Vacation 2013.

Since we've been back home for a week now, I think it's time to share some vacation photos with you! We went to our favorite vacation spot, Lakeside, Ohio again this year. Our family has vacationed in Lakeside for years, and it's like a second home to me--a really fun second home! I love watching my children thrill in the same Lakeside fun and excitement that I loved as a child (and still do!). Our boys are the fifth generation of our family (on my dad's side) to visit Lakeside, and we plan to keep up the tradition for many, many more years to come! This year was especially fun, as Lakeside recently added a new Splash Park for the kids! We had gorgeous weather all week, but it was super hot (heat advisories most days!), so we made good use of the new pool and splash pad! We had a wonderful week with my parents and brothers, and can't wait to do it all over again next year!


Until next year!

That bed hoggin' monkey....

Can't help but feel a little sorry for this fella when his monkey bullies him into sleeping squished in the corner like this, can ya?

Happy Birthday, USA!

We've kept ourselves busy the past few days with lots of fun activities. We took the boys to watch fireworks, which turned into quite an adventure as we were drenched by a brief rainstorm beforehand. Despite the rain, we stuck it out (in the car!), and stayed until the show began. And, oh it was worth it! Nate adored the fireworks that he'd been eagerly anticipating for days. And, Levi? Well, let's just say that he seemed to enjoy the first three fireworks. After that, he had better things to do....


On the 4th, we spent most of our day at a cookout with Eric's family. We all had a super time eating, swimming, and laughing together. Nate, unsure of the "deep" water at first, quickly warmed up and was happy to ride on his "boat" raft for much of the afternoon, splashing anyone within reach! Levi, on the other hand, is fearless! He LOVED the water, and tried more than once to dive right in from our arms! I love how my boys can both be complete opposites, but both so perfect for our family.


Since then, we've gotten together with a great group of young people from our church for dinner, visited a farmer's market, and even gotten some work done around the house. And, the weekend isn't even close to being over yet! Who knows what else we'll be getting into soon! (Berry picking, perhaps??) Hope you're having a lovely (and productive!) weekend!

Hey, I'm back!

Well, I'm not even sure where to start with this post. An update? Sure, that seems about right.....after a MONTH AND A HALF of absence. You know that last post about Levi's first haircut? Yeah, he's almost ready for his second! (Ugh , why have I turned into such a lazy blogger? Maybe because I'm a busy momma nowadays! Yeah, we'll go with that; it's totally not because I spend all of my free time on Facebook and Pinterest instead! Although, in my defense, I'm planning a birthday party, so Pinterest would be totally excusable....) Anyway, we have indeed been busy recently, but not in a bad way. It's summertime now, so our days have been full of playing in the sandbox, eating drippy popsicles on the patio, and visits to the zoo. Recently though, our days have also included lots of rain!
This particular week is Vacation Bible School at our church. I've had the pleasure of teaching the 2 through 3 year olds' class, where we've learned lots about the Armor of God through lessons, puppet shows, songs, games, and even snacks! And, of course, there's been more than a little chaotic playtime (Hey, it's the 2 & 3 year old class!). Nate is in my class, and I've loved watching him interact with the other children and leaders, as well as do his activities. His politeness just makes this momma's heart want to burst! Oh, when did my little guy get so grown up?!

A few weeks ago, Eric (and a group from our church) went on a mission trip to Honduras with Baptist Medical and Dental Mission International. They had an amazing time ministering and serving the people there! If you're interested, you can check out this video montage from their trip.


Though it seems like it was a million years ago now, I suppose it's worth noting that the week Eric was gone was the same week that both boys and I were ill. I had a sinus infection (that I'd thought was almost gone) flare up into a major issue that required TWO antibiotics. I'll keep the gross details to myself, but I can't even remember the last time that I visited the doctor for an illness previously. Then, both boys caught a horrible cough that kept us all awake for several days/nights. Nate kicked it relatively quickly, but Levi landed himself on antibiotics (ear infection) and breathing treatments for several days. Just about the time Eric returned stateside, we all recovered nicely!

In other news? Levi crawls now. Not scooting on his tummy "army crawling", but really truly crawling! And, he pulls himself up and walks along furniture too. Oh, he's getting so big! Nate has finally decided that the potty is an acceptable place to do all of his business. (Until last week, we've been entirely trained for #1, but not so much for #2.) Bribery, begging, punishments, ignoring the fact? None of it worked. We were up to our ears in frustration and worry that maybe it would never happen. And then, just like magic, he decided it was time. He has not had one single accident since he made the decision a week ago. Yeah, my kid is awesome like that. And, oh, I'm so HAPPY!

At the beginning of the month, we took a short weekend trip as a family to Eric's sister's wedding. We were honored to have Nathaniel be a ring bearer (even though he cried on his way up the aisle!). The boys enjoyed their stay in the hotel, and we enjoyed our time away from home. The weekend was a blast, and everything was gorgeous--most of all, my beautiful sister-in-law! Congratulations, Jessie & Chris!! (Sorry for posting these pictures in the same post that talks about my kid being potty trained!)


Other than those "bigger" events, I can' think of much that has occurred within the past month. I know, I know, that's silly since I've been "too busy" to blog, right? I guess life just gets in the way sometimes, eh? I do have several posts all wadded up in my brain that I'll need to unload here soon. Recipes for Mexican pizza or Greek yogurt, anyone? Burlap curtain tutorial? I promise to update again before the end of summer, preferably a little more often than of late! Hope you're having a most fantastic summertime!! We are!

Levi's 1st Haircut!

On Tuesday, I gave Levi his very first haircut. Technically, it was just a teensy trim of the hair around/over his ears and the "sprout" on top of his head. Nevertheless, it made him look like such a big boy, and had me wondering when he's had time to do all this growing up recently!

Before pictures:


During the process: (He was NOT a fan of Mommy using scissors on his hair--particularly not where he couldn't see! Not even an episode of Thomas the Train [his first ever "allowed" television!] could help the situation!)


The finished "do" on a happy big boy:


Random Sidenote: Nate's first haircut wasn't until he was about a month shy of his second birthday! He was still in what we refer to as his "Elmer Fudd Stage" around the 9 month mark.

Wordless Wednesday.

More.

A Mother's Love...

Eric and I stood in front of our church family today, and we dedicated our boys to the Lord. We promised to raise them in a Christian household, to teach them about Jesus, and to serve Christ through our jobs as parents. We promised to do all of the things that we've planned to do since we became parents--but this time, we promised in front of a lot of people, and more importantly, in front of God. This dedication is something that we'd *meant* to do for months after Nate was born. And after a little over a year, we figured we might as well wait a few more months to make a family of four event. So now, nine months after our little Levi joined the family, we have finally done it. We've publically dedicated both of our boys back to the Lord. A baby dedication is not a baptism or a guarantee, but rather a vow (on the parents' part) to train up our children in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6).
I have been reading about Samuel's mother, Hannah, recently (1 Samuel 1&2). Hannah's willingness to very literally give her child back to the Lord convicted me a bit. If she was willing and able to give Samuel, who was the very desire of her heart--her son!--back to the Lord (1 Samuel 1:28), I should be willing to do the same. No, I'm not taking my boys to church to live there and be little assistants to the pastor in a modern day version of Hannah's Samuel. Why? Because that's not what the Lord has asked of me. But, if he does, I should be willing to let them go. These sweet boys of mine who are the most precious things in the world to me are not entirely mine. They belong first to the Lord, and then to Eric and me.

Our children are precious to us. They are the most important gifts that we'll ever receive, second only to our salvation through Jesus Christ. I once read a blog entry that discussed idols in today's world, and it really made me think. It seems that we often bypass the second and third commandments because they're the ones that we're sure we don't violate--no other gods before Him? Easy peasy; I've never even seen a golden calf statue, let alone considered bowing down before one! But, the gods of today's world are different from those of the Old Testament--or are they? An idol can be anything that we love more than God. Anything. Money? Friends? Material possessions? Our own children?!
Now, hold it right there--our kids can be our "gods before" HIM?! Yup. Anything we love more than God. Anything. That aforementioned blog entry discussed how children are the only idol that is commonly "acceptable" in the modern church. And, by "acceptable", I'm not talking about acceptable to God, but rather "acceptable" to us, the sinful humans. And, that's just not cool. God has made it very clear that we are to have NO other gods before Him--not even our beautiful babies, who are precious gifts from Him. We love our children very much, but we must be careful that the love we have for them does not overshadow the love for our Saviour. I'm not saying that you necessarily need to love your children any less, but rather that perhaps you should examine your relationship with your Creator. Are you giving Him all of your heart AND soul AND mind?
As parents, our jobs are huge and busy and never-ending. But, there is only one way that we're going to be the parents that HE designed us to be, and that is by putting Christ first in our lives. Strength for those sleepless nights? Patience with the toddler's tantrums? Wisdom during the scary teenage years? There is NOTHING that our God cannot handle, and with His help ANYTHING is possible! We were designed to praise, honor, and worship Him in all that we do--even me as a stay-at-home mommy. It is my job to show my boys what a real relationship with Christ is, and, oh what a job! The best (and only!) way to do that is to demonstrate it in my own life. As many hopes and dreams as I have for my two little ones, I have only one real desire for them--that they both grow up to be godly men who have a strong faith in the Lord. I want their relationship with Christ to shine so brightly from their lives that it easily overshadows anything else. Sure, I want them to grow up into happy and successful men who have everything they've ever wanted--but more than that, "I [will] have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in truth" (3 John 4).

Happy Mother's Day!!

Just down the street...

It's been one of "those" weeks around here. Nothing in particular has been terrible, but nevertheless, we've been swamped with life and stuff. First, my biggest boy caught himself a nasty case of pink eye, which he so generously shared with the baby. And his daddy. Then, between administering eye drops 'round the clock, our calendar somehow became so booked that every night of our entire week has been spent running here and there and back again!
This morning, we woke up to a drizzly, gray day--when I wanted nothing more than to get the boys outside in the yard to run off some of their energy! (And, of course, because being outside means that I can't clean up the mess that is this house today!) The kitchen sink is full of dishes (a few might even be from last night's dinner!), the dining room table has been overtaken by projects and lesson plans, and the rugs are in desperate need of a vacuuming. I wanted nothing more than to curl up on the couch with a cup of coffee and a good book, but those days are the things that dreams are made of when you've got a toddler and a baby to care for daily. After a few hours of our usual daily grind, I spotted a break in the clouds and decided we should get outside for a bit. No matter that the grass was wet; we would head down the street for a walk!
I wrangled Levi into the Ergo carrier, and we spent a good 20 minutes hunting for a pair of little blue Crocs that mysteriously disappeared overnight. One more trip to the potty, a pair of socks crammed onto wiggly feet, and another weather check. The dog was jumping around barking, and the baby was getting restless on my back. But, just as I was beginning to think that my idea was more crazy than productive, we were finally ready to walk out the door.
And, as I'd hoped, the moment we stepped outside, our moods lifted! I think we were only about 20 feet away from out driveway when both Nate and I were laughing out loud at the dog's goofy antics. A cool breeze carried away all of our grumpiness, and the sunshine peeked through the clouds. As we made our way down the soggy street, droplets of rain blew off of the trees onto our faces. "Rain get on me!" giggled Nate. Even Levi immediately stopped fussing as the breeze ruffled his hair, and he waved around his fists in approval.
Our walk wasn't long, but it was exactly what we'd needed! A breath of fresh air, a peek of sunshine, and a few minutes outdoors with my littles were so much more rejuvinating than any old cup of coffee or book could have been. It's naptime now, and I hear thunder rolling into the area. Our evening might consist of stormy weather, but at least I've finally got enough motivation to wash enough dishes to make dinner!

Wordless Wednesday.