I Think He Has It Right

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoGYx35ypus

My sister-in-law Amy sent me this and it made me sit and think. As funny as it is we really are a generation of complainers living in a high speed, high tech world where the slightest delay or inconvenience can set us off. What if: you had no car, no medicine, no phone, no.... fill in the blank. I know we can't go back to simpler times and I am not suggesting that we don't take advantage of all the modern conveniences of our time but maybe we could all show a little more gratitude for the things we have. In this lent season, where many of us have given up something, remember to be thankful for what we have, not throwing up our hands when something doesn't work just right.

Don't Try This at Home

The amazing flying baby!

Beginning a new tradition

This year we decided to participate in Lent, the whole family, after being challenged by our pastor to do so. Humm..... give up something that will be a daily reminder of the sacrifice Jesus made for us. What would make an impact on each of our lives? I chose to give up sweets, soda and snacking after dinner. Three things I have a habit of doing every day. Today was hard and I was reminded to pray many times today. I did a little research to find something practical to do with the kids to help them understand and relate to what we are doing. I found one I think will have a big impact on them. We made jars with a copy of the Jelly Bean Prayer on the outside. We determined a behavior to go along with each jelly bean color (corresponding with the prayer). Each day the kids can earn jelly beans to go along with any color they follow through on to put in their jar but they will not be able to eat them until Easter. The kids will not be able to earn white jelly beans, these represent the Grace of Christ, which is a gift that can not be earned ourselves. This is how we chose to represent each color.

The Jelly Bean Prayer

Red is for the blood Christ gave (each morning we will choose something to sacrifice that day to earn the red jellybean. It has to be something they would have the opportunity to have or do on that day) 

Green is for the palm's cool shade (green jellybeans will be earned for good deeds. It was a good dead to provide shade for Jesus with the palm)

Yellow is for God's light so bright (yellow jellybeans will be earned for sharing God's light through kindness to others)

Orange is for prayers at twilight (orange jellybeans will be earned for attentive behavior during bedtime prayer time and night time Bible story)

Black is for sweet rest at night (these will be earned for going to bed good.)

White is for the Grace of Christ (these can not be earned as mentioned above)

Purple is for His days of sorrow (they will earn these through apologizing to anyone they hurt with their words or deeds that day)

Pink is for each new tomorrow (pink jellybeans will be earned when they forgive those who apologized to them for hurtful behavior)

Easter morning the kids will wake up to their jars filled up where they were still empty (lacking) with white jelly beans (Christ's Grace).

Movie Star Monday

Jackson put these on Vaughn (much to Lucy's dismay) so I had to shoot a few pix (while Lucy tried to snatch her glasses back. It was amazing I got even one good picture. 

A Rare Day at the Beach

A couple of weeks ago we went over to the beach and it was a beautiful day. January? Yes it was. It was sunny, warn and not a trace of a breeze. We all had a great time. 

A LITTLE SOMETHING FROM EVERYONE

A huge task: Keeping 4 children interested in the Bible story when you cram them all on one couch next to each other. It is a good thing Daddy was so into the story. He didn't even notice that they were all focused on things other than the Bible story. Jackson would have been in deep doo-doo had he been caught reading something else. (Postcard from grandma in his hands.) Lucy may actually be paying attention. that would be a first since she is usually the one doing all the distracting.

JORDYN: This morning I asked Jordyn to take Vaughn back to the bathroom and get him undressed for a bath. I walked in and she had a funny look on her face as she was taking off Vaughn's shirt. I asked her what was wrong and she said, "Vaughn smells like a hamster, (trying to be kind) or maybe that's the toilet." I felt so bad that I had not bathed Vaughn 2 days ago when he needed it and was too embarrassed to admit that it had to be the baby because the toilet was cleaned this morning. So I just kept my mouth shut. Hey, toilet cleaning was on my list, baby cleaning wasn't! He is all clean and smells like roses now though. 
JACKSON: "Mom, if I was going to be president I think I would make my name President Elect ORock-star Jackson!"
LUCY: "Markers, NO, NO :(" This is something I think I hear everyday. Seems like no matter where I hide them, how many times I put them up, how hard I try to keep gates closed and access to where there just might be a marker lurking, Lucy finds them. First she writes all over her hands, feet and face then moves on to whatever else looks like a fresh canvas. When I catch her the lip goes out and the tears start to the tune of her saying "markers, no, no." She knows what has to happen for disobeying. I keep thinking she will learn that markers are just off limits. We all have our sins that we just can't seem to say no, no to forever. 

Wall art above Daddy's pillow

A little color added to Jackson's desk

This was a doozie of a face paint job. Don't worry though. Thanks to my sister Janine (who made this discovery after Lucy used permanent marker to decorate her dry erase board) I learned that toothpaste takes sharpie off almost anything. What can that mean for your teeth?

VAUGHN: Just a bundle of smiles and drool all wrapped up in a squeezable little body :) 

Valentines Day Memories

Though it was not a romantic day for two in Hawaii, or even in Corvallis for that matter, my Valentines Day was filled with memory making, fun moments. Aaron woke me with a beautiful, sweet card. I made the kids heart shaped pancakes with chocolate chips and whip cream. Yummy! Their place at the table was decorated with baloons and a chocolate surprise. The rest of the day was filled with running Jordyn and Jackson back and forth to church for AWANA games and Bible quizzing practice. Saturdays until March are filled with a lot of running around in preparation for the big event. Aaron spent most of the day shuttling the bigger kids while I stayed with the little kids. I was making lunch and Lucy came running to the kitchen yelling, "Mama, look at Vaughnie!" Of course I hurdled the baby gate as fast as possible (brought back memories of high school as I sailed over smoothly) thinking she had done something horrible to him. Look what I found.

She continued to find new ways to balance the turtle (naked turtle as Jackson calls him since he lost his shell) on Vaughn. They both seemed to be having a wonderful time. Lucy was trying to kiss Vaughn's head here but didn't quite get her aim right. Poor naked turtle.
We opted for a quiet dinner at home so Aaron got king crab legs and made his famous crab cakes. Dinner was to die for. The company was more then we planned on though. Lucy either got into my caffeine filled soda or smelled the crab because she was up not more than 15 minutes after we put her to bed to enjoy our dinner sans kids. Crab is her favorite. She is not so sure of the pinchers. 

We enjoyed the rest of our evening just the two of us. There is always time for romantic dinners and tropical Valentines days when the kids are all grown up, but they are not little for long. 

Lucy's new discovery

"This noisy, attention grabbing little wiggly thing that invaded my house and home a few months ago isn't so bad after all. He is a great playmate or plaything. Way better then the stuffed babies that just flop around and don't respond to the things going on around them. Vaughn isn't so bad after all. I think he might just be ok."

"Vaughnie too fat!"

"Mom, you can't be serious! A pink Bumbo is bad enough but I have to be a part of this tea party too."

"Vaughnie, open up."

"Drink some more." Not only was Vaughn a good sport, he actually seemed to be enjoying himself. He loved chewing on the spoon and grabbing for Lucy's hand to put it in his mouth.

LOVE

Baby Stuck In Tube Emerges Unhurt!

Ever wonder how they take an xray of an infants chest? I never had it cross my mind until last night. Now I wish I didn't know. They sit them on a tiny little bike seat then squeeze them into a tube similar to the drive up bank tubes. Notice his little feet dangling down below. Poor little Vaughn! I had to take him to the emergency room because he was having a hard time breathing and had developed a horrible cough. Turns out he has RSV and it is very serious in an infant. So we spent a few hours at the hospital with doctors monitoring him to make sure he was ok. They gave him 2 breathing treatments in a nebulizer and he was able to come home. It was back to the doctor first thing this morning after his breathing became labored again. They gave him another breathing treatment and this time sent me home with a nebulizer and medication. Pray that he will recover quickly. As for the tube xray, Aaron laughed and I cried. Shame on daddy.