Quiet for a Moment

Fr just a moment, it is quiet this morning in the house. Mark has gone to work and I have an unusual occurrence.... both girls are still sleeping! Abi was up from 2 am until about 6 or 6:30 am. Amanda woke up at 12:30 or 1 am and then again at 5 am. She is cutting all 4 molars at the moment. I finally got her back to sleep after a little snack and some milk, so she is resting on our bed. A week or 2 ago I so longed for a morning of quiet. Today I have been granted just that. And what a beautiful morning it is!

Amanda just sat up, looked out at me smiled and threw herself down onto the bed. Here she comes! Lord, thank you for the few moments of quiet this morning. Help me know how to raise the girls today. How to talk with, discipline, help them. Give me patience and compassion. Help us all to have happy, respectful, compassionate hearts toward one another. Cover us with Grace, Peace, Joy, Love and surround us with all that is You. We praise you again today and thank you for all you are, all you have done and all that you continue to do. We give you today and ask that you bless it, guide us through it and help us see the Joy in each moment you give us today. Thank you!

Only God!

So I was riding the trolley tonight with the girls, something I do every night. We always ride the trolley, play the piano, see the boats if the gate is open and then ride the trolley back. Most times we are the only ones riding. tonight was not the case. There was a man from San Diego who was in town with his wife and mother. Here is the amazing story he told me about on the ride to the hotel:

His mother recently found out that she was not an only child - she has 2 sisters! She was "swept away from" her mother at 6 months of age and had no idea she had any siblings. He decided that since she is now 77, he should go ahead and check to see if he could find anyone. He had a name to go on for a parent, so he began to research. He found an obituary for his mom's father and read through living relatives. He then found an obituary for her mother, also reading names of living relatives. He ended up finding a cousin in Tennessee, talked with them and then got a name to go on for a sister and information they thought this sister was somewhere in south Florida.

He began to look up names in the south Florida area and found one that seemed promising. He called. When she answered he said, "Is this Judy?" When the answer was yes, he proceeded with, "I know this is kind of strange, but I think you are my aunt." You can imagine the seemingly hesitant voice on the other end of the phone. He continued talking, things were adding up and clicking and then he threw out the name Maryann. BINGO!!!! She knew immediately he was right! And there was another sister too! They knew that somewhere they had a sister named Maryann, but that is all they knew. They continued to talk and planned a trip to south Florida to meet everyone. All of the cousins were contacted and they had a reunion! Or rather a "union" as he called it. Can you imagine being 77 years old and discovering that you are not an only child? That you have siblings and cousins and that you can get together to meet them? Only God can bring these kinds of stories full circle! I have no idea where any of them stand spiritually, but what an awesome story! AND they are taking a cruise back to San Diego so that they can "let everyone else do the thinking." What a great way to end a most unbelievable and heart warming trip! Needless to say they WILL be coming back - I think he said December! What a wonderful Thanksgiving this will be!!!! How thankful to discover family.

I have ridden the trolley I don't know how many times and I love it because my girls get so excited. However, I think this may be my most favorite trip on the trolley. To be able to hear a story like this in such a short period of time and share in his excitement... People always walk up to Mark and tell their life stories (that's another blog), but I don't get those that often. This is a story I will remember forever.... and a face with the story that I will remember for a very long time. How awesome out God is to bring people, families, together like this. I don't believe it is chance that caused all of this to happen. I believe there is purpose and God led this man to each and every source and person (whether he realized it or not). i will be praying for and rejoicing with this family.

Lost Lizard

There is a very nice man at the hotel who sometimes gives a little rubber-like animal to the girls. Abi got a lizard a while back. We have no idea where it has gone, but last week he gave Amanda a pink lizard and Abi a pink frog. Abi has been able to keep tabs on her frog and has even taken it on a few trolley rides with us! (You will see it on Horsie's nose)

Now the lizard, that disappeared almost immediately. I honestly don't know where Amanda "stores" things. Her toothbrush has been missing for about a month! And yes, we did get her another in place of it. Have absolutely no idea where she put it, or rather set it down. She has a habit of just dropping or setting something wherever she is and then the hunt is on for the missing ????. Kind of like socks in the drier. There is a hole somewhere that has a lot of "things." Maybe there really is a City of Lost Toys like Dora found!

However, I am happy to report that the lizard has been found!

Yes, this is exactly where I found it as I was pulling laundry out of the washer to put into the drier. She is one clean lizard! Now the rest of the toys and toothbrush.... those remain mysteries :-)

Fun at the Beach

This past weekend, we went to Bathtub Beach! It is a beach here on Hutchinson Island that has a reef, and when the tide is out the swim area is alike a giant bathtub - you can walk all the way out the the reef and still be no more than knee-high in water. The girls had a ball! The highlight? There was another dad with a cast net who would go out and catch a net-full of mackrel (bait fish), bring them up onto shore and then his boys would throw them back into the water - there were several large schools of these fish swimming around and it wsa fun to see huge schools jumping and swimming away from what ever was chasing them. It became the point of focus for every child on the beach, our girls included! Abi laughed and screamed, but didn't really want to touch them. Amanda bent down, talked to them and then picked one up! Once it squirmed in her hand she dropped it and shook like the fish! She did this every time one wiggled when she touched or held it. Too funny!

It took some time to get the girls to go into the water, but daddy brought their blow-up boat, so that was a god way to get them used to the water. Then they had a good time looking for fish from the boat!

Bathtub beach has since been shut down, so the girls went to our beach yesterday. It was a very flat day on the water and a super quiet day at the beach. We were the only people there! We set up semi close to the water so that we could get plenty of wet sand to build sand castles. We did that for quite some time when I noticed little fish in the water. I tried tog et the girls to come into the water, but neither one wanted to come. I continued to go back and forth to get water and sand until Amanda finally came down with a big smile on her face. Once the water hit her toes, I couldn't get her out! She would see a wave coming and say, "here it comes!" So cute! She figured out that if the outgoing wave started to pull her forward, she could just sit down and she would be fine. So then every time a wave came she sat down! So smart and fun... until the wave was bigger than she was sitting down. Surprised her, but she still laughed and waited for the next one.

Abi took a little more coaxing. What finally got her to come to the water? A man was fishing and catching some of the fish I was seeing. She wanted to see it so she finally came down to the water. She was nervous until the water "tickled her toes." As time went on she became more and more brave! She started going further out, letting the water crash up onto her legs and laughing. So sweet. Then she got nervous when the water would start to pull her. I had her watch Amanda sit and when Abi got used to how the water felt going out around her while she was sitting, that was the highlight of each wave. Then we talked about watching the water to see when the big waves were coming. She then became the big wave police! Abi would say, "here comes a big one!" and Amanda would say, "here it comes!" We saw lots of fish right where the drop-off was in the water, including one that was white and black striped! The girls also threw some seashells back into the water saying, "you go BACK in the waves!".

The girls also learned that if you have a bucket of ocean water and wash your sandy hands in it, all the sand sinks to the bottom of the bucket. That was the new excitement of the sand castle building. i get a bucket of water and bring it up. Abi washes her hands, Amanda throws in 2 handfuls of sand, someone dumps out the bucket and the cycle begins again. So much fun!

It takes such an effort to get 2 little ones to the beach by the time you get all the sunblock on, suits on, bathroom done, small cooler packed and gather all the toys, blankets, umbrella and towels, but it is totally worth it. Amanda slept for 2 hours and Abi for 4! And everyone had such a great day. Next time we will take the kite too!

The Day After

A friend told me yesterday that the first day after a "survival day" is always a good one. This morning is proving to be just that! The girls got a full night's sleep and I think mommy and daddy did too! Both girls actually woke up happy, talking to each other and are playing quietly with each other! Yes, that means they are sharing and being respectful of each other. How thankful I am, and how blessed to have a Father who understands how much I (we) need the calm after the storm.

Another beautiful discovery this morning? Amanda has finally clicked with her please and thank you's! She asked for something this morning and I said, "what?" She said, "May I milk peee?" What a great start to "the day after!" I know there will be challenges - I do have a toddler and a preschooler. However, I am thankful for the happy start and reminded how blessed I really am.

In the past I have posted only when I remembered or felt like I was in a place where I could actually share something - I get nervous about putting my thoughts and feelings out there. My gut is telling me that I need to get beyond my insecurities and do just that. I am not saying that will happen overnight, but I am going to make an effort to go beyond my comfort zone and see what god has in store.

Now I sit with coffee in hand, Bible open and ready to see what today has in store.....

An Honest Monday

I want to begin by expressing how very much I love my children. I am so very blessed to be able to be home with them and raise them, to watch each and every step they take witness every decision, good or bad, that they make. This morning, however, I find myself longing for time alone... uninterrupted. Time to write, read, focus my thoughts, steady myself.... time to reflect with the Lord on all that He has given to and done for me. I now find myself running through the "shoulda-coulda-wouldas" in my head of how I could have better started my day. The reality is that I was tired and exhausted from yesterday's fun events with the family and I needed just a few more minutes. this is code for, "I don't know how to better manage my time so that I can get everything done in enough time to get enough rest at night." I hate feeling annoyed when my children ask for something or call my name 4 gazillion times a minute without saying anything else to me. I just long for quiet this morning.

Lord, please give me strength today. Strength to be patient, to enjoy the blessings of today, to learn how to better manage my days, to have compassion for the bumps and "ouchies" of today, to embrace the multi-gazillion times I hear "mommy?" with no other conversation attached, and help me find a place to connect .... with You, other mommies and with a church family. Help me to embrace this season of life and guide me to a feeling of "home" here where You have placed us. Help me to embrace life and renew my excitement for this journey You have called us to walk. Help me experience life, not just survive it. Renew my passions and desires. Reveal to me all that You have called me to do so that I may move forward with purpose, desire, confidence and passion. Show me how to raise my children to know and love You. Give me the ability to relish every hug and act of affection from my girls. Fill me to overflowing so that I may spread that same love onto my girls and husband. Refill and restore me, Father. Make me whole again. Thank you for giving me such loving, affectionate girls. Thank you for showing me that love daily. Thank you for making me whole again....