No more Tarzan!

Recently I got a bunch of children's books with the read along tape on Ebay. One of the tapes is Tarzan and Joshua LOVES it. Well I think the whole idea of being the "Ape Man" and swinging from trees has gone to his head a little. Friday I walked into the bathroom and saw a blanket hanging behind the door to the toilet and the tub. Turns out Joshua was trying out his Tarzan skills on the Shower curtain rod and the towel bar. The shower curtain rod held up but the towel rod didn't make it. One side was pulled completely from the wall, taking a large chunk out. The blanket was a cover up.
Okay mothers of boys, IS THIS NORMAL? And when does it end????

How big is Josiah? So Big...

Yesterday my baby boy was 18 months old. It's hard to believe a year and a half has gone by since he arrived. And it's amazing to see how he's grown and developed in that time. Another amazing thing is that this is the longest I've gone without getting pregnant since Bob and I have been married! CRAZY!
Here are some things I have found myself saying recently to my sweet but curious little 18 month old.
"Josiah no climbing in the dishwasher" He was actually inside!
"No Josiah, we don't eat out of the trash can!"
"Where's Josiah? Is the bathroom door shut?" Then I find him in the bathroom splashing in the toilet.
"Josiah, we don't throw our food when we're all done. Mommy will take it."
Even though there are times when I feel like I just can't keep up with him, he always manages to bring a smile to my face. I'm so thankful for my sweet baby boy!

Happy Birthday Dear Poppy

Today is my dad's birthday. Here's just a few of my special memories of my Poppy.

• Father/daughter birthday trips to Traverse City. I always loved breakfast at the Omelet Shop!

• When I broke up with my first boyfriend in high school and I was crying about it, he hugged me and I'm sure that I remember a few tears on his cheeks.

• Playing P.I.G. while manning the grill.

• The way that all the people of our church (where he was a pastor) loved him and depended on him.

• When he runs out to the store or on an errand, he always comes back with something small for mom, like her favorite candy bar or some flowers, just because he loves her!

• Playing board games with the family and these days with his grandchildren.
  

• My wedding; Dad officiated and it was beautiful. I'll never forget the sweet things he said when he handed me over to Bob.
  

• And I could never leave out the "Ants in the Pants" laugh. :)

I love you dad. Thank you for providing me a wonderful example of a Godly father and husband. Thank you for loving mom in the special way you do and for always being there for us kids!!! I'm so proud to have you as my Poppy! Happy Birthday!!!!

Come to the water

It seems that everyday lately I receive more news of fellow believers going through trials of many kinds. Two weeks ago my friend had an emergency c-section at 29 weeks and the baby lived only a few days. In recent days I have learned of several mis-carriages and just last night I received word that my Inter Varsity staff worker from college has breast cancer. My heart is heavy with thoughts of all these friends who are suffering. This afternoon I was just resting and a song came to my mind that we used to sing at Inter Varsity based on Isaiah 55.

Come to the Water
O let all who thirst, let them come to the water
And let all who have nothing, let them come to the Lord
Without money, without price
How can you pay the price...come to the Lord.

And let all who seek, let them come to the water
And let all who have nothing, let them come to the Lord
Without money, without strife
Why should you spend your life...come to the Lord.

And let all who toil, let them come to the water
And let all who are weary, let them come to the Lord
All who labor without rest
How can your soul find rest...come to the Lord.

And let all the poor, let them come to the water
Bring the ones who are laden, let them come to the Lord
Bring the children without might
Easy the load and light...come to the Lord.

My heart aches for these dear friends who are suffering but I'm trusting that through these trials they will experience the perfect peace that comes only from God. "How can your soul find rest? Come to the Lord"

Call me crazy

Last night we decided to do something that some may consider a little nutty. We moved all four kiddos into one bedroom. We converted the other bedroom into the playroom. We're very excited to have ALL the toys in one room, instead of some here and some there. This also means that the room off our kitchen is pretty cleared out. It has the kids table with books on tape and a stereo, two bookshelves and a comfy chair. This will serve as our home school room in the fall(more on that very soon). Anyway, we'll see how this arrangement works. Last night the kids did great! They all went right to sleep. Of course this morning they were all up earlier than usual but we expected that. They seem to like being all together and I think that's a good thing. :)

Mister Independence

Josiah loves to feed himself these days and he has a lot of fun doing it! It just makes a little more work for the mommy!!

Taking one for the team

So tonight Joshua made up another new game. We're in the living room watching the Tigers game and he and Chloe run around in a circle and I throw a wiffle ball at them and "tag" them. They are laughing hysterically, granted they are a little on the tired side. So all is going well, everyone is happy then Joshua throws the wiffle ball back to me after a tag and...POW right in the nose. I felt something pop or gush or something and I look down into my hands and I have a bloody nose! Needless to say the new game was over for the night. Don't worry my nose is fine. But knowing Joshua and thinking that Josiah is just as "active", I'm thinking it won't be my last child-induced bloody nose. For now I think I'll recommend that we stick with "Funny Pants" before bed time (see post from April 5) it's much safer and gets just as many laughs.

Mirror, mirror

In this month's Family Fun magazine there was a page entitled "Mother's Wisdom" for readers to share treasured advice from their mothers. One reader wrote this, "The best advice I received from another mom was to imagine that each of my boys has a mirror on his forehead so that I'll always be mindful of what he is seeing. Times that I'm frustrated by the thousandth request or fight, I remind myself of that little mirror and check to make sure that my sons are seeing a face of patience and love."
I know that my face is not always one of patience and love and this is a good thought to keep in my head as I go through my day. As a Christian I could take it one step further and ask myself if I am reflecting Christ to my children as I speak to them and interact with them throughout each day. It's not an easy thing to do, especially when I get frustrated, but it's times like those when I need to have even more control of myself that I might be an example of righteousness for my little ones.

Happy Easter

He is risen! He is risen indeed!! Let us remember and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus not just on Easter but everyday!

Grandma's 7 layer jello

My Grandma always used to make this jello around the holidays and I loved it as a kid. I've made it several times and always get rave reviews beacuse it's just so fun. It's not hard but takes lots of time.

Ingredients:
Jello -
1. black cherry
2. lemon
3. lime
4. cherry
5. orange
6. orange-pineapple (I usually can't find this flavor and substitute something else)
7. strawberry

1 1/2 cup evaporated milk

Directions:
Starting with #1 dissolve jello with 3/4 cup boiling water. Add 3/4 cup cold water; mix well. Pour into 9x13 pan. Chill until firm. Use this method with layers 3, 5 and 7. For layers 2, 4 and 6 add 3/4 cup boiling water and dissolve. Then stir in 1/4 cup cold water and 1/2 cup evaporated milk. Mix well. Pour over set layer. Proceed until you have all 7 layers. Chill. Cut into squares.

One of my favorite hymns is "He was wounded for our transgressions" it has been in my head a lot lately and I'm thankful for that because it reminds me what Jesus did on my behalf. "He was numbered among transgressors". That line brings tears to my eyes as I think that Jesus, the one who was perfect in every way, took my place on the cross to satisfy the law of God. It doesn't seem right that Jesus would take my sin and I would receive his righteousness but that is how God's justice and mercy work together. God's law has been broken and there must be payment for sin, that's justice, but Jesus is the one who paid it in my place, that's mercy! D.A. Carson once said, "Justice and mercy kiss at the cross" and I can't think of a better way to describe it. How does one receive this mercy? Repent of your sins and believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

Funny Pants

We got a little silly last night before bed and Joshua came up with "funny pants".

The mommy's obsession

So some of you have posted weird things about yourselves...here's one of mine. About the time Abigail really started playing with toys I noticed that I had a need to have everything in it's place. My friend Tracy will attest to this obsession. Abigail had this little tea set with a tea pot, platter, tea cups and saucers, and cream and sugar bowls. It was set up on her little table and I think I would re-set that thing up 4 or 5 times a day, matching the cups and saucers and putting each piece in the proper place. Then there's the children's books. They have to be organized by type; picture books, Dr. Seuss books, paperbacks, Golden books and board books, they can't be mixed up. And the biggest, weirdest part about this whole toy obsession is that it drives me crazy if there's a piece or part of a toy missing. It used to be that I couldn't go to bed at night until the piece was found. Puzzles drive me nuts, I try to keep all the pieces together but they just love to dump them.
I have noticed that recently my obsession is not as strong. We have a number puzzle and #17 is missing and I haven't even done a major search for it. I think it got to a certain point where we had so many toys that I just couldn't keep up anymore or maybe I've relaxed a bit or maybe both. The books however are still arranged, I don't think I'll let that one slip...maybe I should volunteer at the Library. Well, I guess it's all part of the mommy metamorphosis; we're constantly having to change how we do things and evaluate our priorities. Let the tea set be all jumbled up...it doesn't even bother me! :)

Opening Day!

Anyone who knows us knows that baseball is a big deal at our house, in particular Tigers baseball. So today was the Detroit Tigers season opener and there we all were, minus Abigail who had to go to school, sitting in the living room wearing our Tigers gear cheering on our favorite players. Unfortunately the Tigers didn't pull it off today...they lost in the 10th inning. BUT as Bob always says, "baseball season is a marathon not a sprint" and don't I know that (April through October)!

A strange thing though has happened to me over the past 11 years, I've learned to love baseball more and more. I love it because he loves it. I find myself even watching games when he's not home or checking on scores of rival teams, just to see. I think at some point I decided I had to get into it because if I didn't I wouldn't be part of something that means a lot to him. Granted, I'm not quite the fan that he is...but I know the game and the players pretty well. Who knows 25 years from now we may be season ticket holders who are always there, in the same seats, keeping score together (now he would REALLY love that!!!). For now we'll settle for watching together with the kiddos and cheering on our team. So welcome to baseball season and
LET'S GO TIGERS!!!

What's your poison?

Okay it's been a few days since I've posted. I've realized that I'll probably be on the computer a lot less now that Bob is home, and that's...okay. :) So here's the question for the day...
With all this candy in the stores right now, what's your favorite. Now you all know that I'm a die hard chocolate and peanut butter fan however a few years ago our good friends Chuck and Kathy introduced me to Starburst jelly beans and I LOVE them! I only permit myself to buy them around Easter and for being not chocolate they are pretty good!!! I also enjoy peeps and a nice white chocolate bunny.

So what do you slip into your cart before checking out this time of year?