While You're Two and a Half

While you’re 2 ½, I’ll hold your chubby, sticky hands. I’ll play with your damp, wavy hair while you sleep. I’ll watch you in wonder that you’re no longer a baby, but sometimes still so small.

While you’re 2 ½, I’ll read you the book 5 times in a row…I’ll always read it again. While you’re 2 ½  I’ll savor your sweet voice asking me “Mommy will you play with me?” I’ll cherish hearing your slowly fading-chubby cheeks asking, “Watch this, Mommy”

While you’re 2 ½, I’ll stand at your bedroom door, watching my baby boy become a big boy. I’ll stand in awe of the boy you’re becoming, but I’ll cling tightly to the memory of your newness in my arms.

I’ll cherish your “wisdom” about everything; I’ll even cherish your outlandish demands for sandwiches to be cut into squares, not triangles. I’ll soak up the joy in your eyes when you whisper about doughnuts.

I’ll wrap you in my arms every chance I get because I know you soon won’t want to be snuggled as much. I’ll kiss your stinky, still-chubby feet even if they’ve been running outside barefoot, because I know soon they won’t be so sweet.

While you’re 2 ½, I’ll take picture after picture of your ever-changing sweet face even if you tell me, “no”. I’ll lose myself in that ornery sparkle in your eyes as you tackle me or try to get out of trouble, because I know one day another woman will love that sparkle, too.

I’ll hold you close, spoil you, and indulge all your imaginings – I’ll let you wear your Halloween costume all day and all night if you want. All the while, watching you sleep on the monitor, wondering how my life ever felt complete before a little boy stole my heart.

While you’re 2 ½, I’ll secretly love having you sleep in our bed and snuggling as close to me as you can get, wrapping your arms around my neck, and waking me with your full-face smile, even if that smile is because you’re pretending to walk a spider on my head. I’ll cherish those hands that “cover my eyes” when I use hairspray, that pat my back when I’m holding you, that stroke my hair during nap time, and feed me some of your snacks.

I’ll cherish that little chair constantly pulled up to the kitchen counter to “watch” while I cook. I’ll indulge in dancing with you, running circles with you, and being told, “like this” when I dance the wrong way.

I’ll melt when I hear you pray, saying, “Thank you, God, for Mommy” and see you touch your nose to say, “I love you.”

While you’re 2 ½, I’ll cherish being this loved. I’ll savor your sweet, ornery, innocent, joyful love. Because I know, one day, you’ll have other people to love. But, for now, I’ll soak up this season of sticky fingers and chubby cheeks, joyful laughter and ornery eyes, and I’ll hold you as long as I can: while you’re 2 ½.

Ninja Turtles Potty-Trained My Guy

Ninja Turtles Potty-Trained My Guy.

For real. Without the special ninja turtle cup, he wouldn't have drank enough tea to go to the potty every 10-15-25-30 minutes. "Tea turns into pee-pee, not water or juice." - wisdom from a 2 year old

the ninja turtle cup. he was allowed to watch as much TV as he wanted as long as he drank while watching....is that completely terrible?!?

One Sunday evening, I decided to try potty training. We had tried before with little success with #1, he'd only poo in the potty. Then, he broke his leg and the Hulk Leg (here) hindered potty training.
Then, he was doing well with #2, still not #1, when he announced, "sorry guys. I pee pee in my pants. sorry." Meaning, he wasn't going to use the potty, so we should give up (life with a strong-willed child, can I get an "amen"?!)

THEN, we were making progress again, then his brother was born (here). He then decided that ALL of the diapers and wipes in the house belonged to him. This made for interesting newborn diaper changes when we had to chase him to get the necessary supplies.

(can you just laugh or cry with me already?! ha!)

So, on that random Sunday evening, I thought, "We'll try now. It'll only be for a few hours, if he's frustrated and quits, it'll be bedtime anyway, so it's worth a shot!" He'd been giving me signs like, telling me he was peeing...(is that a clear enough sign??).

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This is what I did:

1.) Cheerios / I dropped a few Cheerios in the toilet and asked if he wanted to shoot them with pee pee.
He thought this was AMAZING, and asked for more Cheerios (to increase his odds of shooting one. ha!)

2.) Cup / I chose a cup I knew he thought was amazing (it was still new to him), a Ninja Turtle water bottle. I filled it with his choice of drink (tea) and gave it to him. I gave him pretzels, too, in an effort to get him to drink more.

3.) Clock / I set a timer for 10 minutes. He loved the timer! He still does - whenever he hears it, he runs to the potty. In these times, my husband and I refer to him as "Pavlov"...except our guy pees when he hears the bell. ;) (he'll love me for this post when he's older, I'm sure of it).

4.) Once he was dry after every 10 minute session (or irritated from being interrupted every 10 minutes), we bumped up the increments to 15 minutes. Then, we moved to 25 minutes. If he was wet before one of the increments, we would shorten the increments again.

5.) A few days later, the wonder of the Cheerios had faded (he was eating them from the cup on the bathroom counter while sitting on the potty..ha!) I let him go on his own. He had a couple accidents, but I blame the water he was playing with. Every so often, we'll remind him to go, but for the most part, he can go an hour or so between trips to the potty. He wakes up in the mornings dry, but we're not risking it with undies for awhile.

Now, he loves undies! We just remind him to go every so often, but we have mostly dry days (except when he's playing in water....I can't blame him too much for that!)

so grown up!

Here are my steps and supplies to potty-train in this way

1.) Let him choose a cup he will want to drink from him. Let him choose a beverage. If it's full of sugar, just grin and bear it - it's only for a few days... the end justifies the means in this situation!

2.) Be prepared to spend a few days in the bathroom all day long...I was juggling an infant at the same time...so, my guy ran around "nakey" for a bit because I couldn't feed my little guy and run back and forth to the potty with my oldest (you do what you have to do sometimes!)

3.) Use Cheerios in the potty for him to learn where to aim.

4.) Set a timer (I used my phone). Start with 5 or 10 minutes, whatever makes you the most comfortable - you know your boy. After he's dry between increments, increase the time. Keep him full of snacks and liquids. If he eats tons of crackers or snacks so that he will drink a lot, don't cringe too much - it's necessary!!

5.) Call anyone important to him for praise after the first few times of being dry and using the potty (my family members received many calls at work. ha!)

6.) When enthusiasm begins to lag, praise him with a small incentive (we used a piece of candy, bc candy is a rare treat around here).

7.) When he's consistently dry between longer increments, let him go for awhile by himself and see if he goes to the potty on his own (if he doesn't, clothes can always be washed!). If he's getting frustrated with stopping his playtime to potty, ease up a bit - my guy refused to go if he became frustrated, so I chilled out and watched to see what he would do. Sure enough, he said, "Mommy, I feel sparkly" and we RAN to the potty. (Sparkly was his own definition. I couldn't love it any more!)

8.) Reward his potty training success with a trip to buy a special toy or new undies. We have a friend who had a cake made for her little girl. Whatever your guy would like, go for it. You've both earned a celebration for your many many many trips to the potty. :)

What We're Reading Wednesdays...Big Brother Edition

An only child recently became a big brother.

a sweet moment thanks to bribery

He had no idea what was about to rock his little world, so we tried to prepare him. While I was pregnant, Samuel would constantly search in the couch cushions for "Baby Hudson." He drew pictures of him that included, "knees and a tail." Then we knew we needed some serious preparation that the baby would be, in fact human. :)

He was curious about him, but not too crazy about the idea of him once we began assembling Hudson's room.

So, I purchased a few books to try and prep our little guy for the transition. We found a few that we LOVED.

I'm a Big Brother by Joanna Cole

 This is a big book. Our guy loves to carry it around and talk about his "big muscles." He still loves to read this book. The pictures are simple and bright. It has a good rhythm to it when read aloud. The ideas and words are simple enough that he can "read" it to himself just by looking at the pictures (he's memorized some pages).

It's a cute book. It approaches the subject by letting the big brother know that the baby needs his mommy and daddy's time, but explains that the baby is too small to do anything on his own.
Samuel likes the idea of being a big brother when reading this book (that feeling just fades afterwards...ha!). The book does a good job of bringing excitement to the new title of "big brother."

Za Za's Baby Brother by Lucy Cousins

picture from Amazon.com, here

This book is still a favorite in our house. The book is bright, small enough to carry in small hands, and simple enough to memorize. It focuses on Za Za's mommy and daddy not having as much time for him/her as before (I'm not entirely certain if Za Za is a boy or girl, okay? lol).

When researching books, I noticed a few negative reviews for this book because of this subject. But, it's a tough reality to approach. Cousins does it in a friendly manner. The book can be read in an upbeat, fun way so that the "Daddy is always busy....Mommy is always busy....I played by myself" lines do not seem awful. In the end, Za Za gets alone time with Mom and Dad after the baby is put to bed.

I think it's a great little book - our guy still likes it, and even asked me to read it to him yesterday!

It also taught him that flowers for Mommy while in the hospital were a MUST! :)

Brothers Are for Making Mud Pies by Harriet Ziefert

picture from Amazon.com, here

Adorable little book! This quickly became a favorite during my pregnancy. This book helped Samuel learn that a brother would eventually be fun. It was eye opening for him! ;) (especially after Za Za taught him that we wouldn't have all day to spend with him! lol)

It's a lift-the-flap book, so it's fun to read. The pictures are cute. It's appropriate for a big brother or big sister as there are pictures of both with a baby brother. It's one of my favorites. I noticed that the author also wrote Sister are for Making Sand Castles. How cute! Hopefully one day, I can purchase that one! :)

Late Summer Wreath ..... Mommy Monday Edition

August/September.

Too early for jack-o-lanterns and "thankful" decor.

Too late for flip flops and tropical decor.

When school starts, I'm ready for fall decor, fall scents, and fall food. Even if it's 90+ degrees outside, my house smells of Cider Web (a yankee candle favorite) or Cider Mill (a new Scentsy favorite), and I'll make chili on a football Saturday.

I just don't think my orange and green "fall" wreath is appropriate when my summer flowers are still in bloom not completely dead from my neglect.

So, I made this little chick for my front door from an old wreath I found stuffed away in my attic.

It complements my red and yellow mums and ushers in Fall without screaming "Thanksgiving!!!" much too early in the year.

With a wooden letter, paint, and burlap ribbon (I am in LOVE with that ribbon) from Hobby Lobby, I think this wreath was less than $20.

Happy Pumpkin-Everything Season!! :)

The Schedule for My Sanity

I'm linking up to a link party with Liz at All Kinds of Things! Check out all of the great organization tips from her and fellow bloggers on her blog!

The Schedule for My Sanity


I am not a mother who spends 24/7 playing with her children.

I cannot raise my children in a dirty home.

There. I said it.

I used to think I needed to play with my children every time they asked, "Will you play with me?" (okay...most of the time, I do. I can't resist the sweet voice and slowly fading-chubby cheeks of my almost 3 year old).

But, I realized. I can't. I MUST have a clean home. If my home is cluttered and unkempt, I feel like a lazy mom and wife.

So, I decided to schedule a chore for each day. If not just to help myself keep track of what has actually been accomplished that week, but to teach my boys that work must be finished before play. I find myself saying this to my oldest quite frequently, "Mommies sometimes need to work before playing."

Here it is. It took me forever to make on Photoshop - I only know enough to do something like this - ha! But, I made it. and it makes my chores seem more attractive.

Monday is always a "make up day" in this house. Sundays are SO tough - there are usually no naps on Sundays and we seem to go-go-go from church, to family gatherings, until my boys are so whiny and sleepy, that bedtime comes at 6:30 (which is why we are hardly EVER at Sunday night services...). Then, the hubs and I settle in for a romantic evening of homework and speaking to one another in broken sentences over our laptops....

So, Monday is a day for laundry and bathrooms. Two of the most convenient chores to where my boys play. I used to find myself doing laundry EVERYDAY. But, I settled on Monday, so I do it on Mondays, no other day (with the exception of stinky baby clothes). The bathrooms do not take very long now that I have a schedule for cleaning. I also keep a can of disinfecting wipes in every bathroom, so it's simple to wipe down the sink and the potty each day (or every 20 minutes because a little boy insists on putting his hands ALL over the potty seat)

Tuesday is for bedrooms. Also for putting away the laundry. I had to schedule a day to do this because I'm terrible about putting away clothes once they are clean. We tended to live out of laundry baskets or say, "I've lost this skirt! I have no idea where it is!" when it was buried at the bottom of the 3rd laundry basket in our bedroom....(talk about a romance killer...laundry staring us in the face...ugh). I declutter the boys' bedrooms a little each evening before bed, but the thorough cleaning and sorting of clothes (switching out sizes/seasons) happens on Tuesdays. This gives us time to play upstairs near the bedrooms and provides a change of pace from our usual playspace downstairs.

Wednesdays are for errands, shopping, or visiting. My dear mother has agreed to watch my boys one day a week so I can devote one day to graduate school work and grocery shopping sans a toddler and an infant (I'm not skilled at the two grocery cart system...). This is usually on Wednesdays. Before school started, this day was used as the day we go out and spend a day shopping or visiting. Is this always on Wednesdays? No. Some weeks the free day falls on another day, so I just switch the chores.
I know my routine, and I know I NEEDED a day to go out. So, I scheduled one.

Thursday is for the kitchen and family room. We live in a small townhome, so we don't have too many rooms to clean. The kitchen, family room, and dining room are all connected on the bottom floor, so the dining room is included in this day as well. This is the most difficult day because this is the area where the boys play. But, usually by Thursday, my oldest is tired, so he will "rest" on the couch while I clean. (more on this wonderful development of "rests" later)
I like cleaning these rooms on Thursdays because they are still clean over the weekend when we are more likely to have people stop by.

Friday is for floors. Do I vacuum other days of the week? Yes, if necessary. But Fridays are my intense floor cleaning day. Some weeks I'll scrub them on the day my mom watches my boys, but for the most part, I stick to the schedule. My baby goes to sleep while I vacuum and my toddler follows me around asking to help or "helping" with his vacuum or some object he's turned into a vacuum with his imagination. :)

Notice that the weekends are free. I don't do housework on weekends. If we have visitors drop by, I will straighten up. But most weeks, weekends mean family. We relax, watch TV and play in our PJs too late into the day. We take our boys out for something fun. And Sundays...well, we're too rushed (always) getting ready for church and juggling the rest of the day to even think about cleaning! :)

Once every 2 weeks, I tackle a big project: painting a door, cleaning out a closet, switching seasonal clothing, switching out the rotation of toys...etc. You get the idea. By putting this on the schedule, I give myself a chance to ACTUALLY get something done rather than telling myself, "I need to remember to do this."

If we have out of town visitors, a thorough scrub down of the house doesn't take as long if I've kept up this schedule. It also helps keep our family on a schedule. And if I've learned anything from having a toddler and an infant, a schedule is a MUST!

Happy Almost-Fall!

"My Toddler, My Maid" Guest Post

A couple months ago, my friend Liz at "All Kinds of Things" asked me to guest post for her.

I was happy to share my wealth of parenting wisdom ideas with her readers.

Check it out, here (or the link below)!
Also, while you're there, read some of her ideas - you'll love her! :)


My Toddler, My Maid


Happy Almost-Wednesday!

a slew of book reviews.

Bear with me while I review umpteen books which have been piling up on my nightstand. I've been distracted by these sweet guys lately... ;)

 oh, and this sweet guy.... :)

I LOVE being a part of Bethany House's Blogger Review program. These were all sent to me, free of charge, to read and review. If you're interested in the program, check it out here.

The Jesus Story by Dr. William H Marty

I cannot say ENOUGH about this book. I was raised in church, so the Jesus stories could sometimes seem mundane. Is that awful to say?? I had heard them so many times, that I wasn't really HEARING them. This book breathed new life into Jesus' story. I found myself learning new things in every chapter.
This is a retelling of the New Testament, "in plain English" (Marty, 2013). I highly recommend it to anyone - Christian or not. It can bring new life to Jesus' life for you, and will do an amazing job of introducing anyone to Jesus for the first time.

50 Things You Need to Know About Heaven by Dr. John Hart

Excellent book. I chose this book to review in light of a loss in my life. Even though I knew some of the 50 things, it was SO encouraging to "learn" them again. There are SO many facts about Heaven that I just did not know, or did not think about before. Dr. John Hart answers most any question one can have about Heaven, using sound doctrine and the Word of God. 

This is an easy-to-read, easy-to-understand book.

I recommend this book to anyone, but especially those who have experienced loss. It proved to be a great enouragement to me.

Tide and Temptest by Elizabeth Ludwig

I must admit, when I chose this book, I couldn't wait to receive it. I really enjoyed Ludwig's second book of this series, but this third book lost me. I could not get into it. I pushed myself to read more, but I felt lost in the story. I had a difficult time connecting with the characters. I thought the storyline took too long to become interesting. The first part of the book is shrouded in mystery, but it was too myseterious for me - I couldn't figure out who was who or what anyone was talking about! Perhaps I need to reread the second book? I'm not certain, but I cannot recommend this except for a reader wanting to continue/finish this series by Ludwig.

Minding Molly by Leslie Gould

I made myself finish this book. I wasn't enthralled with it. I was bored by the predictable story line. I also had trouble placing this story in any particular time in history. At first I thought it was in the past, but the characters had cell phones, so I assumed it was modern day. I know it is an Amish story, but it seemed out of place and unattached to any specific time period.

It was an entertaining read, but it was predictable. I couldn't connecct with Molly, I really didn't like her character. I did, however, find myself more interested in the less developed characters of the story. 

I can only recommend it as an easy read. It's not a book I would read again.

Miracle in a Dry Season by Sarah Loudin Thomas

As a WV girl, I highly recommend this book. Partly because it's set in WV (I mean, how often does that happen?!) But, this is such a sweet love story. I couldn't put it down. The characters are easy to love and are perfectly developed. I felt I knew what I wanted about the characters and didn't find myself wanting more information - I felt I knew them. I was sad when the book ended, because I enjoyed getting to know them through this book. The plot was not predictable and there was no mention of a dramatic fire or near-death experience from which the woman needed to be rescued, only to finally fall in love with her rescuer. I really enjoyed it.

The first novella by this author was wonderful, too! I received it free and was on edge waiting for this sequel!

I highly recommend this story to anyone. It was so entertaining and interesting.

Appalachian Serenade by Sarah Loudin Thomas

The novella and prequel to Miracle in a Dry Season. Absolutely adorable! It's been awhile since I've read Christian fiction and been so drawn in by the characters. Thomas writes this story so beautifully that you cannot help but be caught up in their love story. Set in WV, this is a story of two unlikely people finding love in a small, small town. There are no dramatics or unbelievable circumstances that bring them together, just two normal people living normal life.

I highly recommend this book.

(all photos of books were found on Amazon.com...my favorite site to shop! Visit the site by clicking here)

I Love You...but, I MUST do dishes

Life in this Harner house has been in a transition lately.
A certain two year old and his momma are having an extremely difficult time adjusting to a new little boy needing my time and affection.

I find myself saying these things OVER and OVER and OVER all day long:

"Yes, I will play that game AFTER I ......"
"Hold on, just a few minutes..."
"I said, 'Yes,' but first I have to...."
"I would LOVE to read that book, just let me finish..."

It's not that I ignore my children. It's just that requests for playtime occur every 10 seconds. Then I feel like a terrible mother for not dropping everything and playing each at each and every request. It's a vicious cycle.

I am not a major advocate for spending 24/7 playing and interacting with my children. I believe they need time to play alone. I also believe that I need time to cook, clean, and plan unless I want to raise my children in filthy chaos.

So, the other day, I admitted defeat to my mom and my husband. I said, "I'm can't do this." All the while, God was reminding me that He wouldn't have given me these boys if I COULDN'T do it.

Then I remembered this term: LOVE TANK.

You know what I'm getting at. Samuel's love tank must obviously be low....

find it on Amazon.com, here

I'm a HUGE believer in the LOVE LANGUAGES theory. I believe it with my whole heart. I'm astounded by it. I couldn't wait to have children to discover their love languages.

Little did I realize, those children could have love languages completely opposite of my own. And it appears that for this season, my toddler does.....

(I recommend brushing up on the Love Languages on their site, here. I even took a test for my child to get an idea of his love languages - the results were pretty much what I expected.)

I am very much a Words of Affirmation and Physical Touch...and Receiving Gifts type of gal...(but on the gifts, who isn't??? :) ).

My toddler is very much a Quality Time and Acts of Service type child. Both of which languages, I am not too adept at speaking. He also enjoys Words of Affirmation, which I can handle with ease - I mean, who couldn't with this face???

perhaps I'm biased, but I can't resist that ornery sparkle in his eyes...

I can handle the Acts of Service...we religiously look for toys that need "rescuing." (thanks to Team UmiZoomi) I just need to find ideas and more specific ways to fill this ornery little Love Tank. So, I searched Pinterest (what other reliable soure would I use??) I found this great chart:

Found on The Catholic Connection, here

Now, I just need to find a way to find more time to spend with him while caring for an infant and trying to upkeep the house. I can feel another blog post coming from this...."How I Found Time for Quality Time"

...God gave me these boys...He knows I can handle it all....with my hand fiercely grasping His and pleading for wisdom ;)

What We're Reading

What We're Reading Wednesday

Today I'm sharing two of our favorite Bible-based books.

9 Fruits Alive

 A kid's book about the Fruits of the Spirit (find it here).  My mom found this gem. We adore it. The pictures are bright and adorable. The rhyming is cute. The lessons are great for small children.

Samuel has loved this book for over a year. It's great for littles and I have a feeling it will be adored as he grows into PreK and K.

Bedtime Blessings for Boys

find it on Amazon.com, here

We just started using this book because Samuel had finally tired of his "Dear God" book (mentioned here in a previous blog post). This book is just above Samuel's current level of understanding. So, the hubs and I just paraphrase the devotional part and stick with the book for the questions, verse, application, and prayer.

I thought it was too much for him until the day after our first devotional time with it. On this day, Samuel was naming people he loves. I asked, "Do you love doughnuts?" (doughnuts are the key to his heart, by the way) He replied, "Mommy, I love PEOPLE..."
Our devotional time the night before was about loving PEOPLE even when they aren't very nice. ::shock:: So, it's not too much for him. Evidently, it's just right.
And evidently, God still keeps His promise that His Word won't return void. :) As if I should ever doubt. ;)

What We're Reading

It's Wednesday...that means it's "What We're Reading Wednesday"!!

My life is filled with trucks, cars, heroes, races, wrestling, potty humor, etc...

Our choice of bedtime books is slowly becoming more "boyish" than before. I can't complain, especially when an ornery little boy's eyes light up at bedtime when reading these two books.

I Love You, Stinky Face

you can find it here on Amazon

This is such a sweet book!! It's become one of my favorites. Mostly because it's about a mom and a little boy sharing a sweet moment before bedtime. It's a story about a mommy loving her baby boy no matter what! :) I highly recommend it!

Red Truck

you can find it here on Amazon

A short book with great rhymes and rhythm. The words run through my head all day - it's catchy!

My littlest man loves this book, too. Check out the bright colors:

Happy Wednesday!

Cultivating a Toddler's Heart for Christ...Continued

As Samuel and I were snuggling in my bed (while he stalled, not wanting to go to his bed), he held up three chubby fingers and said, "I like that picture of the cross. Three of them. One is Jesus, and these two are the bad guys."

My heart flipped over with love for this child, praise to God that Samuel is making sense of our lessons, and shock that he remembered that lesson from WEEKS ago! We read the Easter story a few weeks ago after Samuel requested the "cross and Jesus" story in our Rhyme Bible Storybook.

we love this for our devotions!

It was that evening that I fumbled around trying to explain Christ's death and resurrection and the plan of salvation to my 2.5 year old! I thought for sure that he learned nothing from that bumpy, all-over-the-place explanation. Evidently, I was wrong. Evidently, God still uses our bumpy explanations of His Word to accomplish HIS Will.

So, tonight, since I learned that he understands that Jesus was on the cross between two "bad guys," I took it one step further. I explained that, "this bad guy said, 'Jesus, I'm sorry for all the bad things I've done,' and Jesus said, 'I forgive you. You can now go to Heaven with me."...... (that's bumpy! ha!)

I'm sharing this to encourage you to not give up sharing Christ with your toddler. As I mentioned in the first post about reaching your toddler for Christ, God promised that His Word would never return void - it will always accomplish what He plans for it (Is 55:11) - like His plans for us to train up our children in the His ways (Prov 22:6). His Word won't return void...even when spoken to 2-year old ears. :)

So even if your Gospel presentation includes bad guys, chubby fingers, and heroes, take heart - SOMETHING will get through to their young hearts and minds. God's got this. :)


"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." (Gal 6:9)

Mommy Monday: Worshipping as a Stay at Home Mom

Amidst potty training, gummies, bottles, pacis, ninja turtles, nap time, bath time, daily chores, and finding time for the hubby, how is a stay at home mom supposed to find time to worship God every day?

By doing all of those things. Every day. The best she can.

Abodah.

Abodah is a Hebrew word meaning "service, work, worship". Did you catch that? Worship isn't separate from work.

One of my brothers (I have 3 older brothers...I know, bless my heart... :) ), introduced me to this word through his sermon yesterday morning. He said that our work and our worship can be the same thing, as long as we are doing our work for the glory of God. As he was preaching, 1 Cor 10:31 popped into my head (after having to recite it twice a week in chapel in high school...I'm thankful for that now! :).
"Whether you eat or drink, or WHATEVER you do, do it to the glory of God"

Wash bottles to the glory of God.
Play Ninja Turtles to the glory of God.
Pick up toys 20x a day to the glory of God.
Make dinner to the glory of God.

As a stay at home mom and wife, I am called to serve God by serving my family. On days when I feel all I do is wipe noses, burp babies, and manage to get dinner on the table before bedtime, I am relieved to know that if I've kept the right attitude about it all, I can say that I have worshipped and served God all day.

So, take heart, mommas (and daddies)...on the days when you feel you've accomplished nothing, you've accomplished a lot more than you think. ;)

Your greatest contirbution to the kingdom of God 

may not be something you do,

but someone you raise. - Andy Stanley

beyond blessed to serve God by serving these three handsome men!

Mommy Monday

It's "Mommy Monday"...it's almost Tuesday, but if I blogged during daylight hours, I'd have to fight chubby little fingers for the keyboard ;)

On Mommy Monday, I'd like to share some things that make me feel like a human being apart from being "Mommy". (can anyone understand what I'm saying?! :) )

.........................................................................

I'm one of those people who must redecorate every so often or else I get bored with my home. Whether its a change of curtains or rearranging furniture, I MUST change something every so often. Thank goodness for HomeGoods and Marshalls to help me stick to a small budget and satisfy my need for change! :)

Aside from these bits of sunshine....

 I've recently added these bits of sunshine to my home, and I am loving the difference a small change can make!

Yellow has become my new favorite color. I'm finding myself incorporating it into every room. It's wonderful for summer and will transition beautifully into fall! :)

Harner, Party of 4

Life has been a whirlwind of change and survival lately!

On June 2nd, this little guy took us by surprise and joined our family 3 weeks early.

Meet Hudson Isaac:

His birth was so amazing! It was so much more enjoyable than my previous C-section. Going into this birth, I was terrified of a C-section after having such a traumatic experience with Samuel. But Hudson's birth was completely different.

I had heard that planned C-sections are easier than emergency C-sections, so I had hoped it would be a little different, but I had no idea how much easier it would be. Even though Hudson arrived via emergency C-section after 4 months of contractions and a couple hours of actual labor, I would do it all over again.

I may be writing this blog mostly for my own benefit, but I hope you enjoy, nonetheless. :)

Hudson's Story:

On Memorial Day weekend, I woke up and told my husband, "This is the beginning of the end." Hudson was due June 18th and scheduled for a C-section on June 11th, but I knew that morning that he wasn't going to wait that long. I just knew.
I had gone into preterm labor at 23 weeks and had contractions on and off from that point on. But for the last couple weeks, my contractions had been more intense and more painful, but I wasn't progressing. I had been in and out of the hospital for two weeks because of the contractions - one day, I had painful contractions for 9 hours and we thought FOR SURE that he'd arrive that night, but he changed his mind and my contractions stopped for the evening. :)

On June 1st, I woke up and said to myself, "this would be a good day to have a baby." I knew he was coming soon, so I made sure to take these pictures:

The next day, June 2nd, I went to my appt with my OB/GYN. I was measuring smaller than before, my contractions were gone, and Hudson was much calmer than ever before. I thought he was so quiet because Samuel had landed on my belly while rough-housing the day before...so the doctor sent me for observation. My hubs and I went to the hospital in preparation to sit for 4 hours and then go home. Hudson has other plans! :) (we had even told Samuel that we'd go to the park after my appt. Oops.)

After 2 hours, my contractions picked up! I progressed 2 cm in an hour...the time my hubs had left to get us some lunch...also the time when the triage nurses had gone to lunch and no one was watching my monitor! I could feel the change and knew Hudson was on his way. When the nurse returned, my husband asked her to check my monitor. She responded with, "oh yeah! she's been contracting!!" She examined me and immediately called my doctor. She returned to the room and said, "Dr Cotes wants to deliver in 30 minutes." !!!!!!!! Once again, my hubs almost hit the floor (he reacted the same way with the first delivery). ;)

We called our parents as quickly as we could and my mom brought Samuel to the hospital (bless his heart, he had no idea what was about to happen!) I was so happy and relieved to see Samuel before the procedure started. This momma couldn't have done it without seeing that sweet face and getting sweet kisses from a nervous little boy. :)

our last picture as a family of 3

my sweet sweet big boy ;) waiting patiently for someone to "come get him"

I was prepped and taken to the OR by my college roommate. I was SO thankful she was there! I think she helped make the experience so much easier than I expected. She held me during my epidural and talked me through most of the process.

My doctor came to talk to me before the surgery and complimented me on my pedicure. ;) It was cute - pink and white with a blue anchor...

I had the best anesthesia nurse! She complimented me and talked me through everything that was happening. She and the other nurses took great pictures for us - she kept me company once my husband left my side and had eyes only for Hudson. ;)

I was calm until the procedure started, and then I begged my husband to talk to me about ANYTHING to distract me from the wait. I couldn't wait to hear his cry. It felt like an eternity from the time it started until I felt the huge push of pressure and knew my baby was out.

He growled and screamed...and peed everywhere...3 times. ;) My heart melted when I finally saw him. It was one of the best experiences of my life. I LOVE the anticipation of seeing who he'd look like, his hair color, his sweet face...

I was surprised to see he had dark hair! I was also surprised by his geriatric hairline ;)
He looked SO small to me (but he was bigger than Samuel). I couldn't wait to get my hands on him. Thankfully the nurses had fun with him, wrapped him up like an eskimo, laughed with us, and let me see him and kiss him (I hardly saw Samuel, he was whisked away too quickly).

eskimo baby ;)

the first time he looked at me ::melt::

Hudson opened his eyes and looked at me - he stopped crying for a second - like he recognized me already. I knew from that moment that he'd be a momma's boy. Samuel was daddy's boy from day one, so I was determined to have one of these boys to myself! ;)

While in recovery, my college roommate and my husband kept me company. To my surprise, in walked a nurse with my bundled up baby boy, asking me to nurse him because his blood sugar was low. What a little blessing in disguise! (I hated the thought of another C-section because the baby is taken away so quickly and there's a long wait before holding him and bonding with him.) But this time, I was able to hold him and feed him soon afterward! I was over the moon in love with this experience and this sweet baby boy in my arms. He looked at me and it felt like he knew me and was looking to me for comfort in this big new world.

Life has changed SO much in the past 7 weeks. Our lives as parents have changed, our family has changed, and Samuel's world has changed (more on that later...;) ).

I can't imagine a better experience. I'm so thankful for the people surrounding us that day. I am LOVING life with two baby boys. I'm much more tired and my house is much messier, but life is so much more wonderful! :)

 Happy Weekend from our family of 4! :)