The strawberry birthday cake has been baked and iced with blue frosting as Clara requested. Presents are wrapped using three different kinds of leftover wrapping paper, I don't think our four year old will mind though! I finally made a potato salad that I have been craving for days and the afternoon was spent with a husband and father who has been missing his family. Just a tough week for us to connect. Late nights for him at work, and everyone in bed when he comes home. When he came home early with us after church on Wednesday, I was too tired to be good company. Sometimes we just have a tough time making our schedules mesh.
I feel a renewed energy lately, especially today. I haven't needed a small nap in the afternoons like I did in my first trimester. It's great to feel like I can accomplish what I have to do without feeling run down. I'll just enjoy this while it lasts! I have decided to take a break from jogging until after the baby is born. Now I am just walking fast instead. My husband has been leading me up hills all over our neighborhood! I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to handle it!
After cleaning up from lunch everyone grabbed a Bible and gathered at the table. Javier took us to 1 Corinthians 10. The "example" of the Israelites, how very much like them we really are. "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man." Indulging in the flesh rather than obeying God to mention one. He really brought it down to their level and I appreciated how he pointed out how the same sin can manifest itself in different ways in different people. "Do you obey mommy when she tells you to do something, or do you ignore her and do what you want to do? If you don't obey mommy then you are not obeying God because he says 'Children obey your parents for this is right.'" We may not make a golden calf and worship it like the Israelites did, but what are we indulging in?
I'm so glad that he is patient and stops and waits as I have to train Manny to sit and keep quiet and focus his attention on his dad. He seems to want to be his most vocal and distracting to the others when we have this time together. With patience and persistence and a willingness to just "lay down the law" so to speak, we have made so much progress with him. He tests and he tries different things to see how far he can get. Over time I realized that my children can sit still if they really want to. Watch them play with a toy for a while. Yes some may want to sit still longer than others but when we are training them they just have to learn that they must sit still (for 15-20 minutes) and it is not negotiable, no matter what attempts they make to thwart our plans. Children catch on quick and they are so smart and capable of learning. I think one of our problems as parents is that we think it is soooo hard for them, nearly impossible for them to do. We think that we cannot expect them to sit still and listen. This is when we get wishy washy with our expectations. We want them to, but we have this false notion that they can't. I am convinced and have seen proof that they can, if you train them to do it. I'd be happy to share more details on how we go about this if you're interested. :)
Clara spent her first time in a church service on Wednesday. It was probably for about 25-30 minutes before they were excused to go to their class. She has already learned and is sometimes still reminded to sit still and be silent when it's appropriate but she was testing the boundaries. She tried wiggling her legs fast and flinging her upper body back and forth. I put my hand on her leg and remind her to be still. She knows the look on my face, she knows the words too. She can control herself and she should, otherwise she is a distraction to others who are trying to listen.
By God's grace and help I have learned many lessons in parenting over the years. I'm still learning them. I don't share these things to put myself on some pedestal as though I am some parenting giant. I share them because I want other moms to glean from what I learned the hard and long way. I also never want to make it seem like I have perfect kids. They are sinners too. No matter how still they sit or how they smile you can be sure that we are facing our battles with sin on a daily basis just like you.
This evening was fun. Just playing with the kids. Mommy's best chocolate chip cookies, a Bible story about the temptations of Christ, tickles and squeezes, Amera's loud cheer that she fixed an issue with the blog template she made, folding laundry and watching the kids dance around to classical music. All of these are joys to me. Here is something I captured on video...
I love this age when kids are so natural in front of the camera.
Manny loves to make us all laugh!
A few snapshots from this evening...
Javi in full gear, fighting off princesses!
Manny happens to like wearing this one pink shoe of Clara's.
There's "Mia"! (Amera)
And she has the laundry!
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