I know myself too well...

I had quite a few hesitations about starting a blog. But one of my greatest fears was I wouldn't keep it up. The time commitment, the discipline, the sitting down and putting the pen to the paper -so to speak- is a big job. And with only three posts under my belt, I have already let an entire month go by without a single sentence to show for it. Don't get me wrong, this month has given me plenty to record; however, my blogging fear has become reality. So I debated today if I should just give up the romantic notion that I can keep a blog, or get a little discipline and give this the old college try. Discipline is something I think the Lord is speaking to me about at the moment. I am lacking discipline in quite a few areas of my life. I need more discipline in managing my time, I need more discipline to encourage and serve others, I need more discipline to get into my kitchen and cook- I feel the need to confess I have eaten at Chick-Fil-A the past two days for lunch! So I'm going to keep this little on-line journal up. I'm going to try and cover the month of February and write about a few of the memories I just don't want to forget. I am also going to keep my fingers crossed that my next entry happens before another thirty days has passed and that I eat a healthy turkey sandwich for lunch!

*Pregnancy and panic alarms don't mix. It was a quiet Thursday morning. My children had been playing nicely upstairs for almost thirty minutes as I chatted on the phone with Brittani. This should have been my first clue something was wrong- thirty minutes is a long period of good behavior. All of the sudden I hear what I believe is the fire alarm ringing upstairs. I gave Brittani a panicked, "I have to go," and ran upstairs expecting to find smoke. Instead all I found was two terrified children screaming and covering their ears. I scooted them downstairs and drug the ladder in from the garage to climb up to the detector and see if I could turn the crazy thing off. After three minutes of sweating and deafness, I found out it wasn't the fire alarm, it was our house alarm. I am totally baffled why the alarm is tripped considering it wasn't even set, until I walk by my bed and see the hand fab that controls the alarm. I keep it in my nightstand just in case I were to need it one night while Dan is deer hunting and I hear an intruder; I do not keep it in the drawer to tempt my children to push the button of a policeman. I grabbed the fab, pushed the deactivate button and to everyones relief, the alarm ceased. I immediately received a call from our home security company in which I explained everyone was alive and well, at least for the moment- I couldn't promise my children's well being after I found out who was responsible for this little incident. And just as I was taking a deep breath and about to sigh relief, I heard someone BANGING on my front door. Now my first inclination should have been to run and answer it, but I was still in my pajamas and a little indecent. Being nine months pregnant at the time, the clothing a wore to bed the night before didn't exactly fit. The t-shirt I slept in covered about half of my stomach leaving a very exposed belly hanging out and my pajamas pants hung very low to escape the task of going around my waist. I couldn't open the door like this, but as I started to run upstairs to grab a sweater, it was to late. I was spotted through the front window and the man pounding on my door meant business. "Mam, this is the police. I want you to open this door immediately," was all I needed to hear. I forgot all about my state of exposure and opened that door before he broke it down. It seems when the panic alarm is tripped, even if you speak to the security company, the police still are notified and you get a little visit from the department. I have a feeling that officer got to see a little more than he anticipated but was exceptionally gracious as I explained what had happened over the past few minutes. And as I closed the door I headed straight for my closet, dressed myself in clothes that covered my body, and hid that fab so that no child of mine can contact emergency services again.

*Beaux could care less about my desire for her to be potty trained. It is without a doubt a power play- the first of many I am sure. She can do it, and often chooses to- unless she chooses not to. Which reminds me, I need to write the Fellowship Church Preschool a thank you note. They have cleaned more than their fair share of "accidents" over the past few weeks.

*Throwing up repeatedly withing 24 hours of a head injury is a sign of a concussion. Sitting in the emergency room for six hours waiting for a doctor to tell you it is a minor concussion and to go home and take a little Tylenol is reason for mental insanity. Eli bumped his head one evening while playing outside. It was a nice little bump but I didn't think much of it until the next morning when he was incredibly hard to wake up. And as we drove to the church for bible study, and he began to throw up in the back seat, my motherly instinct began to knot in the bottom of my stomach. I called the pediatrician to see if I could bring him in but as I began to explain what happened, the nurse interrupted to inform me my only option was the emergency room. I begged her not to send me to the ER unless absolutely necessary. I gave her the sob story about my nine month self and my two small children. She had little compassion. Her exact quote, "I can't tell you he doesn't have a stomach bug, but I can't tell you he isn't bleeding into his brain- go to the hospital." Thankfully after a six hour wait and a CAT scan we discovered Eli wasn't bleeding into his brain, it was just a minor concussion- we all went home with a pounding headache.

*Speaking of throwing up- I don't necessarily want to remember the terrible stomach bug I woke up with one Sunday morning. However, it was priceless when Eli walked into the bathroom and caught me with my head in the toilet. With very wide eyes he asked, "Mommy are you frowing up?" And as I grunted yes and told him to go watch cartoons, he walked over and began to rub my back and tell me I was going to be alright.

*Chili's is the perfect place for a baby shower. Sarah and Britt threw me a surprise baby shower at Chili's one evening. Precious pink clothes, chips and salsa, and friends- I can think of no better way to celebrate a baby. We spent hours laughing about labor stories and giving name suggestions. I love these girls.

*The Creative Church Conference was amazing this year. It was such a wonderful experience to hear from amazing leaders who are passionately trying to reach their communities and allow God to ignite that passion within us. It was such a wonderful experience to meet two new friends and find a great example of servant leadership to emulate. It was a wonderful experience to serve alongside Dan. Every time I catch a glimpse of him in action, I can't help but swell with pride.

*Nothing says love like a heart shaped brownie. My kiddos didn't want for much this Valentine's day. A new DVD of the Super Friends for Eli and Strawberry Shortcake for Beaux, topped off with sugar. I think the look on their faces as the lick the batter says it all.