Taking Back Tuesday

i cant believe it has been THIS long since i have blogged.. i know that i had taken some time off but who knew it would fly by so quickly! So much has happened in the months that i have been away. That brings me to discuss something i realized the other day while at the park with my middle monster , Blaine.

It was a gorgeous Tuesday at the park and Blaine was being his adorable , rambunctious self and i thought ,
 " oh i need to get pictures of this for facebook".
There is so much WRONG in that one little thought. Let me break it down for ya..

1.  Why do i need to take a picture of this exact moment? because its cute? or because i want all 756 of my Facebook friends to think its cute with me? Since when did it become the "norm" to bring everyone you know on social media in to your personal daily life? I am irrevocably guilty of this myself but since my epiphany at the park i am trying to rectify it. I cant help but wonder if somewhere inside me there are unresolved acceptance issues. If i get happy over having 50 "likes" on a picture of my kids then maybe i am seeking acceptance from my peers. And that cant be right because i KNOW my kids are awesome.. so why should i subject them to being judged on how cute they are by the number of "likes" their pictures get?
Same concept applies to my family.. why should i feel the need to share my precious moments with them with the world? I shouldn't seek acceptance from anyone when in regards to my children. Yet , i do. And i feel like so many others do too. I think we , parents especially, should break away from the hold social media has on our families. Which brings me to "break it down for ya part 2"

2. I just interrupted this wonderful laughing experience with my son by bringing out my phone to take a picture. I literally stopped laughing at him , told him to do whatever craziness he was doing again so i could take a picture , taking away the spontaneous fun of the act and making it air brushed for social media. I definitely think that some things should be recorded and saved to cherish and reminisce about.

Kindergarten graduation , first dance , first date , prom , graduation , etc..

Blaine hanging by his legs on the monkey bars , or sitting with me by the creek talking about bugs , or holding my hand while we walk , or telling me one of his crazy tales.. is any of that something i need to stop and save on an SD card , or is it something i should forget the rest of the world for and savor for my own selfish delight because these moments wont last for long? I despise the fact that so often in the past i have captured these precious moments that should have been for my heart only and displayed them to the world.

Therefore, i am taking my kids back. I am taking them back from the world of social media and i am reclaiming my memories with them as my own. Instead of taking a picture i will put my phone down and live in the moment with them. Instead of posting about what hilarious thing they said , i will laugh about it with them and try my best to remember to tell my husband when he gets home from work.

Here's to taking my life back.

Privacy settings : Who can see this memory?  
                                 PRIVATE.

Oh, what a week!

What a busy last few days it has been! Work is so time consuming. I would much rather be home with my wild tiny humans and hubby!
                             

We did manage to find time to help daddy in the shop :) 

And to take the client I work for out to get pedicures :) yay for pretty piggies! 

To admire weeds.. Because spring is here! 

I was able to spend some time with my beautiful sister! Who is also my very best friend.. 

And I got to cheer on my lovely t-ball super Star daughter! 

I also got a surprise visit from my littlest offspring at work tonight!! Daddy bought him a new hat :) now if we can just keep up with it... 

.. Speaking of my smallest child.. We started the P word. Yep. Potty training. 

And... 

It. Sucks. 

Honestly, I would be great having him in a diaper till he is 4 but society says no. 

And here is why it sucks :

First the kid pees in places I can't see and don't find until I step in a smelly puddle of baby urine. gag. 

Then, Yesterday I had to clean Poop off of my couch. But it doesn't stop there, oh no. He stepped in it, ran across the couch and made me chase him across the house leaving tiny poo footprints all along the way. 

Seriously!? 

Doesn't he look so proud of himself? 

But it doesn't stop there.. 

I pick up my phone to call my hubby and tell him about my potty training horrors when I get a whiff of poo yet again.. I'm waking around with the phone to my ear looking for the missing turd.. When it dawns on me... 

I look at my phone and sure enough... 

There is poo ALL OVER the place I had against my face. So not only is my entire home covered in tiny human fecal matter. So am I. 

And that, my friends, is when I stopped potty training. 

Judge if you must but first take a walk in my poop covered shoes and you'll understand 

Potty training is for the birds. Bring on the Huggies! 

I'm still not sure how we survived the P word with this one. He probably made it out alive because of that smile :) 

I do love to end my day with a beautiful Picture painted for me by the Creator. 

He is my strength when I am weak. 

God , help me survive my children.. Amen. 

:) thanks for stopping by! Do come back and see me. Be blessed.. 

GOD LOVES YOU! 

He Is More

I figured I would start with some serious cuteness.. 

It's been a few days since we have talked,  how have you all been? 

Life can get so busy! I've had my fair share recently. 

Teehee 

I think today we are going to have less mom talk and more God talk though. I will become less and He will become more, right? Right. 

My church is amazing. And by church I mean the body of people who gather to be the hands and feet of Christ. 

That was just a lone thought... 

Anyway, I am trying now to really make myself less. And make the world less. And make God more. 

That. Is. So. Hard. 

Think about it. Your kids. Your husband. Your job. Your self? 

These are things we all put first in our lives. 

Can you imagine loving God more than you love your kids? It's easy to say. But to actually Do it? 

It's taboo. 

I try and put my kids first in everything... And I shouldn't. 

That's really hard! I mean.. I gave birth to these three wild children. But in reality.. They aren't mine. They belong to God. It's just my job to raise them to live like Jesus. 

No pressure. Ha. 

My hope is that if I can make myself, my family, and this world less and God more, that my children will follow that example. 

It's overwhelming how our offspring look up to us. Ever watchful little monsters they are. 

I was blessed this week. I had such a hard burden on my heart and God kept telling me to let it go. It was so impossibly hard. But.. I did. I gave it to God. 

And IMMEDIATELY I felt free. I felt this weight lift off of me and Jesus fill me up. I've never experienced anything like it! 

How great is our God? 

Perfect. 

Be blessed my friends. God loves you! 

Xoxo 

Bread Sticks & Chocolate Donuts

Why bread sticks and chocolate donuts you may ask?  Because that's exactly what I had for dinner tonight. As a mom, sometimes you just have to eat when you can (like they tell you to sleep when you can with a new born. Ha.) . And people wonder why women put on weight after having kids. That'll do it!
               Now.... On to tantrums.

    Mister too big for his britches here has gotten a head start on the terrible twos. What a pleasant bundle of joy he has been lately.
   He recently started daycare though.. So of course I will be more apt to blame it on other misbehaved and ill parented children. What mom wouldn't?

                                                                                        We did get to stop by my mother-in-love's house this afternoon and play in her big beautiful garden.

What fun that was!! 

Alyssa had a fall and crash episode while running through the shop.. 

So she opted to color on the porch swing instead 

I swear, Carter never sits still though.. Here are some shots of his adventure at the Garden.. 

Poor Gramma Lea, chasing after Carter.. It was too cute to not take a picture! 

My husband and i LOVE to bass fish, so I got to run to the local marina for some lures and such so he could have a night out on the river. Aren't I the best?..... I know.  :) 

Someone found a rolley polley. You remember those? Little grey bugs that roll up and turn into an armored ball when you touched them? Fun times..   Miss priss decided to grab her camera and get a quick photo of the little guy. She's an art loving angel. 

Isn't this beautiful? Prettiest weeds around. I'm so happy spring is finally here! We are supposed to get the first round of tornado-ish weather tomorrow so it's safe to say it's spring time in Arkansas. 

Well, I hope you had a blessed day. As always, thanks for stopping by. Come back and see me! 

God loves 

YOU! 

Time and Blessings

Have you ever thought to yourself, " if there were only ten more hours in the day I would..."  *insert one of the many things being a full time mom denies you *  I am pretty sure we all have.. 

Right?! 

We just need a few blissful hours to ourselves to renew our frazzled brains. Ha. Not when you share a life with adorable tiny humans that require your undivided time and attention. 

Today I found myself busy as usual, running errands and squeezing what should be two days worth of work into two hours time. I have made it a personal goal of mine to count my blessings as my day progresses. Here is what I found that I was thankful for while doing my momly duties : 

I am thankful for a QUIET and UNINTERRUPTED breakfast at a swanky little coffee shop in town where I read a whole chapter in the kick awesome book series I am reading.. 

For local art and talent being displayed.. For reminders of God's peace.. 

    And his unfailing forgiveness.. 

For my hard working hubs and being able to pay him a visit at work at lunch time 

Thankful for my FAVORITE shorts and a sandals and for warmer weather!! 

And finally. . I am thankful for my quiet time with God.. And the words he speaks to me. 

... Even in the busiest times of your day you can count your blessings! It made my 52 hour day amazing. 

So when you are about to pull your your hair out, be thankful that you have hair. 

When you are changing that poop filled diaper for the 25th time that day, be thankful that your child is healthy. 

Even reading this post now, be thankful that you can read. That you have electricity. That you have life. God gave it all to you.. Isn't it only fair that we give all we have back to him? 

I vote, YES!  

You may not think you can change the world because your life is so crazy. So busy. So FULL. 

Just praise God. Live it out. Raise your children to love Him and believe me, that changes everything... 

That's it for today! Thanks for stopping by, it's always a pleasure. Come back and see me!  

God loves 

YOU! 

Here's to a new chapter!

Well this is me.  My name is Kayla, and I have a confession to make : I am your average working mom. If you want life changing advice or "how-to" instructions on how to get through life unscathed, you are in the wrong spot. But.. If you are seeking a friend, a laugh, or just someone to relate to when it comes to the life of parenting in today's crazy world then you have hit the jack pot! 

I suppose there are a few key points to hit before we dive in to the madness that is mommy-hood. 

1. God comes first! That includes here, on the working mom. 

2. Nothing is off limits! Being a mom and wife can be a dirty daunting task and here is where we can talk about it unabashedly! 

3. Take it easy! Kick back, relax, and enjoy a walk with me through life with God,  kids, my hubby, and the rest of this crazy awesome world! 

Now that that is out of the way.. Here is my family 

This here is Alyssa. First born and a natural momma hen. She had also been called, "a diva", "a princess",  and "a tiny ray of sunshine". All of this after she outgrew the crying/pooping on herself stage of course. At the age of 5 (almost 6!) this little queen is one of my very best friends and entertainers. 

Next up is Blaine. My little tornado child. He is destructive and  hilarious.. So you are unsure whether to scold or laugh at him. At the age of 3 (almost 4) this little monster LOVES anything with wheels and an engine. His favorites are "hotrods" and "monster trucks". I get driven on by more cars than the track at Daytona500,  guarantee it!  

Last but hopefully not least ( get my drift?) , we have mister Carter Reid. At the age of 2 (in july)  he is a whirlwind of fun. He is so full of life and personality! With that comes my never ending exhaustion. He loves cars almost as much as his older brother! His favorite seem to be hot wheels.. And you think stepping on Legos is bad? Try stepping on a hot wheels car at night. It's like Legos on wheels. Not only does it just hurt, it moves! * queue falling mom *

Next comes my support system. My best friend. My soul mate. My hubs! He is so awesome. Seriously, I hit the jackpot with this one! 

Trent is amazing! He works hard and is an awesome father and friend. Could God have given me a better bunch of people to call my family? I think not. He blessed my socks off!! 

Well.. This will be it for today. Tomorrow, I will begin a full blown new chapter .. Blogging the craziness that is my life! Goodnight,  dear friends. Thanks for stopping by! Come back and see me! God loves you!