sunday

what a great day!
snuggles
playing
dog walk
movie (journey to the center of the earth)
baked potatoes
another dog walk
play at the park
chicken & rice
yummy homemade pie
crafting
music
laughing
sleep!

playdates

How fun! Tonight my big girls are over at some friends' house having a super fun playdate. They had a pizza party and then I'm pretty sure that "Homeschool Musical", their little band, was going to have a big practice. Later, they were going to bake cookies. I think the evening was going to end with watching High School Musical. What fun.
Well, here on the home front, little Miss 16-month-old is also having a playdate. Her little 2 year old friend is over for a few hours. We're having great big fun of our own. They've played with just about every toy we have and watched a video....among all kinds of other fun. What a fun night!

good!

Remember my "appalling" post? Well, good news!! The Nebraska governor signed the safe-haven age limit bill today!!

Just had to post an update. Sheesh! What a nightmare that whole thing was. I am still so sad for the 35 kids who were abandoned. What must they be going through. Makes a little sleep deprivation pale in comparison. I can change the focus of my prayers to them.

sleep status update

Hmm...well, maybe a little too good to be true with my last post. She woke up again an hour after I put her down. She cried out for me in her room, but I sent in Daddy! Jeff was in and out of there a couple times and she would cry and stop crying. It took about a half hour. She was out by 10:00pm. She didn't sleep through the night but she did only wake up once. She was up from 2:15 to 2:45. Not too bad for this girl. I know I'm giving way more details than anyone needs...but, that's kinda how I roll. :) Keep up the prayers, please. Tonight could be harder. That's how I seem to remember the nap time thing going. Day 2 was the worst.

I'll keep you posted.
You know I will.

woo hoo!!!

Okay, this is amazing!!

I worried for nothing! Remember when I had struggles getting Jacklyn to put herself to sleep at nap time? Well, tonight we tackled bed time. I was mentally prepared for it to take an hour or more. Guess how long it took? ONLY about 10 minutes! Isn't that wonderful? Now, my hope is that she'll start learning that she can easily put herself to sleep, even at night, and that she will no longer wake up in the middle of the night. It's been every single hour some nights lately. That is just not okay. I'm in desperate need of sleep. Maybe I should go get some now. I think I have to settle down a bit first. I'm SOOO excited that she's out and that it was easier than I ever imagined!!!

over and out.

toto joy

My little girl is a supermodel!! A good friend of mine is starting a baby leg warmer business. She is already wildly successful with her baby carrier company and this is a new adventure for her. Guess who she chose as her cover model? Yep. That's right. My little Jacklyn is a supermodel extraordinaire!!

Grandma

I'm really missing my Grandma today.

Oh the Lord's Been Good to Me!

I've got the Johnny Appleseed song stuck in my head right at this moment!!
Oh, the Lord's been good to me
And so I thank the Lord
For giving me the things I need,
The sun, the rain
and the apple seed.
Oh, the Lord's been good to me.

I was in a funk this weekend. It was such a bummer. I started worrying about things that I should've been praying about. I'm sure someone can relate with that.
The weather was (as you may have read in my previous post) amazingly beautiful. Some people argue that at this time of year (about 2 weeks 'til Thanksgiving) we should be enjoying some crisp, cool autumn weather. However, God saw fit to give us warmer-than-summer temps this November and I'm certainly not going to complain about that! I must say, though, that even with my long walks in the sunshine with Gracie dog, I allowed a shadow of fear, anxiety and doubt to crowd out my joy. It wasn't pretty.
This morning--oh, aren't we so glad that His mercies are new every.single.morning?!--God reminded me of a wonderful truth that I learned in a Beth Moore Bible study. We act on that which we believe. I was kicked in the pants by that reminder today and embraced this new day with a fresh attitude. I moved forward, believing that my God will supply all of our needs according to HIS riches and glory.
I shared this with my daughters...even apologized for my grumpy attitude over the weekend.
To make a long story short, we received a generous gift today. It brought me to tears. Not ONLY because God showed up and provided for us in yet another miraculous way, but because it was AFTER I decided to actively believe Him and shared it with my girls. Their faith is growing right along with mine and I am so grateful!!

is this November?!

Today was 75 degrees here on the Monterey Peninsula!! It was beautiful and lovely and I wouldn't trade it for anything. The big girls had swim team practice this morning, Jacklyn and I walked Gracie (our doggie) and then Gracie got a bath with the hose out front. The hose was just too fun....so all 3 girls spent a little time playing in the water.

Is this really November? Crazy.

I love it.

appalling!!

I'm not normally one to post any news stories, but this one's got me so upset I just can't remain silent! Have you read about Nebraska's Safe Haven Law? This is absolutely horrible! Think of the teenagers, the 10, 11, 12 year olds here who know.what.is.going.on!!! It is deplorable that any mother would abandon a baby in a dumpster and I understand the law was originally passed to offer a safe place for mothers who could not take care of their newborns....but children of all ages being dropped of by parents who are simply "done"?! Oh, I just can't believe it! What a wacked out society we live in! I understand that parents may be frustrated or dealing with very real and serious issues with their children. I just would so much rather see them get help through social workers, counselors, pastors...anyone....rather than blatantly reject their kids in this way. I hope the law changes soon. Like, tomorrow! People are rushing to drop off their kids like it's a going out of business sale at Mervyns since they've heard that the law will soon be changing. Oh, Lord help them! This is sad and infuriates me like you wouldn't believe!!

sick day

Well, my sweet little Jacklyn has a bit of a fever today. She's had a runny nose this week, but was in a great mood and actually doing a LITTLE better with the sleeping at night. This morning, however, she was feeling crummy. She wanted to sit on the couch to watch her movie (Cedarmont Kids) and when I went to check on her just 5 minutes later, this is what I found.

Poor little punkin! I ended up scooping her up, wearing her in a front pack and going with Kourtney and Maggie to walk their little doggie friend. Oh, responsibilities! Such good girls they are, though. I'm glad they didn't shirk just because Mommy wanted to stay home with little sweetie pie. She actually stayed asleep in the front pack for about 35 minutes! We came home, ate lunch and played a bit and then she went down for her normal nap. She needs the extra rest and I'm sure she'll feel better soon. Funny, though. Even though this is kid #3 for me, I wondered if I should take her in to the doctor or not. Could it be an ear infection? Perhaps it's just a cold....with a fever. There's always teething. Ug! ALWAYS teething!! She's getting a couple new ones, I believe. Anyway, for today, we didn't go to the doctor. I'm trusting that she'll just be fine in a couple days.

when mother reads aloud

One of my favorite practices in homeschooling is reading aloud to my girls. I don't think they (or I) will ever outgrow it. It is such a tender and bonding time. Some days I scrap it for our busy schedule. The days I don't, however, are always just a little bit sweeter. We love the time spent together, escaping into a book. It's even better than reading alone....we get to go on the adventures together. Well, today, Kourtney was reading to me out of a book of poetry. (Gosh, I love poetry! I'm trying to get my girls to like it, too.) Here's a fantastic poem she read. I had to share it here!


When Mother Reads Aloud

When Mother reads aloud, the past
Seems real as every day;
I hear the tramp of armies vast,
I see the spears and lances cast,
I join the thrilling fray;
Brave knights and ladies fair and proud
I meet when Mother reads aloud.
When Mother reads aloud, far lands
Seem very near and true;
I cross the deserts’ gleaming sands,
Or hunt the jungle’s prowling bands,
Or sail the ocean blue.
Far heights, whose peaks the cold mists shroud,
I scale, when Mother reads aloud.

When Mother reads aloud, I long
For noble deeds to do...
To help the right, redress the wrong;
It seems so easy to be strong,
So simple to be true.
Oh, thick and fast the visions crowd
My eyes, when Mother reads aloud.

- Author Unknown

silly mags

I'm pretty tired tonight. I have a baby literally climbing me as I attempt to post a quick blog. I just want to do one a day for the month (I didn't start on the first) and have already, inadvertently, missed a day.

So...for the quick blog. We had beans and corn bread for dinner last night. Today, we ate leftovers for lunch. As we were eating, Maggie gets this excited look on her face and says, "Do you know what this reminds me of?!"
Curious, I asked her, "What?"
I was expecting some great memory or something profound.
"Last night!" was her answer.

Silly girl. I love her.

Who's Your Daddy?

Who’s Your Daddy?
Isaiah 51:11-16
11 The ransomed of the LORD will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
12 "I, even I, am he who comforts you.
Who are you that you fear mortal men,
the sons of men, who are but grass,
13 that you forget the LORD your Maker,
who stretched out the heavens
and laid the foundations of the earth,
that you live in constant terror every day
because of the wrath of the oppressor,
who is bent on destruction?
For where is the wrath of the oppressor?
14 The cowering prisoners will soon be set free;
they will not die in their dungeon,
nor will they lack bread.
15 For I am the LORD your God,
who churns up the sea so that its waves roar—
the LORD Almighty is his name.
16 I have put my words in your mouth
and covered you with the shadow of my hand—
I who set the heavens in place,
who laid the foundations of the earth,
and who say to Zion, 'You are my people.' "

When have you gone through a hard time or had a problem and you called on Jesus to help you? What happened? We need to remember the times that He has helped us so that our faith grows. Without those reminders, the devil likes to try to come in and make us think God never answers prayer and that we are alone. It says in verse 13 that they lived in constant terror every day. We want to live in constant victory every day! The devil would love for us to forget how great our God is. He’d like us to think that we have to do this all on our own.
*Write down a time (one or more) that you can remember God helping you with a problem. Hold onto that, stick it in your Bible or put it somewhere in your room where you can see it often. Remember who it is you are praying to!! Who’s your Daddy?
See the verse at the bottom of the card? I Peter 5:6-7. 6Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Humble yourselves…remember that you aren’t God, but that you need God. And, that you belong to God! Also, to cast means to fling or to pitch/throw. When Kourtney and Maggie were little I showed them what this meant with laundry. I was putting away clean socks and had a bunch of them. We tossed them into the room and shut the door. The socks represented our problems, the room represented God and then we shut the door….not looking at our problems again, not taking them back.
So, remember who your Daddy is. He is able to give you peace, to fix your problems and to help you in ways even better than you can ever imagine!!

a few of my favorite things

I just wanted to take a minute to list some things I'm grateful for. These won't be in any certain order and I'm sure I'll forget to name some really important ones....but...I just wanted to make a list of things to be thankful for as Thanksgiving nears and I'm feeling sad (and not thankful at all) that my sister Jenny and her family won't be joining my sister Michelle, her family and my family at the table this year. :( So, here goes...I'm thankful:

for a Heavenly Father who is so real and takes me as I am...always.
for warm autumn days that begin so chilly in the morning.
for yummy coffee and a great Bible study to start off my day.
for baby Jacklyn kisses....anywhere, anytime.
for good communication with my husband.
for great talks with my daughters.
for laughter.
for comfy slippers.
for days when I don't HAVE to be anywhere.
for good friends.
for chips and salsa (anytime, anywhere.)
for chocolate mint desserts.
for those who have gone before me and help me in my quest to be a good mommy.
for a husband who still likes me after all these years.
for a husband I really like after all these years. :)
for great literature.
for silly picture books.
for home education.
for baby toys all over the floor.
for hsm3 in the theatre with my girls.
for itunes and facebook and skype and email and cell phones and home phones.
for a warm bed and a semi-fluffy pillow that I will be going to soon.

pigtails and rooney

This week has been a fun one! The big girls have a new little job. They have to walk this cute puppy named Rooney. We went every day this week and our dog, Gracie enjoyed going for the walks, too. In other news, Jacklyn wore pigtails for the first time. Adorable!!

Sometimes I am just utterly blown away by God's goodness! He is always good...it's just that I'm not always paying attention to the details as much as I should. This week, I'm looking out and looking up and I can't get over how good He is!!
The weather has been lovely,
the birds have been singing (we watched a huge hawk fly down and land on a branch near us on our walk today),
we are loved by an amazing family,
we have incredible friends,
we have a safe, secure roof over our heads...and the price is right,
we live close to the beach and not far from the mountains,
my husband is employed and actually loves his job,
I get to spend all day, every day with my 3 lovely daughters,
I love my dog.
Like I said, some days I'm just blown away by His goodness in it all....THEN...He goes and one-ups Himself!
Like the old check-in-the-mail surprise trick,
His limitless provision for us....His children,
Miraculous peace in trying times,
the amazing connection/bonding conversations of such tenderness with my girls,
maturity, kindness and joy in the attitudes of those girls,
smart little baby girl....adding new words and phrases to her vocabulary daily,
phone calls at just the right moments,
and let's not overlook the timely Word He's provided from the Good Book!!
I don't know how I'd live this life without my Loving Heavenly Father...I need Him constantly and I'm so in awe of Him!
I'll say it again and again...
What a mighty God we serve!

God Rules

God sets up kings and deposes them and gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. Daniel 2:21

How incredible to be able to see history unfold right before my very eyes. The girls, Jeff and I all watched the speeches last night and came to the unanimous decision that we are thankful for God's hand in our country. I know many people were thrilled with the 2008 election and many were very disappointed. I can't say that I felt either. I was anxious to see the results. I did vote, but I was fine with the outcome...either way. It will be a tough job to lead this country, especially in our trying economic times. I am filled with peace as I remember that God is still sovereignly ruling on the throne and that in HIM is our trust!!

election day

Well, Maggie said the cutest thing yesterday.
We were talking about the election and she asked me, "Do you think McCain and Obama are both all packed....just in case they win the election and have to move into the White House?"
I loved it. Good thinking. I love the planning mentality. It IS November, that only gives them 2 months to get moved in and settled!

Oh, I can't wait to see who wins. The suspense is driving me nuts! I refuse to even check the news....we'll be given updates all day, no doubt, but won't know anything for sure until all is said and done. Who will win? What propositions will pass? Which ones will not? Arg! A lesson in patience, I suppose!!

Halloween

We had a very fun Halloween night! Michelle and Josh (the Cereal Killer) came down and trick or treated with us! As you can see, Maggie was Pippi Longstocking and Jacklyn was a "Jack" Rabbit. :) Kourtney was Martha Washington and she trick or treated with her friend, who was Mary Lincoln. FUN TIMES!! :)