Olivia is 3!

I am very sad to report that I failed to take any digital pictures of Olivia's party. Gran used her camera - the ancient kind with the film you actually have to develop!!(haha Mom) So all I can do is report that the "Curious George Party" was a success. The best part was that a three year old still does not care who is invited and how spectacular an event it might be. So, it was just a family party - sisters, parents, grandparents and gifts from other family in KY. And of course, Olivia had a blast. The hit of the party was a little metal shopping cart that she received. She has already pushed that thing for miles around our house.
Thanks, God, for the blessing of our little Olivia.

Old Pictures Just for Fun

Today I realized that I didn't have a picture of Kevin on my blog. So. . .I decided to look through the family picture archive. . . and look what I found! He's gonna love this!!! :-)

A Day in the Mountains with Gran and Pop

Back to Normal

Normal! What is that? It seems as if there have been only a few moments in my adult life that have seemed anywhere close to what someone might call "normal." But for now, at least our family is back together again. And even though reality has hit with the daily routine of laundry and errands, there is a certain comfort in knowing what to expect for today and tomorrow. Beyond tomorrow, who knows!?

Kevin is back from Vietnam. It was a hugely successful trip. You can read more about it on his blog that is linked on this page. Mom and Dad have come and gone. We had a great time! Dad taught Emma how to ride her bike without training wheels and attempted to teach me how to drive Kevin's Toyota that is a stick shift. Let's just say that he had much more success with Emma. We spent a day in the mountains and experienced one of the first days of the beautiful Colorado autumn season. And Mom and I successfully pulled off Olivia's third birthday party. It sounds as if I have many pictures to post. . .

So the summer is officially over for the Colon family. We have traveled more since April of this year than I ever planned. From Texas to Kentucky, New Mexico to Vietnam and Vietnam once again, we made it through. Truly, it was a blast! Our girls have been extremely flexible through it all. But as the cool weather begins, I find myself starting to get that cozy feeling that you can only really satisfy at home - looking out the window at the changing leaves and snow on the ground - drinking a good cup of coffee and reading a great book. I hope that the next few months look a little more like that in my home than the "exploded suitcase look" that we have become so fond of in past months.

Prayer Works!

Today was leaps and bounds better than the last two. Not only did we make it through, but we made it through well. It was Labor Day so the girls and I started the day at the parade in Louisville. Next, we were off to the mall to shop for tennis shoes. We ended the day with a playdate and dinner with friends. Yes, the girls were still grumpy. But I was so calm!!!!! Before I put my feet to the ground this morning I begged God to help me to be calm and gentle and quiet today. How about that - it worked!!
Thanks, God!

Emma is 7

Here are a few pictures that I forgot to post earlier. Emma's birthday was August 10.

Complaining

I have heard more complaining in the last 48 hours than a person should ever have to listen to in a lifetime! Seven year old, Emma, 4 1/2 year old, Claire, and 3 year old (this week), Olivia, have obviously teamed up on this "single mom." They have without a doubt, when I was not around, formed a conspiracy to bring as much havoc upon Mom's life as they possibly can by the time the days without Dad come to an end.

I am hoping and praying that I am not going bonkers. Surely others have experienced this feeling of despair and they just don't share it for fear of someone thinking them a terrible parent. Today I feel like a terrible parent. I know that is false. But today it feels very much like reality. I have never been a gentle, sweet, "Leave it to Beaver" kind of Mom. Though I have prayed for the ability to parent with such grace and quietness many times, it seems as if that prayer is not one to be answered. And that is okay. But good grief! What is a mom to do?!

There has been more crying and screaming today in this household by very loud, determined children than I care to share in full. Emma wants breakfast but can't seem to find anything that suits - so she pouts. She wants her hair blown straight for church instead of curly, so she cries. She does not want Qdoba for lunch, so she whines. Her sister took her spot in front of the TV, so she cries AND hits. It's bedtime and she is not tired, so she crosses her arms and with much indignation sits on her bed to COMPLAIN!

Claire wakes up and needs a hug. I hug her and she screams because I squeezed too tight. She can't find her shoes for church and she stomps her foot in anger. Olivia bumps into her and she pushes her out of the way. The snack bar that she insisted on getting at Safeway is "yucky" and she throws it on the ground. Her gown is too tight and her pillow is too soft. She goes to bed MAD.

Olivia just whines. She is such an easygoing kid that she really can't even come up with a reason to whine. It just seems like the thing to do, so she joins in. O yeah, and then Emma pulls her too hard while leading her through Safeway parking lot and makes her fall and get bloody knees. So then she CRIES! Mom chooses the Sesame Street Band-Aid instead of Strawberry Shortcake and her world falls apart.

This was a brif summary of my day.

But the house is quiet now - except for the sound of the dog that is crying to go ouside - guess I should take care of one last crisis before saying "goodnight."

You may laugh at my day as you read. That's fine. For anyone on the outside looking in, I'm sure it would have been quite humorous. But for this mom, I am EXHAUSTED! Emotionally I am ready to sell my kids to the circus. But it was just a day and this is just a short inconvenience of life when I stand back and look at the whole picture. Yes, there are many, many things about myself and the way that I fail to handle my children correctly that I need to work on very hard. I'm just glad that when night comes and they all look so sweet, sleeping in their beds, that I have the hope of another day and another chance tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll do better. Please, God, tomorrow let me be better. I know that when I am "better" - more on top of my game and less self centered- they respond likewise.

Goodnight.
(O, and please, God, don't let a mouse find its way into my room tonight. :-)

AAAHHH!

I have lived in Texas with their gigantic flying roaches. These roaches found their way into our old, little seminary housing apartment on a daily basis. And each morning I would make Kevin get up and go downstairs to kill and remove every last one before I would even consider placing my feet to the ground. But I have never (at least not to my knowledge) lived in a house with mice. Until now!

Yesterday morning I was working upstairs only to hear my youngest, Olivia, run screaming up the stairs from the basement. She was innocently on her way to her dress up box in search of her princess "cloppy shoes." But before she could get there she was obviously met by a new addition to our home - a small black mouse.

And when does this all have to happen? When Kevin is gone. You know, I traveled all the way around the world to Vietnam - a 3rd world country - a few weeks ago, and I never once saw a creature of any kind in my room. Now I am back to US suburbia and here they are - my new guests.

These mice are truly not welcomed guests at all. I am on a quest to rid us of them as soon as possible. I mean, someday I have to be able to send my children back into the basement to play. And at this point, they are not budging in that direction.

Last night I successfully caught 2. Today I decided to involve some backup, and my friend, Scott, is coming over to empty the traps that I am too much of a chicken to touch, and set new ones. The bottom line is that they must go - they must leave before they have babies in my basement!!!

Kevin has now been gone for 8 days. We are only halfway to the day of his return. What humor you have, God! Couldn't this invasion have happened at a better time!?

Friendship

I have never felt the need to fill my life with lots of friends. I know that it is biblical to "do life together." I know that community is important. But I have always been the kind of person that thrives much more on alone time than pouring my life into more relationship.

Now I don't mean this the way it may seem. I am not a recluse. I do have good friends whom I like to have coffee or spend the day with. We do share life together. We listen and encourage one another. We connect because we are at the same stage in life or maybe because we have similar interests. But these relationships have never been such that I feel as if I would cease to function without them.

Today I had a conversation with a friend that I know I would truly suffocate (for lack of a better word) without. You see, the really cool thing is that God knows me so well that he has graciously given me one or two very special "heart friends" to carry me through this life. This one particular friend does not live near me. I have the opportunity to see her about once a year. But we have phone conversations that mean the world to me. There is absolutely no one that "gets" me and my life like Nikki.

Now I know that Nikki would be embarassed to hear me say too many wonderful things about her. She would humbly remind me that she has many faults that she is yet to overcome. But that is the great thing about her, you see. She is real. She is ahead of me in the game of life and ministry and faith and parenting and marriage. Yet, she is always there to walk right beside of me. And she allows me to be her friend even though we are at different stages in life.

Some would say that she is my mentor. I would agree with that. But I would also like to believe that she is so much more. She is a gift that God has given to this young mom and pastor's wife who tends to shy away from intimate relationships. Some might also say that they would love to have lots of friends just like Nikki in their lives. I would not. I am thrilled and blessed to have just one.

God, thank you for knowing me so well that you created a relationship that perfectly suits the "me" that you made. Thanks for a person who is willing to pour into my life. Thanks for giving me someone to trust to speak Truth into my life. Thanks for a friend who is a joy to call mine.

I am amazed at how you knit life together, God. Even as I write this, Kevin is in Vietnam with Bob, Nikki's husband. How ironic that you have not only given me a friend but you have given Kevin and I a married couple to do life with. Kevin and Bob's relationship is a bit different. Life and purpose moves much faster for them and they don't have a lot of just "talk time" anymore. But of all the people that have crossed our paths as a couple, we will forever cherish these two probably above all. Without their influence on our lives and marriage and family we would not be who or where we are today.

Thanks so much!