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!

What I'm doing...

What I wish I was doing....

Writing out in this space the various thoughts, feelings, and events that have been going on in our lives

Sharing pictures from the past few weeks

Reading a book

Sorting through and editing my pictures

Taking a nap

Being more patient

Pulling together an amazing curriculum that would make our days full of learning and more fun

What I need to be doing...

Changing diapers, changing laundry, changing attitudes

Cleaning and then a little more cleaning

Putting away all the stuff and suitcases from this weekend (it's only Tuesday... right???)

Figure out what we are having for supper

Catching up on my "things to get done" list

Giving more focused attention to the little ones

Enjoying my moments a little more

What I am doing...

Teaching, training, and disciplining all day long

Living in a really messy house

Taking more deep breaths and trying to lower my voice a little more

Feeling like I am constantly busy with my little ones

Playing with my kids

Ignoring my kids

Going to "Hawaii" and partaking of the wonderful fruit that my girl has colored and cut out

Listening to really great Christian music as much as I can and soaking Him in

Trying to clean when I can, trying to step over the mess when I can

Just doing the next thing today and opening my arms to this day God has given to me

Hopefully I'll find some time in this space to share some more thoughts soon.... but my days are full!  So until then, this is what I'm doing!  

A Little Green Fun

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Despite still having fevers... we're trying to have some fun!  Thank goodness for old preschool crafts tucked away in file folders!

What Sick Looks Like

He came knocking on our door Sunday evening.  We weren't sure who the visitor was.  He came with the gift of a cough and then fever for Liam.  No big deal... this happens all the time.  Or so I thought.  Then he decided to stay, and make himself comfy and cozy in our home... sharing his love with everyone in our family.  Who is he?  He is Mr I... or unofficially called Mr. Influenza.  Yes, all five of us have been hit by our guest, and hit very hard.  At first I was skeptical to give Mr. I his official name, but after looking up a list of symptoms...

Fever - yup

Muscle Aches - yup

Headache - yup

Tiredness - yup

Dry Cough - yup

Head Congestion - yup

Runny or Stuffy Nose - yup

I have surrendered to calling Mr. I the flu and have realized that we all have it.  And no, this isn't a 24 hour little bug.  We are in for the long haul... or at least a few more days.

It's kind of crazy that we all have it, all at the same time.  It's nice to be able to sympathize with each other and understand how the other person is feeling, but it's hard that there isn't a well person in the house to take care of the sick ones.  It's been "fun" to do fever checks and rate who is the highest and who is the lowest.  We've had lots of snuggles, lots of TV, and lots of hang out time. 

Yes, we are sick... and this is what sick at our house looks like.

Even though these rough days, I'm seeking to find the gifts of grace from Him.  Open my eyes and hands to the little things He continues to bless me with.

We had NOTHING going on this week... not one thing to cancel or reschedule

Extra Snuggle Time with my little ones

Our Temporal Thermometer

New LEGOS that have been keeping my big boy busy, happy, and entertained

Extended cable that has a great children's show on somewhere 24/7

Motrin and Tylenol

Good Naps

My boys who struggle with breathing issues are still breathing easy (a HUGE praise!)

Orange Juice and Grape Juice

Kleenex

Knowing He is watching over my sick little ones at night while I sleep

A walk to the mail box soaking in each breath of the spring air

Sleeping through the night

An unplanned spring break from school

Knowing we will all eventually be well again

A Little Tooth

Check out what happened at our house this morning...

Liam lost his first tooth, and he was so excited!  I guess he was trying to get some LEGO piece apart, and that helped speed up the process a bit! 

It feels kind of crazy seeing my first born, lose his first tooth.  I remember how exciting it was to see that first tooth come in, get the cold teethers out of the fridge, keep the Motrin handy at all times.  It feels as if it was just yesterday that this little guy was showing off his new teeth...

And now they are falling out.  One of those events that is exciting and sad for a mama at the same time... But celebrating with him today and enjoying his new smile!