Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Dog Bowl or Hat?

You decide…

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The things that B chooses to play with never cease to surprise us!

Last night’s toys of choice: Ella Dog’s pretend dog bowl and an oven mitt.

Happy Tuesday.

Little Shopper

Grocery shopping in our neck of the wood has turned into a family affair. C is gracious to join B and I each weekend as we pick out the next week’s necessities. I have come to enjoy the company and the help.

B used to sit up in the cart, while C pushed and I pulled items from the shelf to place in the cart. That was our habit until B started walking…now I push the cart while C and B follow down the grocery aisle.

B typically babbles as he walks and only occasionally tries to touch items on the shelf. When he does try to touch the items, C swoops down to remind him not to touch and then tells B in a very deep voice what the item is called…(for examples “BEANS", those are BEANS”…really the entire shopping trip has turned into a vocabulary lesson for B and anyone else shopping in our little family’s proximity. 

The entire grocery experience has become a highlight of the weekend for me.

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A little side note, in effort to not paint too rosy of a picture:

About 15 minutes after these photos were snapped, B found a toy that he thought would be fun to pull off the shelf and play with. When he was politely encouraged to put the toy back, he fell to his knees, threw his hands down and started to cry and whine in a “full out fit” sort of way.  I tried to keep my cool (all while I know my face was about as red as the shopping cart), got down on his level  and told him “No, sir. You need to obey. We have to put the toy back”. This was really difficult because you can’t reason with an 18 month olds.  When he continued his fit, I picked him up and barreled him into the seat on the shopping cart.

Putting my pride aside, he seemed to catch the point and was not happy about having his new found walking freedom be taken away.

I was embarrassed, but realized that this is all part of the process of training B to honor obedience and B’s obedience is much more important than my pride.

Be blessed.

B at the Ballpark

Last week, we were able to join C’s parents at the Ballpark to watch the Rangers play the Oakland A’s.

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B enjoyed watching the action, when he wasn’t busy trying to pick peanuts and other trashy “treasures” up off the ground (I was one proud momma).

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Our favorite player, Josh Hamilton. His testimony is incredible…if you haven’t read his book, I would highly suggest it.IMG_3851

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These are some pretty tired (but still happy) eyes.

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Headed home (around the top of the seventh) to get B to bed…all in all, a great family outing (with C being B’s dad I am sure this is only one of many).

Here’s to summer and baseball!

Grandma J & Grandpa B, thanks for inviting us to join you.

Happy Tuesday.

Backseat Pledge

As of today, I am taking a pledge for our family’s sake to not use my telephone while I am driving.

When I go to put B in his car seat, I am going to buckle him in, and then leave my purse (with my phone securely inside) next to his car seat on the seat behind the drivers seat. This way, if my phone rings or I get a text, I physically won’t be able to reach my purse to retrieve the phone.  The temptation will be virtually eliminated.

Do I think I can handle texting and talking while driving…of course, I think I can!  But I realize that that is a pretty selfish attitude to have.  Car wrecks can be accidental, but wrecks that happen as a result of drivers being distracted are not accidents, because distractions are completely preventable.

Will I miss the habit of talking and texting while driving, yes, but I feel like I owe it to our Heavenly Father to take better care of this precious life He has given me…and even more, to be the best steward of B’s little life as possible. Plus, this pledge will allow B and I to “talk” together as we drive around town…I know the days of B being a captive audience are numbered (he won’t think I am that cool for long), so I’m going to try to take advantage of every minute I have!

With this said,  if I don’t pick up the minute you call…please don’t take it personally. Leave a message and I will call you back as soon as I can….and in the same breath…I challenge anyone reading this to do the same.

Be safe.

Be blessed.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Twins (with a couple years in between)!?!

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I know, I know, B’s hair has gotten quite long, I am the first to admit it.

Call me crazy but this momma is just not quite ready to let the curly locks go, though I know the reality of  B’s  big boy ‘do’ looms in the not too distant future!

For now, I figure, if Justin Bieber can pull it off, why can’t B?

Be blessed.

Fountain Play

There is a fountain outside of the museum that has been catching my eye since our museum visits started.

I’ve thought that it would be a fun fountain to play and cool off in, but wondered if that would be appropriate.

Last week, while  heading to the car after playing at the museum when we saw several kids playing in the fountain in swim suits…that’s when I decided, that surely it must be okay…I mean if other people are doing it, why can’t we? right? (probably not a lesson I want to instill in our kids…but it seemed reasonable enough to me).

So this week, after playing inside the museum with some friends from church…we ventured outside to play.

B was hesitant at first…

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But later became quite impressed!

Again, here’s to the simple joys of childhood!

J & C thanks for playing in the water with us.

Be blessed.

Summer of Crocs…

B never ceases to amaze us…

Case in Point:

This summer when we headed north, B was wearing sandals (purchased around the end of April) that were a size 4 1/2. My mom noticed that the sandals seemed a little snug so we took him to be sized and learned that his “little” feet had grown to a size 6. I was amazed that his feet had grown that much in such a short period of time!

B’s Gram was gracious and bought him these green croc-o-dile crocs (in a size 6)…which he absolutely loved. He would look down at them and giggle as he walked…I liked the little reptile shoes myself, they matched almost everything and were quite a conversation starter.

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One morning, about 2 weeks ago, I went to put the infamous green shoes on and to my surprise, couldn’t get B’s left foot wedged into the plastic shoe. I blamed the heat and assumed he must be a little swollen…waited, put baby powder on his feet and in the shoe and tried again…this worked (sort of). About a half hour later, I took his shoes off and noticed that he had little red hole marks on the tops of his feet from the shoes…it was at this point that we loaded up the car, and headed to the shoe store to be measured, again.

This time they measured him at a 7!!!!! Our little guy’s feet grew an entire size in less than a month!!!! Again, I was amazed!

B’s Grandma J heard about the crazy foot antics and graciously supplied us with a new pair of “big kid” crocs.

B is quite enamored by his new kicks…he looks down at them as if to admire them as he walks around the house.

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So long croc-o-diles…it was a great, though short run, you will be missed…we will pack you away for future little one’s feet.

New crocs…you have pretty big shoes to fill (no pun intended)…we we hope you will be around for at least the next month!

Gram…thanks for the the first round of crocs…they were enjoyed greatly!

Grandma J…thanks for the second pair, B is working to getting them acclimated to life in our neck of the wood.

Happy Wednesday.

Be blessed.

What Do We Really Value?

Someone close to me, shared this article with me…and I highly recommend it, it is tough to read….but so, so challenging:

http://www.hopeingod.org/sermon/keep-yourselves-idols-part-2

After reading the article, my heart is convicted on many levels…this is what really stood out to me (especially what is underlined):

In his sermon titled “Soul Idolatry Excludes Men Out of Heaven,” English Puritan Pastor David Clarkson (1621-1686) gives us thirteen pointers I’ll draw from to help us identify the idols of our hearts and I will frame them as questions.[5]

  1. What do you most highly value?
  2. What do you think about by default?
  3. What is your hightest goal?
  4. To what or whom are you most commited?
  5. Who or what do you love the most?
  6. Who or what do you trust or depend upon the most?
  7. Who or what do you fear the most?
  8. Who or what do you hope in and hope for most?
  9. Who or what do you desire the most? Or, what desire makes you most angry or makes you despair when it is not satisfied?
  10. Who or what do you most delight in, your greatest joy and treasure?
  11. Who or what captures your greatest zeal?
  12. To whom or for what are you most thankful?
  13. For whom or what great purpose do you work?

Tim Keller, when speaking to pastors, explained how the world needs to hear this kind of language from Christianity in diagnosing the sin of the world. He says,

Sin isn’t only doing bad things, it is more fundamentally making good things into ultimate things. Sin is building your life and meaning on anything, even a very good thing, more than on God. Whatever we build our life on will drive us and enslave us. Sin is primarily idolatry… Instead of telling them they are sinning because they are sleeping with their girlfriends or boyfriends, I tell them they are sinning because they are looking to their careers and romances to save them, to give them everything that they should be looking for in God. This idolatry leads to drivenness, addictions, sever anxiety, obsessiveness, envy of others and resentment. (Keller, “Talking About Idolatry in a Postmodern Age,” Gospel Coalition).

As I think about those 13 questions and Tim Keller’s words, I realize that I have learned to “idolize” some of the blessings that we have been entrusted with. Our family, our house, our traditions, clothes, memories, etc.  My thought-life is often over crowded with thoughts about how we “ought to live” or “what we don’t have” and other concerns that really have no eternal barring  what-so-ever.

I have recently been encountered with many sleepless nights when I feel like I can’t turn my brain off or wake up as a consequence of a bad dream.  I lay awake wondering what the future holds,  where we will live, what our family will look like, etc. I humbly and transparently admit that this isn’t God’s best for me…His will isn’t for us to allow the temporal to drive us, but instead for the eternal to be our ultimate driving purpose.

Some good thoughts to chew on…

Keep on.

Be blessed.

p.s. The high in our neck of the wood is only 88 degrees today and it is raining outside as I type! To celebrate…I chose to wear a light weight sweater and pants today….come on fall, we couldn’t be more ready for your arrival!

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Play-Doh

Last week, as I walked past a basket of play-doh at the store, I couldn’t help but wonder if B might be ready to roll his sleeves up and play with the infamous modeling dough.

I figured, that the .88 cent tube of dough wasn’t too much of a financial risk and placed it in our basket.

Earlier this summer, I set aside some stamps, rolling pins and other play-doh tools that I had packed up from my classroom, in hope that B might one day enjoy them as much the preschoolers at school did.

After purchasing the dough, I got the dough tools out and let B go at it…

He was tentative at first…

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But, later seemed rather impressed!

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He liked pounding on the dough and rolling this zig zag cutter through the smooth and soft surface.

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Later the plastic tub became a toy. In went the tools…

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And out they came as he dumped them onto his “work surface”.

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All in all I would say it was a success and a safe .88 cent investment. He only tried to taste the dough once (which surprised me because we still can’t get him to eat blueberries!)

Getting to introduce B to new experiences is such a treat…I continue to stand in awe of his development and just wonder what wheels must be turning round and round in his little head.

Here’s to the simple joys of childhood!

Be blessed.

Makin’ Banana ‘Bread’…

C and I danced to Jack Johnson’s “Better Together” song at our wedding. Our engagement was a rather long one, where we found ourselves in different parts of the country at times…so the song seemed rather fitting.

With that said, I have become a fan of a couple (not very many, I’m not that hip) of Jack Johnson’s songs…one of which is the song “Banana Pancakes”.  I have been known on occasion to sing the song as I am working in the kitchen, folding laundry, riding in the car etc.

One afternoon I very confidently sang “Makin’ banana puddin’ pretend like it’s the weekend, ohh” C looked at me and started to laugh…I really had no idea why he was laughing and asked if it was my voice? He responded by telling me that the song is about banana pancakes NOT banana pudding. So ever since, this song has had significant humorous meaning to me. I find myself humming the song while I make banana bread…I have no idea why, but I do!

B helped me make some banana bread this morning, which meant the song got stuck in my head…so here’s to banana pancakes, pudding and bread…not being afraid to sing out loud…even if you don’t know all they lyrics!!!

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Be blessed.

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Here is the song…

Bonding Time

C and B have their own special ways of bonding…

Backwards flips being one way…

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B loves it…

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He giggles…

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And then comes back…

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For more!

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I love being the bystander (and photographer) as the two play…it is such a gift to watch B be so enamored by his dad…I so enjoy the giggles and even more the memories that the two are making together.

Happy Tuesday!

Be blessed.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Spice Tea

We ventured out of our neck of the wood today to meet B’s Grandma J (C’s mom) for lunch.  B held Grandma J’s hand as we walked down the sidewalks of downtown Dallas, his little brain seemed to try to take it all in as he walked, as there isn’t as much commotion to look at when we walk down our little street.

Grandma J treated us to a delicious lunch at the Neiman Marcus Cafe Downtown. The cafe has fantastic chicken salad that pairs quite well with their famous Neiman Marcus cookie as a dessert, even better is their spice tea…SO GOOD!

I totally forgot to snap a photo at lunch, but captured this one of B sneaking a sip of my spice tea after we got home. I know that sharing is a good thing, but to be honest, this selfish momma whisked the glass away after I captured the photo…so I could be sure to enjoy every last spiced drop! (Plus tea probably isn’t the best beverage for a 17 month old!- at least that was my selfish excuse.)

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Thanks for lunch Grandma J…it was fun to see your neck of the wood.

Be blessed.

Our Kitchen Helper

Someone who C works with gave us this stool when his son had outgrown the need for it. Until this weekend, I had been storing it in our bathroom thinking that B would someday use it to reach the sink to brush his teeth and wash his hands…

Yesterday, B started standing on his tip toes and pulling on my legs (all while whining) in effort to see what was going on up on the kitchen counter.  After a couple minutes it dawned on me that maybe he was old enough and tall enough to stand on the stool to watch C and I make dinner.

We tried it and he LOVED it! He stood and watched me cut vegetables…he had his own spoon that he used to help me …it was fantastic…no more leg pulling and no more whining!

I let him smell and touch the different vegetables that I cut (all in effort to get him to try them…still to no avail, but maybe this will help us make some progress). He giggled as I chopped.

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He even got in on helping C make his lunch for the week!

This morning, I let B stand at the sink to wash his hands after breakfast…he was quite enamored by the water.

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To the point that he helped me wash all of our breakfast dishes…

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A job well done!

I think the stool will be moving to a more permanent location somewhere in our kitchen so B can be a consistent helper in the kitchen!

Happy Monday.

Be blessed.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Challenged and Convicted by a Ton of Bricks

B and I enjoyed a quick trip to the museum this afternoon…it really is a fantastic (air conditioned) place to go to burn off some energy (and a pass it totally worth it, it pays for itself in just a few visits).

Today, we spent the majority of our time in the indoor and outdoor play areas. Saying that B enjoys the outdoor water play area would be an understatement….because  he LOVES it!  He walks around the water area and watches in awe as the big kids play, while occasionally splashes in the water himself.

After B’s shirt became completely saturated with water and his little waddle of a walk got rather droopy we headed inside the museum to cool off and explore a little before heading home.

I decided to let B explore by walking and just followed him as I pushed the empty stroller. B became rather fascinated with an exhibit that had an underwater like sculpture…so I followed him inside. B and I quickly found ourselves in a miniature movie theater…and the teacher in me decided to see if B might be interested in watching the show…

That’s when it all hit me…

As the lights dimmed, the narrator of the movie began to talk about a large burst of energy that happened millions and millions of years ago…the narrator went on to talk about how the oceans and land masses formed over several million years. My initial response was to walk out because I believe in Creation and the Bible doesn’t reveal God’s handiwork as taking millions of years to come into existence…but as I turned to watch B, he was totally entranced by the bright lights and noises of the show.

It was at that point that I realized how difficult it will be to raise our children in such a way that they are taught absolute truth but also not sheltered from what others around them might believe.  I want our kids to have discerning hearts and minds to be able to hear other peoples’ opinions and beliefs, to not judge but instead take it back to Scripture to discern if it is right or wrong.

C and I won’t be able to hover over our kids’ every move. We won’t be able to sweep our little ones out of every situation or always rescue them from hearing or seeing things we Biblically don’t agree with. We won’t always be able to dictate what they might hear or even read some day.

Realizing this is like being hit by a ton of bricks. Our job as believers and believing parents  is to be living in the world, but not living of the world…but as a parent it seems so hard, the world is a scary place and we want nothing more than to protect our precious little ones minds from untruth…

Matthew 5:13-15 reads:

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it give light to everyone in the house.”

Being salty is a major responsibility that shouldn’t be taken lightly. So if we are the “salt of the earth”, are we risking  losing our saltiness and our kids’ saltiness by choosing to live in our own little “Christian” vacuums, where we stay away from anything of the world? Even outings to the museum?

I so desire for our kids to learn absolute truth, to back everything they see, hear, read or are taught with Scripture and to be a light and salt to others who may have differing opinions and beliefs. I humbly admit that I am not good at this in my own life. I trust people entirely too often and don’t always back up things I hear, read or see with Scripture. I often cringe at the thought of  jumping out of my own vacuum of a comfort zone…(hence my initial thought to high tail it out of the museum’s movie.)..but am humbly realizing that that isn’t God’s best for me or our family.

This lesson at the museum has taught me that we need to be covering every aspect of our kiddos life in prayer, even now when they are little. We need to ask for protection over their eyes, ears, brains and hearts…and pray that they will learn Scripture and have hearts that desire to seek after absolute truth and discern what is right and what is wrong.

What a task! Here’s to salt and light!

Happy Friday. Drink every part of the weekend up…that’s B’s motto in this photo…

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Be blessed.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

C’s Little Helper

It would be an understatement to say that B is curious…his curiosity seems to grow daily which makes C and I wonder how many little wheels are turning inside of his head all at once.

Recently, B discovered the water hose…he is fascinated with how it turns on and off and likes to try to screw items into it like the nozzle and sprinkler head.

The other night while C was trying to install a mister line across the porch (to help his Minnesotan wife stay cool), Neither C or I were surprised that B took it upon himself to help with the project.

B handed things to C as he worked, and squatted down to watch C screw the different parts of the mister to the hose… apparently the evening got away from us, I have no idea why B isn’t wearing any pants…

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(I love his hand in this photo)

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The entire project captured B’s attention for quite a while…he just watched C in amazement!

Later, the next day, he enjoyed the fruit of his helpfulness as he and a couple of friends came over to play in the sprinkler underneath the newly installed misters.

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A little side note, we got the idea for the misters while on a trip to the zoo. We noticed there was an area by the elephant exhibit  that was shaded and had misters running…the entire area felt significantly cooler than other parts of the zoo, in fact it was quite pleasant (which is a bold statement in Texas in August).

A couple internet searches later led us to Lowes where we found a system that could easily (and pretty inexpensively) be  installed over any porch or patio…though I can’t take credit, C did the majority of the work.

Now afternoons are a little bit more enjoyable and cooler in our neck of the wood.

Keepin’ it cool…literally.

Be blessed.