Help

The peanut has now been potty trained for a couple of glorious months. It's so great, and, quite nice on the wallet too, to not have to do the diaper thing anymore. I don't think anyone is really a fan, and I'm right there with those anybodies.

Part of the whole potty process though is helping the wiping of the tushky and the helping in public bathrooms. In and out, out and in. That can become a little bothersome and often is a rushed time where I'm just going, "OK, let's just move...come on..."

Therefore, a few days ago when I was relegated to the task again, I was just trying to push through when I looked down at the biggest blue eyes I've ever seen staring up at me so sweetly. I had to catch my breath at her beauty, even in this cramped and dirty bathroom stall. The kindest little voice said, "Mommy, can you help me wipe my butt."

I, of course, replied, "Yes, mommy will be happy to help you."

She then looked so seriously at me and said, "Yes, you need to help me 'cause you my mommy."

And I can only say, I truely am blessed to be! Wiping behinds and all.

Wordless Wednesday

I will never be the same again

Today we started new members class at the church we began attending a few months back. You may remember we were up and down about switching as we really loved the people at our old church but we had become so involved in ministries at this church it just felt right. So, we did.

Well, we are all or nothing kind of people, and being part of a body of believers is important to us, so although we've only been here a few months, we're joining the church.

It's a 5 week series of classes basically explaining the church, it's values and beliefs and how to get plugged in through small groups, activities and ministries. This first part included a video of a baptism service the church did last year. I cried, of course, just watching the video. Not only for the changed lives and washing of rebirth, but, because I so long for the day when my children will accept Christ and follow him as well.

So, during the video I began praying for my girls. I prayed for them in my usual way, that they will accept Christ at an early age and follow Him all of their days. You see, I had a lot of hurt in my life that could have been avoided if only I had chosen the path of Christ. I didn't for a long time, and I will regret that all my days. I so want something different for my girls. So, I pray, pray and then pray some more that I will be a good mommy to them, Michael will be a good daddy and we will teach them about Jesus and they will understand it and love Him more.

Tonight as Michael was putting Lilla to bed, he asked her, "Lilla, do you know how to get to heaven, so one day you can live with Jesus?"

She replied, "Yes, you just ask Jesus to come and live in your heart."

"Have you ever done that?"

"No."

"Well, when you are ready, you come and tell me and we can pray together."

"I am ready."

And then they prayed a simple prayer. "Jesus, come and live in my heart. Amen."

And Lilla will never be the same again.

Rush, Rush

So today we had the MOPS garage sale at my house. This last year we had very little money for anything extra to do or just fun crafts so we were hoping to raise enough money with all the donations from MOPS moms to fund some things for next year. We had tons of donations, but not tons of people that came out. Unfortunately it was rainy and chilly today, so there just weren't a whole lot of people out. We did however, make a few hundred dollars, which will make a huge difference in our budget for next year so that alone is happy!

It was also just fun to spend some time with other MOPS moms, laughing, goofing around, pushing people out of the mudpile that is now my front yard, trying to get a very feisty groundhog out from underneath a customer's car, eating pizza and finding a summer wardrobe for Anna. I think all in all it was a productive day, and best of all we had lots of help to clean up, so it didn't take long and Goodwill is now the recipient of boxes upon boxes of new donations!

Now I'm just sit here to enjoy a few minutes of quiet time while Anna naps and Michael and Lilla watch Alladin. Hopefully they will be out soon too. It's peaceful in the house, and exactly what I need after days and days of busy times, preparing for our last MOPS of the year yesterday and then the garage sale today.

I need a nap...

Weedin' and Seedin'

Lately we've spent a lot of time in our garden. Planting, digging, pulling weeds, watering...on and on it goes. It sure takes a lot of work to really take care of a garden, and you never truly feel like the work is done. I continually notice more weeds to be pulled, more ground to be watered and more soil to be worked.

Why do I keep doing it then? Why not just drive down the road to Wal-Mart and pick up whatever is in season today and leave the work to the professionals? Oh, the promise of what is to come! There is nothing like something that comes from the work of your own hands. Not too long from now we could be sitting down to a bountiful blessing of fresh from the garden zucchini bread, a mountain of green beans, red peppers to snack on and watermelon to savor.

Last spring we spent so much time and money on the garden and then the rains came...and came...and came, and came some more. Our entire garden was wiped out. It felt devastating to look at the destruction, the absolute decimation of something that had been so cared for and desired.

I wonder through that then how God feels with us. After all, that is just a garden, we are His people. He loves us, tenderly cares for us, weeds us and feeds us. He gives us the best soil, prunes us in just the right places and gives us sunlight and water so we have all we need for the day.

And then the rains come in life. And we allow ourselves to get swept away. We get angry, we get depressed, we don't hold on, we lose hope...our strength to grow.

I don't know who you are, where you've been, what you have been through and are going through right now. I do know the garden of my own life and how there is a trail of rocks and weeds, broken branches and dirt that needs tilling. I also know is there is a God who loves me, who wants to grow, even me, to produce a harvest that I could never even imagine.

I also know He has a plan for your life. The pruning and tilling are not going to be easy. In fact, they often hurt, but oh, oh the harvest. So beyond words worth it!

Is your hope in Him today? He has ALL you need.

"Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told. Habakkuk 1:4-6

10 Smile Tuesday

Here we are again on another 10 Smile Tuesday. So many smiles going around lately, and lots of pictures to share. I tell you , this time of year makes me want to take pictures, and boy have I been! My computer is starting to crawl again from the amount on here...whew. I seriously love the green grass, the flowering trees, the sunshine, spring is such a blessing. I hope you all are enjoying the warming up and greening of everything too!

So on to the smiles...

1. A family photo...This past weekend we went on a picnic with our good friends and took some photos while we were at it. I love it when we can get everyone in one and we all are dressed decent and not looking quite grungy from the day yet...2. Warmth...It has really decided to warm up here this last week and slow down on the rain too, and it has been wonderful. Just to be outside, enjoying my family, eating on the patio, working on the garden, just love this great weather!

3. A wagon. Oh, the sheer entertainment value one object can bring! We were at the church on Saturday night setting up for Sunday when the peanut and her friends started playing with this wagon. Holy cow, they played with it for like an hour and a half!4. The garden. So we finally were able to plant part of my garden the other day. Oh, it is so wonderful to see the yummy veggies that are going to feed us in a few the yummy veggies that are going to feed us in a few months!5. Picnic in the park. Like I mentioned earlier, we were able to go on Sunday with friends to have a picnic. It was good food, good friends and a good God to thank for such a lovely day. We are so thankful for our friends, how fortunate we feel!6. Dressing up. Last fall I got all these dresses for Lilla for this summer on clearance and I have so enjoyed bringing them out. One on Sunday for pictures and then today, she went to a Cinco de Mayo party with her friend and I thought this dress was just perfect for it!
7. This picture. Who needs fancy photography fees when you can take pictures like this yourself?
8. Freshly mowed yard. We finally got our mower back and so Sunday night after our picnic Michael mowed the yard and oh, I am so thankful. It was up to our knees and now it is so much more enjoyable!9. Us. You know, since we had kids we just haven't taken any pictures of just us. We are a family of four after all, but sometimes it is nice to remember we are Michael and Amy too! So, when I saw this picture of us it definitely made me smile!

10. Yard sales. I love this time of year when all the yard sales start happening. I normally don't buy too much stuff, but I just enjoy "the hunt". Saturday there was this humungo sale for miles along a highway, so we hit it. Didn't find too much but it was just fun being together, the kids were pleasant as we found a Ming Ming duckling at the first house and that entertained Lilla the whole day and sometimes it's nice to just do something different!

What are you smiling about this week?

Saturday Photo Hunt - Walking

Photo Hunt theme this week: Walking

Anna does not like to just be held while we are sitting down, so we walk...A LOT with her.
This picture is of my husband just strolling around our living room watching House or LOST
I think, while he was walking with her.

To join the hunt go to http://tnchick.com

Ten Smile Wednesday

Well, it's 5 am here and I can't sleep. Both girls have been up coughing so now I'm paranoid so I have to sit here listening for them. Ugh. I do believe there is a good chance for a doctor's office visit in our very near future.

So, I am a day late on my 10 smiles, but I figure as long as I'm up, I mine as well use the time to record some things before the time passes, and I forget the beauty of the moment and all my smiles to go along with it.

1. Potty trained at last! I keep forgetting to share this and holy cow, this is huge! A little over a month ago some of Lilla's friends were over to play and I had just decided that day we weren't doing the pull up thing anymore. She was playing and oops, pee pee ran down her leg. Oh, she was so embarrassed, but, guess what? No more diapers since! She's had two days of accidents in the last 5 weeks! Is that crazy?!?! Totally a smile worth sharing!
2. Summit. This past weekend our MOPS group hosted a leadership summit for our area. It was neat to meet other MOPS leaders and form some new friendships. Also, looking ahead to the new year in MOPS is always fun! Here is me wearing Ms. Anna at the summit!3. Sandbox. Last week it was finally time to fill the sandbox again! Lilla has been so happy about that sandbox you'd think she struck gold! Every day she practically begs me to go out there and play in it some more. Definitely a highlight for her!4. The weather. Oh my, the weather has been so nice here lately. Yesterday it did drop down again and rain, but hey, it's spring. And it was such a lovely weekend. We spent a bunch of time outside and I've been on a picture taking rampage now that I have natural light again, good stuff!
5. Popsicles. Along with the weather comes another of Lilla's very favorite things...popsicles. She would make a meal of those things if I would let her. Oh, she's been so happy that they have made an appearance again!
6. Daddy time. While Anna and I were at the conference all day Saturday, Michael and Lilla spent the day together. It was so sweet to hear how they got their haircut together (completely Michael's idea, I was impressed!), played the match game, colored and just spent time together. Nothing like a little daddy time!

7. My garden...at last! This is a week belated, but still so happy it makes me smile! My parents came last weekend to help Michael build a raised garden for me! Yeah! We actually have a HUGE garden area already but it sits on the bottom of a hill and tends to flood so I wanted something closer to the house and on top of the hill. I can't wait to start a planting!
8. Friends. Lilla just loves her good friend, Gracie. So when her mommy needed a little time last week and asked if she could come over, we were more than happy to oblige! The girls had so much fun playing in the sand, in the little house, on the trampoline, in the car, eating at McDonald's. Oh, so much fun to be had, so little time!
9. Flowers. God bless the woman who used to live in my house. She planted all these gorgeous perennials that make spring time so much fun! My crapapple, apple and cherry blossom trees have brought a beautiful fragrance to my yard that can only signal new life and sweetness. The bleeding hearts are beautiful, the hastas are huge and the irises are coming forth! Oh, and the creepers...beautiful!
10. Roll over. Monday night after bath, I put Anna on her belly to give her some tummy time when I noticed her leaning to her side. Suddenly she just rolled over! So fun to see yet another milestone with my little one!
11. Photoshoot. I love taking pictures of my girls. Here are some more I captured the other day when I took them outside for a spring "photoshoot"!

What are you smiling about today?

The Darkness too

The other day as the girls and I drove down the road I started singing the words to the song, Bring the Rain. Do you know that song by Mercy Me? The chorus goes:

Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings You glory
And I know there'll be days
When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to praise You
Jesus, bring the rain

Well, the peanut really likes to learn any kind of music. She asks me just about every day to give her a new song to sing. Whatever I'm singing she asks me, "What are you singing Momma?"

So, I told her the song I was singing and started explaining to her how God gives us all kinds of different things. Sometimes we experience things in life that are really sad and sometimes we experience things in life that are really happy. I told her that this song was all about that and how sometimes it rains, even though that is not always fun.

I then heard a small voice from the back say, "God sometimes brings us sunshine?"

I replied, "Yes, he sometimes brings us sunshine."

A few second pause and then I hear, "And sometimes God brings us darkness too."

My breath was taken away.

"Yes, Lilla, sometimes darkness too."

10 Smile Tuesday

Have you ever heard that old wives tale about bad things coming in threes? Well, I think I was living that wives tale this week. First the washing machine started making a loud scraping noise that was definitely not good, then the brakes began making a horrible crunching sound, very soon after I had to laugh when the handle broke off the toilet. It was a laugh or cry kind of week, so I just chose, and I stress, chose, to laugh. It's just been that kind of week. But, in the midst of it, we had a lot of fun and a lot of smiles.

1. Easter egg hunts. Lilla went on three hunts this year. She was one busy bunny I tell you! She is very methodical and kind of takes her time just looking around, getting excited with one egg while the other kids are tearing from one place to another. I love that she is like that, what a good way to enjoy life. I find myself trying to rush her to catch her up with the other kids, but I'm going to be mindful of that, because, she doesn't care, so why should I? 2. Baby blue eyes. Oh, this baby has the blue eyes! I know every mother thinks their own children are the most gorgeous, but these blue eyes are just melting me by the day!
3. Friends. Everytime I put Anna down, this is what I find next to her in a hurry. Lilla likes to climb up to wherever she is at and just hang out with her sister. How great is that?

4. Growing up. Can you believe Anna will be 4 months on Thursday? Too true, too true. She is getting two bottom teeth in, wanting to sit up all the time, aware of all of her surroundings, belly laughing at everyone and just as sweet as she wants to be!

5. Bathtime. For a while there bathtime with Anna was really no fun. She just was not happy to be put in that water. Oh, her scream can reach the rafters when she wants it to. But recently, she has begun to enjoy the bath. She just lays there and lets me wash her, kind of looking around and smiling. I'm so glad because this is a HUGE part of Lilla's day, she loves it and will spend an hour in there sometimes if we let her. It won't be too much longer and they will take baths together so I'm so happy when I see that happy bath smile coming through!

6. I don't know if you can really see it in this picture, but Anna has been doing this thing with lifting her legs all of the time. Wherever she's at, whatever she is doing, she just likes to lift her legs. I think it is so incredibly cute. I don't know why, I just want to eat her up she's so adorable, and that is just one adorable thing she does that I always want to remember!

7. More growing up. Lilla is really turning into a little girl. Gone is the toddler, we are on to little girl stage now. She's really developing into a beautiful young girl. She's smart, funny and thoughtful. I was talking to her about forgiveness the other day and when I asked her about Jesus dying on the cross for our sins she said, "He threw them away." I about cried. She is nothing short of beautiful.

8. A family picture. I am always the one behind the camera, which makes for very few pictures of our whole family together. So, when I do remember to ask someone to take a picture of us, I'm so glad to have one to look at!9. My girls. Easter morning we were rushing around and I just quickly snapped this picture of the girls before we went to church. The first of them smiling in a picture together and the only one of them together on Easter. So glad it turned out so cute!
10. Easter day. Is there a better day in the year? All the other days lead up to this for the Christian and to celebrate that he arose...well are there any words? Not from the likes of me! So I'll just leave you with a couple of smiles for the day...

Sunday's Coming

Even Me

I am crabby.

I am selfish.

I have a short temper.

I sometimes yell at the peanut.

I get frustrated that the baby is fussy.

I gripe about dog hair...ALL THE TIME!

I snap at my husband.

I am lazy.

My house is a disaster.

I have a short fuse.

I waste money.

I am arrogant.

I am proud.

I am rude.

I am unkind.

I am quick to judge.

I don't think before I speak.

And I am so glad that Jesus loves me.

Jesus loves EVEN ME.

Mr. Behr

So yesterday was April 1st. Did you know?

Me: Hey, you have a message. Mr. Behr called and he was really insisted on talking to you.

Michael: Mr. Behr? How do you spell that?

Me: Behr...like the faucet company.

Michael: How do you pronounce that?

Me: Bear...(I was going to say he was so pushy I felt like he was growling at me but I didn't want him to catch me!)

Michael: Uh, ok...(starts dialing and then a very strange expression on his face) Brookfield Zoo?

He, he! I crack myself up!!

10 Smile Tuesday

So here we are again at another Tuesday and more smiles to share. I hope that you have had many smiles this past week too! For some reason I haven't taken many pictures in the past week so you'll have to envision the smiles with me. Your imaginations will probably be even more colorful than a picture could capture anyway! :)

1. Spring. Oh, the absolute joys of the signs of spring these days. I see leaves starting to sprout from my trees, lush green grass everywhere, daffodils poking their beautiful yellow heads out, the green stalks symbolizing the coming of my lillies and the magnolias finally blossoming. Yeah for spring!!

2. Warmth. Speaking about joy, the warmth that spring is beginning to bring makes me giddy! I am not a fan of cold, at all. My asthma is not a fan either, so to feel warmer temperatures means no pain in my chest, no more heavy and binding coats and flip flops to (NOT) cover my feet! Then of course, Lilla says, "You can't wear sandals, we're not at the beach!" Funny!

3. Baking cookies. Lilla and I made cookies yesterday and it was such fun. She had a blast with the coloring of eggs and bunnies and crosses. I had no idea you could buy sheets of sugar cookies dough to cut out without rolling. That is brilliant! We had such frosting colored fun, I could hardly get her out the door for gymnastics!


4. Speaking of gymnastics, I can hardly believe how much the peanut loves gymnastics. And yesterday was her favorite day yet. Up to now she's been in a class all by herself, but yesterday she joined 3 other little girls and boy did she have a good time! The rest of the night all she could say is, "I go back to gymnastics with my friends now!" Too cute!

5. Sibling love. Lilla really does try to take care of Anna, when she cries she tries to calm her down by saying, "It's ok Anna." Anna is giving her the biggest smiles these days. Lilla will bring her toys to her, and sometimes take toys away, but it's all a part of being a sister. It just makes me happy to see!



6. The Zoo. Yesterday we went to the zoo for the first time this year and Anna's first visit. I actually had my camera but didn't take but 2 pictures and it didn't even have anyone but Anna and then one of her cousin in it. Just a slow week for pictures I suppose!





7. Jenna. Lilla has a friend named Jenna, they've been friends almost since we moved here a year ago, and they are finally both getting to a place of playing well with other kids. So fun to see them interacting and having fun in the car, on the playset and doing bubbles the other day together!








8. Smiles. Anna is just full of smiles and belly laughs these days. It cracks me up and makes Lilla say, "She likes me! She's laughing at me!" It's really sweet and fun to see her personality coming to life!

9. Rest. This Saturday, besides cleaning the house, we did nothing. I mean really nothing. We did not leave the house and it was so nice. Saturdays are usually just crazy around here so for us to just take a Saturday and do nothing...ah, so luxurious!

10. Fresh eggs. Our chickens are again producing like crazy. We get at least two a day so we are able to give some away to family and then just enjoy the others. So yummy!

And one more for good measure...my friends! I have two close friends, Carrie and Shelley whom I just adore. They are just the kind of people that everybody wishes they had as friends. They are kind, thoughtful, good listeners, giving and fun. I'm so fortunate to have them as my friends!

What are you smiling about today?