How discerning are you?

It's not about YOU....it's about Jesus.

To momentarily stop the music on the slideshow below so you can hear Mark speak, just click on the volume/mute button in the bottom left hand corner of the pictures.

Chrissy is gonna be a mommy!

Chad and Chrissy are gonna be parents for the first time. We love them so much and I'm so glad that Andrew got to be in Chrissy's class this year, her last before the baby arrives in May. Our small group went bowling last night and we caught her enjoying a moment with Andrew and Abigail (thanks to Elizabeth's camera!). I think she's gonna be a great mom!

John Piper's granddaughter was delievered stillborn this past weekend at nine months gestation. He has posted twice to his blog about this tragedy - please read here first and then here.

To God be the glory.

Psalm 23

This is too cute. I just had to post it. Notice the spit and drool as she talks super fast. She's quite a submissive and obedient child, too. Scroll down to the bottom of my blog to pause the music from playing over the video.

I wonder if....

I wonder if President Bush and/or Laura...

...just want a bowl of Fruit Loops for breakfast
...prefer their toliet paper roll to be up or down
...watch PBS
...surf the Internet
...stand on their bed to pull the chain on their bedroom fan to change the speed
...squeeze their toothpaste from the middle of the tube or at the bottom
...order Chinese takeout
...have a bedside alarm clock
...let their dog sleep in their bedroom
...have a bathroom bag or drawer full of personal items such as their hairbrush, toothpaste/brush, floss, mouthwash, toenail clippers, makeup, deodorant, etc
...get to drive themselves for once.

SHHHH!

Shhhhh! Don't call me! All three kids are sleeping right now.

No way, is that the trash man? That truck is so loud.

Oh, I hear a baby.....I think I'll let 'em cry.

Why does the neighbor have to drive a diesel and leave during naptime everyday?

I smell a poopy....it will just have to wait. They can sleep in "it".

Am I actually on the computer and getting much needed things accomplished without a tiny tot scrambling up my leg to play Thomas the Tank Engine or the Wiggles online?

This is delight.

Gotta go lest the three kiddos hear me typing.

Too much for others?

For those of you with more than one child, do you ever feel like others don't want you around or would rather you leave because of your offspring? Just a few weeks ago, we took all three kids out to eat at a really nice restaurant on the marina in Panama City Beach (some of you already know which one I'm talking about). The older two didn't want to wait on their food (did I mention they are ages 3 years and 21 months?) and didn't care to eat it when it finally arrived. I think I took L to the restroom three times to have a little "talk" before the hushpuppies were placed before him. Hubby had already taken A out twice so it was, once again, a high-priced meal that wasn't enjoyed. We know and hear that this is "normal" (right?) childhood behavior. More importantly, I am reminded that our hearts are dirty and ALWAYS want our own way. Of course, obedience is also something to be taught and expected so, through times such as this one, we hope to have instilled some of that wisdom (I need that same discipline as an adult). We also believe that children are treasures, gifts from God above....although not perfect. We want to enjoy our children and hope that others see them as precious but understand that their hearts are evil, wicked, and depraved. Some may think those are harsh adjectives but they are true and we teach our children to answer this way about their own hearts when asked, "What's wrong with your heart?". We want them to be fully aware of their fallen state and their desperate need for a Savior who loves them enough to wash their heart clean and turn it from stone to flesh! So, I was reminded of my own depraved heart when, after Hubby took A and L out of the restaurant to go look at the boats outside, a lady leaned over to me and said, "Mam, I really appreciate your husband taking the disruptive kids out of the restaurant. It makes a much more pleasant experience for the rest of us who are dining. Most parents won't do what you did so I applaud you." Of course, at this point I was already steaming from the sheer anger towards my own children as well as at my own self for being so angry in the first place. I was sweating and just wanted someone to say, "You're a good mom and are doing a wonderful job, what with being a parent who is a sinner to three little sinners". I just looked at the lady and smirked and kept my mouth shut. I love my life.

Much stuff

I saw the movie The Pursuit of Happyness this past weekend. It was really good and had a great knock-knock joke in it.

On the three hour drive home we passed by someone's yard where they had recently mowed their lawn. The push mower was still in the front yard sitting right by a rusty car on cinder blocks. There was a lot of debris in the yard that they had decided not to move but rather mow around. Things like children's toys, old cars, a transmission, buckets, and several other random items. Wish I had stopped to take a picture.

Went to Walmart tonight (imagine that). Had to pick up a few necessary things like chips and flushable wipes. Don't you hate it when you get "blocked"? Yeah, you know what I'm talking about....when the person in front of you stops their cart right beside the person coming toward you who is also stopped. Then, to top it all off, one of them walks far away from their cart to backtrack and get something on the other end of the aisle. So, with two fussy children in my cart, I waited. Ugh.

Halloween is soon coming. I am trying to talk child #1 into dressing as something that is easily made or bought. I hope he doesn't want to be a Doodlebop. Wiggle...maybe. Pirate? Even better.

My father has been gone for seven years, today. I miss him. I really miss him when I watch my own children growing up and doing funny things. It makes me wish he were here to see the generations beyond his own. He would laugh if he saw A make his many funny facial expressions. L would certainly impress his grandfather with his brave physical feats. And AB would melt his heart, I'm sure. I know that my father would have loved to have held my children, his grandchildren. I saw my Granny, my father's mother, this past week. I am always reminded of Dad when I'm around her. It was good to sit with her a while.

Our local MOPS starts up next week and I'm one of two directors. I'm very excited about this opportunity and have enjoyed preparing for it. Mitch is our first speaker, which is exciting. He's going to speak on grace based parenting. I always look forward to MOPS as it is a time where I can "get away" and have some encouraging adult conversation.

Found a new blog that I love to read. You may have heard about it/her on various news and radio stations. She's become a new sensation after selling some Pokemon cards on ebay and writing about her family/children. You can read more about her here.

That seems to be all for now.....going to bed as you can tell it's pretty late.

Minimal blogging

We are on vacation for the next ten days so blogging will be light. I'll have my laptop with me and free WiFi at the condo so please email me if you'd like. I'll post mostly pictures of the children this week. Our oldest hasn't seen the ocean in two years (he's 3.5 now) and our middle has never laid eyes on it so it will be fun to watch them both explore. Our youngest, who is now 7 weeks old, probably couldn't care less about the water!

By the way, yes, it's 3:00 a.m. as I post this. I am still up packing the food, bags, and other necessities for our ten day journey. I'm glad the Hubby is driving tomorrow and not me. I'm gonna nap with the children in my "car seat"!

Thanks to Carolyn Mahaney

From Carolyn Mahaney at GirlTalk:

So much of our work as mothers is done in obscurity. It’s not seen. It goes unnoticed. It can even be overlooked.

Or so we may think….

Actually, may I remind all weary, discouraged moms today that there is One who notices.

He sees every diaper that you change, He pays attention each time you wipe a runny nose, and He smiles when you read Curious George for the fifty millionth time.

And your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you! (Mt. 6:4)

A great MOM post

I am a fan of many different bloggers but here is one from a mother (of triplets!). She speaks with wise words, Scripture overflowing, straight from the heart - so authentic. I don't know her but I feel like I do. This post of hers reminds me of the thoughts I often have.

Another Canon in D

Erik has found and posted another hilarious (and true) video rendition of Canon in D. Fathers and mothers around the world can be heard singing in unison in the background.

"No, you do it!"

It's the week before school starts and everyone is shopping for school supplies. Stores are crowded! We were in Wal-Mart yesterday evening (imagine that) and when it came our turn to check-out the cashier looked at me and asked that I turn around and tell the lady in the blue shirt (who was third in line) that she was "the last customer". There were several others behind her, too. I turned around hesitantly and said to myself, "Is this my job to do or hers? It's kind of scary." So, I turned back around and looked at the cashier with a smile on my face and said, "I think you should be the one to tell her that". The cashier looked at me and "Oh, no...I'm not gonna do it". I guess she's still on the clock right now scanning items....weird....

JP

One of our favorite authors, speakers, preachers, teachers is John Piper. We can't get enough of him. So much so that our oldest son has memorized and recognizes the name when we say it, etc. Tonight in the van, coming home from church and just having watched Piper preach through a video series, A started saying the man's name out loud. Mitch and I thought it was so funny! It prompted me to visit JP's blog and read more of his thoughts. I think this is interesting.