To Carter and New beginnings

In a couple days I am going to send my first baby off to school. That is so hard to believe. It used to annoy me when parents would say “ the time just flies, etc”, but I guess you don’t really understand until you have your own and you’re dropping them off at Kindergarten all of a sudden. The first 5 years are over. No more baby or toddler years which come with their own sets of challenges. Now is the real thing.


I know that he is going to do so well. He is such a smart and inquisitive little boy. He seems to make friends really easily too. I’m sure I will be having a way more difficult time dropping him off than he will have!

My hopes for Carter- that he will meet some good friends, and that he will always BE a good friend and a good example. I have so many great memories from elementary school, and even up to high school with great friends. To this day, when I see friends from school we can sit and rehash every year back to Kindergarten and recite funny things that happened way back when.

I hope he continues to learn a lot and ask millions of questions, and make people laugh. His teachers at daycare tell me they love his laugh, and that you can hear it through the whole building. I love that about him. Several of his teachers have told me recently how sweet he is, and how much they love him. That is so nice to hear, and I hope he stays that way!

So, Carter- it’s here!! The beginning of an era- the next 13 years are yours to learn and grow and make so many memories. I am so excited for this new journey that I am sure will have lots of ups and downs, deadlines, early mornings, bus rides, accidents, surprises, etc… But we’ve already been doing it for 5 years, so I know we can get through anything. You are such an amazing boy with so many talents and gifts already. I can’t wait to see what else is in store. I love you and good luck!!

Happy Birthday Carter.. thoughts from a proud mama

5-11-11

Dear Carter,

Today you are 5 years old.

I can’t believe how fast those 5 years have gone. I wish I could go back and do it all over again.. those first few moments when you were born, all of your firsts, even all of the pain and hard things we have gone through. Because we have made it together. I am only strong now because of you (and Cooper!) You are such an amazing little person. So full of life, silly, headstrong, and loving. Every day you randomly say "Mama, I love you" about a hundred times, and so many other cute things. You are so smart and inquisitive and you are always keeping everyone on their toes. You are so special to so many people… anyone who knows you is very lucky, and anyone who doesn’t is truly missing out. I love you with an everlasting love.

Happy Birthday Carter Alan Henry!!!

And these are some of his cute lines I’ve saved over the last year..

• "Mama, I love you so much.. I keep saying that because I just love you so much."

• "Mama, you never look ugly, you always look pretty." Made my day!! Even coming from a 4 yr old..

• Carter is cracking me up today.. Just now he said " Cooper, let's pick up our toys, our house is a MESS!!" Earlier he said, "Cooper, let's go play in our room, Mama wants to relax." hahaha


• Carter just said.. "Cooper, quit screaming, you're gonna wake up our neighbors! " wonder where he's heard that one. haha

‎”Mama, Cooper's a wonderful boy."


"Mama, you know what? Some people are bad people, but we are good people."

Another year older, another year wiser.

“Whatever with the past has gone, the best is always yet to come.”


Wow, another year has come and gone. It’s hard to believe what kind of shape I was in a year ago. I was working 2 and sometimes 3 jobs just to get by and it was a constant struggle. It still is, but now I have one really good job, and now I’m back in school, almost another semester down amazingly. The last year has really been kind of a blur, particularly the last 4 months. I never would have thought I would be able to work a full time job, and take care of my kids alone and go to school. I don’t even know what possessed me to enroll in classes, but now I’m glad that I did.

Along with everything else, Cooper had a lot of trouble in 2 different daycares and that was a constant source of stress. And I do mean constant. I’m so glad that he now has a great place to go and I never have to worry about him. Carter is loving his daycare too, and looking forward to Kindergarten in August. They have both grown so much and are such happy kids. Everything I do is for those 2… whenever I don’t want to wake up in the morning, and drag myself through another 12 hour work/school day, I think about them and what kind of example I’m setting. That is what keeps me going.

The quote, “It’s always darkest before the dawn” comes to mind. There were times when I just wanted to quit my job and pack up and leave. I don’t know where I’d go, but I didn’t want to work so hard anymore. I’m glad that I always kept going and that’s what I’ll continue to do. Things are looking up, thanks to a lot of patience and good people in my life, and I’m looking forward to my 27th year on this planet.

And one of my favorite quotes:
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. –Jeremiah 29:11

Be Truly Glad

“So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while.” 1 Peter: 1-6

This is one of my favorite verses ever. I will often say it to myself when I’m trying to get through a hard day like today. It’s weird how that happens and I find myself mumbling to myself for encouragement. Whenever I’m at work I dream about the kind of life I want to have someday… my life isn’t bad now, but it’s definitely hard to juggle everything and manage to be a decent parent at the same time. Whenever I’m being yelled at by some mean old man, or people are bossing me around, giving me dirty looks, etc… I just have to remind myself that this is only temporary. Tonight Carter was begging me to jump with them on the trampoline right when I finally got home from work. I told him I didn’t want to and he said “Why Mama, did you have a long day at work?” He knows me too well! I ended up jumping on the trampoline with them, work clothes and all, watching them both with such joy in their eyes. And it was worth every second.


This has been a hard couple months for us with everyone being sick, and the daycare situation, but it could always be so much worse. At least we have a roof over our heads, a great family, and I have a job. Alot of people don't have any of those things.


I know that one day my hard work will be rewarded… that, I am sure of! "This too shall pass"

Until then, I’m going to practice being truly glad!

too tired to think of a title..

I hate being sick. I know that everyone does, but I can't afford to be sick. I had to miss another day of work today because I was up all night puking. I'm so glad my boss is nice and doesn't make me feel horrible for calling in.. She knows I must be really sick and desperate to call in.

My kids are completely on their own tonight. And I do mean completely. I can just now sit up long enough to type on the computer. I feel like I have the flu, except I don't have all the respiratory symptoms, just the body aches, and I am soooo weak. It actually makes me laugh a little to think about how our evening has gone.. Dinner tonight was a couple slices of bologna that Carter got out of the refrigerator for both of them, and some Oreo cookies. My poor kids. If only Cooper could change his own diaper and dress himself for bed.. we would be all set.
Well, except for the fact that they are beating each other up and I can't be the referee tonight.. wish us luck! :)

Count it All Joy.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything…”

-James 1:2

Whenever I was little, my Mom always played these tapes in the car for my sister and I anytime we would go anywhere. They were called Adventures in Odyssey from Focus on the Family, and they were these short stories that told a bible lesson. I remember them SO vividly.. today, the one called “Count it all Joy” came to my mind.

My day looked a little something like this.. And this is how all Tuesdays and Thursdays look. Wake up at 6:45 am, drag 2 boys out of bed (one whom is really cranky like a teenager), dress them, feed them breakfast, and somewhere in there, dress myself (which basically consists of throwing on some clothes that I picked up off the floor) and head out the door by 7:45 am.

Drop them at their daycare about 7:50, where Cooper proceeds to hang on my leg and cry. My heart breaks into 1,000,000 pieces, and I then run to my car, and speed to work trying to break my record to see how fast I can possibly get to work. 8:01- I made it!

There is usually a line of about 5 patients waiting for me to open the doors, check them in, and put on a smile while my hair is looking like a rat’s nest, my clothes are hideous, and I’m still half asleep.

Lunch is at noon if I get lucky, and run to Sonic or some other equally unhealthy place and eat in my car, call to check on my kids at daycare and get “the bite report” on Cooper… drag myself back to work instead of just driving myself the other way and never coming back! Haha

Work until 5:00, which includes running around the building meeting various deadlines at a moments notice, and dealing with really rude people who think my life revolves around my job.

Then I go directly from work to Biology class, where I stare into space for 2 hours, and wonder just how confused everyone else in the class is. My teacher is from India or somewhere and I can understand about every fifth word he says. He likes to call on me at least 3 times every class… and I stumble through some pathetic answer and wonder how much everyone is laughing at me. I hate science with a passion and I’m just taking this class to pass it and get through it. 2 hours go by, my head is hurting, my body is hurting, I haven’t seen my kids in 12 hours, I’m hungry, I’m clueless, and did I mention tired?

Then I get home about 7:45, see my kids for about 15 minutes, and put them to bed.

Ahh.. silence at least. Time to write and do homework!

I live for the weekends… But just going through what I do on Tuesdays and Thursdays is enough to make me appreciate Mon, Wed, and Friday!! It’s amazing how that works. When I “only” have to work 9 hours.. and pick my kids up at 5:15, that’s like a break!

My point here is (and yes I do have one)… that even though things seem tough, we should remember to "Count it all Joy"… because as the verse says, everything we go through is teaching us patience and perseverance, which eventually has to lead to something greater.

I may be tired, but I’m alive!!… and at the end of a 12+ hour day, I have these 2 precious little boys standing at the front door in their underwear and a diaper smiling and saying “ Mama, we missed you!” That's makes it all worth it.

Count it All Joy!

Headaches, Homework, and Deadlines, oh my!

 

Have you ever tried to write a paper with a headache? Or better yet, have you ever tried to write a paper while 2 small children ran circles around the room, screaming? I have accomplished approximately 2 lines on a paper that is due this week, mostly due to the breaks I have to take about every 60 seconds to break up fist fights, check for blood, and send someone to their room.

”Mama, he hit me”! “Coopie, NO”! It’s a little hard to concentrate to say the least. By the time they finally go to bed, I don’t even have any brain cells left to try to sound remotely intelligent. My brain is basically shot by about noon from the work I do so I’m doomed by night time. I can barely keep my eyes open anyways!

Is it Friday yet?