The Birthday Boy!

It was a day much like today.

 The air was hot, the breeze was hot, everything was hot.  Including me.  So when the doctor asked if I wanted to be induced, {hmmm..air conditioning, people waiting on me, and a new baby?} it took no time for me to answer a resounding, "yes, please".  You weren't technically due for another seven days, but from all measurements, you were expected to be bigger than average and we wanted to avoid any unnecessary complications.

 I remember driving home thinking, finally.  Finally we are going to meet our long prayed for, eagerly anticipated, already dearly loved baby.  We didn't know if you were a boy or a girl.  It didn't really matter, we just wanted to hold you, to feel your weight in our arms and count your fingers and toes.  To meet who heaven hand-picked for us.

 We were prepared for a long, drawn out labor and delivery, as is expected with a first baby.  Much to my surprise and relief, you made your entrance into this world in just three short hours.  Three crazy, intense, unnerving hours.  And true to prediction you were big, weighing in at 8 lbs. 9 ozs.

And with your first breath,  my world turned upside down.   Oh, I could {and did} watch you for hours.  I watched your tiny chest rise and fall and  marveled at the wonder of this new and amazing you.  I was completely smitten, as was your dad.  Even the nurses commented on how they had never seen such a doting dad.  We were even filmed for a promo video for the hospital!

You were our new everything. 

Who knew that 13 years later, I would be just as crazy for you as I was back then??  We have had our ups and downs, our trials and joys.  But I can honestly say that I never, ever expected to feel so blessed, honored and respected by you. {Your dad has set an amazing example for you to follow}  I thought I would have to wait many, many years for this feeling, this kind of relationship.

 There is so very much that I love about you.  Oh, so very much.

I love that every time I see an American flag I think of you.

I love that you think I should open an Italian restaurant

because you love my cooking just that much.

I love that you are passionate about airplanes and all thing pertaining to flight

and have been since you were two.

I love that you love to read and that your idea of a great afternoon is

sitting side-by-side out on the porch, reading.

I love that you open my car door, push carts, and carry bags without ever being asked.

I love how responsible you are with your money - researching, planning and listing

the pros and cons before making a big purchase.

I love that you will email me from school and ask for a lunch date - just the two of us.

{I will never take it lightly when you choose to spend time with me over your friends!}

I love that you love the Lord and seek to bring Him glory in all you do,

don't ever change that!

But most of all I love your gentle spirit and easy going personality.  You are a joy and delight to be with and I am unbelievably proud of you. 

  I don't know that you will ever understand how proud I am of you until you are a parent yourself.

 I know you didn't ask, but if I could give you one piece of advise

for your teen years it would be this:

   

            Hold fast to your ideals when it seems like everyone around you is throwing theirs away.

  

I love you, Luke and wish you the happiest 13th birthday ever!!!

 XOXO,
Mom

How a Real Man Leads

So gently you held them.

  So carefully you rocked them. 

You whispered sweet words and kissed brand new foreheads.

  You wiped sticky fingers and messy bottoms.

You read stories and tucked blankets and built tricycles.

  You bandaged scrapes and dried tears and tied shoes.

 You stopped the tantrums, disciplined the unruly, and gently led the wayward back.

 You are bedrock to us.

You plant seeds in fertile hearts and sow them with kindness, patience, and love -

knowing these tender shoots require much sacrifice.

  You give of your time and self {endlessly} to tend to the ones He's given, without complaint.

You lead as a real man leads.

Your quiet strength, gentle spirit, and willingness to lay it all down for us, is gift beyond measure.

How dearly loved and treasured you are. 
Words are not enough.

Happiest Father's Day to you, my love.

Yes, I realize this post is a week late.  :0)  Preparing to travel and other commitments left little time to reflect and write.  Better late than never??

A Little Get Away

We just got home from spending a few days in this lovely town.

South Steamboat Springs from the top of the mountain

 Steamboat Springs is my favorite in-state get away of all time.  We were first introduced to this town a few years back when the state cattlemen's association was holding their meetings here.  I've been a huge fan ever since.  The land surrounding the town is some of the prettiest I've ever laid eyes on - it just takes my breath away.

We were back this year {again, with the cattlemen} and had a great time!  While my very own cattleman tended to his duties and responsibilities {he sits on the board}, the kids and I headed out to have some fun!  The big guy joined joined us when he could.

We did a little of this...

mini golf - cowboy style

 And a little of this...

what a cutie!

using sluice boxes to find treasure

 And even some of this...

sitting with Abe, downtown

on the Yampa River

a double scoop waffle cone in the soda shop

Lyon Drug has the best paper goods around - be still my heart!

oh, how I love paper!  that lovely pink check came home with us!

And a whole lotta this...

cannonball!!  

ahhhh...

 The kids all agreed that their favorite part of the trip was taking a gondola ride to the top of the mountain where we had a yummy steak dinner.  It was a real treat and the scenery was spectacular! 

 brrr... windy and chilly at the top

I love the silhouettes of all the hats

 We don't often travel, so even heading a couple hours out of town is a big deal for our kids.  They were all so excited to be in a hotel and see some new sights and go to the candy shop. {yep, the very same one we have in the mall here, I guess everything is better when you are on vacation and have your very own money to spend!}

We don't ski and have never been here in the winter {and never will be having seen the peak rates on the back of the bathroom door in our hotel room - HAVE MERCY!!!} but we love this town in the summer and hope to come back next year!

Blessings,
Kim

My take on Philippians 4:5

My kids know that by about 8:00 pm I'm done.  Like, "stick a fork in me, I'm done."  Like, "I'm punching out now and you may call me Mrs. Inglee", done.

What usually happens is that I call for bedtime and roughly 45 minutes later, their pretty heads finally hit their pillows.  Or maybe it is those crazy hours between 4-7 pm {during the school year} and I'm managing far more than one person should ever be held responsible for.  Or maybe it is the early hours of the morning and someone has woken up on the wrong side of the bed and can't seem to find a happy heart to get ready for school and we are rushing to get out the door on time.

 Or better yet, when I get stressed and start giving orders to my people to get things done right now.  Because now means now and. not. in. ten. minutes!

You see, my voice starts off sounding sweet and kind and patient.  But by the time I'm finished and they have done what I have asked of them, I don't sound so nice.  As a matter of fact, someone usually asks, "Are you angry with us, Mom?"  {Oh, dear}

 If you asked me, I would say I consider myself a gentle person.  But, there is something about asking the same small people to do the same chores over and over and over again that wears on my last good nerve.  {And we all know that a mama without any good nerves left ain't a pretty sight! Amen??}  And my voice starts to slide down that slippery slope.


Long ago my mother-in-law told me that once you yell, you'll always have to yell.  Such a wise woman.  Somewhere in the back of my mind Philippians 4:5 begins to surface.  "Let your gentleness be evident to all".  And I start to feel terrible.  Terrible because this isn't how I want to remember this season of my life.  Terrible because this isn't how I want my children to remember me.

So what's a tired mama to do about all this??  Well, I meditate on the Scripture and preach a little sermon {very little} to myself.  The fact that the verse says 'your' means that, in fact, I do have gentleness in me.  It also means that I have a part to play, some responsibility to bear, in the solution to my problem.  As a believer, I am filled with the Holy Spirit and gentleness is in me - it is part of my spiritual inheritance.  I need only to claim it and live it!!

I remind myself that it is in the way I respond to my children in everyday moments that gives me the best chance of winning their hearts.  And when I choose to graciously overlook their faults, messes and accidents, I am teaching them to be patient and forgiving with the mistakes of others.

I remind myself that I am the thermostat for my home.  My tone and mood are very often reflected in the moods of my children and how they treat each other.  By the same token, I need to watch my response to the many moods in my home, deflect the pre-teen mood swings and the late afternoon grumpies, to be the constant and steady.

  In other words, don't get on the emotional ride with them.

Perhaps I need only look as far as Philippians 4:4 to truly see what I must do.  The final word in that verse is.... REJOICE!!!  I can rejoice that I have healthy and active children, even if that means a noisy, messy house.  I can rejoice that they each are developing and 'on track', even if that means they have their own opinions and preferences and don't hesitate to express them.   I can rejoice that I have a passel of them to corral into a van to get from point A to point B ... even if it is like herding cats to do so! :0)

My home is full of reasons to rejoice, and so rejoice I will!!

Blessings,
Kim

The Legacy We Leave

We pulled in to the parking lot and turned off the car.  That's when I heard her.

She was screaming obscenities at her daughter, red faced and thoroughly undone about something that was left undone.  Her daughter sat in the driver's seat of the car, head hung in humiliation, tears on her cheeks, looking cut to the core.

The 'f word' stings everyone who hears it's ugly.

And my heart broke.  It broke for this young girl who didn't deserve her mother's rage. {Does anyone deserve rage?}  It broke because this young girl will someday live out the example set for her by her own mother.   Odds are that she too will scream obscenities at her children because that is what she knows. 

Our legacies, good or bad, last many generations - impacting lives we'll never know.

Without intentionally pursuing a different style of parenting, she will likely be just like her mother, without even trying, without even realizing.

Don't get me wrong, I do not write this from a place of perfection.  MANY, MANY are the times I have been in the wrong in my parenting, lashing out grumpy at the undeserved, parenting from a place where no grace could be found.  Forgetting that the sculpting of souls requires much tenderness and forever patience, forgetting that I am tying the shoelaces of the future.

 Not that I don't have it in me to swear at my children.  My sin stains are deep and wide; cavernous at times.  My prayer is that I have more of Him in me.  You see, without Him I parent on my own strength.  I am driven by flesh, controlled by skin; resources so finite.  If I'm not relying on His spirit,  that grace oxygen that changes everything, I am bound to fail.

Daily I must rise and commit these young lives to the Father, for if left solely in my own hands, their atrophy would be great.  I need Him.  They need Him - the perfect model of parenting whose grace extends and whose forgiveness reigns perfect at any and every moment.  For parenting out of my own resources leaves me dry and shriveled up, and thirsting for Everlasting Water, the only drink that can truly satisfy.

Blessings,
Kim

May all your wanderings this weekend lead you to the One whose grace changes everything.

It's Summertime!

Recently I've had several questions about how we 'do' summer.  You know, do I just hang out or do I keep the kids busy in camps and what-not?  That sort of thing.

 Honestly, I have to assess that every year based on the ages of my kids.  I almost always end up leaning heavily toward the just hanging out side.  Summer {to me} is a time to relax and clear the calendar from all the 'have to's' of life.   I want the freedom and flexibility to be spontaneous during the summer that we just can't have during the school year.

I find my kids are happier if they are not scheduled from early to late as well.  They enjoy being home with time to read, play with neighbors, or just... play.  Whatever it may be - house, school, playing at the pool with cousins or hanging out at the tree house.  Seldom do I hear, "I'm bored."  In the rare case that I do hear that, it has much more to do with needing a nap or an attitude adjustment.  :0)

Near the end of the school year I assess each kiddo and what they might need reinforced throughout the summer so there is little to no regression.  I am a huge advocate of reading and we all spend one morning a week at the library checking out books and magazines.  We also get a book or two on disc to listen to as we drive.  This a great way for them to receive the same  benefits as me reading aloud to them {it is also a great way to keep bickering to a minimum! :0)}  We listen to a variety of books as I have both genders and an age range from 7-13.  I try to get Newberry Award winners as they have a higher vocabulary level and a greater depth of story.  The main character also changes in some way during the story and it is fun to discuss that with the kids as we drive.

Back to my point of each child working on something... maybe they need a little bump in math or spelling over the summer or, as is the case with my very nearly 13 year old, mastering some life skills such as cooking and laundry.  If I have them involved in too many camps, etc., I have no time to teach these things.  Not to mention teaching character!  Who can teach character on the fly or in the car???

The other added bonus to having them around more than gone is growing our relationship bond.  We can't connect if they aren't home.  Call me crazy, but I'd rather have my kids more connected with me and their dad and our family, than their friends.  Oh, I'm not naive enough to think that they won't want to spend time with friends while they play sports or develop hobbies, I know that time will come.  I just want as much of my kids as I can have - they won't be here forever.

Don't take this post to mean that we don't do anything during the summer.  My oldest will attend a two week Boy Scout camp next month and my younger ones usually attend VBS for a week or so and  occasionally they will attend a sports camp, but on the whole, I prefer to have a relaxed, easy unscheduled summer.  I know it can't be like this forever and as my kids grow up my relaxed, easy pace may change, but for now, this is how we will roll.

How about you?  What is your summer like?

Blessings,
Kim

I Need a Nap

The summer of 2011 will forever be remembered as the summer that kicked my tail.


And it's only June 4th.


Let's see here... We have scoured and purged {and I do mean purged} all of the kids rooms and bathrooms.  Two enormous trash bags {including one set of false gold teeth} later, we are organized and tidy!!  The gold teeth belong to my seven year old who thinks false teeth are the bomb!  The nastier looking the better.  He particularly likes to wear them to the dentist for a cleaning appointment and shock the daylights out of the receptionist.  He's hilarious like that.

I drew the line at gold teeth.  Just not the image I want our family identified with.  Now the 'hillbilly' looking ones...... 

  But I digress.

We have been to the pool no less than three times and the grocery store no less than six times.  We have had friends over and been to the library.  We have taken a long weekend at the ranch {more on that soon}, and we have wandered on the creek for hours with cousins.  We have had doctors appointments and haircuts and shopped for summer sandals.  Lawns have been mowed, the pup has been bathed and eight loads of laundry have been done.  Yes, that's right, eight.  And that is just for this week.  To top it all off, we just finished Westernaires where we spent the afternoon practicing for an ALL DAY horse equitation competition tomorrow.


Have mercy.


And to make matters worse, I haven't seen my man in what feels like days thanks to people ordering their beef for grilling season.  I'm not complaining about business - heaven's no.  But I do miss that man of mine.  I think it's high time for a date night, don't you??


Anyway, all this to say that I will get back to posting something of depth and significance as soon as I have time to complete a thought.  That is assuming you believe I have any posts of depth or significance already.  And that my friends, is assuming a lot.

All I know is that it certainly won't happen before I take a nap.

Have a great weekend!

Blessings,
Kim

A Little Summer Fashion

I'm just a little in love with some of the Summer fashion trends.  

So many bright and breezy colors!

I'm smitten with all the florals and pinks.
I like the look of a wedge too, but let's face it - the high heel and I parted ways years ago
and we have yet to reconcile.  

It's not looking good for the short skirt either.

 How about this for a fun date night with your sweetie?

This one isn't too summery, but it sure is cute.  Maybe when the weather is still cool?

{all photos courtesy of the pleated poppy}

What are your favorite trends this summer?