Eucharisteo

If someone told me five years ago that I would be living in a small house, budgeting my money, staying at home with the kids, trying to eat and live healthy- I would have probably slapped you. This is not what my life was supposed to be like. Not at all. I was going to be the mom that could "do it all" and wanted people to think that (confession #1). I mean come on, really? I actually wanted people to look at me and think, "Wow, I wish I could do what she does". What in the world? Who did I think I was, Tori Spelling (maybe that's just my obsession;)? Ya know what? God had a different plan. A plan that took me in the exact opposite direction in fact. He made it so that I never really had anything together. I was grumpy. negative, Dr. Pepper running through my veins, just a butt head really. I am so grateful for unanswered prayers (ahhh Garth). The place that I am in now, is one that I have never, ever been in before. One of constant thanks giving (or at least trying). Eucharisteo. Go head, try to pronounce it. It's a tough one and every time I read it in the book I am reading, I have to slow down and sound it out again. It means giving thanks. And now just for the obvious things such as a house, your health, your kids, etc. No, for the non-obvious and in times when you feel like you are going to explode. Like when your kids are fighting non-stop, I have to keep my cool and thank God that they are well enough to do so. When, I have another load of laundry to do, I am thankful that I have clothes for my family.

 It's an amazing feeling-such a transformation. You know that it is impossible to be stressed and thankful at the same time? Wow. I find myself now looking for all the little ways that God is making Himself known and I am thankful. Things such as the clouds billowing over the mountains, the sound of an airplane flying over our house, the perfect timed phone call, the $5 I found in a bag, hot water for our showers, clean water to drink, kids using their imaginations, watching the expressions on the kids faces when they watched the circus, tucking them in at night, housework- yes I said housework. So many people can't- they are either sick or taking care of someone that is sick and can't be home to do so. Even simpler things like the sound of a beer bottle opening or the smell of the barbecue heating up. Even in the midst of sadness, I try to be thankful. I am thankful for all of those houses that the firemen DID save in Colorado, so far. I am thankful for the lessons that we have been taught through the mismanaging of our money (amazing lesson). And even through enduring the loss of a family member, as we are right now, I am thankful that I knew him and I am thankful for my family who love and support each other. Miracles follow eucharisteo....that's what has been said. I believe it. In giving thanks, in little things, I have seen miracles happen here in our house and in my heart. I am such a different person now. I now have the word Eucharisteo printed out and taped to my mirror and to my cabinet in the kitchen as a constant reminder to be thankful. 

What the heck is with this post, right? Well, I am almost finished reading One Thousand Gifts and may I say, Holy Guacamole. Talk about a game changer. It's not a quick read, but it's a must read. I hope that you all will give it a chance-it's really an amazing feeling-not easy, but worth it. 

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Life Lessons....

We interrupt this regularly scheduled post for a touchy-feely-what the heck is she talking about-life lesson. Necessary? It must be. I don't want to write it, but I feel like I must. Eric and I have been taking some classes at our church off for awhile now. We took Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University- twice actually. Eric just finished the Courageous for Men series while I have been taking Courageous for Families. If you haven't seen Courageous, you should. A-MA-ZING. Just get a box of tissues first because it's a cryer. We love the classes and the people we meet.

Click the link below to catch a scene from Courageous.....
http://www.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK//video/screenplay/vi3459357721/

We have been talking about gratitude and blessings. It's so easy to get caught up in all the "if only's" in our life or the "when we have ____" things will be better (yeah, so guilty. Daily I say that about the "Tanque Verde House" as our future home will now be known as).  I know how blessed we are. I am so grateful for our family, our dogs, our friends, our house (even though it's like living in a shoebox, I am still grateful for the roof our heads), our cars (yes, even the truck), our church, Eric's job etc. But then I really think. Like, stop surfing Pinterest thinking- heavy right? I am so thankful that I have parents that I respect. Parents that growing up, I watched work hard for us, no matter what. My Dad had two jobs (granted 2 really cool jobs- being a fighter pilot and all) and my mom was ALWAYS home for us after school with snacks ready and for awhile, she taught child birth classes (much cooler when I was pregnant than when I was a teenager- always fun when you open a closet and a linen uterus falls on your face) and then later on, she was writing- which she still does now. They taught us how to respect everyone and told us we had to work for what we wanted. They never portrayed the attitude that 'society owed it to us'. If there was a problem, we were taught to evaluate it by breaking it down and finding the root of the problem, not automatically assuming it was someone else's fault.

I am so grateful for that. Our kids will learn these lessons as well. They will learn what hard work means and how to be responsible people. I am so happy that I am married to someone who feels the same. Eric works so hard to provide for his family. He goes to work at 5:30 am and gets home about 5:00 pm. Because he is a hard worker, he sometimes has side jobs he needs to do to make sure our budget works. The kids often ask me where daddy is, and I tell him he's at work and when they say, as they always do, "Again! Why?", they know the answer and lately Delaney has been answering it for me. She says, "He's at work cuz he lubs us and works hard to make sure we can eat". She knows that her daddy won't let her down. What an awesome feeling!

Another lesson that is a little tougher to swallow is "Love your neighbor". I am so great at this one. There are certain people that I just don't love... I want to, but they just make  it so difficult. When things get difficult, I often just freak out. I start yelling and turning red and ultimately the evening ends with Swiss Rolls, chocolate milk and a headache. But not anymore. If anything, the lessons that God is laying before us, is one of patience and empathy. I know now that when problems arise, we need to look within at what we are doing and how to make it better for our family. And have the empathy for the other person and pray that they can find a way to have some peace.  Having that Trust is hard, but is something that we are willing to practice.  I know this post is all over the place and I'm sorry for that.

I think about our life right now and when I feel stressed, I think about one of my best friends. She is a single mom of two kids, no dad in the picture, she works FULL TIME, takes care of her house, her car, drives her kids to soccer practice, takes them to the fair, doesn't have cable, doesn't go shopping or go out all the time, she does what she does, for her kids. She appreciates her family, budgets her money and shows her kids how to act. I admire that. I admire someone who will do anything to make a better life for her family.

I love that about Eric. I love that about my parents. I know that when our kids grow up, they will feel that way. I may not work outside the house, but I work my boo-tay off cleaning, organizing, playing, cooking, etc. I remember that about my mom  and I am a better mom and wife because of her. I want that kind of stuff to be ingrained in my kids. Furthermore, I want Brody to see that Eric does the baths.... he helps out and that makes him Da Man. Just sayin'. I will always be there for my kids, I will understand the line between "being their friend" and being their mom- that line seems to be getting smaller these days as I look around. It's so important to us to show the kids how important THEY are- and we do that by providing for them no matter what the cost.


Now back to the regular scheduled post................ *exhale*

The time is right!

Timing. Timing is everything. Since becoming a mom I have learned to time such things as dinner, naps, outings, etc. Even before becoming a mom, I realized that timing resulted in meeting Eric and really, I had not a thing to do with it. I admit that I  have a hard time when things I have planned do not work out- or I guess when they don't work out when I want them to. God has a plan for us. The funny thing is, with us, the plans happen pretty quickly. When Eric and I got engaged, we got married six months later. Two months after that, we bought a new house. Two weeks after moving into the house, I got knocked up! Oh and let's not forget when Princess Delaney was just 9 months old, birth control could not stop little Brody man from being conceived. We moved, again, when Monkey man was just 3 weeks old. And yes, we moved, yet again, a year or so later- that move landed us here. Right now we are 3 minutes from the big kids, in a 5 bedroom, two story house, with a train that runs through our friggin backyard. Who knew that a train came through here every 20-30 minutes. Oh and in the middle of the night, it's a lot more frequent. By the way, did you know that it is the law that train conductors must blow their horns 4 times when going through an intersection? Oh yes, it is true. And you know that each conductor has his own unique blow (hehehe). It's thrilling really.

Where am I going with this you ask? Well, Eric and I found a house that was on auction and we decided to try and win it. Eric can build anything, which is the only reason I agreed to live in the ridiculous house that we were trying to get. Turns out, we didn't get it. It was a big hoopla, bologna system that had to have been rigged somehow. I was less than lady-like when we didn't get the house. Bad timing.

Of course, the world ended in my head. We were doomed forever. That was our only chance of happiness and getting to renovate, blah, blah, blah. I was not listening to the voice in my head saying, "Just wait, something better will come". Mainly, I wasn't listening because the stupid train was blowing it's horn and I couldn't hear it.

These are the situations that show how well Eric and I are suited for each other. My "the world is over" attitude is promptly rebutted with all the reasons everything is and will be better than okay. He calms me down and then we get on with our lives.

I felt something was going to change. I didn't know what, but I knew that I needed to keep my eyes open. One day, I randomly saw a piece of land for sale near my parents house and I casually mentioned it to Eric and he said, "Let's go look at it." I was like, "WHUUUT?" So off we went.
To make a long, long story short- WE BOUGHT IT! We are now the proud owners of an acre of land.

There it is! That's our land!! I am sure that when you look at, fireworks go off all around it too.

 I am super stoked. I am not concerned about building a house at all.  Why?  See I have this:

That is Brody man on his back- when he was just 5 months old:(

                                                                       BAM!


That's right. That man right there is gonna build me a house. A house that WE want. A house that has "US" in every wall, in every tile, in every toilet.... well you get what I mean. Eric is so cute- the second we decided to put in an offer- he sketched out our house. Wanna see?

There's our house- isn't it awesome?

So here's where the craziness sets in. We need to downsize. We need to 'suffer' for about a year so we can build. Our goal? In about six months, get a construction loan and go for it. We found a house around the corner from my sister so that will be fun since little Griffin is about to make his debut any day now. Good timing huh? It is a wittle house. It is 3 bedrooms- in fact I think there is a total of 5 rooms in all. It has a tiny backyard, but it's a house. It is much less expensive than the one we are currently in, which is a major plus. The littles will share a room once again. We just ventured a trip to IKEA and bought them a bunk bed actually (insert freaking out here). There is no playroom so organization will be a challenge, but I can think of no other challenge that I would rather take on. We are selling a crap ton of stuff this weekend at a garage sale and will put the rest in "storage"- also known as the garage, we're saving money here people. Cable will be a luxury we will no longer have. Goodbye Tori and Dean, I will miss you terribly. Can't say I am too sad to say goodbye to Jimmy Johnson Fishing or the Barrett Jackson Auction (if Netflix has those, I will freak).

I can do anything for a year. At least that's what my mom has repeatedly told me. All I know is that we are going to build. Our. Own. House. Yes, we move like we are running from the law, but this one, is the last one, before our super house is built.

Ya know what's cool? Eric has been building mansions for people (and I mean mansions- like 10 million dollar houses) and he knows all the secrets. Our house will not cost a fraction of what those cost, but Eric will make it a mansion. Our mansion- which will be not too big, not too small. Just right. For us. The timing could not be better.

PS. my 40 bags in 40 days has been far surpassed. We are getting rid of everything and anything we don't need, love or use. Kinda painful, but so worth it:)

It happens....

At least that's what I tell myself. Today has been a day. I should have known it was going to be a doozy when the moment I walked downstairs this morning, the playroom was trashed and the kids were screaming at each other (Eric was up with them, don't worry).

I am a stay at home mom. Yes, I sell Premier Jewelry and do jewelry shows outside of the house, but my first job, my first priority is being a stay at home mom with my kiddos. I feel very fortunate that I get to stay home with them each day. Is it easy? Hell to the no! It is exhausting from the second I wake up until they go to sleep, and a lot of times, in the  middle of the night!

Today, was not my finest parenting day. But it happens (right??) Today, I realized it was 10:00 and they hadn't eaten breakfast yet. They had been snacking on some friut- they each eat an apple like an 80 year old man, but they hadn't had breakfast. Usaually, we eat at 8:30 but 8:30 came and went with screams and kids playing outside in the cool morning air. It's always enjoyable to look out the screen door and see your son using his front loader tractor toy to scoop up dog poop while your daughter is the roof of the playhouse- in their jammies. ALthough I must say, we had a lovely time playing with Delaney's Strawberry Shortcake dolls. We were dressing them, doing their hair and then Brody would take one and put her on a train or on T-Rex. Good times were had.  Around 11:30, I realized that lunch needed to happen, mainly because Brody kept asking for dinner. I made them the standard, dinosaur chicken nuggets, ranch for dipping, applesauce, pretzels and cheese. They both climbed into their seats and I realized that I had homeless children. Seriously, I should have taken a picture , but was so horrified by the black crap all over their face, that I just washed them off as fast as I could. At this point, I also realize that we are all still in our jammies and not one of us had brushed our teeth. I pulled Delaney's hair back into a low ponytail because it is so full of apple, banana, ranch, that I couldn't even get a brush through it (should be fun later).

Riding her bike, in her night gown.

He kept getting stuck in the bucket and the arm of the chair.

After lunch, I decided to jump in the shower really quickly and get dressed. Now, when I say dressed, I mean I put on my "cuter" yoga-ish pants with a comfy shirt, put my wet hair in a ponytail and slapped on some make-up. It was nap time- the kids weren't dressed, the house looked like a bomb went off, I hadn't done anything.

A little play room action- yes, the couch has been moved.

Even Tinkerbell got the wrath of Brody today. We looked everywhere for her.

Not rotated, but you get the idea. Stuck in the drawer pull in the kitchen

Back to the playroom.....even their play kitchen was moved closer to the front door because that is where you "come in to the store"

 It happens. Getting the kids to sleep for their nap today was exceptionally difficult.   At one point I was sitting in
Brody's room with my head bowed, my hands folded and was literally praying for patience and peace. Brody thought it was hilarious and was mocking me, but I think God felt bad after that, because he literally fell asleep.Boom- out. Like someone pressed his pressure point or something. I had to check him to make sure he was breathing. God is good:)

During their nap, instead of working on my Premier stuff, folding clothes, or cleaning, I got a plate of cut up apples, a ton of peanut butter, some chocolate milk, and I sat on the couch, turned on Christmas Vacation and got cozy in a blanket. I know all the chores will be waiting for me tomorrow and I know I can't go another day being so lazy.

But, it happens.....

And then, she was 4

4 years ago today I became a Mommy. At exactly 8:23 pm, Delaney Grace Mikkelson made her debut after 2 hours of pushing and about 22 hours of total labor. All 8 lbs., 9 oz of her. Not pleasant, but so worth it. It is absolutely amazing to experience such a blessing. As my mom said,  "I think it's a miracle that 3 people can be in a room, the door is shut, no one else comes in and 4 people leave after it's over." It's a miracle. And I got to do twice:)

Being a mommy to our little girl is the most exhausting, exciting, rewarding job there is. I look at her and can't believe we made her. And then, she talks and I KNOW we made her. She has a personality that will have you in fits of laughter one minute and then spitting nails the next. She can melt you with her hugs and sweet words and knows how to push your buttons.

It really does not seem like 4 years ago she was brand new. Holy cow how things have changed. When she came home from the hospital, I could not even pee without my mom there, let alone shower or get dressed. I was nervous all the time! And then, when the little munchie was 9 months old, I found out I was pregnant with Brody and life changed again. Our 'normal' keeps evolving and I love it. Yes, a part of me wants an organized, scheduled life that never strays,  but I know that God has a different plan for me. I know that it is not my timing and my plan, but His and I know that I need to just surrender to it.

I am so grateful for our kids.... they have taught me so much more than I could have even imagined. Delaney's ability to strike up a conversation with a random adult is both terrifying and amazing. I know teenagers that don't do that.  The fact that she is the "helper" in her church class makes my heart happy. Yes, she is stubborn and a terrific "i just need one more thing" at bedtime procrastinator, but that's what makes her Delaney. She is one of a kind and we couldn't love her more.

The joy she brings to our family is immeasurable.

Please tell me where the pause button is...

I am amazed at how fast time is going. I am amazed at how big my 'babies' are getting. We have been very busy here at the Mikkelson house. The only thing that is left to unpack and organize is the stupid garage.
As the kids get older, I find myself able to do more around the house, which I love. I do, however, have to 'pause' my organizing/cleaning rampages that I get on to remind myself that the kids are only this age once and  I don't want them to miss out on having fun because their mother is a neurotic neat freak (that's right, I'm a coming back:). This past week we have played, had picnics, went swimming in the "cuzzi", and had some fun family time.

Brody and Delaney getting ready to get in the 'warm pool thing' or the 'cuzzi'

Now they are really ready.

Brody was a little hesitant at first, but quickly got over and proceeded to push all the buttons and turn all the jets on and off.

Delaney can touch the bottom so she just goes all over it. We get in the jacuzzi pretty much every night after dinner. It is so fun!

The kids, having a picnic on the balcony.

Chowing a PB & J

We went to the spring carnival at the school I used to teach at! This was the first time the kids went on a ride without one of us. I was all teary watching them go on the ghetto choo-choo. (Yes, Delaney still plugs her ears if she is nervous about something.)

In an attempt to organize and have less crap cluttering up our lives, we decided to get rid of two small kid tables and a sand box and instead get a picnic table/sandbox combined! The kids didn't know we got it so it was a fun surprise.

She was so happy!

Checking it out!

Helping Daddy put the bolts in:)

Having a snack at their new table with an adorable umbrella.

We have seriously been so busy- I actually started this post like 2 weeks ago!

We have so much going on and I love it!

That's what I love about Sundays...

Sundays are pretty much my favorite day of the week. I love going to church as a family. Delaney and Brody can hardly wait to get in the door of their class. Delaney walks in and says, "Hello everybody! It's me! Delaney Grace Mikkelson! What are you guys doing?" Usually one of the wonderful volunteers at Pantano Christian Church, has some play-doh all prepared for little miss social. Last week I reminded her that I needed to put her name tag on her and she said, "No Mommy, that's okay, just let the church lady do it. You just go to the weddin' church (that's what she calls the big church)". She has no separation issues. Brody is just as eager to get in his class. Eric take him and says that he stands at the door and bangs on it til he gets in!
After church, I get Delaney, Eric gets Brody and we meet in the courtyard where we usually see Nana and Granddaddy. We either eat breakfast there or we go home and have a big breakfast there....

After church every week, the kids walk up the stairs with Nana and Granddaddy and wave at us from the top floor, then they come down on the elevator.... what can I say?? Delaney is a little OCD.

Last Sunday we went to my parent's house to eat breakfast.

Delaney having a cinnamon roll

My big boy.

Granddaddy and the kids playing ball

They love riding around in the wagon.

After breakfast, we went home, the kids took a nap and then we went looking for flowers to plant!

Today, we didn't go to church because Brody has an awful cough (which we think is allergies) and we didn't want to freak out the church staff, so we skipped it. Instead, we went to the zoo! This was the first time we didn't bring the stroller or the wagon. We let the kids just walk and they were awesome!

Brody at the entrance... yes I am aware he only has one shoe on. Thank goodness we found it right away. Damn crocs.

Delaney chillin'

Brody was so excited to see everything!

Brody and Eric checking out the elephants.

Sigh.....

They look so old!

Eric and Delaney sharing some Dippin Dots.

Can you tell she thinks he hung the moon:)

There they are. My 3 year old and my almost 2 year old, just walking through the zoo.

We got home today and the kids went right to sleep and now we are heading over to my parents to visit with MY grandparents and have dinner.

I love Sundays.