Summer Has Begun!!

I really can't believe it, but our first child is now a reading, writing Kindergarten graduate!  Wasn't I just feeling overwhelmed as I reviewed our curriculum seeing all that we would need to learn this last year?  Of course, there was a time or two (or ten) that we felt frustrated, but we stuck with it and got over those bumps in the road with great feelings of accomplishment! :)  I must say, that helping my son learn to read has been one of the most rewarding things I have ever done in my life!  He is now a little reading machine!

Another big blessing that I didn't see coming was that my four year old has learned so much just by listening to his big brother learn to read! He will definitely be learning to read himself over this next year.

We are soooo ready for a summer break, but I'm honestly excited to dive into first grade with my 6 yr. old and Kindergarten with my 4 yr. old in the fall. It's just so amazing to see their little minds wrap around new things!


So we finished up kindergarten successfully, I believe, and now. . .

 IT'S TIME FOR SUMMER FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

A New Porch

So, our front porch was beginning to be a safety concern. Since we park at the back of our property and use the rear entrance 100 percent of the time, the fact that the front porch had more rotten wood than not didn't pose an immediate concern for us. Replacing the porch went on the very long list of things that needed replacing in our 100+ year old twin.  But  when the floorboards began breaking off in front of the steps, we decided that for the safety of say, our UPS delivery man, and the very occasional guest that comes to the front door, we should probably move this project to the top of the list!  :)

Thankfully Home Depot had a great sale on the wood we needed, and my hubby tore into the project on a recent Saturday as the following pictures will show. He was a little leary of opening up the floor and possibly finding much greater structural issues that needed addressing, but it turned out that just the porch flooring and some of the supporting beams needed replacing.

It turned out quite well! He just about finished the project in one day! There's just a corner that needs finishing and a huge pile of rotten wood on our front bank.  So as soon as the mess is cleaned up and that corner is finished I will post a picture. Of course, the whole thing will need painting or staining or something, but no one is going to be putting their foot through the floorboards on the way to our front door anymore! :)

They Know Me Well! :)

Happy Mother's Day from my guys!

A new coffee mug and chocolate - doesn't get much better!

There were two candy bars,

but I ate one before I thought to take a picture! :)

4 and 6 . . . where does the time go?!?!

 I love watching them play with their Daddy!

I am a wife and mother truly blessed of God!

God's "No" Answers

I'm still contemplating the devotional I heard at church last night. It was so thought provoking. Do you ever think about how we so easily praise and thank the Lord when good things happen? The words just spill right out, "Thank you, Lord!" for safety in a certain situation, or good results back from the doctor, or a job promotion, etc.  But as our leader so eloquently shared last night, what about when God clearly gives us a "no" to something we may have specifically prayed for, like getting bad news from the doctor, or having a desired job opportunity given to someone else, and so on? What is our response then?  Do we still praise and thank our heavenly Father for directing our lives even when we think it doesn't make any sense? Do we remain trusting and thankful to the One who is all knowing and sees the "big picture"?  It's so difficult, isn't it?  I find myself anxiously trying to chart my own course, thinking that I know best. And when He clearly steers me in an entirely different direction or He keeps me on the current path with minimal forward progress (or so I think), I find myself questioning God, not trusting him and thanking Him for the way he's leading me.

There are many examples in scripture of people who received "no" answers from God. Last night we looked at David in II Samuel 7.  David wanted to build the temple for the Lord, but the Lord said no. David didn't understand, but his response in vs. 18 through the end of the chapter is amazing!  Verse 22 sums it up, "Therefore, you are great, O Lord God.  For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears." David sat before the Lord and praised him. Wow! I know that would not have been my response.

In my flawed human state, I am incapable of understanding all his ways. I must simply TRUST and OBEY!  Sounds simple, but oh, so hard to do. The Lord loves me beyond measure and knows what is best for my life.  I feel like I need to mull what I heard last night over in my mind and heart for a while longer. Do you ever feel that way? It is a simple truth from God's Word, but it hit me in a new way.  I was applying it to my life in a specific area and it really rebuked me. And I am very thankful for that! :)

Someone's Trash Was Our Treasure

Someone my hubby works with recently bought a house and it had a swing/play set in the yard. They didn't want it and said we could have it! So, my sweetie disassembled the tower/slide section, brought it home and attached it to our swing set. 

These are some very happy boys, and I must say, my husband was just about as happy as them while he was working on this project. All men are boys at heart no matter what their age, aren't they?! :)   Even though he can't play on it, my man could certainly have fun putting it together for them and adding a few extra special touches it didn't have before like the circle swing off the side, a pirate steering wheel up in the "tree house" part, the climbing wall, and a sand box below!

Many hours have already been logged playing all over this thing! And Mama is happy 'cause her boys are all happy, giving her a little extra time for a few projects of her own. :)

Dog Days of Summer. . . Wait, I Mean April! :)

Breakfast Outside . . . In April? :)

Breakfast and a little art time out on the back patio. What a great start to a gorgeous day! We've been very sick and unable to enjoy this amazing weather we've been having. Planning to spend every minute of today outside! :)

This little boy loves to color a picture quickly and move on to another picture. He prefers doing mazes and word searches, but enjoys coloring/painting once in a while. :)

And this little boy could work on the same picture for an hour without looking up. I've found something he loves that occupies his mind and keeps his body still for more than a few seconds! :)

 

Rejuvenated & Rejoicing!

I haven't seen this in a while, -- sunshine across my kitchen floor! :)

When I feel that first warm sun of the new season on my face, I just stand and let my skin soak it up, and fill my lungs with fresh spring air! So rejuvenating, isn't it? Oh, how precious are the simple pleasures in this life! Thank you, Lord!

There are remnants, however, of the recent deluge! :)

Some definite signs of spring, as my lilies are starting to poke through!

And, of course, there is much for little guys to be busy about when the sun shines!

Fresh tree buds, blue skies. . .

Psalm 118:24 "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." (ESV)

Fun Learning!

Some school days are more fun than others! :)
Here's a few snapshots of the boys enjoying a "Fun Friday".

Got My Wish :)

Neglecting the Blog again

How does this happen? I haven't written a word in two weeks! Oh, well, sometimes I'm oozing with words and other times I'm parched!

But we've been chugging along, doing schoolwork, spending time at the library, visiting cousins, helping Daddy with projects around the house (never a shortage of projects), and doing plenty of other mundane activities.

It's almost February and I'm feeling a great need for a snowstorm! The rest of the country seems to be getting all the snow. It's been a little disappointing. I was sure we were in for a snowy winter after a snowy December, but not so, apparently. We've got a month to turn that around, so any time now, it can snow! :) It would really boost my winter dulldrums (sp?)!

Anyway, here are a few pictures from the last few weeks.

"Reading" along with some library CD/books.

My hubby directing a little human fooseball for a teen activity at church.

Carson having the teens sing Happy Birthday to him since his birthday party was bumped to another day because of their activity! :)

Carson is 4! We thought we'd give him a challenge with the candles in the corners! :)

Trying out his new magnetic dartboard with the cousins! Believe it or not, they had great aim and my glass cabinet doors are still in tact! :)

Cousins . . . they're all such great buddies! :)

I'm so thankful for family! And that my sister and I had our kids so close together! Maybe someday Melaina will have a girl cousin to play with, but that's up to Jerry and Katie! :)

Cold, Sunny Day

I know I change my blog background A LOT, but that's just me. I'm the type that has to rearrange the furniture on a regular basis, too. Not sure what that says about me, but at least you never know what you're going to find when you visit me (here or at home!)


We're fighting head colds today, so just staying in and being cozy.

Glad the sun is shining today, even though its deceivingly cold outside. When the sun is shining outside, I always feel warmer on the inside somehow! :)

I'm having trouble remembering what these look like, however;


so I'm posting this picture in order to recall what my flowers look like when the sunshine actually IS warm! :) Hope you're having a sunny day!

A Reflective New Year's Eve

We spent New Year's Eve with our church family this year reflecting on 2009 with some great questions from our pastor for us to then share answers with everyone. I was very thankful for the time given to specifically do this as I probably would not have taken the time otherwise (or thought of such great questions to ask myself!) Questions like, "Did you focus more this past year on doing or being?", and "What do you know more about God today than one year ago? How did you learn it?", and also "Over the past year, who has influenced you the most? Do they know?"

We finished by studying Moses' prayer in Psalm 90 about how God views time. What a great reminder of the bigger picture. God always has been and always will be. He is eternal. We, on the other hand, are frail and sinful resulting in a short span of life. Verse 12 sums it up for me . . . "So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom." Always I am in need of reminding to plan my days wisely, and my next week, next month, next year. Ah, yes, a lot of reflecting going on here. :)

Anyway, we finished off the night with a relaxing time of table games (and snacks, of course!) It was a small group of friends, but we were all just enjoying the down time and fellowship as the clock wound down! Here's a few pics of the kids enjoying some games with their friends!

Carson's Guitar

Carson has been asking for a guitar for over a year now, and he finally got his wish on Christmas day. Now his favorite thing to do is sit on his little stool in front of Tikka (our dog) with his guitar and play and sing to her. Tikka does not seem to appreciate his sincerity, however. I can't imagine why! :) Carson gets so lost in his little world of music and some of his made up songs are hilarious! Who knows where it will all lead, but it's adorable for now!

Five Days In Already

I only have a minute, but I want to post something every day, if possible. I'm going to try to get started on some of those resolutions today since yesterday was a total wash with that dentist appointment throwing off our whole schedule.

So, here goes. Hope to get a ton done today! Feeling productive on this fifth day of 2010! Hope you are, too! :)

Off and Running

I'm off to the dentist this morning for my 6-month cleaning. I'm so not excited about getting this done, but know it's a necessary evil. Do you mom's ever feel like you're always at the dentist (and the doctor's office, for that matter) with all the appointments for you and the little ones? I have to start scheduling my 3 (very soon to be 4 yr. old) for dentist appointments, too, and I'm just thinking maybe I should schedule him together with his brother back-to-back next time. Rather than run back on different days. Is that the way mom's do it once they have 2 or 3 or 4 or more children to schedule?

Well, gotta run. Should return with sparkling pearly whites! :)

Boys Night

A few nights before Christmas last week, my hubby came home and said, "Boys, we're going out for dinner and shopping for Mommy for Christmas, so grab your coats! And Mommy can't come 'cause it's a boys night out!" Well, they thought this was just great! :) I was watching my youngest for any signs of mixed feelings about leaving me behind, but he grabbed his coat and followed his big brother and Daddy out the door without one backward glance! They were on their way to chicken nugget land and Ollies (a local discount warehouse kinda store) to spend their couple dollars on beautiful gifts for Mommy! :) Oh what a night they had! They came back through the kitchen door a few hours later with secrets to wrap and new kid's meal toys that had blinking lights! It just doesn't get any better! They wanted to tell me so badly what they had bought me, but were able to restrain themselves and kept their secrets quite well!

Christmas morning came and it was so beautiful to watch their faces watching me open their gifts and find out their secrets! They had discovered that it is indeed more blessed to give than to receive. (Well, at least AS blessed to give as receive--they really liked opening their gifts, too!)

My new pumpkin spice candle from Garrett is burning beautifully in the kitchen and my cute picture frame from Carson is soon to be filled with photos of my three favorite guys! :) So, I enjoyed a peaceful evening with a cup of coffee and a book, while they made a memory and began learning a valuable lesson. Definitely a successful night for all!

I Resolve to Have More Resolve

I always make a list of New Years resolutions, and after a few weeks of valiant effort I fail miserably and don't think about those goals again seriously for eleven months. So, what am I doing this week, but pondering some of my January 2009 resolutions. I have to say, there were a few personal goals which I don't care to elaborate on that I've made some progress on in the past year, but there are oh so many others . . . but, I'm not going to dwell on the past, only the future! So, here are a few things I plan to work on beginning immediately! And I'm hoping that blogging about them will afford me some kind of accountability! Ha! Yeah, right! So, anyway, here's my list so far. . .

1. Using that elyptical machine that's been a clothing tree in our bedroom for way too long!

2. Eliminating a lot of the sugar from my diet, and adding some vitamins and other good stuff!

3. Cutting back on my daily intake of coffee, since I can't drink it without LOTS of cream and sugar! One cup in the morning is my goal, but, this is gonna be a challenge.

4. Read more books, and watch less television! I've already started working on this one!

5. Dusting off my sewing machine and starting some projects. I wish I was more skilled, but it's not gonna happen unless I practice!

6. Try to do my grocery shopping every two weeks instead of every week. Ha! We'll see how that goes.

7. And, just maybe, I will try to work on not biting my nails! This WILL take some dedication, let me tell ya!

These are only a fraction of the changes I want to make, but when I begin seeing progress in these areas, I will add to the list. NOT before! :)

So what do you all think about New Years Resolutions? Do you make them, do you usually keep them if you make them, or do you avoid the whole resolution-making process altogether?

New Years is Blowing In

Brrrrrr!!! Very windy and cold today! Good day to stay in and do some blog maintenance, I'd say! :) And I can't stand it another day. . . the Christmas decor has got to go! Busy day ahead! Hubby is going to have to pick up the milk I forgot at the grocery store yesterday because I'm certainly not setting foot out on this frigid blustery day with two little boys just for milk! Ugghh! Why do I forget one important thing on the grocery list EVERY WEEK! Oh, and the number of times I did ridiculous things in the past week, like try to warm up my cup of coffee in the freezer instead of the microwave, is just too scary to count!

Anyway, can't believe 2010 is only a few days away! Gonna do a few things differently in 2010. So this week is definitely a planning/organizing/catch up week. Then we'll kick off the new year with another nice relaxing three-day weekend with Daddy around! Really looking forward to it! And I'm hearing rumors of another possible snowstorm to bring in the new year!

Hope you all are having a relaxing week and making plans for something fun this weekend! 2010! WOW! Where did this decade go?