My sister's husband has applied for the opportunity to live in Australia for 6 months and work on the Great Barrier Reef. He is one of 34,000 applicants and they are chosen according to votes each participant receives. Would you please go to HERE and give him a quick vote? All you have to do is watch the video and then rate it with the stars on the sides! Thanks!
"One thing that I desire
This will I seek after
To dwell in Your house forevermore
Now I'm running after
The thing that really matters
You've become my joy & song...
I am running, running after You
You've become my soul's delight
I am running, running after You
Here with You I find my life..."
--kari jobe
John Mark has a newfound love of potty candy, so with the typical "be right back, mommy" John Mark made a trip to the potty. After lots of running water, splashing and a flush he walked out. Everything appeared normal, so I didn't pay much attention to the potty situation...
A little later, I glanced over to see John Mark standing suspiciously still in the corner of the room. There was a definite poop-face there, but I figured he would do his business, then ask me to change him. This was the conversation that followed:
Lesley- "um, Steph- I think John Mark just pooped on the floor."
Me- "don't be gross, Bird"
Lesley- "no, seriously... he just shook his leg and something fell out"
John Mark- "mommy, I don't have a pull-up... it was wet."
Me- "WHAT?!?!!!"
John Mark- "my pull-up, it was wet so leave it off..."
And there you have it- a typical night in the Rigdon household. Cleaning poop off the living room floor because John Mark failed to mention that he was going command-o.
Yesterday I was home with John Mark and since he has had some crazy hair going on, I decided that I would take him to get his hair cut. This wasn't the first time and he had done great the other times we had taken him. This time... not so much. Here is our story:
My friend Lesley told me that if you go to the hair school you get a cheaper, but still great haircut. I called to find out if they cut kids hair and they said yes, so I figured that there wasn't really any way they could mess up John Mark's hair and since it would save a few bucks, it was worth a shot. Those poor girls never saw us coming...
We get there and suddenly the idea of a haircut isn’t quite so exciting. He decides he doesn’t want to sit on the booster seat, just my lap. So they put capes on us both and we’re doing good... While he's still not thrilled, they gave him a cookie so at least he is occupied. And then, well, disaster struck. The lady nicks his neck.
He FREAKS out (understandably so) and is screaming- climbing up me, rubbing snot all over me and the cape, drooling cookie and really letting them know what he thinks about this whole experience. At this point he is so past DONE, it's not even funny. We have also entered the realm of no longer upset about getting hurt to just plain throwing a fit.
We go outside and have a nice, friendly chat about how we act in public and call Micah to see if maybe that will calm the poor kid down enough to at least get rid of the funky, lopsided bowl cut we have going on. Micah tells him that if he will go inside and finish the haircut we can come to the office and go get ice cream. This seems to do the trick and we enter the salon for take two.
This might be a good time to point out we’ve been there for an HOUR.
We walk back in, sit down in the chair and he seems to be okay. Then lady #3 (we've scared the first 2 off by this point) touches his hair. And the downward spiral begins yet again. Snot and tears are flying, my arms are basically numb from holding him down and we STILL have a bowl cut.
By now, I've moved past feeling sorry for him, past being annoyed and embarrassed... ladies and gents, we're entering Red Stephanie (just keepin' it real). So we go outside one more time and I tell him- this is the deal: you either go back inside, sit still, finish your haircut and go get ice cream with mommy and daddy, or we’ll go home and you will go straight to bed and take a night night.
He whimpers a little says he wants the haircut... no, the night-night... no, haircut... we finally settle on going home and walk back in the pay. Then he changes his mind and freaks out (this is meltdown #4) that he WANTS a haircut. I tell him (I know this goes against all parenting principles, by the way, but the boy looked CRAZY and I really wanted to get his hair finished) that I will NOT carry him back in there. If he wants his haircut he has to walk in there himself and sit down in the chair.
For some reason, this works. He marches back into the room, picks the chair he wants to sit in and then asks nicely to sit in my lap. We're covered in hair already, so we completely forgo the capes and I tell the poor girl (#4) to just get it done. She thinks quick and hands him her spray bottle to "squirt mommy". This is entertaining and he thinks it's funny and I give her the look that screams "do it now!"
So finally, two hours later, we limp out of the salon. Those girls certainly got their lesson for the day. They also got a tip big enough to make my total what it would have been if I had just gone to the original salon to begin with.
I found this super cool website that takes the words on your blog and creates a picture from some of them. Here is my creation!
This was the conversation we had last night after seeing someone on TV named Stephanie...
JM: "She's not snephanie... mommy, you're snephanie..."
Me: "That's right John Mark. Do you know who daddy is?"
JM: "um... Micah."
See... genius.
I might tell you that I am in love with cracked pepper triscuits...
I might tell you that both of my boys are home sick with a stomach bug...
I might tell you that I wish my sister didn't live halfway around the world...
I might tell you that Brittany Lusey is my mini-me...
I might tell you that I consider my boss a hero and dear friend...
I might tell you that I can't get enough of The Biggest Loser...
I might tell you that I totally stole this post idea from a blog I stalk...
I might tell you that I am praying to cultivate a quiet, gentle spirit...
I might tell you that I have a slight blog-stalking problem...
I might tell you that my hands are freezing right now...
I might tell you that John Mark was mad we couldn't find horton tonight...
I might tell you that Micah is as obsessed with Lost as I am with reality TV...
I might tell you that everyday I become more like my mom- and I love it...
I might tell you that Kelly challenges me in every walk of my life...
I might tell you that texting is a serious addiction of mine...
I might tell you that I love Target a little too much...
I might tell you that Jamie & Natalie are my kindred spirits...
I might tell you that some of my sweetest friends are students...
I might tell you that I wish I could wear sweatpants everywhere I go...
I might tell you that meeting Lesley Clark has changed my life...
I might tell you that I cried in Marley & Me- even though I hate dogs...
I might tell you that I'm now going to bed... good night!
John Mark is probably the funniest kid alive.
He never ceases to have us rolling on the floor in laughter.
Besides just saying hilarious things,
he has a newfound obsession with making up his own words.
And so in honor of this...
Here's a few of my recent favorites!
-"Mommy, your a girl. I'm a boy."
-"It's really, really tasty."
-"Just one more time..."
-he can't make the "v" sound, so everything with a v is hysterical-
"glubs" (gloves)
"lub" (love)
"up abub" (up above)
-"sneak... sneak... sneak... RAWWWWRRR!!"
(he actually says sneak)
-"no daddy, i not misinformed, i just little"
-"crazy hair. need a haircut?"
-"don't know"
(said with a lip smack noise that makes it!)
And if I were telling you this outloud,
he would say-
"I say dat, mommy"
and give you the biggest smile you've ever seen!
"so Christ has truly set us free.
now make sure that you stay free,
and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law."
Galatians 5:1
I was awarded this very cute blog award from the Pettijohn's.
Here are the steps:
1. Say one nice thing to the man in your life:
Micah is hands-down the most amazing man in the world. He has been the picture of Christ and his love to me every single day. I couldn't have asked for someone to love me more sacrificially and with everything he has. Plus he is funny and keeps me grounded when I'm freaking out!
2. List at least 6 ways you measure success in your life:
consistently spending time with Christ through his Word and prayer
loving Micah & John Mark patiently and gently
pushing my friends to be more like Christ
using my gifts and talents to serve others
easily running 3 miles
always looking for ways to grow and become a better wife, mommy and friend
3. Assign 5 other blogs this award:
Fawn
Sunny
Micayla
Lisa
Sarah Shelton
Yesterday Kelly and I took off to run the 5K to support a local high school. It was ridiculously cold. We were bundled up in a million different layers... but we were going for it.
When we got to the park, we signed in and got our numbers. We went back to the car to put our shirts up. It was then we realized... Kelly had her house key tied to her shoe, not her car key. Oh, and our cell phones were locked in the car. And her husband doesn't have a car, just a motorcycle.
So we bummed cell phones off some girls there. I called Micah to tell him to stay at his parents house until we got there (we were planning to run 6 after the 5K) and have him take us to get a key. It wasn't my phone and the wind was blowing so my message got all messed up. He told me later he thought "bethany" had called and he needed to stay there until she got there.
Anyway, at this point we decided there was really nothing else we could do. So we lined up at the starting line, jumping and attempting to be semi-warm. The gun blasted and we took off. It was then that my ankle popped and I knew I was in trouble. I started running anyway and made it a mile. At 1 mile, I had to stop. Kelly was sweet enough to limp with me back to another point and get a phone from someone else.
Micah picked us up and I've been following "RICE" that my PT friends told me- rest, ice, compression and elevation. Well, following is probably not the right word. Arguing with Micah that I'm fine is more like it... Even though my left ankle is twice as big as my right ankle. I've never been one to admit when I'm hurt and do things to make myself better.
I have been instructed that I need to make an appointment with a running specialist tomorrow to have my ankles checked out before I carry on my marathon training. We'll see how that goes...
Last night, John Mark had a BIG first.
He pooped in the potty.
When he stood up and came to tell me,
he looked at me and said:
"look mommy, it's a seahorse.
John Mark pooped a seahorse."
Sure enough...
it looked like a little seahorse.
We just got home from a long weekend in Arlington, TX.
Here's a few of the highlights:
-50 MS students
-11 adults
-600+ bags of leaves
-5+ hours spent loving kiddos
-200 doors knocked on
-500 bible study flyers handed out
-10+ gospel presentations by students
-many hours spent bonding with our kids
-countless games of gotcha
-5 games of gotcha won by me
It was a great weekend.
I'll post pictures later when I've slept in a real bed!
Last night we were getting John Mark ready for bed.
He looked up and me and said:
"My name is John Mark.
Not John.
Just John Mark."
We laughed.
Then told him it's a good thing he's learning this early,
since that will be the story of his life.
That's right friends.
Instead of running the OKC Marathon,
we'll be lacing up our running shoes in the grand state of Tennessee!!
Kelly found the totally awesome Rock & Roll marathon in Nashville-
and since her parents live there...
which makes for a great place to stay...
and our very own photographer to take our pictures along the way...
we decided that we were going for it!
So at 5AM yesterday morning, we began our early morning training.
Running, weights, biking and more running will be the sound of my days for the next several months.
But the payoff will be sweet!
It's strange how in one instant life can change.
The decisions we make,
those made by others,
can turn a life completely upside down.
Why did he decide to drive the wrong way down that road?
Why is a precious baby girl in the hospital over Christmas?
Why are my sweet friends caught in a web of paperwork, waiting anxiously for their son?
Why do babies die and marriages break?
Why? Why? Why?
Why gets in your head, in your heart.
Why can mess with the very foundation you've always stood on.
Why creates some very sticky situations.
The answers aren't always easy to come by.
Sometimes they hurt.
Sometimes you can do nothing but fall on your face before the One Who holds every "why" in His eternal hands.
I used to be scared of WHY.
I thought God didn't like me to question His way.
Then through studying the scriptures I have seen many heroes of the faith who asked why.
Jacob wrestled.
David asked.
Jesus wept.
And I've learned by these examples-
He's big enough.
He's not scared of the "whys".
All He asks is that we trust Him.
Rest in Him.
Believe that He is good.
Surrender to His plan.
"not my will, but Yours be done."
luke 22:42
