Highs and Lows from Football to Terrible Two's

Some of you may think I am super blog happy these days with all of the posts about my folks visit, and you must think I have tons of time on my hands to blog. I use the blog as a journal of sorts since I do not do that anymore, and I find it an easy way for me to record and remember things. Plus, even though Miyako has not been sleeping during nap time the past few days, she still has to stay in her bed for two hours, so I can take a few minutes and update the blog. Something happened yesterday that I definitely wanted to remember.

After dropping my parents off we came home and put Miyako down for a "nap" and turned on the UT/LSU game. I do not think I am ruining the game for anyone based on all of the posts on facebook from my UT friends after the game! Words cannot describe how quickly you can reach an emotional high and just as quickly be at the pit of despair when you see that little yellow flag come out on the field. For crying out loud, all UT had to do was keep their players on the field, not substitute, and they would have won the game. But as Kan says, "Well, let's move on. Next week!" But it was a heart-breaker.

We got to experience those same highs and lows with Miyako last night, and Kan and I both saw how quickly the Terrible Twos are approaching us and how inadequate we are on our own to parent this precious gift from God. After dinner, Miyako found Kan's I-phone and unlocked it. Kan put on his I-tunes and we had this big dance party in our small living room. Miyako enjoyed spinning in circles, getting dizzy and then falling on her rump. Then she played this game where I opened my arms and she would run into them, I would hug her and go into tickle time. Kan, in spite of being sick on the couch, was enjoying the show and giggles. Miyako enjoyed The Jackson 5, Indigo Girls, and Black Eyed Peas. Call us heathens but I love me some Black Eyes Peas...I gotta feeling...so you get the point that we were having a lot of fun, an emotional family high. I was having so much fun I did not want to get up to film the fun or take pictures because I was afraid she would stop and be more interested in the cameras.

Play time was over and it was time to pick up toys. I asked her to help me pick up and she said "Mama" meaning Mama needs to do it. I usually pick up a lot of the toys and give her just a few to do simply because I want to get it done quickly. All she had to do was pick up her blankets that the babies used to go night night with during the day. Well, she refused and by refused she stood by the blankets with Kan telling her to pick them up for a hour. I left the room so he could deal with her and she simply wailed "mama" and refused to pick them up. After a hour she finally picked it up and brought it to me in her room, very reluctantly. She is one strong-willed child and she had a pretty long contest with her dada last night.

Just like the football game, we went from an emotional high to a big pit as we realized just how hard this job of parenting is. As I sat in her room and listened to Kan patiently work with her for a hour, I was reminded that God disciplines his children because he loves us. As Kan disciplined her during this hour of her drama and "torture", I knew it was hard on him, but he handled it well. As she finally walked in with the blankets, you could see she was so sad. She knew she had done something wrong, had not obeyed or listened, and her little lips were quivering. After we put all the blankets away Kan picked her up and reminded her he loved her very much and wants what is best for her. We skipped bath time and put her straight to bed as it was already past 8. But God used this experience to remind me of so many truths - the love He has for us as His children, His good purposes in disciplining us, and our desperate need for Him as we try to impart these same truths to Miyako.