Conversations with Katin

Katin is talking.  A lot!  The only time she's really quiet is when she's sleeping or eating.  But even then, she gets in a word or two.  I've come to enjoy my conversations with her these days.  Like our "5 talks" at bedtime.  Or when we talk about what we did at BSF in the car.  Or our chats about her school days ahead while we look out the window into the schoolyard full of kids.

I had to let you know what she was telling me the other day.

As we looked out the window into the schoolyard she told me all about her soon to be school days.

"Me go to school.  All by myself.  No mommy.  No daddy.  No Aubrey.  All by myself.  Bring backpack too."

"Oh yea, you're going to bring a backpack, huh?  What color?"

"Pink.  Match pants."

"What are you going to put in your backpack for school?"

"Ummm... (she really says ummm) juice.  Gum.  Green gum.  Black pants."

"Sounds good, Katin.  Sounds good."

If you know my daughter, you know about the black pants.  They don't leave the house.  But apparently she's going to take them to school.  Along with gum.  And juice.  All of which I believe are not allowed.

I love my conversations with Katin.  :)

Aubrey is ONE!!!

Happy Birthday to Aubrey Susan!

April 12

We had a great time celebrating Aubrey's first birthday with family. I can't believe she's already ONE!!! It seems like yesterday I was sitting on the couch next to my mom as she recorded every contraction while I told her I wasn't in labor and that I just wanted to go to lunch.

The little party was fun. The best part was the ball pit my mom made. It kept the girls contained and entertained at the same time...winner! After burgers and the works we opened a few GREAT gifts (including a ride on ladybug, a giant school bus, a very loved carton of eggs, sing a long songs and cute new shoes) and then headed over to the cupcake table. Katin waited very patiently for this part. She was so excited to sing to her sister and eat a cupcake :) Thanks Aunt Donna and Uncle Steve for hosting such a fun little one year old party! LOVE YOU!

Aubrey's Favorites:

being sung to

listening to music

playing with things that make noise

crawling

climbing

looking out the window

jumping

walking in her car

being thrown in the air by daddy

her gray sleep pants (inherited from her sister)

big bites of food

yogurt

water in a cup with a straw only

food in general

bath time- specifically splashing with her sister

walking along the furniture

being tickled

throwing her head back when she's sitting up on our bed

"helping" her sister build puzzles

the dogs

her grandpa and grandma Anthony

her papa fish and grandma lipstick

her papa and grandma Milburn

playing ball

chasing the ball

"cooking" in the play kitchen

looking at touch and feel books

listening to daddy read books

little people

dumping stuff out then putting in in a box or basket or bucket or daddy's shoe

taking off her socks

car rides

walks in the stroller

the beach

going down the small slide at Pines Park

screaming like a Teradactal (sp?)

playing peek-a-boo

giving kisses (mouth open of course)

clapping

chew on anything

wave hello and goodbye

being loved by mommy and daddy and big siser

Easter Weekend

Mom- Katin, what do we get to do today?

Katin- EGG HUNT!

Mom- Why are we going on an egg hunt?

Katin- To celebrate!

Mom- What are we celebrating?

Katin- Jesus coming out grave!

Mom- That's right. And what better way to celebrate than hunt for eggs?!?!?!?!?!

Not only did we go on an egg hunt, but we also spent time with LOTS of family! Thomas and I are so thankful for our family out here because everyone is very easy going and understands that family is family no matter what. And no matter what, we will always love each other. I'm not sure I've met another family who does it much better :)

Highlights from the weekend include:

The Egg Hunt- there may still be eggs hiding in the couch

The egg coloring- which I had to let go of total control because apparently when you dye eggs with my daughter (maybe most two year olds) each egg goes in each color or else it's not quite right.

Mom didn't know what was coming....brown eggs! HA!

A new bubble gun- so cool!

Time with Aunt Donna- you know, the usual....playing with chalk, eating pancakes, bothering Timber.

Hanging with Cousin Evan- I know...blogger taboo a blurry picture, but clearly I was the photographer, not Thomas and clearly it is one of the most adorable smiles Katin has ever smiled!

Oh, I wouldn't want to forget the "Chocolate Chip Cookies". Betty CROCKer punk'd us!

And one tired little girl...so sweet!

I can't forget to include the attempt at a photo of our girls in their matching dresses...

ZZZZZ......

This is how we found Katin the other night.

This is why we go in and check on the girls before we go to bed.

Oh Katin!

Dinner Time!

Our girls are eaters. They are very serious about their meal times. During meal time, I can't say they are always serious. But they are serious eaters nonetheless...

Occasionally Thomas and I will feed the girls their dinner and then eat a quiet meal by ourselves or with other friends after they go to bed. I highly recommend it!

A few snapshots of dinner the other night....the four-legged, salivating, long-eared, never-get-enough-food, dogs were right on Que!

Food Please!!!

Yea, food please!!! A little crumb on the floor would be mighty nice :)

Yummy!!!

Silly girls...gotta love em! Here's to many more yummy dinners....hmmm... what should I make tonight?

Our Morning with Jordan

Cousin Jordan lives down in Encinitas. It reminds me of Boulder on the beach. It's really cute and has a lot of fun shops and restaurants. We love going down to see her and Chad.

Although we didn't make it as far south as Encinitas, we still got to meet Jordan the other day in Carlsbad at the Flower Fields. They were beautiful! It was a perfect day to go. Not too hot, not too cold and not too many people. We walked the flower lined paths from end to end and even rode on a wagon pulled by a tractor. Katin really liked it. She pointed out all the flower colors and kept her eye out for the BIG LEMON. (Probably her favorite part) Aubrey, on the other hand, wasn't as impressed with the flowers so she needed icebreakers to keep herself entertained.

The playground was as a big hit too! Lots of slides and small little houses to explore. As you can see they were the perfect size little houses for Jordan...I mean, Katin...

We ended our time together with lunch. Which for the very first time in my life I had to box up my lunch and eat it at home. (Usually I can scarf it down fast enough if need be and attend to the girls...not today) I'm pretty sure that because of my daughters antics Jordan and Chad will be waiting a while to have little darlings of their own. Thanks for putting up with us Jordan! And for keeping us all smiling..... We love you!!!

Tea and Testimony

If you know my husband, you know that he is a really great speaker. He can get in front of a crowd and draw them in without any notes. He's amazing.

Me. Not so much. I have to have notes, or the entire thing typed out in really big font so I can just nervously stand in front of my crowd reading. (Unless, of course, my crowd consists of 10 year olds or younger...then I'm good to go).

Any opportunity to share about God is one to take...no matter what. Today at MOPS we had our Tea and Testimony. Sounds fancy. And in fact, it kinda was. We had tea and tea sandwiches and scones and little tea like desserts...there were probably crumpets on the table too. We even used real plates and forks to eat! It's definitely a special treat. The best part about it is that women are encouraged to share their testimony (their story of how God worked or is working in their lives). I love testimonies because it brings us closer to Jesus.

So I shared. I shared how God is currently working on my heart. And afterward, I was encouraged to put it on this blog. So here ya go! Hope you can relate :) And sidenote: I'm not sure why I can't publish the last paragraph without being highlighted...but read it! It's all part of the story :)

I’m Kristen. I’m a mom. And I’m not always great at being one. But I strive to be. I pray each day that God would give me the grace I need to parent my girls. And his grace is always sufficient.

But that doesn’t mean my days are always full of smiles. I find myself getting trapped in the “look at me, I’m a kick ass mom” world…comparing myself and trying to live up to man’s expectations. Blogging about my awesome days with my kids. Posting facebook updates about all the things I’ve accomplished in two hours. Pinning my awesome enchilada dinner recipe on Pinterest. But it’s all for who? When I fall into that trap I know it’s because I want a little bit of man’s praise. A “way to go, Kristen” “You rock, Kristen”. And trust me, I know us moms don’t get enough affirmation or “good jobs” during our daily routines. Not as many as we hand out anyway. And I desire it. A lot.

So…I’ve been learning. I’ve been asking a lot of questions. And this is my current testimony. My story of motherhood…one that will always have a next chapter. And my story is thankfully God’s story. I’m not the author. What a relief! In this current chapter, God has been teaching me so much about doing my job for His praise. His glory. For him alone. When the Holy Spirit reminds me of this my desire for man’s praise dwindles. And I see God’s praise in the smiles and hearts and actions of my kids. But I’m also reminded that I’m in this for Him. To give him glory and to show others…through my life…that Jesus is it. He’s the real deal. He’s the one thing I will always need to be a grace-filled mommy. And the only one who loves me even when I make a crappy enchilada dinner that’s not worth pinning. He’s the one who will help me be the parent, wife, sister, cousin, friend, daughter, that I need to be. And He’s the one that deserves the praise. Not me. Because the only reason my story goes on is because of him. And it’s a story worth sharing. Cuz it keeps him on a pedestal and keeps me humble.

I’m thankful for what God has been revealing to me. I’m thankful to be constantly reminded of this verse in Colossians which gets me out of bed, gets me moving and gets me smiling. It pleases my heart to know that I can please God in my everyday mommy stuff and get the best reward in the end. Nothing that man, bloggers, friends, pinners can give me.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24

If I ended here, I would walk away with my story all neatly wrapped up with a bow. But that’s not the case. Life actually sucks sometimes. And some days I don’t keep God in the forefront of my mind and I forget about what Jesus has done for me. Some days I just want to crawl into a dark hole and never come out because I can’t stand the whining, diapers, messes, tantrums, boogers, meal planning, not showering. And that’s the honest truth. My real story. My story about how life sucks but God is faithful. How even though I scream into my pillow from time to time God is really proud of me for being a mom. God is my audience. I can be an awesome mom because he calls me to be an awesome mom. And that’s it. It’s not really pretty or wrapped up with a bow. Although the joy outweighs the hardship, it’s still a challenge to choose joy from moment to moment. And I want to choose joy. So if you’re ever in the mood to talk honestly about mommyhood, I’m your gal.