Erin Akin Carroll

a little Friday brain dump

Nov152013

It’s been a long time since I’ve done a good old-fashioned brain dump, so here goes!

-ONE-

Today I am joining one of my favorite bloggers, Shay of Mix and Match Family and Mix and Match Mama, for her monthly pajama party. Shay is so much fun and her posts make me so happy every day. And she’s one of the contributors on Every Day Cheer! I loved “chatting” with Shay and it only would have been more fun if we were actually hanging out for a pajama party with chick flicks, popcorn and M&Ms, and lots of giggles! So head over to Shay’s blog to see the fun!

-TWO-

Are y’all watching Scandal? I understand that shows have to get a little complicated, but don’t y’all feel like it has gotten so complicated? But I seriously love this show.

-THREE-

Hayes had the flu and strep throat last week. He had a fever of 103.5 last Wednedsay night and we took him to the doctor the next morning. The pediatrician did a strep test and a flu test, and she was shocked that both were positive. My sweet guy stayed home for five days and is doing 100% better. But goodness. Flu season came early this year!

-FOUR-

We made our first pot of chili last night. It was glorious. There was actual frost in Columbia this week– some even say they saw snow– so chili was a necessity.

-FIVE-

After the time change, I had this huge burst of energy. I hoped it would last, but it was short-lived, and now I can’t bring myself to get out of bed in the mornings. I need all the minutes of sleep I can get!

-SIX-

Our house got toilets this week. That’s major progress. We still can’t use them, obviously. But this means that my days of running to Trader Joe’s to use the bathroom when we’re checking on house updates are over. I could never bring myself to use the port-a-potty in the front yard. Toilets in the house is a very good thing. (Here’s the latest kitchen update photo from Instagram.)

-SEVEN-

I love Pure Barre, but our local Pure Barre no longer offers the class I attended that meets when the boys are at preschool. So I can go at 6:00 a.m. or go at night after Todd gets home. Neither of those are good options. I’m irrationally annoyed.

-EIGHT-

I got my haircut last Saturday morning. With the lack of humidity, I’ve been wanting to wear it straight more often. But it was way too long for me to flat iron. My hair is very wavy naturally, so it’s easier to just wear it in big waves and wear it on the longer side. But I decided to get rid of some length so it wouldn’t look so stringy if I wore it straight. I’m loving the cut this week. It’s about five inches shorter than it was, and still plenty long to style however I want to.

-NINE-

And, finally, guess what is coming on Monday! It’s a huge giveaway, and you’re all going to want to be here on Monday morning to see this!

the quiet game

Filed Under: Faith

Nov142013

Todd and I were talking earlier this week after we put the kids to bed about how funny it is that people tell us that Hayes is such a happy kid. They’ll say, “There’s Hayes! He is always smiling.”

I love that people say that about my baby. But we were laughing because we feel like lately, with us, he’s almost always whining. Groaning, whining, constantly asking for something. Milk, juice, a snack, to go outside. It’s constant. He’s two. It comes with the territory.

Thankfully, with Hudson out of that phase, I know what happens on the other side of the “terribles twos” and “even-more-terrible threes.” It gets better.

But for the past few days, every time I’ve picked up the boys from preschool at noon, they whine and cry the whole way home. They can’t even articulate what it is that has them upset. They’re happy to see me, we get to the car, and the whining begins. I’m sure they’re hungry, and they’re tired of being on their very best behavior, so they just let it all out in the car with me.

So, on the way home from school, I said, “Okay, let’s play the quiet game.” Hudson asked, “What’s the quiet game?”

So I told him that the first person to talk is the loser. He sat there for a minute and smiled and said, “I want to be the loser!”

And that was the end of the quiet game. Because, by then, I was hysterically laughing.

My house is never quiet. But it’s not always full of whining. Earlier this week I was getting ready in the bathroom, and the boys were watching cartoons before school. And I could hear them talking to each other and laughing.

But the truth is, I’m tired. I want some quiet. I was on a quest for 31 days to create white space, and it hasn’t been a switch that I’ve turned off.

But my kids are tired, too. They can’t always be their very best little selves.

Last night, Todd put Hayes to bed and I tucked Hudson into bed. We were laughing and joking, and I read him a couple of books. And we giggled and hugged and I walked out of the room. And there was quiet. And white space.

And I smiled at Todd and told him how much of a little delight Hudson is. And Hayes, too. They’re loud, and they whine, and they push me, and they don’t know the most effective ways to express their frustrations. And, still, every night I get those few hours of white space that I crave.

But in those moments when I’m trapped in the car with my boys who don’t know what they want and don’t know how to feel better in that moment, I just try to remember those sweet bedtime moments. Because bedtime is coming, and it’s such a sweet reminder that we do get to start over every morning.

And listening to them and being there for them is my job. That’s my purpose. They talk to me because they love me and trust me. Hudson and Hayes aren’t going to be winning the quiet game any time soon. And that’s okay. They’re the sweetest little “losers” I ever did see.

a thrill of hope

Filed Under: Faith

Nov132013

I have a confession to make. I’ve been listening to Christmas music since September.

It’s true.

In case I need to defend myself for this, I should let you know that most of the reason I’ve been listening for so long is because I sing in the choir at our church and we’ve been rehearsing for the Singing Christmas Tree for months.

I’ve snuck a little Celine Dion and Martina McBride in there, too, though. There’s no defense for that. Just the truth that I love it.

I won’t be skipping Thanksgiving this year. But I’ll be listening to Christmas music while I eat my turkey and dressing.

I think What Child is This may be my favorite Christmas song of all time. But I also love O Holy Night. It’s beautiful. There’s a big opportunity to belt it out Celine-style during O Holy Night.

But, today, while riding in the car and listening to O Holy Night (yes, I’m listening at home, in the car, at Starbucks with ear buds in my ears), I really heard these words for the first time.

A thrill of hope. A thrill.

My friend Ellen just finished up a month-long journey of writing about hope. When I think of the word “hope,” the first thing that pops into my head is desperation.

But this is thrilling. It’s exciting. It takes your breath away. Hope is alive.

It’s a thrill of hope on the days that I yell at my kids. It’s a thrill of hope when I’m stuck in traffic and I’m already late. It’s a thrill of hope when I take my baby’s temperature and it’s scary-high at 103.5 and I cradle him in my arms and pray for healing. It’s a thrill of hope when I drive past the homeless shelter and see the long line of people standing outside in the cold waiting for lunch.

So my prayer for this Christmas season (that I’m so eager to bring in) is that I will feel that hope and I will see the thrill in it. I will feel the excitement and remember the Good News. And I will rejoice because there is hope. There is thrilling hope in the good news of Jesus Christ.

*Don’t forget to visit Every Day Cheer for an absolutely adorable Cookie Exchange printable and free download!

31.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Nov122013

This post could be alternately titled, “Why I wept all day on my birthday.” And, no, it wasn’t because I was depressed about turning 31.

I turned 31 yesterday. I’m a birthday person. I love birthdays. My parents always made birthdays a pretty big deal, with a fun family breakfast, gifts, and sending balloons or flowers to school. Even in college, I always received flowers from my parents. I just love birthdays.

But I was kind of dreading this birthday. I knew I’d take the kids to school and then I thought I might just spend the day by myself until I picked the kids up from school at noon.

And then my sweet friend Megan asked if we could spend the morning together, and I was just excited about having a morning with a friend.

When I woke up yesterday morning, I picked up my phone and already had five texts from precious friends wishing me a happy day, and telling me they loved me.

And I checked Facebook. If there’s ever a day to love Facebook, it’s on your birthday. It’s this wonderful reminder of all the people in your life that you’ve known from all different life stages. It’s a reminder of a blessed life. When I checked Facebook, I saw that my dad had posted the sweetest post about what happened in his life 31 years ago. And I wept.

I thought of my sweet parents. And immediately thanked God for the people that they are and the people they brought into my life.

Todd and the boys wished me a happy birthday, brought me coffee in bed, and Todd gave me a larger-than-life framed print of 13-month-old Hudson. It was something I’d wanted to have framed for years and we just never did it. And I saw that print of my baby boy, who is now 4.5, and I cried again. It was such a sweet reminder of how fast time flies and how beautiful my two little blessings are.

I told y’all I was emotional. I was just completely overwhelmed with gratitude.

Throughout the day, I continued to get texts, calls, comments on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and while I know it only takes a second to wish someone a happy birthday, I was thankful for each and every message.

There is nothing like a birthday to remind me how truly blessed I am.

It’s the start of another year. I have no idea what’s in store for this year, but I am so very thankful for the people that I’ve had the privilege of knowing along the way.

Yesterday wasn’t full of grand plans, but I felt loved. And I do feel loved every single day.

Thank you for helping to make the day special.

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