Our Morning Hike

 

As you can imagine, life with four kids is BUSY! I spend a lot of time just cleaning up the house, preparing meals, cleaning up after meals, driving to and fro, checking homework, doing laundry, and making sure bedtime happens! Whew! Just typing all that out made me ready for a nap! And that’s just a small part of keeping this family running! I’m sure many of you can relate!

But recently I’ve realized that even though I’m doing SO much for my kids, that’s not necessarily what they need. What they really want and need is for me to slow down and just listen. And honestly, that’s hard for me to do. If they come up to me with their latest lego creation while I’m doing the dishes, I SO badly want to just finish what I’m doing first and then take a look. But lately, as I’ve been praying to have a better idea of what each individual child needs, I’ve been able to sense when they need a little more of me.

I’ve especially felt this lately with Milo. He and I probably spend the most time together, but even still, I’ve noticed him getting a little more cranky than usual. I’ve also noticed that when he typically has quiet time in his room, he instead, comes to sit next to me on the couch or the bed. I realized that he just wanted to be close to me. He just wanted me to really get down and talk to him, and enjoy him.

So last week, as I tried to be extra intentional with our time together, we went on a hiking adventure! I ran down the trails of crunchy leaves with him, and I engaged with him in his imaginary “adventurer” world. His smiled reached from ear to ear the entire time and now I know that slowing down is sometimes what they need more than a clean kitchen or  folded clothes.

…………………………………………………………

I also talked about Being Present In The Moment Here

& there’s a video I created about it Here!

a day in the Haynie life {rodeo cowboys}

The Haynie boys (or as my sister in law would say, the HB’s), are not your average boys.

They are quirky, silly little boys who love to dress up and play pretend.

There is never a dull day in our house.

I want to document each of these special moments,

so here are some snapshots from a typical day in the Haynie life…

Pajamas still on

Daddy’s black church socks

Mommy’s winter boots

fedoras

Owen’s church shoes

bungee cord strapped to the chest

and a tricycle

Put these things together and you get two little boys pretending to be “rodeo-police cowboys.”

moments and emotions

Perplexed…is how I feel when he tells me he wants a hug, then refuses to do it.

Mystified…is how I feel when I cut up his banana for breakfast and that makes him cry.

Frustrated…is how I feel when he insists I put the cut up banana back together. 

Baffled…is how I feel when he realizes he missed a button on his jacket while out for dinner, and wants to drive back home to “start all over again” to make sure he gets all of the buttons right.

Amazed…is how I feel when he uses big words that I’ve never even heard before.

Proud…is how I feel when he helps and plays with his little brother.

Warm…is how I feel when he “just wants to snuggle.”

Loved…is how I feel when he kisses me on the cheek to wake me up every morning.

Perplexed… mystified…frustrated…baffled…amazed…proud…warm…loved…

I never knew I was capable of so many different emotions until I became a parent.

But the emotion that stands out the most is love.

I don’t think I would even have the range of feeling that I do 

if it weren’t for the ridiculous love I feel for my boys.

Parenting is hard.

It’s hard because there is no guide book to follow.

Things are constantly changing, kids are constantly growing, learning, morphing.

Luckily, those hard moments are what make the good moments that much sweeter.