Have I mentioned how much I love birthdays??

After a very long blog hiatus, today was such a special and fun day that I had to spend some time writing so I would remember just how fun this day was!  If you didn't know already, today is my birthday!  I was a little sad this morning because I didn't really have any plans, and it was supposed to rain today.  It never rains on my birthday.  Never.  In fact, it's a running joke with Matt.  He thinks it's hilarious and says that I'm so proud of my birthday.  But it's true! It never, ever rains on my birthday.  Until this year.  The forecast said 60% chance and I woke up to a gray, cloudy sky.  I decided it was a great day for the movies, called my friend Amy and made plans for a movie and lunch (thanks for lunch, Amy!), and we had a blast! 

As we were leaving Chick-fil-a, I noticed a miracle had in fact happened, and the sun had come out!  I'm telling you it never, ever rains on my birthday!  We quickly made a change of plans, ran home to gather our swim things, and headed to the pool for the afternoon--probably my most favorite birthday/summertime activity.  We jumped out in time to get ready for dinner, but then the most special thing of the day happened. 

I got to open my presents.  And I like birthday presents as much as anyone, but honestly, I usually don't even think about them when it comes time for my birthday.  I usually just love spending the day with people I love.  But today.  Well, today, the present was the highlight of today...and here's why. 

A few months ago, I came across a Bible verse that just really spoke to me--a friend had posted it on her blog, I think, but as I read it, I was so moved by it.  You see, I had been thinking about having a family verse for a while--a verse that just sort of summed up for our family what our goal or purpose is, and this one...well this verse was IT.  I casually shared it with Matt one evening--just shared the idea I had and why I thought it was a great verse.  I didn't really think about it any more, and we never talked about it.  Fast forward to today, and this is what I opened...

Isn't it so very beautiful??  Matt asked our very amazingly talented friend Kate Moore to paint this for me.  It is SO, SO incredibly special to me on so many levels.  That Matt would remember, that he would value this verse as much as I did, and that he would reach out to find someone who could do such a beautiful job painting it exactly as I had imagined it in my head.  We have the perfect spot for it in the entryway of our new home, and I just cannot wait to put it there.

In our rental, there's a radio installed in the kitchen, and I've been surprised how much I have enjoyed listening to it throughout the day.  So Matt also got me a docking station that we can set up in the kitchen of our new home.  Very thoughtful gifts from a very thoughtful husband whom I love very much. 

We went to a fun dinner with Aunt Anne and Emma and had more cake after dinner...

The day was filled with phone calls and texts and emails and facebook messages (one of my very favorite parts of facebook!! is the birthday reminder!!)...Such a special day where I felt very loved and celebrated and joyful, which is why I love birthdays so much!  So thanks to all of you sweet friends and family for making my day so incredibly special and fun today!

(And I'm hoping it won't be over 4 months til the next post...)

Busy Busy Busy

I keep looking longingly at my blog, wishing for the time to sit down and update all that the last month has brought us...but life is SO busy!  We've had 2 birthdays around here, and we are now the proud parents of a 3 year old and 5 year old (Why must they grow up so FAST??).  I'm in the midst of planning birthday parties, baby and wedding showers, and planning for our town's annual consignment sale.  We are in the process of a HUGE organization overhaul in this house.  All of which I would love to blog about!  But there's just not enough hours in the day...so I'll keep taking pictures and notes and one day soon, I will be back to update this space with all of our biggest highlights. 

I need your ideas!

*Disclaimer: I am going to let you in on some of my embarrassing disorganization in the hope that some of you amazing moms/homemakers out there can help me bring order to our chaos.  Please don't judge me.  And if you do judge me, that's okay.  Just tell me how to fix it.

Just a few days ago, we celebrated our 7th anniversary of moving in our house.  When we moved in back in 2005, it was just the two of us.  We had sold our first house 3 months before, and we had been living in a tiny one-bedroom apartment waiting for this house to be finished.  Like we ate in our laps cause there was no room for a table kind of tiny.  So when we moved in, this house felt like a mansion!  I would just go from room to room, marveling at all the options I had!  I mean, we had not just one, but two tables to eat on!  Three different bathrooms!  Four different bedrooms!  The house was brand new and we had chosen everything that was in it.  We were so very thankful for this house!!  It was perfect in every way.

Fast forward seven years and two kids later, and we are literally outgrowing this house.  We have contemplated moving (and we may still consider it), but at this point and in this market, we think we are staying here for a while longer...
So that brings me to my question.  We need some serious organization solutions!  I like to think that I'm a good organizer.  But I have to be honest with myself when I look around and see the disorganization around me that I may not be quite as good at it as I once thought. 

Here are some pictures of some areas that we constantly struggle with...I'm welcoming any and all ideas, suggestions, or advice that you might have to deal with these problem areas in our house.

1.  The dress-up clothes.  I have no idea how to organize these so that they will be accessible to the kids without pulling everything out looking for the one belt or glove or mask that they need to complete their ensemble.  So it usually ends up looking like this, after about 15 minutes of dress-up time...

Bless his heart, Jack was looking for his Green Lantern power ring.  The ring is the most critical part of the costume, since that is the source of his superpowers.  Jack says without the ring, he's just a kid dressed up like the Green Lantern.  Poor kid never found it...no surprise with all that mess.



2.  The star wars toys.  This is a fairly new obsession in our house, so most of these toys are new and they play with them all day...it may seem absolutely absurd to the average person to have more than one or maybe two lightsabers at most, but when you're four and have declared that you are Darth Vader, then Luke Skywalker's lightsaber is completely unacceptable in a battle.  Or at least that's what I've been told.  I still probably fall more into that average person category and think that  more than 2 lightsabers is a little excessive.  Anyway...I have no idea how to store these toys so that they don't look like a jumbled mess.  Which makes my head a jumbled mess.  Please tell me you have a solution to this problem!

3.  The hot wheels.  Do any of you have these?  If so, do you take the track apart every time you put them away?  Seems like a waste to do that, but I have no idea how to store these...but this bin is not working.

4.  The bath toys.  Where do you store them?  Do we have too many?  I honestly don't even know what's a normal amount to have.

5.  The laundry.  Our laundry room is itty-bitty and stuck right in the middle of the short walkway between the kitchen and dining room.  That walkway is constantly covered in laundry baskets.  Dirty laundry waiting to be washed.  Clean laundry waiting to be folded and put away...I don't remember this being such an issue before kids, but it may be that we just had more time to do laundry back then.

There are several more areas of disorganization that I could address, but those are the biggest ones.  Plus, I'm already embarrassed enough to admit that I have no idea how to solve these problems.

• A few things--we have almost zero storage.  Didn't seem like a problem in 2005.  Now it's a tad more challenging.
• We have purged and purged.  We probably still have too many toys, but our kids do play with the ones specifically mentioned on a daily basis.
• We do have a small playroom, but it is upstairs and our kids almost never want to be in there. Is that normal?  I mean, shouldn't kids like their playroom???

What tips or tricks do you have to organize toys and make your space neat, tidy, and comfortable?  How do you manage the messes in your house? (If you don't have messes, just keep that little piece of information to yourself, okay?)  Do laundry baskets take over your house too?

Hit me with your best advice, ideas, or suggestions.  I'm ready to tackle the mess.

Best Parenting Book Ever



*This is a blog post that I wrote for our church blog...thought I'd share it here.  Thoughts that have been swirling in my head for a few days...*

It’s just after breakfast, and my two young sons are playing together when they beginning fighting over a toy…hands start hitting and voices are raised…

Be kind and loving to each other. Ephesians 4:32

My older son is lying awake in bed and calls out for me. He is afraid of the booming thunder just outside his window…

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid. Joshua 1:8

Sweet little two year old hands play with the Little People Nativity set, first holding Mary, then Joseph, then a baby boy. “Mommy, it’s a baby! Baby Jesus!”

God has given a Son to us. Isaiah 9:6

Scripture is a powerful tool that we have in our back pocket as parents. There’s no parenting moment or circumstance that goes unanswered by God’s word. It’s so comforting, really, to know that even in the most difficult moments of raising our children (and there are many!), that our Father has given us parenting advice at every turn.

Every month in fpKIDS, our children learn a Bible verse, one that is applicable to their daily lives. In fact, all of the verses above are ones that our preschoolers have learned in fpKIDS (Yes! Even 2-year-olds can learn Bible verses!). As parents, we have the amazing opportunity to walk our children through the discipline of memorizing scripture so that when they hit those bumps in the road, they have God’s word hidden deep in their hearts. We are doubly blessed when we memorize scripture along with our children because not only are we hiding the Word in our hearts too, but we are gaining precious wisdom that we can use in those tough parenting moments. And when we shepherd our children using scripture, we are equipping them to face every obstacle, challenge, question, and emotion through the filter of God’s word.

On many occasions, I have heard my own young sons remind themselves or each other to be kind and loving or to not be afraid or to trust in God. And I’m humbled to admit that they have also reminded me of those same things. There is power in scripture, particularly coming from the sweet voice of a four year old.

From disciplining to comforting your children to teaching your children about Jesus, I encourage you to search out the scripture to hear what God says about it. Speak those words; let the Word of God be the oxygen in your home. Let it always be in your hearts and on your lips, in your prayers and in your teachable moments. From the first good morning to the last good night, impress upon your children the power of God’s word in their lives. Be empowered and blessed by God’s parenting wisdom.

Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Deuteronomy 6:5-7 (NIV)

A Trip to the Zoo

It was finally warm enough today to go to the zoo, so we headed out after lunch to go visit the animals.  I think that we have a pretty nice zoo for the size of our city, and they have a ton for little kids to do, including a large indoor play area and an outdoor play area, in addition to all the animal exhibits.  We can easily spend hours here just playing, and most of the time that's really all we do.  So I was pleasantly surprised to see the boys were more interested in seeing the animals than they have been in the past.  We had a couple of exciting encounters, but mostly it was just a really fun time spent with them.  Winter makes playdates a little tough, so we were thankful for the opportunity to get out and play.  Here are some pictures from the day...

**A little side note--we just got a new camera for Christmas and I have absolutely NO idea how to use it.  So if the pictures look fuzzy or blue, just pretend they don't, okay?  It's a learning process.**

One of Owen's favorite zoo activities...scooping up fake
 animal poo (he's supposed to be working on the farm). 
He actually asks, "Mommy can we go to the zoo and sweep the poop?" 
We are so proud!

Puppet Show

 Sweet boy loves his trucks.

This is how they are.  All. the. time.

I caught him mid-lick.

I don't actually know what this is, but they were cute. 

I loved the difference in color of these two...
I'm not sure I've ever seen a black giraffe.

More of these guys...

The big safari truck that is almost always covered with kids,
unless you go in the dead of winter like we did. 
The boys love this thing. 

Jack's new favorite face to make at the camera.

Jack is imparting his safari truck driving knowledge to his baby brother.

Ohmygoodness!  The highlight of the day.  This adorable little guy ran
over to visit when we stopped by.  He stayed by the window the whole time.
 It could have been the snack bags of food that attracted him,
but either way, it was so fun!

Having a chat.

Jack loves to stop and read all about chimps,
but those little buttons under each picture are off-limits.
 He is absolutely terrified of the sounds chimps make
 (which is what happens when the buttons are pushed).

Me playing artsy photographer.

Elephants really are funny looking, particularly from this angle.

Another one of me pretending to be a photographer.

And one more.  Pretty berries.

Top Ten of 2011

**So this is a little late getting posted...I was working on it and wanted to find a few more pictures but that never happened...so here it is, a little unfinished...**

I can't believe it's already the end of the year!!  I know everyone says that, but it's true...I think we all find that time seems to slip away more quickly with every year that we call this Earth home. 

So we've all been talking around our house the last few days about our favorite moments of this year.  We have enjoyed laughing and reminiscing about the many, many moments that we have smiled, laughed, loved, and felt incredible joy.  Many of the moments are great reminders of how loving, how faithful, how present God is in our lives.  So without further ado, here are our family's Top Ten Favorites of 2011 (in no particular order, since they are all equally special to us!)...

1.  Our family's first trip to Disney World--We took our first trip to Disney World to celebrate Jack's 4th birthday and Owen's 2nd birthday.  We stayed for a few days, then Nana and Poppy and Aunt Anne and Uncle Jamie all joined us for a few more days.  The entire week was, well, magical.  There's no other word for it--it was so unbelievably magical and will always be such a special memory for our family.

2.  We are officially diaper free!  This year Owen potty-trained (very unexpectedly!) in about a day (Thanks to my sis-in-law Nicole (i.e., mom-of-four-boys and official-potty-training-expert).  We (and our budget) could not be happier about this!  Good boy, Owen!

**How did I not take even one picture to remember this huge moment??  Is it too late to take a picture of Owen holding up his big boy undies now??  6 months late...**
3.  Matt received a rather unexpected job promotion of taking over the in-patient rehab department of the hospital.  This is yet another way God has abundantly provided for us, and we are so grateful.  I'm so proud of you, Matt!

4.  First day of school!  This is always a much-talked-about event and a very special one this year, since it was Owen's first day of school ever and Jack's first day of his last year of preschool. 

5.  Our very lovable, cuddly, adorable nephew Tripp was born in April of this year.  He is such a happy, sweet boy and a complete blessing to our family.   AND he is the first of all my parents' grandkids to have RED hair!  He is just precious!

AND...

Our beatiful, happy, little niece Emma was born in October of this year.  She is the most well-behaved, content, sweet little girl, and I personally can. not. wait. to play dolls and have tea parties with her (with two sons and four nephews, we are up to our eyeballs in light sabers and Nerf guns!)  Did I mention I cannot wait to have a tea party? 

6.  Bafokeng.  Our sweet little boy from Lesotho that was born the same day as Jack.  We just began to sponsor him through World Vision this year after our last child graduated from the program.  So we let Jack pick a new boy, and he picked Bafokeng.  A boy exactly his age on the other side of the world.  So much in common.  And yet worlds apart.  We love him and we pray for him daily. (Terrible picture quality...but really sweet boy).

7.  The beach trip has become something of a tradition with our family.  Every year or two, we pack up and head to Charleston with Matt's family and enjoy a week together.  It's always a fun time, and we love being with family for a whole week! 

8.  Our small group at church grew so large that we had to birth a new group early this year!  Matt and I also officially became leaders, taking a GIANT step in faith that God would provide much-needed direction.  The result has been an unbelievably amazing group of people whom we now count as our dearest friends.  Jack and Owen adore their small group friends, and we all look forward to meeting each week.  It's an amazing experience to have such an incredible group of people to do life with.  We love y'all!

9.  Summer Break--There's nothing like summer break when you're a kid--hot days filled with swimming, park playdates, trips to Dollywood, and picnics.  We love summertime around here and many of our most favorite memories are made in this season.

10.  We got new cars!  At the end of April, we had some really rough storms with lots of hail, and our house and cars were very damaged.  Both of our cars were totaled.  Although the storms were devastating (much more so for many others), we were able to work with the insurance company to purchase two cars.  We were blessed to be able to make this work financially because we definitely were not in a place to buy two cars before the storms. 

And that's it, folks.  Our 2011 highlights.  If we could choose a theme for 2011 it would simply be that God is our Faithful Provider.  From job promotions to new friends to new cars and to sweet new babies to hold and love, God has so richly blessed us.  We are humbled and undeserving and so completely grateful that He would choose to love us so completely and show His favor in our lives.


Happy New Year to you all!  May this year be filled with joy and blessings and many, many happy moments!

New Year's Resolutions

Okay, I'm just going to put this out there.  I am pretty open about the fact that I am imperfect in basically every aspect of my life.  I can easily get wrapped up in all my faults and insecurities, and I will often become overwhelmed at how many different ways I could be and do better.  So it's no surprise that I love the idea of New Year's Resolutions (or as I like to think...setting yearly goals or creating a growth plan).  I love the idea of a new year and a new beginning--a chance to start fresh and give myself permission to let go of the mistakes of the past year to make room for the possibility of growth in the new year. 

I've been thinking and praying a lot about what God would have me focus on this year, and I have to be honest...I am so stinkin' excited to get to January and jump into some of my 2012 goals.  Of which there are many...too many to list here.  And some too boring to list here.  And some just too personal to list here (where the entire world can read it!).  But I'll share a few with you, just for fun.

1.  I am going to read the entire Bible this year. (This one makes it onto my list pretty much every year--after all, you can never read the Bible too many times.)  And I'm doing it with some of my closest friends.  This is the Bible I will be using, which is what I am particularly excited about.  Doesn't it look great?  It's so girly.  If you're interested in joining me, I'd love to have you along!
2.  I am going to send more cards in the mail.  I love sending and receiving cards, but I don't take enough time to do this...I've got a new stash just waiting to be addressed.
3.  I am going to do a photo project called Project 365, where I take a picture each day for a year.  I've got a link set up on the right over there, but don't click on it just yet--nothing there (Unless, of course, you are reading this after January 1!  Then, if all goes well, there should be something there.)
4.  I am going to cook more with my kids.  Gosh, this one is a hard one for me...I really love the idea of cooking with my kids.  I imagine us all in our little aprons or chef hats or whatever, the boys patiently waiting for their turn to add ingredients and stir or spread or scoop the finished product.  But when we actually cook, it usually involves various white powders all over my kitchen, the boys fighting over the measuring cups, egg shells in the bowl, and me throwing a temper tantrum like a 3 year old (did I really just admit that??).  Sigh.  This year, I resolve to do better. 
5.  I am going to learn how to crochet.  Matt (sweet, thoughtful Matt) bought me the most wonderful gift (2 or maybe 3 Christmas ago, I'm afraid to say) of crocheting supplies (after I had mentioned many times that I would love to learn how).  I am determined to pull out that basket of colorful, soft yarn and hooked needles and turn it into a snuggly blanket.  Or maybe a scarf.  Whatever.  I'm going to learn how to crochet.  And if you know how to crochet, maybe you could teach me???

Seriously, I could go on for days, but I will stop there.  Of course, I have the same old resolutions as everyone else, too--eat healthy, exercise more, get more rest, blah, blah, blah...but these are the ones I'm most excited about!

We'll also spend some time as a family making some goals for the coming year...I'll let you know what we decide.  I imagine it will be along the lines of less-hitting-more-hugging and let's-learn-what-an-inside-voice-is, and those sorts of things.

I'm dying to know, what are some of your New Year's Resolutions or goals for 2012?  What are you most excited about?  What will you be focusing on in the new year?