I LOVE this Time of the Year

I've been to all 4 Targets in our area in the past 24 hours...I do that this time of the year.

I try to calculate what sorts of clothing my kids are going to need for the next year.  (Sometimes 2 years, if I find really good deals.) And I buy and store away for the next fall and winter.  When sweaters and jeans are $2.50 (not just any jeans- I only buy pants with the adjustable waists... I learned my lesson on that early), I'm ecstatic!  I love sales and they're starting... so, head out and enjoy the sales, ladies (and any gentlemen who read my blog and buy clothes for their kids?)!

Note: Boys' clothing seems to be more plentiful (and cheaper) than girls' clothing this year, but there are bargains for all.

This is Diego's first self-portrait...

He's crying.  Why? It could be because he got in trouble, or it could be because he's been on a Target shopping marathon.

Best Buds

I'll admit it...they often fight like cats and dogs.  And it drives me crazy when they do.

But most of the time. This is how they are.

Sweet, perfectly sweet. I love to listen to their conversations... it cracks me up.  Eliana often repeats everything Diego does.  (Or does exactly the opposite- just depending on her mood.) He takes care of her; she adores him.  They love to play: house, santa claus and reindeer, pirates, Go, Diego, Go! and Alicia, and a million other games. (They think maybe they'd like to get married when they're older... in spite of the fact their parents repeatedly tell them they can't.) They make each other laugh and have inside jokes that Jesse and I don't quite understand. Their love for each other is obvious and that is why we'll have another... at least if things go according to our plan.

Because while the bunny might suffice for today, eventually, he's going to need a best bud of his own.  Everyone should have a best friend... and who better than a sibling?

"What were you saying, Mom?  We didn't hear you because we were in our own world?"

Living Water, Ping, and Friday Favorites

This week we've been studying the letter W and water-- sort of an extension of last week with Octopi and Oceans.  Our Bible Concept was: "Jesus gives my spirit living water to drink."  Some times I wonder how much my kids are able to understand all these spiritual concepts... I mean, hey, the woman at the well had a hard time comprehending and she was an adult and had God Himself explaining it to her." My kids (ages 2 and 4) with only their sleep-deprived mama to explain it to them are at a serious disadvantage here.  Nevertheless, it thrills my heart to watch the smile that spreads over Eliana's face because she remembers the Bible Concept and can quote it to you! To die for, I'm telling you, it nearly makes me cry every time.

It's funny how life works.  Diego was telling Jesse just this morning that if he ever wanted to avoid discipline he could run and hide under the bed. (I love how he tells us his hiding spots, still.) Jesse was trying to explain to Diego that running away from discipline is never a good choice because inevitably, it will bring more trouble.  Flash forward to school time and I pull out this book:

It has been a long time since I've read this; I took it out of my mom's library last night because I needed it for today.  I remembered that I loved it dearly as a child, but couldn't remember much about the story line... only that it was about a duck that lived in a boathouse on a river in China.  Oddly enough, Ping decided to run away from discipline and got into more trouble when he did so. At the end he learns to take the discipline he needs to receive- "SPANK!" (It was definitely written at a different time... PETA probably hates this book.) After reading it again, I've got to say, I love it, love it! and I need to get my own copy to have at the house.

We painted pictures of Ping, after we were done reading. (Eliana got out the black for the water again... must take her to see the blue ocean this summer.  My momma is right, the Arkansas River is not the place to learn about the color of water.) Diego was getting frustrated that his blue wasn't dark enough... he wanted to have a night time sky.  So, he learned how to mix blue with purple to make it a bit darker.  Then he was upset that you couldn't see the trees in the skyline, so he learned to paint black over that to create shadows.  By that time, Eliana had been done for a while, but when she saw that we were using black for shadowy trees, she decided she needed to do the same. Of course!

I need to find painter's smocks for the kids, I've decided. She always ends up with paint all over her clothes.  Something to start looking for, I guess!

Have a great weekend all... and if you'd like to, take a closer look at my Friday favorites, here!

Random

Remember a while back when I said that I liked to do all my laundry one day a week and then be laundry free the rest of the week? 

These are my stacks of clothes needing to be put away at the end of my "laundry day"-minus one load and all of Jesse's shirts which get put on hangers.  It's becoming more and more difficult to get it all done in one day, and even if I do, it's usually not put away in drawers for another day or two.  On the up-side, it's really easy for my kids to find pj's at night.

My mom's favorite book as a child is now my kids' favorite.  Mr. Bear Squash-You-All-Flat.  If you like Far Side cartoons, then you'll probably like this book because it was also Gary Larson's favorite book as a child.

My kids' creation tonight. I went  to the grocery store by myself (hooray!) and returned to this.  I thought it had a great shape so I let them keep it up (and made them clean up the rest of their "creative" mess).

My mom made this for my sister when she played the Croc in Peter Pan (when she was about 10).  My kids recently discovered it and absolutely love it!  It is pretty great.... and now you know why costumes at halloween are such a big deal in my home.

Ŏ-Ŏ-Octopus

Well, we finally have gotten back into school.  (We haven't done school in a little over 2 months, I'm embarrassed to say.) So, while the rest of the world had snow days this week, we were snowed into school.  It's been good for us.

Giving Diego 2 months off from school apparently has somehow enabled him to blend letter sounds into words with much more ease... I'm not sure if that's because he's older now and it just clicks for him or if he's seen enough Word World in the past two months that he now understands.  Either way, I'll take it.  But he's no dumby and is not going to work any harder than necessary.  Why spell the word "dot" by listening to the sounds in the word when he can easily locate it on the other page and just see how it is spelled? Whatever works.  It was the end of the school day and I wasn't going to argue with him and drag the day out any longer.

This week we've been learning about Octopi. "Even the octopus praises the Lord." We've been learning about Psalms and how David wrote many of them and that unlike animals, humans have a choice whether or not they will praise God.  We've been practicing praise songs and discovering so many amazing facts about these incredible creatures. For instance, did you know the  huge Giant Pacific Octopus can squeeze itself through a crevice the size of a quarter?  Isn't God amazing that He can think of creating such a huge variety of incredible creatures?

Our ocean creatures collage -we had fun going through old National Geographics for this!

In the mean time we've been working away on painting.  It seems that if I pull the watercolors out to do an art project they'll work on it longer than they will if I pull out the crayons.  I decided that if I worked on one of my own, that I could teach the kids some techniques without taking over their work... and plus, it's just plain fun!  We traced our hands with our thumbs folded under to create our eight-legged creatures. We also used Crayola Marker and Watercolor Paper... which we discovered is not really suited for watercolors.

 

Here's Diego's Octopus- he painted longer than any of us, he wants his to be just so.  I like it that he tries so hard to do his best while painting.

Here's Eliana's... I always wonder if she'll go through a goth phase when she's older, her paintings are always so dark. Anyone have any suggestions on how to get a 2-year-olds paintings to be a bit brighter?

Here's my little guy... I tried to show Eliana how to paint water, but of course she chose to use browns.

And just for fun... have you guys seen Dan Hillier's stuff? It's pretty curious stuff!

Warm Fuzzies on a Cold Day

This little man gives me warm fuzzies.

Or should I say: "Not so little man"?

He weighed 13 lb. 6 oz. at his 2 month appointment.

Good grief... he's over half of what Eliana weighs.  And she'll be 3 next month.

We broke out the 3-6 month clothes today.

I thought (as I was putting on his bigger clothes): "He's going to swim in this."

He didn't. It was a nice, snug fit.

It's been too cold out for the kids to play, but the birds have finally discovered our house (a year later).

And we all enjoy sitting at the window watching the action of these birds.

And then there was this guy.  I'm not sure whether to feel sorry or amazed... maybe I should be both.

Back to this cutie... Don't grow up too fast, little Cruz!

Hang Your Head

(little preacher)

Back behind the gospel shed

where the bookstore is still standing

behind the shelves of daily bread

you'll find him reprimanding

They said you were the "perfect" one

a shiny tin example

the man to get the job done

to build the new church steeple

But hang your head, lil' preacher

they found out you was cheatin'

but hang your head, lil' preacher

better practice whatchoo preachin'

P.S. God still loves you

-from at the foot of heaven by Kevin Max Smith

-by Jimmy Abegg

Today, I was reminded of this poem.  Occasionally, it has been brought to mind as I hear of people in ministry who have failed. "Ooh, big gossip! Did you hear about the pastor who..." You can almost hear the stories, if not from your own experiences then from the media. A person in ministry failing is big news.  

The thing of it is, people in ministry live in this weird area between blamelessness and the war against sin every person fights. Often people in ministry end up going into a solitary confinement of sorts because they don't feel safe sharing their biggest personal struggles with anyone in their church because of expectations of perfection (perceived or real).  I can remember my daddy once mentioning his regret for being so open with a parishioner. I know my momma was afraid to open up too much when dad was in the ministry. And I can very early on remember being watched and expected to be an example to the other kids in the church because I was a YPK. It can be easy for those in ministry to put on a smiley face mask and act like nothing is wrong when, in fact, they are dealing with issues similar to those in their flock.  But somehow, it seems different when it's the pastor, or youth minister, or whatever the title may be. 

I've often found that if the sin isn't dealt with in-house, that God will allow someone or some situation to shed light on it. God wants us to constantly be drawing nearer to Him and if we aren't because we've allowed sin to get in the way, He'll do what's necessary to get it out of the way.  The congregation or financial supporters may have some idyllic notion of who or what a minister is or should be, but God does not mind knocking someone off a pedestal if necessary--and He will use whatever means necessary to draw people back to Him.

Now, I know that God using whatever means to draw someone to Himself is not limited to those in ministry alone; it is true for everyone.  I guess, more than anything, this is a reminder for myself, and for others in ministry to be aware of the need to find a fellow believer (even someone outside your own church) for truly open and honest accountability. A reminder to those not in the ministry that everyone (even your beloved pastor) is susceptible to stumble now and then, and to show grace where possible. A reminder to those who have fallen that this is an opportunity to grow closer to the Lord through confession and repentance. And a reminder to us all to pray for those in ministry to be strong in their faith, humble in their positions, wise enough to steer clear of temptation, and to be surrounded by gentle brothers and sisters when they don't.