At Least Once A Week

Well, at least once a week I do something dingy. Some of you might remember my story from about a month ago about walking out my garage door to get in my van for work and realizing I forgot I I had my shirt in my hand…not on my body. Just an example of my true ding song abilities. So, I thought I’d share one of my latest tales.

A coworker and I have started carpooling 3 days a week. So one day last week Samara called to tell me she was on her was to get me. I was watching for her so I wouldn’t be late. I saw a white suv pull up out front so I confidently went out my front door, opened the car door (thinking Samara drove her fiances car that day) , took the papers and purse off the seat and sat down. No one was in the drivers seat so I said “Samara, where are you?” As I turned around to look in the back seat. You might be wondering what happened next?

Samara was not in the back seat! You see, my neighbor across the street watches kids from her house and someone was dropping her baby off. And I had just bardged right into her car, rearranged her front seat and made myself at home while she’s trying to get her infant out of the backseat!!!

After removing myself from her vehicle my friend showed up in her car. Let me paint this picture for you. Samara drives a black suv, the car I got into was a white Chevy Blazer, Samara’s fiancée’s car (that I thought I was getting into….silver Ford Explorer). How dumb am I???

I wish you could all have seen the look on that poor girls face.

Queen Mother and her Princesses

I have not written in a while, so I thought it might be time to share a story with  you all.

Yesterday the girls and I went for a swim in the back yard.  And by a swim in the back yard,  I mean the girl swam and I floated in my pink chair.  After a while I put one of their old floaties that they like to play with on my head and told them that they cannot enter my kingdom (the swimming pool) unless they follow my orders.  They liked this idea.  First, they must call me Queen Mother,  they each thought that was funny and follow my command.  Second, they must kiss my hand upon entering my Kingdom and tell me their full name.  Again they thought that was funny.  Third they must have a talent to become part of my Kingdom.  Here is where it gets interesting.  Princess Abbie was first, her talent was singing.  She told me she has a beautiful voice.  I immediately let her into my Kingdom.  Next was Princess Aubrie , she said that she could play the guitar (she has dreams), so I let her into my Kingdom.  Finally was Princess Kensie B.  I asked her “Do you have any talents Princess?”,  “Oh yes, I have many talents” she responded, “I can sing, I can dance, I can tell jokes, I can play the drums, I can play the guitar, I am fun to be around and I am pretty.  I am VERY talented”.   8 years old and she has the confidence of a 20 year old.  Oh my goodness do we have our hands full or what?

1/2 way to 16!

Our Makensie Brooke turned 8 years old a couple of weeks ago.  I asked her what was the best part about turning 8.  She immediately said “Well, I am halfway to getting my driver’s license”.  OH MY! OH MY! OH MY!  That is a scary thought.  Makensie Brooke is a unique young lady.  Most people do not know that she was born with a birth defect.  She had a major surgery when she was 8 months old and has had 5 surgeries since then.  Doctors told us that she would struggle in school, her speech would be greatly affected and that she would most likely be behind other kids her age.  For those of you who know my sweet little angel, you know that those doctors were completely wrong. 

Makensie is a leader, she is a comedian, she is so smart, she is compassionate and she lights up every room she walks into.  She does not like to be told that she cannot do something.  She loves to prove people wrong.  That being said, she is the most stubborn child I have ever met.  If you look up strong-willed child in the dictionary, I am quite sure there is a picture of Kensie.  The qualities that she has are going to make her a strong leader when she grows up.  I just do not want her to rush growing up.

Makensie Brooke makes me laugh every day. The other night she and I were in the car and it started pouring rain.  She started praying.  She said “Jesus, please keep me and momma safe.  Don’t let Abbie and Aubrie be scared at home.  And be with Julie at her dad’s house and keep her safe.  In Jesus name. Rock and Roll.  Amen”.  I am scared to death to watch that child grow up!!  So, on May 2, 2019, stay off the roads!!!!!!

Piggy Tails

So, I woke up late this morning.  I was tired and quite frankly did not want to get out of bed and  go to work.  After a long discussion with myself (Yes, I do talk to myself!), I decided to get up and get going.  I was running a tad late, thanks to the conversation I had in my bed…with myself, so I had to rush a bit.  I was not in the mood to mess with my hair so I decided to put my hair in piggy tails.  Now, I know I am not a child anymore but come on, a girl can wear piggys if she so desires right?  Well, by the time I had been at work for about an hour or so I had to go to the little girls room.  As I stood in front of the mirror washing my hands I looked at the middle-aged woman with grey hair staring back at me.   So I said to myself, “Kara Sawyer, what on earth were you thinking?”

Sometimes I wonder when did life start going by so fast?  When did I go from piggy tails to grey hair?  When did I become a grown up with all this responsibility?  When did I become someone who 4 little girls look up to for guidance on how to be a Godly woman, a wife, a friend and a momma?  Such responsibility is frightening.  With Mother’s Day approaching I have been thinking what makes a mom a good mom?  Does she always look put together?  Does she have a spotless house and a 5 course meal on the table each night?  Does she have perfect children?  Are her children so well-behaved that she never has to raise her voice at them?  Is her laundry always caught up?

If this is what makes a woman a good mom, I am not qualified.  In fact I sometimes leave my house with my hair in piggy tails and sometimes I go to the store in my pajama pants.  My house is NEVER spotless and sometimes I fix Spaghetti-O’s for dinner.  My children are not perfect, sometimes Makensie says things like “I just farted and it was awesome” when we are in public.  I raise my voice at my children on average 5 times a day.  And I have a mountain of laundry in the corner of my room.  But guess what?  I have a God that loves me and chose me to be momma to Julie, Makensie, Abbie and Aubrie.  He trusted me enough that even with my faults and my mistakes He knew that I would raise 4 beautiful young ladies that love God, love their Momma and their Daddy and are growing up to be something great.  I have no doubt that one day they will sit back and look at their family and wonder where did the time go?  Why did God entrust me, Kara Lynn Sawyer, to raise these girls?  Truth is, I don’t know why.  But I do know that when I am weak, He is strong.  And with God on my side, I am the best mom I can be.

She’s Growing so Fast

14 years ago today I became a momma for the first time.  I know what you are thinking “Kara Sawyer is not old enough to have a 14 year old”, and you are correct.  I’m only 20 years old.  (ha ha ha)   I am not going to lie, it was a LONG road.  I was induced on April 30, 1997 at 6:00am.  At 3:43pm on May 1st, my life was changed forever. No, that is not an error, I was in labor for 33 and 1/2 hours!   Nothing about birthing that child was easy!   I’d always heard that you don’t know true love until you become a parent.  That is so true.  Julie Lynn was beautiful when I first laid eyes on her, and she has gotten more and more beautiful each day since then.

Now, you know me…I’m an honest person, I’m pretty much just a surface level kind of girl.  So, let’s be honest.  Having a newborn baby was no bed of roses.  That child cried from the moment she was born until she turned 12 weeks old.  The only way she would stop crying was for me to lay her on my chest to sleep.  So, for 12 weeks that is how she and I survived.  I have always said I do not wish for my worst enemy to have a baby with colic.  She taught be patience.  She  taught me how to laugh.  She gave meaning to my life.

Today my sweet baby girl turned 14 years old.  That’s two years away from getting her drivers licence (if that doesn’t scare you, something is wrong).  Julie is the best big sister EVER!  When she comes home from a weekend at her dad’s house, her sisters eyes light up.  Julie has the biggest heart.  She loves people.  Julie puts others needs before her own needs.  And I might be a tad biased, but she is a beautiful young lady, on the inside even more than her physical appearance.  Don’t get me wrong, she is a teenage girl….so we have our drama, we have our tears, she is truly a dingy blond, we have our moments that I want to lock her in a closet and not let her out.  But I would not change one thing about my Julie.

So, Happy Birthday Julie Lynn.  You light up my life.  You make me so proud to be your momma.  You make my heart overflow.  I love your guts sweet girl.

One small mistake

Last year in June I had my gallbladder removed.  It was a “simple outpatient surgery”.  Thousands of people have this surgery every day.  I went in at 8:00am and was home by noon.  I was super nauseas that day and in pain, but I was told that was normal.  Over the next two days I did not eat much, did not drink much and because of that I became dehydrated.  On Wednesday night I went to the Urgent Care to get some IV fluids thinking that would change the way I felt.  Well, it did not.  On Thursday I got much worse.  The pain and nausea were unbearable, so I went to the ER.  They did lab work and admitted me because my liver enzymes were abnormal.

The next few days I had several tests done on my abdomen and a couple of procedures to look at my digestive system.  After 5 days I was sent home. The next few days were filled with doctor visits, blood tests to monitor my elevating liver enzymes, and still no real answers about what was wrong with me.  I was very blessed that Brock was able to take care of the girls during all of this because I was worthless.  We did not understand why months earlier he was laid off at his job, and why God would allow that to happen.  We later realized that God knew that our family would need him at home during this time in our life.

Several weeks later I went to another doctor for a liver biopsy.  I was told that if they saw something while they were doing the biopsy that they wanted permission to fix it.  I, of course, gave my permission knowing in my heart that everything would be fine.  Boy, was I wrong!!  Turns out the surgeon left a clamp on my common bile duct during my gallbladder surgery, which stopped bile from exiting my liver.  To shorten this long story, my liver created it’s own opening and sprung a leak into my abdomen.  It pretty much goes down hill from there!  I spent most of the summer in the hospital.

Now, 10 months later, I am still suffering from one person’s mistake.  I’ve been feeling sorry for myself lately because of the nausea.  It has made me think a lot about life.  Everyone makes mistakes.  All of us sin.  But sometimes our mistakes and our sins will affect others.  Sometimes our sins can cause pain, heartache and confusion for those around us.  Who knew that after 20 minutes in the Operating Room 10 months ago would change my life forever?  What an incredible lesson God has taught me through all of this.

One doctor left a surgical clamp in me after surgery.  This one mistake has snowballed into so much more.  This is something that I will probably have to deal with for the rest of my life.  Isn’t sin just like that?  One tiny sin leads to a little bit bigger sin, and so on and so on.  Sometimes God has to knock us upside our head to get our attention and teach us a lesson.  This is one of those times in my life.

April 3rd

Every time I see a plastic Easter egg it makes my heart swell.  Not because I love stuffing them with candy for my kids, not because my mom used to put pennies in them when I was little, not because my kids get a zillion of them each year from all the grandparents and Easter bunny and not because I like the pretty colors.  Instead, Easter eggs remind me of the day I asked Jesus into my heart 17 years ago.  I went to an Easter service at a local church on April 3rd and my life was changed.  I heard a story that I had never heard before, I was told about a God who loves me no matter what.  I will never forget that day.  Tomorrow, April 3rd, my two youngest girls are getting baptized.  How awesome is that?

This past couple of weeks has been a little bit discouraging for me.  I’ve been sick quite a bit lately, I’m a little discouraged at my job, Brock and I are seeking wisdom in career moves, our 13-year-old daughter is going through some tough stuff with silly middle school drama and life is just hectic.  Last Sunday at church everyone was given a card with a scripture on it.  No one had the same scripture and the ushers did not know what scripture they were giving to each person.  But God knew.  The scripture I got was Psalm 73:26 “My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.”  I am not going to lie, I have had to read that scripture several times this week.  But each time I read it, it’s like I am looking at a plastic Easter egg and my heart is so full.

 

It’s Twins!!

Six years ago this Thursday we welcomed twin girls into our family.  I will say that they were not planned, but I cannot imagine our home without them.  I have learned and experienced so much being the mother of identical twin girls.  So, I wanted to share some things with you.

First, people say the dumbest things to parents of twins.  Over the past six years we have heard it all.  Here are some of the questions we have gotten:

• Are they twins? (Um, no they just look exactly alike)
• Are they the same-sex? (No, we just dress the boy as a girl)
• Did you have them vaginally? (WHAT?  Who asks that?)
• How much weight did you gain with them? (Really?)
• Did you breast feed both of them at the same time? (Who needs to know that?)

Those are just a few of my favorite questions.  Those were questions people asked when they were babies.  Now that they are older the most common question is asked to the girls, not to me.  Complete strangers ask Abbie and Aubrie 2 questions almost on a daily basis: 1) Are you twins? and 2) Do you like being twins?

Raising twin girls has been exciting and challenging.  Our girls have always done everything together, and I do mean everything.  I had them on a strict schedule when they were babies.  Therefore, they ate at the same time, slept at the same time and well,  they pooped at the same time.  I can promise you that to this day they still do all three of those things at the exact same time.  They are so sweet with each other.  When one of them is hurt or sick the other one is right there beside her sister loving on her, rubbing her back and wiping away her tears.  They are so in sync with each other, it’s amazing and a little spooky.

God gave me a surprise blessing, times two,  six years ago.   They make me laugh, they give me lots of grey hair and they make my heart so full.  I cannot image life without my sweet Abbie Grace and Aubrie Hope.

Birthday x’s 2

Abbie and Aubrie will be 6 years old this week.  I cannot believe that my babies are almost 6.  Where has the time gone?  They seem so big now.  Today Brock and I asked them to make us a list of what they want for their birthday.  (Abbie Grace LOVES to make lists!)  I thought I’d share their lists with you so you can see just how different two individuals who shared a womb, look exactly like, are the exact same height and weigh the exact same truly are.  These lists are word for word what they wrote.

Abbie Grace ~

• Justin Beiber tshirt
• Rapunzel Hair
• Justin Beiber “Never Say Never” movie
• Flip Flops
• I want my tooth to come out for my birthday
• I want my very own nail polish painter that paints your nails for you
• American Girl doll stuff
• A pink guitar

Aubrie Hope ~

• Rapunzel Hair
• A purple Justin Beiber tshirt
• Flip Flops
• My own guitar
• My own iPad
• My own iPhone
• My own iPod Nano
• A baby pillow pet
• My own car
• My own computer
• My own camera

One very realistic child and one child with big dreams!!!

Squishy

Abbie has a favorite pillow.   Her name is Squishy.  Squishy is soft and pink, she is a girl.  She is a very important part of Abbie’s life.  She has been a part of Abbie’s life for many years now.  She goes everywhere with Abbie. She has slept with Abbie for five years now.   Many days we have to take her in the car with us, buckle her up and bring her back to pick Abbie up from school.  Squishy has feelings.  None of our other kids have anything else like this.  I guess it is her security.  Squishy is dingy, stained and worn out.  I had to perform surgery on Squishy tonight.  She has a laceration and is leaking the teeny tiny beads from  inside her.  After sewing Squishy up for the second time this week, I had to tell Abbie that Squishy is getting very fragile.  She needs to take care of Squishy because she is old and delicate.  So, after a few tears Abbie very serious and sweetly said “Like Granny?”