A Fun Lunch

After church today we had a hankering for Mellow Mushroom. When we got downtown, though, we quickly realized the ACC baseball tournament was going on at the DBAP, and parking was crazy. We ended up parking near the Tobacco Road restaurant (or whatever it's called) and decided to eat there instead. They sat us outside (duh, we have 3 kids), and it was so nice. There were fans on, "misters" blowing, and the boys were easily entertained. We watched the game while we ate and made a somewhat unexpected memory.=) When we got home, though, everyone was tired, and we all laid down for over 2 hours. Tonight we went to the pool to conclude our fun Sunday. We are blessed to live in a city with so many fun things to do!

Riding Horses

This past weekend we went to graduation at UGCS. On Saturday morning, Jeremy's parents took us to the home of a family in their church who has horses, goats, etc. The boys loved it. They learned so many different things, and we all had a great time. It definitely brought back memories of my own childhood...love it!

Learning how to clean their hooves before riding

Caleb's first ride

Stephen "parking" the horse=)

Feeding the goats

A quick ride around the farm

Jonathan + Cake!

No words needed...He loved it!

When Cousins Come!!!

Yep, we had 6 boys at this house last weekend when Jeremy's brother and his wife, along with their 3 boys, came to visit. We had the BEST time! Chad and Dawn, we miss you tons! Can't wait to hang out again very, very soon!!!!

(Jonathan was too little to face the craziness!!)

Shepherding a Child's Heart...easy review!

This is a long time coming, but I finally finished Shepherding a Child's Heart. I've listened to some of it via CD and even watched parts via DVD, but until now, I never took the time to actually sit down and read it. Boy, was I missing out!

Basically, the book is awesome...kinda like everyone has always said it was. I'm in agreement. It's a must! Most of the book is highlighted but my absolute favorite part was:

"You must regard parenting as one of your most important tasks while you have children at home. This is your calling. You must raise your children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. You cannot do so without investing yourself in a life of sensitive communication in which you help them understand life and God's world. There is nothing more important. You have only a brief season of life to invest yourself in this task. You have only one opportunity to do it. You cannot go back and do it over.

You live in a culture in which there are opportunities for you to do things unheard of in history. You are presented daily with scores of options for investing your life's energies and creativity. There is more than you could ever do. You must, therefore, prioritize.

Parenting is your primary calling. Parenting will mean that you can't do all the things that you could otherwise do. It will affect your golf handicap. It may mean your home does not look like a picture from Better Homes and Gardens. It will impact your career and ascent on the corporate ladder. It will alter the kind of friendships you will be available to pursue. It will influence the kind of ministry you are able to pursue. It will modify the amount of time you have for bowling, hunting, television, or how many book you read. It will mean that you can't develop every interest that comes along. The costs are high.

How can you measure the cost against the benefits? I have spent time with broken parents. I have seen the drawn faces of parents who have known the heartbreak of seeing their children fleeing a home in which they had not been understood or engaged by their parents. I have also known the joy of hearing children who have been biblically engaged by their parents say, 'Dad, I am amazed at how thoroughly I have been prepared for life. I will always be grateful for what you and Mom have given me.' What price tag can a parent place on that?

God calls you to invest yourself in this way with your children. This kind of communication is not just beneficial, it is mandated! It is the path of blessing because it is the path of obedience. Is this kind of communication expensive? Yes! But the benefits far exceed the cost."

Read it, Read it, Read it!!!!

Pillow-Boy

About 75% of today, Caleb has been walking around in his pillow. All you can see are his little feet, and he keeps running into things. Stephen and I have been laughing our heads off. He calls for me and then heads the opposite direction. Who knows what his little 2 year old mind is thinking? I know there are some days when I'd like to live in a pillow, though!=)

Happy Mother's Day!

Here's what Mother's Day looked like for us:

A rose from my little baseball player at Saturday's game

Strolling the Streets of Southpoint tonight while waiting for our table to be ready

Yummy outside dinner at Cheesecake Factory

My favorite cheesecake for dessert (When our waitress put the plate down, Jonathan immediately grabbed a handful...he's his Mommy's boy!)

Sweetest moment was probably when Jeremy asked Stephen what he wanted to thank Mommy for on Mother's Day, and he answered "For having babies for me to play with!." Ha! He then followed it up tonight by telling me he'd like to have about 100 brothers/ sisters! Whoa! That would be a crazy, happy mother's day!

Attempts at Consistency

I try to "stick to my guns" with Stephen and Caleb, but sometimes it can be so hard.

The other night before Family Worship Caleb insisted on swinging in Jonathan's baby swing. It was about time to leave, so I told him I needed to get ready and couldn't push him right then. We had been outside for nearly an hour, so he had plenty of time to have made this request earlier. Anyways, Stephen came to his aid and volunteered to push Caleb if I would put him in the swing. I agreed but only after telling Caleb multiple times that I was not getting him out until it was time to leave.

After awhile of swinging, I heard Stephen come upstairs and get something and take it back outside. Later I went out there and found Caleb contentedly playing with his Thomas computer game while he sat helplessly in the swing. It was so cute. At least he and Stephen improvised, and I was able to keep my word.=)

Mobile

Yep, Jonathan is 8 months old and beginning to crawl. It's more like an army crawl, where he drags his back legs, but he's already getting into things. I'm finding him in random places (like under my computer chair). Things are getting even more interesting around this house!=)

The Strong-Willed Child

For years I have avoided reading Dr. Dobson's book The Strong-Willed Child. I've read most everything else he has out on parenting but this one got shoved aside. Maybe it was an attempt to convince myself that I never would and definitely don't already have a child that would be characterized by such a phrase. Just the title of the book intimidates me. Yes, my boys are sinners but "strong-willed"-No way!

Until...well, let's just not name which of our 3 pushed me over the edge and forced me to read this book. I guess I always thought a "strong-willed child" would be a terror. That is not the case for ours...he's just ultra hard-headed. I should have figured this out when the child quit eating at 8 months because I gave him a new bottle. 3 days passed before I realized why the standoff was happening, gave him his old bottle back, and he began eating happily again. I should have also realized it when he did the same thing with his sippy cup. He would not even consider drinking from anything but that old blue cup until one morning I accidentally drove to church with it on the roof, and we never saw it again. Oh, and what about that raggedy blanket (did I just give my child's identity away?). Yuck is all I can say about the stench that used to come from that thing! And now, my most obvious clue that God has blessed us with a strong-willed child is that instead of blatantly telling us "no" when he doesn't get his way, he's now chosen to add "never." Ughh...do you understand now why I read this book?

Anyhoo, my review would be that The Strong-Willed Child was an easy read and very helpful for me to read in this season of parenting. It was so much like Dare to Discipline that I honestly don't feel like I gained a lot of new knowledge. Regardless, there were some good ideas, and I was encouraged that we're not alone in this sometimes tough calling of parenting. My favorite part was the excerpt below:

"Ultimately, the key to competent parenthood is in being able to get behind the eyes of your child, seeing what he sees and feeling what he feels. When he is lonely, he needs your company. When he is defiant, he needs your help in controlling his impulses. When he is afraid, he needs the security of your embrace. When he is curious, he needs your patient instruction. When he is happy, he needs to share his laughter and joy with those he loves.
Thus the parent who intuitively comprehends his child's feelings is in a position to respond appropriately and meet the needs that are apparent. And at this point, raising healthy children becomes a highly developed art, requiring the greatest wisdom, patience, devotion, and love that God has given to us. The Apostle Paul called the Christian life a "reasonable service." We parents would do well to apply that same standard to the behavior of our children."

And may I add that an even more important key to parenthood is realizing that we can't possibly do this on our own. We, and our kids, need God's grace. It is He alone who can change their lives. Pray! Pray! Pray!=)

More importantly, though, God taught me another huge lesson through this book that I was not expecting (or really asking for!). I'll be transparent and say that Jeremy and I have a good marriage, but let's be real, we're both sinful humans, and we have our moments. So during one of these "moments," I was being headstrong and had determined in my mind not to give in, say sorry, etc. I think I really just needed a good fight (And yes, women, let's admit that sometimes we need a quick fuss with our men...Who knows why!). As I stood there, deciding how I could stand strong and not give in (Jeremy was right in all he said, of course), I looked down and saw this book, The Strong-Willed Child, laying in the floor. It was at that moment that I buckled. I gave in. Who is the strong-willed child in this house? Is it the little boy who tests me almost every moment of every day? Or is it me?

God is so patient with me. How often I fall into the strong-willed category when I want my way and nothing else. And how often is God merciful to me? What a loving God we serve. And how blessed I am to have the gift of parenting a strong-willed child. He will teach me more about God's love and grace than anything else in my life. And as I learn how to parent him, I'm learning how much God loves me, His own strong-willed child!

Maybe I Shouldn't???

Not sure if I should post these pictures or not, but here goes anyways...

Last week we received a big package on our doorstep from our previous lawyer in Winston. Yes, I knew it was coming, and yes, we wanted it back instead of them throwing it away. But yes, I still got emotional when I saw it.

The pictures below are of Stephen's carseat from our wreck in 2007. Sigh...she's doing another "wreck post." Sorry! I just thought it would be encouraging for all of you to see again how God truly works miracles.

Stephen was only 16 months old when we had our wreck, so this carseat was brand spankin' new. If you look closely (or not so closely), you can see the huge gaping hole in it. The suddenness of our car hitting Jade's jolted Stephen's body so much that it literally tore the frame and broke the plastic in two.

I get almost sick to my stomach when I imagine our little guy sitting there, lifeless, in that seat, while his Daddy and I were totally helpless to help him. Jeremy already has strict orders to get it our of my sight, into the attic or something, very soon.=) This is only the second time we've ever seen it, so you can imagine the emotions it brings back.

Anyways, all of those sentiments to say that you are looking at a miracle. Should the carseat have torn like that? Who knows. They're not tested at speeds like that when they're marketed. Should Stephen have survived the trauma of all this? Most people say no, and I think the carseat is a testament to that. God truly works miracles. Some of them we can see like these pictures show us, but some of them we can't. Thank You, Father, for reminders of your grace. You have given us a miracle!

Snow Camp Fun!

4-wheeler time!

Feeding the baby goats at my cousin's house

Jonathan still getting the feeding himself thing down!

Last week Jeremy was at a conference in Georgia, so the boys and I headed to my parents' house for a few days. For those of you who don't know, I grew up in the country (cows, tractors, etc.). I love where we live in Durham, but I definitely miss the open fields and quietness I had growing up. Jeremy knows that one day he may be moving me back to my roots!=)

We missed Daddy tons, but we had a great time! The boys loved being crazy, carefree boys!