I know this is the day after, but to all you Daddies out there, Happy Father's Day! Or as a friend of mine put it: "Happy Eldest Child Day... for without me, you wouldn't be a Father" haha! I am not the eldest child for either of my parents... but I am the eldest for their marriage to each other. We are one of those "yours, mine, and ours" kind of families :)
Aaanywho, this Father's Day weekend was amazing! Hubby, aka the Daddy to our 2 little ones, was able to be home all weekend! He was supposed to work Saturday, but we got a fantastic call Friday evening that another guy was going to take the shift instead :) We all did some pretty embarrassing happy dances ;) Hubby really got to enjoy some quality playtime with Aaron, and some good snuggle naps with Rebekah (one of his favorite things to do with a baby)... which was all very much needed since he's been working so much. The nature of truck drivers (CDL): can work up to 14hr days... and no more than 70hrs a week... oh really? That's all, DOT? Just 70? (dripping with sarcasm if you didn't catch that right away lol). But I digress.
Sunday was spent in the best way possible: time worshipping our Heavenly Father at church with other believers! He is, after all, the best Father there is... He is Father to all, He loves us no matter how many stupid things we do, He directs our steps, and He truly knows what is best for everyone (even though we may think our plans are better in the moment... yeah, they're not!). Sunday School (or ABF time as our church calls it for the adults) was spent reflecting on all the scriptures that speak on the matter of Christ's Resurrection... the most powerful significance to our Faith. Sadly, I cannot bring any info on the sermon... Miss Rebekah was ready to eat, so I spent that time down in the nursery.
We spent lunch and the afternoon with some dear friends from church, and it was a wonderful time together! Lots of giggles, and laughs to be had by all! Rebekah even had her first belly laughs :) Was neat to share that with our friends (she's been a giggler, but did her first big laughs at their house).
Seth thoroughly enjoyed his 2nd Father's Day! I felt bad, initially, that he was doing things like changing diapers, wrangling kiddos, and such... but really, he enjoyed those times... with how much he works during the week, he looks forward to those moments to spend with them and to help me. What a blessing my hubby is to me and to our children!
Now on to my Daddy... I miss him! We live about 2400miles apart... so I didn't get to see him, but I got to talk to him :) Phone conversations tend to be a smidge on the awkward side with him (he's very quiet, reserved, and not the biggest conversationalist... it runs through his family--well, the guys anyway), so keeping one going is some work. However, it was very nice... and it was great to find out that he had the day off from work (he had to work Mother's Day, which left my mom on her own... thankfully my brother-in-law was kind to do something special with her!... and he's been having to do mandatory overtime at work--72hr workweeks, blah), and that he enjoyed church, and was on his way to my sister and brother-in-law's house for BBQ and time to relax :) I wanted to let my Daddy know how much I love him... and respect him... he works SO hard, hardly complains, and has been beat down by the work system so much over the years, it's a wonder he can still stand. And you want to know WHY he does such hard work and hours? For my Mom. Us kids were in on the benefits too when we were under his care, but really, it's about my Mom. He works a thankless job because the insurance is just what my Mom, and her battle with cancer, needs... ever since the cancer entered our lives on Thanksgiving 1997, my Dad has placed good insurance coverage at the forefront of his job searches. What a Man! He is the Biblical definition of protection, service, self-sacrifice, and LOVE. Thank you, Daddy... for being MY Dad!
Boy, this is going to be a novel... bear with me ;)
My "baby" boy, Aaron, is going to be 2 next week! How in the world is this even possible?????? Seems like just yesterday, we were bringing him home from the hospital... so unsure of what we had gotten ourselves into haha! Now, here he is... a rambunctious toddler... so much fun (and such a challenge!)... and becoming such a neat little individual :) He loves to "help" me in anyway he can... and I'll take it! One thing, in particular, that cracks me up every time, is that we cloth diaper, and we use cloth wipes (Hello, money savings!); the cloth wipes are "collected" in a little whicker waste basket, and anytime I bring it out of his room for diaper laundry time, he will run and take it out of my hands to carry it to the laundry closet himself. He LOVES to do it! Far be it from me to steal his joy ;) He loves his baby sister, but only if she's not touching him ;) ha! I actually have a little video of the two of them sitting on our glider rocker, and her little foot kept touching him on the leg, and he would keep looking down at her foot and try to scoot further away from her! Super cute!
Also, next week, my parents are coming for a visit! Their first time here since Aaron was born, and their first time seeing our house :) I'm pretty stoked for this! We did make a trip "home" back in November, so they've seen Aaron, but not Rebekah (I was decently pregnant at that time though... so, they got to see her acrobatics via my belly haha)... so this will be very special! My Dad (Grandpa) is probably going to have Aaron outside or at least thoroughly engaged in TONS of physical activity and play the whole time, and my Mom (Grandma) is looking forward to holding Rebekah a lot :) Soooo... as my Mom said, "It's going to be like a vacation for you" (WAHOO!!!). I will probably clean... ha! No, seriously ;) *sigh* This is going to be great!
Now, time for an update on my journey to eliminating complaints as my default response to life. It's been hard. Gotta say, it's when I'm most determined to nip this thing in the bud that Satan, the Father of Lies, works his hardest to make me fail. Friday, I was going to have a playdate with a friend and her girls... had a rough evening the night before, and was tired the morning of. I was all set to cancel on her... allow defeat to set in... allow negative thoughts to override the day. And that's when it hit me... that's precisely what I needed to fight! I needed to steer clear of this desire to "escape" accountability, positive interaction, etc. So, I was determined to keep the playdate! I was determined to speak with my friend, ask her forgiveness for the abuse our friendship has taken on my account, and make our relationship more about the positives and thankfulness I have! As I was washing dishes, I was mentally going through how I would say it all... how best to convey my intentions, my repentance, and my gratitude for all she has put up with on my account. It was with my son that Satan began hitting me again... Aaron got sick (stomach variety) during his breakfast... pretty sure it was teething related... but couldn't be sure. So, blast... had to cancel the playdate just incase it was a bug. :( I was effectively cut off from that in-person conversation. Then the screaming, defiant toddler entered the scene... and... and... and...
I was beginning to lose it. I felt it... I was turning ugly just as quickly as I had decided I was going to beat this thing! You wanna know what broke my back? Rinsing out a cloth diaper, and having JUST the right angle of a "canal" in the middle of it to shoot pee-water all down the front of me as I wrung it out... I began to cry (I know... I know... lame). I cried out to God to help me, because I couldn't do this thing on my own. I was being attacked... and I needed His help to fight this. Well, I made it through the day. When Hubby got home, he graciously allowed me to finally get a bath so I could clean up, relax, unwind, and refresh. It was the most therapeutic bath I've ever taken (sounds weird to say, but seriously, have never come out of one feeling better than I did that day). I had so much to be thankful for... Aaron didn't get sick anymore, and he ate lunch very well... he played well at least in the afternoon... Rebekah had a good day, and then, Seth got the call that evening that we would get to enjoy the weekend together!
Complaining... oy... this is quite a journey. And so worth it!
Thank you for sticking with me here... it was a loooooong entry, but I promise they won't all be this long :) I will try to update more often... yeah, that will help ha!
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