More Lucy Than June

I saw this Willow Tree figurine tonight when we stopped at Cracker Barrel on our way home to Charleston.

(Stephen and the girls were waiting on the food, so Jack and I decided to browse through the store. I figure I should teach him about the importance of going shopping with the woman in your life. No need to thank me, future wife of my son…)

Back to my story…

The minute I saw it, I thought of Stephen.

If we had the “discretionary funds”, I would have bought it right then and there. (And I’m usually not much of an impulse buyer…)

I looked at the “title” of the figure on the box behind it.

Quest.

Hmmm….is that not our family right now?

It didn’t occur to me that the book the man is holding was anything other than a Bible. I really didn’t even notice the other books around his feet…

I am ashamed to admit that, during our process of relocating to Charleston, I have been rather focused on the “transition” of it and what it means for the children. New schedules, new lifestyles, new friends.

But what about Stephen?

Seriously…he is embarking on a journey that I know he has felt a calling to for a long time. And that is…to be a pastor.

What a challenge this must be. What a “heavy” thing this must be to carry.

What a “quest”.

I am embarrassed for how little I have been encouraging to him during this process. As his helpmate, I should be the one who prays for him the most. Who spurs him on when it gets hard. And trust me, it has already gotten “hard”.

So, while Stephen embarks on his quest, I will embark on mine. To be a better helpmate to the man who is not only leading our family, but reaching out in leading a community for Christ.

(Maybe they should make a Willow Tree figurine for people like me. I envision someone shaking the shoulders of a woman who is so absorbed in her own surroundings that she has, sadly, neglected to see the depth of the challenge facing that of her own husband. I would call it…”WAKE UP!”)

There are people who travel a much harder road than I.

And yet, I complain about dumb little things.

Tonight, I am praying for Stellan. (See his button on the sidebar. Click on it to go to his link.)

And I am praying for Stellan’s mommy.

I cannot imagine the journey that she is traveling.

I am somewhat of a blog-surfer. I have seen Stellan’s button on other blogs, but I am so insanely sensitive about reading about the illnesses of other infants and children, that I rarely take the time to read them thoroughly.

Again, shame on me.

If you have a moment, read Stellan’s story. And lift he and his family up in prayer.

(As a little side-note here: It spent an hour and a half of noodling with the computer trying to figure out how to add his button. And I never did figure it out. Web-designer hubby…yeah, told me in 45 SECONDS how to add it. Oh, my foolish pride…)

I have no idea how to parent her.

This is McKenna. She is my firstborn. She is 4 1/2 years old.

She is a firecracker.

And a bright one, too.

When Kenni was born, the nurse at the hospital commented to us that she had never seen a baby so alert before. Being a first time mom, I was pretty proud of that. That’s right. She’s a genius. Mmm hmm.

I had no idea what torture that “alertness” would bring me when it came to sleep. Or lack thereof.

In almost all of her newborn pictures, she is awake and intensely staring at whoever is holding her…like she can see their soul.

At two weeks old, she was trying to roll over.

Also at two weeks old, you know, when that “honeymoon” period with your newborn is over? Well, that’s when she woke up.

She hasn’t been to sleep since.

She would stay awake for hours at a time. As a newborn. Not necessarily crying. Just observing the world around her.

I would call Stephen crying because I couldn’t get her to go to sleep.

At nine months old, she gave up consistent napping.

At 18 months old, the naps were gone altogether.

She knew her colors at 14 months old. I’m not kidding. 14 MONTHS.

She could recite her favorite books to us at age 2.

And now…she’s four.

I bought her a workbook the other day…a beginner level 1st GRADE workbook. My plan was to work through it with her a few pages each day.

But she found it before I could present it to her.

And had completed several pages CORRECTLY before I knew it.

She can read a bit, spell most simple phonetic words, and do simple addition.

But with all of this intelligence, comes an emotional intensity of which I have never seen the likes of before.

She is passionate. Deeply passionate.

And that passion can make discipline a real issue for us.

As it has lately…

I don’t doubt that the move has sparked some unrest in her heart. She is not one for change. She is intensely loyal and has strong feelings of attachment to people, places…animals.

But, these past few days…oh, these past few days…she would’ve probably sent Mother Theresa running for the hills.

From the beginning, she has challenged many of the things I thought I would “never” do as a parent.

Oh…I’ve read the articles about schedules and meals and what kids need and, and, and…

NONE of it has ever worked like the experts said it would. Not with McKenna.

It as been a long process of learning what she needs and what she responds best to…and I’m still learning.

She doesn’t require much sleep. But she needs quiet time to herself everyday.

She doesn’t need huge meals. But she needs lots of snacks throughout the day.

So my prayer tonight, as I head up the stairs to move her exhausted little body out of my bed to her own, is that God would grant me wisdom in shepherding her through this change. That God would grant me wisdom in shepherding her through LIFE.

Oftentimes, I think others who may watch my interaction with her, whether from a distance or through the eyes of a dear friend, probably think I’m a terrible parent.

But, I’m doing the best I can with her. Her little brain moves faster than I’ve ever thought a four year old’s could.

And I’m leaning on God to guide me while I guide her.

My fear is that this post will come off “braggy” about how “smart” Kenni might be…that’s not my intent.

The point was to say…she’s a challenge.

But I love her so. And I wouldn’t change her if I could.

My little Caia loves to sing. And she loves for you to sing WITH her. It has become a new nighttime routine.

Here she is….all stinkin’ cute and stuff.

She’s “singing” Hannah Montana…or as she calls it “Tana! Best World!” This translates into: I want to sing Hannah Montana’s You Get the Best of Both Worlds. And yes, I know I got the words wrong. Oops.

After that beautiful rendition, you’ll hear her say something like: “Mickey Mouse CubHouse!!” This translates into: Let’s sing the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme song!!!”

Ignore my singing. Stephen’s the Worship Pastor, not me. I just clip coupons… (which, incidentally, I’ve been nominated to start buying the food for the community cookouts we’re doing…this thrills me!! I’m so not joking about that…)

Sooo…here you go. Another horribly shot and unedited video clip from yours truly. I’ve gotta start learning to do this better…I’m gonna lose my reader base….of the 20 people who actually read this stuff. And I do appreciate you all. I hope you know that…

Wow. That’s just about all I can say. Wow.

(For you early childhood educators, that’s a familiar nod to Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes…for all you non-early childhood educators, you should read that book…)

What a week it has been. I hardly know where to start…

If you read my last blog post, you might remember that I listed a prayer request from McKenna…that our family cat Maggie would return home.

God is so faithful. Even in the little things in our life.

It would be a bit of an understatement to say that Kenni has had a bit of hard time adjusting. And the disappearance of good ole Maggie certainly didn’t help things any. Not to mention that we hadn’t been able to locate her beloved stuffed cat, Mittens, either.

We prayed for Maggie’s safe return. And we called our friend Terri, who has been a longtime Maggie-supporter, and asked her to pray as well.

Yesterday morning, I was unloading the dishwasher and the girls were playing in the backyard when McKenna came running in.

Mom!!! Mom!!! I have to show you something!!!!

Now I figured that she had found a worm or a frog or a cool bug. Maybe she had created some art on the sidewalk with her chalk that she was particularly proud of.

So, I did what (i hope) any mother would do when they’re in the middle of a task…I told her…just a minute. Give me just. a. minute.

But…but…but…MAGGIE’S HOME!!!!

I immediately drop what I’m doing, as does Stephen, and run outside. Sure enough, poor Maggie was outside the fence and crying to come back in…which I found odd. I mean, if she can make it OUT, shouldn’t she be able to make it back IN? I don’t know, I never gave ole Mags credit for being the SMARTEST cat around….

But she definitely wins the prize for the most loyal.

There was great rejoicing upon her arrival home. (Remember that cartoon…Snoopy, Come Home?)

McKenna could not stop talking about how glad she was that Maggie was home. Almost immediately, her attitude changed.

Keep in mind that she also had not been able to find her stuffed cat Mittens that she loves so much. My fear was that Mittens was packed unknowingly by a friend into some random box…and we have many random boxes. This could’ve taken weeks to locate the missing feline. And that’s if she could be found at all. For all we knew, she might have been left at a restaurant, gas station, playground…

But, as McKenna herself said,

When you ask Jesus to help you find a toy that’s in your collection, whether it’s big or small, then God will hear you.

That, my friends, is the faith of a child.

Because, while she said her prayer for the safe return of her beloved Mittens and left it at that, I had Stephen searching the internet for a replacement. And wouldn’t you know that the Mittens toy is no longer in production? But we could pay a hefty price tag for one that could be shipped from…I kid you not…MALAYSIA.

I went upstairs that afternoon with Mittens on my mind…and the faith of my little girl on my heart.

I had come up with a plan to replace Mittens on my own. She would arrive on our doorstep with a note explaining her disappearance. It would be “magical”, for sure.

But, somewhere in all my wonderful scheming, I really felt like God was telling me to let him take care of it. To let Him show Himself to my little girl.

And I was also reminded of how we should pray SPECIFICALLY.

So, you know what I prayed?

That we would find Mittens, that night, before Stephen and I were to go and celebrate our anniversary.

And I left it at that. Just like McKenna did when she said that God hears our prayers…

Thirty minutes later, I found myself in the playroom, opening up a box that was on the very bottom of a big pile. As I made my way through the contents of that box, that glorious box, I found the prized stuffed Horton the elephant that McKenna loves so.

And right underneath Horton, I saw the familiar white feet that belonged to the most beautiful stuffed cat I have ever seen.

I pulled Mittens out of that box and held her like she was my own…audibly thanking and praising God for returning two of my daughter’s most prized possessions in one day.

I’ll never forget the look on her face when I handed her that ratty old cat.

Where did you find her?!?!?!?

I made sure that she knew that I hadn’t found her, that God did.

And now, when she talks about her cats, she says,

I’m so glad that God found my stuffed cat, Mittens. And my real cat, Maggie.

Thank You, Lord for how you constantly remind me of your love.