It's all good

Instagram weekend

It was an instragram weekend...full of graduation parties, being thankful for husbands that keep you from losing your mind, cute little spidermans that do their chores when asked for the 10th time and getting gourmet cupcakes from Anniekins' Bakery(with all proceeds going to Compassion for Africa)...for teacher gifts and getting one for free to try for yourself....mmm....

So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.  –Galatians 6:9

I’ve got this memorized but it’s still on our fridge and on my computer at work.  It’s the one verse that I go to for encouragement when we have our lows.  Nick has walked out of 5 interviews in the past year and a half and all 5 have come up empty handed.  There have been a few that have been hard to swallow, but we keep our faith in the Lord….we know that God has amazing plans for us…we just need to keep on fighting the good fight.

Friday it was hard to keep looking at the big picture.   We had let ourselves think of what possibilities we had for Nick’s career change and having his own school.  I, selfishly looked at the end of no sports even if there were going to be longer days than others with the added responsibility of a whole school.  I peeked in the window of putting money in savings and giving more.  God has different plans and even as I saw Nick hurt from the rejection of yet another great interview and feedback, I hurt not because of the ideals I had, but because my husband was hurting so bad.  I know God has plans and better plans than we could ever think of, but at the moment when you see your husband disappointed and frustrated yet another time, you have a hard time really focusing of what God has planned with our lives.  You just want to comfort your husband and there is really nothing you can say or do that he doesn't already know.  

I know that God is deepening us through these disappointments because of the lessons we learn each time.  God needs Nick right where he is and I really focus on that.  Especially the last two interviews I’ve been learning (slowly) to celebrate the accomplishments of the people who did receive the positions (the school district is large, but you know and have relationships with the others trying for the same position).  Nick understandably is struggling a little more than me (it’s his career not mine so it’s easier for me).  God obviously wanted me to understand it this time around because I just finished up a bible study looking at jealously and how to work on overcoming it.  I didn’t think I was the jealous type but God showed me.  He tends to do that when we think highly of ourselves.

We’re not giving up, we will keep fighting the good fight and see what God has up His sleeve.  

 

"When you see a 4 or 5 year old actually connect: catch the ball, field it and put the runner out, in t-ball, it is as exciting as seeing Christ's face in toast" - Connan O'Brien.

 Gotta love how Fin just ignored Nick at the end of the video....ya, he's in the zone after hitting a "home run". 

I grew up playing card with my grandparents, actually pretty much all of my mom’s side.  It’ came mainly from grandpa Stroh who was known to count cards and cheat.  He would have been one to have in Vegas with you on the blackjack table.  Grandpa did teach us to gamble at a young age with the game “May I?”

Cards have always been an activity we do when we get together.  My grandparent’s dining room table was always big enough to get us all around to play a card game called Krazy Bee.  I’m going to google that game so I can buy it for our family I love it so much.  It’s one of those long games that you can eat, carry on a conversation and play cards all at the same time.  Nick’s family also has a history of playing cards, so it’s only natural to get the boys involved.  Fin mainly has stuck with UNO but we will be branching out to Krazy Bee, Skipbo and Phase 10 very soon.  He’s got most of his numbers down but the games will help him with the number order.

A few weeks ago while Fin was playing with one of the neighbor families in the backyard it started to rain.  So Nick and I decided to have them all come in and play UNO.  They had so much fun and Fin was on cloud 9.  He has a long line of card players in his family.  He thought he was a big deal with he got out his UNO cards and his card holder my dad made him to hold all his playing cards.

I do miss being close to my family especially when I think back to our card playing days.  We have friends that love to play cards also, hmm…they are also from the Midwest…is it a Midwest thing?  I think we might have to have a card night pretty soon.  Just gotta love playing cards. Oh, I can’t wait till Griffey get old enough to play “Go Fish” or “Old Maid”.  Papa Motorcycle (my dad) has a few years to make another card holder. 

Baby to boy

I knew he needed a hair cut but I just loved that baby fine hair and the way that it naturally just falls that made me so sad to cut it off.  You have to look close to see the baby face, to see my baby…my last baby.  Seeing my sweet Griffey Bear’s hair fall to the floor, my heart sank. 

The lady that cut his hair asked me how I wanted it done.  I informed her to take off just a little.  I warned her that I wasn’t ready.  She looked to Nick and Nick told her to trim the sides and back and leave the top a little long.  I wanted to stay strong and luckily the ladies were telling me how cute both my boys were so I could smile.  I was a bit excited but I find when it’s Griffey it’s more a little bittersweet than if it were Fin.  Fin’s milestones I find exciting, Griffey’s I know it’s the last time I get to hit that milestone with a child. 

The trimmers came out and Grif was still and smiling.  He wasn’t afraid and just watched Fin as he sat there so still across from him getting his hair cut.  Now I want to have Fin keep his hair a little longer but he hates getting it styled so I don’t argue…it’s not a battle worth fighting for.  Anyway, I tried to focus more on Fin doing a great job so Griffey would do the same…monkey see…monkey do with those two.  I saw the trimmers go up the side of Griffey’s head and there it all fell.  Luckily the Holy Spirit held me down (and reminded me that hair grows back) because I wanted to get up and leave…well , she was really nice too.  I wanted to cry but I got some sense knocked into me and kept going and breathing.  It’s hair…he looks so cute either way.

Griffey sat there like he had gotten a dozen hair cuts before.  He loved getting his hair (and face) sprayed with water.  He was a seasoned pro sitting in the line of 3 Stern males getting their haircuts at Sport Clips.  Luckily he won’t need is haircut as often as Nick and Fin because I don’t think my heart can take the stress of seeing my baby become more like a boy every 4 weeks (I’ll do every 8 for now).   

Can I get an amen?

 

Toothless

Fin's new toothless growl

Friday afternoon I’m walking through Hallmark and saw the cutest book on the Tooth Fairy and it also came with a cute tooth pillow…granted it was purple but it was so darn cute.  I commented to myself that one of these days Fin will start losing his teeth. 

Hop to Friday night and we are sitting around the table after dinner and Fin says, “Mom, my tooth is loose.”  Nick looked at him asking if he was sure because the other day when he told Nick his tooth wasn’t loose.  I wiggled the cute little tooth in the front and low and behold it was really loose.  Fin gives Nick a dirty look. I laugh at the both of them.  I’m not sure who was more excited, Fin or me. My baby is not only about to go to Kindergarten screening on Tuesday but his first tooth was loose. I was clapping and letting him know through my excited that this was a BIG DEAL!!!  Darn, I wish I would have just gotten that book.  I show him how to wiggle the tooth with his tongue and he only sticks out his tongue…he can’t grasp the concept…oh well.  He’ll get it by his second.

Saturday morning we are hanging out in bed after the boys got up and I ask Fin about his tooth….he wiggles it it’s still there.  MOM, MY OTHER TOOTH IS LOOSE!!! And you thought I was excited about the first tooth, you are underestimating my love for milestones.  Fin and I did a little dance. 

Skip forward to Sunday night dinner at Ashley’s and Fin’s tooth (the first) is hanging by a thread.  I take the advice given to us and for the life of me I can’t get it with the napkin…it could have been Fin’s hand pulling my arm back as I try to wiggle it loose.  I hand him the napkin and viola…the tooth is free!  Fin goes running out to the kitchen to show Gammy and Ashley.  This is where he shows the most excitement…he was excited when it really came out…when it was real to him.  His cute little tooth in his hand; oh, my baby is growing up.  Fin is losing his teeth just as Griffey is finishing up with his baby teeth.  Ash takes a picture to commemorate the event.

We get home and I get out the ipod…must put on instagram and facebook (no, no iphone yet) and my regular camera.  As I’m wiping his pudding off of his face he pulls away yelling MOM! And then realizes that his second tooth is in his mouth loose!  TWO IN ONE DAY….ROCK ON!!!  There should be a special award for that.  Ok, extra money.  I’m sentimental and heck instead of a buck or two…. The tooth fairy will upgrade to $5 (The tooth fairy wrote a letter stating that that was special and good teeth are $2, a tooth with a cavity is only a buck).   

As we get ready for bed, Fin is all bummed out because he’s about to give up his teeth.  He wants to keep them to show them to his friends.  Nick and his quick thinking (no wonder Mr. Gould called him Quick Nick in high school) came up with the idea of writing the tooth fairy to see if he could keep them for show and tell.  Brilliant!  Fin heads off to bed and I head to the computer to type up a letter and start the iron to get the $5 nice and crisp…heck, the Tooth fairy only leaves nice dollar bills.  It was the least I could do since I didn’t have a fancy tooth pillow to leave the teeth in. 

By the way, I’m not over the tooth pillow bit, heck I turned out ok and all I got to do was stick the tooth in a glass of water. 

Easter (a little late)

I'm a little behind with work and home being super busy.  I finally have some Easter pictures to post.  Man, trying to take pictures of two very active boys is harder than I thought. 

 

What a surprise, he's got a ball in his hands?

Look like such cute little business men. Griffey trying to close the deal, Fin just flashing his cute smile.

Welcome to my world!

I'm not the only one

Last week being completely crazy busy at home and at work things slipped through the cracks...most of which was unimportant but it felt good to know that I wasn't the only one that let things slip.  Nick...Mr. Arranger of all things actually forgot about a football event.  It secretly made me feel good for two reasons.  1. It was football and football usually trumps everything else.  2. It was football and he FORGOT!!!  Granted it wasn't a must be at event, but it was a FOOTBALL event....one must never miss a football event. 

The fact that I forgot that Finley had class pictures was nothing compared to Nick and football.  I felt horrible that I remembered about his pre-school class picture at 2:30 in the afternoon.  For crying out loud I sent him to school in a shirt that said "Busted" and wouldn't have an "official" picture of his class.  My first thought was what kind of parent doesn't have the day circled on the calendar...me!  I was so busy trying to stay afloat that I will not have a picture of his class.  Then I woke up and realized that if his school scrapbook (I don't even have his baby one finished yet) doesn't have a picture of his pre-school class, I won't die and either will he.  thew.....

Is it bad that I celebrated someone's downfall?...especially Nick's.  Ya, probably..but it did make me realize that even if we missed an event or a picture it's not the end of the world.  We'll forget more events as time goes on.  One must not sweat the small stuff...cause it really is all small.