horribly homemade...

It's confession time...

I love making fun crafts with my kids and creative things at home, but I have a real distaste for things to look homemade. I saw this post on one of my favorite sites and LOVED the idea. I couldn't wait to dig in with my kids and make some art for Chris for Father's Day. Unfortunately, hers looked like this:

...and mine looked like that:I was too embarrassed to give them to Chris... and good thing, because when he saw them, he just cracked up and said "and where do you think you are going to put those?" They looked SO DIFFERENT in my head, but in real life they look like a 2nd grade art project. I do love the idea that the kids helped and it's their hands, but these will be stored in our basement until I have the heart to throw them away. I wish God would have blessed me with better creativity... or at least better execution of someone else's creativity! Anyone else have a project that went sorely wrong???

a Red Wing in training...

This summer we are learning to roller-blade... and play hockey.
I think he needs a face mask.

There are these 2 men...

... and I am so blessed to have them in my life.

Happy Father's Day to my incredible dad and my amazing husband!

Chris when Isaac was bornChris when Zoey was bornMy dad when Isaac was born
My dad when Zoey was born.

John 'da Baptist

John the Baptist was mentioned at our prayer meeting tonight and it reminded me of a conversation I had with Isaac this week.

Isaac: "We learned about John 'da Baptist in church Sunday."
Me: "That's great. He was a great man, wasn't he?"
Isaac: "Yes... I want to be just like him."

Now, at this point I should have just stopped the conversation. I had visions in my head of my son longing to be a man of God and one who is unashamed of speaking the truth. I mean, John the Baptist got to baptize the Son of God! What a great man to aspire to! Unfortunately, I couldn't stop myself from asking...

Me: "Why do you want to be like John the Baptist?"
Isaac: "He was allowed to eat bugs."

where ahhh-eni?

Right as we were sitting down for lunch I mentioned to the kids that Aunt Jeni was coming over very soon. Zoey proceeded to take her sandwich and sit by the door to eat until she came.

LIFE

My daughter Zoey is a trip. Here are the words I have used to describe my daughter this week: Independent, Crazy, A Pistol, Monkey, Strong-Willed, Full of Spice, Sweet-n-Sour, Loud, Such a Character, My Patience-Maker... and the list goes on. I was talking to the Lord this morning about how full of life she is, when I remembered a post I made while she was born. What did I expect naming her Zoey?
I think I'll name this next child "quiet."

YAY -n- NAY

Some astonishing accomplishments that HAVE made my life easier this spring:

• Zoey can put on her own shoes
• Isaac and Zoey can get in the car by themselves and Isaac can strap them both in
• Zoey can say phrases and sometimes complete sentences
• Isaac, if prodded, can clean his own room and organize all his toys
• Both kids can get their toys out of the garage and play, and without me asking, will put them all back before coming in
  
• Isaac knows how to scrub the toilet and will do so, on his own, when he sees it is needed
• Both children know how to get the stepstool to reach the bathroom sink, wash their hands and brush their teeth. (If Zoey only knew how to turn the water back off)
  

Some astonishing accomplishments that HAVE NOT made my life easier this spring:

• Zoey can climb out of her highchair, on to the table, and down to the ground: all while having her sandwich in her hand
• Although Zoey still hasn't climbed out of her crib like her brother did, she does know how to scream "MOM" at the top of her lungs for minutes on end until tended to
• Zoey can throw cheerios and fun fruits from one side the of room and can hit the wall on the other
• Both children know how to hide in our house in silence so that I cannot find them for approx. 10 minutes
• Isaac will sometimes sneak outside and hide in the car if he wants to get out of doing something he doesn't want to do

What has your spring been like?

My Activity Kits

Every since I saw this post from Counting Coconuts, I couldn't wait to make my own Activity Kits. I am always looking for something for my kids to do while I am at the doctors or having a quick meeting at the church. I bought most of the stuff from Oriental Trading and the dollar store and each one can easily be switched out for something more advanced. I just keep the container in my car and let the kids pick out a kit to mess around with. I also think this would be cute for a very easy birthday present... not only would the birthday kid be excited, but the parents as well.


Paper Clips
Uses: Color matching, paper clip necklaces, countingWord/Letter Stickers
Uses: Making words and sentences, find the letterWooden Skill Sticks
Pipe Cleaners
Uses: Color matching, Making animals, shapes and lettersHandmade coloring book and crayonsPopsicle Sticks
Uses: Color matching, building, countingLacing BeadsClothespins

Uses: Color matching and clip-onLock-n-Key
Spirograph with scrap paper
Colored Die
Uses: Math, Numbers, YahtzeeCreate-A-Bible-Scene StickersDecorate-a-Character

The more of these activity kits I made, the more I would think of. I am excited to switch them out in a couple of months with some of my other ideas!

and in all things... session 28

Things I am thankful for on June 7, 2010...

1. Joshua 1:9
   
2. Homemade Chili
   
3. Sobe Lifewater Black Cherry Dragonfruit
4. The Steadfastness of God
   
5. My Bed
   
6. Costco Samples
   
7. Weather in the 60s and 70s
   
8. Dark Cherry Mocha
   
9. Confidence in the Lord
   
10. Nutmeg
    

lunch by the lake

One of my favorite things to do is to let my kids explore. My kids love to go to parks and pools, but sometimes, just giving them ample amount of time to take in their surroundings is all they need. I remember being a kid and being so excited about finding a rock that was shaped like a face, or a bug that was carrying something twice it's size. When I watch my kids watch, it helps me get back to simplicity... and God knows I need that every once in awhile.

our hands-on dinner

Tonight our dinner was very hands-on. The kids LOVED making the pizzas themselves and were even more excited to eat them afterwards. Now if only they tasted like Paisanos!

Are you obsessed by something?

Such a wonderful excerpt today from Oswald Chamber's
My Utmost For His Highest...

Who is the man that fears the Lord? —Psalm 25:12
Are you obsessed by something? You will probably say, “No, by nothing,” but all of us are obsessed by something— usually by ourselves, or, if we are Christians, by our own experience of the Christian life. But the psalmist says that we are to be obsessed by God. The abiding awareness of the Christian life is to be God Himself, not just thoughts about Him. The total being of our life inside and out is to be absolutely obsessed by the presence of God. A child’s awareness is so absorbed in his mother that although he is not consciously thinking of her, when a problem arises, the abiding relationship is that with the mother. In that same way, we are to “live and move and have our being” in God ( Acts 17:28 ), looking at everything in relation to Him, because our abiding awareness of Him continually pushes itself to the forefront of our lives.

Find the rest of the excerpt here

Memorial Day 2010

Sleeping In. Big Family Breakfast. Unplanned Naps. Flag Light Sticks. Popsicles. Paisanos Pizza. Cheering on the Tigers. Backyard Fireworks. Popcorn. Candy. Family Movie Night. Cuddling.
Such a wonderful day.
Happy Memorial Day Everyone!

together forever

Operation Aunt Keri

SURPRISE AUNT KERI...
for your birthday we brought over balloons, lunch and more kids!!!

Jon Won!

Last night we attended Parkway's Graduation and Isaac was so excited to see his friend Jon graduate. He kept tapping my arm to tell me where Jon was sitting, what Jon was doing and what pictures Jon was in. Finally, when they were passing out the diplomas and they called Jon's name, Isaac came up to tell me "Jon won!!" and started jumping up and down. He was such a fun date to have!

i want "pretty" toes

Today I had my day.
She wanted her toes "pretty"
So fulfilling!
She keeps putting them in Isaac's face to show him.

some daddy love

Bunk Family Secret:

Some nights I am not allowed to put the kids to bed on time.

why am I still surprised?

This weekend Isaac was begging me to jump in a bounce house. "I haven't bounced in a long time, mom!" I decided to take them to a bounce house this morning, but after looking it up online, I decided that $10 per kid was a little too much for me to spend, so we would just go to my sister's house and go to the park. Isaac understood, but was very bummed. I prayed today about it. I don't want to spoil my kids, but as a mom, I do love being able to make their day by doing something special they want. I asked God to give me that balance. About an hour ago our neighbors came over with this:They told us their daughter had outgrown it and they would love for us to have it. Are you kidding me? Today of all days? It was God's little reminder that He cares about the details and is constantly involved in our lives. Isaac is over the moon and is right now wrestling with his dad in his brand new bounce house.

my lil' zo-zo

I have had such a difficult week with Zoey. She just seems to be at that age where she wants her independence, but still wants me to wait on her hand and foot. I am exhausted! I love this girl to death, but she has been pushing every single button I have and it takes every ounce of patience to keep myself going. I told Chris this week I have been at my wits end and even had to call him at work to calm me down when I over-reacted to something she had done wrong. Well, today I had a couple of hours with just the two of us. She woke up from her nap and we spent over an hour just giggling, cuddling and rubbing each other's back (she is a really good back-rubber, by the way.) Why does it seem I need to constantly remind myself to take it all in. In my head I know that I need to allow her to grow, learn and explore, but I still get frustrated when she dumps the blocks on the floor that I just put away. She is my gift from God, and although every hour might not be the most relaxing, I still smile ear to ear when I hear her say things like "mama, love you" or "mama, where are you?" Thank you Lord for giving me my amazing blessings and help me to remember the many reasons they are in my life.
Now I have to go because she is tap dancing in a cup of milk she just spilled all over our hardwood floors.

times have changed... the outfits have not.

Thank you Dad and Mom!

I have a few friends in my life that I can always relate to because of the way we were raised. We joke about growing up watching Superbook, listening Psalty the singing songbook and being able to quote the entire Jesus Movie. I've always referred to myself as "sheltered"... but I think I am using the wrong word. My parents were definitely very careful and purposeful with the things that were allowed into our house: music, movies, TV, friends, etc. and I was never up-t0-date on the popular things my friends were into, but I am now confident that I was far from sheltered. I received my first passport at age 11 and by the time I was 16 years old, I had traveled to 3 different continents, 2 third world countries, and participated in outreaches and VBS every summer in the heart of Detroit, New York City and Atlanta. I remember the doctor being slightly confused when the week I had received my driver's permit at age 15, I was at his office to get my malaria medicine and a yellow-fever shot for my trip to Uganda. I was very "protected" by my parents, but they were very good about giving us cultural experiences as well as allowing us to go in any direction we felt God was leading us. It has definitely given me a heart for people as well as an awareness of what God is doing all over the world. I am so grateful for each experience I've had and can honestly say that I get excited when I think about my kids having even greater experiences than me!