick up right where we left off.

I think I’ll end this post here and post the rest of our trip over the next few days.  It’s too much for one posting!

about my husband. Since it’s the day after Valentine’s Day, I figured I’d dedicate an entire post to my husband. I am so thankful for him and I’m just going to share with the entire internet world all of the things I love about him.

1. He is such a servant. As soon as he gets a free moment to help, he is looking for things that need to be done. He takes care of the kids, washes clothes, and cleans the kitchen. And, when he decides to help with the clothes, he always asks if there’s anything that can’t be put in the dryer…….a major plus!

2. He is a constant support. I always know that he is there to help. When I need some alone time, I know that if he is able, he will be glad for me to go. There are even times that he sees my need for alone time before I see it, and he encourages me to go out by myself.

3. He loves my parents as his own, and even says that my Dad is the best man that he knows (apart from his Dad, of course.)

4. He protects me. He has always said that I can blame things on him if I don’t want to take the heat for it. I don’t usually do that, but knowing that he would do that for me means the world.

5. He’s spontaneous. I love that we don’t have to plan everything. We’re the type that like to get in the car and not know exactly where we are going. I love that we can be that way together.

6. He has a heart of gold. There have been 3 different times since we have been married that we have heard of a specific orphaned child/children, and he has instantly said, “Let’s take them, Lyra. We can do it.” All 3 times, the door has been shut before we can move forward. But, each time it has happened, I am reminded of his heart, and I love him even more.

7. He loves my little sister as his own, and when she was going through a really hard time in her life, offered for she and my niece, who was 2, to move in with us, without one bit of hesitation. We had a new baby, and he was unemployed, but none of that mattered to him.

8. He’s goofy, and even though I act like it annoys me, I love it. The kids love it, too, and I can’t imagine him any other way. He spends most of his time speaking in a redneck accent just to be funny. But, what’s so amusing about it is that he does it so much that people really think that is how he speaks.

9. He is not hindered by worrying about what other people will think. He has helped balance me in this area, and I am so thankful.

10. He is patient and gentle. I am always so amazed that he is able to have the boys under his feet while he is working on a project. He lets them “help”, and I know that they are going to learn so much from their Dad, just because he is willing to let them be there with him.

So, there is a small glimpse into why I love my husband.

 Oh, yeah, and his good looks don’t hurt, either.

I’m reading “The Hiding Place”, by Corrie Ten Boom to Gage, and yesterday as I read, I found myself fighting back a floodgate of tears. We were reading about Corrie’s mom during her time of illness and as her mom’s character came through in the words we were reading, I was reminded of how amazing my own Mom is. I have no doubt that if my Mom were in the same situation as Corrie’s, she would be doing the same thing. Here are Corrie Ten Boom’s words:

(Her Mom suffered a stroke, and as a result could only speak 3 words: “Yes”, “No”, and “Corrie”.)

“To communicate, she and I invented a little game, something like twenty questions. ‘Corrie,’ she would say. ‘What is it, Mama? You’re thinking of someone!’ ‘Yes.’

‘Someone in the family?’

‘No.’

‘Somebody you saw on the street?’

‘Yes.’

‘Was it an old friend?’

‘Yes.’

‘A man?’

‘No.’

‘Mama, I’ll bet it’s someone’s birthday!’ And I would call out names until I heard her delighted, ‘Yes!’ Then I would write a little note saying that Mama had seen the person and wished her a happy birthday. At the close I always put the pen in her stiffened fingers so she could sign it. An angular scrawl was all that was left of her beautiful curling signature, but it was soon recognized and loved all over Haarlem. It was astonishing, really, the quality of life she was able to lead in that crippled body, and watching her during the three years of her paralysis, I made another discovery about love.

Mama’s love had always been the kind that acted itself out with soup pot and sewing basket. But now that these things were taken away, the love seemed as whole as before. She sat in her chair at the window and loved us. She loved the people she saw in the street-and beyond: her love took in the city, the land of Holland, the world. And so I learned that love is larger than the walls which shut it in.”

Jared came home today from class with a $100 gift certificate to a fancy French Restaurant downtown!  He and another student were selected by a local Christian radio station and faculty at Covenant to receive this gift!  Both of them were completely unaware of the whole thing.  Class was interrupted for the radio station to come in and give the awards, and Jared and Ronnie (the other recipient) were interviewed right there during class.  What is really funny to me is that our good friend, Matt, told me tonight that when Jared and Ronnie were interviewed, their personality differences were apparent.  He said that Ronnie was saying things like, “God bless you.  Thank you so much.” So, what exactly is Matt saying?  That Jared isn’t kind and appreciative?

I totally lost it today with the boys. I made it through letting them help me make pumpkin bread, and was really proud of myself for letting them help. I am not one of those moms who has a knack for working with their kids in the kitchen. I’d rather just do it myself, but I gave in this time because I knew it would make them happy. As I was getting some lunch together for us to take with us in the car, I started getting more and more frustrated as I listened to Gage and Shea bicker back and forth. Shea has decided he likes to aggravate his brother and Gage hasn’t yet learned how to ignore him and he is also extremely dramatic. So, it went on and on and on and on and on and on………… until I just snapped. I said, “You are both making me so mad right now that I just want to put you outside in the cold and leave you there!”

I knew as soon as I said it that I had gone over the line. But, I was too mad to apologize. And, of course, I rationalized it in my mind, because, they were in fact driving me crazy. A person can only take so much, right? I took Shea to the potty right after that and as I was helping him pull his pants down, he looked at me and said, “You mad, Mommy.” Once we were in the car and on our way, I asked Gage if he remembered what I had said, and of course, he did. I told him I was sorry, and that I didn’t mean what I had said. He said, “Well, Mom, you need to apologize to Shea, too.” I could tell he was really glad to catch me in the wrong, so I explained to him that I needed him to give me grace, just as I give him grace.

Something dawned on me the other day. I woke up, and this thought came into my mind. The day before, Gage had quickly come to the realization that he had treated me badly, and I was surprised at how fast he apologized. It suddenly dawned on me that the change in my behavior toward Gage was influencing his desire to ask for forgiveness. You see, I have had a major issue with telling my child that I am sorry. I have always been afraid to do it, because I was afraid that he would manipulate the situation. I’ve always known that it is the right thing to do, and when I hear other parents talk about how often they have to apologize to their children, I cringe and wonder why I never do it. So, a few weeks ago, I told Jared that I knew I was just going to have to take the risk, and start asking Gage for forgiveness when I screw up.  I have been amazed at the change I have seen taking place in our son.  Yes, it has meant me biting my tongue and saying “I’m sorry” even when I know he is sitting there thrilled that his mom just messed up again.  But, it has been more than worth it, and I wish so much I would have learned this lesson a long time ago.