Christmas Is Coming

December in Pictures

I have a very real fear for the life of my blog. It has been two weeks since my last post and I'm resorting to throwing on a bunch of pictures because I can't find the time for regular posting. Nevertheless, here is our month in pictures. So far.

Sweet boy turns four months on Wednesday:


Why I didn't listen to my gut instinct and wrap up a bunch of bottles for Christmas is beyond me:


He loves waffles. He loves digging the butter out of the little holes even more.


Having children gives a whole new definition to the term "slave labor."

Crazy daddy:


I am willing to do anything for a good picture of my children. Yes, even let the three-year-old choke the baby. Unfortunately it was not fruitful this time:

A new playmate for Soph - my cousin's daughter, Tuesday, comes to our house every day now!

Boomer Sooner! Big 12 Champs, baby!! (Please just humor me and pretend the old guy's shirt says Oklahoma Sooners. At least it's the right color).

Cute cousins. It is inevitable that they have to match at least once a year:

The baby and the Russian Czar. I'm thinking of writing a new book with that title.

That's all I got. Bet you're glad you stayed. I hope I'm back soon.

3 Going On 16

Yep, that's my I-Pod. While I'm at it I'll just go ahead and put it all out on the table: my 21-mth-old son is quite proficient with this as well. Pathetic, I know.

Don't Even Try To Tell Me You Could Resist This Face

J-O-Y

Of late, I am joyful. It fills my heart, urging me to sing, demanding that I praise Him. Why?

I. AM. FREE.

Have you known me in the past? Laden with burdens, drowning in guilt, sorrowful in comparing myself to others. Not anymore. At first He whispered His love to me. I didn't listen. Then He spoke it. I turned away. I heard the words but jut couldn't believe. And my life was an example of one who was carrying quite a load.

Somewhere, in His mercy, and His great love for me, He chose to shout. Oh, praise Him. For now I see that list of my faults, and I am full of joy!! I know, friend, you want to laugh. Joy? Over your faults? Of course, you must understand - I do want to change those things. But I finally see how I cannot EVER do that on my own. His Spirit will guide me, and He will continue to forgive me, because HE LOVES ME.

So... yes. I am a sinner. Yes, I yell at my kids sometimes. Yes, I have a dirty bathroom. Yes, I find myself judging other people. And PRAISE HIS NAME, I am forgiven. Now I can choose to take my life and make it better. Because He gives me hope. His hope does not disappoint. It brings me joy!!

He Must Become Greater

Hi friend. I've been thinking, and here's the deal. Sometimes I'm just not REAL with people. Why? Because I'm FULL. OF. PRIDE. You must be warned that you may decide you can't be my friend after reading what follows. Nevertheless, here are some things you should know about me.

1. Today I spent a little time on Facebook while my 20-mth-old son wandered around the house looking for something to do (and I'm sure he was wishing I would play with him).

2. That is not a first.

3. Sometimes when I'm emotional I "binge eat."

4. I haven't bathed/showered since Saturday evening. It's Tuesday afternoon. Yuck.

5. I often am frustrated when the kids are napping and it's time for me to do my Bible study. Sometimes I'd rather just nap with them.

6. I don't want to ever yell at my kids. But sometimes I do.

7. I've had clean laundry sitting unfolded in a basket on my couch since yesterday afternoon. That is actually a very short time compared to past instances.

8. I also have dishes in the sink, lunch still sitting on the table, and clothes/toys/books strewn all over the house. If you were to just drop by I would debate letting you in. I'm being serious.

9. I am skeptical about those around me and often find myself judging their motives, as if I could possibly know what they're thinking. As if I could know their hearts.

There you have it. I truly am ashamed to write these things. And I hate to tell you this, but there are many other evils lurking inside. In my desperate attempts to allow God to rid me of my pride, and give me a gentle nature, He asked me to move these things from my heart to my blog.

And He showed me this:


We may believe different things. I do, however, desire their humility. Face to the ground in worship, in awe, of the Creator. Let me be so humbled, Lord. Whatever it takes. I am before you, and I praise you for reminding me of John's own humble cry, "He must become greater; I must become less." (John 3:30)

Happy Fall

Highly Disturbing

Despite what it may look like, they're not having a tea party with the baby. They are "eating the baby." Let's hope my three-year-old is never stranded in the snow with her baby brother.

I Love Her

A Long Time Ago In A Galaxy Far, Far Away...

... there lived a young girl named Leia.

Leia was a princess by birth but didn't know. Well, she called herself a princess all the time, but she didn't realize she was a real princess.

One day she was walking along and came across quite a forlorn little green guy named Yoda.

Leia decided that someone as cute as Yoda needed a good laugh, so she began her attempts at helping to lighten his mood.

As evidenced in the picture above, Leia succeeded at helping Yoda have some fun. That is, until a man named Han Solo appeared on the scene.

Han introduced Leia and Yoda to a new friend, Chewbacca (Chewy for short). Leia thought Han was the best thing to ever happen to them, but Yoda didn't trust him because he forced them to take a picture with that fuzzy brown thing.

That's when Yoda hired a droid called C3PO to cater to his every need. And his smiles returned.

The end. Happy Halloween 2010 from the Tyson family!

Who's That Guy?

This guy went to work with Ben this morning. His friends are due to arrive from a far off galaxy later today.

Legacy

Is it too early for modeling the proper way... for guiding little hands...


For passing responsibility little by little as they are able...


For molding and shaping, teaching and training...


No, dear friend, it is never too early to begin. It takes but a gentle whisper of the Word, or a bouquet of songs of praise as the day passes. As for our family, amidst earthly traditions which we will cherish together, we choose foremost to begin now in leading our family down the path carved for us by those we love... continuing in a legacy for HIM.

"We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done... so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children." Psalm 78:4&6


Women Walking With God 2011 is all about Leaving a Legacy! Won't you join us here, in Wichita, to hear the blessed truths amongst 900 sweet sisters? Keep checking our website for further updates - tickets go on sale in November!

*Did you secretly notice that both of my boys had their tongues sticking out in concentration? Another Tyson-man legacy...*

Oh Leap Frog, We Love You!

Q: How does a 2-mth-old baby play?

A: They don't.

It does help to have a few things to direct their attention to other than you, though. Siblings help with that. We also have a fun Leap Frog toy that my sis gave us when Sophie was born. It flashes lights and plays classical music. All my babies have loved it, for about as long as a 2-mth-old can pay attention to something. It gives me an extra five minutes to put on some makeup... some days (although if you read my last post you can see that doesn't always happen).

My older two kids had a great time with this toy when I pulled it back out for Seth. Sophie also did the same thing after Will was born.

Here are each of the kids as babies watching the toy:

Seth:

Will:

Sophie:

Seth really doesn't look like his siblings. It'll be interesting to see if that trend continues.

Letter to Unidentified Mother At Sophie's Preschool

Dear other mother at Sophie's preschool who always looks immaculate and trendy, as if fresh from the runway, at 9:15 a.m:

Let me begin by saying I'm sorry that I am wearing the same pair of grey fleece sweat pants yet again. And yes, this is the same hat I've worn every Tuesday and Thursday morning for the last two months. Oh wait, there was one day that I wore my black hat instead.

I am sure that if I were to ask, you would tell me that you also have five other children at home, ages five and under, and you had no issues with getting them all ready this morning in order to drop off your 3-yr-old at preschool. And yes, I am aware that your child just so happens be wearing a cute little polka-dot backpack instead of a character backpack.

I also have no doubt that during our conversation you would tell me that your house is spotless, including waxed tile and Windexed windows. Your laundry is done, folded, and actually put away in drawers. Your yard is mowed and the flowers in your flower bed are alive.

I cannot think of much I would say in response to this, so I will conclude by saying just one thing: today I wanted to hold my baby while he slept. So I did.

Sincerely,
Kelly

Can't Get Enough of Her Seffy Weffy

(That's Sethy Wethy in Sophese).

The Hippest Baby in Town

Seth is now sporting some fashionable steel-gray hearing aids. After choosing the color, I was informed that this is the color all the teenagers are choosing right now. Perfect! I would fit right in if I were ever deranged enough to want to relive those pimple-and-hormone infested years (am I still talking about high school, or did we switch back to pregnancy?).

Not only is he cool enough to be a 5-wk-old baby with hearing aids, he also happens to have chosen the ever so popular balding-old-man look. If any of my children were going to choose to lose their hair, I'm so glad that Seth opted for the "just lose the hair on the front top" version that makes his forehead rival Frankenstein's. Don't be surprised if we grow a mullet to compensate.

He's a precious Frankenstien if I do say so myself.


Wanna know what's pretty surreal? THIS:

Who Knew 32 Could Be This Good?!

The one my heart loves turned 32 yesterday.

This picture is one reason why Will still calls me Daddy 80% of the time.


Truly, who needs Mommy when you've got a man this amazing to love you, play with you, rough-house with you, teach you about God...

Don't know why God chose him for me, but I'm so thankful! Happy birthday one day late, sweetheart!!

Third Verse, Same As the First! (And Second)

Our third set of Tyson hearing aids will arrive in the next couple weeks.

Praise God for new mercies each day... to bring us only mild loss, yet again. We are humbled and thankful.

Seth's Mold

My brother, Jeremy, was home this week from Virginia (for those of you who don't remember, he's stationed there for the Marines).

My mother-in-law was the first to tell me that she thought Seth looked like Jeremy. I didn't really see it until I took this picture. I actually think he does look like my brother the more I look at him. Not to mention that my brother is just over 6 feet tall- I have a theory that Seth is going to be tall as well. He was almost 22-inches at birth (they originally told us 20 inches which we later found to be a mistake), and his fingers and feet are very long.


Seth was awake but he curled up on Jeremy and went to sleep. Uncle Jeremy's obviously a natural.


Jeremy didn't get to hold Sophie or Will at this young age so this was a precious moment for me! Thankfulness abounds...

Survival

A question I get asked frequently of late is, "How are things going?" With emphasis on "going," as if the answer is inherent in the question. Three children ages 3 and under. It can't be going well.

Well, let me put it this way. I definitely have had my days. I have great days when I think it will be a cake walk. Then the next day, well, they're more like TODAY.

That's when I call out all reinforcements, and we go into survival mode. Here are some tips for those who may feel in need of backup from time to time.

Step 1: From the first hint that it is going to be "one of those days," put on a DVD for the older kids, sit down with a cuppa Joe, and eat something sweet. Something that you really shouldn't eat for breakfast. Be rebellious for once in your life and just do it.


Step 2: After the first life-giving jolt of caffeine runs through your blood, and while said DVD is still distracting the kids, pull out the good old WORD. Nothing speaks calm to my soul better.


Step 3: Put aside the laundry (or the dusting, the vacuuming, etc...) and say YES to some fun with the kids. It may sound tiring... in truth, it probably is... but worth the effort.

Unfolded laundry:


Happy children:


Well, this one was happy until I pulled the play-do out of his mouth:

Step 4: Stop all attempts to get the baby to sleep on his back. He's not gonna do it today, and two other children want your attention. Nestle him onto his belly between the library books and unfinished laundry (where you can keep an eye on him) and take a deep breath.

Step 4.5: Insert more prayer/scripture meditation here... as the day goes on more of this is definitely needed!

Step 5: Make something really healthy... err... just make something easy for lunch (something you know they'll eat). For them and for you.

Step 6: Let the kids entertain each other. Middle of the day water-play? What a great idea!

Hide and seek under your bed covers? Ingenious!!

Step 7: Naptime for all, or "Personal Play Time" for 3-year-olds who don't wish to nap yet again.

Step 8: Whisper a prayer of THANKS for moments of gentle answers amidst the chaos. Don't forget to THANK him for the precious ones who fill your heart... what gifts they truly are.