*Spoilers: This post features copious amounts of vomit*
So this past Thursday around 2:30 AM I was sleeping peacefully in my bed, my lovely wife beside me, and then I am startled by someone running into my room yelling "Daddy!". As a side note I startle very easily when I am sleeping and that usually results in me jumping of bed in some kind of action kung fu pose ready to thwart whatever villain has dared entered into my secret sanctum. So, my kung fu pose is met by my 4 year old with the phrase every parents loves to hear at 2:30 AM "My sister is throwing up in her bed!" So off I run into the girls room to find that indeed my 3 year old and her bedding is thoroughly covered in an impressive amount of vomit. So I grab her and take her into the bathroom to start the cleaning process. I peel off the clothes, and start trying to get the huge chunks out of her hair. Soon I am joined by my wife who has settled my 4 year old and helps with the boo placing her in the tub and starts to give her a bath.
I begin the vomit bedding/toy round up. My 4 year old just needs her stuff Ernie and her princess blanket and she is good to go. However the boo requires a minimum of 3 blankets 4 baby dolls/toys and on some occasions a glow stick. One of the greatest rewards/treats she gets is to take something to bed. When cleaning the house and we find some recently lost toy (Lightning McQueen or one of her assorted Green Lanterns) and present it to her the first thing she asks is "Can I take it to bed?" Fortunately tonight only 4 blankets got soiled along with her pj's and 3 baby dolls.
Finally about 3:30 we put both girls back to bed in our room hoping the nights adventures are over. Little did we know this as the opening act to a weeks worth of fun!
6:30 AM Thursday morning we go to get our son out of his room to find that the boo is finally learning to share with him. Only she has shared her stomach bug with him. So we get him out, bath him, and gather up the clothes. I get to work a bit late but by the time I get home everyone is feeling better if a bit worn out. Friday goes by without incident until bed time. My 4 year old starts complaining that her tummy hurts. Yup that's right.
So by 2:30 AM (and why is it always 2:30 AM when kids vomit?) on Saturday morning my 4 year old comes into the room to tell me that she has already thrown up. Fortunatly she had made it to the bathroom and threw up in the toilet all by herself (poor thing) however, she would precede to throw up every hour on the hour until sometime around 12:30-1 that afternoon. She was joined by her father around 10 AM that morning.So at this point it is Saturday around mid day and 4 out of 5 people in our house is going through this nasty stomach bug.
This is not our first stomach bug of the year. It is our 3rd. So by Sunday evening when everyone is finally settled down and all the vomiting mercifully stopped well over 24 hours ago my wife remarks "I must have a cast iron stomach. We've had 3 stomach bugs and I hadn't caught one yet!"
Guess who got sick early this morning? Yup you guessed it! The wife. However, even as I write this she is already feeling better, after all she is a mom and mom's are tough! She recovers faster then all of us and toughs her way through everything. Whenever I am sick I end up looking/sounding like this guy.
So Honey I love you and I hope/pray you feel better soon as the whole house will soon descend into further chaos without you!
Glen
P.S Dear Reader. I apologize for the atrocious grammar, spelling, ramblyness and fictional words in this particular post. My editor is sick.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Ants Invasion
This past weekend my lovely wife went on our churches ladies retreat. This also involved my mother-in-law, and my step-mom. So, for those of you doing the math this meant that everyone that most consistently helps in keeping the children were all gone out of town at the same time. I took Friday off to stay home with the kids and get in some good daddy time.
Friday went rather well. The girls helped me clean up (as much as preschoolers can help with that) and my son successfully ate all the fruit in the house. We went to Chik-Fil-A for lunch and that night the girls and I went to see Winnie the Pooh with my dad, while my father in law kept my son. Saturday we stayed at home and watched disney movies, played outside in the woods, and my neighbor let the girls climb on his backhoe.
Sunday was the challenge. I had to get myself and all three kids ready for church. This is an event every single Sunday morning even with my wife there much less with out her. Being Associate Pastor I usually get there around 9:15 or so to start getting everything ready for worship.
8:00 AM Sunday morning and I am doing well! Everyone has eaten breakfast. I have clothes picked out, which is quite the challenge for me, I am dressed, my girls are dressed, and my son is content wobbling around and pushing his chair. Then my youngest daughter, the boo, goes "Daddy! There's an ant!" and I look down at the chair next to the couch and indeed there is an ant. There are several ants actually. Wait a minute that's like a huge line of ants, doing the conga, going under the couch. So I pull back the couch and the chair and I find an Alien Ant Farm!!
Well, it seemed like that. I see a huge mass of black that is not dirt, but ants, swarming on a leftover lollipop that was under the couch. The boo starts screaming because she is scared of ants. Since she is screaming my oldest starts screaming, because she climbed on the counter and then my son took her chair so she is stuck up there and is afraid the ants will get her. So I go get her down from the kitchen counter, the boo is now crying from the ants and my son has walked over the ants and started picking up things from the ant covered section of the floor and is trying to eat them. So I pick my son up and take away his ant candy and he starts screaming. Around this time the phone rings and one of my Sunday School teachers is sick and needs someone to cover for him and his normal backup is unavailable today. I may never actually make it to church!
I put my son and my oldest in her room so they can play, without eating ants. I then go get the Clorox water spray bottle and begin to hose down the ants. While I am spraying them the boo cheers me on saying "Daddy! You are my hero!" After about 5 minutes of spraying I finally have quelled the ant invasion. Fantastic!
Wait, the furniture is all over the place, I'm in my dress clothes, and now there is a lovely mixture of dead ants, dirt and clorox all over the living room floor. So I get out some towels and the swifter and begin mopping like it's closing time at the Homestead. I get done with the mopping and my oldest comes out of her room locking her brother in there and then she sees more ants and runs and jumps on the couch with the boo. Some ants have tried to escape! They were still hiding under the couch when I moved it. So I move the couch back, with the girls on it, and the boo loses her balance and falls onto the floor into the remaining pile of ants. The boo is not amused. So I get her up and brush off the ants and place her on the couch. I defeat the remaining ants and mop that area as well. By this point I have mopped the entire living room and a decent part of the kitchen without bleaching any of my dress clothes. I finish putting the furniture back and now it is 8:45.
I scramble to find someone to cover the SS class (thanks Jason!) and to finish getting the kids ready. On the way to the church the girls discuss the excitement of the morning. My oldest remarks "I helped Daddy! I squished one with my foot!" so the Boo responds "and I squished them with my belly!" I finally laugh for the first time that morning, realizing I was stressing over unimportant things. We make it to church right around 9:20! Victory!
I take away from this weekend one very important fact. How my wife ever gets anywhere with three kids is a miracle that I don't appreciate nearly enough. :-)
Glen
Friday went rather well. The girls helped me clean up (as much as preschoolers can help with that) and my son successfully ate all the fruit in the house. We went to Chik-Fil-A for lunch and that night the girls and I went to see Winnie the Pooh with my dad, while my father in law kept my son. Saturday we stayed at home and watched disney movies, played outside in the woods, and my neighbor let the girls climb on his backhoe.
Sunday was the challenge. I had to get myself and all three kids ready for church. This is an event every single Sunday morning even with my wife there much less with out her. Being Associate Pastor I usually get there around 9:15 or so to start getting everything ready for worship.
8:00 AM Sunday morning and I am doing well! Everyone has eaten breakfast. I have clothes picked out, which is quite the challenge for me, I am dressed, my girls are dressed, and my son is content wobbling around and pushing his chair. Then my youngest daughter, the boo, goes "Daddy! There's an ant!" and I look down at the chair next to the couch and indeed there is an ant. There are several ants actually. Wait a minute that's like a huge line of ants, doing the conga, going under the couch. So I pull back the couch and the chair and I find an Alien Ant Farm!!
Well, it seemed like that. I see a huge mass of black that is not dirt, but ants, swarming on a leftover lollipop that was under the couch. The boo starts screaming because she is scared of ants. Since she is screaming my oldest starts screaming, because she climbed on the counter and then my son took her chair so she is stuck up there and is afraid the ants will get her. So I go get her down from the kitchen counter, the boo is now crying from the ants and my son has walked over the ants and started picking up things from the ant covered section of the floor and is trying to eat them. So I pick my son up and take away his ant candy and he starts screaming. Around this time the phone rings and one of my Sunday School teachers is sick and needs someone to cover for him and his normal backup is unavailable today. I may never actually make it to church!
I put my son and my oldest in her room so they can play, without eating ants. I then go get the Clorox water spray bottle and begin to hose down the ants. While I am spraying them the boo cheers me on saying "Daddy! You are my hero!" After about 5 minutes of spraying I finally have quelled the ant invasion. Fantastic!
Wait, the furniture is all over the place, I'm in my dress clothes, and now there is a lovely mixture of dead ants, dirt and clorox all over the living room floor. So I get out some towels and the swifter and begin mopping like it's closing time at the Homestead. I get done with the mopping and my oldest comes out of her room locking her brother in there and then she sees more ants and runs and jumps on the couch with the boo. Some ants have tried to escape! They were still hiding under the couch when I moved it. So I move the couch back, with the girls on it, and the boo loses her balance and falls onto the floor into the remaining pile of ants. The boo is not amused. So I get her up and brush off the ants and place her on the couch. I defeat the remaining ants and mop that area as well. By this point I have mopped the entire living room and a decent part of the kitchen without bleaching any of my dress clothes. I finish putting the furniture back and now it is 8:45.
I scramble to find someone to cover the SS class (thanks Jason!) and to finish getting the kids ready. On the way to the church the girls discuss the excitement of the morning. My oldest remarks "I helped Daddy! I squished one with my foot!" so the Boo responds "and I squished them with my belly!" I finally laugh for the first time that morning, realizing I was stressing over unimportant things. We make it to church right around 9:20! Victory!
I take away from this weekend one very important fact. How my wife ever gets anywhere with three kids is a miracle that I don't appreciate nearly enough. :-)
Glen
Monday, April 8, 2013
Being a Yes Mom, Sometimes.
I say no a LOT. No. No. No. No. Can we go to the park in a snowstorm? No. Can I have candy for breakfast? No. About to put that toy in the outlet, NO! About to play in the toilet, NO! Eating dog food, NO! Can I stand on the back of the couch and jump off? No. You get the idea. I have a one year old walking boy who is getting faster by the minute, a curious 3 year old and an independent 4 year old. I say "no" so frequently that it becomes my default answer.
So occasionally, I try to pay extra attention to the request and say yes. Today we went to the park and didn't have anywhere to be afterward. Can we please play 5 more minutes? Yes. Can we have pizza for lunch? Yes. My 4 year old asked if she could play outside during naptime, yes.
Then Glen came home. He had stopped by Lowe's and had supplies to reseed some areas in the yard thatlook are dead. He asked the girls if they want to help and I was thrilled to cook supper in peace. Then the girls come inside full of excitement asking for their swim suites. Wait, what?? "Daddy said we could play in the sprinkler!!"
Over my dead body.
It's April for crying out loud.
You'll get pneumonia and die tomorrow.
Absolutely not.
"Glen, did you say the girls could play in the sprinkler?"
"Yeah."
Sigh.
Maybe saying yes comes easier for dads?
I get out the swim suits. They are over the moon. They get towels and run outside.
I hear peels of laughter, squeals of excitement, and see the biggest grins. I'm glad I said yes.
Though I'm sure that the neighbors have called social services.
Lindsey
So occasionally, I try to pay extra attention to the request and say yes. Today we went to the park and didn't have anywhere to be afterward. Can we please play 5 more minutes? Yes. Can we have pizza for lunch? Yes. My 4 year old asked if she could play outside during naptime, yes.
Then Glen came home. He had stopped by Lowe's and had supplies to reseed some areas in the yard that
Over my dead body.
It's April for crying out loud.
You'll get pneumonia and die tomorrow.
Absolutely not.
"Glen, did you say the girls could play in the sprinkler?"
"Yeah."
Sigh.
Maybe saying yes comes easier for dads?
I get out the swim suits. They are over the moon. They get towels and run outside.
I hear peels of laughter, squeals of excitement, and see the biggest grins. I'm glad I said yes.
Though I'm sure that the neighbors have called social services.
Lindsey
Thursday, April 4, 2013
8 years later - Glen
So, recently I ran across this article.
I married young what are you waiting for?
I've read many similar articles recently and it makes a lot of good points. I was 25 and Lindsey was 20 when we got married. While we had plenty of friends and family who were supportive, we had plenty more family, friends and even perfect strangers that rebuked us for wanting to get married so young and in essence we were "throwing our lives away". The way people reacted actually showed a lot about how they viewed marriage.
"Sometimes people delay marriage because they are searching for the perfect soul mate. But that view has it backward. Your spouse becomes your soul mate after you've made those vows to each other in front of God and the people who matter to you. You don’t marry someone because he’s your soul mate; he becomes your soul mate because you married him." - Julia Shaw
This July we will celebrate 8 absolutely wonderful years together as husband and wife. Marriage has had more than its share of ups and downs and still does on a day to day basis, but I am more in love now than I was 8 years ago. :-) However, neither of us is perfect by a long shot.
That first year was probably the most challenging as we adjusted to living with one another and all the ups and downs that entails. When we got married we were both unemployed. I had just gotten laid off after working at the bank for 5 years in their helpdesk. She had just got accepted into nursing school at UNCG. I was able to find some temporary work until the bank re-hired me full time in late October with a raise to boot. Still money was tight, especially that first year. So, it taught us how to live within our means and we started working on a budget together. Which helped with communication. I learned that my wife loves communication.
We ate so much ramen that first year! Even now when I eat ramen it takes me back to our apartment in Greensboro. I learned so much that first year. One of the first things I learned was that I did not fold the towels properly. Lindsey quickly corrected this. I learned that frozen pizza 4+ nights a week is not an acceptable dietary choice. I learned that the plastic lids for the Pyrex casserole dishes don't go in the oven, and it might catch on fire right about the same moment your wife gets home from class.
I learned that when your wife is cooking and wants you to try something (I am a very picky eater) and you try it and don't like it the proper response is not to gag, turn, and heave into the trashcan. In the event that is your response, do not follow that up with "at least I tried it." That is a guaranteed heavy flannel night. There are a lot more tidbits that I have learned, but I think that is enough for now.
Now we have 3 wonderful kids. 2 girls and a boy. Ages 4, 3, & 1 respectively. We had some family we hadn't seen in a few years over for dinner recently. At one point she looked at me and said "Marriage has been good for you." I just smiled a huge smile. Marriage, and the wife the Lord has blessed with me has been great for me.
Proverbs 18:22 "He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD."
Glen
I married young what are you waiting for?
I've read many similar articles recently and it makes a lot of good points. I was 25 and Lindsey was 20 when we got married. While we had plenty of friends and family who were supportive, we had plenty more family, friends and even perfect strangers that rebuked us for wanting to get married so young and in essence we were "throwing our lives away". The way people reacted actually showed a lot about how they viewed marriage.
"Sometimes people delay marriage because they are searching for the perfect soul mate. But that view has it backward. Your spouse becomes your soul mate after you've made those vows to each other in front of God and the people who matter to you. You don’t marry someone because he’s your soul mate; he becomes your soul mate because you married him." - Julia Shaw
This July we will celebrate 8 absolutely wonderful years together as husband and wife. Marriage has had more than its share of ups and downs and still does on a day to day basis, but I am more in love now than I was 8 years ago. :-) However, neither of us is perfect by a long shot.
That first year was probably the most challenging as we adjusted to living with one another and all the ups and downs that entails. When we got married we were both unemployed. I had just gotten laid off after working at the bank for 5 years in their helpdesk. She had just got accepted into nursing school at UNCG. I was able to find some temporary work until the bank re-hired me full time in late October with a raise to boot. Still money was tight, especially that first year. So, it taught us how to live within our means and we started working on a budget together. Which helped with communication. I learned that my wife loves communication.
We ate so much ramen that first year! Even now when I eat ramen it takes me back to our apartment in Greensboro. I learned so much that first year. One of the first things I learned was that I did not fold the towels properly. Lindsey quickly corrected this. I learned that frozen pizza 4+ nights a week is not an acceptable dietary choice. I learned that the plastic lids for the Pyrex casserole dishes don't go in the oven, and it might catch on fire right about the same moment your wife gets home from class.
I learned that when your wife is cooking and wants you to try something (I am a very picky eater) and you try it and don't like it the proper response is not to gag, turn, and heave into the trashcan. In the event that is your response, do not follow that up with "at least I tried it." That is a guaranteed heavy flannel night. There are a lot more tidbits that I have learned, but I think that is enough for now.
Now we have 3 wonderful kids. 2 girls and a boy. Ages 4, 3, & 1 respectively. We had some family we hadn't seen in a few years over for dinner recently. At one point she looked at me and said "Marriage has been good for you." I just smiled a huge smile. Marriage, and the wife the Lord has blessed with me has been great for me.
Proverbs 18:22 "He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD."
Glen
Monday, April 1, 2013
Who are you praying for?
Yesterday I watched the Duke vs Louisville game. I saw the gruesome injury Kevin Ware sustained to his leg and I felt sorry for him. I prayed for him. Then, I began to see many people posting on facebook about how horrible it was, how awful it was, how it make them sick to their stomach. I saw groups popping up asking for prayer and giving updates. I saw an outcry for this man with a broken leg. A broken leg. Not a life threatening injury. A painful one, yes. A career ending one, probably not.
I've continued to see the posts today and I can't help but think, where is the outcry for the widows and orphans? Where is the call to prayer for the human trafficking victims? Where are the prayers for the broken, the abused, and the addicts? There are people dying of starvation in a world of total excess. There are children enslaved in our "land of the free." There are men and women risking their lives to protect this great country. Where are the prayers for them? Where are the facebook posts? Where is the outcry? Who is going to get on their knees and intercede for them?
How about we pray for this little guy who is fighting for his life?
He is 2 weeks old and just had open heart surgery. You can read more about his story here.
How about we pray for those who don't have basic necessities?
You can sponsor kids to help them get food, clean water, clothes and education through World Vision.
How about prayers for those who are enslaved and for those trying to free them?
Can you take a few minutes to get on your knees for this sweet family in the process of adoption?
Here is their story.
Friends, the needs of this world are overwhelming. It makes my heart hurt. It is almost guaranteed that I will cry when I open our world vision statement each month. I feel so inadequate. But our God is big. He can handle broken legs. He can handle the horrible, the awful, and the gruesome. He cares about each of these needs, and He cares about you just as much. I'm glad that people rallied around Kevin Ware to show love and support, but please don't forget the least of these. Don't forget your own family. Don't forget your neighbors. They need our prayers too.
Lindsey
I've continued to see the posts today and I can't help but think, where is the outcry for the widows and orphans? Where is the call to prayer for the human trafficking victims? Where are the prayers for the broken, the abused, and the addicts? There are people dying of starvation in a world of total excess. There are children enslaved in our "land of the free." There are men and women risking their lives to protect this great country. Where are the prayers for them? Where are the facebook posts? Where is the outcry? Who is going to get on their knees and intercede for them?
How about we pray for this little guy who is fighting for his life?
How about we pray for those who don't have basic necessities?
How about prayers for those who are enslaved and for those trying to free them?
Can you take a few minutes to get on your knees for this sweet family in the process of adoption?
Friends, the needs of this world are overwhelming. It makes my heart hurt. It is almost guaranteed that I will cry when I open our world vision statement each month. I feel so inadequate. But our God is big. He can handle broken legs. He can handle the horrible, the awful, and the gruesome. He cares about each of these needs, and He cares about you just as much. I'm glad that people rallied around Kevin Ware to show love and support, but please don't forget the least of these. Don't forget your own family. Don't forget your neighbors. They need our prayers too.
Lindsey
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