Even when the rain falls...

Knots

2012-01-20T09:07:00.000-08:00

I was listening in as Lillie was "teaching" Gracie and her lesson was on salvation. Here is the lesson that my 6 yr old taught with a piece of yarn:

Lillie:

This piece of yarn is like your life, and each time you sin a knot forms (she proceeds to tie several knots). But when you ask God to forgive you and live in your heart ALL those knots disappear.

LOVE IT!!!!!!

Taken For Grant It

2012-01-17T10:03:00.000-08:00

I have been reading the gospels and thinking about the disciples here lately. Here is a group of men who know Jesus first hand, yet miracle after miracle they stand and question who he is!?!?! For example: in Matthew, when he calmed the sea of Galilee and the disciples asked each other who is this man who even the wind and waves obey Him? I read and then picture Jesus rolling His eyes and sighing. I think what a bunch of doofus'. But then the Lord spoke to me.

You see I was raised in church and know the power of the Lord. That sometimes leads to a state of contentment. Contentment means being satisfied with one's situation/possession/position, so basically being happy where you are at. A state that I believe most Christians will struggle with at some point in their walk.

The disciples were sitting, eating, living with the Son of God and were not content. Yes, they knew who He was, but Jesus was not taken for grant it by His devoted followers. They didn't act entitled or expect Jesus to perform for them. They didn't watch a cripple man get up and walk and act like it was just another day.

I think about how many times I have witnessed the power of God, just to walk away and act like it was just another day. You see, I don't want to be content, EVER, in my walk with the Lord. I never want to take for grant it His power and blessings which he bestows on me for no reason other than He loves me!! I pray that I never stop getting excited about Jesus, that I never get content with my relationship with the Lord. I want to feel butterflies each time I think about His love. I want to walk closer each day with the one who gave me life, the one who loves me for who I am, the one who sent His only Son to die that I may have eternal life.

You see, He is my first love!

Happy New Years!!!!!!!

2012-01-03T19:19:00.000-08:00

I know I am late, but better late than never, right?!?! ;0)

I haven't really set any goals yet this year. There are things I want to accomplish, but so far making resolutions have done little but discourage me due to the past failure to follow thru. I think my focus is going to be maintaining my focus. I tend to start something then get distracted. So if I start something, I WILL finish it (in a timely fashion)!!! Of course, Pinterest doesn't help with the list of what I want to do!!

I have so far accomplished hanging one large frame, which normally would have set out for several more weeks waiting for me to do it, and purchasing 2 sets of shadow boxes and hanging them as well. WooHoo!! LOL

Merry Christmas

2011-12-27T14:17:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a great Christmas!! I know I did. ;)

Alex and I were up and ready to start a lot earlier than the girls, but waited patiently for them to rise. Gracie was up first and her excitement just grew and grew as she looked around the living room. First the presents Santa brought, then the plate where cookies/milk were left, her stocking and back to the presents. She woke up Lillie who was just as excited. Both had their wishes come true!

This year we were blessed to be able to celebrate Jesus' birth at church. After a nice service, we finished our Christmas at home and head to Alex's aunts for a couple hours and dinner.

I won't keep you long, but do want to warn you that you are not safe at our house. All of us got nerf guns for Christmas. And Gracie shows NO mercy and takes no prisoners. So, if you wonder in my house unprepared, you may leave wounded. ;)

Now on to the new year.................

Back to the Blog

2011-12-22T09:04:00.000-08:00

I have been absent for a few weeks due to my browser not working with Blogger and needing to download Google Chrome for access. I finally broke down and did it (it was free so what did I have to lose) and now have access again. I will plan on getting back to blogging soon. Did anyone else have issues??

Little Bits

2011-11-07T05:55:00.000-08:00

It has been a couple of weeks since I updated and not much has changed. We are still trucking along.

School is going strong and both girls are doing awesome.

We have gone on a "field trip" to the Creation Museum in Hebron Kentucky (outside Cincinnati) with a good friend and her family.

We have had family pictures taken.

And now it is November and the time we take to focus on being thankful. There are som many blessings in my life that I am not sure where to start with the list. I will post my list in the near future. For now I leave you with these lyrics:

I am grateful for the things that You have done
I am grateful for the victories we've won
I could go on and on about Your works
Because I'm grateful, grateful so grateful just to praise You Lord
Flowing from my heart are the issues of my heart, is gratefulness

Painting Pumpkins

2011-10-16T11:06:00.000-07:00

We painted small pumpkins Saturday. It has beeen sort of a family fall tradition around here. :)

Here are the girls posing:

Here is Gracie concentrating:

Lillie working away:

The finished pumpkins:

Now, they are just waiting until we carve a big pumpkin.

Catch-up

2011-10-07T07:22:00.001-07:00

I really liked my meal planning the past two weeks and am going to try and implement it from here on out. I am currently getting ready to plan the next two weeks out and hopefully have good results. I don't know why I haven't really made more of an effort to stick to it in the past.

School it going pretty good. For the most part, we have great days, but every once-in-awhile a grumpy (not so good) day sneaks in. It is those days that I feel like I should just throw in the towel. However, the good out weigh the bad and I can't imagine not having them home and teaching them.

Lillie has made me stand in amazement at how much she has picked up. The other day I caught her reading the subtitles on a movie!! Which makes me smile extremely big. :) Her favorite subjects are math and history and she loves making her timeline for history.

Gracie has learned quite a few of her letters, but only a few from me. lol Lillie has sat down with her and taught her how to write and make the sounds of most the letters. Gracie loves the attention that Lillie is giving her. She loves her big sister and any time she can "play" with her makes her day.

My Menu

2011-09-29T07:10:00.000-07:00

Here is my menu for two weeks:

Week 1
Monday:
lunch - Nuggets/fruit/pretzels
supper - Roast/Potatoes/Carrots/French Bread

Tuesday:
lunch - Burger King (We went to IHOP and I ended up having to buy them lunch)
supper - lunchables (we went to the movies so I didn't want to fix a big dinner, so I flipped-flopped with Wed dinner. Wed is usually a busy evening)

Wednesday:
lunch - Fish Sticks/Cheez-it/fruit
supper - Beef-N-Noodles/Mashed Potatoes/Corn (the beef was from part of the roast I cooked on Monday.)

Thursday:
lunch - Grilled Cheese/pretzels/fruit
supper - Pork Chops (hopefully grilled)/roasted potatoes/peas/biscuits

Friday:
lunch - Noodle Soup/PB crackers/Fruit
supper - Tacos/Mexican Rice

Saturday:
lunch - leftovers
supper - Breakfast for supper

Week 2
Sunday:
lunch - planning to go to Little Caesars
supper - sandwiches or leftovers (we have church so nothing fancy)

Monday:
lunch - PB&J/fruit/pretzels
supper - Stir-fry (chicken/veggies/rice)

Tuesday:
lunch - pizza rolls/pretzels/fruit
supper - Lasagna/garlic bread/green beans

Wednesday:
lunch - Nuggets/fruit/cheez-its
supper - lunchables

Thursday:
lunch - Noodle Soup/crackers/fruit
supper - Roasted Chicken/potatoes/broccoli/corn bread

Friday:
lunch - Grilled Cheese/pretzels/fruit
supper - Chicken-N-Noodles/mashed potatoes/corn

I should note, that I don't do a big lunch. It is the basics and pretty much the same sides with each meal. I keep a variety of fruit (grapes/apples/bananas/ raisins/fruit cups/applesauce) on hand for some choice. I usually offer them leftovers as well, if they don't want what I have planned.

Plan in Progress

2011-09-28T11:50:00.000-07:00

I sat down last Friday and wrote out two weeks worth of meals (lunch and dinner). In the past, I have just planned the main course, but this time I listed out everything I needed for the WHOLE meal.

Then Saturday (the worst possible day to go)I went shopping for my groceries. I made goal of how much I wanted to spend and made myself stick to the list. I even put something back after I had it in my cart for two aisles. lol

I got to the check-out and waited for my total after-coupons and it was $32 under budget - yay!! I really didn't plan around the sales or used a ton of coupons. In fact, my savings percentage was only 19% (pretty pathetic, I know). This told me that I spend too much money on things I think I will need, but in reality don't. I am sure telling my hubby NOT to come with me helped greatly too!! hahaha

I am doing well this week with sticking to my lunch and dinner plans, I know it is only Wednesday......

Wasted Time

2011-09-20T07:46:00.000-07:00

I am currently doing the devotion Jesus Calling 365 Devotions For Kids by Sarah Young with my girls. I really enjoy it and would recommend it for school-aged children. Not only does it minister to my girls, but also to me.

Today's devotion talked about shaking off things that don't go the way you want them to. "With enough practice, you will discover that most of the things you worry about just aren't that important. Your energy and time won't be wasted on things that really don't matter..." (pg 275)

I don't consider myself a worrier, but there are times I let little things add up causing unnecessary frustration and wasted time. Most of the time I ask myself if it is going to matter tomorrow, 1 yr from now, or ever going to matter and if not then I let it go. This has helped me handle life's little curve balls. By shaking off the little things, I will have more strength to take on the big things.

And according to Proverbs 20:24 "The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?"

Just sit back and enjoy life and all the blessings that God has given to you.

To plan or not to plan......

2011-09-19T14:31:00.000-07:00

How many of you do meal planning? If so, do you do a weekly or monthly plan? And how detailed to you plan?

I have tried to do a meal plan before, but fail to maintain it. We get busy and one meal gets bumped, or I realized that I am out of something (or didn't buy it) that I thought I had then scrapped the meal. This all leads to getting frustrated and stopping. :(

I really think that if I planned my meals out, not only would it help my sanity (because I wouldn't be frantic about 5 pm wondering what in the world I am going to fix) but I firmly believe it would save me money. I do plan them vaguely based on the sales, but maybe a little more detailed will work better.

I follow a blog where she does a monthly meal schedule and then goes shopping accordingly. I am thinking that I need to start with one premade (preplanned) for me and then make changes according to my family's tastes. It may be nice to plan out every meal (well, at least lunch and dinner).

Okay, I am really do want your opinion on what I should do. So please, please, please share your secrets for not having a frantic whats-for-dinner dash around my kitchen.

8 Years

2011-09-13T08:17:00.000-07:00

8 years and 2 beautiful girls later

Happy Anniversary, Alex!! I love you!!

Microscope Giveaway

2011-09-12T06:59:00.000-07:00

Confessions of a Homeschooler is giving away a microscope!!

Besides offering this awesome giveaway, Confessions of a Homeschooler is a great place for curriculum ideas. :)

Your Grace is Enough

2011-09-11T10:18:00.000-07:00

Saturday I got my third tattoo. The Greek word for grace - Charis - on my left ankle. This was for my daughter, Gracie, and also a way for me to thank the Lord because the definition of this type of grace is unmerited favor or undeserved blessing.

Everyday I can look around and am surrounded by blessings - a husband who loves and treats me wonderfully, two beautiful girls, a house, car, food on my table, and so much more.

Charis is such a powerful word. There is not one blessing that is deserved. I am not entitled to anything but death. But God has shown me unmerited favor, it is by His amazing grace that I am saved.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God." Ephesians 2:8

***I would recommend D'Wan at Under the Gun if you are wanting to get a tattoo. He is a Christian and a fabulous artist. Let us bless those who bless the Lord.***

Birthday Girl

2011-09-09T16:59:00.001-07:00

So, yesterday was my birthday and I could choose to do whatever I wanted. Well, as many of you mommas already know that the best present is seeing our kids happy and laughing, I choose to go to.......go to Monkey Joe's in Indianapolis.

But first, the girls had made cards and a bag of goodies for me (they each picked out items in their own rooms that they wanted me to have). Gracie must have said happy birthday to me a hundred times and whenever I asked her to do something she would happily oblige with, "well, it's your birthday and you are the birthday girl." If only I had a birthday everyday....well, maybe not! lol

After Monkey Joe's and a late lunch at Olive Garden in Castleton we swung by Under the Gun to schedule my tattoo appt. I have a lily for my Lillie and the next one is for Gracie. I will show pictures and talk about it in another post. Finally we had ice cream and relaxed at home for the remainder of the evening.

But my day wasn't over for during the evening both girls decided to write and perform songs for me. They were so sweet and were just reminders of just how blessed I am to have them. I wish I would have recorded them singing to share with you, but unfortunately I didn't have time to grab the camera before they begun.

My birthday is a wonderful reminder of how blessed I am!!! Thank you, Lord for another year!!!

"Our sole purpose, our basic reason for existence, is to bring maximum glory to our God-to magnify, exalt, and elevate the Lord our God." Charles Swindoll Rise and Shine

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31

Let Our Light Shine

2011-09-06T05:58:00.000-07:00

Last night I was playing with my girls outside and Lillie started talking about the death of a good friend's grandmother. She said that the family was probably sad because we were sad when Uncle Joe died. I agreed.

Lillie - it is really sad when someone dies, even a Christian.

Me - Yes, but if they were a Christian and we are Christians, we will get to see them again.

Lillie - Yeah, but if that person is not a Christian, then it is really sad because we will never get to see them again.

Me - That is right and very sad. That is why it is important to tell people about Jesus.

Lillie - Yes, because we want everyone to go to Heaven.

Wow!! What a way to spend the evening, talking to my child about the importance of our witness!!

"We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God." 2 Corinthians 5:20

Working Away

2011-09-01T08:08:00.000-07:00

This week of school is going well. We switched out our old desks, for "new" ones. We were using the old wooden desks, the kind I had in middle school. The new ones (seen below) are from my parents church. The newer desks have a larger surface for books and the top lifts up for the girls to store their pencils, paper and other "treasures" they think are necessary for school.

Lillie is doing really good with her subjects and most days will hammer them out by 2pm, given a long lunch break. There are days we finish before lunch as well, but really depends on her attitude at the beginning of the day. We start out with our children's devotion and Bible lesson followed by prayer.

I am following a prayer model that a friend posted about on her blog (Lessons in the Little Stuff)-ACTS: A(adoration)C(confession)T(thanksgiving)S(supplication). My girls loves it and will remind me if we forget to pray. One day this summer we forgot to pray in the morning (due to being in a hurry) and on the way to an appointment we prayed and Lillie made sure to stress that I should NOT close my eyes when I pray since I was driving. lol

Gracie is still doing the letter of the week curriculum, but I am adding BOB books to them to help her with phonics. I really am not stressing over what she does or does not learn, just trying to make it fun for her. Which it must be because she constantly asking to do school. Most of what we would cover will be recovered during next year when she starts Kindergarten.

Here are a couple of pictures of the girls working away at their school work

....alright, they were just posing for pictures. =0)

A laboring discussion....

2011-08-27T09:50:00.001-07:00

Friday was much better. We were just having an off day, which I know will happen every once in awhile. ;0)

Now on to a lighter conversation with Lillie.

Last night we went to outpouring service at our church (www.crosst.org) and on the way Alex and I were talking about Labor Day weekend. He said that Sony was taking volunteers to work that Monday and since we really don't have big plans that weekend, he might.

Lillie must have been listening, but not to all of it, because she got really excited and asks...."we are going to have another baby??!!"

Laughing I said, "No, why did you think that?"

Lillie, slightly disappointed, "Well, you said Labor and I thought that means a baby is coming. I also really want to be a big sister again."

I told her that there is no more babies planned in our house.

LOL - she is really in the baby zone though because she also got really excited about a baby shower today, until she realized it wasn't for the person she thought. :)

School Daze....

2011-08-25T09:45:00.001-07:00

Well, after posting how smooth school was going, I have to share that today feels like a total flop. :(

I can't seem to get the girls to concentrate. Any little noise is a distraction and it is getting a little frustrating to say the least, so we are taking a short break to collect ourselves, eat lunch and then we will finish school. Ok, really just mom needs the break before I pull my hair out.....I hope I am not the only one with days like these.......no seriously, I need to know, do you have days like this too???

First Week of School

2011-08-23T10:34:00.001-07:00

We have officially been back to school for a week. Lillie started 1st grade and Gracie pre-K. We are still going thru Christian Liberty with Lillie, but I am trying a little different approach to our days.

After reading several homeschooling blogs, I decided to start using workboxes. I bought this set of craft boxes that are well suited for our classroom use for 50% off at www.joanns.com .

There 20 drawers, 10 for each girl. They have a different subject or activity in each drawer. I use the top two for their school supplies. I love that they know when they finish their boxes, school is over. So far, I am having no, "Are we almost done??" questions. I also feel much more organized than last year.

Gracie has begun using some printables from Confessions of a Homeschooler. I really like her curriculum, but am finding that a lot of it is not hard enough for her. So it looks like I will be searching for more to add to it. She is so eager to learn and wants no "fluff" activities that I give her-lol.

Well, that is probably enough for now. :)

'Growing' up is hard to do

2011-08-10T18:46:00.000-07:00

Lillie lost her 2nd tooth after church tonight!! This time it was because she was wiggling it and it just popped out. The tooth has been ready to come out for 2 days. It is tucked in her tooth pillow awaiting the tooth fairy's arrival.

As soon as it came out, she started crying. Today has been emotional for her, but I just didn't understand why she was crying because she said it didn't hurt.

On the way home from church, I asked her about her tears. Her reply was simple and totally understandable

"I am crying because losing a tooth means you are growing up and I'm not ready to grow up."

I smiled and told her that growing up was something everyone did, but that it also comes with new things that are fun and exciting.

But deep down I wanted to cry......................I am not ready for my little girl to grow up either :(

First Tooth

2011-07-07T08:53:00.000-07:00

Last night was an important night for Lillie.......she lost her first tooth!!

She was eating a snack at drama practice (popcorn) and all of a suddenly noticed the hole in her mouth. Although many searched for it, including in the chewed up parts she spit out, it could not be found. We realize that means it was swallowed, but all she thought was that it was lost adn no tooth means no tooth fairy surprise.

After about an hour of being upset, she finally believed that the tooth fairy would find it and take good care of it. We wrote a note and stuck it in her tooth pillow and when she got up this morning, there was another note from the "tooth fairy" and some money. :)

She is excited now, and is finding all sorts of things to fill that hole. She has another tooth that is loose..........

Right Now, Jesus!

2011-06-27T19:08:00.000-07:00

Tonight Gracie got up and asked me to pray for her belly because it hurt and her throat because it felt like something was in it.

I prayed and at the end she says, "right now, Jesus! right now, Jesus!"

Then goes on to explain, "Sometimes, He waits a long time to answer, so I tell Him - right now, Jesus."

I kind of smiled about it and thought how cute, but then it stayed with me. How many times have I prayed half-heartily and then went about my day? God was there, maybe with my answer in His hands just waiting to hear if I have the faith to say (and believe) "right now, Jesus!"

Crankiness...

2011-06-18T07:28:00.000-07:00

Gracie came to my bed this morning around 5am and as she squirmed her way in, both Alex and I realized that she was burning up. So I took her temperature, gave her Motrin, and then we prayed for her.

Alex then went to check the air, during which I heard her praying, but couldn't understand all, just "in Jesus' name, amen".

Then she turns to me, and asked if we could get up. I told her no, it was too early. Her reply was, "well, it is okay, because I prayed that you wouldn't be cranky this morning." lol

I told her thanks, but it was still too early. She did go back to sleep after lots of cuddling, loving, and giggling. She also seems to be feeling a little better this morning with just a cough.

I guess she does listen when I tell her that if I don't get to sleep that I will be cranky in the morning. Or maybe I have been too cranky the past few days due to lack of sleep.....

2011-05-18T07:12:00.000-07:00

I am entering a contest to win a gift card for a new swimsuit. Here is the link to some modest mom-like suits, but still cute and fun. Check out their site

http://www.hapari.com/modest-tankinis/

Catching Up

2011-05-11T07:11:00.001-07:00

So, I may be a little behind, but I will give you a brief update on my family.

We had a fantastic Easter, but I forgot to take pictures of the girls in their Easter dresses.

On Easter evening Lillie fell off her chair (a whole two feet) and complained about her wrist hurting, but with no swelling or bruising, I decided to have her just "sleep it off". By the next morning there was a little swelling and I could tell it was really hurting her so before we left for Tennessee I took her to the ER.

After a quick 1 1/2 hour visit, and 3 x-rays later we left with her arm splinted and in a sling. Our family doctor actually said after taking it off the following Friday, that it was wrapped better than most casts he sees. :)

We had a nice visit to Tennessee, where we went to the Smokies,

WonderWorks, and Ripleys Aquarium.

We also were part of the biggest/strongest storm system that had hit that area. After almost 9 hours of constant tornado warnings, and some very scary times, we ended up with only some slight hail damage to our car. We are very thankful to God who protected us.

Lillie had her 6th birthday - WOW!! I can't believe she is that old already, boy does time fly!! We let her spend the day picking what we did, and she choose to go to Dairy Queen for lunch, bowl and shopped at Toys R Us. That evening we had cupcakes with the McBride children.

Lillie wanted to color her hair for her bday, so we got a few of her girlfriends and Gracie's girlfriends over one day and put highlights in. It was a lot of fun, and the girls are so cute with their teal, purple, and pink highlights.

We have had a pretty nice spring thus far, and am looking forward to an even nicer summer together. Hope you enjoy your days, because the time we have with each other is precious and a gift from God.

Letter of the Week Expansion Pack Giveaway Link

2011-04-14T06:46:00.000-07:00

I have been following the blog Confessions of a Homeschooler for a while now. She not only homeschools, but develops her own curriculum!!! I am going to be purchasing her letter of the week series to start with Gracie this fall, but currently she is hosting a giveaway for an expansion pack for the series.

If you interested then you should check it out - http://confessionsofahomeschooler.blogspot.com/2011/04/k4-curriculum-lotw-expansion.html

Inked fo Life

2011-04-01T05:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went with a a few friends and got a new tattoo! It is of a lily and is on my left foot. I had so much fun - which I always do with these girls!

The girls who went minus one who had leave before the picture:

I had anticipated A LOT of pain (it has been just over 8 yrs since my ankle tattoo and I couldn't remember if it hurt too bad), and found that only a couple of areas on my foot was extremely bad, but the rest was pretty tolerable and was even able to carry a conversation on with all.

Working on it:

The finished tattoo:

Of course the lily is representative of my Lillie and soon I will be getting the Greek word for grace (charis-unmerited favor from God) for my Gracie. :)

Who?

2011-03-21T14:12:00.000-07:00

Today we beat Bowser on Mario Bros on DS. It was a big deal for the girls and they keep saying, "I can't believe we finally did it!" Well, for those of you who have done it, you know that the credits run afterwards. Now for the good story.

Lillie - what were all those words at the end of the game?

Mom - the names of the people who made the game - they all appeared to be Chinese or Japanese names.

Lillie (a bit confused)- I thought Santa made the game?!?

Mom (trying to recover) - well, then I guess they must have been elf names.

Lillie - that is what I thought.

Whew, just about blew that one since we still believe. :)

All Grown-up

2011-03-17T18:21:00.000-07:00

This morning during school time Lillie and I were reminiscing about her preschool days. Here was our conversation:

Lillie - Mom, do you remember that one day when one of the other kids said that their favorite color was blue or something like that? And I got upset because that was my favorite color and they couldn't have that as theirs.

Mom - I don't remember that day, but it was probably a fun day talking about our favorite colors.

Lillie - Yeah, it was. Of course, now that I am all grown-up, I know that more than one person can have the same favorite color.

Picky Promise

2011-03-14T06:43:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since I posted. I will say I will do better, but time will only tell.... :)

Last night I decided to lay down with Gracie who had woke herself up coughing about hour after going to sleep. She was wide awake and very happy to have me, since it had a been a long time since I laid with her. Here was our conversation (which was very random):

Gracie: Mom, I promise I am not going to pick my nose anymore!

Mom: Really, that is good.

Gracie (giggling): Well, maybe not, but there is always soap and water. We do still have soap, don't we?

Mom: Yes, we always have soap.

Gracie: Okay, well goodnight.

There was other conversations, but that was the most interesting one.

Hmmm......really?

2011-02-12T10:48:00.001-08:00

Here is a couple of conversations that I have had with my girls over age.

Friday Morning
Lillie: Mom, why did you go up to get prayed for last night?

Mom: Because they asked all the young adults to go up. (interrupted)

Lillie: But you're not young.

Mom: Yes, I am!

Lillie: Well, I guess you not as old as God.

Mom: Gee, thanks.

Later Friday afternoon

Gracie: How old is Grandma?

Mom: 60

Gracie: WHOA!

Lillie: Gracie that isn't old, 60 is pretty close to 20.

Gracie: Oh.

Devotions by Lillie

2011-01-24T05:49:00.000-08:00

Lillie was going over Bible Truths with Gracie this morning. Here is her list and a little explanation:

Thou shall not say God's name in vain. (then gave an example of how not to say it)

Thou shall not eat people.

Thou shall not tell people I hate you or don't like you. (Gracie told her that she didn't like her which is brought about this lesson from Lillie)

Thou shall not steal.

Thou shall not bow before any idols.

Thou shall not call people stupid.

Thou shall not tell lies.

"These are notes from the Bible, Gracie,and we need to know these. One time the people didn't follow them and made a golden cow. When Moses came down the mountain he had to melt it and make the people drink the gold water."

I enjoy that she spoke them in King James speach. :)

Count Your Blessings

2011-01-06T06:16:00.000-08:00

Last night Alex went in to check on Lillie. She told him she just couldn't fall asleep,so he suggested thinking of all the good things we've beeen blessed with.

Then rattled off - a warm house, food for our bellies, clothes.....

Lillie then intererruped with, "not to be in Hades." Then she giggled.

She cracks me up, but in all seriousness - we are thankful "not to be in Hades". :)

Available

2011-01-03T07:35:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to you and your family.

"God never asks about our ability or our inability - just our availability." God's Little instruction Book for Women

I thought I would start the new year off talking about being available. How many times have I prayed, "Lord, use me" but when that opportunity comes up, I am "too busy". I am sure there have been more opportunities than I can count that I have missed out on because it isn't in my plan. Hmmm, maybe Isaiah 55:8 will help me out: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord." :)

Sometimes being available means messing up your normal routine. Recently we took the girls to McDonalds, and although we normally just wait in the drive-thru, I decided to run inside. While in there I got the opportunity to share what the Bible had to say on a certain subject. I don't know if I had any impact, but I do believe God put me there for a reason. Had I just did my normal routine, I would have missed a chance to plant a seed.

My prayer for the new year is that God messes up my schedule so that I can shine for Him. I am going to make myself available for His use - how about you?

"I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me." Isaiah 6:8

A Christmas Card Favorite

2010-12-23T09:37:00.000-08:00

[front]

Little baby on the hay,
soon there'll be another day
when nails shall pierce
Your hands and feet
as you provide our sin's defeat.
Risen Jesus on the throne,
we lift our praise to you alone -
for You're the gift that we receive
the moment that our hearts believe.

Roy Lessin

[inside]

This Christmas, as you consider
all the awesome things
that have come to you through
Jesus, God's perfect gift,
remember that it is but a taste
of all the good things
that are yet to come.

Is that you God?

2010-12-21T09:29:00.000-08:00

Gracie was walking thru the house, and asked me where Daddy was. I told her that he was in his room talking to God.

Her reply, "I want to talk to God with Daddy too."

When Alex came out, I told him that she wanted to talk to God with Dad, so they went into our bedroom to pray.

He let her pray, then explained that now we wait quietly to hear what God wants to tell us.

After about ten seconds, Gracie, in as deep of a voice as a 3 yr old girl can muster, says, "I don't like you." With that she was off running and laughing. :)

LOL Moment

2010-12-07T12:09:00.000-08:00

Lillie in the car asked the following question very innocently:
"Mom, did they have Christmas songs when you were a little girl?"

Mom "Yes."

Lillie very impressed exclaimed "WOW!"

Just how old does this child think I am?!?!

A Lillie quote

2010-12-01T08:43:00.000-08:00

"Mom, some people don't like snow, but I say........♪♪♫LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW!♫♪♫"

(you must wave your arms, while singing the let it snow part to get the full effect)

Did you see what I saw?

2010-11-29T07:33:00.000-08:00

My first black Friday shopping experience was a success! We started Thursday around 11pm and I was home by 5:30am. Although there was only one item I really wanted, I ended up getting almost all of the girls Christmas. (Thanks, Amber for waiting and grabbing that Leapster for me) I had a lot of fun with two of my favorite people, we laughed, shopped and laughed even more. Love you girls - LOL!

When I got home, I locked all the stuff in my closet so that Alex could see it and then we were going to put away. To set up the following story, I had just told Lillie on THanksgiving that if she peeked at any of her toys, and I found out, they were going to be taken back to the store.

I was cleaning the bathroom on Saturday and Lillie comes running in and says, "Mom, Gracie's in the closet looking at what you bought!" I rushed in and said, what did you see? Her reply was simple, "Just my vacuum cleaner." The rest of the items were in bags, so I am pretty sure that is all she saw.

I told her that I was going to have to take the toy back. She just cried and cried. I explained that when you peek at stuff you know you aren't supposed to see, then that is what happens. I also said, that if she wanted a vacuum cleaner now, that she would have to ask Santa, because Mom and Dad weren't getting her one.

I was disappointed, not in her since she is only 3 - but that I had to tell her that and she cried. The closet was locked, but just didn't get pulled shut all the way and that is why she was able to get in. :(

Sunday morning, I was getting ready to put Gracie in the shower and she looks at me and says very sweetly, "Mommy, I am sorry I saw my vacuum cleaner yesterday. Did you and Daddy take it back to the store already?" Mommy, "No, Dad will on Monday." Gracie, very sadly, "Mommy, I didn't know I wasn't supposed to see it, I won't peek again."

Sunday afternoon, she came to me with a piece of paper and asked how to write vacuum cleaner. I wrote on one page, and she copied it to her letter. She then gave it to me and said that is her letter to Santa. Very cute!

I am not really going to take it back, and she will still get it, but not from us. She will get it from Santa. However, I am curious as to what you all would do in this case. She is only 3 and I don't believe that she went into my closet just to find the toys, but at the same time she also knew she was not to go in there. How would you handle this? :)

Yes we did

2010-11-17T11:45:00.000-08:00

It is before Thanksgiving, and we have our tree up! With the all that is going on in the next week, today felt like the best day to do it.

The girls were so cute while decorating. The tree is definitely not professionally done, but it is done with love (I know cheesy). We don't have a lot of decorations, but enough to enjoy putting them up. I still have to do the lights outside and a few inside.

I have quite a bit of Christmas shopping done, and have paid for very little. We earned a $25 gift card for participating in a survey when we were in Disney last May. With that I was able to purchase 2 presents each for just over $2 out of pocket. Using a Sony gift card we found, from like 2 years ago, we were able to pick up a movie for the girls for free! I have $70 in amazon gift cards just from searching the web (I would have had over $100 but spent part of them for travel games when we went to Disney). I plan on using that to purchase some things for the girls too. This past Tuesday I went to Radio Shack and found Lillie's big present from Santa - Nintendo DS Lite on clearance, saving me $40.

I have never had this many items bought before Christmas and actually it feels really good. I am thinking that I need to start my shopping earlier. I may shop Black Friday, but I am still undecided on that. This would be my first year to shop then, and I am not sure I am ready to take that plunge. lol

Bits and Pieces

2010-11-16T12:50:00.000-08:00

It seems like it has been a long time since I have last posted. I think many times - "Oh, I should post that" but unfortunately I don't. :( Hopefully, I don't get too random, but here goes a little update.

Lillie had her first JBQ (Junior Bible Quiz) meet this past Saturday. Her team got 4th place. She has worked hard on the questions, but she was not quick enough to the buzzer. I will say the ride there and back was entertaining as we rode with one of her best friends, Josiah. I love listening to their conversations. Too cute!

School is still going great. She has learned many things and floors me with how quickly she picks up new subjects. I love seeing her excitement as she accomplishes new things. Her favorite subject is science - which has always been my favorite too. ;) She is able to read short sentences and is really good at sounding out words, as long as she is in the right mood. There are days, that are harder than others, but overall I am loving homeschooling her.

Gracie has picked up so much through watching her sister. I have been working a little with her about recognizing numbers and letters. Although I think that Lillie has taught her most of what she knows. Lillie, not only is a good student, but a good teacher! Both of the girls love the website www.starfall.com and I would recommend it to anyone with little ones. It is a fun way to work on letters. It is a fun treat for the girls once in awhile.

We have gone trick-or-treating. Lillie was pretty little cowgirl and Gracie was Jessie from Toy Story.

We are getting ready to put up our Christmas decorations this week. The girls can hardly wait for that. Who am I fooling, I can't wait either! One thing I am excited about is all the really good deals I have gotten so far for the girls. I have several presents already purchased and have spent less than $10. YAY! Maybe I will post later this week about those.

You have probably have had enough to read of my life, so toodles until next time! :)

Super-Dork

2010-10-21T06:09:00.001-07:00

I am going to disclose a story to you, not because it tells how awesome I am, but because it shows how God uses everyday life to teach my children (and me) lessons.

Yesterday I decided to fix my rearview mirror with super glue. As I was working, the girls kept coming to the door and distracting me and at some point I got some glue on my fingers which so happen to touch my eyelashes. Yes, I glued my eyelashes together! (feel free to laugh, I am)

Thankfully it was only about 1/4 inch section and I could still open my eye enough to see out of it. I grabbed the package and ran inside, immediately washed my eye with water, but they were still stuck. I read the warning:

I was pretty much in a panic, because I was not going to go to the ER because I glued my eye shut! I called my mom, who said after speaking to my cousin, a RN, to use Vaseline (which I was already) and that should help, otherwise I may have to very carefully trim my eyelashes. So I worked even more diligently because who wants to cut their eyelashes. My mom said she would come over and see if she could help as I was working with only one eye. After several minutes it came loose and I could see again. After calling my mom back and telling her not to come, I got the rest of the glue off (which included several eyelashes) and have no damage to my eye other than a little puffiness.

During all of this Gracie had come into the bathroom with some anointing oil and prayed for me (I honestly didn't realize it because I was too focused on getting my eye opened). She told me afterwards she prayed because she didn't want my to be like this - then she squinted and I told her thanks.

Alex got home from work and I started to tell him about it, to which he did what every good husband would do and laughed. Then he asked how I got it opened. Before I could answer, a very excited Gracie said, "I prayed for mommy and God heard me and made her eye open all the way!"

Now, I am not wanting to glue anything else shut to allow God to teach a lesson, but if thru it all my 3 year old learns that her prays are answered, then I will be an instrument for God.

Playing Opossum

2010-09-24T06:56:00.000-07:00

Thought I would share a funny story from this morning.

About 4am Alex and I woke up to the dog barking like crazy. Alex got up to go see what was going on and he found two little eyes peering from behind two old sections of fence that was propped up on the existing fence. So, of course we knew unless that thing left our fence the dog would continue barking causing us to not get anymore sleep nor anyone else in the surrounding houses. Alex got the bebe gun out and shot at it a couple of times, it moved and since it was dark he assumed it left the yard.

However, a few minutes later Tallie started barking again. This time I got up to see what was going on. Alex took a flashlight and broom out to knock over the fence and make sure it was either dead or gone. I laughed as he ran for his life, just in case whatever it was came after him. Well, it was a opossum (but not dead yet, Ryan), a big opossum! Alex told me to watch it as he changed out the bebes for pellets. Of course, I did watch......from a far off distance! He came back out and just in time to watch it start going down our fence line, around the back fence and then towards the house on the other side of the yard. Tallie of course barking and trying to catch it.

At the point it turned towards the house, I ran in because opossums are feisty creatures, I am not wanting to get too close to it. Alex shot at it and then it went under our porch (I know, ugh!). Tallie continued to chase it all the way into her doghouse!!!!! Alex had to shoot it a couple of more times and finally finish it off with a shovel. It was tough thing!!

Anyways, I am sure we were a sight for anyone watching us and because Alex had to go to work, all he did was throw it over our fence so the dog wouldn't play with it. He will take care of it when he gets home.

I am thinking that it may make a great present for my little brother who is quite fond of the rat-like creatures. Better yet, does anyone want to come over for dinner tonight? ;o)

Hearing from God

2010-09-21T18:55:00.000-07:00

We have been having revival services at my church (www.crosst.org) for awhile now, and it sparked this conversation with Lillie:

Lillie: You need to have someone pray for you.

Mom: Why

Lillie: So you will hear God talk to you.

Mom: He does talk to me thru His word (Bible), when I pray, thru our pastors, in many different ways... When you pray, ask God to speak to you, it may not be in a voice you hear, but you will know that it is from God.

Lillie: I can pray, but I can't read.

Then she went back to playing with her sister so I let it go. Later today while I was praying:

Lillie: What are you praying for? For me to hear from God?

Mom: Yes. Lillie, you know you can go to the alter and the Pastor will pray for you too.

Lillie: I can?!? Okay, but I don't know if I will.

I don't think I can express how excited I am about my five year old wanting to hear from God.

School Time

2010-09-09T13:39:00.000-07:00

I am still here! It has been awhile since my last post, and I thought I would give a brief update of what is going on at the Thompson house.

We have officially started homeschooling! Lillie is doing great, and I am amazed at the fact that I am teaching her. I have seen much improvement on her writing and recognition of vowel sounds over the past several weeks and it is exciting. The other day a commercial came on for "teach your baby to read" (or something like that) and Lillie goes, "Mommy, I want you to teach me to read." Don't get me wrong there are hard days, where it seems impossible to keep her attention, but the benefit of homeschooling..........I can take as many breaks as need to keep my sanity and her attention. I am proud of her and all she has accomplished so far.

Gracie and homeschooling is another story. :) She is actually doing pretty good at adjusting, but still wants to have input on sissy's work and have her own "school" too. I do have several worksheets and activities we do together while Lillie is in class. There are also subjects that both can do together, such as science and social studies. Gracie is picking up at recognizing more letters and numbers and tries very hard to write them. She is having class too, but at a more toned down level and she is more free to go play and stuff in her room.

We have been going outside a lot the past couple of weeks and enjoying this beautiful weather and planning on visiting the Indy zoo here really soon. Thanks to a coupon from facebook, we are getting to go fairly inexpensively. Yay for coupons!!! :)

All I want for Christmas is.....

2010-08-16T17:05:00.000-07:00

We are all used to hearing, "I want that for Christmas/my birthday". This is usually during a toy or game commercial or while looking at a toy ad.

This evening was no different, while watching America's Funniest Home Videos (the girls favorite family show), Lillie said the above phrase. I looked up to see an advertisement for ..................bug barrier. Yes, it was bug killer. If you haven't figured it out, she does not like bugs.

I'm a big kid now

2010-08-03T09:56:00.000-07:00

Lillie had a dentist appointment today and it went great, but with a sad twist. I have always gone back with her, and she told me today that she still wanted me to go with her. I am trying to encourage a little independence so I told her if she went back by herself, I would give her 3 happy bands. The hygienist calls her name and she gets up, looks back and with a little wave from mommy, went back..................by herself!

Now, I am very proud of her (she even talked to the dentist and hygienist), but sad too. Waiting in the waiting room was one of the hardest things for me. There was a piece of me that wanted so bad for the hygienist to come and get me, but she never did. This was just another way, that my baby is growing up.

Bedtime

2010-07-19T18:36:00.000-07:00

Tonight started a new bedtime routine for Gracie. Most of you have read all my bedtime issues with Gracie. We went from rocking to sleep (which I loved and would tell any new mommy to do) to sitting by the bed holding her hand. For the past couple weeks, I have been moving slowly toward the door and tonight, I left her all together.

We said our prayers, gave our kisses and hugs, and then after tucking in bed I told her goodnight. She, of course, cried (not a lot or very hard), but only left her room twice. After about 10 minutes and she was out! Hopefully it will continue to be this easy.

What little girls are made of

2010-07-09T14:15:00.000-07:00

On the way home from the grocery store.........

Lillie - can I roll my window down?

Mom - No, little girls are made of sugar and will melt when they get wet.

Lillie (with an attitude) - I am NOT made of sugar, I am made of JESUS!

I love my girls!

Summer Days

2010-06-28T06:37:00.000-07:00

I thought I would take a minute to update on our summer. I have noticed that even though I thought it would be pretty slow, I was so wrong. The past several weeks have flown by and I can't believe that it is almost the Fourth of July.

We have been spending a lot of time outside. Lillie has decided that when we are outside, I need to be making clover jewelry. Here she is modeling a necklace, ring, and bracelet. :)

The girls have been in the sprinkler and slip-n-slide so many times I probably could count. They even make their own water slide. We have been swimming at my parents house and at my nephews bday.

Gracie has found a nightgown that used to be mine when I was her age. I sent her to her bedroom to get her pj's on and she came running out a few minutes later giggling up a storm. She yells "purprise" (that is surprised in Gracie talk) as she comes in the living room. I just laughed and asked what she was wearing, to which she replied, "Isn't it funny? I just thought I'd wear this to be funny." She has worn it several times since and each time she laughs. I guess she wasn't too thrilled about my style at that age. :)

Lillie had a performance on Saturday at a park outreach held by several churches. It was soo hot, but the girls did great!

Lillie and Gracie went to VBS at my parent's church last week. The last day as we were leaving, I caught a lightening bug and you wouldn't believe who held it..............Lillie. That is right, my little bug hater, she wanted to and didn't even freak out when it started crawling. That is a pretty big thing for her.

Time

2010-06-15T14:05:00.000-07:00

My mom sent me this email:

In the faint light of the attic, an old man, tall and stooped, bent his great frame and made his way to a stack of boxes that sat near one of the little half-windows. Brushing aside a wisp of cobwebs, he tilted the top box toward the light and began to carefully lift out one old photograph album after another. Eyes once bright but now dim searched longingly for the source that had drawn him here.

It began with the fond recollection of the love of his life, long gone, and somewhere in these albums was a photo of her he hoped to re-discover. Silent as a mouse, he patiently opened the long buried treasures and soon was lost in a sea of memories. Although his world had not stopped spinning when his wife left it, the past was more alive in his heart than his present aloneness.

Setting aside one of the dusty albums, he pulled from the box what appeared to be a journal from his grown son's childhood. He could not recall ever having seen it before, or that his son had ever kept a journal. Why did Elizabeth always save the children's old junk? he wondered, shaking his white head.

Opening the yellowed pages, he glanced over a short reading, and his lips curved in an unconscious smile. Even his eyes brightened as he read the words that spoke clear and sweet to his soul. It was the voice of the little boy who had grown up far too fast in this very house, and whose voice had grown fainter and fainter over the years. In the utter silence of the attic, the words of a guileless six-year-old worked their magic and carried the old man back to a time almost totally forgotten.

Entry after entry stirred a sentimental hunger in his heart like the longing a gardener feels in the winter for the fragrance of spring flowers. But it was accompanied by the painful memory that his son's simple recollections of those days were far different from his own. But how different?

Reminded that he had kept a daily journal of his business activities over the years, he closed his son's journal and turned to leave, having forgotten the cherished photo that originally triggered his search. Hunched over to keep from bumping his head on the rafters, the old man stepped to the wooden stairway and made his descent, then headed down a carpeted stairway that led to the den.

Opening a glass cabinet door, he reached in and pulled out an old business journal. Turning, he sat down at his desk and placed the two journals beside each other. His was leather-bound and engraved neatly with his name in gold, while his son's was tattered and the name Jimmy had been nearly scuffed from its surface. He ran a long skinny finger over the letters, as though he could restore what had been worn away with time and use.

As he opened his journal, the old man's eyes fell upon an inscription that stood out because it was so brief in comparison to other days. In his own neat handwriting were these words:

Wasted the whole day fishing with Jimmy. Didn't catch a thing.

With a deep sigh and a shaking hand, he took Jimmy's journal and found the boy's entry for the same day, June 4. Large scrawling letters, pressed deeply into the paper, read:

Went fishing with my Dad. Best day of my life.

Which perspective is yours today?

Softly Sleeping

2010-06-08T18:49:00.000-07:00

Setting the stage: I am in the car with Lillie and Gracie and Gracie is asleep. I look in the rearview mirror and see Lillie reaching over and touching her sisters arm.

Mom: Lillie, don't bother her. It is okay that she is asleep

Lillie: But Mom., I have to.

Mom: Leave her be, she will be cranky if you wake her up.

Lillie: I have to, I just can't help myself.

Mom: Please keep your hands to yourself.

Lillie: But Mom, she is so soft when she sleeps. I just have to touch her.

Mom: (smiling) She is isn't she.

How to use Swagbucks

2010-06-03T16:37:00.001-07:00

Swagbucks is an online portal dedicated to helping you earn digital dollars called "Swag Bucks", which can be redeemed for exclusive Swagbucks.com merchandise.

It is very simple to use and you are able to rack up points quickly. I make it the first page (homepage) I see when I log in and use it to go to my email, facebook, yahoo, and blog accounts. I also use it to search for other sites that I am looking for. You can also download the toolbar to make searching even easier (I receive 1-3 points first thing in the morning just because I have the toolbar)!

Besides searching, you can earn points by answering the daily poles, viewing special offers, or entering special codes given out periodically thru facebook, twitter or on their blog. Get as many people to sign up under you as you can, because as they are rewarded, you will receive matching swagbucks. A good way to get referrals is to connect your swagbucks to facebook.

The best reward, in my opinion, is the Amazon.com giftcard (450 points). I have been a member for about 1 year and have earned around $100 in amazon.com gift cards. It is easy money!

Birthday Babies

2010-05-28T10:34:00.000-07:00

May is my girls' birthday month. Lillie turned 5 on May 3rd (we were at Disney World) and Gracie turned 3 May 25th. It seems like yesterday I was just bringing them home from the hospital, and now they aren't even babies anymore. My how your life changes with the addition of little ones - changes for the better! They have been such a blessing to my life and I have to thank God that he is allowing me to raise such beautiful and sweet little girls.

I went thru a bunch of pictures and found one of each when they were between 6 and 12 weeks old. I can't believe they were ever that little!

Lillie Asriel

Gracie Elizabeth

Here they are on the day of the birthday party:

Lillie

Gracie

Being Goofy

"Fly Swatter"

2010-05-24T18:30:00.000-07:00

Gracie and I made a trip to Walmart this evening. On the way there we passed a field with several horses. Gracie started talking about how they swing their tails and asked why. I told her it helps keep the bugs away.

Her reply, "Sissy doesn't like bugs. I wish she had a tail so she could keep the bugs away from her."

Pretend Play

2010-05-20T04:51:00.000-07:00

For those who don't know, Gracie has pretend kids. To be exact - she has at least 2 babies named Silas and Elijah, at least 3 boys named Phineas, Ferb and Chuck E Cheese, some girls and several teenagers.

We have taken them with us to different places and she randomly talks and plays with them throughout the day. She will also bring a phone to church, the store, or wherever so she can call them on the way there, when we are there, and on the way home to be sure they are being good and just to let them know what we are doing. They don't come with us because of their jobs, in which they don't make any money. I have even been asked to babysit them on occasion. It is interesting some days - to say the least! :)

Yesterday she asked me to play duck, duck, goose. I told her it was too hard to play with only 2 people (Lillie was at her friends house). She replied that her boys and babies are playing, so now we have more people. I agreed to play along - who couldn't with that logic.

She wanted to be the ducker and of course, picked me. After chasing her, I began ducking, even the pretend kids. I decided to pick one of the pretend boys. While running around the circle, Gracie was rolling because she was laughing so hard at me. I sat down and said, "Yes, I won!" While still giggling she replied, "Mommy, they aren't real!" ;o)

Disney Overview

2010-05-11T06:09:00.000-07:00

As posted previously - we had a great time at Disney World! This was my 2nd time to Disney, but Alex and the girls first visit. It was also to celebrate Lillie's and Gracie's May bdays. I am not sure who enjoyed it more - the girls or Daddy?!?!?

We choose to drive. We left at 3:30am and drove about 13 hours to Valdosta, GA and finished the drive the next morning (just over 3 hrs). It was a great drive. The girls were awesome and got along great.

It was so HOT the whole trip. The normal highs are in the mid 80's according to Alex's family who lives in Florida. The highs while we were there ~ 93-95 degrees. But we didn't let a little heat bother us, we just spent a lot of time in the pools at our hotel!

We went to Magic Kingdom the first day we were there and needless to say the girls were in awe. I loved the look on their faces the first time they saw Cinderella's Castle! I only wish I had my camera - I forgot it at the hotel. :( We also got to see Mickey and Minnie the first day! One of the funny things that happened to me was when I was going thru Minnie's house. A four yr old boy (I am guessing at his age) smacked me in the bottom and told me to move. When I turned around, he looked a bit embarrassed - I believe he may have thought I was someone else. So, I literally got hit on the first day! :o)

Alex's aunt and uncle from Ft Lauderdale came up Saturday, Sunday and Monday. It was so nice because they have been so much that they new where to go and when.

We went to Animal Kingdom on Saturday. The Lion King show was pretty cool. Then we saw a bunch of characters - Timon, Pumba, and Simba at the show - then Goofy, Donald, Pluto, Pocahontas, Terk, Baloo, King Louie, Chip and Dale, Thumper and his girlfriend, Raffiki, and Jimny Cricket. Gracie was a bit unsure of the characters until we got to Pluto and Goofy. She literally pushed me away and informed me that she was not scared anymore. It was too cute.

Sunday we went to Hollywood Studios. Lillie only two things there she wanted to do - go to the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids play area, and eat at Pizza Planet. We did go thru the rest of the park and watched a few shows. The 3D shows are pretty cool, but neither one of my girls liked them too well. It was a little too real for them. We saw several characters there too, even the elusive Daisy Duck - who I have heard from cast members is extremely hard to find.

Afterwards we went swimming (we did that everyday) and then to Downtown Disney. The girls had a blast playing in the fountains that sprayed. They also got to pick out a few souvenirs.

Monday was Lillie's 5th bday. (I can hardly believe she is that old!) She wanted to go to Magic Kingdom and see the princesses. We got to see Aurora, Cinderella, and Belle. Plus we saw Pinochio and few others. My favorite that day that we saw were Tigger and Pooh. After getting pictures done, Tigger sat in Gracie's seat. Gracie hung her head and ran to Alex crying. Pooh came over and consoled her. Tigger did get up, and thankfully didn't break my friends stroller, and apologized to Gracie. Then he sat on her lap! It was cute. The girls also got their ears that day. After riding all the things the girls wanted to, we went back to the hotel for some cake for Lillie's bday. That night we watched the SpectroMagic Parade. It was so cool! The girls LOVED it. Lillie didn't stop moving her knees the whole time and I thought Gracie was going to lose her arm because of how hard and fast she was waving. We did not stay for fireworks any night. It was just too crowded and the girls were barely staying awake as it was.

We spent our last day at Magic Kingdom seeing the fairies and Mickey and Minnie again. We took our time and saw everything we wanted to that we had missed and then whatever the girls wanted to see again.

Our drive home was not as pleasant as the trip there, but we made it after a stay just north of Atlanta. Those carseats are not the most comfortable things to ride in for 15+ hours. I had brought plenty of surprises that made it somewhat better.

I have so many things I could tell you, but I will leave it at the basics and maybe share a story or two later on. :) We took almost 300 pictures, so I am only sharing a handful as not to bore you.

The girls and I have already begun saving for another trip to Disney! It may take a couple of years, but I am sure we will get to go again.

Our Disney Cost

2010-05-08T06:29:00.001-07:00

We made it to and from Disney with no problems and we had a blast. I think that I will post a little about our budget/cost today and then pictures and more in a few days.

We booked our trip thru the Disney Site. Our trip included 5 days, 6 nights plus the quick service meal plan.

We stayed at the All-Star Music Resort in Disney making traveling to and from the park a breeze - we rode the Disney buses.

The total of the above was $1693.74 plus because we booked before march 27th, we got a $300 Disney gift card upon arrival. While at Disney, we spent less than $70 out of pocket!!!

I recommend the dining plan to whoever is going, it saves time and is pretty reasonable. Our dining plan allowed for 2 meals and 2 snacks per day per person. Since Gracie was under 3, she didn't count for this, but they give you so much food that she shared off everyone's plate happily (she is quite the mooch anyhow). If we would have purchased our meals, the bill would have been around $35 - two meals a day = $70 a day. Snacks could of easily cost us $20 a day. We brought stuff for breakfast and also used some of our snacks for breakfast items. I know you could bring your own food, but that means one more thing to prepare and think about when you are trying to have fun and relax. I, personally like the convenience of the dining plan.

We used our gift card to buy souvenirs for each of us. We each got at least one shirt (Alex and I got 2) and we also got a beach towel and 2 mugs. The girls got ears, necklaces, and stuffed animals, puzzles, and several other trinkets that they wanted. ALL purchased thru the gift card. The girls also got to pick out a toy from Grandma and Grandpa - who gave them each some money before we left. I would not have normally let the girls get so much, but since it was not out of my pocket, it didn't bother me. (All this doesn't include what Alex's aunt and uncle got them for their bdays)

Overall, after factoring in gas, hotels on the way to and from, meals when we were traveling, and misc items needed our total out of pocket cost would have been just over .................$2100.00 !!!

Smile Moments

2010-04-23T12:49:00.000-07:00

Watching my 2 yr old laughing, squealing, smiling as she chased after a butterfly. She was so sure she could catch it. Pure joy!

Watching my 4 yr old praise dancing to the Lord. She just turns on the radio and starts dancing and singing before the Lord.

Innocent and without a care in the world.

(I wish I had taken pictures, but I was enjoying watching them too much to get up and get the camera.)

Picture Post

2010-04-17T06:10:00.000-07:00

Here is my previous post in picture form:

Park Visits:

Easter:

Flower planting:
I many more pictures, but then this post would take forever to create. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Update

2010-04-15T16:20:00.000-07:00

It seems like forever since my last post. I actually have started to post something several times, but was interrupted (as many of you probably have been). The Thompson house have been loving the warmer weather. We have had a few adventures to the park, and plenty of time spent outside. Maybe even so much time out that our inside as suffered a bit.

Easter was great. We colored eggs on Good Friday. Lillie asked me why we call it Good Friday. I started talking about the Jesus being crucified and she jumps in with, "I know why it is good, since Jesus died for us - we can go to heaven." It just fills my heart with joy hearing my girls talk about Jesus.

We made the Easter cookies on Saturday. Honestly, I struggled with whether I was going to or not going to do this because no one ate the cookies last year. But Lillie asked me if we were and that just made me realize that it is not the cookies that matter, but the fact that my girls are being taught a very important Bible lesson. We went to church the next morning where Lillie performed with her salvation dance and praise ministry.

For those who would like to see it, you can go to http://www.crosst.org/ and click archive services, then find the April 4th service, and click the icon for the video. She is about 44minutes into service. She comes on stage about the middle of the song and is in the back left corner of the stage. She did awesome!!

I have gotten a lot of shopping done over the last several weeks. I have found that many of the things that Lillie was able to where at Gracie doesn't fit Gracie. They are built completely different. I do think that we are ready for our trip to Disney World. We only need a few items like sunblock and snack items for the trip.

Lillie has really started getting into riding her bike. She rode it a lot last year, but was very anxious the whole time. Now she hops on and takes off without much encouragement. Gracie rides the trike and tries to keep up with her big sister. She does great, (and pedals - which Lillie really didn't do much of until last year) but her trike can go forward and backwards so she sometimes switches. The chalk bucket is getting lighter due to all the art we have made on the driveway. If you were to drive by my driveway you may think it is a crime scene since they love being traced on the driveway.

Tallie also love that we have been out more. The only complaint - wasps. They are everywhere!! We have had our troubles with these "demon insects" and I am praying that they don't stick around this year. I don't go out without my handy can of wasp killer. Just call me one shot Sarah as I tend to get the kill on the first spray!! :)

Since I have given you quite a bit to read for a post I'll wait on the pictures. So I promise to post pictures some time over the next several days.

Easter Cookie Recipe

2010-04-02T17:54:00.000-07:00

My family did this recipe last year and it has made an impression upon my girls. Lillie has asked me if we could do the "Easter Cookie" recipe again this year. She went as far as to tell Alex that he needed to get his Bible out for tomorrow. :) FYI - Alex has his Bible out daily!

Here is the recipe, I hope it makes as big of an impression on your children as it has already on mine. Because what really matters isn't eggs and bunnys, but the sacrifice and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

To be made the evening before Easter
1cup whole pecans
1tsp vinegar
3 egg whites
pinch salt
1 cup sugar
zipper baggie
wooden spoon
tape
Bible

Preheat oven to 300 degrees (this is important, don't wait till you're half done with the recipe!)

Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, He was Beaten by the Roman soldiers. Read John 19:1-3.

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1tsp vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, He was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30.

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life. Read John 10:10-11.

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27.

So far, the ingredients are not very appetizing.

Add 1 cup sugar.Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him. Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16.

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3.

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid. Read Matthew 27:57-60.

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed. Read Matthew 27:65-66.

GO TO BED! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20 and 22.

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter, Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Read Matthew 28:1-9.

A Rambling Post

2010-03-30T13:50:00.001-07:00

I just love this weather!! Yesterday Alex and I took the girls to the park for a little while. It was so much fun. Swings, slides, rock walls, and many more fun things. They didn't want to leave, but it was getting late and cooler. We have some pictures, but I am too lazy to get my camera to download them today, maybe next time. ;o) I am looking forward to another trip later this week.

Today the girls and I made a trip to the mall to go swimsuit shopping. Last year I waited too long and had little to pick from and was not too delighted with what I finally bought. This year I had more choices, but still it is not like it was when I was younger. Everything fits differently and what I thought used to be flattering, is not so much anymore. I did find a suit that I think is pretty cute and even a size smaller than I thought I was going to have to get. We went by ourselves, so I also had Lillie picking out suits that may be cute on a size 0-4 but not on a mother of two - still fun to look at her picks. She didn't care that my body isn't perfect in my eyes, because in her eyes I am beautiful. We could learn a lot from our little ones. I love my girls!!

We also got a package in the mail that contained our luggage tags and vouchers for Disney. We won't get our tickets until we check in, but this just makes me more excited.

35 and Counting

2010-03-24T05:55:00.000-07:00

35 Days until we leave for Disney!!!

We are pretty excited as you can imagine. I am pretty much ready for the road trip. I have several travel games - hungry, hungry hippo, connect four, crocodile dentist, and several other craft and activities to help keep the little ones busy. The car trip is sure to be the longest, but hopefully goes smoothly.

The girls have tried on some of their summer clothes and thankfully most still fit. Lillie is pretty much set for the trip, and Gracie just needs a couple more items. Grandma even bought them some new Minnie Mouse pajamas for the trip. Me? I have to make the dreaded swimsuit shopping trip. I have been working out, although not as consistently as needed, enough to make me feel better about the way I look.

I ordered some free maps from Disney for the girls, which they carry around and study daily. They are so excited and have watched the Disney vacation video several times and beg for me to go online so they can look at the park rides.

Other than enjoying the weather and planning for our trip, there is little going on at the Thompson house.

BOGO Coupon and Question

2010-03-13T05:01:00.000-08:00

Freebie alert for those little girls at your house!! If you have little ones who play My Little Pony, you need to visit www.hasbro.com and find the coupon link. They have a buy one get one free deal plus lots of other good coupons. At Wal-mart there are two different types of ponies the coupons work with. The ponies are $5 each, with the coupon it would be $2.50 each. A great idea for the Easter baskets!!! My girls used coupons and their chore money to get two each yesterday.

Question:

Lillie's well-child checkup is coming up and this is the year of the kindergarten shots. How are you, or did you, handle your child's shots? I am undecided if I should talk about it before hand, or just wait until we get there. I have talked about how shots help people feel better and stay healthy, but have not told her that she is due for some in just a matter of weeks. She is a bit apprehensive about needles, since the stitches last summer. Please, please let me know what you did and what you think is the best way to handle the upcoming visit.

Another Photo Freebie

2010-03-11T04:17:00.000-08:00

I have another free photo offer. If you have not used CVS Photo before, you can sign up and get 50 free prints. If you choose to ship to store, the prints will be absolutely free. After you sign up, you must check your email and click the link in the email to get the freebie.

Freebie

2010-03-06T11:51:00.000-08:00

FYI - If you have pictures that are stuck on your camera or computer (like me) then you will love this. If you go to www.kodakgallery.com and use the code 50FREE you will receive 50 free prints. All you have to pay is shipping, which is only $1.99. Plus if you have never joined Kodak before, you can get another 50 free prints. The code is only good until March 11.

I definitely did this because Gracie was born after we got a digital camera and thus has very few pictures of her out. When we look at pictures of Lillie as a baby she asked if the baby is her or Sissy. I feel so bad about it and have decided to start printing out some every month. I would be so upset if something happened to my computer and I lost all the pictures I had one it. :(

Have a great weekend!

We Shall Overcome

2010-03-01T12:04:00.000-08:00

Recently Lillie joined the Salvation Praise and Dance Ministry at our church. She did really well considering it was her first time and most of the other girls have been doing it for several years. :o) I am so proud of her. Alex even took the day off work unexpectedly so he could watch. Lillie was pretty excited that he was coming. Earlier in the week she asked him if he was coming or working and when he said working, she looked so sad.

Here is the first two minutes:

Lillie dancing.

Lillie and the girls in the ministry. Lillie is centered in the front row.

If you want to watch the whole performance, visit www.crosst.org and look under the archive services for Feb 28, 2010 am service. She is approximately 30 minutes into service.

The mouse is out of the bag

2010-02-25T06:22:00.000-08:00

Well, I couldn't keep it a secret any longer.

We told the girls that we were going to Disney World.

Actually, Lillie told me that she knew where we would be going for vacation. I asked her where she thought we were going, and she replied, very nonchalantly, Disney World. I talked to Alex about it and we decided to go ahead and tell the girls. They are pretty excited!

I have picked up several items to pack for the trip there and back. I found that I love the dollar craft section at Joann Fabric! I am also going to use my amazon money that I have earned from swagbucks, to pick up some travel games such as Hungry, Hungry Hippo; Crocodile Dentist, and Guess Who.

Those who are interested in earning prizes just for searching the web, need to clink on my swagbucks link. It is a pretty neat little site that has helped me buy Christmas gifts and now travel gifts simply by searching the web. Swagbucks randomly awards you points for searching the web, if you use their site to search from. I have them as my home page and their toolbar at the top. This makes it convenient to use. I earned over $25 in amazon gift cards in the first six weeks of this year!

Spilt Dog Food

2010-02-18T05:43:00.000-08:00

Sometimes we forget that God loves us and takes care of ALL of our needs and he will gently remind us. Yesterday after finishing my much overdue grocery shopping, I caught a bag of dog food on the cart, spilling almost two cups in the parking lot. I was frustrated and grumbled about being clumsy and how it was a waste for me to use a coupon if I was going to spill that much of it. I finished loading the bags and started home.

That is when a song pops into my head - His Eye is on the Sparrow. God takes care of the sparrow, making sure there are trees to build nest in and food to eat. How does the sparrow thank Him - by song. I was able to go grocery shopping because he provided the funds and how did I thank Him - by grumbling about spilling dog food. When in fact I was being used by God to feed the sparrows (okay - blackbirds). Maybe that seems like a silly thought to you, but God uses silly thoughts to get His message across sometimes.

He loves me enough that not only was I able to buy the necessities, but the extras. Sorry for not taking the time to thank You properly for taking care of my family...... Thank You!

God is providing your daily needs - how do you thank Him?

Recap of Our Week ...

2010-02-12T05:20:00.000-08:00

Monday - Lillie felt much better and I took her to a Christian Ballet. Our church bought tickets for the girls in the flag/dance ministry, so I purchased one for myself and accompanied her on the trip. I had a nice night out with her. When we got home, Alex asked about the ballet and she goes, "I got to ride the church bus and it was really bumpy." To be honest, I believe she enjoyed the bus ride more than the ballet. She has asked to ride the bus since she was old enough to form a sentence. :)

Tuesday - I woke up with Gracie at 4am. She started running a fever and for most of the day ran a constant temp of 102. She was extremely fussy and needed to be held for the most part by Mommy. Since Lillie had been to the doctor a few days prior, the doctor just called in an antibiotic. I slept with her on the air mattress that night, which included 3 1/2 hours of talking starting at midnight. I could tell she was feeling better, but really wished she was asleep.

Wednesday - Both girls were somewhat back to normal. Nothing really exciting happened. Oh, I did clean out our linen closet and if I do say so myself, I did a fine job! :o)

Thursday - I had a rough day. I was tired, hurting, and just didn't feel well. After several weeks of Gracie not sleeping well (yes that is weeks - not sure what is going on with that) and then I had spent the last several nights in her room on the floor part of the night - I was sore. My head hurt and body ached, it must be that age thing. But my little ones were troopers and dealt well with my cranky-ness. Before bed, I did make sure to go to them and apologize for being moody. Just because I don't feel well, doesn't give me the right to be grouchy, they were just being children.

Friday - Well, that is today. I got quite a bit of sleep last night - I went to bed at 8pm and only had to get up a couple of times with Gracie. I am planning on being in a much better mood and spending the day catching up on cleaning and playing with the girls. If I get motivated, I might just shovel some of the drive way. I really need to go grocery shopping and won't be able to get out too well with the HUGE drift in front of my side of the driveway.

Saturday - Unless cancelled, I am going to try and make it to my nephew's ball game and then spend the day with my family.

....Once Upon a Dream....

2010-02-06T06:36:00.000-08:00

It is official - we are booked for Disney World!!!

Alex and I have been talking since the end of last year about taking a trip to Disney with the girls and last night we booked our trip. We are so~o excited! We are going the first of May and will be there during Lillie's fifth birthday. A few months ago after seeing a Disney commercial Lillie says somberly, "Maybe we can go to Disney after I turn 5." Little did she know that was already in the works. :)

We are not going to tell the girls until time to leave. First it will be a great surprise, but mostly because they will be asking everyday how much longer until we go. We will drive down. My plan, for those of you who are also going and driving, is to make a fun chart listing the main cities we will go thru on our way and the girls can put stickers by each to help them know how much longer until we are there. I am also going to start (I already have a couple items) collecting little games and such to save for the car trip.

I will try not to post too much during the upcoming weeks about our trip, but lets face it, there's not too much more exciting than a trip to Disney with two princesses! ;o)

I would love to hear from those of you who have gone with little ones as to where is the best places to go and things to do. Please leave me your comments and suggestions!

A Gracie Short

2010-02-04T05:50:00.000-08:00

Gracie had lovely long hair, but unfortunately, was longer in the back than anywhere else. Due to the "mullet" like appearance when left down, we decided to take her in and get her first haircut. Alex's Aunt Emily cut her and then trimmed up Lillie's hair, who decided she wanted her hair left long. Here are a few pictures of Gracie's 1st haircut.

Before we got started.

After the cut, the bangs are a bit short, but that is probably because i usually trim those and I am definitely not a beautician.

Yesterday I looked over to see Gracie performing a puppet show after lunch. It was so cute! She had found a pig finger puppet. Gracie would hold out her hand, turn her back and then make it sing "this little piggy". I wish I could of gotten video, but she was being quite bashful and I had to sneak just to get a snapshot. :)

Laughing Matters

2010-01-26T13:24:00.000-08:00

My girls have kept me laughing the past few days.

Gracie and Lillie have been talking about the tooth fairy since a friend of Lillie's lost a couple of teeth recently. Yesterday Lillie explained to Gracie that when you lose a tooth the tooth fairy gives it to a new baby and you get big girl teeth. This morning Gracie woke up, moved her tongue around in her mouth and exclaims, "I still got my baby teeth!" :)

Later today she working at the desk, runs to her room and comes back with a pair of star-shaped sunglasses that are missing one lens. I ask what she is doing and she said, "I am reading Daddy's Bible." She proceeded to go thru every book on the desk "reading" just like her Dad.

We sing a song once in awhile that goes "when you mix red and blue, you get purple, when you mix red and blue you get purple. When we mix the two, we see a new color magically, when you mix red and blue you get purple." We usually go thru several different color combinations and then on to some goofy ones such as when you mix peanut butter and jelly you get a sandwich.

Well, today Lillie said she had one and sings, "When you mix Mom and Dad, you get kids. When you mix Mom and Dad, you get kids. When we mix the two, we see a new kid magically, when you mix Mom and Dad, you get kids." I chuckled, and then thankfully she went on to a new verse without any follow-up questions. :)

Teaching Moment

2010-01-25T12:44:00.001-08:00

I love how God opens doors to talk about Him with my children.
We went to the grocery store this afternoon and when we left it was a pretty nasty mix of stuff coming down. I told the girl it was nasty out and then I started a quick little prayer asking God to keep us safe on the road - I really wanted red meat to eat for dinner tonight! :)
Lillie then goes "stop this stuff until we get home, amen." Almost immediately it started to just spit snow.
Lillie then goes, "Look, it is better already." I then got the opportunity to talk to my girls about faith and how God answers prayer.
She then told me that God doesn't always answer fast enough. I laughed and said maybe not to us, but He is always on time. :)

How may I serve you?

2010-01-24T18:11:00.000-08:00

While working a Bible verse with Lillie:

"The master said Well done, my good and faithful servant....."

Lillie - Mommy what is a servant?

Mommy - Well, if you have someone who cooks or cleans for you, that would be a servant.

Lillie - Oh, like you!

Bible Lessons as told by Lillie

2010-01-23T05:40:00.000-08:00

The Wise Men

The girls were playing church and Gracie had just told a story about David and Goliath. Lillie decided to talk about the wise men and the baby Jesus.

Lillie to Gracie - The men brought grownup presents to the baby Jesus. Baby Jesus didn't have money to go back to where he was from and the wise men wanted to give him stuff. I don't know why they brought boring presents to a baby, but (dramatic pause and a "what were they thinking" look) they did.

Heaven

Lillie - You know what, Gracie? When we get to heaven Casey (our dog before Tallie) will be waiting for us. That's right, God has us a home already waiting for us and Casey is there too.

Gracie - How about Tallie?

Lillie - Well, if she dies before us, she 'll be waiting for us too, but right know it is just Casey and God.

This and That

2010-01-16T06:05:00.000-08:00

This week has definitely been a week! I really thought this would be a quiet and pretty normal week, but things don't always go the way you think they should. :)

Last Friday I took Gracie to the doctor to find out she had a double ear infection. I wouldn't have probably taken her if it wasn't for her complaining one night of an earache and she hadn't slept or ate well for a few nights. She hadn't ran fever so I figured everything was fine, but learned that most do not run fevers with ear infections. hmmm. - didn't realize that since my children tended to run high fevers. After a week of antibiotics, she seems fine other than the massive purple bruise on her forehead. She was climbing on our couch and fell off the back. She cried for about 10-15 minutes, but after an ice pack and few minutes of loving, she was back to normal. I had made eggs and went to sit by her. She sat up, looked in my bowl and says, "eggs, that make me feel better!" It was too cute, and you would think that she would have learned not to climb on the couch, but no, I caught her at it again the next day. :)

On Tuesday we decided to get out of the house and let the girls spend there Christmas money. Lillie has been asking for princess skates for a lo~ong time and had enough to get them. Gracie, of course couldn't be left out and picked out a Tinkerbell set. They skated for awhile when we got home and then it was off to bed, but not for long! Lillie woke up sick about an hour and half later. Alex and I rotated staying with her while the other slept. Thank goodness he was off the next day! By morning she had stopped throwing up and was able to handle a diet of applesauce and toast all day. Other than just being worn out she is fine now.

Things are back to "normal" now and I am hoping that they stay that way for a long time!

Bits and Pieces

2010-01-09T11:25:00.000-08:00

Here is a bit of what we have been up to the first of 2010:

Playing Barbies - They were getting ready for a wedding at the castle.

Reading - I love watching the girls read together. They really love each other and it shows at these times. :)

Swinging in the Snow - don't ask me why they wanted to, but hey, why not?

And last night we started what we hope to be a continual event at our house - a game night! Sorry no pictures. We ate dinner, then everyone helped clean off the table so that Mommy could play everything too. :) Then we had four rounds of twister (everyone wanted to be the spinner or needed a break). Afterwards we played princess fishing, go fish, and old maid (yes, I did end up being, ur, I mean having the old maid :P). It was nice to just have fun and enjoy each other's company. The girls had fun, didn't fight and wanted to know when the next time would be.

Goal Setting 101

2010-01-05T15:56:00.000-08:00

Well, I have given it some thought and prayer and here are a few goals I have for the new year:

1. Read the Bible thru - I have never made it thru in a year unless you count my children's Bible when I was little. :)
2. Tone up and lose a little weight. I have exercised before, but never consistently. This year I want to get back to pre-baby weight.
3. Take one day a week to do more of what the girls want to do. Possibly a "memory making Monday"?
4. Go to Disney World. Okay, that one is a definite, we have been planning a trip come beginning of May.

New Year

2010-01-02T08:34:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year's!!

My house was quite the party on New Year's Eve. The girls were in bed by 8pm and I was asleep by 10:30. Alex watched the Tennessee football game and then went to bed shortly there after (before midnight). Try not to be too jealous that you weren't here. ;o)

We did get to go to my Grandma Jackson's house for lunch on New Years. It had been awhile since I had been there (actually too long) and had a nice time visiting. We went to my parent's afterwards to do our last Christmas celebration with my siblings. My brother and his wife were up from Louisville, oh, and their puppy Cocoa. :)

As for New Year's resolutions......I need to spend a bit more time deciding what to focus on this year. I don't like to make too many as I tend to lose focus and not complete them.

Until next time, I hope you and your family had a great 2009 and an even better 2010!

Snow Days

2009-12-30T06:00:00.000-08:00

We have been fortunate enough to get to enjoy several days of snow, and honestly am hoping for more. ;o)

Here are some pictures from our snow adventures. This is when we had only enough to cover the ground. We went out Monday, but I didn't take any pictures, just played.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!!

Christmas Day

2009-12-29T12:37:00.000-08:00

We were so blessed Christmas Day. I absolutely loved every minute of the day. The girls got up around 7:30. Lillie informed me that she looked at the tree and that Santa didn't come because things didn't look any different. So we went in to check it out and she realized that because the lights were off (and it was dark outside) that she just didn't notice that Santa had come. The girls broke into the stockings lightening fast. Probably the funniest thing that happened was when Gracie opened her last present. (Lillie had just opened a camera) She saw it was a Cinderella doll, threw it down, kicked it, and then cried. After convincing her that Santa said she had to wait until she was older like Lillie to get a camera, she was okay and has been sleeping with her new doll everynight since.

One of Gracie's favorite things (and the only thing that she actually asked for) was the pink suckers she found.

One of Lillie's biggest reactions came when she opened a pair of pajama's with feet in them. She also got a camera, which had over a hundred pictures by the end of the day. :o)

Both girls received a ton of things from Grandparents, Great-Grandparents, Aunts, and Uncles. Something that my parents did each year was take a picture of us with our gifts and it is kind of neat looking back and remembering what we got, so I have been doing the same for my girls.

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas too!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T06:40:00.000-08:00

I wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! What better way to celebrate, but by remembering the birth of our Saviour - Jesus Christ. As you go thru your festivities this weekend, don't forget the real reason.

Santa Claus and Christmas trees and presents are okay,
But Jesus is the real reason, we have a Christmas Day!

Luke 2 Message

The Birth of Jesus
1-5About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David's town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant.
6-7While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.
An Event for Everyone
8-12There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God's angel stood among them and God's glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you're to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger."
13-14At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God's praises: Glory to God in the heavenly heights, Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.
15-18As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. "Let's get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us." They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed.
19-20Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they'd been told!
Blessings
21When the eighth day arrived, the day of circumcision, the child was named Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived.
22-24Then when the days stipulated by Moses for purification were complete, they took him up to Jerusalem to offer him to God as commanded in God's Law: "Every male who opens the womb shall be a holy offering to God," and also to sacrifice the "pair of doves or two young pigeons" prescribed in God's Law.
25-32In Jerusalem at the time, there was a man, Simeon by name, a good man, a man who lived in the prayerful expectancy of help for Israel. And the Holy Spirit was on him. The Holy Spirit had shown him that he would see the Messiah of God before he died. Led by the Spirit, he entered the Temple. As the parents of the child Jesus brought him in to carry out the rituals of the Law, Simeon took him into his arms and blessed God:
God, you can now release your servant;
release me in peace as you promised.
With my own eyes I've seen your salvation;
it's now out in the open for everyone to see:
A God-revealing light to the non-Jewish nations,
and of glory for your people Israel.
33-35Jesus' father and mother were speechless with surprise at these words. Simeon went on to bless them, and said to Mary his mother,
This child marks both the failure and
the recovery of many in Israel,
A figure misunderstood and contradicted—
the pain of a sword-thrust through you—
But the rejection will force honesty,
as God reveals who they really are.
36-38Anna the prophetess was also there, a daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher. She was by now a very old woman. She had been married seven years and a widow for eighty-four. She never left the Temple area, worshiping night and day with her fastings and prayers. At the very time Simeon was praying, she showed up, broke into an anthem of praise to God, and talked about the child to all who were waiting expectantly for the freeing of Jerusalem.
39-40When they finished everything required by God in the Law, they returned to Galilee and their own town, Nazareth. There the child grew strong in body and wise in spirit. And the grace of God was on him.

Visit with Santa

2009-12-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

Last week we visited Santa at Sony. It was a fun trip with lots of excitement from the girls. Both talked about seeing Santa and telling him what they wanted. Lillie said she just wanted to stand by him for her picture and that is okay with me. I am not going to force her to sit on his lap, I just wanted the picture together. As you see below she did wonderful!

Then there is Gracie. She was excited to see him and waited so great in line. She kept looking up to where he was standing and telling us to look. She seemed like she would do really good this year. And earlier she told me that she was going to stand by him too. Well, as soon as she came around the corner and was next to go, she changed her mind. She grabbed Alex's leg and started crying. Since I am such a good mom, while Lillie was getting her picture, I pried her off Alex and held her close to Santa for a picture. The photographer looked at me with a "what do you want me to do" look, and I said just take the picture, I do not mind if she is crying in it. Thus we have a Santa stare-down. It is too cute and hard to keep from smiling at it.

Don't worry she did not mind and talked for the rest of the evening about getting to see Santa. Here is another picture from later in the evening of the girls eating cookies at the party. As you can see there seems to be no long term affect of the trauma she endured earlier. :)

My scanner wasn't cooperating with me, and that is why the pictures of Santa came out with a shine. Sorry.

I want a hippopatamus for Christmas!

2009-12-22T05:52:00.000-08:00

This is for my little brother! Merry Christmas, Ryan!

Lillie is beside herself with excitement. Every time I come in the living room she is peering under the tree. She doesn't try to open anything, but just making sure I hadn't snuck any new presents under there. :) Yesterday she wrapped a couple of things for Gracie from her and when Gracie got up from nap, Lillie exclaims loudly, "How did those presents get there?" It was too cute. This is going to be such a fun year!

Cow Pee

2009-12-21T05:40:00.000-08:00

I had this weird conversation with my four year old yesterday on my way to church.

~~~~~~

Lillie - Mom, why do we drink cow pee?

Mom - We don't drink cow pee, that would be gross.

Lillie - Yes we do for breakfast, milk.

Mom - That is not pee, that is just milk. Do you remember how Gracie drank milk from me? A cow makes milk too. Well, a cow has udders and when you squeeze them, milk comes out. Then it runs thru a special machine so we can drink it.

Lillie - Oh yeah, I knew that, I just forgot.

Lillie - So, where does a cow pee at?

Mom(wondering where this line of questioning is coming from) - Their bottom.

Lillie - But where?

Mom - their bottom, under the tail.

Lillie - Tallie (our dog) squats down and pees. Is that how a cow pees?

Mom(at church now, and wanting to be finished with this gross questioning before going in) - We will look up all your questions tomorrow at table time.

~~~~~~

Now now you know what Lillie and I are doing today, what are your plans? :)

Less than a week

2009-12-20T10:53:00.000-08:00

My girls are bouncing off the walls! As presents are appearing under the tree and the countdown to Christmas day is getting shorter, the excitement is growing. Last night we had Christmas with Alex's family. We had a nice dinner and then expectantly one of his sisters brought some gifts for the girls. After Lillie opened her present, she told me that she was so excited to get to open her first present. She got a purple Tinkerbell light and blowup chair that was in a small hamper. Gracie got a pink magna-doodle.

I hope that your family is excited too, but let us not forget the real reason for the season - JESUS!

Special Day

2009-12-17T10:29:00.000-08:00

I posted before about Lillie and her friend Josiah, but this story is too cute to skip.

Last night at church Josiah's mom Amie was talking to me and said that Josiah is trying really hard to get Lillie to come back to preschool. I know he has been asking her why she doesn't go and she tells him that she is homeschooled now. When he was at our house on Monday, he asked if preschool was boring and that was why she didn't come back. Josiah tries to convince her to come to preschool by telling her about the new kids she can be friends with.

Anyways...

Amie said Josiah asked if Lillie could fit in their van and she said yes (she has ridden with them multiple times). Josiah proceeded to say that he wanted to take her to school with him on his special day (as his show-and-tell) so she could have a special day too. :)

How sweet is that? That boy is smitten with my Lillie (and who wouldn't, she is a cutee)! Of course, Lillie doesn't mind as she tells me that she will marry Josiah one day. The irony of this, if it really happened, would be that Josiah's Grandpa introduced Alex's parents! What a story that would turn into decades later.

The countdown is on!

2009-12-16T08:17:00.000-08:00

Christmas is just around the corner!!!!! The girls and I are so excited. Lillie and Gracie have been putting on their ornaments on their felt tree, counting the days until Christmas Day. I have the baking bug and am trying to hold off until right before we have guests, so I am not too tempted to eat all the goodies. :) I tend to bake all year long, but there is just something about the Christmas season that brings it out even more in me. The only wish would be I had someone to clean up after I am finished.

All the shopping is finished for the girls except stocking stuff and I have Alex's presents bought and wrapped. So, I am ready for Christmas except the girls' gifts. Lillie and Gracie have been helping me wrap presents for gma and gpa and a few others we buy for. Lillie is a good little elf. Gracie, bless her heart, tries to help, but ends up getting frustrated that I won't hand over the scissors and tape. "But I am a big girl, Mommy." :)

This coming Saturday we are hosting a Christmas dinner for Alex's side of the family. This will start out our busy week of Christmas. Although it will busy, it is nice to get to see family that we don't see that often.

We saw Santa last night. It was an adventure. I will share more after we get the pictures back so you can fully enjoy the tales. :)

Have a wonderful Wednesday.

Christmas update

2009-12-10T07:37:00.000-08:00

Alex and I went Christmas shopping on Tuesday and I believe that we are pretty much finished with the little ones. The only things left to get are the stocking stuffers. That is a pretty good feeling. Now I have to get Alex something and Lillie has already asked him and has his list memorized. :o) It was so much fun shopping together this year. The past couple of years it seems like we have to go shopping alone and then we end up spending more than planned by trying to guess/remember what the other had picked up.

We also were able to order a couple of Christmas presents for free!! I ordered a princess popup tent and tunnel and a Disney princess book from Amazon.com. The total of this to me was around $10 (shipping and tax). I paid the rest of it with gift cards I earned using swagbucks!!! I have only been signed up for about 7 months and hoping that by next year I can pay most of my Christmas using swagbucks. It is very easy and even better - free to sign up for and use. Just simply search the web using their search engine (powered by google), earn points, and redeem for cool prizes - such as gift cards. I think that the best deal is the five dollar amazon gift cards for 45 points. Click on the links above to start earning points!

The girls are very excited about the snow. I let them go out on Monday for a few minutes and play. It wasn't very much, but enough for them to enjoy. They also loved watching the snow Wednesday. Lillie wished that it would not stop snowing until there was enough to build a snow man. Honestly, I wouldn't mind a bunch of snow, but after this weekend. I love snow now that I don't have to get out and drive in it. :)

I hope you are having a great Christmas thus far.

Funny Things

2009-12-07T15:48:00.000-08:00

These are just a few things that I have found funny about my kids the past few days.

:o) Yesterday I had to intervene when my girls were fighting over who was bigger: Jesus or Gracie. Of course Gracie was telling Lillie she was bigger and Lillie informed her that no one is bigger than Jesus. This went on for several minutes, as I chuckled in the other room, until both girls came to me to ask who I thought was bigger.

:o) When we got home from the store today, Lillie comes from running over as I am putting groceries away. She excitedly says, "look what they gave us, a free bag." She was holding an unused plastic bag that had been stuck on a used bag. You would of thought she found a new toy.

:o) As looking for pictures, Gracie gets mad because Lillie is wearing one of her shirts in the picture. Of course it was Lillie's shirt before Gracie's.

:o) I asked Lillie to pick up her doll toys that she had been playing with. Later I saw where there was still stuffed animals and toys out, when I asked why she didn't pick up her toys, she replied, "I did, you just said to pick up the doll toys. I did that."

A Lillie Thought

2009-12-05T08:46:00.000-08:00

Lillie, the Theologian, says to Gracie with a very serious look on her face,

"When you get to heaven, Gracie, you forget all the bad things you done. That's right all the bad things you done."

Hammer Time

2009-12-04T05:56:00.000-08:00

I have started working out this week. My church has a gym set up in it and I have gone three days this week with my friend Amber. I have tried the working out at home, but with two little ones it is pretty hard to get too much done. I am usually too tired after they are in bed and really who wants to get all sweaty and then have to shower again before bed? I have tried getting up in the morning, but they seem to sense that I am going to get up and rise before I have a chance.

So, it is to the gym and honestly it feels pretty good. I am also more likely to go because someone is waiting for me. There is also a little bit of a competitive spirit that rises up in me and pushes me a little harder when I am working out with another person. I have already noticed an increase of energy when I get home from working out. I have been running, biking and using the elliptical demon... I mean machine. :) Since I can only work out when Alex is off, I am trying to do more stuff at home. Yesterday I did a bunch of sit-ups and push-ups and today I am going to try to run too.

I am also watching what I eat as well. I am not a dieter, so instead I am just eating smaller portions and trying to cut back my snacking. I am hoping that all this will produce some outcome in the next couple of weeks, even if small.

Spreading a Little Christmas Cheer

2009-12-03T05:43:00.000-08:00

It is December and Christmas will be here before we know it!!! My girls are pretty excited, of course I am too. :)

Lillie has spent the past several days making presents for everyone and anyone! They usually consist of paper, string, stickers, markers, and glue. It is pretty thoughtful though because she has one for each member of our family (and some have two). She closes her door with her craft supplies, wrapping paper and works away only stopping to ask me to write down names on a sheet of paper that she can copy from. I was pretty impressed when I found a present she had wrapped for me. She had figured out how to spell mommy by sounding it out and wrote it with no help. Because she has been so sweet and thoughtful and since everyone but her has a present beneath the tree, I surprised her by wrapping a present for her. Just to see her eyes was priceless.

What makes the above so much better is that she knows Christmas isn't about presents or Santa which are nice, but about the birth of Jesus. When commercials advertise and say it is all about the _______, Lillie jumps right in and corrects them!

Well, she is pacing right know with a stack of paper robots she made and wants to wrap. When I asked her who they were for, she replied - I don't know yet, but they will be for someone. :)

A Lillie Thought

2009-11-28T17:22:00.000-08:00

Lillie came to realization today.

While putting lights up outside she goes, "Mom, when Jesus was born he didn't have any clothes on."

I answered, "that's right - no one is born with clothes on."

She then thinks for a couple of minutes and goes, "Oh, I think I might have known that." :)

Thankful List

2009-11-25T15:25:00.000-08:00

"I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High" Psalm 7:17

I thought I would post a list of some things (or people) I am thankful for.

~ My Lord Jesus, who without there would not be much of a list. He took me out of the miry clay and He set my foot on the rock to stay.

~ Alex-my husband who works hard to allow me to stay home and raise our babies and takes such good care of me. I love you!

~ My beautiful girls. They make me smile, laugh, and just plain happy. They love me no matter how dorky I act. :)

~ The rest of my family. I love that the Lord blessed me with christian parents who have taught from early on the importance of Christ in my life. My siblings - we may not always see eye to eye, but I love them and know that they will always be there for me. And the rest of the crew, I love them all, even the crazies (which is the category that I am afraid I may fall into)

~ My friends. I love all of you and am so blessed that God has surrounded me with a wonderful bunch of women. Thank you for being my friends!

~ My house and car. I like playing in cardboard boxes with my girls, but don't care to live in one! ;)

~ My church and pastor. I love my Pastor and his family. I am so blessed to be part of a church with a pastor that doesn't just talk the talk, but goes to the street and walks it.

~ Peanut Buster Parfaits. Need I say more. :o)

~ Internet. It may seem silly, but there are several friends from my past that I have been able to reconnect with thru facebook, blogger and email.

I hope has a wonderful Thanksgiving! Gobble, Gobble,Gobble!

Sleepyheads

2009-11-24T07:09:00.000-08:00

I am pretty tired this morning. Gracie for some reason didn't sleep well over the weekend, meaning I didn't either. She did sleep good last night.

Then last night Lillie decided that she didn't want to wear a goodnight. She will stay dry all night on occasion, but is a fairly heavy sleeper and just doesn't wake up if she needs to go, so I am all about the goodnights. However I know that she thinks she is wearing a diaper and only babies wear diapers. I decided that if she thought she was ready then we will give it a try and didn't let her drink anything after supper. Then made sure she went potty several times up to bedtime.

Around 4am I heard little footsteps and then heard, "Mommy, I'm wet." I had already laid out extra sheets, blankets and pajamas just in case so it didn't take long for the switch-a-roo plus we had a mattress pad on the bed to protect the mattress. I just couldn't get back to sleep.

I am just wondering what suggestions my online friends have for getting past this or convincing her that goodnights are not diapers.