Kids Say the Darndest Things

Several years ago, we were on a lonnnng plane trip to Central America for a mission trip with our first two children.  In an attempt to keep them content and entertained, we would quietly sing songs and do preschool finger plays (like Itsy Bitsy Spider, etc.).  Our oldest daughter was 2 1/2 at the time.  She began to do the Church & Steeple one, but her version went like this:

"Here's the church, here's the steeple, open the door and where are all of the people?  Oh, I guess they must be at Wal-Mart?!"

If you have or are around young children, I'm sure you are amazed and highly entertained at some of the things they say.  Sometimes it's absolutely hysterical and sometimes I am completely dumbfounded at where they get some of these things.  

Here are a few more of our best of the best from our little ones ;)

"I need a band-aid in my eye."

"Mommy, are my pants in the dryer or the wetter?"

"Mommy, I think you need to talk to Dr. Phil."

"That's hilarisis!" (That's hilarious)

To her younger sister: "Get in your car seat now, in Jesus' name!"

"Mommy! Hurry, sissy has leprosy."

Upon seeing an Amish woman (at the store) in winter dress for the first time, our oldest daughter in a very loud and excitable voice says:

"Mommy, mommy, look, it's Mother Goose!"

I hope this added a little joy and laughter to your busy day!!!

The best of 2012....

What a wonderful year 2012 was.  Like many other years, it did not come without its challenges and obstacles, but it was another year to be extremely thankful for.  I do, however, have to ask where it went?!? Is it me or do the years seem to pass more quickly with little ones?

I thought about posting my favorite moments of the year, but there are waaaaaay too many to list.  So many priceless memories with my awesome husband and four little girls.  Great times with family and friends were too numerous to count. I am continuously in awe of those blessings! Therefore, instead of listing those, I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite inspirations of the year and a few things that just made life a little sweeter.

Here are a few of my favorites from 2012:

Book:

Calm My Anxious Heart: A Woman's Guide to Finding Contentment

Quote:

"Wise people limit their freedoms to protect others."  ~ Pastor Ben Lamb

Song:

Workout:

Zumba class (with my sister-in-law). Woo hoo. What fun!! You almost forget you are working out.

Blog Posts:

The Battle for Joy

Organizing Important Documents

Ebook:

21 Days To A More Disciplined Life 

In the Kitchen:

Trader Joe's Organic Virgin Coconut Oil
I've recently learned the awesome benefits of cooking with coconut oil. Not to mention, the benefits for your hair and skin.  I always wondered why women in India had such shiny hair when we were visiting there.  Now I know!

Cleaning:

 

Eureka Enviro Hard-Surface Floor Steamer,313A

What a deep clean without the harsh chemicals! Yay!

Documentaries :

The Daniel Project
This documentary is a journey and explanation of the signs of the times and Biblical prophecy.  Quite eye opening, I must say!

The Gerson Miracle 
Controversial, but extremely informative about health issues, treatments and prevention.

IndoctriNation: Public Schools and the Decline of Christianity in America

This one really gets you thinking about school environment choices?!

FOR THE KIDS

Homeschool:

My Father's World From A to Z: A Complete Kindergarten Curriculum

This curriculum is working out great for us.  It's very cute, too!

Music:

Buenas noches mi sol

Precious lullabies in Spanish.  Some of my favorite new songs ; )

Love Out Love DVD/CD

Great worship for kids with graphics and creative backgrounds.  We love the lyrics and the kids sure rock out to the beat!

Books:

Big Treasury of Little Animals (Random House Picturebacks)

This book is such a sweet learning tool about pets and farm animals.  Looks like we'll be getting a duck in the spring?!

 

The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name
Our favorite kids Bible.  It truly does whisper the name of Jesus in such an understandable and beautiful fashion.

I hope 2012 had joyful and inspirational moments for you, as well.  We'd love to hear about some of the ways you spent the year, too! Have a safe and happy New Year's Eve!

S.O.S...a cry for [practical] help (question #5)

The ever ticking "clock" of time. It never stops, never slows down, does it?! It seems since having children, that has become even more evident. Everyday in our home, we seem to reach different milestones and reach new phases of life. Crawling, walking, saying new words, learning new skills, potty training and so on. It's almost monthly that someone is wearing a new size of clothing and the old is being packed away in boxes.

I want so badly to stop time and really live and relive each and every moment. I want to capture every second and bottle it up. I think most of us try our best to capture those moments the best ways we can. I'm learning to keep a camera handy and a notebook close in reach. Still, my best efforts won't truly tell the daily story in years to come. I don't want to miss out on life by worrying about preserving everything, but I do want to have things to remind us of the days that little feet scurried across our floors.

This truth leads me to todays question in this series:

Question #5

In what ways do you preserve memories to look back upon in the years to come? Are you partial to photos, video, scrapbooking or journals?

Why I love having a large(r) family

Today, I'm continuing the series on Why I love having a large(r) family. Yes, having multiple children comes with it's challenges. Yes, I am told on a daily basis that "I have my hands full", but my heart is even more so. There are so many reasons why I love having a large(r) family, but one of them is:

Because there is just that much more love and cuddles!

Leading (our children) by example

I recently read an article about raising successful children and at one point, the writer mentioned that she was not a fan of the phrase, "do as I say, not as I do" and I couldn't agree more.  I'm not a fan.

When it comes to raising children, isn't it hypocritical to teach them one thing and live another?  To expect a certain standard in their lives and live out something different in our own?

Have you ever observed instances like this?

We occasionally take our girls to the mall where there is a small play area.  They have recently renovated the area to make it really nice. Signs are posted with a few simple rules to help keep order and to keep it safe and sanitary.  One of the rules is "no shoes" for children or caregivers while in the area.

Mall security passes by often to ensure that the area is safe and people are observing the rules.  Several times, I have seen security give gentle reminders to those not observing the rules.  I cannot tell you how many times I have witnessed parents either completely disregard what he says, curse him when he walks away or comply with an awful attitude - IN FRONT OF THEIR CHILDREN!

I realize that keeping your shoes on in a play area is not a capital offense.  The point I am making, however, is the example that is being set.  I cannot help but wonder what the parents would think if their children responded the same way to authority (teachers, family, supervisors, coaches).  What do they teach their children regarding respect, having a good attitude, and humility?

It makes me look at my own self and my very actions that teach my children.  They rock and sing to their babies the same way I rock them.  They put on jewelry and smooth lip gloss on their lips like I do.  They imitate so many of the things I do.  Can I see some of my attitudes, shortfalls and negative habits in them?  Absolutely!  Where did they learn to yell at our dog on occassion? ahem....mommy and daddy.

I am constantly humbled by this when we are doing or Bible studies or focusing on lessons about character traits.  Am I just giving them an empty pattern of words or am I blazing the trail for them to follow?

What is the example we are setting?  Do our actions contradict our teachings?  Are our children confused because mommy and daddy can act one way, but expect something more from them?

Will you join me in being reminded daily that little eyes are watching - always. Little ears are listening and their actions are imitating-always.  How does that change the way we do things?

Our baby girl is 6 months old

I wanted to add an extra little post today to recognize the 1/2 birthday (this week) of our tiniest joy.

It's milestones like these that make me waver between smiling and sobbing.  I'm so grateful for happy healthy children that are growing...but it happens way too quickly for my taste : ).  

This little princess is such a sweet addition to our family.  She is the epitome of all things feminine.  She speaks in the softest little coos and she bats her eyelashes when she smiles.  Yes people, she bats her eyelashes {insert the sound of my heart beating loudly}.  

Her big sisters would literally choose to hold her over playing with any of their toys.  This, especially, blesses my heart!  We are so thankful for "Edie Wose" and all that she gives to our family.  Happy 6 months sweet girl!

Why I love having a large(r) family

So last Thursday I began a short series of posts entitled Why I love having a large(r) family.  I say large(r) because it's all perspective.  Many people think four children is large (I used to be one of those people).  In fact, not a day goes by when we are out in public that I don't hear "are they all yours?" or "wow, you really have your hands full!". 


My/our reactions vary.  Sometimes, I've {if you want me to be honest} been slightly annoyed at how, at times, people can seem offended or bothered by it?!  Other times, I feel so very proud that they noticed?!

Regardless...yes, they are all mine/ours.  Yes, my/our hands are full (so is my heart).  It's a big beautiful mess!

There are so many reasons why I love having a large(r) family, but one of them is:

Because I get to wake up to this everyday!

(Side note:  I told them to go get their "cleaning hats" on because we were going to clean the house.  They took me very literally).  These girls are hilarious!

Why I love having a large(r) family

I remember conversations with some of my best girlfriends several years ago, after we were all newly married.  "How many kids do you want?"  "We want 5 or 6."  "We want 4." "We want 2."  I was always the one on the lower end.  I was so surprised by how many children they all wanted. By no means was it because I didn't want children or didn't think they were a blessing.  Quite the contrary.  I have always wanted to be a mother, in fact, I have always felt it was something I was born to do.

I think it was because I had life all "planned out" in my mind.  I had big dreams and even dreams of what we would do for God.  My husband and I had both been doing foreign mission work since we were teenagers.  It's a huge passion of ours.  In my mind, I couldn't imagine loading a bunch of kids on an airplane and traveling thousands of miles into developing or third world countries.  It seemed like more than the average 2.5 children would put a bit of a damper on that passion.

Fast forward into the future a bit and we had one baby girl, then two, then three, then [gasp] FOUR baby girls.  What surprise was in the air. : )  For us, for our families and for my girlfriends who had always heard me giggle at their dreams of multiples.  It was like I was the turtle in the "race" and came around the corner so fast that I passed the whole team up.  Here I was, the one with FOUR children before any of us could blink.

My husband and I sometimes laugh, almost asking ourselves how this happened (don't worry, we have it figured out).  It's been so amazing that our "plan" didn't work out exactly how we expected.  Having these precious girls in our lives has been the most amazing experience we could possibly imagine.

Oh, about the traveling.  Two of them have touched their feet on foreign soil and yes, someday we'll be the crazies on the airplane traveling with these FOUR {ahem...or more?!?!?} girls.  What a great team we'll have with even more hands to help those who need it most.

Thank you Lord for messing up our plans!

Starting next Thursday, I'll begin sharing every week why I love having a large(r) family.

Tying the knot....again

(the rings)

(the wedding party, the coordinator front and center)

So my dad came over the other evening to check out a new paint job in our garage. Little did he know that is not all he came over for. Our four year old (big thinker) had BIG plans. She had a wedding in mind - for mommy and daddy.

Almost twelve years ago, my dad performed our wedding ceremony and gave me away. She knows this...and wanted to see it again.

This girl is into details and didn't miss a thing when she coordinated this wedding. My dad sported a red tie [along with his Nike workout clothes], daddy had the perfect tie that made him look "so handsome" [along with his neon green t-shirt]. I was asked to wear a fitted grey flowing dress with her tiara. Her sisters were the flower girls and ring bearers.

There were rings, a Bible and a kiss.

Then came the reception. There was dancing....very fancy dancing. Oh, and let's not forget the ice cream. Sherbet to be exact, in small baby cones.

My dad is only wishing the wedding twelve years ago was on this same budget. Sorry dad.

This girl dreams big and was elated that we followed her dreams the other night just after 8pm. We may just renew our vows someday, get out mommy's wedding dress and daddy's tuxedo and four flower girls and do this all over again for us....for her. She would be on cloud nine.

P.S. Did I mention that she has been praying for a baby brother? Oh yes, and in her sweet little four year old mind....marriage produces babies. Ulterior motives for this wedding?!? No pressure mom and dad!! : )

Yay, she's 3!

I usually like to write about homeschool subjects on Tuesdays, but I wanted to stop and honor our precious little one who turned three this week. She is especially proud! I'm pretty sure every sentence lately starts with, "when I be three I'm going to....." (Yes, she misuses the verb, but I don't plan to correct her anytime soon....it's way tooooo cute.)

Our little "Cal Cal". She was born in a very, for the sake of being positive, "interesting" time in our lives. When the entire earth around us seemed to be dry and brittle, this little flower popped up. What a joy!

To add to the difficult seaon of life that we were in, when she was born, the doctor told us that she had three holes in her heart. I was beside myself. I/we didn't know what that meant, how it happened or what could happen to her. I'm pretty sure I didn't take my eyes off her and I was on 24/7 watch for weeks. The doctor assured us she was going to be fine.

Her words were literally, "she really is OK, it's like an artist who painted a big canvans and missed a tiny little spot, you'll never even notice it's there." That was such a mental picture for me. I know the Master Artist and he doesn't make mistakes in his creation. I put my trust in him!

This princess is a healthy vibrant little girl. She is a huge blessing in our lives. Yes, she may get lost in the shadow of her best friend/big sister who is more extroverted and outspoken, but her sweet little personality shines through and touches your heart. This little snuggle bunny is a wonderful mommy to her little baby dolls and truly loves her binky.

We are having so much fun getting to know her and her personality every day. Happy 3 years little one!