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14 Months. What?!

don't worry, it's plastic — [don’t worry, its plastic.]

My little boy is 14 months old. Goodness me. I can’t believe it.

I love my snuggly, crazy, adventurous, funny boy.

Abram, you LOVE your sister. Love her. She makes you laugh and smile all the time and you love being around her. She loves you too. You are the only “baby” she likes to share and play with. She does not prefer that you go into her room but we worked out a deal that allows you entry on occasion.

You also really love your Dog. It is very funny that Mosley lays around and pretty much just lets you roll all over him. You like to hug and snuggle him and I can tell that the two of you have a very special bond. I don’t love Mosley as much as you do so you are the only reason we still have him.

You still love food. Love it. You eat all day long. All day. I don’t have enough food to feed you so you don’t eat as healthy as Lucy did. Sorry! But, don’t worry, you are a boy so those things wont effect you the same way. Hey, at least you’re being fed! Despite the fact that you only have four teeth, your favorite foods include string cheese, eggs, grapes and pasta. And you drink about a gallon of Almond Milk a week.

You have recently started freestyle dancing which is really fun and your favorite songs is “If You’re Happy and You Know It”. You like to jump, play catch (all the time), ruin rolls of toilet paper, take baths (though lately you have pooped during every single bath so I stopped bathing you :P), ride on Daddy’s shoulders, climb up slides and climb out of the grocery cart. Needless to say, you are a handful. Thank God you take awesome naps.

I love you for taking naps.

You don’t sit still long enough to have a favorite book yet but you do like to pull them off of the book shelf.

You have the best smile and giggle. People will probably make fun of you for the way you laugh one day but I think it’s great. It is very easy to make you smile.

You have been walking officially now for exactly a month. You have recently mastered climbing down the steps though you have been climbing up them for quite a while.

You are saying just a few words so far and “Ma-Ma” is NOT one of them. Anytime Buddy. Really. Lucy told me you have said it before but I didn’t hear it so it doesn’t count.

So, my little pookie, I love you. Your smile and snuggles make the most stressful days worth while. I can’t wait to see all of the things God has planned for you. I love your smooshy cheeks. I love your chunky thighs. I love how excited you get to see your Daddy. I love watching you squeal for joy when you see your sister. Your love for others is infectious and one of the things God is teaching me through you. Along with growing me in patience. And teaching me how to continually put the needs of others before my own . Darn it.

I love you forever!

Say it with me: “MA-MA!”

PS. You stink.

The Search For Pleasure

I was born in 1985 to young parents who didn’t have the smallest clue as to how to raise a child. They did the best they could with what they had and what they knew. What I am about to share is not to reflect poorly on them but to display God’s goodness and grace in my life.

I would say that I would not sum up my youth as a happy one. There were lots of things missing and lots of hurt. Sure, there were good times and good memories but I am sure that most of us, or for a lot of us, the unfortunate things stand out most.

This post was inspired by the sermon we heard at church yesterday morning called The Pleasure Experiment based on Ecclesiastes 2:1-11. You can listen to that sermon here. In a nut shell, the sermon was about how we seek pleasure of all kinds to satisfy the “emptiness” inside of us. I am sure you can relate that those moments of satisfaction, only lead to momentary happiness. We are left still feeling empty, unsatisfied and unfulfilled. That is, until we find the true satisfaction and fulfilment in Christ Jesus.

At age 8, I tried my first cigarette.

At age 9, I had my first sip of alcohol.

At age 12, I discovered the Hair Straightener. God’s gift to girls with curly hair. Hopefully this will help to defuse some of the bullying and ridicule I suffered throughout my life based on my appearance.

At age 13, I got my first job. I spent all of my money to dress in the latest fashions so that one day, hopefully I will be accepted and fit in. I will be popular.

At age 13, I became intoxicated for the first time and I also smoked Pot for the first time.

At age 14, I began to indulge in all of these activities on a regular basis well into my college years. I was becoming popular.

At age 16, I gave my “flower” to someone I barely even knew.

At age 17, Pot wasn’t enough and I started to dabble in the world of hallucinogens. I became obsessed with my recent weight loss and loved the attention I was receiving from others based on my new body. Wow, it feels good to finally feel pretty.

At age 18, I continued in my drug, lust, sex and idolatrous lifestyle. I began to live a double life and hurt many of the people I cared about. I could not wait to leave my home and move onto better things. Until then, I would spend every night with my boyfriend. I lost my first job and started to rack up credit card bills to support my lifestyle until I found another job to pay for it.

“I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 2:10-11

At age 19, God answered the many tear filled prayers I prayed throughout my life. He brought me to himself through amazing Godly people who had a heart for the lost. I became a member of God’s family in the spring of 2004 (This may sound cultish to those of you reading who are familiar with church lingo so in short, this just means that I became a Christian). I have never felt truly satisfied or indescribably joyful then the moment that I accepted Jesus to be my Lord and savior.

Yes, I am still a human (or “sinner” for more Church lingo) and often look to the world and the “things” in the world to satisfy my lusts and desires. But I know that it is only Jesus Christ who can fully satisfy and bring me true pleasure in my life. Psalm 16:11 says:

“You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

Thank you Jesus. I can stop searching and trying to fill myself with every worldly desire to try to make my life “happy” and meaningful. I know that it is not the new living room sofa, the new home with that open floor plan I have always wanted, it is not those super cute Frye Riding Boots that would look awesome with my new jeans. No, none of those things will satisfy me the way that you can and do. You are more than enough.

Please Lord, help me to remember these truths on a daily basis when I am tempted to be discontent with where I am and what I have. You have given me everything I need in your son Jesus. Amen.

A Whole Lotta Learnin’ Goin’ On ‘Round Here

What is your favorite thing about Preschool? They have Barbies.

Have you made any new friends? No, I’m shy.

Do you sing songs in class? No.

Does your teacher read books to you or the class? No, she doesn’t have books. We read books to ourself.

Do you like school? No, it’s boring.

Sweet.

Homemade Crock-Pot Sloppy Joe

This is a delicious alternative to the ever so popular Manwich Sloppy Joe Sauce. Don’t get me wrong, I like the stuff but I am going for a healthier less processed lifestyle. Pretty much everything you eat, you can make from scratch and it is instantly healthier. Tweeking a few of the ingredients and choosing healthier substitutes also cuts down on calories.

I made this for dinner last night. Everyone loved it. The kids ate it, so it is a WINNER!

Did I mention that I LOVE Crock-Pot meals? It makes life so much easier.

HOMEMADE CROCK-POT SLOPPY JOE

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 small red bell pepper, chopped

1 lb ground turkey (or beef)

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp of Worsteshire sauce (I used A1 because that is what I had)

1 tbsp steak seasoning

4 whole wheat Sandwich Thins

BBQ sauce (I use Stubb’s Origional but anything will do)

DIRECTIONS:

Place a layer of foil on the bottom of your Crock (I do this because it cuts down on clean-up time).

Start layering and evenly distributing ingredients to the Pot starting with meat on the bottom (hold off on BBQ).

Cook on low heat for three to four hours or until meat is cooked all the way through (My slow-cooker cooks things a lot quicker than most so cook times may very).

When meat is finished, stir everything together very well as to make sure meat is chopped, separated and evenly coated with flavor.

Add BBQ to flavor. I drizzled a little bit to add just a tad of zest. Obviously you can add as little or as much as you would like.

*After adding BBQ, I let my meat simmer on the warm setting for 5-10 minutes just to ensure flavor was well blended.

Spoon meat onto Thins and enjoy!

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Recipe slightly adapted from Rachel Ray’s Super Sloppy Joe’s.

As The Towers Were Falling

On my way home last night, I was listening to the radio and happened across this testimony of a man who survived the attacks on The World Trade Center. When I arrived home, I could not get out of my car. I sat in my driveway and listened. Envisioning. I could not turn it off. This is one of the most powerful things I have ever heard.

Powerful.

Amazing.

You will not be sorry for listening to this.

Or, you can watch this version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUo2Pd8NDYw

One.

My Baby turned one.

The first six months of Abram’s life, he was a dream baby. Amazing. Couldn’t have prayed for a better child.

The last six months of Abram’s life, well, let’s just say… not as dreamy. He’s crazy. He screams. A lot. I am going to get Arthritis in my elbows. He eats more food than my cabinets can hold. He screams. Not crying screams but yelling screams.

I still love him. He’s kind of cute.

Happy Birthday Baby Boy! Here’s to another amazing year where hopefully you learn how to communicate in other ways <wink>.

Just kidding. He is crazy and all of those things are true but just as much as he is crazy he is also very fun and loving. He has been a joy to our lives and I am so grateful to have such a wonderful Son.

Hello.

Dear Friends,

I apologize for my absence as of late. Not to make excuses, but I have been reallllly busy as I am sure, most of you have been as well. Busy, sick or just tired.

We have been to 100 weddings since May. We took a family vacation to New England which was exciting and not the least relaxing. I Had a Birthday. My in-laws and Lucy’s best friends just made the big move to Nebraska (yup- Nebraska). Coming up here we have two more Weddings, Abram’s first Birthday and party, a short trip to the Beach and Lucy’s first day of Preschool. Phew. Are you sweating? I am.

I have a lot of writing to catch up with. So many things going through my head I can’t decide where to start. I do feel SO guilty about the lack of “baby booking” I’ve done for Abram. Don’t worry, he is not neglected. This child is, well, high maintenance to say the least. Nap time anyone?

So, hopefully things will slow down after the month of August and I can get back to writing regularly.

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying their “Summer”!

[I say “Summer” because it just does not have the same exciting ring as it did when we were growing up. Ugh.]

The Price Family.

And, a little teaser from a few of our Weddings…

Getting to the Heart of Parenting- REVISED

This week while Lucy has been in Vacation Bible School, I have been attending a parenting seminar. How did that happen? It’s a funny story.

As I drive up to the Church where Lucy will be attending VBS this week, I see a sign that reads “Parenting Seminar Today- 10-11”. I thought “How nice” and continued down the driveway. As I pulled in I saw a familiar face and this person says to me “Hey! You here for the free babysitting too?!” I giggled. I guess in a sense I was. Three hours without Lucy. Do you have any idea how clean my house will be this week?!

I have never been to this church before so I was just taking it all in. Trying to figure out where I was going and where to drop off my little girl who isn’t so little anymore.

“Would you like Mommy to stay here with you to make sure you are okay?”

“No, I will just sit next to Mia.”

“Well, Okay, I will just sit in the back in case you need me.”

She didn’t need me. Humph.

As I walked towards the back of the Church, two elder ladies approached me:

“Will you be leaving your little one today?”

“Well, no. I’m just waiting to see how my daughter does and if she is alright then I will just come back later.”

“Are you sure? We have a Cribbery!”

“Oh, yes, but thank you so much for offering.”

They started to dismiss the children and Lucy never even looked back. I guess she will be fine. I guess I will just go home. This will be good for me… I mean her.

On my way out the door a man stopped me and asked: “Hey! Would you be interested in staying for the Parenting Seminar we are having today?”

I stopped. I thought about it.

Left Shoulder: What did you just say? You can?! What? We have plans. We are going to go clean our house. We are going to put the baby to bed and have two extra glorious hours to ourself! What do you mean, yes, you will stay?!

Right Shoulder: Well, you really don’t have anything better to do. So what, you are going to clean your house? Really? You do that everyday. What do you need free time for? Isn’t a free parenting seminar a great opportunity for you to grow as a parent and better serve your children? Free childcare. God. This will be good for you.

And I responded. “Uh, Well, I guess I can.”

So, I walk downstairs and hand off my little man to the little old ladies in the Cribbery.

When I came back upstairs I overheard the gentleman who had asked me to stay say to another woman: “Well, we have one young lady who is willing to stay.”

What?! Oh Lord. Ha-Ha.

“Oh, Well, if it is just me, please do not feel obligated. I can go. It is not a big deal!”

“Nonsense! Stay! Maybe some other people will trickle in!”

Left Shoulder: Yes! A Way Out!

Right Shoulder: Well, cool, one on one parent counseling! Lord knows I need it! This kind of thing is importand, Janet.

And that is how it happened.

(Did I mention the Seminar is everyday? Oh, no? lol )

When I was pregnant with Lucy I took a parenting class. It was and has been so helpful in training up my children. This seminar happens to be led by the same person who did the last one I took and boy, has it been amazing. So timely. Thank you Lord for ordaining this opportunity! I didn’t realize how much I had forgotten and how many holes there are in my parenting style.

You do not have to be a genius to realize that the children in todays culture are well, a bit out of control. I know mine sure aren’t perfect. Who’s to blame? You mean I am not a perfect parent? Rats.

Do you not agree with me that it is SO important to be the best parent we can be for our children?!

I urge all of you to consider taking a step towards bettering yourself as a parent. There are lots of good recourses out there but I HIGHLY recommend this Seminar if you don’t have any other ideas. It does not matter how old your children are, there is wisdom here for every single season of life. You also do not have to be a Christian to appreciate the very practical steps and advice to get your parenting back in order.

Yikes. I have work to do.

Here is a link if you would like to purchase the CD or DVD. You can always listen to it in your car, Lord knows we drive enough!

http://paultripp.com/parenting

Below is an interview with Paul Tripp, the Pastor who teaches the Seminar. I think it is a good overview if you are interested.

Stay Out Of My Bed.

We have been having issues lately with Lucy getting out of her bed in the middle of the night and climbing into our bed.
Every time she gets into our bed, of course it is my side, and I have to wake up Ryan to carry her back upstairs (I have to, obviously I can’t do it myself). An hour later, she could be right back down. She is starting to get smarter and has been climbing up the middle to where Ryan and I wake up and have no idea how she got there.

We have tried different things to keep her out. Some have worked, some have not. It has been a couple of weeks since she has been in our bed but she has decided to come back this week.

Last night when putting Lucy to bed I made a deal with her;

“Lucy, if you stay in your bed all night I will give you a lollipop tomorrow.”

“Can I have a pink one?”

“Sure.”

So, 3AM rolls around and there is a little person knocking at my blanket. I look up and see the cutest little girl holding tight to a little furry blankie…

“Mom, I don’t want to have a lollipop tomorrow, too much sugar is bad for me.”

The Birth Story- Part III

Read Part I here.
Read Part II here.

________________________________________________________________

I make my way into the Emergency Room and find myself at the Check-In desk. I prop my hands on the counter and explain to the lady that I was really sorry and I will get to her in a second, I am in labor and I am about to have a contraction so “I can’t talk right now”.

Breath. Sway. Breath. Breath. Sway.

She starts asking me questions. I don’t know what you are saying. I can’t answer that. Um, yes, my husband has my paper work, he is parking the car.

“Ryan! Where is my suitcase?! It has all of my stuff in it! I need my fan! I am going to need my fan!”

“I’ll go back and get it for you.”

“No, don’t leave me.”

The lady at the desk is trying to be helpful, she was right on the ball and very understanding. She asked if I would like a wheel chair. No lady. I can’t sit down. I definitely can’t walk three miles to L&D either. Ryan, can’t you carry me? No, I don’t think that will work either. I wanted to start crying. I had to get upstairs but I couldn’t move.

“Okay Ryan, after this contraction I will jump into the chair. You run as fast as you can to the elevator and if I start having another contraction you will just have to pull over and let me up.”

The plan worked perfectly. We made it to the elevator in perfect time. As soon as we got there I had to stand up. The elevator opened and we told the nice old man who looked a little frightened that we will just catch the next one.

I barely made it out of the elevator when I had to stand up again. Breath. Breath. Breath. Oh My Gosh. Oh my gosh. Breath. Breath.

The nurse motions us into the exam room.

“I’m sorry, I can’t move. I will be there in a second.”

She starts asking me a lot of questions. All I can remember is telling her that I waited too long because I didn’t think I could actually be in labor. I changed my mind about delivering naturally and I would like an epidural because I wanted to “enjoy” the birth and I knew I couldn’t if I was in this much pain. And that I would really like to wear a bra under the hospital robe, if that was okay. I had to go to the bathroom and I thought he was going to pop out into the toilet while I was going. He didn’t thank goodness.

When I came out of the bathroom my Midwife was there to check me. “Wow. You are at 9 cm. It is almost time to push!”.

“Oh God. Oh no! Oh no! What?!” My eyes started to well up with tears.

“If you would still like to get an epidural, we can call and still try to get you one!”

[Well, that is awful nice of you to try and make me feel better about the situation I am in but we both know that they normally do not give epidural after 7 cm. I do appreciate you trying to get my mind off the fact that I am about to push this baby out without any drugs but you can’t fool me.]

They immediately get me in a chair and start wheeling me into the delivery room.

“Wait! Can I please get a drink of water?”

“Sure!”

She pulls over and takes her good ol’ time getting me that water. Ugh! This was a mistake. Doesn’t everyone know that I am having a baby at any minute and if you could please hurry just a little bit faster…

We finally make it into the delivery room. There are lots of people getting things ready and I was asked to get into the bed. [I can not get into this bed. How in the world am I going to sit down. They seriously expect me to just sit up there?!]

I get into the bed somehow and while the nurses are getting things ready athey start asking me questions in which I can not answer. One nurse came in and was asking me to fill out some paper work. What? Are you serious right now? No, I can not fill out this paperwork! “Can my husband fill it out and I can just sign it?” Seriously people. Not the time.

My eyes are closed and I am just trying to breathe. They tell me the epidural is on its way. Yeah right. But really, thanks for giving me hope.

My contractions were not stopping and I am breathing and half crying and rocking back and forth and grunting and my midwife looks up at me and says: “Janet, if you would like, we can break your water and you can start pushing”. As those words left her mouth my water broke. And this is how I responded: “IT JUST DID! AHHHHHHHH!”.

And with that they threw my bed back, hoisted my legs up and screams were leaving my mouth that I have never heard come from a human.

“OIUOIUVKNKJBIUHDO” <– This represents the noises I was making while pushing. The non-human noises.

“Push Janet. Push.”

“I don’t want to! I don’t want to! Oobjkfguiohoerkjh.”

“You need to hold your breath Janet. The better you push the quicker he will come out.”

These contractions were THE MOST intense thing I have ever experienced. But, the time between the contractions were very peaceful, almost a relief. It was weird. I could get about three good pushes during a contraction and then there was about a 30 second pause where I just laid back with my eyes closed and complained.

“Oh no. Oh no. Here comes another one. I don’t want to push. I don’t want to push. OHHHHHHHHH SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTT!!”

<breathing. breathing.>

“I’m sorry for swearing. It is just the only think that makes me feel better. I don’t normally swear…. AhHHHHH!”

<breathing. breathing.>

“I smell Carla. Is Carla here? Wait, I smell my Mom, did she just walk in too?”

“He is almost out Janet, just a few more pushes.”

[Okay ladies, yeah right. I am sure that you tell every woman that the baby is “almost” out. Again, I appreciate your optimism but I know that these things take longer than you are indicating.]

“Push!” Out came the head.

“Push!” Out came the shoulders.

“AHHHH! Why is he stuck there?!!! Can’t you just pull him out?!!”

One more push, and Abram was born.

Midwife: “Uh. This is not a 7lb baby! Someone weigh him!’

Nurse: “9.2!”

Me: “WHAT?!”

[Holy crap. Holy Crap.]

“Would you like to hold your son Mrs. Price?”

“No thanks, I am sure he is cute, I’ll hold him later. I just need to lay here. That was extremely traumatic.”

We arrived at the hospital at 5:45. Abram was born at 6:20. His face was purple and bruised because he came out too fast. Turns out I didn’t have time to need my fan.

Abram’s “Birth Story” was a huge answer to prayer. Every specific thing that I prayed for came true. I did it. We did it. Thank you Lord!