More boy differences.

As I watched a Victoria's Secret commercial on television recently I found that I have a whole new perspective.  Before, as I watched those commercials I thought about how angry it makes me that every woman out there feels like she has to live up to that.  I thought about me and how discouraging it was to know that my husband was seeing that as an example.  How at 33 years old and after almost 13 years of marriage, I still have body issues.  And I thought about my girls and how much pain they will probably feel because they will never live up to that.  But this time, I saw that commercial and thought about how mad I am that my son will be constantly inundated with pictures of half naked women and how hard it will be for him to make good, Godly choices throughout his life with all of the temptation that this world throws at him.  Father, help us all to stand strong against the things of this world and hold on to the truths of your word.

New Words

Our house is full of new words.

BubbaJ: "But why?"  Every mother loves those words, right?  I haven't quite started entertaining them with answers yet because he seems satisfied just asking.

Sissy:  "Literally."  She says this like one would use the word "seriously."  Like "Did you really just do that?"  Almost right, but not quite.  And she says it so often I haven't found a good way to correct her.  So if you hear her say "literally" somewhat inappropriately feel free to correct her or ignore it.

Precious:  "My life is over!"  In her dramatic voice.  This comes in response to anything from someone wasn't nice to me at school to you passed the ketchup instead of mustard.  Good times!

I even have "new words" in a way.  I have never enjoyed reading.  In fact, I found some way around reading almost every book I was assigned in high school and college.  And in my adult life I read only for self-improvement.  Then I joined a book club and continued to read only self-improvement books until one of the ladies bought us the book for the month and it was simply a book to read for pleasure.  And I enjoyed it!  Since then I have read seven other books.  Legit books!  And I enjoyed them.  If this keeps up I might have to actually use my library card.  :o

Grace through Prayer

We are studying prayer in Sunday school right now.  Last Sunday this verse stuck out to me:

Luke 23:33-34

When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left.  Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

 

It's easy to think of our enemies as evil people who don't deserve our prayers, but Jesus set forth the example of forgiveness and compassion.  It reminded me of a change that I have noticed in Sissy's prayers.

 

She used to pray, "I hope everyone has a great day, besides robbers and bad guys."

 

Lately her  prayer has changed to, "Help robbers and bad guys to see what they are doing is wrong.  Help them to follow you and do the right thing."

 

To me that is her version of "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."  It's an everyday reminder for me to share the grace that God gives me with everyone, even my enemies.

 

 

A party even Jayme would be proud of

Precious turned 10!  I have to say I love having a 10 year old.  I think it might be the joyous age between needing me for everything and needing me for nothing. Here are some pictures of her amazingly fun Glow Party.  I think my friend Jayme would even be proud of this.

The Glow Room

Food Table

Glow Signs

Glow Bowling

Party Girls

They thought it was a good idea to smash cake in their faces.

The Dance Room

Fixing my eyes on Jesus

"Choose joy because God is working, and never look back because you cannot run the race while looking behind you." - Debbie Alsdorf in The Faith Dare: 30 Days to Live Your Life to the Fullest

When I ran my first half, God made it clear to me that I was to run in obedience to him.  He called me to run and he would provide everything I needed to do it.  He provided me with strength, guarded me from injuries, and he even gave me an awesome Bible verse.  But because it was so clear to me last time, I have struggled this time.

Last week as I was running 10 miles God reminded me that he is still providing for me.  People who don't run are really missing out.  They don't get to see how God can provide light in the darkness at the exact moment there is a pothole that I would have fallen in without some light.  Or the way he provided a gorgeous moon on a night I had to run by myself and needed something uplifting to get me through.  Or how he can provide a scripture at the exact moment you need it. Not too soon and not too late.  The exact moment!

After an awful run last night.  I mean AWFUL!  I was feeling defeated.  Like a failure.  And God provided a message for me in my Faith Dare reading for today.  He gave me my "race verse" at the moment when I was feeling the worst. 

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,  fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. Hebrews 12:1-2

So as I finish up my training and run my race I will:

"Choose joy because God is working, and never look back because you cannot run the race while looking behind you." - Debbie Alsdorf in The Faith Dare: 30 Days to Live Your Life to the Fullest

Comedian

Precious is my jokester. She thinks she's pretty funny. 

"Two cheeks and a crack."

"I mustache you a question."

Choose your words wisely.

Yeah, I haven't posted in a while...Get over it. :-)

BubbaJ can talk now. For a while his favorite word was "doing" (I just realized that looks like doing. As in "I'm doing the dishes."  Think sound instead. Like, the bell went doing.). He learned this word from his Uncle J. BubbaJ was driving one of those battery powered cars (not safe!). Demonstrated by him running into their propane tank. It made a sound and Uncle J says it went "doing". And just like that BubbaJ found a new favorite word. So this is how conversations started going at our house:

Me: BubbaJ, what are you doing?
BubbaJ: doing.

Or

Me:  BubbaJ, what do you want for lunch?
BubbaJ:  doing.

Or

Me:  BubbaJ, I love you.
BubbaJ: (wait for it) doing.

All kinds of fun!

His new favorite words are "what doing?" (Not the sound this time, the word). And "where going?"  Good questions except he is never satisfied with my answer because no matter what I say he just keeps asking.

Life Experience

The girls were looking through their scrapbooks.  You know.  The fancy kind that I spent hours on each page cutting out paper and stickers.  The ones that I could only keep up for a few years and now do digital because it is WAY faster.  Sissy made an observation followed by a question.

Sissy:  "Why does Precious have so many more than me?"  (Some day she will realize how much harder two kids are than one.  And how you intend to do all the things you did with your first with your second until reality sets in and you realize you barely even have time to shower, so cutting out pictures does not make the list.)

Well Precious thought she knew the answer.

Precious:  "It's because I have so much more life experience than you."  Yes, Precious, you're right.  You have been through so much more in your extra 20 months of life than Sissy.  You have way more life experience. :)

Extremism

Sissy can be a bit of an extremist sometimes.  Everything is black and white to her.  As the kids were playing outside today, BubbaJ did something to hurt himself.  Sissy comes running in telling me that I needed to go get him because he wanted me.  Now, don't judge me, but I sat there waiting to see how serious the injury really was.  If you know BubbaJ, you know that he spends half of his life falling on the ground.  Sissy could not believe that I didn't hop right up to his rescue.

Sissy:  "Would you rather rescue your son, or play on the computer?"

Well, when you put it that way.

He Speaks

I know there are those of you out there that do not believe that God speaks to us.  I  know He does.  Here is one example.

Sometimes in life, God waits until your most dire moments to reveal himself to you.  Jogging is sort of like that only in short bursts.  I always start out my jog feeling pretty confident.  Thinking, "I'm getting pretty good at this.  I think I could do this forever."  Then four or five miles in my thoughts change to, "How in the world am I going to keep going?  What was I thinking signing up for a half marathon!"

Today I was on my seventh mile thinking all of my post-four-mile thoughts.  My knees hurt, my arches hurt, my toes hurt...pretty much my whole body hurt.  Then, all of a sudden a rock jumps into my shoe.  I'm not kidding, it's like it just hopped right in there.  All of the aches and pains dulled in comparison to the pointy rock poking my foot with every step.  I could hear God telling me that sometimes it feels hard and things are difficult, but it could always be worse.  The rock made me wish all I had to worry about was my aching body. 

In the middle of these thoughts, a car pulls out and waves at me.  It drove by too quickly for me to see who was driving and I didn't recognize it.  On the back window written in the dirt was, "Love U."  I could almost hear God speaking those words to me.  He wanted me to know that even though I was hurting at that moment, He still loves me.

It reminded me of how in life sometimes God doesn't just swoop right in to rescue us in our moments of despair.  Sometimes He wants us to realize how good we really have it and that He loves us in the midst of our trials. 

James 1:2-4

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Greatness

This is Bubbaj's first painting. It could be like Picasso or Rembrandt's first painting. Or maybe not since he says, "ewe" when he looks at it.

I know he is destined for greatness. Who knows. Maybe it could be in painting?

New Favorite Phrase

Sissy:  "I know...right?"

Definition:  I concur.  Who in their right mind could possibly disagree.

Hard Work

It was so beautiful here the other day that I got absolutely nothing done.  There are two things I try to do every day no matter what.  1) Pick up the house and  2) make supper.  Neither one of those things got done.  People talk about the memories of their mothers cooking them delicious food and baking them yummy snacks.  Well, my kids won't have those memories, but I hope they have memories of the times we ate out for supper because I was too busy spending time with them to cook.  That day, we took the kids for a walk around the lake.

As we were walking, we visited with the kids about their days.  Precious started telling us about working on a group project at school that day.

Precious:  The boys sat down and told me this is how it should be.  The girls doing all the work.  So, I told them, "Not at my house.  At my house, Dad does all the work."

I could see my husband smiling, trying not to laugh because he knew that would bother me.  And I'm sure he knew how absolutely untrue that statement was.  As I started to speak in protest, Precious realized her mistake and started to further explain.

Precious:  "I mean not everything.  I just mean that he goes to work and you don't."

I guess I should be happy that she recognized that I do actually work hard.  Of course, I hadn't really that day, so maybe she has a point.

Invisible

God brought this video to me on a day that I needed to hear this specific message.  As I watched the woman explain her invisibility, I sat wishing for a solution.  What can I do to make my kids, my husband, my friends, see me?  And then she spoke the truth...there isn't one, nor should I want one.  Their occasional thank yous and scarce moments of gratefulness are all that I will receive in this life.  And as long as God is my source, it will always be enough.  Thank you, Father, for always providing just as much as I need.  And for reminding me that I don't need anything more.

Here it is.

Conversations with God

I was going to title the post "Prayer" but "Conversations with God" seemed much more appropriate.  When my kids pray it's like they're simply talking to God.  They aren't just thanking Him or asking Him for something.  Most of the time they're just telling Him what they're feeling.  I think this is what "being in constant communion with God" looks like.  A never ending conversation with God.

Sissy prayed for her friend that passed away as we were on our way to school this morning.  I wish I could remember the exact words so I could put them here but I'll do the best I can.  I shortened her friends name to "M."

Dear God,

I hope that M is having fun in heaven with you.  I wish you could let her come back for a while, but I know you can't.  I hope M wasn't in pain when she died.  I wish my guinea pig didn't have to die, but I know he's having fun in heaven. 

(Then she continued with her usual morning prayer and this part is exact.)

Help Precious and I to have fun at school today.  Help Daddy to have fun at work.  Help Mommy and BubbaJ to have fun at home.  Amen.

Valentine's Day

Here is what I did for Sissy's class party this year.  As some of you may know one of her classmates passed away this week, so there has been a cloud of sadness over their rooms lately.  I was hoping to bring them some much needed joy.

They drank "Love Potion."



And ate Krispie Kreme heart-shaped donuts.  We played "Guesstimation" where the kids guessed how many of each candy were inside the container.  The closest guesser got to take home the container full of candy.  You can see two of the containers behind the donuts in the picture.  They also made flowers from suckers and cupcake papers.

And there were lots of smiles!

Here are the Valentines the girls made to hand out.
They're ipods made from boxes of conversation hearts and mini reeses.

And here is my super-special Valentine that just turned 2.

Sweet Sissy

I am blessed by my kids on a daily basis.  But there's something super special about being told your kids are a blessing to others.  At parent teacher conferences Sissy's teacher was telling us what a blessing she has been to her.  She told us how just the other day it was a little boy's birthday.  Their class always writes down something special about that person on their birthday.  As everyone was handing in their papers to the teacher, Sissy whispered in her ear, "Here is mine, but I need to sing it."  And as the teacher gave her the floor, she sang to that boy about how special he is.  Her teacher told us that the boy talked about it all day and she heard him excitedly telling his mother about it too.  It does a momma's heart good to hear those things every now and then.

Guess Who??

My Kids' Fashion

I recently got the girls a headband similar to the one below, except pink and sparkly of course.



 

Super cute unless your daughter decides to wear it like this.

 



 

 

And any hope that one of her friends would entice her to change it were dashed because this is how she came out of school.  There is still hope though.  With a little fine tuning she could actually be fashionable, like this girl. :)

 

 

Also, picture day was the other day.  I wish I had taken a picture of their clothes.  They were pretty as always, but not exactly dressed like I would have them.  Precious had on a light blue springy dress which by itself was completely appropriate; however, she paired it with black leggings, white socks, and black heels.  Sissy had on a very pretty dress and everything matched except it was her Christmas dress.  These are Spring pictures, mind you.  Now, we will have class pictures to forever remember their oh-so-unique sense of style.

We MUST pray for our kids!

For a reason that I don't know right now, God has brought my middle child to my mind a lot in the last few months.  Especially the last few days.  I don't know if she is having a self confidence issue, a friend issue, a school issue, or just feeling bad.  It could even be that she has approached me several times about getting baptized to which I respond to her, "We will talk about it more later."  But I do know that God wants me earnestly in prayer for her.  Just like He does my other kids too.

I know you're busy, we all are.  I know there are a million people to pray for, your friend that is making a life-changing decision, your family member who is battling cancer, the woman at church that lost her husband, the orphans in Honduras, and the list could go on and on.  But if you're not praying for your kids, who do you think is?  Your pastor?  He may pray for "the children of the church" or for a particular situation for a particular child, but he is not praying for your child's specific needs each and every day.  Your friends?  They don't see your kids every day.  They don't hear about what's going on in their lives and what their concerns are.  Sure they'd pray if you asked them, but they have their own kids and families to pray for.  Your parents, your coworkers?  They all have that same list of people to pray for.  If we don't pray for our kids, no one will.

Our children need to know we pray for them.  They need to know that what happens in their lives is important to us.  That we care enough about them to petition our Heavenly Father for them.  Pray in front of your kids, pray with your kids, pray out loud for them. 

And when's the last time you got down on your hands and knees and cried out to Jesus?  I challenge you to do that today.  Get down on your knees and pray.  Even better, let your kids see you do it.  If you don't humble yourself before the Lord, He will humble you.  I know from experience.

Dear Sissy:

I'm not sure what's going on with you right now.  If you're hurting or struggling somehow, but God does.  I want you to know that I'm praying for you.  Asking God to watch over you, guide you, give you peace and comfort, to be there for you when I can't.  I want you to know that you can talk to me about anything, but that I still pray for you even if you can't bare to share whatever is going on with me.  When you grow up, I hope you can read this and feel the love I have for you, even if I'm not around anymore.  I love you with all my heart.

Mom