Multitudes on Mondays

19. the garage door opening when Scott comes home

20. child sized sunglasses

21. teaching my daughter to read

22. watching Ella Beth's face light up when she reads a new word for the first time

23. seeing how proud Landon is to hold up 3 fingers

24. unseasonably warm weather

25. a child's forgiveness

26. homemade chocolate cake

27. tea cake icing

28. friends calling out of the blue

29. compliments

30. the anticipation of seeing dear friends

31. the excitement of waiting to go to the zoo

32. a husband who helps around the house and is happy to do so

For these blessings, I am thankful.

Colossians 2:6-7 "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."

Celebrating Landon

Today is Landon's THIRD Birthday! It has been so hard for me to accept that my baby boy is 3 already. I have teared up on more than one occasion, but it didn't last long because we have had too much partying to do!

Yesterday, we celebrated BIG with family and friends. It is such a treasure to watch others celebrate your child. I know that if something were to ever happen to Scott and me, our kiddos would be in very loving hands. We simply have the best people in our lives, and all of them came out to celebrate.

I'll let most of the pictures do the talking...

It was a COWBOY celebration!!!

 

 

 I covered coke cans in brown paper bags (absolutely perfect fit!) for Shoot the Can. HUGE HIT!!!

 

 

 

 

Family pictures. :)

Blow those candles out, big man!

 Our little chocoholic enjoying his cake.

Time to open presents!

 

 Every good cowboy needs guns and ammo!

 Finally, our little man has BOY dress up clothes!!!!!!

 

 

And, in keeping with tradition, at the ripe ol' age of THREE...

Landon gets his first set of wheels! He was overwhelmed with excitement, hopped right on, and drove right off!

Pure joy. Makes it all worth it. :)

 And big sis has to try it out, too!

Happy Birthday, Landon. We love you, giddy up and all!

A little bit of Science

What I am loving the most about homeschooling is the flexibility. We do try to do something school related each day, but since Ella Beth is only 4 and Landon is not quite 3 (not until Sunday at least - sniff sniff) our days are not always structured the same. We have routine, but it's not rigid. And, surprisingly, that makes this Type-A mama happy. :)

On Tuesday, for instance, we got out of the house and met my best friend, Meredith, and her two younguns for some "social time." (Side note: One of my biggest pet peeves about homeschooling is the question, "What about socialization?" Well, 1st, I want to filter that socialization as much as possible. 2nd, and this is my response each time someone brings this up...If children can get along with their siblings, who are in their faces and in their stuff 24/7, then they can get along and function with anyone. Their "socialization" will be just fine. Thank you very much!) After our social lunch at CFA, we headed over to Target where we found our first science experiment. For just $4 TOTAL we started an herb garden.

My kiddos were happy to get involved and get their hands dirty.

We started off by adding 5 spoonfuls of water to dirt tablets. The kiddos were just mesmerized by watching them transform.

After 5 (long) minutes of "growing" our dirt, the kiddos broke up the soil with forks.

Then they put the dirt into their pots. I just l-o-v-e that Ella Beth can be the girliest little thing, but she has NO problem getting dirty. :)

 And I just love how careful this sweet fella was trying to be. :)

Then it was time to plant our seeds. Can you say TINY?!?! I see many great lessons coming out of growing these tiny seeds!

 All finished and ready to be carried inside.

And we now have a lovely herb garden growing in our kitchen. Ella Beth has asked multiple times a day to check on our herbs and see how they are growing. This may also be a nice science experiment in patience. ;)

Looking forward to seeing our garden flourish...and cooking with these yummy herbs soon!

Father, lead me

A song that I listen to over and over again is "Lead Me," by Sanctus Real. The entire song is actually directed at men, challenging them to be the husbands and fathers that God has created them to be. But each time I listen to the song, my heart breaks. The song speaks of leading children, and how we can't lead them without first being led by our Heavenly Father. I try so often to do things on my own, and oh, how I repeatedly fail.

I have these pictures around our house, and like a moth to a flame I am drawn to them. 

 

I know in most families there are "daddy's girl" and "mama's boy" - but not in the Castleberry Clan. In our house, we have a Mama's girl and a Daddy's boy.

These pictures serve as a daily reminder that I have two beautiful eyes looking up to me, watching my every move, learning, becoming. I am afraid that I don't always portray what I want her to see (impatience, frustration, quick temper). I am thankful that not only are God's mercies new each morning, but Ella Beth's are as well. I want to give her the best of my life - not the leftovers when I'm too busy wasting time on the computer or on my "cool" phone. I don't want to leave her hungry for love when I can choose to give up everything else.

Father, help me to daily make the choice to put her first, before myself. Father, lead me that I may be a better example of Your love for my daughter. Give me the discernment to focus on what truly matters in this life, and give me the courage to leave everything else behind. Ella Beth is a precious gift that you have put under my care. Help me not fail her. I pray that You shine through me so that she can see how deeply she is loved.

So, Father, give me the strength to be everything I'm called to be.
Oh, Father, show me the way to lead them.
Won't you lead me?

To lead them with strong hands, 
To stand up when they can't
Don't wanna leave them hungry for love -
chasin' things that I could give up.

I'll show them I'm willin' to fight,
and give them the best of my life
so we can call this a home.

Lead me 'cause I can't do this alone.
Father, lead me 'cause I can't do this alone.

Father, lead me

A song that I listen to over and over again is "Lead Me," by Sanctus Real. The entire song is actually directed at men, challenging them to be the husbands and fathers that God has created them to be. But each time I listen to the song, my heart breaks. The song speaks of leading children, and how we can't lead them without first being led by our Heavenly Father. I try so often to do things on my own, and oh, how I repeatedly fail.

I have these pictures around our house, and like a moth to a flame I am drawn to them. 

 

I know in most families there are "daddy's girl" and "mama's boy" - but not in the Castleberry Clan. In our house, we have a Mama's girl and a Daddy's boy.

These pictures serve as a daily reminder that I have two beautiful eyes looking up to me, watching my every move, learning, becoming. I am afraid that I don't always portray what I want her to see (impatience, frustration, quick temper). I am thankful that not only are God's mercies new each morning, but Ella Beth's are as well. I want to give her the best of my life - not the leftovers when I'm too busy wasting time on the computer or on my "cool" phone. I don't want to leave her hungry for love when I can choose to give up everything else.

Father, help me to daily make the choice to put her first, before myself. Father, lead me that I may be a better example of Your love for my daughter. Give me the discernment to focus on what truly matters in this life, and give me the courage to leave everything else behind. Ella Beth is a precious gift that you have put under my care. Help me not fail her. I pray that You shine through me so that she can see how deeply she is loved.

So, Father, give me the strength to be everything I'm called to be.
Oh, Father, show me the way to lead them.
Won't you lead me?

To lead them with strong hands, 
To stand up when they can't
Don't wanna leave them hungry for love -
chasin' things that I could give up.

I'll show them I'm willin' to fight,
and give them the best of my life
so we can call this a home.

Lead me 'cause I can't do this alone.
Father, lead me 'cause I can't do this alone.

Multitudes on Monday

* playing outside all weekend long

* sleeping in on rainy Mondays

* homemade cookies

* delicious new recipes

* mocking birds and blue birds singing "Good Morning"

* warm slippers

* over-flowing bowls of cereal

* fluffy pillows

* messes left behind by children, because there are healthy children to leave them


* daffodils blooming

Colossians 3:15 "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful."

Fat Lip

On Saturday evening, Scott and I went out on a date with our old small group. We ate at Provino's...which is one of my favorite restaurants! When we got home, Scott's mom, Kathy, was beside herself with worry. Ella Beth had taken quite a tumble while we were gone. After Ella Beth got out of the bathtub, she went to the living room and began twirling. (How is it that every little girl automatically knows how to twirl simply by being a girl?!?!)

Well, while twirling, Ella Beth got dizzy and fell flat on her face on our hardwood floors. She busted her lip very badly, knocked her top left tooth loose, and we were a little worried that her nose may have been broken. Of course, Ella Beth was fast asleep once we got home and we knew that if we woke her to check on her it would take a long while to get her back down. So we let her sleep, and she slept well all night long.

This picture was taken first thing Sunday morning with my iPhone. I didn't want her to feel like an exhibit at the zoo, so I refrained from getting my real camera and taking multiple shots. But, I'm a mama through and through...so I simply must document! Her poor lip looked just horrible with a HUGE blood blister, her cheek was swollen, and so was her nose. But, after a few bowls of ice cream (because that is all she "could" eat since her tooth hurt so badly), the swelling went down a LOT.

This incident reminded me that there will be times when I am not able to watch out and care for Ella Beth, but God, who loves Ella Beth even more than I do, always watches over her. We are so thankful that the injuries were not worse! The dentist has made the decision to leave her tooth in for now because pulling it would require a spacer to make sure her teeth don't start growing incorrectly. So, no tooth fairy for us...yet!