Mother's Day

I told Shawn that I did not want to cook on Mother's Day and I was so blessed to not have to do that! I woke up to coffee and a hot breakfast. Shawn had some meat that he fanned out on a plate and then put some yummy eggs in the middle of the fan. Very creative and yummy!
For lunch he actually had put in the crockpot the night before so it was ready for us when we got home from church. For dinner he made fried egg sandwiches which is actually a standard at our house! He even cleaned up all the mess too! The rest of the day was spent doing our normal Sunday routine but it was nice to just be together.
























I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this picture!






















For me, it is really hard not to have big expectations for Mother's Day. Yes, it is a special day to honor Mother's, but why can't that be done every day of the year? I really had to step back and remind myself of the simple things in life. To be thankful for what I had and have right in front of me.
Shawn even bought me a book about being a stay-at-home mom. He knew I have been struggling with my identity for a while and it was very thoughtful of him to think of encouraging me in that way. The book is by Dr. Laura and she doesn't pull any punches! She gets right to the honest truth and I really like that!
So, thank you honey for making me feel special even though I didn't show it very well. Thank you for loving me as a wife and as a mom and for coming along side of me so we can raise our children in God's love.

Tulip Time Parade

Us crazy folks decided to go to the Tulip Time parade on the last day of the festival. At first it looked rather dreary and rainy out but as the parade began, the sun came out! It was still very cold in the shade and we really could have used our mittens and hats!
My family from Detroit drove over to spend the day and also to celebrate Mother's Day. I LOVE having them come to things and I'm so glad we can still build relationships even if they are 3 hours away! We HAD to indulge in an elephant ear, cheesy fries, and a polish sausage! Definitely shared by all! I think this was the kids first parade that they actually watched and knew what was going on. They seemed to have a good time. Either that or they were just frozen in their seats! It was amazing to see how many people were there and how pushy they can get just to get a seat! It's a good thing we staked out our spot the night before! We had great seats right on the curb!

I thought this was so precious! On the way to the parade Eliza and Caleb fell asleep holding hands!






Caleb loves his Grandma!








The whole clan! All 16 of us!

Mother's Day Tea

For the past 3 years my Mother-in-law's church has had a Mother/Daughter Tea. Last year I was pregnant with Caleb and this year was one of the first times I went somewhere without him! The girls and I had fun with Grandma Sylvia and we missed having Sheryl there! We enjoyed an array of salads and desserts as well as a really nice program of music and speaking.

Some "Firsts" to Celebrate!

Caleb finally rolled over at almost 6 months!








Daddy took both girls to Home Depot for the 1st time for their building day. They made wheelbarrows and the girls got me some Gerbera daisies, my favorite!









Caleb has graduated to the ducky tub! He is so content I think I could sit him on top of the roof and he wouldn't make a peep! He did tip over a few times but seemed to like trying to reach for his toy.









1st time in the swing outside! He almost fell asleep he was so relaxed!



































1st time all 3 kids used the swing set and the 1st time Adrianna can pump herself and not need pushing!







SUMMER IS GOING TO BE A BLAST!

Moms and our Supposed-to-Be's

I have a subscription to Today's Christian Woman. It is such a great magazine! There are so many encouraging articles that seem to be right where I am every time I read the bi-monthly issue.
I wanted to paraphrase an article is the latest issue. It is talking about how mom's try and live their life as a "supposed to" instead of what God has given them.

Here are some excerpts from the article:
"This question was asked, 'Why don't Christian moms, especially younger ones, feel free to do their thing, regardless of expectations of their elders, their pastor, and the women at church? Why are they so conflicted about following their instincts, or what God tells them to do, when those things contradict so-called authority figures?
The answer simple could be because of fear. We love our kids so much, and are so afraid of making mistakes, being bad moms, and living out of sync with God's will, that we put more weight on what the 'expert's' yell than on what God whispers.

We need to trust what God can do in our maternal hearts. We know our babies better than any book or expert. It is okay to live the life we have instead of the life we are "supposed" to have.
"Supposed to" messages come from everywhere. To spank or not to spank, etc... We can function better if we just step back and listen to God's whispers, pray, and follow that way that is right for our family." (Carla Barnhill & Caryn Rivadeneira)

Following God means weighing those "supposed to " messages against what the Bible says and what our culture says we should do. It all goes back to the comparison thing. There are so many ways to do the same thing. If I just sit back, give my life to Christ everyday, he will lead me in how I should raise my kids. I am not saying that the "experts" do not have important things to say or that we should disregard everything else we read. They do have helpful things from time to time. I'm saying that our standard for our family should be Christ and His word. Not all those parenting magazines out there or the way our culture says we should raise our kids.
Believe me, I will continually be working on the no comparison thing!
God provides everything we need. Everything that is just right for our family. He is our custom builder!

Custom Designed

Psalm 127:1 says: "Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor over it in vain; unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays alert in vain".

We recently studied this Psalm of ascent during our Beth Moore led Bible study. We had adopted this verse a while ago for our family but until I did this study, it hadn't really set deep with me.
Basically it means that if we do not let God build our house, and all of the people in it, it is meaningless! We might as well take a nap because it won't matter what we do! We will live in utter frustration if we try and do things in our own way or with other people's expectations on us. Nisi Dominus Frusta! (Without the Lord, Frustration!)
Christ is our custom builder! He designs our house, not the other way around! In the study, a thought stood out to me..."Be careful not to expect your marriage, parenting, or even your singleness to be exactly like someone else's".
I often struggle with comparing our family to others. Sometimes I feel that if we don't do things the way others do them, and it's working for them, that our family isn't good enough. A total lie from Satan I know! It was such a great reminder that God designed Shawn and I as we are, he gave us our 3 beautiful children as they are, and He put us where we are for a purpose. It might not be the same as someone else, but that doesn't mean it is not right. I will keep working on this and realize every day that Christ has a plan for our family that He custom designed!

No Arguing!

Shawn and I were having a discussion last night and Eliza looked up at us, pointed her little finger and said, "No arguing! The Bible says Jesus loves you. It is the truth. NO ARGUING!"

We weren't even arguing but at least she knows what it is!