658. ordering another stocking for our mantel
659. precious newborn clothes
660. wrapping Christmas presents
661. thoughtful gifts
662. Thanksgiving lunch AND dinner
663. Thanksgiving leftovers
664. chili on cold, wet evenings
665. a sweet little brother (Yesterday, Ella Beth fell off her chair and hit her knee. Landon ran straight to the freezer and got boo-boo bunny for her.)
666. Christmas cards
667. our elf, Buddy, making his annual appearance
668. how EXTREMELY excited the kiddos are by Buddy's appearance
669. Scott and me trying to out-do each other with Buddy's michevious deeds (And, yes, that is correct grammar! Take Scott out of the sentence and it would be, "Me trying to out-do [him] with Buddy's michevious deeds. "I" would not make sense. I know, I'm a nerd!)
670. new cookware
671. fun packages in the mail
Romans 7:25 "Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!"
Monday, November 28, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
17 Weeks
17 weeks already with little Porter!!!
Same jeans, but I'm definitely growing. :)
(I need some lipstick. Oh well...maybe next month!)
My mother-in-law says that I need to post before and after pictures of the belly on Thanksgiving day. I don't know if I'm that brave or not!!!
Same jeans, but I'm definitely growing. :)
My mother-in-law says that I need to post before and after pictures of the belly on Thanksgiving day. I don't know if I'm that brave or not!!!
Monday, November 21, 2011
Multitudes on Monday
641. spur of the moment lunch date with Meredith and kiddos
642. hamburgers
643. ketchup
644. home-cut french fries
645. cookbooks with stories to go along with delicious recipes
646. getting ready for Thanksgiving
647. putting up our Christmas trees
648. seeing the kiddos' faces light up as the trees light up
649. finding out a baby brother is on the way
650. saying his name
651. hearing others say his name
652. going through (what tiny amount) of baby boy things we have saved from Landon
653. a brand new, ultra soft baby blanket
654. Ella Beth's excitement at having another baby brother - love how her excitement has grown each day!
655. Ella Beth picking out sweet little sweater slippers for the baby (for a year from now!)
656. knowing that God will provide for our growing family
642. hamburgers
643. ketchup
644. home-cut french fries
645. cookbooks with stories to go along with delicious recipes
646. getting ready for Thanksgiving
647. putting up our Christmas trees
648. seeing the kiddos' faces light up as the trees light up
649. finding out a baby brother is on the way
650. saying his name
651. hearing others say his name
652. going through (what tiny amount) of baby boy things we have saved from Landon
653. a brand new, ultra soft baby blanket
654. Ella Beth's excitement at having another baby brother - love how her excitement has grown each day!
655. Ella Beth picking out sweet little sweater slippers for the baby (for a year from now!)
656. knowing that God will provide for our growing family
1 Timothy 4:4 "For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving."
Saturday, November 19, 2011
It's a.....
So, deep in my heart of hearts I knew what this baby would be. It's strange (neat?) how I have just known with all three of my babies what they would be. Mother's intuition is a powerful thing. :)
Everyone I know, except my best friend Meredith, guessed that this sweet baby would be a girl. And, oh, how I longed for another sweet little white-haired girl to dress up and doll up. Baby girls are just so stinkin' precious. Their clothes are every shade of pink, and this mama loves her some pink!
But, there's something about little boys that sure can wrap their mamas around their fingers. Landon, with his sly little crooked grin, his mischievous laugh, his big hugs, how he runs from my kisses but then will come and plant one right on my cheek when I'm not expecting it. And, oh, how I can't get away from his ice blue eyes that take my breath away as he looks back over his shoulder.
All babies are blessings, aren't they? Even if they are not what you quite expected...or even if they are. ;)
So, the Castleberry family is announcing early (because Scott - who is usually so laid back and go with the flow - decided that he couldn't keep it a secret from the kiddos for even a day!) --
It's a......
.
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Porter Lane Castleberry is on his way!!! And we are all excited! Even Ella Beth, who so desperately wanted a little sister said, "Well, I'll still love him even though he's not a girl." And, well...you can tell how excited Landon is to have a little brother in this picture. :)
We are all excited, and God has truly blessed us as a family.
Everyone I know, except my best friend Meredith, guessed that this sweet baby would be a girl. And, oh, how I longed for another sweet little white-haired girl to dress up and doll up. Baby girls are just so stinkin' precious. Their clothes are every shade of pink, and this mama loves her some pink!
But, there's something about little boys that sure can wrap their mamas around their fingers. Landon, with his sly little crooked grin, his mischievous laugh, his big hugs, how he runs from my kisses but then will come and plant one right on my cheek when I'm not expecting it. And, oh, how I can't get away from his ice blue eyes that take my breath away as he looks back over his shoulder.
All babies are blessings, aren't they? Even if they are not what you quite expected...or even if they are. ;)
So, the Castleberry family is announcing early (because Scott - who is usually so laid back and go with the flow - decided that he couldn't keep it a secret from the kiddos for even a day!) --
It's a......
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
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.
.
.
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.
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.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
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Porter Lane Castleberry is on his way!!! And we are all excited! Even Ella Beth, who so desperately wanted a little sister said, "Well, I'll still love him even though he's not a girl." And, well...you can tell how excited Landon is to have a little brother in this picture. :)
We are all excited, and God has truly blessed us as a family.
Castleberry, Party of Five, arriving April 2012. :)
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Fall/Thanksgiving Lapbooks
Way back in the day when I was a middle school LA teacher, as in 6 years ago, I used to a few thematic units throughout the year. I thought that my kiddos would like to do a thematic unit, and what better time than now?!
There are so many things to do and learn about Fall and Thanksgiving. And, one of my favorite ways to do a thematic unit was using Lapbooks...so I broke out my ol' teacher's hat and created them for Ella Beth and Landon. (Note, when I taught middle school, I would supply the assignments and the students would create their own. But, that's not so easy with a 5 and 3 year old. ;))
This, again, is an easy activity. It does require a little work up front on Mama's part, but it is SO worth it.
What you need:
A manilla folder (I have colored ones.)
Activity sheets to go with your theme. I have spelling words, math activities, following directions sheets, fun sheets, etc. (I found most of mine at Enchanted Learning, which is a great place to find thematic activities.)
First, take your folder and fold it to make the two edges meet.
Next, cut out the activity sheets as small as possible.
Then, you will fold them. (Note, all but one sheet I folded twice. One that was a little larger had to be folded into thirds.)
Then, you will glue one side of the paper so that it will stick to the inside of the folder. Be careful how you place them so that your kiddo can open them easily and that they will not be upside down!
Inside finished.
Ella Beth's:
Landon's:
All sheets open. (Of course, your child/student will only open one sheet at a time to complete, but I just wanted to show you how everything overlaps and provides LOTS of fun activities.)
Lastly, you will put a title cover on the front. The only tricky part here is that you will have to trace it from underneath in order to cut around the tab.
Finally, let your kiddos enjoy doing their work!
It will take a few days to thoroughly go through all of the activities and teach lessons about them. Which is great, right? A week's worth of school all in one lapbook?! Yes, please!!!
Ella Beth and Landon really enjoy doing their work in these lapbooks because they are different from what we normally do. Finding books about Fall and Thanksgiving to go with our lessons has been easy with the help of our public library, so this thematic unit has been a breeze! I'm already thinking ahead to plan our next one. :) Have fun planning yours!
There are so many things to do and learn about Fall and Thanksgiving. And, one of my favorite ways to do a thematic unit was using Lapbooks...so I broke out my ol' teacher's hat and created them for Ella Beth and Landon. (Note, when I taught middle school, I would supply the assignments and the students would create their own. But, that's not so easy with a 5 and 3 year old. ;))
This, again, is an easy activity. It does require a little work up front on Mama's part, but it is SO worth it.
What you need:
A manilla folder (I have colored ones.)
Activity sheets to go with your theme. I have spelling words, math activities, following directions sheets, fun sheets, etc. (I found most of mine at Enchanted Learning, which is a great place to find thematic activities.)
First, take your folder and fold it to make the two edges meet.
Next, cut out the activity sheets as small as possible.
Then, you will fold them. (Note, all but one sheet I folded twice. One that was a little larger had to be folded into thirds.)
Then, you will glue one side of the paper so that it will stick to the inside of the folder. Be careful how you place them so that your kiddo can open them easily and that they will not be upside down!
Inside finished.
Ella Beth's:
All sheets open. (Of course, your child/student will only open one sheet at a time to complete, but I just wanted to show you how everything overlaps and provides LOTS of fun activities.)
Lastly, you will put a title cover on the front. The only tricky part here is that you will have to trace it from underneath in order to cut around the tab.
Finally, let your kiddos enjoy doing their work!
It will take a few days to thoroughly go through all of the activities and teach lessons about them. Which is great, right? A week's worth of school all in one lapbook?! Yes, please!!!
Ella Beth and Landon really enjoy doing their work in these lapbooks because they are different from what we normally do. Finding books about Fall and Thanksgiving to go with our lessons has been easy with the help of our public library, so this thematic unit has been a breeze! I'm already thinking ahead to plan our next one. :) Have fun planning yours!
Monday, November 14, 2011
Multitudes on Monday
629. running errands with the kiddos
630. buying baby boy AND baby girl outfits just because they were cute and I couldn't resist :)
631. watching my kiddos "do school" together
632. walks on cool evenings, alone to process the day
633. surprising mild-temperature days
634. fun winter hats
635. "fat jeans" that still fit this 16-week preggo mama, since my maternity jeans still don't fit at all
636. cute early maternity tops that help me look pregnant and not just chubby
637. delicious smelling body soap to help wake me up in the mornings
638. how much Ella Beth loves her new short hair cut
639. filling up our Operation Christmas Child boxes by using money that the kiddos have saved in their "giving" money jars
640. seeing how creative Ella Beth was when picking out her gifts OCC gifts
630. buying baby boy AND baby girl outfits just because they were cute and I couldn't resist :)
631. watching my kiddos "do school" together
632. walks on cool evenings, alone to process the day
633. surprising mild-temperature days
634. fun winter hats
635. "fat jeans" that still fit this 16-week preggo mama, since my maternity jeans still don't fit at all
636. cute early maternity tops that help me look pregnant and not just chubby
637. delicious smelling body soap to help wake me up in the mornings
638. how much Ella Beth loves her new short hair cut
639. filling up our Operation Christmas Child boxes by using money that the kiddos have saved in their "giving" money jars
640. seeing how creative Ella Beth was when picking out her gifts OCC gifts
2 Corinthians 9:10-12 "Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also
supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of
your righteousness. You
will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every
occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to
God. This
service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s
people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God."
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Bearing Fruit
One thing I am trying to teach Ella Beth and Landon on a daily basis is that the Fruit we bear is the fruit that is in our hearts. We talk a lot about the Fruits of the Spirit, and I try to use the words from Galatians when at all possible. I have found in our family, that if I can show Ella Beth and Landon the exact words from the Bible, then they really know they are in there. :)
Two weeks ago, self-control was a big issue in our house. Ella Beth would get mad at Landon and she would yell at him or speak to him unkindly; Landon would get mad at Ella Beth and he would hit her or push her. I found myself over and over again saying, "You need to use your self-control and find a different way of dealing with _________." So, I finally got out my Bible and Ella Beth's children's Bible and we sat down and really discussed the Fruits of the Spirit - and what they looked like in action.
The kiddos are all about doing crafts, so we created our own little "vine" to display the Fruits in our school room. We now have two separate places where our Fruits are displayed in our home, and we are able to point to them and refer to them when needed. Some days, more than others. ;) This is a simple craft, so I thought I'd share!
The first thing I did was find a template of an apple outline. (I googled it, and there were many choices.) Then I cut them out - they don't have to be perfect!
While I was cutting all nine apples out, the kiddos got to do some prep work, too. They tore red construction paper into small pieces.
Then I laid out contact paper (sticky side up) and placed the apples face down.
Next, the kiddos got to cover their apples with the red construction pieces.
Now, if you have ever worked with contact paper, then you know how tricky the next step can be! You have to lay another sheet of contact paper (sticky side down) to seal the apples. It's tricky not to get bubbles between the sheets, but if you do, rubbing them with a credit card or your finger nails will usually get them out.
Lucky for me, I was able to cut around my biggest imperfection. :)
So, I cut them out, and then wrote the Fruits of the Spirit on each apple: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control.
Then we strung them together on our vine (thin green ribbon), and hung them above the window in our school room. (Sorry the picture isn't great, but it's hard to take a good pic when the light is shining right into the camera!)
It's a great reference for all of us. Ella Beth, especially, is able to use words to describe her heart, and we are all able to call each other out (in love) when someone's fruit smells "rotten." That patience one? Yup, even Mama has been called out. ;) But, that's what I love about the Bible and about Christianity. It applies to all of us. And I truly believe that when our children see our Fruit, whether good or rotten, it applies a teachable moment. I am able to ask for forgiveness from Ella Beth and Landon if I have been impatient or used an unkind tone of voice, and I have modeled for them how to do that for others. There is nothing that melts my heart more than me hearing one of my kiddos ask for forgiveness from the other - on their own. Their hearts are being molded, and I love that.
Two weeks ago, self-control was a big issue in our house. Ella Beth would get mad at Landon and she would yell at him or speak to him unkindly; Landon would get mad at Ella Beth and he would hit her or push her. I found myself over and over again saying, "You need to use your self-control and find a different way of dealing with _________." So, I finally got out my Bible and Ella Beth's children's Bible and we sat down and really discussed the Fruits of the Spirit - and what they looked like in action.
The kiddos are all about doing crafts, so we created our own little "vine" to display the Fruits in our school room. We now have two separate places where our Fruits are displayed in our home, and we are able to point to them and refer to them when needed. Some days, more than others. ;) This is a simple craft, so I thought I'd share!
The first thing I did was find a template of an apple outline. (I googled it, and there were many choices.) Then I cut them out - they don't have to be perfect!
While I was cutting all nine apples out, the kiddos got to do some prep work, too. They tore red construction paper into small pieces.
Then I laid out contact paper (sticky side up) and placed the apples face down.
Next, the kiddos got to cover their apples with the red construction pieces.
Now, if you have ever worked with contact paper, then you know how tricky the next step can be! You have to lay another sheet of contact paper (sticky side down) to seal the apples. It's tricky not to get bubbles between the sheets, but if you do, rubbing them with a credit card or your finger nails will usually get them out.
So, I cut them out, and then wrote the Fruits of the Spirit on each apple: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control.
Then we strung them together on our vine (thin green ribbon), and hung them above the window in our school room. (Sorry the picture isn't great, but it's hard to take a good pic when the light is shining right into the camera!)
It's a great reference for all of us. Ella Beth, especially, is able to use words to describe her heart, and we are all able to call each other out (in love) when someone's fruit smells "rotten." That patience one? Yup, even Mama has been called out. ;) But, that's what I love about the Bible and about Christianity. It applies to all of us. And I truly believe that when our children see our Fruit, whether good or rotten, it applies a teachable moment. I am able to ask for forgiveness from Ella Beth and Landon if I have been impatient or used an unkind tone of voice, and I have modeled for them how to do that for others. There is nothing that melts my heart more than me hearing one of my kiddos ask for forgiveness from the other - on their own. Their hearts are being molded, and I love that.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Multitudes On Monday
618. the inventor of the Crock Pot :)
619. putting dinner in the Crock Pot and not worrying about it again
620. smelling our delicious supper cook all day long
***can you tell I'm hungry?!
621. recycling
622. a husband who plays with the kiddos
623. fried eggs
624. warm Fall recipes (still hungry!)
625. hand-written thank you cards in the mail
626. baby magazines
627. feeling sweet Baby #3 move
628. hearing others' gender predictions for our new baby
619. putting dinner in the Crock Pot and not worrying about it again
620. smelling our delicious supper cook all day long
***can you tell I'm hungry?!
621. recycling
622. a husband who plays with the kiddos
623. fried eggs
624. warm Fall recipes (still hungry!)
625. hand-written thank you cards in the mail
626. baby magazines
627. feeling sweet Baby #3 move
628. hearing others' gender predictions for our new baby
Ephesians 5:19-20 "Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Friday, November 4, 2011
Gender Prediction
So I have TWO whole weeks to wait until we find out if this sweet baby is a girl or a boy - and another week after that until we tell the kiddos and family at Thanksgiving. I thought it would be fun to have a gender poll to see what others think, so please feel free to vote on the sidebar gender poll!
People keep asking me if I have a preference, and I'm a little nervous to admit that I do. I am praying hard about it though because I don't want to be disappointed when we find out - not even for a couple of seconds. I want to be joyful no matter what because all babies are blessings, and I know that God has a plan for this sweet life. And I trust that God will give us exactly what is meant for our family.
I have taken a few of those old wives' tale tests, and they have been split 50/50. The horrible morning sickness and now with my skin breaking out means Girl, but the fact that I haven't been craving sweets and I haven't started showing "all over" means Boy. It's fun to guess and take those silly tests, but I guess we will have to wait and see!
People keep asking me if I have a preference, and I'm a little nervous to admit that I do. I am praying hard about it though because I don't want to be disappointed when we find out - not even for a couple of seconds. I want to be joyful no matter what because all babies are blessings, and I know that God has a plan for this sweet life. And I trust that God will give us exactly what is meant for our family.
I have taken a few of those old wives' tale tests, and they have been split 50/50. The horrible morning sickness and now with my skin breaking out means Girl, but the fact that I haven't been craving sweets and I haven't started showing "all over" means Boy. It's fun to guess and take those silly tests, but I guess we will have to wait and see!
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