I'm so sorry to anyone out there who occasionally reads this blog (maybe 2 of you?). haha I have been so bad about posting on here because we have been so busy! We are going to move to a new house in the next few weeks, so I have had my hands full with house stuff, kids, and ministry. Hope to add more posts soon!
I will share one recent funny story just to put something on here. The other day I caught Caleb (who turned 3 on Saturday!) drinking water from his bath. (Glad it was before I started bathing him, but still gross.) I told him to stop, and he acted so ashamed that he had been caught. Before I put him to bed, I asked him if he needed to tee tee and he said, "No, I tee teed in the bathtub." NOOOOOO!
Monday, October 1, 2012
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Potty Time
Potty training is not something I really look forward to, but once it is done, I feel as though a huge weight has been lifted. It is a little daunting because once you start, there is no going back. You have to commit to be at home all day for a few days, and you must expect there will be some messes to clean. The first day, especially, is a hard one since you have to convince your toddler to sit on the potty a lot. Thankfully, Caleb was pretty cooperative, especially since peanut butter M&Ms were involved. Caleb was so determined to go on the potty that first day that he fell asleep on my legs! I'm sure he will really appreciate me sharing this someday when he is older, but I couldn't resist.
Once it finally happens, there is such a celebration! I kept telling him I was so proud of him, so now when he goes he says, "I so pwowd of youuuu." He has done so so well! We had a prayer night at church Wednesday night, which was day 3 of his training. I put him in a diaper just in case he had an accident and he used the potty at church! We still have some issues with #2, but that day will come. And, we will celebrate again!
He is growing up so fast!
Once it finally happens, there is such a celebration! I kept telling him I was so proud of him, so now when he goes he says, "I so pwowd of youuuu." He has done so so well! We had a prayer night at church Wednesday night, which was day 3 of his training. I put him in a diaper just in case he had an accident and he used the potty at church! We still have some issues with #2, but that day will come. And, we will celebrate again!
He is growing up so fast!
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Fun Weekend
This weekend there was jumping, lots of animal interaction, and blueberries! On Friday, we took the kids to the bounce house place and they had such a fun time jumping and playing with the toys. They had a plasma car that Caleb loved- he called it his airplane. I think they liked it more than the bounce houses.
After that, we went to the beef farm to buy some beef and the horses were standing by the fence. They are always very friendly, so we went to pet them and one of them bit Anna! It was a playful bite and did not break the skin, but it did leave tooth marks. She was pretty traumatized but got over it when we fed them apple slices.
Later that afternoon, one of our little turtles went missing in our house. Caleb has started playing with them and he forgot to put it back in the tank. We finally found "Frog" sleeping in his closet.
Yesterday, my sweet friend Michelle joined me and the kids for an outing to the Blueberry Festival. This is a big deal in Nacogdoches, and pretty much the whole town comes out for it. The kids loved the petting zoo, horse rides, painting, and Thomas the Train ride. We bought lots of blueberries and the kids ate over a pint yesterday at lunch!
Mixed into all of this we have been watching and pretend-playing Anna and Caleb's new favorite movie, Robin Hood. I am the Sherriff, Caleb is RH, and Anna is Maid Marion. I think Anna loves it because there are mean people in the movie, but they aren't scary. She told me last night that she wants to play RH all day tomorrow. :)
After that, we went to the beef farm to buy some beef and the horses were standing by the fence. They are always very friendly, so we went to pet them and one of them bit Anna! It was a playful bite and did not break the skin, but it did leave tooth marks. She was pretty traumatized but got over it when we fed them apple slices.
Later that afternoon, one of our little turtles went missing in our house. Caleb has started playing with them and he forgot to put it back in the tank. We finally found "Frog" sleeping in his closet.
Yesterday, my sweet friend Michelle joined me and the kids for an outing to the Blueberry Festival. This is a big deal in Nacogdoches, and pretty much the whole town comes out for it. The kids loved the petting zoo, horse rides, painting, and Thomas the Train ride. We bought lots of blueberries and the kids ate over a pint yesterday at lunch!
Mixed into all of this we have been watching and pretend-playing Anna and Caleb's new favorite movie, Robin Hood. I am the Sherriff, Caleb is RH, and Anna is Maid Marion. I think Anna loves it because there are mean people in the movie, but they aren't scary. She told me last night that she wants to play RH all day tomorrow. :)
Saturday, May 26, 2012
No Matter What
Today was a tough day. For some reason, the kids were both overly sensitive and emotional. Anna, especially, whined a lot. She had a couple of melt down moments and just needed a good cry. After spending the entire day with a couple of fussers, I was tired. Tonight while Anna was brushing her teeth, she had another emotional moment and I snapped at her. She told me I hurt her feelings and I felt horrible. The last thing I want to do is hurt my children and it crushes my heart to think that I have done that. Now, sometimes she can say I hurt her feelings over not giving her a marshmallow, so I have to gauge the situation. But, tonight I reacted in the wrong way.
As I was putting her to bed, I could not contain my emotions and I just cried right in front of her. She was so sweet and consoling and she said, "Don't worry Mommy- I love you even when you're mean to me." Wow. Thank you, Lord, for teaching me grace through my 4 year old. I told her the same thing- that I still love her no matter what she does. Then, we started talking about how we need Jesus because we sin every day. She asked me to give her some examples of sin, so we talked through that (I can tell she is probably going to be a rules follower and wants to know what is acceptable and what is "bad"). I told her that Jesus loves us no matter what we do, and that He throws our sins away. She asked me, "Mommy, where is the trash can in heaven? Oh, I know- it's by His bed where He sleeps." How can I argue with that? It was one of the sweetest conversations we have had.
I am so thankful God used a messy situation to teach me that He loves me no matter what. It seems like that truth has popped up in my life a lot lately. I know He is teaching me in His loving way. You may be wondering if I am leaning a little too far in the "free grace" direction...not at all! I am much more prone to lean towards the other side of "works", so I am glad He is emphasizing this truth in my life. Anna knows there are rules and boundaries and that her life is not a free-for-all. But, I also want her to understand that my love for her is not conditional, and that she is fully loved, even when she makes mistakes. I am far from being perfect- as a mom or as a Christian woman. But, thanks be to God I have a perfect Savior who loves me perfectly!
As I was putting her to bed, I could not contain my emotions and I just cried right in front of her. She was so sweet and consoling and she said, "Don't worry Mommy- I love you even when you're mean to me." Wow. Thank you, Lord, for teaching me grace through my 4 year old. I told her the same thing- that I still love her no matter what she does. Then, we started talking about how we need Jesus because we sin every day. She asked me to give her some examples of sin, so we talked through that (I can tell she is probably going to be a rules follower and wants to know what is acceptable and what is "bad"). I told her that Jesus loves us no matter what we do, and that He throws our sins away. She asked me, "Mommy, where is the trash can in heaven? Oh, I know- it's by His bed where He sleeps." How can I argue with that? It was one of the sweetest conversations we have had.
I am so thankful God used a messy situation to teach me that He loves me no matter what. It seems like that truth has popped up in my life a lot lately. I know He is teaching me in His loving way. You may be wondering if I am leaning a little too far in the "free grace" direction...not at all! I am much more prone to lean towards the other side of "works", so I am glad He is emphasizing this truth in my life. Anna knows there are rules and boundaries and that her life is not a free-for-all. But, I also want her to understand that my love for her is not conditional, and that she is fully loved, even when she makes mistakes. I am far from being perfect- as a mom or as a Christian woman. But, thanks be to God I have a perfect Savior who loves me perfectly!
Friday, May 18, 2012
Catalyst Notes
Last week, Kyle and I went to Catalyst Conference in Dallas. Catalyst is a conference for pastors and other church/ministry leaders. There were so many great speakers- Andy Stanley, Katie Davis, Mark Batterson, Matt Chandler, Bob Goff, etc.- and the worship was wonderful. We loved this conference and felt like it encouraged and challenged us in many ways. Since I shared my notes from the last conference I attended, I thought I'd share some from Catalyst as well. It would take me a long time to type them all, so here are a few...actually, this is a lot, but I promise it's not even half! I'll also attach some pictures- Kyle and I enjoyed taking some self portraits while we were waiting for the Gungor concert- we were close to the stage in the "red zone".
Mark Batterson:
"When you pray regularly, you can be sure that irregular things can happen on a regular basis"
"We want God to do something new, but we want to keep doing the same old thing."
"God opposes the proud- He can be opposing you as you're doing His will."
"There will be moments where you'll have to risk your reputation to establish God's reputation."
"Don't seek opportunities. Seek God."
Lysa TerKeurst:
Your reaction determines you reach.
Feelings make good indicators but not dictators.
2 Chronicles 20: 12, 15- we are powerless, the battle is God's
Praise and thanksgiving changes everything: we don't praise for the tough circumstance but we praise in the circumstance
Our attitude should not be "I have to..." but "I am able to..."
In conflict, am I trying to prove I am right or improve the situation? I need to acknowledge my need of grace, give them grace, and then ask them to give me grace.
Reggie Joiner:
Are you willing to be present in someone's life who is different than you?
Maybe the best way to love God is to love who God loves.
The more different someone is from you, the more potential you have to show God's love.
What your neighbor needs to know:
1.God's love is bigger than your religion. (The world doesn't believe we love them because they don't think we like them and we don't love each other.)
2.You will be present as a friend even if they never believe what you believe.
3.Even your own faith is not at 100%. (There are always questions.) Then he said that we need to allow our children to process their own doubt so they can own their own faith. He said it's not the amount of faith you have but where you put it.
4.You are not trying to change them. (The Bible does not say "change your neighbor".)
5.The Bible is not just a good book.
Am I getting involved with people who are different???
Jud Wilhite:
"God is not calling you to a spectacular ministry but to a faithful and sincere heart."
1.Do a gut check. Look at your ambition and why you are doing what you are doing in ministry.
2.Stay a little crazy for God. Take risks that make you depend on Him. Your "crazy" is not going to be everyone else's "crazy".
3.Be compelled by Christ's love. It will ground you in all the trials and difficulties.
Mark Batterson:
"When you pray regularly, you can be sure that irregular things can happen on a regular basis"
"We want God to do something new, but we want to keep doing the same old thing."
"God opposes the proud- He can be opposing you as you're doing His will."
"There will be moments where you'll have to risk your reputation to establish God's reputation."
"Don't seek opportunities. Seek God."
Lysa TerKeurst:
Your reaction determines you reach.
Feelings make good indicators but not dictators.
2 Chronicles 20: 12, 15- we are powerless, the battle is God's
Praise and thanksgiving changes everything: we don't praise for the tough circumstance but we praise in the circumstance
Our attitude should not be "I have to..." but "I am able to..."
In conflict, am I trying to prove I am right or improve the situation? I need to acknowledge my need of grace, give them grace, and then ask them to give me grace.
Reggie Joiner:
Are you willing to be present in someone's life who is different than you?
Maybe the best way to love God is to love who God loves.
The more different someone is from you, the more potential you have to show God's love.
What your neighbor needs to know:
1.God's love is bigger than your religion. (The world doesn't believe we love them because they don't think we like them and we don't love each other.)
2.You will be present as a friend even if they never believe what you believe.
3.Even your own faith is not at 100%. (There are always questions.) Then he said that we need to allow our children to process their own doubt so they can own their own faith. He said it's not the amount of faith you have but where you put it.
4.You are not trying to change them. (The Bible does not say "change your neighbor".)
5.The Bible is not just a good book.
Am I getting involved with people who are different???
Jud Wilhite:
"God is not calling you to a spectacular ministry but to a faithful and sincere heart."
1.Do a gut check. Look at your ambition and why you are doing what you are doing in ministry.
2.Stay a little crazy for God. Take risks that make you depend on Him. Your "crazy" is not going to be everyone else's "crazy".
3.Be compelled by Christ's love. It will ground you in all the trials and difficulties.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Summer is Here!
Saturday, May 5, 2012
3 Little Birdies
Anna's preschool has an end-of-the-year program where every class performs a couple of songs. They have been practicing for weeks, and sent the lyrics home with the students so that parents can also help. Every time I ask Anna to sing it for me, she tries to squirm her way out of it. Every now and then I will hear her singing it to herself, and it is so cute.
I told her teacher that we will be out of town on her last week of school and she will not be there for the program. She told me that she would miss Anna because she has a great voice and really helped set the pace for the song. I loved hearing that since she is so shy about singing it in front of me.
Tonight, she finally sang it for me right before bed. I am so glad that I got to capture it on video since we will not be able to go to the program.
I told her teacher that we will be out of town on her last week of school and she will not be there for the program. She told me that she would miss Anna because she has a great voice and really helped set the pace for the song. I loved hearing that since she is so shy about singing it in front of me.
Tonight, she finally sang it for me right before bed. I am so glad that I got to capture it on video since we will not be able to go to the program.
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