The boy's gang.

I spent the day with my boys at the zoo. But we had a special guest with us today too, Uncle Josh. I had read the book by James Dobson, "Raising Boys" a while ago, and today's adventures made me think about how blessed I am to have such amazing men in my son's life. It's a blessing in and of itself to have a wonderful godly husband to raise our son and be a wonderful father, but it's also a wonderful blessing to have Tim's great friends in Mason's life. As I consider the kind of man I want my son to grow up to become I look around and the great guys that surround our life and have in a way become a part of our family. It's such an encouragement to see Mason smile, play and even obey Josh. I love watching him run into Drew's arms at church.
I don't know what life will hold for us and which friends will walk through it long term with us and Mason, but I am so grateful for the godly influences not only in my husband's life but also in my son's life. There are so many young kids out there without two parents and so many boys whose father's don't take enough of an interest in their lives, and I have a wonderful husband who adores our son as well as his great friends who invest in our son's life.

Party fever

So perhaps I'm a little obsessed about things. I know this is stupid because his birthday is still 5 months away, but I've started working on Mason's birthday party. Crazy I know! I'm super excited about this year's theme and because I've already picked it out I've gotten it into my head that I want the decorations and favors to be unique and as hand made as possible. I suppose I start things so early because it takes so much time and I never seem to have enough time. Perhaps if I start now and stick with it for a while I will actually get things done the way I want, and if I can it will be one amazing party! I love parties :)

Curious George

The greatest gift in child rearing that God has given me the past 6 months is Curious George! I know that sounds ridiculous, but let me explain. Mason is a goer (is that a real word?) He is on the go from 7 am to 8 pm with two nap breaks. When he starts to get tired he gets cranky, (yes I know he gets that from me). The problem with this is that sometimes I need him to just stop for a few minutes. Which for him is quite a challenge if he's not asleep. Here comes in Curious George.
Mason has never been a fan of t.v. and we hardly ever had it on, but one day while at a play date Curious George was on t.v. and Mason became captivated. Since then I have been on a hunt to collect all the dvd's of the show available. Which has been quite a task as Wal-Mart and Target only sell one of them at a time and it's hit or miss as to what they have and when they have it.
Being a teacher I know all the research on t.v. and brain development and the effect of commercials on kid's attention span, etc. So we hardly ever watched t.v. And perhaps that is why I love George shows all the more because for 20 uninterrupted minutes Mason is captivated by a full story of learning. Which also nicely buys me 20 minutes to do the million things I need to.
Just recently Nana gave Mason money for the Curious George movie DVD. I bought it rather reluctantly thinking a one year old isn't going to sit through an entire full length movie. So one night when it was just the two of us, I popped in the movie and to my utter amazement he stayed awake and barely blinked for the entire thing! Mason loved the movie. Now when he is acting cranky or tired but not ready for nap or bed I ask him if he wants to have an adventure with George and he goes to the sofa with his green sippy and Woobie to watch George. He even asks me to join him so I can scratch his back while he laughs at the curious little monkey.

Silence

The house is silent, well as I say that the AC kicked on. :) I'm home on a Sunday morning in peaceful silent bliss. My home is hardly ever silent, and even if the baby is sleeping, I am up and doing something like cleaning or cooking or working while he sleeps so I can get it done. I got some stomach bug last night and Tim suggested I stay home from church and rest and now I'm just savoring the silence.
It's amazing as moms, well at least me, how much I feel I need to accomplish during the day. And granted some days I really do need to be productive and busy, but the business of life sometimes gets in the way of the quiet of life. I have several things I could get up and do right now, clean the floors, laundry, make lunch, finish painting the room, etc. but for a while I'm just going to enjoy the silence. I'm going to just enjoy the time alone to rest and lay still. No work, no worries, just quiet rest. For all too soon my bubbly baby boy will come through the door saying "mama play" and the day will go on with the normal noise and chatter of life's business.

Personal mission statement

So I have to write a personal mission statement as part of the Franklin Covey 7 Habits Training I'm doing through work. Since I think and blog the best when I'm exhausted and it's late, I figured I'd give it a try. Granted it will probably be edited several times, but here goes.

At the end of my life I want people to remember me and my life with smiles and memories of love. I want to enter eternity as watch my Master smile as He leads me into heaven.

Therefore, I will...

Live in the moment of today.

Trust God for tomorrow.

Pray without ceasing.

Start and end my day by speaking words of affirmation to my children and touching them with kindness.

Kiss my husband in front of our kids.

Have tickle wars before bed with my children.

Forgive continually.

Respect others.

Worship sincerely.

Show integrity.

Be honest.

Choose to be happy.

Refuse to regret past decisions, because they have shaped who I am.

Give God the glory for where I am, who I've become and what I will one day be.