Clayville Kids
Suddenly, the house got eerily quiet… then LAUGHTER.
When you’re the Mom of two young boys, that’s not always a GOOD thing. I turned around from the sink and saw THIS:
I was curious with what EXACTLY was going on, so I dried my hands and walked over.
Paxton had crawled onto the couch, nestled in with Chance and was pushing the little yellow button on Chance’s “fighter jet”. Each time the fighter jet “launched a missile”, the boys laughed hysterically.
I love “catching” my boys loving each other and just BEING together.
I can honestly say I would never trade this for a million dollars.
The Chance & Mommy Band
Chance and I did some jammin’ today… while he was SUPPOSED to be napping.
Yeah. He didn’t want to nap… so this happened instead:
How do you help release creativity in your kids?
Please share!!!
Invite Me
I’m sitting here watching my 4-year-old.
He grabs a little cup from one of the bottom cabinets (we put all the kids dishes where they can reach them so they can help themselves), scurries over to the fridge, fills his cup with water and drinks from it. Then he grabs a couple apple slices I’ve cut for them and runs over to his 1-year-old little brother.
“Here Paxton… want an apple?”
As they both snack, they sit side-by-side and Chance “reads” to Paxton. Then… out of nowhere… Chance says:
“Hey Mom… you wanna come and read with us?”
ABSOLUTELY!!!
I could have easily done all that water-fetching and snack-handling for Chance and Paxton… but there was so much more pride when I saw he was self-sufficiently taking care of his own needs, sharing with his brother, playing quietly… and then he invited ME to come and play with him.
I love walking alongside my kids.
I love listening to the silliest rambling and chatter their little minds offer.
I love to watch them grow.
I love holding them close and cuddling in.
I love experiencing every milestone with them.
I even love their temper tantrums because it reveals passion.
I love being WITH them.
That’s when it hit me: This is what God wants from ME!
God loves to see me taking care of myself… taking care of others… living out my purpose. He’s always present, just like I’m present with my kids… but to be invited into the simplest, daily activities of our lives?
God loves walking alongside me.
God loves listening to the silliest rambling and chatter of my mind.
God loves to watch me grow… especially if I take a lesson in with it.
God loves holding me close… in joy or in my tears.
God loves when I experience my milestones THROUGH Him.
God even loves my passionate outbursts because I’m using the feelings He gave me.
God loves being with me.
Bowling: Chance’s FIRST Time
Last week, Brian and I wanted to take Chance ice skating… but when we got there, they said it was “hockey” time.
Chance was disappointed, but cheered up quickly when we took him across the parking lot to the Bowling Alley.
Chance played with an 8 pound ball (SUPER heavy for him… but the lightest they had there). I miraculously got his first strike ever on video.
Brian bowled an upper 100-something that night.
Chance bowled a 49.
Me: 52.
I am SO not good at bowling.
What’s your best/worst bowling score?
30 Seconds…
… of my life.
Yes. Welcome…
Don’t call the authorities on me. Really… my kids like this.
What weird things do your kids like?
Random Chance Video
I left the camera running for Chance… while Brent was talking to me…
… and talking
… and talking
… and talking.
Oh, Brent.
Anyway… tonight, Tam, Kota, Brian and I were looking through my videos and found this. We were laughing so hard we thought we’d share it with you.
Enjoy!
Oh yes… and in the duration of this video… Brent DID fart.
TWICE.
And that was just in the video. I can NOT count how many times that man has let loose this weekend.
Help us, Lord.
Chance: SAVED
In the midst of Paxton being so sick, the subject of death has come up quite a bit. Chance (our 4 year old) is worried Paxton (our 1 year old) is going to die. We keep telling him we all die sometime, but if we believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that he died for our sins FOREVER, that we don’t have to die forever. In fact, we get to live… even better than here on earth.
Chance looked like he was thinking… a lot. So, I sat down with him and asked,
“Honey… do you want to invite Jesus to come live in your heart?”
Chance said, “Does this mean he won’t ever leave?”
I answered, “Yes. He will never leave you if you ask him to come in.”
We prayed:
Dear God,
I know that I am a sinner. That means I make bad choices sometimes and disobey. But I know you are a God that saves me and forgives me. I believe and thank you for sending Your son, Jesus, to die on the cross for me so that I can live forever with You in Heaven one day. Please come and live in my heart, Jesus, and help me make good choices. Help me obey you and my mommy and daddy and live the way You want me to.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen
Today – December 15, 2009…
… at 10:12am
… in his navy & turquoise horizontally striped size 5 Hanna Anderson pajamas
… on our large, green, microfiber couch
… in our Beaverton home
… with the kitchen smelling a little like vinegar and a little like lysol
… Chance gave his soul over to the Kingdom of God.
I don’t care what else happens today.
I’m pretty sure nothing can trump that.
And I’m pretty sure nothing can make today less beautiful.
Tom’s Shoes
What girl doesn’t love adding to her shoe collection?
Well… here’s an amazing way to not only benefit yourself but needy children all over the world.
Watch this video:
This Christmas, our family purchased three pairs of shoes from Toms Shoes. What that means is, our investment in the three shoes for our family has also provided for THREE pairs to needy children. That’s SIX pairs of shoes, for you who are not so quick with the math. One-for-One.
To be completely honest, though Chance and I are rockin’ out our shoes, this style of shoe is TOTALLY not Brian… however, he’s wearing it anyway because he loves the cause behind it. I believe he’ll grow to love the way they look because they are SO comfortable.
The best part of all this is the conversations Chance and I have had about REAL life. I’ve shown Chance MANY of the Tom’s Shoes videos and his questions break my heart. It’s amazing HOW much a 4-year-old understands and how much compassion their hearts have. When the shoes showed up at our doorstep, Chance’s first reaction wasn’t, “YAY! I got new shoes!!!”… it was, “MOM! THREE KIDS GOT NEW SHOES THAT DIDN’T HAVE SHOES BEFORE!!!” Then, he grabbed his piggy bank and said, “I want to buy another pair for them!”
Our family has dedicated to always having a pair of Tom’s in our rotation of wear. We figure by the time ours wear out, another child’s has LONG been worn out. We’d love for you to join us in Tom’s amazing movement. If you choose to purchase a pair before January 31st, 2010… you can use THIS $5 discount code:
IDEA00000000006 (that’s 10 zeros)
Join the cause.
Fly your Tom’s Flag!
Christmas Tree & Boys
This Christmas season is the first of a few things:
Paxton’s FIRST Christmas Tree
Chance’s FIRST time decorating the tree with us
Paxton’s FIRST time saying “WOW”
Our FIRST Christmas at this house
I am blessed…
Belated Thanksgiving Post
I hope y’all had an amazing Thanksgiving.
I know I did.
Brian and I went to Thanksgiving in La Grande again this year with the boys. They are both so active now, it was great to see them having so much fun at their Nina & Papa’s house.
Thanksgiving this year was bittersweet for me. It was the first Thanksgiving holiday living in complete truth… protective walls down. Everyone around the table knew what I had done… and yet, they still loved me and invited me TO their table with love and grace.
This year… “thankfulness” has a new meaning. Thankfulness has life.
I am thankful for:
- *Jesus… and His grace for me.
- *Brian… and his immeasurable forgiveness.
- *Chance Hayden… and all the questions behind his eyes.
- *Paxton Joel… and all he represents.
- *Second chances to make things right.
- *Truth… and the freedom that comes with it.
- *Worship… and that I get to do that with reckless abandon again.
- *Brian’s new job… so we can get back on our feet again.
- *Brian’s parents… who have never stopped supporting us and have adopted me in as their own.
- *My sisters, Renee & Helen… who make my life better.
- *My mom… who gave me life so I can actually experience it.
- *My dad… who helped too.
- *Friends… old and new.
I am blessed… and WAY beyond thankful.
Clean Up
I took Chance and Paxton in to get their haircut today… just in time for the holidays.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
Maybe now, strangers will stop asking me if my little “girl” is one yet. Um… he’s wearing ALL BOY CLOTHES? I digress.
Sometimes… all we need is a “clean-up” to feel a bit better.
I know when my whole house is a mess, if I just clean up my kitchen counters, sweep and wipe everything down (15 minutes worth of work), I’ll immediately feel better and have a new outlook.
Life works a bit differently.
Or does it?
My life is jam packed full of… well.. LIFE.
It’s not just my schedule… it’s my whole family’s, seeing that I’m the CEO of my home AND the Worship Pastor of my church. If you’re like me, you find yourself scheduling in drop-off & pick-ups to and from pre-school, doctor’s appointments, counseling appointments, staff meetings, worship band practices, girlfriend time, date nights with Brian, small group, bible studies, play groups… and the list goes on. When do you find time to just BE?
About a month ago, I had enough of the rat race. I had almost lost everything once… I wasn’t about to spiral out of control again. So, I chose rest.
TUESDAYS.
I schedule NOTHING on Tuesdays. Why Tuesday? I don’t know… I can’t do Sunday because I work at a church. Saturdays are family days and prep days for Sundays. Monday, Wednesday and Friday is school for Chance. Mondays are usually also my “hangover from the weekend” day. Thursday is counseling with Brian and small group. So, Tuesday was the big winner!
It’s my Sabbath. It’s the day I invest in my family.
No grocery shopping
No stressful housekeeping
No play dates
No girlfriend dates
No prepping for worship services
No cleaning out my email inbox (though I may read them during the kids’ naps)
Instead, the kids and I do whatever we want… together.
We play
We sleep
We watch movies
We read
We talk about God
We make up stories
We dream
And when the kids nap, I drink in His Word.
I have no deadlines on Tuesday.
And when I get that urge of anxiety of NEEDING to do something… I just write it down on my list of “to-do’s” for Wednesday. It works. I need it. To be better wives, husbands, parents, friends, leaders, servants…We ALL need it.
Because, if you don’t… you need to clean up so you can!
Worship Confessional – 11.22.09
We started our new series today called “Faithwerks”.
Our topic today was on how to raise our children to follow Christ… and how we shouldn’t just let the church take care of our children’s faith, just like we shouldn’t leave it to the schools to make sure our children are educated.
These children have been entrusted to our care by God… entrusted to ME so I shouldn’t just hand off my responsibilities to different organizations, though they WILL help me.
Definitely a challenged my thinking. That’s good.
Today’s Sunday Setlist:
- Beautiful One – Tim Hughes
- You’ll Come – Brooke Fraser
- O Praise Him – David Crowder
- Till I See You – Joel Houston
- Heart of Worship – Matt Redman
- Mighty To Save – Reuben Morgan
- Hosanna – Brooke Fraser
During the response time, I shared how I have always sung “Till I See You” as a lullaby to my boys. They both know and recognize the tune.
The other day, we had a “windstorm” of sorts. I think they were 50 mph winds. The next day, Chance and I had a conversation that went something like this:
C: “Mommy… last night I heard God talking.”
Me: “Really? What did He say?”
C: “I don’t know. His voice was in the storm outside! That’s how I knew I was safe.”
Our children are listening.
Fun with Chance
This is Chance:
He is my firstborn son… and a total ham!
Chance loves to play with his legos and build TALL towers… then kick them over. He enjoys doing somersaults and telling everyone the rules to the game… or life. He’s smart! A bit to smart for his own good… and he LOVES music. He also LOVES taking pictures and being in videos.
Hence the next sequence of action here.
I just found these photos of Chance & me playing around and being silly in the car on a road trip.
Drink in these moments, dear friends… because before you know it… your kids will grow up… and turn out like me! And no one wants that. YIKES!
My kids are pretty amazing. I am a blessed mommy.
Interview with Chance
Yet another interview with Chance.
This is the “Happy Birthday, Daddy” version. Enjoy!
“You’re Grounded!”
Chance got grounded for the first time ever today in his 4 years of life.
Usually, I just do time-outs or certain toys get “time-outs” if he can’t share. Well… today, he chose to ignore me when I asked him to pick up the toys he had pulled out. For those who KNOW my child, you’ll know he’s actually quite clean and tidy. He doesn’t usually play with more than 2 different toys at a time. For some reason, today, he emptied out the whole toy box AND toy shelf, as well as EVERY CONTAINER that held small toys.
Here’s what my family room usually looks like (with the bouncing kid):
And here’s what it looked like when I asked Chance to clean it:
What you don’t see are the two buckets of legos that spilled INTO the kitchen and dining area. It was ridiculous!
I gave him the option the FIFTH time I asked him (I usually give him three warnings MAX… I guess I was feeling gracious today) of me cleaning it up for him, but that would mean he would be grounded and not have access to his toys for the REST OF THE DAY. He said, “I want YOU to clean it up.”
Ok.
So… I grounded him from all his toys for the rest of the day. ALL HIS TOYS. Really… what was I thinking?
I think the hardest part for Chance was watching Paxton play with HIS toys and not being able to ask him not to. OUCH!
I finally gave Chance some hope. I said, “Honey, you can earn your toys back after your quiet time/nap if you really help Mommy out by doing some extra stuff to help out around the house.” He agreed. Chance asked me multiple times during the day if he could play with certain toys. I had to keep reminding him that he chose to be grounded. We definitely got to dialogue about disobedience and consequences. He was pretty much an angel the rest of the day.
We read.
We practiced writing our letters.
We colored.
We twirled.
We wrestled.
We counted to 100… 100 times.
We sang songs… and made some up with the word “poop” in it.
We baked chocolate coconut bars.
We cleaned up Paxton’s toys.
It was all going SO well… then right before dinner, Chance started playing a bit rough with Paxton. When I asked him to stop, he didn’t listen. He didn’t get a second warning. The negotiations were off the table.
Chance was mortified.
He apologized and BEGGED me change my mind, but it was too late. He made his decision by not obeying.
I reassured him that tomorrow is another day and he gets to start the day with all his toys. It’s up to him whether he chooses to keep that privilege or not.
How old were you/your kids when you/they first got grounded?
Halloween
Just thought I’d post some photos of our night trick-or-treating with the Smith’s.
The kids had so much fun… and it was just great to see Paula, Jason and Morgan again.
We stopped by our old house, and the new owners let us come in to see all their new upgrades. Their kitchen is EXACTLY what I would have done if we were still living there. I won’t lie… my heart hurt. That was the house Chance came home to. *sigh*
Other than that, it was an amazingly fun evening.
Oh… and that third to last photo is of the Johnson twins feeling Chance up. They liked his superhero “boobies” too, I guess.
What did YOU dress (your kids) up as on Saturday?
Fire Safety & Birth Control
Another peek into our life the morning of Halloween.
Fire Safety… Chance Clayville style. Take notes, y’all…
And for all you people who think having kids is all daisies and sunshine… welcome to REAL life…
*sigh*
Trick or Treat?
Ok… I grew up without the option of trick or treating.
My mother didn’t “celebrate” Halloween and didn’t want us three girls out there asking for candy either.
My mom was a single mom… three young daughters… English as a second language… scary day… threats of poisoned candy. As a grown adult, that makes sense to me. It was about safety, security and saving money on three costumes. To be fair, she usually bought us a bag of candy and let us have at it… but no dressing up. Of course, as a child, I just felt like it was another thing we didn’t get to do.
Finally, when I was 12 or 13, my mother finally let us get dressed up and get candy at the local mall. And after about a half hour of begging, she also reluctantly let my sister, Renee, and me go through the haunted house that was there. It was FAN-stinkin’-TASTIC!!! I can still remember the thrill of it all. Maybe it was independence. Maybe it was some strange kind of bonding with Renee. Maybe it was the mere sick scariness of it all. I still don’t know.
What I DO know is that Halloween and trick-or-treating is still a pretty big controversy in the Christian circle.
I’ll be honest.
Brian and I take our kids trick-or-treating. They get dressed up… in whatever Holly’s kids were the year before (why buy a new costume when they don’t care what they are yet, right?) and we walk with them and their friends around the neighborhood asking for candy for about an hour. We then check through the candy bag, give them a few “safe” pieces of candy, let them run off a sugar high together, eat a few pieces ourselves, then throw away the rest.
Hangin’ With Chance
When Brian and I decided I would be a stay-at-home Mom… I honestly had NO idea what I was doing.
I was a total latchkey kid and the closest thing I knew was sort of overseeing my two sisters afterschool till Mom got home.
So often, I’ve found myself envious of friends like Alli, who grew up with a Mom who invested quality time with her. She taught her real skills:
How to be a supporting and loving wife.
How to be an encouragement and blessing to her children.
How to bake and cook.
How to be a woman of integrity.
Yes. I’ll be honest. I covet Alli for her mother. I feel short-changed because I wonder if the only things I have to pass down to my kids is my dysfunction. I wonder if I have anything to offer them at all.
Here’s the deal. Right, wrong or indifferent, life is what it is.
Chance and Paxton are kids God has loaned us in the short time (hopefully not TOO short) we get them. Though I SERIOUSLY don’t know what I’m doing… I do the best I can with what I’ve got — dysfunction and all. I take what little good I remember from my childhood and glean the rest off of the amazing female mentors God has placed in my path throughout my 31 year journey and pray… PRAY… with all I am that something sticks.
So, what do I do with my kids?
We talk
We snuggle
We dream
We laugh
We have no boundaries in love… because we’re building a long-lasting relationship. A relationship that will stand through every mistake I make with them. Because if I’ve learned anything, it’s that LOVE is greater than any mistake… and if you allow it to, LOVE will conquer ALL.
Apparently, love also means letting them eat… um… anything.
How do THEY know you love THEM?
A Peek Into Our Evenings
Just thought I’d post a video of a bit of our night tonight. After all… my blog is part “mom-blog” ya know?
I can’t believe Paxton is almost a year old.
Life flies by. Don’t waste a minute!
Painting Pumpkins 2009
We painted our very first pumpkins last year. This year, we decided to follow the tradition.
Here’s Chance painting his pumpkin WHITE… Apparently, the WHOLE base of the pumpkin needed to be white “because Daddy’s white.” — seriously… that’s what he said.
I think the whites of the eyes are always a bit freaky looking before I add the pupils.
I dunno what you think… but I think that’s a pretty happy looking pumpkin.
I was letting this dry and tending to Paxton for a couple minutes. When I got back…
… I found THIS painted to the side. I left it cuz it was so cute.
My sons are happy. My husband is happy. My family is happy. This makes ME happy.
You see… we’re painting more than just pumpkins over here. We’re painting our future… one brushstroke at a time. However, I can tell you I don’t paint so well, so I’m letting God guide my strokes.
Of course, I still fight for control over the paintbrush sometimes… but He is faithful and constant, ready to step back in whenever I invite Him to.
I can’t wait to see what the final product of our family is going to look like.
“I Wish I Were You”
That’s what Chance said to me today.
These are the conversations my four-year-old son and I have when we are in the car. I’m driving him to school and he says to me:
“Mommy… I wish I were you!”
This caught me off guard. Who in the world would wish THIS on themselves?
I’m a mess.
I’m wrecked.
I’m a disaster.
But as I let this question soak in a bit, I realized I, too, wished this as a child. I didn’t necessarily wish I was my mother… but I wished I was anyone BUT myself. I wished I were YOU. I wanted everyone else’s life because mine hurt too much.
Now, at 31, I can honestly say that most days, I’m glad I’m me. I’m FINALLY starting to see why I am who I am… dysfunction and all.
I AM a mess, but what work is there in perfection?
I WAS wrecked, but now I’m restored.
I’m a BEAUTIFUL disaster.
My thoughts came back to my son who was sitting in the backseat. My sweet 4-year-old who could already process wanting to be anyone but himself. My heart broke for him. I want more than anything for my children to be secure in who they are… in who God made them to be.
So, I asked Chance:
“Why do you say that? Why do you wish you were me?”
And he replied:
“Because then I wouldn’t have to go to school.”
Oh. Well… all that internal repertoire for nothing then. HA!
Ever wish you were someone else?
Pumpkin Patch 2009
It’s really fun creating our own family traditions.
Today, we went to the LakeView Pumpkin Patch.
Here’s Chance THIS & LAST YEAR (just for comparisons):
Paxton THIS YEAR & LAST:
Amazing how our family grows in a year.
Here’s a few photos of the boys together THIS year:
Last week, we also went to the Roloff’s Farm to have a bit of fun. We may as well take advantage of the nice weather while we can, right?
Anyway…. here are a family shot from last Saturday:
And… we saw Amy from Little People, Big World.
She’s so sweet. Chance walked up to her and said, “Why are you little?” and she replied, “God makes us all different sizes. Aren’t we lucky to all be made so differently?”
To flip through all our pumpkin patch photos, click below.
Jenni on Skype: jclayville 
