Lesson Learned...part 2

This post is intended to make you re-think how you live, your possessions, your desire for things, how you spend your money. It is not a "hey, look what I did" post. Something just clicked with me and I needed to share in hopes that others might join in.

(my thought process in italics)

I saw a billboard in Durham last night on the way to supper.
"Feed someone a hot meal. $2.04. Durham Rescue Mission."

A few minutes later we drove by the Mission. "Only $2.04 and I could give someone who may not know where their next meal is coming from a hot supper. Only $2.04. Only $2.04. ONLY $2.04."

I didn't even mention it to Chris but I think a part of me wanted to stop and go inside. I don't know what I wanted to do once I got in there. Help them serve meals, maybe? Give them some money? Just find someone to talk to? I kept quiet and we just kept driving.

At the restaurant the first thing I do is pick up the menu. I see the options.
Buffet style...either with meat or without...with the price beside it.

"Only $2.04. How many people, some that may not have had a meal recently, could be fed with the money that's going to be spent here?

Standing at the buffet line, in front of my husband.
Looking at the food. Deciding what I want.

"Only $2.04. I ate a good breakfast this morning. I ate a good lunch. It makes me sick to think about putting this food on my plate. Food that is overpriced (maybe because you pay for the atmosphere and the experience??). I'm not really hungry anymore. Should I just not eat? What will everybody else think if I do that? Only $2.04."

I walk around the buffet table. I look at everything. I'm still unsure. Then...I do it. I go back to my seat with an empty plate. I text my mom to see how the kids are. I have my little meltdown...the one where I whisper to Chris I'm ready to leave right now, the one where I shed my few tears because I miss my babies. I drink my water. I try to enjoy myself.

Lesson learned: Awareness heightened. Compassion felt. Desire to help those who don't have basic needs ran through me. I will be more deliberate in our spending. I will pray for those who are not as blessed as we are. I will do more to share with those people.

Lesson Learned...part 1 (I think)

Friday night Chris and I left the kids with my mom and headed out to join the rest of the church staff (and their significant others) for dinner in Durham...a little Christmas get-together.

This was the longest I've been away from Savannah. I didn't even cry when we drove away. We enjoyed our ride. We talked. We hung out. We stopped by a Whole Foods Market and enjoyed browsing and tasting. We admired the downtown buildings. We did a little bit of people watching.

I did fine until we sat down to eat. I was ready to get up and leave. RIGHT THEN. I didn't want to be there anymore. I just wanted to be back near our babies.

I managed to make it through the festivities with only a few tears. I tried to enjoy myself. But I really wanted to get back in the car and head back.

They were both fine the entire time we were gone.
I never doubted they would be.
I enjoyed the time with my husband.
I love our car-ride chats. We used to drive ALOT and had most of our important decision-making conversations while riding.

Lesson Learned: This mama is not ready to leave her little girl for several hours again anytime soon. Won't even think about it.

Call me crazy if you want. I don't mind. I love my babies. I love being their mama. I love being close to them....and close to home. It's just the way God made me, I guess.
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Thanks, Chris for being my best friend. Thank you for knowing just what I'm thinking. Thank you for letting me stay home with our kids. Thank you for being their daddy. We've got it pretty good!

It's Amazing I Ever Get Anything Done

....I could just sit and look at her (and her brother) all day long. Could she get any cuter?!

Another first....

Savannah's first time riding on daddy's shoulders....She's just a few days younger than her big brother was when he took his first ride. Now, he's huge and doesn't even have to hold on. He loves it up there.

Advent Activities...Day 3

Today's activity was a little later and daddy was able to get in on the fun!

We (OK, daddy) built a fort in the living room and sat in it (under it?) while we watched "The Polar Express" and ate supper. Silas was very into the movie. He wants to slide down a slide like the one in the movie....after the one little boy finds the present with his name on it and chases it down the conveyor belt...he said, "that would be fun!"

Chris' fort was a lot cooler than the one I built the other day. He's so much better at that kind of stuff.

Hilarious

The other night, as we were picking up around the house, I found a few of Silas' sharks teeth on the living room floor.
ME: "Please pick these up and put them where they go Silas."
SILAS: "I got a idea...I can put them under my pillow. You remember that book we read. They put that tooth under that pillow and they got money."
I'm not sure what book he's referring to. I just asked him (this is a couple of days later) and he said it was a book nanama read at her house.
I told him it didn't work to put shark's teeth under your pillow. It had to be your own teeth. He still put them under his pillow.
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This afternoon I sat down to feed Savannah.
SILAS: "You remember that grape juice you drink at church?"
ME: "Yep. I do...at communion?"
SILAS (walking over to hand me a pretend communion cup): "Here you go. You ready to talk about Jesus? Oh, we need something else. I can use my cheese and cut it up little with my scissors (the cheese was part of his snack and he was referring to the little communion cracker).
ME: "We don't use cheese at communion. It's a little cracker."
SILAS: "I can just get a piece of bread. That will work"
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And, one more. This is from Monday but I don't think I posted it on here yet.
ME: "Silas, what did you do at Grandma and Granddaddy's church yesterday?"
SILAS: "I did not go to my class. I sat with Grandma and listened to Granddaddy preach."
ME: "Oh, ok. What did Granddaddy talk about? Do you remember?"
SILAS: "Ohm, yeah. About all the important things."

Advent Activities...Day 2

This morning I read out of Silas' Bible the story of when Mary and Joseph traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem and about Jesus' birth. We talked about how Christmas was Jesus' birthday.
(side note - I was reading a blog the other day and instead of the special "decorating for Christmas" day this family does a special "decorating for Jesus' birthday" day. Cool)
"Jesus was born in Bethlehem in a barn...."
"His mommy's name is Mary and his daddy's name is Joseph...." (Last year his parents were Murry and Jofes)

I printed this picture out for him last night. He was excited when I got the paints and brushes out! It's been a while since they've been out of the closet. He did a great job using his dot brush to paint each dot. His painting is becoming a lot more controlled. He also painted Jesus in the manger. "Mommy, when you mix all these colors up you get brown paint!" We listened to Christmas music while we painted.
We also made one Christmas present this morning.

Savannah sat in her high chair while we were being crafty. She talked and smiled and laughed. Every now and then she'd throw in a little whimper...just to make sure we hadn't forgotten about her.
We also danced like crazies to "Feliz Navidad". Savannah is a huge fan of dancing. Silas brought his drum set into the living room (all by himself) and played along to "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" and "Jingle Bells". The drums are still in the middle of the floor....see them? While I fixed out lunch (what a perfect day for homemade vegetable soup!) the kiddos read books.
I love my kids. I love my husband. I love our life.