3 More Days Until Daddy Gets Home!

Making The Switch From Disposable To Cloth

Cloth diapers never even crossed my mind with Areyna. My interest began when I was pregnant with Zeke but I never followed through. My interest began to grow when I was pregnant with Micaiah and when my friend, Rita made the switch I really got the itch to do it. She has a GREAT POST reviewing several different styles/types along with her personal experience with them, which gave me a great place to start my research! I remembered my friend, Emily, using cloth with her first two, while living in Africa, so I called her to see if she still had them, if she liked them, and if she wasn't using them if she'd be willing to sell them to me.

Within 4 days I had the box of cloth diapers sitting on my doorstep and I couldn't wait to get them on Cai's cute little bootie!

One reason why I hesitated to go this route was because I didn't think it was even worth it now because we were already on our third baby and he is almost 11 months old.

Good thing I'm a numbers girl, though. I did a little number crunching for you so you can see what I saw. Let the numbers speak for themselves.

Keep in mind that these figures are very relative, but should put a little perspective on the monetary benefit for making the switch, even this late in the game. Now, if you can get those GREAT diaper deals by stacking coupons, store deals and store coupons, like I had been getting, you can get a pack of diapers for between $4-$6. This is way cheaper than getting the big boxes at the warehouses because the warehouses rarely do sales and don't accept coupons. So, again, these figures are going to be very relative!

Let's say we just average $5 a pack which has 45 diapers in them. Again, each pack is different and some have less diapers and some have more, so we're just averaging here.

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Let's start with babies first year:

53 - weeks in a year

12 of which your baby will use at least 10 diapers a day

41 of which your baby will use at least 5 diapers a day

That is: 840 diapers in the first 12 weeks

1435 diapers in the remaining 41 weeks

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2,275 diapers in just the first year alone (AT LEAST!)

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That's 50.5 packs of diapers w/ 45 diapers per pack

@ $5 a pack

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TOTAL : $252.50 (if you buy them at regular price you are looking at about $450)

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Babies Second Year (and most of the time third year as well, if not more)

@ 5 diapers a day/53 weeks a year - 45 diapers/pack @ $5 a pack

That's: 1855 diapers a year

which is roughly 41.2 packs a year

TOTAL: $206.11 for every additional year

If your baby is in diapers for ONLY 3 years you'll be spending $664.72 in disposable diapers, not including the wipes. IF you can find them for $5 a pack and IF your child is potty trained by 3.

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I spent $250 for Emily's used cloth diapers, which have already been through 2 kids, and are still in great shape. I should be set for the rest of our kids!

I did buy several new FuzziBunz inserts online today because I've been using the pre-folds inside and they are pretty bulky so that was an additional $45. (they were $4 each)

So, for less than $300 I am set! That's less than a whole year of disposables (if you are getting a good deal on every pack), and I'm not having to throw anything away!

I'm definitely not saying this is for everybody, but I am encouraging those of you who are sitting on the fence waiting to make the plunge. It's worth it! You can buy them new, you can get them used at consignment stores/sales, off of Craig's List and many of the major brands sell discounted ones as seconds for much cheaper.

I'm not an expert by any means; Rita, Emily and my mom can vouch for that (thanks for answering all my silly questions:), but I'll post how our first week has gone, tomorrow, to let you know what mistakes I've made so far and what has worked best for us.

Not Me Monday

I am always very careful when emptying the dishwasher, so I most certainly did NOT knock over a glass onto the floor, breaking it into tiny pieces all over the floor, just seconds before 3 extra little ankle biters were to walk into the house. That would NEVER happen to me. Only the kids (and Josh) do things like that!

And since we are talking about NOT being clumsy...

I most definitely did NOT knock over a freshly poured, FULL, cup of soda that I had been looking forward to all day. (besides, who actually "looks forward" to a soda anyway!) Nope, not me. I'd never spill a soda without even getting a sip! Especially 2 hours after NOT breaking a glass on the floor.

And since we are still on the topic of NOT being clumsy...

I always pay close attention while feeding Cai, so I would NEVER hold his bowl full of mushed-up bananas in reach of his greedy little fingers. Nope, I'd never be that clumsy. Especially if it was only 30 minutes after NOT spilling my soda all over the kitchen!

Therefore, I DID NOT have to pull my swiffer out for the third time in 3 hours. Nope, not me!

And, I DEFINITELY DID NOT start crying, with banana dripping down my legs and all around my feet and ask Josh to stay home from his camp this week. Nope not me. I always keep my composure in tact. I mean, who cries for their husband to stay home from work for a week because of spilled bananas anyway?!

Read some other "Not Me Monday" entries here:)

Look What The UPS Man Dropped Off On My Doorstep

I'll give you a hint!

They come in different colors...

...they are adjustable...

...and they look super cute on Micaiah's booty.

We've made the switch to cloth!

Fun Facts For Friday - Updates

1 - Our best buds Jeremiah and Jenn are leaving THIS SUNDAY to go get their precious Eli from Ethiopia! I can't stop thinking about it and praying for them. I can't even begin to imagine how this must feel. Pray with me for them. I know they'd love to hear from you too!

2 - Well, the kids have been in the same room for 4 days now and there has been no catastrophy to speak of. They have done amazing! As a matter of fact, Cai gave me a grin when I showed him around his "new" room. I can tell they love all being together! They can even nap together without incidence too. We are shocked!

3 - Micaiah had been really fussy since last Saturday and started having a fever on Wednesday night. I'm thinking, "Oh great! He's got another ear infection so the garlic drops aren't working" and "His little necklace isn't working it's magic!" So, I took him to the doctor yesterday because his fever was spiking rapidly. Of course it was just a virus that they can't do anything for, but at least I know that there is nothing else I can do. Plus, I learned that his ears look great! I hadn't heard that from a doctor in several months!!! That means the garlic drops have done the trick and they really are working! No more ear infections for my little boy, woohoo!

4 - You may have seen on facebook and twitter that I had a little incident a couple of days ago involving boiling water and my stomach. I am pleased to announce that my 4 little pea-sized blisters are healing very nicely. Thanks to all my concerned friends out there;) I just have to add...Areyna came to me a little while after this happened and told me that she and Zeke stopped and prayed for my boo-boo to get better "real quick". Wow!

5 - Josh got back late afternoon yesterday from a camp. He said it went well. As a matter of fact we know of at least 23 kids who gave their life to Christ this week. Praise The Lord!!!

BONUS FACT: Josh's friend, Will Hughes, interviewed Josh on his blog about our ministry. It's a pretty cool little write-up. You should go check it out to see how our ministry has evolved:)

Happy Friday Ya'll!

What Can You Do?

Zeke: "Mommy, I'm sorry."

Me: "Why baby?"

Zeke: "I accidentally poopied in the grass."

Me: silence...thinking...staring...still waiting for words to come out of my mouth...

Me: FINALLY "Uh...you mean you poopied in your pants?"

Zeke: "No, in the grass behind the playhouse in the backyard."

Me: silence again...followed by uncontrollable laughter!!!!

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There are just some times in the parenting journey when the only thing to do is laugh!

Busy Body

Micaiah took his first step on Tuesday

and it is now safe to say that he signs

"all done" and "more" pretty consistantly.

My little...I mean, "young", boy isn't so young anymore.

(he's not been "little" for a while! HA)

Micaiah has become quite a busy body around the house.

I've given up on straightened bookshelves,

and toys in their rightful places.

Words Of Wisdom - The TWO MEN In My Life

Me: "Zeke, you look so handsome!!!! I LOVE it when you wear real clothes. What made you go change and put real clothes on?"

Zeke: patting his chest - "My heart:)"

When Josh was leaving for his camp this week he told Zeke that he was the man of the house this week. We had one major "freak-out" that first day. I had a long talk to him about how he needed to be the man of the house. Not just a "big boy" for me. But a man. I told him how I can't run this house by myself when daddy is gone and that I needed him to be the man for me while daddy was gone.

That was all it took. He has been SO good this week.

I do realize that as soon as I write a blog about something my kid's have accomplished, they tend to turn around and do the opposite, but how can I not brag on my little man mowing the grass in REAL clothes and "fixing" things around the house and exercising and practicing his music and...sound familiar?!

Out Of Necessity

Areyna and Zeke started out with separate rooms.

But, when we started traveling as a family, we quickly realized that, if we were going to make this work, we were going to have to make a change.

After an awful night, that we will never forget, we went home and went to work on rearranging the kid's rooms. After that trip our kids began sharing a room. It was an adjustment for sure, but one that I'll never regret.

Now we have 3 kids in the mix.

Micaiah has had his own room since he was born. But, after 10 months of traveling together, we have realized that Cai is a SUPER LIGHT SLEEPER! That just doesn't fly the night before we have to get up early and lead worship. Especially when both Areyna and Zeke are prone to talk, and walk, in their sleep.

After this weekend, and a rough Saturday night, we were forced to make a change at home. Which I don't mind at all. I love rearranging. It's home re-decorating with a $0 budget!

We talked to the kids about how we needed to help Micaiah learn how to sleep with other people in the room, and that we wanted to include them in this decision.

As soon as I asked Areyna if she'd like her own room she got a HUGE smile. Then I said, "OR you could share a room with Zeke AND Micaiah." Her smile grew even bigger and she was pumped.

Even after I asked if Zeke wanted an "all-boy room" he just couldn't seem to part with Rainy.

So, the next morning I went to work on the kids rooms.

BEFORE: Micaiah's room from the doorway

BEFORE: Micaiah's Room

BEFORE: Areyna and Zeke's room

I know...we still need to paint!

AFTER: Micaiah's room from the doorway

NOW the playroom/guest room

AFTER: Micaiah's room

NOW the playroom/guest room

This one takes a little imagination -

picture brown walls...eventually

AFTER: Areyna and Zeke's room

NOW all 3!

The play closet is now the changing room:)

The first night was a success. Micaiah woke up one time because of Zeke coughing and went right back to sleep after a minute or so.

Zeke got up and went to the bathroom around 7:30am so that woke Cai up but I didn't go in and get him until 8am even though he fussed off and on.

The tricky part is going to be keeping Areyna and Zeke sleeping until their normal 8:30-9am wake-up time when I have to feed Cai around 8am.

I won't complain though. I was prepared for a nightmare of a night. We'll see how day 2 goes.

Sometimes I Just Hurt When They Hurt

Areyna has become quite the bug/critter expert. Well, let me rephrase that, seeing as how they all end up being dead bugs/critters. She has become quite fond of God's little unique creations. We have had so many "pets" over the past couple of months in this house. Only a handful have survived, but they have all been deeply loved. The bug catcher has a permanent home on the desk in Rainy and Zeke's room. When the green sign goes under the door and the kids come walking down the hall Zeke always has his bubby and a bag. Areyna always brings her bug catcher to give an update on the livelihood of our newest family member.

A couple of days ago I found a baby tree frog in my garden that I caught for her. She absolutely LOVED it! He was pretty cute if I may say so. She carried him around the rest of the day and then he took residence on the desk through the night.

When Areyna walked down the hallway the next morning with tears in her eyes I knew we had a problem. She didn't say a word. Instead she just handed me the bug catcher with a shriveled up baby tree frog inside. I don't mean just a little shriveled up. I mean, he was about half the size he was the day before.

I mean, who knew tree frogs needed to be kept in water?!

All this just days after I accidentally smooshed her praying mantis while trying to re-catch him after Zeke knocked over the bug catcher. The critter-loving life is not a life for the tender-hearted. We have had too many losses to be able to bear.

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Zeke loves tools. He loves when Josh gets his own tools out to fix something. He'll run to his room and search out the same tool that Josh is using and go to work. He even comes out with the appropriate safety attire: goggles, hard hat and gloves (snow gloves, ha!).

Well, Josh has been slowly tackling the eyesore in our front yard this week and Zeke has been "helping". Zeke's gotten so into it that he'll get all ready to work in the yard before Josh will even get home from work. As soon as Josh walked in the door yesterday Zeke asked Josh to help him cut the tree some more=)

This picture were taken just moments before Zeke realized that his tools weren't cutting it...literally. He was absolutely devastated when his saw wasn't even making a dent in the limb. He kept saying "It's not working" through his sobs. It was SO sad!

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I know it may sound silly, but these seemingly small circumstances to us are huge to them and I can't help but hurt with them.

How much more do you think our Heavenly Father hurts over our hurts with us, even the little things.

Sunday Best

Scrubba-dub-dub

Josh was taking Zeke out for a meeting and band rehearsal so it was just us girls...and Micaiah. When we split up like this Areyna gets SO excited to do special "girl" stuff. I asked her what she wanted to do and she insisted on finishing a painting project she had been working on.

Next on the agenda? She wanted to clean the house.

Let me just tell you what this little girl did all by herself for me!

She washed all the dishes from dinner

She cleaned up all the toys around the house

She washed the windows in the living room

She cleaned the mirrors in her bathroom

She scrubbed both toilets

When she would finish a task she'd just stand there and think about what she wanted to do next. That's my girl;)

Lover Of The Guilty

Lover of the Guilty - June 13, 2010 from Journey Church on Vimeo.

This is Josh's new song we did this past Sunday at Journey. Enjoy!

Fun Facts For Friday

1 - Did you know that if you turn the lights off in the kitchen you are less likely to go in and grab a snack in the evening?

2 - Sometimes after I just want one bite of ice cream I'll put the spoon directly in the dishwasher because I know that if I set it on the counter I'm more likely to get "just one more bite".

3 - I am slowly changing my kid's palate. I've been drastically cutting down on "snack food" and buying different vegetables, fruits, dips and nuts. They may not like something the first time I offer it, but the more I offer it the more likely they are to start developing a taste for it.

4 - If I take a shower first thing in the morning my workout will never happen...not that it will happen if I don't get around to taking my shower until right before bed, I'm just sayin'.

5 - If I do get that workout in I am more likely to drink water the rest of the day, as opposed to more coffee or a soda.

Snorkeler

Nobody Likes A Know-It-All

I've told you how much I enjoy our small group before but let me tell you one of the special things about our group.

We truly live life together. Each week when we sit around the dinner table we dive into each other's lives and talk about our day, our struggles, our praises, our work, our families...

This, in and of itself, is very special, but Josh and I frequently talk about one thing, specifically, that stands out about our group.

When one person is struggling with something nobody chimes in to express their opinions on the matter or to share their own experiences. Nobody acts like a know-it-all. They actually listen. They actually pray with the individual about the issue and, if asked, give advice, but only if it is truly relevant.

Let's say I've had a rough day with Zeke. He has been throwing tantrums all day! I've been with the kids all day and I just need to talk it out sometimes, you know? Nothing is worse than someone saying, "Oh man, when my third one did that we had to ___________", or "You know what worked for us?" Sometimes it's just nice to have a listening ear, unless you really are seeking answers. You don't need people telling you that they've been through the exact same thing, you just need people to pray with you through it.

Here's another example. Imagine being 2 months pregnant and you are super sick, all day, every day. You are having a really "sick" day and everyone is asking how you are feeling. You are honest enough to say that you don't feel so good and then the other ladies go into the stories of each of their pregnancies and how sick they were and they had to have been worse off than you are. "So, don't worry, it will be over soon."

See, I'm working on this myself.

So, often I want to interject my "knowledge" on an issue, which is hardly God-given most of the time, just to feel like I've "helped", when sometimes I just need to shut up and listen. To be quiet. To sympathise.

The other cool thing about our group is that, because of this, I am more prone to ask questions...A LOT of questions.

We have the youngest kids in the group. We have parents of kids all the way up to seniors in high school and the things they come to group heart-broken over are things I am not looking forward to, in the least, much less have experience with. You better believe I spend lots of time with these moms asking specific questions on how they handle situations like attitudes, cussing, sexuality, boyfriends/girlfriends, makeup, etc.

So today, just try listening. Believe me, I know it's hard, but it can be more encouraging than you realize! Because, nobody likes a know-it-all.

Sometimes You Just Need A Change Of Scenery

I went in to get Zeke up from his nap the other day...

...and he wasn't in his bed.

He had fallen into a deep sleep UNDER his bed.

As you can tell he woke up a little disoriented.

Sometimes you just need a change of scenery to relax.

Nothing

I had no post for today.

No clever ideas.

No great insights.

No money saving tidbits.

No ah-ha moments.

No silly kid stories.

All I could hear was the pounding up above.

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At 7:20am this morning we heard our doorbell ringing. We rolled over thinking it was just our imaginations, or maybe we were just hoping whoever it was would just go away.

Well, they didn't. They just kept ringing the doorbell.

Then we remembered that we were getting a new roof today! But really? 7:20am, after such a long weekend, on our day off? Doesn't everyone know that Monday's are our day of? Of course they don't...oh well.

So the pounding begun.

Cai slept until about 10 'til 8 and then Rainy and Zeke came sauntering out of their room, still half asleep, wandering what all the racket was.

It wasn't like when we got our roof redone in Charlotte. Which, by the way, is considered torture to anyone who has had to endure it 2 times in less than one year! That team only had about 4 guys and it took them several days. They worked on a section at a time so we could just move around the house to find a quiet place. The crew today had about a dozen men and they covered the whole roof. There was no escape.

We decided to take a field trip to see some cousins and hang out for a while.

By the time we got home at 6:30 they were packing up. They had completed our roof in under 12 hours! It looks great. We've got peace and quiet again.

And that was our Monday.

I Did NOT Have To...

...give my kids a bath this weekend.

...quiet my kids during a wedding ceremony on Friday night.

...share my chocolate covered strawberries at the wedding.

...share my cake at the wedding.

...share my punch at the wedding. (oh hush, you know you love wedding food too;)

...interrupt my kid's nap-time to get to our Saturday night service.

...pack dinners for my kids for church on Saturday night.

...try to explain why we could "only stay for a little bit" at the pig-pickin graduation party.

...lay out the kids meals and clothes for a long Sunday at church.

...get anyone else ready by 6:30am this morning except for myself.

...strategically figure out how to get real clothes on Zeke for church today.

...interrupt my kid's sleep, yet again, to make it to church this morning.

...leave band rehearsal early to feed Micaiah.

...jump off of stage to "correct" my children once this morning.

Why?

Because my parents did it all!

The kids loved having their Nonnie and G-Daddy here this weekend. We did too! Thank you SO much for all your help herding our family around!

Weather Lesson

If you know me at all you know that I'm a weather girl. I may have missed my true calling in life. I'd love to go to meteorology school if I ever had the opportunity. Either that or spy school...

Anyway, here are a few personal weather statistics about me before we begin our lesson.

1. I watched the weather channel during the births of our first two children.
2. I always know what the weather is going to be at the destination we are traveling to. I like to know what to expect, ya know?!
3. I used to play "weather man" with my little brother when we would watch the storms roll in across the Texas plains.
4. I "follow" WRAL weather on twitter. Josh laughs at me, but who is the first one to know when Perquimans County is under a severe Thunderstorm Warning, huh?
5. I have a secret love affair with Greg Fischel.

Ok, on to today's lesson.

Have you ever wondered what the difference between "isolated", "scattered" or "likely" is when referring to rain or storms?

"Isolated" = a probability of less than 30%.

"Scattered" = a 30% - 50% probability.

"Likely" = the probability is 60% or more.

Let me know if you have any other questions you'd like me to answer;)

Fun Facts For Friday

Fly Lady was back in the kitchen, and my kitchen is still pretty clean after my last sweep through so I decided to tackle a few things outside this week;)

1 - It took me two days to mow the grass this week. I get so into my projects that it's hard for me to stop and take a break, so it's probably a good thing that the mower ran out of gas on me. I picked it right back up the next day and finished it. Have I mentioned before that we have a HUGE yard! Not only that, but it is mainly weeds. Why in God's creation do weeds grow quicker than grass and why oh why does it already look like it could use another cutting already?!

Notice the dirt-creases arms

and NO that is not a nice tan on my legs, ha!

Notice, also, that I cropped my face out. My hair was hidious and I was just praying that nobody would go by that knew me.

2 - I started trimming the bushes in the front yard. We hadn't done anything with them since we moved in and they were getting out of control! I've spent several hours out there over the past couple of days weeding and trimming and bagging. I've seen way more wolf spiders than I ever care to see and those darn holly bushes have made my arms swell up each place I was pricked. Grrr...

Still Have A Ways To Go...

But Here's What I've Done So Far

3 - I have wanted to organize our storage shed since we moved in. Everything that looked like it belonged outside was just piled in there and we have just been pulling things out and piling them back in after their use. It was driving me CRAZY! It's still full of quite a bit of stuff from our landlord but it looks much better. We even got the kids strollers and bikes in there.

BEFORE

AFTER

We are getting a new roof because we had a leak in our living room, but after that, maybe people will stop coming by offering their services for things around the house like roofing, tree disposal and landscaping. I know we've looked a little redneck lately but sheesh!

4 - Totally un-related, but Micaiah is in roomtime with Rainy and Zeke right now. They are LOVING having a real baby to play "mommy and daddy" with. Not so fun for Cai;)

5 - I'm fresh out of facts for today. I'm spent and realizing more and more that these youth conferences are taking longer and longer to recover from. It might help if I stayed out of the 90 degree weather doing yard work for a day or two after getting home, I suppose.

Happy Friday!

Road Trip Interrupted

Yesterday, I told you I'd let you in on why our 3.5 hour trip took 3 hours longer than expected.

We were 45 minutes down the road, headed back home from Myrtle Beach. Josh kept saying "I feel like I forgot something." Sure enough, while we were talking about our merchandise we realized that we had forgotten the pipe and drape we borrowed for our merchandise table.

Seriously?

I mean, we HAD to turn around. We didn't have any other options. We could gripe and complain about it but that would just make us even more frustrated. Okay, maybe we griped and complained just a little bit;)

To top it off, the kids had just fallen asleep. If you are a parent you KNOW that once your kids wake up from a nap that's it. No more nap. No more quiet ride.

Anyway, we got back to the Springmaid Resort where we had been staying. The kids were really confused when they woke up in the back seat to find us right back where we had started, ha.

Thankfully the conference building was still unlocked so Josh got right in and was able to load it in the trailer in no time.

Fast forward a couple of hours.

We were driving back down the interstate and Josh noticed that a van in front of us had a flat tire. They didn't appear to be pulling over any time soon, so I told Josh to ride up next to it so I could let them know that they had a flat.

It was a lady all by herself in the vehicle and she took my cue immediately. We followed her off the next exit to see if she might need any help.

She was fairly new to the area and all alone. On her way to work. I can't begin to tell you how many times she thanked us for stopping and helping.

Josh got right out and went to work on the tire. She had kept her distance from me and the kids...until she saw Micaiah. I was pulling him out to feed him really quick and she came over immediately and started making over him and the other two.

She began unraveling her life story while I fed Cai. There's no need for me to go into details except for the fact that she and her family need Christ. She was a captive audience for me as I shared a little bit about what we do and why we do it. I mean, it's not like she could go anywhere=)

Then, she asked if we had a website or something.

I told her that we didn't give that kind of stuff out to strangers. Just kidding! Of course we had something to put in her hands. I had something WAY BETTER than a website to give her. I handed her an "All That Glitters" CD, which seemed more than appropriate for this woman who struggled with gambling.

The Lord allowed the kids to happily keep each other occupied, without pushing too many important buttons in the car, so I could give all my attention to this woman, while Cai helped her heart soften toward the words we spoke.

So, if we wouldn't have forgotten the pipe and drape we would never have met this woman and she would not have heard the gospel that day. We could have used our kids as an excuse. They were hot, tired, hungry and we needed to keep going so we could get home at a decent hour. But if we would have kept driving, ignoring this divine interruption, we would have missed this opportunity.

Coincidence? I don't think so!

Oasis 10

We had a GREAT weekend at Ingleside's camp, Oasis 10. I love that we've gotten to minister to this group of students so many times that we are actually starting to recognize faces and build friendships.

Our band was amazing! We had Patrick Downing on Bass, Jordan Leino on drums, Andy Cherry on Electric and Scott Spruill on Keys.

Last year Ingleside brought in Tenth Avenue North. This year they brought in Master Illusionist, Harris III. It was unreal. Josh and I spent several hours on the way home (I know, it's only supposed to take 3.5 hours. I'll tell you about that trip tomorrow!) speculating as to how he did it all. Zeke has been acting out magic tricks since we got home. The cool thing about it is that Harris relates his illusions to Christianity.

Dr. Alvin Reid was the speaker for the weekend and did a great job communicating to all the students.

Several students accepted Christ and many others made decisions. There was a sweet spirit for sure.

Our kids had a great time too. We spent hours in the pools. I mean, good grief, with 8 to choose from... And don't forget the ocean that we could watch from our hotel room patio and walk to whenever we wanted.

Check out Zeke's new trick:

He didn't need my help in the least this trip.

We had so much help with our kids during services,

Lana and the kids

and meals.

Matt feeding Micaiah

and just loving on them.

Katelyn designated Areyna as an honorary yellow team member

Thank you everyone for all your help and for being so sweet to our kids! (and thanks Katelyn for the pictures;)

The Bubby Battle

Both Zeke and Micaiah are VERY attached to their "bubbies".

The only problem is...

Zeke knows EXACTLY which ones are his...

and Cai does NOT!

Little Shadows

They follow me around everywhere.

They hear every word that comes out of my mouth.

They watch my every move.

They take note of every action and reaction to each life experience.

They are named Areyna, Zeke and Micaiah.

We were running errands the other day and I was a little frantic because we were doing our usual...unpacking to repack. I felt like I had a million things to get done and we were leaving the next morning.

Me: at buisiness bank "Ugh...this is taking FOREVER!"

Areyna: "Maybe the lady is helping someone else first, mommy."

Me: at personal bank "Good grief, this guy is just sitting there"

Areyna: "Maybe he is just thinking about something for a second."

Me: in the car behind some grandpa going 20 miles UNDER the speed limit on a 2-lane HWY "Are you serious?"

Areyna: "What mommy"

Me: "This guy is going SUPER slow."

Areyna: "Maybe he's lost"

Those sweet, gentle reminders that my children are ALWAYS watching me and listening to me.

AND that sometimes it's the mommy who needs to ask God to give her a "happy heart";)

Thank you Areyna for helping me change my heart!

10 Months

Weight: I'll let you know when we get home but he is over 21 pounds.

I mean, would you even think any less?!

Still loves to eat, but here are some of his faves:

grapes, bananas, semi-frozen pieces of peas, carrots and corn

and basically anything else edible;)

Pulls up to standing and shuffles his feet.

Tooth #3 came through on the 18th, Praise The Lord!

Now we're working on #4

This boy is stinkin' fast!

He knows where he wants to go and gets their fast.

Found out he is allergic to penicillin and is prone to ear infections. Awesome.

Loves going swimming and taking baths.

The beach? Not so much...YET.

None of our kids have ever been instant lovers of the ocean, but in due time...

Coos himself to sleep. It's really sweet.

We can tell when he finally falls asleep because his cute little sounds suddenly stop.

Gets mighty fiesty over not getting OUR food...

so sometimes he eats our food:)

Likes to "share", especially things that he's been chewing on...mmmm

Started singing this month.

The song that has always soothed our kids is:

"ho-ho-ho-ho-sannah

ha-ha-ha-le-luiah

He-He-He-He-saved-me

now-I've-got-the-joy-of-the-Lord"

When we start singing that song for Cai now,

he'll start "huh-huh-huh-huh"-ing along with us.

He is all boy!

Creating Environments

We're getting pretty darn good at "creating environments" in our hotel rooms so that we can all enjoy our stay.

The kids get to sleep in a fort! You can't beat that.

We don't have to go to bed when the kids do=)

Cai gets his own little section so that when he peeks over the top of his pack-n-play, albeit as cute as it is, he won't see any of us and will lay back down and go back to sleep. That's the plan anyway!

We're all about trying to keep our level of sanity at a tolerable level on these ministry trips.

Fun Facts For Friday

1 - Is this REALLY necessary??? I mean, how many kids do I have?
2 - Our garden has been SO fun to watch! This is our only strawberry that actually made it this season. We decided to cut it in quarters so we could each have a bite. I transplanted the strawberry plants to a better location so hopefully it will do better next year.

3 - Our first batch of tomatoes were yummy and our beans are growing like crazy. We had a bowl full for dinner a few nights ago and then Zeke pretty much cleaned the rest out of the garden while he was playing. I have to keep reminding him that we are saving them for meals and that he can't just go grab a handful at a time;) At least it's a healthy snack.

4 - Guess where we are? Our summer has officially begun! We are at our first of six camps that we're leading in June and July. We did this camp last summer for our friend's church and are so excited to be doing it again. We brought the kids this year and they are SO excited to be playing in the ocean!5 - This is a first. I made my kids fold their own laundry on Thursday while we were getting ready to pack up for camp. They weren't too enthused that I made them stop building their fort to help me out, ha! I had to bite my tongue while Zeke carried on his dad's tradition of folding his clothes inside out.

Happy Friday!