For anyone that knows me, I'm sure they would think Kade is my opposite. It's true, he is. Kade is a cowboy, he was raised on a farm. It shows in his day to day life as well as his work ethic. His parents did an amazing job raising him, making sure to pay attention to details. His morals in life are contagious; I've never met anyone that has such a big heart and always willing to help anyone in need. Kade does an amazing job keeping me in line when I need it. He's quick to remind me to see every situation from different perspectives, one quality I am lacking in. There are so many qualities in Kade that I love, making me work hard at adopting them into my lifestyle. One of my favorite qualities is Kade's ability to become a kid when spending time with our children. This is something I noticed early in our relationship, and something that reminds me everyday why I love him so much. Watching him interact with Turner melts my heart. Kade has an abundance of patience with Turner, a trait that is not learned. I wouldn't be where I am today without Kade. He has supported me, both emotionally and financially, throughout my college career. He had unfortunately had to bear the brunt of my emotional break-downs from stress, but he takes them like a champ.
During marriage prep, deacon Pat Coy stressed the importance of surrendering yourself to your spouse. At first, I took offense to this. Me, surrender myself to my husband? How dare he say that....it's the 21st century, women do not surrender to their husbands. Little did I know, I took this the wrong way. I watch Kade surrender himself to our family, everyday. He works 40-50 hours a week, and when needed he gives up his weekend to work side jobs. He does all of this so that we are provided with the things we need. Watching my husband do this day after day, week after week inspires me to do the same for him. I might not necessarily do it in the same ways, but each week I stop and think, what can *I* do for him that will make his life easier?-- Then I concentrate on those items.
Turner is my three year old. Not a day goes by that I don't thank God for him. I've feel blessed that I was able to stay home with him over the summer. It gave us some much needed time to catch up with each other. We spent our days playing in the pool, going to the park, playing puzzles, weekly trips to the library and of course snuggling together at nap time. When I'm in school, I feel like a "stretch arm-strong doll", being pulled in every which direction. There were times that Turner had to sacrifice time with me because of it. This summer has taught me to savor those moments with your kids, you only get them once. So instead of working hard to get an A on a project, take the time to play with him when he asks me. I should be flattered he wants to play with me!! Thankfully this summer has been a time that I've been able to catch up on those moments, and I wouldn't trade them for the world. Turner is so enthusiastic about everything he's doing, he always has a skip in his step and a smile on his face. This is a quality I would kill for. For now, all I can do is try to adopt it into my daily life. He truly is a good little boy.
Ainsley joined our family in the middle of May. After many months of preparing for her birth, we were able to work together to bring her into the world without any medical interventions. Instead of the typical 6 week maternity leave, I was able to spend 3 1/2 months home with her. Breastfeeding has been a great experience with Ainsley. The first few weeks were difficult, many breastfeeding sessions ended in tears; either on my part or hers. But eventually we both learned what we were doing and got a hang of it. My most cherished moments with her have been our feedings at night. I know this might sound crazy but those feedings are so peaceful. I don't have a phone ringing, chores that need to be done, a three year old screaming at me or testing my patience. When everyone else is asleep Ainsley and I get to stare into each others eyes as she quietly nurses. Then she falls back asleep as I pat her back. Some nights instead of putting her back into her crib, I just sit there with her asleep in my arms. With Turner being an independent three year old, it is so fulfilling to have another person depend on me. I love approaching her crib in the morning, seeing her face fill with a smile and her little arms start to wiggle in excitement! Last weekend we were camping, while playing at the campsite playground, I held Ainsley on my lap and swung with her as Turner climbed on the jungle gym. Ainsley belted out a big laugh! I shared her first laugh with her on that swing! What an amazing moment!
Last leaves me--
My family, as mentioned above, has molded me into the person I am today. I try my hardest to be the best wife to my husband and mom to my kids as I can be. Being home with my kids has taught me a lot about being a mom. There's nothing more that I love more than a clean house, a majority of my time used to be dedicated to keeping my house up to my standards. I can't say that's the case anymore. Leave the dishes, play with your kids. Chores can be done when they are napping or asleep. Cherish that time you have with them, as it slips by too quickly. I've also been concentrating on ways that I can pinch pennies around the house (more blogs to come on this). If we have to be completely broke for a couple of weeks in order to make a camping trip fit our budget, it's well worth it to me...
Warmly,
Kori McVey
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