Monday, January 10, 2011
What's for Lunch?
Why, your gingerbread house, of course.
Our afternoon snack? Stovetop hot chocolate, the Advent activity of the day. This stuff was so delicious. I cannot wait to make it again!
Family Christmas
Haven was ready to go Christmas morning. She has been giving this look a lot lately. Elijah is at that awkward learning-how-to-smile stage.
First Christmas for sweet Polly Jane!
One of Elijah's gifts for Haven - a microphone (as if she needs any amplification!):
The theme for our gifts this year was dress-up. Now we are well-stocked for imaginitive play.
Eric won this monkey at his work Christmas party the day before. The kids were so excited about all the lollipops!
Eric's gift: The Pacific!
My gifts were two hibiscus plants and some promised, child-free reading time. I wouldn't have high hopes of that happening if my gift hadn't come from "Eric, the man who makes all your dreams come true."
A little ballerina playing with a gun...
...and a baby.
This was such a fun, fun day. We putzed around the house the rest of the day; Eric & Elijah did some work outside. It was super relaxed and, thus, super fun!
First Christmas for sweet Polly Jane!
One of Elijah's gifts for Haven - a microphone (as if she needs any amplification!):
The theme for our gifts this year was dress-up. Now we are well-stocked for imaginitive play.
Eric won this monkey at his work Christmas party the day before. The kids were so excited about all the lollipops!
Eric's gift: The Pacific! 
My gifts were two hibiscus plants and some promised, child-free reading time. I wouldn't have high hopes of that happening if my gift hadn't come from "Eric, the man who makes all your dreams come true."
A little ballerina playing with a gun...
...and a baby.
This was such a fun, fun day. We putzed around the house the rest of the day; Eric & Elijah did some work outside. It was super relaxed and, thus, super fun!
Friday, January 7, 2011
Birthday!
This, my 29th birthday, was filled with all sorts of fun. Eric took me to Mafiaoza's, my favorite pizza place, and then to Andrew Peterson's Behold the Lamb concert. Polly Jane slept through the entire meal, allowing me to eat hot food! It was treat. She didn't sleep through the concert. As I held her and paced in the back of the Ryman, I embraced the attitude "I'm so thankful to have a baby to keep quiet right now." Who knows when my cares will no longer be "Is my baby going to cry in public?!?!" The concert, as always, was absolutely fabulous - a good addition to our attempt at celebrating Advent this year.
My birthday morning I rushed off to get the kids and arrived to a huge plate of my mother-in-law's famous Mississippi Mud. Yum! That was my favorite treat of the day. We sped along to our friend's house for a little "Happy Birthday Jesus" party. I was in charge of the craft; it left much to be desired. Haven enjoyed it though, because she was able to eat a ton of gumdrops. Alexis even sang me a solo version of Happy Birthday - pum, pum, pum.
My birthday morning I rushed off to get the kids and arrived to a huge plate of my mother-in-law's famous Mississippi Mud. Yum! That was my favorite treat of the day. We sped along to our friend's house for a little "Happy Birthday Jesus" party. I was in charge of the craft; it left much to be desired. Haven enjoyed it though, because she was able to eat a ton of gumdrops. Alexis even sang me a solo version of Happy Birthday - pum, pum, pum.
That night we ate some delicious leftovers plus cupcakes from my favorite cupcake store, Cupcake Collection. Eric had pre-ordered to make sure I got all my favorite flavors. (What a kind husband!) Oh! My present? A peach tree, already planted and re-planted. (Cows can knock them over, you know, so don't plant it in your pasture.)
That night we began our family Christmas celebration. Our immediate family Christmas is my favorite time of the season, I believe. It's just us with just our very few presents. We eat sausage balls and sticky buns. We take forever opening things. We play. We go outside. We eat more sausage balls. It's great.
Eric built a fire and made a huge bed for all of us on the floor. We watched the beginning of Elijah's new movie, Davy Crockett.
Elijah and Eric were the only ones who lasted all night. Haven was beside herself with excitement and could NOT go to sleep. She was just so happy to be sleeping in between us. She wanted to point out all Eric's body parts ("Eyes!!! Eyes!!!! Night-night eyes!!!! Elbow!!!! Elbow!!!! Neck!!! Neck!!!! etc.) I could not stop laughing at her. She was happily put in her crib soon after that. Good thing the boys are tough or all that blanket folding would have gone to waste:)
Monday, January 3, 2011
One Thousand Gifts - A Beginning
My very favorite blogger, Ann Voskamp, started a list one day, a list of things for which she could thank God. It has changed her life. Now I am hoping it will change mine too. My brown journal sits open, begging me to fill it with a record of good gifts from my good God. Copying Ann, I'm on my way to thanking God for One Thousand Gifts.
Thanking God for (gifts 1 - 14):
~ A God to Whom I can give thanks
~ 2010, a year in which God turned hardships into amazing blessings
~ Hope! God makes all things new, even me! Perhaps this will be a year where harsh words cease to fly from my tongue?
~ Squishy cheeks on all my children
~ The joy of holding Polly Jane
~ Polly Jane's especially squishy cheeks
~ A hand-me-down couch wide enough for two of us
~ Bags and boxes and arms full of new books
~ A hundred answered prayers in the birth of my new niece
~ Being reminded that God cares about even the little things, and that He hears the prayers of His people
~ A husband who is willing to help me in all kinds of ways
~ A never-ending To Do list
~ Quiet moments...and their scarcity
~ The sermon yesterday "Fight your sin of __. And when you wonder if God could ever love someone who ___, read Judges. They sin again and again and again, YET God loves them!"
Lydia: {tucking Elijah in bed, covering him with kisses}
Elijah: "You're breath smells weird. I think you need to take a bath."
Elijah: "Haven, you're really stressing out...everytime I come near your babies, you're really stressing out."
Thanking God for (gifts 1 - 14):
~ A God to Whom I can give thanks
~ 2010, a year in which God turned hardships into amazing blessings
~ Hope! God makes all things new, even me! Perhaps this will be a year where harsh words cease to fly from my tongue?
~ Squishy cheeks on all my children
~ The joy of holding Polly Jane
~ Polly Jane's especially squishy cheeks
~ A hand-me-down couch wide enough for two of us
~ Bags and boxes and arms full of new books
~ A hundred answered prayers in the birth of my new niece
~ Being reminded that God cares about even the little things, and that He hears the prayers of His people
~ A husband who is willing to help me in all kinds of ways
~ A never-ending To Do list
~ Quiet moments...and their scarcity
~ The sermon yesterday "Fight your sin of __. And when you wonder if God could ever love someone who ___, read Judges. They sin again and again and again, YET God loves them!"
Lydia: {tucking Elijah in bed, covering him with kisses}
Elijah: "You're breath smells weird. I think you need to take a bath."
Elijah: "Haven, you're really stressing out...everytime I come near your babies, you're really stressing out."
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Out of the Mouth of Babes
Me: {handing a tissue to Elijah} "Do you need to blow your nose?"
Elijah: {shaking his head} "No. I just have some crust in my nose."
Elijah: {shaking his head} "No. I just have some crust in my nose."
Monday, November 15, 2010
Responding to Sin
Today, for the first time, I locked myself in the bathroom so I could take a quick shower. Elijah is 3 1/2 now, and - well, that probably means we should develop some rules of privacy at our house. With only one bathroom that can be tricky, but I thought I would try the locking technique and see how it went. The baby was safely tucked away; Elijah and Haven were playing independently.
I heard screaming. Not the "I want a snack and you won't give me one" scream. Not the "Elijah grabbed that toy from me" scream. A different scream. An "I'm really hurting scream." I yelled for Elijah, intending to tell him to go help Haven. Perhaps she was stuck under the chair or a book had fallen on her. Elijah didn't answer. I yelled for him louder. No answer. No noise at all from Elijah. Haven's scream continued but moved to another room. I was scared.
I grabbed a towel and ran out to find Haven. She was laying down on the living room floor. Elijah was pounding on her back as if it were a drum. Over and over. I yelled - at him. "What are you doing to your sister?!?!?" I grabbed him and threw him on his bed. I grabbed Haven to comfort her. She perked right back up, resilient little thing.
After getting dressed I had Elijah tell me what happened. "I hit Haven over and over again." "What else did you do to Haven?" "I pulled her hair over and over again." I cried. I have never cried over my children's sin. I was so sad - sad because of the wickedness in Elijah's heart. Sad because he was capable of being so mean. Sad because he would be so mean to his sister. I felt desperate. Desperate to know how to help this little boy I love so much. How can I explain to him how wicked that was? How do I tell him, in words that will pierce his hard heart, that God hates those who oppress the weak? How do I show this boy his need of a Savior?
I wonder that I have never cried over Elijah's sins before. Why do they often only stir up irritation or inconvenience rather than grief? I wonder that I do not cry over my sins. And I thank God for this brief glimpse of seeing sin as it really is - wicked, terrible, an offense to a great God.
I am freshly reminded of my need for supernatural wisdom - Biblical wisdom - in raising these children. This afternoon I read I Peter 5. How thankful I am that I can cast all my anxieties on Him (because He cares for me!). So, I cast Elijah's little heart again at the feet of Christ and plead with Him to change it...and to give me gracious guidance in responding to his sins.
I heard screaming. Not the "I want a snack and you won't give me one" scream. Not the "Elijah grabbed that toy from me" scream. A different scream. An "I'm really hurting scream." I yelled for Elijah, intending to tell him to go help Haven. Perhaps she was stuck under the chair or a book had fallen on her. Elijah didn't answer. I yelled for him louder. No answer. No noise at all from Elijah. Haven's scream continued but moved to another room. I was scared.
I grabbed a towel and ran out to find Haven. She was laying down on the living room floor. Elijah was pounding on her back as if it were a drum. Over and over. I yelled - at him. "What are you doing to your sister?!?!?" I grabbed him and threw him on his bed. I grabbed Haven to comfort her. She perked right back up, resilient little thing.
After getting dressed I had Elijah tell me what happened. "I hit Haven over and over again." "What else did you do to Haven?" "I pulled her hair over and over again." I cried. I have never cried over my children's sin. I was so sad - sad because of the wickedness in Elijah's heart. Sad because he was capable of being so mean. Sad because he would be so mean to his sister. I felt desperate. Desperate to know how to help this little boy I love so much. How can I explain to him how wicked that was? How do I tell him, in words that will pierce his hard heart, that God hates those who oppress the weak? How do I show this boy his need of a Savior?
I wonder that I have never cried over Elijah's sins before. Why do they often only stir up irritation or inconvenience rather than grief? I wonder that I do not cry over my sins. And I thank God for this brief glimpse of seeing sin as it really is - wicked, terrible, an offense to a great God.
I am freshly reminded of my need for supernatural wisdom - Biblical wisdom - in raising these children. This afternoon I read I Peter 5. How thankful I am that I can cast all my anxieties on Him (because He cares for me!). So, I cast Elijah's little heart again at the feet of Christ and plead with Him to change it...and to give me gracious guidance in responding to his sins.
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