Do You Judge?

I was suprised and interested to receive an email newsletter called "Mamapedia Daily". As the email indicates, I get them on a daily basis and sometimes skim them for interesting information. In it today, I found an article on judging other moms/parenting styles.

So come on, tell the truth - do you judge other moms?

I don't judge people who vaccinate or don't. I think it is just one of those decisions that as a child's parent, you are able to make. I know some friends of mine who chose to delay vaccinations or not get them at all because of some medical problems/issues. I know others who sit on the fence. I know people who don't give their children flu shots, and mine get them every year since Gracie was a year old. I even started getting them last year. So for me, vaccinations are kind of a "to each his own" topic. Some like them, some don't. And we all have our reasons, I'm sure!

I know before I became a parent myself it was really easy to get annoyed by that baby that was screaming two aisles over in the grocery store and would not quiet down. Now my son, too excited to show off his walking skills and sit in the buggy, is the one crying/whining because he doesn't get his way.

Oh, and I am that mom, who lets the same toddler stand up in the back of the buggy. It makes him happy. Don't judge me.

And trust me, I became alot more sympathetic to moms with the same issues! Now I just kind of pass them while I'm shopping, kid screaming in their buggy, and we exchange that knowing smile.

As I've told my sister, Jessica, who recently became a parent: "Welcome to Mommy World!"

Happy Birthday!!!

She claims that no photos exist of her. She tells everyone who will listen that we only have one home video of her. Between my aunts, uncles, and mom everybody in the family has 3 kids - until my mom had her.

And then it just messed everything up!

Wait. I think I'm supposed to be saying nice things....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TINA!!!

Tina is the baby of the family. And yes, you can totally tell it by the way she acts! She is loved and adored by every single kid she has ever come in contact with. I think she is everybody's favorite! Gracie loves for her favorite aunt Tina to paint her toenails and brush her hair!

So today I want to show off some pictures (that do exist!) of the birthday girl. And it just wouldn't be fun if some of them weren't a little goofy looking!










We love you, Tina! Happy birthday!

Reflections

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." - Joshua 1:9


I have been sitting in quiet reflection for about an hour now. Last night, I searched through my Bible to see if I could find some verse or some section that would find what my heart was looking for.

As today approached, I thought long and hard about how meaningful I wanted to make this post. And as I am sitting here now, I am on pins and needles counting down the next twenty minutes until my babies come home.

They have been gone for seven days.

That is the longest seperation I have ever had from my children.

And while I dreaded every single second leading up to it, I am finding it even harder to collect my thoughts for what I wanted to say in my first post of this brand new year.

So I'll start instead with a look back.

2010 was a bad year for me. I believe in all the years of my life, it was probably one of the worst.

I have until today avoided even commenting about why, which suprises me only because it is not a secret I have been keeping.

Bryan (my husband) and I seperated in January 2010.

As of September 2010, we were divorced.

I am starting a new year as a single woman. And this was my choice. But the funny thing is, this post has nothing to do with the past. I am learning very slowly that letting go of the past is the best thing for me.

So I want to talk about the future. The Bible verse at the very beginning of this post has literally been my life verse for 2010. And I have made the decision to just make it my life verse for 2011 as well.

Can I share with you some of the things I have learned as I left 2010 behind and moved forward into 2011?

1. God is faithful. God is good. And if he can bring you to it, he will bring you through it.

2. I have one of the best friends that God has ever blessed me with. God may have seen me through 2010, but I believe with all my heart that Amy Wade may have seen me through it just as much.

3. I have the most wonderful church family that the daughter of a King could ever ask for. I love my church family. I love that I am told on a regular basis that I am thought about, prayed for, and loved. That place is home to me.

4. I have three sisters, all of who I am old enough to have given birth to. Okay so I would have had to have been 12 to do so, but who cares? We have had our differences and squabbles at times, but there is nothing the three of them would not give to help me and my children. They spent this year being an emotional support system for me in more ways than I can list here.

5. I have been blessed with two of the greatest gifts in the entire world, who in just ten short minutes will be coming through the front door. I wish that I could begin to express that while 2010 was a bad year for me, two of the most precious people in my life were the reason I kept going: Gracie and James.

I wish I could express in words (and I just don't have the time and I am way too excited right now!) what being a mother to these two children has meant to my heart. I have said it before and I will say it again, if you are not a parent - even a mother - you just have no idea, until it happens to you, the kind of blessing that children can bring you. They change you. Literally. Physically. Emotionally. Spiritually.

I was glad to see 2010 go. But I am waiting in anticipation of the great and wonderful things that God has in store for my family in 2011.

And as Joshua 1:9 reminds me every single day: I have no reason to fear. My strength is in the Lord because he is always with me!