Scrambled Eggs and Other Life Lessons

Today was a day where I realized that Park is rapidly becoming a two year old. With a feisty spirit and a mind of his very own, I was told, “NO!” and “ME do it!” more times than I care to count.

I’m sure the reality is that it is just a stage, all parents have experienced it, and with patience and consistent discipline, this too shall pass. But, hey, can you blame me for losing touch with reality after catching the child painting the living room with his scrambled eggs?

Needless to say, the rug enjoyed its’ scrambled eggs this morning and I learned another valuable parenting lesson.

It poured down rain most of the day today so I was jailed inside with a precious little inmate who said, “ SIDE, MONNY!” (translation: OUTSIDE MOMMY and I want it to happen yesterday) no less than 4,032 times.

In an effort to entertain and keep myself from poking out my own eyes, we baked banana bread, played indoor baseball, swam in the bathtub, and read the entire Dr. Seuss collection. One might think this sounds like enough to entertain a certain dark haired, blue-eyed, 23 month old boy.

One would be wrong.

After all that work, 10 am was still nowhere in sight.

On days like today, I often ponder how I will take this little ball of fire and mold and shape him into a functioning member of society. Ok, let’s be honest. On days like today a functioning member of society feels like too lofty of a goal and I wonder how I will keep him out of a juvenile delinquent center. Yikes, did I actually just share that thought? Don’t panic Mom, I’m kidding. (sort of)

However, as I’m rocking this little groggy angel in my arms tonight before bedtime, I once again remembered how small I am and how limited my vision can be.

God has bigger plans for Park than just being a functioning member of society. He wants to use him to further His kingdom. He wants to send him into this world as a representative of the King of Kings. He wants to share comfort, love, laughter, peace, joy, and wisdom through Park.

And when I allowed myself to sit in the darkness of Park’s room in the presence of the Lord, I was in awe of the gift He has bestowed upon me. In and of myself, it is impossible for me (or Chris) to shape Park into the man of God we desire him to be. Only the One who created him in the first place can live up to such an awesome expectation and it was never His intention for Chris and I to have that job alone.

I am so thankful that I serve a God big enough and creative enough to turn an egg throwing, tantrum screaming, master of disaster little boy, into a man after His own heart. That strong will that the Lord placed in Park is going to serve Him well. The comfort, love, laughter, peace, joy, and wisdom God wants to share with the world through Park is already being shared with me.

Sometimes it just takes being slapped in the head with a scrambled egg to realize it.

A Lurker Changing Her Ways

Thanks to my precious friend (Sarah) luring me into the world of reading blogs, I have met so many amazing women. I have cried with these people, prayed for their children, and even come dangerously close to wetting my pants as I laugh at their stories. This is the stuff that lifelong friendships are made of, folks. Well, aside from one small issue.

Here comes the true confession…. I am (gulp) a LURKER. There, I feel better now that it is out in the open. Although I love these new friends I’ve “met”, they have no idea that I even exist. That can put a major kink in even the best of relationships.

So, in hopes of side-stepping that issue, I am allowing myself to get sucked into to the wonderfully time consuming, yet overwhelmingly gratifying world of blogging. Ladies, you've inspired me to keep record of Park's childhood, so that when my memory is long gone, this blog can remind me why I lost it!

I’ve always stopped short of starting my own blog, partly because what in the world does one write about in their first post? Should I introduce myself and my family, since I feel certain they will be the ones to give me most of my “material”? Should I just bust out with a post about my childhood or how I met my hubby? Should I start with something less serious, like my love/hate relationship with Target?

So, here I sit, typing away, yet saying nothing. Not the best first impression to give, I feel fairly certain.

Since I only have one chance to make a first impression, I think I’ll share something that will make most mothers like me instantly. (Why is it that we seem to take comfort in the pain of others?!) Sit down for this one. After PUSHING for 5 +hours in labor, my precious Park did not sleep 6 hours in a row until he was well over a year old.

Ok- so you like me now, but that is not really what I was going to share. Instead, I was going to post something I wrote to my sister and mom a few months ago about the joys of raising a toddler.

But, thanks to those experienced bloggers I’ve faithfully read for the last year, I have learned the beauty of the teaser! So, in their honor, I’ll wait a day to post it so that I can make sure the one person reading this will return to my site tomorrow.