being a mother...

It is 10:30AM and both of my kids are already down for their nap...usually they nap around 1, so I am a little excited, but then a little worried as to what will happen later on in the day...oh well.


I have noticed a lot of moms lately that are so not  happy. When did being a mother become the most despised job?  I swear, the more I go out in the community, I am shocked at the behavior some moms display.  And I shutter to think that if they act that way in public...I can only imagine what goes on at home or behind closed doors...

While at the pumpkin patch a few weeks ago, a little 3 year old boy took off running the opposite direction his mom told him to go. Now I'm all for discipline, and when Aidyn disobeys she usually ends up with her nose in her timeout corner for 2 minutes...but this mother's reaction was a little much for me.  She screamed "David!!!  You get back here right now or I am going to beat you blue!!!" Seriously...a 3 year old???  I wanted to say something to the clearly overwhelmed mother of one...or at least she only had the one with her at the time...but I decided it wouldn't help.  I couldn't help but feel sad for the little boy who will most likely grow up to become just as hostile and easily angered as his mother.

I read an article in the Ensign about teaching children, and it said how the best way to parent is through example.  If we want our children to behave a certain way, and have specific characteristics, we need to have them so our children will see our example...I wish I had that woman's address...I would be sending her that Ensign article.

Another instance happened while at the library during their story time.  We go every week, and Aidyn absolutely loves it, and she is loved by all the librarians as well.  Anyway, this certain mom was overwhelmed.  She had 3 kids...ages 4, 2, and 3 months...clearly life is busy and crazy for her.  As I watched her, I imagined me in a few years when we decide to have another one.  The two older girls would not listen, and they kept running around in the room while the librarian was trying to read stories to the rest of us.  The mom was busy trying to keep the baby from not crying, so she was holding him in the back while trying to get her other girls under control. While I understand her frustration, and have probably displayed the very feelings she was displaying like..."why do I even try to take all the kids out in public," her facial expressions and the way she snapped angrily at her kids really gave me a sense that she didn't enjoy being a mother.  Don't get me wrong, there are so many times I feel overwhelmed, and I feel as though being a mom is hard...but never once do I think in my mind I do not like being a mom...you couldn't offer me anything that would want to make me be away from my kids every day.

In the last few weeks I have also talked with a number of different people that I meet randomly in the community...at the dentist, at a neighbors' halloween party, at the park, etc., and all of them make the same comment when they find out I have two kids...a boy and a girl.  They respond, "Oh how nice, you have one of each...so you don't need any more." It is not a question, or a suggestion...simply stated as a fact...as though that is what you are supposed to do.  How sad...I very nicely correct them and tell them my husband and I want more...we came from big families, and we want a big family as well.  They all respond the same way..."Really???" By their tone I can tell they disapprove and think I am crazy.  I then spend a few minutes explaining my role as a mother and why I feel it is so important, and that there is nothing else I would rather be doing.  I don't know if it has made a difference in anyone's life...but I have made a promise with myself that wherever I go...in the community or at a friends, church, shopping, etc...I will be a happy mother.  I don't want there to be any doubt in anyone's mind that I love being a mom.  I am hoping that maybe I will  influence someone in some small way by my example.

Being a mom is the best job in the world.  God has given us the blessing of bearing children and being mothers in this life.  I recently listened to a talk by Shari Dew about women in the church feeling oppressed or not feeling equal because of the way we are treated in the Church. We are pressured into motherhood when we really want to be out pursuing  a career and working in a job where we actually recieve a salary.  I disagree 100% with those women.  I love being a woman...I love being a mom...and I love being a member of the LDS church.

Pumpkin Patch

My mom knew of a pumpkin patch close by, so we took the kids on Saturday.  It was a lot of fun. They had a petting zoo, tons of pumpkins, a train, pig races, etc.  The kids loved it, and it was a fun family activity.

Corrie brought her friend Emily

Corrie and Aidyn

Aidyn loved the petting zoo

Grandma and Kasen

Aidyn loved the petting zoo until the sheep thought her hair was hay and kept eating it....she was not happy

watching the pig races

walking through the corn maze

Kasen was super happy...

Aidyn loved the train ride

Indiana

I had the chance to visit Lindsey in Indiana a few weeks ago.  We had so much fun.  I took Kasen, but left Aidyn behind with Grandma and Jeff.  It was really hard to be away from her for 6 days, but she absolutely loved it, so that made me feel better.  Although I have to admit when I got home and she wanted nothing to do with me and acted as though she had a much better life with me gone...it did not feel quite so good.  I took it personally and was a little sad, but now I realize kids always love a vacation away from parents.  Anyway...Lindsey and Caleb live in West Lafayette, and we enjoyed seeing the city, visiting Calebs school and work, going to the park, festival, church, couple's volleyball, and hanging out.

Kasen wasn't his normal happy self...Laney kept bullying him 

 

Laney loves to pose for the camera                         I have no clue what face this is...but kind of a smile

We took the kids on a little bike ride in the bugger on our way to the church for aerobics

Took a tour of Purdue...super pretty

Kasen enjoyed the stroller

bath time was a favorite for the kiddos

We took someone's advice to go to a harvest festival in a town a half hour away...we learned our lesson.  It was quite pathetic

This is the local daycare...where do I sign up?

Caleb and Alaina

We found the coolest park every!  I was super excited...maybe a little too much.  They had like 5 different play areas for different age groups, and so many cool things I have never seen at a park before...I was sad Aidyn was not there to enjoy it.

So we did a little enjoying ourselves...the parents of kids were not happy because apparently we set a bad example for their kids

We went to Caleb's grandparents house...they have about 40 acres and we walked through it.  It was so pretty, and reminded me a lot of when I wen to visit the sacred grove

I'm not sure what Caleb was thinking in this picture...we told him to be a woman...so apparently this is how he views women?

The kids ready to go to church

Alaina sporting her new dress

Wandering through the corn fields...that was really cool to see

Caleb made me climb the deer stand...he and his family go deer hunting every year...it was cool to see where they hang out for hours...all alone and they have to be completely quiet...sounds like so much fun

Me and Alaina