The 3 muskateers then and now

NOW

THEN

I have a lovely friend who I have in the past referred to as my fun friend Linda. I could refer to her by so many names like my kind friend Linda, my long time friend Linda, good time Linda (wink wink), or just tell you that she’s the sweetest friend to me and I love her so much.

When I visit Mt Perfect she always houses and feeds me. When I bring friends and family she welcomes them with open arms. I am so thankful for my fun friend Linda in so many ways.

Our kids are good friends and they have been hanging out since before they turned one. I love to look back and think of how they will feel knowing they have always known each other and always been friends. Her sweet second son and my Kid4 are best buds and this trip Kid4 and her little darling girl had a blast together. Aren’t childhood friends the best?

Dear Linda, I just can’t find the proper words to tell you how much I love you and how much I appreciate you. Your kindness is so rare. Thank you a million jillion times for loving me and accepting crazy quirky me. You mean the world to me Linda!

hello my friends, I missed you

I feel like I haven’t blogged in years… I have been so busy you just wouldn't believe. Here’s a quick rundown of what I’ve been up to and I’ll write more details later.

First of all an update on face plant kid, otherwise known as Baby T: His nose has healed up nicely, he is working and less and less people are asking him in disgust “what in the world happened to you”. He is still a little scabby but nothing too bad. I think he was really lucky he didn’t lose a tooth.

Last week for winter break I packed up my girls and a friend and headed for the big City of Mount Perfect. We spent some time with my big girl in Arkansas (NOT enough time), we spent time with many many friends, saw the Eiffel tower in Paris (really I did), hugged my grandpa’s neck in hoofville Oklahoma and also got a flat tire, I mean what trip to Oklahoma is complete without a flat tire- it’s a tradition for me. We drove and drove and drove and had a blast. I would do it again next week but I’m not going to.

update on the face plant kid

Here's Baby T today... poor nose! The good news is that he is going to make it!

poor kid... you know it hurts!

face plant

I have told you before about Kid1 and Kid2's best friend Baby T. He is so funny and sweet and we love him. He is always joking with us and sometimes I'm not sure if he's serious or not.

Last night my Kid1 ran in the door and then turned around to look out the window and stood there covering his mouth in shock. I really thought he was joking with me. I said "What's the matter?" He just stood there looking like he was going to pass out. I ran over and looked out the door to see Baby T's hand covering his face and blood dripping from his hands.

I yanked the door open and grabbed him and said "if this is a prank I am going to be SO mad!" He kept saying "Im NOT joking" Because these boys are such joksters I was not convinced. I grabbed his face and smelled it because lets face it, they both work at a BBQ joint and I was hoping it was BBQ sauce. One big whiff and I realized it was blood.

Poor kid.

My kid2 should be a nurse because while Kid1 (the passer outter) was trying to stay away from baby T for fear of passing out, she was wiping away his blood and cleaning up his face. She sat him down and took such amazing care of him. She iced his face and cleaned his hands, she never even hesitated.

Baby T's dad came and got him and he went home to rest for the night.

table for ___?

My sweet Kid1 got a promotion at work a few weeks ago. He is now a server and loving it! I think it's a good idea for everyone to be a server at a restaraunt during their life sometime and I guess this is his time. He and his best friend work together and are enjoying every minute of it.

Isn't he the cutest? I can't believe he's old enough to even have a job! Oh the time is flying by with him!

accountability

teenagers are.... errrrr... can be so fun. I hardly have a bad day with my teens anymore. I hardly have to correct them anymore as they know how to make good decisions. I think this is called "reaping what you sow". I'd like to say that I did everything perfectly when they were young but that simply isn't true. I made so many mistakes- too many to count, too many to remember and certainly too many to write down. I looked at them often when they were young and wondered how in the world I would handle teenagers, how I would let them drive, date, go out alone and I can honestly say that I am able to do all these things. Kid1 and Kid2 are dating (not each other- YIKES), driving and going out alone with friends and I can confidently wave goodbye and know that they will make good decisions. Do I still pace the floors sometimes when Kid2 is on a date? Well.... YEAH- I'm her mom! I do feel confident that she will make good choices. Here is what I believe the key to having confidence in her is.

Being able to live with your own decisions AKA yourself.

Her decisions are her own. I can't watch her 24 hours a day, I simply cannot do it. She has to own her own decisions and live with her choices. She And I have had this conversation so many times, I always say "If you can live with it..." She is the one who she has to be alone with at the end of the day. If I am always breathing down her neck and I am the only one holding her responsible what happens when I am not there to do it? She has to feel confident to say no and trust herself.

Do I think they'll make mistakes? Of course I do. They're human. I make mistakes every day, I don't expect my kids to be perfect, I just expect them to be accountable to themselves.

So let's all cross our fingers and hope for the best!

another way to connect...

Tonight I am taking Kid2 to a concert. YES, I know it's a school night but she gets straight A's so one night out late probably won't kill her. I think I should skip telling you what kind of music because lets just say that the last concert I went to with her, I had two new earplugs nestled into my jeans pocket and much to my surprise didn't use them. I'm not sure if this says that I'm too old to hear properly so it didn't bother me or not...? hard to say.

Wish me luck, pray for my ears and know that I will be having a fantastic time with my teen!

Lyrics The Byrds - Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything There Is a Season) lyrics

Do you ever feel like your being torn from the inside out? Like someone is tearing you inside but outside there are no visible scars? Are there times in your life when you can’t believe the turmoil inside of you and you feel like time can’t pass quickly enough for you to heal?

When I feel this way I often think of my brother. When he lost his son, I begged for time to zip by because I felt like in time maybe he would heal. I hated that he was being torn from the inside out. When my Grandma was so sick for so long I stood by her bedside and begged the Lord to take her home because it was tearing me from the inside out to see her hurting. I wanted him to take the time and hurt away from her.

Is begging for time to zip by wrong? Is it maybe a little selfish? I don’t really know the answer to that. I think if someone was forcing me to answer that question now I would say “yes, it’s selfish”. If time didn’t pass properly, if we could speed up time, we would also be able to slow down time. If humans were in control of time can you even imagine what a mess this world would be?

My daughter (kid2) has struggled with a broken heart lately and I find myself wishing time away… trying to keep her so busy so she doesn’t have to hurt. I find myself begging God to take the hurts and the make the time go quicker so that she can see that she’ll be okay. Time isn’t running away, time isn’t slowing down and I hurt for her. He really is a darling boy and I know she feels so heart sick over him. I want to wish it all away…. But if I wish it all away how will she know, REALLY REALLY know how to ever love someone? If I wish away these life experiences how will she truly find the one who is meant to love her back?

My oldest son (kid1) just got a promotion at work. He started at a restaurant washing dishes and now he is a server. He was really excited but really nervous. I found myself wishing his time away. I would find myself dropping him off for the nights of training wishing it would whiz by and he would feel confident sooner than later about his new position. I found myself begging God not to give him a bad experience, that everyone was nice to him. How can I wish his time away? If he doesn’t have a bad experience how can he truly have a good one? Why am I wishing their time away?

I think when it comes to teenagers you end up begging God for mercy on them. Teenagers are so sensitive and it seems like no one around them notices it. The teenage years are when they need you the most. It’s the time they need your guidance for dating, for friends, for peer pressure. They need so much more than they have ever needed.

You know what? They also need time. Time teaches them valuable lessons, time heals them from old wounds, time shows them who to love and why. I’m trying to not wish away their time. I’m trying to be thankful for the minutes they have and each unique experience. I’m trying to embrace the simple fact that no matter how much I don’t want them to hurt in any way; they will and that it’s a life lesson that only time can teach.