Family Photo
Friday, July 29, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
A Glimpse into My Life "In The Trenches"
My friend has described my life with 3 little ones as being "in the trenches." I could not think of a better description. Every day is a hard work: Having to do everything for everyone as they are too little to do anything for themselves is exhausting...not to mention waking up in the middle of the night every night to breastfeed. Every day is a battle: A battle with my 3 year old not to hit her brother out of anger; a battle with my 4 year-old not to whine and to obey the first time; and a battle with my baby to sleep through the night and stop screaming uncontrollably in the car. Every day is unpredictable: I never know who is going to have a meltdown at the wrong moment; who is going to decide to have a defiant day; or who is going to decide that they do not like the clothes I chose for them to wear.
Just so that you can get a better understanding of my life "in the trenches," I have posted this video of our average every day car ride.
Noah is fighting with Maia because Maia has said that there is NO traffic even though there clearly is traffic just to tick off her brother; Maia is making Noah even more upset because she is putting Malakai's pacifier in her mouth and then putting it in his mouth (she does this as well for the sole purpose of ticking off her brother); Noah is very upset about his sister being mean and about the traffic so he starts to pray; through the entire car ride, Malakai is screaming at the top of his lungs; and finally, Ricky is ready to exit the vehicle and run far far away!
Warning: You will probably make it through 10 seconds of this and not be able to watch anymore...but I figured I'd post it anyways!
Just so that you can get a better understanding of my life "in the trenches," I have posted this video of our average every day car ride.
Noah is fighting with Maia because Maia has said that there is NO traffic even though there clearly is traffic just to tick off her brother; Maia is making Noah even more upset because she is putting Malakai's pacifier in her mouth and then putting it in his mouth (she does this as well for the sole purpose of ticking off her brother); Noah is very upset about his sister being mean and about the traffic so he starts to pray; through the entire car ride, Malakai is screaming at the top of his lungs; and finally, Ricky is ready to exit the vehicle and run far far away!
Warning: You will probably make it through 10 seconds of this and not be able to watch anymore...but I figured I'd post it anyways!
Untitled from Taleah Murray on Vimeo.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
...But I'm Sure Paul Did NOT have 3 Little Kids
3 We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry. 4 In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. 5 We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. 6 We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us,[c] and by our sincere love. 7 We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense. 8 We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors. 9 We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. 10 Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.. 2 Corinthians 6:3-10
So, the other morning, I woke up after having only 5 hours of interrupted sleep. I nearly threw my phone across the room when the alarm went off. I sleepily walked to the bathroom and squeezed some Visine into my tired bloodshot eyes and proceeded to get ready for work. I knew this was going to be a bad morning...
The baby woke up before I had a chance to finish getting ready, then Noah woke up and decided that it was going to a be a whining-for-everything type day, and Maia chose to have a throw-a-tantrum-because-I-can't-call-the-shots type day. Don't they know how tired I am? As the morning went on, I got more and more irritated and mean. I think I bit everyone's head off including Ricky's (I don't think he did anything but I was on a roll so I got mad at him for pouring the milk too slowly or something).
Then, as I drove to work with my screaming baby, my whiny preschooler, and my pouty toddler. This passage in 2 Corinthians came to mind. God was speaking to me. And, all I could do was argue..."But God, Paul did NOT have 3 little kids that drove him crazy after not getting any sleep! I know that he says that I am to be a minister of God and an example to everyone, but did he have to deal with a screaming baby and a preschooler who whines for EVERYTHING, and a tantrum throwing out-of-control toddler?...Yes, I understand that he was beaten and imprisoned and starving and sleepless, but...but...but...
Yup, there I was arguing with God about how I should be excused from my behavior because Paul didn't have 3 little kids to deal with after a sleepless night. He was only beaten, starved, and imprisoned.
Sometimes, I wonder how God puts up with me and my crazy rants! But, I am so thankful that He is patient with me and loves me anyways.
Then, as I drove to work with my screaming baby, my whiny preschooler, and my pouty toddler. This passage in 2 Corinthians came to mind. God was speaking to me. And, all I could do was argue..."But God, Paul did NOT have 3 little kids that drove him crazy after not getting any sleep! I know that he says that I am to be a minister of God and an example to everyone, but did he have to deal with a screaming baby and a preschooler who whines for EVERYTHING, and a tantrum throwing out-of-control toddler?...Yes, I understand that he was beaten and imprisoned and starving and sleepless, but...but...but...
Yup, there I was arguing with God about how I should be excused from my behavior because Paul didn't have 3 little kids to deal with after a sleepless night. He was only beaten, starved, and imprisoned.
Sometimes, I wonder how God puts up with me and my crazy rants! But, I am so thankful that He is patient with me and loves me anyways.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Maia's Version of The Story
Me: So, Maia, what did you learn in your church class today?
Maia: We learned about the snake.
Me: What about the snake?
Maia: The sneaky snake told Eve to eat the fruit, but God told Eve not to eat the fruit. But, Eve was naughty and ate the fruit. She didn't obey.
Me: And what happened to her because she didn't obey God?
Maia: She got a pretty dress.
Me: She got a pretty dress?
Maia: Yeah. At the beginning, she didn't have clothes, but after she ate the fruit she got a pretty dress. It didn't have sparkles though.
Later in the day, I asked Noah about the story. I hoped that he could help Maia understand it a little better...
Noah: Yeah Eve pointed at the sneaky snake and Adam pointed at Eve.
Me: Oh, so they were blaming others for their bad choices?
Noah: Uh huh. They were not supposed to eat the fruit from that one tree. There was lots of other trees and God said, "You can eat the fruit from all the other trees, but not that one." But, they didn't obey. The sneaky snake made Eve eat the fruit.
Me: They didn't obey God right? They ate the fruit from the tree that they were told not to eat from.
Maia: Yeah, they're not supposed to do that 'cuz it's dirty. They're supposed to wash the fruit first because it's dirty since it grows from the ground!
Good to know that my daughter is comprehending the profound truths found in Scripture...ay yaiy yaiy...
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Parenting is Heavy
Intelligence, success, happiness, fame, talent, health. I am supposed to want these things for my children. I have heard many times, "I just want my kids to grow up to be successful, responsible, contributors to society." Or I've heard this one many times, "I just want my children to grow up to be happy." These sayings sound so wonderful and yet so hollow and empty at the same time.
As a parent, I was given these fragile, impressionable, priceless little lives to mold. What do I want for them? What is my ultimate goal in raising them? Do I want them to be healthy? Do I want them to be successful? Do I want them to be smart? Do I want them to "realize their full potential?" NO! My ultimate goal; the only thing that matters to me is that they know and love Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Without this nothing matters. The thought of them not choosing, not knowing Christ, makes me dizzy and sick to my stomach. However, if they know Christ and they get cancer (God forbid), I know that they will be comforted in Christ and that I will see them again in Heaven; If they are not the sharpest tool in the shed, they know that Christ's power is made perfect in their weakness; If they are not the CEO of a Fortune 500 Company, they know that they can do whatever it is they choose to the glory of God.
Happiness, success, intelligence are all fleeting, empty, and hollow without Jesus. I feel as though Christian parents have lost sight of this in America today. We say that we want our kids to know Christ, but we are lazy and unintentional about it. Maybe we do not really believe that our kids will go to Hell, ETERNAL TORMENT, if they do not choose to follow Christ. It is not real to us so instead we spend all our time encouraging our kids to follow their dreams, to use their brain, and to behave, all for the sake of raising happy responsible contributors to society. We may even incorporate church on Sundays and prayer before meals because we want them to have God as a part of their lives. We forget that God does not allow us to have Him as a part of our lives. God requires the WHOLE of our lives.
I have had this burden on my heart as I watch well-intentioned Christian parents miss that the ultimate goal in our parenting should be to lead our children to the cross, to point them to Jesus, and to exemplify His love. I am in the process of discovering that this is a huge task, a high calling, and not for the faint of heart. It requires much patience, endurance, and most of all Christ's power. My daily meetings with Him are vital as I count on His strength and wisdom and power to constantly point my children to Christ as we go about our daily lives.
I take my calling as a parent very seriously and I have no desire to fail my children. I pray that one day, when my kids are grown and I am still on this earth serving Jesus, I will look to my right and my left and see my children serving alongside me taking down the gates of Hell and growing God's kingdom. Furthermore, I pray that when Ricky and I are in Heaven bowing before the King of Kings, Noah, Maia, and Malakai will be right there with us singing His praises at the top of their lungs.
In light of that picture, intelligence, health, and success seem pretty meaningless...
As a parent, I was given these fragile, impressionable, priceless little lives to mold. What do I want for them? What is my ultimate goal in raising them? Do I want them to be healthy? Do I want them to be successful? Do I want them to be smart? Do I want them to "realize their full potential?" NO! My ultimate goal; the only thing that matters to me is that they know and love Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Without this nothing matters. The thought of them not choosing, not knowing Christ, makes me dizzy and sick to my stomach. However, if they know Christ and they get cancer (God forbid), I know that they will be comforted in Christ and that I will see them again in Heaven; If they are not the sharpest tool in the shed, they know that Christ's power is made perfect in their weakness; If they are not the CEO of a Fortune 500 Company, they know that they can do whatever it is they choose to the glory of God.
Happiness, success, intelligence are all fleeting, empty, and hollow without Jesus. I feel as though Christian parents have lost sight of this in America today. We say that we want our kids to know Christ, but we are lazy and unintentional about it. Maybe we do not really believe that our kids will go to Hell, ETERNAL TORMENT, if they do not choose to follow Christ. It is not real to us so instead we spend all our time encouraging our kids to follow their dreams, to use their brain, and to behave, all for the sake of raising happy responsible contributors to society. We may even incorporate church on Sundays and prayer before meals because we want them to have God as a part of their lives. We forget that God does not allow us to have Him as a part of our lives. God requires the WHOLE of our lives.
I have had this burden on my heart as I watch well-intentioned Christian parents miss that the ultimate goal in our parenting should be to lead our children to the cross, to point them to Jesus, and to exemplify His love. I am in the process of discovering that this is a huge task, a high calling, and not for the faint of heart. It requires much patience, endurance, and most of all Christ's power. My daily meetings with Him are vital as I count on His strength and wisdom and power to constantly point my children to Christ as we go about our daily lives.
I take my calling as a parent very seriously and I have no desire to fail my children. I pray that one day, when my kids are grown and I am still on this earth serving Jesus, I will look to my right and my left and see my children serving alongside me taking down the gates of Hell and growing God's kingdom. Furthermore, I pray that when Ricky and I are in Heaven bowing before the King of Kings, Noah, Maia, and Malakai will be right there with us singing His praises at the top of their lungs.
In light of that picture, intelligence, health, and success seem pretty meaningless...
Monday, July 4, 2011
Multitasking
If only I was always this happy, calm, collected, and put together while multitasking....
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Mom Jeans & Boring Basics
The big red signs with the big white words beckoned me. I could feel the magnetic force drawing me in. I entered. I expected all the joys of shopping to fill me like they always do when I enter one of my favorite clothing stores while a sale is taking place. Instead, this unfamiliar feeling of insecurity overwhelmed me. As I looked around, I was overwhelmed: Do I get the flowery prints? Can I pull off the mid waste belt look? Are those shorts too short? Should I stick with the solids? Am I supposed to layer that top? Am i too old for that dress? What size am I anyways? I realized then, that in the 9 months that I was pregnant, I had completely lost my sense of style.
Now, I've never been on the cutting edge of fashion, but I knew what looked good on me. However, after being in maternity clothes for much of the last year, and working with a bunch of young beautiful pre-baby fashionistas, I had no clue what to buy. I was so afraid that I'd end up with "mom jeans" and plain t-shirts in my bag by the time I walked out of the store. I almost just turned around and left but... I couldn't resist a sale! So, I made my rounds and purchased a few items including a skirt for $1.00 (only because I knew that if one of those fashionistas from work came across that skirt, she would find some way to make it cute, and I wanted to be like her).
I am now sitting here looking at my purchases and I'm a little disappointed. I played it safe for fear of ending up on that "What Not to Wear" show. I stuck with the boring solid colored basic items. And, while I am glad I avoided the "mom jeans," I'm disappointed with my boring sense of style.
The conclusion that I came to is: I NEED a personal stylist!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Now, I've never been on the cutting edge of fashion, but I knew what looked good on me. However, after being in maternity clothes for much of the last year, and working with a bunch of young beautiful pre-baby fashionistas, I had no clue what to buy. I was so afraid that I'd end up with "mom jeans" and plain t-shirts in my bag by the time I walked out of the store. I almost just turned around and left but... I couldn't resist a sale! So, I made my rounds and purchased a few items including a skirt for $1.00 (only because I knew that if one of those fashionistas from work came across that skirt, she would find some way to make it cute, and I wanted to be like her).
I am now sitting here looking at my purchases and I'm a little disappointed. I played it safe for fear of ending up on that "What Not to Wear" show. I stuck with the boring solid colored basic items. And, while I am glad I avoided the "mom jeans," I'm disappointed with my boring sense of style.
The conclusion that I came to is: I NEED a personal stylist!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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