I had my turn cleaning up throw up. Instead of having to do it all at once like poor Matt, I was up every hour on the hour. After disinfecting the entire house from top to bottom, I feel confident that there are no more stomach bug germs. The saddest part of the whole thing is I will never be able to eat Chinese food again. It’s a shame…
Best Husband Ever… December 18, 2008
At 6:00 this morning I walked into the girls’ room and turned the light on. “Good morning ladies. It’s time to get… What the heck?!”
“Mrs. Jess, I threw up.”
Did she ever. When I realized that Christal was in a ball at the foot of her bed (the top bunk) I also realized that there was something not right about the stuff running down the bed, the wall, the nightstand, Angel’s bed and the floor. I was just warned about this Sunday night. Some where along the line I have developed the weakest gag reflex and the most sensitive sense of smell. Not a good combo. Needless to say, I don’t do well with the vomit. I backed up towards the door and then was off to get Matt.
This was Matt’s second time to clean up puke since Sunday (Christal was sick that day too). I didn’t even have to ask him to clean it up, he just mumbled some stuff and went to cleaning. I really do have the best husband ever! We are still trying to figure out why she didn’t go to the bathroom or come get one of us. She says she screamed for me, but apparently I didn’t hear her. I still can’t believe she went right back to sleep and Angel slept through all of it! It’s crazy. Matt Lawrence definitely deserves some sort of award or at least a couple extra days in the duck blind…
the good stuff… December 16, 2008
Apparently Christal had somewhat of a rough day yesterday. It was enough that she had to move her monkey to the blue area. Let me explain… each child is given a monkey and the monkey is hanging in the jungle. They’re on a bulletin board that looks like an amazing jungle. The goal for each day is for the monkey to stay in the jungle where he is happy. You get a warning and then after that the monkey starts his move to the blue area, after blue there is orange which is also called Grumpy’s Corner. If you have to move your monkey from the blue area you have to go sit in Grumpy’s Corner to think about it. After orange comes red. That’s a visit with the principal and a note home.
Christal knows that if her monkey doesn’t stay in the jungle (it makes me laugh every time) that she loses a privilege. Today she had to go to her room and stay there until dinner. She wailed. It was quite impressive and went on for a good 20 minutes. I managed to prevail and ignored every bit of her little show. She didn’t have to sit on her bed or anything. She was even allowed to play. She just had to stay in her room. She eventually got over it.
She hates to have to tell Matt that she’s been punished and why. So over dinner I told her to tell Mr. Matt what she did (talking in line). He started asking questions about knowing the rules, why it’s so hard to follow them, etc. She answered him and then had enough. She put her spoon down and confidently said, “Enough about me. Let’s talk about the good stuff going on in our lives.” I of course lost it. She started listing some good things and the first one was that we were all sitting down eating together. When I say she’s something else, I mean she’s something else.
Angel on the other hand is really just growing up physically and mentally. I’m so proud of the way she has handled her sister’s arrival. She has found a balance of helping her sister and just doing things for her. The funny thing is Christal is always trying to do Angel’s chores so she can surprise her. Angel and I had a chance to spend some time together just the two of us on Sunday. I was able to tell her how incredibly proud of her I am. She talked a lot about the struggle she’s having with wanting to live with us forever and still wanting to go home to her mom. In her mind she’s going to stay with us until she’s in college. The truth is I don’t have a clue what God’s plan is. I’m sure He will keep me on a need to know basis. Right now all I know is I’m just called to love them today… and I do.
Things we are praying for…
- That Matt and I would take advantage of the opportunities that God has given us to spend time with each other.
- That we are able to find the balance of teaching the girls about what Christmas is really about and still giving them gifts.
- That Christal would continue to submit to the authority that God has put in her life (she’s doing so much better).
- That Angel would find peace in where God has her today.
new job… December 10, 2008
I’ve been looking for a new job for a couple of weeks. One day when I was filling out applications online Icame across a position at KLOVE (it’s a christian radio station). I filled out the application, sent my resume and kind of chuckled at the thought of me working at positive, encouraging KLOVE. Don’t get me wrong I listen to KLOVE and like it, but even I have to admit it’s pretty cheesey sometimes. I got a call one day and had a phone interview for the Local Promotions Assistant position. I went through each step and in the end I got the job. It’s perfect for me. The benefits are amazing and the pay isn’t bad either 
.
After my first phone interview the girls and I started praying about the job. Every night they would pray that, “Mrs. Jess would get that job she wants.” I kept them updated on each interview and where I was in the process.
On the way home yesterday I told them I got the job. Angel responded with, “Yay! Jesus answered our prayers!” Christal of course echoed Angel’s response, but added, “Mrs. Jess, I’m so proud of you.” It made me smile because I tell her that alot… when she’s not in time out . I love that they can recognize God’s work in my life and believe that the things we pray for don’t fall on deaf ears. When we prayed last night they both thanked God for giving me the job. It was precious. God was good to give me a sweet moment with them. It made me love them all over again…
this is it… December 9, 2008
we’ve arrived. we are officially in the hard part. they warned us in our classes that things would be tough, that we would have children that are just plain disobedient, that there would be kids that would get mad and pee on themselves for spite… they were right. i knew that all these things were possible, but i hadn’t experienced any of it with angel. well sista’s a completely different story.
i had what might have been the most difficult weekend of my life… at least it felt that way. let’s just say at one point on saturday i was sitting on the couch folding laundry completely sobbing and at the end of my rope. one of the things i love about the Lord is the way He takes care of me. earlier that morning a friend of mine offered to take the girls for the night so matt and i could spend some time together. little did i know that i was going to need that time so desperately.
that’s exactly how i felt, desperate. desperate for something to give, desperate for a solution, desperate for this child to just stop, desperate for the grace it would take for me to forgive an unwilling child. i tried everything. all privileges were taken away, including going to the movies and the mall for her birthday… both firsts for christal. time out… that doesn’t really work with her. reasoning… there is none. explaining… she said she understood, but continued to do the opposite of what i asked. needless to say angie couldn’t pick the kids up fast enough. as soon as they left i was able to spend some time with the Lord and regroup.
i was reminded that i didn’t choose this. i chose the Lord and He chose this path. i’m just trying to be obedient. i was also reminded that because He chose it, He’s going to do it… through me. He has to love them through me, i can’t. “His grace is sufficient, for His power is made perfect in my weakness.” i’ve always loved that verse, but for the first time it feels like my reality. i wouldn’t say i’m to the point of “boasting in my weakness” yet, but if it continues like this it won’t be long .
matt and i were able to spend some time together and it was good to hear encouragement from him. sunday was a new day and along with a fresh start came new opportunities to be sassy and disobedient. i love these two girls more than i could have ever imagined. even though this is by far the hardest thing i’ve ever done, i wouldn’t trade it for the world. i’m so glad God saw fit to do this through us…
things we’re praying for…
- our marriage- seriously, it takes a toll and makes things 10 times harder.
- christal- that she would feel loved, safe and secure and that would lead to her not acting out so much. she’s also very behind academically.
- angel- that she doesn’t feel over shadowed by all the attention her sister is getting.
- me-that i can manage my time in a way that allows me to spend one on one time with both girls. that i will not lose my mind. that God would love them through me. that i wouldn’t hold grudges and then react on them (i found myself giving christal the silent treatment saturday. the funny thing is she never noticed. i was just pouting. i guess i showed her ).
- matt-that he would find his place in all this. it’s completely out of his comfort zone. that he would have patience with the girls and be open to whatever God has for us.
knock, knock… December 1, 2008
just to bring everyone up to speed, as of last monday christal is the newest member of our growing family. it’s been a crazy week and i am more confident than ever that she is the complete opposite of her sister (pronounced sistuh if you’re christal). opposite isn’t bad, it’s just thrown a wrench in my whole discipline plan. on christal’s first night we went over our house rules that are now proudly displayed on the front of my refrigerator. here they are…
- obey immediately and with a joyful heart.
- respect everyone.
- do your chores
- always tell the truth.
- when a door is shut, knock and wait to be invited in.
- do not go outside without permission from an adult.
we could have come up with a hundred other rules, but we tried to narrow it down to the basics. we went over each rule, had them both say it in their own words and give examples. i think it was one of my prouder parenting moments. if you break the rules you lose privileges and/or sit in time out. simple enough right? not so much. we’ve spent quite a bit of time in time out and the tv was taken away for the rest of the day on saturday and then again on sunday. let’s just say that yesterday, in an attempt to encourage christal about the things she was doing right the only rule she hadn’t broken was the knocking on the door rule. so i made sure she knew how proud i was of her and told her that she follows that rule the best.
on the way home from church last night we talked about what we learned. i was impressed that they actually learned stuff from the sermon and understood it. the one thing that was most important to them was worshipping God in every part of their lives. we all shared the thing we were going to work on this week and angel started by saying, ”i’m really good at being nice to everyone so i don’t need to work on that. i want to worship God by not making Christmas about getting presents.” i let her know that i agreed she is good at being kind and i thought her desired to change the way she looked at Christmas was a great one. then it was christal’s turn. “i’m really good at knocking on the door and waiting to be invited in so i don’t have to work on that do i mrs. jessica (she says jess-e-ca)? i guess i could try to behave so i can have a birthday party. i’ll even invite God and Jesus. they would like that worship, huh?”
what do you say to that? she was as serious as can be. it’s going to be interesting to say the least…
things we’re praying for…
- that God would give us wisdom on how to focus on our marriage and make our relationship a priority.
- that i will be able to adjust my time so angel and christal both get one on one time with me.
- that angel will not feel overshadowed by christal.
- that christal will adjust to school. today is her first day at her 3rd school this year. she was pretty nervous about it and her self perception isn’t very good. pray that she can understand who she is in Christ and how that changes things (a tall order for a 6 year old).
- that God would continue to lead matt and i in each step of the process,give us wisdom in making decisions and love them through us with His steady love.
