If My Child Marries Yours

A friend shared this with me awhile back and I cried reading it.  A different perspective...

"If my child marries yours...

I just want you to know that I'm praying for you.

When I'm awake at night - feeding babies, burping babies, giving tylenol to a feverish toddler, covering up chilly toes, tucking green monkeys under little arms - I think of you. Because chances are, you're awake too, doing the same sorts of things. Taking care of tiny children that I already love because they will someday hold the hearts that are beating against my chest tonight.

I'm praying that you'll stand firm against the pressures to overcommit and hyper-schedule, that you'll shut out the voices that tell you you're not doing enough, that your kids aren't doing enough.

I'm praying you'll have the wisdom to know when to pick that crying baby up out of her crib and when to just sit outside her door, your fingertips pressed to the wood, willing her to feel your love and comfort and just finally fall asleep.

I'm praying that you will take those children to church...that the mothers and fathers of our future grandchildren will grow up knowing what it means to worship, even when that means missing out-of-town basketball tournaments and marathon sleepovers.

I'm praying that your love for and commitment to your spouse will swell with each year you're together, that you will grow to love the legacy you are creating just as much as you adore the person you're creating it with.

I'm praying that you take lots of pictures so that I can see where our grandchildren got their sticky-out ears and their mischievous grins.

I'm praying that Jesus will give you just enough strength each day to keep you from losing it but not so much that you forget Who that strength comes from.

Will you pray those things for me too?

I don't really pray for your child. Maybe I should. My husband does that, and I think it's wonderful. But chances are, your child is just fine. And chances are, a lot of the time, you aren't. Chances are, if you're anything like me, you're very tired. And some days, you get so discouraged. Sometimes, your temper erupts, your selfishness wins, and your smile is fake. Sometimes you forget to change the baby's diaper, to spend time being silly with your toddler, to really see your spouse. So it's you I am praying for right now, in the still darkness, with this baby fist pressed up under my chin and this sweet, sleepy breath on my ear. May you feel these prayers when you need them the most.

We are in this together, you and I. We are building something beautiful with each onesie folded, each invisible owie kissed, each story read.

You don't know how much it means to me that you give your children everything you have every single day...even on days when it's not much at all. Because your child will fall asleep next to mine for fifty-some years. Your child will be the one holding my child's hand when our first grandchild is born. And when they face the darkest days of their lives, it will be your child and mine, facing into the struggle together.

I'm pretty sure that our longest days - the ones that are brim-full with hair-pulling moments, impossible messes, and toddler meltdowns - those are the days that we are fashioning hearts. And someday, one of the hearts I'm helping create will crash into one of your love-crafted hearts, and what spills out as a result of that jolt...it's kind of up to us. I promise to tend to these hearts with utmost care, to plant in them humility and peace and selflessness...especially selflessness. I promise to plant Jesus seeds in these hearts every chance I get. And I promise to keep praying for you.

I'm praying that you will hug your boy tight when he's sad or lonely or scared. Because someday, my girl - all grown beautiful with babies of her own - will be sad or lonely or scared. And he'll need to know how to hold her. Teach him.

And let your daughters hear you speak righteous words that bring life and hope. Because someday, my sons will be worn and weary, and the words you're placing in your daughters' minds today just might become the balm to my sons' souls.

I'm doing my best to do the same. And sometimes...much of the time...I fail. Pray for me too.

Someday we will sit on opposite sides of the aisle...all fancy and with gobs of tissues tucked into our fists. We'll watch our silly, sticky, sweet babies somehow transform into brides and grooms and make the same promises to one another that we ourselves have kept...against all odds and only by His grace. And we will watch these children create families of their own with the ingredients we have given them. The ingredients we are slipping into their souls today.

But until then, I'm sitting here in the dark with babies in my arms.

And I'm praying for you."

Big Kids at the Circus

 

A random Saturday the circus came to town!!  Unfortunately John had to work.  My mom talked me into taking the older kids anyway, while she stayed back with Ben.  She said, "I think you could all use some fun" and fun we had!  Our friends Robyn and Levi were able to join us, too.  The show was right by the firehouse so we parked there and spent some time visiting Dad before and checking out the firetrucks.  The circus was a big hit with everyone.  We thought we were out of luck when we had to climb to the second level for seats, but it ended up being the best seats in the house.  The kids could stand and weren't confined to their seats the whole time and we were able to see it all!  We saw all sorts of animals - camels, elephants, a huge snake, cats, bears.. had lots of snacks - popcorn, pretzels, cotton candy... and left with a few souvenirs. 

Lions, Tigers, and Bears…Oh my!!

 

Lions,

tigers,

and bears...

Oh my!!

This may be my last year of having much influence over the kids' costumes... I had to attempt a "theme" :)

We started off our Halloween day with a trip to visit Grandma and Grandpa Ballweg.  Grandpa was nice enough to pick up chocolate donuts for us (which is also what led to the kids getting near naked).

Checking out Grandpa's walker

And that afternoon we went to show off our costumes at Grandma and Papa Cicci's, have lunch, and load up on more treats!

After some quick naps in the car, we did some Halloween activities and Gran and Papa came over to visit.  

Then it was time to suit up (yet again!) for trick-or-treating!

The crew :)

The kids did SO great trick-or-treating.  I think we were all impressed.  Rudy was so into it.  Early in the night he left one house, ran to me excitedly and said, "I want to do another one!!"  Lots of running from house to house - laughing, and squealing in excitement.  About half of the group had had enough after about an hour so the moms and younger kids went home to get the jack-o-latern pizzas (a Halloween staple) cooking and warm up... the dads continued on with the older kids that couldn't get enough!   

When everyone got back we ate pizza, had some drinks, ate too much candy, did a Halloween craft with the kids, and ended the night with a pallot on the floor and a Halloween movie playing... doesn't get much better than that!

 

The next morning when I was getting Ben down for his nap, Avery and Rudy found the face paint from the night before.  They decided they wanted whiskers AGAIN and did quite a remarkable job.  Good thing we had skipped baths the night before and were planning a quick scrub down anyway :)

Our partying didn't stop there - we celebrated Gran's birthday the next day.  The kids picked out her present - a snake bracelet.  Around this time the kids were on a walk with Gran when they saw a real live snake on Gran's driveway as they were coming home.  Avery was enthralled.  Rudy was scared.  Mom said it stayed pretty still and she didn't think it was alive, especially the way it was just hanging out on their driveway.  After coming inside and telling me all about it, they decided to take flashlights out with Papa and try and find him again --  but he was gone!  The kids still talk about it and always are on the lookout for snakes on their walks.   

Cake!

Lucky us to get to spend time with Tony, too!

Taking Back Halloween

I read this blog post from another blogger right before Halloween and I'm so glad I did!  It sure helped lighten my mood and remind me to let loose and have some real FUN on Halloween with my kids...

"The last few years, I’ve noticed a disturbing trend: Curmudgeons are trying to take away our holidays. You may not have taken notice, though, as this group sets about their task in an insidious manner…

It starts around this time of year, as these curmudgeons hate the Big Three (Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas). They hate the joy that accompanies these holidays but, more importantly, they hate the gluttony. You’ll begin to read the articles: “Skinny Your Thanksgiving”. “10 Tips To Avoid Gaining Weight During the Holidays” and “Healthful Halloween Treats”. Inevitably, we’re bombarded with tips like “Eat before you go to a party” or “Fill up on the veggie tray.” Um, excuse me? The veggie tray at a holiday party is an insult to joy-makers everywhere. I don’t care if you go on an 80-day cleanse right up until the holiday party. You show up to MY party, you show up hungry…or else.

I, for one, am standing up to these hate mongers. I picture myself like Mel Gibson in Braveheart –- blue warrior face-paint and all: “They can take our lives. But they’ll never take our holidays!”

Of course, I adore Kristen Howerton over at “Rage Against the Minivan” and I wholeheartedly agree with her post last year about taking the holidays down a notch. If one more person asks me to craft a leprechaun trap on St. Patrick’s Day, I’m going to go Alec Baldwin on their asses. And that ain’t good. I’m talking the big three here, people. And I’m starting with Halloween.

Remember the good old days? The days before social media made everyone a life expert and a craft genius? Like the wonderful lazy days before Pinterest ruined our lives? People weren’t making spooky fingers out of carrots and hummus. They weren’t making pumpkins out of f*cking clementines and celery sticks. And they sure as shit weren’t crafting “boo-riffic” goddamned bananas! And that skeleton you crafted out of veggies? Don’t make me tell you where you can shove that.

No – back in the day, we ate ourselves senseless and gorged on things like Butterfingers, ghost-shaped marshmallows, candy corn, and a plethora of other treats derived from processed goodness. That’s right –– I said processed!

Do you want to know how I plan on spending Halloween? I’m kickin’ it old school. I’m going to coach my kids on the ABC’s of a good Halloween. A) Always trick or treat where the rich people live (duh). B) Binge (and binge and binge again). C) Coconut is for chumps. We’re going to target the houses that give out the CostCo candy (that’s right, the whole effing candy bar!) and egg the houses that try to give us some sort of homemade shit or raisins. Raisins on Halloween will cause a Zombie apocalypse. True story.

Mommy’s going to ensure they choose all her faves when given a choice (bitches gotta get paid, yo). We’ll eat plenty of it as we walk from house to house because that’s just good for energy. And then we’ll get home, throw the loot on the ground, count it, and eat some more! I’ll be there for them during the inevitable sugar crash. And I’ll be there when they pass out on the bed after watching Hotel Transylvania PAST THEIR BED TIME. We are rebels (again, picture Mel Gibson)!

Sure – the next day, we’ll regain our sanity and our composure. I’ll dole out the candy within reason and give the rest to our doctor’s office. We’ll eat clean. We’ll live by the rules. We’ll re-enter society.
But it’s one day, people. One day! And we’re going to treat this holiday like the little bitch that it is.

Are you with me?"

I sure was!...

FIVE Months Old

Just look at this happy guy - so much personality and just the most fun, easy-going disposition!  I hope he never loses that!

The major change this month is that I decided to start weaning Ben off breastmilk.  I didn''t have as much of a backstock supply as I used a lot of it during the flood and wasn't able to pump as much on a regular basis.  But my goal was to make it 6 months with breastmilk and we did just about that.. maybe a week short, but I'll take it!  It was bittersweet being done breastfeeding.  On one hand it is very liberating, but on the other hand it was such a peaceful time between just Ben and I.  He did great with the bottles and formula, though, and he still nustles in and snuggles close as he nods off to sleep each night.  And THAT is more special than anything :)

Fall Fun

Amongst all the chaos, the Cicci house made an effort to celebrate the season and enjoy some fall festivities...

We had been reading the book, "Room on the Broom" that Uncle Tony gave us on our trip to Chicago.  In it, the witch makes a brew in her big pot.  Gran found a recipe to make homemade potpourri and the kids were pretty fascinated at making our own "witches brew" and letting it simmer on the stove over the weeks that followed...

It certainly smelled delicious, with apples, oranges, lemons, and cinnamon...

We also took the kids to a Fall Festival at Lincoln Memorial Gardens...

Avery checking out the bees making honey

Lots of fun games for the kids - like the bean bag toss and putt-putt

We were lucky enough to run into Isabela and her parents and spent the rest of our time there with them!

Isabela is so sweet to the kids and takes good care of them :)

Face painting!

Pumpkin painting!

And lots of sleeping for Mr. Ben

:)



We spent some time outdoors, exploring the new yard.  The kids were so thoughtful to pick all sorts of flowers for me one afternoon...

Some of the most beautiful flowers I've ever been given...

Gran and and I took the kids to the jack-o-latern festival at Washington Park.  There were 2015 carved pumpkins!  It was incredible.  I felt like I was in the movies/tv shows with small town charm.  There was Halloween music playing, kids and adults dancing, dry ice smoke setting the scene, popcorn, hot dogs - all lit with the glow of pumpkins.  It was sort of a pain getting there and we couldn't stay long since we were traveling with a baby, but it was worth it and I'm looking forward to making a tradition of going every year.  

We bundled everyone up, dressed in our pumpkin jammies, and packed our own buckets of popcorn and "apple coffee" for the ride through...

Oh is that stroller parking??  No, it's just all my babies.

Happy kids and asleep on the way home - I call that a success!

We spent an evening making Halloween candy - ghost cookies and chocolate dipped pretzels... yum!

Happy baby!

Avery's favorite part was adding the eyes to the ghosts...

and Rudy was a champ at the sprinkles!

Check out Avery's overloaded ghost on the top left :)

We inadvertently started a "Friday night pizza party" tradition around this time.  One week was particularly stressful and really busy.  Friday afternoon came around and I was in no mood to cook and had three wide awake babies at what should have been naptime.  So I did what I was doing best and loaded them in the car for a quick ride... that ended in picking up pizza, beer, and a Halloween movie.  Max and John came home later and we were all exhausted.  But that pizza party was just what the doctor ordered.  And so when the next Friday night rolled around, guess what sounded good to all of us?! 

Nothing says Halloween like pumpkin carving!  We decided to add in some pumpkin carving and Halloween decorating on this particular Friday night.  Gran joined us and got stuck doing some of the dirty work.  

Of course I forgot to buy the special tools that make it easy, so John and Max (well, Lindi) were stuck doing it the old fashioned way...

Checking things out...



Our completed pumpkins, proudly on display

Gran also brought supplies for making monster faces on the kitchen windows.  The kids got such a kick out of it (and I failed to get a finished picture)

We spent some afternoons at Gran and Papa's watching football and grilling hot dogs.

One day I took the kids by the "yucky house" to bring a picnic lunch to the guys working.  It was a beautiful fall day and my favorite tree of the house was looking just perfect.  Our ginko tree is the most perfect color yellow during the fall and the way it hangs over our courtyard, it covers every inch with yellow leaves (John can't stand it, mostly because he has to be the one to clean them up!).  Last year the tree never changed colors - we had an odd fall that was basically skipped because it turned cold too fast.  I remember thinking that day, "I love this stupid house."

We had Rudy's first classroom party.  I was picked to be a Room Mom this year and I was thrilled!  I've always wanted to be a Room Mom and it's been a lot of fun planning the parties and being a part of the fun!!

We started the party out with cookies and juice boxes for a treat...



Then we had a few "stations" set up with different activities.  John crafted this awesome putt-putt course for the kids.. it was quite a hit!!  

We also had pin the face on the jack-o-latern

and a Halloween craft.

And last but not least, free-style dancing!

It was such chaos, but we all had fun!