Rose Petals. . .

Sarah asked me to make a rose petal aisle for her outdoor wedding to Micah. . . Daniel helped me stretch out cord to make a precise guide since she wanted very defined edges. I love how it turned out! This idea would be so pretty with fall leaves for an autumn wedding, too.

Nice-i-full

JD, making his bed. . .

{this is usually a battle involving his perfectionism, my insistance that he do it himself, and many tears}

"Today I will make my bed by myself, I will not fuss, I will not cry, I will be nice-i-full. Do you know what niceifull means? It means being nice to everybody!"

{so glad God gave me a girl}

She set the table. . .

. . . and fed her baby bites of zucchini bread (that she helped to bake). . .

. . .crystal light, anyone?. . .

I would have missed out on so much if God had answered my request for "only boys" - I'm glad He knows the big picture and doesn't always give us what we ask for!

He's loving this. . .

Cambria fell asleep while the kids were on the couch listening to Patch the Pirate- Jacob is enjoying a moment of peace. Now do you know how I feel?

How to Profit in the New Economy

I just think it's hilarious how much JD likes this magazine. Grandma sent it to Daniel for his birthday, and it's hard to say who enjoys it more!

Wipe him off the face of the. . .chalkboard wall

Cambria and Jacob Daniel have drawings of themselves on our chalkboard wall with their job lists next to the stick figures.

I caught Cambria, in a very selfish and I-do-not-like-my-brother-and-may-not-ever-change-my-mind mood, carefully wiping "Jacob" (well, his stick figure look-alike) off of the wall.

Out of sight, out of mind, don't have to deal with the guy. You could just see her wheels turning.

My, you are looking gorgeous, Moon

I commented on how bright the moon was tonight.

Cambria: "Oh, cute!"

(Her current comment about everything.)

Humility. And Healing. (and bandaids)

Just one of those days, you know, the kind that actually start being stressful the night before?

I'm just glad that it's over.

Started late last night with my {belated} calendar flipping; oh, joy, Hayley completely forgot that she is teaching children's church for the month of August! Theme? No clue. Crafts? Nope. Oh, what about snacks? That's a funny joke- we are completely out of groceries, just because I am at the end of a busy week and we've eaten everything! Apple slices?

I quieted my stress, reminding myself that children are forgiving. Went to the Word, and started reading Matthew 5. . .

Now when He saw the crowds, He went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to Him and He began to teach them. . .

Love how real He was. Love how approachable He is. He knew their needs, He knew when the hearts needed to change, when new perspective was necessary.

Blessed are the poor in spirit

for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven

Blessed are they that mourn

for they shall be comforted

Poor in spirit. Humility. Unselfishness. A love for others that doesn't care if my toes are stepped on. And He says, the reward is Heaven.

Tears. Pain. Weary hearts. Wounded spirits. They shall be comforted.

I taught the children these concepts this morning. Yep, we had singing and crafts and Betty Lukens felts and the whole shebang.

But maybe I didn't learn.

Critical thoughts.

Frustration at events that are out of my control.

Stress over things that I want to do with a humble heart, grateful to give back to Him.

Lashing out at Daniel because of a misunderstanding that neither of us had the time or energy to solve.

Poor in spirit?

Well, and then there's the mourning. We had some real, bona fide tears tonight when a knife that was not supposed to be cutting an apple that was not supposed to be touched by a little boy cut the finger of the culprit.

I couldn't stop the bleeding with butterflies and bandaids and pressure (nope, Mom, cold washcloths didn't help either) so I loaded the kids up, pjs and all, and drove them to their Dr. Daddy.

And he made it all better, as all Daddies do, in their own special ways. Plus way cooler bandaids down there, not plain brown ones from the cheapskate mama.

Relief.

Reassurance.

Comfort.

So. It's up to me to choose the attitude. . . humility. Dependence on Him for my needs.

I think I'm gonna learn more than the kids in Children's Church this month.

Relax (it's our favorite word)

After a long week at family camp, JD and Cambria crashed on Uncle Caleb and Aunt Rebekah's stairway landing. It just looked inviting to them, I guess. Nothing like letting your hair down with family!

Cousin Lovin'

July Fourth

Look left, look right, where is our Daddy?

Yay for MFD! There he is!

(Okay, so it's way past the Fourth- but somehow I forgot to include these!)

Ranch Hand Chili

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 can black beans, including liquid
1 can kidney beans, including liquid
1 can whole corn, including liquid
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 envelope ranch dressing powder

Brown beef and saute onions and garlic with beef until tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add beef mixture and remaining ingredients to slow cooker, turn on low and cook for 6-7 hours. Serve with sour cream, cheese, cilantro, and corn chips.

The Granddaddy of all Waterslides

Missing out on the Milkshakes

Caleb and Rebekah's. . .

cousins all asleep. . .

sitting around the table laughing and talking with Caleb and Marlys, we decide to make milkshakes to go with the brownies.

We are totally enjoying our evening when we hear a little creak and see Jacob Daniel, watching us all quietly, shock and horror on his little face.

"Why did you put me to bed so fast, Daddy?!"

Utter Exhaustion

Me: "Time for bed. . ." *braces for stalling and complaining*

JD: "Oh, Mommy, I'm too tired to even walk up to bed."

Huh?

JD: "I guess I could crawl, though."

You and me both, pal.