Playing hooky

Tonight this kid and I played hooky...

We've entered the "two's" - call them terrific or terrible, it really all depends on the minute :) That alone is enough for most moms to say "oohhh" and understand. It's fun most of the time though. His independence is amazing to see. His thrill of learning by experience/doing is exhausting but fun to help him with. Some days I worry that Reed doesn't enunciate his words enough or think of friends who have kids who can count to a billion (or ten) without getting stuck or sidetracked and wonder if I need to do more. But then Andy and I get told by the Preschool Director that Reed's a leader and we watch him "work the room" at his birthday party where he had actual real life friends - not just the kids of my mom-friends- and I think, "No. We're doing alright." Some days I get overwhelmed by it all. Other days, like tonight, I was able to rejoice in the fact that Reed successfully used a fork to eat his spaghetti! It's the little things y'all.

I'm only working part time but it's plenty! I'm so thankful to be in a work environment that I enjoy. But it's hard to balance being a wife, mom and employee. Balance. It's important to me that I have balance. It won't always happen, and I'm learning to accept that. I'm also learning that staying home from church periodically is better than constantly battling with my son to put down the plastic golf club and put on shorts. It's hard for me to stay home from church. I love ministry! It was my calling long before it was "our" calling so to put it aside is tough. But my son is also my calling. Middle school kids will exist long after Reed stops being a toddler, graduates from high school and moves out. My window to influence Reed is short. My window to teach him to count, use a fork, and to clean up his room is getting smaller. So I work on balance; some nights its ok to stay home and watch Cars & Turbo (I'm just glad we're out of the Little Mermaid phase - after watching it 90 billion times it's not as cute). Sometimes its ok to battle for shorts and shoes and put him in the carseat against his wishes. Sometimes we need family nights, other nights we need date nights. He might cry when we leave, but he's seeing a healthy marriage modeled. And that matters more than any blog I could write, any chore I could mark off the to-do list, or anything else...modeling for Reed what I want for his future. A healthy marriage, a healthy perspective, and a love for the Lord. And sometimes a love for the Lord, means skipping church.