"Vote Like That" 2012 Election Song - The Ron Clark Academy

This is amazing!! I won't be posting anything political on this blog, it's just not how I roll. But this? This is awesome.

In 2 days.

2 days from now will be October 20th.
In 2 days it will be a year since Kyra Mae's due date.
In 2 days Kyra's due date will have come and gone and she would still be all snuggly in my belly, arriving 7 days late.
This time last year I was on the fence.  Not about having Kyra but about when.  Josh and I are finished having children, unless divine intervention takes place.  I wanted to hold on to the feeling of being pregnant.  I wanted to hold on to those rolls, to those kicks, to the fact that I could keep her safe from all outside dangers.
To be even more honest I was scared how it would effect my relationship with Teagan.  I was used to it being her and I.  She got my undivided attention.  She had the other half of my heart.  How in the world could I continue to love her as intensely with a new baby on the way?  How could I love the new baby as much as I loved Teagan?  
Thankfully, I was able to.  I was able to divide my heart into three pieces.  Josh. Teagan. Kyra.  There was no sharing of my heart.  It just naturally divided into three pieces.
I am so thankful for Kyra Mae.  For the challenges she has brought into my life.  For the completely different person she is from Teagan, from me.  For the way she has developed differently than Teagan. For not being like Teagan in anyway other than a fairly calm nature.
Kyra has been a challenge by no fault of her own.  Kyra and I had to get to know each other.  With Teagan it was instantaneous because she is my little mini-me.  Kyra Mae is her own person entirely, she is more like a baby Josh.  She is not a cuddler and hasn't been since we left the hospital.  She wants what she needs and then she has it from there.  I have always been a cuddler and I am always hugging and touching those I love or know.  Kyra did not want to breastfeed.  She wasn't getting what she wanted and while it killed me to stop she was just fine with it.  She would have rather had a bottle than "me" anyway.  That was a struggle, but a lesson in realizing I cannot control everything with my children.  I can only do what is best for them to the best of my ability.
I love Kyra equally as I do Teagan but thanks to Kyra I have realized that I am able to love differently.  I don't have to love the same but I do love with the same intensity.  We are so blessed to have Kyra in our lives.

Dropping the cup.

Today I had one of those moments.  You know the embarrassing moment that turns out to mean so much after the incident that you do not even remember the embarrassment?
Well, today, I dropped my cup.  My full cup.  In a restaurant.  At the register.  Normally I would have jumped to clean it up but today I was left practically powerless.  I did, of course, try to clean up the mess by picking up the ice but I had nothing.  No napkins, no kleenex, certainly no mop.  I had made a mess and brought down my friend and an innocent bystander with me, as their legs were equally as covered with Diet Coke as mine.  After being told numerous times to not worry about it that they would clean it up, we all had a laugh, thankfully, and after I got off the floor picking up ice, I was rewarded with a new Diet Coke and we headed on our way.
Driving down the road I just kind of laughed to myself.  How many times have I made a mess in my life and tried to clean it up by myself when clearly I didn't have the tools to do so?  How many times has the Lord done what He has always done by telling me to just let Him clean it up.  To allow HIM to help me?  How many times have I told him, "I've got this, really"?  How many times have I had to "spill my cup" with no paper towels before I allow Him to clean up the mess?  To show me that had I been paying attention or allowed Him to take control in the first place that the mess never would have happend, my feet would not be wet and my jeans sticky with Diet Coke?
I feel like so often in our lives we reach this point.  We reach the point where we drop our cups, try to clean up the mess ourselves and it just gets bigger and stickier.  Why do we always think we can do it ourselves?  Because we are born sinful and full of pride.  I am not different and I do not claim to be.  There are many days where I "just handle it" or try to.  On those days I end up anxious, angry and short-tempered taking out friends, family and innocent bystanders in my path.  I need to remember daily to let the Lord in.  To allow him to help me hold my cup.  Two hands are better than one.  

I found this quote today on Pinterest and felt like it was a great illustration of my lesson learned today.  Thing is, if I allow the Lord to be a consistent in my life and I let go of my proverbial cup, his hand is there not letting it drop even when I let go.  Because I am weak and He is my strength.  Nothing is too heavy for Him.

Teagan's school stories.

Yesterday on our ride home from school I asked Teagan what she did.  This is how the conversation went:

Mommy: Teagan, what did you do at school today?
Teagan: I didn't hit! (which is hilarious because she is not a known "hitter" at school)
Mommy: Very good, Little Bear! I'm proud that you didn't hit your friends!  Did you get to play today?
Teagan: Yes.
Mommy: What did you play?
Teagan: Dress up!
Mommy: What did you dress up as?
Teagan: Princess!
Mommy: Did you dress up by yourself?
Teagan: No, Colby too!
Mommy: What did Colby dress up as?
Teagan: Princess too!
Mommy: Oh, okay. What else did you do today?
Teagan: Me and Tilda read books!
Mommy: What book did you read?
Teagan: Sam.
Mommy: I've never heard of that book, what is it about?
Teagan:  Sam and Tilda.
Mommy: What do Sam and Tilda (who happens to be the name of her best friend) do in the book?
Teagan: Play and read books but not sleep.  Dress up too!
Mommy: That sounds like fun!
Teagan: Tilda read Alligator Under My Bed at grandma and grandpas.
Mommy: What is that book about?
Teagan: I slammed the door! Dad have trouble with the garage in the morning. I leave him a note there is alligator in garage.
Mommy: That sounds like a great story!
Teagan: Yeah, Tilda read it.  Not me.  I read Thomas now, Mommy.
Mommy: Okay, Little Bear.

Favorites from the weekend.

Guess what this is! 

What, Mom?

Sisters. 

Walking! 

Kisses!

Sassy. 

Teagan sent Lion to "big girl school" with Mommy.

Cookie time!

Nutella and peanut butter! 

We HAD to add sprinkles.

Excited about those sprinkles!

Watch out world. Here come the Reid girls.

Kyra's turn!

Makeshift seatbelt.

Whoa, Teagan! 

She's going to have that look at 16. I just know it.

Giggles

Strollin'

Love, God.

Napping on Mommy!

Dress up!

Getting away.

Josh and I are going to Asheville for a night in the next few weeks.  I am so stoked that we scored an amazing place to stay through this website called airbnb.  We will be staying at a solar powered organic berry farm.  This is just one of the pictures. I CANNOT wait!!

For the love of tractors.

Keeping things simple is something Josh and I are trying to continuously instill in our girls.  We don’t need a lot of stuff to be happy.  Josh was raised living the farm life where contentment in simplicity ruled, with a happy heart and a kind hand.  Tractors were a large part of his farm life and it is something we hope to pass down to the girls.  Tractors are something Josh and his dad enjoy working on together and it is something Josh hopes to pass down to the girls.  Teagan has started to really take interest in tractors and what they can do.  

We recently went to a local tractor show and I loved just standing back with Kyra Mae watching the twinkle grow in Teagan and Josh’s eyes.  It was the look of something special growing.  That twinkle continues to grow brighter with every look I see them exchange.  With every story read.  Every bear hug given.  With every new thing learned.  It’s that look I see developing between Josh and Kyra Mae as well.  I recognized it the day both girls were born.  I recognized it because it’s the same look my daddy still gives me.  It’s just one of those things that never goes away, no matter how old a girl gets.