The Tilma Family Blog

Oh Toby

// November 12th, 2009 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

Oh Toby, You are so patient.

JD sure is cute

// November 11th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Uncategorized

Hard Work?

// August 4th, 2009 // No Comments » // All Blog Posts, Uncategorized

 There is so much to learn in life. As parents, we want the very best for our children  and therefore, try to teach them important values and principles early on in life to  best prepare them for adulthood. But these lessons are sometimes difficult to  teach….and to learn. The other day, Hudson and I were outside while Sophie and  JD were napping. Daddy had given Hudson instructions to pick up the piles of  rocks in the driveway she had worked so hard on gathering there, which Hudson  was not at all thrilled about doing. As I was doing other yard work, I noticed that  instead of picking up the rocks, Hudson was doing anything and everything else  she could think of to entertain herself. We talked several times about the  importance of cleaning up after ourselves, the consequences of not doing so and the  value in being a hard worker. But, Hudson was still not convinced she should pick  up the rocks and instead, pestered me as to what exactly Daddy would be taking  away from her if she had not completed her chore. As it became apparent that she  would much rather have her favorite toy or movie taken away from her then pick up  these rocks, I sat down with Hudson and really tried to teach her about being a  hard worker and where that would lead her in life. As I spoke, I could see she was getting a little upset and finally, she said, “But I don’t want to be a hard worker, I just want to be a Mommy!” To which I quickly responded, “I’ve got news for you, honey, being a mommy is very hard work!” With a look of complete devastation and a little bewilderment, the tears began to flow down her little rosy cheeks as she whimpered, “Oh no” and flopped her head down on her lap and continued to cry. I had just crushed the image of her perfect future life, and yet, I couldn’t help but giggle at her severe response. One popcicle and a few hugs later, the rocks were picked up completely and life was good again.

Dola the Doula

// April 25th, 2009 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

My dear friend, Bindi, was blessed to have her husband and a doula by her side while laboring with her third child, Nigel. Her husband, Glenn, retells the entire story quite well. My favorite part is that the doula’s name is actually Dola! Dola the Doula. Hillarious! Need I say more?

Great Quote – “Marinate” On This One

// April 23rd, 2009 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

“We don’t wait well. We’re into microwaving; God, on the other hand, is usually into marinating.”

- Dutch Sheets in his book, Intercessory Prayer: How God Can Use Your Prayers to Move Heaven and Earth

Big Sisters

// February 6th, 2009 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

One of Those Days…

// December 1st, 2008 // 1 Comment » // All Blog Posts, Uncategorized

We had one of those days today. You know, the kind of day that does not go at all as you had planned. The kind of day that you hoped would be highly productive, well thought-out and executed. The kind of day that left you with a strong sense of accomplishment when all was done. Well, today was not one of those days. It started with a quick trip to the store that ended up taking longer to check out from than the time it actually took to shop (that is for another post altogether!). On our way home from the store, Dave called and as we were each driving, he says those lovely little words, “I think something is wrong with the car!” As it turns out, on his way to get an estimate for some auto body work that needed to be done, he got a flat tire – within actual sight of the repair shop! But, since he was closer to another repair shop just before it on the frontage road, he pulled in there. Three hours, two tires and a radiator hose later (and a partridge in a pear tree seems fitting her e), we were back in business. We never did get that original estimate! Oh well, we’ll try again tomorrow.

Daddy’s Girl

// November 26th, 2008 // 1 Comment » // Uncategorized

Sophie, our 18-month-old, can be quite a strong-willed child at times. However, she has a very soft heart when it comes to her daddy. Lately, she has been resisting going to bed at night. After several attempts of various techniques, Dave offered to try. He simply walked in her room, asked her calmly and quietly to lay down, rubbed her back for about 10 seconds, told her he loved her and then walked out. That was it! We had established a whole new bedtime routine for her that has been going on now for about 3 weeks. The other night presented a challenge, however. Dave happened to be out at an appointment and then running errands. He was not going to be home in time for the girls bedtime. Sophie was resisting going to bed and I thought I was in for an hour or so of unpleasantness. Then, I thought of a brilliant idea – let's call Dave! Maybe just hearing his voice will work. Honestly, I didn't really think it would work but was willing to give it a whirl just in case. I brought the phone into her room and put it up to Sophie's ear. The second she heard his voice, she quit crying, laid down in her crib, pulled her blanket up, rolled over and closed her eyes. No joke! I was astonished and amazed. Whatever it is about her daddy, Sophie is calmed by him. I know exactly how she feels.

Through The Kitchen Window

// November 15th, 2008 // 2 Comments » // All Blog Posts, Uncategorized

We have had “one of those mornings.” Upon getting up this morning, I discovered that my phone had gone through some sort of ”meltdown” during the night while it was charging. It kept prompting me to make an emergency call, then the screen said, “SOS”, and back and forth between the two it went. After trying several quick fixes – mainly restarting it – it was obvious that my nearly new phone was definitely not OK. So, Dave, to my rescue, offeredto make an appointment at the Apple store to have it fixed immediately. Awesome! While Dave is showering, I decided to take the girls out back to let them play on the porch while I cleaned the pool. It was a bit brisk this morning (probably 60 degrees or so – which is brisk for TX), so thankfully, I bundled them up – as you will understand later, I was quite “thankful” for doing so. Midway through our playtime, Dave popped his head out the door before leaving for the Apple store to say good bye. I was very appreciative of his willingness to take care of this for me – as if left up to me, would probably not get done until about Thursday. About 10 minutes after Dave left, I decided it was probably time for the girls and I to go inside for a snack. Everyone was hungry and a bit cold by now so it was definitely time to go inside. After gathering the girls, their toys, etc. we all headed to the back door only to be confronted immediately with the fact that we had been locked out! Dave, out of habit (as both he and I developed a strong habit of locking that door out to the pool to protect our girls) had locked us out and then left on his merry way for a morning of alone time and errand running. “Great!” I exclaimed. Hudson’s ears perked up as she quickly asked why the door was locked. My mind quickly raced to my options and the mere fact that Dave would be gone for hours and had taken my phone! I checked the side gates in hopes that my neighbor would be home for us to grab a spare key. In so doing, I quickly realized that we were blocked in our backyard. One gate was blocked by a bunch of garbage and such that we have accumulated while packing, the other gate was locked from the other side. I thought about busting a window, then realized that my love of fresh air had earlier prompted me to leave my kitchen window open just a crack. I popped the screen out and pulled open the window. A sigh of relief filled the air. As I climbed through the kitchen window unto the counter area- 7 months pregnant – I looked up through our front windows in just enough time to see a car pull away. “Great!” I had missed the inspector who was coming to our house this morning. Oh well. Tonight is date night. Dave and I are going to the Cheescake factory with a gift card. That makes up for a whole lot of “oops”.

Praise God–He sold our house!

// November 11th, 2008 // 1 Comment » // All Blog Posts, Uncategorized

Praise God–He sold our house this weekend.  We have been planning to move by mid-December, but our house was still on the market.  We had several showings every week, but no serious interest.  A neighboor found out that we had the house on the market and told another neighboor who had always loved the house.  They came over for several showings and loved it.  They currently live a couple of blocks over and need more room.  No agents were involved so the price worked for everyone!