A new favorite food

Black beans are deeelicious!

It can be a tricky catching these yummy little guys.

I need to add black beans to my  (long)  list of favorite foods!

Wow! And when I'm full, I can even paint with my snack!

That can wasn't only full of beans, it was full of fun!
"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful."- Colossians 4:2

Wordless Wednesday: Going on a daddy ride

"If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all."- Isaiah 7:9b

'Eeeew'

I am currently reading a wonderful book called Bringing up Boys by Dr. James Dobson. I have laughed many times as I've been reading about the differences between boys and girls. JJ is SO  different from Wubs and Bella, and the differences have become more and more evident. I feel like I'm a brand new mommy again, trying to navigate an unfamiliar territory. I am very thankful that I have two little mommies-in-training to help me with JJ while David is at work! wink. The girls are both eager to help keep JJ out of trouble and it really is a team effort.

Just the other week, Bella saved the day when JJ was was exploring the toilet. I was in the laundry room, and before I knew it, JJ had followed Bella into the bathroom. Apparently, after she flushed the toilet, JJ took the opportunity to splash in the potty water before Bella could close the lid. I could hear Bella calling for me and when I entered the bathroom, I saw JJ siting on the floor, happily sucking his paci and clapping his little wet hands together. "Mommy! JJ was splashing in the potty! But I saved the day and I pulled him away!" I immediately scooped up JJ and started to put soap on his hands. "Thank you, baby! You did the right thing!" Bella smiled at my praise, and she continued,"I also clipped his paci back on his shirt for you." *gulp* I looked at JJ, who was sucking on his paci while I washed his hands. I could barely bring myself to ask,"Why wasn't his paci attached to his shirt?"  "He was swirling it in the potty, too." I know, now you understand the title of this post...Eeeeew!!

ps-JJ got a new truck for his birthday and we have found that he can even ride in it! I was pushing him around the house and Wubs snapped a few pictures.

"And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."- 1 Corinthians 10:13

Our new chore charts

Last week, we started a new chore system at our house! The girls each have their own magnetic chore chart and every morning, they get to see which chores they have been assigned. The chore charts came with one dozen magnet tiles each, and I got to select the chores that were printed on the tiles. On Fridays, if the girls have completed all their daily chores throughout the week, they get to visit our treasure basket! I filled a basket with several small items that I found in the dollar aisle at Target and ta-da! The treasure basket was created! wink. The chore charts have also been a good tool for me, because the girls are really enjoying their chores and moving their magnets; then I'm not so tempted to do all the housework by myself. (Because I confess, there are some days when I've thought it's just easier to get everything done without little helping hands. But, I know that I need to be training and teaching our children these skills. Our new system has been a blessing for all of us!) It has been so fun to watch the girls light up at their big accomplishments! Some of their favorite chores include vaccuuming, taking out the garbage (??? I wasn't expected that!), and dusting. Here are a few pictures from our first week of chore chart excitement!

The goodies included everything from glow wands to ring pops! So fun!

Bella carefully considered her treasure. She had worked hard to earn it!

Bella decided on a Hello Kitty notebook and matching pink pen. Can you tell she still looks sleepy? The next picture will explain why...

The girls were up veeery early, and they were eager to complete all their chores at once. They wanted that treasure! I think they started making their chores at about 6:45am. ha ha!

Wubs and her new light up, squishy duck treasure.

 "We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts."- 1 Thessalonians 2:4

Birthday post #1, written by JJ

Dear friends,
I am a big boy now! Mommy said I could blog about my birthday and I thought you might like to see some pictures, too. (Thank you SO much to my Auntie Pam who took all these pictures. I love you!!)

My mommy made this cake and it was all for me! I think I was supposed to smash it... but I decided I didn't really like that idea.

I loved it when everyone was singing to me!

Wow! Sure looks yummy, but I did just eat two pieces of pizza.

Daddy, I appreciate your help, but no. thank. you!

I want down now...please! Please!!!

Yeah! Mommy rescued me from my cake smashing doom!

I will write more later. Love, JJ
"For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding."- Proverbs 2:6

Happy 1st Birthday, JJ!

 

 Happy, happy birthday, JJ! You are deeply loved and we thank God for you each day. What a blessed year it has been!
We love you,
Daddy, Mommy, Wubs and Bella

ps- Mommy cried when making this post for you. I love you, little boy. So so much.

"From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother's womb. I will ever praise you."- Psalm 71:6

Friday funny: Our hungry hamper

A few years ago, when I was teaching the girls to use their  hamper, I pretended I heard a noise. I told Emma Grace and Bella that I could hear a rumbling sound, like the rumbling of a hungry belly. I explained that  the sound was coming from our hamper  and it was very hungry! The hamper wanted to gobble up some dirty laundry, and we needed to help! Ever since my little illustration, Wubs and Bella enjoy feeding their hamper. It's a game we play every day!  However, the other night, as the children were putting on their jammies for bed, a peculiar thing happened. The hamper was so very hungry, it ATE Bella!

And then, it was STILL so hungry, it even ate JJ!

We sure do have a lot of fun around here! wink! Have a wonderful weekend!
"We live by faith, not by sight."- 2 Corinthians 5:7

Hidden in our heart

We memorizied Psalm 119:11 at our house this week! While I was preparing our Bible lesson, the Lord gave me an idea. The night before we were going to learn our memory verse, I wrote out the scripture and cut it apart to make a puzzle. The next day, I told the girls that I was going to hide puzzle pieces in our living room for them to find. After they found all the pieces, I asked them to color the pieces and work as a team to construct the puzzle. It didn't take long for Bella to say, "I think it's going to make a heart!" After completing the puzzle, Wubs read aloud, "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." We put tape on the back of all the pieces and then the girls reconstructed the heart on the refridgerator so we could display it. I explained that when we keep God's word inside our heart, we can learn how to love others and serve others in a way that pleases God! And when we have God's word in our heart, we can also make wise choices because we remember God's rules. To help Emma Grace and Bella memorize their scripture, the Holy Spirit prompted me to sing it to them. To the tune of "Are you sleeping?" I sang to them:
"I have hidden, I have hidden
your word in, your word in
my heart so that
I might not sin
against you, against you."

Wubs and Bella both enjoyed the activity and their new song! I praise the Lord for the opportunity to be at home with our children, and I thank God that their hearts are so eager to learn His word!
"I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you."- Psalm 119:11