Today was such a hard day with Anna Beth that I ended up sitting in the front seat of my van in the Kroger parking lot sobbing! Why do kid's push to the brink of insanity? I believe that she sat down in the middle of every aisle and threw a fit, then she proceeded to run away from me. She has been obnoxious for the last couple of days and I am sick to death of listening to her scream from time-out. No form of punishment is working right now and the only thing that I can do is be consistent. I must say though that my patience is wearing thin. If I did not contain self-control she would not have been safe with me today! LOL
I love her dearly and fear the idea of anything ever harming her but there are days that being her mommy is very hard. She pushes so hard to win and thus I dig my heals in even harder. We are not fighting over issues of safety but of who is in charge. Listening seems to be the biggest obstacle right now. There are times that I want to put a speaker up to her ear so she will listen. I realize that it is not a matter of listening but performing the task that I gave her. I really do understand why so many working mom's give up and let their kid's rule the home. There are times that it feels as though this would be the easiest way but I want Anna Beth to grow up with discipline and focus. I want her to understand that her disobedience hurts Jesus. I do not want to take her spirit and drive from her but teach her how to control it.
Raising her often drives me to my knees in prayer because there is nothing else that I can do! I do not want to be angry with her and I do not want to show her anything but unconditional love like my heavenly Father. I order for that to shine through I cannot teach her in my own strength. This is an impossible task without guidance from above!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
The Wedding is over...
The wedding of Brandon and Emily Wood is finally over and we can all relax a little now! We had a great time and Anna Beth walked down the aisle like she does it everyday! We were so proud of the way she behaved. The wedding was on Saturday and that encompassed the entire day so Sunday we relaxed a bit. After sleeping in, we headed over to Emily's parents house to watch the newlywed's open their presents. That night, we made a trip to the local Ice Deli and then rested.
Monday was spent at the St Louis Zoo with Grandma and Grandpa Wood. Considering how tired Anna Beth was, she was on her best behavior and we had a great time. Her favorites at the Zoo were riding the train and the bears and penguins. After walking the Zoo for 5 hours, she was asleep before we got out of St Louis! LOL
It has been sometime since I have been able to blog and I know that there are things that I am going to regret not getting written someday. Anna Beth changes so fast and she has the funniest stories. We have tried to stay close to home as much as possible since we have and will be so busy. There has been a water fight in the front yard between Brian and I. Anna Beth ended up the wettest of all but that is nothing new. There has been new phrases that have come out of that child's mouth and there has been the usual drama at work.
Speaking of work... I really am at a loss as to what to do. I feel so loyal and yet there has been no loyalty to me. My pay is well below the average for what I do and I have to deal with feeling like the 3rd wheel on a daily basis. I love what I do but there are days that the personal relationships get difficult to deal with. I realize that these will never change and there are days that I can deal with these easily but then there are others that it is hard to swallow. I just want to feel appreciated and have not had that affirmation in over a year and a half. I have really tried to seek the Lord for what to do and I think that I have gone deaf for I am getting nothing! LOL Really though, I wonder if He has told me to move on and i have just chosen to ignore Him because it is easier to stay than to start new or does He want me to stay to teach me something new? I guess the only answer to keep listening and seeking other jobs. If the door closes then I know where I am to be.
Now for my dearest Anna Beth, wow, what a delight she is! She still cannot pronounce her L's so a "lid" is a "wib" and so forth. She comes up with the most outrageous things! She has recently begun saying, "oh, my gosh" and we are trying to break her of that quickly. We have begun to watch less and less TV because she picks things up so fast. Yesterday, her older friends from next door were busy playing with their friends from school and she was so hurt because they did not want to play with her. She truly believes that she should be able to playing the road because they do. She does not understand that she is only 3 years old vs, their 5 & 7. Anna Beth has also picked up a southern drawl. I am not sure where she gets it as Brian is from Colorado and I have never spoken with a heavy southern accent. My only guess is that she gained it from school. "Ice Cream" sounds more like "Iiiiice creeam." somehow she adds extra syllables to every word. It sounds incredibly funny coming out of her little mouth!
That is about all there is going on in our lives right now! We are on the count down for vacation and looking forward to getting away from work for an entire week. I have big plans for Brian's Father's day as well that should be great fun!
Monday was spent at the St Louis Zoo with Grandma and Grandpa Wood. Considering how tired Anna Beth was, she was on her best behavior and we had a great time. Her favorites at the Zoo were riding the train and the bears and penguins. After walking the Zoo for 5 hours, she was asleep before we got out of St Louis! LOL
It has been sometime since I have been able to blog and I know that there are things that I am going to regret not getting written someday. Anna Beth changes so fast and she has the funniest stories. We have tried to stay close to home as much as possible since we have and will be so busy. There has been a water fight in the front yard between Brian and I. Anna Beth ended up the wettest of all but that is nothing new. There has been new phrases that have come out of that child's mouth and there has been the usual drama at work.
Speaking of work... I really am at a loss as to what to do. I feel so loyal and yet there has been no loyalty to me. My pay is well below the average for what I do and I have to deal with feeling like the 3rd wheel on a daily basis. I love what I do but there are days that the personal relationships get difficult to deal with. I realize that these will never change and there are days that I can deal with these easily but then there are others that it is hard to swallow. I just want to feel appreciated and have not had that affirmation in over a year and a half. I have really tried to seek the Lord for what to do and I think that I have gone deaf for I am getting nothing! LOL Really though, I wonder if He has told me to move on and i have just chosen to ignore Him because it is easier to stay than to start new or does He want me to stay to teach me something new? I guess the only answer to keep listening and seeking other jobs. If the door closes then I know where I am to be.
Now for my dearest Anna Beth, wow, what a delight she is! She still cannot pronounce her L's so a "lid" is a "wib" and so forth. She comes up with the most outrageous things! She has recently begun saying, "oh, my gosh" and we are trying to break her of that quickly. We have begun to watch less and less TV because she picks things up so fast. Yesterday, her older friends from next door were busy playing with their friends from school and she was so hurt because they did not want to play with her. She truly believes that she should be able to playing the road because they do. She does not understand that she is only 3 years old vs, their 5 & 7. Anna Beth has also picked up a southern drawl. I am not sure where she gets it as Brian is from Colorado and I have never spoken with a heavy southern accent. My only guess is that she gained it from school. "Ice Cream" sounds more like "Iiiiice creeam." somehow she adds extra syllables to every word. It sounds incredibly funny coming out of her little mouth!
That is about all there is going on in our lives right now! We are on the count down for vacation and looking forward to getting away from work for an entire week. I have big plans for Brian's Father's day as well that should be great fun!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Mother's Day
It has been a long time since I have actually sat down and written about one of my days but I could not resist filling you in on my perfect Mother's Day. I have just about one of the sweetest husbands ever and he planned the perfect day.
Brian got me up on Saturday and told me to get ready, we went and dropped Anna Beth off at my sister's house and then we took of for my mystery date. We arrived at the Opry Mills Mall and Brian informed me that we were going on a Dinner cruise aboard the General Jackson. Could he be any sweeter? Just the 2 of us, on a mid-day cruise! We had 2 hours of talking and just enjoying being together.
After the cruise, we headed back to Denise and Brad's where my mother and dad had arrived. We ate dinner together, gave Nana her birdhouses and just had fun. It truly was a very sweet time and I thank my husband for how hard he works to make me feel special as a woman and a mother. I never expected to treated with such love and respect and am grateful for the way he loves me.
Brian got me up on Saturday and told me to get ready, we went and dropped Anna Beth off at my sister's house and then we took of for my mystery date. We arrived at the Opry Mills Mall and Brian informed me that we were going on a Dinner cruise aboard the General Jackson. Could he be any sweeter? Just the 2 of us, on a mid-day cruise! We had 2 hours of talking and just enjoying being together.
After the cruise, we headed back to Denise and Brad's where my mother and dad had arrived. We ate dinner together, gave Nana her birdhouses and just had fun. It truly was a very sweet time and I thank my husband for how hard he works to make me feel special as a woman and a mother. I never expected to treated with such love and respect and am grateful for the way he loves me.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
"But Why"
is the thing that I hear out of my 3 year old's mouth about every 20 seconds! I know that this is normal but it is driving me nuts. We are also keeping my sister and her husbands puppy for the week while they are on a delayed honeymoon. That along with the fact that Brian has a gig that has had him tied up until 10:30 pm every night this week and this will continue through Friday night, has me worn out and ready to go into a coma like state for a week. I am grateful for the gig and the extra money for vacation in June but this makes me very grateful that I am not a single mom. I have alot of admiration for the women of this world that do it day after day. I know that if God called my husband home that He would give me the grace but right now I really do not see how it is possible. lol
It has also been a difficult time at work. As most of you know, I am a staff accounant for http://www.hobby-lobby.com/ and no this is not the craft store. We are beginning our yearly audit on Monday and so this week is full of gathering information that the auditors will need to issue accurate financials for our company. We are also heading into our Month End next week. Then begins the process of reconciling all the GL and bank accounts all over again... This is a never ending cycle and has been complicated by the fact that we are preparing for a large system change. Have I mentioned that I am ready to enter a comma like state? lol My poor boss the CFO has it much worse than I and I really do not know how she is keeping it together right now. her husband to be is very ill and is on a transplant list. When i see her trying to juggle the kid's, her man and work, it makes me very grateful to have the life that I do.
Anna Beth and I headed out to Smyrna again tonight to check on my sister's house. We went last night and I realized that their two goldfish had already eaten an entire 10 day fish feeder. The are very fat fish! lol As we were stopping at the pet store to pick up the feeder, we saw a gentlman on a motorcycle covered in tattoos. Anna Beth shouted out the she had seen Uncle Brandon! lol Uncle Brandon is a marine based in N.C. right now and yes he is covered in tattoos.
The only other news that is going on in the Wood household is that Brian got a new drum kit last week. He is very proud and he got a great deal on it. I am just glad for him to have his own kit again. It is a DW kit and the guy sold it with all of the hardware which is a better grade than he had in the past as well as cymbals and high hat. The cymbals alone are worth $1000 and he got the whole kit for that!
Speaking of Brian, have I mentioned lately how amazing he is? Our children's pastor at church sent out an email to all the men on his email list today about "bouncing" their eyes away from temptations. Brian and I had recently had this same discussion at the mall. While we were there, we walked past a woman that was not properly dressed by our standards. As we passed I was walking slightly behind Brian and moticed that he had seen the woman but quickly moved his eyes away from her. As we walked further away, I thanked Brian for the respect that he had just shown me by looking away. Brian began to tell me about a book that he had read that talked about bouncing your eyes off things that might tempt you to lust. Brian stated that he tried to do this all the time so that he could be faithful to me in all areas of our marriage! Wow! What a lucky girl am I?!!! I am so proud of the husband that I have and am grateful that he works very hard to keep his mind pure. Not that he can't lust after me all he wants! lol There are times that I forget what a struggle this can be for him and fail to pray for him in this area. Brian is such a strong man with very strong morals but only by the grace of God can any of us remain faithful in our relationship with our heavenly Father and our realtionships with each other. I try often to let Brian know how proud I am of him and what a man of God I believe that he is and has become.
That is my brag session for the days so I will sign off and get the girl, dog, cat, fish and myself ready for bed! Anna Beth and I have a great day ahead tomorrow for we get to spend it with each other!
It has also been a difficult time at work. As most of you know, I am a staff accounant for http://www.hobby-lobby.com/ and no this is not the craft store. We are beginning our yearly audit on Monday and so this week is full of gathering information that the auditors will need to issue accurate financials for our company. We are also heading into our Month End next week. Then begins the process of reconciling all the GL and bank accounts all over again... This is a never ending cycle and has been complicated by the fact that we are preparing for a large system change. Have I mentioned that I am ready to enter a comma like state? lol My poor boss the CFO has it much worse than I and I really do not know how she is keeping it together right now. her husband to be is very ill and is on a transplant list. When i see her trying to juggle the kid's, her man and work, it makes me very grateful to have the life that I do.
Anna Beth and I headed out to Smyrna again tonight to check on my sister's house. We went last night and I realized that their two goldfish had already eaten an entire 10 day fish feeder. The are very fat fish! lol As we were stopping at the pet store to pick up the feeder, we saw a gentlman on a motorcycle covered in tattoos. Anna Beth shouted out the she had seen Uncle Brandon! lol Uncle Brandon is a marine based in N.C. right now and yes he is covered in tattoos.
The only other news that is going on in the Wood household is that Brian got a new drum kit last week. He is very proud and he got a great deal on it. I am just glad for him to have his own kit again. It is a DW kit and the guy sold it with all of the hardware which is a better grade than he had in the past as well as cymbals and high hat. The cymbals alone are worth $1000 and he got the whole kit for that!
Speaking of Brian, have I mentioned lately how amazing he is? Our children's pastor at church sent out an email to all the men on his email list today about "bouncing" their eyes away from temptations. Brian and I had recently had this same discussion at the mall. While we were there, we walked past a woman that was not properly dressed by our standards. As we passed I was walking slightly behind Brian and moticed that he had seen the woman but quickly moved his eyes away from her. As we walked further away, I thanked Brian for the respect that he had just shown me by looking away. Brian began to tell me about a book that he had read that talked about bouncing your eyes off things that might tempt you to lust. Brian stated that he tried to do this all the time so that he could be faithful to me in all areas of our marriage! Wow! What a lucky girl am I?!!! I am so proud of the husband that I have and am grateful that he works very hard to keep his mind pure. Not that he can't lust after me all he wants! lol There are times that I forget what a struggle this can be for him and fail to pray for him in this area. Brian is such a strong man with very strong morals but only by the grace of God can any of us remain faithful in our relationship with our heavenly Father and our realtionships with each other. I try often to let Brian know how proud I am of him and what a man of God I believe that he is and has become.
That is my brag session for the days so I will sign off and get the girl, dog, cat, fish and myself ready for bed! Anna Beth and I have a great day ahead tomorrow for we get to spend it with each other!
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
She is sooo sweet!
Lately Anna Beth has been coming out of her terrible two's and has overall been very sweet. We still have our moments but she is getting better! Today was a busy but good day. We had grocery's to buy and a house to clean! Anna Beth was very good but managed to get hurt twice while we were out. I think that she is even less graceful than I am, if that is even possible. lol While we were getting fruit at Walmart, Anna Beth leaned over into one of the big plastic bins holding grapefruits. She was trying to reach some apples just above them. AS she did this she actually managed to fall face first into the bin and there were grapefruits larger than a softball flung at her head. She also got hit with the bin itself. She was more embarrassed than anything but it was pretty funny. Later as I was pushing her through the store, she was playing in the back of the cart. I had gotten, at her request, the cart that has the 2 seats in the back. I had warned her 3 times to stop playing but she jumped one last time just as I was pushing forward. She fell backwards out of the cart and hit her head on the floor. This time she was really hurt. After some TLC, she sat quietly in the cart like I had been asking her for the last 20 minutes!
Lately, Anna Beth has really been putting together what we have been telling her about Jesus. We try as we have our teaching moments with her to tell her that Jesus is always with us and it does not just make mommy & daddy sad when she does not listen but it makes Jesus sad too! We are so grateful that she is also reinforced with this at preschool and church. The other day I heard her fussing at Boots (the cat) and this is what I heard..."Boots, you not scratch mommy & daddy's bed! That's not right and it make Jesus sad when you not obey!" I laughed but I was also grateful that she understands what her disobedience does to Jesus. She also asked me the other day, when she had not listened to me, "Mommy. that make Jesus sad?" I am thrilled that she is tender hearted and wants to please Him!
Last night when I arrived home, I discovered Brian and Anna Beth upstairs in our room. Brian was separating laundry to put up and Anna Beth was preparing "supper" She had set up and fake table and tablecloth on the floor fashioned out of blankets. She asked us to sit down and she headed downstairs to bring us our "supper" After a couple of trips she informed us that we needed to pray before we ate so we all bowed our heads and she began, "Dear Jesus God, Thank for you for this day and thank you for this food annnnnnd AMEN!" It was the first time that we had ever heard her pray aloud alone. It was so sweet and our hearts just melted!
I need to go spend some time with my husband. Denise and Brad were over for dinner tonight so we have not had much time to talk tonight. I will up-date again when I can but until then, God bless and good-night!
Lately, Anna Beth has really been putting together what we have been telling her about Jesus. We try as we have our teaching moments with her to tell her that Jesus is always with us and it does not just make mommy & daddy sad when she does not listen but it makes Jesus sad too! We are so grateful that she is also reinforced with this at preschool and church. The other day I heard her fussing at Boots (the cat) and this is what I heard..."Boots, you not scratch mommy & daddy's bed! That's not right and it make Jesus sad when you not obey!" I laughed but I was also grateful that she understands what her disobedience does to Jesus. She also asked me the other day, when she had not listened to me, "Mommy. that make Jesus sad?" I am thrilled that she is tender hearted and wants to please Him!
Last night when I arrived home, I discovered Brian and Anna Beth upstairs in our room. Brian was separating laundry to put up and Anna Beth was preparing "supper" She had set up and fake table and tablecloth on the floor fashioned out of blankets. She asked us to sit down and she headed downstairs to bring us our "supper" After a couple of trips she informed us that we needed to pray before we ate so we all bowed our heads and she began, "Dear Jesus God, Thank for you for this day and thank you for this food annnnnnd AMEN!" It was the first time that we had ever heard her pray aloud alone. It was so sweet and our hearts just melted!
I need to go spend some time with my husband. Denise and Brad were over for dinner tonight so we have not had much time to talk tonight. I will up-date again when I can but until then, God bless and good-night!
Friday, April 11, 2008
Girls Game Night
I have not been on here in a bit so there is some catching up to do. Anna Beth has been pretty funny lately and behaving fairly well. The other day I was giving her a bath and I slipped on a wet spot next to the tub and Anna Beth said, "Humpty Dumpty had a great fall!" While she did not do this to humiliate Mommy it did just that. lol I could not help but laugh at her appropriate remark and try to remember that she does not realize what she is saying! She also had her Daddy playing princess and king with her. Anna Beth had created a "house" in our closet. Brian was sitting on the floor playing with her, when all of the sudden she said, "Daddy, you go out there, I'm tired of your games!" Brian realized in that moment that he says that to her almost every night as she makes excuse after excuse to not go to bed. lol
Brian went over to a friends house on Monday night to watch the Championship game for March maddness and he had a great time. Last night, I had the opportunity to join a bunko group with some of the ladies from our church. I had so much fun with those girls! They are some of the sweetest women that I have ever met and this is the first time that I have really had an opportunity to just hang out with them in such an intimate setting. We talked for almost 5 hours and never played bunko! lol Maybe next time... we realized it was getting late when 3 of our cell phones started ringing. Apparently it was 11:30 and our husbands were beginning to wonder if we were coming home. I finally got home around mid-night and then talked to Brian for another 30 minutes or so before finally going to sleep. I am paying for it now after an 11 hour day at work!
My reports are almost done running so I am signing off and heading home to my sweet family!
Brian went over to a friends house on Monday night to watch the Championship game for March maddness and he had a great time. Last night, I had the opportunity to join a bunko group with some of the ladies from our church. I had so much fun with those girls! They are some of the sweetest women that I have ever met and this is the first time that I have really had an opportunity to just hang out with them in such an intimate setting. We talked for almost 5 hours and never played bunko! lol Maybe next time... we realized it was getting late when 3 of our cell phones started ringing. Apparently it was 11:30 and our husbands were beginning to wonder if we were coming home. I finally got home around mid-night and then talked to Brian for another 30 minutes or so before finally going to sleep. I am paying for it now after an 11 hour day at work!
My reports are almost done running so I am signing off and heading home to my sweet family!
Friday, April 4, 2008
Family Day
What a fantastic day! Brian took yesterday off to just spend the day with his 2 girls and we had so much fun. We have been working non-stop lately and we just needed some time for the 3 of us.
We slept in and then took off for a day filled with fun. Our first stop was a place called "Pump It Up." It is a place filled with inflatable rides. Since it was raining all day yesterday it cancelled our picnic in the park so we spent $7.00 and played in inflatables for 2 hours. There was almost no one there so Brian and I climbed through all the slides and obstacle courses with Anna Beth and jumped with her. I have not heard her giggle that hard in a couple of weeks! She loved racing Daddy down the slides and having Brian and I jump so hard that it made her fall.
Next we went to lunch and Chick-fil-a, where again she played on the indoor playground. I really do not know how she does it! lol Then off we went to the store to pick up some food. Anna Beth loves to push the kid size carts and since we did not have alot to get, I filled her basket and she was thrilled. She is so funny driving that thing around. I have been trying to teach her left and right when we go to the store by saying turn Right or turn Left when we are navigating our way through the store. Usually the cart gets heavy and she throws her whole body into turning the corners. By the end, it is so full that she can barely see over the top of it. Just before we left she asked to see my list and she went over it herself. Anna Beth said, "Okay, let me see... we have got everything so now we go pay and go home."
After a lazy afternoon of a movie and naps, we had dinner and I gave Brian and Anna Beth hair cuts. It was one of the most perfect days ever and I am so grateful for those times where we can just relax and play together as a family!
We slept in and then took off for a day filled with fun. Our first stop was a place called "Pump It Up." It is a place filled with inflatable rides. Since it was raining all day yesterday it cancelled our picnic in the park so we spent $7.00 and played in inflatables for 2 hours. There was almost no one there so Brian and I climbed through all the slides and obstacle courses with Anna Beth and jumped with her. I have not heard her giggle that hard in a couple of weeks! She loved racing Daddy down the slides and having Brian and I jump so hard that it made her fall.
Next we went to lunch and Chick-fil-a, where again she played on the indoor playground. I really do not know how she does it! lol Then off we went to the store to pick up some food. Anna Beth loves to push the kid size carts and since we did not have alot to get, I filled her basket and she was thrilled. She is so funny driving that thing around. I have been trying to teach her left and right when we go to the store by saying turn Right or turn Left when we are navigating our way through the store. Usually the cart gets heavy and she throws her whole body into turning the corners. By the end, it is so full that she can barely see over the top of it. Just before we left she asked to see my list and she went over it herself. Anna Beth said, "Okay, let me see... we have got everything so now we go pay and go home."
After a lazy afternoon of a movie and naps, we had dinner and I gave Brian and Anna Beth hair cuts. It was one of the most perfect days ever and I am so grateful for those times where we can just relax and play together as a family!
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