My Boys' Best Friend

When I get to heaven and see Jesus face to face, I'm sure I'll be overwhelmed by His glory, His goodness, His brightness. I will have one question though. Why do dogs have such a short life span? Our sweet Lucy of 12 years, in our childlike minds, is with Jesus:)

Every pet owner brags about their pet, how sweet or smart she may be. Lucy was definitely that. But not every dog would put their pride aside like this clown.

You know it's love when your 2-year-old wants to be your dog for Halloween.

Or when she follows her little man around everywhere.

She was the sister he didn't have, and still doesn't, I guess. ;)

Again, the pride.

About 2 years ago, in the middle of all the craziness of the adoption, Lucy freaked. She knew something was happening. For about 3 months, she chewed blinds, ate carpet, broke her own teeth trying to get out of her cage. Santa even had to leave her a warning.

But after the little boys came, all was well in her world again.

My goal in life is to be as good of a person as my dog already thinks I am. ~Unknown

Lazy Saturday

We had a whole lot of nothing to do today, so this is what we came up with.

It's all fun and games until the competition gets the best of everyone. ;)

Week in review

Finishing up swimming lessons.

Springbrook Sprint Triathlon

Swimming

A few pictures from lessons today...

The littles playing rock, paper, scissors while they wait for Jack to finish his lesson.

My sweet swimmer.

Does it get any cuter than this?

This is Eli's class. He's supposed to be right in between these two. And he is. He's just sitting on the bottom of the pool. I noticed today they had an extra lifeguard in the pool today right behind Eli's class. Coincidence?

Ben swimming on his back. Great swimmer, but sinks like a rock when he tries to float. I'm sure he'll get it by the end of the week.

It's Baaaack

Dr. Seuss Theme Dinner

 Excuse the no-costumes. We just walked in the door from baseball.

On the menu:

GREEN EGGS AND HAM, of course

Ham & Cheese Sliders

Green Deviled Eggs

Watermelon Pops

Thing 1 and Thing 2 Cupcakes

Monday Monday Monday

Yesterday was Masterpiece Monday, and we've been wanting to make the egg with the disappearing shell. So we did.

But because it takes 24-48 hours for the shell to totally dissolve, and for a little more instant gratification, something we could actually enjoy on Monday, we made frozen chocolate banana treats.

I also forgot to post our verse from last week. With a little added flair.

And we met the vacationing cousins at Dollywood. Silly face picture of course.

Summer Fun

Earlier this week, we rode along with Jon to Lynchburg, VA. He was doing a little teaching at Liberty University, and since the boys are all out of school, we were thrilled to be able to go with him. The kids and I stayed busy at the hotel pool, the movies, and at the awesome Lynchburg Children's Museum. This is a picture of the boys in the music studio. They LOVED it! Of course, they thought they knew exactly what they were doing since they're around it all time time!

Since we missed our masterpiece Monday, we had to make up for it today. We made bubbles and attempted to make the life-size bubbles with the rope wand, and it actually worked.

I'm pretty sure popsicle time was their favorite.

Summer Routine

If you remember from several posts ago, I'm not a creature of habit nor do I like too much routine. But, I think it's best for my kiddos to keep a few things consistent over the summer without boring the mama to death. :)

So we started a summer routine which has worked really well. They each have a journal that they write in every morning. This is to keep Jack in the habit of writing, to start Ben writing a little, and to encourage free-spirit Eli to actually hold a pencil. So far, it's worked really well, and they remember without me even reminding them. This is my favorite entry of Jack's journal so far.

To keep routine light-hearted and fun, we've come up with creative names for the days, thanks to Pinterest. :)

Masterpiece Monday

Movie Tuesday

Wet Wednesday

Trip Thursday

Play Friday (since Jon is home)

We have a chore chart for every day of the week and a Bible verse they have to learn by Friday in order to get their allowance. The verse this week was Phil. 2:3, "Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself."

Though the days may be long right now, I'm so thankful for the chance to stay home with my kids. I can't even imagine how difficult it would be to work full-time and be a mommy full-time. Hats off to you working moms. :)

Movie Tuesday

Love the $1 summer movies. Today we saw Dolphin Tales. :)

Masterpiece Monday

Today was the first day of our official stay-at-home summer. Traveling, trips to grandparents, and VBS have kept us busy so far. I'm thinking the key to staying at home with 3 boys, after they've been in the routine of school, is to keep some kind of routine. So Mondays are for creating. Today we made marshmallow catapults and had a marshmallow war. I'm sure I'll be finding these marshmallows around my house for years. :)

Menu and Meal Planning

After that last status update on facebook about making a menu, and the comments received from that post, I've decided to just write a blog post about it. I make a menu and stick to it. I cook breakfast 7 days a week, and dinner at least 5 days a week. I keep a breakfast rotation to make life easier especially in the wee hours of the morning. I usually don't make anything that takes more than an hour of active prep time during the week. I save the longer recipes and baking for the weekend.

So here's the menu...

DINNER
1. Gruyere, asparagus & ham frittata with cheese grits and whole wheat toast (we do eat breakfast for dinner sometimes:)
2. Grilled chicken & shrimp kabobs, grilled veggies - onion, okra, mushrooms, orzo pasta (kids minus mushrooms)
3. Chicken tacos with lettuce wraps (tortillas for kids), corn and avocado salad
4. Tuscan bean stew with whole wheat pitas and hummus
5. Arugula salad with grilled chicken, pears, sliced almonds, and goat cheese (kids will eat grilled chicken, pear slices, and yogurt, and I've added grilled chicken to the recipe)
6. Almond pesto chicken, asparagus, sweet potatoes
7. Black bean soup with cheese quesadillas
8. Barbecued chicken with dill fingerling potatoes and green beans
9. Hamburgers with provolone, grilled onions and avocado, sweet potato fries, and fruit
10. Ham & cheese sliders, chips and salsa

BREAKFAST
Monday - Oatmeal and fruit
Tuesday - Breakfast burritos, greek yogurt & granola parfaits, and fruit
Wednesday - Eggs, grits, and fruit
Thursday - Muffins and smoothies
Friday - Omelets, wheat toast, and fruit
Saturday - Pancakes, bacon, and fruit
Sunday - Oatmeal for Jon SUPER early in the morning, cereal for boys while I get ready for church:)

I divide out my grocery list into categories to make shopping easier.
Fresh (fruits and veggies)
Frozen
Meat
Refrigerated
Bakery
Dry goods
Misc.

We do have some rules that we try really hard to keep.

-We all eat together, all 5 of us, for breakfast and dinner, every day if possible. And I serve on real dishes for both, pretty much because our meal time together is a big deal, and I want my children to know how important that is. Lunch is 99.9% of the time on paper plates. :)

-No electronics of any kind at the table, including the TV in the living room.

-You eat what's on your plate. Of course there are a few exceptions. One time I made Jack eat a mushroom and he vomited in his plate. I now steer clear of mushroom for the kids. :) There are a few things that I know they're not going to like, such as salad, so I find ways to get around that.

It's really not much work and I actually spend less time and money at the grocery store when I have a plan. But sometimes we just make a run for pizza or chick-fil-a. :)

Daily Prayer

A few weeks ago, our pastor encouraged us to make a list of 31 things we'd like to pray for our children and pray for one each day. I wanted to share my list with you each day hoping that you'd pray for your children too. I pray the same thing for all three of them. Really because I can't keep 3 different lists straight, but also because each thing I pray for applies to all of them differently. Since it's already May 3rd, I'll catch up.

May 1 - Being a witness

May 2 - Salvation/confidence of salvation

May 3 - To be respectful

Hopefully I'll remember to post something everyday. :)

That Kid

When Jack was little, like in Mother's Day Out kind of little, I would pinpoint the child in his class with the older siblings. The one with the potty-mouth. The 3-year-old potty mouth that talked about poo poo and burped all the time. I wanted to guard my innocent, sweet baby from hearing that kind of language or adapting to this terrible behavior.

I have one now. His name is Eli.

I can't even tell you how much I LOVE this little man. I'm crazy about him! He's sweet, happy, always singing, has a contagious smile and truly a joy to be around.

But he has two older brothers, and I've learned that's just the way it goes. Don't judge me. ;)

Sharing

"All the believers were united in heart and mind.

And they felt that what they owned was not their own,

so they shared everything they had."

Acts 4:32

Sharing. It's so important. We teach our children how to share. In fact, we make them. It's essential to development. It's crucial for relationships. It's a verb. An action. It's continual. But where along the way do we lose this?

We share pens, we girlfriends share shoes, our kids share toys, we neighbors share a couple eggs, we share workout tips (I don't, but Jon does;), we share ideas, we share struggles, we share opinions, we share sadness and happiness.

With our friends.

With those who can give something back.

But what about those who can't share anything back with us? They can't lend you a cup of sugar, or an egg, or a pair of shoes. And not just because they live 5,000 miles away. It's because they have nothing. NOTHING. They live in a mud hut or a shack made out of pieces of metal. They're covered in flies. They don't have any food and their children may not eat. Two of my children lived like this for almost 3 years of their lives.

Ignorance is bliss. But is it really? It's not ignorance when you've read it over and over in the Bible and when you've heard it preached time and time again. It's disobedience.

Here is a picture of our little girl we sponsor. She's 9 years old. (Jack is 6 in this picture.) We were so fortunate to be able to meet her last year while we were in Ethiopia. Because of a sponsorship, she is able to stay with her mother. She's able to go to school. She's able to eat and thrive. And to hear about the love of Jesus.

All for only $30 a month. That's one Chick-fil-a meal for my family. Or a pair of Yellowbox flip-flops. Or one month of a gym membership that I don't use. Or one month of data package on my iPhone.

They're real people that Jesus loves. Will you love them too? Will you share?

CLICK HERE to find a child to sponsor.

Better late than never

I know you're shocked to see our blog updated. Somewhere between Christmas and now, I've fallen off the blogging bandwagon. We're back and rolling now, until life happens again, and we take another 3 month hiatus.

Let me catch you up on the last 3 months. We celebrated Eli's 4th birthday on December 18. A Cat in the Hat birthday to be exact. We had 5 performances of the Living Christmas Tree and celebrated thousands of lives changed and 50,000 in attendance. I think Ben, Eli, and I counted for 15 of those since we saw all the performances. :) The little boys saw their first "snow" which lasted all of 5 minutes, but they were thrilled. We traveled home for a week with our family, and we were actually home on Christmas Day. I can't remember the last time that happened. Jack played basketball this year and was awesome! It's amazing how much better he is as a 7-year-old than a 6-year-old. Maybe it's all the practice with Ben in our driveway. Ben turned 5 on February 12. He's been planning his party ever since he found out what a birthday was. Construction started on our bonus room. Yay for extra space!! And for the insulation and sheetrock dust all over everything. :) Jon led worship for the Youth Evangelism Conference in Nashville and had a great time! And that brings us up-to-date.

Today, at 5:30 this morning, Jon boarded a plane headed back to Ethiopia. Bethany Christian Services, who we used for our adoption, is starting a new program called One Family. This program is similar to Compassion or World Vision, where you sponsor children for $30/month to allow these children to stay with their families instead of adoption being their only alternative. This will hopefully prevent the number of orphans, which is currently 6 million, SIX MILLION IN ETHIOPIA, from increasing at the out-of-control crazy rate that it is. Jon is helping to get the program up and running and get the word out about sponsorships. He'll be meeting with the Bethany staff there as well as some of the families currently receiving sponsorships.

When we adopted the little boys, we left with half our heart still in Ethiopia, and we've been praying for the opportunity to return one day. Not necessarily to bring home more kids, but for whatever God had for us. So we're MORE THAN GRATEFUL for this opportunity. It's what we've been praying for. We just didn't know it.

I just saw this on a friend's blog and I loved it, so I'm stealing and reposting it. :)

"If you are not praying, then you are quietly confident that time, money and talent are all you need in life. You'll always be a little too tired, a little too busy. But if, like Jesus, you realize you can't do life on your own, then no matter how busy, no matter how tired you are, you will find the time to pray."

SO TRUE.

I'll post more updates and pictures as I hear from Jon. Here are a few pictures of the last few months. :)

Thank you Melody for the picture of my love:)

Happy Halloween!

The last several weeks in about 5 sentences...

Happy Halloween! Trying to explain the holiday is interesting. Why do we dress up, ring peoples doorbells, and ask for candy? I just don't know. But they caught on really quick and loved it. And now we have three children who don't like candy. Go figure. But I wonder where all the Reese's went...

Next, Jack's children's choir sang in church. Here's a snapshot from that.

Also, Ben's choir sang this past week. I haven't loaded up the pictures yet, but here's the link if you want to watch it. It's about 2 minutes right at the beginning. He did so great!!!

Random thoughts and I guess this post was more than 5 sentences...All 3 boys learned about Pilgrims and Indians this week. That only fueled rough play time. We just had to pray their Pilgrim hats and Indian feathers didn't get smashed. Eli's English has taken off this week. Watching kids learn a language is fascinating. They pick it up so quickly, and then plateau. Then spout off 50 new words and sentence structure falls into place, and then plateau. Anyway, he's doing great. Indoor play time, since it's been cooler and rainy, has gone well so far. The little boys can be entertained pretty easily, like with a balloon. A single balloon can bring at least an hour of fun. We've been explaining a lot of holidays lately. Those are some interesting conversations. Here are some examples: 1.) Why do Santa come in da fireplace? He so scary. 2.) If Christmas is Jesus' birthday, why do presents give to us? (Why do we give presents if it's His birthday?) 3.) I not like turkey. I want hamburger. 4.) I want Christmas tree for my birday (birthday). It so pretty.

I promise the next post will be slightly more interesting. As much as I want to remember the BIG milestones, the little ones can be just as important and funny! :)

Pumpkin Carving Contest 2011

First of all, look at these cuties. :)

Now to the contest. Since we had more little people this year, our pumpkin "carving" contest has been modified to the pumpkin "decorating" contest. Voting ends on October 31 at 5:00pm. Cast your vote at the poll to the right. Here are the contestants...

1. "It Just Doesn't Go Away"

2 "This Might Belong to Jack"

(who carved it all by himself)

3. "The Classy Crooked T"

4. "The Porcupine"

5. "The Slightly More Traditional"

6. "The Sea Turtle"

7. "The People Pleaser"