Conversation: The Lost Art

I can remember many nights as a teenager spent on the phone for hours talking to my friends about the day's events.  I can also remember fighting tooth and nail with my brother who wanted to do the exact same thing with his girlfriend.  Ahhh....the memories of childhood.

And then came the internet.  My first utilization of the internet was a handful of websites and mIRC.  When we found chat rooms that included friends from school, my brother and I then fought over the phone line for a completely different reason.  (I still have nightmares about that screeching sound of connecting to the internet. *cringe* ) We no longer wanted to talk to a friend for hours; we wanted to talk to several friends for any given amount of time.  Not everything about mIRC was easy, but it was simple enough that I, the surface-only computer-user, could find my way around.  It sounds like a dinosaur now, but it was pretty exciting at the time. :)

Fast-forward to the present, and I find myself wondering what happened to conversation.  The answer is right at our fingertips; it has been replaced with texting, instant messaging, and email.  Kids no longer talk on the way to school or school functions.  Instead, they insert their ear buds and that's the last you hear until the trip is over.  And the way language has changed does not make me thankful for this change.  Most adjectives are being replaced with four-letter words that I am still offended by as an adult.  Even families rarely have conversation, as dinner together around the table is being replaced with fast-food in the car and dinner in front of their current favorite reality show.

The question is WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?  As I see Maya Jo growing up, it makes me scared to think that one day we might not be able to talk about the daily happenings of her life as we do now.  We still have dinner together every night around the table, she still answers our questions about her day, but I can't help but wonder how much longer it will last.  (I vividly remember the anti-social behavior of my teenage days. Blech.)

So, we canceled our television, we ignore all calls during meals, and we fight the urge to turn on music every time we are in the car.  Some of my favorite conversations with my husband have been during random road trips.  I'm trying earnestly to find other ways to keep conversation alive, but as I look around the world around me, I can't tell who is winning the struggle.  I'm still holding onto the hope that it's me.

Our Quiver Full

Mother’s Day always makes me reminisce all of my motherhood memories.  This is my seventh year as a mother, and those seven years are jam-packed with oodles of memories with my little ones and their Daddy.  Why has God blessed us with such happiness in our little, temporary home on earth?  The only answer that I have found is - because He saw fit to do so.  That is why He saved me, that is why He saved Seth, and that is why He has blessed us with three little miracles we call Maya Jo, Maxwell, and Nina Grace.

Maya Jo was born at 25 weeks (10/20/02), weighing 1 lb. 11 oz. and spent 97 days in the NICU at the University of Kentucky Hospital.  I could use this entire post to write about the days spent in that sanitized, metallic, fluorescent wing of the hospital, but I will save that for another time.  She came home on oxygen and a heart monitor, and we had to wake her up every 3 hours to feed her so she could “catch up” to other newborn babies.  She eventually did.  J  Now, at 6 ½ years old, she is a bubbly, energetic, intelligent young lady who wants to please everyone she comes across.  She loves to sing, she loves school, and she loves alone time with Mommy.  It’s rare, but it happens.  J

Maxwell was born just 4 days early (10/4/04), weighing 8 lbs. 8 ½ oz.  He finally slept though the night at 10 months old, and walked about a week before his first birthday.  His first nights in the hospital told his story; the nurses came into my room and asked us if they could take him to the nursery because we were keeping other patients awake. We quickly agreed.  J  He is loud, rambunctious, and rough, but he has a soft side that is incomparable with any little boy I know.  He sometimes crawls in my lap, holds my face up to his, and says, “I wuv you, Mommy.”  He also gives the best bear hugs.

Nina Grace was born 2 weeks early (8/21/08), weighing 7 lbs. 3 oz.  She is so quiet, peaceful, and snuggly.  She slept 6 hours the first night in the hospital, and has been a 10-12 hour sleeper since she’s been home.  (Yes, we know that is unusual, and we are very thankful.) She loves affection, and she loves her Gi-Gi (doggy) so much that she squeals with laughter if he even walks near her.  She loves the wind in her face, loves to swing outside, and is so bright-eyed in the morning that I can’t help smiling when I carry her from her room.

So, that’s our quiver, and it’s pretty full.  J  My husband, Seth, is absolutely my soul mate.  The Lord answered my prayers before I prayed them, and brought us together.  Seth works very hard so that I am able to stay home and raise our children, and I don’t know that I can ever thank him enough for that.  What a blessing it is!  He washes the dishes, puts the kids to bed, and brings me flowers…I’m not sure any Mother’s Day could be much better than that. 

Seth and I are trying to raise our family with God as our center.  I hope our children learn from our example (and our mistakes), and do the same.  I thank God for these blessings, and I pray His will to be done in our lives.

Happy Mother’s Day to you all!

Always the Optimist

Do you like to try new things?  I do!  Sometimes Seth tells me I'm a little too spontaneous.  :) Since marriage and kids, that has subsided a little.  However, I still enjoy trying new things and pushing myself to see just how far I can go.  My most recent endeavor is a new website.  I purchased a domain a couple of weeks ago, and Seth has set up WordPress for me.  So now it's up to me.

What is my status?

I am up to my elbows in information for my new website!  I want to do so much, but am getting bogged down with formatting.  I forgot how frustrating it is to try to get what is in my head into a language that people can understand and use.  Posts for this blog come pretty easily, as I think about what I'm going to write about for several days before I post it.  Put it in paragraph form and viola, a little story about me.

Unfortunately, this is not the case with the new site.  I'm few weeks into it, and it is still in the beginning stages.  Even the simplest of ideas are never simple when it comes to formatting.  :)  Just the decision of what font to use is difficult!  

However, I am staying motivated, keeping my eyes on the prize, and plugging away.  I'm convinced the hardest part is behind me!