The Best Day Ever!

This week we've been having lots of fun. I've heard the boys say, 'This is the best day ever!' almost everyday this week. :) This season we made an Advent Calendar that has a Bible verse and an activity to do each day. If you want more details on how we made it you can visit my other blog http://growingtowardsthelight.blogspot.com/
The boys had a lot of fun the other day when they did the activity planned. Surprise daddy with an early Christmas gift! We gave him a Bobba Fett mug...Monkey couldn't wait for him to open it, because of the candy inside.

We've also been reading lots of great Christmas books. Monkey's favorite was J is for Jesus. I think that's because he got to eat a candy cane while hearing the story. In the photo he's trying to put the "J" back together after he bit into it before I could take the picture. Of course his brothers joined in on the fun.

Bahumbug...no wait, Merry Christmas!

The above pictures are of what's helping me to keep my focus this Christmas. I keep slipping into this BLAH mood, sad I know. Things just keep creaping up...divorce...sickness...finances... It seems as soon as I get a chance to breath, something else takes my breath away. Fortunately, God knows my limit, even though I thought I reached it a long time ago...is it possible for God to stretch your limit? I don't know if I like that idea. Well, that's the bahumbug part...

This Christmas I have had the chance to witness generiousity, joy, excitement, love, and sacrifice. Actually, not only witness it, but fell it and be a part of it. This Christmas I've seen my baby put his "guys" in the nativity so they can see Jesus. This Christmas I've spent time with my family, really spent quality time with my family. This Christmas will be a merry Christmas!

It looked like...chocolate

This week we started our month long unit on Harvest and The Fruit of the Spirit. I'm using the book The Apple Pie Tree for Monkey. We talked about the four seasons and started making a book. The book is four pages, on each page is a picture of the stages of the apple tree. Monkey really enjoys painting! In the picture below he was painting the page of the apple tree in the winter. He said, "Mommy you know what this looks like?" I bet you can imagine what I thought he was going to say, but he surprised me by saying, "Chocolate!"

Bear has been doing a Fruit of the Spirit lapbook, which I got through Curriclick. I wrote the different fruits of the spirit on a ball and played a game with the boys. We tossed the ball around and when you caught the ball you had to pick a fruit and share a way in which you could model that fruit. Bear picked faith. He said, "I can show faith when I tell people about Jesus".

Growing towards the Light

Well it won't be long now and Fall will come to a close and winter will be upon us. At least that's the way it's suppose to go...but this weather has been crazy! We had a lot of fun the other day, when the above picture was taken. The boys had leaves all in their clothes :)

I'm starting a new study with the boys. I'm not sure what to call it...it will be on apples, seeds, vines, fruit of the spirit... I guess you could say it's on spiritual growth. This will mainly be for Bear, to encourage his Christian walk. But, I'm sure Monkey will have lots of fun with all of the things we do also. Maybe I'll call it Growing Towards the Light. In fact, I plan on starting another blog strictly for this...more later.

Today we started out the study by reading two books: The Apple Pie Tree and We Plant a Seed. We pretty much just talked about the stories and how we can compare ourselves to plants. Plants need light, soil, and water in order to grow, just as we need certain things in order to grow in our relationship with Christ. Bear mentioned the Bible, church, and nice friends that help us 'be a better Christian' We talked about how plants grow towards the light, just as we should be growing towards the Light...Jesus Christ. Just reading and talking with Bear was so easy to do, so enjoyable, and so meaningful to both of us. Monkey loved the stories, but did end up falling asleep in my lap :)

Hopefully I'll have the new blog up and going soon! Happy Fall!

Living Victoriously

To here our story visit my first entry... http://toddlittlelamb.blogspot.com/2008/07/nacham.html

Life is changing right before my very eyes. Fall, the season of leaves changing colors, and cooler weather. Plus, Bear will be 7 tomorrow and Monkey will be 4 in December...

October is a special month for me. A month of memories. A month of healing. A month of growing. It's been 8 years since we lost Todd. It's a weird feeling being able to talk to Bear about his brother in Heaven. We talked the other day about how it was sad for us saying goodbye to him. It was amazing to be able to talk to Bear about how even though it was hard and so sad, God gave us hope and healed our hearts. But, He didn't stop there. He gave us happiness and blessed us with a son, one year and four days later, and then another, and then another. Three sons to raise!

We aren't the only ones who have gone through pain and struggles. The world is filled with people hurting...and God wants to minister to each of us. We can live our lives victoriously, not just barely making it through, but living a life full of joy and love and hope!

Life is changing...God will never change...

A conversation to share: This took place while waiting for slushes at Sonic...
'Hey lady, you mind turning your music down?' 'Oh, sure sorry to bother you.' (I proceeded to pretend to turn it down) 'I don't like that Bible thumping music' 'What bothers you about it?' (the whole time I'm trying not to upchuck in his face, very nervous) 'I'm a good person and work hard, I don't need God' 'Well, I don't know what I would do without God' (thinking in my mind what do I say to this guy, I sound so stupid) 'Ya, well He's never done anything for me.' 'But, He has, He died for everyone so that we can live through Him' (slushes came...his order too...Bible songs playing in the background, louder than before)
I have never had a conversation like this before. The man left before anything else was said. But I got the chance to share a little, with the boys in the back seat, and all because of a cd! So, turn up the music!

This is the cd we were listening to: http://www.worshipmusic.com/spd1245.html

Excalibur Academy

Let me just get the negative out of the way, so the rest can be nothing but positive. The joys of homeschooling have been few and far between this week! Bear is growing up so fast and he seems to be going through some changes. From losing his first tooth to gaining more attitude...things have been interesting around here.

The thing is I never thought I would home school. I just couldn't picture it, I had other plans, so did my husband. But, one thing I'm staring to learn (even though you'd think I would have learned it by now)God had other plans. It just seemed like the more we prayed about it the more confident we were that homeschooling the boys was the right thing to do. I say that we will just take it one year at a time...

I've been learning a lot lately about plans. Lesson plans, plans for the day, plans for our future, and my ability (or lack) to make them. It seems like every time I make a plan to do something or try to schedule our day it falls through! It's frustrating for someone who tends to be a little bit of a control freak. Anyway, I'm a slow learner, but I'm learning to ask God for help, to actually invite Him to make the plans for me. This may sound a little odd, but it works. It's not like He actually says, 'O.k. Amy you need to give Bear a lesson on fractions and then do handwriting.' Although that would be EXTREMELY convenient! But, He does speak to me in other ways. I feel a peace about my day. I'm able to let go of things that are not important and focus on my students. My sons. The thing that is not important is house cleaning, of course.

Excalibur Academy is the name of our school. We (meaning my sister,Karen) picked the name because it has a medieval sound to it and we (meaning my knight in shining armor and me)always say we are raising little knights. I want my boys to grow up to be men of chivalry. The ones that will open doors for women, the ones that will honor women, the ones that will always look to their King. Needless to say our little squires keep us busy!

So, I'll just end in saying that I'm not sure what the future holds exactly (even though that is a little annoying) but, I do know that God does and maybe it's best that I don't know everything...maybe. Until that time comes I will just have to trust God with the details.

Monkey loves to use his clothes pin counting cards.


We started a study on China. Here's Bear using chopsticks.


Puppy love stopping to smell the flowers.

Tea Time

We had a good day today! This trip has been a stressful one, which I expected, but today was a good reprieve. We went to the Hard Rock Cafe in Phoenix, which was some pretty good food!! It was really cool it had this Harley set up, and of course lots of guitars. Than after that we had tea with my Aunt Janet, whose from England, and Uncle Ken. This was a very special thing to do, I will always remember our tea times with my family. Plus, I think it was the first time that I was able to open up to someone in the family about Nana and Papa. Uncle Ken and Aunt Janet are really easy to talk to and agreed about a lot I had to say.

Tomorrow is not exactly planned out, but I'm hoping that it will be a repeat of today.Here are some pics of the day:

Kodak moments and vise versa

Well, the first picture is of what Karen and I got to see our first night in Arizona. It was beautiful! The second picture is of Karen...they had these really cool giant chess pieces there...we didn't actually play, just a Kodak moment. We had so much fun, this time was very special for us.

I've learned a lot about myself this week. Too many to mention really, but the main thing is that no matter how much I learn or grow, I will never need God any less. This may sound cheesy, but this week has been the most emotional and physically straining time in a long time! I can't even explain it really...it's been hard being away from the boys and John...it's been hard being away from my church...it's been hard being away from my friends, it's been hard seeing Papa the way he is.

The good things is that John got a texting plan before we came...that John is always willing to listen...my boys are with the best in-laws ever, my friends are always there for me...and my sister is going through this with me! The best though is that God has given me exactly what I've needed exactly at the right time I needed it!

Well, this has been kind-of all over the place, but that kind-of fits the week so far. I'm really relishing the special moments and I'm really glad I came, but will be even happier when I get home!

Let go...

Well, Saturday morning my mom, Karen, and I got on a plane and flew to Arizona. I'll just say now that I never realized that I was afraid to fly until then! I guess I was always distracted in the past. In other words, the boys were with me. I got myself so worked up I really thought I was going to have to use the barf bag. I was agitated that the flight attendant could tell me how to use the seat as a floatation device and how to use the oxygen mask and then tell me to sit back and relax! I was very nervous about leaving John and the boys, very nervous about seeing my Papa and Nana, just down right nervous.

I kept trying to tell myself I can do this...finally we got to the Las Vegas airport for an hour layover. I wasn't doing much better and I really didn't want to do this all over again.

Well, I stared listening to music when the plane took off again. The Barlow Girl song, "Let Go" came on...
"Let Go"

Yeah I trust in You
I remember times You led me
This time it's bigger now
And I'm afraid You'll let me down

But how can I be certain?
Will You prove Yourself again?

[Chorus:]
'Cause I'm about to let go
And live what I believe
I can't do a thing now
But trust that You'll catch me
When I let go
When I let go

What is this doubt in me
Convincing me to fear the unknown
When all along You've shown
Your plans are better than my own

And I know I won't make it
If I do this all alone

I'm not sure how to describe it, but things got better, but only when I stopped trying to do it myself. So far, this trip has been a combination of stress, shopping, sad times, good times, and swimming. The thing is even though I miss John and the boys, and it's hard to see my Papa so sick, I'm very grateful that I was able to make this trip. I have been having fun with my mom and sister. It's been very special. Good times :)
By the way, the picture above is of my sis, Karen, she's jumping on the bed :) We had a lot of fun at the Wigwam(hotel) at the Twlight Convention.

Amazing Grace

Last Sunday our preacher gave a sermon on Grace, using the verse below:
"For by GRACE you have been saved through FAITH; and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God; not as result of WORKS, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for GOOD WORKS, which God PREPARED BEFOREHAND so that we would WALK IN THEM." (Ephesians 2:8-10}

Before I stepped into the sanctuary, I talked to a friend and found out that she lost her grandbaby. Her son and wife miscarried. She was telling me that I was such a comfort to her, just seeing me with my boys now some how gave her comfort, hope. It got me thinking...Then I stepped into the sanctuary. They were singing Amazing Grace. Todd's song.

I have to admit it was a little hard to pay attention. But, just listening to him talk about how amazing His grace is, how Totally undeserved, yet freely given, amazing. It got me thinking again.

There aren't any words to describe what it was like to lose Todd. Yet, there aren't any words to truly explain what it was like to have God there with me. Todd's story isn't only about loss and pain, it's also a story of comfort and hope and even joy.

I was in pain, God gave me comfort. I was confused, God gave me peace. I was depressed, God gave me hope. I was bitter, God softened my heart.

I pray that God will use me to help people who are hurting. The below verse means so much to me, I consider it my life verse. God has given me comfort beyond understanding, I pray that He will use my life to help others, to comfort others.
2 Corinthians 1:3-8 (New American Standard Bible)
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Photos of the heart

You may remember in a few blogs past I mentioned I was doing the Project 365. I'm still doing this, even though I've missed a few days. I'll post a few of my favorites in my next blog. Anyway, since I've started this it's helped me see how I spend my days. Days filled with the boys...family...friends. Days filled with love. Days filled with memories. It's impossible to take a picture of every special moment in my days. Either the camera is not handy, or the batteries are dead, or Puppy Love just won't be still :) So, I just have to take photos with my heart. Here are a few I would like to share:

My monkey wouldn't settle down and go to sleep the other night. He kept saying he was sad, the dark was making him sad(sacred). I assured him that he was o.k. and turned the night light on. He discovered he's shadow on the wall next to him. He called out to me and said, "Mommy, I can see God's hand!"

We had VBS this past week and Bear was telling me that his teachers were talking about what it meant to be a Christian. He said, "It felt good to be able to tell them that I already did it!"

We came home from VBS one day and Monkey was telling me that I needed to keep my eyes on God, because He loves me.

My Bear is growing up quite fast. He spent the night with a friend this week for the first time ever! He had a blast and is still talking about it.

Puppy love was looking in the mirror tonight and pointed saying,"Bubba"

So, camera or no camera, I'll keep those photos coming.

Teacup Theology

Well, it's been awhile since since I posted, but the project 365 is still going on and I found some really good dinosaur books. I will update some new pics later...

Now on to teacups. A friend and I started this Bible study and oh my, I just started reading the first chapter and I'm even more excited about it! It's called Calm My Anxious Heart, by Linda Dillow. The study is about how to find contentment. In the first chapter she talks about Philippians 4:11-13 (New International Version)

11I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

She says, 'This often-quoted verse is translated literally from Greek as, "I am able to face anything by the one who makes me able[to do it]"' Paul is recognizing the source and strength of all Christian contentment is God Himself. She gives a translation of Phil 4:13 from Greek scholar Kenneth Wuest: I am strong for all things in the One who constantly infuses strength in me.

To infuse means to pour, fill, soak, or extract. Linda says,'Every morning when I dip my herbal tea bag into boiling water, I witness infusion. Contentment occurs when Christ's strength is infused into my weak body, soul, ad spirit.'

She goes on to bring this analogy even more to life...

'God has lovingly assigned each of us a uniquely special teacup. Perhaps we're an antique cup, painted with dainty roses set in gold. Maybe we see ourselves as an everyday cup- useful, but a little chipped around the edges. Or we could be a heavy duty mug- rugged, unbreakable, and able to hold much. Then God fills our cup with our portion, what He determines best. Our portion is our physical and emotional being, our abilities, circumstances, roles, and relationships.
Sometimes we don't like what's been poured into our cup. Remember the Garden of Gethsemane? When He saw the suffering He was about to endure, He pleaded,"Father,if you are willing, take this cup from me;yet not my will, but yours be done" (Luke 22:42). Christ grasped the handle of His cup and lifted it to God and said, "I accept my portion. Infuse me with Your strength that I may drink."
Every cup- whether dainty china or rough-hewn pottery- has a handle. God has placed our portion in our cup. We either choose to grasp it by the handle and lift it to Him, saying, "I accept my portion; I accept this cup." or we choose to smash our cup to pieces, saying, "God, I refuse my portion. This cup is not the right size for me and I don't like what You've put in it. I'll control my life myself."'

I can use some infusing today. So, which teacup are you? Grasp the handle and lift it up! May you be infused with God's power!

Project 365 and dinosaurs

O.K. so I think this project is going to be harder than I thought. I'm not sure if I'm going to post once a week or twice...I know I won't be able to everyday, but I'm already getting the pictures confused.

Anyway, I had a lot of fun with the fam today. Today was officially the last day of school!!! Excalibur Academy is now closed for the summer! Bear told me summer was his favorite season, because he can eat watermelon and he doesn't have to do school. Too funny.

Well, here's some more pics for the project 365:
Sunday we went to the Friends and Family night at Sears, with my sis. My sister and I got new bathing suits! This was taking as the boys were racing to the elevator so they could push the button. What you don't see is John running towards them to try to catch the door before it shut, with them in the elevator. :) Good Times.




Monday was a Route 44 day. Me and the boys went to happy hour at Sonic. Slushes (or as Monkey calls them, flushes) and drinks for all.



Tuesday we all went to see my nephew play the clarinet at his band concert.






That's all the pictures I have for now...now on to the dinosaurs. Bear is becoming more and more fascinated with dinosaurs. The problem I'm having is almost all of the books I can find lean towards evolution. We've talk to him about how some people believe differently about this, but I would just really like to do a further study one this subject. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions on books or websites about dinosaurs, with a Christian perspective?

Everyone have a good week and go take some pictures :)

365 project

I'm starting this project a little late, but I just found out about it, and thought it looked like fun. The idea is to take a photo a day, for a year, hence the name 365 project. Anyway, it's like a journal in pictures. I'm hoping it will help me take better photos, plus it will be interesting to see all the pics I've taken after the year's over. I'm sure most of them will be of the boys.

Be aware that I'm not a photographer and I know nothing about lighting. Here's the first photo:
I couldn't decide between the two. We went to the mall to visit daddy and the boys got new Webkinz. It was Wekinz Extravaganza Day! That means sale. As you can see Bear picked a dragon and named it Silk Dragon. Monkey picked out a black cat with green eyes, because he has green eyes. :) The cat's name is Lucky. We picked out a horse for Puppy Love. I'm not sure if he's trying to kiss the horse or eat it.









This one is from today. The lighting is horrible. This is the rose bush in front of my house and I thought it looked pretty in the rain.












Bear also decided that he wanted to do this project with me. It's going to be fun! Here's his photo for yesterday. His new Webkinz, Silk Dragon. He had me tie it to the fan so it would look like it was flying. He may be a little better at this than me. :) The next picture is of one of his favorite movies, this week. Sword in the Stone. He's on a dragon kick lately. he paused the movie so he could get it just right.

Legacy of Love

A few weekends ago my hubby and I went to the Weekend to Remember conference in Little Rock. It was wonderful to be able to have a weekend to focus on each other, as husband and wife. We really need to date more often, when you have three young boys things tend to get busy.

Anyway, there are several things that I have been working on...but they can all be summed up in this: What kind of legacy do I want to pass on to my future generation? In other words, what will my boys learn from me? What will I be remembered for?

I want my boys to know what is important to me, without even having to think about it. I can tell them everyday that I love God...I love their daddy...I love them, but am I showing them? Do they see that I love God, do they see that I love their daddy, do they see my love for them?

God should be my first and foremost relationship, He hasn't been. My husband should be right after Him, he hasn't been. My children should be after my husband. They have been first in my life. The thing is I have been a stressed mommy, a tired mommy. I wonder why? Yes that could have something to do with trying to keep up with my 7 yr old in basketball, or trying to keep my 3 yr old from breaking a limb when he jumps off the furniture, or from all the craziness of my 10 month old(I could go on forever about that one!) I don't expect to not have any stress in my life. My peace is not made up of quiet. It's just that when I have my priorities out of order, my life will be out of order. I wish the Container Store had something for my priorities :) Luckily the Bible does:
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[a] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. - John 3:16

Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' – Matthew 22:37-39

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. . .And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. - excerpts from 1 Corinthians 13:4-13

What it all boils down to is I'm praying that God will help me keep my priorities straight. To seek Him first. To love like He loves.

Blast 2009 Contest

There is a contest on Homeschool Share, that is wonderful! You can win lost of different items and get lost of ideas from other homeschool moms. Just click on the button below and you'll be there.

'Let the children come to me'

God has been bringing this verse to my attention several times this week: 'And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.'
—Mark 10:13-16

I have a lot on my mind here lately, so please allow me to ramble. This Easter has been very special, not that it's not special any other year, but for Adam, it means so much more. Last August, Adam accepted Christ as his Savior. He has recently been baptized and is learning more and more every day. The verse above is brought to life for me when I talk to Adam, or any other child that has accepted Christ. Everything is so simple for them. They know that God loves them. They know that God sent His OWN Son to die for them. They know that they sin and need to be forgiven. They know that they are forgiven. They know that they will live forever in Heaven someday.

As an adult I tend to get bogged down by things...details...knowledge (or the lack there of)...but, to have the faith of a child is truly a beautiful thing. I think of Caleb...totally dependent on me. He needs me to feed him, dress him, love him. He needs me for everything. Do I need God for everything? Or, do I think I can do it myself, like an 'I can do it myself' three year old(Hmmm, who does that remind me of?)

This is kind-of all over the place, but that's how my mind works. I guess all I'm trying to share is I am truly blessed. I am a child of God. Forgiven. Saved. and God has given me a husband who is also a child of God. Forgiven. Saved. and He has given us three boys to raise. One which has already come to know Him. a child of God. Forgiven. Saved.

It's just that simple, but yet so amazing. Forgiven. Saved.

Monkeys, puppies, and bears, oh my!

My monkey, Daniel, has been cracking me up lately. Last night when we went out to eat he wanted to bring his telescope so he could look for other pirates. When we were waiting for our food he was looking around with his telescope and I asked him if he saw any other pirates. He said, 'No, I looking at that gurl, over there' I eventually had to take the telescope away and explain to him that girls (and other pirates) didn't want someone staring at them when they were eating. I guess I should have thought that one out. :)

The other day we moved the boys to twin beds, instead of the full size they were sharing. They are loving having their own bed! Plus, Caleb has been sleeping all night long since the move. Dan's bed is little high since it has a box spring and he keeps saying he's a monkey in a tree. I'm hoping he still thinks he's bed is cool when we fix it, so it's not too high.

Just this morning the boys had breakfast in bed :) They absolutely love their new room. As they were eating I was listening, yes I eavesdrop on my children, and they were pretending that they were in heaven eating breakfast with God. I couldn't make this up if I tried. When I went in there to take a picture they hid under the covers. So, I just had to take a mental picture and blog about it! My monkey wanted to know if God liked honey buns...Adam just laughed and said, 'No, silly, He likes cowboy cookies!' Adam, my bear, is quit the theologian.
Below: Adam, Caleb, and Daniel, aka Bear, Puppy, and Monkey

Baby Stellan

Whoever is reading this post...please, please pray for this family. Their story is told in this blog: http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ It has touched my heart so much and the more people praying for him, the better. The short version is baby Stellan has heart problems and is in the hospital, fighting for all he can. If you've never seen this blog, please visit it.

Lego Lapbook

Lapbooking is something I've enjoyed doing with my boys. Adam does it to supplement in history and science. I do it with Daniel as often as I can. For some reason, even though he is very active, he will sit down and play with a lapbook. For more on what lapbooking is all about visit this site:
http://lapbooklessons.ning.com/
Here are some pictures of the Lego Lapbook:

He is putting different feelings on the lego face.







He is coloring a picture, using a color code
(triangles are red, circles, blue, etc.)










I put a Bible verse for him to memorize Heb 13:16 Share with others. (I shortened it a bit)

The Lego feelings are faces for the lego guy on the other side of the book. We also talked about body parts/ lego parts:)

The lego letters spell out his name.
Finally in the pocket you see at the bottom I made some counting cards, so he could practice his numbers. It was a lot of fun!

Porta Potties and other yucky things

I know...interesting title. Such is my life:) We went to the park the other day and Adam had to use the bathroom. I told him that there wasn't one and he pointed out the porta potty. I tried to convince him that it was very yucky and to wait until we got home. But, he had to see for himself. So, with a hand full of wipes and instructions not to touch ANYTHING we opened the door. We didn't even go all the way in before Adam made it clear he was horrified that there could be a place that gross! In so many words he decided that he would rather wait. So, we join the others on the playground and a few minutes later I notice Dan has I look of concentration..."Dan are you going potty?"...."Well, I not going in there, Adam said it nasty!"

For anyone who is actually reading this, your probably thinking way too much info. Sorry, I just thought it was funny! :)

For the other yucky things...we are all sick today and it got us talking about things we don't like. Here's Adam list:

toilets that don't flush
dirty feet
baby food
spit up
dirty diapers
the Devil
being sick
slobber

God and the Abby C's

Well, it's been awhile since I blogged, my computer hasn't been working.

I've blogged before about Adam's decision to follow Christ. He has really been blossoming since than. He decided he wanted to be baptized. After a tour of the baptistery and a few practice runs in the tub, he told us he wanted to be baptized on Valentines Day so he could show God that he loved Him. Unfortunately, Valentines Day fell on a Saturday, so he settled for the day after. It was such a beautiful time for our family. Such wonderful child-like faith...My middle man, Daniel, was cracking me up Friday. We were working on our alphabet and trying to teach him the ABC song. He kept singing 'Abby, c, d' over and over again. Abby is his best friend and he would not accept that the song was not about her.Daniel's also learning to say prayers...well the other night he said, 'Thank you God for gurls(girls)' At least he know that girls are a gift from God, right? Also, Daniel has a great passion for sticks. He will find a stick and tell us what it is...light saber, gun, bone for the dog... well the other day we were talking about all the things God has made and when Daniel discovered that God made snakes and sticks his little face just lit up! 'God is cool!'

In God We Trust

Today I'm praying for our president and I do trust that God has our future in His hands.

That being said, Adam received a penny like the one in the picture above, with the cross in the middle. Actually, he "purchased" it at the Sparks store at church(Sparks is through Awana http://www.awana.org/) Anyway, he thought he could use it to buy something at Wal-mart. :) I explained to him that it was a token to keep. He thought this meant you could save it to buy something bigger. When I explained that it was a token to remind us of God and that we trusted in Him, he thought that was crazy. 'Why would we need to be reminded that we trust in God? And how could a penny help us do that?' Things are so simple for children. It really is that simple though...In God We Trust.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

For Today
January 19th

Outside my window...
I see squirrels jumping across telephone lines.

I'm thinking...
of all the projects I need to get done.

I'm thankful for...
God's presence in my life.

From the kitchen...
I hear Baby Man playing with the grocery store toys.

I am wearing...
Pajamas and warm, fuzzy socks.

I am creating...
Lapbooks!

I am going...
to do a study on Philippians.

I am reading...
The Painted House by John Grisham.

I am hoping...
that I will get to visit with my Papa and Nana in a few months.

I am hearing...
three sweet boys playing on the living room floor.

Around the house...
are photos of boys and a trail of toys.

One of my favorite things...
is being a mommy. Receiving sweet kisses, bear hugs, and hearing little boys laugh.

a few plans for the rest of the week...
finish decorating the boys playroom, organize the kitchen, and use my new label maker.

Here is a picture thought I'm sharing...

I can't wait for summer, a time of catching lightning bugs!

This is my first time participating in Simple Woman's Daybook.
http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

It's a Jungle in Here!

I know it's still winter, but I typically do my "spring" cleaning during the cold months. That way I can be outside, enjoying the weather, in the spring. That being said, I need help!

I'm trying to organize the boys' playroom and can't figure out how to sort all their legos and dress-up clothes. There are legos and Star Wars costumes everywhere! No kidding. Anyway, right now the legos are in formula containers and the dress-up clothes are in a big tupperware container. It's very hard for the boys to get the toys and even harder for them to clean it up. If anyone reading this has any ideas I would love to hear them. Thanks!

By the way, the theme of the playroom is a jungle. I decided to try to involve the boys as much as I could with the decorating. They are actually more creative than I am. Adam was the one who thought of turning it into a jungle and Daniel just wanted to make sure that there would be plenty of monkeys. So, I found some tan curtains and plan on making some palm leaves out of craft foam for a valance. The boys and I are going to cut out some trunks and leaves out of construction paper to make trees to put on the walls using double sided tape. One thing about living in rentals for so long, I have learned to decorate in non-expensive ways, without painting murals or things on the walls.

There is one thing we won't be doing though. Adam wants a big tiger rug, the ones with the head still on them! I have no idea how he even knew those existed!

Goal verse for 2009

Happy New Years Everyone!
Yes, I know it's already Jan 4th, but it's not officially the new year until the Christmas decorations are down and the new calendar is up! So, now I'm ready for 2009, I think :)

I don't really make New Year's resolutions, because I always break them. So, I decide to have "goal verses". This is something John's parents do with their church and I loved the idea, so we started doing it too. My verse last year was:
Cor. 22:19
"Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God"
This happened to be the perfect verse, because as busy as 2008 was for us this verse helped to keep my focus on God, thus allowing everything else fall into place. The verse I picked for this year is:
Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.

I'm already getting a bit overwhelmed with everything I think need to happen this year. Buy a house, Adam starts 1st grade, home-school or not home-school, potty training, my baby turns 1...the list goes on and on. So, I feel like God is trying to tell me to not rely on my emotions or view of how I think this year needs to go, but instead rely on Him and He will show me what to do.

Well, I need to go look over tomorrow lesson, we start school tomorrow! God Bless!