Christmas

My top love language is Gifts.  I like to give gifts and I like to receive gifts.  I use to be ashamed of this.  Surely any of the other love languages are more respectable.  If I feel loved when I get gifts I must be shallow or materialistic.

As I have explored this deeper, I realized that what I love about gifts so much is that someone thought of me.  Someone took the time to think about what I like, go to a store, and spend their hard earned money just for me!  It's not just about having that new item.  (Although that is nice!)

Because I am a "Gifts" person, I loooove Christmas.  The three wise men gave Jesus gifts.  But this is not the point of Christmas!  The reason we celebrate Christmas is because God sent his only son to be a Savior for us all.  We are celebrating Jesus' birth.

I was in Target 2 days ago and was dumbfounded by the chaos around me.  Women pushing one and two carts completely stuffed with toys were demanding to know where various items were from the workers.  Target employees rushed around in a panic trying to appease these crazy people by finding Christmas Barbie and Harry Potter toys.

When did this become Christmas?  When did we completely lose sight of what we are celebrating?  I should state that I do not know everyone's situation in Target.  Maybe they were buying toys for all of the orphans in Africa.  But lets be honest, I doubt it.

I enjoy the excitement that Christmas brings.  There's just something in the air this time of the year.  I just wish that the excitement was about the celebration of the birth of our Savior rather than how many toys we can buy that will end up in the trash a year later.

This Christmas, in an effort to celebrate the joy of giving but keep the focus on Jesus, we are going to buy Jael 3 gifts and explain the three gifts that Jesus received.  I told Luke that he's welcome to buy me 3 gifts as well ;-)

The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”  Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”  When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

Luke 2: 11-15

Bringing Up Girls by James Dobson

Just finished this book and let me tell you, it was helpful!  Here are some of my favorites things that I read.

Michelle Malkin's advice for parents,  "Be "prudes."  Be "rude."  Be "shrill."  And never, ever feel ashamed for asking out loud, "Have you no shame?"

Chapter Title: Teaching Girls to be Ladies

"From all that I had read of History of Government, of human life, and manners, I [have] drawn this conclusion, that the manners of women [are] the most infallible Barometer, to ascertain the degree of Morality and Virtue in a Nation.  All that I have since read and all the observation I have made in different Nations, have confirmed me in this opinion.  The Manners of Women, are the surest Criterion by which to determine whether a Republican government is practicable, in a Nation or not.  The Jews, the Greeks, the Romans, the Swiss, the Dutch, all lost their public Spirit, their Republican principles and habits, and their Republican Forms of Government when they lost the Modesty and Domestic Virtues of their women...  The foundations of national Morality must be laid in private Families.  In vain are Schools, Academics and universities instituted if loose Principles and licentious habits are impressed upon Children in their earliest years.  The Mothers are the earliest and most important instructors of youth."
-John Adams (The second president of the US)

Chapter Title:  The Obsession with Beauty

"I think wanting to be a  princess is more than just feeling beautiful.  Girls and women long to be treated like they are something special and worthwhile.  Our culture often treats women like brainless sex objects who are put on this planet to satisfy men's desires, sometimes at the expense of their own sense of self-worth.  Young girls grow up bombarded by these messages from the media, such as those seen and heard on the E! channel, MTV, BET, and pop radio stations, and in the Cosmopolitan and teenybopper magazines.  Young kids and especially teen girls are keenly aware of these negative images.

Their mother's, I believe, want their daughters to be treated like intelligent, respected, and equally valuable contributors to society.  That is one of the reasons moms buy and dress their daughters in princess attire in hopes of changing their daughter's attitudes towards themselves and other women.

When a girl sees herself as a princess, she feels valued for who she is.  Being beautiful is just the icing on the cake, so to speak.  She is equal, worthwhile, and special.  Most important, she has the confidence to wait for Prince Charming to come and not settle for second best or a loser, no matter how long it takes."
-Riann Zuetel

Chapter Title:  Questions and Answers about Puberty and Adolescence

"Researchers found that a father's presence in the home, more time spent by fathers in child care, greater supportiveness in the parental dyad, more father-daughter affection, and more mother-daughter affection, as assessed prior to kindergarten, each predicted later pubertal timing by daughters in 7th grade.  In summary, the quality of fathers' investment in the family was the more important feature of the family environment relative to daughters' pubertal timing."
-Vanderbilt University Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

Chapter Title:  The Last Word

"We have all heard it said that a woman is most beautiful when she is in love.  You've seen it yourself.  When a woman knows that she is loved and loved deeply, she glows from the inside.  This radiance stems from a heart that has had its deepest question answered.  "Am I lovely?  Am I worth fighting for?  Have I been and will I continue to be romanced?"  When these questions are answered, Yes, a restful, quiet spirit settles in a woman's heart.

And every woman can have these questions answered, Yes.  You have been and you will continue to be romanced all your life.  Yes.  Our God finds you lovely.  Jesus has moved heaven and earth to win you for himself.  He will not rest until you are completely his.  The King is enthralled by your beauty.  He finds you captivating."    -John and Stasi Eldredge

July 4th and Other Stuff

We had a nice 4th of July this year.  We did a lot of NOTHING!  Being only two days after Luke's return from Africa, he was exhausted and wanted to relax.  Well, his three girls did not mind relaxin with our man!

The most excitement the day held was when Jael and daddy went outside and rhrough the sprinkler.  Jada enjoyed watching them out the window now that she has figured out how to pull herself up on anything she can grab hold of.

It's been fun to see Jael and Jada's relationship develop.  Jael takes pride in helping Jada "feel better" and entertain her.  She also loves to help get items Jada needs from around the house.  I guess I should enjoy that now because I'm sure it won't last!

Jada thinks Jael is hilarious!  She loves to pull her hair, grab her mouth and try to take whatever Jael's playing with.  The sibling rivalry has already begun as Jael is typically not willing to give Jada what she has.

The picture to the right is one we staged for a sermon Luke was doing.  He briefly mentions Jael from the Bible and decided to show a picture of Jael symbolizing Judges 4.  People got a kick out of it and we got a kick out of taking it.  She hammed it up!

While Luke's In Africa...

Well we are less than 48 hours from Luke's return from Kenya.    Believe it or not, I'm surprised it's almost over.  Not to say I haven't missed my husband but this time has gone significantly faster than when he went to the Middle East on the METS trip for 27 days.  I guess there have been two big differences 1) Jael and    2) Jada.  It turns out that kids take up a lot of time!  I have had little down time to sit and sulk over Luke's absence.  But that's not really the reason I have done OK.  The reason I have done well is because of God's response to all of your prayers!  Never have I felt so at peace while Luke has been away.  So I thank you all for your prayers.

We have also been nice and busy while Luke has been gone.  The first 6 days were spent doing a different activity each day.  Tuesday my sister-in-law came and we traveled to New Jersey to stay with my sister Briana and spend some time at the beach.  We came back and Luke's parents came and are here until Monday.  So we have certainly not been without distraction.

Please pray for a safe trip home for everyone in Kenya.  I'm ready to see my husband!

Beautiful Babies

I can't believe how beautiful my two little girls are!  Are we blessed or what??

Anyway,  we've had a fun summer so far.  Jada and I got to fly to Illinois for my Aunt Trudy's 60th Birthday Party.  It was so nice to see family that I hadn't seen in so long!

Making Grandma's Homemade noodles.  Yes I held the knife like that on purpose.

Aunt Trudy and Dad

Grandma B and my nephew Sawyer

Proud Grandparents with two of their four grandkids!

Jada and I on the plane!

We also spent a couple days at our friend's pool where Jada was introduced to the water!  She LOVED IT!  I bought her a little floaty that she can sit in and she loves to kick her feet and splash in the water.  Jael loves the water as always.  She swims around with her floaty and it's hard to get her out of the water!  She still won't put her face in the water but I guess that will come eventually.

Airplanes+Our Children = Illness

On the plane on our way to Iowa.





This past weekend we took a trip to Iowa and stayed with Luke's parents.  It's safe to say that every time we have flown one of our children has gotten sick with the exception of one flight.  On that particular flight Jada was in my stomach and I took extreme precautions for Jael.  I had Jael start taking Airborne two days before flight,  brought massive germ-x wipes and wiped down literally EVERYTHING where we sat, and brought saline solution and sprayed her nose every few minutes to keep it moist.  Luke made fun of me for being so psycho but guess what?  Jael did not get sick!
This last trip was Jada's turn.  After arriving to Iowa she developed a fever that I initially attributed to teething.  Later I found out that it was Hand Foot and Mouth Disease which the doctor said she probably got from from the flight.  Surprise Surprise!  Lesson learned, being a psycho pays off!  Our next flight will consist of airborne, germ-x wipes and saline spray!

Time to pick up small objects!

Well our determined little Jada is making her way around to whatever she can get her hands on.  If she starts to really crawl she'll be a month ahead of her sister!

DJ

So remember DJ from Full House?  What's the first thing you remember about her? For me it's her cheeks.  She had cute little chubby cheeks.  Maybe I remember that because I too had little chubby cheeks and I could relate.  Well she has written a book.  I must say I was skeptical at first.  But it is excellent!  She discusses her relationship with food and how she used food to fill what only Christ would.  I really appreciate her honesty and dedication to speaking the truth about Christ.  She holds no punches which has to be hard for a celebrity knowing the criticism she is likely to get.  It's not a diet book! It's about discovering how important of a role food plays in most of our lives and how Christ should hold that place.  Even if it's not food that is a struggle you can apply these ideas into our lives.  What is it that we turn to when we are sad, lonely, bored, tired, angry, exhausted, hopeless etc...?  That needs to be replaced with Christ.  Very powerful message!

Oh how they grow!

Wow does time go by too fast or what?  Jael is growing up so fast.  Last week she learned how to swing all by herself.  (That is, pump her legs.)  Now we don't have to stand there and push her the whole time!  She has also started to pick up the guitar she got from "Jada" when she was born, and try to play songs.  Her favorite tune to copy from daddy?  Sweet Home Alabama!  As you can see in the picture she puts her leg up on the foot rest, props her guitar on her knee and goes to town!  It's pretty funny.




Jada is sitting up really well now.  Although when she gets mad she throws herself back and hasn't quite figured out that this will result in hitting her head.  She also goes from sitting to her belly in an attempt to crawl to get something.  She hasn't figured out how to get to her hands and knees just yet but I'm sure that is in the near future.  She objects pretty strongly if you take something away from her or don't pick her up when she wants you to.  I thought she was going to be my   more relaxed child.  FALSE!  She is very stubborn.  I have started letting her yell instead of giving in to whatever she wants.  A few days ago she yelled for so long that she actually started to lose her voice.  (Notice I say yell and not cry because she yells!)  She has started to figure out that I'm not going to give in to her easily and the yelling is becoming shorter and shorter.  Night times are still rough although last night she slept for 11 hours straight without so much as a peep!  I guess letting her "cry it out" for a couple hours at night is starting to pay off.

Have you heard of resurrection eggs?   If not, they are Easter Eggs that tell the story of Jesus.  There are 12 eggs each containing a small object to help describe the Easter Story.  Here's a picture.

We got these for Jael for Easter and she loves telling us the story of Jesus.  The problem is, she doesn't quite have it right yet.  So if you haven't heard the story of Jesus, I am about to tell you the real story and then Jael's version.

Dark Blue Egg- (A donkey) "In Jesus' day, most people walked everywhere.  Some-times, kings rode on donkeys or horses when they entered a city.  The people would stop what they were doing and watch as the king rode by.  On the day that Jesus rode into their city (Jerusalem), the people were thrilled to see Him.  they believed that He was their new king who had come to save them and to fill their lives with Joy."

Jael's Version-  "Jesus rode a donkey."

Light Pink Egg- (3 Coins)  "Not everyone was happy to have Jesus as their king...Some only pretended...one of those pretenders was Judas Iscariot.  Other men hated Jesus so much that they wanted to kill Him.  But they needed the help of someone who could get them close to Jesus.  Because Jesus was a pretender, and because he was greedy for money, he told the men he would help capture Jesus if they would pay him thirty silver coins."

Jael's Version-  "I don't know what the money is for."  (She can't seem to remember this one)

Light Purple Egg- "Cup"  "Jesus had a special dinner with His disciples.  During the meal Jesus stood up and held out a cup and gave everyone a drink.  He said that the wine was (a symbol of) his blood.  He wanted them to remember this special night and the promise He was making to them and to all people."

Jael's Version-  "The cup is to drink coffee out of."

Dark Orange Egg-  (Praying Hands)  "After the dinner with His disciples, Jesus took them to a garden.  He asked them to pray while He went to another place in the garden to talk to God alone.  He began to be sad and to dread what He knew was going to happen soon.  He was going to die."

Jael's Version- "The praying hands are to chew on."

Dark Green Egg- (Whip)  "When Jesus was finished praying in the garden, the men who wanted to kill Him took him as their prisoner.  They brought Jesus to Pilate, their ruler, and he had Jesus whipped.  The whip used was long and hard and it hurt Jesus so much that He bled."

Jael's Version-  "They hit Jesus with the whip."

Yellow Egg- (Crown of Thorns)  "After Jesus had been whipped, the soldiers took branches with thorns, twisted them into the shape of a crown, and shoved it down on Jesus' head.  Again, Jesus bled."

Jael's Version-  "They put the crown on Jesus' head." (She puts the crown on her head).  "It doesn't hurt my head".

Orange Egg- (Nails in the Cross)  "The soldiers made Jesus carry a heavy wooden cross to the top of a hill. Using nails much larger than these, they nailed him to the cross, which must have hurt very much.  He died a few hours later."

Jesus' Version-  "They put Jesus on the cross."

Dark Purple Egg- (Die)  "While Jesus was dying on the cross, they played a game to decide who would take His clothes".  

Jael's Version-  "The die is used to play games.  Lets pay one!"

Dark Purple Egg- (Spear)  "To make sure Jesus had died one of the soldiers stabbed Jesus in the side with a spear."

Jael's Version-  "They poked Jesus in the side with the spear."

Light Blue Egg- (Linen Cloth)  "After Jesus died, a man named Joseph asked if he could bury him.  This was a brave and loving thing for Joseph to do.  Joseph believed that he was the Son of God and he wanted Jesus to have a proper burial.  Joseph wrapped the body of Jesus in cloth and buried Him in a tomb cut out of rock, like a shallow cave."

Jael's Version-  "They used the cloth to wipe Jesus' bottom."  (Hmmmm not quite Jael)

Dark Pink Egg- (Stone)  "The stone that was rolled in front of Jesus' tomb was much bigger than the stone in the egg.  It was as big as a door and probably weighed more than a car."

Jael's Version-  "The stone is used to play hop scotch."

White Egg- (Empty)  "When two women came tot he tomb of Jesus, they were surprised.  The heavy stone was rolled aside and the tomb was empty.  Jesus' body was not there.  The angel told them "He has risen."  Jesus had come back to life.  This was the promise that Jesus made to His disciples at their special dinner a few days before-that He would die but come back to life to show those who believed in Him that they would live forever, too.  Someday, because He died for us, we can meet Him and thank Him in heaven.  That's the story of Easter, and it's true!"

Jael's Version-  "It's empty because He's alive!"  (She says with excitement!)

Happy Mother's Day!

So I haven't posted in a while.  It's Mother's Day and I have a few quiet minutes to update.  First let me say to my mom and mother-in-law, you are two of the best women I know!  Thank you for all you have done and do!  I'm sorry it takes a special day to make sure you know that you are appreciated.  We should let you know every day!

I just love being a mom.  There are certainly days that are harder than others but it is by far the most rewarding thing I have done to date.  What's so rewarding you ask?  I am doing my best to raise Godly women who will impact the Kingdom of God.  Does it get more rewarding then that?

Now for an update:  We had a great time in Florida.  Luke attended the Exponential conference while the girls and I stayed with our dear friends Sean and Miranda.  We got to end our trip with Kyle, Callie and Landyn which is ALWAYS a blast!

Luke's dad came home with us following Florida and his mom came on Tuesday.  We had a great week with them and as always Jael hated to say goodbye.  Fortunately we get to see them again when they come as reinforcements while Luke is in Africa.  The pictures are from the Baltimore Zoo.

HE IS RISEN INDEED!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like a Sponge

Jael is such a little sponge.  She soaks up everything we say and do and copies it!  For example, while waiting in the drive through at Starbucks (I needed a chai tea to get through the day) she says "Mom, what on earth is taking so long?"  Of course she heard that from me at some point!

Or when she is watching the neighborhood kids out of our back door and she scolds them for misbehaving.  "Kids you need to stop that!"

Now typically she copies all of the things about myself that I completely hate.  She will copy something I say or do.  She'll scold me as I scold her.  "Mom if you don't stop doing that I'm going to send you to your room for time out".  Or when she is doing something that frustrates her and she pounds the ground and says "dang it!"  (Oops!)

This is a funny one, even though she wasn't copying me because I don't say it.  She's sitting and playing and she says "shut up".  I said "Jael Renee you do not use those words.  They are not nice.  Where did you hear those?"  She says,  "In the Bible story at Church".  Haha Obviously the words Shut Up are not Biblical.

But that leads me to the one thing she copies that I am so glad for.  She sits down with her little pink Bible and pretends to have Bible Studies.  She will copy Luke or I and say  "Please be quiet I'm trying to read my Bible."  If only she would copy all of the things we do right instead of what we do wrong!

(In this picture she actually has her Bible upside down! Haha)

FLY lady

I don't know about you but I am slightly OCD when it comes to housecleaning.  Everything needs to be clean and organized for me to be able to relax.  Unfortunately having 2 kids makes it hard to keep up with everything I would like to keep up with.  I was expressing this frustration with a friend of mine and she suggested www.flylady.net.  It is fabulous!  Luke thinks it's hilarious but I find it extremely helpful and freeing!  It can be used by anyone (whether you love or hate cleaning) and it's FREE.    

One of many parts of the website is establishing a "Control Journal"  (Insert Luke's laugh here).  But it's very helpful!  You establish a Morning, Afternoon and Evening routine.  Also, your home is separated into zones so each zone in your house gets deep cleaned once a month but throughout the week you are picking up and doing light cleaning.  

Maybe you too will look at the website and think I'm a huge dork but maybe you will love it like me!

(A side note, she encourages you to establish a day that you sit down with your husband and synchronize calenders and establish what meals you need for the week.  A great website I found is  RecipeMatcher.com.  You can put in what ingredients you already have and it finds recipes for you!)

Accidents Happen

On Thursday Jael was running into the house from being outside and tripped on the door frame.  She caught herself with her left hand and cried pretty hard.  I called Luke to come home and check it out to see if she needs to get an x-ray.  He came home and she passed all the tests so we decided to wrap it in an ace bandage.  Friday she was running around and fell against her wrist.  It was pretty painful for her.  Then Saturday morning she fell again, not even on her wrist but it was still painful for her.  We decided to take her to urgent care for an x-ray.  The doctor did an exam and didn't feel as though it was broken but decided to do an x-ray to be safe.  Sure enough she has a buckle fracture in her wrist.  Apparently this is a common fracture in kids.  It tends to happen when they fall on it with their arm extended (exactly what she did on Thursday).  She's got a hard cast that can be removed and adjusted that she has to wear for 3 weeks.  We have to take her to see an orthopedic doctor as well.  She is a trooper!

Driving

I am one of two types of driver on any given day.  I'm either in a hurry or not.  Yesterday I was in a hurry.  I had 45 minutes to get to Target, buy toilet paper, baby food and milk and get home for Luke to be able to get to a wedding rehearsal.  So as you can imagine I was behind the slowest driver on the planet on the way there and then the person I followed home set a new record for the slowest driver in the world.  I honked my horn and followed closely all the while thinking "what is wrong with this person??  DRIVE FASTER!  I GOTTA GET HOME!"

Now lets back up a few days.  I'm out with the kids planning to hit a few stores but really in no rush.  As I'm driving down the road going the speed limit a car comes up fast behind me and decides to ride my tail.  How dare they put my children and me in danger by riding my bumper!  Is getting to their destination really that important??  So what do I do?  I slow down even more!

As I'm thinking about this I am reminded of something I heard on Dr. Phil once.  (No I don't watch Dr. Phil but I happened to hear this one time!)  He was doing a show about road rage and he states something along the lines of:  How dare you drive around as if your schedule is most important.  That we should all do exactly what you want us to do to in order to make your life more convenient.  How arrogant can you be?  Ouch!

So there it is.  I'm arrogant.  I want everyone to do what I want them to do when I want them to do it.  The moral of the story?  Give yourself plenty of time to get to and from your destination so you aren't ticked when you hit delays and get out of the way of all the other arrogant drivers out there!

Jael is Funny

Jael cracks me up with some of the things she says and does.  I decided to keep a running post and edit it when I needed to add something.  I have a few so now I will share!

Her foot was falling asleep and she comes to me and says "My foot is really tired and it's kind of bouncing".  She was referring to the tingling sensation.

She takes her fake credit card, walks up to the frig, runs it down the center crack and says "Credit.  Thank you."

She gets up from lunch and claims that she has eaten all of her sandwich.  I go check and she has carefully hid it under a napkin.  I tell her she needs to finish her sandwich and she says "But can you feed me and take the crust off and break it into pieces?  That's a lot of things you need to do."

Me- "You don't need to make everything an issue".  Jael- "I don't make everything a tissue!"

While driving in the car "Mom, thank you for my butt."  (No clue where that came from!)

After several times of asking her to pick up her toys with various responses from her she begins to pick them up and says "I'm trying to gotiate with you but it's not working!"  (Meaning negotiate)

The list goes on and on and on.  Stay tuned for more funny stuff from Jael!

A couple fun videos!

This one is proof that Luke is NOT the baby whisperer!

This one will probably make Jael's grandparents sweat!  While trying to get Jada to bed I decide to go see what Luke and Jael are doing and this is what I enter into!

Being a parent is hard...

If you're a parent you know this is true.  Parenting is probably the most challenging yet rewarding thing that I have done thus far in my 28 years.  Each morning I wake up wondering what kind of day it will be.  Will Jael be in a compliant mood?  Will Jada take her scheduled naps with ease or will she fight me every step of the way?  What form of discipline will be most effective with Jael today?  Is Jada getting enough while she nurses or is she coming up short?  How many times will I need to wipe those two little rear ends and as a result do the massive amount of laundry associated with blow outs and accidents?  The list of "what ifs" goes on and on and as parents we have to be on our toes and ready to adapt.

Last night as I was heading into bed I decided to look in on our two little stinkers and found sleeping angels.  As I walked into Jael's room I gently arranged the covers off of her pretend baby and onto my baby.  She didn't budge.  There was no negotiating or arguing.  She allowed me to cover her to keep her warm and kiss her goodnight.  Next was Jada.  She too had kicked off her covers but slept soundly on her belly.  I covered her, patted her bottom and told her I loved her.  Moments like these are the ones that keep me going every day as a mommy.

It also made me think about my Father in Heaven.  How many times do I argue and negotiate with Him about what He knows is best for me?  It's not until I rest in His arms that He can cover me with his love, warmth and kisses.  What a wonderful thing  :-)

The baby whisperer

Luke calls himself the baby whisperer.  I never believed him until now.  Watch the movie below.

Now every evening I count on Luke's playing to keep Jada happy during her cranky time before bed.  I guess I'm going to have to learn to play the guitar!  Yikes!

Hot chocolate makes things better!

Jael and I are both fighting nasty colds so I thought we could enjoy some hot chocolate!  Jael really enjoyed it and called it her coffee!  :-)  She thought it was fun to drink it with her pinkie up in the air.  Jada sat and watched with her thumb in her mouth.  Good times were had by all!

Separation Anxiety

I've heard about this terrible monster attacking children of all ages but never really experienced it until NOW!  Jael is going through some intense separation anxiety.  It all started at her first drop in preschool experience.  I was hoping it would be an isolated incident but am quickly learning that it is indeed going to be a PHASE.  Jael use to love Sunday School.  In fact, she ran Sunday School.  The past few Sundays have been rough but today the anxiety peeked for her.  At John Carroll School nursery through preschool are all in the same gym area but separated by portable walls.  I walked in and dropped Jael off to class first.  She had a couple of tears but did pretty well.  I then walked to the back of the gym to drop off Jada.  After a few minutes of talking to Jada's teacher I started back towards the door (which meant walking past Jael's class).  I spotted Jael standing alone, head down, toy at her side crying.  I tried to get by without her seeing me but she looked up.  She threw the toy to the ground, screamed "mommy" and ran full speed ahead into my arms.  She was hysterical!  A few of the helpers tried to encourage her to rejoin group but it was all over.  She clung to my neck with a grip no person could pry apart and SCREAMED.  It was clear that she was not staying at class so I brought her up to worship with me.  You can imagine how that went.  So we hung outside of service and visited with friends until Jada's number came up (as it always does) so I could go down and feed her.  It was a rough Sunday morning.  I pray that this phase is almost over!

Good Times with Family and Friends

Dave & Paula were here for a week and Kyle & Callie came for a long weekend.  We had a blast!  Luke and Kyle played in the three on three basketball tournament and WON for the second time!

Here's the Winning Team!

After the tournament we attended the Habitat for Humanity Dream Builders Ball.  Included in the evening was a dinner, presentation, silent auction, live auction and dancing.  We had a wonderful time and were so grateful to Papa and Mema for watching the kiddos!

Jael and Jada had so much fun playing with all of our company!  Papa and Jael went on an adventure every morning in an effort to keep Jael from waking up the rest of the house!  It was nice to be able to sleep in a little bit.  Unfortunately Mema caught a bit of a cold while here.

We also went to the Bel Air Athletic Club for some basketball and swimming.  I promised Kyle I was going to post this picture to document his fantastic tan line!  You're welcome Kyle!  

Friday Evening we had a delicious dinner at Rod and Liz Ross' house!  Jael thought that she was so helpful!

She decided to help Liz wipe out the sink.

It was a wonderful week!  We are so thankful to Papa and Mema for all of their help as well as Kyle and Callie for coming to visit!  We love you all!

Big Girls!

Jael is growing up so fast!  She's intelligent beyond her little 3-year-old body.  But emotionally she is definitely a 3-year-old.  One thing Luke and I have noticed is her increasing imagination.  It's so fun to watch her play and play along with her as she makes up all sorts of situations.  A lot of which she has seen around the house.

She's been fighting a cold the last few days and was very relieved to find out that it would keep her from attending preschool again this past Thursday.  Hopefully that fear will turn into excitement sooner than later.  She was a little weepy when I picked her up from Sunday school today which is not normal for her so I think she's going through a rough patch of attachment.

Jada is growing too!  She has finally come to enjoy taking baths!  I had to do a little photo shoot because she's just so darn cute!

Happy Valentine's Day (Yesterday)

We had a wonderful Valentine's Day.  A friend from church came and watched the girls while Luke and I went out to dinner.  We went to Outback Steakhouse and boy was in crowded!  We purposely went around 4:30 and still had to wait.  We sat next to an older couple and boy were they a piece of work!  The guy sitting at the table on the other side of them sneezed.  The lady said "do you have a cold?"  waved down her waitress and asked to be moved!  Of course the restaurant was slammed and there was no chance of that happening!  It was amusing.

Jael had a big event today as well.  It was her first day of "drop-in preschool".  A lady at church runs the program out of her house.  You can bring your child as much as you want for as long as you want for $5 an hour.  It's a pretty sweet deal!  Jael went from 9 to 12.  When I dropped her off she cried but I assured the teacher that she would be fine.  When I picked her up at 12 she was still crying!!  The teacher said she cried the entire time!  She would stop for a minute or two and then remember that I wasn't there and cry!  My heart just broke!  I think I traumatized her because she woke up early from her nap hysterical because she didn't know where I was!  She's suppose to go back Thursday so I will let you know how it goes!

Jada is getting bigger and more fun!  She loves to be held which makes life a little more difficult for mommy.  So as you can see in the picture, I have started strapping her to me as I do what I need to do around the house.  I read that it helps burn more calories to carry them around while you do stuff so I guess that is an advantage!

Jada Giggles!

Jada is getting more and more giggly every day!  It's so much fun!  The second part of the video is just a close up of her!  No giggles but cute noises!

Weekend to NJ

We had a wonderful trip to New Jersey to see Ryan and Briana's new house.  They live about 3 minutes from the ocean so we fully intend to take advantage this summer!

Aunt Shelly had her hands full all weekend.  She's the favorite with Delaney and Jael.  I'm sure the babies will prefer her as they grow as well!

Delaney and Jael had a great time playing and had even more fun driving us nuts with their fighting!  It gave us a glimpse into the life of someone with twin toddlers.  No thanks!

Sawyer and Jada are getting a lot more animated as they are both full of smiles and giggles.  Ryan was nice enough to keep the older girls one afternoon so Briana, Michele, the babies and I could go to the mall.

I learned that Jada does not travel well.  I knew that she wasn't great in the car seat but was hoping that by leaving around her nap time she would sleep.  That was not quite what happened.  Fortunately Aunt Shelly was there to drive some and to entertain Jada some!  Couldn't have made it without her!

The girls definitely missed daddy and were glad to be home to see him!  But it was a fun weekend!