My three kiddos

There are times when a mom looks at her children who are up to their elbows in something they know they're not supposed to be into and wonders who in the world could these children be! And then there are times when a mom looks at her kiddos and just wants to hug 'em and squeeze'em, and like the old Bugs Bunny cartoon, call their name George--but I digress--as usual! When we had all the cousins ' pictures taken together this Thanksgiving, the photographer did such an amazing job that I had to get her to take a picture of just the 3 of ours together...and it turned out so great! It's not often I say that about a picture, but I do love this shot! This is how I want to remember my kids when I'm old and gray...I might get this blown up to life size and pretend they're real for those days when their antics simply can't be real!

(in case anyone is wondering or concerned, I used my free "Smile By Wire" whatchamijigger and had the pictures sent to me to view and share electronically--hence the sharing them legally on my digital blog--no copyright infringement that I'm aware of!)

It's rare, but here it is!!!

Hardly ever do Brent and I agree to pose for pictures, but we could not let the ivory tuxedo he had to wear for his brother's wedding go undocumented! It turned out to be better than we thought since all the groomsmen wore the same tux--there were 7 men the kids were calling "Mr. White Cloud" so no one sufffered alone! :-) It was a really nice time to get together with family and meet some of the friends that my in-laws often speak of when sharing tales of their boys growing up! Anytime you get that many guys together who are forced to wear ivory...you know there's going to be a whole lot of joking going on!

A great day for a picnic...or not!

We packed a picnic lunch to help break up the LONG drive to Brent's Brother's wedding this last week. It turned out to be pretty cold and we sat and shiverred as a we ate our lunch, but the kids had a great time playing at the rest area, and they were so glad to be out of the van!

I've been tagged...

So I was tagged by my friend, Erin, to share one of my favorite recipes...and my wonderful and patient husband just showed me how to include links in my blog so it now works to just click on her name...what would we do without computer geniuses?!?

This is one of my favorite recipes to pull out for showers, ladies' fellowships, church potlucks, etc. because it is so very yummy and just as easy!
One package Oreo cookies--crushed (I use my Cuisinart)
One 8 oz package cream cheese, softened.

Mix these 2 ingredients together and form them into balls. (My small pampered chef scoop is the perfect size!) and freeze for an hour or so until firm. Then dip each ball into melted chocolate and let the chocolate harden (adding a tablespoon or so of shortening to chocolate chips makes the finished product really shiny and professional looking) I keep them refrigerated since the insides do tend to get gooey after sitting out for a while. It also keeps them out of sight, which is the only way they last around my house!

Hope this helps get me "untagged!"

Some of that "Mom Sentimentality"

I must confess I cry at commercials (anyone who knows me, won't be surprised by that!) but I am especially sentimental when it comes to those commercials that show a bride walking down the aisle and then flash backs to her childhood hinting at how fast she's grown up. I've been super sappy lately about Hannah for some reason and wanting to capture so many of these everyday moments so we'll have them later on. I had to have a picture of her in this outfit. Maybe it's the ruffle socks, or the sparkly sweater...I know she won't want to wear bows in her hair forever, but I don't ever want to forget this stage of her life. She really is at a great stage. She's still wanting to crawl up into our laps and snuggle, but she's old enough to really be thinking deep thoughts and want to talk about them--okay, most of the time she's thinking about what she wants to take to show and tell and what color Scooby Doo's collar should be on her coloring page, but she gets deep every once in a while!

Another thing I'm going to try to capture on video is the way she comes running out of the school building everyday and climbs into the van. It's just another one of those things I want burned on my mind forever, but since my mind is so full of groceries, laundry, and ways to help Daniel remember to bring more than one of his p.e. shoes home at a time, I'm going to try to video it!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving...God is good and I have so much to be thankful for!!!

I am so proud of me!!!

Does anyone else have trouble finishing a book? I am so proud of myself for just finishing "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World" by Joanna Weaver (It was excellent, by the way...) I can finish a work of fiction no problem, but I must have a gazillion non-fiction (more Bible Study style) books started! Am I the only one with the attention span of a 4 year old, or do you
struggle with the same thing?

Other books I am in the middle of reading:
Shepherding a Child's Heart (this is acutally about my 3rd time through the book) by Ted Tripp
A Woman After God's Own Heart, A Mom after God's Own Heart, and Beautiful in God's Eyes by Elizabeth George
Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow--also my second time through it, but I don't think I ever made it completely through the first time!
Twelve Extraordinary Women in the Bible by John MacArthur


I did start and finish Mardi Colliers book "What do I know about my God?" and it was amazing, too! I have been having a great time using her notebook idea to keep track of what I see about God in my quiet times of devotion. That and my ESV Brent bought for me have really made a huge difference in the quality of my time with the Lord which has in turn increased the quantity of my quality time in the Word. So wait...I take it all back...I've finished 2 books this last year...that's not so bad is it?!?

Anyone else have a good book to recommend I start reading?!? :-) I'm always a sucker for a good book to start! But hey...I did just finish two. I'm kind of inspired to finish some of these others...kind of! :-)

In honor of my long lost roomie...

I won't mention any names, but you know who you are...It seems Sarah has inherited the uncanny ability to put rather large things into her mouth. I thought of a dear friend of mine immediately when I saw Sarah putting the entire end of the phone in her mouth! I had to take these pictures as an ode to a dear friend who can put her entire fist in her mouth! How I miss those days, don't you, former roomie?!?

SNOW!!!

We had our first official snowfall the other night. It didn't quite cover the grass but it was enough to make the kids go wild with excitement! They had a hard time concentrating on the task of getting ready for school so we were running late. I didn't think being late because we had to take pictures of the kids and the snow for the blog would go over real well with the school office so you have to settle for just a picture of our backyard that I took after I got back from dropping them off. The snow had all melted before lunch and we haven't had any since, but we know we'll be having our fair share of it all too soon!

These pictures cracked me up!

Sarah normally loves to be outside, but sitting in a pile of poky leaves is another story I guess! She was happy and loving life while I was holding her, but the minute I tried to pose her in the leaves she started screaming. It was either the leaves or her brother and sister that were poking her...one never knows these days! :-)

It's long...but worth it--Come back when you have more time to read it! :-)

In addition to my quiet times with the Lord recently, I've been reading the book, "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World" by Joanna Weaver. It's been excellent so far--very, very good--but I haven't finished it yet, so I can't whole-heartedly endorse it until I've read it in it's entirety. But something I read recently was a real help, and I wanted to share it with all of my frazzled-mom-friends especially...but it's good for anyone who's not a mom, too, just busy with things older than 8! :-) Yes...it's a very long post...probably my longest yet, but it's only a page and a half from the book...so look at it that way...it's only a bit more than a page in a book (a book without pictures, mind you, but only a page or so nonetheless!) And well worth the time!


"Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.
My thirty-something birthday had dawned bright and busy. Tucked into a pile of bills and credit card applications I found a card sent from my friend, Janet McHenry. The message inside wished me a “Hoopy Birthday,” and that made me smile, but the picture on the front was what really grabbed my attention. It illustrated everything I’d been feeling that dreary, getting older day.
“That’s me,” I said to my husband, poking at the black and white glossy.
Taken back in the early 1950’s, the photo showed a young woman in Greta Garbo shorts with eight or nine hula hoops swinging madly around her waist. “How does she do that?” I wanted to know.
It had been a frustrating day of too many responsibilities and not enough of me to go around. One by one, I named the Hula-Hoops I had been trying to keep in motion: wife, mother, pastor’s wife, friend, writer, piano instructor, cook, cleaning lady, and the big one—Little League mother. If we weren’t racing to baseball games, we were rushing to church; if I wasn’t folding laundry, I was stealing a few minutes to write.
“That’s me!” I laughed. I made exaggerated motions with my hips, trying to keep my invisible hoops afloat. My eyes darted from the photo to my husband’s concerned face then back again. “That’s me!”
After a few cups of chamomile tea and some chocolate chip sedatives—I mean, cookies—I calmed down and read my friend’s letter while my husband ran our kids to yet another ball game. Chatty and full of humor, Janet shared her hectic schedule and the things the Lord had been teaching her.
I finished the letter, closed the card and looked once more at the girl on the front. There were so many hoops, but she appeared calm. Her upper body seemed to be perfectly still, her arms outstretched slightly, as the hoops raced around her waist in synchronized chaos.
Her face captured me. Looking straight into the camera, she smiled peacefully as though she hadn’t a care in the world.
Then it dawned on me—I saw her secret. “She found a rhythm,” I whispered to myself. “She established her center, and then let everything move around that.”
That’s exactly what I wasn’t doing in my life. All the things I’d been trying to accomplish were important, but I had lost my center. Busy being busy, I’d forgotten to tend to my inner self, the spiritual me. Like a wheel without an axle, I’d careened through life, bouncing off one duty and onto another.
If there was adequate pause, I’d spend some time with the Lord. But lately, more often than not, my busy days had slipped by without a quiet time. And my life was revealing what my spirit had missed.
“Teach me, Lord. Show me the rhythm of life,” I found myself praying.
“Be my center.”

Life is filled with Hula-hoops. We all have responsibilities, important things that need our attention. If we’re not careful, however, our hearts and our minds can be consumed with the task of keeping them in the air. Rather than centering ourselves in Christ and letting the other elements of our lives take their rightful place around that center, we end up shifting our attention from one important to-do item to another, frantically trying to keep them all in motion.
It’s easy to forget that while there is a time to work, there is also a time to worship—and it’s the worship, the time we spend with God, that provides the serene center to a busy, complex life."
(Taken from "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World" by Joanna Weaver pp 99-100 Waterbrook Press)

Messy Handwriting--A sign of Genious?

So I've heard it said that the smartest people often have really bad penmanship. If this is true, Daniel must be pure genious!

Yesterday Daniel came home after school, and I was checking his homework. I came to his handwriting paper that he had finished at school and quickly realized he'd be doing the entire thing over. He knew it wasn't acceptable--not even close, but was obviously less than thrilled by the prospect of doing the entire thing over. I took it as more of a character lesson about working carefully and doing your best more than actually being concerned that each letter be perfect (I mean come on...I do have a heart after all!) So after a few miutes of grumbling and then a few minutes of "correcting the grumbling" Daniel started in on the assigment--for the second time. I've always worked with him on his handwriting, but he's just never "got it" before. But something clicked this time. Perhaps it's a maturing thing, and he's just got more coordination and fine motor skill all of a sudden, or perhaps it was me standing over his shoulder...both can be pretty effective...but the light bulb came on (my favorite thing to see as a teacher--that moment when the kids "get it" and their face just lights up!) We were both literally beaming when we realized that Daniel figured out how to slant his letters and make them neatly, too! I know it sounds silly, but it's a big deal to both of us! He was so proud of himself. I jokingly said it was good enough to put on the blog...and Daniel loved the idea...so here it is...Daniel has made huge strides in his handwriting--even slanting! Yahoo!!! So does this mean his IQ has suddenly dropped many points because he writes neatly? hmmmmm...

Okay...for all you teachers out there, I know it's not perfect, but trust me...the light bulb has come on and pushed us light years ahead of his handwriting before! Seeing the look of accomplishment and pride in his work made the effort worth it all...like Mastercard...priceless!

And now for a more serious note...

One of our greatest desires for our children is to see them get saved at an early age and grow to love God with all their hearts and have a real, vital relationship with their heavenly Father. Daniel made a profession of faith a few summers ago, and there seems to be true evidences of his relationship with God as found in 1 John. We understand that our children's relationship with God is between them and God, and that we can never know for certain what is in their hearts....except when they tell us they're not saved...like Hannah's been doing for quite some time now. For about the past 6 months, she's shown a real interest in learning about salvation. We've done our best to point her to the Scripture each time she brought it up. About a week ago, she started getting really serious about it and was getting less and less distracted when we would open the Bible with her. It was probably last Saturday or Sunday that we really thought she would get saved, but when Brent asked her if she wanted to be save, much to our surprise she said no, that she'd do it another night...maybe tomorrow. We talked with about the imminency (sp?) of Christ's return and how our lives are but a vapor, but she just wasn't ready. Brent and I spent this last week really praying for her (and trying not to imagine all the what-if scenarios as I drove down the road--"What if we get in a car accident and she dies before she gets saved, or what if she chokes on that hot dog and dies, or what if"--and before you know it, I'm in tears thinking about her funeral--come on...most of you girls have done that before even if you won't admit it!) All week long she kept saying, "Maybe tomorrow night" or "Maybe tonight at family devotions" We wanted to be careful and make sure the Holy Spirit was the one working and not just 2 sincerely zealous parents so we tried to encourage her without pressuring her. But tonight, she came to us and asked if she could be saved. After lots of questions and making sure she understood and the Holy Spirit was indeed drawing her to Himself, we knelt beside the couch and Hannah asked the Lord to forgive her for sins and allow her to go to heaven. We rejoice in the Lord's goodness in helping our little girl see her need for a Saviour and the thought of spending eternity with her as our heavenly sister! God is so much better to us than we deserve! I took this picture of Brent and Hannah after she prayed...no need for a flash here, the beaming from my face was probably enough to light the entire room!

Just answer me one question, "Son, What were you thinking?!"

Daniel is such an 8 year old boy...I keep telling myself, "He's only 8, He's only 8" So I was in the garage putzing around Saturday afternoon--it was gorgeous outside--about 65 and sunny--we're enjoying those kind of days knowing full well they are numbered! And I hear Daniel say, "Mom, we've got a problem, but don't come out here!" So of course I went in the house and ignored him...no, that's what I wanted to do, but knew better! Not sure what he was thinking, but I heard him continue pounding with something--even after he told me there was a problem (He's only 8, He's only 8!) I went outside only to find him with the 2 foot long (or thereabouts) croquet post hammered into the ground so that only about 6 inches were above the ground. "I got a little carried away..." (he's only 8, he's only8) I explained in no uncertain terms that his father would not see the humor in the situation and he'd better do his best to get it out of the ground before Daddy realized what he had done. So what's he do? He starts digging with his fingers thinking he can dig the foot and a half down to get the stick out. I just walked away muttering "He's only 8, He's only 8!" I came back with the camera--I figured if he's crazy enough to hammer the post all the way into the ground, he can stand for me to take a picture of it and put it on the blog! (I ended up having mercy on him and somehow managed to wriggle it back and forth enough to get it to come out) Don't go thinking it's all cute and what not--to quote my friend Carissa when people tell her how cute her kids are..."It's kept them alive!"

Bananas in Pajamas are coming down the stairs...

Okay, so this adorable baby has nothing to do with the ridiculous kids show from a few years back about Bannanas is Pajamas, but she is in her nightgown and has bannanas smeared all over her face. This was our first attempt at putting a few pieces of real bannanas on her tray and letting her feed herself. Yes...it's up by her hairline...what can I say, she's got my double chin and lack of coordination--poor thing! She's doing very well with baby food. VERY WELL!!! She weighed in at 23 pounds 2 ounces at her 9 month well baby check up last week...yes, she is an overachiever and is weighing in well above the 95th percentile...she's not even on the charts...that's my girl! :-) Just a note of concern, though, the doctor is watching her for asthma...she's not quite ready to diagnose her yet, but most indicators are saying that Sarah has asthma. Her bout of pneumonia came as quite a surprise to us since she had no other symptoms--just a really bad cough that she could not get rid of. The doctor ordered a chest xray just to rule out pneumonia, but sure enough it came back showing that she had it in both lungs. She responded very well to the antibiotics and has stopped coughing now all together (finally!) We're thankful for a great doctor who likes to be cautious!

Fun with our Campus Kids

Mr. Collin's a sophomore History Ed major.

Mr. Tim's a Senior Missions major.
Miss Lydia's a transfer student--technically she's a sophomore, but this is her first semester at Northland. We missed having our other 2 with us--Miss Nikki and Miss Julie.

Campus Kids at Northland is a big deal! Each of the students are assigned to a staff family, and the staff family acts as a family for them while they are away from home. We only have 5 campus kids since we live off campus (Those families on campus can have upwards of 12!) But Daniel and Hannah have taken a real shining to our campus kids. We had them over for dinner the other night and the kids enjoyed some good old fashioned wrestling and looking Waldo--it's what we always seem to end up doing with our campus kids. 2 of our girls weren't able to make it since they were in a block class, so we'll have to get together again soon!

She's getting into everything!!!

So Sarah's really on the move now...she's still doing the soldier crawl most of the time, but she's doing a full-fledged up on all 4's now more and more...which means nothing is safe! She managed to find a box of goodies that I left by the fridge. She didn't manage to get any of the packages open, but that's because she didn't realize it was food. Had she realized that, there would have been no stopping her! Brent and I have observed that Sarah is much more determined than our other 2 have ever been. Daniel and Hannah definitely had their issues, (ask anyone from New Hope about Daniel's scream echoing through the hallways when it came time to leave him in the nursery!), but both of their temperaments were pretty mild and easy going as babies. Then came Sarah...She's one strong-willed child...when she gets something in her mind, nothing stops her, not even a little, shall we say, "persuasion" from us! We both think we're in for some tricky times with the terrible two's and three's!

Fall Fun!

We went to a fall festival of sorts at a nearby orchard a few weeks back. It was a small orchard (The trees were fenced in with a chain link fence to give you an idea how small it was) but the kids had fun playing with friends and going on a wagon ride around the orchard. It was one of those great and FREE family entertainment things that make everyone happy!

Daniel's Birthday

I'm going to post quite a bit tonight since my children and husband were so kind and let me get a 2 hour nap--which now means I'll be up until 1 or 2 in the morning, but it sure was nice to get a much needed nap! I know I've been remiss about posting lately...things sure have gotten busy around here with school and all. Hannah and Sarah have been sick so we we've added several doctor's appointments to the mix. Sarah ended up with pneumonia, but she's better now after a round of antibiotics. Hannah had a horrible cough as well and wasn't responding to the month of expectorants so the doctor put her on an antibiotic as well. Both patients are doing great now and I'm thankful I don't have to be giving medicine anymore or running to town for doctors appointments! :-) Daniel turned 8 at the end of September. Here are a few pics from the big event...


Brent and Daniel are so much alike. I think if Daniel could choose to do one thing for his birthday, it would be to spend time with his Daddy either playing video games or on the computer! I'm thankful for a husband that sees the value of a daddy spending time with his children...and not just playing video games (although they both seem to enjoy it no matter how old they get!)

We always let our children choose their birthday dinner...and with a little coaxing from me they usually choose to eat out. This year Daniel chose to eat at Dairy Queen...they like to get the free Dilly Bars with their kids meals. I do have to add a side note here that Daniel won't be eating off the kids' menu for too much longer...there are meals he out eats me and Brent! His birthday was on a Wednesday so we were able to eat out before we headed over to church.

Daniel loves legos. When we were looking around familyfun.com for what kind of cake he wanted me to make for his birthday, he loved the lego cake immediately! I also made him a snake cake for his friends at church. I baked and decorated cakes all morning long (enter sigh here with a hand dramatically swiping the perspiration from said brow) but it was worth it to see how much the cake actually looked like a real lego block! Familyfun.com is an amazing website for birthday cakes, party ideas, and family crafts. The explanations about how to make super cute cakes is a great help!

Just for fun!

He really does delight in talking with us...Amazing!

So I'm sitting here reflecting on something I just read...I often journal during my quiet time with the Lord since it really helps me put coherent thoughts together...so I thought I'd blog it instead...

Dr. Olson just sent out an email to all the staff here at Northland encouraging us to be faithful in our prayer lives. He talked about how God delights in us coming to him. I was reminded of a great picture of this that made it all real to me. You'll have to excuse the emotional musings of a mother...

When I was in the hospital room after I had given birth to Sarah, I was waiting for our children to come and see her for the first time. I knew they were on their way and had been eagerly waiting for them to make their appearance and meet Sarah for the first time after nine months' wait and anticipation. I'll never forget that twinge of excitement I felt as I heard them timidly knock on my hospital room door because I was going to be able to show them such an exciting thing that I knew would please them so much! The awe and wonder they had on their faces as they made their way ever so quietly over to my bed where I was holding their tiny baby sister is forever burned in my mind. I wanted to so much for them to sit and talk with me and let them see this amazing gift I had to share with them. That time together was priceless...I wouldn't trade it for anything! The way we looked at her little toes together and the intrigue they displayed over her umbilical cord and their gigles of delight at Sarah grasping onto their fingers...Daniel and Hannah both were wanting to soak it all in with such an unusually hushed excitement.

What a tiny picture of what our prayer time with the Lord could be like! He is waiting for us to come to Him...when He hears us drawing near to Him the Bible teaches that He draws near to us. He delights in sitting and talking with us and wants to show us amazing things that we have no clue about. That sweet time of fellowship is something we should look forward to, just like Daniel and Hannah were looking forward to coming in and fellowshipping with Baby Sarah for the first time. He wants to sit with us and share things with us that He knows will please us and encourage us. He's sitting there waiting for us to peak our heads into the room and come before His throne. He's waiting for that little knock and to hear us say, Lord...can I come in...I have something I want to talk with you about; I want to see what special things You have to show me today. We can display such wonder over his character and attributes, and sit in hushed tones as we wonder in awe over His majesty and unmatched glory.

I'm a word picture kind of girl...the next time I go to the Lord for my personal time with Him. I'll be picturing myself knocking on the door and hearing the Lord say, "Yes...come in! I have been waiting for you...I have something wonderful I want to share with you!" And I will walk over to His bed and curl up next to Him and talk with Him and let Him show me what He has for me to learn about Himself. I'll sit in wonder and awe at how mighty He is and hopefully leave His presence with a renewed sense and desire to change whatever He pointed to in my life and become more like His precious Son than I ever thought possible! How thankful I am that we have a relationship with our heavenly Father who delights in spending time us and doing things for us as only a Parent could!

Some of my favorite pics from recent days--No text--just some pics!

What a great reminder!

I was reading a friend's blog just now and was a bit overwhelmed by how our feelings as parents for our children are only a small glimpse of how the Lord must feel about us as His children. Erin was talking about how her son has been really sick this summer and explaining the anguish of her "Mother's Heart" wanting so desperately for her son to be well. It must be the same but only more so as the Lord looks down at us with his perfect love and wants us so desperately to do what's right and serve Him. The sickness of soul that He must see in us as we choose our own way and the consequences that come from those choices must break His heart, much like we feel as we watch our children suffer. God is so good to us and we can learn so much from Him as our heavenly Father. What a mighty God we serve! And what a great example of parenting He gives to us.

(You can catch the blog off to the right here--it's Erin Neiner's blog...it's worth the time to read it and pray for her family!)

What all my children do best!

The other day I decided to take this video to post for all the family that lives far away to show them how Sarah is growing and rolling over like crazy to get wherever she wants. As I was previewing it, I realized that I managed to capture all 3 of our kids doing what they do best or at least what they do most! Daniel is playing his gameboy...pretty much oblivious to everything else--occasionally looking up to see if anything interesting is happening. Sarah is rolling all around the living room and coughing on demand. And then there's Hannah--at my elbow, copying just about everything I say, doing just about everything I do. "How sweet!" some of you might be saying, but let me remind you that she's right at my elbow...most of the time, saying everything I say...most of the time! Yes, it's sweet, but come on...you have to know, no matter how cute she may be, that gets a bit old after a while! She's definitely my little shadow!
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She's so much like her mother!

She tries, she really does try, but she is still so much like me that the poor thing is doomed to be a clutz the rest of her life! We bought this little toy for a dollar at Walmart before we went camping, and it was one of the highlights of our trip! It has 2 velcro paddles/mitts and a fuzzy ball that you use to "catch" the ball. Brent and the kids played with that goofy toy more than anything else! Maybe there's enough of her daddy in her that there's a bit of hope for her athletically, but I'm not holding my breath on this one!
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First Day of School!

Ready to go, but first we had to stop and get pictures of the first day of school! I'm not sure who's more excited, the kids or Mommy!!!
Daniel's starting 3rd grade. We've homeschooled up to this point so I'm a bit concerned about the transition to a traditional classroom. He seems to have survived the first week of school without getting in trouble. He was even disappointed that he didn't get to go to school on Labor Day--didn't bother to tell him how disappointed I was, too, that they didn't get to to go to school!
When I expressed remorse at my little girl growing up and leaving me for kindergarten, Hannah consoled me with, "It's okay, Mommy, we can still play together in the afternoon. I'll only be gone for the mornings!"
Yes...I know this pic is blurry...just imagine that it's how I saw it--through my tears--both of joy and sadness! :-)
We had sucha fun time picking out back packs! We had to open up every single option and see what it looked like on the inside before Hannah chose this princess one. The deciding factor was that this one came with a lunch bag that velcros onto the backpack for her snack for snack time! I'd like to think there might be an ounce of her daddy's practicality in her, but I'm pretty sure she's got most of my "It's all about how it looks over function" in her! Daniel however is most like Brent and chose his based on how much he could get in it and how durable it would be. His big decision was finding a good color--he is his Daddy's boy for sure!

Daniel gets baptized!

Daniel made a profession of faith a while back while he was attending a NBT program at a local church. We were fairly confident that he was saved, but rejoiced when he was adament about needing to be baptized. Brent talked with him on several different occasions from the Bible about why a person should be baptized, and Daniel showed as clear of an understanding as one can show. Our church does not have a baptism tank, so we have to head to a lake about once or twice a year to baptize people. There were 15 people that were baptized this time! It was an exciting time to see young people openly profess Christ as their Savior and a desire to live for Him. It was also a great thing to see many adults baptized--the Lord has been working in some great ways in our little church!
Each of the people getting baptized had to share their salvation testimony with the group of people gathered. It was a special thing to see our little boy, who used to be so shy and quiet (quite a long time ago now, it seems!), so boldly speak of his decision to follow Christ.
One of the neat things our church does is allow the dads to baptize their children or anyone who has discipled the person getting baptized. It was special for Brent to be able to baptize Daniel as his earthly father and spiritual brother. Here Brent and Daniel are watching other people get baptized. They had to go so far out to get deep enough so this is the best picture I could get!
Daniel is ready for Brent to "bury him in the likeness of His death..." Notice the speed boat in the background? One of the downsides of baptizing at a public lake on one of the last nice weekends of the summer!

We praise the Lord for our children. It is our sincere desire and prayer for them to live for the Lord with every ounce of their being from as early of an age as possible. It's quite a sobering thing to realize that they are growing up and our time to train them Biblically is ticking away.

Time to Slop the Pigs...or that's what it feels like!

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Sarah loves eating her baby food...even the green beans! She gets so excited she literally attacks the spoon sometimes. Her little arms getting to flailing and her legs get to kicking--it's really something to see. Yesterday I was feeding her in the living room (by the AC--its was in the 90's here) and she was sending the applesauce everywhere--literally! She knocked my hand with a spoonful of applesauce, and the applesauce went flying over her head and onto the carpet behind her. By the time I was done feeding her, my leg was covered and I had managed to get it on MY shirt in 2 different places. She's definitely going to be taking after Hannah who still can't eat without getting it all over herself!

I went and got Daniel to video us...hence the video moving all over and the cute comments he "whispered" at the end!

a quick update

After my last post about never being able to win at Croquet, I have to let everyone know that I won a game of Stinger on Monday!!! It was close; I was almost beat out, but I managed to win against Daniel and Hannah. I knew it was just a matter of time until I would come out victorious! Just thought you'd all want to know...(yes...Brent was at work if you didn't read that between the lines...but we're only focusing on the victorious part for now!)

Family Time At It's Best...except that he ALWAYS WINS!!!

Hannah is such a little mother-type...we went outside for a rousing game of croquet last night, and she brought her little stroller out. Don't know if you can tell, but she has a tiny little naked baby doll, a sippy cup for her doll, and a photo album in the stroller. She played the first game with us, and the third game, but took a break during the second one to feed her baby. I looked over at her sitting in her little kid's lawn chair and saw her screw on the lid to her sippy cup and give it a good shaking like she was mixing formula for her baby to drink. I'm still nursing, so I'm not sure where she got it from...I'm guessing it's all built in by the Lord.

Hannah has the same mothering instincts, but unfortunately for her, Hannah has my athletic ability, too. Brent tries to help her out, but she just doesn't get it. Daniel was even trying to encourage her last night, but some things were just not meant to be...

When Daniel realized how well Hannah did if Brent helped her, he starting playing all helpless so Brent would help him, too. Daniel does just fine...I think he just wanted his fair share of attention. By the end of the third game, Daniel and I were ganging up on Brent, but he still managed to blow us away at "Stinger" all three times. We even tried to change the rules (a trick I'm known for in my last futile attempts at winning) but he got us everytime...it's no fun when we play with grown-ups...next time Daniel, Hannah, and I are playing by ourselves...maybe then I'll have a chance...but I'm not holding my breath!

Just a fun shot I took the other night...has absolutely nothing to do with croquet, but I couldn't resist this face!

How does she manage?!?

So I've been pretty pleased with how Sarah has taken to solids...she clearly likes to eat! Until yesterday--for some strange reason she decided she didn't want to eat, but rather play...and she ended up with rice cereal from her eyebrows to her ears to all the rolls in that chubby little neck of hers! I just think she wasn't in the mood to eat...go figure!

Hannah loves to read books to Sarah. I bought a bunch of those touch and feel books when Hannah was a baby, and now I'm so glad I kept them! It's a favorite thing of Hannah's to sit and read books to Sarah. As you can see, Sarah doesn't seem to mind either! By the way...Hannah's latest thing is to "read in her mind" She almost has Daniel convinced that she can really read--she just can't say the words!

I like this kind of thinking!

My mother-in-law sent me an email with this in it...I think I'll keep this perspective next time I have to step on the scales at the doctor's office!

Yesterday I went to the doctor for my yearly physical. My blood pressure was high, my cholesterol was high, I'd gained some weight and I didn't feel so hot.
My doctor said eating right doesn't have to be complicated and it would solve my physical problems. He said just think in colors; fill your plate with bright colors; greens, yellows, reds, etc.
I went right home and ate an entire bowl of M&M's and sure enough, I felt better immediately. I never knew eating right could be so easy.

This one turned out great!!!

I was playing around with my filters in my photo editor today and came up with this one. I think I'm going to get it printed in an 8 x 10 and frame it in a black frame with a big white mat! I'm loving the way it turned out! The pic is from this Sunday before we left for church.

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There's little that compares to the giggle of a little girl responding to her Daddy's tickles!

I just don't get it...

I send the kids outside to play everyday. And most of the time they go adventuring, but the past several days they've been camping out on the front porch. We have 4 acres of land, some densely wooded, a great swing set, a paved driveway and basektball hoop, a gravel part of our driveway for digging in and spinning out on their big wheels, but no...they camp out on the porch! I even tried to get them to camp out under the shade of one our many trees, but they would not be persuaded. I think it must be the electrical outlet that they have the cd player plugged into so they can listen to their book on cd...go figure!

Pics from the kids time at Grandpa and Grandma Griffins

Two of Hannah's favorite things...shopping bags and umbrellas! She often scavenges behind me when I'm putting things away from a shopping trip. "Can I have that bag, mommy?" Her room is full of plastic bags with all her little treasures in them!
Down by the camper is one of Daniel and Hannah's favorite spots at Grandma and Grandpa Griffins. They have picnics and weiner roasts. They get to sleep in the camper on special occasions. One night during their visit, Grandma and Hannah went down and had a sleepover in the camper. They stayed up until midnight watching movies...just the girls!

So when they needed a place to keep their riding lawn mower, true to Grandma and Grandpa fashion, they built the kids a clubhouse! Oh yeah, the lawn mower is underneath the clubhouse, but the top is for the kids to play in...and it has a great slide!

Sarah loved Grandpa Griffin, that's for sure!!!

Not sure who she's talking to here...maybe me...but more likely it's Great Grandma Griffin..."Can I come down and play at your house?!?"

Hannah lost her first tooth while she was at Grandma and Grandpa's house. It was so loose for so long. Grandpa even tried to use the pliers, but to no avail. It eventually became so loose that Grandma was able to pull it. Tooth #2 is now loose, and Hannah is much braver now that she knows more about how it will feel when it comes out.

Grandpa on the roof retrieving a frisbee...enough said!!!

Grandpa had a birthday while the kids were visiting. Daniel went to the cousins' house and Hannah LOVED having all the attention for herself! 58?!? Grandpa's really getting old, isn't he!!!