Ho-Ho-Ho

It was good

Thankfulness

I recently finished Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are and started my own gratitude journal. The premise is to recognize all the many blessings or gifts given each of us by God. The book opened with the author's eye witness account of her four year old sister's sudden death and being raised by a mother in constant grief and a father who questions a God who would allow such senseless tragedy. She was honest and raw. Her personal journal recording her initial 1000 gifts was intertwined throughout applicable scripture, biblical truth and her journey toward total faith in a loving God who extends grace in all aspects of life. It was beautiful and challenging. Beyond the obvious blessings of my family, health and home, simple gifts are being noted.
1. giggles
2. post bath time baby scents
3. bedtime prayers and stories
4. sofa cushion forts
5. Colby and Ty napping at the same time!
6. hot showers
7. morning cup of tea prepared by Greg
8. imaginations at work
9. random phone call from a friend
10. evening walks
I'm just starting this journey of gratitude and look forward to seeing what God plans to do with me in the process.

Momma's boy? Not quite!

His shirt says "lock up your daughters" and we call that "truth in advertising"! We walked in the door from church last night and found Lauren's friend had arrived while we were in route. Ty stopped cold and stared at her until Lauren introduced Skyla. He followed me into the bedroom and quietly whispered, "Sky is pretty". I asked him to repeat himself and then questioned him because it was dark outside. He said, "come here" and lead me to the living room and pointed at Skyla and whispered, "Skyla pretty". Uh-oh! He picked out a movie and tried to sit with her on the couch. First date? Yikes.

He is pretty smitten by Lauren's friend Delaney whom he calls "My Laney" as well. Lauren being pretty has also been pointed out. All three of those girls have long dark hair. He's two!

He broke out with a cold sore last week. It healed quickly and we thought we were well on our way to kicking this little virus as he has not had an outbreak since Father's Day. He has been medication free since then as well. This morning he woke up with another and after his nap, an even bigger one so we started meds this afternoon. We will only treat for the outbreak rather than extended periods for prevention. It seems everyone we know is fighting some kind of bug these days so I can only assume his body was fighting off germs and he just became susceptible once again. This is of course in perfect time for photos on Thursday with grandparents!

Who needs toys?

Oh the weather outside is.....WET!

But we didn't let that stop us from having a colorful birthday celebration! Lauren was initially granted an afternoon off for lunch and a hair appointment for her birthday today but after being sent home yesterday with a migraine, she opted out and stayed at school to catch up on her workload. I was proud of her maturity in making such a decision but was disappointed we didn't get time away together.

I surprised her after school with birthday brownies and her friend's mom was able to fit her in tonight so her pink hair has returned.

All in all, it was a rocking good day!

Happy birthday Lauren from your biggest fans! We love you!

Happy 15th Birthday Lauren!

How is it possible we are celebrating 15 years with this beautiful girl?

Happy Birthday Lauren! We love you!

Oh Boy.

Imaginative play and castle building lead to snuggle time.....

Colby wasn't feeling well or that level of cuddling would not have occurred. He is much too busy for that! Ty recently discovered a "big truck blanket" in the closet and has to have it for nap time, playtime and bedtime. It was a baby gift from a friend and co-worker of Greg's. It is being put to great use these days.

Firetrucks, construction vehicles and animals (especially dinosaurs) are of interest and so is risk taking on any level for Ty. Yesterday, he told Greg he wanted to take his bike upstairs to play. Greg told him no because it was not safe. Ty still attempted to get the bike up the stairs after saying, "I know". Lord help me. I knew he jumped into situations without thinking but I now know he can calculate the risks and will still dive in. Once again, Lord help me.

Adventures with Daddy

Little Man will be going through serious withdrawals once Greg returns to work next week. A relaxing vacation at home was the perfect option this year........

 Construction has started on a second house across the street from us. With beautiful weather and Greg at home, we've enjoyed watching Ty observe the process. Any chance we get to see the "loud bulldozer truck" is taken.

I have almost stepped on that little snake twice in the last couple of months. He likes the garage. He is not big enough to do much damage but I still don't want to step on him. Greg tossed him into the field out back after allowing Ty an up close and personal exploration. For a tiny snake, he has big attitude and cracks me up when he coils and hisses as though he is a serious threat. A baby mouse would likely laugh too but someday he will be a big snake and I prefer he relocate prior to that!

Happy 1st Birthday Colby James!

Colby was clearly not impressed by his cupcake and smeared it rather than eat it. So he got a bath.....

Which ended all too soon by Colby's standards......

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to?

Happy birthday Colby! We love you!

Empowering Kids

Life has thrown us a few curve balls the last couple of weeks. Rumors about one daughter's purity floated through two schools. Another daughter has tried to shake an unstable ex-boyfriend for two months and I need him to go away before my husband goes to jail. One of those girls is also learning to set boundaries in her friendships. She has always allowed people to walk all over her for fear of upsetting someone and by the time she is worn out and starts distancing herself, the friend is upset because the rules of the relationship have changed. That child was verbally abused by a "friend's" dad this weekend. I am still shaking with anger as I heard his outlandish behavior first hand. My daughter though, she confronted a grown man with logic and calm dialog. She was upset but respectful and clearly ended up with the upper hand in the conversation as it turned out (once again) that this man had less than half of the story. Isn't that always the case? She followed up with a conversation with her friend confronting the issue and was told that she needed to let the dad's behavior go because he was having a bad day. Aren't we all? It was challenging to sit back and let the situation unfold. I wanted more than anything to step in and set this man straight but instead I let my daughter grow. She was empowered to fight her own battle and she was strong. I am quite proud. Moving forward I pray she sets healthier boundaries in her relationships so this doesn't manifest itself into such a mess. This mom of teens gig is quite a ride!
I'd much rather keep them small and sheltered....it's much more comfortable!

I wrote psalm 139 "I am fearfully and wonderfully made" across the girls' bathroom mirror last night with the follow up question, "what in this world prevents you from believing His truth about you?" I want my daughters to believe they are made for a purpose and should accept nothing less than God's richest blessings for their lives. Empowering them to believe God's truth and walk in that knowledge is difficult with all the messages that confront them in this world but I am determined to pray it over them as they journey through this life.

Weekend Wrap-up

We had a great weekend enjoying the sunshine. Erin had her Child Development doll and spent the weekend out on the town. It didn't slow her down much so I am not sure it made the impression it was supposed to! She thought it was funny to call me "Nana" and enlisted Aunties Kate Bug and Kenna's help to shower and eat. She named it Lillian Rae although some of her nicknames while it was screaming weren't nearly as pretty!