Thursday, January 3, 2013

Welcome to 2013



We are 3 days in to the New Year.  2013 is  63 hours old for me.  Hubby and I are back at work, but the kids are still on break through the weekend.  So, Nana the Wonder Sitter is pulling quadruple duty!  So far, so good, but I can tell it is the 2nd day – my phone has rung a LOT with One Directions “What Makes You Beautiful” (my ring tone for when the Twisters call me).  Silly questions.  About how to save files on USB drives.  And ice cream that’s been in the freezer “for months and no one has touched it.” And the dog’s birthday.  I’m not kidding.

When I was checking my email after lunch, I saw the ever popular Ree Drummond Pioneer Woman had a new blog post.  That I simply MUST check out.  I love her.  I love her writing.  And I love when my husband prepares her recipes for us.  YUM!  And, she responded to me on Twitter.  Once.  I have proof:




It is called “Resolutions” and I was glad I clicked.  I enjoyed her take on things. It inspired me.  I hate resolutions.  Promises I can’t keep.  Pledges I don’t stick to.  And since I can’t remember what I had for breakfast most days, it’s hard to even remember them.  But, I thought her idea was cute, so I thought I would give it a shot.  Here goes…


R ead my Bible daily (Thanks to YouVersion and amazing reading plans, this one will be easy!)
E at less. Exercise more.
S low and Steady wins the race. Rome wasn't built in a day. The longest journey starts with one step. Just Do It!
O wn less junk.  De-clutter. And don’t bring in new clutter!
L earn something new.  Like how to sew.  Or sign language! Anyone want to teach me (either?)
U nderstand my husband more. I love him.  All the time.  I don’t understand him all the time…
T alk less.  Listen more.  I am bad at that…
 I nvest in my children.  Time. Life. Lessons.
O vercome obstacles.  Don’t let them be walls.
N otice life around me.  Don’t get caught up in my own little world.

So, what do you think? Are those achievable?  Sound like good ones for me?  I am going to print this out and have it where I can see it daily to remind me of my goals.  What are yours?  I would love to hear what you can come up with using “resolution” as a guide!  Share them!
 

Friday, December 28, 2012

Just Know You're Not Alone



As I sit here thinking about one year ago today when we were rooming in with our tiny son for the very first time, the stark differences from 365 days ago really stand out to me.  We have come SO far!  Finn, of course, has made the most strides, but as a family we have made some serious changes as well.  A different home.  A different school for the big kids.  A different job for me.  The girls are really growing and changing into fantastic young women.  Jake gets smarter and funnier every day.  And of course, sweet Finn. He is standing (while holding on) all the time, babbling up a storm – especially in the car, eating like a teenager (all the time and lots of it), and generally being a perfect 14 month old (even exhibiting some signs of fit throwing toddlers are renowned for)! He even graduated from his infant bucket seat to a big boy car seat!



Christmas celebrations were fun and memorable as usual.  My kids were spoiled by grandparents on all sides, and we were lucky enough to be chosen by some dear family members as their “angel family” for the holiday, so we were all spoiled with sweet love from our “Kansas Santas.”  Starting last week with office parties, school parties, and the usual hustle and bustle, it has been a great Christmas for the Weavers.  We spent Christmas Eve at my parents’ house opening gift with them, as well as Gigi and Papa Les.  Christmas Day, the Six Dream Weavers opened presents here in our home before hosting our very first holiday meal ever!  We just realized in the (almost) 7 years we have been married we’ve never hosted!  We had my parents here, and had a nice turkey lunch with ALL the fixings, and then we all played with the kids’ new toys and games. So fun!  Later that afternoon it was off to Aunt Paula’s for more festivities!  There was a threat of a severe snowstorm (which never materialized), so our celebrations were not as originally planned, but we did finally get to see Britt’s parents the day after Christmas and have a nice meal with them as well.  Fun and crazy few days as usual!  It was great to be able to keep it low key, stay basically in one place, and ENJOY being a family of 6!  Finn didn’t really “get” it all, but he sure is enjoying his new toys, warm fuzzy PJ’s, and all the crazy food and fun!  Christmas night, 5 of the Dream Weavers went to the movies to see “Parental Guidance” while Finn stayed with Nana and Grandpa.  It was a hilarious movie and an awesome good time for us as a family.  We all really enjoyed it, and it was a nice way to spend time with the girls before they left.  Too bad Jake got sick from too much movie popcorn and threw up all over our room in the middle of the night afterwards! Reminds me of another Christmas when Jake threw up

Finn

Jake

Emma

Lara
Unfortunately, today has started off on a bit of a sour note. Emma and Lara are still in the City with their other dad, and I am missing them like crazy.  They sent me a text with a picture of all the snow they are getting down there.  It’s just cold here – no snow. Jake spent the night at Aunt Paula and Uncle Brad’s last night, so he’s not home.  Britt is sick with the stomach bug, and Finn has a high fever.  Even though this is not ideal, it is still so good to be HOME.  I know Jake will be home later today, the girls will be home this weekend, and we will all be a family FOREVER!  Home is not just the place where you live.  Home is where you belong.   Home feels good.  Secure.  Safe.  Warm.  Comfortable. It’s where you want to end up after a rough day.  Or a tough season in life. So glad to be HOME.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

‘Tis the Season



I love being a Weaver!  I love that when we go places, people say “Oh! It’s the Weavers!” or “Hey Weavers!”  It feels good to belong to something so good.  This family is pretty amazing.  I am so incredibly blessed to have found a man 7 years ago that loved not only me, but our Lord, and my crazy red-headed three year old twin girls – UNCONDITIONALLY!  He never once hesitated in including them in our times together, and he has been the best Daddy to them they could ever want.  Then, adding our two boys to the mix just made us feel complete.  Completely CRAZY at times, but full.  Content.  Blessed beyond measure.  And this Christmas, the blessings have flowed from more places than we ever dreamed possible.

This has been QUITE a year.  Last year at this time we had just moved our sweet little 4.5 pound miracle to his own room in the big boy side of the NICU, and we were hoping and praying for a Christmas at home.  Every day since then has been a gift.  Sometimes, the gift wasn’t what we expected, or thought we needed at the time, but a gift nonetheless.  And that sentiment has followed us to this Christmas season where we celebrate the birth of our Savior.  We have been overwhelmed and downright surprised by the things others have done for us.  The latest Godsend came in a Christmas greeting card earlier this week:


We were again shocked and awed to tears by the overpowering love being poured out and shown to our family.  We don’t deserve it, but we truly appreciate it!  So, as Britt and I were talking about it, he said to me “You know, we didn’t have this yesterday, and we don’t need it today.  Let’s bless others with it.  And include the kids.”  So, we did.  Last night after dinner, we went to Wal-Mart to find people who could use a little Christmas right now. 


There are 2 kinds of people in this world.  Givers and Takers.  Now, this isn’t to say that there isn’t a little of each in every single one of us, but for the most part you can be categorized one way or the other.  Here’s how that plays out with the Dream Weavers: Britt – giver; Betsey – taker; Emma – GIVER; Lara – Taker; Jake – giver (most of the time – his whims change like the Oklahoma winds, but he is only 5 after all!).  So, while I was completely on board for this adventure, a tiny piece of me wanted to keep it for ourselves.  So glad the “giver” in me won out!  We were blessed in return when we got to spread a little Christmas cheer and wish complete strangers a Merry Christmas.  I interviewed everyone after we got home, and here is how our giving spree went:

BETSEY
How did you pick the person you were giving your card to?
I saw a woman with lots of baby stuff in her cart including diapers and formula.  I know how expensive that stuff can be! I wanted to be helpful to her and her family.

What was the response?
She looked bewildered and asked what it was for.  I told her it was for a Merry Christmas!  She said Thank you and moved on to get milk.

How did it make you feel?
Mission Accomplished!  I am not one to approach strangers, so I was glad it was over, and I was glad I got to be a blessing to someone else.

*A few moments later, I came around a corner, and saw her handing the card off to another patron.  That REALLY made me smile!

JAKE
How did you pick the person you were giving your card to?
‘Cause she looked like she needed some money to buy all the stuff in her cart (lots of paper plates, foil pans, cups, etc.)

What was the response?
She looked at it and said thank you

How did it make you feel?
Made me happy to give it to her and say Merry Christmas!

EMMA
How did you pick the person you were giving your card to?
This lady had 2 kids in her cart – one baby and a toddler.  She might need money for diapers and she looked like a nice person.  I had to chase her down to get to her!

What was the response?
She looked surprised and asked what it was for.  I told her it was to wish her a Merry Christmas and she hugged me.

How did it make you feel?
It made me feel better knowing I was doing something good for someone else

LARA
How did you pick the person you were giving your card to?
This lady looked like she was last minute Christmas shopping and she might need some money.

What was the response?
She looked it over a few times, and then asked what it was for.  I told her it was for whatever she wanted.  She told me she didn’t need it and to give it to someone else who needs it more.  So I started looking for another person…

LARA’S 2ND TRY
How did you pick the person you were giving your card to?
I saw a lady pushing a cart with a baby in it and her mom was with her too and I thought she might need it.

What was the response?
The mom didn’t say anything but the grandma said “Bless her with 100 more!” to me and gave me a hug!

How did it make you feel?
I felt grateful because I was able to do that for someone else.

BRITT
How did you pick the person you were giving your card to?
I had seen this woman in the store earlier, and when I saw her a second time I started to follow her.  She had a little toddler boy and an infant in a car seat and I thought she could use a blessing.

What was the response?
She was very accepting of the gift.  She was appreciative, and VERY surprised!

How did it make you feel?
It made me cry!  Just like when others do it for me.


*I saw this woman a few seconds later, and she was just staring at the card and she was just so happy and surprised.  I also saw her again after she had checked out, and she thanked us again and wished us a Merry Christmas!

Best moment of the night?  As we were checking out with our ingredients for the piecakin Britt was making for his work Christmas lunch, Lara (the taker), said to us, “I really hope we do this again next year!”

Merry Christmas!