Weekend Shenanigans

I realize for most people, Friday is a day of celebration because the weekend is about to begin. When you're a minister, Sundays are a day of work and not for rest, so our weekend starts Thursday night.

It started off with some problem solving for Mom. Griff found his pumpkin shirt last week and wore it Tuesday to school, and then had a fit when he couldn't also wear it Wednesday and Thursday. I'm afraid this could become a weekly battle, so we headed out early this morning to Walmart to look for new pumpkin shirts. Sadly ours didn't have any, but did at least have several plain orange shirts so we can then have a painting party to solve our pumpkin shirt problems. 

I've got to be honest: I was amazed at how good of a painter he was, both left and right handed! I found stencils for faces online, traced them on freezer paper, then cut out the faces and ironed them down. (placing another sheet of freezer paper wax side up inside of the shirt helps to seal it off so the paint won't bleed.) We now have five pumpkin shirts ready to go for October. Let's hope it's enough!

After a picnic lunch out of our lunch box and a long nap, we were at it again to make Halloween cupcakes.  It's amazing that Griff can actually help with things now... there are some perks to him growing up!  

Griff demonstrating proper safety precautions for sprinkle application and a "less is more" approach. 

He was very proud of his finished product and we all enjoyed his hard work! Funny enough, this morning about 11:30 Cody asked, "What did we used to do on weekends before we had a kid?" I answered, "Sleep in till 10:45, dash to Whataburger before 11 to get breakfast, go home to nap,  go out again to eat dinner, wander the mall then catch a movie. Weren't those the days? Now look at what all we've done and it's only 11:30."  Good thing we love this kid! :) 

Silly Boy.

This boy keeps us on our toes and makes us laugh every day. Funny enough, I was saying a prayer the other day that three hadn't been as hard to us as everyone had prepared us for. Yep.... and then we hit a new day! Ha! While Griff is mostly sweet (and luckily we're still hearing good things from his teachers and Sunday School workers) he is very independent and expresses his opinions quite frequently! Here's some silly things he's been up to lately:

He likes to accessorize and wants you to too. He even requested on wearing this headband to bed that night! 

Sunday he required me to call him Pluto all morning as he was crawling around the house, barking like a dog. We were trying to rush out the door to get to church and I was telling Kota to go tee tee, when Griff ran outside and said, "Puppies have to tee tee outside!" This was too great of a shot to pass up :)

He is obsessed with minions and received this minion towel for his birthday. We'e been using it as a towel for a while now, but somehow on Monday night he got the idea in his head that it was a blanket. So he cried when he couldn't take it to bed (you know, because it was wet!!!) so we compromised and said he could have it first thing Tuesday morning. He, of course, didn't forget and ran right in to cuddle under his blanket when he woke up! 

We are trying to foster some independence in him and have been making him get himself dressed. This has lead to him now picking out his clothes - shirt, shorts, undies and socks. He has an opinion on it all! So, he wore his pumpkin shirt on Tuesday in preparation for Bami's Pumpkin Party. (Yes, he asked if we were headed to the party when I picked him up from school!)  When he woke up this morning, he wanted to wear the same shirt AND shorts again to school. It took a little while to convince him that we can't wear the same clothes two days in a row. Back to the drawing board for his shirt... and we ended up going to school like this! 

Luckily he was willing to compromise and at least took tennis shoes to wear for when they went outdoors.

And finally, the nursery workers snapped this picture of G Force and Hurricane Henry tonight. (I do think she asked for a mean face.) I have a feeling these two are going to be giving a lot of church workers a run for their money!! 

Six on Saturday [griffin style]

[one]



a few weeks ago we took griffin to his first movie to see HOME. as you can see, he could hardly take his eyes off of the screen to say cheese. luckily it was a crowd of mostly kids so any noises he made didn't matter, though he mostly only said, "more popcorn please!" cody and I are already looking forward to a few more movie nights this summer!

[two]

griff got some new summer shoes, but we're still trying to teach him that sandals don't require socks. he makes it look pretty cute though!



[three]

we've stepped our toes into the world of potty training and it's going ok. he does mostly good at home with us, but won't go on the potty at school. I am a bribing mom, so every day he goes I remind him - "if you go tee-tee or poo-poo on the potty at school we can get ice cream!" ice cream is a great motivator too :)



[four]

you can tell we've been talking a little too much about potty training. I went to go use the bathroom the other day and Griff walked up to me and said "push hard momma!"

[we stress every day with G to keep his undies clean and dry]

a few days later he saw a pair of his socks on the floor and said they were yucky. I explained it was clean laundry that we needed to put up and he said "clean and dry! clean and dry!"


[five]

one day at school was "wacky hair wednesday." considering that G has crazy hair most days, Cody went with something different - the tri hawk. Personally, I thick he looks like he's ready to star in Dumb and Dumber Three!




[six]
our latest obsession: minions.



he'd make a pretty cute minion to me!

A Good Day

if i had to guess

i think that i would say

that griffin had

a very 

very 

good

day.

don't you agree?

[no mom tears were shed in the making of this day. just good ole fashioned cupcake eating, marker drawing, baking powder measuring fun!] 

Friday Favorites: Griffin Quotes

Momma I carry you?
[when he wants to be picked up]

---------------------------------------------


Castle! Castle!
[pointing to shoe, wanting me to get the sand out]



---------------------------------------------


praying:

dear JESUSSSSSS.
THANK YOOOOOOOUU.
DAY.
THANK YOOOOOOOUU.
moMMA
daDDY
KODABEAR
help me
SLEEEEEEEEP.
night night.
love you.
AMEN.
[because yelling helps the prayers to get through.]


---------------------------------------------


Heart? Heart?
[when requesting to sing "Down In My Heart"]


---------------------------------------------


No get me. No get me Daddy.
[when running off to start a game of chase.]


---------------------------------------------

Ka-chow!
[after every picture.]

---------------------------------------------

No happy birday Daddy. Happy Birday Me!

Do You Want To Build A Snowman?

Back in December I hosted a simple "Do You Want To Build A Snowman?" party for a few of Griffin's friends. It sounds much fancier than it was, as it was just a glorified playdate so the moms could get together and have coffee!

I created an invitation using PicMonkey and texted it to everyone.




Simple snacks for the kids [cookies, powdered sugar donuts, donut holes, and little smokies to balance out the sugar high!] A coffee station for the moms and snowman treats as goodie bags. [which I forgot to hand out and Griff is still playing with!]



The "snowman" was based off of this pin I'd seen a while back.  I think in theory, it's made by older kids who could cut out all of their own eyes, mouth and nose pieces. Our oldest kid attending was four and while she might have been able to do it, I don't trust the other boys! [with nicknames like Hurricane Henry, G-Force, Tor-Knox-O and Wreck 'Em Rhett, do you blame me?? :) ] I used my silhouette the night before to cut out all of the pieces and then made the yarn pom poms for the ear muffs. I stayed up stupidly late making them and was kicking myself for doing it, but the first thing G said when he saw the was "Beautiful!" so it was totally worth it!


While this project does require some adult supervision, it was mostly just because we used hot glue guns for the ear muffs. Glue sticks worked for all of the paper parts and then there was no worry of little hands getting hurt.


Here are the kiddos with their finished snowmen! [this was the best we could get with this crowd!]



I know we're into February now, but with the Texas weather, you never know when our next snow day will be! Make the most of being cooped up inside and make a party out of it!



[here's the fine print: you'll spend all week getting your house ready for the party and then have six little ones and two babies show up and you really will think that a tornado hit. every toy possible will be pulled out, water will probably overflow from the sink, several kids will end up crying at some point and something will get spilt. but, the kids will totally love it, the moms will enjoy the conversation and everyone will leave brainstorming the next party idea! so skip the cleaning, leave the toys out and get ready to have some fun!]

You Can't Handle...

 this cuteness. 

[ cody was away for the weekend so we did whatever it took to survive. which included painting, lots of movies, mcdonalds, and lots of diet dr. pepper for mom. thankful to have dad back and that paint washes off! ] 

Big Emotions.

A few weeks ago I read a post on the Hands Free Mama blog that I really loved.  If you haven't read it, you should. The jist is to take a three second pause before reacting to your kids in stressful situations to keep yourself from doing something you're going to regret. It really is such a challenging post and a great thought to live by.


Did you know though, that when you are watching your child [in slow motion, of course] purposefully take a pool noodle and whack his friend in the face, it's really hard to remember to take a three second pause before responding to him.  Especially when it happens in front of a room full of mothers and all you can think is: why did you have to do it here??????


Later that night as I was thinking back on what happened I realized I better get a game plan for next time he hits. Because I do imagine there will be a next time and spanking as a punishment for hitting is just a little contradictory. [ how did you handle this seasoned moms? ] The other thing that struck me last night is how hard it must be to be two.  I imagine that Griffin probably experiences the same emotions I do during a certain time of the month. Only, I only have to deal with it a few days a month and he's experiencing it every twenty-four hours. Can you imagine what that must feel like? Thankfully, his brain forgives and forgets much quicker than mine. I need a three second pause to remember that it's hard to be two and this big emotion we're dealing with will soon give way to another big emotion.


Last night's regret was still playing in my head today as Griffin was throwing toys after I told him not too. The wooden train hitting my head required a firm talking to [ does it sound like we've hit the terrible two's? ] and I sent him off to his room to be by himself because he was not being nice.  Would you believe that being sent to his room brought out just as many tears as the spanking? Big emotions.


It must be so hard to be two. And some days, it's so hard to be a momma.  I give in to the big emotions and forget to pause and end up with some regrets.  Thankfully though, he forgives and forgets and soon enough I'm reminded that this stage has some big emotions, but the throwing and hitting and crying for no apparent reason pale in comparison to the best big emotion.


A hug, a kiss and "I lub you."  It's so great to be a momma.

Trust.

Sunday I took a fabulous three hour nap and enjoyed a late evening Diet Dr. Pepper... which  was all fine and dandy until it was 3 a.m. and I was WIDE. AWAKE. During the four hours I lay in bed I covered quite the variety of brainstorming, problem solving and other various topics, including worrying about and praying for Griffin's first day at daycare. My momma heart knew he would love it, but it's still so hard to trust them to others. So I prayed that Griffin would learn to be a good friend, to enjoy playing with others and to really flourish in daycare. I also prayed that I would grow in trust, remembering that God has orchestrated these details and would keep him safe.  I believe I even said something along the lines of, "I know as a parent I feel like I'm the only one fully capable of keeping him safe, but I trust you... please grow my trust through this process." 

Fast forward to Monday afternoon. Griffin didn't even bat an eye when we left him that morning. When I went to pick him up, he gave me a small wave of acknowledgment but then went straight back to playing. He played with every toy on his way out, which makes for a slow, long process, but was a relief for this momma to see him so happy.  We came home, back to our safe place, shared a snack and while G was playing on my phone, I grabbed a quick load of laundry to start. (our laundry room is enclosed, but you have to walk outside to get to it right off of the back porch) G saw me and wanted to come out to help with "aundy" so I leet him. He was of course, distracted on the way, stopping to say hi to Kota, picking up colors and drawing a few scribbles before running to join me in the laundry room.  He tripped on the way in though, and stepped right onto one of my projects: a lid full of furniture tacks. (basically bigger thumb tacks, if you're not sure what I'm talking out.) 

Bloodcurdling screams. Blood. Lots of tears. We were both freaking out, Griff from pain and mom wondering if we needed to head to the ER. I ended up calling a nurse hotline in Lubbock to try and get an idea if we needed to go for some type of tetanus shot or if he was ok because he was up to date on his shots. It took a while for her to understand what was going on because Griff wouldn't stop screaming, but we finally were able to talk. She told me to clean it with a good soap, which I immediately did in our sink.  Playing with the water in the sink was an instant perk for Griff and his tears dried up.  After telling me that keep him on pain meds but no need to go the the ER, she finished our conversation with this: "No need to worry... you're a good mother and stuff like this happens to everyone!" I told her she deserved a bonus just for those sweet words. 

Monsters University and Motrin seemed to do the trick to get him through the night, but he was definitely limping on his left foot this morning, which took the brunt of the tacks with 12 marks.  

#momguilt

It was totally my own stupidity for leaving the box on the ground. I could have prevented this from every happening and I hate that Griff is in pain. However, it's one of the easiest physical lessons for me to learn: I think that I am the best source of safety for Griffin. I can plan and over protect and do whatever is in my power to do what I think will keep him safe, but life still happens.  Despite my great attempts, he will still get hurt. Sometimes it will be a physical pain that can hopefully be healed with Motrin and eventually it will be emotional hurts that will be much harder to heal. God is answering my prayer though and growing my trust that He is the one capable of fully caring for Griffin. As long as I do my best to raise a man that seeks after him, then I've done my part to keep him as safe as possible, even if following the Lord's plan takes Griff on some wild adventures. 

Just in case you need to hear it too...

Hang in there mommas. You are doing a great job and stuff like this happens to everyone!

Growing Pains {theological thursday motherhood style}

Almost instantly after I took the test{s} and confirmed that I was pregnant, it happened: worry taking away my joy.

I don't feel pregnant. Things aren't hurting like everyone else says they will. I'm not that tired. Is everything ok? Something must be wrong. 

And so begins the worrying, which I have now accepted will be around for the rest of my life.

I expected that becoming a mother would bring me more joy than I have ever had, a testing of my patience,  some tearful days and questioning if I was doing it right, and mostly, the capacity to love beyond my wildest dreams.  And I was right about all of those things. The one thing that I wasn't prepared for was the growth of the negative: fear and it's sorry companion worry.

I am really embarrassed and ashamed at how worry and fear have consumed my thoughts over the past two weeks.  Sure, I had a few fleeting moments of fear over the past few months since Griffin was born, but nothing like I've faced this past week.  Here are some snippets of what I've worried about:

{after seeing a picture of a snake on facebook that someone killed in their back yard, not even in our own town} Oh my goodness, what if there are snakes in the fields around our house? Is it safe for Griffin to play in the back yard? What would I do if one got in the house and I found it in the crib with Griffin?!?!? {seriously. in the crib with griffin. what am I smoking?!}

I've worried about him being diagnosed with autism some day, about having eye issues because one kinda sorta slightly turns in a bit, and about getting in some type of accident and losing a limb.

After hearing about a mother who was in an car accident that killed both her 10 year old and 9 month old,  I've worried about driving anywhere with Griffin in the car with me.

After hearing about two separate ladies who carried their babies within days of their due dates, only to end up delivering still born babies, I've spent countless hours worrying about our next pregnancy.

 And the greatest fear of all, the fear of something happening and us losing him. Or worse, Griffin losing one of us and never knowing who we are and how much we love him.

 Even in the moment as my worries were flashing through my head, I knew they were so ridiculous. Typing them out and sharing that with others confirms this.  The sermon last Sunday felt like it was tailor made for me and thankfully, has helped me to start getting my fears under control.  Our pastor shared this quote: {of which I'm kinda paraphrasing because I didn't write it down}

The thing you fear the most, is that which you treasure the greatest...

{insert smug smile on my face}

And where you trust God the least.

{ouch.}

Yeah. Talk about stepping on my toes. He shared the verse 2 Timothy 1:12 -

"because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day."


Griffin is the greatest gift God has ever given me.  And everyday I have to wake up and choose to entrust him to the One who gave him to me.  Some days are easy {sitting on the couch, safe in our little bubble} and other days are a raging battle.  Every new stage Griffin enters brings a new season of joy, a new set of worries and a new way for my trust in the Lord to grow.

Hang in there mommas. He is able to guard your little one far beyond your wildest worries!

My Sous Chef...

is cuter than yours! 

Makin' Memories {movie style}

Our little man is obsessed with "TB" and "MOBIES."  One of those two is the first word out of his mouth every time he wakes up (morning and nap times) plus he throws it in several times through out the day for good measure.  It starts with "Fish mobie?" (Finding Nemo.) If that's a no, he asks "monsters?" (Monsters University) and if that's a no he finishes with "Wio?" (Rio). If that's still a no, we start all over again!  On a normal week, we try and balance a good deal of morning outside activity with tv in the afternoon because it's so hot. However, Cody's been gone since Friday afternoon, so this week is all about survival... that means that Griffin is getting to watch a lot of fishes!

Despite that fact that we've already watched Nemo several times this weekend, I still wanted to make our time together fun, so tonight, we had a mini popcorn party as we sat down to watch Nemo.  Popcorn.... before dinner... as much as he wanted... wherever he wanted.... with Nemo on the tv... Could it get any better for Griffin?

Actually, it can!

We were able to try out the new Perfect Pop app from PopSecret... which means that as my little helper was manning the microwave, he was able to "see" our popcorn cooking! Popcorn, mobies, and the phone... Griffin's ultimate trifecta!

 

Nothing ruins a movie night quicker than burned popcorn, so the Perfect Pop app saves the day! It's simple enough for your toddler to use too: put your Pop Secret in the microwave for the suggested cooking time. Turn up the volume on your phone and point the speaker toward your microwave. Start the micro, then the app and watch as your popcorn cooks!  No more relying on the popcorn button or guessing how many seconds in between pops. Pop Secret is serious about perfect popcorn, so the less I have to worry about, the more time I can enjoy with Griff! Perfect Pop listens to the pops, waiting for the precise moment to let you know when your popcorn is perfect.

 

Griffin was enthralled with the app! Here's a few pics of how the cooking in progress:

        

Griffin couldn't wait to dig right in!

Griffin and I enjoyed our little movie date and we're one day closer to Dad being home! Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming... :)

Many thanks to PopSecret for helping make our date possible. By clicking the links above, you are helping me to contribute in a small manner to my family. Thank you for your support!

Chockit

A little back story for you:

Despite the fact that I've always said we wouldn't try and potty train before Griff was three, he's started showing some interest in using a big boy potty. We have a few trips planned in the next few weeks that are keeping me from jumping head first into full on training, but we have at least purchased a few training necessities and are letting Griffin use the potty if he wants.  Cody and I have laughed because G currently thinks that using the potty and getting to flush are the rewards. Cody even went as far to say- "he won't ever know that kids are supposed to get chocolate for this!" Of course, I gave him the crazy eye for that statement because he wouldn't be doing most of the training work!

Today Griffin told me he wanted to go potty. As soon as he got on the seat though, he instantly said he was finished. A dry diaper told me he really probably needed to go, so I did it: I offered him chocolate if he used the potty. (don't tell dad it took me less than three days to sell out to him!)  Griffin, of course, instantly perked up and was able to earn his chocolate. I only gave him a few mini Reese's out of the bag and told him we could finish the rest after nap time.  Honestly, I told him this because I knew he would forget. His go to word after waking up at any moment is: TB! TB! (yes, we have a pint size tv addict.)

Griffin did take a great nap. And as soon as I walked in to get him from his nap, he gave me the sweetest smile and said- Chockit? Chockit? 

How could I deny that face? Looks like I'll need to pick up more chockit to make it through potty training! 

Fourth Of July

We had a great day celebrating the Fourth of July! Our little town really does a pretty big celebration and it was so fun to get to see everything through Griffin's eyes.  We started out by walking to the park in time for the parade. This makes us sound like really hippy, crunchy granola types, but the park is only like .4 of a mile so it's not a bad walk.  This did later come back to kick us in the rear as we were walking back home at noon in the 90 degree weather, but at least it was a fun memory! (fun, but stupid!)

Griff couldn't really stop for a photo op after he heard the ambulances!

He spent most of the parade safe in dad's arms,

but he did perk up a bit when he realized they had candy!

We grabbed a great lunch at the park before heading home to take a nap and prepare for our late night activities.

For a little bit of time and effort, we were able to clean up the backyard and create quite the oasis:

I wish a had a picture of the pictures on at night. It is like a little slice of heaven! We had our youth group over for a s'mores roast before heading out to watch the firework show. Over the course of the night, Griff had a mini chocolate bar, an fudge cookie, the chocolate from a s'more, a few marshmallows and maybe another chocolate bar that he snuck away and ate after dad cut him off! Needless to say, he LOVES this holiday :)

He was VERY unsure of the fireworks for the majority of the show,

but he eventually he perked up. Cody and I have watched this video over and over and over and we cannot stop laughing. This is what parenthood is about people! There is nothing like the joy of watching your kids experience something new for the first time. It is the best.

Considering that we got home from the fireworks around 11 and G-man normally goes to bed at 8, you would have falling asleep standing up.... luckily he had all of that sugar to keep him going to party with the kids and do "fireworks" at our house. Note to self: if you need a birthday present idea for Griffin, he will love you forever if you buy him some of the poppers you through on the ground!

I've loved the Fourth of July for many years, but seeing Griffin experience his for the first time he can remember is really the best of all!

(and in case you want a tug at your heart strings, check out last year's post. can you believe that little chunky baby??!!)