Pictures from small group time

Another picture of our "small group"...it's not so small anymore.

Plus, there were three couples not present!

Luke on the run

Andrew swinging.

Abigail playing peek-a-boo!

My cup runneth over....

Sacred

One of my favorite bands is Caedmon's Call. I've loved them from the day my ears heard their first note. Not only do they sound good but their songs are hard, true, and deep. Their newest album, Overdressed, doesn't disappoint. My favorite on this project is track three - Sacred (lyrics below). If you're a mom, you'll find this song comforting. It exposes my sin, shouts the truth about my role, and, most importantly, points me to Christ. Enjoy.

Sacred

this house is a good mess
it’s the proof of life
no way would I trade jobs
but it don’t pay overtime

I’ll get to the laundry
I don’t know when
I’m saying a prayer tonight
cause tomorrow it starts again

could it be that everything is sacred?
and all this time
everything I’ve dreamed of
has been right before my eyes

the children are sleeping
but they’re running through my mind
the sun makes them happy
and the music makes them unwind

my cup runneth over
and I worry about the stain
teach me to run to You
like they run to me for every little thing

when I forget to drink from you
I can feel the banks harden
Lord, make me like a stream
to feed the garden

wake up, little sleeper
the Lord, God Almighty
made your Mama keeper
so rise and shine

Photos of our day

The weather was amazing today! I'm not sure what the exact temperature was but I'm sure it was in the mid 70s. I took my camera outside and caught the boys at play.

Paint Jam

This clip lasts five minutes so make sure you have the time to watch it because it's definitely worth the wait! What an artist!

Ewwww....

I love him....nasty teeth, dirty face, and ALL! (No, those are NOT his real teeth!)

Today during Playgroup

Some monsters visited us during playgroup this morning. They were so cute that we decided to keep them around for a while. After much roaring, fire breathing, and mischief, I decided upon the lion to keep as my own (hee hee)....he was just too adorable to let back into the wild.

We all scream for ice-cream!

After dinner Saturday night, we dressed the boys in their PJs and took off to Bruster's as a family to enjoy the free ice-cream. Here are a few pictures of our time getting sticky!

"My name is Jawan & I'm a Scrapaholic"

I went to a scrapbooking crop tonight and got eight pages completed! WOW! The crop started at 4pm and lasted until midnight. There were about 25 ladies there and lots of conversation could be heard. It was enjoyable to make new friends and borrow stuff from others for free. TEE HEE! Mitch said I could make it a monthly event so I'm already getting excited about my crop date in March. Now, the question is "will I scrap at home before then?". Hmmmm.....

Growing up

She's growing up. She'll be eight months old in a little more than a week. Time has flown. Abigail is turning into a little girl! Ahhhhhh!

Bargain Hunters for free food

I sometimes think that my friend Becky and I are always on a hunt for the biggest bargain we can get anywhere money is to be spent. Some of you may not read her blog so I'm going to copy the deals she found this week by posting them here. Some of these deals you might already be aware of but it doesn't hurt to be reminded.


Bruster's Ice Cream:

THIS SATURDAY, March 1, Just roll out of bed and wear your pajamas to your local Bruster's, and they'll reward your sense of adventure with a FREE single scoop waffle cone! PJ weekend only comes once a year, so don't miss your chance to get in on the fun!

Every Thursday is Banana Thursday! Bring your own banana and get 1/2 off a banana split.

Free baby cones to children under 40" and free 'doggie sundaes' to your furry friend, so bring the entire family for some Bruster's fun!


Click here to print a coupon for a free parfait when you bring three people with you.


McDonald's:
Click here to read more information about the free burrito wrap offered at McDonald's on Thursday, Feb 28, and Friday, Feb 29.

FOR MOM

This post if for my mother. She says she is disappointed when she visits my blog to find that I haven't blogged a new post for that day. So, here is your new post for today. I hope you are laughing, 'cause I am!

This is just a joke, Mom....I'll update with a new REAL post....tomorrow!

Looking for a Wii?

My friend, Erick, has just posted a cool way to track that Wii system you've been looking everywhere for! We don't own one and I can't say we never will, but they look incredibly cool. Visit Erick's blog here to read his story of how he tracked one down...it's neat.

$.99 Latte & Capp. at Dunkin' Donuts on Tuesday, Feb 26

Here's an el-cheapo for you .....Dunkin' Donuts is selling small lattes and cappuccinos for only $.99 from 1 p.m. - 10 p.m. on Tuesday, February 26. I'll see you in the drive-thru!

Ebay

Ebay....I took a year off but now I'm back in full swing. It's a fun place to visit look around, sell, and shop. I enjoy selling more than purchasing. It's neat to see how high your auction will go and to watch people fight over an item you really don't care about. I've got only two items listed this week and they are both already higher than I expected (still four days left on each auction). It pays to purge those piles of clutter!

Night time conversation

Tonight's conversation with Andrew as I tucked him into bed:

Andrew: "Mom, God never sleeps, right?"

me: "That's right. The Bible says that God never slumbers."

Andrew: "I know why he doesn't sleep."

me: "Really? Why?"

Andrew: "...'Cause he doesn't have a bed."

Kacie Time

I had lunch with my sweet friend, Kacie, yesterday. She made me a delicious peanut butter and jelly sandwich...it was so good that she made a third so we could split it! What a true friend...no fancy fixings...just bread and the good stuff (I'll bring you an extra loaf next time I come over since we probably ate all that you had!). How sweet it is to fellowship with the body of believers. Kacie has been at our church for a year and I love seeing her and spending time together as much as possible. We've actually made a close bond with her parents who have driven down from St. Louis twice to visit with her and her husband. Kacie, you are such a kind and encouraging friend. Thank you for loving me. I look foward to eating many more PB&J sandwiches together (and grilled cheese, too!). Love ya!

Andrew

Just a few pictures of my first-born so my mom can show them off to her friends and co-workers.

Scrapbook Challenge

I've always wanted to enter a scrapbook challenge. Today, I finally did and this is the page I'm entering. The only requirement was that I had to mimic the designed sketch provided by the creative team at my local scrapbooking shoppe. Color scheme, embellishments, theme, and numbers and size of pictures were all left up to my choosing. It's not one of my favorite pages I've ever done but it's definitely one that I've spent the most time thinking about. I liked doing this challenge because it was just that....a challenge. It gave me some motivation to work but, winner or not, I accomplished one more page for the boys' album. At least these pictures are out of the shoebox! HA! The winner will be announced on March 1 so I'll let you know the result then.

That's me just rambling...

Wow, my kids are watching us as we parent. As I sit here and type, the boys are sitting to my right on the floor reading some books. As they are flipping through pages, Andrew is asking, "Luke, where is the picture of the flower? Where's the pencil? Where's the puppy? Good! Where's the drum?". Luke is playing along and pointing. Now they are reading their own books to each other, trying their best to remember how Mitch and I read the story (since they can't read). What's even funnier is that Andrew is putting all the cute inflections in his tone of voice as he reads, attempting to sound like me. Just precious......

Abigail is cooing in her crib. She's starting to narrow her naps from three to two a day. Wow, I can't believe she's already 7.5 months old.

What am I going to cook for dinner....hmmmmm......wish I had some cauliflower like Becky so I could make some mashed taters. Kind of sounds weird but she and Jeremy said they thought it was a yummy recipe. Wonder how much cauliflower costs....never bought it before.

I went to the gym yesterday. I made it in time for the 5:30 step class but there wasn't a single spot available for me to stand! Ever since Gold's Gym bought out the local gym I belonged to, the classes are more packed, the treadmills are never empty, and the ellipticals are always in motion by others but me. So, I actually did my weight resistance routine yesterday b/c I had no other option. Gosh, I hate lifting weights. I'd much rather sweat by doing cardio. Oh well.....at least my arms will may look good....one day.

Now the boys are playing "dentist". Ok, enough rambling. I need to sit on the floor with the kids before someone accidentally extracts a tooth!

Daddy Time

The boys love to cut and paste. Strangely they've also taken a liking to hippos. Can't figure that one out. So I went to Google Images and found a hippo for them to cut out and paste next to a funny hippo poem. While I prepared Abigail for bed last night, Daddy sat with the boys and finalized their hippo craft. I don't have a picture of the final result but they had lots of fun together. Luke loves to sing, "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas. Only a hippopotamus will do...."!

1989 Steel

I'm not a Shirley McClain fan but I absolutely love her character, Quiser, in the movie Steel Magnolias. I watched it AGAIN last night on some random TV station. Cried over and over. I love it when M'Lynn is pouring her heart out after Shelby's death and screams that she just wants to hit something to make herself feel better. Such a funny move when Clairee pushes Quiser out and declares M'Lynn to just "hit her!".

Anyway, here are a few other of my favorite Quiser quotes:

I'm not crazy, I've just been in a very bad mood for the past 40 years!

The only reason people are nice to me is because I have more money than God.

And my all time favorite Quiser quote from the movie:

Ouiser: Yes, Annelle, I pray! Well, I do! There, I said it, I hope you're satisfied.

Annelle: I suspected this all along!

Ouiser: Oh! Well don't you expect me to come to one of your churches or one of those tent-revivals with all those Bible-beaters doin' God-only-knows-what! They'd probably make me eat a live chicken!

Annelle: Not on your first visit!

Clairee: Very good, Annelle! You've spoken like a true smart-&%@!

Valentines Day 2008

Thank you, Gami!

Dear Gami,
We love our Valentine cards you sent in the mail to us today. Thank you for thinking of us individually and giving us our own special card each to keep forever. We sure do wish we could see you everyday but we hope we can see you soon so we can give you a big squeezy hug that we're so good at giving (not to mention slobbery kisses). We love you bunches, Gami!
Your littliest grandbabies,
Andrew, Luke, and Abigail

Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch....You know that I love you!

Howdie, Babe! Do you know how much I love you? So much, so much, so much, so much, so much! Every year of our marriage gets sweeter and sweeter. Although I am not always very lovable when you come home from work as I perform my motherly duties in "task mode" (peeling potatoes, browning beef, filling sippy cups, nursing a baby), I thank you for always wrapping your arms around me and planting a kiss on my lips. It may seem as if my mind is in another place (and it really is), but I remember your touch. For all those times when you've called me on the phone just to say hello and ask what I'm doing, I thank you. You are always eager to spend time with me and yet you always let me have the space I need to myself because you know I don't get very much of it during the day. If I had to buy the perfect gift to express my love to you, it would be stock in McDonald's sweet tea.....since I can't give that to you through this blog, do you wanna go there for dinner tonight (without the kids and no playground!)? Mitch, you are my best friend and I am so thankful the Lord put us together. I'm so happy to be your wife. Gosh, I love the snot out of you.

Today's pictures

I know that some people couldn't care less about seeing MORE pictures of my children but I'm posting them anyway....it's my blog after all. I would like to be able to sit and write more posts than I do. Writing is a favorite thing of mine but sometimes it's just quicker to post a picture or two. The grandparents would rather see their grandbabies anyway. Tee hee!

Andrew made his first visit to the dentist today. He got an excellent report....no cavitites! The dentist did say, however, that Andrew will one day wear braces since there's no space between his teeth for larger teeth to emerge. Better start saving for that now, I guess.




Abigail loves putting things in her mouth. I think this picture turned out pretty nice, despite the bib and slimy biscuit around her mouth.

Pictures with Pop

Pop and MeMe came over for a visit last night. I love taking pictures of my children with their grandparents. What memories are being captured!

Splish, Splash....all three are in the bath!

I couldn't help it....

Ok, I visited the Hickman's blog and just had to do this video on my own kids. In order to hear the music on this video, you may need to mute the music on my previous slideshow below by clicking (possibly clicking twice might help) on the megaphone on the white section where Michael Buble is singing.

Don't send a lame eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

Crayon Craft

I've have been wanting to do this craft since I first saw it published last February in that month's issue of Family Fun magazine. Last year I couldn't find my large one gallon tub of crayon bits (given to me by my sister who now has teenagers who no longer use crayons) since we were in the midst of moving but I located it a few days ago to finally prepare for this venture with the boys. My friends (links to the right), Becky and Kirstin, have already posted about their adventure doing this same activity. They are some crafty pals!


Andrew liked peeling the paper off the crayons and Luke like breaking them. Go figure. I couldn't illustrate their personalities any better. Andrew is systematic and "by the book" while Luke is a free spirit, roaming where the wind blows. Andrew likes peace, order, and practicality. Luke likes to bite, hit, scream, dance, and jump. So, my two sons butted heads quite a bit during this craft activity but we managed to get it done. Notice that I'm sitting in the middle - lately it seems that all I've been saying is, "Are you choosing to obey or disobey? When you obey Mama then God is glorified". What I DO really want to scream is, "Stop whining! Don't slap your brother! Get your hand off of your baby sister's head! HUSH! No, you can't have any more juice! Yes, I did dilute it with water because we're trying to save money by not buying juice ALL THE TIME! Why are you asking me that for the 121st time? NO, gum is not considered a snack. You don't need help going to the potty. Get off the counter top. If you eat any more cheese sticks then you won't be able to poop! It costs money to take more than the needed one bath every once in a while per day.", and so on.....


Andrew and Luke are going to give these crayon hearts to their class for Valentines Day along with candy & their Harley Davidson cards (I knew you would like that touch, BB and Heidi). We really did have fun making these but I only let them make one tray of them. After that, I put them down for a nap and finished the next two batches by myself!

On Dad's shoulder

Playgroup

At our weekly playgroup, I caught Abigail flirting with Liam.


It's all fun and games until someone gets this thing stuck on their head.

Watermelon and cantelope are some of her favorites in this great food feeder.

Leeland

I'm not a music groupie....never been much of a follower of any artist or band. Well, I take that back. I will buy anything written by Sara Groves, Indelible Grace, Adam Wright, or Derek Webb. However, I've just found a band that I love listening to - Leeland. I've got their CD playing in my kitchen at all times. Their sound reminds me of U2...rock it out. My boys are even beginning to memorize some of the choruses in each song. Check them out!

I'm "It"

My friend, Becky, tagged me. Here are her directions: Share five random and/or weird facts about yourself; Share the five top places on your “want to see or want to see again” list; Tag five people at the end.

1. I like to TiVo my favorite shows and then watch them in slow motion in spots - especially when they highlight the losers on American Idol. Their expressions of shock and dismay are priceless...I'm such a meany.

2. On a trip to visit family in Los Angeles, CA, I rode by OJ's house and also viewed the crime scene at Nicole's condo. Don't you wish you were me?

3. I cringe when people write the wrong word (homophone) in a sentence. Example: There/Their, to/too/two, plane/plain, whether/weather...you get the idea. I'll probably be eating my words one day when someone catches me making the same mistake in one of my many late night & early morning posts.

4. I love the feel of sateen sheets (not satin - totally different). I don't sleep well on any other type.

5. I don't enjoy watching movies multiple times except The Godfather trilogy (I love the mob), Sense & Sensibility (especially when Miss Dashwood starts hyperventilating upon realizing Edward didn't marry another after all), & Where The Heart Is ("I lied to you, Forney. I do love you."). However, I do like to flip the channels and catch a few minutes of any movie from the 80s: The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Some Kind of Wonderful, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Big, Can't Buy Me Love, When Harry Met Sally, Dirty Dancing, Mask, Footloose, Goonies, The Princess Bride, Raising Arizona....

Places I want to go in the USA:
1. Grand Canyon
2. Redwood National Forest
3. Hawaii
4. up the Eastern seaboard and stop at all the historical landmarks
5. Rocky Mountains

Places I want to go outside of the USA:
1. Scotland
2. England
3. Australia
4. Canada (I'm so adventurous!)
5. Italy

I tag Mom, Libby, Amy S., Chrissy M. or Chad, Kat, & Angela Bonin.

Fun slideshow

String & cheesy

Andrew wanted to make a string of cereal from Fruit Loops. I had no F.L. but offered him Cheerios instead. The holes were smaller than those in F.L. but he managed well. Sometime after the fourth of fifth Cheerio, he gave up and ate them all. Maybe we'll try again later.

This picture is specifically posted for Elaine and her cheesy bunch of teacher friends at Andrew's school. What a great group of educators! We love you all at Westminster!

Sing Song

All of us were together in the van last night, headed to the mall for ice-cream. I heard Luke singing something but couldn't make out what it was. I listened a little harder and soon recognized the words and tune. It sounded "something" like this:

Hawa-woo, Hawa-woo, Hawa-woo, Hawa-woo, Hawa-woo-wa
Pwaise we a Wor!
Hawa-woo, Hawa-woo, Hawa-woo, Hawa-woo, Hawa-woo-wa
Pwaise we a Wor!

Then, the other night in his room before bedtime, I saw him making some hand motions while singing a little something like this:

Got so much, much, much, much, much
so much, much, so much, so much
Tankul for!

He is learning so many songs in school. It makes my heart feel good that his teachers are teaching him songs that praise our Father. So if you see us stopped at a red light making weird hand motions, we're probably singing a song led by our conductor, Luke.