SNOW much fun!!

I'll let the pics speak for themselves, but needless to say the kiddos had a blast in the snow!! (Peanut didn't like it falling and blowing in his face, but once he got to ride on the sleds he was a fan!)















Day 2

Look at the smile on that baby!! He is too much for me. :)























Time to make Snow Ice Cream (I can't believe how many people didn't know about this yummy treat!! For future reference...2 gallons (huge bowls) of snow, 1 cup milk (we used unsweetened almond milk), 1 cup sugar, and 1 Tbsp vanilla. So good!!)





 

Multitudes on Monday

2191. listening to Peanut say new words, almost daily

2192. how he drops the first letter on so many words...(b)nownies, (b)unny, (ch)ocolate, (f)rog...

2193. intentionally stepping back from technology to participate more fully in my days

2194. how well Birdie plays with Peanut while Buddy-Ro and I are doing school work

2195. how Buddy-Ro is learning to play with Peanut instead of taking over his toys ;)

2196. Buddy-Ro making his top bunk - it's a workout

2197. my morning coffee in cute cups to start my morning with a smile...and a little caffeine

2198. my mom safely home from Israel, with lots of stories to tell

2199. a beautifully clean house and teaching the kiddos to help keep it that way

3000. dreams within reach, and trusting God to make them come true

Psalm 66: 8-9, "Bless our God, O peoples, give Him grateful thanks and make the voice of His praise be heard; Who put and kept us among the living, and has not allowed our feet to slip."

Multitudes on Monday

2182. Buddy-Ro flying around the house with his knight cape and sword to "save the day"

2183. wrens chirping outside the windows each morning

2184. Burgess animal stories to make the animals in our own back yard come to life

2185. Birdie and Buddy-Ro working on puzzles for a couple of hours at a time together

2186. listening to the kiddos sing and watching them dance to the Frozen CD

2187. our newly re-done master bedroom - hardwood floors, pretty paint, and clutter-free

2188. the adaptability of our family to roll-with-the-flow when the house is upended and a complete mess

2189. forts built outside

2190. worshiping with my children on Sunday mornings

Psalm 30:12, "That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever."

Behold the here and now

Behold: v. To observe; look at; to see. To regard; gaze upon.

The word Behold (past tense beheld) is used over and over again in the Bible. It is used in terms of regaling in the holy presence of Jesus. It is also used as a term of how Jesus looked at those around Him. He beheld them.

A friend of mine was talking about a verse in the Bible that told about how two men came upon Jesus and He turned and beheld them. He gave them His full attention. Regardless that He was busy, regardless that He had come to save the world, regardless of all He had going on He stayed in the moment and regarded them fully. And that is exactly where it hit me.

How often do I rush through my day - my life - without beholding what is right here in front of me? How often do I tell my kiddos to "hold on" or "give me a minute" - as if whatever I am doing is more important than them?

I have shared this blog before, but I think it is worth sharing again for anyone else who struggles with their tech devices being a constant distraction for them. It's not an easy decision to cut out "staying connected," but for me it has been an important one. I deactivated my Facebook page a little over a year ago, but then as more and more people mentioned to me that I should link my blog to FB, I did so. I linked my blog with the intention of just getting it out there; simple as that. But as technology does, it sucked me back in. And I began to notice that I was getting back to the same place of putting off the important things that are right here in front of me, to stay connected with things that are not.

And that is simply not where I want to go.

Andy Stanley asks the question "In light of my past experience, current circumstances, and future hopes and dreams - what is the wise thing for me to do?"

Ephesians 5:15–16 says this, "Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil."

While I am not saying that technology is evil, the effects that constant technology is having on our lives, our relationships, and our families is evil. Satan wants nothing more than to break apart our families. To tune us out to their needs by keeping us so distracted that we do not behold them as the gifts they are.

Now, I'll be honest. Because of my severance with FB, I have been told that "I live in a black hole" that I am "incredibly hard to get in touch with" (as if my cell doesn't work without FB), and that I am making it harder on others to keep in touch with. Maybe there is some validity in those statements. But honestly, the "black hole" that I am accused of living in.........it's my family. And that's exactly where I want to be found. I want to devote every living and waking moment to my family because these moments go by way too fast. And I will never get them back.

1 Thessalonians 4:11 says, "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business." In light of my future dreams of having strong relationships with my children, that my children will want to spend time with me as they grow - I am choosing to lead a quiet life. It is most certainly the unpopular choice in society, but it's worth it. I don't want to be so distracted that I miss out on the life God has given me. I don't want to miss the short years that I have been given with my family.

Children notice everything, don't make the mistake believing that they don't. Birdie makes repeated comments about a dad and mom who come to "watch" their little boy play tennis each week...who never look up from their cell phones. She says, "Mama, why do they even come? They don't ever watch him play, they're just always looking at their phones." That could easily be me. But I refuse to let it.

The wise thing for me was to delete my Facebook account (it's a process, and I don't know if my "waiting period" is over yet or not). I have thought about giving up my blog, but haven't had clarity of that decision yet. I process through things as I write about them, so it's good for me; and I hope it somehow blesses others. But I have to be intentional, to choose to behold the here and now - my children and the life that is here before me. I hope that as you read this blog that you will be intentional about making any changes that help you live wisely and make the most out of every opportunity.

 

Multitudes on Monday

2171. a fun new haircut for Birdie

2172. watching more home videos from when Birdie and Buddy-ro were little bitty things, and laughing at them laughing at themselves

2173. getting back to a regular routine - for me and the kiddos

2174. successful dentist appointments for the family - no cavities, but many loose teeth!!

2175. Birdie working and working on a loose tooth until she can pull it out (just like I was when I was young)

2176. how opposite Buddy-ro is - he won't touch his loose teeth; he says they will just have to fall out!

2177. my Mama leaving early this morning for Israel on her Holy Land Trip

2178. how excited the kiddos are to study Israel for the next couple of weeks while Mimi is there

2179. friends that will pray for me if I simply ask them to, whether it's something big or small

2180. warm, hardy meals on cold winter days

2181. hearing Buddy-ro tell Birdie most mornings how we don't need lights on, we just need to open the curtains and use God's light :)

Psalm 30:11-12, "You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness, That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever."

 

Thankful Prayers

My devotion this morning took me by surprise. I love when that happens. When words that I have read before are read with fresh eyes and an open heart. How I can open the Bible to a verse that has already been underlined, yet it jumps off the page to me in a different way than before.

Colossians 4:2, "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful."

The Lord wants us to bring our hearts and our requests to Him. We shouldn't feel selfish or silly to ask God for things because the Bible tells us to make our requests known to God (Phil. 4:6). He has always invited us to speak candidly to Him; to be honest and "real." We don't have to come before Him will rituals or certain words/phrases to speak to Him. He already knows our hearts, and all He wants is for us to share them with Him.

But Colossians 4:2 tells us to watch and be thankful. God wants us to thank Him for the answers that He will bring long before we ever see any proof. To thank Him with our faithfulness of knowing that He will respond. Wow, that's a game changer.

So often I just keep praying the same prayer over and over because I have had the "Devote yourself to prayer" down pat. But what God wants is me to trust in Him that He is good; that He will provide. I can go ahead and thank Him because of my faith that the answers are on the way.

To keep praying over and over for the same things is almost like doubting that He heard me the first, second, or fiftieth time. But to Thank Him over and over is to trust Him.

I love this. I love so deeply how good and loving our Father is, and how we can be our complete faith in Him.

Life around here lately...

has been lazy.

Goodness, Christmas break lasted forever it seemed. Too long for this Mama. Maybe it was the flu, maybe it was the crazy cold weather, but we were lazier than ever! We stayed in our PJs a lot, and that is not normal for me. It was fun for a while, but man am I glad to be back in our regular groove. My love for all things orderly is slightly compulsive at times. Ahem. ;)

Birdie has my love of pictures, and has been going through old photo albums every evening.



This little fella loves chapstick lately. 

And the boys enjoy their matching PJs. :) Who knew I would be such a sucker for "matchy matchy" with BOYS!

But school started back, and after lunch this boy - after finishing all of his work in the morning - asked me, "Mama, can I do some more school? I want to do more." So back we went! (Disclaimer: That was yesterday. Today, he said it was boring and couldn't wait to be done.)

And this girl, who is getting so big lately, just sits down and starts working on her own. Independence is something we strive for as parents, but it comes a little too quickly when it's my 7 year old and she doesn't need me as much as she used to.

Although I know it's winter and the season actually just started 3 weeks ago, and although I love winter clothes more than any other (especially my boots!), I am ready for temperatures to warm up. My kiddos love to be outside, and warmer temps allow for longer periods of time out-of-doors for them to burn off all of this pint-up energy that causes us to go a little stir crazy at times. Of course, when it's summer and 100 degrees I will regret ever wishing for warmer weather. But hey, it's freezing here right now, so I can't be held accountable for my wishy-washy feelings. :)

Multitudes on Monday

2157. cute scarves that add warmth to outfits on extremely cold days

2158. bundling the big kiddos up in 4 layers to play outside for 40 minutes on days that don't get above freezing temperatures

2159. blessing friends with portraits of their families so that they can remember and enjoy memories for years to come

2160. my new Clarisonic Mia that makes my skin feel wonderful

2161. helping other homeschool mamas as my friend, Megan, has helped me so much in the past

2162. a house almost back to normal after the craziness of Christmas presents and decorations have been contained

2164. hanging out with Peanut, Mere, and her baby boy inside on rainy, cold days while the big kiddos all enjoy time with their Nanas

2165. Scott being home and handling breakfast - I am spoiled and will be in trouble when he goes back to work tomorrow

2166. lazy days as a family doing nothing, but still feeling exhausted at the end of the day

2167. sleeping soundly on cold nights under heavy blankets

2168. reminders to pray for others who are not as fortunate as we are

2169. donating clothes to other children so that they will be dressed and warm and cute going to school on cold, cold days

2170. understanding that God does not bless us so that we only bless ourselves, but so we can bless others and show them His love and grace

Psalm 75:1, "We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks, for your name is near. We recount your wondrous deeds."

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Christmas was fun. Even for this Mama with the flu. ;)

The kiddos saw Santa, were surprised by their elf, and had fun with family. Their big gifts were BB guns for the bigger ones, a train for the little one, a razor scooter, and a surprise gift of a punching bag for the big boy. Lots of fun in our house!!



Our elf went a little crazy. :)





Christmas Eve with the cousins.

Christmas morning:







We rang in the New Year very quietly at home. You know, as parents of 3 young kiddos. Who feel old most days, and like to go to bed early. Ahem.

I have started my new year with a word instead of a resolution. My word is Enjoy. For the month of December, I thought my word of 2014 was going to be Joy. I wanted to find Joy in the moment. But as I prayed through the month, the Spirit led me to ENJOY. I am a do-er. A task-get-done-er. I like to check off boxes, feel accomplished, and get things done. And I realized that I have a hard time Enjoying my day-to-day life. I feed my kiddos, but it often feels like a chore. I bathe my kiddos, but sometimes it's just to get them to bed. I play with my kiddos, but sometimes it's not all that fun.

And all of this is because I am not enjoying my time. I am so busy "doing" that I am not Enjoying my life. And that's not how I want to live. I want to Enjoy my life in every precious stage. Life is not always easy; it's not always pretty and perfect. But when I'm "doing" as simply a means to get to the end of the day...I realize that sweet days are slipping away. And they will never come back.

So 2014 is for me to Enjoy. Enjoy my children. Enjoy being a Mama. Enjoy life. This life is all I've got, and I've got the most precious people to share it with. So this year - I'm going to Enjoy it!!