Wonder Mom

If you're stopping by from the Proverbs 31 Devotion, thanks for clicking on over. I'd love to get to know you a little better. Hi, I'm Whitney, but to my boys I'm Wonder Mom! We're friends so I can tell you that most days I'm just fudging my way through this motherhood thing. I make more mistakes than I can count. But just this morning I was simultaneously folding clothes and having a sword fight with my two-year old. Nothing spectacular. My form could certainly use some work, and in the end I did take the fatal blow. But I went out in style-lots of chocking and gasping for air as I fell to my death. As I laid on the carpet breathing my last my sweet, tasmanian devil little boy fell on my chest and yelled, "Yeah Mommy!" Then he kissed my lips and said, "Wake up sweeping booty." (For the uninitiated, let me translate. That's two-year old speak for "Sleeping Beauty.")

Isn't motherhood a kick in the head, or a stab in the heart?! What can simlutaneously exhaust and invigorate? Or more to the point, how can I love the company of my children yet countdown to naptime everyday? How can I feel like a supreme failure and still be heralded a super hero? Motherhood, it's a wonder we survive!

Are you a Mom? Do you know where I'm coming from?

Over the next few weeks I'm going to be doing a series of posts about Mommy Meltdowns and Moments. Stop back by for some encouragement and a good laugh. See you in a few! I'm being attacked by a rogue band of dinosaurs!

Working Dad

We had a discussion the other night at small group about finding Kingdom value in our 8-5 jobs. We are reading John Piper's "Don't Waste Your Life." (I highly recommend it!) I made the argument that in respect to finding value and meaning in the "daily-ness" of life, women have it easier than men. I'm now a stay-at-home Mom who works a little on the side, but even when I still worked full-time, I was a "working Mom." The moment I birthed our first-born and returned to work that became my title-"working Mom."

Sure, I worked at the corporate office of Chick-fil-A. Sure, I helped make Operator selection decisions. Sure, I contributed to our recruiting efforts across the country. But ask me (and anyone else for that matter) I was not an employee, I was a working Mom. Few things I did from 8-5 compared to the significance, joy and satisfaction of being Coop's Mom. It is ever more true now that I have three little ones for whom I am accountable.

Rarely (if ever) does anyone describe my beloved as a "working Dad." He, like most men, is defined almost exclusively by his career. Think about it. When you meet someone new one of the very first questions you'll ask is "so what do you do?" In the case of my beloved, the CEO, a catch all title for what he does is quite difficult to pin down-businessman, engineer, technical specialist, manager. He does a lot of things, and all of them excellently. However, the thing I think he does best is be a Dad. He works tirelessly most days more than 10 hours, and then spends the rest of his time wrestling with the big boys, showing them how to play video games, changing a diaper, feeding a rowdy crowd dinner, saying bedtime prayers.

Not unlike most Moms I know, his job is never done. He is a full-time employee and a 24/7 Dad, but rarely is he acknowledged as such. I don't expect my little blog will change societal mores, but it must change me.

I need to affirm my husband as the remarkable businessman AND father that he is. He doesn't do either in a vacuum. In each role he adds incredible value not only to the world and our family, but to the Kingdom. He is a man of incredible integrity. He seeks the welfare of others and success of his company at all times. He is zealous for excellence in all he does. He is quick to offer advice or prayer as the occasion arises.

If he finds it difficult to see the benefit of what he is doing perhaps he needs a more vocal cheerleader. What about the working Dad's in your life?

I love you darling. Thanks for being more than a man. You are my heart's desire. Our boys are immeasurably blessed.

Time Warp...

Hello long lost friends. To those faithful few who keep checking back in to see if I've posted anything new, you are too kind. Sorry I've been MIA. Did you know that life with a three-year-old, two-year-old and a six-month old is kind of hectic? I fall in the bed most nights (when I usually have good intentions of bloggging) in a near stupor. Lots of rest for the weary.

So I have much to update you on. We celebrated a momentus occasion in May. My sweet husband, the CEO, completed his MBA program and with a 3.98 to boot!! On top of that he was selected as speaker for his class a delivered an awesome commencement speech that thrilled my heart. We couldn't be prouder or more relieved. He loathed it, but learned a ton. Three years thankfully passed quickly and there will be no more nights where Daddy leaves us to go to school. I am no longer a single parent. Praise Jesus.

So how do you appropriately honor such a significant achievement? Italy? Greece? New York? Oh no friends, with three little kiddos, you go to Disney World. Eight days of fun, family and funds!! It was awesome. It was the first vacation hubs has had in three years that didn't require him to study late into the night after we'd all gone to bed. What a treat!

So we're figuring out life at the Capps household. It's a new normal, and I am loving it. I hope to be here more frequently these days. I'm emerging from the newborn fog...I can see the light. I have lots of updates on other things too, but in the meantime let me just say, I'm back!!!

I've missed you!

I left my heart in Wisonsin

Last weekend I went to hang out with a bunch of yankees in Wisconsin. At least I thought I was hanging out with a bunch of yankees. Turns out these sweet ladies must have been southern-wannabes because they took this redneck in and made her family in less than twelve hours! (And they only moderately made fun of my dialect.) Except for their puffy Land's End coats and the frozen lake outside my window I would have sworn I was south of the Mason-Dixon.

Fun observations:

1-These people actually purchase and wear the stuff that keeps Land's End in business; I always flip to the section of the catalog with the cute canvas totes. Now when one arrives in the mail I'll think of my Crossroads sisters.

2-My first thought when looking out my window to the empty marina, "Why aren't there any boats on this lake?"It literally took me a couple of seconds to realize that the lake was frozen solid. Clearly local folks aren't caught off guard by this phenomenon and pull their boats out in time to have them safely docked elsewhere for the winter. 

3-Crazy, I mean crazy people up in them parts actually drive out and park on said lake. And even crazier ones still actually hike out to the middle of that bad boy, drill a hole, sit in a shack and fish! Give this sweet, southern pansy a warm Red Lobster restaurant any old day.

4-I was at a retreat for a Southern Baptist Church that lives just outside Chicago. Illinois. Now that's as crazy as four inches of snow in Atlanta. In March.

And that's just what I returned home to find-four inches of snow and two very excited little boys and one very excited big boy. While it was delightful to be home the snow made me think of my new family, and I realized I left part of my heart in Lake Geneva.

More tomorrow on the amazing things God did in that place. It was cold outside, but the Fire kept us warm inside. I love it when the Holy Spirit shows off...

The Third and Final Installment

Long overdue; pictures of our third son. And yes, we think we are done. But then again how does the phrase go-best way to make God laugh? Tell Him your plans. We will see.