I tried to get this on with the last post but I'm not that great at getting pictures where I want them. Here, Jack is working hard to get gum off of his hand. It took him a good half hour. There's some on his shirt, too. And you know, as I write, I realize that I threw that shirt into the wash tonight without getting the rest of the gum off! OOPS! I think we are going on a gum fast at our house!

To Complain or Not to Complain...

Today had the potential to be "one of those days." The house was a mess. We really needed to do a Walmart run. Laundry. Etc... Our Walmart trip was exasperating with Samuel crying throughout most of the trip and very slow people in every aisle!! I felt like screaming! And yet the whole time, as I wanted so much to be justified in my frustrations, a couple of verses from 1 Samuel kept coming to mind. (The ladies Bible study at church is doing a study on 1 Samuel).

"The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts."

Now, I didn't think our morning was quite so dire! But, the point is, the Lord is intimately involved with all details of our lives and if we trust His sovereignty in the big things, is there really ever a good reason to complain about these minor annoyances or inconveniences? No. So though I'd like to be able to really do some whining of my own sometimes, I hope instead that I will trust God's hand as He is at work, even in Walmart.
As the day went on, we found many things to enjoy. Here's a sample!

He looks like he got caught! He actually sat to look at books.

Kayla just had her nails painted. Looking a little wild!

We enjoyed dinner and birthday cake with Grandpa. Notice the little finger making its way toward the frosting!
Happy Birthday!

7 Hours...

I love these two pictures. Samuel likes hats. Also likes getting himself stuck behind the gate on the stairs! Kayla spent her rest time organizing her Strawberry Shortcake dolls and Little People on her window sill. Her orderly tendencies are an inspiration to me!

As I thought about putting these pictures up, though, I thought, "You know, today was actually a pretty rotten day." It all started around midnight when we caught a mouse that had ventured upstairs . Upstairs. Yuck. It took us a while to figure out what to do with it once we had it.

As the day progressed, it seemed as though at least one person was crying or in trouble for most of it. At 1:00, I said "Wow. 7 hours until bedtime. Wow." I truly wondered how we would make it. But we did.

All that to say, we clearly found some bright moments in the day. This last picture is a note Jack sent flying down the stairs in an effort to obey my threat that revolved around not coming down the stairs once I left his room after tucking him in. At first, I thought it might be another mouse when I heard the paper fall. Thankfully, no. Just a clever attempt at extending the day!

Another recent conversation, this one in the bathtub. (Background: Samuel has just a couple of words. He mostly grunts, points, and screams to let us know what he wants.)

"I hope Sam starts talking soon."

"He will."

"Well I sure hope he doesn't talk in Spanish. How will we understand him?" :)

The Tables Have T-u-r-n-e-d

The tables have turned in our house. As parents, we've all done it. Spell words as code around our children. You know, "Should we go to the p-a-r-k after dinner?" Something like that. Now, Jack has taken to spelling much of what he wants to say to me. It's his latest thing. A conversation might go something like this:
"M-o-m?"
"Yes Jack?"
"C-a-n I h-a-v-e a s-n-a-k?"
Kayla looks at me somewhat quizzically and asks "What did he just say Mommy?"
So I translate for her. I think it fuels her own fire to want to be able to read herself!
They keep me on my toes!

How Many T-Shirts???

Tonight was Max T-Shirt night at youth group. Jack had on 16 t-shirts. The winner, however was wearing 64!

The Great Outdoors

I have never really considered myself the outdoorsy type. Really, the woods. Don't like the bugs. Please, oh, please never ask me to go camping. When I was in high school, being outside just made my hair go flat. But my children love to be outside, as it should be. So, I am learning to also love the outdoors. One day a couple of weeks ago, the kids and I took an adventure to Pandapa's Pond in the Jefferson National Forest. When we got there, Jack and Kayla immediately found one of those large park signs that tells you all about the area, what you might see, has a map, etc... They saw all the animals that might live in the forest and were so excited to get going. Kayla said, "This is going to be the best day ever!" as she ran ahead.
They had a great time. At one point, we turned a corner to see two deer snacking. They weren't phased by us one bit. We also saw several turtles, a heron, some ducks, fish, butterflies, and according to the kids, black bear prints!
It was a wonderful day to enjoy God's creation together.

"The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein." Psalm 24:1