The House on Lindsey Lane

The Secret to My Success: Housekeeping

noreply@blogger.com (Bekah) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:14:00 +0000

Luke's helping out around the house this morning.

I told him that from now on, he has to earn his keep!
Now if I could only get that lazy sister of his to lift a finger....

Thirty-two

noreply@blogger.com (Bekah) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 04:36:00 +0000

The number of degrees at which water freezes in Fahrenheit.
A producer of high-end boots and apparel by snowboarders for snowboarders.*
The product of four and eight.
The number of times Luke has escaped his room after naptime or bedtime over the past ~~three days~~ twenty-four hours.**
The number of chocolate chips I ate this afternoon while dealing with a certain tow-headed jail-breaker.***
The number of weeks pregnant I was with Sarah when I starting having my first bout of (false) early labor.
The number of weeks old Sarah is now.****
The number of years old I am now.

Yep, Happy Birthday to me once again... and all I can say is - seriously? I don't even remember being 31! But I guess senility is to be expected.

Oh, and also, my husband bought me some cool shoes, some awesome books, and had some gorgeous flowers delivered. Not bad for a guy who worked a 70-hour week recently!

And did I mention we celebrated at La Madeleine? Nothing like feeding your two-year-old a milk chocolate delicacy at 8:30 pm on a weeknight... (see bedtime issues, above)

Totally worth it.

---
*First hit when Googling "thirty two." Go ahead. Try it. I dare you. You know you want to. Ah, sheesh, you're right, it's really not worth the trouble...

**Only an approximation. The actual count is likely significantly higher.

***Just kidding. It was definitely way more than that.

****Another approximation. It's just too late to do real math now. I mean, I already worked out 4 x 8 for you - what more do you want?

Little House on the Prairie

noreply@blogger.com (Bekah) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:33:00 +0000

My mom recently invested in all of the "My First Little House" books, a collection of picture books containing vignettes based on the Laura Ingalls Wilder books. She lent us a whole stack of them, not realizing she might never get them back, and Luke and I have really enjoyed reading them together. In fact, we have hardly read anything else for the past few weeks - and that is fine with me. Let's just say that these books fare better in repetition than, say, Green Eggs and Ham (no offense to Dr. Seuss aficionados, but if I have to read "not here not there not anywhere" one more time....).

One of the fun things about these books is that they give us a chance to talk about what life was like "back then." When your kid is already a smart phone genius, it's reassuring to know that he can also appreciate a covered wagon and log cabin!

I find myself also benefitting from these brief stories in unexpected ways; I'm familiar with the stories themselves from the original books, but experiencing each episode on its own, rather than as a chapter in a larger book, has a way of helping me notice more about the lifestyle and challenges and joys of Laura's childhood. And having each page fully illustrated has not only helped me better visualize these tales, but it's brought minor (but fascinating) details to life - such as the fact that Ma and Pa are so young! I don't know how old they are supposed to be, actually, but the illustrations give the impression that they are at least my age, if not younger. Boy - that sure puts in perspective my own woes and challenges... I can't even begin to imagine what it must've been like for Ma and Pa to come to the decision that they should strike out into unknown lands with young two daughters and a baby, build a house by themselves out in the middle of nowhere, live off the land and what they could provide for themselves... And they make it seem so easy!

Of course, the same is certainly true for my own parents and grandparents - but it wasn't until I found myself at this incredible place in life (motherhood) that I realized how much my own parents sacrificed and fought to make things work and to make things good for us, their beloved children!

So here's to Ma and Pa... and my own Mom and Dad, Memaw and PopPop, EO, Debbie and Lonnie, Grandmother and Granddad, GiGi and PaPa, and so many others. I hope our choices as adults and as parents reflect the good things we've learned from your examples.

And Mom, I'm just kidding about not returning those books. I will. Someday.

Nearer, my God, to Thee...

noreply@blogger.com (Bekah) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 22:08:00 +0000

One of the challenges that I continue to face as a stay-at-home mom is finding adequate time for Bible study and prayer. Honestly, I thought that sort of thing was a pretty tough challenge BEFORE I had kids, and now, well, it seems almost impossible to have daily "quiet time." Who am I kidding? It is impossible to have daily quiet time - but it'd be nice if I could at least manage a little time for study and prayer in spite of the non-quiet around me!

Over the past two and half years, I have made lots of different attempts to carve out that time, and the only successful tack I've found is to steal moments whenever they may arise. For me, that is neither a routine nor even a daily occurrence (although I dearly wish it were). Sometimes, it's not even an every-other-daily thing... and I find it really easy to get down on myself about that. (I'm guessing I'm not alone in this struggle.)

This past Sunday morning during worship, Luke was snuggled up in my arms as we stood to sing one of those really good praise songs. It's difficult for me to sing those songs without my thoughts being drawn to Heaven. I can't help imagine, in those moments, that we're praising God in Eternity with the angels and the elders and all the other crazy inhabitants of Heaven, along with all the saints and loved ones around us. And as I envisioned that wonderful day when "we've no less days to praise," it suddenly occurred to me that -- as incredible as that day will be -- I probably won't have the joy of this little boy snuggled up in my arms. As far as I can tell, that is a pleasure reserved for Earth. I wondered if, in those moments of Eternity, I'll remember the weight and warmth of his small body against mine? I hope so. And I pray that his heavenly body will be there beside me in the throng!

As these thoughts occurred to me, "my soul welled up with hallelujahs," as that old Kathy Troccoli song goes, and I began thanking the Lord specifically for these blessings. That's when it dawned on me that even though I have not met Him regularly in preordained Study Time, the Lord is near! There have been times in my life when I truly was far from God, but this just isn't one of them - and it isn't really because of any major effort on my part. Rather, my smallest, mustard-seed moments of desiring relationship with the Lord is all He needs to make a connection with me. Hallelujah!

There's nothing quite like a happy baby....

noreply@blogger.com (Bekah) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 22:03:00 +0000

Sarah's had a rough week. A doctor's visit with shots, digestive issues, teeth coming in (we can actually feel them but no sightings... yet), sleep training, and a 2-year-old brother. But it's amazing how much her happy moments shine in the midst of such seriousness and sadness! Last night at bedtime, she lay in bed beside her brother for a few minutes, and they just giggled and snuggled and squirmed ecstatically together the whole time! I was doing chores around the house at the time, but I couldn't help peeking in to see what all the joyful squealing was about...

This morning, she's been just about as happy as I've ever seen her - she slept late (after waking up early and briefly to nurse) and then smiled and giggled in her highchair while I dealt with multiple milk spills (and other Brother Drama) and fed her the occasional bite of mashed banana. She was still joyful as we headed to the car to drop Luke at preschool - and she even seemed to enjoy our trip to the grocery store afterwards; I was expecting her to get fussy and need to nurse at any given moment, but instead, she perched contentedly in the cart seat and gazed at fellow shoppers as if they were there primarily to adore her (and they practically were).

What a nice way to start the day! Hope yours has been blessed as well...

Stock Show Parade!

noreply@blogger.com (Bekah) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 17:57:00 +0000

While P Was Out...

noreply@blogger.com (Bekah) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 22:00:00 +0000

P has been starring in a courtroom drama all week, so we haven't seen him in, oh, years. He still loves us, and I'm sure he'll be back soon.

Things haven't been too exciting around here, but I'm not complaining. And I've still managed to capture some fun moments with my iPhone, so now I will proceed to force them all on you. (Who needs wallet pictures when you have a blog, right?)

Sorting through Mom's purse before our walk to Walgreens.
(Sarah is eating a shopping receipt. Mmm... fiber.)

Eating cookies at the Bluebonnet Bakery.

Eating Puffs at the Bluebonnet Bakery.

Begging for more cookies at the Bluebonnet Bakery.

Visiting the zoo with good friends.

Being held by Mommy.

Being photographed repeatedly by Mommy.

Pretending to be a pirate using Sister's bow.
(And feeling a little jealous because
Mommy keeps taking pictures of Sister.)

"Growing!" (Note the Big Boy underwear,
the Big Boy cup, and the Big Boy grin.)

Playing foot-soccer-ball, a new sport which primarily involves
walking around the house wearing a football uniform
and carrying a soccer ball. "Tough look" is optional.

Missing Daddy... (one of those, let's all cry and need Momma
at the same time moments - I'm only smiling in the maniacal sense)

And when all else fails, we just rock out on the racquet-guitar.

Accomplishments

noreply@blogger.com (Bekah) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:52:00 +0000

1. One thank you card
2. One and a half loads of laundry

(Not bad for one morning!)

I know God's timing is always perfect, but....

noreply@blogger.com (Bekah) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 04:05:00 +0000

WHYYYYYY must my two-year-old start the incessant-getting-out-of-bed-after-bedtime-when-he-is-supposed-to-be-in-dreamland stage at the same time as we are trying to teach him to run to the potty anytime he needs to go! One moment I'm threatening him within an inch of his life as I drag him back to bed, and the next, I'm helping him climb onto the toilet... It's just way too confusing for everyone!! And the worst part of it is that as a result, I'm not getting any SLEEP!*

*translation: time to watch my grown-up shows on Hulu

Sarah...

noreply@blogger.com (Bekah) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 19:40:00 +0000

• Is just shy of 8 months old.
• Eats as if the goal is to get food on every inch of space within a three-foot radius.
• Sleeps late and stays up late.
• Smiles sparingly but beautifully.
• Talks as if she were three. Well, as if she were a three-year-old who couldn't actually say any real words.
• Giggles unceasingly (unless she's talking or hungry/sleepy).
• Sings along (with a very serious expression, as if to say, I'm concentrating on staying on key).
• Would rather pat or eat books than read them.
• Adores. Adores. Adores her Big Brother.
• Has two (front) bottom teeth.

• Is very gifted at the "trumpet-player's blow" (surely there's an actual term for that??). Dizzy Gillespie cheeks and all.
• Has gorgeous blue eyes.
• Does better on long car trips if Mommy is sitting beside her.
• Eats solids really well - including any finger foods within reach - except when feeling bad.
• Can clap her hands but prefers to clap her thighs (or the table or Mommy's face or any other nearby surface).

• Swivels around on her tummy to reach that toy her brother doesn't want her to get.
• Finds jewelry to be fascinating (and tasty), and has been known to use both hands in a surprisingly powerful effort to move Mommy's head for a better look at her earrings.
• Chews on her bottom lip.
• Likes to be held by her Mommy.
• Prefers toys that make fun noises. Chewable surfaces are a big bonus.
• Sleeps on her tummy or on her left side.
• Kicks her legs back and forth in fast motion whenever excited or mad or hungry.
• Will steal paper right out of your hands if you aren't paying close attention. And then eat it.
• Began sleeping through the night around 2 months - and sleeping about 12 hours by 3 months - but started getting extra hungry at 5.5 months and has been waking up at least once most nights ever since...
• Loves baths. Especially with her godzilla brother.
• Has the world's chubbiest thighs. (The rest of her is just now catching up.)
• Misses nothing, and is especially fond of people-watching.
• Just got her own room, where her brother will (hopefully) not be able to rouse her early from naps.
• Has had one cold, leading to a double ear infection, but is otherwise very healthy.
• Sits up super straight. Seriously. Strangers compliment her on this.
• Looks cute in everything except yellow.
• Has darker hair than her brother.
• Rarely complains about the fact that she gets dragged along a lot more than her brother did at this age.
• Appreciates a clean diaper.
• Is very tactile and tends to enjoy picture books best if she can touch the pictures.
• Takes two good naps a day (when we let her) and catches "power naps" during car rides.
• Rubs her eyes when she's sleepy.
• Has fallen off a bed twice and backwards from sitting more times than I can count. So far, no concussions.

"If it looks like poop, then DON'T TOUCH IT!"

noreply@blogger.com (Bekah) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:45:00 +0000

Just one of many things I never dreamed I'd be teaching to another human being.

News from the Road

noreply@blogger.com (Bekah) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 21:00:00 +0000

I want you to know that I'm not kidding when I say that Luke has been singing "Angels We Have Heard on High" - almost nonstop - for several days now. He was even singing it quietly as he curled in P's arms to wait in line at the Starbucks just now. P said the baristas were amused...

Incidentally, Sarah joins in whenever she can. I've worked hard to get that on video, so hopefully I'll be able to post that soon.

In other news, P has discovered Angry Birds on his new Kindle Fire. And this morning, Dad 'n' Lad time involved teaching Luke to get the pigs...

Simple joys...

noreply@blogger.com (Bekah) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 02:06:00 +0000

The other night, Sarah figured out how to really stick her tongue out... She was so proud that she just left it dangling out of her mouth for several minutes, which was a little odd and also hilarious. After a family-wide comparison, we decided that she wins the prize for the longest tongue. Maybe that's why she keeps putting it on proud display!

Perfect Saturday Morning

noreply@blogger.com (Bekah) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 17:37:00 +0000

What? 11:30 AM isn't technically morning? Nonsense.

(Like I said, Perfect!)

Playing with the Angels

noreply@blogger.com (Bekah) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 16:56:00 +0000

This morning, Luke is having fun playing with our Christmas decorations... He has already thrown all the Christmas cards down on the floor (we'll have an exciting game of Pick-Up later, of course), and now he's taking down angels, one by one, from my angel collection on the buffet. I should probably stop him, but he's having so much fun singing his favorite Christmas carol ("Angels We Have Heard on High") and pretending with them, and I'm personally enjoying snippets of his imaginary play, such as this:

The angel is flying in the air... dist like this [holding the figurine above his head, and then singing] "Glo-o-ooooooo....." And he can talk - he says, "Hey, Jesus!"....

Sarah gives new meaning to the term "dinner conversation."

noreply@blogger.com (Bekah) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 22:49:00 +0000

Perfect

noreply@blogger.com (Bekah) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 22:24:00 +0000

JCPenney used to run this ad in which they showed the Perfect Family -- handsome Dad, gorgeous Mom, two beautiful Children (boy and girl) -- all smiling effortlessly and enjoying the Perfect Morning together in Perfect Family Bliss. I vividly remember the images of the children running into their parents' brightly lit, immaculate room and jumping into bed with them, to everyone's great pleasure. Besides the smiling and the beauty, the key to their happiness appeared to be none other than the spacious and heavenly master bed, with linens fluffy and comfy and entirely done in a crisp, bright white, and available at your nearest Penney's store, of course.

So naturally, after this commercial came out, I began envisioning my own perfect master bedroom - complete with fluffy white linens and two beautiful kids... and for my first Mother's Day, P took me out to purchase all new white sheets and pillows and a fluffy white down comforter for our bed. And with the addition of a colorful accent pillow, the effect is Perfect, if I do say so myself.

However, while we've managed to also acquire the two beautiful children (boy and girl), I must admit that when they run into the room (or are carried in) and jump in bed with us in the early morning hours, I do NOT resemble the happy Mom from the commercial. As it turns out, Family Bliss is rarely accomplished by children waking up their parents - much less by children waking up their parents by jumping into bed with them. Once in a while? Maaaaaaybe. But only if "once in a while" means "almost never." Or perhaps just "never."

Okay, yeah, yeah - there are worse things than a tiny body nestled in the crook of your arm. Or small feet inching their way up your back. Or even loud giggles in the early hours.

(And you're right. I asked for it with my perfect bed and all.)

But I'm just sayin'. It's not exactly what it might look like from the commercial.

This isn't even our own bed... of course, they are sleeping,
and it's hard to complain much about that.

It's the merriest time....

noreply@blogger.com (Bekah) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 03:30:00 +0000

Decorating the tree tonight! So many fun memories, traditions, and new adventures!

Thanksgiving in the Pineywoods

noreply@blogger.com (Bekah) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 22:46:00 +0000

This morning, I realized how much I missed:

Having other adults around to hold/feed/change Sarah while I chased Luke/drank my coffee/took a nap.
A continuous supply of cookies, cakes, and pies.
The guiltlessness of eating an endless supply of cookies, cakes, and pies on a holiday.
The laughter and hugs of my sister and brother, my mom and dad, my aunts and uncles, my cousins and grandmother.
Opportunities to play Mexican Train (at least one round - before a child needs my attention).
Watching the neighbors' bull chew on my parents' back lawn.
Family concerts and family prayers.
Walks in the woods.
Laundry that miraculously does itself (when strategically placed within Mom's sight).
Receiving multiple colorful construction-paper hearts.
The camaraderie of brothers and uncles and husbands and dads and one grandmother crowded in front of a projector screen to cheer on the Cowboys and Longhorns.
Greenberg turkey.
Young cousins who know just how to entertain a 2.5-year-old boy.
A chance to once again "prowl" the antique stores of downtown Nacogdoches (even in the rain).
Braving a cold, sunny afternoon to pick out a "real" tree, just like when we were kids.
Being forced by my dad and sister to look at every tree on the lot before choosing, just like when we were kids.
The Home that will always be home to me, in some way or another.

But I'm also really glad to be back here. (Now if only that laundry would get up and fold itself...)

I thought the day would never come.

noreply@blogger.com (Bekah) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 01:50:00 +0000

If you'd asked me yesterday, I would've sworn that Luke's meals would forever consist only of items off the following menu:

Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
Cheese and crackers
Mac and cheese
Grilled cheese sandwich
Dessert of any kind
Hot oatmeal

But lo and behold, a miracle! Luke ate almost all of the dinner that I stubbornly served him tonight - none of which is included on his preferred menu (well, except the cheese). Meatloaf, green salad, broccoli and cheese, and even a little baked sweet potato. And I must admit that I absolutely beamed while serving him second and THIRD helpings of broccoli...

There's hope yet for this child of mine!

Updates

noreply@blogger.com (Bekah) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 22:49:00 +0000

So, I think I've got this one figured out.

You have a baby.

Then you spend five or six months adjusting to the fact that this. baby. can't. do. anything. You feed it, teach it to sleep (or not), wipe its orifices, help it burp, dress it, bathe it, talk to it... And in response, you might get a smile or coo. But you are more likely to get spit up in your face (or in your mouth, if, like P one time, you are doing "flying baby" at the moment). Or perhaps a quizzical look that seems to say, "And what did you say your name was again?"

And then, all at once, miracles begin to happen! Your baby laughs at your silly faces! Your baby rolls himself over on his own! Your baby changes his own diaper! (Ha ha, just checking to see if you're listening!)

Sarah just hit that point. She is Accomplishing Things right and left: rolling over, getting teeth, sitting up, eating solids... I'm not kidding - all in the last two weeks! I usually try to send emails out to our immediate family members when these things happen, but I finally just stopped because I figured I was probably already on their spam radar as it was. (And now you know why I haven't been blogging - I've been too busy filming every moment of my daughter's waking hours! And, thanks to the teething, her "waking" hours include most of them.)

Anyway, I suspect God planned it this way so that we'd be fully accustomed to having a tiny and utterly incapable human around -- and then, ta-da! They start doing things on their own. Time to get out the outlet covers and put on your jogging shoes!

And apparently the shock doesn't wear off quickly; Luke surprises me almost every day with how much he's grown. Right now he's in a big "figuring it out" stage. For instance, I bought him a bunch of those cheap plastic Sesame Street placemats in hopes of containing the oatmeal hurricane that is his breakfast, and one morning he was really studying the one that teaches the ABC's. It has the lowercase letters of the alphabet along with your typical ABC pictures of apples, balloons, cats, drums, etc., and I was trying to convince him that the lowercase "a" was truly the same as an "A," since he is only used to uppercase letters at this point. And as I've mentioned before, he's pretty stubborn about what he thinks.

But evidently, some things sink into even the most mulish minds. That night, we were all sitting on the couch, and Luke pointed to the wall where we've hung an engraved plaque, and he said, "Look, an apple!" We were both justifiably confused for a moment - the plaque isn't illustrated or anything, and the rest of that wall is bare - until I realized that he was seeing the lowercase "a" and remembering that it went with the picture of the apple, according to his placemat. Not bad, for a two-year-old...

Luke is also starting to be capable of an astonishing number of physical feats, climbing and jumping being top of the list. He has climbed onto and jumped off of every seat and every bed in our house - thankfully we're not to tables and dressers... yet.... The other night, he even monkey-jumped from the armrest of the recliner to the side of the crib (at least 3 feet), stunning his father and myself so much that we couldn't even scold him for it. And the playground, well, that's just heaven on earth for that child.

Every good parenting book will tell you that it's a good thing when your kids start doing things on their own, Becoming Independent. And there's no doubt that my heart swells with each new milestone my kids reach. But as I enthusiastically cheer them on, I also fight feeling mournful about the helpless babies that are no longer - or anxious about the freedoms and failures and figuring-it-outs that they'll have to deal with in the coming years.

But then a diaper needs changing or a child needs feeding, and all those worries are passed over for another day, perhaps when I have a little extra time...

Luke helped me make his daddy's birthday cake
and has since insisted on helping with most other meals.
It's not the worst thing in the world, to have a helper
in the kitchen... even if he can't do much more than
stir wildly and touch every single ingredient.

Sarah may be a little too eager to grow up...

Sarah proudly sitting on her own.

I couldn't pick between these pictures, so it's a two-fer.

Not crawling... yet...

My laundry is getting heavier these days...

Halloween 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Bekah) — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 01:30:00 +0000

Last year, Luke didn't even really wear his costume for Halloween at all - and although we visited a few church families to "trick or treat," we quickly lost interest in the activity when we realized there was no way we were feeding candy to our 18-month-old. Especially not at night.

So this year, I was determined to figure out a more practical way of celebrating Halloween. First, we enjoyed carving our pumpkins together, and Luke had a fun dress-up parade at his preschool. And then on the actual day of Halloween, we dressed up and spent a great morning with friends at the Dallas Arboretum. Then when P got home, we dressed the kids up (again) and took them over the river and through the woods... to see my grandmothers. It was just enough "publicity" to make the costumes worth having - and only two chances for candy. (Plus, we got to see some of the sweetest ladies you'll ever know!)

All in all, a great success. Lesson learned: it pays to plan ahead.

Luke was supposed to be a pirate (see below), but when I got Sarah into "uniform,"
he decided he wanted to be a Longhorn, too.
Fortunately, we just happened to have a shirt for him to wear!

Petting Zoo at the Dallas Arboretum

Arrrrrrrr!

With Memaw

With EO

Convention of the Unmannerly

noreply@blogger.com (Bekah) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 02:10:00 +0000

Happy Halloween!

noreply@blogger.com (Bekah) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 05:23:00 +0000

Never leave your iPhone unattended.

noreply@blogger.com (Bekah) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 04:12:00 +0000