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. :)

what to do with my prime time

may sweeps are over. no american idol, no grey's anatomy, no 24 or lost...now how do i spend my time?! oh yeah, maybe i could finish cleaning out my laundry room or actually vaccuum my bedroom. or maybe i could pick up one of the many books that are sitting on my shelf that i have never read. i've never been a big reader. it's just not something that i would choose to do in my spare time...other than reading my Real Simple magazine (does that count as reading?!). i think i want to become a reader though. in the past, i have tended to choose non-fiction Christian theological books to read in hopes that i might gain some spiritual ground. i then get halfway through the book and get bored with it because 1. i often have no idea what they are talking about and 2. i don't read regularly and i end up having to read previous chapters over again and then i just get frustrated at how long it takes me to finish it! so, those books end up dusty and back on my bookshelf. however, there are a few fiction books that i have been sucked into because they are fun to read and i can't put them down. this is what i need. i think if i found some great books that will take me to another place (just like my tv shows!), then i will enjoy it. and maybe...just maybe...i could call myself a reader. so i need your help. will you give me some recommendations of some GREAT books you have read? help me become a better reader, ya'll!

i couldn't write a post without posting a picture. this has nothing to do with reading but everything to do with our weekend in nashville with the walters. here are the kids having fun on a swing. they had a great time playing together this weekend!! thanks walters...we miss you!

picking strawberries

yesterday we went with my parents, sister, and her kids to pick strawberries at a local farm. evan mainly just walked around picking a few random strawberries that didn't look so good...but i give him an 'A' for trying! he also was obsessed with the pink flags that were supposed to be markers of where you leave off so the next person will know where to start. so a lot of help he was when he started pulling up flags everywhere! ella mainly stayed with her cousins, lane and grace, because they are much more fun to be with than mommy evidently! she had fun and that's what matters! then we had a picnic at a beautiful park near the strawberry farm and they played their little hearts out. it was a great day. (except for the HORRIBLE meltdown that ella had when she had to say goodbye to her cousins!! i had to literally drag her to the car.)

they were watching a grasshopper.

they oughta be in pictures

i had some fun taking pictures of the kids last night. they were outside playing "hitball", as evan calls it, with their new tee ball set. these were some of my favorites.

motherhood

motherhood is the most challenging, exhausting, selfless, yet rewarding job i've ever experienced. i never knew how much love i could give until i had my two children. and i never knew just how much God would use them to show me how much i need Jesus. i will never be the perfect mother....but i have a perfect God. and i hope that some day my children will be able to look back and see how God used them to help me run to Him in desperation....repent to Him with a sorrowful heart...and love and enjoy all the things that He does. my kids have changed my life....they have brought joy to me that i've never known before. they bring smiles and laughter to my life every day. every day also brings struggles in motherhood, but it's things like these sweet little duck duck goose games that i want to be engraved in my memory forever.....



HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

yesterday and today

what a difference a day makes. here's my little peanut showing off her amazing talent of writing block letters yesterday. she did this for the first time several months ago and i was quite impressed! my friend sara was actually concerned that her 4 yr old boy was not up to par after she saw ella's writing! but i think its probably unusual for little ones to be able to do this at this age....or maybe i'm just fooling myself in thinking i have a super talented little one! at any rate, mama was proud and wanted to show the world. i remember when i was younger doing the same thing...so i guess it's in the genes!



and then comes today. it actually started last night. we were at community group and the kids were playing outside. ella suddenly started screaming and crying and complaining about something being in her eye. we flushed out her eye and let her hold a wet washcloth on it. she cried off and on the rest of the night. she was miserable. she tends to be overly dramatic over her injuries....so i gradually lost compassion as the night progressed. about 5 times during the night she cried out in pain. this morning when she got up, her eye was all red and swollen. i knew then that all of it wasn't an act. we took her to our pediatrician and he immediately said we needed to take her to a pediatric opthomologist. thankfully, rusty cleared his schedule to go with me (and thanks to sam for watching evan!). he held her the whole time while the doctor scanned her eye and then had to fold the eyelid back to find a big brown speck that had been in there all night! poor thing...when i took a look at that piece of dirt or whatever it was, i felt so sorry for her and it certainly explained all the crying! ella did a GREAT job and we were so proud of her going through all of that. she now has a cool eye patch that she will wear til the morning. she also had an abrasion on her eye which we will have to treat with ointment. she has been such a trooper today....she was rewarded with a milkshake after her dr. visit and a mexican dinner tonight! we are just so happy that she is ok!

our trip to the zoo

our friends took us to zoo atlanta last friday and we had such a great time. ella loved seeing the elephants (her favorite animal). i'm not quite sure which animal was evan's favorite...i think he liked seeing them all...he certainly enjoys talking about all of them! my favorite were the gorillas. the mama gorilla had some adorable baby gorillas and they were quite entertaining to watch! here are a few of my favorite photos from the day.

ella thought this orangutan was hilarious...his hair was so long it looked like dreadlocks!

lydia, ella, benjamin & evan

superman

the kids were flying high like superman this afternoon. we all had lots of laughs and fun as i held them up with my feet. it made for some fun photos! (just don't look at my chipped off toenail polish, ok?)

isn't this face hilarious? i have no idea how he got his eyes to do that :)

it kinda looks like i'm stepping on him!
at least with ella's photos her hair is hanging down and you can tell she is up in the air!

more talent to show off!

it doesn't seem that long ago when my little ella was singing in her 3 yr old spring program. my how a year can change them! after the little 3 yr olds sang last night, the big 4 & 5 yr olds came on stage. ella seemed so much bigger than last year. but those sweet little cheeks, those cute little baby teeth, and that sweet singing voice helped remind me that she is still my little girl. she did such a great job last night. she sang all the words to the songs and knew all the motions and sign language. she watched her music teacher the ENTIRE time...she wouldn't even look over at us during the whole performance. she was so focused that she would barely crack a smile. i told her later that i wished she had looked at me so i could get a picture of her and she said, "mommy, i had to look at Ms. Jana because she told us to." well i'm glad she follows the rules at school at least! why can't she do that at home?! ha.

after they sang, we went to her classroom for their art show. she showed us all her cute artwork from the school year. my little artist was so proud...and so were her parents and grandparents!

my future rock star

looks like evan is following in his daddy's footsteps. rusty brought this old electric guitar home this past weekend after helping his parents clean out some things. it belonged to his grandmother! the kids enjoyed playing with it and we were able to capture evan singing "twinkle, twinkle".

i'm bloggining mommy

this is what evan would say if he were a blogger. the past 2 weeks he has changed all of his "ing" words and he has made it "ining".

a few examples:
"i'm not comining!"
"it's not workining"
"whatcha doining?"
"look mommy, i'm rollining"

i've heard him say all these things. and he used to say all the words correctly. i think it sounds so darn cute...so much so that i don't correct him! i even start talking like him. :) so i'm goining to take a shower now!

oh heavenly day

saturday night was a fun date night for r and i. we saw patty griffin in concert at the Tabernacle in atlanta. i take it that most people don't know who she is...every time we told someone where we were going on saturday, they would say, "who?". well she has the voice that i'm going to ask for when i get to heaven! i have been a fan of hers ever since rusty introduced me to her...but after hearing her live...i'm a huge fan and i fell in love with her voice even more. she can mesmerize you with her slow ballads yet can make you want to learn how to play guitar just so you can rock out with her...she is an amazingly talented singer/songwriter. i could've listened to her for hours longer on saturday night! she made life stop for me outside those walls. so thanks to patty for putting out another terrific album that i can sing my heart out to in the privacy of my mini van. can't wait to get to heaven so i can sing like her! (check out her myspace page if you want to hear her music...click on "Heavenly Day" and "No Bad News"...2 of my favorites)

we're still on a sugar high

i hope this sugar high is the only substance abuse high that my kids ever experience! it's almost as bad as halloween. but it was all fun. our friends marty and robyn came saturday and spent the night with us. ella was in heaven having her best friend, abby, staying at our house. they got to make bunny cupcakes together and enjoy all their easter basket loot together. i took many pictures of the 4 of them at church yesterday and this was the best out of the bunch...and it's still not too great! but don't they look cute? ella is definitely making a fashion statement with her tights and sandals. but with 30 degree weather...we had to come up with plan B! happy easter!

a good thursday and Good Friday

yesterday we drove down to my sister's house for the day. it was a fun thursday with the cousins and their grandparents. they decorated easter eggs and played fun games.

here's Gramma J with all her grandkids...

i think this photo is cute of all of them lined up listening to stacy give them directions about the game they were going to play...

evan had the best duck walk!

ella trying not to drop her egg...

as we drove to their house yesterday, we were listening to the cd "Share the Well" by Caedmon's Call. i love the second song and it really hit me yesterday. it actually brought tears to my eyes. it's called "There's Only One." and as we celebrate Good Friday today, i must say that i am overwhelmed that this One who chose me...to save me, to love me, to make me his daughter, to give me eternal life, to forgive me and show me His mercy, and to give me everything that He gives His Son. there truly is only One...only one savior who could save us from our life of sin. only one savior who would give his life in order that we would not have to be punished for that sin. there is only one who rose from that grave and conquered death. there is only one almighty God and i praise him for what he did for us through his son, Jesus, this easter weekend. there is no other one or no other thing that will ever satisfy.

here are the words to the song "There's Only One (Holy One)". you can go here to hear a clip.

Left his seamless robe behind
Woke up in a stable crying
Lived and died and rose again
Savior for a guilty land

It's a story like a children's tune
And it's grown familiar as the moon
So now I ride my camel high
And I'm aiming for the needle's eye

I chased the wind, but I chased in vain
I chased the earth, but it would not sustain

There's only one who never fails to beckon the morning light
There's only one who sets loose the gales and ties the trees down tight
When all around my soul gives way He is all my hope and stay
There's only one, only one Holy One

Lord, You are my Prince of Peace
but this war brings me to my knees
See there's a table You've prepared
And all my enemies are there
But where my Shepherd leads
Where else can I go
Who else fills my cup till it overflows

There's only one who never fails to beckon the morning light
There's only one who sets loose the gales and ties the trees down tight
To the Solid rock I fly Though He bids me come and die
There's only one, only one Holy One

the boy can be stubborn sometimes

this is the only way he will wear his glasses. upside down and on the outside of his ears. if you try and help him put them on the right way...you will hear crying and pouting. whatever makes him happy...and he is awfully cute wearing them.

evidently daddy has a higher IQ

some more quotes to write down. tonight ella and i were having another conversation about how she doesn't want to grow up. during our little talk i was asking her about her friend lydia who had a birthday recently and i asked her if she remembered how old lydia had turned on her birthday. she says, "no, i can't remember. but maybe we should ask daddy because he is smart." what?! maybe she is picking up on my mommy brain syndrome! i said, "so daddy is smarter than mommy?" and she said, "well mommy you are a little bit smart and daddy is smarter." we continued talking through this and she proceeded to giggle at her mommy's response!! there was no way i was going to let her continue to think her daddy was smarter than me...no way! :) so i guess daddy will be the one to help with her algebra homework in future years....(have fun, honey!).

i also wanted to mention another cute thing that evan says. whenever we take the kids to home depot or lowe's, they always want to get on the riding lawn mowers. right when we pull into the parking lot, evan always says, "i want to ride da mows!!" he picks out the lawn mower he wants to sit on...and says "i ride dis geen mow" (i ride this green mower). such a cutie pie.

kid talk

i've been hearing some cute things around here lately. i wish i could remember all the funny things that are said...but i have mommy brain (definition: the loss of memory brain cells after giving birth multiple times and from just keeping up with life in general!).

some quotes i actually remember:

evan: "i wear my hitball pajamas" (hitball is what he calls baseball...how cute is that?!)
-------
ella: "there's Backyard Burger!" (a fast food restaurant)
evan: "no, it's backyardigan burger!" ha ha
-------
as i was tucking ella in last night she says "mommy, daddy left my big pillows there until i get my new cardboard." we ordered her a new headboard for her bed and she called it cardboard.

i love hearing all these funny things they say. these kids are so much fun to listen to!!