Soocer Time

Mattie is driven. Driven to succeed and driven to be active. He loves being in the midst of all the action. He is very passionate about the sport of soccer and I was eager to enroll him into a good class this year. Last year was a horrible experience with the Orting Community parks soccer team we were on. I was leary to consider going back this year.
My friend, Kree is coaching the kids this year and most of the kids are in the co-op preschool class with Mattie. He knows his coach and his team mates! This has been the best experience for all of us. Kree is amazing, she is so encouraging to the kids. You can tell she loves coaching them and being out with them to share in their joys and frustrations. She is patiently teaching them not to touch the ball with their hands but guide it with their foot. My son is one that needs to learn that vital lesson in soccer.
She is also teaching the parents lessons as well as we get out and help her at the pratice times! =) I am so glad that Mattie has this opportunity.

Fall is here

I love the fall. The colors are so beautiful, the air is crisp and the holidays are upon us. Some people hate the change in weather but I always welcome it. I can not imagine living in a world of constant sun or constant cold. I enjoy the variety that the change of season brings. I also encourage the change that the seasons represent, a new season of life. I am in a new season as I have only one child left in the preschool stage of life. I enjoy the fact that getting loaded up in the car is a pretty quick process, the boys can even buckle themselves in! Dinner does not involve sippy cups or bibs instead we all get the same silverware, plates and food. Bedtime is still dreaded just cause they hate going to bed and then once they do they want to giggle or wrestle all night long.
The change that school brings has been an adjustment. Dropping off and picking up Jayden and Mattie in different locations can be challenging. Today I even left Jayden at school about 20 minutes longer cause of a pickup misunderstanding with Jason! I have enjoyed the time I get at home, with the boys and friends this fall. Cutting back my work hours has been such a blessing and one that I do not take lightly. We only have this stage of life now, I want to enjoy every minute of the time!

Loving my girl time

I really enjoy mops for one very selfish reason, I get my girl time. Being in a house of boys has made me realize how much I need the girls. I love laughing and chatting with so many amazing and wonderful women. It is an additional blessing that they are also all mommies. We just "get eachother" cause we have all been in the same life boat. God has given me an amazing gift in our Orting Mops Group and I am loving every minute!!

The Race Begins

I jumped out of bed at 7:30 am with kids still snoring next to me (yes, Mattie still sneaks into bed with us) and got in the shower. My mind was racing with the events of the morning. We had a jam packed, fun filled morning ahead of us for our first MOPS meeting of the 08-09 year! My phone rang while in the shower and was a call from my boss, I immediately called her as I rummaged through my closet debating what item to put on my body. The concern for the call through me for a loop as it was both unexpected and disheartening. I ended up taking some extra minutes on the call that through the rest of my morning off a bit causing me to arrive about 8:50 instead of 8:30 am (so glad I live close by).

I love the adrenaline rush of a crowd of people gathering for an event. It really gives me a buzz, so I did not need a cup of coffee this morning. I was geared up and ready to go by the time I walked in the doors. I got the last of the pacifier's hung under chairs for a portion of our game that morning (thanks to Joe LOPEZ) helped with the breakfast parfait bar, answered questions about the morning or hospitality related issues and did a run through of some of the skits with moms. We have so many new moms this year as well as a great number of those returning from last year as well. After greeting my good friend Trina who brought in the completed trail mix welcome bags I set out to greet as many moms as possible. I was amazed at how many names came natural to me (the name tags help!).

I was glad to see my hubby come through the doors as I begged and pleaded for the extra help this morning for my good friend Christi who is our MOPPET coordinator. We really needed more hands and at the last minute had some helpers that were unable to come. Christi was amazing as she worked with the big room of preschool age children! I am praying that we get more support for this group as it is detrimental to our MOPS ministry.

The session began with announcements and getting to know your table discussion time. We then moved into a skit introducing the steering team to the entire MOPS group. Everyone did great remembering their lines and seemed to go well. I talked a little about the fact that everyone in the room shares the common bond of motherhood. The ride then began with the adventures of pregancy. Trina was our model for the preganancy skit and did awesome of course!

"Trina Munsch is modeling our New Mom look. I’m sure you can all recognize this one, she is pregnant and is about to have her first “perfect baby”. Notice how she has a backpack full of books and magazines. She has read them all and has no fear of the future for she knows exactly what to expect from jr. at every stage of his life and the proper way to handle each situation. And by the way if you are having in problems at all with your 3rd child she will be more than happy to meet with you after the show and counsel you on how to best handle it.
Baby diapers were purchased at Costco and should last a few months at least. She has learned what not to do from all the moms she knows and will raise her baby much better than those moms have cause her baby will be different. She has also purchased, washed, folded, and put away into labeled drawers all the clothes baby will need until he is a year old. Trina exits catwalk saying “Remember, see me afterwards & I can answer all your questions.”
Mommy volunteers then had to eat a sample of ice cream, one having relish bits inside it and our brave table leader Maureen got stuck with it! She was such a trooper!

We then moved into the next stage of motherhood-having a new baby! Merri Jaynes was our model for this stage of life:
"Merri Janes is modeling our Midnight-2am-4am Feeding, new baby mom (models shuffles in slowly wearing slippers, pajamas, robe, hat w/ light on it, carrying a worn paperback. She drags her feet and falls asleep then awakes occasionally as she walks. She ends by sitting with baby and bottle in a chair in front of the room). Notice the haggard look on her face from days of less sleep that she would have never believed a person could survive on. She is easily recognizable by the glassy faraway look in her eyes (when she can keep her eyes open.) Don’t be offended if she falls asleep in the middle of conversation. She tries to use her time wisely as you can tell be the headlamp she is using to read while feeding so that those hours aren’t wasted. In fact she has memorized the three lines in her book that she reads every night before falling asleep. Merri yawns and exits."

Mommy volunteers then had to dig through bird seed for little gold pins and Bree rocked finding 4 pins in 3.5 minutes! Awesome girl!!

We then moved to the stage of mothering that includes household responsibilities
"Here is Heidi Creighton who is our “ keeping up with the mounding housework with no problem” mommy (Heidi in with laundry basket and swifter wet jet as well as phone on her ear) is such a multi-tasker. There is no task to small for this super mom! She can fold 5 loads of laundry while watching an entire episode of Oprah, run a load of dishes from lunch and follows the toy trail made by her toddler. Once the guest have all gone home this mama may hit the wall hard. But no need to worry cause when dad comes home he will be there to help or at least watch the evening news! (Heidi C. slowly drags her laundry out with her….)

We then have a mommy volunteer from each table come up to the front and get blindfolded, then they have to rummage through a pile of shoes from each mom in the room and match them up-mom with shoe. It was a battle from the beginning with Alicia! Her competitive streak came out! What a fun time!!

Last stage we addressed was the preschool mommy. This is the stage I am in and completely understand. It is crazy all the time but so worth every minute!!
"Look out. Here she comes. It’s Heide M. our Preschool mommy. (Heide enters as if getting out of her car at a near sprint wearing slippers and carrying her late movie rental and mail). She is sporting our Taxi Mom look. As she wizzes by, you may be able to catch a glimpse of those adorable slippers (quickly shows off slippers). She spends most of her time in her car, so why not be comfortable. A normal day could consist of dropping off her daughter at preschool stopping by the post office and grocery store before stopping for her morning espresso. She then stops by to get daughter from preschool before dashing off to dance class and then dropping off that movie that was due 2 days ago (holds up movie as she exits out)."

We then have the volunteer mommies get their blindfolds out and search for toys that are scattered all over the floor. It was quite a wild events with our prego mommies Corrine and Trina grabbing at eachothers toy bags!

What a great time of remembering or looking forward to each stage of MOPS mommyhood. I am really quite thrilled with this years theme and the start of our year and know we will have even more fun instore! Living it and Loving it!!

Marriage

I watched a show that was pretty lame (good opening I know!) called Forces of Nature with Ben Aflick and Saundra Bullock. It was about this guy that was trying to get to his wedding but their was "forces of nature' and a girl keeping him away. Along the way he saught out or "found" advise on marriage. He came to a point where he decided to stop the marriage on the day of the wedding during a huricane while the girl he was dumping his finace for waited. He ended up realizing he wanted to get married and he choose his fiance. He realized that there is no glassbubble of love protecting you from the world that is out there. A world that thrives on being with the one your with, go with your gut and live in the moment. He realized he had to choose to protect the relationship and fight for it.

" Bridge, ya know, I mean, what I always thought was that there was this one, one perfect person for everybody in the world, you know, and when you found that person, uh, the rest of the world just kinda magically faded away and... and you know, the two of you would just be inside this kind of protective bubble. But there is no bubble, or if there is, we have to make it. I just think life is more than a series of moments, you know, it's... it's... we can make choices and we can choose to protect the people we love and that's what makes us who we are, and those are the real miracles! "

I too have come to this understand though it was after marriage. I have come to an understanding that love is so much more than the roses peddles on a bed, sharing eachother's sentences and giving eskimo kisses. It is more than dreaming of a life together that involves peace and harmony 24/7. It is more than having a date at a moment's notice. Marriage is to have someone that suppports you no matter what. They hold you up when you feel like there is no ground to walk on. They are there with you in the emergency room not understanding what is happening to you but holding your hand. They are with you when you want to throw in the towel and you doubt your every move and value of your life.

"Marriage hath in it less of beauty but more of safety, than the single life; it hath more care, but less danger, it is more merry, and more sad; it is fuller of sorrows, and fuller of joys; it lies under more burdens, but it is supported by all the strengths of love and charity, and those burdens are delightful."

God has taught me so much of love in my spiritual life by married life. I have seen love unconditionally and fully many times. Though I make this all sound so easy it is the hardest but most fulfilling thing I have ever done. I truly do love my man =)

MOPS is on the horizon!!

This year our theme is "Adventures in Motherhood". Ever since I stumbled across this information in the hospital during my stay with Mattie at Harborview I have been excited for the 2008-2009 year. I have had a renewed and appreciated view of motherhood just by tacking the term "Adventure" on there.
The roller coaster is a great picture of the highs and lows we experience each stage of motherhood. I have already had many highs this year as an example like watching my son Mattie ride his bike without training wheels, learning all his alphabet and getting himself dressed each morning as well as when Jayden learned to ride his bike without training wheels and starting Kindergarten as well as how to read.

I have also had some lows this year in motherhood when Mattie burned 10% of his body when a pan of hot water scalded his little body or when my son Jayden was directly hit by another car right after his tonsil surgery.
These highs and lows are all part of the ride we are all on in life. Sometime the ride may make us want to throw up and scream to get off while other times we chant for more! You can never be prepared for the ride even with advise from those already on it. The reason is the ride may be similar but God made us each for our own ride. I am on a ride that is through the early years of elementary school and the later years of preschool. I really enjoy this stage as my boys still love on me and think I am better than chocolate but independent enough to start spreading their tiny little wings. I love watching them explore and come to understand life. I have enjoyed the fact that I am with them more than not this year! I have also come to the point in the ride where I realize how quick the adventure really is. There may be a lot of hype and while you are on it, it may seem that some parts last forever but whatever ride you are on it will come to an end. It may be an end of a stage in the ride like my stage of my boys being babies and toddlers and onto a new stage of the ride but whatever stage you are on, enjoy it!

I have learned to praise God through every circumstance-the good, the bad and the ugly! He is there holding my hand and I can take each ride for what it is. A ride to remember...... the adventures in motherhood!