A better day

Today has been a much better day. Thanks for all the prayers for my little guy. I spoke to his teachers today and the director and they couldn't understand why he was so sad yesterday. They said he did excellent and that he fit right in with the class. I explained that we have been through A LOT of transition over the summer and that I'm sure he just didn't know what to do with his emotions. They said they would give him a little extra TLC ... he was even a classroom helper today. He loves to help and today he was the door holder! Perfect for him as he loves to do that anyway. His daddy picked him up from school and when he came in the door today I asked him how is day was and he said "My day was GREAT." He had the biggest smile on his face. I asked what was different and he said that there was no chapel today. Not sure what that one is about as he loves Chapel but I guess it was just different and he didn't enjoy it as much. Hopefully, with time this will pass.

Kennedy and Pace are enjoying their time together while Ryan is in school. Today, we took K to get a flu shot and then we came back and had lunch and a few minutes of play before nap. These two were playing so well together. They normally do not play together as Ryan and Pace are normally too occupied with their cars to give K much attention. That was not the case today. She had ALL of Pace's attention and I will say that she was eating it up. They were giggling and rolling around like two best buds. It was fun to see.

It is definitely odd to not have Pace in school but I do think that it is going to be a benefit to him to have some time away from Ryan.

Well, I have some work to do around here while all 3 are napping! Thanks again for the prayers and the advice!!

Transition help Questions

Those of you who are / have been in transition and are parents I need your help! Ryan is having a HARD time lately. The boys got here on Saturday and were so excited to see their stuff. Ryan's appetite was really decreased on Saturday and Sunday. Today he started pre-school here and when I picked him up he looked like he was about to cry. My child NEVER looks like this after a day of school. He loves school and loves everything about it. He would go on Saturday and Sunday if it were held then. He explained to me that he didn't want to go and that he didn't want to talk about his day or for me to ask questions about his day ....

So those of you who have lived in (Or are living in transition) ... please send me some pointers on how to help my boy and get him back to the fun loving, carefree child ....

Trust

It's a 5 letter word ... T R U S T. Seems simple. It's not. At least not for me. Yielding control to someone other than myself (seen or unseen) is difficult for me. I'm type A. I like to plan, I like to know what lies ahead, I like to know what to expect and I like to have things fit neatly into a schedule. That doesn't happen very often. So I trust ... Or I say I do, but do I really, REALLY trust? Do I really trust the One who holds my future? Do I really trust the One who gave his life for me? Or do I say that I do and continually try to grab hold of the reigns of my life back after "giving" them over to Him? If I'm honest, I try to grab the reigns back more often that I should. Why is handing over the reigns so hard? After all, He is the one who loves me more than I could ever imagine. He is the one who gave his life as a ransom for mine. He is the one who when I ran in a direction other than his, looked lovingly at me and still reached out his hand for mine. He is the one who has it all planned out ... he is the one who wins in the end. I know this ... I've read the final chapter ... he wins, HE WINS. And yet I still fret about making it from point A to point C by way of point B and having it fit neatly into a little package I call my life.

It's questions like these that I'm asking myself right now. I know this is all vague but it's what's going on in my world right now. This and trying to unpack my house and make it a new home for my family.

So ... How WELL do you T R U S T when the rubber hits the road? Right now I'm trusting and trying to leave the reigns in His very capable hands ....

Moved in

Well, We are moving in and unpacking. We started cleaning on Friday afternoon and then moving in on Saturday. By Saturday night we had the downstairs done by that night except for one curtain rod that needed to be hung. Sunday we worked on putting Kennedy's room together and then we drove halfway to pick her up from Jer's parents. It was so nice to have a couple days to get some things done without her.

Today we painted and tomorrow we will put the boys room together and hang upstairs curtains. It's a slow process but it is slowly but surely coming together.

So this is why you haven't heard from me in blog world for a few days. I'm knee deep in boxes. Today sorta felt like Christmas eve as I put together their toys and unpacked them. I'm sure Saturday will feel like Christmas morning for them as they see their toys that they haven't seen since we packed them up 4 months ago. It's hard to believe that this has been a 4 month process. We are so thankful to have a house!

Well, I'm off to try to rest ... talk to you later peeps!

Boy-Sterous Living ...

... celebrating your loud and rowdy life with sons ... By Jean Blackmer

(read all the way through there is a contest at the end!)

I got this book in the mail and the front picture immediately captivated my attention ... it just looked like a couple boys had a blast playing with cars and making a mess with paint. As I began to read this book, I was immediately drawn into the stories and the passion the author had. She describes a boy this way: Boy (n.): a noise with dirt on it. I couldn't agree more. The author is the only female in a house with a husband, 3 sons and 2 male dogs. She says there is one thing you can count on and that is life with boys is loud and if it is not they are most likely up to something. I can SO relate to the fact that it is loud and if they get quiet they just might be up to something ... like coloring themselves with a sharpie from head to toe ... not speaking from experience or anything like that :)

What I liked the most about this book was at the end of each chapter. She calls it "digging deeper" where she gives some practical things to do with your boys as a family and/or questions for reflection. My boys are a little small for some of them but we have definitely accomplished a few of them already. She also gives some suggested reading - scripture for sure but also some fun suggestions like comic books and other parenting books. The questions for reflection really caused me to think. In one chapter she talks about self esteem in your boys and gets you thinking about helping your son who may have little self esteem or helping the one with a little too much self esteem learn humility.

I believe this book is a MUST have for moms raising boys. It would be a great book to do with a mom's study group, a MOPS group or even a couples group on raising boys. I love the practical advice given and the fun way in which this book was written. Run, don't walk to get this book or just click here ... you will be glad you did! This is definitely a book I will keep on my nightstand and refer back to often as my boys grow.

About the book: Raising boys isn't easy. Life with them is loud. If it's quiet, they're probably up to something. Boys are messy, competitive, fearless, and proud. Living with them pretty much guarantees that you're in for an adventure.

In Boy-sterous Living, Jean shares a few of the priceless stories and laugh-out-loud lessons that she and her boys have experienced over the years. With humorous insight and practical advice, she offers encouragement and ideas to help both mothers and fathers impact and shape the lives of their sons. From understanding their love of sports to overcoming the superman complex, Jean shows moms how to find joy and contentment in everyday life by celebrating the laughter, passion, noise, and endless energy boys bring to our lives.

About the author: Jean is currently the Publishing Manager for MOPS International and she's been free-lance writing for 16 years. She has been published in a variety of local and national publications, including: Guideposts, MomSense, Today's Christian Woman, Christian Parenting Today, American Girl, Proverbs 31 Woman, Chicken Soup for the Mother and Son Soul, Chicken Soup Cookbook for the Busy Mom's Soul, Focus on the Family's Teen Phases, Guideposts Miracle Series, and others.

She also co-authored her first book, Where Women Walked: Powerful True Stories of Women's Perseverance and God's Provision. (Tyndale/Focus on the Family, 2004) This book was nominated for a Gold Medallion Award.

Jean graduated from the University of Colorado in Boulder with a Bachelor's (1987) and a Master's (1992) degree in Journalism. She lives in Boulder with her husband Zane; three boys, Josh, Jordan, and Jake.

You can purchase the book by clicking here.

CONTEST: Enter your grossest or funniest moment as a mom of a boy (No boys? That’s okay – we still want to hear your story!) and you could win movie tickets and a snack for you and a friend to escape! Share your story by emailing your entry to amy@litfusegroup.com or posting it on the Moms of Boys facebook page!

13 Months

2 weeks ...

It is hard to believe that in just 2 short weeks (prayerfully) we will be sitting in our new home. We have been trying to buy a home since May. We sold our home and put a offer on a home that was a short sale. They really should not call them short sales because there is nothing short about them! We continued to look but really couldn't find a house that we just loved. Then 1 1/2 weeks ago our Realtor, who by the way is AWESOME, called and said that a new foreclosure had just come on the market. She previewed it and it was perfect for our family. We made an offer without seeing it, still hoping in the back of our mind that the bank would answer us on the short sale we had been waiting so long on. We were the second highest offer on the foreclosure. The person who was first made several offers the same weekend and wound up accepting another offer so the bank came to us. We had just a few hours to make up our mind or they went to #3. We still had not seen the house at this point but thankfully we had a few days to back out. So we loaded the car and drove up to see the house. It was a good fit for our family but we were still holding out hope for the other house all the while moving forward with an inspection on this house. As we were driving back home from looking at the property and taking notes, our Realtor called to say the other house was coming off the market!!

God was really taking care of us. So now we are full steam ahead with this house and are praying hard that we can close on the 18th. We have to get our pods emptied by the 25th or we have to pay for another month ... we do NOT want to do that. So if you think about it pray with us that we can close on the 18th. All our paperwork was already done we just needed to change addresses and order an appraisal.

We have enjoyed shopping and taking advantage of Labor Day sales this weekend as we prepare to move. The next few weeks are hectic as we plan to pack up and move away with 3 little ones in tow. Thankfully, Jeremy's parents will keep the boys and we will only have to contend with Kennedy as we try to unpack and settle in. Maybe my mom and sister-in-law will come and help out with her.

So if I'm quiet over the course of the next few weeks you know ahead of time why! We have a house, praise God we have a house! I do have a good book review coming up for those of you who have boys ... honestly I think it's a good book no matter what gender child you have but it was written for parents of boys ... stay tuned it's coming up next week!

Praying for the 18th closing date,

GREAT NEWS!

We had an offer accepted on a home today! We hope to move by the end of the month.

YAY God!