The Newest Game for the Wii

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annette
on 7 February, 2010
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Made by…McKenna, age 5.

The name?

“The Game Where I’m an Animal and I Go Around the House Avoiding Stinky Socks and Stinky Shoes and Everytime I Pick Up Another Animal Friend, I Get a Point”

Got it.

Then she carefully took all of our shoes that were hanging out downstairs (there were quite a few…since we have five people that walk now and all), and placed them strategically around my living room. Along with some other random things.

Oh, and the prize? The big loot at the end of the game?

It was her stuffed Bolt. (You know Bolt, right? From the movie, um, Bolt?)

Once she made it through the obstacle course avoiding stinky socks and shoes (Oh. And when she hit a stinky sock or shoe, she would say “OH NOOOOO! STINKY SOCK…or shoe!!”), Bolt was waiting for her at the end of the…I guess…maze?…crammed into a Curious George lunchbox and snapped shut.

No. I don’t have any clue where she gets this stuff from.

Another fun fact that I learned from her today?

If you just tell me I’m the leader, I’ll do anything you need me to do.

Then she gave me a wink.

Alrighty then…

Mound or Masterpiece?

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annette
on 6 February, 2010
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This was a tweet of mine from yesterday…

You know those days when you have to run out of bible study carrying a screaming child and you’re in tears? Oh wait…that’s not normal?

Yesterday proved to be a very challenging day with my dear, sweet McKenna.

And, if I’m being honest (a la Simon Cowell), I hit the wall with her.

And I was defeated and in tears ALL. DAY. LONG.

I had plans to go see Dear John with some sweet ladies, but all I could think of was, “Really. I’ve done enough crying for today. Nicholas Spark could send me over the edge tonight.”

Truth was…I was OVER the edge that MORNING. (And yes. I ended up going to see the movie…a nice break from the harshness of the reality that I had been dealing with all day…)

There’s no need for details of the situation that drove me to crying myself into a headache and leaking off all of my carefully applied mascara.

But I will say that I was left defeated, embarrassed, and afraid.

I had exhausted every last option, and now I was trapped in a self-built house of fear and desperation.

I think many of us could say that we’ve all had those “McKenna Moments” in our life, right? The moments where we are left humbled and with nothing left in our bag of tricks to try with our situation than to say… God? This one is ALL YOURS. I got nothing left .

And, in the beauty of His perfect grace and love, I believe that’s where He would have desired our hearts be BEFORE we reached the breaking point, BEFORE we hit the wall with whatever it is that has brought on our “McKenna Moment”.

Sometimes I wonder with awe, “Wow. Why did you allow ME to parent her? I just know that she’s going to do great things someday.”

And then there are days, like yesterday, where I think, “Oh, Lord! WHY ME?”

My friend Laurie said that the words that she wanted to share with me after my emotional day yesterday were the words…McKenna the Masterpiece.

Well, she shared them with me and I started bawling. Again.

But she’s right.

And I think, at the core of the situation of what is going on in my heart with and for McKenna right now, we could extrapolate out into many other situations in life.

I have been given a mound of clay. A clay that has the potential to be a beautiful work of art and bring glory to God. Or, if I leave it…wrought with anger and exasperation and viewing it as a “burden” to bear, then the beauty that lies within will never be released, will never be unlocked to be shared with the rest of the world.

What have I learned?

That the knowledge that I thought God was giving me to learn about McKenna, was really a life lesson.

I can take that situation, that “circumstance”, that mound of clay…and let it sit alone and simply just “be”. Or I can rely and seek God in His wisdom and patience to guide me to shape it to bring Him glory.

The Mound or…

The Masterpiece.

Would You Feel More Comfortable If…

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annette
on 3 February, 2010
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…when you came to my house there was a pile of laundry on the couch or a basket of dirty clothes in the…kitchen?

Or what about if you walked in and saw that my sink was NOT empty but instead housing a muffin pan, a few assorted sippy cups that MIGHT be growing yogurt, and a wide variety of utensils?

Maybe there were a few (or more) toys scattered underfoot? A half a dozen books strewn about? And the remnants of someone’s toast on the ottoman?

Suppose my child has a runny nose or sticky fingers or a ponytail that’s falling apart?

Maybe you see that for lunch we had Chef Boyardee and I’m in my pajama pants and NickJr is still on?

Instead of fluffy couch pillows and beautiful throws you find microwave boxes being used for “houses” and bungee cords being used for “leashes” on stuffed animals?

Ya wanna know a secret???

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it when I go to someone’s home and I see that kind of stuff!!! Makes me feel just a little bit more…normal.

Now I am fully aware that MY normal and YOUR normal might be a smidge different, unless of course you have three small kids too…

Little by little and diaper by diaper, I’m learning to be COMFORTABLE with where I am.

And I want YOU to be comfortable too. But, you’re probably going to see some dirty dishes and toys and…potato chip crumbs on the ottoman. And you’ll probably find a dirty diaper by the front door too. (Okay. THIS one Stephen hates! Long story: we used to have a diaper genie, but it got moldy inside so I threw it away and never bothered to buy another one b/c we had a garage at the time and I could just throw the dirty diapers in a pail in the garage, but then we moved here and there’s no garage and so…SEE? Told you it was a long story…)

All that to say…I’m trying to find the fine line between “We’re normal!” and “Okay. Now that’s just gross.”

It’s probably lying under a mound of dirty clothes somewhere. I’ll let you know if I find it….

River Church is now…well, A CHURCH!

Published
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annette
on 2 February, 2010
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dscn1104

January 31st, 2010.

River Church held its first public service!!!!

Thus the reason that I have been (oddly) quiet for a few days. We’re still trying to recuperate up in here.

We had many WONDERFUL friends and family in town, some who stayed with us and some who did not. We also had some surprise visitors from Georgia!!! Our friends the Hardys and the Tates drove into town Saturday and surprised us on Sunday morning.

Of course I cried. Stephen was speechless.

The weekend leading up to Launch Sunday is mostly a blur. Saturday night, the reality of everything hit me and I was knocking things off the kitchen counters in a nervous tizzy while preparing things for the next day.

My friend Shannon hand-perforated 300 communication cards that night. And we drank this particular tea.

dscn1100

Ummm, and it really did help.

Stephen’s alarm went off at 5:30, and I didn’t see him again till after the worship. It took two and a half hours to get everyone left in my house ready to leave. By the time we got into the van with everyone, my friend Katie and I were sweating and out of breath.

My job, for now, on Sunday mornings is children’s area check-in. Wouldn’t you know that one of the two computers decided not to print out labels for check-in tags? Well, at least we had one.

Lori and I both serve in the children’s ministry right now, and since we’re limited on workers, we took turns going into the service. I got to hear the music, and she got to hear the message. Seems pretty appropriate, right? (But I cheated and ran back in at the end of the service to catch the last couple of songs. Shh. Don’t tell.)

It was a PHENOMENAL DAY!!!! The place was just so…alive!!! This will stand out as one of the highlights of my life. For many reasons.

I believe very strongly that God is going to use River Church in big ways to reach Charleston, and although we don’t know what the future holds exactly, we know that it will be all for His Glory.

We told God that we would “do this”, no matter what it cost. And there is no doubt in my heart that this is where He would have our family be.

Sunday morning, while preparing for the service, that old Steven Curtis Chapman song kept running through my head…

Nobody stood and applauded them
So they knew from the start
This road would not lead to fame
All they really knew for sure was Jesus had called to them
He said “Come follow me” and they came
With reckless abandon they came

Empty nets lying there at the waters edge
Told a story that few could believe and none could explain
How some crazy fishermen agreed to go where Jesus lead
With no thought for what they would gain
For Jesus had called them by name and they answered

We will abandon it all for the sake of the call
No other reason at all but the sake of the call
Wholly devoted to live and to die
For the sake of the call

Drawn like the rivers are drawn to the sea
No turning back for the water cannot help but flow
Once we hear the Savior’s call we’ll follow wherever he leads
Because of the love He has shown
And because he has called us to go we will answer

We will abandon it all for the sake of the call
No other reason at all but the sake of the call
Wholly devoted to live and to die

Not for the sake of a creed or a cause
Not for a dream or a promise
Simply because it is Jesus who calls
And if we believe we’ll obey

Moving and leaving everything behind was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done. Walking from a life of security into a life of uncertainty has not been without its challenges and trials.

But we have never been more blessed, humbled, and awed by the things that He has done for and around us.







The Best Laid Plans…

Published
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annette
on 29 January, 2010
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…mean NOTHING to someone who wears diapers, is potty training, or uses the word “Mommy” no less than 52 times a day.

I had a SUPER plan for my day…a plan to get everything finished and ready for company. AND have a super-fun playdate at the park.

Again, I ask you, are you LAUGHING yet???

I’m big on to-do lists…it just helps me to SEE what needs to be done. And I feel pretty special when I get to check something off the list…even if it’s just “go to the bathroom”. (That’s not really on my list, but sometimes, I think it should be.)

Here’s how this morning’s plan went ON PAPER:

Shower and dressed

Kids fed, dressed, teeth brushed (This task? This one right here? THAT is the one that major awards should be given out for to those who accomplish it. It takes LITERALLY all morning and I feel like most days, that’s all I do between the hours of 8 and 10 a.m.)

Dishes unloaded, dirty loaded

Laundry started

Two loads folded and put away

Pack bags for park

Kenni-complete one school journal page

And now for THE REALITY…

6:00 a.m. One cranky 5 year old appears in my doorway. “I can’t sleep. I want to snuggle”. I’m too tired to deal with it, and it’s too close to my alarm going off anyway that I let her crawl on in.

7:00 a.m. Alarm. Realize we’re out of milk and my only chance to get some without lugging three kids into the supermarket for ONE item (an epic event all on its own), is to go now while Stephen’s here.

Throw on a pair of jeans. Jack starts crying. Panic.

“HOW AM I GOING TO GET MILK? WE’RE ALL OUT OF MILK! IF THEY DON’T HAVE MILK TO DRINK THEIR BONES WILL FALL APART AND THEIR BRAINS WILL DISINTEGRATE TO-DAY!!”

Stephen says, “I’ll go get milk.” (Was I secretly hoping he’d say that? Shhh. I’ll never tell.)

Bring Jack downstairs. His diaper has leaked. And the contents are all in liquid form. And they should not all BE in liquid form. You get my drift, here? UGH. After he has been changed and wrangled into a new outfit, I plop him down in his chair for breakfast.

Realize that since I didn’t make my grocery store run yesterday, we have NOTHING to eat. Literally. No toast. No cereal. No bananas. No yogurt.

I do have eggs.

Scramble eggs. He eats them.

Somewhere in all this busyness, Caia comes downstairs. “Hi MAMA! I’m awake!”

So I see, sweet thang.

All seems to be going well. I have clothes picked out, and hey, Jack’s already dressed.

Ah yes. This is going well. Yay me.

Then I hear horrible sounds coming from Jack. Sounds from his diaper that are once again…liquid. He seems totally unphased by the extreme nastiness that now envelopes him. Ugh. I smell him from across the house.

I have to grab a blanket to lay him down on, and then I stared at him for literally 30 seconds as he lay there grinning at me. I had no idea whether to go from the top or the bottom.

He ended up with an un-planned bath.

That was not on my schedule.

After that was cleared up (and it is SOOO involved to give any child a bath…let alone one who has just pooped an entire week’s worth of food all over himself. I swear.), I hear a distressed call from the kitchen.

I have to go potty!!! I have to go potty!!!

Caia has been potty training for awhile now, but she has officially “crossed the finish line” in my book. (Her daddy is still not sure enough of her progress to take her out anywhere without a diaper on, though…)

So, as the urgency is being loudly declared to everyone in the neighborhood, I rush her to the bathroom.

She’s having poop issues today too. Only hers are the opposite if Jack’s. (Both of my girls do this occasionally. They clearly need more fiber.)

We spent 15 minutes in the bathroom. Waiting.

Bless her little heart.

Finally—success!!!

The entire time we’re sitting there, Jack wanders in and out, eats some toilet paper, opens some cabinets, whines a little that it’s nap time, and leaves. Repeat, repeat, repeat for the next 12.5 minutes.

Also while we’re sitting there, I’m thinking back to my to-do list on the counter. Yep. None of that was getting done before playdate today.

A reminder, once again, to be prepared and to make room for life’s little interruptions.

Today…it was a whole lotta poop.

The Laundry Quandary

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annette
on 28 January, 2010
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99 baskets of laundry to wash, 99 baskets of laundry…

You wanna know where my laundry is right now? You want the truth? You CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!

Basically, the short of it is…it’s everywhere. Quite literally.

There’s a load in the washer, a load in the dryer…and umpteen (who made up that word?) more loads sitting in front of it.

The laundry that HAS been washed is sitting on top of the futon in the playroom. (Yes, Dear Friends Coming To Visit This Week, I’ll clear that up for you soon.)

Well, SOME of the laundry that is clean is on the futon. There’s more on top of my bed. Ugh…the thought of going upstairs to face it is enough to make me want to hurl it out the window.

Now, now. To be fair to myself, I did fold and put away four loads today. BUT WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU ABOUT THE INSANE AMOUNT OF LAUNDRY WE PRODUCE HERE? Where is it all coming from????

Soooo…let’s see, we have a potty training toddler, we’re coming off of some horrible stomach bug that prompted all sheets and towels within a 10 mile radius of our home to be disinfected in an insane amount of hot water… (Come to think of it, my water bill is going to cause some cardiac arrest this month.), not to mention the fact that…well, FIVE people live here.

But even with the overflowing baskets that cannot contain the mountains of soiled clothing, I have stumbled upon a problem.

It was never a problem until…now.

See, when Stephen and I got married we gleefully registered for towels and washcloths, picking out colors and patterns like kids in a candy store. And people BOUGHT those purple and sage towels for us…and for the two of us, it was plenty. We had a nice set of towels, and we had what I thought to be LOTS. Perhaps even too many. (Oh the irony of it all…)

And here we are, seven years later, and those purple towels are sporting some pretty lovely bleach stains and fraying ends. No matter, they still dry you off, right? The sage towels are holding up well… (Newlyweds, always register for the QUALITY stuff. People will buy it…and you will be happy. Trust me.)

The problem?

Somehow, those numerous towels that we had stocked in our linen closet back in 2002 is no longer enough for all of us. I don’t know…maybe we lost some somewhere. Or maybe it’s just the sheer number of people taking baths in our house that constantly leaves THIS linen closet empty. And my husband asking…”Um, do we have any clean towels yet?”

And my poor guests coming into town this weekend? Please be prepared for the widest assortment of towels you’ve ever seen…you’re probably going to be offered beach towels at some point.

But I’ll try to refrain from offering you the flannel infant receiving blankets that I had to use one morning.

Oh, the embarrassment.

Flying for Jesus

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annette
on 26 January, 2010
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Last River Church core team meeting tonight. (We hold our first service on Sunday!!! Soooo, like if you live in Charleston and stuff, click here for details…)

Because it was our last “core” meeting, we had EVERYONE (oh yes. that does mean kiddos…) in one room together.

Now, I KNOW my kids. And I KNOW how they act when they get a little overtired. And I KNEW this was going to be…challenging. To say the least.

I kinda starting sweating just thinking about it.

During the first worship song that Stephen led, they all sat peacefully. Kenni was in a chair next to me, Caia wanted to sit in my lap, and Jack rotated back and forth between my friend Stacey and I.

Caia, whose name means “to rejoice”, tried her best to sweetly sing along. Talk about makin’ her mama’s heart melt!!!

Yes, baby girl, you CAN have a pony tomorrow.

As the evening wore on, the stage beckoned them.

Oh…the stage.

These girls LOVE a stage. They love to dance and sing. Kenni has stipulations to her entertaining. She will only perform if she thinks no one will say anything to her, but Caia would dance and sing as loud as she could whether there were audience or not.

And um, unfortunately, there was an audience.

Who were all trying to worship.

But she kept running across the stage and then finally, she just starts belting out…SOMETHING…while she’s dancing.

Then, the next thing I know, they’re FLYING LIKE AIRPLANES around on the stage.

And the thing is: there’s really nothing I could do. If I go onto the stage to get them off, it will just result in massive amounts of screaming. Plus, I’m trying to deal with Jack who’s toddling around inspecting the Chick Fil A cups that people have brought underneath their chairs.

I have but one choice…to watch and pray that people will still want to be friends with The Girl Who Obviously Has No Parenting Skills once this whole thing is over.

My children are not terribly ill-behaved children. But they are, well…CHILDREN. Children who love life.

Sometimes they love it a little too loudly, but that’s beside the point.

In the back of my mind, I thought…would Jesus be offended that they wanted to zoom around like airplanes while Stephen led the rest of the crowd in worship? Something told me…probably not.

When it was over, Stephen tried to talk to McKenna about the situation and explain that there are times that we need to be quiet.

Her response?

You were singing a song about Jesus, so I was flying. And I did it for you.

Well, well. How do you discipline that?

Now, once the meeting had ended and she was getting just a little too out of control, I did have to go all Jack Bauer on her.

I’m running this operation, and I’m ENDING IT!!!

When she begged for a juice box on the way home, I wanted to tell her that I don’t negotiate with terrorists.

Guest post…from The Librarian

Published
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annette
on 25 January, 2010
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Okay, not really. But if she did, this is what she would have to say.

They came again today.

That lady with the three kids and her limousine-sized stroller.

We never know when to expect her…morning, afternoon, lunchtime. It’s a toss-up.

We have noticed that her weekly visits have dwindled down to EVERY OTHER WEEK visits. This is good for all involved. We’re all pretty thankful she learned how to use that “renew books” online feature. We made it for people like her.

Her children are loud. So thank GOODNESS we made the children’s area separate from the main part of the library. We made it this way for people like her.

And her limousine-sized stroller.

She keeps that stroller stocked with crackers that she gives to the baby when he starts to get a bit fussy. He never really eats them…just nibbles off a corner and then crumbles the rest of it up to strew across the floor like Hansel and Gretel leaving bread crumbs to find their way home.

Really…if she’d just learn NOT to bring that baby at what is CLEARLY his naptime, we’d all be a lot happier around here. Including the custodian.

The kids pick out a wide assortment of DVDs…that she has to narrow down to five. Then the kids leave the others piled up on the cart that says “Please do not reshelve the items”.

Today, as she was trying to round the girls up to leave the children’s area, I heard call out, “Ladies”…in that hushed “library mom-yell” that I’ve seen many like her practice.

Her call of “Ladies” rather than “Girls” or “Kids” or “Children with the last name Parris” brought about an unfriendly stare from a woman whom I suspect thought she might have been trying to get her attention in a rather unpolite way.

Then…the part I hate.

She brought all 21 items to me to check-out.

Now, I’m sure Mrs. “Mom-With-Three-Loud-Kids” thinks that it would be much more efficient if we had a check-out station actually in the children’s section, especially since it has its own help desk and workers and all. But we just don’t work that way.

Instead, the children are forced to stand in the main part of the library where I very tediously check-out each item.

And I’m probably going to give a little huff or sigh every now and then. I’m just warning you. That’s what I do when you mess with my display books, children. That’s what I do.

We all breathe a sigh of relief to watch her circus act leave every other Monday (or Tuesday…or whenever she feels like it).

And have I mentioned her limousine-sized stroller?

Conversations (and the MANY other moments) with McKenna

Published
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annette
on 24 January, 2010
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She’s really into learning new words.

Which keeps me on my toes.

Last night it was the word “filly”. Filly means female baby horse.

Then she learned “female”. Then she had to list every female she knew.

Oh! Im a female. And you’re a female. And Caia’s a female. And Molly and Neely are females. And Kelsey’s a female. And…”

If I read a story, and say a word she doesn’t understand, she HAS to know what it means. She HAS to have a definition.

THEN she repeats the sentence again using the ‘new” word I’ve given her in place of the one she needed the replacement for.

ME:   ‘So I was able to make my choice without hesitation.

MCKENNA:  Mom?!?! MOM!!! What does HESITATION mean?

ME:  Umm…like “waiting”.

MCKENNA:  ’So I was able to make my choice without WAITING.’ Hey MOM?! MOM?!?!? Sometimes…I hesitate.

ME:  Yes, dear. Yes you do.

A few moments later…

ME: ‘He must drink his milk with gusto.’

MCKENNA: Mom. MOOOOMMMM?!!? What’s GUSTO?

ME: Like, ummm, really happy and fast and excited.

MCKENNA: Oh. I do lots of things with gusto.

Sweet mother, yes you do.

On and on and on….throughout two stories this process went. It takes, literally, 30 minutes to get through ONE children’s book.

And along with this new phase, she’s also decided that she cannot, no matter what time she has graced us with her presence that morning, simply CANNOT turn off her brain before…you ready? MID-flippin’-NIGHT.

Am I frustrated, right now? You bet yer boots, I am.

Because as I am typing this, she’s already woken up her sister, been to visit me no less than 48 times, done 3 school worksheets, read 14 books, and had 32 cups of milk. These are only SLIGHT exaggerations.

Well, Annette. Aren’t you happy to have such an inquisitive and seemingly bright little one on your hands? She must be such a joy.

Um, yes. Yes, she IS a joy. And yes, I am thrilled that she loves learning…but let me be quite frank. I AM TIRED.

At the end of every day, I would love nothing more than to sink onto the couch with a cup of hot tea, watch some mindless TV or read a book (I have about 691 on my To-Read list), and quite honestly…be ALONE. WITHOUT THE CHILDREN. And really…if it even happened EVERY SO OFTEN, I’d be happy. Instead, I’m rustling books, sippy cups, and squirmy children off of my couch every single night till it’s time for me to hit the hay myself.

I simply would like to turn off the Mommy Button. And just be…Annette…for just an hour or two a day.

I need a little UN-Mommy time these days.

Anyone out there “get” me? Oh, please say you do.

A River Runs Through It

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annette
on 23 January, 2010
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This has nothing to do with anything, but I despised that movie. (A River Runs Through It, I mean.) So depressing, and everyone died. Literally. EV.ER.Y.ONE.

The river runs through our house today…a river of poop and vomit.

Is your day all the more richer now that I have shared that with you all?

I had convinced myself that Jack was just teething like a maniac. And he spent the day “asking” for snuggles…and sleep. Poor guy just wanted me to rock him to sleep. All day.

So the girls spent a lot of time in front of the TV today.

May the Lord restore the years NickJr has eaten.

I learned that teething was probably NOT the issue when Caia proceeded to heave her cookies in the van.

So, I’ve spent the evening washing even more sheets, clothes, giving numerous baths, numerous sets of jammies…but the icing on the cake?

Having to wash DUCKIE.

If you know Caia, you’ve met Duckie. He had just recently been washed (like, yesterday), but once the evenings second Cookie Toss had taken place, Duckie made her way to washer. (Actually, I think she told me Duckie was a boy, but these are details, details…)

Well, she COULD NOT go to sleep without Duckie in her clutch and by her side.

Several children’s television programs later, Duckie was clean and dry, and the girl was in bed.

Now it’s my turn…and I better hurry. I’m starting to feel my stomach churn…. :(