Ages

Its been ages since my last post.  I can't even begin to fathom how I will catch up.  So....

Kale turned four, had a party at the park, had a great time, he threw a 2 year old fit (twice), he really liked his presents.

Scout started eating cereal around four months...moved on to baby food mixed in around 5.5 months...had an allergic reaction to instant mashed potatoes (can't be outdone by brother) which required an ER visit and now we think maybe she is allergic to milk?  She loves sweet potatoes, squash, and bananas.  She isn't sure about green beans.  The coming weeks will bring carrots and peas to her mouth.

Speaking of eating...its paying off for Scout.  She went from 14lbs 5oz to 15lbs 5oz in a matter of a few weeks.   Her body weight shifts a lot though: at the ER she weighed 15lbs 10oz....and the NEXT day at the doctor she weighed 15lbs 15oz.

Since she is packing on the weight, Scout has started her own exercise program.  Its called the "roll, wiggle, scoot, and rock to get where she wants" program.  She really got into it this week.  Its a matter of moments or days until she is crawling and then I will be dead.  So, if you don't see another post from me, that is why.

Kale is, well, Kale.  He loves his little sister to the moon and back.  He truly adores her and compliments her daily.  Several times a week, he will randomly tell me that "I love my baby sister".  Melts my heart.  He is lashing out a bit at me and his dad.  Don't blame him.  The only constant in his life this year has been unexpected change.  New houses (twice), new school (twice), and a baby sister.  He likes structure and knowing how things are going to be...and he can't figure out his daddy's work schedule at all.  Heck, I can't figure out my husband's work schedule most of the time either.  Kale is the kind of kid who wants to know who/where/what/when/how ALL the time.

Kale recently spent the night at my parent's house and while he was there, he learned the hard lesson about who is in charge.  He thought he was in charge.  By the time he came home, he knew my parent's were in charge.  I asked him, "Kale, who is in charge at Mema/Papaw's house?" and he replied "Mema and Papaw".  I then got hopeful and followed up with "so who is in charge at our house" and the kid didn't miss a beat and said, "I AM!".  We are slowly trying to change that.  Given that he got a double shot of stubbornness, strong will, persistence, and "I like things my way"....this isn't going to be an easy or quick battle and we know it.

My work keeps me busy.  I hit the door running and don't stop all day.  My day starts with kid related stuff, moves on to work, goes back to kid stuff, and then ends when everyone else is in bed.  I randomly might get to bed before my husband about one night every few weeks.  Kale still wants me to lay down with him and its going to be a hard wean to get him away from that addiction.  It doesn't help that his mommy enjoys that cuddle time with him.  We are just enabling each other.

My husband seems to work all the time these days.  Such is life when you are a wildlife officer in the middle of major hunting seasons in a huge hunting state.

We are trying to find the new normal and settle.  We will see....

12 years ago

I love this time of year.  The weather FINALLY starts to cool off, I can start changing the clothes from summer to winter in my closet (because I am bored with my summer clothes at this point), Razorback football gets into full swing, and I get nostalgic about that one fall where God threw a huge kink in my plan and then showed me His plan. 

**right here is probably where my husband is rolling his eyes and will quit reading**

Twelve years ago, I had just met my husband.  I didn't know he would be my husband.  I didn't even know I was in the market for a husband because I thought I had already picked mine out.  Yep, really.  Seems God had a different pick and was about to let me know it.  I was starting my senior year of college.  After a rocky spring/summer with the guy I was supposedly going to marry, I walked into my fall classes ready for a fresh start and determined not to let my world completely revolved around my love life.  God laughed. 

So, yeah, I walked into my first two classes on Monday.  They were back to back.  There was this one guy in both of the classes and I remember thinking that he and I needed to become friends so we could cover for one another if one of us should decide to skip a day.  Then I went to class on Tuesday...again, back to back classes.  Well, guess who was also in both of those classes?  Yep, same guy.  He was in all four of my classes.  Then I really decided we should be friends because we could skip TWO days and still be ok with one phone call.  I didn't perpetually skip class, but I didn't mind skipping from time to time.  So, I had intentions of making friends with this guy because he seemed nice enough, was friendly, and we were in all four classes together.  God laughed.  The irony is that my attendance that fall was probably better than any other semester.  The reason?  I wanted to see that guy and knew I could see him if I went to class. 

Did I mention that I was um, seeing someone else at the time.  Um....I don't think God laughed at that one and boy did I ever create one big chaotic mess there. 

So, back to this guy in my class.  One day I read an essay in class.  That same day, after class, there was a note on my truck window with his name, number, and call me written on it.  I still have the note.  I remember standing there wondering how this guy knew which truck was mine since he hadn't walked with me to my truck (yet).  I was too flustered by the thought of should/shouldn't I call him to be worried about the fact that the guy had basically stalked me (and this might have been my first clue to him choosing his eventual career...and I totally missed the clue).  I didn't call him.  I apologized the next day.  I don't remember what excuse I gave.  The truth was that I couldn't find the guts to call him that night.  God laughed and then gave me the guts as I moved forward.

What started as group lunches after class turned into just me/him lunches.  And I wasn't exactly single.  It was like I was a boomerang.  The more I tried to run from the situation, God turned me right around and flung me right back towards it.  You would think I might have clued into that, but I didn't.  I still thought I was in control.  God laughed.  You might think that the moment I knew I was in over my head would be surrounded by chirping birds, romantic music...something like that.  Nope.  We were sitting in a Taco Bell and had been there for over two hours.  We ate lunch and just kept talking...and talking...and talking.  I have documented this story here before and what happened through the rest of that weekend was tormenting, exciting, and life altering.  The bottom line is that by Monday morning, I was no longer seeing the other guy and wasn't sure where I was headed with this new guy. 

That new guy turned into my husband, eventually.  He is a fisherman.  However, he had absolutely NO IDEA that he had just landed one really feisty and persistent fish.  When he did figure that part out, he tried to throw me back a few times.  It didn't work.  He would turn around and I was right there in the boat.  God had a good laugh at him too. 

I am a few weeks early on this, simply because none of this story unraveled over night.  Those group lunches started weeks before I finally got the message to end one relationship for good and start fresh with someone else.  At least I finally got the message.  On Sunday, October 4, 1999, I got God's message loud and clear.  I could choose who I wanted, but He had his own plans for me and they weren't the plans I had designed.  He not only showed me who my life mate would be (although I didn't know it that night), but He also reminded me of who was in charge.  There have been a few times since that I have slipped back into thinking I am in charge...and every time God sends me a reminder and its usually through my husband.  Most times, when that happens, I am not even sure my husband knows how much God is working through him. 

So, here we are, 12 years have passed.  We just recently moved back to the town where we first met.  My husband's new job and career brought us here.  Talk about coming full circle.  We left here twice before...yet here we are again and this time with two kids in tow.  We know God has a plan for us here, because we know that God's plan is always in action.  After all, we are the result of God's plan in action. 

I'm just thankful for the man God gave me as my mate and the father of my two amazing kids!