We are SO very thankful Avery has a teacher that takes time out of her crazy/busy day to encourage this little one.

Tonight was Bethany’s 5th grade Christmas Choir Concert, and the kids were precious. We were so surprised right before one of the songs to see my little girl standing front and center in front of the mic. We knew she had tried out for a solo, but she didn’t know she was going to sing it at the concert until about 10 minutes before it began. I love that she kept her cool and sang on. Proud of that girl!

See B hit (and earn 2 RBIs)…

 

See B get hit…

See B run home(after stealing 2nd & 3rd)…

 

We are proud of our Cruiser!

I spotted a superhero on the way to school this morning…

He made sure sister got there safely…

And then he became a superhugger.

These are such sweeeeet times.

So you know, both munchkins received a superhero cape for their bdays this year.  Taylor says that Avery’s cape says “Dear Avery, You’re a princess.” and his says, “Dear Taylor, you’re a rock star.”  I agree.  Your munchkin can have one too!  Visit Dreaming of Stitches, and pick one up for your little hero.  (the site is pretty new, so please use your power of patience.)

My sweet friend, Amy, that writes for the Adventures of a Supermom blog asked me recently if I would like to share a post about parenting tips.  I tend to overthink this sort of request…I am seriously overwhelmed.  Truth be told, I am nearly the last person I would ask for parenting tips.  Maybe a bargain, but not parenting tips.  Don’t get me wrong, my children are wonderful creatures, but I am convinced it has little to do with me and everything to do with His mercy.  I know I love the stink out of my people, and I do my best.  Notice, that below you will not find organizational tips, or tips on controlling drama and temper tantrums in your kids (or yourself).  Not a lot of wholesome, homecookin’ recipes and not any fitness advice.  Did I mention that aside from sometimes being a complete wreck, I am also a pastor’s wife?  Seriously.  The one thing I know for sure, is that if I am doing anything well ~especially when it comes to my kids~ it is surely not from me, yet Christ living in and through me.  I happen to know and do life with some excellent parents, and I feel like the least of these.  Here are some things the Lord has been telling and retelling me lately.  Oh, His sweet mercy.

• Your relationship with the Lord is numero uno.  Then your husband, then your kids, then your family and friends.
• S l o w   d o w n.
• Pray with your kids…even for the little things.  Make it part of their lifestyle.  It’s what we do.  When we see an ambulance, when we go to bed, when we leave for school…etc…
• Be willing to be (oh so very) unpopular with your kids and their friends.  Do what is right for them every time.  This will make them feel safe and protected in the long run.
• Your kids don’t need more friends.  Be their mom, not just their friend.  Being their mom means you get to be a friend too.
• Love your husband, right in front of your kids.
• Do not be in a hurry to get the kids into (pre)school, or involved in 1000 activities.  They will be out the door before you know it.
• Do not get sucked into this suburbanized, busy, wealth-emphasizing, self-centered world view.
• Teach your children that the church is not a building.  Try to stop using the phrase “going to church”.  You’re not going there.  You are the church.
• Speaking of the church, “do life” with other ladies, in authenticity.  We are all so much alike, and we need sisters.
• You are going to make mistakes, make sure your kids see them and know you are sorry and are working on yourself.
• Your home should be the safest place on earth, both for your kids and your spouse.
• Take care of yourself, for yourself (not your husband).  I am having lots of trouble with this one!
• Get caught by your kids reading the Word.  Again…working on this one.
• Your number one goal is His glory.  Not yours, your husband’s, or your kids’.

Maybe I will come back one day and add to these, but I am not sure they really need explanations.  Here are some more, less spiritual (depending on the moments) tips .

• I use puppy training pee pads for lots of things…weird, right?  If you are expecting a possible leak under anything, these are great!  They are designed to hold liquid-and we need that all the time over here, having three kids and three dogs.  Perhaps my fav use is under bed sheets.  Love it when an accident occurs, but the mattress is dry.  Win.
• On diapers…I always used the Huggies nighttime (pm) diapers.  They were far more absorbent and lasted far longer than regular diapers.  This is useful, unless you love changing diapers all the time.
• Please don’t try to force your kids into potty training.  You just won’t like each other at the end of that long, frustrating, cuss-worthy day.
• Don’t try to make your house look perfect for guests.  Chances are, they can see right through that, and if they can’t you are just making them feel poorly about their own housekeeping skills.
• Stop to take pictures of your family-maybe even get into some!  My kids have decided I have an addiction to my camera, but one day they’ll appreciate it.

Those two lists give you a little insight into my jumbled brain.  Sometimes I need to think in lists, break it all down, and take it one step at a time.  Really, we all need to be in constant dialogue with the One who allows this life.  The One who fulfills our dreams.  The One who gives and takes away.  The One, the only One, that is ever able to fulfill us, sustain us, and make us the ladies we would like to be.  When we are walking alongside the One who gave all and forgives all, choices become more clear and we are able to forgive our own shortcomings.  Choose Him above all, and He will direct you.  (and yes, I am working on this one too )

What a morning!  I’ve been following the Couch to 5K program, and I’m on week 5.  In order to get that run in today, I had to leave the house by 6:15.  It’s dark out that early!  So dark.  Not a huge fan, but I know I need to get it in before we hit the triple digit temps today.  When I finally got home, I had to beg Bethany to get out of bed by 6:45, because not only is today school picture day, but it’s also her first AM choir rehearsal.  She needed to be at the school by 7:30.  We tamed her hair and got her out the door on time .  Here she is, Provine ready:

When I returned home, I had to wake sleeping beauty.  This little thing cannot seem to catch up on her rest.  Every morning, she wants to know why I am waking her up and she can’t believe she has school again.  She seems fine by the time we walk to the bus, but the whole early morning school thing seems ridiculous to her when she first arises.  Her clothing pick was simple.  She has one outfit that she adores–it was her bday party outfit this year too.  Here’s Avery all decked out:Can’t wait to see the final results!

Shiner is quickly becoming a bird dog.

I am often asked, “What do you and Taylor do all day long without the girls??”  Well, I am still living my dream!  I get to spend my day tending to (really all 5 of us) this awesome kid.  Now that the weather has made this glorious shift, we are trying to be outside as much as possible.  One of the hats I wear is definitely homemaker, so we can’t be out all of the time.

First things first, we make sure the girls get off to school.  Breakfast, pack lunches&snack&drinks&homework&handouts, then out the door to the bus stop.

By the way, bethany didn’t want to be in this picture, apparently due to not wanting to feed my picture-taking addiction.  Her words, not mine.

We wave to them as they board the bus, and then we rush back home to wave again as it passes directly in front of our home –to stop at the stop sign directly in front of our home, but not to let the kids on the bus directly in front of our home.  For reals.

Then, after we do some of this (whichisn’tsobadnowbecausemymomboughtustwofantasticmachines!):

we sometimes go out on the front porch to play some karate bubbles:

we sometimes (most of the time) play some fetch with Shiner:

That is just a sample of some early cool front suburban activities.  I do love these mornings.

This morning I felt extra blessed to simply wake up and follow our normal routine in our home.  All the clothes, food, and backpacks were just as we had left them last night.  No problem, no worry.  Hundreds of families in Texas are waking up to a different story completely.  Not only are their clothes, food, and backpacks missing, but their very houses are gone.  I am humbled to think of all the moments I have wasted in my house, complaining about its size, dimensions, etc.  Moments so wasted.  Not this morning.  This morning I was relieved, thankful, and mindful of those waking up in shelters across Texas.  I hope this feeling does not fade too soon.  Please join us in praying for rain, relief, and restoration for our neighbors.

Last night, we let the kids play outside in this beautiful weather.  As we sat and watched them, we could smell the smoke in the air and ashes were falling from the sky.  As we brushed off the ashes (what could be the remainder of someone’s house), I was stricken by the irony.  This is a picture of our sad, ominous sunset.

We were able to enjoy sitting outside, listening to the kids negotiate all of the wheeled toys.  They always eventually pull all of them out of the garage.  I love being able to let them play freely while watching Shiner take in all the smells and sights.  He is such a good dog, sits with us off-leash, never chasing anything or anyone.

He spent some time retreiving his dove

He spent some time watching Matt

And he spent a lot of time just looking handsome and regal

He spent lots of time bringing his dove back to Matt.  I love to watch his instinctive loyalty and retrieving play out.  Especially in cool weather, because his energy level stays high a little longer.  Here is a look at his pride when he brings Matt the dummy.  He prances when he isn’t in a real hurry .

 
My mom (God bless her!) wanted to take the kids to dinner, so Matt and I grabbed a quick snack at home, and then headed to Starbucks.  This is what I came home with~and it was meant to be because it actually doesn’t release until today but I got a “sneak peek” last night!  Oh how I adore me a Pumpkin Spice latte with one sweet in low.  Matched with our new dry, cool weather = bliss.

This is our view of the sunset on our ride home.  So eerie when you match beauty with the knowledge off the destruction underneath it.