Trying out soccer

We signed Avery up for soccer over the summer, and she just had her third practice tonight. Her first game is next Saturday, and well...we are definitely beginners! For this being her very first experience with soccer, she's doing pretty well! She hasn't totally grasped the concept that she can't touch the ball with her hands, but she's getting there! Practice lasts 30 minutes, and the coach calls it an 'epic success' if all the kids stay on the field at the same time :) It's funny to see kids 2.5-4 yrs 'play soccer'. Oh boy...there's a lot of chaos, but man is it cute!

What I've learned

I feel as though I've learned a lot since becoming a mother of two. I know that there are moms out there with WAY more than two kids, but for me, it was an adjustment, and I knew it would be! I am someone who likes structure and order. The unknown can be scary for me, especially when I don't have control over it. I was very anxious about 2013! I knew adding another child to the family would mean lots of change, but I didn't fully understand it until it really happened. Although there are lots of days when I feel frazzled and scattered, I absolutely L.O.V.E. being a mother to my two little ladies!

Over the last (almost) 6 months, I have learned a lot since becoming a mother of two. These are the ones that stick out the most:

* It's ok to say no. I have found this to be incredibly important! It's ok to put your kids and family before other people's schedules and plans. Sometimes a mom just has to say, 'No, that won't work for us. We will try for another time.'

* Multiple times a day, someone is being neglected. And that's ok! They're not going to die if their need(s) are not met that very second. Unless it's going on the potty or a safety matter, most things Avery wants/needs can wait a few minutes or even hours. Same with Lucy!

* Moms do things differently, and that's fine. Judging others is ugly. I hate when I get the feeling people are judging me, and I hate the feeling even more I have when I know I've judged others.

* Treasure moments with your kids, Leah. Soak up the good and the bad...even the ugly! One day I'm going to wish my biggest problem was getting Lucy to nap!!

* Things DO get better! Those beginning few months with a toddler and a baby can be rough. Temper tantrums, newborn feeding/sleeping schedules are a mess, hormones are raging, and then add to the mix that at some point you need to shower and brush your teeth. I can say that things have gotten a lot better, and hygiene is where it should be :)

* You will mess up, and they will be ok. Don't be so hard on yourself. Kids are much more resilient then we give them credit for! Of course we need to listen to them, chat with them, love on them, and meet their emotional/physical needs BUT they bounce back pretty quick from injuries and hurt feelings.

I just keep learning. And I have a feeling the learning will go on, and on, and on!

 Lucy and Avery within the first month

Lucy and Avery at month 5

Perspective

The definition of perspective is how you see things. Having perspective is so important, whether it's in marriage, parenting, your job, or relationships! In my current stage of life in parenting, it is so easy to lose perspective on things, and just think this is how things will always be (sleepless nights, temper tantrums, etc.), but I know that isn't the case. I know that this is a stage of life, and it will end one day. In fact, I have a feeling I will really miss this stage one day. I will miss cuddling Lucy at 2am. I will miss the tearful I'm sorry's from Avery after she's been naughty. And one day, when they are yelling at me from their room after just being grounded, I'm going to wish my biggest problem was whether they took a good nap that day!

Perspective.


You're not able to get a Starbucks this week on your way to work because you're running late, and you're upset about it. There's a woman a few offices down who can't buy groceries this week. Perspective.

Your child has been on a good schedule for weeks, and all of a sudden has decided to stop taking an afternoon nap. There's a mom who just visited her sick child in the hospital.
Perspective.

You and your husband haven't had date night in a while because of a busy calendar. There's a couple down the street who are in the midst of  messy divorce and the kids are the ones paying for it.
Perspective.

 Sometimes I get in the rut of feeling sorry for myself when things aren't going well, or aren't going the way I want them to and then I always have to remind myself that this is a season, and all seasons end...even the good ones! Praise God that this life is not all we have! It's just a snap of a finger in the grand scheme of things.