Hold the Name Tags and Pass the Potty Seat

As I thumbed through the ads on Thanksgiving Afternoon, I stumbled upon something that I could not live without, I simply had to have.

I'm not sure why I was even looking at the ads because at 32 weeks pregnant I had vowed that I would not go shopping the day after Thanksgiving. I was not interested in the crowds, people, and not to mention lugging my big self in and out of stores.

Usually the day after Thanksgiving is a big day for us. We get up in the middle of night, stand in line with crazy people, fight over merchandise with crazy people, and crawl through parking lots filled with crazy people. After a long day of shopping we return home, unload the trunk, feel the pain of empty pocket books, re-heat turkey leftovers, and realize that indeed.....we are those "crazy" people.


What did I find on this particular Thanksgiving day? What did I have to buy? What could I not live without? A glider. I had to have a glider and most pregnant women would agree that a half off glider is worth a little shopping trip in the middle of the night.

We set the alarm. Slept for several hours. Woke up. Headed to Babies R Us. Exciting, huh?! I was freaking out.....sure that there would be a huge line and I would lose my glider. Brad reassured me that I was not exactly after a "big ticket" item and that I would be fine.

Sure enough. Like 10 pregnant women and their husbands line up outside of the store. It was cold and dark. I had to pee...

The store opened. The line slowly waddled into the store. Many women headed to the bathroom before getting their merchandise. I hauled to the furniture desk and purchased my glider.

We threw the box in the van, headed home and went back to bed.

My new glider was perfect. It was exactly what I wanted. It was on sale and it matched (I am obsessed over things matching) Grant's room.

The glider sat in the corner of his room. Over the next several weeks we slowly got his room ready.....paint.....border....furniture..... Of course, everything matched. Remember.... I am obsessed.

I rocked in the glider as Brad put all of the furniture together, I rocked in the glider as I read, and most importantly....I rocked my newborn in the glider.

Many hours were spent in that glider. I remember rocking Grant when he was itty-bitty. There were times when it took everything inside of me not to fall asleep. There were times when it took forever for him to fall asleep. There were even times when he fell right to sleep and I sat there forever.....too tired to get up and put him in his bed.

As I rocked Grant....it seemed as though his room changed before my eyes. Suddenly there were less burp clothes and more toys. The newborn smell was long gone and a "1st Birthday" balloon drifted in the air. He needed a nightlight and hooks (rest assure...the hooks matched his bedding set) to hang his hats.

I watched shoes fill his closet and his crib go to the big boy setting. Teeth filled his pink gums and he learned how to pull his pants up on his own.

Many things have changed over time....but one thing has not changed.....well okay two things.....

#1 - God has blessed us with a precious gift. Grant has been a blessing through all of his ages and stages. As he grows in height.....he also grows in attitude and independence. I cherish every moment with him and cannot wait for all of his future ages and stages :)

#2 - The glider is still sitting in the same spot. It has only been moved this way and that.

I still rock Grant to sleep for nap and bedtime. Although he is slowly growing out of my arms....I enjoy rocking him.

This afternoon I was rocking Grant for his nap. After he fell asleep I held him and analyzed the glider......hence this post......

Over the past year and a half there has been a lot of rocking in the glider, however there has also been a lot of thinking while rocking the glider. This afternoon I reflected on the past year that our family has had together.

I remembered the times that I wondered what it would be like to be a stay at home mom, I remembered the times that I wondered how in the world I could ever be a stay at home mom because I loved my job, I remembered the times that I was so exhausted from a looooong day at work that I wondered how I had the strength to continue being a working mom, I remembered the times that I questioned God's plan.

I remembered the times that I questioned why God would send me to Bethel College.....bless me with a degree and a great job.....then ask me to quit.

It seemed as though God was not really sure what he was doing. Like He sent me to Bethel....gave me 4 awesome years there.....and then blessed me with a great job. Then one day, He was like "hmmm.....I haven't rocked Stephanie's world in a while......"

WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!
God DID know what He was doing last fall (like He really needed me to confirm that) when He spoke to me about my job.

It seemed as though God had some big thing that was going to happen, immediately, if we decided to follow Him.

Last fall, when I started the new school year I had no idea that it would be my last. A year later I see "back to school" commercials and hear about teachers setting up there rooms. Not me. I am staying put. Instead of hanging borders - I spent my morning in 12 minute intervals as Grant tried his hardest to use the potty :) Instead of buying work clothes - I spent my morning in sweatpants. Instead of loading teaching supplies into my van - I rocked my little blessing to sleep.

We have had a lot of little blessings happen to us during this year. It has been a great year - waiting to see what God has planned and watching His blessings fall upon us.

All of God's little blessings are leading to something big. God is speaking to us....we can feel it in our bones :)

Although His plan or purpose for me quitting my job was not shown to us immediately - the pieces of the puzzle are starting to fit together. We are very excited to see His finished masterpiece.

All Things are Possible,
Stephanie Miller

(Grant is now awake - set the timer - time for my 12 minute interval afternoon.....)

Tomatoes and a Race Car: A Smashing Tale

There once was a little boy

who relaxed peacefully one summer afternoon.


Two seconds later he thought
"I need something to do!"


He looked around

and then jumped off his seat.

"I got it!" He said to himself.

I'll pick tomatoes, smash, load, and deliver them!

He carefully picked the tomatoes.

He carefully smashed the tomatoes.

Then he carefully loaded the tomatoes.

He did not realize that tomatoes could be such hard work.

But he continued to do his best.


He carefully drove the tomatoes.

He carefully delivered the tomatoes.

He carefully picked the tomatoes.

He carefully smashed the tomatoes.

He carefully loaded the tomatoes.

He carefully drove the tomatoes.

He carefully delivered the tomatoes.

He carefully picked more tomatoes.

He carefully smashed more tomatoes.

He carefully loaded more tomatoes.

He carefully drove more tomatoes.

The exhausted little boy needed to stop for a break.

After his break, he continued to carefully drive more tomatoes.


He carefully unloaded more tomatoes.

He was very excited to deliver this last load of tomatoes.

He climbed up on his chair to relax.


He was very sad to see that tomatoes were smashed all over his shoes.

But don't worry, he cleaned the tomato off.

Now the little boy was able to relax, peacefully on a summer afternoon.

The End.