Bedtime Battles

We are into a new phase in our house... we affectionately have deemed it "bedtime battles". The boys are GREAT sleepers, I am so thankful for that... but actually getting them to sleep is getting harder and harder, this is new for us.

I would love any advice... here is what happens:

We have a consistent routine, starting at 7 or 7:30 we bathe, brush teeth, get p.j.'s on, pick out a book and a bible story to read, pray and sing a few songs together. That generally goes smoothly. Then the lights go out, and the battles begin...

Aiden is having the hardest time. Eli is usually pretty calm and quiet, unless Aiden tells him to do something naughty. We have 2 simple rules- 1. stay in bed. 2. be quiet. I don't mind if they talk, laugh or sing (as long as it's quietly), but lately they (Aiden) are breaking the 2 simple rules over and over and over and over...

We are super consistent about the rules and disciplining when they aren't followed, but Aiden is king of stalling and both of them are oh so stubborn! Yelling for bathroom, water, kisses, hugs, blanket put just right, or certain stuffed animals. I am trying my hardest to be strong, but I would love any suggestions if you have gone though this battle! I feel like I am forced to get my "angry eyes" on every night, and it is making me sad. I don't want them going to sleep with me having to be so hard on them!

What to do.

Where God gives the Vision, He gives the ProVision

That is a saying our pastor at NCC, Mark Batterson, says all the time, and more and more I see how true it is.

Ross and I have been living on financial support from many partners (from individuals and a few churches) for the past 7 years. It's been amazing how God has provided every pay check, and above.

I just wanted to testify on one of the many levels to His Goodness on this Good Friday. In marriage, it is so important to keep a consistent date night, for many reasons. I am so incredibly thankful that where God has given us a vision to keep consistent date nights in our marriage, he has amazed us with his Provision.

We joke that we are the King/Queen of the hook up... and I don't say it to brag on us, but on God! These hook ups aren't shabby, from vacations to restaurants. I am extremely thankful. It almost seems silly or trivial to think the Almighty God would care about a simple date night, but He does!

Our budget is beyond "tight" right now... and there is no way we would be able to keep our date nights (which more and more I see how crucial they are!) without God providing in special ways. I am blown away week to week to see the way He is providing. It sounds funny, but I can't remember the last time Ross and I have had to pay out of pocket for a date! We have been blessed in creative ways and with gift cards, and babysitting since we have had kids! I'm not kidding, even thinking back it blows my mind.

All this to say... build your faith! If you have a vision for consistent date nights, pray and believe God and have faith to ask him to provide. He won't let you down!

A quick (but not exhaustive) thank you list:
Joel
Elizabeth
Grace
Mom & Dad
Jim & Martha
Anonymous NCCers
Stephanie
Shelby
and the list goes on...

They Never Cease to Amaze Me

It's hard not to compare my boys to each other. It's amazing to me how the DNA passed and they are so different. Aiden's personality is a lot like mine, and Eli's like Ross. Yet they share some, go figure.

I try not to compare them too much, because they ARE so different. Aiden was running by 10 months old and could read the whole alphabet by 18 mo, Eli didn't even try to walk until 17 months and is 26 months old now and still hasn't done the whole alphabet. haha. Aiden is mr. social, and just the other day on our walk home from school, passing the Capitol and all the "important Hill staffers" and he waved to EVERY person and said "Good Afternoon!". (that was a fun social experiment!). Where Eli is a little timid when he firsts meets people and it takes a minute for him to warm up (then he's about just as social).

So the other day we were at church and I was trying to pass the time while waiting for Ross to finish talking. It's always a battle to keep the boys content, so I asked them to start counting the chairs. Eli just started right up! From the kid who has only counted to 3 ONE TIME before, he, just plain as day, counted perfectly and loudly 1 all the way through to 10!!! I didn't even know he had it in him!!!

Now I don't feel as guilty that I haven't had as much 1 on 1 time with him teaching him (being the 2nd child) stuff like that as I did with Aiden, he has somehow absorbed it without me even trying! Phew! :)

Using some Johnny Maxwell in the Family :)

Something we are working on in our household lately is a simple little concept known as Self-Control. I am so convicted lately because I realize that "everything rises and falls on leadership" as John Maxwell says, and that doesn't just apply to the workplace, it completely relates to family life. How I go, is how the family tends to go.

If I want my kids to show self-control, I HAVE to show it first. This doesn't sound that a "light bulb" moment, but it is in my head. Every time I start to feel my blood pressure start to rise when the boys are getting wild, the first question that pops in my head now is "what am I doing?". It can spin out of control FAST if I don't take that second to pause and collect myself and assess.

Some tips I've heard that seem to help us with a 2 & 4 yr old are:
1. Get your kid to say the word. example: if they are being impatient and want something, make them stop and say the word "patient" and go over the definition. By the time they repeat it, it usually gets them to calm down enough that you can "talk". If it gets ugly from there, you know discipline must ensue. :) This works when trying to get them to learn any of the fruits of the Spirit.
2. The calmer you are, the quicker you see a change in their attitude. I am definitely working on. I get easily revved up, and I learned this lesson from watching the few episodes of the Duggar family with 18 kids, that mom is amazing how calm she stays in chaos.
3. Take a time out. As much as the kids may need it, I do too. :) If I don't take a few minutes to recollect myself, it's not pretty. This also goes for "time off". I don't like using that term, but it's the best way I can describe it. Taking a few hours, have someone stay with the kids (usually my hubby in my case) and decompress. My goal is to try to do that once a week.

So I in no way have it all figured out, and would love ANY tips you may have for teaching self-control and patience. This is a work in progress. :)

Birthday Week Wrap Up

My boys turned 2, 4 & 29 this week! :) Dec. 6-12 is an insane week for us every year, but oh so fun! The best part is we get to eat cake and ice cream pretty much every day & night for a whole week and we don't have to feel guilty!

My amazing hubby's birthday is today! I love you, Ross and am the luckiest girl in the world to be married to you and get to celebrate your 29 blessed years so far on this earth!

I was looking back through my blog and found this one when Aiden and Eli were 2 and 3 mo. old.... I figured I'd up date commemorating their birthdays! We'll see how many remain the same!

Top 10 fun facts about Aiden (2 yrs old, now 4!):

1. his personality reminds me of me.- STILL!

2. he truly loves people (I have yet to see him scared of anyone or not like them)- STILL!

3. he talks with a British accent sometimes (and I didn't coax him!) UPDATE: no more british accent, sad, but he is picking up some Spanish now!

4. he never stops (talking, moving, you name it) UPDATE: add Climbing to that.

5. he loves the Bible (especially page 368) UPDATE: he loves ALL books

6. he loves to sing (and hear ME sing!)- STILL!

7. his favorite hobbies lately are playing with cars, riding his bike, and coloring. UPDATE: Painting & writing letters has trumped coloring.

8. he loves being outside (and swimming in the summer) UPDATE: Playing in SNOW!

9. he eats his veggies without complaining (unlike his father!) UPDATE: He still prefers veggies over meat, but it's harder to get him to eat it these days, he's more into bread & dessert.

10. when he will be still enough to give me a hug, it's the best!- STILL!

10 fun things about Eli (3 months old/ now 2!):

1. he came early so I didn't have to gain as much weight this pregnancy. UPDATE: he has more than caught up from being a premie, in weight, development, etc!

2. he is a chunky monkey (15 lbs already, 97th percentile!) - STILL! (weighs pretty much the same as Aiden now!) Eli is my meat eater too... prefers meat over anything else.

3. he smiles every time Aiden gets in his face- STILL! (and copies everything he does too!)

4. he has an amazing ability to projectile poop UPDATE: Thankfully we are past that stage, but he sure does love talking about poopie and bum bums now!

5. he sleeps a lot (great on long car rides) UPDATE: not so great on long car rides anymore, but does still sleep great (with the exception of this afternoon and him crying instead of napping)

6. he has blue eyes- STILL- and kept that blonde hair!!!

7. he has started to laugh UPDATE: his laugh is so infectious!

8. he is totally different than Aiden (looks and personality)- STILL!

9. he looks just like his daddy-STILL!

10. he snuggles!- STILL!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday to my birthday boys this week! I love you all!

My Precious....

Nothing in the world is quite as precious as watching your children sleep.

1. because they are actually asleep!

2. because they look so sweet and innocent.

...melts my heart :)

Decompression

How do YOU decompress?

Every so often "it" always piles up on me.... I feel overwhelmed, exhausted, stretched to my limit, get snappy, easily frustrated and I'm just not fun to be around. I realized this the other day, and it dawned on me... I haven't had any "time off". I try to have my quiet time each day, and that's usually enough to help me get through the day, but sometimes you need just a little bit more.

It's amazing how just a little change in scenery can change your perspective and help you decompress. I am trying to work it into our weekly schedule that Ross spends extra time with the boys alone, and I go somewhere to "decompress". It doesn't take a whole lot to have a huge effect on me. This week I just went window shopping, alone, for a few hours, got a Starbucks, journaled, and read a book. When I got home, I was like a new woman!

What does the trick for you? How do you refresh/decompress? I would love to hear some tips or ideas!

Theme Park Kids

I have come to realize after being to several theme parks this summer (all of which were awesome hook-ups & super fun!) that we offically have Theme Park Kids.

For some reason, which I am very thankful for, when we go to theme parks with our boys they become different kids. They are happy, they don't cry, they are patient in line, they have never ending energy and appetites! They wake up early and stay up late and don't have to take naps. When does THAT ever happen? Who ARE these kids?

I really understand why they say Disney is a magical place.... I think that's true of all theme parks (so far, I hope I'm not jinks-ing us!). I even said to a friend the other day that I wish I could go every day with the boys, because I guess I'm just not as entertaining and fun at home. :)

If you wanna see Aiden's Disney perspective click here.

My Son... the blogger!?!

That's right, you heard it here.... my 3 year old son has a BLOG! too young you say? bah humbug!

Check it out here Small Kid, Big Stories (www.smallkidbigstories.wordpress.com)

We're using the blog to record our upcoming adventures as we move to a big city and experience a new chapter/book in our lives. We're also hoping to use it as a good way to keep our friends and family in touch with what the boys are doing on a regular basis since most of them won't get to see them much this year (we invite ANYONE AND EVERYONE to come visit!!) .

Who knows what this could turn into... you know, that movie Juile and Julia that just came out STARTED as a BLOG! Maybe Aiden and Eli could be famous one day through their silly stories. :)

It's a New Season...

Well, a lot of you know already, words been spreading....we're moving from Tallahassee to Washington DC for a year long internship at a church there! We're very excited.... yet sad to leave our "home" of 10 years! You can read all the details here, at my hubby's blog.

If you wouldn't mind praying with us we have a list of prayer requests lately:

- Our house needs to sell within 6 weeks. We'd rather not rent it out, but we might be forced to do that. We need guidance and a miracle because we can't afford a mortgage and a rent payment and we have to be there Sept. 1!

- A smooth transition for our family, esp. the boys, to be able to settle in quickly and adjust well to moving.

- To get everything out of the internship and our time in DC for that year.

- For God to open doors and give us a location to plant a church when the internship is done, along with a team of people and the finances!

Thanks so much!! I'll be reporting soon on here what miracles God is going to do to get us there! :)

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Happy Father's Day Ross!
This is an older picture of my amazing Hubby and the boys, but it's one of my favorites. I am so honored and proud to be married to this awesome man. He loves God. He loves Me. He loves our boys. He loves our family & friends. I LOVE HIM!

There is not enough I could say to do justice to this man for what he does for our family, they way he loves us, and cares for us. We don't deserve him, but I am so thankful and grateful God has placed us together.

I just had to give a shout out to the most incredible man on earth! :) I love you, Happy Father's Day!



I must also give major props and love to MY DAD! HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! You set the bar, thank you! I love you!

Proud Sistah :)

I just have to brag on my brother, now Dr. J. Matt Hoch!!! He completed his Doctorate yesterday after many long, hard years in school up in NY! Even though I am his sister he is making me call him Dr. Matt now. :)

I'm so proud of him on many levels... one being that I know I will never pursue any more degrees so I can live vicariously though him in that, and say at least there was one smart one in our family. haha. On the other levels seeing his hard work, persistence, and endurance in a hard program was inspiring!

Way to go bro! Anyone looking for a mad scientist to hire out there, my bro is the best in his field in studying Ecology & Evolution in Marine Biology... his disertation was on Barnacle penis' and reproduction (made for some hilarious conversation starters!). :) Here's a pic of THE Dr. Matt & of the celebration cake Olivia, his girlfriend, made for him... very creative & well done!

So Simply

It amazes me how when reading our kids Bible with them every night, I end up getting revelation! We read a story every night in their kiddie Bible and pretty much every night I get something out of it. I have even found myself referring to it when I'm talking with people and in Discipleship moments! haha.

I love this version, it has great pictures to keep the kids interested and it makes the Word so simple that it allows for God to speak the deep truths. When the new year began we started reading the Bible from cover to cover, and it's also pretty amazing to me that we just happen to be on the stories that coordinate with THIS very weekend- Good Friday & Easter! We started when Aiden was about 18 months old, and I'm excited for both boys to get into the stories together. It's also been fun watching Ross get into the story telling part (acting it out and all!) Who said I was the dramatic one of the family?!

So, if you find it hard to read your own Bible (you know, the ones without pictures) maybe you should pick up a kids one! lol (note: I do read my own bible every day too, this isn't considered my quality time with Jesus alone, haha).

Walkie Walkie

So Eli turns 15 months old in 3 days and is just the sweetest baby ever! He is actually cuddly, and I love that! He is so different from Aiden, which blows me away... yet they do have some similarities (maybe i'll do a chart of them in the next post).

Aiden was walking BY 10 months old... he is an eager beaver, dramatic, and very independent (and defintely leans towards my personality). Where as Eli so far has shown the opposite (and leans towards Ross' personality) laid back, chill and content. I can tell so bad that he just wants to keep up with Aiden (esp. at the park)... but the kid won't walk yet! He does cruise on furniture and can hold my hand to walk... but he just won't stand alone or take that first step (he's turned it into a game now to fall into us when trying, haha). All of his pants have holes in the knees now because they weren't made for crawlers at this size, lol!

So many people keep saying, you'll be wishing he was crawling still once he starts walking... but so far I cannot say I feel that way. I end up having to carry him everywhere, and he fights it cause he thinks he can just get down and walk, and the kid is getting heavy! lol.

I'm not complaining, just sharing my thoughts. :) I'm just so blessed by two healthy and happy boys... and i'm excited for the day they start running together!

Wrapping up #2

I know this is probably one of the strangest (not to mention grossest) blog title yet.... but I couldn't leave what few faithful blog readers I have, without resolve to Aiden's pooping adventures. :)

We have SUCCESS! Unfortunately I can't tell you any secrets to how we got Aiden to finally do #2 in the potty every time, apart from it being a miracle from Jesus. haha.

On his 3rd bday he voluntarily went, but then we went a couple weeks until he did it again. I stayed consistent (which is so key!) to talk to him about going on the potty and making him try before naptime and bedtime. He still wouldn't go again.

Warning: the story below is kind of gross-
That all changed when our family came down with a stomach bug. Aiden got it the worst, and to my amazement, Eli has an immune system of steele and never got it! But over Christmas, Ross, myself and Aiden had about 2 weeks of off and on stomach issues (i'll spare you the details, but yes, both ends).

We were down at my parent's house and Aiden got #3 (the runs, sorry!) he was going like every 10 min. and obviously that would get his skin pretty irritated from the diaper so my mom (Thanks Marmee!) offered to him to go on the potty to help his bum bum not be so sore. He acutally took the bait and did it! So after going like this for like 24 hrs he got it down (repetition is key)!!

We celebrated big time and he kept it up even until now! So my advice to all you parents who are trying to potty train, or will be one day- use the stomach bug in your favor! haha. I laugh now that maybe that is why God gave us all the stomach bug over Christmas, to get Aiden #2 potty trianed!!

So hopefully this will be my final post on anything potty training. But you never know with 2 boys, there will probably be some funny stories to come.

Simplifying My Life

There are just WAY too many ways to complicate life these days. Way too many ways to get caught up in the busyness, hustle and unimportant things that distract our finances and time... things that can be better spent elsewhere. Along with my resolution theme going on in my blog lately I think this is one way God is calling me to assess my life in... simplifying.

There are many ways I am accomplishing this goal... in little ways- keeping up with dishes, laundry, implementing a cleaning schedule, making a daily schedule for myself and the boys, picking and choosing the real valuable and fruitful things in my life over the time-taking, mundane, etc. So in another way to attempt to simplify our lives, my husband and I decided to sell our house.

We only built it and moved in a little over 2 years ago, so it was not an easy decision. We love this house and picked out every detail thinking long term with it. There are multiple reasons we decided this would be the wise thing to do, I won't bother you with the details, but ultimately we believe this will simplify our lives even more so that we can spend more important time and finances in more important areas right now. There will always be a chance to build a great home in the future... but we need to make sure we are being wise in our present to be able to do those great things in the future.

Anywho, the reason I write this blog is 2 fold: please be praying with us to sell this house quickly and to actually be able to make some money off it to pay off debt. AND to challenge you, where is God calling you to simplify?

Good Gifts

Happy Birthday to all the Middleton Boys this week! December is my favorite month of the year, all my favorite people were born then... Eli, Aiden, Ross and Jesus! :)

I have come to realize that I enjoy giving my boys gifts, more than I enjoy receiving them myself. With one exception... Aiden, for his 3rd birthday today, decided to give us the gift of pooping in the Potty! We have been waiting since July for this! 

Anywho, there is a verse that I was reminded of this week. Matt. 7:11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Having kids now, I love seeing new sides to God that I hadn't before. I can totally understand how it brings delight to him to bless us and give us life giving things. I love how he shows us through practical examples, like children. 

So Happy Birthday to all the boys in my life this week. I am blessed. Here are some pictures of the good gifts my Father has given me!

One Month from Today!

Hard to believe one month from today my little baby will turn 1 and four days later my little boy will turn 3! OH MY GOODNESS! Time is FLYING by! 

I just had to say that because it just hit me. WOW!

They make me smile. :)

Bedtime Battle Breakthroughs!

The boys have been sharing a room for a couple month now and it's been a battle to get them to settle down each naptime and nighttime to sleep. But here and there I get break through. They only take 1 afternoon nap at the same time now, so I have Eli in a pack n play in the guest room for that one, other than that it's official that they are roommates now. 

It took a while for us to figure out the most effective way to get them to bed, and I think we finally did! We put Eli in there first, around 7pm, and give him time to settle down and fall asleep. He's usually out by 7:30, so that is the time we start getting Aiden ready. We read to him in the guest room and pray in there, and started "whisper time" after reading. This gets him in the quiet mode to then go in his room and quietly lay down for bed. It took a few weeks of being consistent with discipline to get him not to wake Eli up to play, but I think it's finally sticking! There were a few weeks there where they would keep each other up until like 9 or 9:30, but now it's usually quiet in there by 8:30 if Eli happens to wake up. Finally!

Aiden did the cutest thing one night.  They were quiet for a while so I thought they had gone to sleep, then I heard Aiden jumping in his bed. I went in and he laid down real fast, then I went over to Eli's crib to try to get him back to sleep and he was holding  a monkey. 

Aiden had obviously given him the stuffed animal... the cute thing is that Aiden has slept with a stuffed animal monkey since he was about 10 months old and he went to the toy bin and got this one out for Eli and he told me "Eli needs a monkey too." 

I love it. I think it's gonna be worth these tough few months to help break down the selfishness that arises when sharing a room, ultimately for a life time of brothers who love each other and enjoy each other. 

If you haven't seen a picture of their room yet, you can see it here if you click through this album.  (It's a Knights and Castle theme with a quote from the awesome book Wild At Heart)

Summertime Memories

What were some of your favorite Summer memories growing up?

Here are a list of a few that came to my head. I like getting fresh ideas for not only myself, but so we can start some traditions with the boys.

- Camping & Tubing down rivers
- Drive In Movies (my brother and I would lay in sleeping bags on top of my parents mini-van) so fun!
- Slumber parties, ALL the time.
- POOL DAYS
- Summer vacations... at least one significant trip a summer (NY, DC, Grand Canyon, Vegas, Smokey Mountains, ATL, Keys, Bahamas, to name a few)
- BBQs all the time
- NO SCHOOL
- Summer Camps (Volleyball, Art, Youth Group, etc)
- Busch Gardens & Adventure Island (we lived near it)
- BEACH DAYS