Welp, we officially have a 3-year-old in our house! Elyssa turned 3 today! We had a little birthday party Saturday that actually got bigger than we expected. We started out just inviting family (which would’ve been a total of 13 people) and then decided to invite a few of Elyssa’s friends from her class. Somehow, we ended up with between 30 and 40 people over here and had a blast. We could’ve invited many more people but we had to stop somewhere. Rats!
We were blessed to borrow two water inflatable slides and the kids had a great time on those. We already had a little pool from last year that ended up being a grass pond by the time all the kids stepped from the grass into it. It was pretty gross! We, also, recently bought a cheap little kid-sprinkler and had it turned on for the kids to run through.
The kids stayed outside playing, pretty much, the entire time, which kept my house from getting too horribly dirty. They had a picnic on the lawn for their lunch time.
After lunch Elyssa opened her gifts. She got lots of bubbles and sidewalk chalk, which she absolutely loves! Then, she got some clothing items, a cute backpack (which is just in time for her to start 3-year-old kindergarten!) and two dresses. I’m sure there are other cute things, too, that I’m leaving out. She was really blessed with some fun things!
Her biggest present was the Barbie Jeep that several of us family members went in together to get her. She was nervous about it at first, but then really had a fun time in it.
We had to stop the “play” time for a few minutes to sing “Happy Birthday” and present Elyssa her Dora cake. She blew out her candle wonderfully and really enjoyed her cake!
My sister was in town this past week and we were blessed to have her family join us for the party. Here is a picture of “the girls” from my family (excluding Mandy…she was sick and we missed her horribly). My parents and brother and his little girl came, as well.
Mark’s parents and Mark’s brother’s family joined us, too. We missed David, Karen and Kyle, but know they were with us “in spirit” in California!
I told Mark the party was a really fun time for me. It was the best to watch my kids play with everyone. What a blessing to have such awesome friends and family! We love you all!
Happy birthday to my “big” little girl! We love you, Elyssa!
PS – You’ve just gotta see Victoria touching my face and talking to me! We just took this video this afternoon and it’s rather dark in the room, but you’ll get the idea. How sweet!
PSS – I got a call from Early Intervention today. Someone will come on Saturday to evaluate Victoria. From that evaluation, they will decide if she needs physical therapy or any other types of therapy at this point. We pray that this meeting is very productive and that from it Victoria gets all she needs to be the best she can be!
Natalie, our 18-month-old, has seemed to inherited a very sensitive body. She has had the hardest time with her skin most all of her little life. The doctors attributed this to eczema early on, but I’m wondering if she doesn’t have some allergic reactions going on also.
Not long ago she was battling, what seemed to be, a sick tummy. I started wondering if this wasn’t the result of some food allergies. Her diapers were always so bad that her bottom was staying terribly red. Being that she had extra-sensitive skin, this was especially hard on her bottom. Diaper changes were always traumatic for her.
The past few days I’ve noticed that her legs and arms have broken out more than normal. It hurts me to look at Natalie. I cannot help but feel frustrated that surely there is more going on than eczema but we are just not sure what yet.
I plan to take her to the hospital lab this week to try to obtain blood work again. We tried the week before last with no success. That was such a traumatic experience for Natalie that we decided to give her a few days off before trying again. Maybe this time, they will get the blood they need on the first try. We hope that from this blood work Natalie’s doctor can rule out a few more things and help us get to the bottom of everything.
Pray for our little Natalie! She is a trooper, but we sure want her to be free of these skin problems for good. Poor thing!
I was actually feeling well enough tonight, after the allergy episode this morning, to attend the 33 Miles concert at my church. That was my original plan, so I’m glad the Bennadryl kicked in enough to get me back to normal, for the most part.
It was a great concert. Sitting in the audience brought back a flood of emotions. As I looked onstage at my friend, Chris, I was reminded of my love for music. I could still feel myself having desires to sing and minister through music as I use to. Having kids has changed things somewhat. It’s not that I don’t still have desires for those things, it’s just that my desires are pushed to the background now. They don’t get the same attention as they once did.
When I was single, I could give however many concerts I wanted, travel and really do so much more. As a wife and mom, I am “tied down.” (But, that is a great thing! Don’t get me wrong!) I cannot just pick up and do whatever without first thinking of my husband and children. I have to think of others before myself. There is much planning involved. Being a mom has taught me an important lesson. Nothing is about me. It’s all about my kids and husband and what I need to do for them. I exist, but not like before. My existence is not for me.
B.C. (Before children), it was all about me fulfilling my musical dreams or going after ministry opportunities full on. A.C. (After children), my schedule is planned around doctor visits or the routines of my girls. Do my girls have any idea that their mommy is a musician with a huge desire to minister through those talents? I’m sure not. But, the thing I hope they do know is that their mommy is always there for them. I hope they somehow see Jesus in me as we go through our days together. In the most minute of tasks (such as potty training, eating, learning to sleep well in their OWN beds, etc.), I hope they are brought closer to a relationship with the Lord because of me and their dad.
As I sat through the concert tonight, I thought (as tears strolled down my face), “I miss this.” I knew I missed the “feeling” of being in front of people, sharing my musical gifts. I missed that whole “life” and felt myself battling these weird feelings inside as I listened to the great music. But, as 33 Miles sang “One Life,” I realized that God has given me one life to live for Him. He has given me this moment with my husband and children. I will not always have the opportunities I have now to train them and raise them up to know the Lord. This is such an important time even though I’m not living in the lime-light. I’m in front of no crowds as I am couped up in this house with my three girls. Only the Lord sees how I’m living in front of them. He is my audience and I want more than anything to have His applause in how I perform.
So, tonight I’m challenged to reminded myself every moment, that what I do right now does matter. It may not be the most fun at times and it may not receive the highest praise right away, but it’s important, nonetheless. There are other things I could and would like to be doing, at times, but I sacrifice those desires for a higher calling. My higher calling is harder than anything I’ve ever done in my life. There is no job that I’ve ever had, with a normal paying salary, that is harder than raising three kids under the age of 3. This beats any challenge I’ve ever had, but it’s doubly rewarding. When I look back on my life, I want to one day say that is was worth it all. I want to feel so much satisfaction from the end result of my sacrifice. I pray that my husband will love me more and more each day and that my girls will be about the Lord’s work.
May the Lord remind us all that this life is temporary and we’d better make the most of every moment we have. May we live this “one day” not for us, but for Him!
