We Do Second Chances...And Many More!

Why can't they just get it?  Have you ever found yourself asking that question when reading about the Israelites, who time and time again complained about being in the wilderness and taking God's guidance and protection for granted?  Or even when the disciples would question Jesus and His ability to do all things after witnessing so many miracles?

We sit on this side of the cross and are astounded at how many chances God gave His people after messing up.  Peter denying Jesus three times?  Really?  Thomas asking for proof that it was really Him when Jesus rose from the grave.  We can read so many people in God's Word that just didn't seem to get it....and we wonder, how is that possible?

Then when we take a look in the mirror, we see that we are just like them.  We fail time and time again, and by the grace of God, can find forgiveness and another chance.

At the Haynes' home, I have mentioned we make mistakes and say I'm sorry often.  As a parent, giving second chances is part of the gig.  It is part of the training process of raising children.  Who am I kidding?...it is part of the training process for people of all ages.  Emma is well aware that this is part of our family theme.  Just a couple weeks ago, Adam had told them they were all done with doing an activity because he had given them warnings several times to not bang on the front door.  Inevitably, in their excitement, they did it again.  When told to sit down on the sofa, Emma said, "But Daddy, we do second chances!".  It made me smile.  (He had actually given them several chances before making them sit down.)

Part of giving second chances is talking with our kids about their mistakes and what they should have done, and can do, differently.  Sometimes, we press the rewind button, and we get to pretend to do it all over again as if the initial error was never made.  It sometimes brings on more tears, but most of the time brings on laughter and reconciliation.

I love second chances.  It speaks of acknowledging that, while there is nothing we can do to undo what has been done, there is still hope our actions can prove that we are sorry and have learned our lesson.

None of us ever outgrow the need to receive second chances.  So why do we grow tired of extending them to our kids?  If we are always going to be in need of them, these precious little lives God has entrusted us with certainly do as well.  If we are called to "love others as we love ourselves", we must extend the grace to others that we desire to receive from others.

There is, of course, value in balancing second chances with discipline.  For us, second chances do not always mean there is not consequences involved.  Sometimes, that second chance is not granted for a day or two.  Sometimes, time needs to pass in order for a lesson to be learned.  For instance, if one of our children decide to not share a toy, they may have to go without it for awhile to realize it is far better to share what they have with others than to live without it altogether.  What a painful lesson for all ages!  We are not wired to wait.

Our family does second chances...and yes, it usually doesn't stop there.  We love each other and will never give up on any member of this family.  I am so thankful God loves us and does not give up on us.  He extends us grace, He gives us second chances, He can strengthen us through our mistakes and we end up never being the same again.  We see it back in Bible times...and some things never change. My prayer for this home is that we purposefully strive to reflect God's love through good times and bad.  God is not through working on any of us...so while He chooses to mold us into what He wants us to be, we choose to spur each other on amidst the process.  In this home...we do second chances.

We Do Hugs...Through the Good, Bad & Ugly

It's true...we are huggers!  We love giving and receiving hugs.  Good morning hugs, bedtime hugs, playtime hugs, spontaneous hugs, and even "I disciplined you because I love you" hugs.

I get it...life happens.  It is so easy to get so caught up in the day that we forget to pause for a moment to show someone we love them.  It is always heartwarming when my son or stepchildren take a moment in the midst of intense play time to give me a ginormous hug.  It has challenged me to do the same.  I may be cleaning, cooking, having some "me time", or spending some time at the computer...but I should never be too busy to stop and give a heartfelt hug.

Out of all of us, Adam is the best at giving purposeful hugs.  He may randomly hug me just to show appreciation for taking care of our home or hug our children after disciplining them.  There are even times the kids get annoyed because their "agenda" has been interrupted by a Daddy hug.  But all the while, I see them wearing the biggest smile on their face.  They love their Daddy!

Just yesterday, I sat watching Adam lecturing the kids about their attitudes.  They had been so wrapped up in having fun playing that when Adam told them to pause for a minute, annoyed attitudes surfaced.  He sat there explaining why their actions were unacceptable, told them their consequence for the day, and ended with a big hug with an "I Love You" attached.  They were bummed that their mistakes cost them, but had no question that their Daddy loved them no matter what.

I wholeheartedly believe they will carry the sweet memories of their Daddy's hugs throughout their lifetime more than any other activity he has interrupted in order to do so.  Our hugs are real, purposeful, and are an outflow of our love for each other. 

Adam and I love hugging each other, we love hugging our children, and our hearts melt when hugs are initiated from them.  I am so thankful we are a hugging family!  In this family, we do hugs...and what a blessing they are!

Water Fun!

We had water fun on Saturday over at Aunt Chelle's new place.  We had so much fun!  Although I am not sure Bryson cared for the initial coolness of the water (he gets it VERY honestly), everyone else had a blast.  The pictures say it all :-)

I think it is safe to say that July is our favorite month of the whole year!

We Do Fun...and Then Some!

Our family loves to laugh...we love to smile...we love to have fun!  Some of my favorite moments are when the kids start laughing uncontrollably.  Their laughter is contagious.  It doesn't take long for a small little giggle to turn into a rupture of laughter from the whole family!

We do fun.  We love to spend time together doing familiar things as well as new things.  These days it is so easy to sit your children down in front of a television or computer and allow hours of entertainment to pass.  Don't get me wrong...we do watch 'shows' in our home; but it doesn't dominate our time together.

This summer, our bucket list has helped keep us on track.  Adam and I both are committed to making memories with each of the activities we have planned.  It's true...sometimes fun just happens.  Other times, fun needs a little nudge in the right direction.

Our fun times happen in the big and small things.  Whether playing a game, coloring, enjoying a special snack, or taking a trip to somewhere special, there are memories are in the making.  We want our children to enjoy life.  To embrace our time together and invest in our family.  That doesn't just happen on its own.  They say if you don't have a target, you will miss the mark every time.  There is so much truth to that in life.  As we live life on purpose, we choose to enjoy fun times together.  We may have to get silly, crazy, and act like a kid...but it is always worth it.

Our children do love electronics, but those things don't put the sparkle in their little eyes like time spent with the people they love.  Seeing those sparkling eyes is worth more than all the diamonds money can buy...it's priceless!

We love to act crazy...here is a video we took a few days ago.  Believe me, all pride was left at the door (and usually is when it comes to dancing with the kids), but our love for fun remains intact!  :-)

We actually ate lunch afterwards and guess what we had?  That's right...Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches!

Fun in the Sun (and Shade)

Our home is complete for the next few weeks and we are so excited!  We spent a lot of time together over the weekend and completed one thing on our Summer Bucket List...Make a Crazy Hopscotch!  There are a few activities that are listed for us to do while Daddy is at work, but he wanted in on this one.  We started all at the same spot and then each made our own to branch off of start.  There is a tree in our neighbors yard that provided shade for us the entire morning (which always helps when you have kids who are warm-natured).  Here are a few shots of our hopscotch design:

And then, of course, there is the video we took of Bryson getting to take part in the fun!