fun with the dinos and Startti's

Did you know that the Natural Science Museum is the number one field trip destination in NC? And it is also one of the top 10 NS museums in the US? It is great that it is free, close by and there is always something to see. Even a few live fish, snakes, turtles and bugs observe.

We took a "field trip" to the Natural Sciences Museum this past week with the Startti's. The girls had a blast running around and holding hands and the little ones did great too. Caroline ate her tiger and Owen sacked out about 1/2 way through.

Thanks Sarah, Olivia and Caroline for going with us. Let's do it again!

PS Katie looks huge compared to Olivia. :) But they are really more the same height. Oh course Katie has always been tall for her age and Olivia is normal...and Olivia is 3 months older then her...oh well, we will see in about 10 years what they end up like.

 

 

 

 

Katie's precious response to snow...

Katie woke up and ran to look out the windows with Justin at the snow that blanketed our state today. We think up here we got about 8 inches.

"Wow, look at all the snow that God provided. Isn't it amazing!"

Justin and I were blown away that she is catching on to our desire for her to see God as a GOOD GOD. One that provides for his children all the necessary things as well as fun beautiful things like snow. :)

He's almost big enough and a "Dear Owen" too.

Owen is just about ready to turn over a leaf and use the Bumbo seat. We tried it for dinner the other night, but he's not quite there. He enjoyed it for about 5 minutes, then his little head started to bobble and he complained. I would too if I was wobbling around. But we can't wait for this to be a way for him to enjoy our company on the counter!

And yes, if you are wondering this is how to eat dinner as a family, eat right when your husband comes home from work at 6:30 pm, just seconds before the kids should go down for bed at 7:00pm...at the island with everything in reach of the kids!

 

 

 

Dear Owen,
You are almost 4 months old in this photo and growing up so quickly. You're about 15 lbs and for sure into a new set of clothing--3 to 6 months. You are talking up a storm, sleeping pretty well, eating every chance you get and being loved on by us all, all the time. You enjoy your crib for sleeping and the car seat and you are NOT friends. Bath time is one of your favorite throughout the day and another favorite is standing up or trying to work your abs with sit ups. You are incredibly strong in all areas (maybe like a tiny superman) and we look forward to the time, which I know will be soon, when you are moving all over the place. You've had a lot of nicknames like Spike-your hair is always sticking up, quicks-because you were born so quickly, superman-because you are strong, sugar dot-because you are my little boy, O-shortened from Owen and many others. Nothing has stuck, but I am sure one will soon.
We love you little one!

Katie in the future...

Katie LOVES to pretend to call people. She repeats everything that she hears us say Which is also scary!).

"I can't hear you."
"Let me put you on speaker phone."
"Really?"
"I must have dropped/lost her."
"How are you?"
she laughs during her conversations
"Okay, love you."
"Talk to you later."
"Bummer, he's not home."
"I need to charge my phone."

Below is a short clip of Katie talking to Mr. Hugh (Laney's dad), then her friend Laney, Daddy, then trying to call her friend Catie Beth-who wasn't home, but at the grocery store-So Katie told me. :) She probably talked to people this morning for about 10 minutes! (Ms. Beth, Nana, Mimi, Olivia, Daddy...)

It was a moment that I saw how things are going to be in her teenage years. Oh boy, she is growing up. I love this stage, it makes me smile almost constantly to see her repeating words and actions done by us. I am amazed by her!

I love my fingers...I love my fingers.

So Owen found his fingers. There is not one finger that is more enjoyable...mostly he enjoys all of them! So he officially sucks his fist. :) He is 3 months old in this video.

Go away 45 minute intruder!

 

Owen and I don't like you! Owen wants to nap without the -45 minutes into his nap- intruder.

Both our kids have had this issue. And for some reason it takes longer then a few days or weeks to work through to uninterrupted sleep. I think for Katie it took almost a year. We've tried to cry it out, sooth to sleep, rock to sleep, putting them down over tired and putting them down when they are under tired. It doesn't matter...the intruder still comes to wake up my little ones at 45 minutes. It is amazing how precise it is!


So go away 45 minute intruder...let my kids sleep!

PS and if you have any thought to share with me about helping this, please leave me a comment! I want my little one to get a good nap!

Vitamin C!

 

These oranges and grapefruits were juiced in about 3 minutes with the juicer attachment for my Bosch. They made us an entire pitcher full of freshly juiced juice for the morning. I love to do this while citus fruits are in season.

Yummmmmmm, there is nothing better then this-eggs and toast and juice.

I love these two!

 

 

 

ahhh....me and my little guy. love him!

Hard, yes, to get all three of us looking at the camera.

Tickling works for Katie and it makes Owen hid his little face in my sweater! But at least it shows life is fun with a 2 1/2 year old and a 3 month old. :)

Love these two!

journaling-the next corner

*remember these are my thoughts...organic, raw, very little proof reading here!

I have had these moments in life where I (Justin included) think if we can just get around the next corner and do this...or do that...or move here...or accomplish this...or have a baby....or buy a house...or listen to this sermon...or keep up with our schedule...or when we turn 30...or if I read this book...life will settle down. Life will become "normal". There won't be any more surprises. Life will become doable or "easy". All of our questions will be answered. We will get into a rhythm and sail along.

But life, we're finding, doesn't work like that. There is no magic potion that will make life what we thought it would be like. Didn't we all think that by the time we turned 25 or 30 or 35 we would have it all together. We would know all the answers. There would be no more "what if"s. No more hurt hearts. No more fears of the unknown. And practically speaking we'd have bought one house and be living in it until we passed it along to our kids (we have moved 7 times since we've been married and are looking to move again!). We'd know how to keep our house clean at all times. We'd know how to teach each of our kids. We'd know how to best serve our friends and we'd love our husbands oh so well.

It has taken me a bit to realize and understand that we live in a world that is not predictable-it's a fallen world. Our world is pushing us to do this, or that, to go here or stay there. Happiness is just around the corner the world says....But sin is constantly tantalizing us to give in-it tells us, "You can do it, you can find it. Contentment/peace is just around the next corner" But I can't. I have tried. It isn't around the bend.

So more and more I am thankful that we live under a sovereign God that takes care of us at each step of the way. Change is going to happen. Change is the one thing that seems constant! But thankfully He lovingly provides whatever we need for the moment. I am glad relieved to stop trusting myself and learn to trust Him. Sometimes the moments are crazy. But His yoke is easy and His burden light the scriptures tell me. And since I am far from perfect I am thankful for these moments, all moments, to rely on and trust in Him. To find my comfort or security within Him. To stop striving for the next thing and to simply rest. Rest in Him (it's not always easy) is where I find comfort and peace about life; each step of the way.

So here's to the next corner to turn! May our life be lived boldly, with great joy and lots of laughing and smiles-looking forward to the next corner and not grasp tightly to what we thought life would be like by now.

12:32 AM

Katie wakes up. She calls for us.

Justin goes in there. What do you need he asks. She needs a song.

I go in there about 10 minutes later because she is calling for us again. What do you need I ask. She says, "Knock Knock." She wanted to tell me a joke.

Nothing like being awakened by your 2 1.2 year old to hear a knock knock joke in the middle of the night.

Go Go Go Owen

This captured my heart today...he was So persistent in trying to sit up in his swing. :)

Save, Spend, Give

 

 

 

 

We are trying to teach Katie about money. We have learned in the past, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money." Matthew 6:24 We want her to know everything is provided by God for our good. Rich or poor. God has provided it all.

So therefore what do you do with money?

I tried to do a lesson with her for "school" today and it didn't go as planned-it was WAY over her head. :) But she did decide that the penny was her favorite. Why? Because Abe's face was on it and she had the most money in pennies. I tried to separate her coins by shape and that went well for about 2 minutes...But she does understand that her piggy banks have names. "Save" 25%, "Spend" 50% and "Give" 25%. We talked about where or to whom she could give to. What she would like to pray about buying. And what she would save for. She is praying about getting gloshes or rain boots! *and the photo with the pennies? She wrote how much she had in that pile..."I think, 555,777" she said. :)

We are going to continue teach her these three categories-save, spend and give. And prayerfully one day soon she will grasp that money is simply a tool to live life. Not something to hord. Not something to be flippant about...But a way to bless/help others and a way to see God provide for his Children.

We want our children to be generous. Generous with their time, talent, money and relationships. Because our God is a generous God. Way more generous then we will ever be able to comprehend.

Journaling-Ever had a day like this?

 

 

 

Today the kitchen was a mess by lunch time! I made bread, messies aka muffins, had coffee in the morning, half the sink was full of clean dishes that I hadn't had a chance to put away, finished the guacamole, made breakfast and lunch, cooked hard boiled eggs, etc...
I think that I spent all my "free" time during naps cleaning the kitchen! I need to figure out a way to keep up with the constant flow of dishes AND tend to my kids. :)
Any tips?

What's for dinner

At our house this is common place
I truly believe it is healthy
It is super filling
Incredibly easy
Delicious


Popcorn-homemade from our WhirlyPop.


Ice Cream-homemade with our Cuisinart.

Come On...Roast your own beans!

So after hearing all about it, Justin and I decided to dive into roasting our own coffee beans! Yummm.....they are superb! I am not sure why didn't do it before now!
Justin is getting incredibly good at roasting our fresh beans. The beans are filled with delectable flavors in the morning and it is THE way to start our day. Not to mention that roasting our own beans take about 5 minutes and is 1/2 the price. *And when nursing in the middle of the night, I would be lying if I didn't say I didn't think about getting a delicious cup of coffee in a few hours. It is that good! :)

Below are the items that we used for our roast.
1-A restructured air popcorn maker.
2-A tin baked bean can (on top of the popcorn maker).
3-Green Beans, from Sweet Maria's or Seven Bridges.
4-Cookie Sheet or Pizza Pan
5-Jars to hold the roasted beans
6-Measuring cup
7-Newspaper to pour the beans into the jars.

Pick your green bean. (Right now I am digging Mexican or Sumatra beans. We tried Tanzanian and they are tea like with chocolate after-notes so they are neat to try, but not my favorite.)

Now put in 2/3 cup of beans (because it keeps the beans from flying out in Justin's opinion), turn on the maker and shake or twirl the beans for about 5-6 minutes.

The beans start to roast, chaff flies out (do your roasting outside so you don't make a huge mess :), listen for the first crack (a light roast) and second cracks (darker roasts), pour out the beans to cool them off and put into jars.

Give some to friends, drink a cup and ENJOY!

*Sweet Maria's is a great site for instructions as well as beans!

 

 

 

journaling-today

So this is the start to my journaling. I won't be rereading much of these posts as I want them to be raw, organic-just my thoughts. (Plus I don't have the extra time to reread :) -And that means there is bound to be plenty of mistypings etc. But I needed a way to think out loud and since I am going to print off my blog into books for our family I thought this could be a way for our kids to get a sense of everyday life.

Today...today was a day in which I wanted to get away and find a quiet place, just me. I didn't want Katie to play her pots and pans as drums or play the piano or run around me while nursing, upsetting Owen...I wanted my space. I wanted peace and quiet. I wanted to do things my way.

I thought in my head that if I could just get the kids napping at the same time I could do something for me. If I could just get Owen content in his swing and if Katie would play by herself then I could do my chores. I couldn't be any more selfish today.

But then the Lord, graciously, reminded me that it isn't about me. It isn't about my comfort. He has given me a chance to teach and train little ones! This is my season in life. He has given me patience. He has provided me everything that I need for Godliness. He is my strength. There is nothing that surprises him.

I also remembered that when I stand before Him one day it will be just me and him. I will be responsible for my actions. My thoughts. My character. I can't say my kids were crazy that day or that it's their fault-they drove me to act that way...

The Lord is kindly refining me. Yes, there have been some long days, but the weeks/months/years have flown by. I want my kids to see our house full of joy. A house that strives to be selfless, putting others first, having fun, dancing, laughing, working hard to love each other.

And yes, I did it, I tried to love my kids well. I put down everything, left the dishwasher half emptied and open, stuff all across the counter and went outside to enjoy the warmer weather and play with Katie while Owen slept. We played tag and I got to treasure Katie laughing and talking up a storm. Then I grabbed dinner from the freezer and popped that into the oven. (Pinwheels-the recipe I will post soon-yumm) Oh and the Lord surprised me...I forgot to get milk today and Melissa watched the kids while I ran to the store...I got some time to think after all. Thank you for allowing the Lord to use you Melissa!

So...thank you Lord for YOUR prospective. For your strength to turn my thoughts around and have a great day with my kids. To see fun/life through their eyes. To cook, again, with Katie at her play kitchen. To nurse, again, Owen because he is a growing little one. For grace to treasure these moments that you have given. Thank you Lord that you have seen fit to call me your own. And may our kids see You in us one day soon.

To Grandpa Hime

Grandpa,
I am sporting an outfit from you! You might not remember buying this one for me and really you didn't. My mom pulled this from my drawer and told me that orginally it was bought by you, for my sister, before you knew she was a girl. :) You thought, Katie, was for sure going to be a boy. Anyway, thanks for the outfit because I get to wear it! It definately kept me warm over these cold winter days. Someday I might just go to "Camp Grizzly" where ever it might be.
Love you,
Owen

 

One of Katie's favorite hymns

I catch her singing this during the day...to her stuffed animals, while cooking, when rocking her baby dolls. She knows more of the words then I do and can sing it just about all the way through.

In Christ Alone, By Katie

Just like my daddy

 

 

I love the fact that Owen and daddy wear sweater vests...Owen sported his first one at church yesterday.
He is officially now a little Poindexter!

--The spiky hair is great as well..only adds to your style sweet thing!

We love you Owen. We can't get over how handsome you are at 3 months!

Owen's helper...

Katie LOVES to help Owen play...as you can see, he's never at a loss of toys! She does a great job bringing him things to hold and chew on.

We are working on her being gentle and soft, and it will come I am sure, praying it will come soon! ie, how soft can a kiss from a plastic turtle be? :)

Priceless Laughing by KK

Justin was running up to Katie and her shoes were bonking Justin while she was swinging. And she was laughing so hard...we loved it!

We also think it is hysterical that her wanted to keep her bike helmet on...

Princess crash helmet and elbow and knee pads and everything else to keep me safe!

 

 

Katie's new bike needed some accessories... I don't EVER remember wearing things like this when we rode bikes, and we lived...but in order to be good parents in this day and age we went to get her crash protection. We couldn't believe it, her helmet is a size/age 5! (You've got lots of smarts in there, Katie!) And then it came with knee and elbow pads. She LOVED it.

Whew...princess stuff is invading our home.

Do these work? Or these? Or these?

 

 

 

 

No joke...Katie put these all on Owen while I wasn't looking! I was SO glad that Owen's eyes were okay. :)

Put me in his crib, please?

 

 

Owen wasn't to sure what to think of Katie in his crib with him-the first photo shows his thoughts...
Katie LOVED getting into his crib-the second photo shows her thoughts...

Properly Drying Jewelry

 

 

I walked into Katie rooms after her room time and this is what I found. She was hanging up her jewelry to dry. What an organizer!