Boys of mine

Oh, I love you, boys of mine.

Is there anything sweeter than the spontaneous kisses of a two year old son or the endless backseat questions from an inquisitive four year old? I can't think of anything. I do look forward to the years ahead, when you will grow up to be men like your daddy, but a part of me will always cherish this. This summer...this string of endless, happy days in the sun, swimming, and playing, and laughing together. We are having a great time.

I am one blessed mom to have the 2 of you.

Ethan, I love that Simon calls you, "Wudar" even though he has been able to pronounce his B's for quite some time. It is cute and endearing, and he obviously wants to be just like you. It really encourages me to see that you are starting to talk so sweetly to him.

We had such a good time tonight, just the 3 of us. You are growing up, and it shows. I love your sweet spirit and enthusiasm for life. And the way you never meet a stranger. At daddy's company picnic last night, almost immediately you had found a friend and were off playing. I hope that making friends will always be this easy for you!







Simon, you are such a character. Quick to laugh, or clown around. But I often find you playing all by yourself in your room, lining up cars in a methodical way. Talking away, like they can hear you. Your favorite is Lightning McQueen ("he's faster than fast; he's lightning!") and you rarely let him out of your sight, even to sleep. ;)

Case in point - I spotted him in this candid shot from a few weeks ago, while you were eating dinner on the deck. I wonder how long this obsession will last?







My mom told me once that of all the parenting that she and Dad did, she thought that praying for us kids had the most impact in our lives. And that really spoke to me. I pray every day for you boys, that you will see your need for a Savior, that you will listen to His voice, and that you will grow up to be men of God. We are imperfect parents, but still, He is pursuing you - I can tell.

Ethan, tonight at dinner you prayed, "Um, God, thanks for dying on the cross, and um, you know that fire place that you have? Well, please take me to heaven instead. 'Cause I really want to go there. I love you, God, and, um, thanks for the food too. InJesusnameamen."

At the food court at the mall. Quite loudly, in fact.

Love it. I'll keep praying for you boys. :)

Cousins reunited

Nate, Ruth and Austin are staying with his parents this week, so we've spent some time over there too. It's been about 9 months since we've seen this little guy.

The boys had great fun in the wading pool.

Especially Bryson!

Kelly's 30!

To celebrate this monumental occasion, we celebrated Hawaiian luau style on Saturday! It was so much fun, and just the perfect weather for an outdoor BBQ.

Favorite pics of the evening:

The girls

Sweet Nyah

Bammer, Danny, and Kelly, competing in a hula contest

Bocce ball

Ethan and Kate, people watching

My pensive son

Me and the birthday girl!

Happy birthday, Kelly! We love you!

4 year old wonder

Today I am thankful
for sweet children's smiles
and the happy sounds of
life at home.

It has been a good day. I woke up to a headache and some naughty behavior, so that wasn't so great, but things have improved with some consistency on my part. Isn't that always my story? I should know that by now, but I still forget.

I asked the boys if they wanted water or milk to drink for lunch. Si says, "Wilk, peese." Made me laugh.

We are on week 4 of a 10K training program, Dave and I. I am so proud of him for doing this with me. It is amazing how much more endurance I've gained over the last 4 weeks. I was barely able to run for 15 minutes before, and now I can go twice as long. And it feels good. I am actually starting to enjoy running again.

Swimming lessons start tonight, so I am off to take a shower!

VBS 2008

Vacation Bible School is one of my favorite weeks of the year. Even though I know we'll be totally exhausted by Friday, I love every minute of it.

Ours started tonight and will go until Friday, when we have an all-family BBQ in the parking lot. We are praying that parents will come!

Ken Miller is here again, teaching on creation and the first few chapters of Genesis. We had around 40 kids tonight, and he definitely held their interest.





Ethan has been inviting everyone he knows to VBS. Thankfully he's had a few takers. :) A neighbor friend came with him tonight, and another friend too. On the way home tonight, Ethan and his friend were discussing how they can get more candy bars and who they could possibly invite. The incentive is working, but sadly half our neighborhood happens to be on vacation this week. I am not kidding.

Sewing chair

I found this old chair at Goodwill for $4.98. I've been wanting to find a chair to put downstairs at my sewing desk, so I snagged it up.







Dave and I are a little photography-obsessed these days, so I actually made it into a picture. That doesn't happen very often. Unless my dad is visiting, of course. :)

I got a coat of spray primer on the chair, and Simon and I got the cover off the seat cushion. I want to find some cute fabric to recover it with. I am picturing a white chair, with some sort of large plaid fabric. But maybe it should be blue...or yellow gold. I haven't tried those color spray paints before.

Just like the Weather...

Today has been a good day. It started out dark and stormy, but by afternoon the sun was shining and we were enjoying the promise of summer.

We have been working on some heart attitudes here at home. Nothing earth-shattering or anything, but I was realizing the other day that one of the boys has been having a really hard time obeying cheerfully the first time he's asked to do something. There have been a lot of tears and drama instead. So we have been working on that, and like I said, today has been a good day. Just like the weather, we've seen a turnaround in his heart too.

Hopefully it will last. I know my own heart though, so I'm not holding my breath. :)

I went over to my MOPS mentor mom's house tonight for dinner with the rest of my small group, and we had a great time of fellowship, sitting around the table, just talking and enjoying the common bond we have. These ladies have been a blessing in my life this year.

When I got home around 9 pm, the house was quiet, clean, and every candle in the house was lit. Even the one by the front door that is really just for looks. :) I have a sweet husband, and he knows how far the little things go with me.

I'm just feeling thankful tonight: thankful for the chance to devote my time to little hearts, thankful for marriage and the wonder of 2 hearts growing closer, thankful for friends to encourage me along the way.

"Remember His marvelous works which He has done..." 1 Chronicles 16:12

In the Wilderness

In Sunday School today we were going through Exodus 15, the song of Moses, after the Israelites have passed through the Red Sea and their enemies have been swallowed up by the waters right behind them. They see the salvation of their God, and all they can think about is who it was who delivered them.

Not so much the gift, but the Giver. And their hearts were filled to overflowing with worship.

Looking back on what God had done, the outpouring of their hearts was to marvel about Him and trust Him for the future. Not just because of what He had done, but because of who He is.

They praised Him for being their salvation, their strength, their joy. Their peace, their guide, their inheritance. Because even though He gives those things, really He is giving of Himself... because He is peace, and He is joy, isn't He?

You can see that their focus is on the Giver, not on themselves, or even the blessings they have gained. The eyes of faith don't depend on external circumstances to draw the heart to worship anyway. They know with confidence that,

"His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness..." 2 Peter 1:3

no matter what the circumstances look like.

Granted, the Israelites had just seen the salvation of their God; all the aspects of life hadn't had time to get in the way. As they headed into the wilderness they would wander for the next 40 years, they were quick to switch their tune.

I am like that too. Quick to forget how wonderful He is.

But this wilderness stretching in front of me makes me want to look back to the Giver. If I know enough about who He really is, I can trust Him for all that is ahead.

Because after all, He gives of Himself.

flowers above are from Grandma E

Photoshop Elements is in the House, edited

My Mother's Day gift arrived, and I've been reading the manual and trying to figure this software out. I can see some improvement already, but I'm not really sure I can trust my eye yet. Is there something *off* in the color of this photo? I do like how much sharper I was able to get his eyes (scroll down for the iPhoto version below).

Is this better? I did push the yellow down a little - but I'm not sure it's that noticeable.

Rah for RAW!

Shooting in RAW is a whole new world! I learned how to adjust my white balance today - well, I knew how before, but it didn't make much difference on a JPEG pic.

Now if only my kids would smile normally for me...

Experimenting with ISO

These pics were taken at 400 ISO with my f-stop all the way open (for my zoom). Any tips? It's a cloudy day.

Okay, now I'm motivated

I think it's funny that, after 9 months of running, all it takes to kick my butt into gear is my sister's admission that she is running further than me. Go figure. I am so competititve, I guess!

Or maybe I just need some motivation to try harder. After all, several year ago I was running 4 or 5 miles a day. Why can I barely make it a mile and a half now?

So I'm kickin' it up a notch - I am going to get in better shape.

I'm headed out for a run...it's a gorgeous spring day, and hopefully I can get a good one in today. We'll see.

Soccer Awards Night

First he went down with mom....


Then he braved up....


After all, big brother was doing it!

Did I mention that I like to paint?

Remember this? I do - like it was yesterday! I still remember laughing so hard at the expression on his little naughty face. He is such a little booger...still is, even though he's a few years older and can talk his mommy's head off.



Check out that computer armoire though. Don't you just love the fake wood grain? Me, neither. Well, I finally got my act together and painted it. It was way easier than I thought, and boy, what a difference a can of paint makes!


Ignore the laundry basket on the couch. I didn't notice that when I took the pic!

I used an oil-based primer (after sanding a bit) and then oil-based paint. Supposedly this will give it a pretty hard finish, to prevent chipping. The best part about it was I didn't even have to move this ginormous piece of fake wood (it is so heavy - Dave said he won't move it again until we're getting rid of it :). I just put a drop cloth down and painted right here in my kitchen. And, Mom, just so you don't worry, the windows were open. :)

This is my favorite thing right now, my little organization hub right here in my kitchen. I could look at it all day! My best find was that black and white damask file folder for $3.99 at TJ Maxx. I love that store!



I've toyed with the idea of putting some scrapbook paper up on the back of the armoire, but I love it how it is now too. What do you think?

Randomness...and where, oh where, did my header go?

I messed with some internet settings on my laptop (on ACCIDENT!), so I couldn't use it for almost a week now. I have missed my laptop! Boy, a desk top computer is just NOT the same.

Beth tagged me a few days ago, so I need to respond to that. Anyone care to know 7 random things about me? Oh well! You don't have to read it if you don't want to!

Here's the rules:

• Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
• Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
• Let them know they are tagged by leaving comments on their blogs.

So here we go:

1. I love brussel sprouts - they are one of my favorite veggies. I have found the best way to make them is to roast them at 400 degrees for 40 minutes, tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper. This is Reagan's recipe, by the way. Yummy! (Dave does not agree, by the way)
   
2. One of my absolute favorite things to do is work in the yard. You never would have guessed this watching me grow up (I was horrified by dirt - if it got on my shoes, I cried! Even when I was 15! :), but now I just LOVE to dig in the dirt and move plants around, mow, landscape, etc... in fact, Dave and I spent the weekend doing this, and obviously we are a match made in heaven, because we both agreed, it was so fun!
3. Even though we are technically 21 months apart, my mom claims that my sister and I are really twins. She has validated this by watching us choose the same paint colors for our homes even though we live miles apart. And then for Mother's Day, apparently we both sent her red and yellow tulips on the same day. Even though neither of us have ever sent her flowers before.
4. I started running again last fall, after a 5 year break. And wow, it has not been easy. I still rarely run more than 1 1/2 miles at a time, usually 4 days a week. It kills me to see how out of shape I am.
5. I have an obsession with all things black: furniture, accessories, you name it - okay, you probably already knew that! But does that make me morbid?
6. Some of you may know this; others may not. My email addy is based on the brand of guitar that once upon a time I used to play. That seems like a different life, but I'll always love my Guild!
   
7. I am so pumped because I just saw that the show The Mole is coming back to ABC after 4 years! Dave and I used to watch this show back when we were dating. We lived in 2 different states at the time, but late at night he'd call and we rehash the show and make bets on who the mole was. That brings back such good memories!

I'm tagging:
Jessie
Reagan
Shawna
Lynn
Anna
Kelly
Sarah

Have fun, girls!

Garage Sale Thoughts

I had a garage sale this weekend, kinda spur of the moment. All year I've been going back and forth about having one, because last year's neighborhood garage sale was so exhausting, and because I really didn't have anything big to sell this year anyway. It is always hard to figure out how worth it having a garage sale really is, even if you make a lot of money out of the sale. When you factor in your time, stress level, the state of your house....well, sometimes it just isn't worth it. Know what I mean?

I have kept to my habit of sticking things in the sterilite boxes in the corner of our garage throughout the year though - just any time I felt the urge to clean out a closet or cabinet or something, the stuff we weren't using went straight to the boxes. And a couple weeks ago I realized I had about 12 of them full.

A friend of mine was planning to have a sale this weekend, and she invited me to join her at her house. I went back and forth in my mind about it, wondering if I'd make any money after the gas it would take to drive my junk across town. By the beginning of last week, I had just decided to set up tables in my own garage, put a few signs out, and see what happened. I was bummed to think about missing out on spending a day with Jessie (the fellowship is what makes having a garage sale fun!), but to keep the stress out of it, Dave and I both thought it would be best to keep it simple.

Monday night when he was at church, Dave picked up some tables for me, so on Tuesday afternoon, while the kids played in the driveway with their neighborhood friends, I got everything set up and priced. It was by far the easiest set up day I have ever had. Usually, before a garage sale, I am up pricing things into the morning hours the night before the sale. Note to self - remember this next year!

I opened my sale Friday morning at 8 am, and the traffic was amazing! There was never any break in traffic until 10 am, when a neighbor called to say that she saw the city taking down my signs. Oops. We thought they were in the right spot, but apparently not. Since I was home alone with the boys, I just closed the garage doors and called it quits for the day. I have to admit, I wasn't too disappointed - I had already made almost $300 in just 2 hours! Isn't that insane?

Dave wanted to open for a couple more hours on Saturday. The traffic was still really good - we live in such a great location for garage sales. But we had sold most of the good stuff on Friday, so we only made just over $100 more. Dave likes to start calling out "half-price everything" an hour before we pack up and head to the Goodwill. Just like in previous years, people started gathering up arm loads of clothes as soon as he said it. :)

After a couple hours we bagged the remainder of stuff in trash bags and took it to Goodwill. I kept thinking, That was so easy! Why am I not exhausted? And it really got me thinking....

Because I've had a garage sale every year of our marriage, I think. Usually with a big group of girl friends. And while we usually rake in the dough, it takes me awhile to recover from them. So much so that I almost didn't have a garage sale this year.

So here's what I think helped make this garage sale the easiest one I've ever had:

• I collected items throughout the year to sell - no major house overhaul to get ready.
• I set up for the sale during the day instead of in the evening.
• I didn't wait to join my neighbors for our neighborhood garage sale in June. I have done it with them the last 2 years, and it was obvious that people felt like they needed to move through quickly and then head to the next sale. Since my sale was the only one on the block this time, people stayed for quite awhile, browsing through everything.
• I sold all the extra household/toiletry items from my CVS stockpile. This probably accounted for almost half my earnings, to be honest. People went nuts for $1 tubes of toothpaste and shampoo bottles. I sold a ton of medicine too - it cracked me up when people would buy like 6 things of Beano. They were stocking up! :)
  
• I had the sale by myself (sadly) and was only open for a short amount of time each day. Since the boys didn't have other kids to play with, they sat beside me and helped me count change. It ended up being pretty fun, for them and me!

Okay, so there are my thoughts. What are yours? Are you a garage sale person? I'm sure I will go back and forth next year too - is it worth it or should I just donate my items? Well, this year it was definitely worth it to me!

Expelled documentary

Dave and I went to see Ben Stein's documentary Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed on our date night on Friday. Have you seen it yet? This one is worth the money! It is a film about the evolution vs. Intelligent Design debate, except that there really isn't a debate anymore in America, which is the point. Go see it! We have been encouraging everyone to see it all weekend - it was so, so good.

I read this review of the documentary on Radical Womanhood tonight which was exactly what I would have written - if I could write that eloquently, that is. :)

She writes:

If you're not familiar with this documentary, it is fundamentally about a loss of freedom of inquiry and freedom of speech in scientific, academic and legal circles. It focuses on how those who have even minimally questioned neo-Darwinism in favor of intelligent design have lost jobs, grants, and credibility. But it broadens this focus to look at what it costs our society to have unquestioned support for evolution and staunch opposition to intelligent design. As Ben Stein pointed out in an interview with Bill O'Reilly, Darwinism was "a brilliant theory in the middle of the 19th century. It's the 21st-century, there are a lot of questions being raised about it. Nobody had any idea the cell was so complex. We would just like to ask some questions." (This is in reference to the evolutionist idea that all life arose from a single cell--and how biologists now see how complicated a single cell is, but aren't allowed to question this very basis of evolutionary theory.)

Read her whole review here. There is a youtube trailer in her post, and also an interview video, that are worth watching. But seriously, like she said, "sometimes a vote with the wallet at the box office can be quite meaningful." We don't go see movies very often, but this one is worth paying for.

Soccer game #3

After a run to the food court at the mall, we all headed back to the field for a little more soccer goodness, since last Saturday's game was rained out and needed to be rescheduled. I am feeling the term *soccer mom.* How do people do this? Isn't Saturday supposed to be devoted to yard work and house projects?

Instead I'm left desperately wishing I understood what I'm doing with this camera in my hands. Maybe entering the whole organized sports phase will be motivation....

Before the afternoon round of games, they held player introductions. Basically the kids lined up and ran through the tent, streamers, and smoke bombs, while they blasted music and yelled their names. Ethan felt like he was a pro!

So did Christian!

And the game began, this time against Isaac's team. Isaac is the son of a guy Dave roomed with in college, Dan. Isaac is the dark haired boy a few paces in front of Ethan. That kid has energy!

Ethan is mesmerized by this little blonde beauty. He always tries to sit out when she does, so they can talk. :)

I'm in good company, I guess. Anne even buys her daughter a t-shirt proclaiming it!

Abby was quite content to pose for me all day.

Oops...gotta watch the field....

Wham!

Get the ball!

Christian in motion - he is focused!

And this one just made me laugh...gotta chew those nails down from the pressure!

It was a good day. Ethan had a blast. Simon just kicked the ball up and down the slide lines the whole time, so he had fun too. Next time we'll try to remember sunscreen. Ethan's white skin was in shock from all those hours in the direct sun! I am a terrible mom. :(

Shots from soccer game #2

Ethan's team Lil' Surge played a double header on Saturday. Here's some shots from the early morning game against Camryn's team.

Ethan scored the first goal!

Ethan and his buddy Cam.

Stomach bugs and good little boys

Good news! That little stomach bug is over and done with - in a mere 36 hours! I am not sure if it was the massive amounts of probiotics I consumed, or just my incredible immune system (that's a laugh, isn't it?), but I am so thankful to feel normal again.

The timing is always off for these kinds of things, isn't it? We never seem to get sick when life is slow and we were planning to stay home anyway. Oh wait! That's because life is never that slow! Ha, what was I thinking?

Regardless, it was a busy time for Dave, and so there was no calling hubby home to take care of this sick momma.

But I have to brag on my kiddos for just a bit. When I was at my worst on Wednesday afternoon and evening, they handled it so well! They played in their rooms together for hours until Dave made it home, never once giving me a minute of trouble. No arguing, no fighting, no repetitive ball throwing against the wall until I felt like loosing my mind. I was amazed, and oh, so thankful for small mercies.

The picture above is from a different day, but they did a lot of reading together, from what I overheard from my bed.

At one point I heard Ethan tell Simon, "Hey, brother, let's go get a snack in the kitchen. Come with me, brother." And they headed into the kitchen to eat a cheese stick together.

Meanwhile, I was hugging the toilet. :(

They took care of themselves for 5 hours without any help from me. And the house was still in really good shape when Dave got home. Aren't they the best?!

To me, it is just a reassurance that they are learning something here at home. I have to admit, sometimes I wonder! I find myself venting here about the hard days more often than the good ones, and I really shouldn't do that. It isn't an accurate picture of life around here. Not that Wednesday was a particularly good day for me, but seriously, my boys could not have been better behaved. It made me realize that our training is somehow paying off, even now while they are young, and there is no way we can quit now!

Because some days I feel like quitting. Okay, there, I said it. Don't be shocked. My husband hears it all the time. Don't worry though - he won't let me quit. :)

I thought of Proverbs 29:17 today,

"Correct your son, and he will give you rest; Yes, he will give delight to your soul."

and Hebrews 12:11,

"Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."

It is not for nothing! We serve the Lord when we train little ones at home for Him. And work for Him yields fruit, in His time. This is so humbling to me because I regularly feel like the most impatient momma out there. I have one bad day, and I am just sure I have failed completely! (I am so dramatic, aren't I?) But on Wednesday I was reminded to continue on, to be faithful in what the Lord has asked of me. Because it does matter. Because it has an effect.

Because the Lord is working in our family - in His time. Isn't that reassuring?