Time flies when you aren't watching the clock

I love taking pictures. I love uploading pictures to Facebook and my blog.

But I have fallen so far behind in my "picture uploading" that I feel OVERWHELMED!!!

So, bear with me while I blog about the previous month or two....
you don't mind, do you? ;-)

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We ended our summer with the girls heading back to school....."real school".

After two years of homeschooling, we decided it was high time for them to be involved in a tangible classroom, filled with other small humans and their (good AND bad) habits. In other words, our girls needed a dose of reality. Because I did not have the time to get involved in home school co-ops and other social outlets, homeschooling was not a good fit for our family. While sending them back to a traditional school was a huge change for our family--one that was prayed over much--but we know that it was the right move to make and we are ready for the challenge!

So....they are attending the little neighborhood school just up the street from us. They both have wonderful, dedicated teachers and have adjusted well to classroom life on a larger scale.

They ADORE music and art classes and are loving the hands-on stuff that they experience in science and math classes. We are so thankful for the Lord's leading in their classroom placement and are excited for opportunities to get into the lives of their school friends and their families.

Meanwhile, Elijah is loving that his sisters are in school and that he is the "only child" for a few hours.
He and I enjoy walking the girls to school every morning, and exploring through the open space near our house on the way home.


That is enough catching up for one post....in my next post, I will share about our last summer adventure!
I can't believe how fast the summer flew by.....

Love is in the air

Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays. Of course, it never was in college....when everyone else in the dorm was going on special dates with their boyfriends and getting 5 dozen roses delivered to their room....I didn't like it as much. But now that I have kids (and a husband), it has become more meaningful.

As our little family grew, I realized that Valentine's Day isn't just about giant chocolate lips and dozens of roses and grand romantic gestures....it is a day to stop and be thankful for all of the special people in your life. We should be thankful EVERY DAY actually, but this day is specifically devoted to that task. And it's a fun break in the middle of the winter monotony!

Now that our kids are a little older, my husband and I decided to start a Valentine tradition. Every year, the girls and I plan a special menu and go shopping for the food. Then they help me prepare the dinner and decorate the table, while Daddy and Littlest E go out and shop for us. They don't buy alot--just little meaningful trinkets really--but it is very special and the kids LOVE doing it!

On the menu this year is:

~crab cakes~
~grilled chicken~
~garlic mashed potatoes~
~garden salad~
~roasted asparagus~
~mini tiramisu cakes~

Of course, I will post pictures of the fancy event later on this week. ;-)
(Oh, and here is part of our decorations.....my friend shared this link with me! So fun!)

Do you have any Valentine's Day traditions?

Blessed be Your name, even when......

Josh has been sick most of the week, along with Little E. And that means.....lots of laundry, lots of cleaning, lots of liquids, not much sleep......but by Thursday, I thought I could see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Then that night, Middle E came down with the same thing.

*sigh*

Everyone was in a bad mood today, and it seemed like I could not get ahead on anything because of all the laundry and cleaning I was doing. I began to feel a bit sorry for myself.....

But God brought these verses to mind, as I was cleaning up the kitchen and muttering internally.

{2 Cor. 4:17--For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison.}

{James 1:2-4--Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.}

I was immediately convicted, knowing that God always has a sovereign purpose for everything that happens in my life, even if just to teach me patience and contentment.

But then, as if those Scripture passages were not enough to "put me in my place", I was catching up on my favorite blogs tonight and ran across this post (and the ones that followed.) It breaks my heart and puts me to shame that I was complaining about having to clean up after my sick little family! God is so good to me and I have nothing to complain about.....my trials are NOTHING compared to those of others around me.

I leave you with the lyrics to the song "Blessed Be Your Name".....
Every time we sing this song in church, it brings tears to my eyes as I wonder, 'Would I actually respond this way if bad things came into my life?' I hope I would, but I am humble enough to know it would probably not be a natural response.

Blessed be your name in the land that is plentiful
Where your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be your name
And blessed be your name when I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed be your name

Every blessing You pour out I'll turn back to praise
And when the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be Your name when the sun's shining down on me
When the world's all as it should be
Blessed be Your name
And blessed be Your name on the road marked with suffering
When there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name

*Lyrics by Matt and Beth Redman*

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will.....majorly tick me off!

My two oldest Es are 16.5 months apart.

Yes--you read that right. We are crazy....we have already fully embraced that. Thus why our middle and youngest Es are THREE YEARS APART. ;-)

Anyways, the girls are slowly becoming friends. They are at the right ages now where they can pretend on the same wave length. They are sharing a room again, which they seem to enjoy. They have even started teasing each other about boys.
Wait, what??? *sigh* Yes, it is true.

But they still have many moments where they fight like (rabid) cats and dogs. I now know what the so-called "cat fight" between women truly looks like! They are terrible to each other!

I have really been struggling with finding a good approach to this fighting. Like I said, they really do love each other, and when they are getting along, it is so precious. But then there are the other times. I want to find a way to minimize this bickering and slapping and screaming and hitting and shrieking and.....oh sorry. Can you tell it happens often? :-)

I read this excellent article this morning, which really pointed out some good things. We have also been memorizing some Bible verses about kindness and interpersonal relationships. But I wanted to know--how do you handle conflicts between your kids? Do you jump in and break up every fight? Do you try to smooth it over with psychological reasoning? Or do you just let them pound each other and hope for the best? Inquiring minds want to know.......

Some of my favorite glimpses of the last month....

Our middle E turned 5!

Little E on the beach.....

Big E, taking a rainy walk....

The cute birthday cupcakes that I made......

Flowers for my sis-in-law's wedding....

An Easter bouquet from a sweet friend....

....and butterflies that I made with my daycare kids.

Have a fun weekend!!!

In a slump

I am just not feeling inspired these days. I apologize to all 13 of you who read this blog.....I am sure it is disheartening when you check on me two or three times a day, and come up empty-handed.

I just have nothing of interest to blog about!

I mean, I guess I could write about my latest deals at the store.....(All of this for $3!)

.....but that seems boring to me.

I could put up some more pictures of my exquisitely adorable children, playing in their new sandbox that our super-sweet neighbor made for us.....

....but you all have fabulous children of your own....why look at my kids?

I could harp on you for not helping me in my latest quest. But then you might get angry and I would be down to....umm, 2 or 3 readers.

So, I guess I will just try again tomorrow. Perhaps inspiration will come in the night, after my long evening of packing to go see my brand-new, stinking-cute niece.....

.....but you wouldn't want to be bored with those details either.

Sigh. Inspiration, where are you?