Our Nicholas

age 7

age 3

age 1

Nicholas turned seven last month, and it's kind of hit me that he is no longer a "little boy." I guess with the oldest one, you always have this idea that they seem older than they actually are. I remember thinking he was big when he was three! That seems so little now. I suppose that in a few years, seven will seem young, too, but we are definitely moving into more of a "bigger boy" stage. The days of trains and trucks are behind us (with him anyway), and I now have to stay on top of all things Lego, Play Station, and Harry Potter. (The latter is no problem. We love Harry around here!)

What I really love about Nicholas right now is that he is getting so much deeper, so much more capable of understanding what makes things work (just like his dad), so much more logical. He has a new-found interest in chess, and will probably be very good at it one day.

More importantly, he is starting to put together the pieces of our faith. Just today, we were discussing Deuteronomy 5:16, which says, "Honor your father and your mother as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long, and that it may go well with you." I asked the boys, "Why do you think God wants us to honor our parents?" Nicholas' response really surprised me, "When we honor our parents, that is teaching us to honor God, too."

Wow. Perhaps we've made that connection for him before, but I can't remember saying it that way. God, in His goodness, sometimes gives us a picture of the fruit that His Spirit is producing in our children. I am thankful, hopeful, and excited to see what He has in store for Nicholas.

I Can't Change My Kids?

Chris and I are taking a parenting class at church, and it has been very enlightening for me. We've been going through a video series by Paul Tripp, and one of his main points is that we as parents can do nothing to change our kids' hearts. Wow. Nothing? Really?

Yes, we can do all sorts of things to change their outward behavior, but what is the point of that really? If we change their behavior, but do not get at what's going on their hearts, then the undesirable behaviors will return as soon as we take away the consequences or rewards we've been using to keep them at bay.

His point is that our job is to point them to Christ each time they misbehave. While we can't change them- that is the work of the Holy Spirit alone- we can help them realize that their actions are a direct result of what is going on with their thoughts and feelings.

Perhaps the most encouraging thing I've learned is that if we are struggling with our kids now, we can be thankful for that! (Normally, thankfulness during these moments is the last thing I have on my mind!) Not only do we have opportunities to minister to them during these times, but wouldn't we rather be struggling with them now as young children, than when they are teenagers? Well, yes, I would.

Trying to see times of frustration as opportunities rather than simply as irritations/interruptions in my day has really helped me in my parenting.

Easter 2012

Two of our handsome guys (One wouldn't be still long enough to have his picture taken!)

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!