Port Aransas 2013

What a fun, relaxing, sometimes exhausting and not quite enough sleep vacation!

We took off last Thursday afternoon for Austin to stay with my cousin for the night.  We thought breaking up the trip would help the boys with the long car ride.  Can you tell I was pretty excited for vacation?

 
I LOVED seeing my cousin and her new house but the traffic/construction/rain getting to Austin wasn't too fun.  Who closes down an entire highway at 8 pm for construction?!

Good thing the hubbs found a way around the construction!  We were so happy to finally get to my cousin's house.  I would love to say the boys slept great but I'll just say Garrison did.  Ethan was up crying around 3 am and again at 6 am.  That boy can sleep through dogs barking, Garrison playing and Garrett yelling at the tv during baseball season at home but he does not do well when we travel.  :/  I was so happy my cousin got up early with me to visit and hang out.  

Ethan sure wanted to get in their pool!  Too bad it wasn't quite ready yet.

 He settled for some snuggle time with Elisabeth!

After some breakfast (ridiculously good breakfast tacos from a taco truck up the street) we were on our way to Port A!  And this sight sure was refreshing since we were in a hurry to get to the beach!

We finally made it to the house!  I wasn't too worried about getting us a house right on the beach because in Port A you can drive your car right up to the shore line if you want.  Talk about perfect for the kids, especially those that are still in the napping stages.  Our beach house was really close to town and still only a couple blocks for the beach.  It really was such a great beach house!

 Upstairs deck

Grammy got some quality time in with her boys right away!

 

We made it down to the beach and I was a happy girl!  I think the boys were pretty happy too!

Garrison was ready to boogie!

 

I just loved this sign in the bathroom!

 Dad and Garrett couldn't wait to test out the grill, aka drink beer and smoke cigars, while cooking! :)

The next day we went to a little shop in town with a HUGE shark out front.  The boys loved it!

 It scared the pants off E! :)

 Papa enjoying some time with the boys back at the beach house.

The next day at the beach was just as fun!  Here are some of my favorite pictures!

Kristin and the kiddos arrived on Sunday afternoon.  I think the big boys were super excited to see each other.  KiKi came fully prepared with toys and games (unlike her little sister).  Headbands!

Later that night after all the kids were in bed the grown ups stayed up to have a game night.  Everything was going great until we heard Ethan screaming upstairs.  This did not seem to abnormal but when I got him up to bring him downstairs I quickly realized this was not a normal cry.  He was screeching and writhing around in pain.  My little boy has always had tummy issues but this time it was really bad.  So bad in fact that we decided to go ahead and take him to the ER (prune juice and Mirilax just weren't doing the trick).  The nearest urgent care place was way too far so we hopped the ferry in the middle of the night and went to a not so modern hospital... where we waited, and waited, and waited!  I could go on and on and but I'll just leave you with this picture.  Daddy did a good job blowing up this surgical glove to keep little E entertained. 

The poor baby didn't even doze off until around 2:30 am.  They took an x-ray and surprise, surprise...the little guy was full of shit (pun intended)!  Did they give him an enema like we wanted?  Nope.  Just instructions on where to get one and how to do it ourselves the next day...awesome!

After about three hours of sleep for me and a trip to the pharmacy with my dad I had to follow doctor's orders.  With the help of KiKi, Grammy and Papa (to whom I am forever grateful) we gave our hopefully last ever enemas to this unsuspecting little boy.  I will spare you the details but let me tell you those things WORK!  (And they are still working well into this week!)

Ethan all snuggled up with Will.  So sweet!

Let me tell you, I do not do well on little sleep.  And that was reconfirmed on Monday when I tried so hard to make it through the day completely exhausted.  I did it but I'm pretty sure I slept harder than I ever have that next night.  (Thankfully Ethan slept 9 hours straight!  Praise the Lord!)

A little outside fun on Monday night before dinner.

 Sweet Big Bro!

 This is pretty much how Ethan was the whole trip.  I think the only words we heard from him were, "NO!", "Stop it!" or "Let Go!".  HA!

 This is seriously my all time favorite picture and it needs no caption!

 Ethan: "Now she's a hoss!"

 Some of my favorite beach pictures from Tuesday.

Garrison was a pro on the skim board!

 Gorgeous sunset on our only night out to dinner.  Just beautiful!

Here are some pictures my mom sent me of their day adventure with the big boys.  They rented a golf cart and tooled around town.  Snow cones for the boys of course!

Thankfully Garrett works with a guy who used to live in Corpus and he told us a great way to go back.  Not only was it a beautiful scenic drive but we avoided I-35, thank goodness!

Ferry ride 

We stopped for lunch in Le Grange.  You know you're in a small town when your drink is served in a mason jar...that's what I'm talkin' about!

 Me and the boys at the Veterans Memorial.  It was so cool, surrounded with all the military flags.

 Daddy and the boys

 I think someone was tuckered out.  This is definitely a picture worthy of the slide show for his wedding one day! :)

 Just a little reading on the way home! :)

I really am a beach girl!  I can't wait until we can afford to move to a coastal town and just enjoy it every single day!  Until then I will just try and remember this view!

~Jewels*

 

 

Responding to Our Kids

I am definitely no parent of the year.  The kids may see a calm, patient Mama during the day but sometimes after I tuck them in this is the Juliana my husband sees.

And I definitely need a little of this sometimes to get me through the end of a long day.

I wanted to preface my post with that so you don't think I am passing on parenting tips as if I am some perfect mom, because I am most certainly not.  But I have learned a successful parenting strategy I wanted to share with y'all.  Have I had this theory approved by a child psychologist?  No.  Have I tested this on any children other than my own?  No.  But I have two boys with two completely different personalities and so far this theory has proven true.

We respond to our kids in many ways.  If they fall down and get hurt we might emotionally respond to them by nurturing them.  If they are sick or in pain we might spiritually respond to them by praying over them.  The kind of response I want to talk about is the verbal response. 

When our kids do something positive we should respond verbally in a positive manner.  This is hard for me because my seven year old, Garrison, really is a great kid.  I have pretty high expectations for him because I rarely have to get on to him.  And I have to remind myself that when he does something great I should respond to that in a positive way.  I shouldn't take it for granted that he steers his brother away from trouble if I am in the middle of cooking dinner or that he feeds the dogs without me asking or that he runs up to give me a hug "just because" he loves me.  I need to remember to respond verbally to him in a positive way.  Just a simple, "Thanks bubba.  You are SO sweet!" can mean the world to a seven year old.

My 19 month old, Ethan, is a little more hard headed than his big brother.  I have learned that positive verbal responses are extremely important to him because it is constantly teaching him what good behavior is.  When he lays his head down on my shoulder to give me a "hug" I always make sure to tell him how sweet he is and how much I love him.  When he pets the dogs sweetly or brings me something he knows he's not supposed to play with I have to remember to tell him what a good boy he is being.  

On the flip side, with Ethan, I have found the that the best verbal response to negative behavior is no response at all.  If Ethan throws a tantrum (which thank goodness is rare these days) I let him throw himself on the ground, step right over him and move on to something else.  Let me tell you, it works!  It worked with Garrison and it works with Ethan.  If he is trying to get my attention by doing something negative like trying to hit me or yelling "no" over and over I set him down and walk away.  Of course I am a huge advocate of time out and there are times where that is necessary - like if I tell him not to do something and he does it anyways.  But for the most part I have found that ignoring bad behavior is very successful.

This doesn't work as well when they get older.  If Garrison gets in trouble I don't ignore him.  But I do ignore him when he asks me for something over and over or if he starts using that ever so annoying whiny voice.  But I have set those expectations for him.  I have made it clear that I won't listen to him or talk to him when he acts like that.

If I do have to verbally reprimand Garrison I try to remember to take  a few deep breaths before I get on to him.  Yelling at him will not make him understand more clearly what he did wrong.  Cursing at him will definitely not make him understand.  Leading by example and talking to him in a calm but firm voice will hopefully teach him self control, patience and discipline.  If I yell at him he is going to yell right back and learn that this is the way to deal with conflict.  Our kids definitely hear the words we say but more importantly they pick up on the tone of our voice.  I would rather be able to give Garrison a quiet look across the room to get him to behave than have to yell at him in Wal Mart to get his attention - not that this would be unacceptable in that setting. ;) 

Trust me.  I know that it can be REALLY hard to have patience but after becoming a mom that has been my almost daily prayer.  Lord, please help me to be patient today.  Help me to love them like you love me. 

When I take a step back and look at these beautiful miracles God has entrusted me with it makes me want to wake up every morning putting my all into them, giving them patience, discipline and unconditional love.  Again and again.  Because that's what God does for me!

~Jewels*

When He Calls My Name

Becoming a mom has completely changed my perspective on life.  When I found out I was pregnant with Garrison I came to understand what a gift life is.  Listening to his heartbeat, feeling him kick, feeling him roll around, seeing him for the very first time - such a miracle.

After going through the adoption process with Ethan and meeting his birth mother I became even more aware of what a blessing life is.  I remember meeting that little 2 lb 15 oz baby for the first time.  I was amazed that he fit in the palm of my husband's hand.  It was SO hard leaving him at the NICU every night.  But I knew, without a doubt, that angels were surrounding him.  His birth mother choosing life for him is the most selfless gift she could give.  He has blessed our family beyond measure and I am forever grateful to her for the gift she gave him and us. 

The one thing I used to fear the most was death.  The thought of losing a loved one or my own death coming far too soon and my kids having to grow up without me was almost too much to fathom.  I have reached a point in my walk with God where I no longer fear death.  Don't get me wrong.  I would be devastated if I lost someone close to me.  But knowing that they would be with God is not just something I would think to make myself feel better.  It's reality.  And I would take such comfort in that.  And if I were to get diagnosed with a terminal illness tomorrow I would be heartbroken for my boys knowing that they would have to grow up without a mom.  But I would have no fear.  I know that my husband and their father would step in and raise them to know and love Jesus.  I know that they would grow into the young men that God meant for them to become. 

I would love nothing more than to live a long, happy life here on earth.  To watch my boys grow up, find their wives and become fathers would bring me such joy.  But if that is not in God's plans it fills me with such joy to finally be at a place in my life where I can say I am at peace with the life I have lived and that death brings no fear.  And it reminds me that I need to continue living this life for Him.  I need to constantly be asking Him who and where He wants me to serve. 

When He calls my name and it's time for me to leave this life, this wonderful, beautiful life, I would go with no hesitation and absolutely no fear.

How do you feel about death?  Do you feel like you are living the life He has called you to?  The great thing about God is He is always there.  He is ready to show you what living for Him is all about - all you have to do is ask. 

Chris Tomlin's song, "I Will Rise" is one of my favorite songs of all time. 

~Jewels*