pure sweetness

a couple months ago i started singing the Zephaniah 3:17 song to evan at bedtime. we like to call it "the Lord our God" song. only after a few times of singing it, he started singing along with me. and oh my...did my heart completely melt when i heard his sweet little voice singing that song! of course, he doesn't know how to pronounce all of the words, but he sure tries. I was finally able to capture it on video the other day. he has gotten so much better at singing it...and the boy can carry a tune!

in the video...he gets almost done singing the whole song and ella chimes in...he did NOT like that! so he starts the song from the beginning again! very funny. also, i don't know where he got the "wax on wax off" hand motions from the karate kid! maybe the kitchen table needed a little cleaning!




and here is my sweet ella singing to her brother one year ago. i'm amazed at how much she has matured in a year...in not only her voice but her little face! i love this video of them. it is absolutely one of the most precious things to hear my children sing...i love it!!!

scrapbook camp

9 girls. 1 house. 3 hours away from home. 3 am bedtime. 30 pages scrapbooked.

this pretty much summed up my weekend away at "scrapbook camp" (as i labeled it during our late night laugh-so-hard-our-stomachs-were-hurting fests). i had such a great time with my friends as we scrapbooked our little hearts out. it was so fun to see what everyone else was working on. i'm certainly not a die-hard scrapbooker...considering it had been one year since i had done it. but once i get started, i really enjoy it. below are 2 of my favorite spreads that i did for evan's first year book. his book is all i worked on. i still have 3 more months to finish and then some of my journaling. it's all worth the work and effort after i came home and showed r and the kids. to hear the excitement over each page makes me so happy! and they have looked at their books 3 times since i got home last night! for more pics of our weekend...go to sam's blog.

hard questions

it's free summer movie time at our mall and we are enjoying it! anything for free is a good time in my opinion! i took evan to see "curious george" a couple weeks ago when ella was at vbs. and today we went and saw "charlotte's web". we have never read the book to ella so the story was new to her. she had many questions about it when it was over. like "mommy, why did charlotte have to die?" and "will charlotte come back to life?" and "how long will charlotte be dead?" and "what will happen to her babies...who will take care of them?" and "what happens when spider's die?" and "did charlotte turn white after she died?" and on and on....many of those questions were repeated by her....maybe because i didn't give a good answer!? the questions were tough and it was so difficult to come up with an easy answer that her little mind could understand! sometimes after i hear myself give an answer, i just have to chuckle inside because it sounds so ridiculous! i tried. and she is curious....which is great! and then...try explaining it to your 2 yr old who copies his sister and asks "mama, why da charlotte die, huh mama?"

sharks in the swimming pool

well tonight was the beginning of our two weeks of swim lessons for the kids. when i first told evan what we were going to do, he started crying and said he didn't want to go. then, once he saw that sister was excited, he calmed down and was excited as well. his only hesitation was wondering if "dere are sharks in da swimming pool??" now where did he come up with that one?! once we got to the pool, he had a hard time waiting his turn to get in...he was super excited! ella had her lesson first and she was so brave! no tears, no fear...just a big girl who was willing to try it! she had a great time and can't wait for tomorrow. little man had a great time as well....doing the hokey pokey in the water with his daddy, going down the water slide, and floating along the lazy river learning how to blow bubbles! and there were no sharks to be found! he had so much fun that he cried and cried when we were leaving because he wanted to stay. and then it was all smiles when they both got to eat their "popkissles" (as evan calls them) when we got home!

how cute is it...

• that my boy calls McDonald's "Old MacDonald's"
• that after mommy & daddy put on his tennis shoes that were too small (shame on us!) he got a blister on his big toe and he kept saying "i have a broken toe"
• that he helped me pick up pine cones on saturday and he kept calling them "porcipines"
• that after i helped him put on his elbow and knee pads to ride his scooter (because he wanted me to...not because i'm overly cautious!) he would call his elbows "bo bo's"
• that when we say "i love you buddy", he responds with "loves shoo" (not quite sure how to type it to sound right!)
  
• and i know i should try stopping him of this...but i still think it's too sweet...how cute is it that he still sucks on 2 fingers

updated because i thought of a few more....

• that he goes to bed and wakes up singing "itsy bitsy spider" (i like to go to his door and listen)
• that he finds our chapstick and he puts it on and says "i got some chap lips mama!"
• that he says "allright" after everything...he never says "ok"
• that when he doesn't remember someone's name, he asks "what dat name?"
• that he sings the Zephaniah 3:17 (the Lord our God is with you...) with me at bedtime with THE SWEETEST little voice
  

vbs

ella went to her first vacation bible school last week. our church does not do one so i sent her to another local church and she had such a great time. evan and i would stay for the joint worship time at the beginning. the music was so fun and i loved watching and hearing the kids sing and do all the motions to the songs. each day they would learn a new bible point for the day with a verse that went with it. the bible points were simple yet full of truth. they actually made me ponder them throughout the week...especially considering what has been going on lately. they were:
God is REAL.
God is WITH US.
God is STRONG.
God is AWESOME.
God is IN CHARGE.

like i said, such simple truths that have gripped my heart this past week. and i can't help but think of these truths as i pray for my cousin Josh. i pray that God would be real to him...that he would KNOW that God is with him on this journey...that Josh would see God's strength and trust that His strength can heal him...that he would worship our awesome God in spite of his suffering, and that he and his family would know that God is in charge of all things...Josh's body, his radiation, his doctors, and this tumor. and even though my struggles seem like nothing compared to what my cousin is going through....i pray these things for myself too! that during my day when i'm at my wits end with the complaining and whining coming from my daughter, that i would know that i'm not alone. that i would believe that God is real and he is with me. and when i find myself worried and anxious about the silliest of things...that i would trust that He is in charge and i have nothing to fear.

so thanks to vbs for encouraging my heart!

my first attempts at french braiding...this was the night of the vbs finale/ice cream social.

quick update

thank you for your sweet comments and prayers about my last couple posts. my cousin, josh, started his radiation today. it's going to be a long haul...but they are determined to fight this fierce brain tumor. when we were getting word of all this news this weekend, r was practicing a song that he was going to be singing on sunday. he came and woke me up saturday night to tell me that the song had brought him to tears (and if any of you know him...that is rare!). he read me some of the lyrics that night and we couldn't help but think about joshua's situation. and it also encouraged my heart and the struggles i have been facing. the lyrics are a great reminder to us all that our suffering is only temporary. his glory is eternal.

Whate’er My God Ordains Is Right
©1998 David Braud Music. Words: Samuel Rodigast. Music: David Braud.

1. Whate’er my God ordains is right, Holy His will abideth.
I will be still whate’er He does, And follow where He guideth.
He is my God, Though dark my road.
He holds me that I shall not fall, Wherefore to Him I leave it all

2. Whate’er my God ordains is right, He never will deceive me
He leads me by the proper path, I know He will not leave me
I take, content, What He hath sent
His hand can turn my griefs away, And patiently I wait His day

3. Whate’er my God ordains is right, Though now this cup in drinking
May bitter seem to my faint heart, I take it all unshrinking
My God is true, Each morn anew
Sweet comfort yet shall fill my heart And pain and sorrow shall depart

4. Whate’er my God ordains is right, Here shall my stand be taken
Though sorrow, need, or death be mine, Yet I am not forsaken
My Father’s care Is round me there
He holds me that I shall not fall, And so to Him I leave it all

PLEASE pray for Joshua

well i wish this post was going to be a happy one, considering my last post. but i just got difficult news from my cousin who just left Egleston Children's Hospital in Atlanta where my 14 year old (2nd) cousin (i said nephew by mistake in my last post) got transferred. They confirmed that he has a brain tumor and discovered that it is inoperable. the tumor has attached itself so closely to the brain that the risks are too severe to operate on it. the only thing to do is chemo and radiation. things look dim. they mentioned that he might have a year to live. just having to type this makes me cry. joshua is such a sweet boy. he is the middle child of three. he loves hunting and fishing. and he is fearful. he is shocked. and he needs lots of prayer. his father, Gino (my 1st cousin) is a pastor. in fact, he married rusty and i 9 years ago. they are a family with strong faith. they have sisters and brothers in Christ who are rallying around them through this news. and so...i ask you...as my brothers and sisters...please pray for joshua. we believe that God can heal him if He desires. pray for joshua that he would fight and not give up. pray that he would cast his fear on Him. pray for Gino and Diedere (his parents) and Caleb and Victoria (his siblings) as they stand by Josh. if you have a minute...please ask Him to be merciful and to bring healing for Josh. thank you my friends.

sinking

the past few days have been hard. my energy level is low. i'd rather stay in bed. i've had a couple of good cries. i just can't get myself going. evan has had a fever for 5 days. ella is going on 3 days with a fever and she has thrown up twice. every night i've been woken up several times and i just haven't had good sleep. so..i'm tired...but not just physically. emotionally i've just been down on myself. i'm feeling like a horrible housekeeper. i'm bummed about the weight i've gained. just going through one of those phases where i'm feeling like a failure in all areas. and i don't write this to get sympathy. i write this just to let it out. i have delt with depression in the past and i'm not afraid to admit it. and i feel like i'm gradually sinking into it again. but then i have those moments where my kids are just super sweet. evan "read" a book to ella and i today and it just made us giggle and giggle. and ella will just randomly come to me and give me a kiss. these are the sweet moments that i believe God gives me to help me know He is there...He wants me to have joy and hope. He wants me to know He loves me. He uses these precious children to remind me of that constantly.

and then i'm reminded of those around me who are struggling and actually have a good reason for it....i just got word from my cousin that my nephew (who is 13 i think) has a brain tumor. and then i think about one of my dearest friend's whose husband just graduated from seminary and he has no job. they are moving today with their 3 children...1 in which they are dealing with her continued challenges and special needs. and then there is another friend (rusty went to high school with) who just had preemie twin boys. one of them got to go home yesterday and the other one is still struggling with complications.

overall, my heart is heavy. yet, i have too many things to be thankful for right now. i will get through this...i know. i am confident in my savior. and my medication. :)