God's blessings of encouragement

The last few days at home with the boys have been a nightmare!  They have been extremely naughty, disrespectful, and disobedient.  I have spent most of the day dealing out time outs, spankings, and tears.  I have also spent the days on my knees praying for each of my sons with my arms wrapped around them.  I know they are little, they are boys, but they still need to learn to obey.  I have been trying to Praise the Lord for these "stretching days" (as I like to call them, because they stretch me beyond my limits and leave my heart aching after) as they are necessary to mold them into the boys God has created them to be. That doesn't mean I don't need to vent about it a little or that I don't enjoy it! I have been selfishly praying the Lord would give me just a glimmer of hope in the next few days that I am in fact doing the right thing.

Today I was planning on a playdate with a coworker but she had something come up and we rescheduled. In light of our change in plans, I decided to get my workout in this morning instead of late tonight.  The boys are usually well behaved at the daycare at Center Court, but I didn't think much of it until today.  I dropped them off and used the time during my workout to pray, praise, and prepare for the rest of the day.  I felt refreshed when I picked them up ready to put on my motherly armor and take whatever they did or didn't do. 

When I went in to pick them up, one of the daycare workers said to me, "I don't know if I have told you this before, but...  (just to let you know at this point I was sweating more than I had in my workout not wanting to hear more terrible things that they had done)... your boys are so good!"  

"What?" I said. "Are you talking about these two boys (pointing to Jonah and Elijah)."

"Yes," she laughed and continued, "they are so kind, respectful, helpful, and have such excellent manners." 

I am still in shock at this point.

She went on to say how impressed she was with them and she hasn't seen two little boys so well behaved before!  She also said they play well with the other kids and are always sharing their snack. She said "I don't know what you are doing, but keep it up."

Wow. Thank you Lord!  This isn't a post to brag about how great my kids are, because if you read the above post you obviously know they are far from "angels" but to give praise to God for being faithful and encouraging. 

I won't tell you what my "wonderfully behaved" children did when we got home while I was making lunch, but I will say that they sure keep life exciting!

Adventures in Motherhood

Ever since I was a small child I have dreamed of someday becoming a mother. I would dream about what my children would look like, how they would act, what I would name them, etc. Of course, since I only had sisters, my dreams included daughters not sons. My dream children were perfect, they were sweet, respectful, and always obeyed. 

Wow, reality check please. Thanks God. So Motherhood hasn't been perfect, I have two beautiful, rambunctious, loving, boys, and they aren't perfect either. Weird huh? Although, I have learned that motherhood is everything but perfect between the sleepless nights, worrying as you hold a sick child in the middle of the night, disobedient toddlers, messes after you just spent hours cleaning your home, and much more.  However, God has chosen me to mother these amazing little miracles. He is always there and He is perfect! He will give me all I need to do this unbelievably rewarding task. There will be good days, there will be bad days. There will be days where you wish you had a handful more cause they are just so sweet and loving. There will be days where you wish you had a few more of yourself to take care of just the two you have and that they are plenty!  

God continues to teach me along the way and continues to soften my heart, soul and mind.  I love this and wouldn't trade it for anything. The snotty kisses, the chocolate fingered hugs, the coughs in your face, and the sweet I love you's when they know they have done something wrong and are truly sorry. 

My adventures in motherhood haven't been perfect in the sense that I dreamt about as a little girl as I played with my dolls.  It has been perfect because it has been God's plan for my life, our lives, the boys' lives. That is good enough for me. 

My house won't ever be clean (for more than 15 minutes), my children won't be perfect, I won't always do the right thing, but it will be an adventure that I am glad to be a part of.  Does it really matter in the long run? Nope.  

God please give me strength, encouragement, and wisdom as I guide these two little souls. They are a precious gift from you and help me to see them the way You do every day.  Help me to teach them about Your love and equip them so they may head out into this dark, hurtful world, where You are always present despite what others might be saying or doing.  I pray they will grow to be young men  who have a heart for Your love and willingly share this with others. I praise you for this opportunity and for a new opportunity each day to embark on the adventures in motherhood. 

Amen!

Not me! Monday

"It's just another Manic Monday" in the Dafoe house and I am thankful to MckMama for starting out on the write foot.  Join me for a few laughs (on my behalf) and Praise the Lord for another day to Praise His name!

• I certainly did NOT dread Monday (because it is CLEANING day and our house needs it bad) until I remembered the wonderful gift I received from my great friend Cindy, Spring Clean Year 'Round. A great organizational system to help you do a little bit of cleaning every day, few days, week, month, etc and not feel overwhelmed by the burden of maintaining a clean home! I am NOT excited to try it out and involve the boys too!

• I did NOT eat out a million times this weekend and now feel 20 pounds heavier as a result!
• I did NOT tear up having to play nurse at home to my two boys with the worst pink eye I have every seen! After 5 days of drops (or "drips" as Jonah refers to them) they know willingly allow me to do this and don't fight back.

• Richard and I did NOT praise the Lord on Friday night when the boys had a sleepover at my parents house and we got to go out to dinner to The Blue Moose with our neighbors (Matt and Debbie) and some great friends (Nate and Amy) and then spend the rest of the evening visiting with our Matt and Debbie and play Taboo (which the girls beat the boys 3 times in a row, but I was NOT keeping track).
• I did NOT have a blast in Fargo, ND Saturday with my mom and sisters shopping for my mom's birthday before meeting Richard, the boys and my dad for dinner at Carinos. Yum!

• I did NOT also Praise the Lord when I found some adorable decorations at TJMaxx for St.Patricks Day and Easter! God is good! (I will post some pics later)
• I did NOT become sore for days when I did a mini workout in the basement with the boys before work last week when I ran out of time to go to Center Court.  I did some lunges, squats and abs and felt pretty guilty that I didn't do more until I woke up the next morning. Yowsa!
• I am NOT having withdrawl from giving up Starbucks. Nope. I am not dreaming about a frappuccino right now...
• I am NOT excited to have the week off and pray Friday doesn't come too fast.

Hope you are enjoying a few good laughs and thinking about Mondays in a new light.

Iowa Weekend

We were blessed to spend the past weekend in Iowa with some of our closest friends. It was hard to be there for such a short time and try to squeeze in so many visits, but we left feeling thankful for the Lord filling our lives and our time in Iowa with such great people!  It was especially sentimental to me as we visited so many places filled with such wonderful memories!

We broke the trip up on the way down and were fortunate to spend an evening with Richard's Aunt and Uncle, Frank and Mary, who often have opened their home to our rambunctious family as we travel through.  They are such an encouragement to us and live their lives for the Lord.  Not to mention some great conversation and Mary's infamous pancakes that Jonah associates as tradition in that house. Thanks again you two for being such wonderful hosts!

Our next stop was in Cedar Rapids to spend some time with our friends Kate and Will and meet their newest family member Benjamin.  It was so fun to relax and catch up with them and watch them be parents.  Parenthood is treating them well and we look forward to watching Ben grow and hope to see more of them soon. Perhaps a vacation up North this summer is in order?


We finally got to meet Ben!  Isn't he adorable? Jonah couldn't get enough of him!  He remembers Kate being pregnant and the last time we saw them in September for a weekend in MN before Ben was born.  He is such a good baby too! 

Next, we were treated to some wonderful Iowa winter weather as we traveled down to Iowa City in a "winter storm" making the trip take an hour instead of 30 minutes.  We were anxious to get down there and made it safe and sound. (Thanks for your prayers for our journey, the boys were AMAZING and the weather was great until the last hour, so we really can't complain).

We arrived in Iowa City and thanks to a great babysitter (Colby) we were able to sneak away to Mondo's with Clint and Katy for a special dinner.  It was surreal and filled my heart with peace as we were able to enjoy some special time with these two wonderful friends at one of our favorite restaurants that just re-opened after the flood!  God's timing is so great!  After dinner the guys had a night of poker while us ladies (Katy, Chandra and I) were able to enjoy some great conversation and company.  Isaiah graciously lent his room to the boys for the night and Richard and I crashed in the living room. We were so thankful for such great hosts!

Little Isaiah is sure growing!  He is such a sweet, BUSY, little man!  He is already crawling and pulling up on things. He is going to be walking soon and he is only almost 8 months old!  Watch out Clint and Katy.  My heart leaps for joy when I think of the possibility of their family relocating to MN this spring when Clint finds out where he matches for Residency.  I am praying for MN, I mean God's will ;0)

Saturday morning Richard and I took Jonah's "bestest" friend Caleb to the Mall for a morning of fun!  We started at the Children's museum, which was free admission day (Thank you Lord) where the boys just couldn't get enough of one of their favorite places.  We had a pass to the museum when we lived in Iowa City and were there weekly if not more often.  

Jonah and Caleb playing at the Children's Museum.

Dr. Dafoe and the boys learning about their heart from Luke at the Museum.

That's my boy Elijah: Safety First!   Jonah and Caleb. 

After the museum we had to ride the carousel for old times sake.  I was thankful that Richard gets sick on the carousel and that Elijah's is still small enough that they let me on for free because I secretly enjoy the carousel as much as they do!

We were able to meet up with one of my former coworkers and great friend, Carmen and meet her fiance Joe for lunch!  What a great guy for such a wonderful lady!  They are getting married in October and I am honored to help them celebrate their special day.  I can hardly wait!  Plus it means another trip to Iowa City! Hurray! 

Will, Kate, and Ben made the trip down for lunch and the afternoon!  While the big boys went to an Iowa Basketball game, and the little boys took a nap at Clint and Katy's, the ladies got to visit once again. Later that evening we were able to help Clint celebrate his birthday and enjoy Katy's delicious cooking!  It was a great way to celebrate Valentine's Day! It felt so natural and familiar to be sharing the day with them.  We were also able to see Paul, Colby, Chandra, Luke, Bill and Ann which was an extra special treat!

The Birthday Boy and his beautiful wife.  Colby and Richard chatting away. 

Chandra and Luke reading to the boys.

We spent the next two nights at the Heartland Inn in Coralville which was special to me as that is where my family would often stay when they came down to visit us.  We were able to go to Church at Grace Sunday morning, which was another blessing. It felt as though we had never left!  We were a little disappointed that Brooks wasn't preaching, but definitely enjoyed Greg's message about Metrotheism and the danger of the church conforming to society to become more attractive.  It was encouraging and helped us remember why we loved that place!  The truth is spoken, they aren't afraid to do it, and they are such a wonderful community striving to spread the Love of Christ.  After church we snuck over to our old neighborhood and dropped in on our greatly missed neighbors the Kampmans.  It was refreshing to see them, catch up for a few minutes and watch the kids play.  We were able to join Emily, a dear friend of mine (and Richard's too) from college for lunch at Bruegger's (a favorite sunday lunch spot for the Dafoes).  We met the first week of freshman year, were inseparable that year, rowed together, Emily was a bridesmaid in our wedding, and was one of the first people to visit both boys in the hospital after their births, and is still a great friend.  I can't believe she is almost done with medical school and starting to think about what to do next.  It was a short, but sweet visit!

While the boys were napping at the hotel, Richard was able to spend some quality time visiting with Clint and Paul.  He shared with me how special this time was and I know these guys are greatly missed!  I was able to sneak away for some quality time with Katy, a trip to Java House, and another short, but sweet visit to my dear friend Lori (Caleb's mom) and meet her daughter Melanie who was born in November. 

Sunday night we were able to spend our last night in Iowa City in the company of some great friends.  We had a little pizza/pool party at the hotel and were thankful to see more of the Kampmans, Garretts, Days, Willeys, Hawthornes, Lothamers, Chan and Luke.  

It was a little cold, but so much fun!

Andrew, Steph and Violet trying to stay warm.  Andy, Josiah and Abigail enjoying the pool!

A little chicken fighting and flying children.

Audrey and Ben meet.  Audrey just chilling with Lindsey. 

More chatting fun!  I finally got a turn to hold Ben!  

After the pool party, I was baptized in the hotel pool along with Clint and Chris.  It was something I have been neglecting to do for quite some time and God was able to help me realize it was time to stop stalling and get 'er done. It was a blessing to share it with so many people who mean so much to me and have been there along the way. 

Getting Baptized in the pool! It was such a blessing to share such a special event with some great friends!

Monday morning was tough, since we didn't want to say goodbye and head home. Richard met Colby and Clint for breakfast and Katy and Isaiah joined the boys and I for a last dip in the pool.  We finally got on the road about 11:30 am and waved goodbye to our old home.  

Isaiah and Katy joined us for a quick swim Monday morning. Elijah walking out of the hotel with his backpack that was just about as big as he was!

Of course we had to stop at Java House just one more time! Iced German Chocolate Mocha with whip please. 

Our trip home was miraculous, in the sense that Jonah and Elijah were traveling rock stars and Richard and I were able to visit about our trip, dream about the future, and Praise the Lord for all the abundant blessings we experienced all weekend!  We didn't have to stop until we were west of Minneapolis, where we quickly had a potty break, stretched at a rest stop and got back on the road.  We pulled into our driveway around 10:15pm and it definitely felt good to be home.  

I know I have said it already, but God is good!  We only wish we had more time to spend as we had so many more people we wanted to see. Thank you to all our friends who sacrificed your schedules, sleep, and lives to spend the weekend with us. We are ever grateful!  We hope to see you again soon and don't forget that our door is always open, and we LOVE visitors.  

Happy Valentine's Day

(These are some fun decorations in our house)

Love, Love, Love. Today is Valentine's Day and it is one of my favorite days.  Richard would disagree with me, and in fact, he despises this day!  I, on the other hand, find it wonderfully romantic.  I am a sucker for decorations, cute cards, fun cookies, etc.  I do love flowers, candy, cards, gifts of course, but I do appreciate the way my husband shows me he loves me every day of the year and try to appreciate the fact that he refuses to participate in a holiday in which he is forced to show me his love just because of the date on the calendar.

I can write this because he probably won't read it until some time later!  If you have been reading my blog you are aware that I do think very fondly of my husband and hold him in the highest regards (don't get me wrong he is a GREAT guy).  As I reflect upon the last almost 12 years I have known him and think of how our love has grown leaps and bounds (especially since we were married almost 6 years ago) I am astounded.  When most people get married they can't imagine life without their spouse and mostly just can't imagine why everyone keeps telling them to get ready for a rough first year.  I think I felt that way and our first year was tough, but not as hard as everyone made it out to be.  However, love in a marriage is so different that love outside of it.  

After all these years I can say I love my husband so much more than I could ever have imagined.  Not because he is attractive, treats me nice, rubs my achy legs after work, but because he loves me sacrificially.  He made a vow to me years ago to love me as Christ does and I did the same.  Our marriage isn't perfect, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.  We are learning daily how to love each other better and placing our relationship above our busy lives and other distractions. We are a team and we strengthen each other.

So, although I often tease Richard that I would love flowers, chocolates, fine jewelry, etc on the holiday he dreads...I am so grateful for the sacrificial love you show me every day. The way you love our boys, the delicious meals, the bread you bake or clothes you wash, staying up late even when you have to get up early and I don't just so we can spend time together, the dishes you wash, the way you make me feel like a princess despite what I think of myself, and so much more!  I love you always.

Wordless Wednesday

Superhero Fashion 101 (or bribery for Graduation someday)

Blogging Break...

Dear friendly blog followers,

   I am writing to inform you I will be taking a blogging break!  At least for a few days, as we are traveling to Iowa this weekend!  I am not sure if I will have time to post so I might just have to wait until next week to post about our weekend getaway.  I am so excited (I think we all are), but a little nervous about being back in our old stomping grounds.  It will be a tug on the heart for sure to see our wonderful friends who we have missed so greatly, but I am going to soak every minute up.  Please keep us in your prayers as we travel! 11 hours+ in the car+600 miles + two toddlers = ??? Usually not a recipe for a good time!  

Please pray for good weather also, we have had some freezing rain that cancelled school up here! We just need to get out of town and we'll be fine.

Until I blog again,

 Beck and The Boys