Handing out Easter Eggs at the Nursing Home

We love the North Hills Fayetteville Health and Rehab.  The folks there are always so glad to see our kiddos and our kiddos are glad to see them!  We handed out easter eggs filled with candy.  As always…trying to get our kiddos to learn to share the love of Christ!

Homemade dishwasher detergent

All I can say about this is that it is EASY and cheap! Not to mention that it's free of harsh chemicals! I was skeptical but it really works... Glasses were sparkly clean! Planning to try vinegar as a rinse to make sure there are no water spots left in dishes!

1 cup borax
1 cup soda
1/4 cup salt
2 pkgs unsweetened Kool aid lemonade.

Clear Creek Fun

We went down to Clear Creek last Saturday and had so much fun throwing rocks and watching butterflies.  Yes, the boys were REALLY dirty and wet by the time we left but they had so much fun so it was worth it!  The water was low enough so the boys could walk out into the creek bed.  Brad showed them how to "skip" rocks.  Thankful for the Lord's beautiful creation for us to enjoy!

Gods little boy is BRAVE

Eli woke up last night crying... Which is rare... So I immediately went to him. I walked in and he wanted me to hug him. I asked him "are you afraid Eli"? He paused and then said "God's lille boy is brave Momma!". His tone was saying come on momma don't you know I am brave?!?!

I am just soaking up this precious stage and his maturing personality and behavior. If you would have been a fly on the wall in our dining room last night you would have seen my mouth drop open when he said after I gave him his plate of spaghetti, carrots and bread "Thank you Momma"! I about fell over. He has said this a few times now with other things. I love his compassionate and grateful heart! Um...let me disclose that this sweet stage also has brought a strong will too! Along with this strong will comes challenging me on things and disobedience. So...here comes more discipline! Hate it that my sweet Eli has to go through it but it's for his own good! Im trying to be consistent with expectations and discipline. Its hard work but absolutely necessary so this challenging stage is "short lived". It seems like I'm always striving to remain cool and collected in the midst of challenges.... In other words... In charge! Its hard to pull off sometimes especially when those pregnancy hormones are raging too! :) I wish I could say I am one of those mommas who are always cool under pressure. I admire them! How do kids know when you are most exhausted and those are the times they are the most difficult?

Lord give me your patience for my kiddos when they are a challenge. Give me a keen sense of how to administer your, justice, love, and grace through discipline without embittering them. Help me to have guard towers over my mouth so even in discipline I speak encouragement and truth into their hearts. Help me be able to discern when to discipline for the things that matter and help me to ignore the things that don't. Use Brad and I to instill in them character that will shape them into men that honor and reflect you.

Connor drops his morning nap = FREEDOM

Connor is almost 17 months and dropped his morning nap today.  I am VERY excited about this next season with my boys.  The weather is getting nice and summer is right around the corner...oh the possibilities! :)  I have always been a stickler when it comes to good sleep habits.  Some would call me structured and yes we have missed out on a lot of morning activities but I must say that they both have always been good sleepers....except for Connor when he was a baby.  So glad we are through that phase.  For us...consistency and good timing has been the key to producing good sleep habits.

I was reluctant to push Connor to skip his morning nap but I have been noticing that he hasn't been getting good afternoon sleep.  Last night he fussed off and on until 9:30pm.  This is very unusual for him so I decided to "pull the plug" on the morning nap.  I'm praying he consolidates his daytime sleep into one nap.  So...hoping for a 3 hour nap today!  We'll see...

I will miss the morning time with just Eli but I know both of them will enjoy time OUT of the house and with each other doing fun things.  Library, Farmers Market, Park, Mall, Chikfila...here we come!!! :)

Ok Mom!?!

Ok Mom?! Eli has said this several times recently and it makes me almost chuckle. It's like I am hearing a big boy inside a little boys body. I'm not sure I'm ready for my little Eli to call me Mom. I prefer Momma or Mommy...I'll hear Mom soon enough! He still uses Momma mostly and I love it. :) I think it's funny how he says.... Ok mom or yes mom!!!

Healthy French Toast... Big hit!

I'm always trying to find new ways to get my kiddos to eat healthy. This morning we had French toast with Pure Maple syrup. Big hit!!!

2 eggs
Soy milk
Wheat germ sprinkled on top
Whole grain bread with millet and flax
Pure Vanilla extract
Cinnamon

Mama Bear

My Blog not only documents special memories but also is a journal. I want to remember lessons learned so I can go back and see how His hand worked me through them. I wish I had more time to write in a journal so this is a great option for me!
What Momma isn't like a MOMMA BEAR from time to time? Can you even get mad at kids? Just seems wrong. :) Im wrestling with the emotions that come with wanting to protect my kids and the knowledge that sometimes difficult situations will teach them how to handle themselves. I have always strived for peace in my friendships by overlooking an offense (unless Truth needed to be said) but when it comes to my kids... Well now that's a whole new territory for me. Can you get mad at these kids that are provoking and teasing your kids? I'm prayerfully trying to figure out how much I protect and how much to intervene for my kids. Should I view these situations as learning situations for my kids or protect them until they are old enough to handle them properly? Eli did not handle himself right in recent situations and he got in trouble for it...should he have gotten in trouble? Yes because his behavior was not acceptable BUT how can I teach a 3 year old how to handle himself with teasing and provoking in a way suitable to the situation? Does he have the discipline over his reactions yet? I don't think I can expect this level of maturity. I am torn with what my expectations need to be when he is faced with situations he has never dealt with.

Connors and the "My First Words" flashcards

Connor is passionate about a few things! One of them happens to be the card with the Car on it inside the box with all the "my first words" flash cards! He searches through the box for this beloved card. He patiently goes one by one through the cards and when he comes to the "Car" he says at the top of his voice Caaaa!!!! Not much of an r at the end of the word but you definitely understand what he means. :) Once he finds it he shows everyone the card repeating caaaa, caaaa, CAAAA!!! I just had to document this little thing that he is so passionate about. I love this little one's excitement... Even if it's over nothing super special.
Lesson learned... If you are content with the little things then you'll get excited about the little things!

Devo time

Every morning after breakfast and the toys are picked up we have DEVO time. We always begin by dancing to kids praise music. The one we play the most by their request is "I believe" by Promiseland music. This morning after the toys were picked up Eli... on his own... went and got the book we are reading right now "God's wisdom for little boys" and a pillow for me to lean against. I was impressed by his thoughtfulness! I couldn't believe he thought to bring the pillow for my comfort!
During DEVO time we always work on short memory verses...he now has three memorized. Give thanks to Lord... Trust in the Lord... God loves the world.
I'm praying God's word resignates in Eli's and Connors hearts and it shapes them into the men they become!

Psalm 119:9-16
How can a young man keep his way pure?
    By guarding it according to your word.
¹⁰ With my whole heart I seek you;
    let me not wander from your commandments!
¹¹ I have stored up your word in my heart,
    that I might not sin against you.
¹² Blessed are you, O Lord;
     teach me your statutes!
¹³ With my lips I declare
    all the rules of your mouth.
¹⁴ In the way of your testimonies I delight
    as much as in all riches.
¹⁵ I will meditate on your precepts
    and fix my eyes on your ways.
¹⁶ I will delight in your statutes;
    I will not forget your word.

Daddy is Zonked

It's a tiring job being a Daddy!  He works hard all week and helps me with the boys on the weekends.  He is in charge of bath time, getting boys ready for bed, wrestling/play time, and then Bible time.  During the day you can find him helping with picking up, taking them to the park - so Momma can have a quiet house, cleaning up after meals and keeping up his own "to do's".  As I type this entry he is upstairs soothing Connor because he's having a hard time going to sleep...it's 8:45pm!  And I have to mention that he never complains.  I sometimes wonder why I deserved Brad.  The Lord has truly blessed me with him.  

One more post about my hubby...

He walked in from work today with these beautiful flowers... Thankful for him! I hope we continue to "work" at keeping our relationship with each other most important (secondary to the Lord of course!) when #3 arrives!

Sweet note from my Hubby

OK.. I do not blog about personal things between my sweet hubby and I but I just have to brag a little about him on this one. Yes, we disagree sometimes, yes we even argue but in the end he still loves me. And I can be difficult to live with! Uugh... He is wonderful with giving me words of affirmation and occasionally I will find notes on my bathroom mirror. I found this a few days ago! The Lord blessed me when he gave me Brad.

Cupcakes and the Cricut

I made these cupcakes for a friends shower. I love the potential of the cricut cutting machine. Cupcake toppers are an uncharted territory for me but I definitely am going to try them again sometime. I just love how they add "cuteness" to the cupcakes! :)

Beware of Flies

Flies can be scary...at least for a 3 year old Toddler. Eli loves ants, beatles, butterflies, Dogs, ponies, chickens, Tyrannasauras Rex, goats...pretty much any animal or insect. The one insect that he fears is the Fly especially when it's trapped in our house buzzing around. I don't blame him....who wants these pesky little things flying in your face and landing on you? That would be a little creepy and annoying for a 3 year old. So...we talked about how he is stronger than the Fly and he doesn't need to be afraid of it. Then we talked about how when we have Jesus we don't have to Fear anything. Then...we went on the Fly Hunt! Daddy is SO much better at this, but Momma did her best. We trapped it in a room and tried to hunt him down. Eli couldn't stand to watch so he called out from the living room..."get Fly Momma"???? I would say "not yet Eli, I'm working on it"! I made several attempts using my handy dandy flyswatter and after 15 minutes I gave up. I decided that we would try again later. Mr Fly is still around so I'm hoping he will find his way out the same way he found his way in. I really enjoy opening up the windows and airing out the house with the nice weather (I'm hopeful Brad's allergies don't flare up) so I anticipate more flies coming to visit our family. Poor Eli... he will eventually realize that these are nothing to fear...just pesky little insects.

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10