The Griffin Gang

Responsibility

2010-07-02T08:37:00.002-05:00

I have been pondering and praying a lot lately about my responsibilities as a mother of boys. I have a mentor that shared with me when I was pregnant with Jackson that our goal as mothers of boys is not just to raise them to know right from wrong but to raise true warriors for God. That sounded so easy to me at the time that I was carrying my first child. But then that little guy came into this world and everything that I thought would be so easy turned into the biggest, most challenging quest I had ever pursued. I found, and still find myself at times, falling into the "accidental parenting" mode. You know when you just do what is easiest for you at the time? For example, instead of properly training your little one in what is right, you just spank or give a time out and go find yourself a quiet spot in your house to cry! (Which I must admit is becoming harder and harder these days.)

My sweet baby Jackson turned into a strong willed child who wanted his way or no way. He has demanded so much from me, physically and emotionally, and now as I look at him and see that he is already 4 years old it seems like I haven't given enough. I have been so blessed with the enormous responsibility of raising three boys for Christ and this is a huge wake up call for me. Parenting is definitely not just trying to get your child to submit to your authority, or show them love and affection. It is not simply teaching them right from wrong or teaching them how to act so as to not embarrass you while out in public. It is a high calling and its a mom and dad's greatest impact on our world.

While reading Elizabeth George's "A Mother After God's Own Heart", I have been reminded of Hannah and her devotion to the Lord. She was so willing to serve the Lord in all her life that she gave her son Samuel fully and freely to God. At around 12 or 13 Samuel heard God's calling on his life and answered. He listened to what God said and responded saying, "Here I am...Speak, for your servant hears." 1Samuel 3:4 and 10

This is my wish for my children. Not to grow up to be the richest, happiest, best in sports, but to be the child of God that hears Him calling and responds with "Here I am, Lord."

That is my calling, that is my responsibility...to prepare them to hear.

Are you Radical?

2010-07-01T17:37:00.001-05:00

I have been hearing about this book from several people that I respect. I couldn't stand it any longer and started reading today. Please watch the video about this book and make it a point to read it soon. Very challenging and such truth spoken in the words I have read so far. I'm so encouraged to see someone my age so ready to make a change in our world.

Think about how you can be Radical for Christ.

Boy Oh Boy!

2010-06-27T20:35:00.002-05:00

Its been quite a while since my last post! Still not a lot of time to post but I did want to report that we have Baby Boy #3 due October 13, 2010. It is going to be one wild and crazy house around here.

So many things are going on in our lives right now. Jackson turned 4 in May, Wyatt is talking like crazy and trying his hardest to keep up with his big brother. I am 25 weeks with this baby and finding it difficult to imagine what life is going to be like with three little ones. I really haven't had much time to think about it!

I have so many pictures to post, so hopefully I will get to them very soon!

On Morning/Noon/Night Sickness

2010-02-17T21:42:00.003-06:00

Oh boy how you forget that feeling. The feeling of carsickness but you aren't in a car. The feeling that you are going to lose your lunch but you never ate any lunch cause you couldn't stand the thought of any food moving past your lips.

Yes, it has hit. With full force. And the only time I can force myself to eat anything is at night, which makes me ravenous when I should be getting ready for bed! I remember being pregnant with Wyatt about this far along and crying to some women in my small group at church that I had never envisioned feeling this way. I wanted tons of kids, but after feeling this way...maybe we will just adopt them all because I CAN'T DO THIS AGAIN!

And yet...here I am. Doing it again.

And it will be worth every single nauseous feeling when we see that sweet little babe!

Why I Love My Husband

2010-02-14T21:41:00.002-06:00

Since it is Valentine's Day and I have been on the receiving end of many great things today, I have been thinking about just how blessed I am.

My day started with a little bit of morning sickness, but quickly passed and I was met with a handwritten note, a big heart full of chocolates, and a big bag of caramel Dove chocolate. Oh boy I'm glad that morning sickness cleared up! I have indulged in so much chocolate today I could have gained 10 pounds. Luckily I had two little boys that are just as interested in it as their momma so it was evenly distributed out to all parties.

All day Jackson kept saying..."Happy Valentine's Day, Momma!" at the most random timems. It was so so sweet and it brought a smile to my face every single time. These boys are so blessed to have a daddy that reminds them what it means to make sure mom feels special. I just know that there will be two great women sometime in the future that will thank Derrick for showing our boys how to make their wives feel like a million bucks!

So, apart from that I kept thinking about all the things that Derrick does for us that I don't always acknowledge and tell him how much I appreciate and love. And for those of you who don't know a lot about him, you must know what a wonderful man he really is.

Derrick.....
Works 1.5 hours one way everyday from home and NEVER complains about the driving and sacrifice it is for him.
Comes home every single day and makes sure he kisses me first before he pays attention to anyone else!
He isn't really interested in anything other than our family. He would rather spend his free time with us than anything else.
He is and always has been an amazing spiritual leader of our family. He continues to grow in the Lord and this makes him more and more attractive to me!
Asks to drop me off at every entrance so I don't have to walk from the parking lot to the door.
Opens doors for me, always lets me order first, and fills my car up with gas. Oh, how I love chivalry!
He knows my love for all things sweet and tries to indulge me whenever the opportunity arises. I have gotten several boxes of Godiva chocolates from his travels away from home.
He makes me coffee every morning.
He never leaves in the morning without kissing and hugging me and telling me he loves me.
He provides for our family so that I can stay home to raise our boys, this is by far the biggest and best gift he could have ever given me. I will never take this gift for granted!
He is exactly who I want my boys to model their lives after. I hope they grow up to be husbands, fathers, sons, and friends that their daddy is. His mom and dad taught him very well!

I truly am so very very blessed. I know there are so many times that I have taken him for granted. Not loved him like I should. Said things I can't take back. I don't always do a good job of reminding him how much of a blessing he is in my life. But I'm glad that he understands I'm not perfect and that all I can do is better than I have done. He is my love, he is my partner, he is my friend. And I hope he knows how much I love and respect him for who he is.

I love you honey, Happy Valentine's Day!

We ARE............

2010-02-08T19:57:00.003-06:00

Expecting Baby #3!!!

This sweet precious blessing should be here around October 13!

We are excited, overjoyed, ecstatic, and then life with two small children happens and someone congratulates me and I forget...that I'm pregnant. How is that?

Can't wait to see what is in store for us this year! Should be very exciting. And loud.

Update on Food

2010-01-14T22:21:00.002-06:00

Well...there is a really awesome post called a Real Food Face-Off over at Kitchen Stewardship and I think it is awesome at explaining some of the basics of what I have learned from some people that know lots more about food than I could hope to.

So, these were some changes I made in my purchases at the grocery store this week:
1 dozen Organic cage free eggs $3.00/doz (oh, it hurt to pay that much, but luckily I found a local guy that is selling them to me from now on for $2.00/doz.)
4 1/2 gallons of Organic Whole Milk (the price is double what I am used to paying but since my boys go through milk more than anything else we are willing to pay a little more for this.
12 lbs of ground round that was on sale for 1.98/lb at Kroger (this was a have-to purchase since I had absolutely no ground beef left. We plan on buying a 1/2 steer sometime very soon, we are just doing some research on local farmers/prices, I just can't seem to swallow paying $4.00/lb for beef right now. Surely there is another option.)
Greek yogurt w/honey was on sale and I really really love greek yogurt so this was a treat for me and it is so much better for you than regular low fat sugared-up yogurt. Kitchen Stewardship also did a post on How to Make Your Own Yogurt and I would love to try this.

So, I did see some big price changes but I am still staying under budget with my pantry challenge so hopefully I can find some creative ways to coupon and get better deals in the weeks to come.

I'm really hoping to read a few books that Jo-Lynne suggested like Real Food and The Omnivorre's Dilemma but unfortunately our library here in town doesn't have them, so if any of you near me have a copy I would love to borrow!

Oh, and by the way...Jillian Michaels and I have been meeting every morning in my living room. Sometimes the boys get involved and it is honestly the equivalent of three hours of boot camp when they are at my feet or crawling all over me during strength and ab moves. I better be "Shredded" real soon!

What Are You Eating?

2010-01-09T19:12:00.005-06:00

**picture taken from Food, Inc. website www.foodincmovie.com

This week Derrick and I received a dvd in the mail through Netflix that we had been waiting on. I heard through a blog I read, Musingsofahousewife.com, that the documentary Food, Inc. was a must watch. So, I added it to the list and we waited for it to come. Let me just say that this documentary is not for the faint of heart. Do NOT watch unless you are very willing to evaluate what you are eating and feeding to your families right now. Because there is so much information in this documentary that will make you want to run to the hills and start your own farm, raising your own meat, eggs, and milking your own cows.

Here are a couple of the changes I have made in the past that I'm glad I started:

We switched from eating white rice to brown rice.
We only drink Whole Milk.
We eat Honey Whole Wheat Bread instead of White Bread.
We only use butter, not margarine or other spreads.
We eat a lot of from scratch foods instead of boxed. Mostly because it is cheaper.
We have been eating farm raised beef that my dad bought for us, instead of beef from the store.

Now, these changes are some that have really great health benefits and after a month or so these changes weren't noticeable at all. Some were even pretty tasty changes. So, I would encourage you to do your research on eating healthier foods, don't just trust the labels you read. The low-fat, no-fat foods that we see today are marketed heavily because they appeal to our society of today that says we can have the best of both worlds...we can eat what we want, not exercise and magically lose weight. The truth is the way our grandparents and parents ate is the best way to go about eating ourselves. But the thing about that is, THEY WORKED HARD. Those ladies were up washing clothes by a ringer washer, hanging clothes on the laundry, canning vegetables from their garden, and so on and so forth. We have made it so easy on ourselves that we don't do much physical work in our daily lives. So, what if we eat all these foods that contain lots and lots of preservative, additives, and chemicals that we can't pronounce AND we don't get ANY physical exercise? Well, I'm willing to bet that it can't add up to a very active lifestyle well into our 80's and 90's.

There are lots of other changes I want to make in feeding my family after watching this documentary. Here's a couple of the goals I have: (keeping in mind that these are just goals and baby steps are the best way to achieve what I'm going for, Rome wasn't built in a day.)

Buy only grassfed beef, chicken, pork from local farmers
Buy eggs from a local farmer
Look for and find a farmer who sells raw milk and cheeses (sample these to see if we could make this change, since my boys drink SO much milk, it makes a lot of sense to me to make this change first.)
If I am not able to find a raw milk farmer, I plan on buying Organic milk, cheese, and yogurt.
Continue gardening and freezing the excess vegetables for our family to use in the winter.

There are so many other changes that could be made, but like I said, BABY STEPS. There are so many great resources out there to look up and research the science behind all of these decisions. I am hoping to read a couple of books that Jo-Lynne at Musings of a Housewife suggested like, The Omnivore's Dillema by Michael Pollan. Can't wait to get my hands on this book!

I know that to some, you may read this and think I'm crazy. All I can say is...read and see for yourself. Look at the statistics, look at the big picture of money being spent in the U.S. on our food and who directs the decisions made on how our food is regulated and checked for safety. Just ask questions about things you don't understand, I did, I have, and plan to always ask questions. Hopefully we all find the answers we are looking for.

For more about this movie and links go to www.takepart.com

Happy Eating!

Use What You've Got

2010-01-03T20:05:00.003-06:00

So we are three days into our Cooking from the Pantry Challenge. And here's what I've been able to cook so far from my pantry:

I have only had to cook a couple of times since this challenge started since we have had some gift cards and Derrick has been home, he's taken us out for some special treats.

But when we all started to get hungry for a home cooked meal yesterday I looked in the fridge for something that needed to be eaten up.

This is one of the things I found:

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Please don't judge me by my horrible phone camera-taking abilities. The lighting is bad and the blackberry doesn't take the best of pictures but you get the idea. We had four strips of bacon and a couple of sausage left over from breakfast the day before. That bacon got me to thinking....

Then I glanced in the pantry and found a half bag of red potatoes that needed some using up! So, I went to town and made Corn and Potato Chowder with shredded cheese and bacon on top. And the fact that it is 20 degrees here in Arkansas made that sound even better!

Here it is simmering away on the stovetop...

So, I made a big pot of that and served it up with some rolls that were leftover from a dinner previously in the week and we had us a good old down home comfort food fest! It was good...

Here is the recipe:
1 Onion chopped
2 tbls butter
1 can corn
4 potatoes chopped in small pieces
4 cups milk
2tbls flour
a little bit of corn starch

I added the onion to the melted butter in the pot and let the onions brown, then added the flour. Add milk and corn, then pour in your diced potatoes and let simmer until potatoes are fork tender.
Mine needed some corn starch added at the end to thicken up a little bit more.
Then added shredded cheddar cheese and bacon to the top of each bowl.
Serve to hungry men and boys and watch them smile.

This pot made enough for us to eat supper last night and supper tonight after church and even have a bowl leftover to send with Derrick for work tomorrow.

Now, to try to figure out tomorrow's menu.

Getting My Shred On

2010-01-02T07:06:00.003-06:00

A new year is here and I don't make resolutions, but after all the holiday eating and not really worrying about working out for the past two months my booty is requiring a little shredding. There is no excuse from this point on, Jillian Michaels will be my trainer:

She will meet me every morning in my living room for a twenty minute workout. Really, who doesn't have 20 minutes? I spend more time than that checking my email!

And since my scale was broken by a certain toddler who likes to jump up and down on it, I'm not exactly sure what my weight is, and I'm not really going to worry about it. I'm going to just go with my clothes and make sure I can still fit in them.

So, if you see me in the next few days and I'm limping around its because that chick up there is a drill sergeant in a sports bra and doesn't mess around when it comes to whipping your too big bottom in shape.

Go ahead and get your shred on with me!

2010: Bring It On

2009-12-31T20:45:00.002-06:00

Yet another year has gone by, our children are one year older, WE are one year older, things have changed, people have changed, and all in all 2009 was a good year.

I started out the year a new mother of two navigating life with two children. Trying to figure out how the logistics work. Like how in the world do you get two children AND groceries in a shopping cart, how do a baby and a two year old get together on sleeping schedules so that momma can rest after being up all night, how do you nurse while chasing after a two year old when in the grocery store? These were all daunting tasks to me when I first held that second born son of mine, and just like everything else in life, it happens and you go with it. Like my dad has said on one or two occassions :) ...The world doesn't stop, it just keeps on going. You slowly condition yourself to your situation and your environment and you learn to let go of expectations that are way too high.

I started this year out a little bit lonely. I was attending Bible Study Fellowship so that I could get some human interaction and good quality bible study. I went back to BSF when Wyatt was three weeks old and sometime in January a girl that had been in my group for two years but I didn't know very well, walked up to me and asked if I was okay. I wasn't. I was tired, I was lonely, I was in need of a friend. That girl turned out to be my best friend and accountability partner this year. We have shared so much of 2009 together, she with her three soon-to-be four children and me with my two. We have stayed up way too late in IHOP drinking coffee and chatting about life, we have had way too serious conversations about life, love, children, the bible, homeschooling, you name it we have talked about it! She has challenged me in being a better wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend. She has a biblical answer to every question I have. She is a Titus 2 woman and I am so thankful that God placed her in my life.

I navigated my way through life with a newborn and survived those brutal few months of up all night feedings and don't even remember much of what happened from October of 2008 until summer of 09. But somewhere in there, Derrick and I searched for a new church home. We landed in a church that we have been challenged beyond we could have ever imagined. If I had one word to describe how our year has ended I would say...MISSIONAL.

My eyes have been opened to the need all around us. I was so self absorbed in my own little world and in my own "struggles" that I failed to notice all the hurt and agony and hunger and heartbreaking condition around us. I had someone say that we shouldn't focus on the big picture of need, it will only dishearten us. We should instead focus on one child or one family and pour what you can into their lives. I am so blessed to have a godly husband that has a heart to minister to the lost. He leads our family to go beyond our comfort zones and to be where we are needed. Our small group at church started in August looking for outreach opportunities and found one at a local Community Center in a forgotten part of town. We have committed to raising our children seeing us ministering and serving to further God's will....THAT ALL MAY KNOW HIM. We have ended 2009 at that community center every week ministering to children who otherwise may not know that there are people in that big church across town that love and care for them.

In September, Jackson and I started a new year of BSF. This would be the Study of John. Every week we dive into John and dissect Jesus' words to the lost and his disciples. We are studying his every step, every word, his emotion, his heart. I think I say this every single time I participate in a BSF study but this truly is exactly what God wanted me to hear at this point in my life. Through this study he has shown me the urgency of proclaiming the gospel. I have been so prideful in how I witness to people. I always approached opportunities with an attitude of unworthiness, like I wasn't smart enough or I wouldn't be able to answer questions correctly. Now at the end of 2009 I know that I will never be smart enough or never answer everyone's answers correctly, in my self. But through God I AM smart enough, I CAN answer questions (or at least direct them to where I know the answers are!) I love being a part of this organization and a group of women who long to learn more about our God and Savior.

I started 2009 lonely and self absorbed. I end 2009 with an attitude of humility and humbleness, I end it focused more on the needs of others than myself. I end it with a happy healthy family who serves alongside me at church and ministering to others. I end 2009 with a group of friends that are not only wonderful listeners and encouragers but who are also some of the most humble and God fearing people I could have ever hoped to have met.

I look to 2010 with eyes full of HOPE.

Isaiah 54:10"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you.

Here Is Where I Indulge You in Embarrassing Photos of my Fridge, Freezer, and Pantry

2009-12-31T14:08:00.000-06:00

I said I would, so here it is. AND I didn't even clean out the fridge for you. Yes, I am that hospitable. As I have said before and I think it bears repeating, Martha Stewart I AM NOT. I try to keep a semi clutter-free home, but an OCD clean freak I just don't care to be. It wasn't passed down to me from my mother, my sister got those genes. (Along with the good hair, but I'm not bitter.)

As you can see I am stocked up on dairy at this moment. If you could see all of it, you would see 4 gallons of milk (only for this week), 4 pounds of butter, loads and loads of flour, two canisters of oatmeal, more cheese than you can shake a stick at, and 36 eggs.

The freezer holds all kinds of stuff that I'm sure to get re-acquainted with this month. There's a whole chicken or two in there, several pounds of hamburger meat (thanks to my daddy buying a side of beef for our families to split!), some ice cream that is not mine (I swear, I only eat ice cream when pregnant, this one is Derrick's), and lots of frozen veggies.

Moving on to the pantry, you will not much more than my bread basket with a loaf of bread and some extra rolls, some spaghetti sauce, and snack items.

Oh my goodness it should be fun once these things run out, since I will have to bake my bread and rolls again instead of running to the store to pick up some.

Can you sense my sarcasm? What did I sign up for?

You may also see our lovely handiwork in the two shades of paint to the right of the pantry door, and no outlet cover either. These things are on a honey do list that probably got thrown away. Oh and does anyone else keep all those tons of plastic bags like we do to reuse them?

And then there's this. My canned food shelves. I don't like to keep canned food in the pantry because they seem to get lost and become radioactive since some I have pulled out were older than my son. Again, just keeping it real.

I'm pretty sure that this will all be gone in a couple of weeks and I will be providing bare bones pictures of what is left at the end of this challenge.

Well, you have seen my pantry, fridge, and freezer. We must be pretty tight, right? I don't just show this stuff to anyone.

My mom is reading this right now hoping that my dad doesn't read this and make her do this same thing. I tend to get my food buying habits from my mother, we don't really like to check what we have before heading to the grocery store. Dad has been known to raid all of mom's food stash and cook it up or throw it away during his winter downtime. It's not always pretty, as I recall there was one time that chili was made with black eyed peas. Right, mom?

I'm sorry.

Well, what are you waiting for? Jump in and start out 2010 by cleaning out your food stash. Get creative and let's have fun!

A look back

2009-12-31T13:51:00.000-06:00

I found these pictures while perusing Derrick's computer and Oh my! It makes me so sad, but happy at the same time. These pictures seem like so long ago, this top picture was taken when Jackson was just days old. That was how I spent so many days and nights with him. It was the only way he would sleep without crying. And I thought those days would last forever. And the bottom picture was one of the first family photos taken of us at Gran's house. We were just figuring out this family of three thing.

We've come a long way.

A Few Resources I Like

2009-12-30T20:32:00.004-06:00

Okay, so I like to cook. I may not be a master chef by any stretch of the imagination but I can whip up a pan of cornbread and fry an egg in a hole with the best of 'em. Okay so maybe I make the cornbread that I like and noone else does and so what if my family is the only one who likes egg in a holes.

Moving on...here are a couple of great cookbooks that I have and am always pulling out to get quick tips and recipes from....

Recently got this from Amazon because I have followed her blog for two years and she always gives me a great laugh and also the best Texas Sheet Cake evah!!!

And I also had to have this one when I was trying to cut our grocery budget down from like $500 a week (okay so I may be exaggerating a bit) to $75 a week. Not only does this book have great recipes but it also had coupon tips and homemade mixes that you can make instead of buying....like taco seasoning, chili seasoning, etc.

There are also awesome blogs that I like to get ideas from like MoneySavingMom.com who has an amazing treasure trove of information on saving money on groceries and lots of great meal ideas. She is an amazing Christian woman who seeks to glorify the Lord in all she does.

And then there are the good old standby's. If you don't have these two sites bookmarked then you don't know what you are missing.

Allrecipes.com and TammysRecipes.com

If I am looking for a good chocolate chip cookie recipe or a pizza crust recipe...the list goes on and on...these are the two sites I turn to.

Hope these have helped those of you who like to save money and also are the master of your kitchen domain!

Bon Appetit!

Eat From The Pantry Challenge

2009-12-30T20:07:00.004-06:00

So, here is a challenge for you....I'm joining MoneySavingMom.com and LifeAsMom.com in their Eat From the Pantry Challenge for January.

Now, typically if you all follow either of these ladies blogs you know that every so often they will see how long it takes them to eat out of their pantries with what they already have and try to stay out of the grocery store. Instead of trying to go a week at a time, they decided to make us all stretch our creativity and pantries a whole month. A.WHOLE.MONTH.

I first looked into this and thought oh my goodness I have tons of food in my pantry and refrigerator/freezer and deep freeze so this should be nothing for me. That was three days ago. Since then I have come to realize that I may not last very long in this challenge. For one, I don't have as much as I thought in my refrigerator. You know, staples like milk, eggs, butter, sour cream, cheese. And seeing as how we go through these things like crazy, I will have to make a quick trip to the store to pick up a few of these essentials.

I am going to post pictures of my pantry (oh my gosh did I just say that?), my refrigerator (oh boy, this will require a cleaning first), and freezers tomorrow so that you all have some idea as to how prepared I am. Then I am hoping to post every few days as to what in the world I came up with to feed my family three meals a day plus snacks without running to the grocery store. Now since this is the real world and I can't do without dairy for my growing boys who go through 4 gallons of milk a week now, we will be buying dairy and SOME fresh produce for snacks. Just because I don't like to buy canned fruit if the fresh is reasonable. Here are my plans:

1.) I won't go to the grocery store unless I need to pick up eggs, dairy, or fresh produce. ONLY THESE ITEMS.
2.) I will take our grocery budget ($75.00 per week) and use whatever is necessary to make purchases in above item and whatever is left over we plan to donate to our church.
3.) I will post regularly with my crazy recipes and how I managed to use what we had to feed our family.
4.) I will try to make it as far into January as possible! But if I only make it two weeks in, I will not get irritated at myself! Because this is just an experiment and we can always try to do better next time, right?

So, who wants to join me? I think it will be fun and challenging. Let's do it together...anyone want to try with me?

Christmas Is Done

2009-12-28T07:39:00.002-06:00

Christmas is over, the tree is down, the decorations are boxed up, toys are reloaded into the playroom, toys have been taken away because of bad attitudes, and threats have been made of not returning them.

Ahh....sweet bliss of Christmas.

We enjoyed three fun filled days of family and food. And now I plan on returning to my no sugar diet. My mom made this cold creamy coconut cake and I know I don't have to tell you how many pieces I ate of that!

I have so many things to write about, like what 2009 taught me and what 2010 hopes to bring. I'm excited to have a new year ahead of us, and ready for whatever comes our way.

Hope everyone had a very blessed Christmas!

Christmas Cookies

2009-12-21T20:13:00.004-06:00

This weekend for some reason we thought it would be a good idea to go to Wal-Mart to get a few last minute things that I couldn't find the last time I went there...this week, remember?

While we were there we saw this big bucket of cookie cutters and I thought it would be a fun tradition to start making cookies for Christmas with the boys.

So, we made the dough yesterday and finally got around to making the cookies today, somewhere between coming home from taking Wyatt to the doctor for cold sores in his mouth and lunch (which ended up being a handful of grapes washed down with three or four or five cookies).

It was stressful to have all that icing under the direction of little hands, but it was oh so worth it! Jackson really thought he was doing something big and important and Wyatt just enjoyed getting messy and eating all that sugar! I had to temper my desire to have every cookie decorated to my liking and decided to just let them have fun and if they turned out horrible then at least they had fun!

So, all things considered I think they turned out pretty good. Jackson was super proud of his handiwork and when Daddy got home they walked the cookies to an older couple that lives beside us and some neighbors across the street that help us out a lot with babysitting duty! Jackson even wore his Santa hat during delivery!

What I Intend on Doing

2009-12-18T09:21:00.002-06:00

Okay, so if anyone else is like me and hasn't finished up all of the things you need to get done before Christmas would you please raise your hand?

Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?

I must be the only one.

Yesterday I attempted shopping at Wal-Mart with two cranky, hungry preschoolers because I enjoy being tortured and also because I knew that school would be out for Christmas today and that if I didn't get to "the Wal-Marts" that I would be going along with all 250,000 people from the surrounding areas today.

What do you think was on my list? Well, there was of course 25lbs of flour, 20lbs of sugar, 5lbs of powdered sugar, 10 2liter sodas, eggs, 4 gallons of milk, and a partridge in a pear tree.

This list was what was needed to facilitate making 4 batches of The Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls for friends and family and church nursery workers (....read that as 28 tins of cinnamon rolls) , sodas for a Sunday School Christmas party tonight, and milk for my boys for a week (because obviously its cheaper to buy 4 gallons at a time than to invest in a cow.)

Do you know how interesting I looked walking around with my children trying to keep them from smashing flour and sugar bags, yelling..."Don't sit on the eggs" and "Jackson, try to keep up with momma" and "Yes, you can have chocolate milk but no we can't open the Scooby Doo yogurt" and "Wyatt, stop chewing on the cart" and "Please don't try to crawl underneath the cart." Oh, I tell you it is nothing short of running a marathon with these two. I'm sure that there are women out there that can do all of these things and then some with way more children in tow, but I'm not joking when I say that I sat down in the car afterwards and breathed a sigh of relief and then slightly contemplated not bringing any of the groceries in because it's 34 degrees outside and that's totally okay to leave cold stuff in a car when its that cold outside, right?

So, long story short I will be making cinnamon rolls and lots of them this weekend to freeze for later next week when we deliver them to the people we love for Christmas. I thinks its the most fun thing to do to make something for people and to deliver warm gooey cinnamon rolls to their door. So, for those of you who would be interested in the recipe, I got it from The Pioneer Woman Cooks website, I also bought her cookbook a month ago and it is by far the coolest cookbook ever!

So, go make some cinnamon rolls and come back here to tell me how much fun it was and how your lovehandles got a little bit bigger.

You are welcome.

The Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Rolls

Prep Time: 2 Hours

Cook Time: 30 Minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 quart Whole Milk
1 cup Vegetable Oil
1 cup Sugar
2 packages Active Dry Yeast
8 cups (Plus 1 Cup Extra, Separated) All-purpose Flour
1 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
1 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
1 Tablespoon (heaping) Salt
Plenty Of Melted Butter
2 cups Sugar
Generous Sprinkling Of Cinnamon
_____
MAPLE FROSTING:
1 bag Powdered Sugar
2 teaspoons Maple Flavoring
½ cups Milk
¼ cups Melted Butter
¼ cups Brewed Coffee
⅛ teaspoons Salt

Preparation Instructions

Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan. “Scald” the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point). Turn off heat and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in both packages of Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute. Then add 8 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.

After rising for at least an hour, add 1 more cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir mixture together. (At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it – overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to overflow out of the pan, just punch it down).

When ready to prepare rolls: Sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. Take half the dough and form a rough rectangle. Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Drizzle 1/2 to 1 cup melted butter over the dough. Now sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the butter followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.

Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Next, pinch the seam of the roll to seal it.

Spread 1 tablespoon of melted butter in a seven inch round foil cake or pie pan. Then begin cutting the rolls approximately ¾ to 1 inch thick and laying them in the buttered pans.

Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for 20 to 30 minutes, then bake at 400 degrees (see note below) until light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.

For the frosting, mix together all ingredients listed and stir well until smooth. It should be thick but pourable. Taste and adjust as needed. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls. Go crazy and don’t skimp on the frosting.

Note: My rolls don’t work for me at 400 degrees anymore. I now bake them at 375 degrees.

Out of the mouths of babes...

2009-12-16T21:28:00.002-06:00

While cooking supper tonight, I hear a little voice from the back saying....

"Wyatt, Jesus makes me fly."

I laughed at the thought of where in the world my three year old would have come up with that one.

Could it have been when I said that he could ask Jesus ANYTHING? Let's just hope he doesn't test out this little theory about flying....

What I Want For Christmas

2009-12-10T10:30:00.004-06:00

We want to teach our children the real reason for Christmas, not just what Santa Claus brings us to put under the tree. Jackson has been so excited this year about learning the Nativity Story and we have been doing FamilyLife's What God Wants for Christmas everyday for the last couple of weeks.

He loves pulling it out every day and opening each gift box to reveal the different parts of the Christmas Story. But at the same time he is VERY excited about Santa Claus this year. So, we are excited about it too! There are so many things that have brought to the forefront the commercialism of this time of the year for us. Jackson sees all the ads from the paper and asks for nearly ever toy in them. We see commercials and he asks to get that toy "to-later mom?" (his word for tomorrow)

Derrick and I are still trying to navigate through what we want Christmas to be like at our house. We don't want to downplay the true reason, but we also want to have fun childhood memories for our children. So, I'm interested in what you guys do for Christmas. I think more than anything it is especially important that we all get involved helping out the less fortunate around us. I have a whole lot to share about this soon, it has really been brought to our attention of the need so close to us. Be prepared for a post about what we can all do to help the helpless.

But taking it back to the materialism of Christmas...I'm going to indulge you in something that may make you want to click and buy for yourself or for the sweet wonderful mother or wife in your life.

I have asked for a specific necklace for the last year for different occassions. But I am normally not the type to really want things for birthdays, Mother's Day, Christmas, Anniversary, Valentine's Day, so I would ask for this necklace and then turn around and tell Derrick just to wait until we had play money to get it. Well, I don't know about most families with small children, but I do know that there is a very high chance that we won't have any play money until 2029. And even that is questionable. ha!

So, Derrick finally forced me to order this necklace and I have to say that I haven't been more excited since I was a fourth grader asking for a coin ring and rollerblades for Christmas. Here is the necklace....

And instead of a star, I got a cross. I am so excited about getting this you guys!!! So, if you would like to get on like it go to Etsy.com and look for Magpiedesignz store.

So, tell me....what do you want for Christmas?

What's Going On?

2009-12-10T10:04:00.003-06:00

Life has gotten the better of me lately. I have had less time to post the goings on of our life since Wyatt has decided he wants to walk (the nerve, right?). So, I have tons and tons and tons of pictures of what we have been doing over the last two months, and lots of blog posts in my head about what has occurred in our lives, but I haven't had the focus or time to put them here on the blog. But, when a friend of mine posted that she was ready for me to update this thing and I finally realized that someone other than my mom and husband reads this, it gave me a little more motivation to update.

So, here I am trying to renew my committment to updating. Like another blogging friend of mine said, I do like to encourage and share what is going on, but it also is pretty cool and fun to think that my children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren will look back and read what was going on in my life. So, I plan on giving them something real interesting to read!

Hope you all have had a wonderful Christmas season so far! I will fill you in soon on what we have been doing to gear up for the birth of our Savior!!

Fall Pictures

2009-10-26T21:31:00.004-05:00

Derrick's cousin is a student at Arkansas State University and studies photography, so I decided since I am so on top of things and have yet to have Wyatt's pictures taken that Kelsey would be a perfect fit for the boys.

We met up at my grandma's house and took some fall pictures in the backyard. I am so pleased with how they turned out. I'm pretty sure it helps to have unbelievably cute kids to photograph, right?

Today I Was A Good Mom

2009-10-19T13:59:00.004-05:00

Today, I was a good mom. I was patient, I was kind. I knew this day would be so good from the moment I put a foot on the ground this morning. I took my boys for a trail walk that led to two different playgrounds. This was our backdrop.
We found dinosaur bones and Spiderman's webs. Did you know Spiderman lives in our town. Well, he does.
We laughed like we hadn't laughed in a long time. We got to swing and play and I even acted like I was a preschooler myself.
This little three year old even ran off in the distance screaming behind to me...."You're a great mom!" Oh, how I want to freeze that moment in time.
We finished with a picnic lunch on the playground before running back off onto the trail. I even had a protector walking right behind me....keeping me safe from snakes. Boy am I lucky or what?

I want to be this mom everyday. I love being this kind of mom.

A Quick List of What I Learned at Weekend to Remember This Weekend!

2009-10-11T20:19:00.003-05:00

There is just OH SO MUCH that I learned this weekend, but I am OH SO AFRAID that if I don't immediately write down some of it that it will go the way of all things good and make like a bandit out of my brain while I tend to a baby with vomit and diarhhea. Oh yes, you read right...Derrick and I get back from a wonderful retreat alone and within 30 minutes our youngest is vomiting and has had blowout after blowout. Welcome back to the real world mom and dad!

But, while I was away at FamilyLife's Weekend to Remember I learned so much and I could do a forty page synopsis of the weekend...but I won't because then you wouldn't have any need to go yourself and it is definitely something that needs to be attended. So, I will give you what I learned this weekend in short list form. These are just the high points....

My husband was my gift from God the day I married him. God entrusted me to him, my dad gave me to him and trusted that Derrick would take care of me, provide for me, protect me, and love me for the rest of our lives. What an amazing gift God gave me and it took me too long to realize just how much of a gift he is! And I am so thankful that my dad didn't just give me away to anyone, he blessed our marriage and Derrick has done all of those things that dad trusted him to do.
Derrick needs and deserves respect. He is to be my number one, my most important relationship on earth. He is my leader and head of our home. I respect his leadership in our family and I will purpose to teach my boys just how important it is to step up and be the men of their homes, just as their dad is.
In reference to the above statement...Derrick will be my primary earthly focus. My children will be second. I will invest time, energy, love, and attention into him. He will be there when my children are grown and out following God's plan for their lives. He will be my partner through life, and I plan on knowing him very well when we have an empty nest!
My role is to be an encourager, nurturer, helper to my family. Do you know that Jesus said he would send the "helper" to us. He meant the Holy Spirit, ladies. And we are given the same title in the Word? Now, does that sound like a demeaning title to share with part of the Trinity? I think not! I will gladly accept that title. My children need to see me building their father up, they need me to nurture and help them. And I am up for that task.
My children desire boundaries and guidelines. The thrive in this type of environment. I will provide those boundaries and guidelines in our home since I am the one who luckily gets to spend the most time with them.
I will glorify God in my marriage and parenting. This is our purpose. This is what we are here for. We are to glorify God with everything we do. Fortunately at this season of life, my children are my mission field and I will glorify Him by loving my family as Christ loved others. I will put their needs above my own and always seek his wisdom in guidance as I commit my day to Him. I will teach my children about God, model Christ to them, and show them that I am not "all talk, no walk". My children will know what God means to me. He means more than they do, He means more than my husband. But He has given me the opportunity here on earth to invest in their lives and I will do whatever it takes to live my life to show His love to them.
Lastly, I will leave a Godly legacy of marriage for my children. Derrick and I are both blessed enough to have parents that left us a legacy of marriage. As did our grandparents. And great grandparents. There aren't too many people our age that can say that. That legacy has given me the blessing of knowing what a relationship looks like that doesn't give up when things aren't pretty. I know there were lots of times our parents could have walked away and given up and probably thought lots about it. But they didn't. They chose to stay married and walk through life together. I am committing to leave a legacy of marriage to my children. I will do whatever I have to do to be accountable to God, Derrick, and my Christian friends to stay on mission in this area of life. A marriage covenant is something that can not be broken. It can only be broken by death. I would rather die than to walk away from that committment to Derrick. Strong words, I know, but I am serious with this. My children WILL be blessed by my legacy, just as I am by my family's. I am investing in lives of children, grandchildren, great grandchildren. People that may not even know me, but will one day write these same words about me.

My hope is that every single married/premarried couple would be able to attend a conference like this. Before we attended a broken couple, a couple who felt on the brink. We attended this year a strong couple firm in our committment to one another, but we received even more of a blessing this time. I'm so thankful to my parents who gave their time and energy to stay at our house and take care of Jackson and Wyatt. Those of you with young children know that this is no small task. I will be indebted to them for the rest of my life for lots of other things, but this weekend was so much more than just a gift to us. It was an investment in our marriage and I will be forever grateful for them. Thank you so much, Mom and Dad! The only appropriate thank you I can give is to glorify God and you guys in my life. You have given me so much more than just material things and love. You have lived out a legacy of love and committment to each other that I will promise to leave to my own. I love you and thank you!

The Weekend My Life Changed

2009-10-08T19:33:00.003-05:00

Flash back to October 2007...I was trying my best to fulfill all that was expected out of me. Corporate Finance degree attained, got a great job right out of college, married, baby a couple of years later. Jackson was almost 18 months old and I was living the life of a working mom. I dealt with lots of mommy guilt, dropping Jackson off screaming, pulling at me with arms stretched out everyday at the daycare. I tried swallowing hard everyday, put my chin up..."suck it up, Cassie. This is what you do. You went to college to get a degree so that you could be successful in a career that you love. Lots of moms do this every single day. You can do it, just distance yourself. Try not to think of all the things you are missing. Try to go to your job and put in 100% when 150% of you was just dropped off with a college aged girl that didn't care that your child was a screaming, snotty mess." So, I do what I had to do in order to make everyone proud, get people's approval, get a paycheck so that I could enjoy all the great things in life, right? I found myself very unhappy though. Very dissatisfied, making choices that I knew were wrong down deep, but you just go and become a robot because that is what is expected out of you, right?

My marriage was suffering because I was bitter. My child suffered because I was short fused. I was trying to be super career woman by day...supermom by night. Doing just as all working moms do...walk in with a clingy toddler stuck to your side at 5:30...cook supper...laundry...clean dishes....clean child....bedtime for baby....fold laundry....clothes ready for the next day....collapse into bed only to do the same thing the next day. I got far away from God and far away from being what he called me to be. And I didn't see it until October 2007. I was in a place where I didn't really want to be close to Derrick. We didn't like each other much and I was pretty sure that we were just going to be miserable the rest of our lives because if this was married life then it was for the birds. And someone suggested a marriage conference that was hosted by Dennis Rainey's organization FamilyLife.

We signed up for the conference both thinking that we really didn't want to be there and would probably get absolutely nothing out of it. But we went. And all I can say is that from the minute I stepped into that conference room and heard the speakers tell of God's plan for marriage and his plan for me as a wife and mother...I was changed. I had Godly parents that modeled a great relationship, they never fought in front of us, and I had the "picture perfect" childhood. Really, I did. But for some reason I had no idea what it was like to do marriage. My mom worked part time as a nurse and was blessed enough to be able to work hours that my sister and I were in school, so we very rarely went to a babysitter. My mom was a supermom, she cooked every night, did fun things with us, went to Parent Teacher conferences and school functions, she ran our house like it was no big deal! And all I felt like at this point in my life was that I wasn't doing anything right. I was failing everyone and I didn't know why I felt so inadequate.

The Weekend to Remember Conference gave Derrick and I both some action points to focus on in our marriage. It helped him to realize how I work as a woman, and I finally understood some of what goes on in a man's head. I realized that the reason I had all of these conflicting feelings about work/home/life was because God didn't make me to be a woman that fulfills every aspect of her needs in life. I didn't depend on Derrick for much of anything other than a paycheck at that point. I was independent and felt as if I did it all by myself. And realizing through God's Word that He made me to be Derrick's helper, not his competitor was a huge breakthrough to me. I was made to be a nurturer of my family, not a breadwinner. Now, I know that there are some reading this that are in a position where they will think I am being insensitive to the financial needs of their family, or insensitive to their choice to work outside the home. All I can say is that I understand. I understand what it feels like to have to work. You think there is absolutely no way financially you can do it other than to work. I just have to say....Pray about it. I prayed so hard that I would be free from all of the burdens of working and that Derrick would give this precious gift to me. And thankfully he did.

We learned to readjust our thinking in so many ways. We adjusted our spending, we adjusted our communication skills, we changed inside and out. There are so many days when life seems so mundane teaching preschoolers how to eat by themselves, dress themselves, brush their teeth, and all the other 1500 things moms do throughout the day. But the other side of that coin is that I get to enjoy the quiet moments when Jackson asks about God and Jesus and Moses and Jonah. (These are pretty much the only people in the bible to him.) I get to snuggle up on the couch after lunch and breathe in their sweet smells of playing outside sweating and the morning breath first thing. We took a leap of faith, a huge leap. We thought there wasn't any way that we would be able to do this, but God blessed us. OH how he blessed us. I am learning to be the wife and mother that God called me to be and I although I have a lot further to go, he is blessing me over and above what I deserve.

I write this post to encourage people. Anyone who is struggling in their role, whether as a new mom who is discouraged with marriage and motherhood, or a happy couple that has been married for years but doesn't know how to adjust to an empty nest. Are you just looking for a weekend getaway so that you can refocus your marriage and familylife to the one who is most important in your life...your spouse? Are you an engaged couple who needs some premarital counseling and want to do your best to start your marriage off on the right foot? Well, FamilyLife's Weekend to Remember will not disappoint. It is a life changing conference. I promise that God will move and you won't be unaffected.

Derrick and I will be going back to this conference this weekend. It is something I am so much looking forward to. I am looking forward to focusing on my marriage this weekend. And very special thanks to my parents who agreed to come to my house and stay with my children so that we could attend. I can't even begin to thank them enough for this, what a sacrifice for them to bless us in this way!

For more info, you can go to FamilyLife.com and click on the Conferences tab. There are so many conferences all over the country. It's very affordable and it is such an investment into your future!

Pumpkin Hollow, Fall 2009

2009-10-02T19:39:00.002-05:00

Ahh, the sweet crispness of Fall. Oh, how I adore fall, with all the pretty colors and pumpkins. The cooler weather and windows raised, finally able to use your oven again-ness of Fall in the South. There isn't one thing that's not to like about fall here, its just beautiful.

So, when my sister suggested we make a family trip to Pumpkin Hollow last Saturday, I jumped at the chance. We didn't take Jackson last year since I was massively huge pregnant with Wyatt, so we were super excited to get to see Jackson's reaction to it this year.
We were the first customers to Pumpkin Hollow for 2009! We arrived first thing that morning and dug into all the fun stuff there. We posed for a group picture, but Miss Kennedy decided she didn't want her picture taken. Here is my brother in law Jonas, with my beautiful niece Kennedy Grace, her beautiful momma and my little sister Kortnie, Jackson, Derrick, Me, and Wyatt.

We tried so hard to get good pictures of the kids on the pumpkins. They liked it for a minute...

And hated it after a while....

My favorite boys on the planet. Are they good looking or what? That's why I keep them around, they make me look good.

My sweet little John Wayne. No, really the kid loves Westerns now. He's always liked Bonanza, but now he and his daddy love watching Westerns together so this was right up his alley!
Grown men in little pumpkin trains. You just have to love what daddies will do for their children.

My little miniature John Wayne. No joke, this little man could have ridden that horse all day long. He loved it! Couldn't believe it! There is no way I would have gotten my behind up there on those things and both my children acted like they had done it their whole life.
Once again....hating the picture taking process....

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-30T16:37:00.001-05:00

The Nature Center

2009-09-28T15:35:00.001-05:00

Have I mentioned how much I love having boys and all the fun things that come along with them? Like the snakes, frogs, and fish? It's great!

Hormones: Its what makes us crazy!

2009-09-14T08:29:00.000-05:00

Okay, so in a span of three days I had my best friend and my mom ask if they had done something to make me mad...and then all of a sudden the explanation for all the irrational mood swings and weird feelings appeared. And all you gals know what that means. I have weaned Wyatt and my guess is that my body decided to unleash all the stored up hormones from the last two years. Wow I had no idea I could act so awful. Luckily this was the reason and I'm pretty sure Derrick isn't leaving me to get away from the craziness! Man, this woman stuff is tough...Dang that Eve!

Jam Session

2009-09-11T14:24:00.003-05:00

Jackson has a newfound appreciation for Third Day. Derrick and I went to Third Day's Revelation Tour concert a while back and recently Derrick bought the cd. Well, Jackson's new favorite thing to do is to turn it up "really loud, momma" in the playroom. As I walked by the other day I discovered this....

Maybe he has a future in Christian Rock...

Here's Where I Bear My Soul

2009-09-04T20:49:00.002-05:00

I feel the need for something more.

This is perhaps one of the worst selfish things I can imagine that would come across my lips. I have looked at this blog as a journal for my thoughts about my kids but instead tonight I turn to it for some sort of therapy. I love to write. I used to dream that I would write a book. I love to read and with every book I read, I feel like I could have written something just as good!

So, here it goes and please just bear with me on this because I just have to get it out for the whole world to read (okay maybe only my mom, dad, and husband who read this thing!) I long for something more. This is probably a statement that crosses many of our minds every single day we just choose to ignore it. Or we act like we would never think something like that while in secret we do! For those who know me, I love to talk. But much more than that, the people that know me know that I am a passionate person. I often fall into an extreme type A personality. When I get something in my head I want to research it to death and then be the best at it. So, when I quit my job/career/plan for my life I dream of being the best Stay at Home Mom that there ever was. I wanted to bake my own bread, I wanted to school my children, I wanted them to know scripture by the time they were two. I wanted to be involved in every church activity and make my husband proud. I wanted what was not possible. You see what I found out was that being a stay at home mom means frustrations with your children, frustrations with your husband, frustrations with keeping up with a house that seems to get messed up and dirty no matter how much you try to clean it. You try to fill your days with meaningful activities only to find that it is so hard to meet the demands of two little people AND get a shower before noon!

So, when I set out on this journey of SAHM-hood some 2 years ago I just knew that I could accomplish all I wanted and more! And just like in my career I would get a pat on the back, a JOB WELL DONE, a promotion, a feeling of accomplishment.

Well, that doesn't happen very often. In fact, most days are filled with disciplining children, wiping noses, changing diapers, feeding, cleaning up after diapers and lunches, keeping children from hurting each other, trying to fit some bible reading in, then finally trying to look presentable so that your husband comes home to a decent looking woman who needs to be sexy to keep him interested in this woman he married. (Yes, mom and dad, I did just say sexy.) Sorry, just skip this post if you would like to not cringe! :)

Being a mom is a lonely venture a lot of the times. Luckily I have some really great friends that keep me grounded and remind me when I need to be reminded that what I am doing has ETERNAL rewards. I am training up my children in the way of the Lord. The devil would love for me to "want more satisfaction" from the world and what it has to offer. The enemy would love for me to want a bigger purpose outside my family. He would love for me to want a job that I could clock in and out everyday and get that job well done that I kind of long for right now.

So, I choose to divert my mind every time that thought enters my mind.

2 Corinthians 10:5 (New International Version)

⁵We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

I will choose to set my mind on the hope that God has for my family and I. I will be obedient to Him and focus on what He has in store for me, and it is much more than an earthly JOB WELL DONE. It will be something like this:

Matthew 25:21 (New International Version)

²¹"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

And THAT is just what I need to keep my mind focused on instead.

School and Chores

2009-08-31T09:37:00.003-05:00

I know, I know...its been like what....five years since I posted? Well, to be completely honest I feel like our lives have been a little wild, but yet so very boring. Make sense? I honestly walk through my life every single day with my mind on "blog posts". Every single activity we attend, every picture I take I instantly think....Ooh, that would make a great blog post. Weird, right?

Well, I guess I will just have to start with what new routine we have settled into around our house. I was growing so tired of summer. So irritated with the lazy days of nothing on our schedule and the lack of structure that goes along with this time of year. Living in a town where yards aren't big and the streets are just too dangerous to let your children get to close to them in your yard, has been challenging with a three year old little boy. Jackson loves being outside. He would love to explore and ride tractors and play ball all day long. The problem is that I can't feel good about turning him loose to play without watching him like a hawk. So, I have been struggling all summer with a baby that can't get down and play outside and a three year old that can't be contained.

My solution? School! and Chores!

Jackson started his preschool homeschool curriculum three weeks ago. I attended a materials display that A Beka Book had at a local hotel and I purchased some homeschool Pre-K books and materials. Then after talking to a seasoned homeschooling mom of three boys I decided to purchase the Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons book. These would surely provide us all kinds of material to work on and hopefully get some structure in this home! I also felt like I needed to give Jackson more responsibility around our house so that he will learn good habits of staying busy and helping mom with the chores that have to be completed daily!

So, if maybe this will help someone like me that needs some ideas with something to do with rambunctious little boys.... our schedule is as follows:

Monday, Tuesday, Friday:
5:30am Coffee and Workout with my Jillian Michaels Hot Bod Cards...ha! gotta love the name!
6:00am more coffee and quiet time/bible study
6:45am Boys up and Jackson is in charge of: brushing his teeth, making bed, getting himself dressed, and pj's put up. Boys can watch PBS Kids and play while I jump in shower and get ready for the day.
8:00am Breakfast and Bible reading with boys, Psalms or Proverbs for the day, and Catechism
8:30am Jackson helps with breakfast cleanup...helps unload dishwasher, wipe down his seat and Wyatt's highchair. I start laundry
9:00am daily chores: Jackson helps vaccuum, wipe down furniture, clean bathrooms, fold laundry
9:30am Wyatt naps, Jackson and I work on school. Working on phonics, letter recognition, shapes, counting, and scripture memory.
10:30am Wyatt up and both boys get a snack. Outside play and errand running time.
12:00pm Lunchtime, Jackson helps me get lunch ready, and he actually helps to feed Wyatt!
12:30pm Jackson helps clean up lunch. His favorite thing to do is to put dishes in the sink and to put food back in the fridge. And of course I don't complain!
1:00pm Naptime for the boys, alone time for momma!
3:00pm Boys up, review the day's lesson with Jackson, maybe do a craft to correlate with the lesson. Free play time. Mom finishes laundry
4:30pm Dinner prep. Jackson and Wyatt play together usually under my feet while fixing supper!
5:00pm Eat dinner together, Family Time
6:30pm bath time for boys
7:00pm Wyatt bedtime
8:30pm Jackson bedtime and alone time for mamma and daddy!

Wednesdays are Bible Study Fellowship Days!
Thursdays are Parents Day Out at Central Baptist for Jackson from 9 to 2. So, I'm guessing this will be Momma and Wyatt alone time day. Not sure how much I will like this day without Jackson so this may only be a one semester thing. We will see.

Chores that Jackson has started and will be in charge of helping/or completing himself:
Make his bed
Trash outside
Sorts laundry, helps fold towels
Takes his and Wyatt's clothes to their bedrooms and puts clothes in drawers
Puts folded towels in bathrooms
Transports clean laundry from laundry room to my room to be folded
Unload dishwasher with me, helps put bottom cabinet dishes up
Feeds Wyatt for me! Its messy but wonderful!
Cleans his spot up at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Cleans Wyatt's highchair
Windexs windows for me, quite possibly the most fun activity for him
Sweep the floors
Cleans the bathtub and floor around the toilet (mostly because he makes that mess!)

Now, keep in mind that none of these things are done to 100% and most of the time it makes even more of a mess for me to pick up afterwards, but at the same time he is learning skills that will be necessary for the rest of his life. My future daughter in law will thank me, I'm sure of it. And although this may be creating more work for me, it is making things so much easier as far as discipline goes. You want to know why? Okay I will tell you....BECAUSE HE HAS SOMETHING TO CHANNEL ALL THAT ENERGY INTO! He wants to do a good job! He wants praise when he completes a task! He wants to make me proud! So, it is going so well for us!

I want my boys to be hard workers, I want them to be diligent and have a heart to help others. What better way to instill this in them than to put them to work around our house helping mom. I am sad to say that I didn't help my mom out at all! She made life so easy for us and I am so sorry that I didn't take more of an initiative to help pull my weight around the house. Sorry mom! I totally understand now!

Momma tries to take a bath!

2009-08-20T20:27:00.002-05:00

This is what happens when momma tries to take a bath! This happens every.single.day.

And no, thank goodness I didn't drop my phone in the tub while snapping this picture!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-08-05T22:53:00.003-05:00

The Importance of Date Night

2009-08-02T20:31:00.000-05:00

I want to start out by saying that I used to be the person that thought that a couple who hired a babysitter so they could go out together every weekend were selfish people. I was brought up in a home that if my sister and I couldn't go somewhere with my parents, they just didn't go. Do you know that the first time my parents ever spent one night away from us was when I was almost 17 years old? And it was so that my dad could attend a School Board conference! Seriously, my parents didn't leave us for anything! They went to the movies with US, they went to eat with US, they took vacations with US! Their entire lives centered around US! I have always totally respected my parents for this and really thought they were the standard when it came to parents putting their family first!

So, I guess since that was the life I was accustomed to it made it easier for me to see others who went out on regular dates as "different". They must not love being around their kids as much as my parents loved being around us, right? Well, Derrick and I attended FamilyLife's Weekend to Remember a couple of years ago (that is a whole other post in itself because it was truly a life changing weekend for us!) , and one of the points the speakers made was for a regular date night! We had couple after couple after couple tell us how important it was to get away for so many reasons. Its great for your kids to see you put each other first, its great to get a break from being mom and dad and get back to being husband and wife, its great to get giddy in love and take the time to hold each other's hands. I looked at things a lot differently when we left there. For the first time, I heard Godly Christian people saying that it was okay to take time away from your kids! It is healthy and acceptable to focus on your spouse and take the focus off your children for a few hours. I was truly shocked and still had quite a bit of trouble understanding. UNTIL NOW.

One child is a piece of cake....you can put your child to bed early, you can find those moments in time to be with each other and grab a few minutes here and there for conversations. But when you add that second child into the mix....well, needless to say, husband and wife are now momma and daddy til their heads hit the pillow. Derrick and I are constantly meeting demands of small children and most nights the only time we are able to have true adult conversation is when we crawl into bed and turn the lights off and its as if its the first time we've met all day. Now don't get me wrong, we love this stage of our lives. We love these little guys and I wouldn't trade this life for anything else on earth! I truly am totally in love with my little boys and this season we are in, but I am also totally, madly in love with my husband and desire time to be with only him. And with finances being tight and trying to save for the unexpected, it is easy to put the extra money that we would use for babysitting and date nights to use somewhere else. But we are choosing to invest in our marriage and to put each other first in this aspect.

We have decided to make room in our budget to have a weekly date night. We are going to be looking for a college age girl that can help us out weekly and allow us to feel comfortable enough to leave our children in their hands so that we can reconnect and keep the spark sparking in our marriage. We know that our children are only ours for a season and then they are off to live their own lives. We don't want to be looking at each other 20 years from now and not know the person sitting across the dining room table. We want our kids to look back and see that mom and dad caught each other's glances and smiled at an inside joke, just between the two of us. We want them to see that we are putting our marriage first because that is how God designed us. This is going to require a lot of faith on my part to let go on a lot of control issues I have. I find it hard to let someone else be in charge of my children. I tend to think that I am the only person on earth that can get them to sleep, anybody else as disillusioned as me? So, I have to let go and focus on this special time spent with Derrick. Really, does a few hours a week spent away from my kids make that much of a difference in the grand scheme of things? No! They will be asleep most of that time away and I will be out with my man, holding hands and flirting again. Sounds nice, right? I plan on being like this old married couple way up there...laughing and cutting up with my good looking man way into my old age!

Diet Update and Random Thoughts About Fall

2009-07-31T20:03:00.003-05:00

I have been inspired by my friend Kelly at The Barefoot Mama to update you guys on my diet so far. I think its been something like a month, right? Well, I have been able to get to 141, so that's like 9 pounds! I am so happy that I beginning to fit into those jeans that have been hanging in my closet for going on two years now, (you know the ones? The ones that you just refuse to throw out because you will surely one day fit back into them.) Well, I tried them on today and they fit...somewhat. They are still a little too snug for a mom of two to wear outside the confines of her house, but THEY ARE GETTING THERE, PEOPLE!

I still have about 6 pounds to lose and I somehow feel like I have plateaued a little bit. Could it be the inability to pass up a 79 cent chocolate dipped cone at Mickey D's tonight? Or how about the occassional chicken sandwich at Chik-Fil-A? I have tried really hard not to give in to the cravings and have done pretty well, except a few occassions! I mean really, who can pass up a chocolate dipped cone every once in a while? I'm pretty sure that even Jesus would be tempted by one, can I get an Amen?

My girlfriend Cassie and I had a brainstorming session this afternoon about our upcoming fall schedule and how we are in need of some structure in our lives again. I love summer and I do enjoy the laid back schedule for a little while, but I am easily bored. I get restless and anxious in the house and have tried all summer long to stay busy. So, we have done the $2 movies at the theater, we have done the park thing lots, we have gone to library over and over again, and we've been swimming. We have done just about all there is to do and I'm ready for a routine again. I'm ready to get back into Bible Study. I'm ready for there to be a weekly schedule, because I thrive on schedules.

This fall I am going to jump in head first with homeschooling. Jackson is three now and instead of sending him to preschool, I am purchasing the My Father's World curriculum. I am so excited to be able to really dive in and get started. He is such a fast learner and My Father's World seems to have some really neat tools to teach numbers, letters, and colors. I have intentions on using Abeka next year when we start reading, and my girlfriend is a great resource on this curriculum! But as for this fall, we will be starting to do two days a week of "schoolwork" and will probably only do that for no more than an hour each day. Jackson is a typical three year old little boy who really enjoys being active and busy, so I am not going to push him hard right now. And for accountability purposes I'm posting our schedule here! Starting two weeks from now our schedule will be as follows:

Sundays: Me: Early Morning workout with Cassie M.

Mondays: Jackson: School during Wyatt's naptime

Tuesdays: Me: Weight training at home/Wii Fit
Jackson: School during Wyatt's naptime

Wednesdays: Me and Jackson: Bible Study Fellowship

Thursdays: Jackson: Mother's Day Out at Central Baptist
Me: Workout with Cassie M. and our kids while boys are at MDO

Fridays: Jackson: Free Day/Fun Day
Me: Weight Training at Home/Wii Fit

Saturday: Me: Early Morning Workout with Cassie M.

So, as you can see Cassie and I have really tried to make it a priority to use every available time to be workout partners, because without one I AM A LOSER! I lack the motivation to exercise by myself anymore. I try to do it first thing in the morning with the boys because if I wait...IT AIN'T HAPPENING! So, I have added it into our schedule so that it is a given just like everything else.

So, as you can see I am very anxious to get started on the fall schedule! I'm ready for things to get back to normal around here! What are you plans for the fall? Would love to hear! Also, if anybody has any advice about using the curriculum I talked about, please comment and let me know what you think! Would love your input!

2009-07-23T06:43:00.001-05:00

Jackson: "Mom, know who died on the cross?"
Me: "Who?"
Jackson: "Jesus did, so God could be in my heart."

I love this kid.

Dieting: Week One Update

2009-07-17T16:03:00.003-05:00

Well, it's over..the first week of the stinking diet. I have to say that I have not been easy to get along with this week. I have been a little hormonal, a little emotional, a lot stubborn, and overall not fun to be around. But, it's looking up. I woke up in a much better mood today and when I got on the scale I was lifted up even more.

I LOST 5 POUNDS!

Now you guys see how much sugar I ate, right? I was able to lose 5 pounds just by cutting out sugar for one week! I did try once to make some peanut butter cookies with a sugar substitute and it was awful. Maybe because I am still so new to the no-sugar thing, it seemed too sweet! Maybe I should try a different sweetener? I have been so good this week, I have only caved once to eat pizza after church on Sunday at Sam's. Because...have you ever had Sam's all meat pizza? I mean, really there is just no way to turn it down. I'm sure the angels in heaven sang when that first bite went down. It was lovely! Then my stomach hurt for the rest of the day. Which leads to me to another subject....WHY DOES MY STOMACH HURT?

I am eating so much healthier than I have quite possibly ever eaten in my life and my stomach hurts? Seriously? Is it just my body adjusting and detoxing? Is it because my tummy just isn't used to all these fruits and veggies? Can anyone help? I am hoping this doesn't keep going on because quite frankly, I am tired of the stomach burning! I still can't tell that my body has changed that much, and I am sure this has something to do with the fact that my body is holding on to some fat stores for nursing...right? (Please tell me I am right?) But I do feel my clothes getting bigger on me. I put a pair of size 10 shorts on yesterday and they were extra baggy. I was giddy, giddy I tell you! It was nice to have something feel big instead of leaving marks on your booty when you take it off at night!

So, tonight I am heading out on the town with my hubby. My sweet wonderful mother in law is coming to watch the kiddos for us and I can't tell you how excited I am. I can't wait to spend some alone time with him, he has worked late every night this week. Which is probably good for him since my mood has been very very bad!

OH, and before I forget, I am reading Ellie Krieger's book....The Food You Crave and I am getting a ton of tips! First here are some ideas for quick grab and go snacks that I have gotten from the book and from friends:

peanut butter and apple wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla
snack bags of granola and dried fruit
laughing cow cheese(OH MY GOODNESS YOU SHOULD TRY IT!) spread on a whole wheat tortilla
Wasa crackers with peanut butter or laughing cow cheese
Banana and Peanut butter wrapped in a tortilla
Hard boiled egg with a handful of crackers

These are great since I have very little time to spend on making something for myself to snack on. All should be able to be made in less than 5 minutes.

Slip and Slide Fun

2009-07-12T12:00:00.000-05:00

Do you remember this? Remember the slip and slide of your past?

I do! I remember my mom and aunt setting up a slip and slide and getting the waterhose out and laying it at the start of the slip and slide. My cousins and I would slide over and over and over again. Ahh, the bliss of childhood. Well, nowadays these wonderful little contraptions come with a boogie board, a hookup for a hose that shoots water out evenly over the whole slide, and a neat little pool at the end. We've come a long way baby!

Jackson loves this and it is just perfect in our front yard, since we have a slope. The only thing is...It floods the next door neighbors driveway...(Sorry, Karla..) We've tried to remedy the problem...

So, we have spent many days and nights watching Jackson play on his slip and slide and just having fun outside. It is really so much fun having little boys. They love to get dirty and be outside for hours on end and I love seeing how much joy it brings him to be free and be able to expend all that built up energy!

Dieting: Days 1-3

2009-07-11T22:44:00.003-05:00

Well, all I can say is WHOA, THIS IS NOT FUN. I totally do not do diets. Never have! And now, I'm reminded why I have never done them. It's just not fun. I have always been pretty good about eating fruits and vegetables. I try to eat healthy foods and definitely try to feed my kids healthy foods. But, in addition to all of that, I have to say that I am undeniably addicted to sugary goodness. I didn't realize just how captive I was to sugar until I tried to step back away from it. I mean, you have no idea how much sugar is in things that you had no idea it was even in. It is in Whole Grain Bread for goodness sakes!

One good thing that has come out of this so far is that I am far more aware of what I am eating and drinking than ever before. Reading the nutrition facts far more closely than ever before and becoming very disturbed at what I thought were healthy foods! Here is what a typical day looked like for me before...

Breakfast..........coffee and more than likely I would forget to eat until 10:00 because that's what time I usually try to get Wyatt to sleep and suddenly remember that I haven't eaten yet, then grab a granola bar. Now mind you these were the healthy fiber rich granola bars. You know the ones....all natural...no preservatives....but my goodness it was loaded with sugar! Didn't know this until I checked the nutrition facts.
Lunch................eat with the boys around noon. A flat out wrap most days filled with lettuce or spinach, hummus, and turkey or chicken. Some tortilla chips and water or sweet tea.
Snack.................Oh, this is where the sugar cravings come in. Most days I just get that jonesing feeling for something a little sweet around 2:00. This is usually when both boys are asleep and I am running around the house doing laundry or getting caught up on bills, etc. I will sometimes grab for another granola bar or whatever candy I have laying around...(mini heath bars and reese cups), or sometimes I will be good and have apples and peanut butter.
Dinner..............I have never deprived myself at dinner. I feel like if I cook a meal, I'm going to enjoy it with the rest of the family. So, I will eat whatever I fix my guys to eat, mostly a meat, two veggies, and bread. Oh, how I love bread. And not just plain old bread...bread loaded with butter, salt, and garlic. OH MY GOODNESS....somebody get me some bread RIGHT NOW!!! Okay..back to what I was doing..moving on.
Bedtime............Derrick and I like to sit up and talk and watch television most nights after the kids go to bed and of course SNACK. And this will mostly involve marshmallows or perhaps another mini candybar or two (or six). Of course, he's like 5 pounds smaller than I am and can handle eating seventeen times a day!

Days 1-3 looked like this...

Breakfast.........coffee, water, banana (which I learned today is the WORST fruit for you to eat while on a no sugar diet, since it is LOADED with sugar. Just an fyi.) One egg, and Stone Ground Whole Wheat English Muffin. I have to say I really enjoy this breakfast...filling and very satisfying.
Lunch................grilled chicken sandwiches/salads on Whole Wheat bun, water, carrots
Snack.................grapes, hummus and Stone Ground Whole Wheat Tortilla Chips
Dinner................lean meats/grilled veggies, water

So, for the last few days my system has been shocked! I have tried to really back away from eating sugar. I do this for two reasons 1.) I think its easier for me to just go cold turkey because if I let myself have one bite, it will lead to 10. and 2.) I'm thinking if I get results immediately, surely it will motivate me to keep it up. One positive thing I can say about the last few days is that I find myself filling up much more on fruits and veggies than I ever did before. I keep hoping that if I stuff myself silly with these "good foods" that I won't feel deprived when I get done eating. But unfortunately so far, I'm still having some serious deprivation issues. I go to bed thinking about all the food that I want to eat, but can't. Ya'll, my stomach doesn't feel good. It feels like my body is saying, "c'mon girl, what are you thinking? You were doing good before, what are you doing feeding me this kind of stuff now? We've had it made for 26 years now and here you go messing us up." I am hoping that this is a transitional period and that its going to work itself out soon.

On top of all of the transitional hunger pains/sugar pains, I'm still nursing so my body is hungry all the time! I feel like I am famished and all I have to snack on are fruits and veggies. And I know that is what is good for me, but goodness gracious ya'll its not very satisfying!

Okay, I'm done complaining. I can't say that the scale has moved much, I got on it earlier and I was 148. But I'm sure that's just a fluke thing because I'm not so silly to think that three days of this is going to have fat dripping off!

Hope the next update is more uplifting and encouraging and have some pounds gone to report!

****Think I'm going to go throw a tomato or banana at Derrick, because he's eating cookies in front of me!!!!

Summertime With Kids

2009-07-10T12:00:00.000-05:00

Jackson has had so much fun with his friends this summer. My friend Cassie and her kids have been pretty much inseparable from us this summer. It is so hard to find a good friend, and even harder to find a good friend that has so many of the same goals in parenting and life.

Cassie and I met in Bible Study Fellowship almost two years ago. We were in the same group and introduced ourselves to each other that Wednesday morning. We shared the same name and immediately connected. We told about our kids...and that is where the weirdness started. She has a son named Jackson, goes by Jack. The next day was the first day of the Kindermusik semester and as Jackson and I are taking our seat, guess who walks in....Cassie and Jack! We were not only in the same Bible Study group, we were in the same Kindermusik class. We soon found out that not only do we both want big families, but we both wanted to homeschool and the list keeps getting longer of the weirdness that connects us.

We instantly hit it off and have really become each others encouragement. I hate to say it but she doesn't get much out of our friendship, mostly she just helps me through life and I get to glean from her experiences! It is just so rare to find a friend that is so real and true. A friend that is not afraid to tell you that you are wrong. One that encourages you to be a better wife, mother, and Christian.

Her kids are the sweetest things and our children have hit it off so much! She has three children and will soon be adopting a sweet little one from Ethiopia. Please pray for her and her family and their sweet baby that is waiting on them!

Here are some highlights of our summer with The Morgans...

Kindermusik Kid

2009-07-09T12:00:00.001-05:00

Jackson has been in Kindermusik class for two years now and he loves it so much. I'm not sure if he likes the music that much, but he sure has fun doing all the activities. Kindermusik is an awesome way to get kids involved in music and spark an interest in musical instruments. I would encourage anyone who can to enroll your child in a class near you. You won't be disappointed. The class ended in May and I have been meaning to get a post up about it, but it has slipped my mind until now.

At every class the teacher has an activity planned that really gets the kids moving and interacting with one another. Do you remember the parachute from your elementary PE class? Well, needless to say....these kids LOVE the parachute!

Then there is a story time for the kids. And you can see here that Jackson is really interested in story time.

Oh, how my little boy is growing up so fast. I wish I could freeze frame these moments in my brain and never forget how sweet it is for him to sit in my lap during class. He gets shy at times and crawls into my lap, like its the safest place on earth. I know there won't be too many more days that he will want to do this. He will soon be too old and mature to want to show any sort of affection towards me. Oh, how I dread that day. Can't you just stay little forever and think your momma is the most wonderful, prettiest, sweetest woman on earth? Please?

I'm Doing It

2009-07-09T09:46:00.003-05:00

I just read Lysa TerKeurst's blog and she mentioned a few days ago that she has been on a strict diet plan that included no sugar. Well, if anyone on this planet has a hard time with sugar...IT IS ME.

So, I have decided that I am sick of not being in control of this addiction of mine. I mean seriously, ya'll, I would rather eat cookies and cake than eat one morsel of dinner. I would gladly pick a cookie over steak and potatoes, anytime! Sugar is food for my soul. But you know what? Sugar is in EVERYTHING! It's in potatoes, bread, rice, and fruit. Its in all the good things that I could kid myself into thinking is okay to eat. Well, I'm changing my hazardly ways.

My weight has always been something that I am conscious of. Every single day I evaluate myself and my shirt size, pant size, the number on the scale. It is confining, it is sickening, it is claustrophobic to be a prisoner to these thoughts. And you know what? I love to exercise. I love to be healthy. I love to find new ways to cook, new ways to keep my body from toxins (like not taking any medicines), and yet I would force feed myself sugar through an IV if I could. I love it.

So, I have decided on a whim that this is ridiculous and I'm going to do something about it. I'm laying it all out on the table today and I'm going to give everyone reading this permission to ask about my progress. My husband can keep me accountable at home and I know he will. I will document this horrible, oh I mean, necessary experience here and hope that I encourage some of you to make yourselves healthier by getting rid of the extra junk we carry around.

Today I am....

Keeping it real....

I'm a size Large top....probably not going to change a whole lot til I quit nursing.
I'm a size 10 in pants
I'm 150 pounds

So you know where my baseline is...

Before I got pregnant with Wyatt

I was a size medium top
I was a size 4-6 in pants
I was 135 pounds

So, this is about as foreign as it gets to me, because I don't like revealing this kind of junk about myself. I should be in control of this, I should be able to drop weight and be happy with myself. But I'm not and I'm getting real with you guys.

So, if anyone has any suggestions on diet, I'm all ears. I would prefer to not buy another diet book, so for now I'm just going to cut out what I know is bad...sugar. Plain and simple. But any other suggestions are great and I would love to hear them.

Hopefully next time you see me I won't be convulsing and foaming at the mouth due to sugar detox. Oh, this should be fun. Pray for me, please?

Fun In Branson, MO

2009-07-07T19:16:00.006-05:00

Here are some pics from our family trip to Branson. We spent lots of summers there growing up and really every time we go back there is something fun to do that we haven't tried yet. The trip was a little rocky getting there since my children do not like to ride in vehicles for long periods of time...okay make that NO period of time and because Jackson as we have discovered gets carsick. LOVELY...

We let Wyatt and Jackson take turns driving us around Branson. Its much less stressful to just sit back and watch them take the wheel.

My hardworking farmer dad trying to relax. As you can see this was very hard for him.

My mom and Wyatt playing at the condo.

My sister and the babies, during our outing with the kiddos shopping. Didn't turn out so good.

The babies, just hanging out

Our handsome men!

The family all together at the condo.

Momma and her two waterbabies.

We stayed at the Thousand Hills Golf Resort so the guys could do some golfing while us womenfolk did some shopping. We won't talk so much about the fact that we ladies thought that we could conquer shopping with all three children in tow, oh and did I mention we thought we could do all of this said shopping with the babies in the jogging stroller? Well, in case you are thinking of trying it....DON'T. It was 98 degrees and the outdoor outlet mall was not the best place in the world to take a double wide jogging stroller with two fussy hot babies and one wandering three year old. It was so much fun, can you tell? We gave up after two stores and packed everybody back up and headed back to the condo. We waited for the guys to return and quickly pawned our children off on them while we set out to try it again.

We had a great time and were so fortunate to be able to spend all this quality family time together. Just a few short years ago, I remember making the trip with my sister and parents. We were just a family of four then. Now we have grown to a family of 9! Wow how time flies!

Thanks mom and dad for treating us to an incredible trip. It wouldn't have mattered where we would have been, as long as we can be together! We love you!

How about we plan on Hawaii next year? I'm just sayin....

Remember Me?

2009-07-06T21:52:00.002-05:00

Hey guys! Well, since it has been forever since I've written a post I thought I should make an appearance and let people know we are alive. We have been so busy the last few weeks. Here are a few things that have happened...

We went on a vacation to Branson, MO with my parents and sister's family. It was so much fun to be with my family and get to spend all that quality time with them. The downfall was that my children do not do well riding in cars for long periods of time. Wyatt screamed the whole way...Jackson got car sick about 5 minutes from the hotel. Yep, Jackson threw up all over bags, the car seat, himself, the car. AND did I mention it was 98 degrees? Oh yes, the car smelled wonderful. Sorry for the details. We thankfully were staying a condo that had washer/dryer facilities and we were able to get pretty much everything cleaned up and back to normal. EXCEPT, we lost a part to the carseat and had to purchase a new one. Pictures will follow just as soon as I can get everything loaded onto my computer. It was a really great time!

We turned off our cable. Oh my goodness was this a leap of faith. We have tried for so long to cut our time down from the television and have gone back and forth on this. And after watching the PBS mini-series "The Frontier House" we decided that our lives can only improve for the better by breaking free from the television and becoming closer as a family. Jackson has made the biggest improvement! He is so much more creative and finding more things to do around the house and outside without turning to the television! It has been such a blessing and something that I will go into more detail in later on in another post.

We have been hanging out with my friend Cassie and her children while her husband is away in England for three weeks! I am having the best time seeing Jackson grow up and become a little man and see how his relationships are forming with other kids. He has been having a blast this summer with our slip and slide, pool, and all the freedom that comes with being a little boy outside most of the day!

We visited family last weekend for the Fourth of July in Mississippi. We were able to partake in a 150 feet homemade slip and slide and you are going to love the pictures of this! We ate great, had great fellowship, and believe it or not we made it through the trip home without screaming and throwing up! We decided to leave at 10pm and made it back to Jonesboro around 2 am, but it was a much nicer trip coming back!

Well, this is just a smidge of the things we have been doing, but I promise there will be more to follow. I have so many pictures that need to be added. I am so much enjoying this summer and the laid back routine of it. My boys are growing up so fast and I am trying hard not to miss a single minute of it. Wyatt is already 8 months old and crawling all over the place, pulling up on things, and following his brother. Jackson is talking more and more about God and asking so many questions about what he has learned in Sunday School. We have started the Baptist Shorter Catechism with him and he has learned the first two questions. Its so amazing what their little minds can hold! And how awesome to fill it with God's Word!

Keep coming back and checking in this week, cause this gal's got a lot to say!

Hope everyone has a blessed night!

Of God and Santa Claus

2009-06-26T13:18:00.003-05:00

Two conversations that Jackson and I had last week:

Jackson: Mom, can I watch Spiderman?
Me: No, Jackson. You can't watch Spiderman anymore.
Jackson: But Mom, please let me watch Spiderman.
Me: No, Jackson, Spiderman makes you act too rough. We can't watch Spiderman anymore.
Jackson: But Mom, God told me I needed to watch Spiderman.

Then, while in Target shopping for vacation supplies....

Jackson: Mom, know what?
Me: What?
Jackson: Santa Clause told Jonah to go to Ninevah.

Oh, brother!

Oh the Wisdom!

2009-06-16T00:18:00.003-05:00

Okay, you guys know that I read blogs a lot! A LOT! And this blog post has hit a note with me. It sums up my life so much right now. Please let this not be plagarism because it speaks so loud that I had to put it up here so that anyone of you might be blessed with it as much as I was.

This is from Missy at ITSALMOSTNAPTIME.BLOGSPOT.com; Her site is a must read!

Many of y'all have heard a rather famous and incredibly wise proverb of Josh McDowell's regarding parenting that says this: Rules without relationship equals rebellion.

If you are like me, you have witnessed many relationships, probably within your own family, where this maxim proved painfully true. Meet me at Starbucks, I bet we could swap some tales.

Of course, as with all things parenting, this is not always the case. Wonderful, perfect parents can still produce rebellious kids. (Take Adam and Eve, for example.)

Nonetheless, "rules-relationship=rebellion" is a rather reliable formula. As is the converse: Rules with relationship equals respect.

Recently it occurred to me how these truths play into our relationship with our Heavenly Father, the same as they do on Earth.

Those who do not know God - who have no relationship with him - have no desire to honor him. Those who do not honor God rebel against his law. They see God's rules as arbitrary, unjust, random, prejudicial, and perhaps even cruel. Outdated. Ridiculous.

Like a recalcitrant teenager, they rebel. And in the process, they hurt themselves deeply - as our old pastor used to say, "We do not break God's law, God's law is unbreakable. We break ourselves on God's law."

Those who love God, however, cry out, like David, "Oh, Lord, how I love your law!" I think David could have added, (as I know I have) even when I don't like your law, even when I have been backslapped by your law, oh Lord, how I love your law!

The deeper my relationship becomes with the Lord, the more I love him. The more I love him, the more concerned I am with pleasing him. How do I please him? Obedience.

Not because I am scared of him, or scared of the consequences, no - I want to please him because I am so overwhelmed with adoration for what he has done for me, by pulling me out of the miry pit, that my greatest desire in life is to be in his will.

And, once we try on the obedience thing, hallelujah, it works. Obedience leads to joy.

Which all sounds velly similar to the heart-based discipline I try to use with my own children.

So as I'm pondering all these deep thought one morning last week over the background noise of Curious George, I began to wonder, how do I foster this relationship with God that leads to respect that leads to love that leads to honoring that leads to obedience that leads to joy in my babies?

Y'all got any ideas?

Oh, I know you do!

So here is the specific question: What can we as mothers do to encourage our child's relationship with the Lord?

Chew on that, mommas.

Just Trying

2009-06-11T20:55:00.002-05:00

Okay, so the topic of today's post is food...Yep, something us southerners love to talk about and obsess over. The title of the post comes from the fact that I am totally not a health food junkie, never have been probably never will be, but I'm just going to try to fake my way through it just for a little bit. We're going to see what kind of changes I can make and hopefully convince my taste buds and the taste buds of my family that its not so bad to eat healthy.

Growing up my mom did a really great job of cooking meals every.single.night. Yes, she was supermom in my book, because now that I am a mom of two myself I can see just how large of a feat this was! We grew up way out in the boonies and the closest grocery store was at a ways a way and there wasn't any hopping in the car and running to the nearest KFC on those not-so-creative supper nights. She managed to cook homecooked meals just about every night of my life...(seriously, how many people do that these days?)

Now, before you start thinking that I got this wonderful quality from my mother, let me tell you that I would not survive being a mom of two little ones if it were not for the weekly $5.00 pizza from Little Ceasars. There are those days when I look up and it is 5:30, I have nary a thing in the cupboards to dream something up to cook and I frantically find my cell phone with a baby on my hip and one preschooler begging for "sumpin to eat momma", calling Derrick to say "please honey pick up a pizza on the way home." And occasionally I make the aforementioned pizza last for two days eating it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Oh yes, call me Mother of the Year.

I do love to cook and I love to try out new things in the kitchen. But lately I have been in a fog and haven't had much time to prepare and really got involved in my Once a Month Cooking. But lately my friends have been trying to impart lots of great knowledge of nutrition and how to eat better into this already frazzled brain of mine and I do but I don't want to try this out. There are so many website/food blogs out there that have lots of information on eating healthier and trying to become more conscious of what we are feeding our families...here are a couple that I like to peruse...

Passionatehomemaking.com
Heavenlyhomemakers.com

These ladies are totally in tune to what is best for our families to eat and what things we should avoid. To summarize a couple of things I have learned...

1.) White bread is bad....Whole Wheat is good (preferably grind your own wheat and bake your own bread.)
2.) All refined sugar and flour is bad...eating no sugar is best (for those of you that know me, this is IMPOSSIBLE.)
3.) Flax Seed is directly from God, eat it any form you can get it. (Ground, Oil, Seeds)
4.) Eat lots of protein in as many forms as possible (dairy, meat, yogurt)
5.) Fiber is wonderful for lots of different reasons
6.) No soda, only water

I am so very limited in what I know about food, but I am open to learning. What my family eats is very important to me and I would love to know what you all have learned and would love to pass on to me. I recently took a trip to Whole Foods Market in Memphis with my two girlfriends and our kids, and in one word I would say...OVERWHELMED. There were so many things to decide on and I have no idea what is important to buy organic or all natural. I would love to see a Nutrition for Dummies book, seriously it would be a top 5 must read for me!

I must include pictures soon of our garden because it is really looking great! We just picked our green beans a week or so ago and this week we picked 4 zucchini and roasted them on the grill! So, at least I am getting my own organic vegetables, right? I mean it can't get any more homegrown than that!

Playing Catch Up

2009-06-10T18:33:00.003-05:00

Well, I am just so ashamed that I haven't been very present on the blogging front lately. I find myself doing things everyday that I feel like I should post on here, but these days I am finding it harder and harder to get the downtime to write up a post. Wyatt is a mover and a shaker lately and since he has started crawling I have spent lots of time moving him out of corners that he's gotten stuck in! And since its summertime now, we have been spending the largest parts of our days outside. Jackson is so much better when he can blow off some energy outside and that makes this momma very happy!

After posting on Facebook that I was interested in buying a double jogging stroller from someone, I had a friend from BSF let me know that she was wanting to sell hers! So this week we became the owners of this...

And do you know how much better I feel? Oh my word! I feel like my old self again! I am able to run and not depend on Derrick being home and then feel guilty that I am spending quality family time doing something for myself. Today I strapped the boys in and we took off. They loved it! They laughed for the first 1/2 mile or so. It was the sweetest thing hearing both of them laughing having a great time, I couldn't quit smiling myself. Then after about 3/4 of a mile, I started to get tired, so I decided to stop and walk for a bit. As soon as the pace started to slow, Jackson piped up saying, "Go faster momma, faster!" I'm thinking he may have a future in personal training! There are so many advantages to being able to exercise with the boys. I want them to see momma and daddy taking care of themselves by exercising and eating right, I want to spend quality time with them, and I love being outside with the boys! So, this will be awesome for us! I am so thankful that we now have the opportunity to accomplish all these things.

Tomorrow I plan on posting about how we are trying to eat healthier around our house. I have a couple of great friends that have been influencing (read here: convicting) me to train my family to eat better foods. So, I am trying to make a few changes here and maybe you guys will benefit from some of this stuff as well.

Wordless Wednesday- Just a Swinging

2009-05-27T17:52:00.003-05:00

Wordless Wednesday- Spring is Here!

2009-05-13T18:24:00.003-05:00

I love having boys!

What I Learned This Week

2009-05-12T08:48:00.004-05:00

Jo-Lynn at Musings of a Housewife hosts a What I Learned This Week linkup. And I have fun reading different ladies versions of epiphanies they had during the week, but never participate myself. But this week I actually learned a few things that I had to get out there, like I heard someone say one time...blogging is like therapy!

First this week, I learned that even though I am a mother now, Mother's Day doesn't revolve around me. Now, I know this may sound like I am bitter, but I am not. I realized how awesome it made me feel to spend the whole day celebrating mothers other than myself. Our Mother's Day started out very early so that we could drive 45 minutes to my hometown to go to the early church service with my mother in law. We attended the service in the church that Derrick and I married in and we listened to the most beautiful sermon about moms. It was so surreal to be sitting in the church we married in just five years ago, but this time we sat with two beautiful children.

From there we hopped in the car and headed fifteen minutes down the road to attend my niece's dedication at church. We sat as I watched my baby sister and her husband walk to the front of the church and dedicate their daughter to the Lord. It was yet another surreal moment and I sat in the pew so proud of them and the path they are on. I saw what an amazing woman and mother she has become and it makes me tear up thinking about how incredibly proud I am of her. It was her first Mother's Day as a mom and to spend it dedicating your child to the Lord is quite possibly the most fulfilling experience. Raising our children up in the fear and admonition of the Lord is the highest calling in life and she and Jonas are living it out.

The rest of the day was spent celebrating with my mother and grandmother in law and then my mom. And when something happened to dampen my mom's own Mother's Day, it really was evident to me that we as moms seldom have our own interests in mind. We go about the days trying our hardest to make life easier for everyone around us, without thinking about our own self. This is how God made us. Even though there are a few moms out there that tend to be a little more self centered, most of us just want everyone around us to be happy, healthy, and to feel loved. I'm so proud of all the women around me. My mom, my mother in law, and my sister. They are examples of what a godly wife and mother should be and I learned more seeing the kind of moms they were on Mother's Day than I could if I would have sat at my house expecting to be pampered and celebrated by my boys!

I loved spending my Mother's Day with these women and celebrating them. I loved learning that Mother's Day was not about me, but the awesome moms that I am blessed enough to be surrounded by. I wish everyday were Mother's Day so that each one would feel as special as they really are.

Partying with the Fam

2009-05-08T19:12:00.004-05:00

Jackson's many parties in pictures....

"Can you see that Kennedy? These people are crazy!"

"Is this your toy or mine?"

"I'm calling center field!"

"Girls, will you please stop having babies, Thanks, Mom"

Really, could you say no to these eyes?

The new ride

Faces hidden to protect the innocent.

Look What We've Been Up To

2009-05-08T18:25:00.006-05:00

Derrick and I have been looking for bikes for our family for months! We started thinking about it last summer and decided we would wait and see if we could get a good deal on adult bikes last winter. Just a little fyi...adult bikes never go on sale!

So, we just dove right in and got two bikes for us and a carrier for me to ride Wyatt on the back of mine. Jackson had a bicycle already, but ended up getting a new one from his Nanny and Papa for his birthday. So, after a trip to Wal-Mart and Derrick putting all the necessary parts together, we are now a bike riding family!

I am super excited about what this will mean for us this spring and summer, I keep picturing lots of trips all together just riding around with the wind at our backs, effortlessly riding our bicycles as a family. Well, all that daydreaming went out the window the first night home with them when I so gracefully hopped on my bike to practice before putting Wyatt in, and FELL! Yep, I fell right smack dab in the middle of our front yard. It was like something out of America's Funniest Videos. Seriously, the saying "its just like riding a bike..." did not include me. I haven't ridden a bike since 7th grade, and let me tell you, IT AIN'T EASY! Somehow my bottom has expanded lots larger than it did all those years ago, and my center of balance leaves much to be desired. I think I need to trade mine in on a cruiser with a wire basket on the front. It was humiliating. Even Wyatt giggled! I'm sure the neighbors got an eyeful as well! BUT with my pride bruised, I jumped back up, gathered myself together, and tried again. This time I made it down the street and back and decided to park it for the night.

Derrick and Jackson have ridden tons since we bought the bikes. I was a little reluctant to try it again, but tonight I decided to give it another shot. Jackson and I got on our bikes and rode around the block a few times. It was nice. He loved it that I was out there with him. So, I guess I better get really good at it, so I won't risk my youngest son's life by strapping him on there with me.

Please say a prayer.

Day at the Park-In Pictures

2009-05-05T06:17:00.002-05:00

Jackson's 3!

2009-05-04T06:01:00.007-05:00

Happy Birthday baby boy!

I can't believe you turn 3 today. When they first put you in my arms three years ago today I was so overcome with love and excitement that I couldn't stop crying. You came out screaming and didn't stop crying for about 8 months! You stretch me physically and mentally everyday and I wouldn't trade it for the world!

You are a very social child, always talking to people, making people feel special. You always have something to say, mostly about Spiderman and tractors these days. You are happy and always quick to say I love you. You love your brother so much and look for him when you come into a room. You ask to go to the farm every single day. You wear size 4 clothes, size 10 shoes. You weigh 39lbs, and are 40 in tall. You go to bed at 8:30 and usually wake up a couple of times in the night, just to make sure momma and daddy are still there. You are an early riser, waking up around 6:30 or so. You play so hard all day that by the time afternoon rolls around you can usually take a three hour nap. Our house is filled to the brim with tractors and you are constantly lining them up by size and likeness. You will randomly tell me, "Momma, I love you" and my heart melts every time. You go to Kindermusik, but are more interested in playing with the kids than participating in music. You go to Bible Study Fellowship with momma and as soon as you get to the car you unload all the information you can about what they taught you about God. You talk nonstop and I your favorite word to say is MOMMA. I'm sure you say it at least 5000 times a day. Your innocence is what makes me the most happy. You know God is in your heart and you know that Jesus died on the cross for your sins. You have the strongest will of any child I know, but I know that someday that will is going to be your biggest asset in life. You are my firstborn, you are my life!

Jackson, my whole world changed three years ago. It has never been the same and I wouldn't trade it for the world! Its the most wonderful experience I could have ever imagined. I pray everyday that I will get this parenting thing right, that your daddy and I will raise you up in the fear and admonition of the Lord. I pray that God would protect you and grow you into a mighty man that would be zealous for Him. We love you so much honey and we are so happy that three years ago today God chose us to be your momma and daddy.

Happy Birthday Jackson!

Gardening Update

2009-05-03T20:33:00.004-05:00

This week has been so dreary and rainy and I am so longing for the 70 degree days that we had last week. I thought since noone has seen any sunshine for a week or more that I would put up some pictures of our workdays in the sunshine. I hope that this week will be much better weather-wise so that our plants that we have planted don't float away!

Derrick worked his heiney off tilling up the backyard since we decided to arrange our garden different this year. Instead of making a square garden with several rows of vegetables, we decided to make it not so much a garden as a pretty vegetable/flower garden along the back of our property. It is still in the early stages but I am so excited to see the progress being made.

Jackson worked right along side his daddy all weekend. He retreived tools, rode his tractor back and forth between the front yard and back. Unfortunately Wyatt had an earache so he and I didn't stay out much, we observed the work from indoors mostly.

We now have squash, zuchinni, basil, oregano, cilantro, rosemary, chives, cucumbers, red and yellow bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, beans, and watermelons all planted. Can't wait to show you the finished product!

Once a Month Cooking-Month 2

2009-04-30T16:36:00.003-05:00

This week has been so busy and exciting. Last Saturday night a friend of mine and I decided we would get the kids down for bed and leave the guys to do night duty and we would have a girls night out. AT THE GROCERY STORE! Yep, you read it right. We had decided that this Once a Month Cooking thing would be easier with a pal, so we got together and did our shopping together as well. We were wild and crazy and decided to do not just Kroger, but Sams as well. We were feeling extra spunky!

We started at Sams since it closed at 8:30, so we ran around Sams throwing things into the cart that we needed and proceeded to the checkout. At the register my cell phone rang, it was Derrick. He was having a hard time getting Wyatt to go back to sleep and since Wyatt has become increasingly dependent on me, there was nothing he could do to help! So, I ran home got Wyatt back to sleep and headed out to meet Cassie, (yes, her name is Cassie too! AND she has a son named Jackson. It does get weirder but we will leave it at that for now.) and we met up at Joe Muggs to have a cup of coffee and dessert before attempting Kroger. We had a great time visiting about so many things. It is always so nice to have a friend that is so like you in so many ways. We parent the same, we have like values, and are both wanting to homeschool our children.

We left Joe Muggs around 9:30 or so and headed over to Kroger. There aren't very many people in the grocery store at that hour so it was a really nice time to do shopping. We ended up doing so much visiting that we didn't leave until 11:15!!! Do you know how long it is has been since I was awake at 11:00, much less shopping! We had so much fun! I ended up spending around 200.00 total between the two stores for my second try at once a month cooking.

This month's menu included Pizza Stuffed Meatloaf, Orange Honey Pork Chops, Honey Mustard Pork Chops, Egg Muffins, Frozen Fruit Cups, Ham and Hashbrown Bake, Cheddar Butter Burgers, BBQ Chicken, and lots more. We decided to do our cooking on Tuesday of this week. So, Tuesday I loaded my groceries, kids, and cooking utensils up and headed to Cassie's house. We arrived around 8 am and got started. We had a girl that usually helps Cassie with her kids watch all the kids while we worked in the kitchen. Wyatt didn't want to be anywhere but in mama's arms all day long, so I wore him in the sling for a little while and then put a few blankets in the floor for him to see me cooking and nap when he would. We worked all day long and finally finished up around 5pm. It was exhausting of course but very very worth it! And it was so much fun to do it with a friend! We talked and visited and shared stories all day long and it made 8 hours seem like 2! Our freezer is now stocked FULL of food for the month and I am so excited to be back to having options for supper instead of trying to do all the thinking, planning, and preparing at 4:30 everyday.

I can't go on enough about this way of cooking. It has really been great to be able to pop something in the oven and have a great dinner ready every night with little to no work at all! I am able to feed the kids breakfast and lunch from it everyday too! So, it really takes the guesswork out of dinner.

Head over to Onceamonthmom.com to check out the menus and see what you think. I don't think you will be disappointed!

Six Months Ago

2009-04-27T18:31:00.004-05:00

Six months ago, I was scared. I was anxious to meet you. I was prayerful that everything would go as planned. I prayed that having you at home was the right decision. I prayed that you were as healthy as we knew you were. I prayed that God would give me a baby that would make our home even more sweet and special than it already was. And He did...

Your birth was the most sweet and unforgettable experience of my life. It was just me, your daddy, your nanny, and our sweet midwife Tressia. You were here before we knew it and before your brother had a chance to wake up. God orchestrated every minute of your birth and it was beautiful and we were so happy! We couldn't keep from just staring at you! You didn't cry much at all, which first worried me....later I would know that you just don't cry! You are the most content baby and it is a joy to be around you.

Six months have gone by so fast. I stillcan't believe that you are still the most laid back baby I have ever seen. I kept waiting for you to be a handful and you still aren't. You are always smiling, always eager to see your brother, and your face lights up every time one of us walk into the room.

You sit alone...You eat 3 ice cubes of food and oatmeal 3 times a day and would eat lots more if I weren't scared you would get sick...You weigh 20 pounds and are 28 inches long...You wear 12-18 month clothes....You always want to pull something over your face when you try to go to sleep....You love being carried around by momma...You eat your toes...You make funny noises with your tongue....You love to kick your legs as fast as you can when in the bathtub....You love it when your brother jumps around and acts silly, it makes you laugh a belly laugh that is hilarious for mommy to listen to....You still wake up at least once at night and are usually ready to be up around 5am....You take catnaps at about 45 minutes a piece three times a day...You love your taggie and like to pull it up under you when you sleep...You hold on to my hair when I'm rocking you to sleep...You are a little mini me of your daddy, it is wild to see just how much you look like him...You are so very very sweet and lovable, baby boy!

Happy six month birthday Wyatt! You have made us fall deeply in love with you and continue to do it every single day. We love you!

Birthday #2- Chucky Cheese

2009-04-25T08:30:00.003-05:00

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Well, Birthday #2 was with our friends Sean and Kacey Davis and their daughter Addison. Jackson and Addy have been buddies since they were born. They are about six months apart in age and they get along so well! We spent a Saturday morning at Chucky Cheese then went to our house for some fun outside. The kids really enjoyed Jackson's new tractor (a birthday gift from his Papa and Nanny--post about that later.) It turned into a long day when the kids took a nap at the same time, a shocker, and Kacey and I took advantage of the boys and went to Barnes and Noble for some coffee and girl time. We got back and the kids were up so we decided to eat supper together too. Then it was time for baths so we went ahead and gave all the kids baths, (somewhat of a tradition with Jackson and Addy, although I'm not sure how much longer that is going to be able to happen :) ). It was a fun day with friends and hanging out for Jackson's birthday! I feel like we are celebrating his birthday all month long!

Still not done either...next weekend we party at the Jackson's! Then after all this partying is over my poor little man has to have his tonsils and adenoids out and new set of tubes put in. So, I guess he better enjoy all this partying, cause it's not going to be fun afterwards!

Birthday Party #1

2009-04-24T20:29:00.001-05:00

My baby boy will turn 3 on May 4. We decided that since we have so many family members between the two families that we would have two separate parties and it would make life a little easier for us. So, we had Jackson's first birthday party with Derrick's family last weekend. We asked him what kind of cake he wanted and he said a Spiderman cake, so what do I do? Instead of spending $35 for a cake, I decide to make my own. Can't be that hard, right? Well, not only did Jackson want cake, but he wanted cupcakes too. So, Friday night, he helped me whip up a cake and cupcakes. We finished up the cakes and decided to ice them the next day. Well, we wake up to get going on making the icing and he picks out what kind of Spiderman decoration he wants....Um, the only problem with this is...I'm NO ARTIST! I mean, I have not one creative bone in my body! That gene skipped me! Luckily Derrick came to the rescue and put this cool Spidey face on the cake. Only problem was that when Jackson saw it he said "Daddy draw legs and arms on him!" Needless to say Spidey didn't get arms and legs! We ended up spending several hours trying to get the icing just right and after it was all said and done, I think it would have been better to buy a cake. We had a great time at Derrick's grandmas and we were able to visit with his aunt and uncle that came in from Mississippi for Easter. It was a great time and Jackson loved his cake! He talked about it for days! This year he has been more excited about having a birthday cake than he has been about getting presents!

I still can't believe that this little man of mine is about to turn 3. He's such a little man and no longer a baby boy.

Wordless Wednesday- Family

2009-04-22T07:39:00.000-05:00

Praying for Stellan

2009-04-21T09:06:00.002-05:00

Please pray for Stellan this morning. He is in surgery to try to repair the problem with his little heart. I have checked on this sweet precious little boy everyday for a month now and it just feels so personal to me. Please if you don't know this little boy and his story, go to his mom's blog, mycharmingkids.net and pray for him and his family.

God is in my Heart!

2009-04-19T16:31:00.000-05:00

Just have to say that Jackson was in the car last Wednesday going to Bible Study with me and out of nowhere said, "Mom God is in my heart. Jesus is in there too." Can I just say that I wanted to pull the car over and hug him as tight as I possibly could? This was one of the sweetest things I have ever heard him say and he has said it about 6 times a day since then. He told my grandpa on the way to the feed store the same thing and that we could talk to Jesus whenever we wanted to. Yes, sweet boy, we can talk to Him whenever we want, and He will always live in our hearts!

Oh, out of the mouths of babes!

Our Garden-Planting Seeds

2009-04-16T15:16:00.003-05:00

We woke up one morning a few weeks ago and decided that we better get started on our seedlings for this year's garden. We have planted a small garden for the last few years and this year Jackson was really interested in helping. So, I got him up, (as you can see from the robe...) and we got busy planting our seeds.

He loved being able to poke his finger in the dirt to make room for the seeds. We planted spinach, lettuce, green beans, tomatoes, squash, and zucchini squash.

This year we plan on doing a bigger garden. Along with the seedlings we plan to add strawberries, butternut squash, okra, eggplant, peppers (jalepeno, red, yellow, and green bells), cucumbers, and some herbs. Most of which we have planted before but we plan on doing lots more so that we can hopefully can some for us to use during the winter and make more baby food for Wyatt.

I am so excited that we are able to garden mostly to provide nutritious food for our family, but to also give us work to do together as a family. Jackson loves working in a garden, digging in the dirt, and helping Derrick and I collect the fruit! It is so much fun to see our little seedlings turn out to be big pieces of vegetables that end up on our plates! I will be posting updates as soon as I can because the seedlings are now ready to be transplanted. Just have to wait til we can get the soil tilled and ready to go.

So, do you garden? If so, what are your plans for this year's crop? I'm sure that the economy being the way it is has lots of people contemplating a garden. I can't say enough how great it is! Let me know what you think!

Wordless Wednesday- The Statue of Liberty!

2009-04-15T12:42:00.001-05:00

Can you spot Liberty's torch?

The Children that Never Sleep

2009-04-13T17:47:00.002-05:00

This was what my night consisted of:
(If you saw me today and thought I looked a little more tired than usual, this is why..)

7:30 Wyatt fed and to bed
8:00 Jackson bath and ready for bed
8:30 Jackson reading books with Daddy
9:00 Jackson still not sleeping, walks into our room wanting to wipe his nose.
9:45 Jackson comes into our room wanting a drink
10:00 Jackson finally in bed after threatening another spanking
10:30 Derrick and I finally asleep
11:30 Monitor cries from Wyatt's room, I get up to check on him, he goes back to sleep
1:00 Wyatt wakes up screaming, I get up and feed him, he's back to sleep
1:30 "Momma, Momma" from Jackson's room, I go to his room, tell him to go back to sleep, I go back to bed
2:30 Jackson walks into our room and wants a drink, I get it and take him back to bed, I crawl back into bed wishing for sleep.
3:40 Jackson comes back into our room and says he has peed the bed. New clothes, fix sheets, another potty trip, and back to bed for him and I both.
4:00 Just as I am drifting off to sleep AGAIN, Derrick's alarm goes off. I'm awake again. He gets in the shower and I pray that I can hopefully sleep til 7:00.
4:30 Cries from the monitor...Wyatt's awake again. Derrick leaves and I am awake yet again. Wyatt eats again...goes back to sleep around 5:30.
5:30 I try desperately to go back to sleep, but thinking about the night I have had it is almost comical.

I decided to give up and just get up and get started with the day. So, needless to say I longed for naptime all day long! I was so excited thinking that 1:00pm couldn't come soon enough.

So, we headed off to MOPS, ate lunch, then came home and I anxiously awaited 1:00. I got Wyatt to sleep, and took Jackson to his room for him to lay down. Knowing I only had probably an hour before Wyatt would be up, I tried to get Jackson laid down quickly so that I could head off to dreamland. Well, of course Jackson wouldn't lay down. A mid afternoon fight ensued, me in one corner, him in the other. It was like a standoff. I was not giving up. He refused to do what I needed him to do...SLEEP!! Finally after threat after threat, I was just sleep deprived and crazy enough that I looked him square in the face and said "forget it, EVERY SINGLE TOY IS OUT OF HERE!" So, I gathered every box in the house I could find and put every morsel of plastic, yellow and green john deere product, every tool, every book, anything that resembled fun and wasn't nailed down to the floor was GONE! He looked at me bewildered that I would do such a thing.

Sure enough, I walked out of his room and he laid his head down and took a two hour nap. I guess he thought I had really gone off my rocker this time. So, just as I got settled into bed...........from the monitor came sounds from my little sweet Wyatt. Yep, I promptly got my self up, had a good cry myself and got on with my afternoon.

Funny thing is....now my peaceful room is filled to the brim with EVERY SINGLE TOY from a certain 2 year old's room.

Maybe tomorrow will be better....

He is Risen!

2009-04-12T06:45:00.004-05:00

Up From the Grave He Arose

Low in the grave he lay, Jesus my Savior,
waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord!

Up from the grave he arose;
with a mighty triumph o'er his foes;
he arose a victor from the dark domain,
and he lives forever, with his saints to reign.
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!

Vainly they watch his bed, Jesus my Savior,
vainly they seal the dead, Jesus my Lord!

Up from the grave he arose;
with a mighty triumph o'er his foes;
he arose a victor from the dark domain,
and he lives forever, with his saints to reign.
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!

Death cannot keep its prey, Jesus my Savior;
he tore the bars away, Jesus my Lord!

Up from the grave he arose;
with a mighty triumph o'er his foes;
he arose a victor from the dark domain,
and he lives forever, with his saints to reign.
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!

Happy Easter!

What Does This Picture Mean to You?

2009-04-11T21:36:00.002-05:00

To me this picture means that I have hope that I will one day sit with my God and sit in awe at his feet. It means that I can call out to God whenever I want or need because Jesus made me as white as snow so that my sin wouldn't keep me from God. His death on the cross means that my children will receive a blessing just from my close and intimate relationship with Him. His death means that I have life, even if it is not the one I experience here on earth. His death makes me want to be more like Him, more Holy and more worthy. As Christians we are to live our lives as a sacrifice for Him, even though He was our sacrifice. We are to spread the gospel, tell others about the saving grace that can be experienced because He died on that cross! He was the blameless, perfect son of God, son of man. He came to die for our sins so that we may live! He had the wrath of God, His father with whom He had the most special intimate relationship, poured out on Him. He took all of the hate God had for our sins, and He did so because that was what He was called to do. What are we called to do? Are we supposed to go to church tomorrow, put on our Sunday Easter best and go through the motions behind our pretty church walls? Are we to sit in our comfortable chairs and sing a few songs, listen to the preacher, leave to eat lunch with family, and go about our lives as if this was a simple thing? This man crawled up on a cross to take the blame for our sins. He died for you, me, and everyone who will come to know the Father through Him. He loves us that much, can you comprehend that? Please don't just go through the motions tomorrow. I am more and more convicted everyday for my actions and carelessness towards towards the cross. It is important, it is holy, it is unimaginable, and it is mine just like it is yours. I am so thankful for this picture because it serves as a reminder for me to be more like Him.

At The Cross
Alas! and did my Savior bleed,
and did my Sovereign die?
Would he devote that sacred head
for sinners such as I?

At the cross, at the cross,
where I first saw the light,
and the burden of my heart rolled away;
it was there by faith I received my sight,
and now I am happy all the day!

Was it for crimes that I have done,
he groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! Grace unknown!
And love beyond degree!

At the cross, at the cross,
where I first saw the light,
and the burden of my heart rolled away;
it was there by faith I received my sight,
and now I am happy all the day!

But drops of grief can ne'er repay
the debt of love I owe:
Here, Lord, I give myself away;
'tis all that I can do!

At the cross, at the cross,
where I first saw the light,
and the burden of my heart rolled away;
it was there by faith I received my sight,
and now I am happy all the day!

Babywearing

2009-04-10T09:41:00.003-05:00

My cousin Hunter and I (with a six week old Wyatt sleeping in the sling)

Wearing Wyatt is something that is so sweet and convenient all at the same time. He loves it, I love it...it's a win-win. When he was first born, I used a SleepyWrap. It was really great for those nights when he decided that he didn't want to sleep when everyone else did. I could put him in the SleepyWrap and he would drift off to sleep in less than five minutes. I liked the snugness that the wrap offered for a small baby. I could adjust the tightness and it was made of t-shirt material so it was so soft and breathable. Then my mom bought my sister and I both ring slings from an etsy store called Raspberry Baby. That's the one I'm wearing in the picture above. It is my favorite sling. Wyatt liked to be in the sling tummy to tummy. It is so easy to put on, easy to nurse in, easy to make Wyatt comfortable. It has been nice when it was cold and windy outside, its been nice on warm days, its made a good nursing cover, changing pad, you name it and this sling has been helpful for it! I wear him on my hip in this sling now since he's bigger and he really likes seeing the world this way. About two months ago I was reading a mommy blog called 4 little men and girly twins, and heard about the meeup carrier. It is a pouch sling and it has been nice for quick trips. It requires no adjusting, just put him in and we are ready to go. It is a really great carrier too. I think I am pretty much sold on just about any sling I could try since it allows me to keep my baby close and happy AND I'm able to have both hands free for chasing after Jackson. It is so nice to not have to go to the mall with a big stroller in tow.

Babywearing has been my saving grace with a second child. Wyatt has been in a sling since he was three days old and feels right at home up next to mommy in one. I have even put Jackson in the meeup carrier when he wants to be like Wyatt! It is amazing to me that women used to wear their babies in pouches and wraps to work in the fields. Its been around for a long time and like I have been saying for a while...if we would just go back to what our grandmothers and great grandmothers did (eating, cooking, gardening, working hard, to name a few) we would probably all be a lot better off!

Head over to Adventures in Babywearing to read all the other ladies' stories about their babywearing experiences. www.adventuresinbabywearing.com/2009/04/how-you-wear.html

Wordless Wednesday- Birthday Bowling

2009-04-08T08:07:00.002-05:00

Make Your Home a Haven Monday- Choose to Love

2009-04-06T13:03:00.002-05:00

Well, this week's challenge from Tammy at Tammysrecipes.com is to Choose to Love! And it makes so much sense to me. There are many days that I wake up and feel like the best mom and wife on the planet. Those are usually the days that I get up and do my "morning rountine" (you know the one), get everybody dressed, nobody fusses, everybody does what I need them to do, lunch is ready and on the table in record time, no fussing at naptime, then I get supper ready and pearls on before Derrick walks through the door. Well, okay so there aren't many days like that! More often than not the opposite happens. I have fussy children that whine cause I'm not meeting needs of some sort, naptime is atrocious, and I'm frantically trying to throw something together at the last minute for dinner. I'm irritated from the get go and I'm asking God all day long to please help me to be nice, please help me make through the day without making the "face" (maybe you know the one...where your face contorts into something that could only be rivaled by Linda Blair in the Excorcist? Not that I ever make that face...).

Well, Tammy has challenged today to not only get a "morning routine" started and get to bed on time, but she wants us to "CHOOSE TO LOVE". When you make your mind up to be nice and sweet and choose to love those around you even when you don't feel like it! She says that if you want to be cheerful you need to practice being cheerful. I think that this is important for women, especially since we can be such emotional beings! We can have a perfect day and let one little mishap or instance sour it. I am so guilty of doing this more with the ones closest to me than with anybody, especially Derrick. So, I am going to choose to love today. I'm going to choose to be cheerful and patient. It may take convincing myself every hour day in and day out, but I'm going to try.

Will you choose to love your family today? Even when you feel like being grumpy?

Head to Tammysrecipes.com to read more!

Spring!

2009-04-04T16:13:00.001-05:00

Spring is finally here and look what an adorable couple of kids I got to pull around in a wagon! Once I put them in they didn't want to get out! It finally took me saying I was too tired to pull anymore after an hour of numerous trips around our neighborhood, (and lots of bribing of bubble gum) to convince Jackson to come inside!

Its days like this that make all the hard work of little people worth it! To see these little guys smile and enjoy being with each other is the best part of being a momma!

Love Jonesboro

2009-04-04T16:05:00.000-05:00

Two weeks ago our church had a city-wide mission field for us to make an impact on Jonesboro. Derrick worked hard for four days leading a team painting, cleaning up, and working to make a difference in various places all over Jonesboro. I am so proud of him and his selflessness. He worked really hard and really enjoyed doing it and there were some really big changes made at the end of the week with all the people who worked on this project. There were over 100 people who volunteered their time to help!

At the end of the week we hosted a block party outside the church for all people in the community to attend. There were hamburgers and hotdogs, inflatable bouncy things (not sure what the term is)for the kids to jump in, and a magic show for the kids! It was so much fun and Jackson really enjoyed it! When we came back to church the next Sunday he was so disappointed that the jumpy thing wasn't left there for them to go back to jump on!

It was so neat to see the people that were touched by the mission work attend church Sunday morning. It was really awesome to think that a few days and random acts of kindness might have brought them to know the Lord.

I Heart Cloth Diapers

2009-04-02T21:45:00.004-05:00

I got my supply of diapers in the mail yesterday and I was so excited! It was like it was Christmas! Jackson and I quickly tore into the package and surveyed all the fun stuff! We got 12 bumgenius diapers, extra inserts, a large wetbag, a medium wetbag for the diaper bag, and a pair of babylegs. The babylegs came free with the purchase, and they are absolutely adorable! Here's a pic of the goods....

Day 1 of the cloth diapering and I am loving it! It started last night when I prewashed all of the diapers and inserts. I had to do two cycles, one cold, one hot. Then dried and stuffed them so they would be ready to use first thing this morning. First diaper went on and to break me in real good, Wyatt had a poopie first thing. So, we went through the drill, take off, rinse out, and put in the wet bag. They are so cute and I am really loving the fact that after weeks of having blowout after blowout, (multiple times a day) that he didn't have one leak all day long! I am truly surprised that these diapers are so much like disposables. They look just like them, except they are lots more cute and ALOT softer. Really this is not bad at all. I expected it to be gross, smelly, and a lot of work. But it has far exceeded my expectations. I wish I would have done this long before now! And how cute is this little guy in those diapers? He's a little sleepy in the first picture because I took it when he first woke up. I was just too excited to try them out!

Confession Time

2009-03-31T21:40:00.003-05:00

Okay, so I am completely overwhelmed. Why? Because I am not a good housekeeper and it is killing me! I am so tired of feeling like I work work work all day long to keep my house looking nice, only to have someone show up unannounced and feel like my house is positively pitiful looking! I have to say that it is utterly exhausting. I did not inherit my mother's clean freak gene, my sister did. I like things to be clean, but more important to me is that things aren't cluttered. I can do that! But for some reason I feel like I can't stay on top of things.

God answered prayer in a big way for me a couple of weeks ago. I was really needing someone to watch Wyatt for me while Jackson and I went to Bible Study Fellowship on Wednesday morning. I had missed three weeks in a row when my leader called and said that she was going to put it on the prayer list that I could find someone to help me out. And you know what? Within two hours of the girls meeting and hearing my prayer request, I got a phone call from a girl in my group that said her sister would love to come to my house and watch him for me. So, within two hours God heard my prayer and answered! And instead of praising Him and being so grateful that He provided for me, I AM FREAKING OUT! I am freaking out because I feel like someone coming to my house to watch Wyatt is going to look at it and think that I am a bad wife and mom because there may be dust bunnies on my floor or the fact that we have been painting and the trim isn't done. Or the fact that I have 3 or 4 bins of outgrown Wyatt and Jackson clothes out waiting to be put up. Or that I really should have a cleaner stovetop/refrigerator/toilet, and my closet...Let's just not even go there!

I heard a saying once that picking up your house with young children at home is like shoveling snow while its still snowing. Boy has it been snowing at our house a lot! :) I am so thankful that this godly woman is willing to come sit at my house with my precious baby boy and love on him and rock him for me so that I can take Jackson with me and learn so much about the God we love! She is so sweet and kind and when I tried to pay her she wouldn't take money for it! She just wants to give me the opportunity to take Jackson because her boys got so much out of BSF! So, why do I let this get to me so bad? Is it because I feel like my value as a person comes from how clean my house is? Is it because I feel like people will look at my floors with a magnifying glass and think that a good housewife would have mopped her floors again.

Please, please, please tell me that I am not the only one out here that feels this way? Please tell me that this will pass and that life will return to normal and it won't take me three days to clean house the same way it used to take me two hours to do?

Anyone? Anyone?
Bueller, Bueller?

Make Your Home a Haven Monday

2009-03-30T12:44:00.004-05:00

Do you have trouble getting to bed on time?

That's the question Tammy is asking for this week's challenge. This is something I have very little trouble with. I am a creature of habit when it comes to sleeping. I have never had any trouble getting to sleep by 10pm. My routine usually starts around 9:30. I try to have the kitchen and living room cleaned up by then and then head to my bedroom. I wash my face and take my prenatal vitamin and I head straight to my bed. I sometimes try to stay awake to watch the first part of the news, but that seldom happens.

Sleep is interrupted so much through the night these days (with Wyatt's nighttime feedings and Jackson's bad dreams and potty trips) that by the time 10pm comes around I am falling into bed! I'm sure everyone in my family would benefit from me choosing an earlier bedtime, but I've tried and just cannot get into bed any earlier. I have precious alone time with Derrick starting around 8:30 and there is just no way I can give up more time than that since we don't normally even get to speak to each other until this time! Maybe one of these days when my kids are all grown I will get 8 full hours of uninterrupted sleep. But I'm pretty sure that when that happens I will be wishing for these times again!

What do you think? Do you need to be sure to get to bed at a decent time? What does your nighttime routine look like? I'm interested in how all these women do it that can stay up and be night owls and still function the next day! I envy you! Head over to tammysrecipes.com to see how other ladies are making changes to their family's routines...

Yes, You Can Call Me Crazy

2009-03-29T18:23:00.003-05:00

I, Cassie Griffin, have taken the plunge and ordered cloth diapers. I have debated for months now on what to do about diapers. I have so wanted to try cloth diapers for a long time and kept talking myself out of it. There were so many reasons to try it but then there were the questions, concerns, confusion, and endless amounts of research to be done. I would talk to people that I knew about it and every.single.person I talked to thought I was nuts for even thinking about it. But there are a couple of things that I have learned in the last few years. #1.) For every decision you make there will always be lots of people to approve but even more who disapprove. #2.) If a person does anything that departs from what society calls "normal", then that person gets lots of unwarranted comments/advice, lots of eye rolling, and overall bad attitudes towards them. #3.) If a person does what their heart feels led to do, then all is good, (most of the time).

I got a lot of flack when I said I wanted to homeschool, from family and friends, to people who didn't even know us. I got even more flack when I was pregnant with Wyatt and people would ask who my doctor was and I answered, "well, I have a midwife who will deliver him at home." I am growing quite accustomed to defending my decisions about different things that make me "different" from what people think I should be. To clear things up, I am NOT a gypsy. I am NOT a "tree hugger/hippie". I am a MOM. I am a CHRISTIAN. I am a WIFE. I really feel like I am pretty normal. Others may disagree. ha!

So, I am embarking on an unknown adventure. One that was conquered by many a grandmother and great grandmother lots and lots of years ago. And you know what? I may hate it. I may think it is absolutely horrible and I may wish I had never tried it. But that's the fun in it, at least I can try. Every decision that Derrick and I have made to go against the grain so far, I have been pretty happy with. So we will just go with past experiences and hope that this will be just as fruitful.

For any of you that might be interested or if you have used cloth diapers before and have any ideas/advice, please let a comment. I would love to know what you thought! We ordered 12 bumgenius all in one diapers (These aren't your grandmas diapers). They are so cute and look so much like disposable ones! And some prefolds with snappis and a diaper cover from Bummis. Jilliansdrawers.com was a website a blogger recommended to me and it had some great information and tips.

I spent a total of $240 for diapers and inserts, a large wetbag for my house, and a small wetbag for my diaper bag. We figured that we spend around $50-60 a month in disposable diapers, so I am hoping that the initial investment will payoff in a few months. OH, I forgot to say that the diapers will grow with Wyatt and I can even use them with any other babies we might have! It just seems to be so cost effective!

Wish me luck!

The Best Parenting Advice

2009-03-27T21:28:00.004-05:00

Anyone who knows me knows that I read anything and everything I can get my hands on when I want to know something about a topic. For example, when I was in college I had to read every single book about finance that I could get my hands on so that I could decide if that would be something I might be interested in when deciding on a major. When I first became pregnant with Jackson I read pretty much every single book I could get my hands on that dealt with the topic of being pregnant. Same goes with being a mom. I have read so many books about parenting that I should be an expert on the subject. SHOULD BE! But I am not. I am far from it. In fact, I feel like I'm pretty much the most inexperienced person for the job. But fortunately the best experience is hands-on experience and God has given lots of grace to me and my children for this reason. Because only He knows how bad we can mess this up without Him.

So, when I read about Missy at It's Almost Naptime and her carnival of Mom to Mom advice I had to hop in and try to get more advice and give a bit of advice that has made a huge impact in my parenting. The question is this....

What is the best parenting advice you ever received?

There are a couple that really stick out to me and these go through my head every single day, several times a day.
1.) Don't forget to ask God for help, BIG OR SMALL. Ask Him to help you calm down before disciplining, ask Him to help you find that wooden spoon that you hid and can't find now, ask Him to help you remember that these days that seem so long will soon be a memory. He cares about it all, just ask Him to help.
2.) Do you smile when your child enters a room? Make eye contact every time your child enters a room or when you pick him from the nursery and he will feel very important and loved. If every time Jackson came into a room at home and I ignored him or gave him more instruction, instead of smiling at him and showing him I am excited to see him, he will learn that I am more interested in the chores than I am in him. Always try to be excited to see your children, even when its been a hard day!
3.) Do the next thing. I can get so bogged down with discipline, chores, and trying to be the best mom, wife, christian that I get stressed when I can't be 100% to everyone! I can't tell you how many times during the day I have to say, just "do the next thing" to myself.
4.) And lastly, I got some great advice from a friend of mine in my community group at church. She is a mom of five really awesome kids. She is someone I look up to and call with lots of questions. When Wyatt was a few weeks old I had a nursing question that I was so stressed out about. I called and asked, is it more important to do "this" or "that"? And Lesle said, stop trying to find a solution to a problem that is not there yet. I was trying so hard to do everything exactly right that I was trying to anticipate every problem that could come up. Instead of looking for problems, just do it. Follow your gut. God gives us those mommy instincts for a reason. That bit of advice didn't just help me with that nursing question, its advice that I have used on a lot of other occassions.

Well, maybe someone somewhere might benefit from the advice that I got from some really great ladies. I feel like that's why it is so important to surround yourself with people that can mentor you and guide you through life. That's what God calls us to do in Titus 2 and I hope one day I will have a wealth of knowledge to pass on to some young mother like me right now that's just trying to survive this wonderful thing called motherhood!

If you are looking for more great parenting advice go to Itsalmostnaptime.blogspot.com!

Monster Truck Time!

2009-03-25T14:45:00.001-05:00

Derrick took Jackson to the Monster Truck show at ASU. I don't understand the fun that could be had by watching big trucks jump over things and having to wear ear plugs because its so loud. I just don't get it! But I don't have to, I just act like I get it and sit back grinning while I listen to the excitement of it all. Just look at this kid. He loved it! They got all sugared up on cotton candy and then headed to McDonalds for an ice cream cone afterwards. They finally walked through the door at 11:00pm! It was a full night and Jackson is still talking about it!

By the way...momma and Wytt hung out at home and watched a chick flick!

Oh, What a Pair

2009-03-25T14:33:00.000-05:00

Wyatt and Kennedy are growing by leaps and bounds! My sister and I are both Stay at Home Moms and we love it when we can get together and have fun with the kiddos. There is just something so absolutely sweet about having a niece! I love it! My mom, sister, the babies, and I went shopping the other day. We had an absolute ball, and when Kennedy got a little restless I convinced my sister to let me wear her in my sling. I put her in and she cuddled up right next to me and fell asleep. I got to carry her around for a while and just soak up the goodness that comes with having a baby that you aren't responsible for! I can spoil her rotten and not have to worry about any of the discipline stuff! Now, that really is fun, I am totally understanding the grandparent thing now!

I will have to get some pictures of all the clothes that my mom bought for the kids. I promise you these kids are way more spoiled by Nanny than I ever dreamed they would be. If it weren't for my mom I am quite certain they would walk around naked.

Please Pray

2009-03-24T12:40:00.002-05:00

Oh, you guys I have followed this blog for a while now and my heart is completely breaking for them. Please go check it out and pray for baby Stellan. He was diagnosed with a heart condition while in the womb and is in the hospital having some really big issues with his heart now. He's the same age as Wyatt and it has touched my heart in a way that is unexplainable! Since they told us that they thought Wyatt had a heart defect and/or down syndrome while I was 10 weeks pregnant, this has really made me so grateful for my healthy children! I laid in bed last night hurting for this family. This could be our children that are sitting in the hospital fighting for their life. It just shows us that in one instant life can change and everything that we thought we knew can be changed! Please hold your children a little closer today, try not to get so mad over those strewn about toys, try to remember that we are blessed with children that are running around laughing, playing, and being loud! I needed that reminder yesterday. Unfortunately, I got it in the form of little Stellan!

Please pray that God would bring his heartrate back to normal and that this family would feel God's presence around them!

Menu Plan Monday- March 23

2009-03-23T13:45:00.003-05:00

Well, since I made my Once a Month meals I figured that the best way for me to make sure they last is to make out a menu plan for every day. So, here it goes....

(For the recipes with an *beside them, head over to Once a Month Mom.com.)

Monday-
*Breakfast Burritos, juice or milk
Turkey, Cheese, and Tomato Omelette
Chicken Pot Pie, salad, apple crisp

Tuesday-

*Blueberry Pancakes, smoothies
Leftover Chicken Pot Pie and Yogurt with granola
*Baked Spaghetti, Manager's Special Loaded Bread, green beans, apple crisp

Wednesday-
Baked Oatmeal, Peaches, juice or milk
Hot Turkey and Cheese Sandwiches, tortilla chips
***Dinner at Church

Thursday-
*Banana Sour Cream Muffins, juice or milk
Black Eye Peas, Apple slices with Peanut Butter
Three Meat Pizza from Wal-Mart :) Easy night!

Friday-

Scrambled Eggs, Toast, juice or milk
Fried Fish at the Farm (Not at all healthy, but its so fun!)
*Chicken Ziti, Carrots, Oatmeal Choc. Chip Cookies, Rolls

Saturday-
*Breakfast Burritos, juice or milk
*Baked Chicken Sandwiches, tortilla chips, peaches
*Chicken Macaroni Bake, black eye peas, rolls, Oatmeal Cookies

Sunday-
Oatmeal, yogurt and granola, juice or milk
Potluck at church
LEFTOVERS!!

For more ideas and Menu Plans head over to Orgjunkie.com!

Make Your Home a Haven Monday

2009-03-23T12:11:00.002-05:00

I'm going to join Tammy's Recipes.com in her Making Your Home a Haven Challenge each week. This week will be my first week to participate so maybe this will serve at least two purposes...a.) keep me motivated to blog at least every Monday and b.) prepare my household to be more of a "safe haven" for my family.

Her challenge this week is to come up with a Morning Routine that will help you be more productive throughout the day. Start with just 5 things. Since life is becoming somewhat more manageable with Wyatt being 5 months old now and more on a schedule, I feel like I can now get a routine in place and keep up. So, this is my morning routine:

6:30am Wake up before the boys get up and make coffee
Quiet time with the Lord
7:00am Nurse Wyatt and get beds made
7:30 Breakfast for me and Jackson while reading the Psalm and
Proverbs of the day to the boys.
7:45 Start a load of laundry.

This gets us started for the morning and I will hopefully do this routine every morning because I think it will greatly change the attitude around our house.

If you would like to participate, please go to Tammysrecipes.com. It is a great resources for all things cooking also!

Once a Month Cooking

2009-03-23T10:06:00.008-05:00

OH BOY! I decided Saturday morning on a whim that I was going to wake up and get my grocery shopping done for my Once a Month cooking. So, at 9am I gathered up my list, supplied by Once a Month Mom.com, and got my coupons together and ventured out. Jackson wanted to go with me so we hopped in the car and away we went. I got home from the store around 10:30 and thought that instead of putting everything up and having to get everything back out for my cooking that I would go ahead and attempt my cooking day. So, I started about 10:45 with browning and cooking all of my meat. This was something that they advise you to do the night before so that you will be more prepared for the big day, but anybody that knows me knows that I just dove right in with both feet and didn't worry too much about what preparations needed to be made. Here's a pic of all the cans that had to be opened. Derrick did that for me!

All together I spent about $220 and got breakfasts, lunches, and dinners for most of the month. So, I'm hoping this will save us some money in the long run. Not to mention it should keep me from just stopping by and buying the occasional take out pizza from Little Caesars! In this picture I just wanted to keep it real, my kitchen was an ABSOLUTE DISASTER AREA! I had to clean this kitchen about six different times just so I would have enough pots, pans, bowls, utensils. No kidding!

On top of all of the meals I made for the month, I also made lots of vegetables and fruits for Wyatt. I steamed, baked, and pureed until I couldn't do it anymore! But I have a freezer full of yummy meals for my whole family. I saved so much money by making Wyatt's baby food! I made 36 servings of bananas, peas, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and carrots for around $6.00! We had the butternut squash from the garden last fall!

So, overall I have to say it was a pretty successful day of it! It was very tiring, and very busy, but it was well worth it! Just look at this freezer full of stuff! It's so awesome too to be able to come home and just pop something into the oven and bake, or wake up and be able to pop banana sour cream muffins or blueberry pancakes or breakfast burritos into the microwave. Yesterday we came home from church and had vegetable beef soup and then for supper had the enchiladas! It has been SO great so far! If anyone wants to try to do it with me next month, let me know. It really would have been a lot easier if there had been two people doing it together! But at least now I know!

Great-Grandparent Fun

2009-03-23T09:58:00.002-05:00

Just some pictures of the boys with their great grandparents! I think these are hilarious! Look at the pic with the boys and Gran and Earl. There must have been something really good to look at on the television? And I love the picture of my grandpa and Jackson with the pipes. Some of my earliest memories of my grandpa are of him smoking his pipe. So, we got the pipes out, without tobacco of course, and took a pic! And the last one is my grandma with Wyatt, he loves to look at himself in their mirrored wall!

Wyatt's First Food

2009-03-23T09:54:00.000-05:00

Wyatt had his first bits of baby food last week! Squash. I say by the looks of his face, it was a hit!

Happy Birthday My Love!

2009-03-23T09:47:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was Derrick's birthday! He turned 31! I have made fun of him so much for being old and now he can say that he is in his "early 30's!" Ahem, and I am in my mid 20's! ha! I wish I could say that I started the day off with breakfast in bed for him, and then had him an elaborate day planned that would make him feel very special. BUT, instead I got so busy and wrapped up in things that I had going on that I totally forgot! I FORGOT HIS BIRTHDAY! Here's where I try to offer excuses as to why I forgot....

I was in charge of the hospitality breakfast at church Sunday morning. I was up at 6 am trying to get breakfast made for around 40 people, on top of trying to get the boys ready for church and somehow find time to shower myself and try to look decent. Okay, and this would have been fine and dandy but I had somewhat of a busy Saturday. I decided Saturday morning to go grocery shopping for my Once a Month cooking that I wanted to do. I conquered Wal-Mart, then came home and thought, well this would be a good day to go ahead and get my Once a Month cooking done. So, I started in cooking and twelve hours later I was done! And exhausted. So, I climbed into bed around 10:45 and briefly thought about Derrick's birthday and decided I would try to do something for him first thing the next morning. Well, the alarm went off, I jumped up and started in cooking for church. Next thing I know, I'm getting the boys down for a nap around 1:00pm and remembered that OH MY GOODNESS I FORGOT HIS BIRTHDAY!!!

Well, Derrick was off on a mission trip by this time. Our church is doing a week of mission work here in Jonesboro called "LOVE JONESBORO", so Derrick is taking this week off at work to help out and lead a team. While he was gone I had to hurry and come up with something to redeem myself, so I tried to think of his favorite meal. Came up with nothing, (he pretty much likes it all) so I decided that I could make him some White Chocolate Chip Cookies and Apple Crisp, in lieu of a birthday cake. (These are his two favorite desserts) When he got home I had these desserts and an apology waiting. I felt horrible. Do you know that his mission team sang Happy Birthday to him, before I ever said the words myself!! I am still feeling like the worst wife ever! He didn't act like it bothered him but still, I'm so ashamed!

Well, honey, again I am sorry!! But please know that you mean more to me than the world! You are so amazing and you get better looking with every year! You are an awesome dad and an even better husband. I love you so much and think you are the best looking 31 year old I have ever seen! Hope you had a phenomenal day, despite your wife's awful mistake!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

My Daddy's Birthday!

2009-03-07T22:38:00.004-06:00

Happy 48th Birthday Dad!

We Love you SOOOOO Much!

He's the guy I compared every other man in my life to. He's the guy that taught me all there was to know about working hard and not offering excuses. He taught us fractions, telling time, and pretty much all things math related. He would drive us to the edge of the road to catch the bus when it rained, he put up with a house full of girls. He had lots of "which is the best buy? quizzes for us on grocery trips to Wal-Mart, made lots of bowls of oatmeal and rice for breakfast for us, he got us up every Sunday morning for church and helped bring me to the Lord. He's the best farmer I know, the hardest worker I know, and he never let us go to bed with a kiss goodnight and telling us he loved us. He's in love with his grandkids and is anxious to spend time with them whenever he can. He's pretty special and he's MY dad!

I love you so much, Dad! Thank you for loving us as much as you do!

Happy Birthday!

Our Little Family

2009-03-07T22:33:00.002-06:00

3/4 of our family....Me, Derrick, and Wyatt at the Farm for Christmas

Happy Marriage

2009-03-06T21:12:00.003-06:00

Anyone who is married, about to be married, ever plans to be married, or has friends who are married needs to go immediately to this website and read two articles. She has one on submission and one on Happiness in Marriage. Here is one particular paragraph that spoke VOLUMES to me. Seriously girls, you are lying if you say this doesn't read us like a book!!!

This is from Mycharmingkids.net! Go there immediately, please! You won't regret it!
http://www.mycharmingkids.net/2008/12/submission-is-not-four-letter-word.html

"Instead, as my husband and I are allowing God to now rebuild our marriage brick by brick, God has gone from whispering in my ear and tapping me on my shoulder to gently shaking me with both hands and speaking directly in my face: "Don't try to demand your way, my daughter! Stop fabricating rules that your husband must follow before you'll let yourself be happy. Quit seeking happiness in your marriage by trying to find meaning and emotion in every single cotton pickin' thing your husband does or doesn't do. Just relax. Just be. Just serve me with your marriage. Prince Charming can never make you ultimately happy, anyway. Being happy isn't the goal I even created marriage to help my children attain! Find a true joy, my daughter, a sustainable peace in your marriage from letting go of your need to control your husband and meet him in the middle in all decisions, big and small. Give him leeway to lead you, for I have put your Prince Charming in that role for you."

The Economy

2009-03-04T17:07:00.002-06:00

The state of our economy right now really has me concerned for our family. Although I do feel like God will provide for every single one of our needs, I do feel like he gives us the good sense to know when to make changes. Since I quit my job, Derrick and I have made several sacrifices. BUT, these sacrifices were very very small! We just didn't eat out as much, we started shopping smarter for groceries, and we just tried to watch some of the expenses that we normally would have just spent and not thought twice about.

Growing up, my parents were so very very good to us. My parents were not extravagant people, they were so smart with their money and were still able to give my sister and I everything we ever wanted. My dad taught me about money early on, how to budget my money and instilled a good work ethic in me. My mom showed me how to cook at home, instead of eating every meal out. She took us shopping for clothes and were quick to show us that we didn't have to have a $50 shirt to look cute. Granted, my parents definitely spoiled us when it came to lots of things....but at the same time I never saw them spend money unnecessarily.

All this to say, I have never wanted for anything in my life. I say this gratitude to my parents and the Lord. My dad and mom worked VERY hard to provide my sister and I with all we needed and wanted. So, now I am sitting with two children that I want the same for. Derrick works so hard, he gets up at 4:00 am everyday and drives 1 1/2 hours one way to his job. He has been a wonderful provider for our family and has always done whatever it took for our family. I'm so grateful for him. Derrick has always been a tightwad. I really didn't care for this trait for the last 5 years of our marriage, but now I totally admire him for it! I am becoming a tightwad right along with him. And I have to say that I am 26 years too late on this!

It is just now hitting me between the eyes that we can do without SO much! We are so spoiled and I am ready to reform myself! We have cut back on so many levels but there are so many more levels left to go! Just had to share, maybe this blog will keep me accountable on this!

Just some websites that I use to save money on things...

www.moneysavingmom.com
www.likemerchantships.com
www.stretchingabuck.com

Hope this helps some folks!

Once a Month Mom

2009-03-02T11:59:00.002-06:00

I think its fair to say that we have all said at one time or another, "I love cooking, I just wish someone would tell me what to cook!" Well, I know I have said this so many times. I get so tired of cooking the same old things and going to the grocery store trying to find ingredients, only to get home and not have one or two of them that I need to make the recipe. All of this to say, I'm trying something new! I ran across this website called Once a Month Mom. The idea behind it is, you stock your refrigerator and freezer with "on-sale" items each week and then at the end of the month you spend one afternoon cooking enough meals to last all month long. The ladies at Once a Month Mom give you the recipes and even do the leg work for you when it comes to sale items each week. They tell you what to go buy, via the grocery list each week. And then give you step by step instructions on how your cooking day should look.

I'm hoping to start doing my cooking this way this month. I used Super Suppers when I worked and it was similar to this, except someone else made up the meals for me. With this, I'm thinking I could save money and time! Not to mention have meals made up ahead of time so that if there were any meal needs at church for new moms or the like, I can just go into my freezer and pull it out.

Just something that I think might work for us at this season in our lives. I'll let you know how it turns out!

If anyone is interested you can go to Onceamonthmom.com!

Nutella

2009-02-23T18:26:00.003-06:00

I have discovered Nutella. Oh my word.

It's wonderful! That's all I have to say about it for now!

Go to Kroger and get you some, you will never regret it.

Good night!

Oh My! This is Funny!

2009-02-21T08:31:00.002-06:00

Okay, this may be a little bit in poor taste, but it was really funny to me.

Barbara Walters, of Television's 20/20, did a story on gender roles in Kabul, Afghanistan several years before the Afghan conflict.

She noted that women customarily walked five paces behind their husbands.

She recently returned to Kabul and observed that women still walk behind their husbands.

From Ms Walters' vantage point, despite the overthrow of the oppressive Taliban regime,
the women now seem to walk even further back behind their husbands, and are happy to maintain the old custom.

Ms . Walters approached one of the Afghani women and asked, 'Why do you now seem happy with an old custom that you once tried so desperately to change?'

The woman looked Ms Walters straight in the eyes, and without hesitation said, 'Land Mines.'
Moral of the story is (no matter what language you speak and where you go):
BEHIND EVERY MAN, THERE'S A SMART WOMAN

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T21:50:00.002-06:00

This was the sight that I woke up to this morning. I can't imagine two cuter little boys to spend my Valentine's Day with!

And this little Wyatt of mine is the absolute happiest baby ever! Just had to throw in a cute pic of him while I was at it.

This mamma, has eaten chocolate til I am about ready to give it up altogether. (Okay, so maybe not that extreme!) My hubby went to great lengths to make today a really special day and he succeeded. I got cards from my boys and a really sweet one from Derrick. Then I received mass amounts of chocolate and we headed to see Coraline at the movies. Jackson was amazed at the movie, honestly I'm not sure he moved much through the whole thing! It was 3D so we enjoyed the animation, although I'm not sure I should have taken Jackson to this type of movie. I had no idea what it was about, we just went and it was a little bit over the top for me. We will just chock that up to a lesson learned. Anyway, it was a great family day and now we are all ready for bed. I am already in my chocolate induced coma!

Hope everyone had a wonderful day!

Letters to Moms, From Moms

2009-02-10T08:11:00.002-06:00

If you are a mom of any age, you have got to go to Missy's blog at It's Almost Naptime! She has challenged moms of older children to write letters to moms of younger ones so that we might be encouraged and also try to not make the mistakes that others did. I am always asking people for advice and wanting to know what others would do differently if given the chance so this was right up my alley.

I sat reading these women's letters while I was holding a sleeping Wyatt one night and I cried and cried and cried. There were so many regrets from these older mothers who felt they should have spent less time trying to "survive" and more time enjoying their children. It was such an eye opener and I know you will enjoy it too! Please please please go check it out. Just be sure and have your tissue handy!

The link is below!

http://itsalmostnaptime.blogspot.com/search/label/link%20love

Random Bloggyiness

2009-02-08T15:36:00.002-06:00

Wow, its been so long since I updated my blog! I am finding it rather difficult to carve out time during the day since Wyatt has become more alert and awake during the day. Oh, and it seems I can never manage to have both boys sleeping at the same time during the day. Any ideas or advice for that? Wyatt is now a little over 3 months old and he is the sweetest little boy! He is so happy and grins most of the time he is awake. He loves sitting up and seeing the world now and is completely enamored with his brother. Jackson is always anxious to see his brother and entertain him any way he can. Which most of the time consists of him dancing, singing, and playing the guitar. Oh, yes we are a lively bunch around here!

Last week, here in Northeast Arkansas we had an incredible ice storm. Most people in the area lost power for several days. It was actually an eye opening experience for me and I learned a few things about me and my family...
1.) Handwashing dishes is actually a therapeutic experience for me. It is alone time that I can actually clear my head and "zone out."
2.) I loved not having the television. It was so peaceful in my house and it gave me lots of time to focus on my family and for them to pay attention to me! :) I loved how our day was centered around each other and not the television. I'm trying to convince Derrick to shut our television off!
3.) My kids aren't hooked on television yet. This was so nice to see that Jackson didn't even worry about the television being off. He entertained himself so much and I saw more imagination out of him during those days than I do on a normal day.
4.) We don't focus enough on our neighbors. We sat in our living room around the fireplace one day trying to stay warm and our older neighbor came by to visit. He stayed and visited for a while and I learned more about him in the hour he was here than I have found out in the five years we have lived here. I was ashamed.
5.) Since our lives are so "busy" we don't take time out for the real meaningful things we should do. Like #4! Years ago, people were more dependent on their neighbors and families. They spent time and energy on helping their neighbors and others. Now we are so wrapped up in ourselves and numbing our minds with television and meaningless activities that we don't do the things that eternally matter or spend time with the people we love.
6.) We are so spoiled. I grew up in the middle of nowhere and my childhood was so much fun. We had 5 channels on television and we were 15 minutes away from civilization. And you know what? I had fun!!! I was right next door to my cousins and we played and played and played. Who needed tv, who needed playdates at the mall or chick-fil-a, who needed constant entertainment? We had fun running around in the dirt, we played games, we made up all kinds of activities to entertain ourselves and it didn't cost a thing for our parents. We are spoiling our kids by always trying to do things to entertain them. I'm the worst at this. But you know what? It would mean more to Jackson if I would just take him outside, no matter the temperature and play with him than to set him up with an activity outside the house everyday!
7.) I love my husband. Do you know that this man came up with all kinds of ideas to save us during this storm and electric outage? His mind never stopped with ideas of how to keep our food cold, how to get our fireplace started when it hadn't been in a while, finding all the necessary things for dealing with the lights out. All I had to do was watch the kids and sit back watching him do all the work. He's such a manly man who takes care of us in all situations. He's so smart and I am so thankful for him. I'm so glad I didn't marry a man who doesn't get his hands dirty, who wouldn't know the first thing about "roughing it", who would pack us up and say "I have no idea what to do." He is awesome and he's mine!
8.) I am so not pretty. Can you imagine how awful it is to have too fine hair and not have a hair dryer for a few days? Wow, I was not a pretty sight. And that poor awesome husband of mine loved me anyway. Thanks hon.
9.) I love my family. We were able to retreat to my parents to have some company and we got to spend some quality time with my mom, dad, sister, brother in law, and neice. We always have so much fun when we are together.
10.) We are so blessed. Through all of this, I learned that God has blessed me more than I ever realized. I had this house to shield me from the cold, a gas fireplace that kept my babies warm, warm water to take a shower in even though it was cold in the bathroom, lots of food in my refrigerator to cook, and my beautiful little family to keep me entertained.

Just another reminder that this life is just a holding point for a greater life when we reach heaven. This home that keeps us warm and is filled with baby giggles and two year old goofyness is just a temporary home that will not compare to the home we will have when we share one with God. What a wonderful day that will be!

Need Supper Ideas?

2009-01-17T08:58:00.003-06:00

Okay, I love to cook, but I don't necessarily like fussy meals that take a lot of time and ingredients. I don't have much time (or the desire) these days to try out new recipes so we normally always have the same five dishes. You know the ones...spaghetti with garlic bread, chicken pot pie, poppyseed chicken...etc...My family gets pretty tired of these I'm sure. So, when I stumbled upon Jess of Making Home's list for Embarrassing Easy Recipes I was more than happy to check it out! Please, pretty please check these out for your family, because they look SO good and SO easy! Her food site is www.makinghomefood.blogspot.com. She also has a website called Making Home www.makinghome.blogspot.com, and it is filled with all kinds of encouragement and inspiration about being a Godly wife and mother.

Well, I hope this helps somebody out other than me. Also, if you have any recipes that you think our family might like, please feel free to leave them in the comments.

Thanks and God Bless!

Serving Him by Serving Others

2009-01-12T17:18:00.001-06:00

In church yesterday our pastor highlighted our mission project this year during Spring Break, called Love Jonesboro. This really has me thinking that I am so very very selfish and self-serving. It has me really trying to think how I can implement helping others in my life, everyday. I don't want to continue being a person who thinks of myself first. I want to evolve into a person who seeks God to direct me towards people who need help. AND I want to get out there and help. I want to be selfless and serve people everyday and I want my sons to grow up with a desire in their hearts to serve God with all their might and strength. I am praying that God will light a fire in me to Serve Him, by Serving Others.

I guess that is part of a New Years Resolution for me, how about you guys?

The Griffin Gang

Responsibility

Are you Radical?

Boy Oh Boy!

On Morning/Noon/Night Sickness

Why I Love My Husband

We ARE............

Update on Food

What Are You Eating?

Use What You've Got

Getting My Shred On

2010: Bring It On

Here Is Where I Indulge You in Embarrassing Photos of my Fridge, Freezer, and Pantry

A look back

A Few Resources I Like

Eat From The Pantry Challenge

Christmas Is Done

Christmas Cookies

What I Intend on Doing

Ingredients

Preparation Instructions

Out of the mouths of babes...

What I Want For Christmas

What's Going On?

Fall Pictures

Today I Was A Good Mom

A Quick List of What I Learned at Weekend to Remember This Weekend!

The Weekend My Life Changed

Pumpkin Hollow, Fall 2009

Wordless Wednesday

The Nature Center

Hormones: Its what makes us crazy!

Jam Session

Here's Where I Bear My Soul

2 Corinthians 10:5 (New International Version)

Matthew 25:21 (New International Version)

School and Chores

Momma tries to take a bath!

Wordless Wednesday

The Importance of Date Night

Diet Update and Random Thoughts About Fall

Dieting: Week One Update

Slip and Slide Fun

Dieting: Days 1-3

Summertime With Kids

Kindermusik Kid

I'm Doing It

Fun In Branson, MO

Remember Me?

Of God and Santa Claus

Oh the Wisdom!

Just Trying

Playing Catch Up

Wordless Wednesday- Just a Swinging

Wordless Wednesday- Spring is Here!

What I Learned This Week

Partying with the Fam

Look What We've Been Up To

Day at the Park-In Pictures

Jackson's 3!

Gardening Update

Once a Month Cooking-Month 2

Six Months Ago

Birthday #2- Chucky Cheese

Birthday Party #1

Wordless Wednesday- Family

Praying for Stellan

God is in my Heart!

Our Garden-Planting Seeds

Wordless Wednesday- The Statue of Liberty!

The Children that Never Sleep

He is Risen!

What Does This Picture Mean to You?

Babywearing

Wordless Wednesday- Birthday Bowling

Make Your Home a Haven Monday- Choose to Love

Spring!

Love Jonesboro

I *Heart* Cloth Diapers

Confession Time

I Heart Cloth Diapers