Project Life-July version

 July 14th-Charlie is drawing fairy's for her fairy garden.  This is Rosetta.  Isn't she beautiful!  Oh, and look at her letters.  She got M and W right!!!

 B actually played in his room today after C made his track. He kept breaking it.

11:45 pm.  She has my number.  "Mommy can I just sit here with you and do Bible study with you?" It's  summer.  How can I say no?

 July 15th-  Thank you so much for going with me to get these when you are in town.  Didn't they turn out so super cute?

July 17th-  Charlie moved in today.  What do you think of their bunk beds?  They are pretty excited!

Charlie

I am in awe of this incredible little girl.  She has been asking questions lately that I am not ready to answer. She asks a lot of the "tell me about when you were a little girl" kinds of questions.  A lot of them of late have been about my "DAD" or my "Step dad."  And though I am very lucky to have my real dad in my life now that was not the case for many, many years.  I like that Charlie's life is "perfect."  I like that she has a mom and a dad that both live at home.  I like that in the grand scheme of things her life is truly perfect.  Tonight she asked me a lot of those incredibly hard questions.  I don't know how to explain them to her.  (And mom if you are reading this know that I know you love me with every inch of your being.)
C:"Mommy, sing me your favorite song that your mommy sang to you."
Me:"I don't remember my mom singing to me."
C:  "But, didn't your mommy love you enough to sing you to sleep at night?"
Things were different for me than for Charlie.  How do I explain to her the things that I don't know or I don't remember?
Me:"Baby, my mommy loved me so very much.  You remember that I told you mommy did not have a mommy and a daddy at home like you do.  Mommy had a mommy (that's Nana) that loved her so very much but she had to work a lot so that mommy had a house to live in and food to eat.  Nana loved mommy very much but she had to work sometimes 2 and 3 jobs so that Mommy was taken care of."
We talked for ever it seemed like.
C:"But, Mommy,  Why did Nana have to work so much?  Why didn't your Daddy or your Step Dad help Nana?"
How do I answer these kinds of questions when sometimes I ask them myself?
Me:"C do you remember that mommy tells you not to drink alcohol or to take drugs? Mommy's Dad and Mommy's step Dad did not always make good choices.  They both choose to do these things.  And with those choices come consequences."
C:"Good consequences or Bad consequences?"
Me: "Bad consequences."
C:"Is that why your Step Dad is a bad man?"
Me:"Baby, My step dad is not a bad man but he made some very bad and mean choices."
C:"Does that mean that no one loved you?"
How do I answer these questions to a little girl when it was not so long ago I asked them myself?
Me:"Who loves you more than anything?"
C:"God!"
Me:"And what did God do?"
C:"He sent Jesus to die for us."
(And THANK YOU BETH MOORE and your SCRIPTURE memory challenge.  Because of that I had verses on my heart and in my head.)
Me: "God tells us that "The Lord your God is with you.  He will NEVER leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged.  (Deut 31:8) He tells us that in ALL things God himself will go before us and will be with us.  Good and bad.  God is always with us and will provide for us.  Bad things will happen in our life.  And no matter what, God is with us.  Satan may mean those bad things to harm us but God will always use them for good.  Like Daddy's job.  He lost his job at the Olive Garden but God provided him with a job that is going to be better for Daddy.  (1 Corinthians 10:13, Romans 8:37-39, Genesis 50:19-20)
C:"But how do we know that God is with us?"
Me: "Can you tell me where it tells us that God is always with us?"
C:"In the Bible."
Me:"And, what is the Bible?"
C:"It is God's word."
Me:"And what are we suppose to do with God's word?"
C: "Hide it in our heart so that we never forget what God wants us to know. Mommy, can you sing me your favorite song that reminds you  of God?"
So, I sang.  And she was asleep before I finished the song.

You are my all in all
Written by Dennis Jernigan

You are my strength when I am weak
You are the treasure that I seek
You are my all in all
Seeking You as a precious jewel
Lord, to give up I'd be a fool
You are my all in all

Taking my sin, my cross, my shame
Rising up again I bless Your name
You are my all in all
When I fall down You pick me up
When I am dry You fill my cup
You are my all in all

Jesus, Lamb of God
Worthy is Your name
Jesus, Lamb of God
Worthy is Your name

You are my strength when I am weak
You are the treasure that I seek
You are my all in all
Seeking You as a precious jewel
Lord, to give up I'd be a fool
You are my all in all

Jesus, Lamb of God
Worthy is Your name
Jesus, Lamb of God
Worthy is Your name


Nicole Nordeman

Lord, I am so humbled to be this child's mother.  I pray that You will continue to put Your words in my mouth as she grows.  Continue to draw her near to you.  Allow me to stay out of your way.
Amen
 

10 before the 10th~

1.  My youngest loves to tell people "Good job."  "Good job sissy on your homework!"
2.  I found a babysitter for B.  I feel like it is another one of those people that God has purposely placed in my life.  I can't wait to see what he has for me to learn from her.
3.  My kitchen has been clean 3 days in a row.
4.  I am missing my husband.  And not just b/c he mops my floors and goes grocery shopping.  I miss him!  (I know this does not sound like a "good" thing.  But I think it is fantastic in this day in age when so many people really don't like who they are married to. )
5.  I love reading a book that sends my brain running in a hundred directions and gets me excited for school to start in 4 weeks.  Yes, that is all I have left of summer.
6.  I love reading scripture with Dusty.  This time it was over the phone but I can't get a verse from last night out of my head and heart. Romans 1:21
7.  I saw on pininterst a really cool new toy I MUST make the kids. :)
8.  PIZZA!!!!!
9. I have the absolute BEST in-laws.  I can not tell you how completely blessed I feel when I come away from their home.  God is amazing with his provision.
10.  For the first time in 10 years, it is quiet on 4th of July.  We live in a town that allows you to pop fireworks in the city limits.  EVERYONE from EVERYWHERE comes to our town.  This year we are on a burn ban.  It has been a refreshing year of piece and quiet where my kids are not up late every single night for a week and a half.  Instead the kids and I sat on my in-laws front porch and looked across the horizon at the fireworks the next county over.  It was very peaceful.

International Mud Day

 Today is International Mud day.  My kids LOVE the mud.  They love it so much that we had to make Monday Mud day at my house so that they would quit ruining clothes.  I can not tell you how excited they were that there is a day devoted just to playing in the mud.  So, Here are our mud day pictures.  ENJOY!

Project Life-2nd May post

 May 16th:  Monday Mud day.

May 17th:  Family Game Night.  

 May 18th:  B had a bad dream.  I have to be careful not to step on my kids in the morning. :)

 May 19th:  We had tornado warnings this evening.  We had to make sure we were prepared.

 May 20th:  We were waiting for Daddy to finish with the insurance guy.  Who can say no to such great puddles?

 May 21st:  Jeanna's baby shower.  I am in love with all the cool stuff that Laurie does.  Look at those super cute chalk boards and the shot glasses for fun desserts.  I think I see shot glasses in my future.

 May 24th:  Grandma and Grandpa came over for C's graduation that was canceled due to the weather.  The tornado missed us but it destroyed many homes and families in Piedmont.

 After the weather subsided, one of C's classmates came over.  We had a "pretend" graduation for the kids.

 May 27th:  I work work with the BEST people!

 I LOVE technology for this.  We had a Nana date!!!!

 May 28th:  We went to the science museums today.  This is B's look when he is concentrating.  I love how is tongue sticks out just like mine.

 May 29th:  We had play ground dedication at church today.  B loves this teeter totter.

May 30:  This has become tradition now.  It was very important to Grandma Jindra and has become important to C as well.  She loves placing flowers on her grave.

The moments that take my breath away.

There are only two times during the week when my kids do not bicker in the car.   Every Sunday and Wednesday on our way to church we talk about the ways that we can prepare our hearts to hear the message that God has for us at church.  We can pray, sing songs, listen to the praise music on K-Love, or sit quietly and look out the window at God's amazing creation.  Most days I am driving b/c D is working.  This morning was a very rare day when D was able to join us for Church.  D whispered asking why the kids were so quiet.  I explained that B was looking at the clouds and C was praying.  When I looked back and saw her like this I just had to grab my camera.  This is truly a moment that takes my breath away.

She is preparing her heart to hear what God wants her to know.
Praise the Lord for his faithfulness to meet everyone where they are at.

May Project life

Life hit in May.  I have fallen off the picture of the day.  But, I have a few random photos for you.

May 2nd:  This is a piece of "my" life. Many years ago, I heard a saying about teachers.  "The best teachers steal everything they can get their hands on."  So, I stole this idea from Charlie's Pre-K.  We had a Pirate day.  Here is one of the 6 maps I made.  And to think that at one point I thought I could not draw.  :)

May 4th:  Charlie had her award night for Awana's.  She did a great job.  She learned all of the verses in her book for the year.  She can memorize anything that is set to music.

May 7th:  This is one of those days that I have a LOT of pictures for.  We went for a bike ride.  Doesn't it look like both of my kids are riding their bikes?  Well, don't be fooled.  B can ride his better than C.  But, neither one can really ride their bike.
Both kids wanted to do some Yoga before bed.

My two silly astronauts were eating their "astronaut" dinner (snack) inside their spaceship while they watched Backyardigans Mission to Mars.  I just love their imagination.

May 8th: Happy Mother's Day to me!  Charlie made me breakfast in bed.  "I gave you an apple because I can not cook by myself yet."  So sweet and thoughtful.  I did not feel that way when B spilled the ice cold water on me in my bed before I was awake.

May 12th:  I brought volcanoes home from school to bake for my kiddos.  We had such a blast "erupting" them the next day.

May 13th:  We went to the ice cream social at school.  C calls this amazing redhead her big sister.  This little girl (who is not so little any more) was in my very first pre-k 4 class.  

May 7th:  After B went down for a nap I found this in the bathroom. I  thought it was so funny that just HAD to take this picture.  I am guessing that the toilet was on fire.

May 14th:  We had some unexpected family news and decided to take a family day trip.  We LOVE red rock.  I hope it is a place that my kids remember from their childhood and take their own kids.  We just always have the BEST time.