Confessions of an Adoring Mom

It's true I adore being a Mom and I absolutely adore Maddie, but I have to confess I can't wait for the day when:
1)  I will no longer be used as a napkin! (it would be really nice to be able to wear a pair of pants more than once before washing)

2) I can complete an entire meal at the dinner table and not have to share ANY of it. (it's the same food - I don't get why it's so much more appealing when taken from my plate!)

3) My hands will not have to be exposed to any poop. (coming into to contact with too much poop in one day really taunts one's dignity!)

This age will certainly be remembered for many, many things!

Hair Cuts, I Mean Hair "Trims"

I got my hair cut yesterday.  We decided it was time to get Maddie used to the idea of getting her hair cut (breath in- breath out).  I really don't know why that's a big deal to me...so weird.  But anyway, we brought along our little booster seat and sat her in the chair.  She was not impressed.  Kelly, my hairdresser suggested she sit on my lap instead.  A little better.  I kept saying, "cut hair, cut hair" and one of the other hairdresser suggested we use the word "trim" instead because if they know the word cut, it makes sense why they would be so frightened!  Brilliant! 
Anyway, it was good practice to get her used to the idea.  Maybe we can find an Elmo video of getting hair "trimmed".  In the meantime, I guess we'll by putting up a lot of pigtails for the summer heat!

that's just cheese on her chin and nose

 

 

 

Here's my new hair cut...I always have to take a picture of it after Kelly has fixed it so I know what's possible.  I can never re-create the style like he does it, but I'm going to try!

Celebrating Twelve Years!

Kyle and I just celebrated our 12th anniversary!  We decided to take a little family trip to Dallas to celebrate and go to the IKEA store.  We had a blast!  After we checked into our hotel, we found a great little sushi restaurant.  Maddie loved the udon noodles!  She slurped them up, in true toddler-fashion, which cracked us up.

Then we went to a nature preserve for a little hike.  

Maddie really enjoyed greeting everyone who passed by.

And she picked up a couple of "treasures"...

She used them to "sweep up" the path.  

The next day was IKEA day!!  I was so excited.  I've been perusing the catalog, making a wish list but looking through the catalog can never prepare you for the IKEA experience.  The place is H.U.G.E.!!!!

The top floor has everything displayed and set up just like it would be in your home.  The living rooms have everything in them down to the books on the shelves.  You follow along a path and when you see something in a setting you like you write down the aisle and bin number.

Or, if your too lazy to write it all down, you can take pictures like I did!  

It took us about two hours to make it through the path.  The end of the path leads you to the cafeteria.  The food was delicious and cheap!  Kyle had the Swedish meatballs and I had the stuffed salmon.  Maddie liked both of them, but she especially loved the meatballs!

After you finish with the top floor, you go downstairs to the "Market Place."  This is where you pick up all of little things...curtains, dishes, organizing bins, artwork, etc.  TONS of goodies, waiting to be claimed as yours!

We shopped and shopped and shopped!  Maddie literally shopped 'till she dropped.

She was out!

We ended up getting a lot of things to finish the playroom, but of all the things we found, I think these are one of my favorites!

They are wall hooks so Maddie can hang up her coat and mittens in the winter! : ) 

I would highly recommend a trip to IKEA if you haven't ever been before.  The place is amazing and so much fun!

EEEK! A Bobcat!

This guy was hanging out right next door!  Gracie (our pug)  is not allowed to go outside by herself anymore.

Maddie's Playroom, Part 2

Here's Maddie's reaction to seeing the playroom for the first time!

Maddie's Playroom, Part 1

Maddie comes home today!!  I can't wait...I've missed her so much!  And when she gets home, she will see this...

Her new playroom!!!

This is her dollhouse she actually got for Christmas, but we never had anywhere to put it so the poor thing has never even seen it!! 

There's not a whole lot in the room right now, but I want to keep it simple and be thoughtful of what goes into the room.  I'm trying to create a peaceful, Montessorri-style playroom.  It's still a work in progress.  

I definitely want to do something like this in one of the corners for a reading nook.

I can't wait to see what she thinks of it and how she plays in the room! 

Transforming

Have you ever felt yourself being transformed?  For me it all started in December and I wrote this post about potential.  In January when I'm usually busy creating two or three resolutions, I instead clung to this verse, "Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best."  Proverbs 3:9
Yesterday I had an opportunity to give life to a verse I had hidden in my heart!  It was such an amazing experience I hope I can do it justice with these words. 
After our family reunion this weekend, Maddie stayed with her Grammie and PaPa and will be back tomorrow.  This has given me the opportunity to get her playroom set up.  Before I go any further, you need some background info...In 2007 I redecorated our spare bedroom to be a Scrapbooking/Craft room. 

 

ALL of these bins had mostly stuff for scrapbooking and a few other hobbies or crafty things.  

In 2009 we learn we are pregnant!  This has to be transformed into a nursery...

All of the bins now contained the sweetest little onesies, diapers, and burp cloths you've ever seen!  I had to get rid of a lot of stuff and condense the rest down to fit in a little closet in the guest bedroom.
Now, it's 2011 and the guest bedroom needs to be a play room.  The rest of what I had in the closet had to go.  At first it was a really heart-wrenching decision.  You can imagine how much money I had spent on "stuff!"  But after some soul-searching and a heart to heart with Jesus, the decision was easy and crystal clear.  I called the Ronald McDonald House and spoke to the Director.  I asked if they had any use for some scrapbooking supplies for the families or the siblings of those staying in their care.  The House is a place for parents and families of seriously ill or injured children to stay while the children receive medical care.  I knew scrapbooking was a way to express myself creatively and was a stress reliever.  I thought the Mommas could use all of this stuff more than I had since Maddie was born.  The Executive Director agreed!  So I loaded everything up!!  Here's a small smidgen of what I donated...

My Santa Fe was PACKED!! 

I cannot describe how wonderful it felt to donate and try and be a help to families under so much stress. I was very emotional most of the day...working through my selfish nature, guilt for having so much stuff in the first place, worry that I will regret getting rid of stuff or that I might "need" this or that.  But now that the day has passed and the stuff is gone, it's almost as if a burden has been lifted and the spiritual implications of

Proverbs 3:9 far outweigh any "human" concerns I may have worked through.  On Sunday night, Kyle read this quote at our small group written by John Piper in his book A Hunger for God, "The greatest adversary of love to God is not his enemies but his gifts.  And the most deadly appetites are not for the poison of evil, but for the simple pleasures of earth.  For when these replace an appetite for God himself, the idolatry is scarcely recognizable, and almost incurable."  I thought a lot about that yesterday, and it was a good motivation.

  The Ronald McDonald House is a HUGE blessing and operates entirely on donations.  If you are interested in helping they have a wish list of items needed.  If your experience is anything like mine, you will be blessed as much as you bless others!