Happy Birthday Jesus!

In a recent conversation with my good friend Cheryl, I said something along the lines about how I wish this whole Santa thing didn't exist. Well, not really, but... I mean, I get the joy of Christmas morning and having the gifts and the anticipation, but what Christmas has become as the adult who is supposed to pull that off is overwhelming hard. My husband and I grew up with two very different versions of Santa and trying to mesh those two is very difficult. His parents were over the top. Santa was very real. I grew up so poor that Santa was never really going to bring us those elaborate gifts that kids ask for, but never really need. I am pretty sure my siblings and I just figured it out along the way and understood. We continued to celebrate Jesus' birthday all the same. My husband had to be sat down in 5th grade and told what had really been going on all those years. Devastating.  Tears and all. So, I struggle on how big to do this whole thing. What to say. What to make up. What to really push the envelope with on the truth.
Then I read this....
http://theradicallife.org
About how Santa really was  a Saint and really is alive and well in heaven and his story is true. In essence we have just become bad story tellers. It's a good read.
Still though, when kids grow up and Santa fades, what do we want to still be real for them? This is where I firmly believe that Christmas has to be celebrated as Jesus' birthday first and foremost and then all the others are secondary. I think we all forget this sometimes. I mean really why does this holiday of Christmas exist in the first place? I am trying to make sure my family knows the underlying reason of the season at a small age, so that when they are older, the truth will always be that we are celebrating the birth of Christ.

Okay, so here was my recent reminder of why we are having "Happy Birthday Jesus" at our house.
At 10:45 a.m. we have both kids dressed in Christmas finest to go see Santa. We drive to Cabella's where we have went in years past, talking up the awesomeness of this visit to see Santa, to be told that Santa left at 11:00. Okay. We call Bass Pro. Santa will be there until 8:00 p.m. We head that way to be handed a card that says to come back at 7:30 p.m. because Santa is all booked up. It's  only 1:00 for goodness sakes. We leave head across the street to Grapevine Mills Mall, with this almost 3 year old who needs to see Santa and a 6 month old who needs a bottle. When the "Santa Express Train" almost runs me over, I am pretty sure I lost sight of the 'tis the season part of Christmas and we went home. We ate a late lunch, took a late nap, regrouped and headed back to our wait time at Bass Pro at 7:30. We met Santa. After 8 hours, we finally met Santa.
Here I what I have to show for it:

Two kids on Santa's lap. Neither are smiling and one isn't even looking. Now with all seriousness, I mean really, how cute is this Santa?! Perfect.

 

Madison told him she wanted a balloon. He made her repeat it as if he didn't hear her correctly. Asked, "Really?!" and laughed. She later told me as we were leaving the store that she forgot to tell Santa that she really wanted a bicycle and a wagon. :-)

After this very long day, we come home to have a late dinner. I am preparing something fast and furious, Madison has made this:

"Look Mommy, everyone came to see the baby Jesus."

 

Yes. Yes they did sweet girl. What if... Just what if people today could go through that much trouble to see Jesus on Christmas as they do for Santa? Just what if...

So, we'll continue to light our candles and sing Happy Birthday to Jesus. Because when the red suit and beard fade into the teen years, Jesus' love and Mercy will continue to shine upon us. Hopefully, we'll still gather around to see the baby Jesus.

Merry, Merry Christmas.

Happy, Happy Birthday Jesus!

 

 

 





It's Fall Y'all

Boy do I have some catching up to do...
It's now Thanksgiving break. Thanksgiving will be next week and I haven't blogged or even hardly turned on the computer since August. So, for those of you still keeping up (most have given up on me by now, I am sure!) Here is a fast forward of little man Samuel:

Samuel is now 5 months old. Holy moly, I know. He is so laid back and easy going. He really is such an incredibly nice baby. Madison was too, so for all those people who said #2 was going to be just so terrible and yada, yada... I am telling you that it is possible to have two very good kids! He laughs and squeals with delight. He just looks at his daddy and giggles for no reason and all, and he laughs the loudest and hardest at his big sister. She of course loves this and for some reason feels like that is always a good indication that she needs to come closer and yell her words in his face. He of course thinks that's funny too! He has one bottom tooth coming in and is on all fours rocking steadily back and forth. He flips and turns and can get any where he wants, just not by real forward movement yet.

~~~~

Staying home is a lot of fun. It's hard and stressful on lots of days, but I am here, with them, being a mom and I love that. I definitely feel that we made the right decision and I am where I am supposed to be.  We go to pre-school on Tuesday / Thursday and Kidzone Academy at Gracepointe and GP church has been wonderful in so many ways for our family. We are now attending church there on Sundays and I have started the Moms of Grace group there. It started as a little side job for me and a place to keep Madison with kids her own age but It has done more for us as a family than we ever imagined. I love how God already had than plan in motion for us, before we even knew we needed it!! :-)

~~~~

So, we have been busy making memories and going places and doing things. I feel less rushed and less stressed and therefore these things have just been plain ole fun.

We went to the Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch and it's beyond darling. If you are local and have never been there (I hadn't) you totally need to go.

Our rule was that we had to do a really good job at pictures first and then Madison could do bounce house. Boy did she try really, really hard!

Big Thanks to our "babysitter" Grace Anne to tackled that big slide with little Madison. She loved it!

 

On a separate night, we had our pumpkin craving tradition. Madison picked out a cat face for her pumpkin this year. She was actually very patient watching this whole process take place this year.

She really is helpful in so many ways. She goes and gets stuff for us when we need her help, she tells Samuel to get his fingers out of his mouth and in this next photo she was telling him to "look at the camera." so I could take their photo. He just loves her face, I swear!! :-)

Daddy had a great pumpkin ....

Then came Halloween. I am not a fan of Halloween on many levels for many reasons, but we actually did have a lot of fun this year. We trick or treated at Jason's parents house again this year and Madison was well loved in the form of Giant chocolate bars. She got so used to people saying, "Oh, you're so cute, here have some extra." That she stopped waiting for them to say it and just started taking it. We had a character parade at school, a festival at church and then actual Halloween night. Thanks to "Fireman Sam" we knew just what Madison would be this year. I had the vision, but Jason's mom had the talent and those two together produced an award winning (well - it should have won some award somewhere, right?!) cutest firefighter little girl ever!!

We tried really, really, really hard (no, really I did) to find the right or really any Dalmatian costume, for Samuel. When I failed, we made him a little monkey, which actually was perfect for him to be his own little person.

We just continue to add wonderful memories to our life and we just so happen to have some stinkin' cute photos to remember them by!

I am going to try harder to write these memories down. Somehow I think I'll want all this on paper someday!

I continue to be anti-princess, anti-Justin Beiber, anti-television, and anti-Ipad, although I am loosening up on the television on some tiresome, rainy days, and I am thinking about computer games now that Madison is almost three. Being anti - is hard some days but it's worth it. We play, we explore, we read, we make, we cook, we create, we talk and it's paying off. Just listen to Madison talk to sing or have a conversation and I think we'd all agree that it's worth those hard, exhausting days. Hopefully she'll be ready to teach Samuel everything - in case I become anti of being anti in the future!!

Happy Fall Y'all. I hope to check back in during the winter time!!

 

August 1st

Yesterday was August 1st, 2013. Every year on August 1st I panic. I mean real, makes you sweat, panic. My chest hurts, my teeth clench, my head aches, because August 1st means that summer is over, the school building is open and I am heading back to work. This has been every August 1st for the last 9 years. I am that teacher that has to have everything ready before in-service starts. I do not wait to the last minute. The cleaning crew has never once had a chance to move my furniture back. I am there early, I leave late, I sweat with the a/c off because the district wants to save money, and I am back at school. This has been my August 1st every year for the last 9 years... until yesterday. Yesterday was August 1st and I slept in, I had coffee, I played with my friend Cheryl and her kids, my kids took long naps, and I took photos of my 2 month old son because this year on August 1st I am a mommy only.
The Lord has blessed my family leaps and bounds over the last 2 and a half years and those blessing have only multiplied with our prayers and our trust that God knows the desire of my heart and he will not fail us. Two and a half years ago our daughter was born in January. I went back to work after spring break that year and then only had two months until summer vacation when I could be home with her again. The next school year I moved from teaching kindergarten to teach second grade in hopes of having a little bit of an easier schedule. I did. Madison was in daycare full time. I have a wonderful group of kiddos and parents and I felt like I was a successful teacher and a successful mom at the same time. It was hard no doubt, but it worked. We were down to only one income by January that year and I had no choice but to work. It was fine. I still had a tugging on my heart that I wanted to be home more, that I wanted to do more as a mom, but this was how it needed to be for now. I finished that school year with ease and went home for another summer with Madison when she was a year and a half old. That August, I ached when it was time to go back to school. My priorities had shifted, I loved being home as a mom, and when it was time for Madison to go back to daycare I cried - I do mean cried! That August I started a new school year and every day prayed over my classroom, my kiddos, my family, and prayed that we would know what the right decision would be for raising our family. We found out that we were pregnant with baby #2 in September, right after school started. That school year was my ninth year of teaching and by far my most difficult one. I knew in October that there was no way that I could raise two kids the way that I wanted to if work everyday was this hard. It was more emotionally and physically exhausting than anything I had every experienced. I cried a lot. I was angry a lot and I felt that Madison in no way got the best of me and that was not fair to her. We just started praying that if were meant to be that God would show us where to go and how to make the desire to be a mom first work.
In May of 2013 I resigned. We totally went out on Faith knowing that this was our best decision and that God would provide our every need. Our finances did not work on paper, but we knew that God was telling us that is was okay and to trust him, so we did.
Two weeks after Samuel was born, I interviewed for a job at a church pre-school with my friend Cheryl. I got the job. She and I will be co-teaching the pre-k class on T/Th together. Both of our children will go with me. This extra money will help with groceries. What a blessing. Now we feel like we will squeak by and be okay. Then, of course, God had even bigger plans for us and about a month ago my husband got a small promotion with the month end bonuses promised to surpass what he has been making. Don't you love that? We stepped out on faith trusting God that he will meet our needs and in 2 short months, he has done just that and answered our prayers.
I just absolutely love that God answers even the smallest of prayers. Nothing is too big or too small for Him.
So, today is August 2nd. I am not at school. Both of my children are napping. I am blogging and having an afternoon cup of coffee. What an amazing feeling of joy and happiness that fills my heart. I sometimes have to stop and say, oh my goodness I am really doing this! This is who I get to spend my days with now...

 

 

Random Blogs...

I just love reading blogs. I read blogs of people that I know and that I don't know. I love lists. I love when people can give me the top #5 or top #25 of something. I love to read all the heartfelt cheesy, inspiring, make you cry at the words - blogs. It's just fun. I even like to go back and read my own blogs and see how I'm doing!
I am a fan of inspiring words. I don't think that I inspire too many, but I like it when their words serve a purpose for a bigger cause. I have kept a notebook since college with phrases and stories that have inspired me. I'd cut them out and glue them in this book. I'd hear a quote on a movie to on a commercial and write it in this book. I'd print out a story so good that you have to remember it and put it in this book. That's why I enjoy blogs. I have read a few good ones lately from people that I have no idea who they are. Someone out there may enjoy them too!

For Parents: http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-10250/11-things-i-wish-every-parent-knew.html

For Teacher Moms: http://www.workingmomsagainstguilt.com/2013/07/the-teacher-mom-2/

For Daughters: http://wearethatfamily.com/2013/03/raising-daughters-in-a-world-that-devalues-them-7-things-we-must-tell-them/

For Families: http://carolmcleodblog.wordpress.com/2013/07/17/if-i-could-do-it-all-over-again/

Happy Reading!
Enjoy!

 

Madison's "Perfect" Eyes

On July 10th Madison had eye surgery. We took her in her pajamas in the wee hours of the morning, let her wear her favorite pink sweater in the middle of the summer and her princess slipper shoes that her Nana bought her that she loves, but I turn my nose up at - pretty pink princesses - please!
She knew she was going back to see the eye doctor. Jason told her about the "gas" that would make her sleepy and to not be scared of the mask they would put over her face. She talked about it like she understood and said she wouldn't be scared. Then she asked what she was going to do at the doctor and Jason said they were going to "fix her eyes." She said, "Why, what's wrong with them?" We just smiled and looked at each other and said, "Nothing. Your eyes are perfect!"
Dr. Beauchamp did the surgery at the Cook's surgery center in Plano. He has the most perfect bedside manner and calm voice. He is older and old school and wonderful. He was recommended to us and he proved to be fantastic.
He performed the surgery in both eyes so that the muscles would be symmetrical. They went to the membrane below the eye, cut the muscles, and put a stitch in each side.
It was a day surgery, but it really it me when they took Madison back to the prep room to sit on a hospital bed to do vitals. I cried as they went over everything again and again. If I can say anything at all about this surgery it would be that we were well informed. So many people made sure to explain everything to us again and again. The surgery nurse came in to explain, the anesthesiologist came in to explain and Dr. Beauchamp came in again as well. They gave Madison a video to watch and some "happy juice" to relax her and they were carrying her off through the surgery doors, leaving us behind, before we knew it. Within 45 minutes Dr. Beauchamp came in to tell us that everything went just perfectly and that Madison did great. He told us that she was really a good girl and he bragged on how neat she is for just a two and a half year old. Of course, we already knew this! :-)
She was a absolute mess when she came out from under the anesthesia. She was scared and panicked, rightfully so. This part was really scary. We could not calm her down. Madison always rolls with the punches, takes a tumble and gets right back up. She doesn't cry often and for very long, so this was hard to watch, especially since she just had eye surgery and now she is crying bloody tears.
Eventually she just melted into our arms and we took her home. I sat in the back of the car with her and we snuggled the whole way home. She took a 3 hour nap shortly after we were home and woke up ready to play. She didn't ask many questions and really didn't seem to even recall the morning. We were told the "happy juice" could do that. We expected to have to nurse her back to health for a few days, and she didn't need us to do that! She was ready to go as usual. I do have to admit I was really looking forward to snuggling on the couch for a few days, but Madison refused to slow down! We have had our post op follow up and the doctor was very pleased. Said the eyes were "perfect." She has no crossing of the eye for long distance and a slight one for short distance. We are going back mid-August for a recheck and will see if we need  a new prescription or not.
All in all, we are very glad we did the surgery and are extremely pleased with the results.
Here is Madison two weeks after the surgery ready to dance like a ballerina, falling, tripping, sliding, and laughing as she goes. Just Perfect we say!

1 month!

Samuel is officially one month. He is so strong and is such a good baby! He is very content and easy going. He puts up with a lot from his big sister. He's starting to be awake more often and smiles. He kicks and rolls from side to side -- not over, just sort of rocks. It's just fun to watch him.

Madison is s very good big sister. She takes really good care of him and is really into wanting to help with his bottles. She wants to help burp him and thinks that is really funny. All of her babies need diapers now just like her little baby brother. We are very lucky that she is so proud because this job is really, really hard!

The Vaughan's are going to make it -- we just may survive another month...we think!

Check back at month #2! :-)

 

 

Summer Fun

Hey -- I have quit my job to stay home so this summer is a true test to what is to come. M is 2 and a half and S is brand new. It's 100+ in good ole Texas so we are limited to what we can do on a daily basis. We are trying. At least S is sleeping a lot still, so he can stay inside and M and I can play a little bit outside.
The summer started with Mamma taking Madison to swim lessons every day for two weeks. This really helped me ease in to being home with both kids - with one gone! Bless Mamma!

Then we've headed outside for some fun-- sweaty fun...

Still too hot for Samuel so we've had to keep him inside.

Here is what Madison and Mommy have come up with so far --

Sticker art

wagon rides -- with rain boots of course!

We built a house out of a box and made beautiful art for the walls

we've baked cookies with shapes

shaving cream in our bathing suits so we could rinse off in the sprinkler

 

So... Mommy has worked her tail off with 2 kids at home, what does daddy do for his fun?

Takes M for ice cream!

He got off way too easy!

This was her very first trip to the ice cream shop and she ordered pink ice cream, of course and had a wonderful outing with her daddy! :-)

 

 

 

 

Introducing...

Samuel's birth announcements were so darling. The photo shoot to get them was a nightmare in my book, even though the photographer kept insisting that it was normal. Madison was hyper as usual, so that was no surprise, but we scheduled it at night around her dinner time. Mistake #1. Then as soon as I got there Samuel needed a bottle. Mistake #2. I fed him and almost immediately, took off his diaper for the naked photos and he pooped all over me. I do mean all over me - in my white, borrowed linen shirt. It was all over the floor and my feet. Just awful and that was before the family shoot. Needless to say, we never got those. We took the one photo of Samuel and Madison below and Jason left with her for her first stop to the ice cream shop!
Samuel who sleeps all the time (still) refused to sleep for these photos. He finally fell asleep and the snap of the camera woke him up! I was exhausted -- so I am sure poor Robin was fed up with us, although she was very patient and very nice about it all!
Needless to say I am over the top pleased with how cute the announcements came out considering how chaotic the night seemed.
Here they are! :-)

Front

Back

 

www.robinganslephotography.com

 

 

 

Meet Samuel Henry Vaughan

We kept Samuel's middle name a secret until he was born. He was named after Jason's dad, Steven Henry (aka:Pappa), who is an only child and was named after his dad, Henry Newton. Samuel is his first grandson, so we found it fitting that little Samuel would be Mr. Samuel Henry.
Jason's parents were our first visitors in the hospital. When Jason's dad walked in there was a card placed in Samuel's bed that said Pappa.

When he opened it, this is what he found:

Front

Back

Needless to say, Pappa was very surprised and very touched. Jason's dad cried, which made Jason cry, which made Jason's mom cry, which made Samuel and I know that we had chosen the right name. :-)

Then Nana and Grandpa, who were in charge of Madison all week (BLESS them!) came to visit and our family of four was complete!

Nana and Mamma:

Jason's sister Stefani and Joe came with thier new baby in tow. Samuel's cousin Capri is two months old.

Stefani made with wreath for Samuel's door -- Yes, she is THAT crafty!

Samuel spent 7 days at the hospital before we were able to take him home. Needless to say, when the time came to put him in in the car seat and leave the hospital, we were all very excited.

I am pretty sure that I did not do anything else but cuddle and hold Samuel for the next 24 hours. It was so good to just hold him, for as long as I wanted, in our own home.

It's so nice to just all be home all together. Everyone is adjusting pretty well. Madison is having her moments of being two and a half and not being the only center of attention now. However, she is also very helpful, which is true to her nature. He wants to hold him and feed him. She's obsessed with him NEEDING his pacifier at all moments, when of course he could care less. She wants to "pat, pat" him and we use the phrase, "soft and gentle" enough now that I am pretty sure those will be Samuel's first words!
Our life is good and we are so thankful for the friends and family that have kept us in their thoughts and prayers. We all home and healthy and couldn't be happier!