I'm not moving the golf balls.

I realized that on my Christmas Part 1 I forgot to include a little bio about Chris' step-mom, Tracy.

That's her and Chris's dad.  She's already very pretty but she's lost a good bit of weight lately and she looks amazing (Does anyone else feel weird when you tell someone how great they look during or after they've lost weight?  I never want them to think that they weren't beautiful before.  Anyway...).  They were married a little over six years ago and she has been a huge blessing to the family.  This is her first marriage and she doesn't have any biological children but Chris, Michael, Ashley, and myself all feel like we belong to her. :)  She's wonderful and boy does she love her grandchildren.  And they love their Nana!

Well, I feel like we have a new member in our household.  We don't but we do have an all out maniac and so things have really picked up in the last few days.  Behold, our mobile mover...

He is everywhere and into everything.  While it keeps me on my feet much more, I really love it.  I love seeing him grow and explore.  He really tries to figure out how everything works even at his ripe age of (almost) eight months.  I love to see his little brain growing and soaking up the world around him.  So far, I am enjoying every stage...ask me if I still am in 13 years. ;)

And this one is content just doing this.

Thankfully.  And don't you want to eat her legs?!?!  They are begging for it.

The twins have tons of toys, too many probably, and some really fun ones, too.  Emma is completely content playing with her dolls, keys, teethers, a gigantic fork that came with the cutest picnic set, etc.  Chance on the other hand wants everything that he can't have.  Shocker.  How people say that we are born perfect is beyond me.  Chris even went out and bought a $3 remote control because he wanted ours so badly.

Don't worry, it was washed.

Chris loves to play golf and he has a little putter practice set that we keep under our coffee table.

Right now, it is Chance's main goal in life to play with those golf balls and it is mine to make sure that he does not.  I am refusing to move the golf balls.  Chris has moved them, I moved them back, my mom gives me a hard time about it, my aunt says that I should just move them and you may be thinking this very second that I am a lunatic for just not moving the golf balls.  Here's my explanation (not that I owe one)...

1.  They are not dangerous.  If the golf balls were covered in blades, I may consider moving them.

2.  He knows what the word "no" means.  He cries when I tell him no and sometimes even pounds his fist on the carpet.

3.  It's my house and I like where the golf balls are.

4.  And most importantly in my humble opinion, his life is going to be filled with tons of "golf balls" if you will.

So many times I just want something removed from my life because it would make things so much easier on me.  Yet it remains.  It would be a whole lot easier on me and Chance if I would just move the golf balls but I feel that even at this young of age, that is leading down a path of teaching him that we always get what we want.  There is probably going to be a really annoying person in his fifth grade class and we will not remove him from the class or ask that the other child is removed from the class (heck, he may be the annoying one).  He may have an unfair baseball coach but we will finish out the season with a good attitude...even if his dad is that coach ;).  When he is a married man, there may be a pretty lady at work that he can't fire...he is going to have to choose to avoid the "golf balls."

I know that he isn't even a year old but at what point do we as parents begin to disciple our children?  Unfortunately, a lot of times after it's too late.  Or what we say and how we let them act are completely opposite and it gives them a sense of confusion about who God is.  I want more for him.  I want him to know the need for Christ and I want it truly modeled by his parents.    

I'm certainly not claiming to know it all.  I do not and I need the Lord's daily, hourly, momentarily grace to make it through the day.  But I will tell you one thing...I'm not moving those golf balls and hopefully he'll thank me for it one day.