Long Trip Alone

Monday morning came. The day I'd been dreading had finally arrived. It was me verses them. I would be making the six hour trip alone from Louisiana to Oklahoma with two babies. I'd prepared as much as I could, individual snack bags of food were on the front seat beside me. I had gathered up all of the small toys and books and stacked them neatly within reach. R had plenty of bottles of milk in the small ice chest on the floor. I was as ready as I could ever be. We left the house around 8am on a wing and a (lot) of prayers. By some miracle, it was almost two and a half hours before Baby Girl had her first meltdown! (Yes, most of that time she was asleep.) So it seemed like a good time to stop and let everyone get some fresh air. But now was the true test. How do you handle two babies who both need diaper changes, both need to be fed, and you need to go to the bathroom?

Yes as you guessed it, it was all downhill from there. Baby Girl was screaming her lungs out as I tried to get her sister out of the car seat. R was getting grumpy, but holding it together well. I had a diaper bag over my shoulder and car seat in one arm and a toddler holding my other hand. This can only go well, right? R was happily trying to dart into the parking lot as we made our way to the door and Baby Girl was still screaming. At least one child was happy... I had to momentarily let go of those little fingers to open the door. The door was deceivingly light and R is deceivingly quick. So as I flung open the door, she ran towards it. My small child flew backwards after the corner of the metal door plowed into her cheek and eye.

So now I have two screaming babies.... and an audience.

I wanted to pack it up and get back in the car, but for whatever reason that just seemed worse. I am crouched on the sidewalk outside of Burger King holding two screaming babies and not a single person came to open the door. They watched it happen and the workers even commented on how they've seen it happen before, but not one of them thought it helpful to open the door for the exasperated mother.

R managed to stop crying when I found some snacks in my purse, but her sister found little condolence in them. After our stop in the bathroom, I was down to one screaming baby and another whimpering toddler who already had a bruise all the way down her face and an eyebrow that was almost split in two. I hung my head in shame as the patrons stared disapprovingly at my obvious lack of parenting skills (they do not have children we can assume). Surely the worse was over, right? Well if by that you mean that R would not listen to me as I fed her sister and continue to climb up and down on the benches until she fell and hit her head. Then yes, the rest went great. I only had so many hands. At that point, thankfully (and in my mind- embarrassingly) another mom came over and asked if she could hold Baby Girl while I took care of R. I sighed heavily and accepted her offer. As soon as R's tears stopped, we were out the door. I just couldn't take any more. And you'd better believe that come hell or high water, we were not stopping again!

The rest of the trip went fine. The girls did not majorly breakdown once in the car and if I could just erase that one 30 minute stop from my mind (unlikely), then I would have called it a huge success. As it is, I will just call it like I see it - over and done with! 

In the grand scheme of things if 30 minutes of terror is all that I had to endure in order to see my family and friends for a week, I got the best end of the bargain. Perhaps I was just hoping to have my cake and eat it too.

I did learn a lesson through it all. I learned that there are times that you CANNOT do it alone. In those times you have to trust that God will provide exact what you need, when you need it. As embarrassed as I was to have a stranger have to hold my baby, while I picked up my screaming child off the floor of a fast food restaurant, I needed her help.  

As moms, we always feel the need to do everything and be everything for everyone all the time, but we can't.... and that's okay. It's in those times of need that God puts people in our lives to pick up the slack (or the screaming child). We just can't be too proud to accept the help. No one can do everything all the time. God made us to need Him and to need others. 

Honestly, I hate that. I have always done my best to be self-reliant. But as I am slowly growing up, I am realizing that I need help. I can't do everything and when I try to do everything, I am so overloaded that I do it all poorly with an attitude to match. 

So I say thank you to the sweet mom at Burger King. While I never wanted to need your help, I am very grateful that you went out of your way to make my miserable stop just a little more bearable. I am grateful for the time I got to spend at home and while I love you all so much... but I'm thinking it might be a while before I subject myself to that again : ) 

Home Sweet Home (part 2)

We had such a wonderful time in Shreveport. All three of us girls were spoiled rotten. 

It was so crazy to watch my own children play with the dollhouse I had as a little girl and for R to play dress-up in clothes I used to wear thinking I was SO cool.

This girl knows how to strike a pose!

We made our always important trip to Strawn's. Both girls got their first taste of Strawn's pie. Let's just say they are huge fans, which is no real surprise! Who isn't?!

Pie Face : )

This girl is something else. One of her favorite "toys" while we were at my parents was the house phone. I honestly don't even know how she knew what it was, we don't have one! But she would talk on it for what seemed like hours at a time and she CRACKED herself up.

And this is the terrifying contraption that my mom made so that Baby Girl wouldn't fall out of her highchair. She may seem fairly content now, but that was not the scene when she was first put into it.

 

It just wouldn't be a real trip home if we didn't have crawfish. You can't go to Louisiana during crawfish season and NOT eat crawfish, there is just something inherently wrong with that.

Yep, those were my freshly manicured nails. I wasn't going to miss out on crawfish because I didn't want to mess up my nails. Regardless of popular opinion, I'm not THAT girly.

R was enjoying some down time in my childhood room. While the furniture and carpet have changed since we moved in when I was about 12, those are the ONLY things that have changed. My walls are still baby blue with a teddy bear border around the top and my ceiling is covered in over 1,000 glow-in-the-dark star stickers. I have always loved the stars and that just seemed like an appropriate way to bring the outside in. Now I just pity the person who has to take them all down : )

Notice the sign on the wall??

Yep, that's where the name of my blog came from- Bless My Mess. 

I guess my mom knew from an early age that some things will never change. 

Probably four of my most favorite girls!

Someone was enjoying some cuddle time with her Aunt Patti.

I know I posted this before, but I love this picture of Baby Girl and her Dovie. 

She's not too sure about this.

Congratulations Ryan! We are so proud of you!

My beautiful cousin and twin, Lauren. I miss you already!!

Hey DC! Let's go this way.

No... that way.

or maybe that way...

Nope. Changed my mind. I like this way best.

I'm pretty sure DC, Dovie and Rambo needed to catch up on a lot of sleep once we left.

We miss you guys already!

My Pen Pal

My mom was able to take off quite of bit of time here and there throughout the week we were home. Some days we ran errands, other days we stayed in. It was nice and fairly calm. But one morning she got them both all by herself while I had the opportunity to meet my pen pal.

At the beginning of the school year, I received a mass email from the alumni director of the school I attend from preschool through 8th grade. Southfield will always have a special place in my heart! They were looking for alums who were willing to be pen pals to their fifth grade students, so that they could learn how to write letters. I LOVE opportunities like this and jumped on board. Only later did I realize that they would be having a "tea" so that the pen pals could meet at the end of the school year. I felt terrible! I live hundreds of miles away. I could only imagine this little girl sitting all alone at her pen pal tea. Thankfully it all worked out and I was able to be in town for the tea as well as my cousin's high school graduation party! I was relieved and excited.

When I arrived at the school, I was welcomed by friendly faces that were there 13 years ago when I graduated! I got to talk with friends I hadn't seen since graduation and faculty that are still there all this time. The party started with the pen pals calling up their buddies and reading a poem about them to their family and friends and then we had a chance to sit and talk. It was wonderful!

Meet my sweet pen pal. 

After our little chat, she and her friend (whose pen pal couldn't make it), gave me a tour of all the new things going on at the school. We're going to keep in touch : ) 

She gave me a copy of the poem she wrote about me/for me and on the back was a sweet saying...

I don't know if it's true or if in five years she will even remember who I am, but my heart has always been to pour into the lives of others. And this little note was a wonderful reminder to focus on the things that really last. 

Home Sweet Home

Very rarely do I make it home to Louisiana any more. Life and babies (who aren't too keen on traveling) topped with the fact that I would likely be making the trip alone with these active little ones just doesn't make it an attractive option. But last week we did just that. My parents were in town for Baby Girl's dedication (which in itself is another post altogether!) and then my daddy stayed and went back with the girls and I on Monday morning.

This picture accurately describes our family in a nutshell.

The trip down with two adults (one per child) wasn't all that bad. We definitely learned some things along the way, but all in all, it could have been worse! I can't say the same for my solo trip back though. But boy was it nice to be home. I did my best while we were there to not plan too many things outside of hanging out with family and a couple of friends. I had just a few of main objectives- to hang out with my parents, see Roxie, celebrate my cousin's graduation from high school, meet my pen pal and eat lots of great food. Per that list, my trip was a total success!

As usual, our first stop was Graphic Industries, the family business. It's crazy to see R run around the plant and all of the presses just like I did when I was her age. I know these aren't the best quality photos, but they mean a lot to me. 

There have been a lot of changes to the business through the years, but some things never change! You don't have to be blood to be family. Auntie Lisa has been in my life since I was a baby and now she gets to watch my babies grow up.

DC, how do you work like this?! : )

No DC, you do it THIS way. 

(She's not her mother's daughter or anything :)

There's just nothing like the familiarity that comes with going home. So many people and places with such wonderful memories and now I get to introduce my own kids to my Louisiana home. I feel that home is full of people who know you in a way that only happens when you grow up some where. These people are full of stories and memories of who you were before you even knew who you were. Those awkward years of self-discovery or rebellion are not lost to them like many who only met you in adulthood. There are things that you can laugh at with them that no one else could possibly understand. There is a connection with people who were with you at that stage of life like no other. 

I have been blessed with so many amazing people in my life! But there is one friend who I have done life with for as long as I can remember and she made the trip from Mississippi just to hang out with me and my baby girls. Auntie Roxie is the best! And I want to make sure that my girls never know a time without her! Every family needs a crazy aunt, right?! Well that's her! 

You know you friend is dating a good guy when he comes to your cousin's graduation party and plays with your kids : ) 

Our first good picture of the two of us in years!

Aunt Roxie, no matter how hard you try my hair will NEVER look like yours! Stop with the balloon!

I LOVE this picture!

There is never enough time to hang out with your best friend, but we made the most of every second that we did have together. Time changes a lot of things, but not best friends. You just pick up where you left off.

While we were in town the girls decided that they wouldn't abide by their normal sleep schedules. Not really that surprising, but this mama was holding out hope. However, Dovie and DC would get up with R every morning and give me at least a little bit of a break. Baby Girl was often up early too, but I could usually coax her into an early nap and try to grab a nap myself (although I'm not sure it's considered a nap when the sun still isn't up). I know those mornings were some of their favorite times with the girls. They are already complaining of the house being too quiet! 

We got to spend some one on one time with both of my parents during the week, but the one that still makes me laugh was when the girls and I took Dovie to Target with us for an afternoon excursion. We were supposed to leave the house at noonish... almost four hours later we finally make it out the door. After about 45 mins of finding the items we needed and meandering through racks of clothes that we didn't, we checked out. On our way out the door, I commented about what a successful trip we had- no one threw a fit and there were no tears.  My mom's response - "Except mine!" From then on, she just kept the girls while I ran errands. That works great for me! 

A friend of mine asked me how much I had to pay the girls to act that way, so that I could get some free time. No payment needed! That's just my girls :) 

I have a ton more pictures and stories from my trip, so I will spread over a few posts! I hope you enjoy.

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures

I have so many pictures that I want to share, but no real common thread between them all (other than my cute girlies in all of them). So here is my hodgepodge of photos from the past couple of weeks.

These two are always making up new games to play.

LOVE : )

R enjoying her first popsicle. 

Fix it Mama!

A little dirt never hurt anybody.

She is all giggles and grins.

The wind blew the blanket on top of her, but the giggles kept coming.

R helped me "find" her sister.

R enjoyed shoving an entire cupcake in her mouth at one time. Mama is so proud : ) Thanks Amy for bringing them to Bible Study. If any of you in the Tulsa area need cupcakes for your next event, I'd be happy to send you her way! They are very yummy!

I hope these little girlies brought a smile to your face. So many pictures, so little time : )