My Little Artist

So I almost made it through the toddler years of my three children without any of their signature art work on the walls or furniture of our home.




Almost....





Until I discovered this...

and this...

and this...

(you will have to excuse the "quality" of the artwork photos....

we were in the middle of making supper and Tim was a little distraught that I had grabbed my camera to take pictures!!!)

Sigh... I'm so thankful that I spend the extra money on buying the washable markers... it made the clean up a little more bearable.  (but it still annoys me that washable markers are more expensive than regular markers!  Really people?!?!)  Scary thing is, we still haven't found the red marker.  Hopefully we randomly picked it up before we realized what it had been involved in! 

Anyway... here's a picture of the guilty little stinker...  oh my... Good thing he's so cute!

Love this boy! 

Happy Friday!

Just a Dad and a Girl

Just a dad...

and a girl...

going out on a date...

Every once in awhile, Tim and I try to do a one-on-one "date" with our kids.  It's fun for them, it's fun for us, and we are always so glad that we took the time to do it.  We wish we did it more often. 

This time Ainsley and her daddy were going on a special date!  Ainsley decided what they would both wear (of course they had to match) and she was beyond thrilled to get all dressed up to go out.  She was giddy all day long, and danced and twirled around the house at just the thought of what she was going to do later that day with her daddy! 

The two of them went out for supper...

And then headed to the mall where Ainsley showed Tim all the cute clothes and Tim showed Ainsley what a candy store is all about!

And of course, all good dates need to end with dessert! 

And what would be more sweet than to share a banana split! 

It was a special night for both of them... and one they will remember for a long time.  I look at these pictures, I see this little girl in front of me, and in this mama's heart I know that in the blink of an eye some special man will be wanting to take this sweet girl on a real date.  But for now, very I'm thankful it's just a dad and a girl!   



Confident Hope

Dear Friends,

I pray that God, the source of HOPE,

will fill you COMPLETELY

with JOY and PEACE

because you TRUST in Him. 

Then you will overflow with

CONFIDENT HOPE

through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13 NLT



Encouragement from the One Year Bible

11 Years...

11 years ago I married the man God chose to be my husband. I had waited a long time for him (or at least it felt like it) and I was full of thanksgiving and awe of God on that day that He would give me the blessing of a husband and allow me the gift to be able to enter into the sacred convent of marriage.
 Today as I was thinking back to that day, I was pondering what I would tell that blushing bride before she walked down that isle… (Or maybe what I would remind myself of today…)

*Marriage is a gift from God and a blessing, don’t take it or your spouse for granted.


*Love when it is easy… love when it is hard… you have a choice to make, and you can choose to love.


*Marriage is something that you need to work on daily. As in any relationship, it needs love and time and care and work… it won’t just grow on its own.


*In marriage, you are either growing closer towards oneness or growing in distance. You can’t just stand still in the relationship. Every day you have a choice on which direction you will move and what you will do to make it go in one direction or the other.


*Be full of forgiveness, love, laughter, and encouragement for your spouse. Your “self” will be one of your biggest enemies in your marriage.


*Don’t let “life” get in the way of your marriage. Give it the attention it deserves.


*Remember the promises you made on that day… and keep them.

*It is only in Christ, and with His strength that you can truly grow in togetherness and have a happy marriage!

Tim, thank you for 11 years of being my husband.  Thank you for loving me, caring for me, and walking with me daily through great days and hard ones.  You are a blessing from God and I praise Him for you.  He knew exactly what I needed in a husband when He gave you to me, and I am thankful!  I love you!  

To the moon and back,
Jennifer

ps - I think we're going to make it!    

Slithering Snake Shirts

It's camp season around here.  I'm getting ready to head out to Royal Family Kids Camp at the beginning of June.  So what does camp season mean?  Well, right now it means lots of work prepping items for the campers to complete various crafts... going over list after list after list making sure I have every little thing I need to make all the activity centers run smoothly... and spending my days working on camp stuff and getting my heart ready to serve and share God's love with 48 foster children from Omaha! 

So this year RFKC is a "Jungle Theme" and so to go with that theme, the campers are making Slithering Snake Shirts!  All you need is a white t-shirt, some string, and some paint and you can have a really cool summer t-shirt to wear in no time. 

I always have my kids make a t-shirt example for the campers to see.  For one it is nice for them to see what they are creating, and two... I love hanging up three little shirts in the craft building to remind me of my three little loves that I leave behind for the week!

Gathering some cool colors...



Getting ready to paint...





                                                                            


"Mama!  My snake is sooooo cute!!!"

And now for the big reveal.......



 

Aren't they just too cute!!!  I think the shirts turned out great!  The kids were thrilled about them and are excited to wear them!  I can't wait for the campers to have a fun time making them too!

15 Months

This place has been VERY quiet lately because of super busy days... but quiet is not how I would describe this little guy!

Kallan turned 15 months today... and I have to laugh because for most of these last 15 months I have not written anything down about him.  Liam has books about his first year... and Ainsley has quite a bit of notes and letters... but this 3rd child of mine pretty much has nothing except for all the thoughts and memories I have stored in my brain.  We'll just say he makes up for it in the amount of pictures taken of him!

So in honor of this special day, I thought I'd write a little bit about this sweet son of mine! 

15 Things I love about Kallan at 15 Months...

1.  You have the best smile ever! Your bright eyes and double dimples can do me in each time you smile.

2.  You have just started to try and “express” yourself! I love it! You have a “sing song” voice when you sing with Mama, you have a “conversation” voice when you want to have a discussion with me, and you have a “fussy voice” when you want to be held.

3.  You are always chewing on your fingers! They are so calloused and dry and cracked… but I have a hard time keeping them healthy because they are always in your mouth (can we just say teething!!!)

4.  You LOVE your blankie! You are my first baby to not have a paci, but you are my first to be head over heels in love with your blankie! Good thing I have 2 crib blankies (the striped ones) and 2 travel blankies (the blue ones). You love to chew on them, snuggle with them, and carry them wherever I will let you take them!

5.  You are obsessed with kitchen utensils. These are your favorite toys that you are always walking around with. Your favorites are the colored plastic spoons, spatulas, wooden spoons, measuring cups, bowls… and anything in the dishwasher! (oh yeah – you are obsessed with that too!)

6.  Food is a hit or miss thing with you. Your favorite food is raisins! You also love cheetoes! (if we let you have one) Other than that, we never know what you will be willing to eat. You will usually eat noodles, peas, & pears and sometimes you like lunchmeat, grapes, cheese, and bread. You do like your oatmeal and applesauce in the morning and have started to really enjoy toast with cinnamon and sugar on it too!

7.  Words you are saying: Mama, Dada, Ba (ball), Di-Dee (blankie), uh (uh oh) shu (shoes), ah (off)

8.  Things you do: Peek-a-Boo, So Big, Clap hands, Give 5’s, shake head no, dance, give kisses, climb stairs, take your bib off when “all done”, bring me anything you know you shouldn’t have.

Things you won’t do: sign language (no more, no all done, no drink, no please… nothing!), you hate the baby swing outside, you don’t like grass, and new things make you nervous.

9.  You are starting to play well by yourself or I’ll find you sitting alone and looking at some books.


10.  I love your hair. It’s light and soft and so cute! I love how sometimes it looks totally blonde and sometimes it has red tints in it!


11.  You are wearing 24 month clothes and can fit into all of Liam's clothes that he had at your age.


12.  You have some pretty fancy foot work! You are really good at walking and kicking a ball as you go. (Soccer player??? We’ll see!)


13.  Nicknames you have: Kal, Big K, & Kal-Kal

14.  I love how I can still hold you in my arms and you’ll go to sleep.


15.  You are pretty laid back and easy going. You are very happy and content and are just a sweetheart!  You make my days more fun and always know how to put a smile on my face.  You are pure joy!  I love you so much and I thank God that He gave YOU to ME!

First Steps

Even though this is the third time around experiencing those first steps... they still amaze me and are so delightful to the heart!  I think I could watch him walk around all day long!  Kallan is definitely the most daring and unafraid of the three when it comes to walking.  We also found out he can walk much better if he is holding onto a toy or TV remote!  Freezing this moment today and remembering how sweet and precious those first steps truly are.

PS - obviously he wasn't amused by me trying to get him to walk on video...  but it is still cute!

Rainy Day

Pitter-Patter Raindrops

I hear thunder,

I hear thunder,

Hark!  Don't you?

Hark!  Don't you?

Pitter-patter, raindrops,

Pitter-patter, raindrops,

I'm wet through,

So are you!

from: The Usborne Book of Poems for Little Children

What I do on a rainy day...

Light a Candle

Read a good book with the kids

Listen to my new CD

(note: my husband was so kind after being gone for so many days, he came home with a little surprise for me last night!  I had told him I really liked one of the songs on this CD, but now am tickled to have the whole CD that was just released!  Thanks love!)

Hoping you enjoy the pitter-patter raindrops, the sweet smell,

and the freshness of a wonderful spring rain!

He Turned 6...

Last month, he turned 6…

How dare he!

My heart could hardly believe the day had come and he was now six. The age where a child begins to move from little boy to big boy. The day when you can no long hold up one hand to show your age, but you must use two. The age, I’ve discovered, where opinions become a little stronger, humor becomes a little funnier, and love, grace and patience must run deeper for the both of us.

He was thrilled to turn six, and he wanted a sports party. So a sports party we had. Out to get doughnuts with dad in the morning, day of school and Lego-playing, and then a party with a group of boys he calls friends that afternoon.

Birthdays are special, because they are special days just for you. A day to celebrate the life God has given, the life God is shaping, and another year we have shared together.

Liam, the moment you came into this world and took your first breath, you changed my life forever… you made me a mama. For these last six years you have taught me to love more deeply and rely on God more often. You have stretched me to uncomfortable places in trying to parent you as well as opened my eyes to a deep joy for the littlest things in life.

I love the heart God has given to you. One that longs to love Him deeply. One that loves to be around people. One that loves to learn and be challenged. One that is creative and full of imagination. One that is intense with emotion, whether it is pure joy or extreme frustration. God has made you just as He purposed, and I know He has grand plans for your life. You are my Liam, and I love you!

 

 

 

 

 



Who Knew?!?!?

Who knew that something as simple as these.....

Could make this mama oh so very giddy and happy!!!

Sometimes it truly is the simple things in life that bring such great joy!

Happy Saturday!