Tiny Tales Thursday...

I'm a lucky girl.

My husband changes diapers, takes the kids to school, puts Emmy's hair in a pony tail and wakes up in the middle of the night every time I do. He cooks dinner, cleans the bathroom, and doesn't get angry about my online shopping habit. He helps and even when he's not doing something exactly how I would - he's at least trying. (He's also pretty easy on the eyes). :)

However, he could work on the listening. I can tell him a million times to make sure to rinse a pot that we just boiled pasta in before letting it sit. Or ask him to grab something out of the top of the closet before he leaves only to be climbing up a shelf 30 minutes later once I realize what I need is still where I last found it.

We have a long running "Katy is smart/knows everything/is never wrong" debate. Fortunately I am right, so I'm winning. :)

Well, last weekend we had a ridiculous amount of bananas that needed to be turned into bread last weekend before they were thrown in the pit of no return/compost. Ryan volunteered to make 3 batches. I quietly watched him as he got down too many pots, pans, bowls, measuring cups, etc. I mean, he was doing it, so he could do it how he liked.

I may have thrown my 2 cents in every now and then but for the most part he was on his own.

He finished preparation and was off to baking when I realized he had put all 3 loaves in the same oven. At different times. I tried to explain that this would affect how each would bake and he simply replied with "just turn the heat up".

Two of them finished and he was placing the on a cooling rack. He was maybe doing this the hard way but I just watched and let him continue with what he was doing. Once he realized that he should have thought a little bit more rather than proceeding he mumbled, I quipped back and Radley was taking it all in.

All of a sudden he pipes up:

"Mommy must have gone to smart school when she was little. Daddy did not."

Gosh. I love that kid!

Expectations...

We all have them.

Expectations.

Sometimes they are met. Sometimes they are not. And sometimes, when all the stars aline in the sky, they are EXCEEDED.

I think about all the expectations I set for people, myself included, and then think about how often they are actually met, much less exceeded. I can admit that I always  frequently often may sometimes set ridiculously high moderate challenging expectations, but I also believe that people (myself included) rise to the occasion. However (and that is a big however).... WHY do I need to put that much pressure on anyone?

For example:
1. I expect the golden rule. I expect people to be kind, generous, thoughtful and giving. I expect people to go out of their way for others.
2. I expect my students to do things for themselves. (luckily, they pretty much exceed my expectations on a regular basis).
3. I expect my children to behave. (HA!)
4. I expect my waistline to shrink on its own because I'm nursing. (Double HA!)
5. I expect myself to plan fabulous parties, keep up with 3 kids, a full-time job, a husband, a blog, friends, family, church, oh...and myself. (Triple HA!)
6. I expect Ryan to know my every thought and be able to react before I tell him something.

And before you start rolling your eyes and call me every name in the book, think about what YOU expect out of others and yourself.

Then pause.

Then breathe.

Then, ask yourself, "Why?"

Why do we expect so much from others? From ourselves? I defend the thought that people rise to the occasion, but if it's going to always drive you crazy when they don't... then is it okay to let up? Is it okay to lower expectations just to keep yourself from going crazy? Part of me says "yes - it is ok" but a bigger part of me screams, "NO!!"

I think where I struggle the most, is when to choose door A and door B. I am in the middle of planning Emersyn's 2nd birthday party. It is going to be "tutu" adorable and fun. I have big plans...BIG plans. I already have it laid out in my head. Adorable decorations, yummy cake, fun games, creative invitations, etc. My best friend/arch nemesis Pinterest with the added bonus of crafty blogs of SAHMs/She-ras are sure to aid in my insanity preparation, right?

I mean, if Martha Stewart can make invitations out of leaves, twigs, cinnamon sticks, homemade ink and hot glue, then why can't I?

Expectations.

I seriously almost drove myself crazy yesterday thinking of her invitations. Door A. They were going to be handmade, one-of-a-kind, miniature tutus that each guest would swoon over for days on end throw in the trash after marking the party date down in their calendars.

Then. The HMMomma gave me some tough love. Door B. It's an invitation. For a two year old. 15 people are invited. Send an email. :)

But I couldn't let up. As soon as the kiddos were in bed I went back to the dining room table/craft area and forced my vision to work. I could buy bigger envelopes. I could hot glue lace to elastic. I could...

I could just stop.

And breathe.

And recognize that my expectations for myself may need to lighten up.

So. I did what any wanna-be-craft-genius does and went straight to Etsy. Found a perfectly adorable invitation template for $15 and bought it. (I did second guess the decision, but Ryan assured me it was ok). I even went so far as to make Cindy send me the following text:

Katy.
You love your kids.
Take a break.
Pay $15 for cute invites that people are going to throw away.
Spend the time you save playing with your kids.

And so I did.

And while, I have no idea where this post is going or what it was really supposed to accomplish. I hope that it motivates you to keep your expectations high, such as...

1. Expect yourself to love your God.
2. Expect yourself to give everything to your husband and kids.
3. Expect yourself to give yourself a break.
4. Expect yourself to breathe. To do nothing for 15 whole minutes.
5. Expect yourself to be kind to others. (That golden rule really is important...and, well, HMMomma and I kinda live by the motto "INTH" (it's not that hard). It's NOT that hard to be nice. It's NOT that hard to be thoughtful. It's NOT that hard to apologize. It's NOT that hard to say thank you. It's NOT that hard to... but that's a different blog post)
6. Expect someone to someday exceed any expectation you could ever set.
7. And expect Door B to be just as amazing as anything behind Door A ever could be.

Sunday Funday...

Sunday was a storybook ending for a storybook weekend. The Kings and the HMMs met back up on campus for Kyle Field Day. 

We were all very excited. Well, maybe not all of us...

KFD is the major even that the student organization I advise hosts each year. It is open to anyone to attend and offers various activities for people to participate in that give back to local community agencies. They also have free food, games, prizes and well...tons of fun!

And did I mention that it's on Kyle Field? :)

It could not have been a more beautiful day for this! The big kids had so much fun running around - especially Radley. He LOVES "the big guys" - also known as the college students I work with each day.

I love how "easy" this is for Cindy and me now. When it was just Radley and Caroline we had to "time" our day. We had to arrive at a certain time, leave at a certain time, etc... all to fit with their schedules. Now, we are much more go-with-the-flow and somehow the kids all survive. 

::Insert snarky "I told you so" comment from a few of my nearest and dearest::

I love how much focus Radley has. He can sit and do an activity for as long as it takes to complete. He wanted to paint a flower on this pot that was being used at Camp For All. He painted each little petal with as much care and precision as you can imagine. 

This one on the other hand slapped some paint on there and went straight for the reward of the popsicle. 

:)

Josh and Anna painted a yellow flower, too. 

(I think Caro was more on the same wave length as Emmy with the popsicle)

Next it was off to the trashcans that were being given to local elementary schools for recycle bins.

Emmy took a break from all that service to work on her tan. 

I am so jealous of her complexion. 

:)

She also took the time to check on her baby sister. 

And Radley was getting lessons on how to kick a field goal...which is just about the only position I see him playing in football. 

Then it was time for some live music by the one and only Charlie Gore, one of my former students and soon-to-be-famous singer/songwriter. Remember that name, people. He's going to be big! 

Thanks for such a fun day, MSC FISH! 

The Kings look forward to many more years of Kyle Field Day fun!