everyday Ann

living the ordinary seeing the extraordinary

The Things They Say

It has been awhile since I did a post like this, but I love to put these little moments that make my heart smile into writing. Treasured, sweet words that I don’t want to forget as they continue to grow. I hope they make you smile!

Caden: Mom, drive faster!
Me: I am driving fast enough, I don’t want to be speeding.
C: Do your best mom. Do your best.

Complaining that it was 10:00am and I was still in my pajamas.
C: Oh mom, I like you in pajamas.

While driving in the van.
C: Look at the beautiful sky Jesus painted for us.

C: Mom, I love you so much!
Me: I love you more!
C: I love you all the way to Jesus!

C: Mom! We need to make it there on time!

After changing out of some work out clothes.
C: Mom, you look so cute. That is a cute shirt.

Caden’s nose running.
C: Ah, help! My nose is falling!!

Grace pointing to a convertible.
G: Oh look there is a car with no toppings!

After a deer ran in front of our van and I gasped.
G: Oh mom, don’t do that. You scared my heart!

Kolbe: Mom you are going to be sooo mad at me. Like really mad.
Me: Why what happened? I promise I won’t get upset.
K: If I tell you, you are going to be like a lion chasing a gazelle and I am the gazelle!!

After taking the kids to Confession and Kolbe staying behind a bit longer in the church.
K: I was just chatting it up with my guardian angel.

Hold Them Close

(source)

If you are anything like me, I always have these mixed feelings sending my children back to school. Part of it is this longing for more time with them and this guilt that I didn’t take enough advantage of the time summer brought. It also is a maternal concern for the well being and protection of my children. To let them go again, out from under my wings, praying that they have the courage, prudence and virtue to handle with grace whatever situation they may face during their school day. (Perhaps it makes me a helicopter parent.)

It was the first full week of school and I was out running errands with my little ones and hadn’t glanced at my phone for awhile. When I glanced at it between buckling car seats, I noticed a text from my older boys’ school and then an email which startled me. It read something like, the school has been placed on a lock down because of a disturbance in the area. I immediately called my husband, who because of his area of work was also alerted to the details of what was happening.

There was a shooter in the area who police were in pursuit of. My heart started racing, my mind fogged and without thinking it through I told my husband to go and pick the boys up! Obviously, that is not even an option during a lock down. Businesses and streets were also shutdown and closed, but the gut instinct of any mother is to take her child out of harms way. As I learned more about the situation, it was all happening just down the road from their school building. Close enough that they would hear the police and swat teams driving by.

My fear for my children instantly switched to empathy for what they would be feeling in this circumstance. I became anxious, because I knew they were anxious. I was fearful, because I knew they were scared. And then I felt completely helpless, to not be there in their great time of need, to offer comfort and calm in distress and worry. I immediately turned to their Guardian Angels, knowing and believing they are always at our side, asking them to protect, offer peace and ward off all danger.

Within a few hours the police had the suspect, the lock down was over and nobody was harmed. I could not wait for the school day to be over, so I could pick the boys up and have them in my arms. As soon as my oldest walked out of the building I had to fight back the tears when his eyes locked with mine. As I gave him a hug he said, “Mom, it was a really bad day today.”

As a mother, we long for safety, protection and peace for our children. The reality is, my children are growing up in a very different world and cultural climate than from when I was a fifth grader. We practiced fire and tornado drills, the term lock down was not even in our vocabulary. I never questioned my safety and security at school.

Not only have the times changed for our children, they also have altered our worries as mothers. The talks and discussions we have to have with our children today seems to pierce their innocence all too soon. The harsh reality that is our society and the sin that is rampant, is not something we can ignore or hide our heads from, because sooner or later it will stare our children in the face. It is up to us to prepare them, guide them and comfort them. To give them formation, instill virtue and cover them in love. Ultimately pointing to the One who is Love itself. It is there we will find the answers to all of life’s woes, a peace that cannot be shaken.

Pancakes, Pancakes!

Breakfast around our house is a chance to fuel our crew for the day. We like to include protein, whole grains and fruit. Two to three of the mornings we eat granola that we buy from a food co-op, so there isn’t added sugar, coloring or preservatives. Since we only order twice a year, we keep the extras stored in the freezer. We have one egg morning with fresh fruit, Saturdays are pancakes and Sunday is brunch.

The pancakes are made from scratch, filled with grains, oats, fiber and protein. We make a double batch, so we have enough left for two breakfast during the week. During the weekdays we reheat the pancakes in the toaster, spread them with peanut butter, top with a spoonful of unsweetened applesauce and a drizzle of syrup.

Depending on the season and occasion we will add chocolate chips, blueberries, raisins, walnuts or bananas. My favorite banana-walnut! Thought I would share our tried and true recipe with you. In addition we add a couple of scoops of plant based protein powder.

Oatmeal Pancakes

2 Cups Flour
2 Cups Oats
1 Tbs. and 1 tsp. Baking Powder
2 tsps. Baking Soda
2 tsps. Salt
3 Cups Milk
1 Tbs. and 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/2 Cup Oil
4 Eggs

Mix dry ingredients first. Then add milk, vanilla, oil and eggs. Mix well. Scoop onto frying pan, add banana slices and sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

A Small Miracle

This past week I have been doing multiple interviews on my book, Nursery of Heaven, sharing my story and God’s faithfulness! With the book being self-published, the marketing is left up to the authors and well ultimately the Holy Spirit who has been taking me for a ride. I was honored to be part of some filming last week, which God-willing (if I make the final cuts) can share more details in the future.

My hope in every interview and promotion of the book is to bring at least one person healing and hope. I want to share this beautiful story with you, (permission has been granted for use) because no matter what our work God can use it and unknown to us, lives may be touched!

Back in February I attended a women’s conference as a vendor, I hesitated going because of the drive (which was located in a different state) and there being no guarantee that I would actually sell any books or break even on the event. I packed up and went anyways with baby Briella as my companion and my amazing mom meeting me to help out.

We had just finished setting up and Briella needed a quick diaper change before things began. When coming out of the bathroom a woman commented on my baby. Somehow our conversation led to us knowing mutual friends, to the book and to her sharing her own story of loss through miscarriage.

Longing to have closure and remembrance of the baby she never held, Grace Cecilia, this past Fall she called the hospital for what would be a year old copy of her baby’s ultrasound from November 2018. She asked them to call back if they had a copy and to which she never received a return call. She shared with me how much she wished she had an ultrasound picture.

She walked back with me to the vendor tables and purchased the book for a dear friend, but a few days later told me that when she got home she read almost the entire book in one day. After reading the book, she felt God tell her to call the hospital again and ask if they had the ultrasound of her baby Grace, now 15 months after the fact.

They called her back and told her no, after a heartfelt conversation. Then later that afternoon she received a voicemail. The message was from a nurse who went into the ultrasound archives and found the pictures! The nurse explained that normally they purge the pictures after one year, but here after 15 months they had appeared!!

This beautiful woman shared her story with me and many others, because she wants people to know that it doesn’t matter your baby’s age, they existed. They had a life no matter how short, God had a purpose for their life and he has a purpose for yours!

On Thursday I will be presenting at a virtual mom’s meet up and I would love for you to join me!! Register here!

Finding Joy

This is hard. What is going on right now is difficult, heart-wrenching and leaving me feeling raw at times. Often I feel at loss for words as I look at my sons, my family. A loss for words as I worry about the future as only a mother’s heart does, longing to protect and shelter our little souls from all hurt and anguish.

These pictures bring me joy, peace and immediately bring a smile to my face. They are some of my favorite pictures. Taken just a few weeks after Grace (my preemie baby) made her arrival and one year after adopting our sons. The love her older brothers’ have for her is so tangible in these photos, the love they have for all of their siblings is beyond words!

Sharing this piece of joy with you. Our family was knit together across continents and oceans. A love that cannot be contained, a love that is not defined by race.