Misunderstood

I wish I could remember the exact quote, but I don't.  It went something like this, "If you are going to live for Christ, you have to be willing to be misunderstood." One of my dearest friends, Andi, shared with me this quote which she had been challenged by.  I just remember thinking, "Wow!  That is hard."  This whole idea of being misunderstood is still hard for me.

I love words.  Anyone that knows me knows that I will tell the whole backstory to any little thing just so you understand why I am telling you about something.  I remember my first Christmas with my husband's family...I think I wore some of them out trying to share with them why some of the items he gave me were so funny.  I just wanted them to know a little about me, a little about us.  They lived far away and didn't really get to see us in our new life together, and they didn't really know me at all.  In addition to backstory, I also tend to replay past conversations in my head trying to find what else I could have said to get my point across more effectively.  I think I want to learn from those conversations so I don't make the same mistake again.

I realized after my last post that if my blog is going to reflect me, and my relationship with Christ, I am going to have to be okay with the fact that I am not perfect and with people possibly misunderstanding my words or motives.  My last post referenced a song that I love.  It is a reminder to me of the reason I work at my marriage, and why I need to be diligent in guarding my thoughts and actions in every area.  Although I usually think about my posts for quite a while and edit and re-edit them over and over (I am currently on my fourth time reading through this one, and this is just a note in my iPod right now!), in that post I thought I would share what I was thinking without the barrage of edits and re-writes.  When I looked the next day, I had a few comments.  One was from a friend that was a great reminder along the lines of the adage "when you point the finger at someone else, there are three more pointing at you".  I don't think she meant it as a rebuttal of anything I had said, but I immediately thought, "oh, that is not what I meant by...". I went back and typed up a comment that explained the "back story".  I still think that my heart in the whole matter could be misunderstood if you were reading my blog from a different background or point of view.  So, in five years you may find me with a thoughtful look on my face...I will be trying to figure out what my post or follow up comment should have said.

Am I okay with being misunderstood?  It  was a little surprising to me to find that I am still struggling with that question.  Who knew I still wanted everyone to be happy with me and to like me?  Didn't that insecurity end with adulthood?  Shouldn't it have ended when I realized I was blessed and contented with my life?  I guess not.

So, I just want to say:  I am going to write what I think and what I feel.  I will not always be right.  I may sound judgmental. I once took a character test to see who I was most like in the Bible...I didn't even know who Deborah was, at the time. She was a judge, and I can't say that I am really surprised that answer came up for me. I see issues in black and white, so sounding judgemental when I talk about them is just one of the rough spots God is still working on in me.  While I see issues in black and white, I don't see people that way.  I may disagree with you, but I will still accept you.  I may heatedly debate a point, only to see your side later.  It is just the way my mind works.  I am always open to feedback that I will carry into my prayer closet and ask God about.  I trust Him to guide me into all truth, even if it turns out that I was wrong about something.

So, I will keep writing.  I will keep sharing my thoughts.  Just don't be surprised if you see them change and shift over time.  God isn't finished with me, yet, and I am so grateful for his patient guidance.

Guard Your Hearts, People...

This song has been on my heart, lately. 

Ryan and I have always held that it is the small things that have the potential to lead to big problems in our marriage.  So, we try to carefully guard our marriage in the little things.  I think, though, that this is true of any area of sin.  When you see someone do something and think, "How could you DO that?  What were you thinking?" I believe the answer is very simple.  Look at the small, everyday, insignificant choices in their life, and they will point to the end result.

Guard your thoughts.  Guard your mind.  "The journey from your mind to your hands is shorter than you're thinking..."  And when you sin, "it's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow..." and suffer.

"Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life." Prov. 4:23 (NLT)

Treehouse News - February

So, after hard drive issues on my computer, I think I am finally up and running again.  This blogging thing is turning into a once a month deal!  Oh, well.  I will just hope and pray that it gets better.  =0)

Just like January, February could pretty much be summed up in one word:  Coughing.  I was sick the whole month of February into the beginning of March.  I survived, and managed to write down just a few things of note for each of the children.  There were not too many pictures from that month, though.  I had to cheat and use a photo from the beginning of March for Evan for this month!

Princess

All I want for Christmas...

Princess *finally* lost that second top tooth on Valentine’s Day!  She was so excited that she broke out into “All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth” as soon as she could.  Here are some other quotes from her:

"Your kids are going to have a silly dad, Evan"

“Dad-nabik!” - I didn't realize that I had been saying, "Dag-nabit!" until she came up with her own version of it. She had the inflection right, though!

Princess and Little Man have really been into jokes, lately.  This is the progression I heard one day at lunch:

Little Man – What kind of a bagel isn’t a bagel?  A donut!

Princess – What kind of a donut isn’t a donut?  A bagel!

Little Man - What kind of a bagel isn’t a bagel?  A donut!

Princess – (Rolls eyes) I just heard that one.

Princess is really enjoying cooking shows lately, but I have never watched 30 minute meals with her...you would never know it by this next conversation:

“Oh, this is DELISH!  I love it!”
(Me to Ryan) – “What, no reaction?”
R: "I am crying on the inside"
R to Princess: "Could Mom be on Worst Cooks (in America)?"
Princess: "No." 
R: "Because this is too good?" 
Princess: "Yep."

Little Man

A Boy and his Buzz

I didn't have much written down for Little Man this month.  I know that we spent a lot of time talking about his upcoming birthday party.  So, one of the things I recorded during this time was his list:

- A remote control car.
- A Castle, not a Little People one, a real knight one.
- A knight costume.
- All kinds of cool stuff.

Here are a few more quotes from him.

"And we didn’t even plan it!" – Little Man said this when he found out that we were both the second children in our family.  He was so excited that he then came over and gave me a big hug!

“There’s also bumps to let you know there’s a chocolate chip around!” - Little Man's explanation of how you can tell a chocolate chip cookie is the real deal.

We sing to Pookie when she goes to the bathroom on the potty.  After singing her the song, Little Man said, “Now you say, ‘That’s my line!’”

Pookie

Bright Eyes

Pookie continues to amaze me with how much she understands and how she communicates those things to us.  Here are a few things she said during February:

“Uh, you have orange on your head.”  She saw my orange headphones in my ears.

“We are in the ‘dimin’ room!” -  This started a discussion between Princess and Little Man of what “Dining” means.  After discussion, they decided the dining room should be called the “Eating room” and the living room should be called the “Talking Room.”

“3…2…1…blastoff…to infini and eyon!” - This is Pookie's version of "To infinity...and beyond!" from Buzz Lightyear.

I told Pookie I was jealous of something, and she responded, “Why you are jealous?”  I thought her grammar was pretty good for a 2 ½ year old!

“Dad is my friend.  I want my friend…I want Daddy!”

It is so much fun to watch the kids grow and change - and it is fun re-living some of their stories as I record them here.  I am so glad I can share them with you!