Random Acts of...Community Theatre

This summer Madelynne will be making her first debut on a stage that's not in the church or Mommy's school. For those of you who were privileged to witness her as the "flying sheep of Bethlehem" at Mt. Carmel or a Seussical fishie at North, you know she's got a lot of.....well, we'll just call it being uninhibited.

Or so I thought. On Sunday night I took her to audition for "The Wizard of Oz" at our local community theatre. It's being directed by my friend and colleague, Mrs. Paula who she knows and likes. So I figured auditions would be a piece of cake. I mean, Madelynne's certainly not my shy child.

The hardest part of auditions was controlling my overwhelming instinct to direct her myself. Not just because she's my kid but because theatre has been a part of my life for so long, I have a hard time checking out of that director's role. She was cute, but not outstanding. In fact, if it was my show, I probably wouldn't have cast her, but Paula is braver than me. Or she has more patience. I'm not sure which, but this is a woman who will put on a musical with 50 12-13 year olds, so she's got something I don't have.

Anyway, Madelynne basically just stood there on stage with the other kids who were auditioning. She hardly moved when asked to improv but preferred to slightly imitate the girl on her left (who was older and taller and quite good). Her shining moment, however, involved some quick thinking. When asked what her munchkin name would be she giggled and announced, "Lollipop!"

On the way home I talked to her about how just because you try out for something doesn't mean you're going to get it. I explained what it means to have a good audition, to which she replied, "But Mommy, I will act like a Munchkin when it's the real play."

Well, let's hope so.

Random Acts of...Staying Home

There's a lot of debate in the world today over what (or maybe who) is better: stay-at-home mothers or working moms. I've been both so I think I have some pretty good authority on the subject. First of all, both are work. Somedays home is the easier job. Somedays being away from home is definitely easy.

So which is better? Here's the answer. Neither.

That's right. Neither is better than the other. It's true. Either way you are sacrificing a major part of yourself, your family, your finances, your goals.....but isn't that what being a mother is all about?

In the end, it's about what's better for you.

I have been blessed to have 9 weeks home with my new baby. Even better is that I have two older girls who have been in school for much of that time, so she and I have had lots of quiet times together. Even "more better" as my 4-year-old says is that I have had lots of extra time with all of them over these past two months.

But the "most better" thing has been having so many wonderful friends to share this journey with. There's nothing like another mom to understand all the joys and frustrations of motherhood. Especially when that other mom also has a preschooler clinging to her legs and a baby on her hip.

After Madelynne was born I stayed out of full-time teaching and instead worked 4 afternoons a week at Sylvan Learning Center. Though I loved my time with her, I didn't have a lot of mommy friends and we were contemplating a move anyway, so I didn't feel led to find any.

I signed a contract to return to teaching full-time six weeks before we found out we were going to have Annabelle. She was well-timed for a teacher. Her March arrival meant I could take the remainder of the school year off and at the time, we thought I'd stay home again in the fall. But as much as I enjoyed my time with her, I was lonely for friends and adult conversation that wasn't pre-recorded.

Returning to full-time work when she was 5 months old wasn't too bad. We adjusted quickly and over the past four years I have loved my school and my ever-changing positions there. My girls have been loved and taught more than their ABCs by the sweet staff at Little Dreamer's. We began to make lots of friends and to connect with so many others who were in this same place in their lives.

So I could really see myself at home with Amelia now, doing the actual stay-at-home thing of play dates and MOPS and grocery story runs in the early afternoon of a random Wednesday. My patience is ever developing and is somedays better than others (probably because I spend a lot of time reminding myself that one of the fruits of the spirit is self-control). The days no longer seem to drag by but are flying at a pace I can barely keep up with.

But the sacrifice I have to make right now for the ultimate good of my family is to return to work. I know this is definitely not "having it all". I'm scared I won't be able to handle it. I'm afraid I'll resent my mother-in-law for her time with Amelia. I'm worried I'll never be able to keep up with it all. Five weeks back and then summer vacation....and the fall?

We'll see what the future holds. But at least I know Who holds it. The same One who will bring peace to my heart and provide for our every need.

Random Acts of...Growing Pains

With the exception of myself who is hopefully shrinking back down to better-than-pre-pregnancy size, there's been a lot of growing in our house lately.

Madelynne is getting so tall that her shorts and skirts are rapidly becoming less than dress code worthy. I had Jill cut her hair too, a cute little stacked bob that's longer in front to please her daddy but less work to comb which pleases mommy. She's getting just so grown-up!

I don't like it.

Belle is finally outgrowing 3T clothes (good thing since she's four!) and lately she's been climbing in our bed in the middle of the night to complain that her legs hurt. Today, however, she's exhibiting more than usual stubborness, so she'll probably be complaining soon that her bottom hurts.

I really don't like it.

And Amelia went yesterday for her two month check up. Two months? How can that be? It's gone by so fast. I'm torn between the desire to get these next 5 weeks that I have to be at work over with so I can come back home and the wish I could keep her little forever. Then I remember that as she gets bigger she'll start to sleep through the night.

Nope, still don't like it.

Here's the stats on our little one who's grown the most:

10 lb, 10 oz. (that's a gain of 3 lb, 7 oz)

22 in (no way she was really 21 in the hospital)

38 cm of a "somewhat unusual" head.

Yes, that's right. She apparently has an extra soft spot which is contributing to a slightly pointed back skull. Thank goodness is covered up by all that hair! Our pediatrician thinks it's fine though. His actual words? "Well, that's just her head."

And that's just my baby. Hopefully for a long time yet.

Random Acts of....Birthday Weekends

Fancy pink cupcakes, ribbon adorned flip-flops, thirty birthday candles, and a plate overflowing with fried shrimp. Yep, all part of a weekend filled with birthday celebrations. Apparently July is a popular month for making babies!

And luckily for us three of those babies are growing up to be good friends of ours or our children's. The fourth birthday belongs to "Baba" as in Tom, as in Joshua's dad who was Grandpa until the girls shortened it. And we're lucky he's around too!

On Saturday morning we jumped for joy (literally-we couldn't get them off the trampoline) at the Fancy Four party for Hailey Reed who is one of Annabelle's bestest girlfriends. It was girly and pink and fancy and just perfect for the six little divas in attendance.

After rest time that same afternoon we headed back out for the party of Princess Abby who is also an Annabelle bestest friend. Many of those same 4-year old divas gathered for pizza and high heels and more dress up than the Princess Boutique at Disney World.

So how did we get the girls away from that party and on to another one? We promised them hotdogs and cake! Then we headed to Shelter Cove to celebrate our friend Noelle joining the 20+10 in 2010 Club.

It seems the majority of our Sunday School class is turning 30 this year and we're having a good time celebrating this milestone with many friends and their sweet families. At Noelle's we enjoyed classic cookout food and had to designate a corner of the room for the baby carriers. Amelia, Sam Garrett, and Chandler McKay were quite well-behaved at their first "adult" party. Unfortunately we forgot to take pictures!

Finally, today after church we spent some time with Baba whose birthday is still a week away but whose request for a trip to the Harbour Inn Seafood restaurant in Anderson had to be honored today. So we headed a little north and ate enough fried shrimp to carry Tom through to next year since it will probably be his birthday again before my mother-in-law allows him another meal like that.

It was a fun and exhausting weekend but we're glad to be blessed with more celebrations than we can schedule. And I haven't even got into Aunt Calley turning 22 last week or plans to love on Marmee when her birthday comes at the end of the month. Good thing I've still got maternity pants in the closet since all this cake isn't helping me back into my pre-pregnancy jeans!

Happy April Birthdays everyone!

Random Acts of....Daddy

I'm sure that most are assuming this post will be about the Daddy of all my sweet princesses.

Well, Joshua is a fantastic daddy who possesses the all important "Daddy-voice" that is often employed at moments of crisis, such as Belle is out of bed for the third time or Madelynne has rolled her eyes in a move that is far too teenage for her five-year-old self, or Amelia is refusing to go to sleep before 11 p.m.

Just kidding...stern Daddy voices don't work on newborns so he just tries to talk sweetly and reasonably to her. That doesn't work either.

But this post isn't so much about Joshua as it is about daddies in general. I'm watching Gilmore Girls while I'm playing with my blog template and it's that episode where Rory gets in a car accident with Jess and Lorelei flips out and calls Chris and he swears he's going to rip off the head of that kid who messed up his daughter.

And while that may not be the best solution to every problem, it is a Daddy's perogative to feel that way. Because after all, we're talking about a daddy's little girl.

And no matter what, it is a daddy's job to protect his baby. I'm glad my life has been blessed by a Daddy whose first concern is always for his girls safety and protection.

Followed by a concern for where the guy is so he can rip his head off.

And speaking of Daddies head over to Annabelle-isms for the correct theology on the most important of all fathers.

Random Acts of....Home

There's a For Sale sign in my yard. With my agent's name and number and everything. So, it's official. We're FOR SALE.

I dream of the call where Kathy says, "We got an offer. Asking price. Close immediately." And of course we say yes, yes, yes! and pack up and move on to a new phase in our lives that may or may not include pink countertops and hardwood floors. (Hoping for one, can do without the other.)

But, let's be realistic. Or maybe not. I mean, after all, we've done the house-on-the-market-forever deal so it's our turn to get a little bit of luck, right? If only life worked that way and you really were rewarded good for bad in even doses. But so often (to modify a Little Dreamer's phrase) you "get what you get and shouldn't pitch a fit."

So, I'm going to hold onto Hope (literally because it's Amelia's name and so fitting for right now in our lives) and make peace with understanding that the sale will happen when it happens and God's timing on it will be as perfect as He desires it to be.

In the meantime, our agent asked me to list all the things I like about our house, so the other night at our dinner date, Joshua and I did just that. I think we were both surprised by how long our list was.

We love our backyard. It's a great space for the kids to play and it's fairly level with enough woods to make Joshua happy.

I love our hardwood floors. If I had my way there would be no carpet in any house I own, ever. Wood has so much personality AND is easier to clean when juice gets spilled. Ours are wide planks of honey gold and make our house unique. In fact, it was what I fell in love with when we first saw the place.

We love that even though it's small, we have 4 bedrooms. Until Amelia, we actually had an office AND a guest room which seems like a luxury.

I love my big tub. It has jets which I can take or leave, but it's huge enough for me at 9 months pregnant! The girls love it too. It's like a mini-pool. I love my kitchen sink for almost the same reasons, except I don't fit in it. But Amelia does. It's deep and cast iron and can hold a LOT of dirty dishes.

We love our location. And that's something no amount of HGTV can change. This end of the county is fantastically rural and charming, but still captures the small town suburb feel. There are lots of friends nearby, the church and my school are both 5 minutes away, and we are just that closer to other NE Georgia places I love like Unicoi, Hiawassee, and Anna Ruby Falls.

It is a great little house for a little family. But our family is growing and then there's extended family and new friends and the girls want an inside pet.....It's time for more. Square footage that is. I'm not sure any house can top the friendships that we've found and the memories we've made on this little road in northeast Georgia.

Random Acts of...Time Out

Sometimes Mommy needs a time out too. And after a busy weekend and a difficult Monday, I decided this Mommy definitely needed one. However, it must be understood...

Mommy timeouts are not like children timeouts.

When you are a child, you are put in time out for calling your Mommy a "meanie" for the third time after she has taken a whole afternoon to let you play in the creek at the state park. This is also after she spent the few precious moments the baby wasn't being fussy that morning packing a lunch for you.

When you are a Mommy you are put in timeout for wishing you had stayed home and kept the children corralled in their room all day rather than attempting to be a nice mommy who takes them places like state parks and Chic-Fil-A.

When you are a child, time out consists of sitting and pouting. You cross your arms and scowl up your face and glare because the world (i.e. Mommy) is SO UNFAIR.

When you are a mommy, time out means you send the children over to Mimi's house for the afternoon and you engage in such stress releasing activities as a pedicure or a nap.

When you are a child and time out is over you exuberantly return to the world of play and before you run off to engage in some other activity that might return you to the time out position, you hug your Mommy. Because time out's not nearly as bad as thinking Mommy might still be mad.

When you are a Mommy and time out is over you return refreshed and rejuvenated to that most important task of being a mommy who gets called a "meanie" for teaching your child right from wrong and good from bad.

So, yes, sometimes Mommy needs a time out too.