LC from MOODY

Our good friend, Laura, from our sweet old town of Moody, came to visit us this weekend. The boys remember who Laura is even though quite a few months pass between her visits. She's just down the road at Auburn University but classes, RUF, and friends keep her busy. We are always thankful for a little time with her. She loves my children and doesn't mind correcting them when they error (I love that she does it so gently!). She is another adult in my children's lives, reminding them of the Gospel. They love her attention and wanted her to help them brush their teeth this afternoon. Abigail loved it when Laura held her. I am selfishly hoping that she decides to stay close by after she graduates in 2009 (we're praying she'll go to graduate school at Auburn). We love you, Laura!

Race track

The boys were bored today. So, I made a race track on the floor with some masking tape. That kept them occupied for at least an hour. They drew railroad markings, street stripes, and decorated it with wildlife stickers to represent roadkill. HA!

Devouring a sandwich

Luke has a mighty appetite today, which is rare. Here he is devouring a ham sandwich.

Kids are so different, yet alike

Kids are so different in so many ways. For example:

Andrew spit the paci out at a year
Luke still loves his paci at age 21 months (we're trying to wean him!)
Abigail is a thumb sucker

Andrew didn't sleep through the night until age 9 months
Luke slept through at 8 months
Abigail slept through at 9 weeks (bliss!)

Andrew usually makes a "happy plate"
Luke never makes a happy plate but rather a messy floor and shirt
Abigail doesn't eat alot

Andrew is clingy and dependent
Luke is an explorer and very independent
Abigail likes to be held but only as you're standing or walking

Andrew cries often
Luke screams often
Abigail just listens

Andrew walked at age 11 months
Luke walked at 12 months
Abigail can't wait to walk

Andrew likes to sit in my lap and do whatever I'm doing
Luke loves to dance and listen to music (he's also a reader)
Abigail just wants to look at my face and smile/coo

Andrew hates riding in the car
Luke enjoys riding in the car
Abigail just looks at herself in the mirror

Andrew enjoys school
Luke tolerates it
Abigail loves being homeschooled (ha!)

Andrew is a snuggler
Luke doesn't want to be touched until he says so
Abigail lives on my chest or shoulder (simply b/c I'm her food source!)

Andrew fights sleep and hates bedtime
Luke loves to sleep and lunges for his bed
Abigail has her own schedule that varies from day to day (we're working on that)

Kids are also very similar:

Andrew and Luke both
...LOVE candy
...beg for gum
...enjoy being outside
...would live in a pool if I'd let them
...love animals
...like church
...enjoy other children
...think our adult friends are the best

So tired

I'm too tired to post anything....going to bed.
I'll look at my TO DO list in the morning.

What did I say?

As I was sweeping debris into a pile, did I really just say this to my child as he was picking up old hard Fruit Loops off the floor and eating them?

"Luke, stop eating the trash!"

Go to this blog to read more things a mommy couldn't believe came out of her mouth.

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.

Tummy Time

AB loves spending time on her tummy.

At ten weeks old, she does a good job of holding her head up.

Do you notice the smirk on her face?

Bugs

Boys love gross things....I love being a mom to young boys. Frogs and grasshoppers galore.

Tooth decay

$1200....that's what it costs to have a root canal nowadays. How do I know? 'Cause I'm going in for my fourth one tomorrow morning. The endodontist knows my full name and welcomes me in each time. He's making a killin' off of me. I wonder where his mansion is. Love those payment plans. Anyone want to donate? Just kidding.

Satan?

We read The Big Picture Story Book Bible to our boys each night. It begins in Genesis, describing the Garden of Eden where a snake represents Satan. Tonight we took the boys to get haircuts. The lady that cut their hair told A that her son had a snake and it lived with her right now since her son has now left home (for school or something). This was the conversation in the car after leaving the salon.

A: "Dad, what was her name?"

Dad: "Well, I don't know. Maybe it
was Judy."

A: "No, maybe it was Satan."

I think it had something to do with her having a snake.

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.

My Playlist

I've been wanting to post a playlist of some of my favorite songs so I finally did (you can hear it but scroll down to the bottom of this page to see it). You can choose/change any song to listen to by double clicking on it. I chose most of the songs but motherhood called and I had to leave the computer to fill a juicy cup and change a diaper. My mind didn't get back to the playlist until Honey got home from work so I just asked him to finish it up for me - hence the funky cool R&B songs like "September, Roller Coaster, Fantastic Voyage" and more. This is my husband's favorite genre of music and I became quickly addicted to it when we were dating...but for those of you who know him well (Becky), you aren't surprised a bit at his choices. Thanks for adding some spice to my playlist, babe!

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.

Moments

AB gets some sweet cuddle time with her brother and grandma.

Firetruck

We went to our cousin's, Austin, third birthday party today. Two firemen brought their firetruck and let the kids sit in the driver's seat, hold the water hose, and turn on the siren. What fun!

Panama City Beach is awesome!

We've spent time in the pool, on the sand, at the parks, on the golf course, and at many restaurants. We leave tomorrow. I think the boys might cry as we wave "bye" to the beach. Enjoy the photos!

Having fun in the sun

So far we've visited the pool, the ocean, the pool, and....the ocean! Imagine that! Right now, Hubby and all three kids are sleeping but all on different schedules so they should be waking soon, within 30 minutes of each other. Guess what we'll do after everyone's awake? You guessed it....go to the pool, the ocean, the pool, and possibly to the ocean! We're going to eat out tonight and then play some putt-putt golf. Race cars might be on the TO DO list, if we have time. The weather has been beautiful down here! More pictures to come!

Relaxing in the condo

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"!

Our STICK family

Found this through a friend. It's cute. Click here to make your own (our names aren't usually posted....oh, well....)

Just precious.....

Two more precious pictures of our sweet baby girl.
(photographer, Holly Tye / http://www.hollytyephotography.com/)

Now look who's sleeping

Big brother came home from school and crashed on the couch like his little brother did this morning. It's been a quiet day....all three are sleeping right now. I've even had time to scrub the inside of the refrigerator!

I ate lunch in quiet

Today I got to eat lunch in complete silence. No one even begged to eat off my plate. Why? AB was sleeping in her bed and L fell asleep on the couch. See?

Sleeping through the night

Neither of my boys slept through the night (what I consider a five hour stretch) until they were between 8-12 months old. AB has been sleeping through the night for the past three days and it has been wonderful...for both me and her. She's only 6 weeks old and I know every day will bring change but this feels really good right now!

Sweet baby photo session

My friend, Holly, is an excellent photographer. Here's proof! She took some sweet pictures of AB today. I can't wait to share more with you and get the hard copies. Please visit her website to see her photo galleries and other information. Holly is truly using her talent to glorify the Lord. Thanks, Holly!

Today's events

Our middle child finger-painted and played with raw Rotini pasta.

Our oldest child counted down the hours until he could go to his cousin's birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheese.

Our youngest child chilled out and slept all day. She's wide awake now at 1:00 a.m., which is why I'm posting this.

Our Three

Oh my gosh - we are blessed!

One red head, one brunette, and one blonde.

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)

First Day of School

Our oldest started K3 today. He's only there for half a day, five days a week. He has talked about this day all week long and was glad to wake this morning to begin his new adventure. He loves his teacher and has almost memorized all the names of the children in his classroom. The school itself is very small and has an average of eight children per class, up to the fourth grade. I'm glad that it's a ministry of our church....it helps my heart knowing that Hubby is just down the hall!

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.

Too Hot for the Zoo

We took the kids to the zoo yesterday....we had a good time but, man was it hot! I am ashamed to say that I took my kids out in triple digit temperatures but I made sure they kept their water soaked hats on their head, drank lots of water, covered them in sunscreen, and walked/sat in the shade as much as possible. Here are a few pictures, full of sweat!

Check out my Slide Show!

"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.

Pot

Possibly early potty training?

*YAWN*

H2O

We played in the rain puddles this afternoon. Yes, they are napping now (and I'm washing their clothes).