When Momma's on Facebook....

...Ayda finds a way to entertain herself. I saw her go into the bathroom and thought she was getting a kleenex since she was saying, "nose!" About 2-3 minutes later, I wondered why she hadn't come back out. I went to check on her and found my little angel doing this:

Yep, that's lotion all over my mirror. She was having a great time, though! I let her "fingerpaint" on my mirror for a few minutes, but not to worry--I gave her the obligatory, "Let's don't do that again" line. :)

My Sweet Boy

Wyatt has always been both a challenge to me and a joy in my life. He has so much energy and can't seem to sit still for long at all. He's been on the go since he started walking at 10 months old! He has always been able to find a way to get into trouble; we have often said that trouble just seems to find him. He can't resist it. It's been a constant struggle for us.

Recently, however, he is starting to mature and outgrow some of that. He just turned 4 and we are finally seeing more about who he really is. He's showing his personality and his heart more and more with each passing month. One thing that we have noticed about him is that he is very sweet and tenderhearted. He will always get up to turn a light on for Makenna or stop eating dinner to walk all the way around the table to get Ayda's fork if she drops it. He takes a lot from Ayda, who has recently started biting (usually only him), and he never retaliates. Of course, it doesn't help us deal with Ayda when he ALWAYS gives into her, but it shows what a sweet heart he has.

The greatest trait that we have noticed in him recently, however, is his love for God. Even through all the squirming in chairs through Sunday School, he has been listening. He knows his bible better than most kids twice his age. There are many times he says something to me and adds to the end of the statement, "because that's what the bible says." Now, keeping in mind that he's 4, he sometimes uses that phrase with things that have nearly nothing to do with the bible. He'll say things like, "We need to wear a seat belt because the bible says so," or "Always wear an undershirt because that's what it says in the bible." We will never correct him, though, since he's obviously learned the important lesson--that we live by the standards of the bible.

Wyatt also always wants to pray. In fact, it can cause quite the argument between him and Makenna over who gets to pray at that meal. Lately, he has combined his "prayer life" and his nurturing of Ayda. He is like a protective mother to her at bedtime. He says very quietly and sweetly, "Come on, Ayda. Get your baby and get into bed. I'll cover you up." Here he is just a couple of nights ago putting her to bed. Keep in mind that the room was completely dark, I just had my camera on night time mode so we could see.

Then, after her gets her tucked in, he gets on his knees, puts his head on her bed, and prays for her:

I think that is the most priceless picture. It is one of my very favorites.

Wyatt is just a loving little boy. He has such a tender heart and a love for God. I pray that he stays faithful to God, and I can't wait to see what God has planned for his life!

Snow Day!

Seven days into the new year and we're having our first snow day. I wish I could say I was excited and able to sit back and enjoy the beautiful scenery, but it's snow. It's cold, wet, and a mess! Since 7:30 this morning, the kids have had one thing on their mind--playing outside. I put it off as long as I could, but had to give in.




I don't think they even noticed the cold! It was just under 20 degrees and they were running around like it was summer time! Ah to be young again!



After a whopping 15 minutes in the snow, the kids are having some hot chocolate and marshmallows and I'm left with the memories, a few pictures, and this:


The good part is that they got it out of their system. They'll be content to stay inside the rest of the day. Snow is much more beautiful from inside a warm house with a hot cup of coffee. Off to start a fire in the fireplace....

Straight to Heaven

I just found out from a fellow blogger that October 15 is "Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day." Michelle over at "She Looketh Well" encouraged women to share their stories of loss in hopes that they will encourage other women who may be going through such a difficult time right now. So, I thought I would share the story of my first child.

Big Daddy and I were married in October 2003. We were so excited to start our journey together and anxious to start out family. As we were entering into our first Christmas together, I found out I was expecting. We were thrilled! We decided we would keep it secret for at least a few weeks. It was fun to have a secret just between the two of us!

On December 26th, we were planning to make a 7 hour road trip to visit Big Daddy's family. That morning, I started having what I would later find out were contractions. At the time, however, I knew absolutely nothing about pregnancy and even less about miscarriage. Maybe it was actually best that I didn't know that in the two hours before we were to leave for our trip, I was losing our baby. The pain I was experiencing eventually went away and we left town. While we were aware that what I was going through would have to be discussed with our doctor, we were completely unaware of how serious the problem was. We could think of little more than how our lives were going to change over the next year. We had many moments throughout our trip in which we talked about how different our next Christmas would be. We were just so excited!

When we came home a few days later and called my Dr, she wanted to see me immediately. The Dr. came into the room, walked right over to shake my hand, and didn't let go. She looked at me and said, "I'm sorry, but you've had a miscarriage." My heart just broke. I didn't know what to say, what to do, or who to talk to. What I think made it worse is that in that moment, I felt so alone. Who could possibly understand what it's like to lose a baby?

After crying over our loss with my husband, I called my mom. We cried too over the loss. The only advice she could give me was to call the only two women I knew at the time who had lost a baby. That's why I wanted to share my story too. It was encouraging to me to know that someone actually understood just what I felt. I wasn't alone.

I will pass along the most encouraging words I heard then in hopes that they will help any other woman who has had a miscarriage. My sister-in-law told me, "If we truly believe that life begins at conception (Jeremiah 1:5), then we know that it was a baby and he/she will be waiting for you in heaven." While I have 3 children here on Earth, I will have 4 when I get to Heaven! One of my babies just went straight into the arms of Jesus! Praise the Lord that day wasn't the end...I will one day hold that baby!

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Why I love nap time

I love nap time at my house for so many reasons. I can choose to get a lot done around the house with no little "helpers," or I can choose to just sit and have some "me" time. Either way, it's a nice break in my day. I have to say, though, that one of the best perks of nap time is seeing sights like this:


Somehow, just the sight of something so precious makes me forget the hours I spent listening to her whine. I forget the number of times I picked her up, put her back down, picked her back up, etc. I suddenly am less aware of my shoulder that she has used as a kleenex all day. It's just difficult not to realize how blessed I am when I see a sight like that.

I love those quiet moments...

You know, the ones that find everyone getting along? I had one just this morning. All 3 of the kids were playing within a 1 ft. square area of each other. No one was pushing, shoving, whining, complaining, etc. Since it is rare that they all are quiet for any length of time, I thought I better see just what they were doing. I saw that they had all of their "hair things" (clips, bows, barrettes, etc.) out and were fixing each other's hair. Now, I'm not the type person who can handle these big messes usually, but today I let it go. I must have found some sort of balance between the amount of sleep I had gotten the night before and the amount of coffee I had already consumed this morning. Strange, I know, but I allowed it.

Anyway, I would check on them from time to time, but being the smart mother I am, I used this time to tidy up the rest of the house. It was great! I had no one pulling on my leg while I cleaned the kitchen counters, unloaded/loaded the dishwasher, and got a load of laundry going. Things like this just don't happen very often around here. I thought, "what a great day this is going to be!"

I went to check on my little angels again, but this time, I found this:

All 3 of them had decided to get out every gel, mousse, hair serum, and lotion they could find and proceded to apply it to their (previously clean) hair. I realize that in the pictures their hair just looks wet. Soooo not the case. That's all gel and lotion. Lovely.

Again, the coffee must have been strong this morning, because I didn't even react to it (yea, me...that's progress!). I took a couple pictures and asked them to not do that again. Later, as I was telling Big Daddy about it, I noticed that Makenna was listening and glowing with pride over what they had done. I reminded her that we shouldn't do that again, to which she said, "Yeah, but it was still fun." I guess we're making memories here.

It's Not Easy Being Third

If I haven't said it already, Ayda is quite the princess. She sits on her throne, points and grunts, and someone, somewhere jumps up to see what they can do for her. What can I say? She's adorable! Lucky for her, everyone in the house agrees. Seriously, look at this smile...could you really resist?




Either because of this or simply because of her place in the line of kids (last), the girl just refuses to talk. Now, before you start thinking there is something wrong....she CAN talk. I have heard her say a variety of words, but on rare occasions. She is just a grunter and evidently it's working well for her. It's so funny to watch her try to get her message across.

Her latest form of communication is her own form of sign language. She will tap my leg and walk across the room to tap the refrigerator. She'll repeat this 3-4 times until I get up to get her what she wants. She is willing to wear herself out going back and forth instead of just uttering a word. That would just be too easy! She's got this game down pat. We're all at her beck and call. Smart girl if you ask me. :)

I'm Not That Kind of Girl

I know you formed an opinion of me as soon as I uttered these 2 little words: "We homeschool." I know what kind of woman you are picturing because it's the same woman I would have pictured just 2 years ago if I heard the word "homeschool." Correct me if I'm wrong here. You're picturing a woman with hair all the way down her back, no make-up on, very soft spoken, in a dress she made herself. Her children are in a line behind her not moving, speaking, or thinking any bad thoughts. They are all in homemade clothes as well and are munching on their homegrown veggies for lunch. Her family watches no t.v. except for the occassional family viewing of "The Sound of Music." Am I right?






Don't get me wrong--there is nothing, let me repeat, NOTHING wrong with women who do that. Let me just say it again, though--I'm NOT that kind of girl! I'm just an average, run of the mill gal who loves her kids and wants to provide the best life I can for them. In fact, I may homeschool, but I've compiled a list of things that seem to be common amongst many homeschoolers that I just don't see myself doing....ever:


1. I can not and do not want to sew or make clothes. I prefer rummage sales!


2. I do not can food, nor do I have the desire to learn how.


3. I could not make it a week without the t.v. and cable (the DVR is a huge plus)





Having said that, however, I have also realized that there are a few things we do that may let the mouse out of the bag that we are homeschoolers:


1. My kids are rarely found with shoes on (unless we're going to church or the grocery).


2. We have started gardening.


3. I recently made the switch to cloth diapers for my youngest.





So, maybe you could have picked me out and labeled me early on as one of those crazy homeschool moms, but I doubt it. I'm just an average woman trying to obey the command in Deutoronomy 6: 7 "You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up."



I believe God has called me to homeschool my children and I am being obedient. It's that simple. At just the mention of the word "homeschooling," most people immediately become experts and advocates of public school. It's as if they are truly concerned for my children and their "socialization." Those who know me well, however, know that I would never do anything except that which I think is best for my children. So, having said that, don't expect me to try to win a debate with you on homeschooling vs. public school. Believe me, I could go on and on, but I won't. I am simply doing that which God has called me to do. Period.