Life, Love, and Laughter

Braedon Pre-School

2011-09-06T12:17:00.000-07:00

-Before Five In A Row
My Big Green Pocketbook
Yellow Ball
I used printable activities from homeschool share.
I was talking with a friend about Before Five In A Row the other day and realized my love for the book. I don't know if I didn't have the right foundation or what but I have never been very interested in reading. It was more of a necessity so I never really "studied" books nor was I able to see all of the imagination within the pages. For example, when I first read Goodnight Moon to my kids, my first thought was 'this book is boring'. Then, I read Before Five In A Row. I had a whole different perspective when reading Goodnight Moon and seriously thought 'Wow, this book is awesome'! We have had more fun with the books and activities from BFIAR then anything else we have done.
As we move forward, I am going to work in printables from Homeschool Creations to go along with our BFIAR books. I will check homeschool share to supplement, as well. Our next book is Caps for Sale.
-Mini unit study-Fire Engine Man by Andrea Zimmerman & David Clemesha
This consisted of reading the book and a Fireman preschool pack from Homeschool Creations. It would have been made complete with a trip to the fire station but I am so not that organized yet! -Read and Write the Room from 1+1+1=1, Braedon loved doing this and asked to do it over and over again. I hid the pictures around the room so it was sort of a hide and go seek game, which he loves. He was very motivated to trace the words after finding them.
-Aquarium-We took a family trip to the aquarium and it was super fun. It went along great with the book Yellow Ball since it is about a ball in the ocean.
-Family Time, Bible, and Character Training
I use the mapbook that Braedon gets from Lil' K each Sunday morning to reinforce the lesson he learned at church. I am thinking of building our own Family Time lessons around either the mapbook or whatever character trait we are working on. I was pulling from several different resources so we covered several different things over the past few weeks.
Family time-Just like the air, God is always there, this was one of the kid's favorites since it involved a balloon. It also spawned weeks of blowing up balloons just to let them go and watch them fly around.
Family time-Watching unchecked sin grow bigger and bigger also using a balloon
Lil' K-Creation
Lil' K-Good Samaritan
Joyful Heart Character-Orderly, we also worked on putting letters in alphabet order, next up: Attentive
-Beginning math skills workbook (from Target for $1)
-Preschool in a Bag-We have been working on these for short periods of time throughout the day.
-Computer time-Braedon plays educational games on the computer for a short period of time on most days.

(UN)Forgetful Friday

2011-09-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

We had a Family Time lesson on consequences. The following week when we were having another family time lesson we were reviewing what we talked about the week before. When we asked Braedon if he remembered what we learned last week, he said, "when I disobey, complain, or argue, I get a concentrate."

Kaley twirling around...so sweet, beautiful, and carefree.

Braedon and Conner bonding with the help of the Wii...Kaley intently watching.

Even though Braedon is becoming such a big boy, he is still content and fully entertained to do this...sometimes.

Garrett snuggling with my dad:

Braedon riding his bike in the living room. He says, "Stop, red light." Then, he looked up as if he was waiting for the light to change and said, "Go, green light" and started riding again. Love that his imaginative play is increasing!

Kaley has quite the imagination too. In the car she started squeeling a little bit so my ears perked up just to make sure she was alright. I looked in the mirror and saw her looking up and acting like she was grabbing something and saying, "no balloon, no don't fly away."(but there was no balloon)

Garrett has been (affectionately) nicknamed "Meatball, Chunkzilla, and Meatloaf." The funniest is Meatloaf because daddy will sometimes break out singing "and I would do anything for love..." when Garrett enters the room, which never fails to make us chuckle.

I love watching Kaley pretend play too. She pretend plays with all of her "friends" (stuffed animals). She puts them to bed, reads to them, sleeps with them, swings them in the baby swing, sits them in the chair next to the dinner table when we are sitting at dinner. I also love to see her pretend play in the play kitchen. She will put something into the microwave and press the buttons. She puts her hands behind her back and sways back and forth for a minute. Then, she opens up the microwave and takes out whatever she was "cooking".

Here she is reading a book to a porcelain bear that doubles as a doorstop for our bathroom door. She was supposed to be in the bathroom brushing her teeth and after a couple of minutes I went in and found this.

Every morning the kids need to have a conversation about where Daddy is. So, it is normal that within the first 5 minutes of being awake they ask, "where's Daddy?" I say, "Daddy is working." We go back and forth a few times just to make sure the answer is the same each time (I guess). Then, Kaley inserts her favorite phrase, "But, why?" This morning, Braedon spoke up and said, "Daddy goes to work so he can buy money."
Kaley is about as cute as she can be helping me wash windows.

Garrett is much less irritated about being on the floor now that he can crawl and get around whereever he needs to go. Yay, Garrett!

Kaley has been successfully using the potty with only one accident for about a month now...I forgot to keep track. She is still in a pull-up overnight but stays dry during her naptime. Yay, Kaley!

It took Braedon a little while to break out of his shell but he finally has. Instead of being in his own world at church now he plays with other kids. He plays with the other kids at play places too. He is also very verbal now. Some teachers that were wondering why they couldn't get him to talk are amazed now that he wants to tell them everything.

A very blessed visit by my parents. A party to celebrate Garrett's, mom's, Dad's birthdays which are on consequtive days. Lots of bodies in my house = a warm heart for me!

Followed by a very blessed visit by Andrew's mom, aka Mom2 or Hamma...
There is always so much more I want to include in these posts but until next time...Enjoy the precious moments with our little people. Praise God for the wonderful gift of children!

Courageous (movie review)

2011-09-01T10:22:00.000-07:00

We had the opportunity to see a pre-screening of the movie Courageous at our church a couple of months ago. It is jam packed with action, drama, and diverse story lines. More importantly, it is challenging and sends messages that our world desperately needs to here. That being said,

GO SEE IT AND TAKE EVERYONE YOU KNOW!

The movie hits theaters on September 30, 2011.

And, check out the nifty poster on my sidebar. If you are a blogger go grab one and promote the movie on your blog too.

Garrett - One Year!

2011-08-10T10:06:00.000-07:00

Our precious third born son turned a year old on August 5. Praise God for his little life after my majorly complicated pregnancy. When I read the third bullet point of the diagnosis information of vasa previa, I can't help but get a chill down my spine and be that much more thankful for him. Despite the pregnancy and delivering him 6 weeks early, Baby Garrett is doing great!

This past month has included lots of transitions for him. He is crawling, YAY! He still is not very motivated to do it much but he can do it when he wants too. Even before he was crawling, he figured out how to scoot himself across the living room floor to the shelf that holds some puzzles, books, and a few toys and proceeded to scatter everything around. He switched from a bottle to a sippy cup with no problem. He also switched from formula to milk with no problem. He cut his second tooth (now he has both bottom front teeth). He is in the process of transitioning to one nap a day as opposed to two. He babbles and laughs a LOT. It is really funny to be around him just to watch him talk and laugh. He has pretty severe stranger anxiety. It makes me feel kind of bad when someone he doesn't know tries to talk to him and he screams like they just pinched him or something. He has quite a bit of separation anxiety too. I feel kind of bad for him when I walk around the corner (out of sight) and he screams his head off. Other than that, he is really fun and fairly laid back. His stats from his checkup are: 23.5lbs and 31in. Such a big boy!

We had a little party for his birthday. We were very blessed to have my mom, dad, and nephew, Conner, visiting from Indiana. My dad's birthday is August 6 and my mom's is August 7 so we had a celebration for everyone on Saturday. We had barbecue pork, corn on the cob, beans, cake, and ice cream. We had a pinata for the older kids (filled with granola bars, granola, raisins, fruit roll-ups, and blow pops...yes I caved and got one kind of candy). And, Baby Garrett got a few presents that included a v-tech drive and discover toy, school bus toy, puzzles, books, and a ball.

Garrett gnawed on his first corn on the cob:

And, he took down his first cupcake much like a wood chipper takes down a piece of wood:

Previous monthly posts: I can't believe it has been a year already.
11 months
10 months
9 months
8 months
7 months
6 months
5 months
4 months
3 months
2 months
1 month

Real Food - Confessions

2011-08-02T07:53:00.000-07:00

I just now realized (yeah I am a little slow) that I forgot to mention something in my last update. I never want to give off the impression that we've got this figured out or that we never cheat, because we don't and we do. Confession time: We eat fast food a couple of times a week sometimes. It is a way for us to get the kids out of the house and play and get out of cooking dinner. Our favorites are Chick-Fil-A, McDonald's, and Burger King. Sometimes I don't like it and wish we never went out to eat. But, the fact is that we do and it does make things easier on me when we do and the kids really enjoy it. This food thing is a major work in progress with us. Possibly at some point I will plan well enough to have "real food" to-go meals and we can just go picnic somewhere instead of buying fast food. But until then, it is what it is.

While I am on this confession kick let me also tell you that we go out for ice cream once or twice a month. We are having cupcakes and store bought ice cream to celebrate Garrett's first birthday this weekend. We are even getting a pinata for the older kids and I *might* put a little bit of candy in it. One of my major weaknesses is potato chips so I buy those sometimes.

If we are out with other people or at someone's house and we are offered something that doesn't *fit* we eat it anyway. We by no means are food snobs. We are just trying to eat healthier, less processed foods the majority of the time and making small changes a step at a time.

I sincerely apologize that I didn't fess up to these realities in my last post.

Real Food - An Update

2011-07-29T09:59:00.000-07:00

It has been quite some time since I posted about our real food journey and I thought it was time to update. I am just going to list bullet points because this is more of a brain dump than anything. This is l-o-n-g overdue and I don't have *time* to organize it well...sorry!
----We have not been using local meats. We just simply can't afford to and what a great thing that we tend not to eat much meat. Mostly, we only purchase chicken and sausage and I try to be very selective when choosing these. We have purchased lunch meat over the past few weeks because...IT'S HOT and we have been wanting something easy and light. But, the lunch meat is organic and only has 7 or 8 ingredients. So, it is not far from real food. :-)
----We have been purchasing only organic fruits and vegetables. Honestly, a lot of our vegetables are frozen. It is easier on the budget and the kids will eat them...frozen!, which is easier on mama...especially at lunchtime.
----We have not figured out a good solution for bread yet. I don't have a bread maker and I am NOT going to bake bread when it is 100 degrees outside. We are ok with Ezekiel bread but the budget doesn't allow for it with as much bread as we go through. For now, we purchase Nature's Own in a two pack from Sam's as long as it has the whole grain stamp on it. There are still some ingredients in there that are questionable but without a better solution for bread right now, I am ok with it.
----We only purchase whole grain rice and pasta. Also, I have started soaking our rice.
----We gave up on making our own tortillas. I found some at Whole Foods that have less than 5 ingredients but were super expensive. Then, I found some reasonably priced that have way too many ingredients but the first ingredient is whole wheat flour and I caved. So, this is going to be a cheat for us.
----We do not buy organic milk, butter, cheese etc...these are other items our budget will not allow for. However, I do buy from a brand I trust that is committed to being hormone free.
----We try very hard to stick to the 5 ingredient rule but as I read somewhere before (I think the 100 days of real food website) most importantly are what the ingredients are. If it is a product that has healthy ingredients even if there are more than 5 I will go ahead and purchase it. Occasionally, I also have been known to purchase something that may not be all that good for us just to have as a snack or treat. Usually, I only purchase 2-3 items per week that have more than 5 ingredients. -We stopped eating cereal because it is difficult to find a kind that is healthy and tastes good for a price that fits our budget. I do make granola at home but I haven't made any this summer because...IT'S HOT.
----We started buying raw local honey (as opposed to the off the shelf pasteurized stuff).
----We went from eating the sweetener laced yogurts, to plain regular yogurt, to plain Greek yogurt. We put raisins or blueberries in it and sweeten it ourselves with honey, if needed.
----We eat more smoothies than ever before and no, raw baby spinach leaves do not change the flavor.
----Our favorite recipe from 100 days of real food is the Pecan Maple Breakfast Cookies.
----When baking, I only use oats and/or whole wheat flour as opposed to white flour. I also do not use any sugar and try not to use any oils. It sort of depends on the recipe but in general if I see a recipe for white flour, white sugar, and vegetable oil I skip it. If the recipe looks WAY to good to pass up I may try to figure out who to adapt it.
----We have gone around and around on peanut butter. We are a huge peanut butter family. PB&J is my go to lunch if I don't have anything else easy and the kids LOVE it. However, the first time I purchased organic unsalted, unsweetened peanut butter the kids refused to eat it. Hmmm... So, I tried really hard to talk myself into caving on this one and buying normal peanut butter. The ingredient list is short with only 3-5 ingredients but it contains sugar as the second ingredient and it also has vegetable oils in it, which we are trying also to reduce as much as possible. So, I purchase either peanuts, fresh peanut butter out of the machines, or the jar of organic, unsweetened, unsalted. At home, I put it into our food processor with a little honey and olive oil and mix it all together. This is a lot of work for peanut butter but my kids will eat it this way and it is healthier.
----We eat cage free brown eggs from Whole Foods. We have the opportunity to get farm fresh occasionally and I always try to take advantage of that. I don't think I will ever go back on eggs...my kids will actually eat them as opposed to white eggs. Also, I read this article on eggs that changed my mind for good.
----I still sweeten my coffee with sugar but do not use it for anything else.
----I make our chicken nuggets and currently pan fry them in canola oil (boo) but want to price macadamia nut oil and see if we can afford it to use for frying. It is a source of omega 3 and can be cooked to almost as high of a temp as canola before it starts to oxidize.
----I also recently stumbled upon the non-GMO project. Health experts are beginning to warn patients about staying away from soy. I know this from personal experience because my mother-in-law had ovarian cancer and has been told to stay far, far away from soy. However, I believe that soy is fine but the genetically modified soybean is likely what is causing problems. I read a fascinating article on that too... So, if I am purchasing a product that contains soy, a soy by-product, or any other ingredient that is known for being genetically modified, it would be nice to see this seal.

I hope that even in its disorganized fashion this post has been helpful for you.

Disclaimer: I am not an expert on anything except me and my family. I try to make the best decisions for us. Only you can make the appropriate decisions for your family.

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Motherhood and Children

2011-07-22T07:26:00.000-07:00

A friend found this awesome article online and shared it on Facebook. I am so glad I read it. My heart started beating faster and the tears were on their way (though I surprisingly was able to keep from crying). I have been looking for words to describe the feeling I get when I hear a parent speak to their child in a way that communicates what an incovenience they are. Or, the sinking feeling I get in the pit of my stomach when someone close to me tells me that kids will cause me more trouble and pain than they are worth and that I just shouldn't have anymore. I know it is a lie straight from the pit of hell (even though it still stings). I know that a child is one of God's greatest gifts and I am blessed beyond belief to have received this call of Motherhood.

I hope you are inspired, empowered, encouraged, and even a little challenged by this article. I sure was!

Motherhood is a Calling (and where your children rank)

Garrett - 11 Months

2011-07-05T17:31:00.000-07:00

Has it really been a month? The last post was Garrett's 10 month picture, which means that yes, it has been a month since I updated my blog (yikes). I keep thinking that the months feel like weeks and this entire last year has felt like only a few months. Time needs to s-l-o-w down!
One year ago today I was admitted into the hospital at 30 weeks pregnant because of a condition known as Vasa previa. That trip to the hopsital confirmed that it was not fetal blood that I had been bleeding. However, since the condition had been diagnosed they didn't want to take any chances. They kept me in the hospital under close observation for a month and delivered Garrett at 34 weeks. If you are interested in reading more about that look at my July and early August posts from 2010 (I searched for one to link to here and they are all so different and yet so relevant I couldn't choose). I am so thankful that my specialist diagnosed the condition early and was not taking any chances. Praise God that Garrett was fine despite being 6 weeks early.

This month, he has finally shown some interest in becoming mobile which is sort of a love/hate relationship for him. He HATES being on the floor but he is starting to realize that is the only way he is ever going to learn how to get around. He is pretty good at moving himself backward. Now, he just has to figure out how to get on all fours and move himself forward! He actually is closer to standing than crawling so part of me wonders if he will just start walking and skip the whole crawling thing...who knows?
He cut his first tooth (see upside down photo below).
He has started to eat soft chunks of food pretty well. I am looking forward to only having one more month of buying and mixing formula.
He is making all kinds of sounds (except for mama) but he doesn't know what they mean yet.
I got him to wave hi and bye the other day but he hasn't done it again since then. He loves it when I sing or when we listen to music.
He is a busy boy and as time goes on we fully expect that he will be as busy if not busier (we better be on our toes) than his big brother.
This month he got his first bruise on his head by diving head first off of the couch. As you can tell, it doesn't seem to be bothering him too much. I also wanted to share that Kaley and Braedon could not be better big siblings. They both get toys or his pacifier for him if I am busy and he is crying. Braedon sometimes says, "chill!", which is hysterically funny (yep, he got that from me).

I also have a funny story about Kaley. In the car the other day she was playing with Garrett holding his hand and kind of batting at it. They were both laughing and having a good time. Daddy was driving so I was turning around periodically to see what they were up to. All the sudden Garrett starts screaming like he is in pain so I turn around and asked Kaley if she knew why he was crying. In the softest, calmest, cutest two year old girl voice says, "I just bit Baby Garrett's finger." I hastily turn around in my seat grab his hand to see teeth marks all the way around his finger. Poor little guy! BTW-I don't count this in the 'she is the best big sister ever' equation. It is the first time she has ever done anything remotely mean to him. The dear in the headlight look I got makes me think she didn't realize what she had done until he started screaming in pain.

Pictures:

I was trying to get him to leave the bear next to him. I said, "ok, Garrett, can you just leave the bear sitting here next to you for just a second." It looks like he has a look that is saying, "ok but you better hurry cause I am getting ready to snatch it up."

Love those cheeks!

This one is way too cute not to share.

I was trying to show the tooth but not sure if you can see it or not.

Garrett - 10 Months

2011-06-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

Weighing in at 23 lbs, Garrett is still my little chunky monkey. He started sitting up at 9 months and is getting much better at it now. He has recently started lunging and diving at things. Besides that, he doesn't seem too interested in becoming mobile. He has recently started to get really mad if he is playing with something and I (or brother/sister) take it away. He started actively playing peek-a-boo by pulling the blanket over his head. Then, we say where's Garrett? He puts the blanket down and laughs. He learned how to clap his hands and loves doing that. I tried to get him to feed himself little bits of banana the other day but he just smashed them in his hand. I feel a couple of teeth but they haven't actually made their appearance yet. We had parent commissioning at church Sunday (on his 10 month birthday...how neat!)

Also, daddy made up something funny I want to share...
One of the shows the kids watch on PBS is Dinosaur Train. Daddy changed the words to one of the songs for each of the kids. It is pretty cute.
Garrett, he's a Chunkasaurus. He's the chunkiest baby in the Savasuk forest.
Braedon, he's a Sillysaurus. He's the silliest baby in the Savasuk forest.
Kaley, she's a Cutiesauraus. She's the cutest baby in the Savasuk forest.
I actually don't even know how the real song goes we just sing our renditions.

For comparison:
9 months
8 months
7 months
6 months
5 months
4 months
3 months
2 months
1 month

Multitudes on Mondays (301-325)

2011-06-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

301. Parent commissioning at our church that just happened to fall on Garrett's 10 month birthday
302. This family
303. Every moment of life
304. Wonderful friends to photograph special occasions
305. Very productive meetings with my Playcation team, so thankful for each of them
306. Bubble wands
307. Garrett playing peak-a-boo
308. Watching my baby sleep in my friend Amanda's arms (he barely does that with me)
309. "Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty" Psalms 91:1
310. The blessing of a long standing membership in the same Sunday school class with wonderful teaching but will be changing soon :-(
311. The blessing of a strong bible teaching church to attend
312. Freedom to worship the Lord, Jesus Christ
313. God's love and relationship with me parallels my love and relationship with my kids
314. The opportunity to guest post on INFO for Families blog
315. Watching the kids laugh and chase bubbles
316. Spinbrushes (why weren't we using them before)
317. That my kids constantly want to brush their teeth now (b/c of #316)
318. People willing to share advice openly
319. Heaven
320. Our God is greater, our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other...
321. The ministry of NILMDTS, which my friends Ken & Jamie volunteer for. I can't imagine the God-given strength it has to take to not break down emotionally while doing this service!
322. The blow up baby pool we have even though my two bigger kids are much too big for it but boy do the three of them find so much joy splashing around in it
323. Tomato plants
324. Watching Braedon's coloring and writing skills improve as he literally blows through the Kumon workbooks I got for him.
325. "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" Philippians 4:7

My Heroes

2011-06-05T11:16:00.001-07:00

We met them approximately five years ago and have hung out with them a couple of times. Our paths cross quite frequently at church and we stop to chat in the halls. They are the kind of people who are so inviting and so welcoming that they make you feel like your best friend even if you hardly ever hang out outside of church. They were one of the first true Christian couples we had contact with shortly after giving our lives to Christ. They hold a special place in my heart even though we probably wouldn't be considered "close" friends. Now, they hold an even more special place. They are true heroes for a multitude of reasons and we are blessed and honored to call them friends.

They have experienced what is quite possibly the worst heartache that a couple can experience...the loss of their first baby a couple of short hours after birth. I have been grieving with them from afar and praying like crazy for them to be covered with the peace that only God can provide. I also have been challenged greatly in my own life to really cherish every single moment.

I am in awe of the work God is doing through the lives of this family. By His grace, they are able to focus on the gifts they received and be truly grateful in the midst of such great heartache. My friend, Jamie has already written a great article about it. I invite you to read it if you haven't already.

Today, I want to thank God for this family. I thank God for the peace that I know He has already provided to this family and the ongoing comfort that only He can provide. I thank God for the gift of knowing this family and calling them brothers and sisters in Christ. I thank God for the life of their sweet baby boy. And, I thank God that through His son, Jesus, is the promise of heaven where there will be no more tears and no more pain.

I Posted on INFO for Families (yesterday)

2011-06-01T12:08:00.000-07:00

If you have never read Info for Families blog please go and look around. Barrett has some extremely helpful and relevant information on there. I had the opportunity to guest post with an article called Parenting with Grace. Barrett has been the young marrieds minister at our church for the past five years. It has been such a blessing getting to know Barrett and his amazing family. They have such a heart for Jesus and to spread the love of Jesus to everyone. I am honored to take part in a guest post on his blog. I hope you enjoy it!

Multitudes on Mondays (276-300)

2011-05-30T17:53:00.000-07:00

276. An awesome reminder of all the work God has done and continues to do in our family!
277. "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13
278. Selfless sacrifices from military personnel who protect our freedom!
279. A chance to visit a small lake in a section of our neighborhood that we don't go to very often.
280. Family pictures at location #279
281. Our wonderful photographers
282. Our first trip to the pool.
283. Tragedy avoided during #282, Praise God that my honey was standing right there to rescue our 4yo niece.
284. Flotation devices
285. Every moment my kids play nice together.
286. Cooking breakfast while listening to the laughter of the kids playing with their daddy on this special holiday.
287. Celebrating our freedom and those who protect it.
288. All of the sweet children that I so enjoy playing with and getting to know during preschool volunteering at church.
289. My daughter's laugh especially when she laughs so hard she can barely breathe.
290. Sweet alone time sitting on the back deck with my hubby.
291. Sometimes my kids are easily entertained and I can just sit back and watch them be silly.
292. Braedon's red hair that looks like a shiny penny.
293. Water.
294. The first time in a long time...friends inviting us to a party on a holiday.
295. Family time that involved a lesson and activity about secret church.
296. Home worship time with the family.
297. All of my kids are good sleepers now (for the most part)...yay!
298. God continuing to work on our hearts and mature us as a couple and as parents.
299. Watching Garrett discover new things.
300. My quirky 4yo who makes me laugh so hard my cheeks hurt sometimes.

Real Food - My Take on Jambalaya

2011-05-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

Though the recipe I used (from 100 days of real food) is for more of a classic Jambalaya, I changed it slightly and this is NOT classic Jamabalaya. So, if you are a Jambalaya lover for the kick and n'awlins flavor just know that if you try this it will not be that.
The change I made was totally by accident and is a result of shopping off the ingredient list without even looking at the recipe titles (yep, that's me. Ok not anymore but...). When I saw sausage on the ingredient list it didn't say andouille so I didn't buy andouille. Instead, I made the best choice I could given limited information. I bought something I thought would appeal to my kids, Apple Chicken Sausage. It actually has 7 ingredients so be aware that it does not follow the rules found on 100 days of real food. But, it is organic and made from chickens without hormones etc...
When the day came to make the Jambalaya and I realized my mistake, I consulted my resident Chef, Andrew aka: the best husband ever, who said it would probably turn out fine to use the sausage I bought and to go ahead and try it. I followed the recipe exactly except that I used the Apple Chicken Sausage instead of Andouille. I also used full cook rice and cooked it beforehand separately. Then, I just mixed it in at the end.
This was SO YUMMY and tops the list for our favorite recipe that we have tried yet. Also, it made plenty. I think we ate it for dinner twice and I had it for lunch twice (keep in mind our little ones don't eat very much though).

Note:
I am not a very experienced cook so I feel I should mention this: When the sausage and oil were in the pot (before adding the onion etc..) it was really sizzling and looked like it was burning. I started to freak out a little until my awesome hubby said it was fine and that you actually want that. It happens when carmelizing starts and the brown stuff in the bottom of the pan is called Fond, which adds lots of flavor.

I Won, I Won (Rainy Day Activity Cards)

2011-05-25T16:47:00.000-07:00

Jolanthe over at Homeschool Creations hosts a cirriculum cleanout twice a year. You don't want to miss the Fall 2011 cleanout. It is a great way to link up for cirriculum that you would like to giveaway and enter to win cirriculum you might need. I entered to win several preschool items and won this deck of activity cards from Kate. I can always use extra ideas for activities with the kids.

Multitudes on Mondays (251-275)

2011-05-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

251. That Garrett really doesn't seem to mind when his brother and sister do this to him

252. I have awesome friends willing to share their experience when they have been there and done that (like cloth diapering). Thank you to Amanda for a hands on demonstration and advice.
253. Water balloons
254. Having a very special houseguest and an extra set of hands this weekend. Thanks Lindsey!
255. McDonalds with five children was pretty fun instead of just survivable.
256. My neice graduating kindergarten.
257. My 2.5 year old thinks she is still a baby and it is oh so cute!

258. Watching my two oldest kids (4 and 2.5) playing on the computer together. Braedon waits for Kaley to make a choice, moves the mouse for her and then lets her push the button.
259. 4yo and 2.5yo actually ate some eggs and sausage today.
260. Despite falling pretty hard, twice in the same day, neither of them were hurt
261. Braedon's imagination and storytelling is getting funnier and funnier (espcially when The Cat in the Hat put him in timeout)
262. Quite house
263. But on the same note as #262 I like it loud sometimes too
264. Time spent with my neices
265. How helpful my children are around the house (sometimes)
266. That I can surely dismiss any "end of the world" claims because: "But about that day or hour ,no one knows not the angels in heaven nor the son. Only the father." Matthew 24:36
267. Open mouth kisses from my adorable, all-boy, chunky-monkey, 9month old
268. Most of the time stress in our house can be reduced by someone making a joke
269. Mothers who share their heart and experience so openly like all of the blogs I follow and also Kristen Welch's Don't Make Me Come Up There devotional.
270. So many people in our church fostering and adopting...it's so awesome!
271. A certificate to a bouncy place as a thank you from the kid's dentist office
272. My past has been redeemed by my Almighty God
273. Patience from a person who requested a book and I accidentally mailed it to the wrong person (mommy brain!)
274. First trip to the farmer's market but now I wish it was a growers only market
275. Haircut at a fabulous place where a cut includes parriffin wax for hands plus a scalp, neck and back massage after shampooing and a 2 week guarantee on the cut

Real Food - Shopping

2011-05-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

We have a locally owned store very similar to Whole Foods near us. This is where I went shopping the first time I was looking for “real food” ingredients. I naively thought it would be easy and that just by going to that store I was buying organic and real food. Not so. I quickly realized that not everything is organic and that just because it is sold in a whole foods store it may not necessarily be good for you. This realization and the realization that not everything labeled organic is even good for you made my first real food shopping trip a little like rocket science. I survived with all three kids in tow but I don’t really think I bought much that fit the rules of real food. At that point, I was just happy to have a plan and making more meals from home. Since then, I have become a bit more educated on ingredient lists so while it still takes time to look at the ingredients on an item I can quickly make the decision about whether or not to purchase it.

I got a ton of food and was very satisfied at how I managed to stay within budget too. Fast forward three weeks and I haven't had a full week's worth of shopping to do because I wanted to use up all the food we already had on hand (prior to my first shopping trip even). So, I still haven't really spent much at the grocery store. I am anxious to plan my first full week of meals, shop for all of the items, and see if I am still able to stay within budget.

I also tried out Trader Joes for the first time. They did have decent prices but I wasn't able to get everything I needed there. I am very much a shop at one store person so if I can manage to stay within budget at one store I would rather do that.

We also have a Life grocery store near us that I haven't been to yet but I plan to go there to see what all they have and check prices.

I have big dreams of being able to price out all of the recipes that I try and figure out how much they cost. Being realistic though, I might just be okay as long as I can stay within my weekly budget...we'll see!
This post is part of a series. To read previous posts in this series please click below:
Real Food – Series Introduction
Real Food - Learning and Making Changes
Real Food - Eating Habits/Changes
Disclaimer:I am not a nutritionist or any other food expert. All information shared here is based on my personal experience, research, and opinion. You are the only one who can make decisions regarding the health choices of you and your family.

I Won, I Won (Custom Crochet Hat)

2011-05-18T10:00:00.000-07:00

If you didn't take part in the 2011 Ultimate Blog Party you won't want to miss the 2012 party. They have tons of great blogs, prizes, and twitter conversation. I actually didn't have time to make many of the blog connections I was hoping to make. But, I did make a few and won a great prize. It was super easy to enter to win a prize (only one entry form and tons of prizes up for grabs).

I won a custom crochet hat from Cali Creations. I chose the style and the colors, she made it and shipped it to me.

I actually considered getting it for myself but I am not super comfortable wearing hats. So, I decided to get it for my daughter. Kaley's favorite color is green so I chose a multi-colored yarn for the hat that includes the same shade of green as the flower. I think it is super-cute and Kaley looks pretty cute wearing it too.

I hope you will visit Cali Creations and pick out something for yourself or a gift for someone else. Her work is great, prices are reasonable, and Stacia was a pleasure to work with. Thank you, Stacia!

In Jesus Name, Bye!

2011-05-18T09:00:00.001-07:00

Our kids have come to love praying. Something that used to be new and a little awkward for our family has recently become like second nature and we are all pretty comfortable with it. I try to have prayer time with the kids once a day in the mornings. I also try to pray with them throughout the day as situations come up. Then, of course, there is mealtime and bedtime prayers. I thank God that we have started to have so much prayer in our house because we didn't used to. I wholeheartedly believe in the power of prayer and am so glad that it has become a larger part of our lives.
Braedon recently wanted to add his little twist on his prayers and of course Kaley followed suit. They have started saying, "In Jesus name, Bye" at the end of a prayer instead of the usual "In Jesus name, amen." I am quite confident that this little detail doesn't really concern God and that He loves to hear children pray no matter how they end it as long as they are praying in Jesus name. I think it is pretty cute that they wanted to make their prayer's unique

Family Time Training

2011-05-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

My husband and I had been wanting to implement some type of formal biblical education in our home for quite some time. However, devotions and/or family worship were not modeled for us growing up and we had no idea what it was supposed to look like. We had tried a few different things but nothing felt quite right and engaged the kids at the right level. Then, we had the opportunity to attend a wonderful parenting conference at our church where we learned of Family Time Training. Their mission is to provide families with tools and resources to have family worship time in the home. The worship lessons are designed to engage and impact the children in a fun way so they will learn and retain the knowledge. At the conference, we got to see Kirk Weaver (founder) stand on stage and literally explain step by step how his family does family worship time. He also explained some of the intricacies, such as child's personality/learning style and dos/don'ts for expectations from children. He even showed a video of a family having Family Time. Even though every one's worship time doesn't have to look the same it was such a blessing to see how someone does it and then adapt it to our family's style. We purchased a couple of the preschool workbooks and began right away!

Now, I want to share what our Family Time looks like:
I am responsible for picking out the lessons and gathering everything needed. I also ensure that my husband knows which lesson we are doing that week so he can familiarize himself before the day of. I also plan a simple dinner for the evening of so we can focus on Family Time instead of letting dinner and cleaning bog us down.

The day of, I hype it up to the kids (hey, guess what? we are having family time tonight). When we first started I explained to them exactly what we were going to do. After just a couple of weeks the older two became very familiar with the routine. (Our kids are 4, 2.5, and 9 mos)

We eat dinner and remind the kids it is Family Time night and we all eagerly clean the kitchen and dining room

We play our family's theme song (Brandon Heath, Give Me Your Eyes), which the kids love to dance to. No matter where they are in the house they come running...

After the song we all go sit at the dining room table (we mix it up sometimes too but mostly we are at the dining room table)
***Daddy leads everything from here on out and I just help if I need to***
Daddy prays and sometimes the kids will want to pray too
We talk about what we learned last week
Daddy discusses the lesson and asks questions to engage the kids
Daddy leads the activity allowing the kids to be as hands on as possible
We wrap it up pretty quickly because attention span times are fairly short...

I really believe that the "trick" to this is that in addition to the Family Time sessions, we have to apply those lessons in everyday life. As the week goes on and a situation arises where a lesson can be applied we can say, "hey, remember what we learned at Family Time?" and that immediately opens the door in a positive way and makes the information really come alive.

In a world where it is becoming increasingly difficult to make vital connections with our kids, I am so thankful that this is another avenue to make those bonds. We are getting started while they are young but even if your kids are older and you have not started having worship time inside your home, I would encourage you to start. It is never too late and it really doesn't matter what it looks like. I just hope that a glimpse into our worship time gives you some inspiration to start your own!

Glory to God, Forever!

Multitudes on Mondays (226-250)

2011-05-16T09:00:00.001-07:00

226. Long overdue coffee and conversation with a great, forever friend, Jamie. (I revised this original post to include a link to her awesome blog.)
227. Teens who love babies and will help me with mine
228. Tweens who want to be mother's helpers and learn the art of homemaking and mothering
229. My 4 and 2 year old were perfect angels at their first dental appointment
230. Playing pool with my hubby
231. Talking to our waitress and hopefully giving a lifestyle testimony
232. A Facebook wall post from another great forever friend encouraging me on Mother's Day
233. Spontaneous lunch at Moe's with numbers 226, 227, and 228 :-)
234. Holding friend's babies in the nursery who I have met but never held
235. Found a book I have been wanting on Paperback Swap so it is virtually free (besides shipping I pay to send other people books)
236. Holy Spirit's strength to hold it together during a pretty rough day with the kids this weekend
237. Free pizza for kids day at the grocery store
238. Treats for the kids at the same store in number 237
239. This recipe that I have already tried and we really like it
240. Winning another blog giveaway (I have three separate posts to do reporting my winnings...coming up) :-)
241. One of my posts might be featured on a different blog this summer...my first guest post (sort of)
242. All of the enlightening information I got from the kid's dentist
243. It seems that Braedon's temp (101 for a couple of days) turned out to be nothing major and he was able to fight off whatever it was
244. The movie Food, Inc. or maybe I was happier not knowing...
245. More nights full of sleep instead of sleeplessness
246. Hubby's help in the kitchen
247. Hubby running around to put a new battery in my car when it was unexpectedly dead one morning
248. That even though the light in our kitchen doesn't work we can still see enough to cook with the light over the sink, sort of
249. It is suprisingly easy to make a lot of things from scratch (muffins, biscuits, pizza dough, tortillas)
250. 100 Days of Real Food blog and other blogs dedicated to helping people eat healthier

I Won, I Won (Yoplait prize pack)

2011-05-15T12:28:00.000-07:00

My real life and blog friend, Alicia, hosted a Yoplait giveaway a little while ago. I won but haven't had the time to blog about it until now. I have a feeling she is going to be hosting some other great giveaways so be sure to visit her. This prize pack included a red gym bag, water bottle, jump rope, towel, and coupon for a free Yoplait cup. I am so glad I won...Thanks Alicia!

Real Food - Eating Habits/Changes

2011-05-13T11:16:00.000-07:00

We have fallen into some pretty bad habits regarding our eating. Most of it has to do with not prioritizing the planning and preparation of healthy meals. Below are a few of our bad habits and how I think they will change as a result of a real food nutrition regimen.

We would go to the store and buy groceries. Then {gasp} stop and get some fast food on the way home. This is because we didn’t have a plan for the food once we got home and the little ones were not going to be able to wait much longer to eat before they really started getting cranky. So for this one it doesn’t really matter if it is “real food” or not, just the fact that we have a plan will stop us from doing this.
We eat fast food way too much. Not every day but at least a few times a week. Having a healthy meal plan to eat from actually motivates me to not let my family eat fast food because I realize how much better I feel when I eat things that are healthy for me. Again, having a plan will keep us from running out to eat because we can’t figure out anything else for dinner. As a side note: as I write this it has been about 3 weeks that we have been trying this real food thing out. We have eaten pizza twice and another fast food restaurant once. Everything else has been more fruits and veggies and home prepared meals and I have lost 2 lbs. Not that this was a weight loss venture but...BONUS!
My kids eat peanut butter and jelly far too often and would eat it three times a day every day if I allowed them to. So, when I was thinking of how much the real food peanut butter and jelly costs I was thinking there was no way we could do it. Then I realized that, again with a plan, they probably will not be eating peanut butter and jelly more often than I plan for. So, I will just plan for it less.
We eat a lot of snack crackers that get expensive after a while and really aren't very healthy. They definitely have more than 5 ingredients so they won't be on the grocery list any longer. I plan to make our snacks just need to gather several more recipes to rotate.
We eat a ton of frozen pizza or frozen pasta meals also that get expensive and aren't necessarily that healthy. These also have more than 5 ingredients and will not be on the grocery list any longer. I am more motivated now to feed my family something that I hand prepare than something out of a bag or a box.

This post is part of a series. To read previous posts in this series please click below:
Real Food – Series Introduction
Real Food- Learning and Making Changes
Disclaimer:I am not a nutritionist or any other food expert. All information shared here is based on my personal experience, research, and opinion. You are the only one who can make decisions regarding the health choices of you and your family.

Multitudes on Mondays (201-225)

2011-05-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

201. Beautiful weather for Mother's Day
202. All the moms who chose life through adoption
203. Braedon saying, "wow mommy, you look beautiful"
204. My Mom and our great relationship
205. My Mom2 (mother-in-law) and our great relationship
206. Plants and flowers
207. Nature and enjoying God's creation
208. A great Sunday School lesson over the past several months inspiring me to complete a personal mission statement
209. Knowing that I am not the only one struggling with some isues I am struggling with, having encouragement and accountability from others
210. A wonderful husband and kids who value me as a wife and mother
211. Peace about serving in Playcation in a major capacity without any prior experience
212. Almost settled on ministry calling for next year but needs a bit more prayer and I feel like I should complete number 208 first
213. Forever friends
214. Several moms in MOPS telling me I am an encouragement to them because they have one or two babies and can only imagine how difficult it can be with three
215. The wonderful compliment one of the ladies in number 214 gave me...girl, you still look like your doing it with grace (after 2.5 yo got hurt and was screaming and 4 yo was screaming b/c he was about to get in trouble)
216. Being close enough to know about some very personal decisions friends have made
217. May is National Foster Care month, thankful for the lives that have been changed and the lives God will continue to change through Foster Care
218. Family napping while I have alone time in the yard
219. Family napping while I have alone time blogging (or not but its Mother's Day so daddy is taking care of the one who is awake and still giving me alone time)
220. Roses for Mother's Day
221. Teacher appreciation tea at my homeschool group meeting
222. That I am not as intimidated as I used to be taking all three children with me various places
223. Fun field trips
224. Being able to chase, carry, and swing my kids around
225. More time at home

Stick and Glue Easter Egg

2011-05-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

My kids love to glue things so I taped a big egg on the wall and gave them tissue paper and easter themed stickers to decorate it. It was fun for a while and Kaley kept coming back to it to stick a few more peices every now and then.
This activity is so versatile too and could be slightly changed for pretty much any theme.
I wish I could remember what they are looking at so excited like but...

Here they are decorating it:

The finished project:

Real Food - Learning and Making Changes

2011-05-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I had no clue what real food was. I heard and read a lot of buzz about it but really didn't know what to expect when I saw that there were two real food meal plans available for free download. I jumped on it because I had been looking for meal plans and also had heard that real food was healthy. In all honesty when I downloaded the meal plans, I had no clue what to expect. In reviewing them my first thought was, "We already eat a lot of this stuff. So, what is real food?" In further reading, reviewing, and researching I realized that real food can be pretty much any meal. It just means as minimally processed as possible and preferably organic. It involves lots of cooking from scratch or making sure store bought items contain very few ingredients.

I spent some time researching the 100 Days of Real Food website and found so much great information. I like how the rules are spelled out very clearly, even though I did not officially sign up for the 10 day challenge. I also find the 5 ingredient rule to be extrememly helpful when making purchasing choices. Lisa warns against judging the food product based on the front of the package, which is a rule of thumb I already live by on some things. But, she urges you to check the ingredient list on everything. Just in case you didn't know, the first item on the ingredient list is what there is the most of and so on. I didn't know that until about two or three years ago.

As much as I would love to, there is no way we can go 100% real food. I had a friend tell me that she knows someone who is 100% real food and budgets $250/week. That is more than double our ideal grocery store budget for the week. We can increase it a little and I think it is worth it for the benefits of eating healthier. All that being said, we have to be choosy at this point.

Below are the changes or lack of changes we will be making now and why:

1. We will continue to buy conventional milk (at least for now). Organic milk is more than 2 times more expensive. As much milk as we go through we are just not going to be able to swing buying organic milk at this time. Although, I did recently try some farm fresh milk and it was yummy. It didn't taste a whole lot different just definitely more fresh. I read an article that outlined the requirements for each type of farm. It seems that milk production is heavily regulated and this makes me feel a bit more safe about the milk options. I did find that the cheese blocks are not much more expensive so I will buy organic cheeses.
2. We will begin purchasing organic fruits and vegetables unless they are just rediculously more expensive, which I have not found to be the case yet. Since this is the bulk of what we are going to be eating I would like for it to be as healthy as possible. Also, I think they taste much better.
3. If it can be made from scratch (reasonably) I want to learn how and start doing it. This will give me more time in the kitchen with the kids and feed my family meals that are fresh and that we hand prepare.
4. We have already cut all HFCS over a year or so ago. I am going to research other sweeteners and sugars and cut as much as possible.
5. We will start using the 5 ingredient rule and not purchase items with more than 5 ingredients. This is difficult...vegetable chips, triscuits, and homemade granola are the only snack items we are eating now.
6. I want to research what all preservative names are, learn to recognize them in ingredient lists, and avoid as much as possible.
7. We will buy only "whole" type flours, bread, grains etc...
8. If I am torn between buying organic v/s non-organic and the price is not much different I will go ahead and buy organic. If the price difference is substantial I probably will not buy organic until I research it further...
9. So far I have bought organic chicken twice, sausage that had 7 ingredients in it...we just don't eat much meat. I haven't figured out what we are going to do on meat yet...but I do know that we can't afford to buy local meats...at least I don't think so because I haven't looked into it much.

There are a lot more things to think about changing to get closer to a real food lifestyle but honestly I haven't even had time to digest all of the information I have floating around in my head. This is just the beginning of getting it all out.

Disclaimer:
I am not a nutritionist or any other food expert. The information I share here is based solely on my personal research, experience, and opinions. You are the only one who can decide what is healthy or not healthy for you and your family.

Garrett - 9 months

2011-05-05T18:17:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my baby is three quarters of a year now...wow. I thought time moved fast before it is really flying by now. I feel like January was just yesterday. Garrett finally started sitting up. He seems to be accomplishing that a tad bit late. But, he was born 6 weeks early so who knows what schedule he will be on. In terms of size he has become a bit of a chunker. He weighs around 22 lbs. We go to the doc on Monday so I will have stats then. He loves the the safe feeder (I have the Munchkin brand). Braedon and Kaley never liked it but I tried it with Garrett and he loves it. I have put lots of different foods in it and he goes to town. He is almost sleeping through the night now. He is not eating anymore at night but he wakes up a few times and just needs his pacifier. I would start letting him settle himself except he is in our room and I don't want him to wake my husband. Here are some pictures of my sweet boy!

Previous posts:
8 months
7 months
6 months
5 months
4 months
3 months
2 months
1 month

Real Food - Series Introduction

2011-04-28T11:57:00.000-07:00

Our family has been in need of a major overhaul in our eating habits for quite some time now. I am convicted that I have been using the excuse of not having the time to plan and prepare healthy meals for my family. I do have three small children (4 and under) but time is never the problem...It is always priorities. When I started to think about it, I asked myself why in the world I wouldn't prioritize feeding my family healthy foods. I realized that I have been in "shut down" mode when it comes to meals for a couple of different reasons.

1. How in the world do I really plan healthy meals. It is very difficult to even tell what healthy is these days.
2. The cooking role in our home has been confused because my husband is a chef and he handles all of the food prep.

Right about now most of you are thinking of how blessed and lucky I am because of number 2. I am very blessed and extremely grateful to have a chef for a husband. But, as a wife, mother, and a maker of my home, I feel convicted that I need to handle the meals at home. For so long, I thought I was blessing my husband by not really asking him to cook but just asking him to put whatever together for us for dinner. After being in the kitchen at work all day, there isn't much creative energy left. So, the "whatever" really is sometimes "whatever" and a lot of times fast food. I have so enjoyed not having to worry about dinner for so long but now is the time I need to start worrying about it. And, the bigger blessing to my husband is for him to not have to worry about dinner (at least not at home)!

I considered several different meal plan subscriptions. They just didn't appeal to me very much. Then, I ran across 100 Days of Real Food. I wondered what all the buzz about real food was...then I found out. Here begins our adventure with real food.

This is an introduction to a real food series I will be posting in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for:
-What I have learned about real food and changes I am preparing to or have made
-Theories I have about my family's eating patterns and how I think they will change
-Shopping at a whole foods store
-First week of trying a 100 Days of Real Food meal plan
-My take on Jamabalaya
and quite possibly more...

Disclaimer:
I am not a nutritionist. The information I provide in this series is strictly my personal research, experience, and opinion. You are the best judge of what is or isn't healthy for your family.

Multitudes on Mondays (176-200)

2011-04-25T18:06:00.001-07:00

A little late this week. Better late than never! Here I go, continuing to count my gifts:
176. He is risen, He is risen indeed!
177. Seven wonderful years with the love of my life and the man of my dreams
178. Wonderful opportunity to wine and dine with my favorite person while celebrating #177
179. Learning to cook from scratch (some)
180. A chef for a husband but also supports me in the kitchen
181. Eating healthier (Braedon actually ate all the colors of the rainbow today)
182. The gentle guidance God gives me to get my priorities back in line
183. A few successful (full) night's of sleep by my 8.5 month old
184. The ease of research with so much information available
185. The wonderful people who babysit our children
186. Free TV waves and the antennas that pick them up
187. A husband who looks for ways to cut costs (even involving the TV)
188. Serving my family
189. Exercise
190. Water
191. Goodwill and consignment sales
192. Shopping with my hubby to learn what styles he likes to see me in
193. Hubby's patience (in #192)
194. Naps with Braedon
195. God fulfills every need
196. A new sense of the God-given authority I have over my children
197. Implementing #196 with grace
198. Braedon bringing me an empty liter water bottle and a nerf ball asking to play baseball...innovative 4 year old!
199. The plastic bat and ball we got him because of #198 and that he can actually hit some
200. Kaley's words (ockle=tickle, yeyo=yellow)

Walk for Life

2011-04-20T10:27:00.001-07:00

The Walk for Life benefiting Cobb Pregnancy Services (CPS) was this past weekend. After seriously vicious storms on Friday night, Saturday morning was as beautiful of a morning (although wet) as it could be. Praise God! It was a very pretty 3 mile walk with georgous houses, flowers and trees. I was also blessed to be able to walk with a couple of good friends and have some good conversation.

I am very grateful for the prayers and monetary support for CPS as a result of my participating in the walk. I am honored and humbled to support a ministry that is so passionate about defending precious lives. If you are still interested in supporting this ministry there are a list of ways you can do so on their website under the "take action" tab.

This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live. Deuteronomy 30:19

Multitudes on Mondays (151-175)

2011-04-18T05:00:00.000-07:00

151. The fact that I have been able to post this consistently for 7 weeks now
152. Simple life that moves slower instead of faster
152. Music that reminds me to cherish precious time
153. Our God is greater...
154. Wonderful Palm Sunday worship service at church
155. Sweet reminder that Jesus died to set me free and can overcome ANYthing I am struggling with
156. 3 mile walk with great friends to support CPS
157. Resurrection Eggs
158. Watching a friend's sweet child dancing and not being able to sit still during adult worship
159. Braedon actually danced during kid worship (still encouraging him to sing and dance)
160. Kaley wearing pink sparkly shoes with a blue dress and that they were cute enough to not worry about the colors matching
161. Weather mild enough not to run the heat or air conditioning
162. Everyone's safety during yet another severe storm (which we were out in) this past weekend
163. My bosses generosity
164. Prayer and monetary support for crisis pregnancy centers
165. The second night ever that Garrett has slept all the way through (and he is 8/12 months)
166. Sharing homemade granola bars on a few occassions and they are a big hit...recipe from kitchenstewardship
167. Braedon becoming more social (breaking out of his shell that he seems to be in everywhere else except home)
168. Kaley counting to 5...one, two, seven, eight, nine (too cute)
169. Spiritual growth
170. Ultimate Blog Party at 5minutesformom
171. Meeting new bloggers from above (now if only I had time to keep up with them)
172. Winning a prize from #170 (a custom crochet hat, not sure if I will get one for myself or for Kaley) from CaliCreations
173. People who aren't afraid to be "real", sharing, learning, and growing together
174. Garrett is constantly verbal now raising the volume level once again in our house but I wouldn't want it any other way
175. Local libraries were not closed as originally suggested by the county because of budget cuts

Rainbow Rice Party

2011-04-13T05:00:00.000-07:00

My neices were over this weekend and we added more colored rice to the easter sensory bin. All of the kids loved playing with it and they took turns pouring rice on each other. At one point, I completely lost control of the situation and all four of them poured rice over my head. We had the silliest time but hopefully made some fun, playful memories for my children and my neices.

Butterfly Release

2011-04-12T05:00:00.000-07:00

We purchased caterpillars this year. It was so fun watching them grow and eventually become butterflies. We kept the butterflies inside for a couple of weeks because it was not warm enough outside to let them go. The butterflies mated and then we ended up with more caterpillars. Well actually, we ended up with just one more caterpillar.

We also made a caterpillar craft and colored a picture of a butterfly.

As soon as it was warm enough we were eager to let the butterflies go but then found out my neices were coming over the next day. So, we held it off for one more day because I knew they would really enjoy it too. I am so glad the timing worked out and we got to share it with them.

The butterflies sort of hopped out of the habitat before they actually flew away. It looks like Braedon was trying to grab one of them.

Multitudes on Mondays (126-150)

2011-04-11T05:00:00.000-07:00

126. Making memories with my neices
127. Children's screaming parties (as long as they take place in the bedroom with the door closed)
128. The blessing of being able to provide some positivity in an otherwise negative situation
129. Pledges for the Walk for Life that I am participating in
130. That my husband is so great about giving me a little bit of time away
131. An excited hug from a very special young lady at church today who was blessed by a mission trip to Dominican Republic last week
132. Peace from God when I focus on the things He wants me to do instead of the things I want to do
133. Coconut shrimp...yummy!
134. Three girls (6, 4, and 2) surrounding me and reading Big Thoughts for Little People
135. Free crafts on weekends at local stores
136. Dollar theater
137. We survived number 136 with five children 6yo and under
138. My husband and I make such a good team
139. Jesus is the light of the world
140. Watching the kids play at the playground
141. We are blessed to own a vehicle that eight passengers can sit in (we had seven in it this weekend)
142. Making fun and silly memories with friends and family
143. Dinner and catching up with friends we haven't seen in a while
144. My husband and I are meeting our goal of having more alone time
145. We are also meeting our goal of accomplishing tasks that just seem to never get done
146. We can still see in our kitchen despite the light being broken
147. A relaxed schedule and free time during Spring Break
148. Sunny and warm weather
149. Tea party at MOPS last week...too fun!
150. When God so obviously answers prayers and floods me with resources to encourage, inspire, and guide me

Easter Sensory Bin

2011-04-09T05:00:00.000-07:00

Rice and food coloring have become two of our favorite things lately. So, we decided to do different colored rice for our Easter sensory bin. We had a lot of red/pink rice leftover from our Valentine's Day bin so we used that and added a few colors. A flowered key chain, a circular pouch w/zipper, and an egg puzzle from the dollar store are the only toys in it. There also are cups, scoops and an empty baby formula container. As I am out and about I may add something else. But, they are happy to just have a rice party now. This is pretty calm play the first time I gave them the bin.

Stay tuned for the wild rainbow rice party we had when the cousins came over. Here is a sneak peak of Kaley getting the party started:

Garrett - 8 Months

2011-04-08T11:06:00.000-07:00

I am a few days late in this post but the picture was only taken one day late. Garrett turned 8 months on April 5 and the picture was taken April 6. We have had an eventful month.

He visited the dermatologist for his eczema and got some more cream and oral anti-itch medicine. The DR called it circular eczema or nummular dermatitis. All of his spots are almost gone now. A few things culminated at about the same time so I don't know what exactly has helped...cream from dermatologist, not nursing any longer, or the weather being warm enough to turn off the heaters. Whatever has happened, his spots are clearing up finally...after 3-4 months of dealing with it.

He has allergies and ended up with a double ear infection and RAD after being all runny when the pollen count rose so quickly a couple of weeks ago. We are still doing breathing treatments once a day and he still has antibiotics for another couple of days.

At the same time he was having allergy issues he refused to nurse and my milk supply decreased rapidly. So, he has been on formula for about three weeks now. He is eating and gaining weight like crazy. He gained about 4lbs in the last month bringing him to 19lbs now. Braedon and Kaley were never chubby. They were always long and thin and didn't have any rolls or anything. Garrett on the other hand, he has rolls on his legs, a double chin, and the deep crease at his wrist where his hand meets his forearm. Yep, Garrett is my little chunky baby! :-) I am pretty sure that as soon as he becomes mobile he will start to trim down some. For now, I am fine with it.

He is also starting to cut his first tooth. It is not really a bump on his gum yet but I can feel it if I push down on the gum. Of course, he is chewing on everything.

So, when he is cranky now, I really don't know if it is his eczema, breathing, teeth, or ears. Thankfully he hasn't been too cranky lately! And really in these pictures he looks like he should never be cranky but he can go from happy and smiling like this to screaming like I am ripping his arm off in a split second.

For comparison purposes here are the links to the previous posts:
7 months
6 months
5 months
4 months
3 months
2 months
1 month

Ultimate Blog Party 2011

2011-04-04T05:00:00.001-07:00

Though this is my third year blogging, this is my first year participating in the Ultimate Blog Party. I am so excited to be part of it this year and to join the community of moms at 5minutesformoms. My name is Tina and I am so glad that you are here to visit. I can't wait to get to know you better and make friends with other bloggers. I would like to point you to this post about the name of my blog, which I think will help you get to know us a little better. I like to blog about just about everything such as family, things God is teaching me, homeschooling, and many other gifts from God. My blog is an outlet and a way to feel connected. It is an easy way to keep track of our life and share it with out of town family and friends. It is also my hope and prayer that there is some inspiration and learning that takes place for my readers. I am very happy to meet you and have truly been blessed by your visit.

Happy Ultimate Blog Party hopping!

Multitudes on Mondays (101-125)

2011-04-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

101. Our butterflies hatched
102. Flowers in our garden to use in feeding the butterflies
103. Sweet comments from sweet friends on my blog
104. Winning another blog giveaway
105. Parent's night out ministry...AWESOME!
106. My instinct to take Garrett to the doctor
107. The kids acted well behaved at a birthday party
108. Our second installment of family time went wonderfully
109. Encourage one another and build each other up
110. Jesus ministry
111. Babies
112. Garrett's RAD was caught early and hadn't gotten too bad
113. Advice from trusted friends
114. Watching the kids play, run, and laugh
115. The power of prayer
116. Sunshine
117. Everyone was safe during a series of severe storms over the past couple of weeks
118. My Accounting skills
119. My husband's cooking skills
120. A great friend being recently engaged
121. Catching up with another great friend
122. A great friend giving Braedon a surprise from Educational Insights
123. Online recipes like this granola bar one I am getting ready to try
124. Bible app on my phone
125. Cool bible devotions on said Bible app

Touch a Truck

2011-03-31T05:00:00.000-07:00

This was such a neat (free) event. They had all sorts of trucks:
firetruck
ambulance
excavators
moving trucks
truck shaped like a roller skate
race car
and a lot more that we didn't even get to see

They are setup so the kids can just climb all around on them. It was a beautiful day to be outside and super fun climbing on the trucks.

They also had a bouncy and a blow up slide. I went down with Kaley and Braedon and burned my elbow...ouch! It was worth it even with a ‘boo boo’.

I do have to admit that I thought the kids would be much more excited about seeing excavators up close. They became familiar with them while I was in the hospital and they watched out the window. Ever since then when we drive down the road and see one they yell "excavator" and get all excited. When we saw them up close and personal though they didn't seem too impressed. But, then I thought they would be impressed at the air show too and they weren't. It is weird how they are sometimes so easily impressed and other times so hard to impress.

The Trouble Is...Small Children at Dinner

2011-03-30T05:00:00.000-07:00

If you missed the intro for this feature you can read it here.

I am going to keep these posts as concise as I can so we can begin sharing ideas and not get bogged down in too many details:

Issue: We have three children, Braedon (brand new 4), Kaley (2.5), Garrett (8 months...he is really not the issue right now). Dinner time is sometimes a negative experience for our family because Braedon and Kaley just like to play and mess around instead of eating. I don't mind dinner being fun but it gets way out of hand fairly quickly. Unfortunately, it gets to the point of us yelling and them either laughing or crying. We do have plenty of happy and positive dinners. The problem is that we don't have a good plan for when it starts to get out of hand.

Things we have tried: Yelling (no I am not proud of it but I am being real), timeout, dessert and/or other reward, other punishments. Not giving any snacks (food only at breakfast, lunch, and dinner).

Other info: They are well trained that they are not supposed to get up from the table without permission. We "set them up for success" with their meal. We don't expect them to eat things they don't like. We give them small enough portions that they won't feel overwhelmed. If they don't eat their dinner, they don't get anything else to eat until breakfast.

I am welcoming all comments with advice and encouragement. You are also welcome to share links and/or book recommendations. The only limitation in comments is to please be kind and let your words be God glorifying.

The Trouble Is...

2011-03-29T05:00:00.000-07:00

I have decided to start a new feature on my blog called: The Trouble Is. The purpose of this feature is to share an area where I am struggling and ask for advice from my readers. It is my hope that this will become an interactive feature where everyone can share fresh ideas on dealing with real-life issues. Most of the issues will probably revolve around child-rearing. However, I am not limiting it to that. So, if I have an issue that comes up in a different area of life it could likely be highlighted here. I know there will be readers who have been there and can share their advice. I also know there will be readers who are on their way or right there with me and they can glean some wisdom and encouragement as well.

Coming soon in this feature:
-Small children and dinner
-Dividing time and building one on one relationships
Stay tuned for more...

I am welcoming all comments with advice and encouragement. You are also welcome to share links and book or website recommendations. The only limitation in comments is to please be kind and let your words be God glorifying.

Multitudes on Mondays (76-100)

2011-03-28T04:00:00.000-07:00

76. Being able to stay home with my kids
77. My husband and I having the same heart for spiritual training our children
78. Kaley's pigtails...so cute!
79. Being able to dance
80. Chazown
81. Family Time training
82. Our family's theme song Give Me Your Eyes by Brandon Heath
83. Our children's attentiveness during our first family time session...big success 84. Jesus is our shephard. When we are lost he comes to find us.
85. Recording family videos and then watching them with the kids
86. The feelings that come with the season's changing
87. Cuddling with my babies
88. Crisis pregnancy centers
89. Life
90. God being in control of everything
91. Perfect example of life to follow, Jesus Christ
92. Forgiving God
93. Garrett's laughter
94. Baby formula (as much as I love nursing)
95. Sermons that speak directly to me
96. Braedon and Kaley surrounding Garrett talking and playing with him
97. Kids worship videos...(especially Big House)
98. Hearing my kids sing
99. Hearing my kids pray
100.Hearing my kids recite bible verses

An Afternoon Snack

2011-03-27T05:00:00.000-07:00

There is something I love about babies gnawing on their hands and their feet. Especially their feet. It is a little challenge for them to grab it and put it into their mouth and it is so funny to watch! :-)
GOING:
GOING:

GONE!

Caterpillars

2011-03-26T05:00:00.000-07:00

We decided to do caterpillars this year. Our oldest is 4 and I was sort of hesitant about it because I was doubted that he would get much out of it. But, I figured I would get them anyway if only for the sake of exposure and something fun and different. He wasn't very impressed the first time he saw them because they just looked like little black pieces of string. Within only a few days they had more than doubled their size. So, when I showed them to him again he said, "wow." We read the book The Hungry Caterpillar and then I showed him the caterpillars again. He said, "those are going to turn into butterflies" in a very excited tone.

Within another few days they turned into chrysalids and we moved them from the cup to the butterfly garden to wait for them to hatch. This is day 5 after we moved them so we have a few more days to wait but should have butterflies within 2-5 days. Can't wait!

I Won, I Won! Straw Into Gold

2011-03-25T05:00:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of neat giveaways going on in blogland and on Facebook. I don't have time to enter as many as I would like. This one at Nature Trails and Nature Tales (formerly Butterfly Wishes and Wonderland Dreams) was one I couldn't pass up...Straw into Gold book by Ken Jaffe and Leslie Falconer.

The description reads: "Create inspiring activity areas for young children using found objects or recycled materials." This is right up my ally since I am always looking for new and creative ideas for the kids. Also, the ideas are inexpensive since they use items that would probably not have to be purchased. I am so glad I won this book and can't wait to try some of the activities.

Thank you to Butterfly Wishes and Wonderland Dreams and Mother Goose time.

Walk for Life 2011

2011-03-24T01:00:00.000-07:00

I have just learned that the county I live in is the 4th highest for number of abortions in the state of Georgia. There is a tremendous need to serve women who find themselves in a pregnancy crisis and restore value and hope to their lives and the lives of their unborn children. Crisis pregnancy centers all over the nation are on the front lines of war defending life every second of every day. Cobb Pregnancy Services (CPS) serves over 4,000 women per year and hopes to expand their facility to be able to serve more in the near future.

A couple of years ago, I was privileged to tour their facility and meet the director. I saw how on fire they are for defending life and pointing people to Christ. It was awe inspiring! Additionally, a couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to be a table host at their annual fundraising event. What a blessing to see some fruit from such a wonderful ministry. A young lady gave her testimony of how she was at risk for abortion until she found CPS. At the time of her testimony (at the event) she was past her due date. So, she was very pregnant and her face was shining with hope. She found God and learned about the value of the life of her child and herself through CPS.

This year I have the wonderful opportunity to serve CPS again by participating in their Walk for Life.

I humbly ask for your support: 1. please join me in prayer for CPS and other crisis pregnancy centers, 2. please prayerfully consider making a financial contribution to this wonderful ministry, and 3. if you are local, prayerfully consider joining the walk also.

If you would like to contribute financially, please send me your name, mailing address, and the dollar amount you wish to pledge. CPS will send you a letter and a donation envelope after the walk. The walk will be April 16 so please notify me before then if you wish to contribute.

Thank you for your prayers and support!

Genesis 1:1-2 and Chills

2011-03-23T01:00:00.000-07:00

I like to try to get out of bed before my kids so I can have some very still, quite time with the Lord in the morning. I haven't been doing this lately because of sleep deprivation. However, it is a discipline I hope to return to soon. A couple of years ago I was awake pretty early it was very still, very dark, and very quite. I listened to a few worship songs through my headphones and then opened my bible. I was at the beginning because I was starting a "through the bible" reading plan. I didn't get very far before I was floored. Genesis 1:2 says,

"Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters."

I have read that verse before. This time though, it gave me chills (in a good way). Just meditating on that and thinking about the fact that the earth was a whole lot of nothingness (besides water) and blackness and there was God, his spirit "hovering." What an awesome picture of God as creator! I am so humbled to serve the God of the universe in His precious son's name, Jesus Christ.

A Few of Braedon's Favorite Things

2011-03-22T10:40:00.000-07:00

We went to a fast food restaurant recently and on the kids meal box was a cute fill in the blank story. I wanted to memorialize it here since at this point in time it indicates some of Braedon's favorite things. And, it is a pretty cute story. The words in bold are the blanks that had to be filled in. The rest of the story was pre-printed.

This morning, Braedon and Jax went upstairs to make the craziest fish the world had ever seen! It was made of play dough and colored blue. It was so great that it won a prize in the Christmas day parade.

key:
Braedon-name
Jax-pet's name
upstairs-favorite place to play
fish-anything you want
play dough-most favorite thing ever!
blue-favorite color
Christmas-favorite holiday

Multitudes on Mondays (51-75)

2011-03-21T01:00:00.000-07:00

51. Spontaneous baptisms
52. All the souls who publicly professed their following of Jesus Christ through #51 at church yesterday
53. Personal phone call from a very important person
54. Family naptime
55. Warm weather warm enough to enjoy outside but not scorching hot
56. Visiting a new playground with my brother and my two neices
57. Our Sunday School teacher
58. New Zealand
59. Crisis pregnancy centers
60. Grocery stores
61. Much needed date night with my honey
62. Family fun at touch a truck
63. My friend's website for great ideas of family fun things to do
64. Blog giveaways
65. That I won my first #64 recently (blog post coming soon)
66. Discussing with husband and implementing changes in our home and family routines
67. That my awesome husband did lots of housecleaning this weekend
68. Shopping sales
69. Checklists
70. Spring
71. Changing seasons
72. That caterpillars turn into butterflies, how amazing is that!
73. Free preschool resources
74. Excitability of my children
75. Corporate worship

Multitudes on Mondays (26-50)

2011-03-14T01:00:00.000-07:00

26. Hearing very clearly from God when I call out to Him
27. Laid back mornings when this can happen

28. When my kids show love to each other
29. Indoor picnics (and when my kids play together peacefully like doing this puzzle)

30. Not being a slave to creditors
31. That God "gently leads those that have young" (Isaiah 40:11)
32. The Bible
33. National Center for Biblical Parenting
34. MOPS
35. Dave Ramsey
36. Relationships
37. Family time
38. Teacher's who love on my kids during church
39. Movies
40. Early bedtimes
41. Exercise
42. Spring-like days
43. God given purpose
44. Restful, peaceful times when I don't have to do anything except stare into my baby's sleeping face
45. Hearing Braedon tell stories
46. Inspiring weekends
47. Love based parenting
48. That God opens my heart to accept the fact that I need LOTS of work
49. God is working on me
50. Thank God that He is not finished with me yet

What Painting Looks Like

2011-03-10T10:59:00.001-08:00

Every now and then I feel compelled to get out the paint. It was very fun but this is the reason we only do it once on a while.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7

Random Cuteness

2011-03-09T14:27:00.001-08:00

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7

Learning Area

2011-03-09T01:00:00.000-08:00

I hesitate to say "school" area because we aren't officially *in* school yet. I want to focus more on free learning and not much structure right now. But, this is where we go for structured learning. The posterboard in the back displays our Raising Rock Stars Preschool lesson that we are doing. Braedon and Kaley have chosen to display some of their artwork in this area too (I let them hang it wherever they want to). There are workboxes in the back with their initials on top. We tried to just get Braedon one and that didn't go over so well so we had to get one for Kaley too. :-) Never too early to start getting her used to the idea, I guess. I just fill it with fun stuff for her and a worksheet here and there if I notice she likes certain ones.
>
The table was given to me by a great friend and is perfect for little people to sit at and work on crafts or worksheets. There isn't a whole lot of wall space in our little area so I taped the world map to the top of the table. I think it looks pretty neat there.

The thing I love most about this area is that it is part of our living room and just off of our dining room and kitchen, which are the three rooms we spend most of our time in.

Braedon's Haircut

2011-03-08T01:00:00.000-08:00

We have been taking Braedon to get his hair cut and although it is not too expensive it does add up pretty quickly when he needs to go every 4 or 5 weeks. Additionally, now that we have another boy in the family it would be getting very expensive when they both started having to go. After the last time we took Braedon to get his haircut, I asked him if I could cut his hair next time he needed it. Amazingly, he said yes. We both enjoyed it. No, it is not perfect but it is good enough for the amount of money we will be saving. And, it is not too bad for someone who has NEVER cut hair with a comb and scissors before. He's my little handsome man!

Multitudes on Mondays (1-25)

2011-03-07T01:00:00.000-08:00

I am starting my journey counting my way to one thousand gifts. Quite often, I am thankful in my head but it is so much more powerful to get it out of my head and into words.

Here I go:
1. Jesus Christ
2. A wonderful husband
3. Awesome kids
4. When Braedon says, "mom, I love you" out of the blue
5. Very still, quite time with just me and God
6. Great church home
7. Routine, structure, plans
8. Every second I get to spend with my kids
9. Modern medicine
10. Music that leads me to the cross
11. Family prayer time
12. Spontaneous worship
13. Technology (when used for good)
14. Books and reading to my kids
15. Library, especially the fact that I can reserve items online and then just go pick them up
16. Braedon learning more sight words and reading some
17. The privilege of teaching my children
18. Babies

19. Mongolia and the opportunity to learn about and pray for them-Tots on a Mission

20. Maps, specifically the world map we recently purchased

21. That I am actually interested in geography and know where Mongolia among other places is now (no I never paid attention in school)

22. Sleep

23. Preschool Palace

24. Blogs

25. Marriage

Garrett - 7 Months

2011-03-06T01:00:00.000-08:00

Here is our newest growing boy! He is over half way to one year old...hard to believe. He is full on eating solids now and a lot of them.
We are making his baby food, which is super easy!
1. Cook (except for canned fruit)
2. Puree in food processor or blender (very smooth for first bites, then chunkier the more he eats)
3. Freeze in ice cube trays move to gallon ziploc once frozen
4. Microwave when ready to eat each rectangle is approx 1 tbsp
We are still nursing...yay! He weighs somewhere around 15 lbs. He is very laid back until he wants something. Then, he goes from quite and content to screaming louder than Braedon used to...very quickly. I am not even kidding when I say he screams like his arm is being ripped off. There is really no in between with him.
He grabs at everything now. I saw him intentionally go for Kaley's hair the other day. She turned around and said, "no, no, no" shaking her finger at him. He is also chewing all over his hands and anything else he can get in his mouth. I keep feeling for teeth but nothing yet. It was pretty cute when I was taking this month's picture. I had time to snap one of him beside the bear.

He then promptly snatched it up and started chewing on it.

For comparison purposes, here are the previous posts:
6 months
5 months
4 months
3 months
2 months
1 month

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Tree

2011-03-05T01:00:00.000-08:00

This idea came from Preschool Palace. I have no creative mental capacity but if I have creative plans laid out for me I can sometimes follow them. This was such a cute idea I couldn't pass it up. I do have to say that when I went to my usual grocery store to buy Alpha Bits I couldn't find them. But, at that store I did find alien berry punch flavored cereal. Gotta have me some of that...NOT! Yes, I was less than impressed that they don't carry Alpha Bits but sure do carry whatever other kind. Anyway, the snack is oh so cute and was a huge hit with the kids.

(Un)Forgetful Friday

2011-03-04T01:00:00.000-08:00

-I have the best husband EVER!
-When Garrett starts fussing, Braedon says, "I'm right here, Garrett. It's ok" in his sweet, nurturing tone like he is his mommy.
-Kaley reading Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, she turns the pages and yells "a huh, bus" which is Kaleyese for "Let Me Drive the Bus". She also turns to look at us and laughs after she does it each time.
-Garrett figured out how to scream (with delight) today. Not sure if that is a good thing or not.
-Braedon says "heapin trouble" whenever anyone gets in trouble (i.e. "Kaley, your in heapin trouble." This language was inspired by Cars when the sheriff says, "boy, you're in a heap of trouble".
-Kaley told me Braedon hit her. I asked Braedon if he hit her. His response was "well, um, actually I did that three months ago."
-Braedon learning to read and ME getting to teach him. Praise God!
-Garrett grasping onto my shirt while he nurses...love those little hands.

Thank God for Mercy

2011-03-01T09:59:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of the year I started an exercise class. I love the teacher's playlist and I love that at seemingly the exact perfect time a certain song plays. A little over half way through the class when I am breathing the hardest and my muscles are burning the most, I glance at the clock to see how much time is left and the song Caught Up In Yourself by Third Day starts playing. You know, the one that goes:

"Thank God for mercy
Thank God for His grace
Thank God for everything you’ve got
Before it’s too late"

It is really the "Thank God for mercy" that I am focusing on at that point in time since mercy is what I need to get through the rest of my exercise class. But, I know that it is SO much more than that.
I am always thankful for God's grace and mercy but never as much as I have been lately. I haven't been myself. Garrett has only recently started sleeping well at night again since before my last post on that issue. I haven't been carving out much needed quite time with the Lord. I was getting in a little devotion time daily but sometimes that is not enough. I was beginning to turn into a grouchy mother and a grouchy wife. Then, I start to feel guilty and become even more grouchy. It is a vicious downward spiral. I lose sight of the most important things and I start to become discontent with everything. I was writing in my prayer journal the other night crying out to God and made a list of things I need to do:
-I need to spend more time with God
-I need to respect my husband more
-I need to be more patient and gentle with my kids...
and the list goes on. When I was finished with the list I was reading over it and asking God for some practical steps to take to make it happen. What I heard was not surprising but something I had also lost sight of. "Submit to Me and I will take care of everything else".
I am so humbled to serve a God who showers grace and forgiveness on my many mistakes. He has always been so faithful to answer my cries out to him. It is always I who don't cry out to him often enough or when it is quite enough for me to hear his answer. I am so thankful for mercy for my heart when I have to see the hurt look on my kid's faces when I yell at them. I am also thankful for his mercy that will comfort their hearts. I know that it is only God that can take my mistakes and turn them into a burning desire to become more near to and like Him. Thank You, God!

Braedon Holding Garrett

2011-02-23T17:49:00.000-08:00

This boy LOVES his baby brother. It is so heart-warming to see Braedon loving on Garrett. It is too funny...sometimes when Garrett is eating, Braedon will say, "I don't want him to eat. Put him down so I can play with him." I love that Braedon loves Garrett so much. But, the baby needs to eat! :-)
And I absolutely can't believe how grown up Braedon is looking.

Playing Dress Up

2011-02-23T17:43:00.000-08:00

We had never played dress up before because I didn't *think* we had any dress up clothes. Then, I decided to look through the clothes we already had that they either don't wear much, haven't grown into yet, or I was probably going to give away anyway. From that, I made a dress-up bin for them. I figured that they would love dress up because they are always pulling out their hats from the closet and putting each one on for me to see. They didn't seem to like it quite as much as I had hoped. But, the bin will stay in their closet (easily accessible) and hopefully they will go back to it.

New Love for Food Coloring

2011-02-22T01:00:00.000-08:00

I don't think I have used food coloring ever since I was little making hard candy with my mom. When I say little, I mean I barely remember little. We bought some the other day because I wanted to dye our heart shaped pretzels and the rice for our sensory bin. Then, I read something about water transferring with medicine droppers and thought it would be more fun if the water was colored. Braedon and Kaley both loved this activity. One of the medicine droppers was a bit too advanced for Kaley but she liked playing around with it anyway. I think Braedon was a bit advanced for the medicine droppers because he was challenged for about 2.2 seconds and then knew exactly what to do. They both had fun with it anyway and asked to do it again today.

I am sure there about a million and one things to do with food coloring and I have only tried three of them. I can't wait to do more with it. I really think preschool activities are as much fun for mom as for the kids. At least for me they are! :-)

Valentine's Sensory Bin w/Rice

2011-02-21T01:00:00.000-08:00

I posted previously about our Valentine's themed play. In that post, I said I never got around to putting rice in the sensory bin. Since then, I have experienced dying rice and water but that is a different post (yes, I have a new love of food coloring). Wow, did the pink rice make the bin so much more fun. I am so glad I added the rice. We poured the rice over our hands to see what it felt like (Daddy's idea). I dropped some rice on a small plate that was in the bin. Then, I dropped the rice slowly on the plastic lid of the bin to demonstrate the different sound it makes. We also have little plastic hearts we picked up and poured them over our hands and demonstrated dropping them on different surfaces. The lid of the bin is perfect for spreading out the rice to make a drawing board. I have tried it a couple of times but Braedon has not shown any interest in drawing letters in rice, glue, shaving cream, paint, etc... Though he will trace letters on paper with a crayon or marker, who knew? Anyway, back to the bin. There are the heart shaped measuring spoons and of course they were a big hit with the rice addition because the rice is so easily scooped and poured. I think Kaley could scoop and pour the rice all day if I let her. I picked out a couple of the pom poms, rose petals, and plastic hearts and showed them to Garrett and let him feel them. Braedon and I talked a little about less and more. But, really I was just trying to let them play and use their imagination. So FUN. I see lots more sensory bins with dyed rice or pasta in our future. :-)

Braedon's Birthday Celebration

2011-02-19T01:00:00.000-08:00

Our firstborn turned 4 on Feb 10 and we celebrated the following Saturday. I am not a big-party-buy-an-expensive-cake-have-a-bunch-of-presents sort of person. I believe much more in just making it a special day and doing things together to make special memories. I asked Braedon a few days before if he wanted white, brown, or red cupcakes and if he wanted vanilla or chocolate icing. He said he wanted red cupcakes with chocolate icing. Then, a preschool cirriculum that I have been taking some ideas from had a recipe for pretzels. Since it was February, the cooking activity was heart shaped pretzels. After Kaley went down for a nap, Braedon and I spent some time in the kitchen making heart shaped pretzels (dyed pink) and red velvet cupcakes. He had so much fun helping me but I remembered how difficult it is to work with dough.

I love this progression...
Here he is getting excited about blowing the candle out:
Here he is blowing it out:

Now he has a very satisfied look on his face:

Then, his Uncle Chris came over. Braedon opened a couple of presents and then we presented him with his brand new bicycle (that grandma and grandpa T got him) with balloons tied to it. We had grandma and grandpa T on the webcam so they could "attend" the birthday celebration. I love that we can have virtual parties with special family who is out of town.

It sure didn't take him long to figure out how to get on/off of it and pedal it. Now Kaley rides the tricycle and Braedon rides his bicycle around the "lap" through the living room, dining room, and kitchen. I am just imagining when Garrett gets old enough to ride the firetruck. It is going to be so much fun with all three of them going round and round. There is no shortage of fun at our house!

(Un)Forgetful Friday-Garrett, God Tells Us...

2011-02-18T01:00:00.000-08:00

When Braedon was around two years old he started having night-time fears. He didn't want to go to bed and would wake up sometimes several times in the middle of the night. This is when I started praying scripture with him. Specific scripture about not being afraid. The one I used the most was:
Isaiah 41:13 "For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you."

I also have used it a lot since then. About a year ago he had a playdate and his friend was talking a lot about being scared of the dark. Of course, then Braedon started talking about it a lot too. I reminded him of this scripture and we would pray it specifcially for him and his friend.

Pretty much everytime he talks about being scared of something I remind him of this scripture. The most recent happened just the other day when Braedon and his brother went to the doctor. It was Braedon's four year and Garrett's six month check-up. I was pretty certain that each age was going to get shots. Braedon remembered getting a flu shot last time we went to the doctor. He asked me if he was going to get a shot this time. I was not going to lie to him so I told him I was pretty sure he was going to have to get shots. I followed it up by telling him that God tells us not to worry and not to be scared. Then, he asked me if Garrett was going to get shots. I told him yes. A few minutes later I heard him talking to Garrett saying, "Garrett, God tells us not to be scared. So, don't be scared of your shots...ok?"

It was so awesome to hear him telling his little brother this!

Valentine's Day Themed Play

2011-02-13T01:07:00.000-08:00

Valentine Day heart matching was inspired by My Montessori Journey. I just adapted this idea to hearts and made it a matching/paste booklet. There is a heart matching worksheet on Preschool Palace that I used to cut out the hearts. I then used construction paper and stapled a booklet together. I glued one heart on each page. The kids got a stack of hearts and had to match them to each page and glue them on. They have so much fun with glue.

Heart man craft (or robot as Braedon would call it)

Valentine sensory bin-This is our first sensory bin and the kids LOVE it! It contains fake rose petals (red & pink), purple hearts, heart shaped measuring spoons, heart beaded necklace, heart bracelets, valentine themed erasers, valentine themed cups, valentine themed plastic jug, heart maze games. All of this was dollar store stuff and has been so fun to dig around in. I wanted to dye some rice red but never got around to it. I can't wait to put together future sensory bins. Braedon found one of the erasers and didn't know what it was. That lead to us experimenting to see what all it would erase. We marked on a piece of paper with crayon, marker, pen, and pencil so he could try to see what it erased.

The kids have been playing with the heart measuring spoons and cups in the bathtub too.
We also did foam crafts but I didn't get a picture of them.
We have had PB&J cut into hearts, pancakes cut into hearts, drinking from pink cups with hearts on them, and drinking with straws twisted into the shape of heart.
We will complete all of the Valentine's themed worksheets I can find. Braedon can't get enough of them.

We Have Been Busy Lately!

2011-02-12T01:36:00.000-08:00

We have been having so much fun at our house lately. We implemented a new bible/preschool cirriculum, Raising Rock Stars. I also became a member of her blog and can get the powerpoint shows and other extras that she has put together for members only. It has been so much fun to let Braedon and Kaley *play* on the computer and be learning at the same time. For each letter, number, shape we are doing in Raising Rock Stars I am finding as many other free printables of the same to have plenty of worksheets. Some of our favorites are:
Letter cut and paste from Homeschool Creations
Letter hunt, do a dots, and many more from Confessions of a Homeschooler
Color by numbers and many more from Preschool Palace
Letter and numbers worksheets from Beginner Reading
We are using Starfall, which the kids have been loving.
We also have been using You Tube a lot lately. I find videos of nursery rhymes, kids worship songs w/motions, and videos of the song we learn in whichever Raising Rock Stars unit we are doing.
We have completed the lessons on Let Your Light Shine (1,yellow,see,circle) and Ten Commandments (2,green,the,square). Braedon has both of the verses memorized and knows 4 or 5 other verses from church (we try to review these daily).
I also started teaching them nursery rhymes. I discovered DLTK and found the lyrics and printable word cards for the nursery rhymes. We started by learning Hey Diddle Diddle. It is a silly little rhyme that is fun to say. We say it, sing it, watch videos of it and point to the words and pictures whenever possible so they can make those connections. We have also learned In The Beginning and Seven Days both to the tune of Tom Thumbkin.
We are doing Before Five In A Row too. We finished The Little Rabbit a while back (before I had Garrett). That one is probably worth re-doing because it was so long ago. Recently, we have completed Goodnight Moon and almost finished with If Jesus Came to My House. This has been SOOO fun. I love her ideas of how to go beyond the pages of a book and create real life learning experiences. Just in doing this several weeks with Braedon he has really started to *get* some things and have much more of an imagination. Her ideas really made the books come alive, especially to me. I wasn't taught this way and never really had a love for books but now for the first time ever I am developing one and see the importance for our children to have a love of books. I have no doubt that we are going to fall in love with each book we read using BFIAR. The neatest idea that came with If Jesus Came To My House is that she suggests having fun with your shadows. That led to all of us laying down in a dark room watching daddy make shadow puppets on the wall. It was so much fun.

I have started rotating our puzzles weekly because we have quite a few and the peices just get thrown around and lost if I have too many out at once. Only having 2 or 3 out that they can choose from seems to make them want to focus on actually doing them. I have been reminded of how much my kids LOVE puzzles lately. We spend a LOT of time doing puzzles.
Braedon and I have been working on counting. There is a neat counting/number recognition game from Confessions of a Homeschooler that he has been liking to play. We are on Tt this week and I found a turtle graphing download from Confessions of a Homeschooler too.
We talk about the weather and the days of the week on most days. We talk about names, spelling of names, birthdays, ages (going to add address and phone number soon). We work on cutting/pasting and tracing almost everyday. We also have prayer time and bible reading almost everyday.
A new thing I am going to implement is Tots on a Mission from Totally Tots. I want to start learning and praying for other countries and show my kids where they are on our blow up, plastic globe.
This really has been a post summing up our past month. I took two weeks for each RRSP lesson and two weeks for each different book we have done in BFIAR.
In addition we have been doing lots of fun Valentine's themed stuff (separate post).

Happy Birthday

2011-02-10T19:02:00.000-08:00

My sweet first born turned four years old today. We celebrated his birthday this morning with chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast and singing. We are having cupcakes and presents on Saturday. It has been my joy to be his mommy for these past four years and it will be my joy to be his mommy forever! I love you and thank God so much for you, Braedon.
This picture was taken in September 2010.

Garrett - 6 months

2011-02-10T18:43:00.000-08:00

Garrett turned 6 months on the 5th. I am slightly behind in posting his picture. I can't believe how big he is getting. We haven't had his 6 month appointment yet and I haven't weighed him in a while. He is still having eczema issues. I have started washing his clothes in mild detergent and using a very mild soap for bathing him. He is still getting up at least two times each night. We have started, stopped, and started solids. I was doubting that he was ready the first time I started them. I was just hoping it would make him sleep. It didn't, so we stopped. A couple weeks later, I figured he was definitely ready when he would watch us eat and start chewing with his mouth like he was eating too. I am hoping that is why he continues to wake up at night too...We shall see. He loves that he can grab things now and be a slight bit more intentional with his hand movements. He loves to play pat a cake or really it is patty cake around here. We sing to him quite a bit. Braedon likes to show and tell him everything. He is cooing a lot and repeating ooh and ahh on command (sometimes). I am posting a couple of pictures because I actually got him laughing. Too Cute!
I love how you can see a baby's smile even behind a pacifier:

There is not much in life better than a laughing baby:

For comparison purposes, here are the previous posts:
5 Months
4 months
3 months
2 months
1 month

(Un)Forgetful Friday

2011-02-04T01:00:00.000-08:00

*When I woke up a few mornings ago, I heard Braedon and Kaley on the monitor in their bedroom "reading" a book together. The book is Big Thoughts for Little People. There is a large letter on each page and the book goes in alphabetical order. So, Braedon was turning the pages and Kaley was saying the letter. She would say the letter and Braedon would say "that's right, Kaley. You are doing great!" in a very sweet and encouraging tone. It was so adorable I just laid in bed and listened to them on the monitor for a few minutes before I got up.
*Braedon is learning about the ten commandments this week with our Raising Rock Stars Preschool bible cirriculum we recently started. The verse for the week is Thou shall not steal. We were sitting on my bed playing with Garrett and Braedon says, "Garrett, Thou shall not steal. That is one of God's rules."
*Kaley learned how to peddle the tricycle and loves it. It is A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E. She rides by and just looks at me smiling because she is so happy to be doing it herself. Oh yeah, and she is pottying now too! We aren't totally trained but she is WELL on her way.
*Braedon sometimes calls me miss Tina. Like when he is trying really hard to get my attention, he will say, "um, excuse me, Miss Tina."

So much more has been going on but this is all I have time to share right now...

What Have We Been Doing?

2011-01-13T10:15:00.000-08:00

It snowed this past Sunday night. It snowed a LOT this past Sunday night. Then, it proceeded to dump freezing rain on top of it on Monday morning. Our freezing temperatures that haven't been above 25 degrees have kept the snow and ice around all week long. Offices and schools have been closed. Most offices are reopened now but schools are still closed. Once everyone starts to be able to get out and about on the roads we can count on at least one more day of not being able to since we live on top of a mountain. And, this is what the roads look like! Andrew actually did make it to the office yesterday only to have them officially close again a few hours after he got there. But, then he was unable to get back up the hill in the car so he had to walk for about a mile home. A few hours later he returned down the hill and took note of special "grooves" he might be able to use to his advantage on the way up. He barely made it but made it nonetheless. This morning, he tried to go into the office but pulled off to the side of the road because he was sliding so bad. He and a nieghbor stood and watched an accident happen about 10 feet from where they were standing. So, he decided to come back home. This has been a rare treat to have so much FREE family time. Monday we played in the snow. Here are a few pictures of that. Tuesday, Wendesday and Thursday (so far) have been spent trying to have as normal of days as possible so everyone doesn't go crazy. It has been a good time to wrap my mind around some school plans that I have for Braedon (separate post). We haven't completely organized their room after putting the new beds in there. So, that is on the list for the remainder of today. I think the kids will be happy to get out and go for a ride again when we can. But for now, they are easily entertained. I told my husband the other day that when I think about getting frusterated because we are stuck inside I think about how I want this experience to end. What kind of memory do I want to have of snowpocalypse 2011? Do I want to be miserable because we are stuck inside? Or, do I want to embrace it, love on each other more, play together more, and come to the end of this time knowing that we made the most of it instead of wishing it away? We have made a lot of good memories. This is one of my favorites!

Garrett 5 Months

2011-01-08T14:46:00.000-08:00

I am a few days late in posting this but I was only one day late in actually taking the picture. He is almost 13 lbs now. We have been dealing with cradle cap that was pretty bad but is now completely gone. Now that the cradle cap is gone he is having eczema issues. He hasn't been very interested in drinking his milk lately. So, I tried cereal on him and he seemed to take it really well. So, I guess you can say he has officially started solids! I wanted to hold off as long as I could but he has been acting like milk just isn't enough for him anymore. I am hoping that after eating more cereal during the day he will sleep longer than 3 hour stretches at night again. It has been a good couple of weeks since I have had more than a 3 hour stretch of sleep. He is becoming more and more playful and interested in things around him. I love it when he locks his eyes in on me. I look over and he is very intently staring at me. I smile at him and he gets a huge grin on his face. Melts my heart!

For comparison purposes, here are the previous posts:
4 months
3 months
2 months
1 month

Elusive Sleep and Gifts from God

2011-01-05T12:06:00.000-08:00

It is the middle of the night, I finally fell asleep and am awakened by the baby crying. I don't feel like I have slept that long. I look at the clock...1:45 a.m. Ugh, I just went to sleep at 11:30 and it has only been 3.5 hours since the last time he ate. I should let him cry for a few minutes maybe he will go back to sleep. I can't let him cry, he might wake up my husband (since we sleep in the same room). So, I run over there and insert paci and then hop back in bed begging him (in my head) to go back to sleep. He doesn't so I get him up to eat and then we go back to sleep. Awakened again by the baby crying. Ugh, what time is it now?... 4:45 a.m. He can't be hungry again. He is *five* months old...he should be able to go longer than 3 hours without eating, especially at night. Maybe he is going thru a growth spurt. Maybe his exczema is bothering him. Maybe he can't breathe since his nose is all stuffed up. Maybe he is ready to start solids. Can't let him cry too long because he might wake my husband. I run over there, insert paci, hop back in bed begging again for him to go back to sleep. He doesn't. So, I get him up to eat. He doesn't eat but is pacified so he is back in bed by 5:00. I fall back asleep quickly but am awakened by him fifteen minutes later. This time inserting paci works and I sleep for another 3 hour stretch when then it is time to get up for a full day with three kids and myself who don't feel good. I think about going straight from bed to the couch to sleep while the 4yo and 2yo watch a movie. Then I think how unfair that is to them. They deserve a mommy who is engaged with them. God reminds me that He has called me to be more than that for them. I start praying for God's strength to have a good day and glorify Him with our time together even on such little continuous sleep and not feeling too great.

"Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." Ephesians 5:15-16
God is so faithful and we had a wonderful morning beginning with prayer time and bible story, chores, a few activities, lunch...Ah, I made it...NAPTIME! I didn't lose my temper once. I wait for the two youngest to fall asleep. Then, me and the oldest quietly lay down in his bed (in the same room with 2yo). I am unable to relax enough to sleep and am becoming very angry. After about an hour my 2yo pops her head up. She and the 4yo start staring and smiling at each other. It is kind of cute but inside I am so angry and so tired. I just don't even say anything. Inside I know naptime is over and we just have to get on with the day. After a few minutes, the 4yo invites the 2yo over to the bed we are on. She looks at me and inside I think about telling her to go back to sleep. I thank God that out of my mouth came, "sure, honey you can come over here with us." She crawled up onto the bed and 4yo began to flip through our picture bible that had been laying on the bed (from bible story time earlier). He started *reading* (describing the pictures on each page) as my 2yo sat listening. I thought what a wonderful gift and how grateful I am for it. It is so much better than sleeping. I am still tired but God is so good to give me the strength and great gifts to keep me going through the day when physically I feel like I just can't do it.
"I can do all this through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13

New Beds

2011-01-03T19:43:00.001-08:00

Braedon outgrow his toddler bed long ago. Kaley was ready to move out of her crib long ago. With some Christmas money they got from their grandparents we were able to get them new beds. Here's to hoping that we won't have to worry about beds for a long while. We still have the toddler bed for when little G gets big enough for it.

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Our New Daily Routine

2011-01-03T01:00:00.000-08:00

I am the type of person who if I don't have things planned that we actually get accomplished, then I feel like we didn't accomplish anything all day. Then, I feel like I wasted the time that with my children that I have been so blessed with. It all sort of spirals downhill from there. As much as I like to plan, I want to leave plenty of room for whatever God has planned for us too. So, my plans aren't so much scheduled, it is more like a general idea of the types of things I want to make sure we do each day. Then, I just sort of try to work them in whenever the kids would probably be most cooperative in doing them. We do have a bit of a morning routine that we have been following lately and it has been WONDERFUL! First thing out of bed the kids like t.v. and I like it too because they are contained while I am making breakfast etc... This gives everyone a chance to wake up, eat something, and get ready to start the day. Immediately after whatever they are watching goes off I ask them to turn the t.v. off, which they are happy to do (yay!). If I had to fight them to turn off the t.v. then it would not get turned on in the first place. We then all cram onto our loveseat and have prayer time and bible story. After that is over it is time to do some chores. Braedon loves to use the portable vacuum cleaner so I just turn him loose with that. I am having a little trouble focusing Kaley on cleaning but we are working on it. Then, after cleaning time we have some free play. And, the day just sort of goes on from there. After lunch, we have quite time where at least 2 out of 3 kids sleep and the 3rd is required to be quite. This is when I get some alone time to read with Braedon and some alone time to spend with God. A few other things I try to work in throughout the day are:
-Games
-Crafts
-Music
-Exercise
-Worksheets (to start getting Braedon ready for school)
-Talk to Braedon about what his name is, when his birthday is, how old he is, and the same information for his brothers and sisters.
-Name tracing
I have to admit that we didn't always start our day with prayer. It has been such a blessing to make prayer and bible story time a priority. Our days are so much more positive when they are God-focused. When I start to feel like we are wasting time I evaluate the things that need to be priorities. Of course, God always reminds me that my highest priority during my days at home with my kids is to teach them and point them toward Him. It is such a blessing and my honor to do so.

Fireplace

2011-01-02T01:00:00.000-08:00

I love, love, love this picture. We built our first fire of the season in our fireplace on Christmas Eve and the kids loved it.

Smores

2011-01-01T07:26:00.000-08:00

This

+this

=YUMMY!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T07:43:00.001-08:00

From our family to yours. We hope you enjoy the true gift of Christmas, always!

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Birthday Party for Jesus

2010-12-24T11:28:00.000-08:00

This is the first year that I have kids old enough to start to "get it." So, I really wanted to start some traditions that would celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. Jesus Christ is the most precious gift EVER. Therefore, I thought it only appropriate that we begin our celebration on Christmas morning by being intentional about celebrating Him. We have a little birthday party planned. Muffins will substitute as cupcakes. We will sing "happy birthday, Jesus". We will present our gifts to Jesus with prayers of gratitude that we have the resources to give and do for others. Read through the Christmas story. Explain to the children why they are receiving gifts. Then, watch them open gifts...

I ran across this post and love it. Wanted to share it since it has some great ways in teaching Christ and keeping Him in the center of our lives at Christmas and everyday!

3D T.V. and Financial Decisions

2010-12-22T07:02:00.000-08:00

Several days ago my husband and I were joking around about spending the money on a new 3D T.V. He posted what we thought would be a funny status update on Facebook. It went something like this:

We have decided to purchase, with a credit card, the huge 3D TV they have at Sam's club. It is not really in line with our financial goals but I really think it will make us happy and give us more together time, on the couch...

Then, we sat back and waited for the funny comments to roll in. I asked him, I wonder who will send us a Dave Ramsey link? {chuckle} We got a few "likes" and one comment that said, "ha ha go for it." We had a couple of people ask us if we had purchased our new T.V. yet. We also had ONE person who was willing to lovingly rebuke our *decision*. (In case you need a good line for a similar rebuke, I think this was PERFECT!) The following Sunday in our SS class a friend went up to Andrew and said (sort of jokingly), "Hey man, Dave Ramsey is mad at you about your new T.V." This comment lead to a funny conversation during which Andrew confessed that we were trying to make a JOKE!

Just to clear things up:

We don't want to be a "slave to our lender" (Prov 22:7b) and we want to honor God with all of our decisions. Debt is not honoring to God because then we are slaves to our lender and not free to do God's will. Therefore, we feel that going into debt for an unnecessary purchase such as a huge 3D TV is not very God honoring.

If that weren't enough, there is always this:

So Much

2010-12-17T11:58:00.001-08:00

So much to blog about so little time. I hope to work in some blog time in the near future. For now just some kid cuteness!

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(Un)Forgetful Friday

2010-12-10T01:00:00.000-08:00

-Braedon and I were reading a book called Hurray for Heroes. I asked Braedon if he knew what a hero was and we discussed that a little bit. Then I asked him who the best hero of all is to which he replied, "Jesus." YAY :-)
-We were watching Super Why the other day and Kaley was standing next to the TV. Wyatt asked which word was the word "less" out of three words that were displayed on the screen. Kaley points to the word less and turns to me and says "less."
-I wanted to take our family picture for our Christmas card the other day. I have learned that if I talk about something all day with the kids they will respond better when the event comes up. So, all day I was saying, "When daddy comes home we are going to go stand by the Christmas tree and take pictures." So, when daddy came home, Braedon ran to get his toy camera. He went and stood next to the Christmas tree and started *taking* pictures of us (not standing next to the Christmas tree). I guess I should have rephrased it since kids are so literal. :-) It was pretty funny!
-Braedon and I had the neatest conversation about God the other day. We talked about how God is everywhere. Braedon asked if he was hiding. I got to explain that no he is not hiding. We can't see him but we know he is always there and that is called faith. Thank you God for the sweet opprotunity to share you with my kids!
-Braedon grabs Garrett's hand and shakes it while saying, "nice to meet you Garrett."
-Braedon says, "Garrett's a sweet baby" in a high pitched, super-sweet voice. It is almost the cutest thing ever.

Garrett - 4 Months

2010-12-06T18:42:00.000-08:00

Look at that smile! Yes, it does completely melt my heart. We go to the doctor for his 4 month check soon but I am pretty sure he is in the 12 lb range. He loves the attention he gets from all of us and especially his brother and sister.

Our Completed Thankful Tree

2010-11-25T08:41:00.001-08:00

What all made it on the tree?:
All the people who love on me
jesus and grandpa
ministry opportunities
daddy
Braedon Kaley Garrett and Mommy
venison
magnets
daddy's lap
candles
clouds
heater
mommy who loves me
movies with buddy Braedon
fingers to chew on
blue bouncy chair that Garret sits in
mommy's lap
coffee
Grapes
CLC groupsd
a good marriage
god and jesus
brother and sister to make me laugh
green markers
my family
corporate and private worship
time off work
lamp
fall leaves
tape
how blessed we are with family jobs health and relationship with god
mamas milk
the light blue bear that sings jesus loves me
pacifiers
chicken nuggets
bible
daddy
god and jesus
sleep
pigtails
a warm house
braedon
glenn and avery
a bed to jump on
the ability to buy food and toys for the less fortunate
god and jesus
pancakes with family
Nap
Alaina's hugs
Madison's hugs
babies
gas drops and saline
god and jesus
relationships
date with daddy
god and jesus
diapers
jesus and grandma
My favorite part was praying through all of these as a family on Thanksgiving Day morning. We also thank God for all the other wonderful gifts made possible through His son Jesus Christ!

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My Boys

2010-11-24T07:34:00.001-08:00

Love Love Love them!

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(Un)Forgetful Friday

2010-11-19T10:51:00.001-08:00

-Braedon and Kaley have actually started wrestling. Sometimes it is cute and funny. Other times not so much.
-The opportunity to start teaching my children that stuff is not that important.
-When hubby says "honey you are a great manager of our home."
-Kaley only wants to cuddle every now and then. This morning was one of those precious moments.
-When Braedon says wow mommy you are doing great.
-Memorial service that was so worshipful and inspiring to live more passionately for Christ.

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Our Thankful Tree

2010-11-16T09:21:00.001-08:00

We have not done this before but I love the idea so much that it will be a tradition starting this year. Each day from now until Thanksgiving day each member of the family will write something they are thankful for on a leaf. Then the leaf is taped to the tree. On Thanksgiving Day we sit down together as a family and read through them. I envision incorporating prayer into it also. Maybe we will draw them one at a time and pray for each one and the person who wrote it. I am looking forward to some spirit filled family time!

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(Un)Forgetful Friday

2010-11-12T01:00:00.000-08:00

-The way Kaley looks at her baby brother:

-The way Braedon looks at his baby brother:

-How proud I am of hubby for getting up early enough for a 6 a.m. meeting every Friday morning.
-Braedon wanted to pick up about a dozen crayons and put each one in between his toes to use his feet and put them in the bag.
-Kaley saying "uh huh boo boo" with a spiderman bandaid on her hand...translation "I have a boo boo" in a voice like she really does have a boo boo. Except it is her brother's bandaid that fell off of his boo boo.
-When Braedon's evening preschool teacher at church said to me, "Braedon has quite the imagination. He was trying to use the teeter totter as a catipult."
-Braedon saying "wadgi ga bee dat" unrecognizably fast. At first I thought he was saying "why did you call me that" but then we realized that he was saying "what's it gonna be that" obviously not knowing anything about sentence structure yet.
-Not being able to wait until Sunday to get some Land of a Thousand Hills coffee at the new cafe at our church.
-Kaley saying "mommy" at her bedroom door after she crawled out of her crib for the first time and the shocked look that hubby and I traded.
-When Garrett locks eyes with me and smiles.

Making Cards

2010-11-11T07:36:00.001-08:00

We enjoyed making a birthday card for my neice who turns 4 this month. I think they turned out pretty cute. The instructions came from the inside of the construction paper cover. Fold a piece of construction paper in half. In the middle of the folded edge make two straight cuts that are 1 and a half inches apart. Glue your object of choice onto the pop out tab. Glue another paper to make the front and then decorate.

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Look Who Turned 2

2010-11-09T13:25:00.000-08:00

Our precious baby girl turns two today. We celebrated this past Sunday with just our little family and grandparents via phone and webcam. Kaley got a Dora backpack to replace her diaper bag that we have been carrying to church and other activities. She also got a Care Bear (Share) that is bigger than her. If you haven't seen the video of her trying to put a diaper on it you can see it here. I baked a cake (out of the box) and the kids helped me put sprinkles on it. We sang Happy Birthday, ate cake, and opened presents. Then, Kaley wore her backpack around for the rest of the evening.

It was time change Sunday so she was extremely tired and we had a bit of It's My Party and I Will Cry If I Want To.

Love that face...silly girl!

The next day a card from Grandma and Grandpa Snow came and it had stickers in it. Here she is sticking the stickers in her card.

Diapering a Care Bear

2010-11-08T16:32:00.001-08:00

MUTE sound unless you want proof that Little G didn't think this was nearly as amusing as I did.

Kaley got this Care Bear (Share) for her birthday and I saw her trying to diaper it today. Too cute!

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Garrett - 3 months

2010-11-06T11:04:00.000-07:00

Here is our handsome, growing baby boy at 3 months. He is a lot more interactive now and smiles all the time. He coos and makes all different kinds of new, super-cute sounds. He loves getting attention from his brother and sister. And they love giving him attention. It has become one of our favorite things to do during Garrett's wake time is to lay him on Braedon's bed and all gather around to talk and play with him.

For comparison purposes, here are links to prior months:
1 month
2 month

Cousin Fun

2010-11-02T01:00:00.000-07:00

We had my brother and his daughters over last week. Little Caeser's Pizza has become our dinner of choice when we have little ones for company or just whenever we need something easy for dinner. We crammed four of the kids around this children's table to eat. It was super-cute.

Kaley and Sticker Silliness

2010-11-01T01:00:00.000-07:00

I have no idea why but Kaley is mostly interested in sticking stickers to her mouth. Then she just walks around with a mound of stickers stuck to her lips. Silly girl!

Can I Get a Smile?

2010-10-31T01:00:00.000-07:00

Garrett has been smiling at me but not on camera yet. Here is us trying to capture it.

Play Hut

2010-10-30T01:00:00.000-07:00

We had some great friends give us a princess play hut a while ago. I have to keep it put up and just break it out every now and then because our wild man (i.e. Braedon) will unintentionally destroy it. I broke it out the other day and it was the best thing in the world for about an hour. Here are some cute pics.

I had hoped that maybe it could stay out and be Kaley's "space" because lately Braedon seems to have been wanting his own space and has adopted this corner behind the living room chair.

Decorated Boxes

2010-10-28T01:00:00.000-07:00

I saw this cute little craft from Publix Preschool Pals. I got all excited about Braedon being able to keep some of his smaller, favorite toys in it. He made it but hasn't touched it yet. It was fun to make and there is always hoping that he will use it one of these days. Kaley couldn't really make her own so I glued the sides on for her expecting her to want to decorate it with stickers. She didn't want to decorate it or keep any of her small things in it either.

An arrow was the doodad in Lil K a few weeks ago and he is still infatuated with arrows. So, we used his arrow craft that he made that Sunday and glued it on the side of the box. I think it looks pretty neat.

Jug-O-Lantern

2010-10-27T01:00:00.000-07:00

This is a cute little halloween craft I saw at Publix Preschool Pals. It was fun but very messy. We drew the faces together and I cut them out. Then I turned Braedon and Kaley loose with paint and they used LOTS of it. Pumpkins are usually orange but Braedon made his blue, pink, purple, brown, and every other color of paint we had. I had a little more control over Kaley's paint options so her's turned out mostly orange. It was fun but then the paint started chipping off of the jugs and leaving a mess on the floor so they had to go bye bye pretty soon after we were finished looking at the finished product.

Once we put the flashlight inside the jug and put it in our dark bathroom it actually looked a little creepy, which wasn't really what I was going for. There is another reason they went bye bye.

I'm It

2010-10-24T01:00:00.000-07:00

Over the past few days I have felt somewhat overwhelmed with the number of times Braedon says "um, mommy" during any given day. I think about it a lot because well I am being constantly reminded of it. In thinking about it today I realized that all he really wants is to share something with me. He is excited about showing or telling me whatever it is. I also was reminded that this age and season of life is oh so temporary and one day he may not want to share many things with me. Right now, I am IT to him and I want to relish in that fact, appreciate it, and enjoy it instead of be resentful or overwhelmed by it. The same goes for Garrett and Kaley too. They are all so young that I am the center of their world right now. What a neat privilege that God has given me to be called mommy.

Thank God for Grandparents

2010-10-23T01:00:00.000-07:00

We were so blessed to have all three biological grandparents in town during the first month of Garrett's life.
First, my mom was here for three weeks (dad was here for a week of that).

Then, Andrew's mom (aka Mom2) was here for a week.

Then, Andrew's dad was here for almost a week.

The kids were blessed to be able to spend special time with their grandparents and we were tremendously blessed to have extra hands. Grandparents, Thank you for your visit and all your help. We love you!