Bathroom Faucets

We had to get new master bath faucets because our other ones had called it quits. M installed them today and I think they look great! They're going to be a lot easier to clean than our other ones were and they match the decor a little better.

*The pictures are a little blurry because my camera is going out on me. Guess what I'm getting for Christmas....

I Will be Joyful

The Bible directs us to be "joyful always" 1 Thessalonians 5:16. So, I've decided that this is going to be my new focus and intention. I want to be joyful in all circumstances, good and bad. The temptation to complain, get upset, and just want to crawl back in bed can be overwhelming on some days and in some moments, but with this verse, I will have a constant reminder that if God had to tell us to be joyful always, that it won't be something that will be easy to do.

I will be joyful when.....

*I need to go somewhere, but my van has no gas and I wasn't the last person to drive it - even though I always try to return other vehicles with a full tank. - I will be joyful because I have a vehicle to drive and it's not empty because we don't have the money.

*my husband goes to the grocery store for me, but buys the wrong brand of several things because he doesn't know what I eat for breakfast. - I will be joyful because my husband went to the grocery store for me and that's one less thing I have to do.

*when my husband is able to go to church with us even though he wakes up 10 minutes before we need to leave and it ends up adding to my to-do list. - I will be joyful because he's going to church

*I check my daughter's diaper to see if it's dirty, only to get poop on my fingers. *disgusting* - I will be joyful because I have a healthy daughter that will be potty-trained one day.

*someone requests that I not do something a certain way despite the fact they do exactly what they're asking me NOT to do. - I will be joyful because I will use their "constructive criticism" as a measure of becoming a better person.

*when my 4 year old refuses to read anything despite his ability to. - I will be joyful because that means I get to read another bedtime story to him at night.

*I wake up the morning after Thanksgiving at 2:10 a.m. and 4 a.m., stay awake for at least an hour each time to only finally wake up at 6:30 for the day because I'm sick. - I will be joyful because the interrupted sleep gave me time for devotions and did not take away from the time I got to spend with my family (they were sleeping).

As I thought of more things to add to the list, I realized the word joyful could be interchanged with the word thankful very easily. I even thought about changing this post to "I Will be Thankful", but then realized it takes a lot more effort to be joyful than it does to be thankful. I can find a handful of things to be thankful for in almost any situation, good or bad, but finding a joyful spirit isn't always easy. Although I didn't take the time to look up definitions on Wikipedia, to be thankful, one must give thanks. Giving thanks can be very simple and can come from the most reluctant person. Joy on the other hand is an outward expression of an inward feeling (of something to be thankful for). Unlike being thankful, joyfulness can be spotted by complete strangers. It can present itself by a smile, a hug, or even a tone of voice.

Being joyful in all circumstances isn't always easy. When I started this post a couple of days ago, I was challenged by my own writings and found myself less than joyful, although I was always thankful. I soon realized being joyful is a decision, but can be really hard to express during difficult times. Luckily, I heard a song today that brings joy to my heart which allows me to express it more openly to others.

"It's me, It's me, It's me Oh Lord, standing in the need of prayer." (Repeat)

Not my brother or my sister (father or mother), it's me Oh Lord, standing in the need of prayer"

I heard it while listening to one of K's CDs today. It seems as though every time I realized I wasn't smiling, I could sing that song and my disposition would change and I could feel joyful again. I was singing it so much today that K even started singing it. It's amazing what praising the Lord can do for one's soul.

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16

She Never Stops

L never stops eating. That seems to be the only thing my darling daughter does. In the 3 hours she's been awake, she has had a pancake, a banana, an orange, 2 pickles, a piece of cheese, a hot dog, some of my broccoli and rice, Chex mix, frozen strawberries, and a sucker. Now she's asking for chicken nuggets. It's not even lunch yet, but I know she'll still eat a full meal when lunch times arrives. I really don't understand where she puts it all or if I should have her checked for tape worms.

I was once told that boys are the more expensive in regards to buying food, but if things continue to follow the current trends, I'm going to be in trouble because my grocery bill is going to be outrageous. At least she's not hoarding food in her crib anymore. You know, most kids wear bibs around the house to keep the drool off their clothes. My child wears a bib around the house because I know she's always going to be eating and if there is food left around on the table, she's going to eat it. I think I hear her opening the freezer. I better go check on her to see what she's eating now!

K's Christmas List

K asked me to help him write his Christmas list. As he told me what he wanted, I sounded the words out and occasionally helped him with a letter or two. He told me he wanted animals. When I asked him if he wanted to write animals or put specific ones, here's what he came up with:

1. Giraffe (He ran out of room, so ffe are above gira)
2. Monkey
3. Elephant (on top)
4. Kangaroo (on side)
When he ran out of room, he flipped the page over and wrote this:

Did you notice that it said dinosaur? Lucky for us, he said he wanted plastic ones, not real ones.

This time I gave him refrigerator magnets to look at so he could write the letters correctly. Although he's been able to write all of his uppercase letters correctly for at least a year or two, we've really started working on the lowercase ones more. What was really cute was when he wrote the capital D, he said it looked like a moon (a half moon).

Sunday Dress

As Christmas quickly approaches, I realized I only have a handful of Sundays left for her to wear all of her nice seasonal dresses for church. This was one of them and also her first time to wear pantyhose. I have no idea where the pantyhose came from, but I'm glad I found them because she doesn't have any cream socks and white would have thrown the whole things off. This will probably be the first as well as the last time she wears this dress. I just wish I would have had a bow to match.

Running Through the Hall

The other day, while I was doing laundry and M and K were playing on the bed, I heard L running through the halls laughing and screaming. This is what I found. She's seen her brother do it so much, that she thought she'd take part in it. I have no idea how that laundry basket has lasted this long, but hopefully it can make it through a third kiddo.

Although They're Siblings.....

Although my children look so much alike, their personalities are so different. They are both fearfully and wonderfully made, but....

~L eats ALL the time, while K only eats when he HAS to.

~L likes to wear shoes all day, while K only wears them when we're going somewhere and is quick to take them off when he gets home.

~L wakes up with a smile and is ready to go, while K needs to sit in my lap for a minute or two before he's ready to do anything.

~L loves it when new people walk in a room, while K likes to hide by me until he "warms" up to them.

~L loves playing outside, getting dirty, and splashing in water puddles. K was 2 years old before he would get his hands dirty. (We had to teach him that is was O.K. and he still stays pretty clean when he plays outside).

~K likes catching bugs, snakes, and lizards (although he won't touch them), while L has freaked out over a leaf before b/c she thought it was a big bug.

~K has always enjoyed playing with trucks, cars, and planes, while L enjoys playing with dolls, strollers, and purses.

~K likes wearing socks to bed, L doesn't like wearing socks unless she's wearing shoes.

Although their personalities are different in so many more ways, I try my best not to compare anything outside of what I would call a "quirk". It doesn't matter to me which one is going to be better at math, love reading more, or go to college. Despite any intellectual differences they might end up having, I would never compare them on that level. What matters the most is that I nourish them, cherish them, and teach them to love the Lord to the best of my ability so that when they are grown, they will be able to glorify Him in the things they do and say.

I'm looking forward to any new "quirks" their sibling might have or develop as they get older.

Wrapping Paper

When you need to wrap a birthday present for someone, but realize you don't have the appropriate wrapping paper, just flip the paper over to the white side and let your kiddos "customize" it. You don't have to worry about your present blending in with the other gifts.

I measured out the paper to make sure it was the correct size, rolled it flat, and let K paint it. I wrapped the gift after the paint dried. K had a fun time painting and I didn't have to buy more wrapping paper.

Bye-Bye Paci

I cut a hole in the tip of L's pacifier today and she didn't like it anymore, so she threw it away. Tonight is her first night to sleep without it. She cried for less than 10 minutes before all was quiet. I hope this was just something I should have done a long time ago, but just avoided and it's going to go easier than I expect, but we'll see. Here's hoping for a good night sleep for both of us.

Day 1

Last night went really well. L only woke up once at 12:30 a.m. Of course, she cried frantically for about 10 minutes because I think she thought she lost her pacifier, but M soothed her to sleep and she slept soundly the rest of the night. At least I think she did; I had the monitored turned off, so I can't say with absolute certainty. So, the night went fairly well. Today on the other hand, not going as well. She's been cranky for the entire 1.5 hours she's been awaking. She's asked me to move her bed from the wall 3 times in search of her missing pacifier. Poor thing forgot that she threw it away yesterday.

Day 1 - Nap

Too bad nap time without her pacifier wasn't as easy as bedtime last night. I stayed strong and she finally fell asleep, but I think she threw everything (blankets, pillow, and doll) out of bed during her tantrum before doing so. Well, she finally fell asleep and sleep for about 1.5 hours, not as long as usual, but at least she finally fell asleep.

Night 2

Went Great! The mornings start off a little fussy because she wakes up looking for her pacifier, forgetting that she didn't go to bed with it. It's amazing just how short their memories are. It's for this reason that I don't worry about her crying when she misses it; I know it will soon be forgotten and she will venture off to find another distraction.

School Curriculum

I've decided to use a different curriculum. Although I love and enjoy Five In a Row, I feel as though I was being pulled in a different direction and I had to stop resisting the change. I finally made the plunge and bought our new curriculum, My Father's World. After about an hour or two of contemplating, I purchased it about 11:30 p.m. Thursday night, closed my computer and went to bed. The next morning, I had an e-mail from a friend that she was selling her curriculum of MFW. The one I had just bought only hours ago for less than 1/2 the price of what I had just paid. Although my friend lives hours away, she was going to be in town that weekend, the next day, for our church's annual Ladies' Conference. I immediately called the company and asked them if they could stop the process. It was only 9 a.m. and they had already packaged the curriculum and it was waiting to ship. Fortunately, they were able to cancel the order and I was able to help my distant friend out by buying her curriculum, would be able to start the new curriculum within a few days, and saved money.

We started the curriculum on Monday and have already completed 4 days of work in about 1 hour worth of time in 2 days. K is very encouraged by MFW as I am because the "seat work" is very minimal (as of now), and it's reinforcing somethings he already knows as well as teaching him some new things and it incorporates God and the Bible in every lesson.

Today, we started the process of making raisins and made a sundial, which we'll put outside tomorrow (if it's not raining).

Ladies' Conference

What a wonderful weekend! Friday was a VERY full day, but the kids were able to get in a little nap, but because it was a "little" nap, bedtime was a lot easier than usual.

My church held their annual Ladies' Conference and it was amazing. Lisa TerKeurst did an outstanding job and I've already started reading one of her books, What Happens When Women Say Yes to God, and it's already inspired me enough to pause and take the time to blog about some things.

We have such an amazing God! There is no doubt in my mind that He loves me and is working in my life. This past week, a few of the MOPS steering team members have been talking about having more "real issues" at the meetings. We ALL love the idea. The problem with it is that it has to be given by someone that has gone through the trial(s) and is willing to share their story in a room full of over 50 ladies, some of which they DO NOT know and some of which probably have NO idea they've gone through the "real issue" they are discussing. Truth is, "real issues" like rape, abortion, adultery, divorce, post-partum depression, and physical and emotional abuse happen everyday and they DO happen in our church as well as of outside of the church. If these issues are happening in our church and in our society, why is no one talking about it or reaching out to those that are crying for help? Well, let me tell you, if you haven't heard Lisa's story, you really should. It's a story of forgiveness, of God's love, and of what can happen in someones life when they say "Yes" to Jesus! If you're truly interested in a journey, say yes to Jesus and live a life of radical obedience. God will not lead you anywhere that He's not willing not help you or carry you through.

Silly Sentences

I found this game on the Barnes and Noble website and since I had a gift card (from last Christmas) I had to buy it. I thought it would be a fun and educational game we could play with the kids as they learned to read. K loves it. He really enjoys making silly sentences and is even learning a few sight words as well as learning to read.

How silly is that? It even comes with periods, but we don't use those consistently yet. I like it because it truly is a puzzle and only certain parts of the puzzle will fit together so even if the sentences sounds funny and doesn't make sense, it's word order will always be correct.

She Adores Him

L adores her big brother so much that she was trying to wear his boots. I know the picture is blurry, but I was trying to hurry because she was taking it off.

Not Afraid of Work

I love the fact that my son, at 4 years of age, is not afraid of work or physical labor. The other day before church he told me he wanted to rake the leaves when we got home. I told him that was fine, but I knew we didn't have a large yard rake. When we got home from church, the first thing he asked me was if we could go rake the leaves. Since all we had was a garden rake, we borrowed one from one of our neighbors. I told our neighbor that I didn't think we'd be using it very long, but I was wrong. I know we had to have been out there for about an hour or more. As the pile of leaves grew and the random leaves in the yard started disappearing, K then asked me if he could jump in the leaves yet. Here I thought he was just wanting to clean the yard. I should have known there were ulterior motives. He did a great job and worked really hard to get the leaves high enough for him to play in them.

Here's a picture of him digging in an area where we just pulled a tree from. I think he's trying to see how big of a hole he can dig while he evens out the dirt. I'm not sure, but I know he enjoys digging holes and the shovel is the perfect size for him.

He No Longer Says.....

It wasn't too long ago that my son went through a stage were he "hated" me. It seemed as though everything I did that upset him (of course) set off a set of emotions causing him to make sure he knew that he did not approve of what I was doing and that he "hated" me. As an individual, I can live with someone not liking me. As a mom, I have to say it hurt. I didn't even know my son knew what that meant, much less how to use it properly. We NEVER talked like that to or about anyone. I understand he's young and he doesn't know how to express his feelings, but as a parent that is raising her children to follow and know the Lord, it's not something I can tolerate and excuse. I knew his actions couldn't go unpunished, I just really didn't know what to do or how to handle it.

The first time it happened, my initial shock was anger and hurt. I honestly didn't know what I had done to someone that I loved so much to cause him to use those words towards me and at me. I can say now, that I don't remember my initial reaction, but I do know that we talked to him about what the word meant and how inappropriate it was to say it not only to me, his mother, but to anyone, in any circumstance. We explained to him that God loves others and those that have God, have love towards others. It didn't seem to work. I tried to ignore it, but it seemed as though he screamed louder instead of becoming silent when I didn't acknowledge it. For the next couple of weeks, the words of anger continued and the punishment became worse. It seemed as though the discipline wasn't working at all. The hurt I felt started to lessened only a little as his words of anger increased. We tried spanking, we tried scripture, we tried time-outs. Nothing seemed to work.

Just when I thought I wouldn't be able to take the heartache anymore, I was reminded of something from my past and it hit me hard. When I was a teen, I once told my mother that I thought she was acting like a *particular explicit*. As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I KNEW without a doubt that I had said something extremely hurtful and I knew I didn't mean it. Much to my surprise, even to this day, my mom amazed me with her simple act of silence. She said NOTHING! I didn't know what to do! How could she not be hurt, angry, or disappointed? I now know she was all of the above and that by remaining silent, she punished me even more. I couldn't stop apologizing because I knew I had hurt her. I knew I didn't mean it. I knew I loved her. How could I have possibly said something so hateful to someone that I loved, cared for, and cherished so much? I remember it almost like it was yesterday. I remember her reaction. I remember where we were when I said it. I don't remember why I said it, but I can almost remember what I was wearing. As I type this, all of the overwhelming feelings and emotions I felt that day rush back and it still makes me sick to my stomach to think I mistreated her in that way.

I NEVER would have even thought about talking to my dad that way and I didn't see him much because he worked out of town a lot. So, why in the world would I even consider, much less act upon the thoughts I had at the moment to hurt the one person that I knew loved me the most? The Bible is very clear about honoring your father and mother. For God said, 'Honor your father and mother' and 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.' Matthew 15:4. Although I did not die a physical death that day, a part of me did die emotionally. I know my mother forgave me. I finally forgave myself. My mom, in acting against every nerve in her body, did just as the Lord directed her to do and it impacted me in a way I will never forget and showed me a way in which I too should raise my children. 'But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also....' Luke 6:27-29.

K no longer tells me he hates me, but showers me with "I love yous" throughout the day. Today, in gymnastics, he stopped what he was doing a couple of times to sign "I Love You".

By remembering that one simple act of silence that my mother acted upon so many years ago, and putting it into action, not only as she did, but as the Lord instructs us to do, I was able to finally show my son how I should have been responding the entire time and it's made all the difference in the world. Now when he gets angry, he knows there's another way.

K's ammunition

M bought a slingshot not too long ago and K has become very good at using it. The only problem is that once he runs out of ammunition we're not buying him anymore. Here is his solution. I went outside and saw him picking them up around the yard.

Writing Lesson

The kids got to spend the night with their NaNa a couple of weeks ago. When we left, she asked K to write her a thank you note since he didn't want to say "thank you" because he didn't want to leave. I think AGF are his favorite letters to write b/c he finally figured out how to write them correctly.
Aside from his name, I told him how to spell "thank you" as he wrote it out. Now I just need to teach him how to write lowercase letters.

K's Nature Find

K and his daddy found all of these things in our backyard, mostly under one piece of wood, in a matter or hours. I didn't know grub worms got that big!
Snake eggs that had already hatched! I guess I have something to look forward to/watch out for next summer! Happy Nature Hunting!

Pumpkin Patch

Here are some pictures I took of our visit to the Pumpkin Patch in October with our MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group. There were over 50 kids, so we had to split into 2 groups, but the kids had a lot of fun. They got to visit a clown, run/play through the pumpkin patch, eat some snacks, and listen to a story. They even got to take home a little pumpkin.