everything to someone

A good reminder for me:  

"When people begin to talk about this domestic duty as not merely difficult but trivial and dreary, I simply give up the question. For I cannot with the utmost energy of imagination conceive what they mean. When domesticity, for instance, is called drudgery, all the difficulty arises from a double meaning in the word. If drudgery only means dreadfully hard work, I admit the woman drudges in the home, as a man might drudge [at his work]. But if it means that the hard work is more heavy because it is trifling, colorless and of small import to the soul, then as I say, I give it up; I do not know what the words mean… I can understand how this might exhaust the mind, but I cannot imagine how it could narrow it. How can it be a large career to tell other people's children [arithmetic], and a small career to tell one's own children about the universe? How can it be broad to be the same thing to everyone, and narrow to be everything to someone? No; a woman's function is laborious, but because it is gigantic, not because it is minute. I will pity Mrs. Jones for the hugeness of her task; I will never pity her for its smallness."

--G.K. Chesterton (bold mine)

April Update

April update! 

Daniel was 3 months (4 at the end of April!) and he is growing like a weed.  He is a chunky solid boy, which is great.  Different for us, but so good.  I don't worry about him eating at all.  He is a sweet boy, smiling and "talking" to us. He likes to be around us and he can tell when we've left the room.  His sisters LOVE him, sometimes a little too much. 

Rebekah is almost 4 and Hannah is almost 2.  Crazy.  We can't believe that we have 3 kids and have been married 7 1/2 years.  Time is flying. 

I've decided that Hannah is in that toddler phase where its hard to get good photos of her.  Almost all of the photos I take of her are action shots (not looking at me) or they are blurry because she moves so fast.  She's too busy to look at the camera!  I got some good ones in this bunch though.  In the close up one of her, she is saying "smile" with her cheesy grin and cute squinty eyes.  I love that photo. 

Rebekah, on the other hand, does know how to look and smile at the camera, so she is "better" at taking pictures.  She is hilarious, and remembers SO much.  She is loving her Sunday School songs and actions, as well as books and videos and people.  She has a tender, feisty little spirit that I love.  

We're in the thick of parenting right now - basically, we have a 4 year old, 2 year old and 4 month old.  Lots of little kids with lots of needs.  It is good - challenges everyday, as well as plenty of chances to laugh and smile.  I'm thankful for each one of these kids, and can't imagine life without them!  I am being pushed to serve (and serve and serve again), even though I'm tired.  Thankfully, I'm learning (trying to learn again?) to rely on God's strength, instead of my own weak "strength" that does not work. 

I read this last week: Galatians 2:20 ESV

²⁰I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

The life I live in the body, I live by faith in Jesus.....ah ha!  That's the key!  Not by my works (that fail) or my pride (in my works, that fail) or not in guilt (when my works fail), but by faith.  Trusting Jesus. 

I wrote this in my journal this morning: 
"May all the "living" I do, just the daily ordinary stuff of life, be living by faith.  May the meals, baths, laundry, cleaning, training, disciplining, loving, snuggling, reading, feeding, playing, walking...be by faith in Jesus Christ.   ....  I pray for a peaceful home and peaceful heart today that is relying on Jesus in this ordinary, simple day.  Doing that, would be a profound victory for me, for which you deserve all the praise." 

Just writing this reminds me of how much I need God's grace to be victorious in any area, and I must confess, that I had to apologize to a child for getting frustrated, yelling and being harsh.  However, with repentance, comes times of refreshing from the Lord. Praise Him. We had a sweet moment of Mommy apologizing and asking for forgiveness, and my child saying, "Yes Mommy, I forgive you."  

So, this is a long post.  But its real and honest.   And real and honest is good.  May I (and we) live by faith in Jesus!   


 

Nicknames

Around here, nicknames just seem to fall out of my mouth once, then another time, and before I know it,  they are used everyday.

Here are the latest nicknames for my kids:

Rebekah:  I love her full name, but in reality, we usually don't call her by it.  We usually call her (and she calls her self) Bekah.  Hannah calls her Bekah as well.  We also will say Bekah-boo, Boo, The Boo, Beck, or Rebek-cute (this one is an oldy but goody).

Hannah:  The progression started like this - Baby-kins, Hannah-kins, and now it is Kins, The Kins, Kinsie, or we even use it as a adjective, i.e., "That's a Kinsie-like thing to do."  (like throwing/dipping things in the toilet...Kinsie-like.)  :)

Daniel:  The newest member of our family has some too.  The girls call him Dan-o, and so now we do too.  We also like Daniel-buddy, Danny Boy, Little Buddy, but Dan-o is my favorite. 

I call Chad "the Honey", and he sometimes calls me "the Cute".  So then, the girls were "the Little Cutes".

My dad still will remind me that he used to call me Cookie.  (I don't remember the story on why, but I do remember being called Cookie).

The girls call my Mom "Grammonica" - a blending of Grandma and Monica (her name).  Its cute.  

Family nicknames are so much fun, and a small everyday way of showing our kids and each other love.

Eternal Life and Phoenix

Things you must know before you read this story.

1) Growing up, my family had a sheltie (shetland sheepdog/mini-collie/mini Lassie) named Bob that we loved.
2) My brother Matt, who lives in Phoenix now, has a stuffed animal sheltie - a stuffed "Bob". When Matt was here we were talked about how he had a Bob at his house.
3) Bob died a few years ago, and Rebekah knows about it and we talk about it every once in awhile.

Today over breakfast, I had my Bible out, and Bekah and I were talking about Easter - what its about, why we celebrate, what happened and what that means for us. We were having a good conversation about Jesus and Him dying for our sins, and rising from the dead. (As a side note, she always says "He's ALIVE!" with her most excited face!) We kept talking about how if you believe in Him, you have eternal life and go to heaven when you die.


After this, Rebekah said, "And then you go to Phoenix." She was humble, but matter-of-fact.

I ask her, "Phoenix?" (I'm thinking....what?!)

She says, "Yes, like Bob."


So, as she was processing all of this...she knew that Bob had died, but that Matt had "Bob" too, so after you die, you have eternal life, and then you go to Phoenix.

I had to laugh and then we called Mom and Matt to tell them. We'll have to have more conversations about this so she knows the truth, but logically it made sense to her.

Phoenix is nice, but Heaven and eternity with Jesus will be way nicer than Phoenix. Infinitely nicer.

Hilarious... I love my kids. :)

hello blog world

How do you start?!

I want to have a fun place to share my heart - the ups and downs, the joys and trials of real life.

I want to quietly remember funny and cute things my kids do, as well as thoughts from God's Word and others.

I want to praise God for the things He is teaching me during this special season of being a wife and mothering young children.

For as much blog reading that I do, maybe I should spend some time recording (and sharing) the memories of my own family.

So, here goes.