Now People Will Think I'm Paranoid...

After just a couple hours out with the kids, I returned home to find issue with our front door's deadbolt. Scary? Yeah, it was for me!

Long story short, I didn't want to be in the house with the kids. So after just getting 2 rain-soaked children from the driveway to the front door, I quickly scooped up the kids and returned to the car. I drove away from the house and parked on the corner of an adjacent street facing our home. I called Chris, who was to leave work just shortly thereafter, and we agreed I should call the police.

Chris arrived first, parked behind my vehicle and joined the kids and me inside the car. One officer arrived, and a couple minutes later so did a second policeman. Oh my gosh. We sat in the car watching these two Sheriff's Deputies enter our home with GUNS! And guess who didn't have her camera??? Can you believe it?! I got one pic with my cell phone, just of the police cruiser, it was too dark and too far away to get a cell pic of them entering our home with weapons. That would have made such a good Christmas card pic, too! *Sigh*

Both kids were up past bed times, but thankfully Kyleigh was just mellow and sweet and Josiah was oblivious to the excitement. Did I mention I have the flu or some awful illness and I felt horrendously sick during the whole ordeal? My head is still pounding.

Nothing appeared out of place in the home, nothing seemed missing or damaged. The cops could see what was going on with the deadbolt, as could my hubby, but the damage looks as though it was done from the inside. How bizarre is that? Everything was working just fine when we left the house, so this perplexes me to no end. But since my head is pounding to the point my stomach feels nauseous, I'll contemplate the issue on a deeper level another day. Chris fixed the door and lock tonight, so now I feel safe. Now people will think I'm paranoid, but I say better safe than sorry!

I'm glad all seemed to work out fine. Oh, what a night!

Let's Hang Out! (+potty training update)

Last night I wrote a ranting blog (about not being able to find appropriate undergarments for kids!). Some of you may have read it, others may not. Either way, I decided this morning to revoke that entry. I have enough stress in my life, so I decided instead to focus on good things. One of the greatest things in my life is a person. My beloved. My husband.

Chris and I are tremendously different creatures. We do everything opposite of one another--everything! In the beginning of a relationship those differences can be intriguing and seem to bring "balance". A few years later those differences can just be plain frustrating sometimes! LOL But in the overall scheme of things, though we may go about doing things with different methods, we always have the same ultimate goal at heart. That goal is to reach souls for Christ. That goal is why we're walking through life together, and I'm so glad Chris is my life partner for this journey!

Last night I was treated to an early Christmas gift--my hubby got to come home from work early! What an awesome surprise for us both! Chris manages a jewelry store, so with the mall opening earlier and closing later he works a lot of wacky hours during the holiday season. We got Kyleigh to bed for the night and Josiah down for a nap and we were able to just hang out. There's not a lot of "hang out" time in our home these days, so we enjoyed the rare treat of time for just the two of us to bake a pizza and lounge! No matter how busy you may get this holiday season, try to fit in some "hang out" time with those who matter most to you!

*A potty training update:

We are so proud of our daughter, and can't tell her enough! She's doing tremendous with her new big girl achievements in using the potty, and is really liking her new big girl panties (what decent/appropriate ones I could find at the store; beware the too-sexy-for-two-year-olds panties)!

Hi Grandma & Grandpa!

Since my parents just discovered this blog,
we're dedicating this entry to them!

Earlier this week (that Wednesday I mentioned which wore us out!), my hubby made a quick road trip to Huntsville to pick up a big surprise for Kyleigh's upcoming birthday. Chris got to see my family on that trip, and they sent back with him wonderful gifts of clothes for KyKy and toys for both kids to enjoy. Josiah's using his new rattle in the previous film of his attempts to sit up; and Kyleigh's been giddy over the car, which is fun because you push the "person" down and the car automatically takes off across the floor!

So Grandma and Grandpa, if your checkin' in, this is for you:

Holidays At Home

How do we decorate for Christmas?

The front entry is adorned w/ a red mat--actually, it's an Ohio State door mat that's there year-round, and since it's got a traditional holiday color it stays for Christmas, too! Our wreath is also an OSU theme, go figure! Typically our Christmas tree ornaments are Scarlet and Grey (gotta luv an underlying theme!). However, since this year we have our home up for sale we're keeping the interior decor simple (don't want to scare off any potential buyer who may be a Michigan fan...ewww I can't even imagine that! Haha).

We've still put up our pre-lit tree, but we're using it for our Jesse Tree this year. Our ornaments are fairly large and attached to brightly-colored construction paper so as to catch the kids' interest!

Kyleigh's been helping me make ornaments, and thus far it's been a special time of reading verses and teaching our children

about the Advent season. Only 20 more days 'til Christmas!

(P.S. The gate is not up for Kyleigh--she's very responsible. It's up for Josiah, who is rolling around the house & may crawl by Christmas!)

In other updates, Josiah's getting stronger and more mobile with all his rolling around the house. He spends his tummy time making strides toward crawling. He likes to try to pull his knees up under his body, though not with complete success just yet, as sometimes he leans too much and rolls onto his back instead. And another of his habits is to lay on the floor and "push off" with one foot, which scoots him just a tad along the carpet. It's not much, but it's letting us know that Siah has interest in mobility. Oh, and he barely cares to sit alone! The Bumbo or jumperoo are fine with him, but sitting alone does not strike his fancy for more than 2-3 seconds usually, which makes it tough to take his picture sitting up! Here's a video clip of Mommy catching his tumbles!
(And yes, his socks are mismatched. Silly story there!)

Today is Thursday, and the hubster and I are both exhausted from a long Wednesday. I'll blog about that soon. Anyway, since Chris was scheduled to work 3-9:30pm, so we utilized the sunny daylight hours to accomplish some more projects with our house. The past couple of days we've been mulching and today also did some srubbing of the siding near the front entry. I am such a klutz, I can't believe Chris was okay with me getting on a ladder right over the concrete porch steps! Maybe it was because he was right there keeping an eye on me! We only had a little free time to work in the midst of potty training, feeding two kids, alternating nap times, and cooking lunch for a couple of grown ups. Kyleigh, of course, helped out (& she insisted on wearing a hat like Daddy's!) while Josiah napped in his cozy, warm nursery! Thankfully, there are no injuries to report, and much was accomplished.

Dance Fever

Last night we videotaped the kids dancing separately and together. Here's just a snippet of their bedtime boogie...

I Only Have One Chance At This

"In moments when you are touched by the soul of a child, you suddenly realize the eternal significance of these precious years. Then, no other task on earth seems quite as important or meaningful as raising and training and guiding through developmental experiences." Shirley Dobson

I feel an enormous sense of responsibility in raising my children, though I really have no idea what I'm doing so I try to learn more each and every day. I read the above quote on a relative's photo-blog, and it captures exactly what's been on my heart as my children grow and develop. They are being shaped into the people they will each progressively become... both because of me and in spite of me.

I wasn't raised in an experience from which I want to model a mother/child relationship. I don't have the advantage of knowing first-hand what that should look like or the route to achieve what I hope for with my kids. But I guess the flip-side to that is having the advantage of knowing what I don't want it to be, and therefore the opportunity to avoid certain pitfalls. While it's not an easy journey, I'm thankful for the challenges that draw me closer to my God.

I've said before (verbally & probably via blog as well!) that when I see the tenderness of my daughter's heart, I see that I'm not completely failing as a parent! That doesn't mean that I can take the credit for her amazingness (is that a word?!). But to the contrary, I give God the glory for guiding and providing thus far as I know He will continue to guide our relationships and provide opportunities in our future. I thank Him for helping me maintain my daughter's innocence and purity of heart thus far.

Truth be told, I'm not really all that interesting to most people, including me! But for some reason my daughter believes I'm like Barbie in Barbie's Dream World! KyKy wants to mimick all that I do. So while I see concealer as a tool to cover pimples and dark under-eye circles (both of which develop from the stress and exhaustion of raising kids!), she sees it as the key to looking as "fancy" as Mommy!

While I see making sandwiches for my husband's lunch as a form of mundane early-morning torture, Kyleigh sees it as an adventure! (*Clarification: I don't mind packing lunches--I do it willingly and gladly. I simply meant I'm not a morning person. To me, things done in the a.m. are a slight form of torture, even things which are done in love!)


If you read my Thanksgiving Day blog entry, you likely saw pics of my daughter helping wash dishes. Then there's sweeping...yet another pesky chore that I categorize necessary for sanitary and sanity purposes. Yet my toddler finds this activity riveting, and can't wait to scoop up particles in the dustpan! (*Clarification: I promise I'm not a slave-driver! She grabbed the dustpan & scooted it across the floor as her version of sweeping... I just stepped in with the broom to help! But hey, what's wrong with learning a little responsibility anyhow?)

And then there's just love oozing from this sweet creature. Simple, untainted love. Kyleigh likes to care for her stuffed animals just as Mommy cares for Josiah, be it holding him on a pillow, burping after a feeding, or the all-important fresh diaper!

I'm amazed at how our Creator managed to fit such a super-sized heart into such a petite little girl!
What a wonderful miracle!


Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and as much as Kyleigh imitates my actions, I try constantly to imitate her heart.

Ya know that saying "Good things come in little packages"? That's my Kyleigh, whom God has entrusted to me.
So I turn to Him & beg, "God, I only have one chance at this, so please help me to do it right the first time."