A Time For Every Season....

"God has designed beauty and pleasure to inhabit the simplest of things, but we have to be still in our heart to enjoy them. We have to submit and assent by faith to the reality of each day, however mundane, choosing to see with heart-eyes the reasons for thanksgiving and joy. Otherwise we miss the power of the spring season." ~ Sally Clarkson in Seasons of a Mothers Heart ~ 483. Simple joy of listening to a child speak - so innocent yet wise. 484. Submission - the key lesson I learned while traveling through the Old Testament in 2008 was Faith and Obedience. All I need to master is great faith and simple obedience- God honors our meager attempts at submission because it blooms into a heart of usefulness for God. ::Submission/Respect for my husband, valuing his decisions and his choices, seeing that there are many ways to do things. Appreciating his uniqueness and finding the peace that comes when I submit to God's leadership through the vessel of my husband. :: Submi...

Our second born seems to have been sick over half his life! He is finally over the flu and still has diarrhea and his tummy is swollen and Gabe isn't happy when you touch it. I had the privilege of counting his dirty diapers today and taking samples - the things mothers do for the children they love! If the samples come back parasite free, we're off to a GI specialist at Cooks for some tests. Drew is into the "why" phase of childhood. Not the disobedient, "Why do I have to clean my room" type, but the "Why is the sky blue, and why can't hundreds of helium balloons lift me into the sky?" questions. Drew always has questions for us. He is into imagination and playing with his brother. He loves to be the center of attention and is just now realizing that Gabe is also vying for that same attention. Drew had a wonderful birthday and is enjoying all his fun discoveries. For example, the electronic rocket ship isn't to be taken into the bathtub...

On Saturday we celebrated the birth of Drew with friends and family. It was such a special treat for Drew to have his "Papa tractor" and Grandma Carol come to his party. They came to visit us for a week, so we planned his party around their trip. I wrestled about what to do for his party, I hate planning parties and the thought of having tons of little children destroying my house wasn't very attractive. So, I settled for a "family and friend" party. We invited two of Drew's favorite friends, Johnathan & Riley, and then our "family". We were especially excited to have the boys "Texas" grandparents come - Mike and Sue. It had been a while since they experienced a 4 year old party but I think they had fun! Drew's party was a success, we adults were able to visit and the kids had so much fun playing outside in the sandbox. Drew opened a nice array of gifts, his favorite was a cool fork lift for his sand box; it talks and moves! He a...

My little man is turning 4, where in the world has all that precious time gone? I pray it has been invested wisely. I can think of many investments I've put into him the past 5 years (his womb time was quite the investment & sacrifice), all those vitamins and organic foods, my hospital stay and bed rest, natural childbirth, a wonderful marriage, extended family that love him, hours each day spent influencing his life, bible time, songs sung, catechism's memorized and lessons taught, discipline time, a few spankings here and there, hugs, kisses, tears wiped, books read, numbers memorized, ... all valuable and important investments into his life. My job is so great - raising a future husband, father, man who truly loves God, doesn't happen by chance, it happens through investments. What I've been mulling over today as Drew's birthday fast approaches are the investments that I've made that are unseen - the prayers I've lifted up to my Father in the quietnes...

So today has been a total disaster, at one point I started laughing at the irony of it all! It started this morning, Gabe woke with the flu. So far Gabe has vomited all over our new rug, couch, about 10 blankets, his crib, changing table, a few times in the bathtub, and on his mommy - we're only to 5:00 pm! If that isn't enough, while I was speaking to my boss I heard a horrible thump and hysterical screams proceeded. I knew John was in with Drew so I wasn't worried. Then, John rushed in and informed me that we had an emergency and Drew might need stitches. I must be immune to ph ysical injury because every time I should get freaked out, I don't really see the need to get excited. I calmly finished my call and went downstairs to take inventory. Drew still had two arms, two legs, a nose, and ten fingers and toes. He did have a newly acquired slit above his left eye that was gaping open and bleeding. I guess if your jumping head first off beds something is bound to happen...

For many, especially those with girls, enjoying the artwork of their children is a common occurrence. In our home it is very lacking, not for lack of trying, but for lack of interest. So I am so proud to post Drew's very first person - a beautiful picture of baby Jesus. Can you see the arms? He doesn't have legs because, according to Drew, Jesus is "wrapped in swaddling clothes" so the blanket covers his legs. To a mommy, it is as if Vincent Van Gogh himself drew this special piece of art. My favorite part is his hair, so adorable! I am so proud of Drew for his hard work and perseverance to draw me a beautiful, time consuming, picture!

We had a very sweet week of being home and playing around with the kids. In honor of all that family time, we hired our baby sitter to come for the day and play with the boys. It was the best money we've spent in a while! John was able to almost finish up the bathroom remodel and I actually cleaned off my desk and filed! The close of 2008 (accounting books) are almost complete and the consolidation at work is almost done as well. Today was a wonderful catch up day that included finishing up work, cleaning out the fridge, grocery shopping, and vacuuming. Now I'm tired and off to sleep!

So it is late and I need to go spend time with my sweet husband, but I thought I'd post one quick "Not Me Monday" as not to forget this very special moment between mother and son, so here goes. I did not give my almost 4 year old his first tampon 101 lesson! Yes, what kind of a mother would do such a thing to an innocent child? I most certainly didn't go to the bathroom and not lock the door, only to discover my 4 year old had not walked in, tipped his head down to look between my legs and was smiling at me while I was... ahem.... making a fast bathroom change. After his initial shock and many "why" questions, he was thrilled to know that it didn't hurt and he wouldn't need to do such things because he has the blessing of being a boy. I'm sure he won't tell his friends in class about this tomorrow and his teachers won't ask how he knows so much... Before you laugh and think it won't happen, at the beginning of they year he informe...

Our 6 th anniversary is here! I can't believe how quickly the time has passed, it also means we've been Texans for 6 years. This anniversary we wanted to stay frugal, as well as keep the calories low so it was a challenge coming up with fun yet romantic ideas. I wasn't expecting anything too exciting, but John proved that he too is getting into this frugal lifestyle and can be quite the romantic. First, John woke me Sunday morning with a beautiful card and a eloquently written poem where he declared his love for me. I was so surprised and touched! I couldn't imagine anything better than my own poem, written by my own man! That night we were headed out for desert and while out stopped at Lowes and returned a ton of sprinkler heads from a job John did a few years ago. It ended up being a few hundred dollars worth of stuff, so I had a nice spending spree in the store. I ended up with a new rug for the living room! After, we went looking for a TCBY in hopes of having som...

We spent the week at home! I finally took Gabe into the doctor because he has been sick, some of it is allergies and the other is probably that intestinal bug from October - he just has never returned to his old self. The doctor agreed that he did not look good, but couldn't find anything wrong with him - aside from a runny nose and a lot of nasal drip in his throat. She agreed that his the frequency of his diarrhea was also an issue. I hate antibiotics and try and not put the boys on it if at all possible, but I told her I was desperate to find some answers! So, we decided to put him on a 14 day antibiotic and hopefully kill whatever is in there that won't seem to let go of my old child. If that doesn't work then we'll have to run some fecal and blood tests. So far we're 4 days into the antibiotics and his diarrhea has turned into a solid stool and the frequency is back down to 2x a day - yes! He is sleeping much better and is chatting too. He seems to smile more a...

As I drove home from Drew's preschool today I started to drive over to my mom's, then I remember.... "Great Nana" isn't here. For 3 month's I've spent time getting to know a new Nana, one who doesn't act like I remember growing up, one who forgets what we did yesterday, but remembers 30 years ago. When she first arrived I committed to the Lord that I would serve her and love this new Nana, I would not get frustrated and I would cherish this time I'd been given. My Nana served me and cared for me when I was young and now it was my time to give back and to model to the boys what servant hood really looks like! Funny how serving the Lord will change your life and not necessarily those that are served! I learned much these months, mostly that this new Nana may be different, but her smile and quiet spirit softens us. The old Nana was always busy and had a million things to do, this new Nana enjoyed reading and quiet chats on the couch. I grew to love th...

I did not take the dog out last night and spot a very nice sized Grillmate BBQ sitting along the curb waiting for bulk trash to pick it up. I did not push (and pull) that 100 pound BBQ the 1/4+ mile to my house, thumping and banging over every sidewalk crack! I did not pray that no cars or people would see me and call the police. I wasn't reading the Newspaper heading - "Crazy Woman Caught Walking BBQ Grill: Sent to Institution!" Graciously at 10:00 pm there weren't many people out! I'm not wishing I was in better shape as my arms sit here and throb from my unexpected workout! I did not surprise my husband with a new BBQ that is way better than the one we bought 6 years ago! I'm not totally excited about this fun bargain that only needs new nobs! Now if only I could get John to pick up that artificial tree on the other side of the block? I did not go to Walgreen's and buy 50.00 worth of stuff for 3.08, driving in the ice might I add (who does that for bar...

Visit Northwood Church and take a free couples checkup (30.00 value) for free, all you need is an e-mail address! The assessment will reveal areas in your marriage that are strong and areas that need some growth. This test will remain free until February 14 th . The marriage assessment can be found at: themarraigeportrait .com Also join us for a free date night watching Fireproof on the big screen! The event is Friday night, January 24 th at 6:30 pm at Northwood Church in Keller, Texas. View the trailer here.

Today I took Drew on a Mommy Date. First we went to Cabella's and bought him a new fishing pole with a 1 year warranty - seeing as the his Christmas fishing pole broke on the first cast. We took some time and enjoyed watching the huge fish swim in the glass aquarium. We especially enjoyed the turtles! Then we headed out to Starbucks where Drew enjoyed a doughnut, we sat and just talked. He told me all his favorite things and a few times I tried to say it was time to go and he replied, "But, I want to talk about my day again!" He had so much fun cuddling with mommy and sharing his favorite things. Then we went home and said good-bye to daddy who was off to work. That afternoon we took Gabe, Kitty, Nana, and Great Nana to the pond for some fishing. I can't believe I forgot my camera! I even caught a fish and was able to show the boys. Drew wasn't as impressed as I thought, Gabe wanted to eat it - fortunately for the fish he weighed next to nothing and its a catch an...

I was at Kroger a few days ago and discovered an amazing sight - bags and bags of organic Banana's for .99 cents. All this time I thought those bags of banana's were just if you wanted to spend regular price for a few pounds of banana's. Then I realized they had special mark down stickers on them. I managed to get a few bags of apples and yellow peppers for .99 cents a bag too! I think I ended up with around 10 pounds of banana's for 4.00. I cut all of them up and froze them in ziploc bags so I won't waste any from spoiling. I've spent the past few days coming up with creative ways to use these little blessings, here are a few ideas we came up with: Banana Bread Frozen banana's cut into small chunks and freeze - we just discovered they make yummy snack items (they also taste way better? I think the natural oils of a banana come out when frozen? I personally think these taste like Popsicles, so do the kids who have been eating lots of banana's lately! Sug...