Picnic at the Park

 I can't think of a better way to spend such a beautiful spring day than a picnic at the park with family.

My beautiful niece, Zoe. Isn't she just precious?!

Parker is growing up too fast. I have to admit that watching him repeatedly climb this ladder made me nervous, but he did great.

Hannah and Cayden on the tire swing.

Whoa! Major static hair!

At first, Ellis wasn't too sure about sitting on the ground, but she got over that quickly and decided she wanted to eat the mulch.

Cousins! These two are going to be great friends one day. They are only 10 months apart in age.

So cute!

I took an insane amount of adorable pictures of Ellis since she was the only one of the five kids that stayed still long enough for me to take crazy amounts of pictures.

Parker's favorite park activity...swinging!

I could have posted 100 pictures of Ellis, but I just picked a few.

I tried to get a good picture of Parker and Ellis. Notice I said tried. Parker is past the stage of staying still for me to take pictures of both of them. At least Ellis hasn't learned to crawl or I wouldn't even have this shot.

I love Ellis in this picture. If only Parker hadn't been so interested in the mulch....

Paul Jr.

Let me explain this photo. Paul had been pushing Parker in the swing for about 15 minutes. Apparently, he was getting tired of pushing him, and one of his pushes become a shove and out came Parker out of the swing. Good thing Parker has good protective reflexes and caught himself without getting hurt. Way to go Dad...pick on someone your own size next time. :)

Ellis at 7 Months

So I'm a little late with this one, but better late than never. Here is Ellis at 7 months.

• She's sitting up like a pro. Well, occasionally she will get so involved with slobbering all over some toy that she will topple over.
• She's finally started to eat solids. She took after her brother on this one. After a month and a half of gagging on rice cereal, she decided this eating stuff thing ain't so bad. So far she's tried rice cereal, apples, carrots, bananas, sweet potatoes, and avacadoes. She's like them all except the avacadoes.
• She likes to jump in her jumperoo. I have to admit that it looks quite fun and they need to make an adult version.
• She is extremely attached to me. When she's tired, no one else will do as long as I'm near, not even her daddy.
• She has the cutest little baby voice, and in her jabbering she even says "da da."
• She loves her feet. They are the greatest little can't loose baby toy.
• She LOVES her paci. She's really good at getting her paci into her mouth. It's her absolute favorite toy. If I put several toys in front of her with her paci, she always goes directly for the paci. She chews on it, twirls it in her hands, and talks to it. She better enjoy it while she can because she only has 5 more months with it before it disappears!
• She's down to 2 naps now. She held onto that third nap a little longer than most children.
• She makes some of the cutest faces.
• A couple of days ago I moved her into size 6-9 months clothing. She fits well in the 3-6 months, but I was ready to pull out the new clothes since I was switching everyone's winter to summer clothes. They are a little bit big, but not too bad. It's so weird to have such a little child after having Parker because he was sooo big.
• She's starting to grow a teensy weensy little bit of hair on the front.
• She just gets sweeter and sweeter!

I Can't Complain

"Do all things without complaining or grumbling." Philippians 2:14

I have been saying that verse to myself over and over again lately. I have been praying for the Lord to help me overcome my fleshly desires to complain. I want to complain so badly. I struggle with keeping my prayers from being grumblings about whatever it is that is on my mind. I want to complain to myself, to God, and to anyone who's there (although most of the time it's just me and the kids). I want to complain when Parker's misbehaving, Ellis is unhappy and screaming, and the house can't seem to keep itself clean. I want to complain that we only have one car which means I don't have the freedom to go grocery shopping on the day I want to or just to be able to get out of the house for a little while. I want to complain Paul has to work crazy hours and spends 2 hours driving to and from work everyday so I feel like we don't get to spend much time with him. I could go on.
However, God's working on me just like He always is. One of the Sparkies I work with in Awanas was working on memorizing Philippians 2:14. I needed to hear that verse. Of course, God didn't just stop there. He gave me a way to overcome my fleshly desire to complain. I've been reading in Thessalonians during my personal Bible study time. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." I'm fighting (with the strength from God) the desire to complain with thankfulness. I'm choosing to be thankful that I have two beautiful, healthy children that I can hold in my arms when they cry. I'm choosing to be thankful that I have a Heavenly Father as a example of how to discipline my children in love. I'm choosing to be thankful that we have a place to live and can make the rent payment each month. I'm choosing to be thankful that having a second car is not a need since I have the privilege of staying home with my children. I'm choosing to be thankful that Paul has a job that can provide for us and if we manage our God's money correctly we can still have the means to bless others. I know by the world's standards I would have every "right" to complain, but that is so wrong. Everything that I go through, every struggle I face, every little nuisance is all under the authority of God. Nothing happens that is not according to His plan for my life. Everything I face is only a means for me to grow closer to God and into the image of Christ. Since I have placed my life on the altar of God, I have no rights, including the right to complain. Everything is a blessing, and it is a choice to see things that way.

How Shoe Licking Teaches Me a Lesson in Parenting

For snack time today, Parker and I had leftover pancakes. I fixed his plate and put it on the counter. We were fixing to put our shoes on to go outside so they were nearby. I was already getting my shoes on when I looked up to see Parker place one of his shoes smack dab on top of his syrupy pancakes (He didn't mean to. Since eye level for him is just below the countertop, he really couldn't see the plate.) Then, in horror I watched him look at the bottom of his shoe and lick it. Yes, lick the bottom of a shoe that has been on a toddler foot that has been who knows where! I quickly ran over to him screaming "NOOOOO!!!!" and got the shoe just before he took a second lick. Apparently, syrup is very important to him and he didn't want to waste one drop.
This little incident made me start thinking about how important it is to teach our children. As an adult, I know that licking the bottom of a shoe is gross, possibly dangerous, and just not socially acceptable. However, Parker sees that shoe as something that goes on your foot that has cool sports balls that light up when he walks, and apparently, an eating utensil. I know that licking the bottom of his shoe, while gross, is not all that bad. But, it made me think about how important it is for me to teach my children the ways of the Lord. There is a lot of scripture on this matter. Children just don't know the things they need to know. We have to teach them. We have to teach them the Truth of God's Word. They can learn things from others, but as their parents, we have the most influence on them. The shoe licking incident made me realize that I need to be more diligent about using every moment to teach the Truth, the only Truth, to these precious little beings that God has allowed me the privilege to raise as my own even though they really don't belong to me; they are His. I love how God uses random little things to teach us.

Adventures in Cookies

Before Valentine's Day I dabbled into the world of cut out cookies for the first time. In celebration of Valentine's, I wanted to make heart shaped, decorated cookies that would look all cute and pretty like these.

I was going to bake them while Ellis peacefully took a morning nap and then decorate them while she took her afternoon nap. Also, I was going to have the kitchen cleaned up with a nice supper waiting on Paul when he got home from work at 5 pm. Like I said that is what I envisioned, but this is what really happened.

I really wanted chocolate chip cut out cookies, but chocolate chip cookies are drop cookies meaning they don't hold a specific form. Sugar cookies are alright, but I really wanted chocolate chip cookies that tasted like these.

I scoured the internet for a recipe for chocolate chip cut out cookies. I found one on a blog (click the link for the recipe). I put Ellis down for her morning nap. Usually, Ellis goes to sleep with no problem and sleeps for about an hour. Of course, that's not what happened. She cried and cried. I carried on with my plan to get the cookies baked. I had a little help from Parker. Mostly, I just tried to keep him from eating cookie dough. I finally got the cookies baked and got Ellis to take a little nap.

The cookies looked nothing like I thought. They didn't have the yummy golden color of a chocolate chip cookie. I tasted a crumb that broke off one, and it tasted like a sugar cookie with chocolate chips inside. Not what I was expecting. Since the cookies didn't taste like I wanted, I decided to ice them instead of using frosting like I had originally planned.

I put Ellis and Parker down for a nap in hopes of icing the cookies while they both slept peacfully. Apparently my children have a special gift of knowing when I really need them to sleep because I have something to do that needs my focus and then enjoy ruining my plans. Ellis again cried and cried. I had to put Parker's gate up so he would stay in his room because he was not interested in sleeping. Ellis eventually gave in and went to sleep. And while I was making this mess in the kitchen,

Parker was making this mess in his room.

With some trouble, I did manage to get the bottom layer of icing on the cookies. It wasn't perfect but after a few duds, I managed to get a somewhat decent looking cookie.

I let Parker out of his room to play with the leftover icing while I cleaned the kitchen and waited for the cookies to dry.

Parker enjoyed playing with the icing, especially the part where I let him eat it. At this point, it was time for supper. Since my kitchen was still a little messy and Paul had called and said he would be working later, a frozen pizza was the answer. After supper and putting Ellis to bed, Parker and I decorated the cookies. Since this was my first time decorating with royal icing, I had trouble getting the right consistency for decorating. I tried doing some writing, but as you can see it didn't work out well.

I tried a few more things, and when all else fails with icing, try dots. Dots ended up looking the best.

These are Parker's decorated cookies.

Parker had been talking about these cookies all day. So he was very happy when I told him it was time to eat them. Although they didn't taste like I wanted them to, Parker really enjoyed them.

Making these cookies ended up being quite the labor of love, but I enjoyed being able to show my family love in a small way.

Funny Follow-up

After posting the previous post, Guilt No More, I logged onto Facebook only to see someone post a link to the following article from thegospelcoalition.org (click on the link to take you to the original article for credits). I thought it would be a fitting follow-up to my post.

How Much Is a Homemaker Worth?

The Story: A study conducted by the financial service company Mint found that the sum value of different homemaking duties annually amounts to almost six figures. If a homemaker's job were salaried, it would draw, on average, $96,291 per year. Tasks accounted for in the study included private chef, house cleaner, child care provider, driver, and laundry service provider.
The Background: There's no escaping the fact that contemporary society often scoffs at stay-at-home moms. "This isn't the 1950s anymore," the thinking goes. "Why in the world would someone want to be imprisoned in her own home?" The common idea, of course, is that many responsibilities on the home front should be outsourced, thus releasing moms from domestic shackles to realize their vocational dreams. While such a mindset isn't automatically wrongheaded in every case, it can frequently betray a prioritization that is biblically questionable.
Why It Matters: Proverbs 14:1 states: "The wise woman builds her house." While the monetary value and practical feasibility of full-time homemaking may vary from home to home, what remains constant is the irreplaceable significance of a homemaker's contributions. The Mint article concludes, "The daily work of a homemaker can sometimes be taken for granted....However, these services could earn a homemaker a considerable wage if he or she took those skills to the marketplace. Homemakers, in general, contribute a lot more to the home in addition to these tasks and no amount of money can fill those needs."
Indeed, no study could ever fully quantify the service of a mother who "looks well to the ways of her household" (Prov. 31:27). At the very least, this research should prompt us to express fresh appreciation to those stay-at-home moms whom we love and who, though receiving little recognition in the eyes of the world, are faithful and treasured in the eyes of their King.

Guilt No More

     I have to admit that I've often felt guilty about being a stay at home mom (SAHM). I've had thoughts of inadequacy that have led me to think that maybe our family would be better off if I went back to teaching. I feel that I've put a lot a pressure on my husband as he is the sole provider of income for our family. When I look at the small amount of money in our checking account, the house full of hand-me-down furniture, the one car parked in our carport, I often think that if only I wasn't a SAHM then I could fix these "problems." Then on a spiritual level, I feel that I'm not making enough of an impact on the lost world around me because I'm just sitting at home all day with 2 kids and a dirty house.
     I was thinking about these things yesterday as I was doing my daily chores when I felt the Lord say to me, "don't forget I CALLED you to this." I had forgotten. I had forgotten that when the Lord calls us to something He provides. He has taken care of us on one income. We have never gone hungry, unclothed, and unsheltered. In fact when I look at our finances, I'm always reminded that God is the one who carries us day to day. He really is the sole provider of this family. Yes, we aren't living the "American dream" with a house that has 3 times more space than we really need filled with name brand stuff with 3 cars parked in a 3 car garage when only 2 people in the house can drive. But we are living a dream bigger than all the money in the world can provide.
     God reminded me that I am making an impact on this lost world around me. The early years of a child's life are the most crucial in developing a Godly world view in that child's life. Since I'm at home with the children and I plan on homeschooling, then I have a major responsibility in discipling my children into people who love Christ with their whole being who are not afraid to live a radical life following Him. I'm discipling my children so that as they grow older they will in turn reach out to the lost world. I AM making an impact on the lost world.
     All this boils down to where our treasures lie. If I keep my focus on things of God, then everything falls into proper perspective. When my time on earth is over, it won't matter about how much money we had or how much nice stuff we owned. Therefore, I will no longer feel guilty. (Well, at least I will do my best. It will be a constant battle of the flesh to overcome.) God has called me to be a SAHM and to help support my husband in ministry. I wouldn't have it any other way. God is so good. He's so good to me.

[Note: If you are not a SAHM, please don't take what I said to be that every woman should be a SAHM. That just isn't so. As long as you are doing what God called you to do, then you have nothing to worry about. May God bless you and your family in whatever role He has called you to.]