Best.Birthday.In.A.Decade

First my title was Best.Birthday.Ever but there was my 20th birthday during college when my parents and grandparents got together and sent me a huge gift package filled with things like a digital camera, clothes, shoes and work-out gear. They sent 20 individually wrapped gifts and I felt very known and loved.

But this birthday was amazing from start to finish. I woke up to Wyatt at my bedside at 7:55 (his latest in quite some time) talking about a present in his trash can. I didn't think that a gift was in my future since Garett has been working so much. I didn't think a card was in my future. Garett found time to pick something up at the gallery with the special jewelry and wrote a sweet card. Then I took a walk up our hill with a good friend and our boys and dogs ran and ran and ran. It was a clear, warm morning with hardly a hint of wind. My heart was full. A pizza party at Wyatt's school came next and this could have been a downer (What, you don't think spending a birthday in a room full of three year olds sounds like fun?) but it wasn't. I got to know a few of the parents and Wyatt did not completely freak out when we left. I met a few friends from church for a bible study in the afternoon and one brought tasty cupcakes. Yum. Wyatt and I rushed home to find our aunt and uncle who stopped by for a spontaneous visit and my Uncle Sandy concocted one of his famous margaritas for me. We had a small bite to eat together and then Garett and I went out by ourselves to Novo for appetizers, drinks and dessert. We talked as we sat at my favorite table under the oak tree and sipped our delicious drinks. The money that came in a few envelopes in the mail earlier that day helped us feel a little less stressed about the bill than usual. I got several kind calls from dear friends and family near and far and it was good to hear the voices of so many that I love. I would have been a happy girl with just one of these special events but the sum total made it over-the-top.

We spent the weekend camping at Kirk Creek with clear skies and temperatures in the 80's. Wyatt didn't want to come home and I may have opted to stay a few more days if there were showers at the campground. We spent a lot of time at the beach and slept from about 8 until 7 each night. Now that I mention it, I'm not entirely sure why I don't feel more rested. I feel full after good time with my boys.

We explored several potential kayak fishing spots for Garett because we're headed back to Big Sur in a few weeks.

Mug of hot cocoa as big as his head? Check.

Our watch dog who did not alert us to the raccoons in our camp.

This is the most focus I've seen in Wyatt in a long time.

Joy

We spent Monday on the beach in Cayucos enjoying the warm weather and the free day. Wyatt's exuberance at the beach brings me great joy. I'm thankful for my boys and Ruby.

The World Wide Wrestling Federation Would Be Proud

It's been a long month around here. As I start this post I see that I've started but not completed four blog posts this month. This is a picture of life at this moment - a lot of starting but not a lot of completing.

May I vent? Wyatt is pushing harder and harder and I continue to find new ways to be his mom. This has included a lot more reading on the subject and firmer boundaries that come quicker than before. It has also included picking him up at 10am from preschool for hitting another child after discovering that the child being hit has been afraid to go to school. It has included bites, hits, and head butts. (In fact, one unfinished blog post was entitled this.) We are also experiencing spitting, "I hate you's", and 6am gallon of ice cream eating (and, no, it wasn't me). There has been a lot more praying, which I suppose is a bright spot in the whole thing.

To summarize, he is a full blown three year old and I desire to be the parent that God has created me to be. While I often don't know exactly what that looks like, I am trusting that my desire to honor God and experience his grace and love through it will sustain. My mom sent me a link this week that I feel compelled to pass along. I am very thankful to have a mom that does not pressure me to have a perfect child but rather encourages me to listen to and talk with God as I walk through it.

http://www.ccef.org/video/teaching-children-who-are-reluctant-change

I much prefer "children who are reluctant to change" to "strong-willed child" but either are apt. Coming to terms with this reality has been painful but honest. Recognizing the whole person that Wyatt is has given me the freedom to parent him in some different ways than before. Instead of feeling beat down and discouraged that he requires so much of me right now, I want to celebrate who he is and continue embracing my role as his mom.

Garett has been working quite a bit but we've been trying to go to various Happy Hour's around town when the mood strikes. Guiseppe's and The Neon Carrot were a delight (even if we were the only ones there with a three year old) and I appreciate that Garett is usually up for my whims (and doesn't mind the lack of planned dinner.) The highlight of (the end of) summer was joining the Elk's Lodge. We've swam, swam, swam for the past month and enjoyed every bit of it. We also built a lego structure to the ceiling. It's a robot, in case you can't tell. Another simple pleasure is a Peach Basil Smoothie made with late season Fairtime peaches. Yum.

The Neon Carrot

The Elk's Lodge

Tallest Lego Creation Ever

I'm voting for less head butts but at least I know Wyatt will have a promising career in the WWWF.