And a new blog is born...

I don’t know why I always do these things when Scott is out of town.  I sit here, munching on a cold piece of pizza, despite my goal to eat a gluten-free diet, contemplating a new blog.  I have no idea what to name it and no idea what will make this any different than the other blogs I’ve started and grown tired of.  I just feel like I need to write without an agenda.

Well, and I don’t scrapbook and, considering I have yet to crack Rachel’s baby book and she’ll be three next month, this is pretty much the only record of growing up my kids will have.  

So let me tell you, the girls have really gotten into their evening prayers.  Elizabeth went through a stage that she loved to pray, and then one that she didn’t want to, and now she’s back into it again.  But she is really becoming a little heart-felt praying person.  She asks God to come help us a lot and tells Him that she wants to see Him.  Tonight, she said, “God, you need to come help us because Mom can’t do this alone.”

Can you tell I use that line a lot when daddy’s not here?  As in, get in here and pick out your pj’s or go turn the water off after you wash your hands…I can’t do this alone.

(REAL effective when dealing with a 4 and 2 year old, let me tell you.)

But obviously, Elizabeth thinks God needs to step in on my behalf.  And does He ever, small child.

Rachel prayed next and was thankful for “mama, daddy, Elizabeth, me, mama, Caleb, daddy, Grampie, mama, me…”

This just reinforces to me that I can’t overlook my influence on their spirituality.  I’ve really been trying to do my devotional time in front of them during the day.  Ok, I can’t lie.  I tried getting up early and just couldn’t do it.  Could.not.do.it.  

I used to be able to get up early and go right into a run.  No coffee, no stretching.  Just dressed and out the door for a run.  I’d wake up in my first mile and would come back home refreshed and ready for the day.  I know, crazy talk.  After I met Scott, I always set my alarm to get up and run, but it was always so much nicer to hit snooze and cuddle back into him.  

Now, I don’t even have that excuse because he’s up and gone to the gym early and I’m hitting my phone every ten minutes until my children come in to get me.

So anyway, I do my devotionals while they watch Dora.  Most days, I do a little Bible reading with them right after breakfast, before we get dressed.  The other day, Elizabeth asked, “Mom why do you read your Bible?”

(It’s questions like these that make me thankful that I’ve had my second cup of coffee.)

“Well honey, I like to read about the story of Jesus and about how God wants me to live my life and how to be a good wife to your daddy and a better mom to you.”

She didn’t miss a beat, the little schmoozer.

“Oh you’re the best mom ever,” she said, kissing me on the cheek and running off to jump off a piece of furniture.  

Talk about pint-sized grace.  This was the child that I had just butted heads over TRYING banana pancakes.  The one who told me that "it wasn't fair" that I asked her to pick up the toys she had thrown all over the floor.  The one who constantly gets punished from jumping off one piece of furniture, just to land on another.

SHE thinks I'm the best mom ever??

Whoa.

It’s these moments I wish I could concrete into my brain so I don’t forget it on days when I’m feeling most frustrated…or asking them to pick up their shoes since I can’t “do it all myself.”

And that’s why I need a new blog.

Enjoy, sweet friends.