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.
She’s Dying…
Vicki… Allison’s mother, is dying.
Alli is one of my closest friends… and her mother has ALWAYS been HER best friend. And, quite literally, at any minute, Vicki will be with Jesus. My heart hurts for Alli.
In all this happening so close to me, I keep trying to understand how she’s feeling…
… but I can’t.
I wish I could… but I just can’t. It feels as if I almost have an emotional barrier up that I can’t tear down because I don’t have the right tools.
I mean, I cry for Alli because I SEE she’s hurting and I pray for their family because I know they are devastated. They want MANY more years with Vicki… but won’t have it. But hurting FOR her is very different than feeling and understanding it for MYSELF.
My mother and I have never been close. I’m quite certain my mother never really wanted children… but she got us, so she did the best she could, which unfortunately, wasn’t all that great. I can’t speak for my sisters… but there’s a piece of love that I don’t understand or FEEL. I know HOW to love (to the best of my ability). I mean… I LOVE my husband and I LOVE my sons… but I don’t know how to RECEIVE love.
Part of me believes if I allow myself to receive love, then I’ll owe that person something I don’t want to give up later. Another part believes I’m not worthy of said love. And finally… the majority of me just doesn’t know how to accept it. Quite literally… I don’t know what to do with it once I’ve been handed a piece of someone’s heart. Weird? Yeah, I know.
Vicki OBVIOUSLY was and is an amazing mother and person. I remember a few years back, I “won” something from Jay (Alli’s husband) and as part of the gift, Vicki baked me some goods. She was sick, and REALLY didn’t need to bake me anything, but she did… out of love.
I want to be like Vicki.
I want to leave an incomparable legacy with Chance and Paxton.
I want my grandchildren to cherish my words to them.
I want to LOVE like Vicki…
… but more importantly… I want to BE loved like Vicki.
However, right now, I’m not allowing anyone to REALLY do that. Not even God. And without love… I’m dying.
I know I can be healed though. I know… and I also know, that very soon… Vicki’s body will be healed. Not her physical body… but the body that gets to live eternally with Jesus. An unbroken, unhurting, PERFECT body.
Please pray with me for the Whipps’ Family and everyone who’s connected to them.
—————————-
UPDATE: I got the word tonight, Friday, February 12th, that Vicki has gone to be with Jesus. Her pain is gone… but Alli’s isn’t. Please continue praying for the Whipps’ Family.
Paxton’s Allergies
Let’s catch everyone up to speed.
Paxton is 15 months old. Since he was 3 months old, he’s had a really difficult time going “number two”. He doesn’t actually have a hard time “going”, per se… but whenever he’s ABOUT to “go”, he starts to cry.
If you know Pax, you know he actually RARELY cries. He’s a pretty chill kid. But when he’s ABOUT to “go”, he cries… as if someone is REALLY hurting him. Here’s the weird thing: WHILE he’s “going” and after… he’s totally fine. No tears. No whining. Nothing. In fact… while he’s “going”, he’s usually just babbling something cute. When he’s done, he runs about his merry way as if nothing ever happened.
And if you really care, when we change his diaper, everything is normal. No constipation. No diarrhea. NORMAL.
Our family eats mostly organic, so we knew it wasn’t because of an unhealthy diet. We obviously knew something was up.
Pax’s pediatrician recommended we go to see the Pediatric Gastroenterologists (G.I. doctors) at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital up at OHSU. So, for the past year, we’ve been checking in and out at OHSU to monitor Paxton. First, they said that once he’s eating solids, he’d most likely be able to have more substance to help with the “pressure”. Once, we figured out that wasn’t it, they said once he was walking and used his core muscles more, it would help give “muscle” to the pressure release. Nope… that wasn’t it either.
A month ago, they finally said it was time to go in… surgically. They scheduled my baby for a “Flex Sig” (Flexible Sigmoidoscopy). It’s basically a babies version of a colonoscopy (they just go into the lower intestines). The biggest problem I had with this is THEY PUT THEM UNDER. Not only that, but there are a million pages of paperwork we have to sign in case of “the worst” happening. Yeah… not ready for that.
This is when I began my quest to find an alternative solution. Last week, my friend, Coral, told me that her Naturopath could find out what was going “wrong” and if they were induced by allergies, Paxton could be treated through me as his surrogate. She could treat the allergies using NAET. I not only strong suspicion that Paxton had MULTIPLE allergies (I was pretty certain he’s allergic to dairy and probably gluten), but I had also been treated via NAET myself in the past. I knew it worked… so I made the appointment.
TODAY… Pax and I went in to see our Naturopath. She was AMAZING!!! Pax had a lot of fun holding all the different viles of “allergies” and no blood was drawn! YAY! However… as we kept on testing, I was BLOWN away by how many things we were finding he was allergic to.
He had a weak response to 10 to 15 viles. The most important ones we can work on right now are:
- Dairy
- Gluten
- Egg Whites (but not the yolk)
- Vitamin C (group – citrus)
- Iron (red meat)
I know… how do you avoid the last two, right?
Well… the good news is our Naturopath CAN treat these allergies and hopefully lessen, if not eliminate, his negative responses to these allergens. Obviously, he NEEDS to have Vitamin C & Iron in his diet… but right now, his body is rejecting them. It’s causing more harm than good. If we can remedy these issues, then we can go back to giving him his vitamins.
Our first treatment is in two weeks from today. Until then, we are completely changing Paxton’s diet. I’ve also canceled the surgery for now. We’ll resort to that only if this doesn’t work first.
It’s so good to finally know that I’m not CRAZY and something REALLY was wrong with Paxton. It’s even better knowing there’s something I can do about it to make his life a little easier.
Please keep praying for our little boy.
To all the parents out there: YOUR INSTINCT IS USUALLY RIGHT. Doctors are great and know SO much more than we do… but YOU know your child. Go with your gut and don’t ever stop researching and learning about what’s best for them.
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!!!
Holy Crayoly!
Chance decided Paxton should color with him while I was putting a load of laundry in the dryer.
I came out to Paxton looking like he’s bleeding out his mouth.
This photo was taken AFTER I dug around his pie hole and found out it was marker so the red isn’t as intense. Good thing for washable & non-toxic, right?
And yes… Pax bit the WHOLE tip of the red crayola marker off and chewed on it for the whole 2 minutes I was in the laundry room… then swallowed it. YUM. Can’t wait for that to “pass”.
Poor Chance. He’s now without a red pen.
So tell me… what are some of YOUR “heart-attack”-now-not-so-scary stories.
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?
2010: The Last Decade
It’s the New Year… and to commemorate this *exciting* tenth year past 2000, I thought I’d document the last decade of my life on one post. A lot has happened…
Let’s begin.
2000:
- I moved from Seattle to Portland, knowing NO one.
- Met Brian in February.
- Started working in Radio Marketing.
- Got engaged in December.
2001:
- Bought our condo.
- Got married on May 27th.
2002:
- Found out we were “infertile”.
- Lost a couple of babies in miscarriages.
2003:
- Left Marketing behind and started Full-Time Ministry at Sunset.
- Lost another baby.
- Bought our first “house” in Bethany.
2004:
- Started Blogging.
- Started the Adoption Process.
- Found out we were pregnant in December. Didn’t move for 3 months.
- Abandoned the Adoption Process for now.
2005:
- Chance was born on September 1st.
2006:
- Left FT Ministry to stay home with Chance.
- I stepped into an affair.
2007:
- Sold my dream house & moved to Hillsboro.
- Filled in at the Interim Student Worship Director at Sunset for a year.
2008:
- We moved… again… back to Bethany area.
- My sister, Renee, married Jason in July.
- Started as the Worship Pastor at Church! at Bethany.
- Paxton was born on November 6th.
- We moved… again… to a temporary house.
2009:
- Told Brian about my infidelity.
- Went back into counseling.
- Scott died.
- We moved… again… for the last time in 3 years to Beaverton.
- Wondered if our marriage was going to make it… daily.
- Went public (church & blog) about my affair.
- Started finally experiencing a REAL marriage with my husband.
- Turned 31.
- Discovered what grace REALLY looks and feels like.
- Healing… and living… maybe for the first time ever.
- My baby sister, Helen, announced her engagement to Jesse.
What is in store for us in 2010? I have no idea… but I have never look more optimistically at an upcoming year.
In the last ten years, it feels as if my life was only beginning. I fell… many times… more times than I really care to admit. I remember MANY very specific moments of just wanting to lay there and never get up again. I wanted to disappear. I wanted to die in my shame and pain. But somehow, I found my way back on my feet. To stand as a sinner… to face the consequences… to deal with the ROOT issues (not just what seemed to be)… and maybe the most difficult hurdle of all:
… to allow undeserved grace to wash over me.
… to be redeemed & restored.
This year, 2010, I look forward to:
- Continued restoration in my marriage.
- Healing in other relationships.
- Many rich and full moments with my family.
- Deepening the bond with my amazing girlfriends from all over.
- Learning how to love more freely and with reckless abandon.
- Owning my first spaceship (you still there?)
God is good… all the time.
… even when it doesn’t feel like it.
… especially when it doesn’t feel like it.
What are 10 words (less or more) that describe your LAST decade?
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.
Christmas Cards
I have to be honest.
I was never a “snail mail” type of person. I didn’t send birthday cards or “thinking of you” letters on a regular basis. I was always shocked when I would receive cards or gifts in the mail because I would literally think, “WHO DOES THIS?”
Well… In September 2005, I had Chance. He was only 3 months old when Christmas came around. My good friend, Janet, said, “When am I gonna get YOUR Christmas card?”
Me: “I don’t do Christmas cards!”
J: “WHAT? You HAVE to. You have a baby now. Everyone wants to see your baby in card form.”
Me: “What? Is this a mother rule.”
J: “Yes. Welcome to motherhood.”
Me: “But Christmas is a week and a half away!”
J: “Well… you better hurry then.”
Yes. This was a real conversation and yes… this sounds like MOST of Janet and my conversations. Imagine Gilmore Girls banter… that’s the kind of banter Janet and I have. It’s real, honest, revealing and efficient. With Janet, I don’t feel like I have to do the whole fluffy, “How are you doing, feeling, smelling…” ritual that most people do. That’s how we roll.
So, home I went. I loaded the cutest photo of Chance I could find (taken by my sister Renee) and sent it off to Costco Photo to make 100 or so Christmas cards. It was a last minute thing, but I received SO many comments over it, I knew Janet was right. This began my “once-a-year” snail mail project.
Five years later… I find myself LOVING the opportunity to mail out a picture card to my friends and family once a year. It’s a way to update AND let them know I’m thinking about them. I don’t use a label maker for outgoing addresses. No… I handwrite every single address, and pray over the family of which we are sending the card to while I write. I also know some friends keep my card up on their fridge all year long and pray for us daily.
This years’ family photos and card was taken/created by Kimberly Whipps with Barefoot Photography. Kimberly made ours last year too… and I’m pretty certain she’ll most likely be creating ours next year… and the year after that.
Not only is Kimberly our photographer, but she’s a dear friend with the most humorous personality (y’all know how I love that). She knows our story… she knows how our family almost fell apart. So, this year, she used her amazingly creative & artistic eye to capture what God has saved in Brian and my marriage. She helped reveal a family experiencing restoration. She captured REAL moments (which is pretty amazing since our kids are ON THE GO).
If you’re in the Portland, Oregon area, and have always wondered about where to get some awesome family photos (or Christmas cards)… Kimberly’s my vote. She’s my girl.
Merry Christmas, everyone… and may you ALL remember WHO we celebrate this season.
Because of Jesus, we can TRULY experience faith, hope and love.
These words have never rung more true to me.
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!
Happy 1st Birthday, Paxton!!!
Today is Paxton’s FIRST birthday.
His first year of life has flown by, but it’s as if he’s ALWAYS been a part of our lives.
Pax has got 6 visible teeth right now — 4 on top and 2 on the bottom. He’s walking EVERYWHERE and can get up the stairs in less than 5 seconds. His talking sounds like gurgling and babbling ALWAYS brings a smile to Brian and my face.
He’s gonna be a big blogger, obviously!
Paxton Joel,
YOU are cherished. You help me look outside myself. You give Mommy hope that I can be a better person… for you, for Chance, for Daddy AND for myself. Your smile melts my heart. Your cry breaks me into a million pieces. All I want to do is make your world right for you. And I know I don’t have that kind of control, so I just hold you… and drink in your presence.
“Pax” means “peace” and you have brought JUST that into our lives. You have no idea the kind of restoration you’ve brought into Mommy & Daddy’s life just by existing. I thank God EVERY DAY for letting me be a part of your life. There is NOTHING you could ever do to make me stop loving you. NOTHING!!! And when I forget to tell you I’m proud of you, or that I love you… I hope you’ll know by my actions that you mean the world to me.
Happy first Birthday, sweet Paxton… my darling peacemaker. You came just in time.
Love Forever and a Day,
Mommy
“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*
My Family’s Historian
Some people joke about our family having a photo shoot every other week.
Yes. we have a lot. Maybe not THAT much, but we have a few a year.
Here’s the deal: I am the CEO of my home. That makes me my family’s historian as well. If I don’t document as many family moments as possible, who’s gonna do it, right?
We actually take a lot of photos and videos of our kids, but what happens is we end up having lots of pictures… with one of us missing. Usually me. HA.
Anyway… our friend AND Portland photographer of choice is Kimberly Whipps (Barefoot Photography). She actually helps sponsor JenniClayville.com and is responsible for the amazing rotating banner you see on the home page.
We had our winter/Christmas card photos taken last weekend.
You can CLICK HERE to see some more of them.
If you live in the Portland area and want to capture some amazing moments with your family to keep FOREVER… contact her NOW. You will NOT be disappointed.
Thanks, Kimberly, for capturing some crazy Clayville moments. I love that you just laugh and hang out with us. You are AH-MAZ-ING and I am blessed to call you “friend”!
Jenni on Skype: jclayville 
