Boys and Mud...

It's no secret that I am clueless about raising boys.

I'm the mom who checks out all of the books about raising boys from the library because I have no idea what I am doing.  I'm the mom who gets together with her mom friends who also have boys and we exchange stories and ideas and laugh out loud at the crazy things that our little men do.  "Oh, your child has a black eye, too...how did he get that?"  When I say that parenting these two boys is an adventure...that is quite the understatement.  This is a journey of a lifetime...better than any reality TV show...better than any stand-up comedy show...even better than one of those crazy competition shows like Wipeout...there is never a dull moment!  This real life journey is the most amazing thing I have ever experienced (and the most exhausting!)

I will set this up as simply as I know how...

There was a GIGANTIC hole in our yard.  It rained.  It became a mud pit.  (Please insert what you think Emmanuel and Reese did when they discovered the mud pit.  Now think about how their very clean and organized mom reacted.  Now laugh out loud.)

Big hole...

Two curious little boys...

A hot mess from head to toe!

A ton of fun...

I knew this day was coming.  When they go to my mom's house, they spend the entire time outside...when I come back to get them, they are covered from head to toe in dirt.  They stink.  Their little fingernails are disgusting.  Their hair is filled with nastiness.  But, they are as happy as I've ever seen them.  So, I've gotten lots of preparation.  I knew that eventually I would see this day....that's why I had to capture their little craziness on camera.

They didn't care about anything else in the world.  They were thrilled to be in that mud.  They kept running and jumping in the puddle.  Our neighbors came out to watch (which made them jump even higher because they had an audience).  They were smiling from ear to ear.  I couldn't do anything but smile hard myself.

I'm so thankful that I was able to capture this moment...and I'm also thankful for the wonderful bath they took immediately afterwards...

and for the wonderful men who came and filled the hole the next day!

What's in a Name?

I asked Reese, our 20 month old, about his name about a week ago.  The conversation went like this:

Me:  "What's your name, little boy?"
Reese:  "ELI!"
Me:  (Laughing hysterically):  "Eli is your daddy's name.  What's YOUR name?"
Reese:  "ELI!"
Me:  Ok, Reese, what is YOUR name?
Reese:  "Reesie Pooh!"

The next day...
Me:  "What's your name, little boy?"
Reese:  "ELI!"
Me:  "You're not Eli, MY name is Eli."
Reese:  "Your name is Carmen.  Hi, Carmen (imagine a very slow, southern drawl here)."
Me:  "WHAT?  How do you know my name?"
Reese:  "Carmen, Carmen, Carmen...."

A few days after that...
Me:  "What's your brother's name?"
Reese:  "Fireman Sam and the Hulk"
Emmanuel:  "That's right!"
Me:  "Then, Reese, who are you?"
Reese:  "The Chief."

Of course, baby boy, how did I forget?  You are the Chief.

The Cat's Outta the Bag

I'm pretty certain that it doesn't take most people 20 weeks to disclose to their family and friends that they are expecting.  Yes, you read it.  20 weeks.

When I found out I was pregnant with this sweet little baby, I was more than overwhelmed.  In our little minds, we were finished having children.  We were perfectly content with our energetic little boys in our three bedroom house (where everyone has their own space) and our big green minivan.  We were a family of four...and we were proud and happy.  We talked it over and prayed about it and decided that we should stay a family of four.  So, we started giving away maternity clothes and baby stuff--bye, bye, crib...farewell Jumperoo, adios maternity and baby boy clothes!  What freedom!  We were moving into a time when I wouldn't have to carry a diaper bag that weighed 20 pounds...I wouldn't have to puree baby food anymore...and breast-fed baby blowouts would be a thing of the past.  We were so certain that this was it, that we even took permanent measures to keep our family a family of four (speculate all you want...I can't put all of our business out there).  And, it became official, we would be a family of four.

Or so we thought.

I was sick.  Really sick.  I was tired.  Beyond exhaustion.  My tummy was bloated.  I was convinced that I had some type of illness.  Why would I feel this way day after day?  No medicine helped.  No amount of sleep helped me to recover.  I was feeling so miserable.

And, then, I found out...I was pregnant.  Pregnant?  Again?  No way.  This isn't possible.  We don't have any more baby stuff...we only have three bedrooms...our budget is already stretched to the max so that I can stay at home with the boys...oh my Gosh...I've been so prideful and told everyone that we were only having two children...I said that my uterus was closed...

My OB laughed at me when I came in for my first visit.  And she reminded me that there was a slim-to- none possibility to conceive after what we did...and well, we conceived.  So, yes, this baby is a surprise...but she is also a miracle.  She is also a reminder that God's ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts...He has a perfect plan, even if it doesn't fit with our plan, His plan is better...His ways are better...His ways are perfect.

And, so, in July right around the time Reese turns 2 and Emmanuel turns 4, a baby girl will be welcomed into our family.

She already has her daddy wrapped around her finger.  She already has sweet friends of mine buying her pink and purple outfits.  She's already been engraved onto the palms of Her Savior.

So, next time you are in the grocery store, and you see that mom who looks frazzled because her 4-year-old is ready to go, her 2-year-old is peeing in aisle 5, and her newborn is screaming because it's naptime, please think of me and say a prayer...because our ride is about to get really, really interesting.