Hubby and I went to New York to celebrate our 13th year Anniversary… Yes, 13 years! We got married at a young age (I was 19/ He was 21.) Coming here was so well worth it. I told him, if you can get the tickets for less than $500, then we’ll go, and so as always, he found a great deal through Expedia, around trip ticket for two priced at $450… He booked the trip before he let it go away. I was amazed at the deal web when he told me. By the time others tried to book it, the deal was gone. “Alrighty, then, New York here we come!”
Our anniversary is the one time out of the year that we can just get away and celebrate each other’s presence. We went to a marriage seminar years ago after our first child was born and one of the advices that we held onto was to embrace our wedding anniversary. The wedding anniversary is the time of love and romance, a remembrance of why two people chose to be each other’s forever. It’s also a time to get away from all the craziness of kids, work, and family responsibility.
Our kids mean the world to us! They are, after all, “… An inheritance from the Lord.” My precious little gifts from heaven. Emily Dickens has this one poem I cherish and see my children in a different light.
“To have a child is to see your own heart.” (verify pls!!)
That poem tells me that my child is a reflection of both my husband and I. They are who they are because he and I created them as one flesh. God blessed them with the will to live. So when life sprouts to something so real as children, it’s the child in us that lives in them and it’s our love as parents to protect them, understand them, and guide them through all of life’s different paths. God believed in hubby and I to be the parents He wants us to be and so blessed us with four angels. They are each unique and special in their own way and we are thankful for them. A few pointers in raising a child:
1) Be patient: I wasn’t with my first. I was always frustrated and eager to get things done. Who wouldn’t be with the first child? He taught me to be patient and he taught me how to say, “No.” My eldest, Ermel, taught me more about discipline, how to teach, and be creative, when I thought I didn’t know how.
2) Listen: the first time I heard my child cry was a moment I wish I could have recorded and make it into my own personal ring tone. That’s long gone, so are the first words, the first time “mama” or “dada” was said, And even their first, “pease!” (Please). These are moments that are easily not captured through video or camera, but if you listen, they will listen and the conversation between a child and parent will never end. Conversations from wishing to never grow up, to who they want to be, and through comforting words over love through their first heartbreak is worth living for. Girls especially. My daughter loves to tell stories and has such a creative imagination. From a chef to a rock star, from teacher to a mommy, she can be whoever she wants to be. To me, she will forever always be my Little Big Girl, Mei Mei.
3) Play: making time to just roll over and let tiny little toes jump all over you sounds like a work out, but beyond that is a box of laughter that just wants to burst out with screams and excitement! Quality time is a moment that goes by too fast. One moment your playing on your belly so they can crawl next to chasing them after they discovered walking. Then comes playing catch, swimming, and sports that we, as parents, are mostly out of shape for, but through playing with the kids, it gets us off our lazy butts and stay in shape so that we CAN enjoy taking long walks and bikes through the park, or catch up with the rest of the class when volunteering on school field trips. My Elijah is all about jumping around and flying like an airplane. He’s a ninja warrior at its best and a shark in the water. This little guy is short, but soooo big hearted. We put him in a karate class with his big sister, and while his big sister showed excellent punching and kicking skills, “Jah Jah” would follow after with the fighting strength of a karate kid, but carefully makes sure no one gets hurt (even his teacher.) I smile and best describe him “as a lover; not a fighter.”
4) Hugs & Kisses everyday: I can’t ever get enough of getting hugs and kisses from my Kids. Though my eldest is at that age where it’s embarrassing to show affection in public to parents, I always say those three magic words, “I Love You.” When they walk away, we blow kisses to each other or throw”I love you” hand signs. Baby Girl, Myella, yells out our names, “Mama… Dada!” Then opens her arms out and runs towards our legs. I actually have to take one foot back and prepare to fall over. She’s a toughie, this little one, and even though she’s a girl, I can see her being a linebacker. Wouldn’t daddy be so proud? Hmmm…
Be patient, listen, play, and give lots of hugs and kisses are just a few advices this parent wants to share with you. Sometimes work can get us and we start to get too busy, and when hubby and I start to realize its getting in the way of family time, we let each other know. We tell each other that we miss them and then we schedule little dates in between for the kids and other important matters. We both enjoy our jobs, but we both know that we would sacrifice it if it ever came between our family. No job should ever make you choose them over your spouse or kids. It’s not worth risking a marriage and a child’s love over money and a selfish boss. There’s plenty of other jobs out there. Pray and God will open doors to opportunities that one would never thought would obtain. When our financial security was tested, we were stressed, but with God’s promises of provisions over our lives, we believed that we would get through it. There were a few changes we had to make financially, and with that came financial blessings, but also with more responsibility
aheartsbeginning 