Weekend Fun

My parents were in town for a visit this weekend. It always goes by way too fast. Here's our weekend in pictures (excuse the red eye...my computer blew up and I don't have stuff to edit photos on here yet):

My Mom and I got away for a little bit and went and got pedicures!! It was my first pedicure in almost 5 years. It was nice to sit and relax with my Mom and have my jacked up runner's feet pampered.

Our "after" picture...can you guess who's who? :-) What you don't see is how different my heels look...I had them shaved down and they are nice and smooth now...we'll see how long that lasts.


Poppy and the boys with their matching hats.

Kaitlyn baked us some cookies with Gammy's help.

I tried out a clean eating recipe for dinner...it was a hit...even with the kids. We followed it up with a not so clean dessert: Mountain Dew Cake.

Kaitlyn put on a show with the help of the "Amazing Color Blind Man" (aka My Dad). She introduced him and went on to quiz my Dad on his colors. Then they moved on to his numbers with the help of her McDonalds cash register. Before her Amazing Color Blind Man show, she had them all dancing in her room. My parents are always good sports and Kaitlyn was in her element.

They took off this morning...

We're always missing somebody...

Not the typical day at the sledding hill...

Yes, my boys think I rock. And yes, they are sledding down the basement stairs.

And no, they were not hurt at all...the last two pictures of Collin are my very favorite!

One Week Later...

For the past week, the people of Haiti have been in my prayers and on my heart...specifically the orphans. I have been specifically praying for these two orphanages:

God's Littlest Angels

HIS Home For Children

Keep the people of Haiti in your prayers...the mother's who lost children, the father's who lost their families, the newly widowed, the children who were already orphans and those who have become orphans because of this disaster, the aid workers, the doctors, the military, and all of the families this has affected. May they all feel God's presence and may God give them strength.

"B"

I have started (a little late) getting Landon ready for kindergarten. I feel like I was able to spend so much more time on getting Kaitlyn ready and I have dropped the ball with Landon. So, after Kaitlyn goes off to school and Collin is occupied with either playdough or a show, I sit down a spend a little one on one with Landon. Today we worked on writing the letter b, learned the sound the letter makes, and also thought of words that start with the letter. He did great at naming things. It went something like this:

Me: Landon, let's think of a few things that start with the letter b. Can you think of anything? Ba, ba....

Landon: Ba, ba, ball

Me: Very good! How about another word.

Landon: Ba, ba, book.

Me: You are so good at this! How about another?

Landon (without skipping a beat): Ba, ba, boobie bra (and he was totally serious and proud of himself that he thought of yet another word).

Me (eyes popping out of my head): Well...yep, you are right. Good job.

Not only did he come up with one word, he came up with two. :-)

Camp on These...

The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.

If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.

But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.

If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

~1 Peter 4:7-14

Boys and Bathrooms

I have two young boys that use the toilet. Many of you may understand what this means.

For those of you who don't know:

It means that I now have to wipe down the bathroom several times a day.

It means that I have to look to the left and right of the toilet to see if someone "missed".

It means that I am about ready to designate a boys bathroom and a girls bathroom.

It means that I am called in to see how many bubbles were made.

It means that I no longer keep a bathroom rug at the base of the toilet just in case.

It means that I have to stand at the door and repeatedly say, "Watch what you are doing."

And lastly, with my newly trained two year old boy, it means that I am called in to "shake it off" because he is a germ-a-phobe and doesn't want to risk getting pee on himself.

Lord help me.

Hey Baby, Let's Go to Vegas...

A report card was sent home with my princess on Friday. She is doing really great in school and is able to read a few books to me! It almost brings tears to my eyes when she goes around sounding words out...she's growing up so quickly.

I was concerned when I saw that she is actually digressing in her counting. It said that she was only able to count to 33 on this quarter's report card...much lower than last quarter. It also said that she is writing backwards...which is nothing new and sometimes she does it on purpose (I remember writing complete pages backwards when I was younger). On one of her number sheets, every single number was backwards. If I didn't know her so well, I would be worried. I know most of her problem is boredom.

I read the report card over and then went to talk to her about it. I told her how proud I was of her report card and that she got very good "grades" on everything. I then told her that I was a little concerned because it said that she could only count to 33 and I know she can count over 100. I asked her what happened. She said to me (with some attitude), "It takes too long to count to 100 so I get tired of counting." Typical Kait. :-)

I told her that we were going to work on writing her numbers the right way too. That she could not write backwards at school anymore. We sat down together today and did a little homework. She did great and I didn't have to help or correct her one time. I told her that I wanted her to write like for the rest of the school year and if she did really good on her report card then she could pick out something special at the store when she finishes kindergarten. Her eyes lit up and she looked at me and said, "And if I do perfect on my report card, we are going to go to VEGAS!"

(sigh)

Longing

Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.

~Isaiah 30:18

New Beginnings

I believe that early last year, when my mind was racing with everything I wanted to do in the coming year, God gave me a sneak peak of what He wanted from me in the year ahead. He told me that 2009 would be the year that I would learn to be still and wait on Him.

I wouldn't jump in to a missions trip to Africa or South America, it wouldn't be a year that we would be able to start our adoption process...it would be a year that I would be still...and if anyone knows me, that, my friends, is a very hard thing for me to do.

My hands were tied.

I would be trapped in my situation. I was helpless and there was nothing I could do. I couldn't physically give Dan a job. I would learn that God was the only one I could look to. I would have no other choice but to wait on Him.

I surrendered, day after day.

I was broken, day after day.

On January first, I looked to God and asked Him to show me what the theme of my year would be for 2010. The day before I had gotten a very meaningful email from my father-in-law. I went back and read it a few times. He ended it with 2 Corinthians 9:8:

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

I thought on what he had written and heard: A New Beginning.

Twenty-ten will be my New Beginning: A year of restoration and refreshment. I believe that God will restore Dan's employment this year and He will restore and refresh us both for the work he has set before us. I am asking for God's sweetness in my life. That He would be gracious to me and give me the desires of my heart.

This past Sunday, I walked in to church and my father-in-law began to preach....on New Beginnings.

Someone else's shoes

Last night, we had the privilege of sharing a meal with a special couple that has been where we are walking. They went through 22 months of unemployment not too long ago. It's always encouraging to get together with them. They can sympathize with where we are, know the affects on a marriage, and know the daily struggles. They can think back to how they were feeling at each month's anniversary of the job loss, where as people that have been out of work for less than a year cannot.

I wouldn't wish this on anyone, but I am so thankful that God allowed them to walk this road a few years before we would. I am so thankful that God has placed them in our lives to come along side of us and be an encouragement.

While our husbands were chatting in their living room, we snuck away into another room and shut the door and "got real". We were in there for over an hour just sharing our stories and our hearts with eachother. She shared this piece of scripture with me:


1 Listen to my prayer, O God,
do not ignore my plea;
2 hear me and answer me.
My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught

3 at the voice of the enemy,
at the stares of the wicked;
for they bring down suffering upon me
and revile me in their anger.

4 My heart is in anguish within me;
the terrors of death assail me.

5 Fear and trembling have beset me;
horror has overwhelmed me.

6 I said, "Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest-

7 I would flee far away
and stay in the desert;
Selah

8 I would hurry to my place of shelter,
far from the tempest and storm."

~Psalm 55:1-8

She wasn't done there. She told me that it would be great to just wallow in our sorrows but in the very same chapter, you don't have to go far to find this:

22 Cast your cares on the LORD
and he will sustain you;
he will never let the righteous fall.

23 But you, O God, will bring down the wicked
into the pit of corruption;
bloodthirsty and deceitful men
will not live out half their days.
But as for me, I trust in you.

~Psalm 55:22-23

This past year has been a roller coaster ride. Many, many times I have wanted the ride to stop so I can get off. Today I am thanking God for the answered prayers and a friend that leaves me feeling not so lonely. I am thankful for God's promise to me that He will sustain me and never let me fall.

My Big Boy

My littlest man is 2 years and 5 months today....and he is also newly potty trained! I am so very proud of him.

Five and a half years ago, we started purchasing diapers. When Landon came along, 14 months later, we had two in diapers. I have had at least one child in diapers for the past 5.5 years. It doesn't seem possible that it can actually be over already. I started out as a Pampers snob and even collected so many pampers points that I was able to get a few gift cards, a pair of crocs for myself, and a scooter for the kids. As the kids got older, I settled on buying whatever was the cheapest.

Collin was pretty easy to potty train (Kaitlyn was my easiest and Landon was by far my hardest). He has been going on the potty every once in a while for quite some time. It has helped having two older siblings and watching them. So, when it was decided on Wednesday that it was time, it really wasn't that big of a deal to him. He was so excited when I pulled out Landon's old Thomas underwear from storage (which his little butt looks so cute in, may I add). There have only been a handful of accidents since Wednesday and yesterday he only had one after he first got up in the morning. My littlest man is growing up.

Yea, Collin! Mommy is so proud of you!