Bath time

I thought I would take the time to talk about our bath time rituals. After all it takes up a good majority of our time and patience. Bath time at our house is not a fun activity that Ian and I like to partake in. In fact we will both grown if the other suggests that it is time for the infamous water activity. Our oldest son Stephen only likes water if it is on his terms, meaning we can't just tell him to get in the water we have to use every trick and bribe to get him there first. Isaiah on the other hand loves the water so much that Ian and I will not even say the word bath out loud anymore, we have to spell it out for fear of disappointment on Isaiah's part. 

Once the announcement is made about the impending bath, complete chaos breaks out. It's like a whistle blows and everyone goes a wall. Stephen starts negotiating reasons on why he should not have a bath and Isaiah tries frantically to get to the tub. 

High pitched screams of excitement and terror radiate our small home as water is filling the bathtub. This is where it gets really entertaining, Isaiah will try as hard as he can to climb the tub while I'm trying to undress him. Stephen spends his time running around our very tiny bathroom trying to avoid being caught in an attempt to free himself from this horrible experience. Once in the tub, after pleading with Stephen that most of his friends and family would appreciate a bath on his part, the fun really begins.

Now Stephen is your typical almost 4 year old who hates water, screams when you wash his hair cries if you do it for him etc. Isaiah turns into a fish or frog or maybe even a hybrid of the two, because when he is in the water it's like he has no limitations. Isaiah flips, he flops, his head is in the water blowing bubbles, he's doing some kind of water leap frog. All the while Stephen doesn't want to have any part of it all, so he just sits there. So try to imagine for me on one end of the tub we have a 4 year old screaming and crying and on the other we have a 2 year old that can't sit still from all of the excitement. The real reason why Ian and myself  are not true fans of bath time is because we end up with the majority of the water on us! It's like going to the zoo and sitting in the front row of a dolphin show and getting soaked every time the dolphin jumps up. My favorite animal is a dolphin and I'm a swim instructor but I don't want to be wet unless I say I want too! Also at our house we don't have a 500,000 gallon tank or whatever size it would take for dolphins to swim in, so we get every drop. 

Needless to say bath time is now an activity we graciously give to Ian's parents to participate in while they are here. And oops we forgot that little disclaimer about while giving our children a bath one might get wet!   

So have a change of cloths. :) 

Why Grace

Since this is my very first blog post I thought I would talk about why I chose "Grace in the midst of Chaos" as the title for my blog. You see I am a minister's wife for almost 10 years now, a stay at home mom to two very active boys, and the daughter of a King. I'm just trying to be a good steward of what God has blessed me with. If I had been told years ago that I would be married to a minister, I'm pretty sure I would have laughed in the face of the one who told me so. Here I am years later, married to a minister, very involved in the church where my family attends and a mother to the very two individuals that can melt my heart with their smiles.

With that being said here is why I chose my title:  You see life is crazy, it's unfair and let's face it down right HARD and overwhelming.  I am a daughter of a King, yes, My Jesus saved me and I will someday inherit his heavenly kingdom. I am a wife to someone who is in the ministry, and you know what? Even though I am a daughter of a King, that takes hard work to keep going! Furthermore, I am a stay at home mom, which in itself has many many challenges. But let's add one more thing to this perfect mess. My youngest son Isaiah has Super powers! I'm not talking about him being Clark one minute and then Superman the next, nope he has a super power of a different kind. Isaiah was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy last September, and at some point  I will probably go into greater detail on that, but not today.  

You see, I'm not going to claim that I know it all, or can even do it all because I can't. What I do know is that my father's plans for me are far greater than what I can imagine or even see at this point. I fail every single day, in probably everything I do, but God gives Grace for our failures, weaknesses and even in our sin. So with my life seeming to feel like it is always in a state of chaos God is there granting Grace when I feel I have failed him. Grace in the Midst of Chaos, my chaos, our chaos. 

This blog is dedicated to my boys, Ian, Stephen, Isaiah and to all those out there who are holing on so tightly to the promises of God, of one day inheriting his Heavenly kingdom! I hope you will join me on this journey of live, love, and most importantly Grace.