Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Daddy's Girls
Justin made dinner reservations for our local Chick-fil-a's daddy/daughter date night tonight. The girls changed into some spring-y dresses for their date night. They were excited to be on a special date with their daddy.
They had a sweet (no flame) candle lit dinner with flowers and hand-written seating cards. They got a special Chick-fil-a cow stuffed animal and enjoyed a chocolate fountain.
But the icing on the cake was the horse drawn Cinderella carriage ride! They felt like real princesses!
They had a sweet (no flame) candle lit dinner with flowers and hand-written seating cards. They got a special Chick-fil-a cow stuffed animal and enjoyed a chocolate fountain.
But the icing on the cake was the horse drawn Cinderella carriage ride! They felt like real princesses!
(Sorry about the terrible cell phone pictures. Justin wanted the little point and shoot camera, but we couldn't find it.)
Monday, March 5, 2012
What I Needed
Have you ever been looking for your sunglasses everywhere...I mean, where in the world could you have put them? They must be somewhere! Only to realize 10 minutes later that they're still securely sitting atop your head?
Sometimes I feel like that's a great illustration of the Christian walk. God is always with us...ready to protect us, to help us see, but we often are frantically searching EVERYWHERE else, instead of looking right were He is.
My sunglasses had been lost for a while.
I mean, I knew I needed God. I wanted to live my life for Him. I was looking everywhere trying to find Him, but I wasn't finding what I was looking for because really I needed to be looking in a mirror. The Holy Spirit lives in me, and I needed to be listening to his prompting. He was telling me what I needed. Who I needed. Him.
26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
John 14:26
I knew I needed to spend more time in God's word. I knew I needed to find a community of believers where I could learn, and feel accepted, and not worry about keeping up with this, that, or the other thing. And yet, time and again, I would talk myself out of it. "I have limited time because I work, and I help in Aubrey's classroom, and I have MyGym with Juliet, and I have to get clothes ready/chores done so we all survive my work days....there's no way I can keep up with the homework of a Bible study, I don't know enough about the Bible, I don't really fit in with that group of people, etc, etc".
Satan was attacking!
But the Holy Spirit was louder. "You need to figure SOMETHING out. You NEED God. You need My Word! I WILL MAKE IT WORK!"
And He did. I started going to a Community Bible Study out in Shafter. It just so happens to be on the one free day I have each week. It has childcare, and it's been such a blessing. I have mainly older ladies in my core group (I'm talking 60+ yrs old). And I love them. I love their wisdom, their compassion, their hospitality. I love the younger ladies too, but there's just something about old people that I love. I love studying the word of God! I've learned so much! It just so happens that what we were studying goes along with the series we were studying at church. It also corresponds with 6th grade ancient history. And the puzzle pieces are starting to fit...to make sense. (I've always said I'm a "baby Christian" because I didn't grow up studying the Bible so I lack background). God speaks to me through the Holy Spirit and His Word EVERY SINGLE WEEK. He knew just what I needed, all I needed to do was look in the obvious spot, His word.
12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12
If you are feeling like there is something missing in your life...like you need something, get plugged into a Bible study with a community of believers. You won't regret it!
Sometimes I feel like that's a great illustration of the Christian walk. God is always with us...ready to protect us, to help us see, but we often are frantically searching EVERYWHERE else, instead of looking right were He is.
My sunglasses had been lost for a while.
I mean, I knew I needed God. I wanted to live my life for Him. I was looking everywhere trying to find Him, but I wasn't finding what I was looking for because really I needed to be looking in a mirror. The Holy Spirit lives in me, and I needed to be listening to his prompting. He was telling me what I needed. Who I needed. Him.
26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
John 14:26
I knew I needed to spend more time in God's word. I knew I needed to find a community of believers where I could learn, and feel accepted, and not worry about keeping up with this, that, or the other thing. And yet, time and again, I would talk myself out of it. "I have limited time because I work, and I help in Aubrey's classroom, and I have MyGym with Juliet, and I have to get clothes ready/chores done so we all survive my work days....there's no way I can keep up with the homework of a Bible study, I don't know enough about the Bible, I don't really fit in with that group of people, etc, etc".
Satan was attacking!
But the Holy Spirit was louder. "You need to figure SOMETHING out. You NEED God. You need My Word! I WILL MAKE IT WORK!"
And He did. I started going to a Community Bible Study out in Shafter. It just so happens to be on the one free day I have each week. It has childcare, and it's been such a blessing. I have mainly older ladies in my core group (I'm talking 60+ yrs old). And I love them. I love their wisdom, their compassion, their hospitality. I love the younger ladies too, but there's just something about old people that I love. I love studying the word of God! I've learned so much! It just so happens that what we were studying goes along with the series we were studying at church. It also corresponds with 6th grade ancient history. And the puzzle pieces are starting to fit...to make sense. (I've always said I'm a "baby Christian" because I didn't grow up studying the Bible so I lack background). God speaks to me through the Holy Spirit and His Word EVERY SINGLE WEEK. He knew just what I needed, all I needed to do was look in the obvious spot, His word.
12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12
If you are feeling like there is something missing in your life...like you need something, get plugged into a Bible study with a community of believers. You won't regret it!
Sunday, February 26, 2012
The Diary of a Mom with a Kid Who is Potty Training Herself- chapter 1
Let me just start with a little disclaimer: This in NO WAY reflects my abilities as a parent or my thoughts and opinions of anyone else as a parent. If your child is having a difficult time potty training, I UNDERSTAND. I've been there. In case you don't remember, check it all out here.
Potty training was such a stressful, miserable experience for me with my first child, I used to joke with everyone that I was going to make my next kid BEG me to potty-train. I surely wasn't even going to try until Juliet had at least turned three! But I think I forgot the most important lessons I had learned: every kid is different and when they're ready, they're ready. Which brings me to today's post...
I guess it all started a few weeks ago when Juliet was with Justin at Grandma's house. She asked to go potty, sat down and peed. He of course showered her with candy and praise. We left for Disneyland the next day, and that was that. Every time I had to go to the restroom, Juliet wanted to go too. She would just sit there for a few seconds--nothing came out-- then she wanted to wipe and flush. It was actually a bit of an inconvenience, but I let her do her thing.
We came home from Disneyland, and I had one day to recover from all the fun and get us all ready for my 3-day work week. I was already feeling overwhelmed, the LAST thing I wanted to do was potty train. Juliet had something different in mind. She woke up and told me she wanted to go pee pee on the potty. I put her little potty in the living room, took her pants off, and continued doing everything I needed to do. In a couple of minutes, she came and got me. She told me she went pee, and she wanted candy. I went and looked and sure enough, there was pee! We cheered, clapped and ate candy. She wanted to keep her pants off, so I let her. One more pee before nap time and no accidents. I was still in disbelief! We put a diaper on for nap time. As SOON as she woke up, she wanted panties. I told her she had to pee in the potty first, so she did. CRAZY! We went to pick Aubrey up from school with panties on. I told Aubrey about all of the potty adventures, and she showered Juliet with praise. Juliet was loving all the candy and praise! The first day ended with 4 pees, 2 poops, and 2 accidents (while climbing onto the potty). All the while, I did nothing! I didn't sit with her in the bathroom...in fact, she got sick of going on her little potty, so she moved the stool over to the big potty and put on the potty seat all by herself (hence the accident in the process of getting on). This was my kind of potty-training!
I still wasn't sure I wanted to go for it full-throttle. I knew we NEEDED to take the paci away because she was biting it off at the base, and it was a choking hazard. That was our plan for the coming weekend, so I didn't want to overwhelm Juliet. Also, I worked the next three days, and Juliet wasn't a fan of going potty at Carrie's house, so neither of us stressed it. She would still use the potty in the mornings and after we got home. Sometimes she would ask for panties, sometimes she would ask for a pull-up and sometimes she would ask for a diaper. I let her wear whatever she wanted. I definitely did not want to make this experience as stressful as last time!
We plan on REALLY potty training over spring break, but in the meantime, we are encouraging Juliet to use the potty whenever she can. Most of the time, she is the one who does the reminding! We've been at the Dr.'s office twice since Thursday. Both times we were there, she pooped in the potty! But I'm not going to sugar coat it all...with Aubrey, she had crazy bladder control (probably because she stressed out so much that she would hold it for DAYS at a time). Juliet has no bladder control and will sometimes ask to go twice when we are out at a restaurant, etc. It's such an inconvenience! She also can care less about accidents! She just says, "Mom, I peed my pants. I need new ones!" Overall though, this potty training themselves business is the way to go! I'll let you know if the success continues over spring break. I learned last time, that YOU can't decide the time to potty train, it's really up to them!
Potty training was such a stressful, miserable experience for me with my first child, I used to joke with everyone that I was going to make my next kid BEG me to potty-train. I surely wasn't even going to try until Juliet had at least turned three! But I think I forgot the most important lessons I had learned: every kid is different and when they're ready, they're ready. Which brings me to today's post...
I guess it all started a few weeks ago when Juliet was with Justin at Grandma's house. She asked to go potty, sat down and peed. He of course showered her with candy and praise. We left for Disneyland the next day, and that was that. Every time I had to go to the restroom, Juliet wanted to go too. She would just sit there for a few seconds--nothing came out-- then she wanted to wipe and flush. It was actually a bit of an inconvenience, but I let her do her thing.
We came home from Disneyland, and I had one day to recover from all the fun and get us all ready for my 3-day work week. I was already feeling overwhelmed, the LAST thing I wanted to do was potty train. Juliet had something different in mind. She woke up and told me she wanted to go pee pee on the potty. I put her little potty in the living room, took her pants off, and continued doing everything I needed to do. In a couple of minutes, she came and got me. She told me she went pee, and she wanted candy. I went and looked and sure enough, there was pee! We cheered, clapped and ate candy. She wanted to keep her pants off, so I let her. One more pee before nap time and no accidents. I was still in disbelief! We put a diaper on for nap time. As SOON as she woke up, she wanted panties. I told her she had to pee in the potty first, so she did. CRAZY! We went to pick Aubrey up from school with panties on. I told Aubrey about all of the potty adventures, and she showered Juliet with praise. Juliet was loving all the candy and praise! The first day ended with 4 pees, 2 poops, and 2 accidents (while climbing onto the potty). All the while, I did nothing! I didn't sit with her in the bathroom...in fact, she got sick of going on her little potty, so she moved the stool over to the big potty and put on the potty seat all by herself (hence the accident in the process of getting on). This was my kind of potty-training!
I still wasn't sure I wanted to go for it full-throttle. I knew we NEEDED to take the paci away because she was biting it off at the base, and it was a choking hazard. That was our plan for the coming weekend, so I didn't want to overwhelm Juliet. Also, I worked the next three days, and Juliet wasn't a fan of going potty at Carrie's house, so neither of us stressed it. She would still use the potty in the mornings and after we got home. Sometimes she would ask for panties, sometimes she would ask for a pull-up and sometimes she would ask for a diaper. I let her wear whatever she wanted. I definitely did not want to make this experience as stressful as last time!
We plan on REALLY potty training over spring break, but in the meantime, we are encouraging Juliet to use the potty whenever she can. Most of the time, she is the one who does the reminding! We've been at the Dr.'s office twice since Thursday. Both times we were there, she pooped in the potty! But I'm not going to sugar coat it all...with Aubrey, she had crazy bladder control (probably because she stressed out so much that she would hold it for DAYS at a time). Juliet has no bladder control and will sometimes ask to go twice when we are out at a restaurant, etc. It's such an inconvenience! She also can care less about accidents! She just says, "Mom, I peed my pants. I need new ones!" Overall though, this potty training themselves business is the way to go! I'll let you know if the success continues over spring break. I learned last time, that YOU can't decide the time to potty train, it's really up to them!
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Two, Two Fast!
I can hardly believe that my "baby" turned two (almost two months ago)! I think with your oldest, you really feel like they're such big kids. They seem so mature and grown-up. But with a younger sibling, the oldest seems so big, that the younger still feel like your baby (well, I guess, unless you have a younger baby, which I don't, so she's still my baby). But each day she's reminding me that a "baby" she is certainly NOT!
Spunky, bossy, flirtatious, independent, charismatic and lovable is what she is! And, man, did she do it up in our pictures for her cards. I love that she gave us a bit of her dynamic personality! As you all may know, life is hectic right before the holidays and with work/school right up until Dec. 23rd this year, I was running behind! When we went to take pictures, my battery died, so we hurried over to grandma's house with just a bit of daylight left and took quick pictures in her backyard. These cards got out late, but hey, at least they got out!
We invited Justin's family, cousins, and their kiddos over for a little family celebration on her actual birthday. It was very impromptu, but oh-so-fun! We had PB&Js, chips, grapes, and even some face painting thanks to a kit Aubrey got for Christmas. Love these kiddos!
Then we had her main party at The Wild, a cute little party place for younger aged kids.
There were jump houses, indoor play structures, but Juliet's favorite toys, BY FAR, were the exersaucers for the babies. She was quite the sight sitting in the baby toys. Lol.
The face painting was a hit again! Juliet got an ice cream cone to match the shirt her Auntie Christy gave her.
Juliet is a reminder of how perfect God's plan is. It was so hard to deal with the two miscarriages before Juliet, but we serve a sovereign God. His plan is perfect! Juliet was meant to be born into this family, and we are so thankful she has been with us for TWO whole years!
More on what a big girl she is in a later post... :) WE LOVE YOU, Juliet!
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| photo by Justin's cousin, Annie Groves Photography (Keizer, Or) |
We invited Justin's family, cousins, and their kiddos over for a little family celebration on her actual birthday. It was very impromptu, but oh-so-fun! We had PB&Js, chips, grapes, and even some face painting thanks to a kit Aubrey got for Christmas. Love these kiddos!
There were jump houses, indoor play structures, but Juliet's favorite toys, BY FAR, were the exersaucers for the babies. She was quite the sight sitting in the baby toys. Lol.
The face painting was a hit again! Juliet got an ice cream cone to match the shirt her Auntie Christy gave her.
More on what a big girl she is in a later post... :) WE LOVE YOU, Juliet!
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Sisters
I was sorting through the million pictures from the last couple of months, and a couple of pictures caught my eye. I couldn't help but notice how similar my girls looked in these pictures...their actions and expressions.
I love how God created them so uniquely different and yet so strikingly similar.
I'm so thankful that God gave them each other. Sisters. Such a special gift.
I love how God created them so uniquely different and yet so strikingly similar.
I'm so thankful that God gave them each other. Sisters. Such a special gift.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Christmas Highlights
Decorating
Papa Steve's
Papa Cc's
Christmas Eve Traditions
Christmas Morning
Grandpa and Grandma's
Grandma Nancy's visit
All Dressed Up
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| Watching Baby Alive do her business LOL |
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| Look at this HUGE box Santa brought!! |
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| He must have had a LOT of elves to help him put this trampoline together! |
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| Sprinking "instant snow" in their front yard. :) |
All Dressed Up
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| We even had a little Grinch! :) |
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