Meeting Elmo

Last weekend, Andrew met the ever-popular Elmo at Busch Gardens. We weren't sure how he'd react, as he is often fearful around strangers, but I guess "L-mo" was no stranger to him!

Perfection (the Catalog Part 2)

So, a few months after the PBK catalog incident (see below), I was walking around, finding myself in a constant state of irritation. You know, when no one can do anything right, and you feel like all you've done is sigh and roll your eyes all day? I'm ashamed to admit it, but that's how I felt and that's how I was acting. And because my kids were the ones there, they were getting the brunt of all the sighing. This didn't just go on for a day, it seemed like i was in this state for weeks, and I was feeling miserable about it, guilty and, well, irritated with being irritated.

One day, as I was having my morning quiet time, I came across a familiar passage from 1 Corinthians 10. "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, self-seeking, or easily-angered." (ouch! Sting of conviction.) As I glanced down at the footnote in my bible, the commentary for the verse hit home: Much irritability comes from a love of perfection...Those who are easily irritated need to remember that perfection exists only in God. We need to love him and our fellow Christians, not the visions we have for perfection we have here on earth.

I realized that my kids needed to see less of the eye-rolling, and more love during trying times, that there are going to be times (many, many times) during our lives and each day, when all we can do is go to our knees in prayer.

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.