Seeing the Silver Lining {p.h.f.r.}

Well, once again it's Thursday.  In fact it's been 3 (THREE!) Thursdays since I last managed to pull off one of these {p.h.f.r.}s, or really a post of any kind at all.  Been doing a lot of thinking, and a lot of resting (or at least a lot of thinking about resting - or maybe just wistfully considering what feeling rested feels like) since my last on-location hospital post.  Life has been busy!

{pretty}

My adorable Jelly Bean - already 9 months old and already crawling for the last two months!  I know I'm biased, but I do believe her to be the most beautiful baby girl in the world!  I'm excited to start including pictures of my beloved babes.  Hubs and I talked it over, and while we won't be disclosing locations or real names, we decided it would be ok to showcase their beautiful smiles.  And pictures make it a lot easier to convey their sometimes hilarious antics!

{happy}

My little guy (better nickname hopefully coming soon!) recently decided he actually likes to hug his little sister.  Oddly enough, it seems this revelation came at a Greek restaurant near my parents' cabin that I DID in fact get to visit one last time, despite all the recent goings on.  A family sat near us at a large table with three young children, one of which was a little baby girl with a big bright flower headband.  Jelly Bean spent the entire meal backwards in her high chair (checking those people out!) and when the baby was pulled out of her carseat for a bottle, my son instantly asked "I hold her?  Pease?!?"  Well, that was certainly out of the question - the family was very friendly, even when my son barged in and stole their toddler boy's chair as we were leaving, but they weren't nuts!  We got back to the cabin and before bed that night, he asked to hold Jelly Bean!  So we had him sit on the floor, and he hugged and held her and rocked her back and forth.  It was delightfully shocking!  We took pictures, though, unfortunately, they're all on my parents' camera.  Now that we're back at home, he has asked again:  "I hold her?  Take pictures?"  Who can refuse that?!

Regarding the photos above - everyone is having a good time, even though Jelly Bean appears to be punching him in the lower left photo and he appears to be choking her in the bottom center.  Guess that's what happens when you're trying to get good shots while he's rocking her wildly back and forth!

{funny}

The Little Dude will sometimes throw a complete fit over being offered a small bowl of Cheerios when he wants something sweeter ("Gam cacker pease??") but will then turn around and unabashedly swipe Jelly Bean's off her tray right in front of me.  I guess we'll just call that "sharing".  For now.

Also, this morning I sneezed several times.  It wasn't the first time he's said "Bless 'ou, Mama!"  (Be still, my heart!)  But it was the first time I asked him to go find me a Kleenex.  He promptly agreed to go find me one.  I held my breath, not expecting a miracle.  Several moments later, he came back "Mama, I have Kleenex?"  So... you're asking me to find you a Kleenex so you can bring me a Kleenex?  Well played.

And right now he's begging me for cake.  And cookies.  "Mama, what 'bout cake?  What 'bout cookies?"  Not that he gets these things often.  Must be dinner time.
 

{real}

Life being the way it has for the last several weeks, I have to admit that, at times, I've been feeling what I'd have to label "discontent".  And I read something recently (probably in my most recent MomSense MOPS magazine) about contentment - that it has to be cultivated.  And that it essentially means being at ease and satisfied with your situation, without becoming complacent about things that could or should improve.

I got to thinking that patience is a lot like contentment.  Patience is NOT forcing yourself to do things slower, thinking that it might rub off on your sense of urgency.  Rather, it's knowing how long something is going to take and accepting it.  It's knowing your children are being a little difficult and accepting it to the point that you don't lose your cool, without sacrificing their long-term discipline and good behavior.  It's accepting a moment of misunderstanding long enough to get the story straight before blowing up at your spouse.  All things I can work on.

Contentment and Patience also seem to have a connection to Gratitude.  And with a lot of the things that have happened in our family recently, it's sometimes difficult to think of them and be grateful.  My husband's grandmother passed away recently.  My Father-in-law was just diagnosed with lymphoma, shortly after I had been hospitalized overnight for the first time in my life that didn't involve childbirth.  It's hard to find the silver lining.  But - the silver lining is really still there!  For instance, my hospitalization showed me just how much I love being with my children, even when it's so easy to get impatient with them.  My Father-in-law's diagnosis is horrible, but we'll be visiting them a lot more often now.  I'm not saying the silver lining is enough to make you think, "I'm so glad that happened!  Let's do that again!"  No way!  But God does manage to include a little goodness in any situation if you just search for it.  It doesn't take away the sting, but it does soften the blow. 

So in the spirit of cultivating a little more Contentment, Patience and Gratitude in my life, I hereby plan to do a series of Silver Lining posts.

Reflect the Brightness!  Even if there's a bit of cloud blocking your sun.