Big boy chair

Luke's first time eating in a big boy chair.

Luke ate dinner at the table with the rest of the family for the first time. No more highchair!

Luke said

Luke naps every day in Hunter's room because I'm pretty sure both kids napping in the same room would lead to no sleep, and eventually insanity....Anyways, after I put him in bed he always looks up at the fan,

"What's that, Mama?"

Me, "It's a fan, honey."

Luke, "It eat me?"

"No, fans don't eat people. You're safe."

Sigh of relief, "Oh, feel better."

.....To be repeated at next nap time.

What the Lord has given

This year we've made a decision that I have agonized over what to do, whether it is right, etc, etc. Every time a new "wrinkle" comes up in life I tend to revisit it and stress again. That kind of thinking doesn't tend to lead to a nice peaceful frame of mind, haha.
So recently John and I were talking with our pastor about a related issue, and he made the statement, "This is what the Lord has given you, be thankful, make the best of it."
That simple statement helped me so much! It's true. At this point that is exactly what the Lord has given us. There are no other options. So for now I will remember those words. Be thankful for the good, trust the Lord in the bad that He knows what He is doing, and it will be for His glory, and ignore any criticism from people who think they know the situation better than us, but really don't know all the details. A somewhat cryptic post, haha, but I am writing this down as a reminder for myself when I am tempted to doubt that the Lord is doing what is good.

"Yea, the LORD shall give that which is good;                                            and our land shall yield her increase. Righteousness shall go before him;                          and shall set us in the way of his steps. Psalm 85:12-13
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Caroline said

Caroline "Daddy, I'm going to tell you a choke,"

"What's that, honey?"
"You're supposed to laugh."

"Dukie, Mam is making pancakes for dinner."

  Duke, "No!! Burgers."

At dinner, Caroline, "Mama, these croutons are good. They're kind of crunchy like bones!"

Whenever Dukie gets hurt he asks, "Ahhh kiss?" We kiss the injury and he says, "Tanks."

After getting up from a three and half hour nap, "Duke, did you have a good nap?"
"No, not yet."

"Caroline, how did the cheese from your sandwich end up on the floor?"
Caroline, "I think the bread kicked it."

And just for fun, one from Hunter from a few years back!

October 15, 2012 · 

loves the way children can put things. Yesterday Hunter referred to the time before "we got Stef." It kind of sounded like they picked me up at a shelter or the pound, LOL.

Coats and Camo

So Duke looked like a little hunter in this outfit today, the funny faces and doll baby add a nice touch, lol.

Caroline and Luke.

I had to pull out coats for the first time this fall.

That sad day when it gets too cold for flip flops :-(

Sermon notes

To add to my teaching the kids from the Bible posts, recently John and I started having Hunter answer these questions on the sermon that are included in the bulletin each week. Neither John or I are note takers (I can't keep up and get majorly stressed out), so we did'n't want to overwhelm him, but we did want to give him some kind of responsibility that will force him to pay some attention! On Sunday afternoon John goes through his answers with him, explains things,etc.

Black List

John and I recently finished watching Person of Interest, and the latest season of Longmire so we ended up choosing this as our new show. The first two episodes were very entertaining, and I'm looking forward to continuing it tonight after the kids are in bed!

23 months old

Dukie is 23 months old! How can my baby be going to be two NEXT month?!
Duke loves his Grandma and Great Grandpa, but calls them Meema, and Beepa.
Duke talks ALLLLL the time.
Duke loves airplanes, tractors, cars, trucks, school buses, any vehicle.
His favorite toy that he plays with every day is his barn and little people animal set.
He always has some little treasure he carries around and sleeps with, a car, a plastic egg, a book, a sick, etc.
Luke is very interested in his colors these days, but everything is "Red," haha.
Whenever Dukie gets hurt he asks, "Ahhh kiss?" We kiss the injury and he says, "Tanks."
We love our little Duke.

Parenting

Please tell me I am not the only mom that sometimes looks at her children and feels a little panic, like "How in the world did I ever think this was a good idea? That I could do this mothering thing?"
Especially after seeing a bad story on the news, I get nervous about my children going into such a sinful, scary world, all I need to teach them, and equip them with......etc, etc. It can feel so overwhelming at times! So this morning when I came across this Jeremiah Burroughs quote in my facebook memories I saw it in a new light, thinking of it in regard to parenting.

"Perhaps God sees it is better for you to live in a continual dependence upon Him, and not to know what your condition shall be on the morrow, than for you to have a more settled condition in terms of comfort of the creature. Christ does not teach us to pray, "Lord, give me enough to serve me for two or three years," but, "This day our daily bread." This is to teach us we must live upon God in a dependant condition every day."

So today we will focus on being kind to siblings, sharing, our Bible reading, catechism question 9, and the hundred other things that parenting littles brings up every day, and will try to do our best with today, and leave the future in the Lord's hands. Trust that He will give us the grace and wisdom and abilities we need for all tomorrows when that time comes! Hard work for a parent who likes to be in control! But for the record, as overwhelming as parenting sometimes is, I wouldn't change a thing, and I feel very blessed to have been given these little ones to parent. And a couple thoughts to finish off with -

"Always follow your work with believing prayer."

"Live one day at a time, no more. It is the burden of one day that the Lord carries. 'Give us this day our daily bread.'"

Andrew Bonar

Potty training update

A long time ago we promised Caroline a trip to Dairy Queen once she started pooping on the potty (I know ya'll wanted to hear that, haha ). Today was the day!

It was a family party!

Everyone wins when Caroline uses the potty, lol.

Reading to our children

So true! We do both, they are read the Bible every evening in family worship, and from a Bible story book most days.

Risen Motherhood

13 hrs · 

Mamas, don't forget to read your children the REAL Bible.

When the Israelites sat around and listened to the law read in full, scripture tells us that children were present. I imagine they squirmed, cried, fought with each other, and sometimes wandered off from their parents. Listening to something so drawn out and complex might have felt boring - but obviously, God thought it was important that ALL the Israelites heard it.

We often overlook the actual Bible in favor of colorful children's versions, because we fear the concepts are over their heads.

---> I wonder if the Israelite parents thought this too..."Can't we go back to the tent now? My kids can't understand the law anyway. I'll give them a summary as they get older."

But remember, this isn't an ordinary book. This book contains God's living and active words which aren't restricted to a certain age or cognitive ability.

Just as God's words are able to root themselves deep into our hearts, transforming our minds to become more like Jesus - God's words can miraculously imprint themselves on the hearts of our children (before they even understand what that imprint means).

Pick up the Bible, give them a Bible, model reading the Bible, make the Bible the most important book in your house.

Children's Bibles can be wonderfully helpful tools, but don't forget that the real thing is more than sufficient!

<3 Emily

Luke's stash

See that pretzel stuck between the couch cushions? That is classic Luke behavior. He stashes and hides things all the time. ....and then forgets where he put them. Toys, snacks, rocks, treasures, his toothbrush, his cup.....He hides them all. We've learned to check our couch, and under Grandma's couch first when something is missing.

Also, I love chubby baby feet!

Apple picking

We picked apples at Great Grandpa's house this afternoon. All those free apples are a blessing! We eat a lot of fruit.