rub.a.dub.dub

Here are each of our kids right after their first bath.

Any idea which one is Isaac, which one is Zoey and which one is Elijah?

I'm so glad I saved this towel over the years!

Our Field Trip

Today I was able to go with Isaac on his class field trip. It was so much fun getting to know the other parents and seeing him with all of his friends. Isaac's favorite part of the day was climbing the trees to get the apples and my favorite part was when he grabbed my hand to walk to the hayride.

Pumpkin Heads

You can see here that I have strong feelings about carving pumpkins.

I feel the same way this year as well!

my favorite pose

yes, that's the book for me

After I got the kids ready for church this morning, I went to get myself and Elijah ready as well. I walked back in to see the kids spending time with their Bibles. It was a good morning!

Big Sis

 For some reason Elijah got really fussy yesterday morning. I put him in my bed in hopes of some peace and went to go get something. All of a sudden he went from hysteria, to complete calm. I ran in to make sure he was alright, when I saw Zoey taking care of him. She is such a good big sister!

Having our FILL of FALL...

 Today we were feeling in a very FALL mood. We started off by roasting marshmallows for our indoor S'Mores. (I found this cute S'More maker at the thrift store for $5 a couple years ago and we've

gotten a ton of use out of it!)

 Then we took advantage of the beautiful weather and headed outdoors to find some colorful leaves. We had so much fun making crazy people and animals out of our findings.

 

 We painted fun fall landscapes for daddy with our Kool-Aid paint.

It smelled so fruity!

 

 We ended our fall fun by making a fresh Apple Cake from scratch. I found this recipe on a blog I follow and couldn't wait to try it. It is SO MUCH easier than an apple pie, and although it's a completely different texture, it SMELLS and TASTES amazing!!!! The best part: I had all of the ingredients already in my cupboard!

SUPER SIMPLE APPLE CAKE:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix 1 cup of sugar with 2 cups of finely diced and peeled apples. Let sit for 15 minutes. Add 1/4 cup veggie oil and 1 egg and stir. Add 1 cup of flour, 1 tsp baking soda and 1 tbs of cinnamon and stir. Add 1 tsp vanilla and stir. Pour into a greased square or circular dish. Bake for 45 minutes.

I honestly wish fall could last forever!

This is NOT what I was created for!

"This is NOT what I was created for!"

As soon as the words came out of my mouth I wanted to take them back. The problem was... I kind-of meant it. Zoey had been screaming incessantly for me to bring her a snack and then once I handed her the bowl of goldfish crackers, she dumped them on the ground and started to stomp on them. As I headed to the closet to get the broom... again.... I couldn't stop the words from coming out-
"This is NOT what I was created for!"

Now that I am sitting at the computer with my cup of coffee, I'm realizing that the statement, although full of emotion and somewhat validated, is very incorrect. This IS what I was created for. Not the cleaning up of goldfish crumbs, but the loving, caring and training of my children. I guess years ago in my dreams of being a mother and fulfilling that call of God on my life, I didn't realize it would be full of goop, sticky fingers and public temper-tantrums.

Deuteronomy 6:4-8

"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your hearta nd with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." 

Happily Ever After

Tonight Zoey and I joined my sister Keri and Alina at Disney on Ice: The Princess Classics. It was adorable and we had so much fun. The girls were mesmerized the moment we walked in the arena and were so cute cheering for all the princesses. I think this might have been the first time that Zoey and I had a date together that involved something girly... and I LOVED it! All I heard for the rest of the night involved Cinderella, Mickey Mouse and Tinkerbell.

 

hello world.

 

 

 

 

just the two of us...

Isaac and I had some special time together today. This little man has grown up so fast... I can barely keep up! We talked about school, about God, even about what it's like to be a big brother. I miss having alone time with each of the kids. I think we are going to have to reinstate our "date days" soon!

Enoch walked with God.

Enoch walked with God . . . Genesis 5:24

The true test of a person’s spiritual life and character is not what he does in the extraordinary moments of life, but what he does during the ordinary times when there is nothing tremendous or exciting happening.

Excerpt from Today's My Utmost Entry by Oswald Chambers 

i LUV cider mill time!

We had such a wonderful family day at the cider mill celebrating my dad's 60th birthday. The weather was perfect, the kids had a ton of fun, and we even made it back in time to watch the UofM/State game! I love autumn!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Be UNreasonable...

I was moved when I read this from Craig Groeschel from the LifeChurch.tv blog...

I bet you have heard this many times… “Be reasonable.”

Truthfully, under many circumstances, “Be reasonable” is sound advice—but not always.

As Christian leaders, there are times to be unreasonable.

• When you pray, you might ask God to do something most consider impossible or unreasonable. Pray unreasonable prayers.
• When you seek God, He might lead you to do something others consider undo-able. Empowered by God, do unreasonable things.
• When you lead, some people might think you’re making unreasonable demands. Lead passionately and pull unreasonable results out of reasonable people.

Being unreasonable all the time would certainly be a mistake. But if you aren’t being unreasonable every now and then, you probably aren’t leading by faith.

Are we out of Q-tips?

As a mom, I'm realizing that there are so many things I do that no one sees. You know, changing the bed sheets, emptying the dishwasher, restocking the Q-tips, mid-night infant feedings, etc. Sometimes I am tempted to let those things go just to see how soon everyone would notice. I'm assuming it would be fairly quickly. 

 Today I was feeling a little sorry for myself in this area. I mean, how can these things be so important that it keeps our family running, but so insignificant that they go unnoticed and somewhat unappreciated? Then suddenly I had an epiphany.... how many times does God do something that I don't give a second thought? Things like making sure there is enough oxygen for us to breathe... Keeping the sun far/close enough from the earth to keep us alive... Giving us wisdom in very difficult situations... Answering our prayers... and the list goes on and on. Wow, does that make me turn my inward focus to an upward one! So now every time I wonder if my family knows how many times I clean out the closets or sweep the kitchen floor, I will thank the Lord for giving me breath.

"... whisper my own love song."

 One of my favorite things in life is catching my kids having their own time with God. It amazes me how quickly they learn to give God praise and worship, without being coaxed or led. Last year I caught Isaac doing this (I wrote about it HERE)

This morning I found Zoey doing the same thing. She just kept cheering for Jesus and raising her hands. It  makes me so greatful for a God who loves on us no matter what age we are, or what stage of understanding we find ourselves in. My ONE DESIRE while deciding to have kids was that they would love God with all their heart and know Him intimately.. and it's starting now!

60 years!

Today my dad turns 60 years old. He is the most amazing dad in the world and I am so blessed by God to have him in my life.. for my entire life. Dad, you are one incredible man of God and I pray you have a memorable 60th birthday!

Happy Birthday Papa! from lori bunk on Vimeo.