Does this look like a PBK catalog to YOU?

About a year ago, I remember getting a Pottery Barn Kids catalog in the mail one day. As I started to flip through it, noticing the neat, organized kids' rooms, I began to feel something like self-pity growing inside. Why can't my house look like that? About this time, someone yelled,"Mom! I need a plunger! "and someone else needed a new diaper . As I tried to walk upstairs, I stepped over Legos and army men. The pity party continued.

I could hear God's voice : Be thankful. You have a godly, hard-working husband who loves you and your kids, a home that is safe and plenty big enough, money for groceries...the list goes on...and on. I was surprised at how quickly I could forget all of God's blessings, how I could obsess over such little, unimportant things. Chris and I saw the movie "Courageous" a few months ago, and the main character's words still come to mind pretty often: When we get to the end of our lives, will we discover that so much of what occupied our time here was not of eternal value?

So.what is of eternal value? Time with our families, time with the Lord, service to those in need. Pottery Barn Kids? I'll just venture a guess and say "Nah."

Check out my Mother's Day post from May of last year for other ways God has used my kids to teach me things about Him.

Catching Up

The Three Biggest Cousins

The Three Littlest Cousins

"Mamie and Paw Paw"

Sea World

With Grandma Jo and cousin Damien

With Grammy

Pancakes with Dad!

I was warned! "When you have more kids, you'll NEVER have time for scrapbooking, blogging, and all of that." All of my friends with kids told me this, but I still didn't believe them. "Oh, yes, I will!" I replied, never thinking that naptime would one day come to an end, and homeschooling would begin. Well, they were all right. If you were one of them, go ahead and say I told you so.

Yep, even finding time to post family photos is tough these days, much less scrapbooking. (I haven't even attempted this since Andrew came along.)Despite the busy-ness of life these days, I'm realizing that this is a fleeting time, and one day I *will* have time for hobbies once again.

So, here are some photos from the past few months. We've gone to Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi since Christmas, and being able to see family was wonderful. I'll update you on the boys in a separate post. This one is all about the photos!

Photo Card

View the entire collection of cards.

Where to Begin?

Batman, Buzz, and Pooh

The summer and early fall have been quite eventful! I could probably post a dozen entries and not be done. Here are the highlights...

Nicholas:

• Learned to ride a bike this summer!
• Lost his first two teeth.
  
• Has become a TOTAL bookworm. :)

Daniel:

• Is at the "Why?" stage- constant questions!
• Learning sight words and reading beginner books.
• Using his imagination to play Star Wars is his favorite hobby.
  

Andrew:

• Wants to do EVERYTHING his big brothers are doing.
• Saying some words (thank you, night night, what's that), and trying to say many more.
• Has earned the nickname "Mr. Destruction" for wreaking havoc all over the house. :)
  

In other family news, we took a trip to the Outer Banks of N.C. a few weeks ago. The weather was perfect, and all three boys had a blast. In August, we traveled to Georgia for a weekend stay at a cabin with my brother's family. Six little boys in one cabin? Nothin' but pure fun!

We've had a busy fall with school, church activities, and trips to Busch Gardens.

And, speaking of school...
So far, we are having a great year with Nicholas in first grade and Daniel doing K-4. As I mentioned, Nicholas has become a voracious reader, so he is able to do more independent work this year, which allows me to work with Daniel. We are taking multiple trips to the library each week, getting 6-8 chapter books, and Nicholas is done with them all in about 2-3 days. There have even been times when we've had to say, "You are not allowed to read right now." (Never thought I'd utter those words!)

We are enjoying our weekly routine, which has slowed down quite a bit from last year. Both Nicholas and Daniel are enrolled in Classical Conversations this year, and both are loving it. It is so fun for me to be able to sit back and watch them learn (from someone else!), and I'm always amazed at how much they pick up during CC.

Andrew is dropping his morning nap, which is making things a bit more challenging, but he is usually happy playing in his pack 'n play while we do school, or even upstairs with Daniel for a little while. We're coping!

Our gym started offering homeschool P.E. classes twice weekly, so the older boys can attend that as well. They are playing games like kickball and dodgeball, and getting a good dose of exercise, which makes us all happier.

Enjoy the photos!

Enjoying the apple orchard

Future surfer dude?

Daniel- happy with his birthday present. :)

Six happy cousins!

Daniel sharing ("Show and Tell") time at CC

The First Day of School

Look, Mom, no training wheels!

The First Tooth

Andrew Turns One!

Well, it's official. Our baby is no longer a baby. He is a toddler now. Not only did he turn one recently, but he also began walking a month ago. Here are some highlights and more "firsts."

Don't worry- we didn't let him eat the whole cake. :)

First baseball game (on his birthday).

First time in a cardboard box (and probably not the last).

Our sweet Andrew, you have won our hearts this past year- even Daniel's, who was a reluctant big brother. You are full of smiles, laughter, and....yes, I'll say it...mischief! That's okay. I think I just may have the energy to endure one more mischievous boy. And if not, I'm sure God will supply.

T-Ball Season

Daniel's favorite part of every game is yelling "GO RATTLERS!"

Check out the look on his face. :)

Daniel's team was the Rattlers, while Nicholas played for the Yankees.

Both Nicholas and Daniel decided to play t-ball this year. Chris coached Daniel's team, the three and four-year-olds. (Brave man!) Nicholas was able to have his same coach as last year, who is a close family friend.

Being a Mom

Today is Mother's Day, and I have been thinking about how my life has changed since I became a mom. I think God has used motherhood to humble me and draw me to Himself more than anything else in my life.

Before I became a mom, I thought of myself as a very patient person, and as someone who was very good with children. I was a teacher, after all! Six years later, after doing just about everything I swore I would never do as a parent, I have a different opinion of myself.

Yep, I have opened a box of crackers in the grocery store to calm the kids, turned on the TV to get them out of my hair, and over-reacted MANY times to typical little boy behaviors (including, but not limited to, potty incidents, physical aggression, and other things that fall into the "What were you thinking?" category).

More than that, I have disappointed myself for not handling things calmly, not showing them grace often enough, and for simply stealing their joy by bossing and nagging excessively. Will they be resentful of me as they grow up? Will they want to be around me in a few years? Will they forgive me for my mistakes?

Almost everyday, I have prayed that God will restore my relationship with my boys, that they will remember the good things- the reading, cuddling, playing, learning, and that I love their dad so deeply. Through these prayers, God has led me to some key scriptures:

• "He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young." Isaiah 40:11
• "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins." I Peter 4:8
• "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret..." 2 Corinthians 7:10
• "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corin. 12:9

The bottom line is that I've given up any hope I had of being a "perfect mom." It just isn't possible. And, that's okay, because if I were perfect, I wouldn't see my need for Christ. He uses my struggles to bring me to him. Through my mistakes, I've been able to show my boys that I do need him, and that we are all sinners needing forgiveness. Just as I love my children so much despite their misbehavior, Jesus loves me, even when I sin, and grants mercy to all who ask for it. And that is a very good thing.