WayfaringStrangers

This post brought to you by this Friday Miracle: Our host fee for Victoria- and then some- have been funded. It was funded by family. And friends. And Behn's co-workers. And complete strangers. It was funded by people who shared our story and/or who gave a little or a lot. We also were given clothes, a mattress, gift cards and a suitcase. We are so extremely grateful for every bit. It's weird and humbling asking for money. We signed up for this, but then we asked others to help. "Hey world! An overwhelmed   mom family with 2 boys are going to do something pretty crazy and have a non-English speaking child come stay with us for 5 weeks. Want to give us your mon-ay??" We knew that it was ultimately our responsibility to cover the fees, and some of the funding did come from our personal Orphan Care fund because we wanted to include ourselves in giving to Victoria. But it was a leap of faith and prayer and here we are. God heard and answered- through many of you!...

Last fall, new neighbors moved in next door. That house had been empty for a while, and we were grateful to have a nice family moving in. Better yet, they had a child the exact same age as Graham. As new neighbors do, I chatted with the mom and we asked general questions, "How old is your son? Where did you move from? What do you do?" My new friend described her job and her long commute and then asked what I "do." My answer was, of course, "I stay at home with my kids. I tutor special needs kids or teach riding lessons a couple of times a week...but mostly I'm home." "Oh, that must be so nice. I wish I could do that" was her response. Before I go any further, I am not writing this to shame anyone for working outside the home. Lots of people need 2 incomes, and there are also a lot of hard working single moms out there. And trust me, I always keep my eyes open for work, just in case the "right" job would come along (doubt...

I just called Graham inside for his bath. The weather has been amazing today, and the boys spent every minute outside. Behn and I dug, planted, and watered. Played ball. Behn took the kids to the park while I went to teach and ride at the barn. Behn even mowed a little, with Patrick on his heels with his own mini-mower. At the end of the afternoon, we took a family walk to the creek. It was a perfect spring day. When I called Graham in moments ago, he ran to me with his boundless energy. Feet flying. Both boys are muddy, finger nails dirty, and bruises and scratches from playing outside and in the trees all day. It's childhood at it's best. The feeling of being exhausted from breathing in fresh air all day, from running as hard as you could, from climbing a tree, and the sun on your face. So grateful for these two healthy boys, their running and free play, and that we all love to be outside together. Cheers to a good night's sleep.

I have a picky eater. Maybe two picky eaters, really. I'm not sure. What I do know is that I have a picky eater AND a strong-willed child. It's a difficult combination. This taught me a lot. It's taught me to work hard at something. We celebrate each bite of a healthy food.  It's taught me that I'm not really in control of some things (after all, you cannot physically force someone to swallow food, and it is cruel to try to make that happen). And it's taught me to pick my battles. I know a lot of families have the rule, "if you don't eat what I make, you don't eat." I understand that. But I'm not willing to pick that battle, not with my strong-willed kid. Instead, I'm ok with "eat what I made OR eat this healthy alternative." This works in our family. Here's a sample meal that Graham will eat: Graham does not like meat, the only exception being bacon. He does enjoy some nuts, whole milk plain yogurt with honey, ...

Last week flew by. We stayed busy, played outside. I don't know why, it was just a good week. This week has crawled by and left me feeling completely depleted. Nothing was different about this week; just a normal week with the normal activities. But it took me down. I'm burned out from the kids and all the kid-things. Oh my gosh, I am tired of coming up with meals and breaking up the boys' fights and trying to figure out how to discipline and picking up the same toys. I'm burned out from biting my nails until Friday's paycheck (which is today! Yay!). I'm tired of driving around southern Maryland and its weird geography, which makes it hard to get places. I'm tired of running on the treadmill and not losing 5 pounds (because, cookies). I am both bored and too tired. I'm bored enough to day dream about taking a vacation with my husband. Yesterday I frantically texted Behn, "What if we just saved alllll year and didn't spend any money and we we...

Somehow (yes, this is cliche), Patrick is 2 and a half. It's so funny to have Patrick as the baby of the family because when Graham was 2.5, Patrick was already 9 months old! Graham at 2.5 and Patrick at 9 months: What better day to talk about Patrick than St. Patrick's Day! (Yes, we named him after St. Patrick, missionary to Ireland). We still lovingly call him Patch most of the time. Having Graham in preschool has allowed to me to spend extra time alone with Patrick. He's such a smart kid. At 2.5, Patrick is speaking in full sentences. He's sleeping in a toddler bed very well at night, although he's unfortunately forfeited naptime since we took his binkie away a few weeks ago. It was time for him to give it up, but I think he planned his revenge in giving up naps. (He still naps sometimes, especially when we're in the car).  Patrick is our carnivore (as Graham is our vegetarian) and eats some fruits and veggies well, but he has gotten pickier i...

About 1/2 way through February, I had the thought, "Hey, this winter has gone by fast!" Then it snowed 4 times (or something like that). Don't get me wrong, I like snow. But not so much in March. We were, however, also distracted by the flurry of activity in preparing for little V- the application, fingerprints, beginning to fund raise, emailing social workers. It helped boost us through that last little bit of the season. Here we are, though. It's sunny and warmish. I'm browsing packs of garden seeds and delighting in the bulbs that I planted last fall popping up. The boys are beside themselves to be outside, making mud soup and running around. The spring peepers are peeping in the creekbed on the other side of the street. I'm planning on riding again this weekend, after months of not being at the barn. The changing of the seasons always makes me nostalgic. The fresh air reminds me of past years when I've breathed in the fresh air. Where I was...