Psalm 126:2-3
Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.
The last couple weeks have been hard fought. Our toddler is in the throes of discovering and testing limits, boundaries, and rules. Testing is an understatement. He is boldly facing his giants and strategically taking them down! I am not going to lie...I am one of them!
This is the part of children that people don't speak of in detail. It is referred to as the terrible twos but people just don't go into detail, and now I know why. It is a season parents want to block out and not speak of for fear of ending up in a corner sucking a thumb in the fetal position. It's horrible. It's unpredictable. It can sneak up on you and knock your feet right out from under you leaving you sprawled on the floor with the overwhelming temptation to tap out!
Anyway...alongside the terrible twos, our little one is in the midst of his 2 year old sleep regression. Y'all...I can't even...
It's been hard on us. It's been hard on him. Our marriage has definitely been tested. And I've been on my knees a lot. I know God has a sense of humor which is why I think he thought up the whole idea of parenting. Yesterday, while the rest of the nation was celebrating the 4th of July, we got a reprieve from all the stress of nobody sleeping.
The man child finally went down for a nap and we were trying to get stuff together to get out of the house for some holiday fun. B was in the office figuring out which local festivities we would attend and I was working on gathering all the stuff you have to take with you when you leave the house with a toddler. You know...all the snacks, swim gear, festival wear, and items that will distract them when they lose it over not being able to push the stroller "by self!" But also all the items you'll need if you suddenly have to change activities for no good reason whatsoever!
I was on the back porch getting towels that had been left to dry in the sun and when I picked one up from the ground something darted out from under it so quickly I couldn't see what it was. But when something moves that quickly...uhhh...I do too!! I was back up by the door in one leap looking for it when it darted across the porch again. A spider! I have never in all of my years of seeing spiders seen one move that quickly. And it freaked me out! It not only ran fast but it was big and brown.
When he stopped to rest, I hurried inside to get a shoe for killing doing my best to remain quiet so not to wake the beast in the crib. I couldn't yell for Brad nor did I have time to go get him. It was all on me and I was praying for the God of the Angel Armies to give me some power!
When I returned with my weapon he was still resting under the water table. As I was about to strike him, he took off TOWARD me! OH.EM.GEE!!! In one giant leap I was across the patio and in the doorway. Peering over my shoulder to spot the enemy, he had disappeared.
Sweating and out of breath, I came inside and closed the door totally freaked. Brad came walking in to see what all the ruckus was. Red-faced and panting I said, "Spider. Big. Brown. I can't. It's scary! It might be inside. I don't know. Please help!"
So B took over. We looked around inside and couldn't find him, so he...very carefully and quietly...went back out to the porch. Shoe in hand, he began slowly and methodically lifting things to find that sucker. After several minutes we decided he probably ran back into the yard and we would not find him. I had been standing on the inside of the doorway cheering him on. Brad made a move to walk inside and when he did, that stinkin spider darted in front of him and came toward me again! He was now inside my house! We were both running and that thing was chasing us. Brad was yelling, "Get me some bug spray," and I was silently screaming as I was sprinting to the bathroom. We WERE NOT going to wake the babe!
When I got back in to the living room, Brad had him cornered. I handed him the wasp and hornet poison and he drenched it. He wanted to make sure he was dead so he struck him with the killing shoe 4 or 5 times while that thing bounced all over the place.
Y'all. I was undone!
And then we laughed. And laughed. And it was a welcome sight to see in this house.
Only God can know how big life situations and circumstances can be to us. As we try to distract our toddler, so He finds things to divert our eyes to help us lighten up. And I know He had to be getting a kick out of watching us run from that spider.
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