4Joneses

BOOK REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

2009-06-09T13:59:00.001-07:00

LOVED this book...
easy summer read, fun and meaningful

Local giveaway please...

Book: Sisterchicks In Wooden Shoes
Summary: When a mammogram result comes back abnormal, midlife mama Summer Finley makes a snap decision to relegate fear to the back burner and fulfill a lifelong dream. Summer heads for Holland where she meets up with tulips, wooden shoes, and her best friend, Noelle.

Pen pals since fourth grade, Summer and Noelle have never met face-to-face. Through decades of heart-level correspondence, they have sustained a deep friendship. A week of adventure helps both women trade anxiety for a renewed and deeper trust in God. When Summer confides in Noelle about the abnormal medical report, Noelle finds the freedom to share a long-held heartache, and both women discover they needed each other more than they realized.

Women ages 35 and up, readers of Christian Boomer Lit, and fans of books such as The Yada Yada Prayer Group will enjoy Robin Jones Gunn’s humorous and uplifting style. True-to-life characters and moments of poignancy bring a deeper understanding of the value of life and the gift of true friends. Readers guide and bonus material included.

Author Bio:
Robin Jones Gunn is the best-selling and award-winning author of over seventy books, including the Glenbrooke, Christy Miller, Sierra Jensen, Katie Weldon, and Christy and Todd: The College Years teen series. The Sisterchicks® series has sold more than 300,000 units, bringing her total sales to more than 3.5 million books worldwide. A Christy Award winner, Robin is a popular speaker, both at home and abroad, and is frequently interviewed on radio and on television. www.robingunn.com www.sisterchicks.com

Wonderful World

2009-04-24T06:39:00.000-07:00

Love this camera. Beautiful outside...

2009-04-24T06:28:00.000-07:00

Truckin'

2009-04-24T06:27:00.000-07:00

kangaroo petting

2009-04-24T06:24:00.000-07:00

yup, its a kangaroo!

Woohoo!!! for a field trip

Playground, after opening ceremonies.

2009-04-24T06:18:00.000-07:00

The best part about the baseball park, sometimes, is the playground.

What could be better than running around having FUN FUN FUN!

BASEBALL IS HERE...2009

2009-04-24T06:12:00.000-07:00

OPENING CEREMONY!
Baseball has begun. It is official here!
Cam got to attend opening ceremonies this year, now that he's all big. (6 year old league, hard ball, machine pitch...seriously!!)

He looked awful cute out there in his uniform, but I didn't hear a word of the ceremony (speaker system not so great for outdoors). However, Cam seemed to LOVE it all.

This boy is ALL about baseball, even if he's having to wear "Giants" stuff.
He's loving practices and looking forward to his first game soon.

the FIRST TOOTH

2009-04-24T05:55:00.000-07:00

Bu lost his first tooth.
(second one too, followed by a few days...)
Lost...well...I pulled it for him.
I pulled both of them...and he was BRAVE!
And I secretly LOVED getting those things out of there!! (you can see the other teeth, they were already coming in, so you KNOW it was driving me crazy!)

the new sweater.

2009-04-24T05:51:00.000-07:00

I love this sweater.

Indoor waterpark

2009-04-24T05:45:00.000-07:00

We watched a show about waterparks.
Then Cam was inspired to build his own...indoors :)

It was for Emmy's PetShop pets to use and it took most of the day to set up and play with --perfect!

Face paint

2009-04-24T05:40:00.000-07:00

Cam found the halloween facepaint up in the cabinet...and this is what happened!
Butterfly girl and some sort of spiderman/monster dude.

Praying.

2009-04-23T05:12:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine, Amanda, is having a double mastectomy today.
Please take some time out of your day and pray for her.
Thanks.

Baseball and Stories

2009-03-23T14:03:00.000-07:00

Tonight is the first night of baseball! The official meet and greet. My boy is SO pumped up! He's officially on the GIANTS. When we told Sis that he was a GIANT, she said, "No he's not, he's a NORMAL boy!" HA!

Today we had mops and I asked SIs what she learned and here's the awesome answer,
"Jesus died on a rose and got put into a stone." hee hee, she got part of it!!! Love it!

I really don't know what's wrong with me.

2009-03-21T15:41:00.000-07:00

There were some doorknobs sitting in the garage, from LAST year when we replaced all the doors.
They were crying out (I heard them) to be used...

I think there may be something wrong with me....

Little Miss. Mis-Adventure

2009-03-21T15:31:00.000-07:00

I said, "Paint on the PAPER."
I said, "We cut PAPER.

We seem to have an aversion to ...PAPER.

Yup, some face painting...to body painting = BATH
And then, the self haircut = BATH

She TOLD me earlier this week she was going to cut her hair. We had a LONG LONG LONG discussion about how you do NOT cut your own hair.... Three days later, there was too much quiet and tadaa!

As you can see from the tears there was SOME remorse, but mainly about being caught. And trust you me, there was punishment...and pictures!

The Boy...getting so grown up...

2009-03-20T04:20:00.000-07:00

He's got a few loose teeth, so I'm trying to get a good before shot. :)

First Flower of Spring

2009-03-20T04:17:00.000-07:00

I went out to get a picture of the kids and the first flower...and Sis picked it! before I could get there!!
So the "first flower" came into the house and is currently occupying a place of honor on the kitchen table.

2009-03-20T04:10:00.000-07:00

Biking riding!
This was Sis' first time on a bike! She did pretty well, other than the fact that pedaling AND steering at the same time posed a problem, but nothing a little practice can't fix!
Bu was a great encourager for her, "You're doing great sis!" was heard a lot in the driveway as he zipped past her, speeding around!

Colors again

2009-03-18T16:31:00.001-07:00

Bu was home sick, so this time he got to join in...and MEASURE and use a FUNNEL! Its was loads of fun...

Happy Birthday!

2009-03-18T14:35:00.000-07:00

Cam wanted Dad to have a crown like he had from school...so his teacher made it happen!
Thoughtful little kiddo!

Cam's homework

2009-03-18T14:23:00.000-07:00

Homework...you guess what it says!

God is in Lightening McQueen and THE CAREBEAR

2009-02-26T10:28:00.000-08:00

This was the statement from the boy.

"God is in Lightening McQueen."

What? What do you mean?

"Well, you know, at the end of the movie at the end of the race? He stops and helps the other car and lets the snarky guy win. That was God. He's in Cars. 'Cause, you know, Lightening McQueen did what Jesus would've done. Right Mom? He put somebody else ahead of himself and was looking out for someone else."

Yup, that's the boy. Right there...seeing God...everywhere.
Oh, to see with his eyes.

Later we went to a game/pizza joint. We were blessed with some tokens to spend from someone kind enough to pass them our way (love that!) and he says, "I'm gonna win something for Sissy and if I have enough leftover I'll get something."

...Sis now has a pink carebear, plastic. He's so pumped to give it to her.

Where does this kindness come from?
What makes his little boy heart overflow?
How does he see God so clearly?

It's a beautiful thing, to see God in a kid.
To see His love burst out of a little boy heart.
To see His wisdom come from a little boy mouth.
To know that this world, its all clear, to a little boy with a great God.

"You see, children loved Jesus, and they knew they didn't need to do anything special for Jesus to love them. All they needed to do was to run into his arms. And that's what they did." Jesus Storybook Bible.

Colors.

2009-02-19T20:46:00.001-08:00

Got the idea from: www.thepioneerwoman.com

Mixing has never been so fun...can't wait to try this with the boy and add in MEASURING to the whole mix!!

on the way to dance class

2009-02-19T20:40:00.000-08:00

Cam had the day off, so he had to go with us. He's a great sport!
They were just too cute, so the camera...well, it had to come out!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-11T12:14:00.000-08:00

Rollerskating

2009-02-11T07:49:00.000-08:00

Our neighbor up the street gave Bu the pink rollerblades and, true to form, he could care less that they're pink, he's just glad for rollerblades! So, on the cleaned up driveway, off the kiddos went...rolling, rolling, rolling.

MOPS

2009-02-11T07:43:00.000-08:00

This is Sis, looking so big and grown up, on her way to MOPS. Its her school

Fit to be TIED!

2009-02-11T07:39:00.000-08:00

All alone, and QUICK! He's been tying his shoes, but SLLLLOOOOWWWWLY. This time, he did it all alone, no prompting and FAST

What are your kids like?

2009-02-11T07:38:00.000-08:00

This is what she's like at home.

Sis in the sunlight

2009-02-11T07:27:00.001-08:00

The sun was shining so nicely thru the window, and the camera is still so shiny and new...thus PICTURES!

Snow day/Ice day #7...what to do? DRESS UP!

2009-02-11T07:21:00.000-08:00

These kids...they have a GREAT time together! Bu always includes Sis (well, for the most part) and Sis, well she seems to think he's pretty funny!

there was SNOW

2009-02-11T07:15:00.000-08:00

There was a bit of snow a few weeks before the ice. We enjoyed it for a morning, then melt melt melt

snuggle time with daddy

2009-02-11T07:02:00.000-08:00

Daddy was trying to sneak a nap in one day...HA!

Who knew?

2009-02-11T06:45:00.000-08:00

When we got our new mattress for our bed, oh about 1 1/2 years ago, who knew the old mattress would be the best thing ever? Yes, we live dangerously...Cam flips (I don't like it, but boys, well they will be boys!)

Yup, our house is fun! The best toys: old mattress to jump on and a slide thing my parents found at a yard sale. Turn on some loud music and you've got yourself a PARTY!

Most everyday I hear, "Let's go jump!" from either kiddo!

On days when the weather is bad, this is a life saver! Gets the energy out and when the thing was destined for the trash...all the better of a find!

Ice Storm '09

2009-02-11T06:34:00.000-08:00

We've cleaned up limbs, just in time for a wind storm!
But here are the pretty pictures of the ice. It was BEAUTIFUL, kinda the white witches dreamland, narnia style.

In the spirit of cheap:

2009-01-12T13:54:00.000-08:00

I'm making my own laundry soap...
we'll have to see how well it works.

If its decent then its a steal!

We shall see, we shall see

Look out BELOW!

2009-01-02T14:22:00.000-08:00

Let's just say that my family is sick of me.
Let's just say that the new camera has had to have the battery charged twice now.
Let's just say that I've dumped pics TWICE onto an external hard drive since Christmas.
Let's just say that I am having FUN!!!

Enjoy my torturing of my family...

Sis, outside (and MORE below...)

2009-01-02T14:16:00.000-08:00

Bu, loving baseball...LOVING!

2009-01-02T14:13:00.000-08:00

Sis, outside at park in jan.

2009-01-02T14:05:00.000-08:00

Bu, outside, Jan, love THAT!

2009-01-02T14:01:00.000-08:00

Sis, outside, jan...love that!

2009-01-02T13:54:00.000-08:00

Outside, Jan 2 Stuart

2009-01-02T13:50:00.000-08:00

A rare photo or two of Stuart...

photos with the new camera

2008-12-31T13:20:00.000-08:00

christmas 2008

2008-12-31T13:03:00.000-08:00

Bu got costumes for a gift (thank you after halloween clearance racks) and here's the ninja one...
Sis is sporting the new nightgown (requested by her, happened to have gotten in already -thank you Disneystore clearance in may) and the headband...too funny!
Also the Mickey Luke and Minnie Leah action figures ...too cute!

Christmas 2008

2008-12-31T12:43:00.001-08:00

I got...the camera, so prepare.

Bu was the first of the kiddos to wake, at 9:15 no less...I was prepared with the camera as he crept in our room to see if it was indeed time! Then we had to go wake Sis.

Santa had come...and he brought EXACTLY what they asked for: Jump ropes! And thankfully the weather was so wonderful they got to try them out the next day!

We opened and then headed to g-mom and g-dad's for more and more presents, food and a movie!
Great day...

Lovely things:

2008-12-17T07:42:00.000-08:00

My list of LOVELY things today:

1. Snow Days
2. Sleeping LATE (All of us!!!)
3. A little boy, a flashlight, 3 books and bed!!! We had to come in and tell him to put the flashlight away 'cause it was time to go to sleep!!

That's my favorite. The boy and books...makes me SO happy

3

2008-12-16T14:17:00.001-08:00

Em's birthday WEEKEND was FUN!
We had guests to help celebrate and we used Chick-fil-a as our party spot!
Stuart decorated the princess/nurse cake :) (he did a much better job than I ever could've!)
And G-mom made the super princess doll cake for her. Seriously the girl was princessed out!!!

Visitin'

2008-12-16T14:13:00.000-08:00

MORE photos...
We went to Lynn's paradise cafe and tried on some lovely styles....

Visit!!!

2008-12-16T13:55:00.000-08:00

Robb, Denise, Sissy and Olivia came down to visit...just in time-before the snow! We went to the Slugger museum/factory tour and to Lynn's Paradise Cafe (YUM!)

Emmy DANCING!

2008-12-09T18:21:00.001-08:00

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2013602&id=1239002670&ref=nf

Thankful

2008-11-26T07:39:00.000-08:00

During Sunday School this past Sunday I taught 2's. I was filling in on an off Sunday for Nora, so I was doing her craft and may I just say it was SO good!!!

Anyhow, they made turkeys with "I am thankful for..." written on the feathers. The answers were FUNNY! One little boy's answer was, "I can't think of anything right yet"

Em's reads:
I am thankful for: my dolls, the princesses at the castle, Camden.

Cam picked up her turkey after church and read it. When he got to his name I thought he'd burst! "MOM, Emmy put ME DOWN!!! It say's that she's thankful for ME!!!"

Now, I realize that later this may not be the overwhelming sentiment between the two of them, but oh it was beautiful!

They love each other so much and I'm so glad that they appreciate one another. It is a beautiful thing.

So, thank you to Nora...a 2 year old craft that brought tears to my eyes and a HUGE grin to Cam!

Christmas Decorations Begin

2008-11-21T05:43:00.000-08:00

We've been "crafting" around here.

I need to get a pic of the turkey up, but ... it was CUTE! We hunted for materials outside then hot glued the turkey together: pinecones, twigs, leaves, seeds etc... all were used and an hour outside hunting for the stuff! Perfect

After that success I decided we needed to do something creative with all the holiday sales magazines that Lands End insists on sending me. I can't look at them, I'll just want something...soooo:
Stars!

Pulled the instructions off the internet and I've made 3. Cam will help with the next few, but it was tricky.
However, they look awesome in the windows and will be our newest addition to Christmas Decorations.

Next up: I'm looking into the star garland made from 2 liter bottles...not sure, may be too hard for us. And an advent chain, I'm sure we can ALL handle that one, even Sissy.

piggies

2008-11-21T05:40:00.000-08:00

She's just so cute.

more Fall Fun pics

2008-11-09T12:16:00.000-08:00

Like the neighbors RV? Guest quarters...

Fall Photo Fun...

2008-11-09T12:08:00.001-08:00

We attempted to take a few shots of the kids in the leaves...staged shots, but this is what ensued. Fun!

Getting older...and older...

2008-11-09T11:47:00.000-08:00

Cam's birthday was a laid back affair. G-mom and G-dad came over for cake and presents, but that was pretty much it. Perfect for the boy though! He was totally excited! Plus the day before was spent in Cinti at a dedication thing for Stu's folks. Then we hit the children's museum there with Uncle Larry, Aunt Jane and cousin Laura. It was SO much fun! And Cam got to SHOP in Toys R Us for his birthday present from Grannie and Poppa. He had SO much fun, he actually cried when we were driving out of Cincinnati...its just that great of a place!

Meanwhile the day after has consisted of: playing OPERATION, doing the crafts and watching the capsule sponge things come undone (and he's sharing with his sis!) He's really turning into a fun kid, no more baby left in him....

Halloween 08

2008-11-09T11:36:00.000-08:00

Spiderman and Minnie...

The Jesus Pumpkin

2008-11-09T11:30:00.000-08:00

At Cam's school you can decorate a pumpkin to look like your favorite book. We went thru a list of suggestions when Cam finally said, "mom, can I just bring the Bible and paint Jesus, He's my favorite anyhow."

Beautiful...

because Jenny is brilliant...

2008-10-16T20:40:00.000-07:00

A facebook buddy informed me I can link my photos!!!!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2002970&l=d7862&id=1150350273

Check them out and enjoy all 185, that's right.

teaser photo

2008-10-16T19:37:00.000-07:00

I have to publish a few book reviews...um, tomorrow...or sat.
Anyhow, there will be Disney Photos for those of you not sucked into Facebook (uploaded about 170).
There are some good ones, but this is my favorite for right now.

This week has been recovery. Cam has had school and Em's been sleeping in each day :)

They've also been putting on "parades" each night in Cam's room. They line up stuffed animals around the bouncing mattress and then perform to Disney music. They also WAVE at the animals...SOOOOO cute. Emmy is always WENDY and Cam switches characters as needed to fit the song. ITs a magical thing :)

no pics, but updates anywho

2008-09-27T19:50:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm still slow on the pictures. Our camera is just catching much these days, due to me misplacing it for a while.... But its back in action, only to have misplaced the card reader, AGAIN.

Anyhow...lovely day!
We are SO loving our Saturdays...just us, family, hanging out!

We all slept in (praise God) and then headed out to hit a garage sale or two, for no apparent reason. Cam scored some great Cincinnati Reds Jerseys for CHEAP and was thrilled!

Then off to a school playground to run, climb, laugh and swing
Stopped by a friends house
Home to watch the TREE (so dead) felled in the front yard! WAY COOL! We had a blast helping clean it up and watching the stump grinder in action.

To top it off: hotdogs over the open flame on the deck~

Wonderful day, and Emmy enjoyed the entire day in her cat costume. Oh, that girl. :)

BOOK REVIEW ALERT...Saturdays With Stella

2008-09-12T14:51:00.001-07:00

SATURDAYS WITH STELLA
BY: Allison Pittman

Okay, if you are a dog LOVER, this one is yours.

Its a cute book that connects dog ownership and lessons learned to our relationship with God. The caption on the cover says, "how I learned to sit, stay and come when God calls" and that pretty well sums up the book.

Its written in a very entertaining way, but really relates well to a pet owner (which I'm not)...so its not going to get the, "I was enraptured" review from me. However, I did glean a lot from it. It breaks down some things in our relationship to God into the simplest: offer a gift from your heart. It doesn't matter WHAT you're bringing God as long as its from your heart.

There are many other little tid bits ...I'd highly recommend this to a pet owner for a devotion book. Its easy to pick up and put down and you still get something out of it each time!

Comment to have me give it to you...

Crackin' up

2008-09-03T11:02:00.000-07:00

Sis was talking to Daddy on the phone:

Daddy: Whatcha doin'?

Sis: Ummm, just hangin' out right now.

Oops, there IS going to be writing Tammy, sorry

2008-08-20T18:12:00.000-07:00

So the school thing has been hard for me. Letting him go off into the great unknown. Trusting that he'll be watched over, protected, stretched, taught etc... I just really like control. I like knowing what's going on with him.

ANYHOW, he came home from school and was telling me that one of the kids in class had cried all thru lunch and most of the day, because he missed his mom. I asked Bu if he'd been able to help the kid. Nope, you can't just go over and talk to them during class MOM! Ahhhh, ofcourse. So, I asked, well what's something you CAN do, even if you can't go over and talk to him? What's something you can do no matter where or what that will help the situation?

His answer, "OH, I could pray for him! And God will help him out! He always says yes to that stuff"

And NO I did not burst his little 5 year old bubble about YES to prayers.... I figure the 5 year old probably has a better line on the heart of God than me, and perhaps his purity will lead him TO prayers that fit inline a bit with God. Well, until he prays for a puppy... :)

On the Sissy side of things, we started her memory verse this morning and its a RIOT. The girl cannot do it, UNLESS its a song...sooooo, well you know where I'm going. But DO NOT stop by in the 8 am breakfast hour, its verses sung by the two of us. And the beautiful part, she'll still not get it down, but I will. Hilarious!

There's my writing...

LOOK OUT BELOW!

2008-08-20T18:05:00.000-07:00

I found a card reader (well stuart did) soooo, uploaded a ton of pics. So NO WORDS MISS TAMMY...

Peruse at your leisure.

Just cause she's so cute

2008-08-20T17:57:00.000-07:00

What do we do with Bu not around?

2008-08-20T17:44:00.000-07:00

Welllllll, Bu is in school all day.
That leaves Sissy asking ALL DAY LONG, "where's Bu?"

She misses him SO much, she jumps up and down and yells "BU BU" as we wait to pick him up each day.
He comes out ready to play and with all kinds of PLANS for the two of them. Needless to say, Sis is NOT getting the naps she needs, but she IS getting brother time.
Which, other than the obvious behavior issues at hand, I'll take. I love to see the two of them play.

MEANWHILE, when he's gone we: take walks to the pond, find stuff, "TALK" all kinds of animals/dolls etc...., build lego stuff, paint, draw, "TALK" more animals and such (this is a big one right now. the talking thing and it cracks me UP), dress up as a cat and go out and about (too cute), playdough, and the horrid one: run errands like the grocery, ugg.

Momma's Little Helper

2008-08-20T17:33:00.000-07:00

The chore, the dreaded chore, has been officially passed down.
Its now Sissy's job...SILVERWARE!

Summertime Eats

2008-08-20T17:32:00.000-07:00

We love corn.

Fresh, yummy corn...
Can you tell????

Julia's Outfit

2008-08-20T12:40:00.000-07:00

I scammed this off Julia, I believe it was her 3rd birthday party and I saw this unwrapped. True to my understated nature, I asked Lins for it right away, something along the lines of, "I WANT that when you're done with it! I'll even pass it back if you need!" (she does).

And Lins, in really GREAT memory and great friend mode, remembered and set it aside for me (em). Its a wee bit big, but I plan on getting a LOT of wear out of this one...LOVE IT.

The First Day of School

2008-08-20T12:35:00.000-07:00

...and MY CAMERA HAS JUNK ON IT!!!!
UGG, now you may want to know what pictures were on the memory card right before this shoot. Lets just say I did NOT take a picture of MY lego creation. HMMMMM, Cam?

Oh well, it cleaned up now.

And here's the kindergarten boy...so big...with sissy.
So sweet!

I do love how she can barely stand to wait in line to pick him up...jumping, yelling, "BU!"
And he bubbles over for about 30 mins with all sorts of information, none what I'm looking for, but he's talking!

So there it is...the worst first day of school pics ever.
I'm gonna take some later this week in the same outfit and pretend...with a CLEAN lens.

VACATION - the respective gangs

2008-08-20T12:33:00.000-07:00

Kids...parents...families...
it was a beautiful week! Thank you...(the card is NEAR the mailing point...written, sitting awaiting a stamp...so next year sometime it will arrive!)

VACATION - fishin' and bluberries

2008-08-20T12:30:00.000-07:00

The blueberries were UNBELIEVABLE! I picked about 10 lbs in less than an hour...the bushes were LOADED and all I could think of was BLUEBERRIES FOR SAL...ahhhh...

Cam actually enjoyed picking them, Em managed...
Shea and I got away alone and went for an hour, it was WONDERFUL!

And the obligatory lake fish! Stu only went fishin' once, the water was calling "kneeboard, kneeboard" and who are we to deny it?

VACATION

2008-08-20T12:28:00.000-07:00

Oh yes, Cam also enjoyed the thrill of the kneeboard, totally impressed that he did it!
Emmy went Tubing!! Wow! (Cam too)

Love Em and Daddy having a "dance" in the water!

This last pic of Em makes me think of Aleah, I think I've seen this expression before....

VACATION

2008-08-20T12:25:00.000-07:00

We headed up to Michigan for vacation...on the lake with the Hanna fam.

It was ... bliss!

Here's the evidence of our two water bugs...and let me just say that Stuart and I discovered the joy of knee boarding. Even with my "spectacular" wipeout, I still LOVED it!

The Reaction

2008-08-06T05:29:00.000-07:00

So, he did well in school.
The official word when I picked him up was, "I liked it a little bit"

Now, at prayer time last night I asked him what he wanted to thank God for and it was school, so that's a good sign.

However, this morning he was "too sick to go"

And Emmy informed daddy that "bu does not go to school today. He goes on Thursdays and Sundays"

Its good they love each other!
Its also good that Cam loves to be at home and misses us a bit. Makes me feel good and yet, he DID enjoy school, so that's good too!

All in all, the getting up early is the hardest part...

How to tell is you're lazy

2008-08-04T18:03:00.001-07:00

This is how I know I'm lazy:

Em begins to "lose her breakfast" this morning and I hold out my hands for her to "spew" into.

WHY?

Because the thought ACTUALLY ran thru my head, "I don't want to clean the floor"

That my friends, is Laziness.

Kindergarten begins.

2008-08-04T17:32:00.000-07:00

It starts tomorrow.
Bright and early.

We are NOT excited.
I am nervous.
HE is nervous.

But, the beautiful...
...tears tonight at bedtime led to a wonderful snuggle, a heart to heart chat and a serious prayer time with my boy.

It hurts this letting go.

And this is the tip of the iceberg.

So, I will pray.

God made him.
He belongs to God anyhow.
I will pray and TELL God to take care of my little boy.
God will smile and say, "I know, I know"

He will give me a peace. A peace that surpasses any understanding I have.
And kindergarten will begin. And kindergarten will end.
And so will jr. high, high school, college, etc.... And someday life here will end.

I know I sound morbid, and like I'm reading WAY too much into all this.

But here's the thing...all these beginnings lead to endings.
And there is one big ending here.
And then there is an amazing beginning...
and then there will be NO letting go...and that is a beautiful thing.

So selfishly I'm having to think a bit long term :)

Meanwhile, tomorrow awaits my boy. And it WILL be wonderful and exciting! Doors will open to him, he will learn things, meet friends and love more!

THE HEALING CHOICE By: Brenda Stoeker and Susan Allen

2008-08-02T07:08:00.000-07:00

Another book review you say??? Yup, and a give away as well!

This book is about the power of God to help you heal, specifically it is geared towards women who have experienced betrayal in the husband area, whether thru an affair or porn. However, the first section of this book is Brenda's story of her mother's death and how it affected her relationship with God. This first part of the book anyone can identify with and it was EXTREMELY insightful! There was a specific part where she talked about having a skewed view of God and life. She tackled the mindset of if I follow God and obey, then ... perfect life. I loved the way she gave steps to overcome this kind of thinking and the practical advice she gave. Plus her story was very intriguing and this section of the book was SO easy to read. I gained so much from this part!

The second half of the book is much more specific to betrayed women. It is PACKED with resources for the hurting woman. Most importantly this part offers real HOPE to any woman in a betrayal situation or any situation where she feels worth less than God's design.

This book and workbook combination are, I believe, a starting place for so many women trapped in a place where they feel alone. Its a way out.

LOVE AS A WAY OF LIFE By: Gary Chapman

2008-07-25T05:40:00.000-07:00

Book review ahead!

This book is from the guy who wrote the 5 languages of love thing. He talked about the 5 ways we want to be loved: acts of service, gifts, quality time, words of affirmation and physical touch. In this book he is doing a sort of "prequel" to the 5 languages. He said that in counseling people he found that the 5 languages was a great revelation, but it did not push people to want to act. They were, in fact, sometimes put off by the fact that they discovered their husband/wife's love language was acts of service. They still weren't going to DO any of that stuff. This book discusses the 7 traits of a loving person, habits we need to cultivate in order to become loving people. Its not enough to KNOW what love language someone desires, we must BE a loving person in order to put that knowledge into action.

The first premise is a relief for me: love is an action, not a feeling. An action can be put into practice, or practiced. Feelings are fleeting and ever changing. I've always heard that love is a decision, you decide to love and this book explains that statement very well.

The seven secrets are: kindness, patience, forgiveness, courtesy, humility, generosity and honesty. Its easy to read that list and think, "well, yeah" but Chapman gives such practical advice mixed with illustrations that you find yourself learning without meaning to.

This is the book that will give you the proper motivation to love others (Christ) and the tools to pull it off better than you are currently. It will give you the tools to being a better parent, co-worker, spouse, friend. Most of all, its a simple reminder that your job here on earth is to love.

So, want a free copy???
Comment below, or check facebook and leave a comment and I'll randomly pick someone (I can mail this one to you easy!)

14 Years

2008-07-23T18:26:00.000-07:00

Yup, its that time, the anniversary~ 14 years!
Check out the lovely flowers from my sweetie!
Cam took the pic...

We had a lovely evening, Stu even brought home some olive garden salad and tiramisu to go with dinner! He's GOOD!

Kitchen

2008-07-23T18:17:00.000-07:00

Not that anyone really cares (other than Amanda, bedrest is a bummer) our kitchen has been a source of contention since day one. Stu's wanted a new table in there, not the big dining room set. The last house had only a dining room and not an eat in kitchen. Here we had both. But I thought the dining room should be used as a playroom for awhile. WRONG. Guess who NEVER played in the wide open empty room. The kids never set foot in there. So we decided, lets let is function as a dining room.

Now, do we get a new table? Stu wanted a pub table, the tall ones. I wanted to use the old table from when we were first married. I refinished the darn thing, so it adds about 2 million dollars to its value in my book. We talked, looked, talked for about 4 months. Then in a fit of brilliance we decided the old table was the perfect size, but its the chairs we hated. Sooooo, here's the new look. Different chairs all around...one of the old ones that goes with the set, a white chair that's actually a highchair with the tray and arms cut off (perfect for Em) and two new ones and the fun summer/cottage adirondack chair thrown in for fun.

WAY more than you needed...???

Quote of the day

2008-07-23T14:13:00.000-07:00

Since there is NO such thing as Claritin clear with me, only Claritin SUPER tired, this is what was overheard from Emmy as I put in a VHS tape:

"Did you put in Jesus?"

Me, "Nope, Barney"

Cracked me up, the whole conversation.
Could just be the medicine

Photo shoot at Grandparents

2008-07-22T08:11:00.000-07:00

While Bu had Swim lessons

2008-07-14T08:47:00.000-07:00

Em got to hang out in the pool with Cam, she did really well at not getting in the way. She LOVES the water!!

Swim Lessons

2008-07-14T08:41:00.000-07:00

Cam had a few swim lessons that were AWESOME~ he learned a lot and more than anything his confidence in being in the water ramped up WAY high!

The only thing really left to work on is the rolling his head to breathe. He worked on it, but didn't quite get it yet. But, going from NOT swimming at the beginning of the summer to now...crazy man in the water, jumping off the diving board! Its wonderful! Thank you Jordan for the lessons

The 5th of July, the lesser known holiday

2008-07-12T15:18:00.000-07:00

For some reason here the park district has a bash on the 5th of July...fireworks, concert...the whole nine yards.

We were invited over to a bash at Jane's house with LOTS of super YUM food (chess cake, Stuart was in heaven, oh that silly Weight Watchers)

The kids had SO much fun with the glow bracelets Miss Angie supplied!!

Unfortunately the fireworks didn't start until 11pm-ish (and by ish I mean later) Ugg.

Tired kids, melting down...but fireworks, you just can't leave early.

The pic of Em is her taking a "picture" of me

Cincinnati Reds

2008-07-12T15:08:00.000-07:00

While in Cinti for Stu's conference we hit a Red's game! Stu blew the whole entertainment budget on some AWESOME seats! They were WONDERFUL and it kept both kids pretty into the game. Hard to do with Em! The Cotton Candy didn't hurt :)

We saw a bunch of home runs from both sides, unfortunately the Red's lost. However Emmy did get to meet the mascot, Mr. Red Legs, with whom she was infatuated.

Cam was TOTALLY pumped up for the game and enjoyed EVERY single bit of the experience. Beautiful night at the ball park. It reminded me of a certain game we went to with Frank and Amanda...Cubs, Wrigley, down right near the field...baseball at the actual park is a beautiful thing.

carousel...

2008-07-12T14:49:00.000-07:00

At the zoo waterpark

2008-07-12T14:41:00.000-07:00

The kids were so great at the zoo. There's a splash park there and Cam helped Em do the slides...I LOVE the way he took care of her, holding her shoulders, making sure she stayed in line and getting her down the slide safely. WHAT A GREAT BIG BROTHER!

Then, ofcourse, the carousel, always a crowd pleaser!

Important Info

2008-07-01T08:35:00.001-07:00

If you are planning on a short trip of any kind it is IMPERATIVE that:
NO ONE sleeps the night before

This gives the grumpy children and parents some quality yelling time trapped in the car together.
It will be simply lovely.

Currently I'm finishing packing (ummm. blogging) whilst the children have been sent to their respective rooms and are lying in their beds. GRUMPY.

Packing...

2008-06-30T07:52:00.000-07:00

Just a few words.

Packing with kids:
Snacks, books, extra undies, blankets and animals, swim stuff, snacks, drinks, toothbrushes, shampoo, diapers, wipes, music, toys, stroller, pack n play?, tylenol just in case, clothes, sun screen, snacks (did I mention these?)

Packing for me: clothes, deodorant, toothbrush, book, eye liner, OH and ear plugs, cause the kids are in the same room.

Why in the world do I feel the need to pack their room up and take it with us?
This is why I hate hotels. At least at someone else's house there are toys and food, or at least the fridge to put stuff in. The hotel thing, as fun as it sounds, is hard.

Before kids we'd throw in a backpack. And babydom...wow, traveling with a baby is just like packing to move! Goodnight, a baby requires its own transportation, the special stroller the size of the dining room table and enough diapers to cover Rhode Island at least.

At least I feel like we're on the downward slope of packing. Emmy doesn't require as much now. And honestly Cam would wear the same thing 6 days in a row. Its just the food and entertainment factor. And with gas being 27.99 per gallon...we ain't stoppin' for food! And entertainment...LOOK OUT THE WINDOW you say, but there is something to a quiet back seat that allows the adult passengers to speak to one another for the first time in, say 16 days. Conversation is worth more than gas these days. So, I like the kids quiet back there. (horrible momma). So, entertainment is of upmost importance.

So there is it...my rant on packing. Now I just need to make that list and do it. Sigh...

In the car

2008-06-28T18:39:00.000-07:00

So, today was lovely.
A jaunt to Louisville to hear Rachel sing. Oh. my. word.
Our friends, Tom and Beth, have this little girl...okay she's 19...and boy can she sing.
We sat in the park and soaked it in, as much as possible with a no napped two year old and a still tired 5 year old.
It was beautiful. And I'm going to be glad to say, "I knew her when..." she was a free gig! :)

Then Andrew Peterson's kid's CD is in the car aplayin' and there's a lovely falsetto part in one of the songs.
This is where it doesn't get any better: CAM sings the falsetto! LOVING IT.
You can't laugh. Its sincere. BUT wow, its about the cutest thing.

And not to be out done, Em pulls out ALL the words to our fav. song, Beautiful Girl.

Andrew Peterson, Bugs and Slugs.
Beautiful moments in the car. (inbetween the silbling wars ofcourse! mine mine, no mine...)

The Trophy

2008-06-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

Our last game...and a trophy.

We have the best coaches in the world, wow! They made this season so special, presented each kid with a trophy and had nice things to say about each player.

Cam was thrilled beyond words!

Plus, last hit - awesome

The Team

2008-06-21T10:24:00.000-07:00

Cam's T-ball Team pics

Playin' at Befanee's house

2008-06-21T10:21:00.001-07:00

I dropped of Em at Bethany's while Cam and I went to Big Lots (thank you Nora).
Apparently at Bethany's eating lunch can be dangerous, so Em decided to play it safe and wear the bike helmet. She's very safety conscience. We are so proud.

Please note, the dress up she's wearing is about 3 sizes too small, Nora said soon after lunch she asked for it to come off.

Lazy Day

2008-06-20T18:31:00.000-07:00

Its been a busy summer. I've been determined to make the most of each day, but today I determined that we all needed a break. So, we lazed around!

Great breakfast: blueberry pancakes, eggs, coffee (for me!)
Playing upstairs in Cam's room: jumping on the mattress on the floor, playing a leap frog alphabet game, playing princesses
Short trip: Em went to Bethany's for a bit and Cam and I had some alone time at BIG LOTS...love that store
Nap: well, for Em.
Project: Cam and I put together a K'nex dealie and then I took apart this headboard thing we made in Rockford
Movie: Cam and Em decided to sit together in the comfy chair and watch Enchanted while I listed a bunch of stuff on Craigslist
Dinner with Daddy: chinese restaurant and the kids LOVED it, tried EVERYTHING we put on their plates
Story: daddy
Prayer: family
Bed!

Beautiful

Play Day...

2008-06-20T18:25:00.000-07:00

Our MOPS group is having a few summer play dates...this one was WONDERFUL (did the zoo a few weeks ago).

One of our wonderful moms hosted us ALL, water fun, swinging, baseball, watermelon...all things summer

Swimmin'

2008-06-20T18:19:00.001-07:00

Its what we do! Swim, swim, swim!

Cam has officially learned how, no floaties!!!

Em, loves to float!

Here they are with Addison and Jake, their swim buddies