I'm still here!!! I miss the blog world, but we've had so much going on, I haven't had time to update in a while.
I'll be back to you as soon as I can with some fun stories and pictures of the things we've been up to lately!!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
The kids and I
This past weekend I was “home alone” with the kids. David was out of town for work, so it was just the kiddo’s and I! We did get to spend Friday night and Saturday morning with Leslie and her son Clayton! We had a sleepover!! 35 years old and we had a sleep over! It was great!
Dinner was great – Leslie made it! The kids went to bed good, and the old ladies turned in before 10PM, but we had a good time!! Then Saturday morning we had omelets and coffee and hung out for a while! It was nice to have another adult here for some of the time that David was gone! I’m really blessed to have the friends I have!!
Saturday was an interesting day with Avery. That little girl had more energy than I could have if I sleep 12 hours a day!
She decided she wanted to wash her hands after breakfast and proceeded to get water EVERYWHERE in the bathroom. All over her, the sink, the walls, the floor – it was a mess!! It took 2 bath towel size towels to clean it up and a new outfit for Avery!
Then after Leslie and Clayton left, we went up to do some cleaning in Luke’s room and while Luke and I cleaned up, Avery made a mess! So I cleaned that up… THEN she thought it might be neat to stand on top of Luke’s laundry hamper. Which is that woven wood stuff. I’m guessing she stood on it for all of 3 seconds before the top gave way and her right leg feel through!! It was funny – funny to me I guess, she was crying and she did get a scrap on her leg (she was fine, just scared!) – so maybe not so funny to her!
Then AFTER nap time we went outside to play in the sandbox and I spent the next 30 minutes trying to convince her to keep her cloths on! I don’t know what it is, but she gets in the sandbox and thinks she needs to take her clothes off!?!?! No, she's not a tactile child at all!
We then went to run a few errands, and when we got home she started again with taking her clothes off. She just likes to be “free” I guess. Silly girl! Anyway, we made it through dinner and baths and they both went right on to bed!
It was a good weekend with them but I really appreciate David and am thankful for all that he does with the kids when he’s home! I was exhausted by Sunday night!
Dinner was great – Leslie made it! The kids went to bed good, and the old ladies turned in before 10PM, but we had a good time!! Then Saturday morning we had omelets and coffee and hung out for a while! It was nice to have another adult here for some of the time that David was gone! I’m really blessed to have the friends I have!!
Saturday was an interesting day with Avery. That little girl had more energy than I could have if I sleep 12 hours a day!
She decided she wanted to wash her hands after breakfast and proceeded to get water EVERYWHERE in the bathroom. All over her, the sink, the walls, the floor – it was a mess!! It took 2 bath towel size towels to clean it up and a new outfit for Avery!
Then after Leslie and Clayton left, we went up to do some cleaning in Luke’s room and while Luke and I cleaned up, Avery made a mess! So I cleaned that up… THEN she thought it might be neat to stand on top of Luke’s laundry hamper. Which is that woven wood stuff. I’m guessing she stood on it for all of 3 seconds before the top gave way and her right leg feel through!! It was funny – funny to me I guess, she was crying and she did get a scrap on her leg (she was fine, just scared!) – so maybe not so funny to her!
Then AFTER nap time we went outside to play in the sandbox and I spent the next 30 minutes trying to convince her to keep her cloths on! I don’t know what it is, but she gets in the sandbox and thinks she needs to take her clothes off!?!?! No, she's not a tactile child at all!
We then went to run a few errands, and when we got home she started again with taking her clothes off. She just likes to be “free” I guess. Silly girl! Anyway, we made it through dinner and baths and they both went right on to bed!
It was a good weekend with them but I really appreciate David and am thankful for all that he does with the kids when he’s home! I was exhausted by Sunday night!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
If for 20 years...
...I let my hair grow - with the sole intention of never cutting it and just letting it grow, it still would never be this long:
But that's why they sell hair! And I'll have it for my sisters wedding! It's so fun to have long hair sometimes!
But that's why they sell hair! And I'll have it for my sisters wedding! It's so fun to have long hair sometimes!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Day Dreams
What do you day dream about? When you have a quiet moment and there’s nothing really pressing to occupy your thoughts, what do you day dream about?
Here are a few of the things I’ve been dreaming about…
Riding the open water... and driving is good too!
Here are a few of the things I’ve been dreaming about…
Riding the open water... and driving is good too!
Beautiful beach sunrises
Playing in the ocean with my babies!
July 4th fireworks with my family
Some time on Badin Lake
Days at the pool with the kids
Beautiful spring weather (but NOT all the pollen that goes with it!)
Our cruise in September
Friday, April 9, 2010
What are you saying?
Don’t you just love social networking sites, like Facebook? Isn’t it wonderful to be able to be in touch with people you haven’t seen since high school, or college, or who you grew up with and haven’t seen or talked to in more than 19 years? Oh yes, it’s wonderful!!
Seriously, sometimes it is fun. Keeping up with friends and family who are far away is so much easier… but really, ALL those people on your friend list – really? How many of them do you talk to? How many of them do you really care what they are doing? Some of them never, ever even use FB, so what was the point? Others on that list you just wish would take a minute away from their computer and use the bathroom without telling us they are going to do it! You know what I mean, right? There’s someone on your friend list that just gets on your nerves, right?
I have a “friend” like that. Now, I have like several hundred friends on my friend list, so if you’re reading this and worrying that I’m talking about you – you can rest assured I’m not!! I wouldn’t even say this person is a friend but more of an aquantance really.
Every time this person updates their status I cringe… and it’s not that it’s bad or anything – actually lots of times its uplifting – it’s just that it seems to rub me the wrong way from this particular person.
That has set me to thinkin’ (boy that’s kinda red-neck isn’t it?!) How do my status updates affect others?
Really, do you ever think about that? I don’t. I just open up FB and type whatever is on my mind. In thinking about that – maybe that’s not such a great idea. Maybe I should filter it through “someone else’s” eyes. I think I need to think about it as if someone else were reading it.
Now, I’m not foolish enough to think that everyone who reads it will just love what I have to say (or even care for that matter!), but seriously – from now on, I’ll be thinking about what I am sharing with cyber world, before I post it.
Don’t you just love that we can share every single thought with the whole world? Why is it we feel the need to do that anyway?
Seriously, sometimes it is fun. Keeping up with friends and family who are far away is so much easier… but really, ALL those people on your friend list – really? How many of them do you talk to? How many of them do you really care what they are doing? Some of them never, ever even use FB, so what was the point? Others on that list you just wish would take a minute away from their computer and use the bathroom without telling us they are going to do it! You know what I mean, right? There’s someone on your friend list that just gets on your nerves, right?
I have a “friend” like that. Now, I have like several hundred friends on my friend list, so if you’re reading this and worrying that I’m talking about you – you can rest assured I’m not!! I wouldn’t even say this person is a friend but more of an aquantance really.
Every time this person updates their status I cringe… and it’s not that it’s bad or anything – actually lots of times its uplifting – it’s just that it seems to rub me the wrong way from this particular person.
That has set me to thinkin’ (boy that’s kinda red-neck isn’t it?!) How do my status updates affect others?
Really, do you ever think about that? I don’t. I just open up FB and type whatever is on my mind. In thinking about that – maybe that’s not such a great idea. Maybe I should filter it through “someone else’s” eyes. I think I need to think about it as if someone else were reading it.
Now, I’m not foolish enough to think that everyone who reads it will just love what I have to say (or even care for that matter!), but seriously – from now on, I’ll be thinking about what I am sharing with cyber world, before I post it.
Don’t you just love that we can share every single thought with the whole world? Why is it we feel the need to do that anyway?
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Marriage
I’ve been thinkin’…
And praying…
A LOT!
On one hand it’s been wearing me down (just the emotional side of things)…
On the other hand, it’s a total honor to be able to pray for others!
I’m so glad I have a God who cares!
I know of several people whose marriages are literally falling apart around them. One or the other of them is trying to work things out, but for whatever reason things aren’t looking too good. That makes me so sad! And to make it even sadder… they are all “churched”, “Christian” couples with families. So there are children suffering too.
I have a growing burden for Christian women - married Christian women who are married to Christian men. These are supposed to be the people we don’t worry about, right? Wrong! I go to church on Sunday and since attending a larger church, I often sit and wonder about the many hurting families that are there. I cannot see their hurts, pains or struggles on the outside because most of them I don’t know, but I know (cause statistics prove it) that some of those marriages are struggling.
Why is it that way? Why do good, Christian families have to suffer? I don’t have the total answer to that but I do know a few things. For one, we live in a sinful world, so there is just gonna be some of that cause that’s how sin is. Two, Satan loves to attack believers. He loves to attack those who are doing the right things, cause they are a threat to him, and if he can get a grip on those “in the church” he thinks he’ll do better. He’s wrong, but it still happens and people are hurting, and I hate it. It makes me sad.
Since I’m no counselor, there isn’t really any advice I could offer these folks that would help them in anyway, but I do know a few things from being married for 10 years.
Marriage isn’t easy. Is it wonderful and great and do I love being married to David? YES! Would I want to be single again? NO! Does that make being married any easier sometimes? Nope.
One thing I’ve learned over the years is that marriage (and kids) is not about me. It’s totally about the other person. And that’s what makes it so hard sometimes. We are such selfish people and so always trying to put someone else first is really hard. Isn’t that how it is with our relationship with Christ? We always want something from Him. Some think that if they do for Him, then He’ll do for them in return. That’s true to some extent, but the thing is He’s already done the ultimate thing for us! He gave his very life on the cross. So that’s it… that’s all He needed to do, but here’s the cool thing – that’s NOT all He does for us. He keeps on giving and giving. And that’s how we’re supposed to be in our marriage relationships. Both a relationships need daily work, daily time put into it in order to get something out of it. We can never out give God, that’s not the point. The point is to spend time with Him because we love Him. Same in our marriages… we spend time together, do things for each other – not because it benefits us – but because we love the other person.
I pray for all of these right now who are struggling with their marriages – I pray God will work miracles in their lives. And I also pray that God would protect the marriages out there that are strong, that He would keep them strong and growing. I pray that for my own marriage as well.
What a blessing it is to be able to pray for others!!!!
And praying…
A LOT!
On one hand it’s been wearing me down (just the emotional side of things)…
On the other hand, it’s a total honor to be able to pray for others!
I’m so glad I have a God who cares!
I know of several people whose marriages are literally falling apart around them. One or the other of them is trying to work things out, but for whatever reason things aren’t looking too good. That makes me so sad! And to make it even sadder… they are all “churched”, “Christian” couples with families. So there are children suffering too.
I have a growing burden for Christian women - married Christian women who are married to Christian men. These are supposed to be the people we don’t worry about, right? Wrong! I go to church on Sunday and since attending a larger church, I often sit and wonder about the many hurting families that are there. I cannot see their hurts, pains or struggles on the outside because most of them I don’t know, but I know (cause statistics prove it) that some of those marriages are struggling.
Why is it that way? Why do good, Christian families have to suffer? I don’t have the total answer to that but I do know a few things. For one, we live in a sinful world, so there is just gonna be some of that cause that’s how sin is. Two, Satan loves to attack believers. He loves to attack those who are doing the right things, cause they are a threat to him, and if he can get a grip on those “in the church” he thinks he’ll do better. He’s wrong, but it still happens and people are hurting, and I hate it. It makes me sad.
Since I’m no counselor, there isn’t really any advice I could offer these folks that would help them in anyway, but I do know a few things from being married for 10 years.
Marriage isn’t easy. Is it wonderful and great and do I love being married to David? YES! Would I want to be single again? NO! Does that make being married any easier sometimes? Nope.
One thing I’ve learned over the years is that marriage (and kids) is not about me. It’s totally about the other person. And that’s what makes it so hard sometimes. We are such selfish people and so always trying to put someone else first is really hard. Isn’t that how it is with our relationship with Christ? We always want something from Him. Some think that if they do for Him, then He’ll do for them in return. That’s true to some extent, but the thing is He’s already done the ultimate thing for us! He gave his very life on the cross. So that’s it… that’s all He needed to do, but here’s the cool thing – that’s NOT all He does for us. He keeps on giving and giving. And that’s how we’re supposed to be in our marriage relationships. Both a relationships need daily work, daily time put into it in order to get something out of it. We can never out give God, that’s not the point. The point is to spend time with Him because we love Him. Same in our marriages… we spend time together, do things for each other – not because it benefits us – but because we love the other person.
I pray for all of these right now who are struggling with their marriages – I pray God will work miracles in their lives. And I also pray that God would protect the marriages out there that are strong, that He would keep them strong and growing. I pray that for my own marriage as well.
What a blessing it is to be able to pray for others!!!!
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Staycation
The weather here has been really, really beautiful this last week. Spring has come to Colfax for sure!! And we’ve been enjoying as much of it as we can!
Way back when (before we learned we had to purchase a new vehicle) we talked about going away for a short get away this weekend. Since this week was spring break for the kids and David has a lighter than usual load – but since that didn’t pan out, we decided to try and do some fun stuff around home.
So earlier in the week – we did a day swap with our friend Clayton. Luke and Avery went over to spend the day with Leslie and their buddy Clayton and then the next day – Clayton came here! They had a really good time together and there were many funny things that happened while Clayton was at our house, but the funniest would have to be that for some reason Avery decided she wanted to take off all her cloths and play in the sandbox in just her diaper. Not a great idea, but OK – it was plenty warm out for it. Next thing I know, she’s totally naked and literally covered in sand. It was like being at the beach with no waves!! The boys thought it was hysterical too!
Needless to say, she got to come in and take a bath! She was so excited to play with the boys that she refused to take a nap!! Later in the afternoon when they were all sitting resting a bit, watching some Curious George – it got very quiet – upon entering the living room, this is what I saw…
The boys were both sitting on the sofa watching TV – and there Avery was – sound asleep on the floor! Poor thing!
We’ve also spent lots of ridding our bikes!
And the highlight of the week so far was our lunch date with Daddy yesterday! Where did we go you ask that was so wonderful? Chuck E. Cheese! And oh boy was it a blast! It was Daddy’s first visit – EVERY – and it’s been a long time since we had been. It was packed, but we had a really good time! I didn’t get as many pictures as I wanted too, but here are just a couple.
The fun didn’t end yesterday! Today we plan on going to the local Farmers Market for an egg hunt with the kids, and hopefully we’ll be joining our friend Clayton there as well! Then this afternoon is the opening exhibition game for the Greensboro Grasshoppers baseball season, and we are planning on being in attendance! It’ll be Avery’s first baseball game, so we’ll see how she does with that! But I’m looking forward to a fun day!
Then of course tomorrow we’ll hunt for eggs the Easter Bunny left and see what he (or she in this case) brought in the Easter baskets! Then off to church to celebrate and praise our Risen Lord and Savior! Next will be lunch with the Winslow grandparents! Then to end the day my wonderful hubby is taking me out to dinner at an undisclosed location for my birthday! Isn’t he great!??!
I’m looking forward to spending the rest of this really wonderful weekend with my really wonderful family! I hope you plan on doing the same!
Way back when (before we learned we had to purchase a new vehicle) we talked about going away for a short get away this weekend. Since this week was spring break for the kids and David has a lighter than usual load – but since that didn’t pan out, we decided to try and do some fun stuff around home.
So earlier in the week – we did a day swap with our friend Clayton. Luke and Avery went over to spend the day with Leslie and their buddy Clayton and then the next day – Clayton came here! They had a really good time together and there were many funny things that happened while Clayton was at our house, but the funniest would have to be that for some reason Avery decided she wanted to take off all her cloths and play in the sandbox in just her diaper. Not a great idea, but OK – it was plenty warm out for it. Next thing I know, she’s totally naked and literally covered in sand. It was like being at the beach with no waves!! The boys thought it was hysterical too!
Needless to say, she got to come in and take a bath! She was so excited to play with the boys that she refused to take a nap!! Later in the afternoon when they were all sitting resting a bit, watching some Curious George – it got very quiet – upon entering the living room, this is what I saw…
The boys were both sitting on the sofa watching TV – and there Avery was – sound asleep on the floor! Poor thing!
We’ve also spent lots of ridding our bikes!
And the highlight of the week so far was our lunch date with Daddy yesterday! Where did we go you ask that was so wonderful? Chuck E. Cheese! And oh boy was it a blast! It was Daddy’s first visit – EVERY – and it’s been a long time since we had been. It was packed, but we had a really good time! I didn’t get as many pictures as I wanted too, but here are just a couple.
The fun didn’t end yesterday! Today we plan on going to the local Farmers Market for an egg hunt with the kids, and hopefully we’ll be joining our friend Clayton there as well! Then this afternoon is the opening exhibition game for the Greensboro Grasshoppers baseball season, and we are planning on being in attendance! It’ll be Avery’s first baseball game, so we’ll see how she does with that! But I’m looking forward to a fun day!
Then of course tomorrow we’ll hunt for eggs the Easter Bunny left and see what he (or she in this case) brought in the Easter baskets! Then off to church to celebrate and praise our Risen Lord and Savior! Next will be lunch with the Winslow grandparents! Then to end the day my wonderful hubby is taking me out to dinner at an undisclosed location for my birthday! Isn’t he great!??!
I’m looking forward to spending the rest of this really wonderful weekend with my really wonderful family! I hope you plan on doing the same!
Friday, April 2, 2010
The Temple
I’ve done a very poor job of blogging each day this week. I’m so sorry.
I have been thinking about this week – and now already today is Good Friday. But I have part of a post I started earlier this week about the Temple so I’m going to share that now and maybe later I can share my Good Friday thoughts!
If you read the account of the Triumphal Entry in Matthew 21 and in Mark 11 you find that the very next section is about Jesus entering the Temple and how upset He gets with the goings – on inside the temple. This little section doesn’t go into too much detail (the version in Mark has a little bit more, but not too much!) about what was going on, but we do know that there was buying and selling and in that cheating, going on and that was not supposed to happen in the Temple. Jesus throws out that “bad” and at the same time takes the time to teach those around him.
I’ve thought about this in the context of my own body. As the Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 6:19 – our body is a temple intended for the Holy Spirit to dwell within.
What does that mean to you? Just that you’re alive, are saved, and so the Holy Spirit is in you and what you see it what you get kinda thing? If it’s good enough for you, then it’s good enough for the Holy Spirit too?
What are some of the things you do (or don’t do) to your body? What things are you eating? Drinking?
Do we – and by we, I mean I – take even the remotest good care of our bodies?
(Is remotest even a word? I don’t know – moving on…)
When we think about where the Holy Spirit lives, we think about Him living in our hearts. Well, taking care of that seems easy – or easier – right? Get saved, go to church, read the Bible, pray, study, talk to others about Jesus…
But caring for our bodies – as Americans is harder. Have you watched the Biggest Looser? If you have, you’ve seen just a small percentage of people in our country who are overweight and out of shape.
I don’t think that’s what God wants for us or for Him. I think God wants us to spend time getting our physical bodies healthy, not just our spiritual ones. It’s a hard balance! There is a need to “carve out time” in the day for these things. Getting up early to spend time alone with God and to exercise, there doesn’t seem to be time in our “regular” day for that kind of thing, so an extra effort needs to be made to grow those areas of our lives.
As we look to Resurrection Sunday and all that Christ did for us, getting up earlier in the morning or taking time to eat the right foods seems like a small thing to do in the shadow of the cross.
I have been thinking about this week – and now already today is Good Friday. But I have part of a post I started earlier this week about the Temple so I’m going to share that now and maybe later I can share my Good Friday thoughts!
If you read the account of the Triumphal Entry in Matthew 21 and in Mark 11 you find that the very next section is about Jesus entering the Temple and how upset He gets with the goings – on inside the temple. This little section doesn’t go into too much detail (the version in Mark has a little bit more, but not too much!) about what was going on, but we do know that there was buying and selling and in that cheating, going on and that was not supposed to happen in the Temple. Jesus throws out that “bad” and at the same time takes the time to teach those around him.
I’ve thought about this in the context of my own body. As the Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 6:19 – our body is a temple intended for the Holy Spirit to dwell within.
What does that mean to you? Just that you’re alive, are saved, and so the Holy Spirit is in you and what you see it what you get kinda thing? If it’s good enough for you, then it’s good enough for the Holy Spirit too?
What are some of the things you do (or don’t do) to your body? What things are you eating? Drinking?
Do we – and by we, I mean I – take even the remotest good care of our bodies?
(Is remotest even a word? I don’t know – moving on…)
When we think about where the Holy Spirit lives, we think about Him living in our hearts. Well, taking care of that seems easy – or easier – right? Get saved, go to church, read the Bible, pray, study, talk to others about Jesus…
But caring for our bodies – as Americans is harder. Have you watched the Biggest Looser? If you have, you’ve seen just a small percentage of people in our country who are overweight and out of shape.
I don’t think that’s what God wants for us or for Him. I think God wants us to spend time getting our physical bodies healthy, not just our spiritual ones. It’s a hard balance! There is a need to “carve out time” in the day for these things. Getting up early to spend time alone with God and to exercise, there doesn’t seem to be time in our “regular” day for that kind of thing, so an extra effort needs to be made to grow those areas of our lives.
As we look to Resurrection Sunday and all that Christ did for us, getting up earlier in the morning or taking time to eat the right foods seems like a small thing to do in the shadow of the cross.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)