Snow days

I am early. It's only been Friday for 44 minutes and I am posting. This has to be some sort of record. I am NEVER early for anything anymore. On time is the goal- who am I kidding? Getting my crew anywhere on time is a cause for celebration these days. No matter how early I start- there is ALWAYS something that slows us down. Lost shoes, dirty diapers, breakfast dilemmas, the list goes on and on. That's why these last few days have been so incredibly nice. No where to go and absolutely no schedule. I like snow days because they force us to slow down and stay at home. I didn't play in the snow this time. It was a little too slippery for this about-to-pop momma. But boy did my guys have a blast. They were out there for hours.

 

Baby boy didn't love it quite as much as his big brothers. He decided taking a nap in the warm house was a better option.

 

These 2 braved it for almost 4 hours! Crazy kids! I am glad there Daddy is tough. Momma would have been frozen after 30 minutes! I am so thankful for the blessing of snow days, warm houses, and family.

 

"But let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious." 1 Peter 3:4

 

 

 

5 for Friday.... on a Monday morning

I am a few days behind- but for a REALLY good reason. We just got back from 4 delightfully restful, relaxing days at the beach with my family. Four days of no laundry and no cooking. Seriously, I did so very little. Literally, the most stressful part of the whole long weekend was a intense game of hearts. (We are a competitive group!)

1. I caught up on ALL my scrapbooking for the boys and even started Ruby Kate's. This is crazy impressive. I typically stay at least a season behind so I took full advantage of the extra room and time I had this weekend. It was so nice to be able to spread everything out and work little by little all weekend. At home, I pull it all out and work for an hour while McCann naps. Then I have to put it all back up because we don't have much unused space in our house. I am so thankful to be caught up (for the moment.)

2. My aunt took me shopping for my birthday. It's not until March, but I may be slightly busy that week. Baby girl is due the week of my birthday. I wonder if I am going to be 31 or 32 when she is born. It was so nice to be spoiled.

3. Our boys slept LATE. (They did not get up at 7am) They are all great sleepers as a norm, but Manning and McCann are typically early risers. I don't know if they were just overly tired from playing hard everyday. Or if our sleeping arrangements influenced their sleeping habits. All 5 3/4 of us slept in the same room. We had two double beds in our room and forgot the bed rails. So Kevin slept with one and I slept with the other to avoid them rolling off the bed. (McCann was in the pack-and-play) The last morning we were there I woke up at 8:45am to a room full of SLEEPING boys. This is unheard of but I thank God for those wonderful hours of extra rest.

4. The day we went shopping, I offered to take both the older boys with me. Only Myers was game. It was such a special day. I rarely get to spend time with them one on one- but I love it! It was so nice to be able to focus on him! Kevin and I are committing to doing this more often. Taking time out to give each one of them our undivided attention. They need this and so do we.

5. I was sad to leave this place and the leisurely life we embraced this weekend. Then, as usual, I saw truth in the voice of my babies. When we got home, Manning said, "Momma, I love the beach. But I love being at our house even more."



5 blessings on Friday....

It is so easy to get caught up in the stressfulness of life and miss out on all the good things that surround us. The glimpses of Jesus in everyday life, the signs of His grace, the beauty of His love. So this year, I am going to attempt to devote time every Friday to listing 5 blessings that I am currently experiencing. As parents, we seek to build a spirit of gratitude in our children and that has to begin within ourselves. We are not entitled to anything. God does not owe us a single thing. It is only through His mercy and redeeming love that we get to experience the blessings of this life and the ultimate gift of salvation. We need to give Him the credit he so rightly deserves. A simple "thank you."

1. My sweet, compassionate, people-pleasing first born was chosen as a "Terrific Kid" for his class for this semester. Two other students chosen at his school were 2 of his best friends. It was a special day for our family. We are so proud of Manning and his buddies.

2. You see my puffy cheeks, squinting eyes, and overall swollen face. This a sign we are getting closer to meeting our very first daughter. 3 out of 4 pregnancies this is what my face has looked like as they 3rd trimester progresses. Ironically, with Myers, my largest baby to date, I did not swell the least little bit. As much as I don't like looking like the marshmallow man- I am so incredibly excited to meet Ruby Katherine Hatchell. I saw one of our neighbors out today and she asked me how many days I had left. Days? How about weeks? I have 9 more weeks, it merely appears that I am ready to give birth like....tomorrow! Thank you, Jesus, that pregnancies do not last longer than 40 weeks.

3. We started working on her nursery. It's painted, curtains are hung, and even a few accessories are in place. It's crazy how things change. When I was pregnant the first time around, EVERYTHING in the nursery was ready by 20 weeks and by 30 weeks all of Manning's clothes had been washed, pacifiers sterilized, and bassinet was in place. Yeah, right. As much as I am looking forward to washing teeny, tiny pink clothes- it's just not going to happen today (and probably not tomorrow either.) When you are constantly 5 loads behind on laundry- drowning in a sea of super hero pajamas and grass-stained jeans- you become a realist. Wash what has to be cleaned and don't stress over the rest. (Even if they are pink and absolutely precious!!) Don't worry though. It will get done. She will have freshly washed clothes laundered in (generic) Dreft when she arrives. I contemplated getting the swing, bouncey seat, and car seat ready but I know as soon as I do that 3 little bottoms will be quick to "try" these things out. So, if by chance baby girl comes early-someone please come over and get her things ready. =)

 I thank God for the blessing of all 4 of our children and all the laundry they create.

4. I spent 2 delightfully wonderful hours with my dear Sunday School friends last night. Man, we have fun when we get together. We surely missed those who could not come and we are already planning when we can do it again. I love these women so much. They are all God-fearing, husband-loving, true to the core ladies. I thank God for placing them in my life.

5. Kevin does not start back to school until Jan. 20th. I am so thankful for this break God has given him and I pray that this will be an easy semester for him. He ended up making A's in both of his classes last semester. I call that success especially since he worked, helped with the boys, and put up with a pregnant wife-AND still made A's.

It's a great day to be alive- remember to thank God for his blessings today and always! He is so good to us and deserves our endless praise. 

Learning as I go...

My sweet husband got my blogs printed into book form as a gift to me this Christmas. (I, having too many perfectionist tendencies, immediately asked if he had corrected my grammatical errors and spelling mistakes.) I love these keepsakes even with their countless linguistic flaws. I love reading and reflecting on each blog- remembering life during that particular time. I am so thankful that I documented those memories. I hope I will record even more in 2014.
 I love to write and find such joy in the process of putting my thoughts on paper. However, I often struggle with confidence in my subject area. I am not an expert at anything. I am not fashionable. I have boring hair. And if you are waiting on me to teach you how to cook, sew, or budget you better be very patient. There are days I wish I had an exciting career filled with travel, business attire, and praise. Then I feel like I would be equipped to share all sorts of interesting stories. These moments of desire for a life so unlike my own usually occur at the end of the longest of days. After hours of whining, arguing siblings, and disobedience- it is easy to lose focus of the beauty of being home with my babies. Then God pulls me back in and sets me straight. THIS is what I was made for. The constant care of these precious little people He gave to us. I am definitely not using my hard earned Clemson degree and my resume is surely not impressive. But my heart is full and I am at peace even in the daily struggles of raising 3 (almost) 4 small children. They teach me more about love, mercy, and grace than I could learn in 1,000 years working outside of the home. They love unconditionally and forgive without question. With each new day, I learn more about what it means to be a mother. I learn what to allow and when to enforce rules. I learn when to impose boundaries, and when to give them a break. It takes time to figure out how to find the balance to this parenting gig. I am certainly no expert and really don't know that I will ever be. But I am so incredibly thankful that God (and Kevin) have given me this opportunity.