The Way to My Little Man's Heart

The cutest thing happened today. Eli was taking a sweet long nap this afternoon. I had to wake him up to get to Sat. night church. Aiden and I were both sweetly trying to wake him up and he was sleeping so hard. He started getting mad and kicking.

Then Aiden walked in with a bag of popcorn.

Without Eli even opening his eyes he softly says "popcorn?" and got a little grin (eyes still closed) and slowly started sitting up. My Little Man has a good sniffer! I can't believe that made him get up so happily and that he knew the smell so good!

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. :)

Kid Friendly Big Cities?

We got to travel up to NYC the 1st week of January to visit my sister in law and her hubby. We had a great time, but I discovered 1 thing, NYC is not kid friendly. I love visiting the Big Apple. This was our first trip with the boys. We had a great time. The 2 famous huge toy stores were the big hit for sure. NYC does have some great things to offer for little kids, Central Park, Times Square Toys R Us, FAO Schwartz, and a few others.... but the NYC Subway system is NOT, I repeat NOT kid friendly. I think I have gotten spoiled in DC with their Metro system & free events/museums.

#1 We don't have a rat problem here,

#2 we have elevators at every Metro stop, and escalators too,

#3 you have to pay for just about everything.

The entire time we were in NYC we didn't see 1 elevator or escalator for the stroller. Luckily we just brought our small umbrella one and we had extra hands, because we would have been out of luck if we had the double stroller.

So note to self, if you feel the itch to go to a big city with little kids, I recommend Washington, DC... so many free great places to go with kids, and a friendly Metro for sure! If you live in NYC- God Bless you if you have children, I don't know HOW you do it. :) Don't worry I still {heart} NYC!

Monthly Ministry Newsletters

If you are interested in reading our monthly ministry newsletters or signing up to be on the email list for them, let me know. Here is a link to check it out!

Middleton Monthly Ministry Newsletter

Peer Pressure Paying Off?

There is good peer pressure, that pushes you to do the right thing, then there is bad peer pressure.... i'm sure we all know about that one.

Tonight we moved Eli into a big boy bed for the 1st time! I am optimistic that this will go well from the looks of it tonight. After thinking about it, I honestly think it's because of good peer pressure! Aiden and Eli share a room, and Eli has been asking and asking to sleep in a big bed for weeks now. He started climbing out of his crib, so we had to make the decision. We didn't have such luck when Aiden made this transition... that was a battle. But I really think that since Eli has Aiden there (to tell on him) and to show by example Eli should do better.

Maybe it's a theory, we'll have to see how it goes. :) I can't believe how fast they grow up!!

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!

I Met a MilkMan!

I don't know why this is so funny to me, but I actually met a milkman the other day! I honestly didn't know they still existed! I was babysitting for a friend in a beautiful old restored row house in DC and someone rang the door bell. When I opened the door I literally felt like I stepped back in time to 1950!

The Milkman looked exactly like this dude pictured to the left! The bottles were exactly the same, and his truck was old school! It was quite the experience! The friend I was babysitting for gets her milk, eggs and cream delivered by this dude like once a week! He just drops it off on her doorstep wether she's there or not.

So there you have it, if you ever need one, they're still out there!

Need Mommy Advice

Eli climbed out of his crib tonight. Aiden never even tried when he slept in it.... so I wanted to know- anyone have this happen? What did you do? Do I discipline him and teach him not to or does that mean it's time to move him to a big boy bed?

The boys share a room, so I'd rather keep him in the crib. They'd have to share the double bed if he left it. What would you do? He turns 2 on Sunday!!!!

Grocery Shopping in the year 2009!

Grocery shopping has gone to a whole new level.... everyone say it with me like Conan O'brien "in the year 2000...9". :)

I thought my boys went crazy over the race car carts at Publix, but after my shopping trip this morning I have to ask.... have we gone too far?

TV SHOPPING CARTS PEOPLE!

That's right. FREE. CAR CARTS. KIDS TV SHOWS. need I say more?

I almost feel like a bad mother putting my boys in there. It's a car cart, with an added bonus, a little LCD flat screen tv inside! You can choose from Dora, Handy Many, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Special Agent OSO, and more! There is even a screen for me that I can flip through recipes, see the latest sales and ads, and control the kids show. Crazy!

RIDICULOUS.

but I use it. :)

Baby Fever!

That's it.... it's official, I have baby fever! I can count on my hand the number of friends, NOT preggo right now.... yeah pretty much everyone is getting pregnant or having babies all around me.... and my boys are turning 2 & 4 in less than a month! UGH!

I cannot wait to have another baby, I love being pregnant and the whole process SO amazing to me, and shows me more of God each time.

But alas.... I must wait, lots going on in our life right now, and finances need to be in a better place before we can focus on that. Be still my heart (and womb!) :) I guess I gotta just keep telling myself {don't give in to peer pressure, don't give in to peer pressure} lol.

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 :)

Celebrating 10 Years!

November 17, 1999

I was a freshman at FSU and living the "typical" college life. I joined a sorority, lived in a dorm, was really trying to control & live my own life. I had just gotten back from a fraternity formal weekend in Destin, FL, where some sketchy things happened and that was fresh off of a trip with some sorority sisters to Orlando the weekend before, where one of them OD'd and ended up in the hospital- just after we both had taken the same things at the same time. It was all catching up to me. Reality was hitting me that I was not in control. In fact, I was losing control pretty fast.

My roommate, Kelly, (hind sight was completely placed in my life by God) and her boyfriend at the time (now hubby) kept inviting me out to their campus ministry. I blew them off every time for a party or sorority function. But this week something was different. Just coming off some crazy weekends, with reality hitting me of what could happen with my life out of control. I gave in and figured it couldn't hurt to go with them this one time (I grew up in church and youth group and all, couldn't be that different, right?!).

We walked to the student union, entered one of the ballrooms and there was a band playing. Sterling Brown was leading that band, and Pastor Chip Buhleur was getting ready to preach. The music had begun, and there were only a few seats open, so we had to sit right in the front row. As Sterling started singing the lyrics, he made eye contact with me, I felt like he looked right into my soul and could see all the junk I was hiding.

I fell to my knees and started BALLING. Like the not pretty kind of crying. No one had even preached a word. God spoke to me in that moment like I had never heard before. He wanted me. I think I was embarrassing Clayton because he immediately ran to get the campus minister's wife (Jen!). She took (dragged) me outside along with her baby (Clara) who was only like 4 months old.

That night I changed. I have never been the same. I am dramatic in nature, and it seems like my180 was just as dramatic. November 17, 1999 was the night I completely surrendered my life to Christ. It has been the most AMAZING 10 years of my life since then. It is so hard to believe from one little moment like that the course of my destiny was changed. I am so completely grateful for Jesus getting a hold of me, and also for friends who didn't stop trying. I am just in awe of all that God has done in my life since then, just for being willing to lay it all down to Him. It is all about Jesus.... but I must also say thank you to all my great friends (and my hubby!) that constantly keep me encouraged, accountable, and in the game.

So as tomorrow comes. I will celebrate! 10 years of being a daughter of The King!

The Crazy Thing About Kids Songs

It is unreal to me how "Kids Songs" appeal to kids! I cannot figure out why kids like to hear terrible music and singers over GREAT music and singers (ie. my/adult music). It's practically soothing to them! We have a couple of really really bad (as in annoying) kids CDs, so bad Ross can't stand them for a minute. And of course, those are the 2 that the boys MAKE us play.

It is rather amazing how they do the trick though. If we're in the car for a long time or late at night, just stick one of those CDs in, and it practically puts the boys in a trance. It's hilarious (yet annoying). :)

Luckily today I got the deal of the year! I went to Family Christian Bookstores and found a great CHRISTMAS VeggieTales CD... as I was checking out the clerk told me about a great deal they had, and only had 4 left of- I ended up with 1 VeggieTales DVD, 2 CDs, and 1 VeggieTales cookie cutter all for under $20! (great for part of the boys B-day gifts!). I was so excited. For some reason, the silly VeggieTales voice are WAY better to me than typical Kid CDs.

Do you have any recommendations of good Kid CDs? Especially worship or Scripture memory ones?

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!

I Never Thought I'd...

be a missionary!

I grew up in church, it was a fun church, nice people and all, but "church" never grabbed my heart. It wasn't until I was in college that I saw christianity wasn't about church, but about Jesus. About knowing Him, about loving Him. I realized church should be the place of encouragement and meeting together to meet needs and worship corporately, but not the end all.

When Jesus got a hold of me, I was compelled to serve Him. I couldn't stop finding ways to know Him better through doing His Word (Philemon 6). I went on a mission trip that changed the course of my life forever. I saw how much need there was in the world. I saw how amazing the transformation can be when someone grabs hold of Jesus. It was addicting.

I had 2 experiences that confirmed ministry was for me. The first was on a retreat with college students, where someone prayed for me and told me I was called to be an evangelist (insert image of purple-haired lady sitting on a gold chair on TBN). The other was one night on the mission trip I was listening to the worship music and it was as if everything got quiet (even though it was still loud) and I heard that still small voice. It was unmistakable. I heard God say to me "this is what you are called to do for the rest of your life." As amazing as that moment was... it freaked me out!

My first thought was that I was called to live with my hair in a bun, floor-lengthed skirts, in mud huts in Africa, alone. No thank you. (I mean if Jesus appeared and told me to do that I would, but it would take that!) Those two images (purple hair and mud huts) were all I knew of missionaries. Thankfully God started changing my view. You don't have to be on TBN to be a minister, and you don't have to move to Africa (although I appreciate those who do). EVERYONE is called to minister the gospel if they are a Christian, right where they are.

I am blessed that God has provided me to be able to do it full time, with a husband with the same passion. I am blessed and honored that God would call ME to do this! I mean, I'm far from perfect, and he STILL uses me! I never thought I'd be in ministry. But I praise God for the opportunity!

I Never Thought I'd be....

A Stay At Home Mom.

I was hanging out with some other mom's the other night and an interesting question was asked "what did you do in your former life?".

We all started laughing. What a question! It wasn't derogatory at all though, it was pretty accurate... what did we do before we had kids. I mean, once the kids come, life IS way different! We went around answering and I was amazed. I sat in the presence of a mom who formerly was a NASA space simulator trainer in Houston, another who was an engineer, another who worked for a Senator, another who was a music teacher, many more, and me, who was (is) in ministry.

Since moving to DC a month ago, my role has changed a lot. Ross is primarily doing the field work of a minister, there just hasn't been much for me to do yet (I know i'll get my turn soon). My day looks extremely different than it did in Tallahassee. I realized I'm just a stay at home mom now.

JUST a stay at home mom??? I have a 2 & a 4 year old (in a month!).... it is SO different than it sounds! lol. All I can say is that I have a whole new respect for single moms, moms w/ careers, and my mom! THIS IS A FULL TIME JOB. I love all those stats on "if we paid our mom's what they work", it's so true. I'm a maid, a chef, a teacher, a wife, a friend, a mom, a chauffeur, a pastor, a seamstress, a tickle monster... and the list goes on 24/7.

I love being a mom, and it is quite the experience and it's extremely special being a stay at home mom! I feel completely blessed to be in the postion that I am able to do this! I never thought I'd be a stay at home mom, but now that I am, I can't imagine not getting this opportunity!

I Never Thought I'd be....

a housewife.


When I was growing up I never really wanted to be a housewife. I wanted to be a career woman, work the 9-5.... infact, I loved Dolly Parton when I was little and that song (not so much now though, haha). I had my mind set on being a TV anchor woman. From the time I was a tot and got the TV anchor Barbie (yes they make those). I played with that doll and the TV set for HOURS on end. I even was in journalism in high shcool and went to college specifically to study mass media!

God had a different plan. See, after He radically got a hold of my heart 1/2 way through my freshman year of college my desires started to change. The idea of fame and a paycheck just didn't seem as glamorous anymore. Knowing God and serving Him is what lit me up after that point. After feeling called to missions (that is a whole nother story), I changed my major, and started pursuing that. Then God knocked me up side the head w/ a man. I wasn't expecting that. I didn't go to college to get my MRS. degree. I wasn't one of those girls. (met many of them though and laughed at that). Funny that is pretty much what I turned out to be. lol.

When Ross and I started dating and knew we would both go into ministry, I realized my career was gonna look WAY different than expected. Before we had kids I worked, in ministry. I didn't stay home all day and cook and clean, I was working side by side w/ Ross on our mission field (the college campus). But naturally, being married (and now having kids) I had a role to play. I became a housewife.

I am proud to say, I am NOT a desperate Housewife. I love it. I LOVE IT! It is an HONOR and privileged to get to "work from home". Not only do I get to do what I love and was created for (ministry to others), but I get to minister to my husband and kids! I get to disciple my boys! I get to support and encourage and allow my man to do GREAT things for the Kingdom! I am a housewife, at 28 years old, and I am not ashamed!

Never thought I'd.....

....use my kids to ward off bad guys. :)

That sounds strange, I know... but living in a big city now, and there are some shady people sometimes, especially when you ride the mass transit. One thing friends here tell me is that if you go in a shady area, just act like you are supposed to be there and you know what you're doing and most people won't bother you.

Good thing for me, Aiden & Eli aren't intimidated by anyone. No matter how shady or scary someone may be, they will still talk to them. I hope this is a gift they never loose! Like the other day, a shady lady started talking our ear off as we waited for the Metro. Aiden started asking her questions and being nice to her, and I could tell her wall started coming down. The conversation actually went so long that she ended up asking us if she could live at our house. lol. (Ross let her know about a rescue mission in DC as an alternative).

At the grocery store the other day, Eli asked EVERY person that walked by for a hug. (luckily no one really understood him, so we avoided the Swine Flu), but it surly got everyone to smile and say hi.

All that to say.... if you act friendly, so will they. Making eye contact and a smile go a long way, no matter a shady person or not. I find around here, it goes further than you think.... if you're kind to someone, they won't want to mug you. :)

The Magic Potion

Tonight I have discovered what will make my boys happy, energetic, and silly.... without bad side effects! HOT CHOCOLATE!

The boys woke up from their nap (meaning Eli, because Aiden refuses them again) pretty grumpy today. So I fed them some Hot Chocolate. I've never actually given them it before, but Aiden got a taste at a friends house last week, and I decided we're in a great season to partake.

It was the Magic Potion! They got so Happy and fun it was unbelievable! When Ross got home from work and we ate dinner they were cracking us up. Ross even asked if I gave them speed or something, haha. I mean, they've never been effected by anything like this!

Am I a bad mom if I use this to my advantage now? Slip them a little Hot Chocolate when I need them in good moods and fun? hmmmmmmmmmm. :)

I liken it to what coffee does for me. This could be bad. lol