2 Rings!!

This is too precious for me not to post...

Tonight, while snuggling with Stephen before he fell asleep, I told him I couldn't believe he was about to turn 5. Seriously, where has the time gone? Anyways, that statement led to us counting our 5 fingers and then from there to what our different fingers are called.

When I told Stephen the "ring finger" is called that because that's the finger Daddys and Mommys wear their rings on, he then asked me if I thought he'd ever get married. I was a little at a loss for words, since just thinking about him turning 5 had almost made me tear up. But I managed to answer that we'd pray God would give him a special girl one day.

After that, though, he thought for a moment and then said, "Well, Mommy, you can just wear 2 rings if I marry you." Aww...what a sweet, little guy!

At this point I was holding back the Mommy emotion as best I could. I can only pray he will love me and Jeremy this much as he gets older and undoubtedly, disagreement comes. I also pray we will show him God's love each day by the way we love each other, him, and his brothers. This is a love that will never fail or disappoint.

God has blessed us with compassionate Stephen, and I pray He uses this love as the years go by.

Goat Time

So careful with the babies...


Exact words "I got one...all by myself!"

We had dinner last week with a great family from our church. They had 3 baby goats, and our boys loved chasing them around. Notice the boys' personalities showing so clearly again!

Baby Lessons

Having children teaches me so much! There's the range of sacrifice, to unconditional love, to patience, and on and on and on. Today I learned another one of those lessons from our precious, 6 month old Jonathan.

I was giving him his afternoon bottle like normal but for some reason the formula wouldn't come out. Being a hungry, little guy this did not set very well. With every shake and twist of the bottle, Jonathan got madder and madder. Finally, I decided to switch bottles and see if that would help. During that process, though, he LOST it! Seriously, he was crying and crying, and I was getting flustered. My exact words to Jeremy during this mild chaos were, "Doesn't he trust me by now? I know what he needs."

Oh my word...as soon as those words left my lips, I felt the Holy Spirit say, "How many times do I say that about you?" How many times does my life show a lack of trust? Don't I trust God "knows what I need?" Don't I "trust him by now?" Unbelievable...a lesson I still desperately need to learn.

The new bottle worked for Jonathan, and he was happy as could be! Me, on the other hand, I've still got a ways to go.

(And yes, I let Jonathan suck on the faucet during sink baths...til he gags himself, that is!!)

Revolutionary Parenting

One of my "goals" for 2011 was to read more. Thus far this year I've read (and notice the wide range of topics!):
-When Helping Hurts
-Shift
-Turn up the Heat
-The End of Overeating
-Food, Inc.

The last book I finished was George Barna's Revolutionary Parenting. I'm blessed to have a husband who has lots of great parenting/family books!=) Revolutionary Parenting would be a must read on my list. Nope, not as good as Gospel-Powered Parenting, but still very good.

On that note, I offer the disclaimer, that it isn't very Gospel centered, but the points it emphasizes can easily be filtered through that lens. I learned so much!

There were a couple nights after reading where I said to Jeremy, "This is making me so mad!". I meant that in a good, challenging way. This book really pushed me in areas I didn't even know were weaknesses...not really "fun reading" but thought-provoking that's for sure (all that said, I still finished it in less than a week.).

To hopefully motive you to read it, I'll list some of my favorite quotes. I would guess nearly half the book is highlighted! It was sooooo good!

Here go some of my favorites:

"God is the absolute judge of how well our children are doing, that His standards examine the character and faith of our young people, and His ways are often not facilitated by many of the activities we promote or endorse, regardless of our ignorance or good intentions."

"How much more important is it for us to ensure that we, as parents, become the ultimate coaches for our children as they develop into mature human beings? There is no dimension more important than their spiritual nature."

"You cannot hope to raise a spiritual champion unless YOU love God with all your heart, mind, strength, and soul."

"Child rearing is the art of handling the unexpected without losing sight of the ultimate goal."

"Great parents recognize that from the moment a child leaves the womb until the time he or she leaves the home, they must tirelessly guard and shape the mind, heart, and soul of their child."

"In countless cases, it has seemed as if children's development is being rushed to satisfy some ambiguous goal, robbing them of the delights of childhood in an effort to usher them into the responsibilities of adulthood prematurely. We hurry to get them there, then wonder why they seem discontent or unfulfilled. Sometimes we inadvertently 'fast-track' personal development, eliminating the joy of growing at the pace God ordained for the person."

I'll stop there...I probably should have also mentioned that the book is based on a study done with the parents of kids who are "spiritual champions" (that phrase is defined in the book) and also a study done with these kids.

It's a must read...get it!!!!!=)

My Hero!!

I already knew that my husband rocks, but today proved it hands-down! Here's how it went:

Caleb's not been feeling well for a couple days now. Finally, after a day of no eating, constant coughing, and a fever, I called the Dr. They could get me in at 3:15, but it was already 2:45. Both Stephen and Jonathan were asleep. I called Jeremy, and he volunteered to come home or meet me at the Dr.'s office to help out. During our conversation, Jonathan woke up, so I decided I could swing it myself. I told Jeremy not to worry about it...that we'd be fine.

I woke Stephen up, and we rushed out the door. Caleb was crying nearly the whole time. When we got there, I unstrapped them and tried to coax Caleb out of the van door. He was crying and insisting he was "not sick." I was holding Jonathan this whole time. Caleb then started asking me to carry him. Clearly, I could not with Jonathan in my arms and my baby carrier out of reach. Caleb, with big tears on his cheeks, finally said, "Can Stephen carry me?" Feeling utter sympathy, I grabbed him and attempted to waddle my way across the parking lot with a baby on each hip, diaper bag, and a 4 year old dodging cars!=)

And then...I saw him! Yep, Jeremy had ignored all my "I'll be okay" comments and came to the Dr. anyways. He immediately took Jonathan, and I could give Caleb the attention he needed. Jeremy also fed Jonathan while I went back with Caleb. Yes, he was my hero! I most likely would have lost one of the boys if Jeremy had not shown up!=)

Now, all is well. Caleb has a "cold," that I'm not convinced is really a cold, but the Dr. did give him a cough medicine to use at night. And I am realizing how awesome of a husband and Daddy God has blessed me with! I love you Jeremy (and you're welcome for me posting the goofiest picture I could find)!=)

Little League Begins

Stephen started Little League this past Thursday. He's only played soccer since his last year of t-ball when he was 3. We're curious to see how he'll do with this "new sport."

On Thursday, though, he missed his nap. Notice who was more excited about going to practice! Stephen did great, but not before a short snooze on the way there. And yes, we all went...that's how we roll!=)

3-2-1-Let It Rip!!

This week Stephen was excited to find out that the library was hosting a Beyblades tournament on Saturday. For those of you without boys, Beyblades are these spinning, little tops that you battle others with in battle domes. You count down, 3-2-1-Let It Rip, release your Beyblade, and battle it out til someone's stops spinning, and a winner is determined! I never realized til today how serious this is for so many little boys. There are all different kinds of Beyblades with different names, and different "spinning abilities." It's CRAZY! Stephen and I were overwhelmed!

The tournament ended up being a free for all, and Stephen entered it kinda timidly, which would be expected since he was one of the youngest there. I was proud of how much more social he's become as I watched him eventually end up battling with the bigger boys. He actually ended up leaving with a new Beyblade that he had traded with someone!

We had a fun time, and I think there will be more Beyblades purchased in the future!

Here's where Stephen started his Beyblade battles...on the sidelines with a little guy his own age:


Here's where he ended:

Outside!!!!!

We are loving the occasional warm days God has blessed us with lately. The boys have spent so much time playing outside. This year, more than last, I've appreciated our fenced in backyard and playground. Stephen and Caleb will play out there together forever! Sometimes they're shooting each other with sticks they've found while at others they're on a pirate ship on the rough seas (ie-the glider swing!). They also love looking through the fence and spotting bugs, etc. that are just out of their reach. I'm reminded on these days how blessed I am to have active little boys. I can hardly fathom having 3 of them playing out there next year!=)

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

On Wednesday we celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday! We walked to the library and read a special book with the librarian. While there, we also colored a Dr. Seuss' picture and got special stickers. At home, we made Dr. Seuss hats, read Dr. Seuss books, made cupcakes for his birthday, and watched a Dr. Seuss movie! It was a fun, silly day!