Too Many Emotions for One Week

Last week was a huge week at the Strobel Manor. Starting on Saturday we celebrated the 3rd birthday for Sticks. Tuesday was her actual birthday. Thursday Punk graduated from High School followed by a party at our house directly after. Friday was her 19th birthday and we went to the airport to drop her off for her trip to China. I think all we needed was for Peanut to have a major life event to make the week completely insane.

We decided a long time ago that we wouldn't be having huge birthday parties every year. Since Sticks had a rough year this year, we amended this rule to include unless you are in the hospital and had surgery or it's a major birthday, than you can have a party. She had been talking about a party for 4 months, so I got my party planning hat (aka pinterest) on and planned an insane Dora the Explorer party.


Punk's and Sticks's birthdays are 3 days (and 16 years) apart. We knew this was going to be a big year for Punk and then when she opted to go to China for 6 weeks, we knew it was going to be even bigger. Punk is my Step Daughter, so at her graduation her Mom and maternal grandparents were also there and came to the party at our house afterwards. It was a lot of stress putting all that together, along with juggling nap times and 2 small children. The day after graduation was her 19th birthday. I was a mess all day, sobbing intermittently. 6 weeks is a long time and with the mixture of her starting college when she gets home, I realized that after this trip our family was going to be different. The way we relate to her and her life will all be different. Don't get me wrong I don't think it's bad, it is just that our little family is all going to be new.

 Here's to evolving and not crying everyday for 6 weeks.

The Little Peanut is on the Move!

Our sweet little peanut has reached the major milestone, that I hate the most CRAWLING. I think of all this things that children do this is my least favorite (so far, I reserve the right to change in the future.) I clean my house, and yet when your child is crawling you realize how dirty your "clean" floors are. Babies find stuff you never knew existed in your home. I remember when Sticks was crawling I was so over it, luckily so was she and she only crawled for a maybe 2 months.

I realized this week that as much as I hate this crawling business, I really don't like it with a 3 year old around. Now I am picking up choking hazards and random papers for what seems like all day. It is surprisingly exhausting. I now have to vacuum and sweep everyday. 

It's funny to watch the crawling process, it starts out so uncoordinated. They flop around in a mixture of army crawling and what can only be described as some form of a beached whale thrust. In the last week she has got the rhythm down and is getting much better and much faster. Yesterday I was getting something for Sticks and I turned around and she was two rooms away. Here's to less free time. 

The Hidden Things

I am realizing that parenting is an ever evolving and changing job.  As your children learn and develop, so does your job. The most recent ability she has learned, other than "Tippy Toeping" (tippy toeing) and hopping, is hiding when she has broken the rules. I found her doing something she was not supposed to be doing and she heard me coming towards her and proceeded to hide. It was partly hilarious and partly disturbing. 

I was quickly reminded of the story of Adam and Eve in the garden (Genesis 3). They had just eaten the fruit and were hiding from God. As I watched my daughter hiding in the corner face down with her hands covering her eyes, in my plain sight, I thought how silly this all was. I saw and knew what she did full well. Plus with my remarkable gift of sight, I could clearly see her hiding. This must have been the way God felt as he watched them break his rules. He saw them do it and hide from him. Just as he did, I asked her what she had done and brought this "secret" to the light.

I thought about all the things we do everyday, that we believe is in secret. You know the things you don't necessarily post on Facebook or Twitter. The things that may be considered "grey" areas in your mind, even though they are not in the mind of God. We hide such things from him, thinking in our little minds, that if we do it in the dark no one will know. Maybe sometimes we don't get caught, or maybe sometimes we don't get punished even though we are caught. It doesn't change the fact we broke the rules or that someone is watching. There is no hidden sin. It is all seen before the eyes of a loving and kind God. 

"For God will bring every deed into judgement, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil."  Ecc 12:14