just throwing it out there....

Lukewarm people are continually concerned with playing it safe; they are slaves to the god of control. This focus on safe living keeps them from sacrificing and risking for God. Lukewarm people do not live by faith; their lives are structured so they never have to. They don’t have to trust God if something unexpected happens — they have their savings account. They don’t need God to help them — they have their retirement plan in place. They don’t genuinely seek out what life God would have them live — they have life figured and mapped out. They don’t depend on God on a daily basis — their refrigerators are full and , for the most part, they are in good health. The truth is, their lives wouldn’t look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God. {Francis Chan, Crazy Love, p. 77-78}

more preciousness

I asked him to hold his bottle by himself while I put in a movie.

He didn't like that idea...

But after a minute he gave in and started smiling again. :)

That's my sweet boy. :)

a little bit of happy

I needed some "happy" today.

I found it on the side of the road.



I mean, can you look at that gorgeous pink creation (not the bouquet - His creation) and not smile?

I can't.

They were just too wonderful to leave on the side of the road.

And just what I needed.

Thank you Lord.

Sunday

'Not called!' did you say? 'Not heard the call,' I think you should say. Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go stand by the gates of hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father's house and bid their brothers and sisters, and servants and masters not to come there. And then look Christ in the face, whose mercy you have professed to obey, and tell him whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish his mercy to the world.' ~William Booth

Silas (10 months)

Silas is 10 months old today. He has changed so much in the past month adding even more activeness and curiosity to his repertoire.

This month:
*He weighs over 20lbs - but just barely. Still in the 25% for weight and the 75-80% for height.

*He decided to start crawling for real. He's known how for a couple of months but just recently decided to put that skill to good use.

*He is walking with his little push walker and on rare occasions lets go and tries to stand on his own. That lasts for about half a second. :)

*He is still obsessed with taking things out of their containers...toys, diapers, wipes, burp cloths, and of course, the trash bags.

*He found the toilet and the water inside and can open the lid on his own. This results in some smashed fingers because when he tries to close it he forgets to move his hand first.

*He is still talking all the time and is now starting to speak in "jibberish sentences." By that I mean that he is picking up on the fact that we talk in sentences and our tones change and he is trying to imitate us. It doesn't make any sense as far as the actual sounds go (no words), but his tone and intonation are advancing. It's cute.

*He went swimming in both his little pool and the lake for the first time. He LOVED both of them. He's my little water bug. :)

*He flew in his first airplane (and Momma survived!). We traveled to LA via plane last week and on the flight there is slept the entire time which was great because he was sick and it was a horribly bumpy flight. Momma was a nervous wreck the whole time and it literally took me a day or two to completely relax. The flight home was a completely different story. He would not sleep for anything and you would have thought I shot him up with Speed he was so hyper. Happy, but hyper. He wanted to be everywhere all at the same time. He went to visit the ladies across the aisle, our seat mate, and played peek-a-boo with the people behind. He climbed on my head. He tried to bite the stewardess and then yelled at her when she wouldn't let him. But he smiled his cute smile and flirted and everyone loved him. I was exhausted from trying to keep him relatively contained, and thankfully it was a very smooth flight. I would still be recouping if he had been that hyper AND the flight was rocky.

*He rode on the tractor and the 4-wheeler and loved them both. I was worried the noise would freak him out (since the sound of the miter saw nearly does him in) but he didn't mind it at all.

*He has started eating more table food and comes to "beg" when he sees us eating anything.

*He got to meet MY pediatrician, Dr. Michael Manual. When we got to LA he was still sick and coughing so the next day I decided to take him to see the man who was my doctor from birth until I got married. :) He got an antibiotic and some Claritan and was back to normal in two days.

{SIDE STORY}

While we were in the waiting room, my mom looked at me and said, "What's that sound?" I listened and we determined that it was, in fact, a typewriter. The Office Manager, Brenda, was using it. She's been there my whole life too. We laughed...because who uses typewriters these days besides old school writers? THEN, when I went to pay for the office visit with our Health Savings Plan card, she informed me that they weren't set up to take any credit cards. My brain refused to compute what that meant and I just stood there looking at her. She finally clarified that it was cash or check only and thankfully my mom had ONE check left. I had no cash and I don't carry our checkbook on a regular basis. I don't know what I would have done if momma didn't have hers -- gone to an ATM somewhere in the hospital I guess. Isn't that crazy?? A typewriter and no credit cards!!!

*He is starting to give hugs and kisses. Granted, most of the time his kisses turn into bites, but I think he is trying.

*He bites. It hurts. I am not a fan.

Once again, here are some of my favorite pictures from this past month:

Shower time with Daddy. He wasn't totally sold on this at first, but he came around after a couple of minutes.

Bath time with Momma - this is one of his favorite things. How 'bout that hair?!
(I debated on whether or not this picture was inappropriate for the blog, but Justin said it was fine and then I remembered that I have already put pictures from his birth on here so I figured it was all good. Plus, it's my blog. :P )

Plumber!!

Swimming and splashing in his little pool

The day he found the toilet water :)

After he pulled out all of the trash bags (again), he climbed into the cabinet. So cute.

Little country boy. :)

This was at Bella's birthday. It was a Tinkerbell themed party and all of the boys got swords and pirate patches.

I just love this picture.

Can't wait to see what the next month has in store!

Louisiana

Here's some pictures from our week in Louisiana:

Riding the tractor with Pops

The BIG tractor!

Splashing in the lake for the first time. :)

And the next few are spinning and splashing with Momma:

And...the sunset.

water bug

Here's a sampling of what we've been up to this week:


More to come!

sounds

Sometimes I forget how loud the "country" can be.

Silas and I are at my parents house in Louisiana this week and at the moment we are here alone because Mom and Dad are both at work.

More than that, I am alone because Silas is napping.

I have the doors and windows open because it is absolutely gorgeous outside and it is 62 degrees according to the thermostat on the back porch.

You would think that it might be quiet since there is no one here. Au contraire my friends.

The fountains in the pond just off the back porch are flowing and the sound of the water rippling is soothing to my soul.

There's a soft breeze and the chimes are ringing just enough to let me know that they are there.

There's a symphony of birds...

The doves are cooing. There are lots of doves.

The Blue Jays (what bullies they are!) are squawking at the Red Headed Woodpeckers and fighting over the sunflower seeds.

Two Mallard drakes are chasing a Mallard hen and she is loudly voicing her displeasure. Bless her heart. :)

Somewhere there is a Mockingbird giving it's best impression of I don't know what...but it's loud.

There's a boat motor in the distance.

The waves are gently lapping on the shore and I can't wait to swim this afternoon.

Somewhere a rooster crows...it may be across the cove.

All of these sounds are so familiar - I grew up with them - and yet they seem so foreign compared to the rumble of trucks, cars, and motorcycles, barking of yippie dogs, and the voices of neighbor kids that we hear at our house. We have birds too - and they sing and chirp and fuss at each other - but often times they are drowned out by all the other sounds.

That doesn't happen here. It is wonderful. It is peaceful.

I love it.

a little red picnic table

I'm one of those people that thinks anything miniature is cute.

Now don't start sending me tiny spoons or doll furniture. I don't collect it, I just think it's cute.

I digress.

Connor has a birthday coming up (I can't believe it's been a YEAR!) so I made him a little picnic table. It's so little. :)

You read that correctly.

I MADE IT. all.by.myself.

ahem.

I got the plans from Knock Off Wood, went to Lowe's and bought the lumber, and then got to work. It took two days to build it because I could only work while the boy was napping (he's not a fan of the Miter Saw). I finally finished painting it today.

What do you think?

Before the paint

and after!

Silas will be getting one of these. :)

Do you know that you're beautiful?

You are.

You are gorgeous.

You are absolutely, wonderfully perfect.

Do you know that?

Do you believe it?

YOU.

I heard a song on the radio recently that made me start thinking about all of this. You're probably going to laugh when I tell you what song it was, but I love that Jesus can speak through an infinite number of things - including the lyrics of a secular song. :)

According to You
{by Orianthi}

According to you
I'm stupid
I'm useless
I can't do anything right

According to you
I'm difficult
Hard to please
Forever changing my mind
I'm a mess in a dress
Can't show up on time
Even if it would save my life
According to you
According to you

But according to him
I'm beautiful, incredible
He can't get me out of his head
According to him
I'm funny,irresistible
Everything he ever wanted
Everything is opposite
I don't feel like stopping it
So baby tell me what I got to lose
He's into me for everything I'm not
According to you

According to you
I'm boring
I'm moody
You can't take me any place

According to you
I suck at telling jokes cause I always give it away
I'm the girl with the worst attention span
You're the boy who puts up with it
According to you
According to you

But according to him
I'm beautiful,incredible
He can't get me out of his head

According to him
I'm funny, irresistible
Everything he ever wanted
Everything is opposite
I don't feel like stopping it
So baby tell me what I got to lose
He's into me for everything I'm not
According to you

I need to feel appreciated
like I'm not hated
Oh, no
Why can't you see me through his eyes?
It's too bad you're making me dizz-ay

But according to him
I'm beautiful,incredible
He can't get me out of his head


According to him
I'm funny, irresistible
Everything he ever wanted
Everything is opposite
I don't feel like stopping it
So baby tell me what I got to lose
He's into me for everything I'm not
According to you

While that song is obviously about a some boys with differing opinions about a girl (sung from the girl's perspective), when I heard the chorus I couldn't help but think about how that is exactly how God feels about you and me. He can't get us out of His head. He designed us perfectly and He wouldn't change a thing.

I wonder how many of us truly believe that and walk in the confidence of that? (Do you end that with a question mark? I've never been sure.)

I was blessed to have parents (especially a father - because I believe daughter's NEED to hear it from their dads) that always made me feel like I was the prettiest girl ever made. Not in a way that suggested I was better than others - I just was always taught that I was beautiful because I was created by a perfect Creator who knew exactly what He was doing. I was also taught that "pretty is as pretty does" so my inside needed to be as pretty as my outside. :)

Thankfully there have been very few times in my life that I have struggled with self-esteem issues (like a few weeks ago when I had to buy a new bra that was the same small size I bought in 7th grade - thank you breastfeeding), but I know there are countless numbers of girls and women that struggle every day with feeling like they aren't beautiful or worthy or whatever because of {insert issue with body here}. If you are reading this I want you to know that the little voice that tells you that you aren't is LYING.

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are WONDERFUL, I know that full well." Psalm 139:14

His "works" include you.

I wonder if the little girl twirling in her new skirt knows that she is prettier than any fun, twirly dress?

I wonder if the teenager looking at the magazine with bikini-clad models knows that God finds her incredibly perfect just the way she is?

I wonder if the new mother desperately trying to lose the "baby weight" knows that the extra weight and stretch marks are to Him the sign of another perfect life being born and that she is mesmerizing to Him?

I wonder if the middle aged woman struggling to "keep up" with her body and those of the women she sees on tv knows that He loves her and wouldn't dream about trading her in for a "newer model? " :)

I wonder if the old lady with wrinkled, sagging, and sun-spotted skin knows that she is just as gorgeous today as she was in her "prime" and He loves her still?

I wonder if anyone is telling them that they are beautiful?

I'm telling you that YOU ARE, but I want you to hear it not from me, but from the One who made you that way - the only One whose opinion matters. :)

Hear Him say:

"{Your name here}, You're beautiful. You're INCREDIBLE. You're everything I've ever wanted. And I LOVE you."

Tell someone else that they are beautiful today.

(Sheesh. Can I say "beautiful" any more times?) :)

Parenting the Heart

Our church held a parenting seminar last night called "Parenting the Heart." We talked about two different models of parenting: Behavior Modification and Grace-based. We also had a panel with two couples that raised large (6 and 5 kids) families where the kids grew (and are still growing) up to thrive and actually still like the parents. :)

Some of the things we learned:

Self-discipline (read: self-control or willpower) is a learned behavior. If there is ineffective discipline as a child there will most likely be poor self-discipline skills as an adult.

Behavior Modification, when used as the sole source of discipline, can produce undesirable effects.
~the kid will do "behavior" if they know there is a reward for it - so they are doing it because they get something and NOT because it is the "right" thing to do
~the kid rebels because they feel they are being manipulated
~the kid becomes arrogant because they are able to "learn" the behaviors and then become critical of others and inflexible and often times too independent
~when they fail to live up to the standards set for them there is a massive amount of shame - "There is something wrong with me."

Grace-Based Parenting is about molding and motivating a kid by appealing to his/her heart, NOT appealing to the behavior.
~It is relational.
~It aims at the heart-not primarily the actions. The GOAL of grace-based parenting is to change the conviction/desires/wants of the child, NOT the behaviors. This way they learn to want to do the right thing for the right reasons, not just because they are afraid of a consequence or because they know they will get a reward.
~It relies on the energy and work of the Holy Spirit
~It is other-centered (meaning it is NOT ABOUT YOU-the parent)
~It leaves room for God's design - how the child was created
~It sets high standards, but also provides the means/power/energy to meet them
~It offers valuable help. Behavior Modification feels like manipulation while grace-parenting feels like, "You're helping me."
~It motivates by love and respect

From the panel:

*Provide a "freedom to fail" and let them know that they will always be loved

*Approach difficult situations with the attitude that you are fellow sinners (not that the parents can do no wrong).

*Prayer communicates love. It's virtually impossible for it to communicate anything else.

***Distinguish between disobedience and childish irresponsibility, and discipline accordingly.
Ex: A 12 year old boy loses a school book. This is childish irresponsibility and while it still needs to be dealt with, you should realize that it wasn't disobedience. He did not intentionally lose the book.

*Don't say "no" for the sake of saying "no." Think through your answers and be sure your motives for responding the way you do are appropriate.

*parent TOGETHER

*Kids don't need you to be their friends. They need you to be their PARENTS.

*If you want to know where your kids are and what they are doing, BE with them. Have the parties at YOUR house. Let the friends sleepover at YOUR house. Drive the carpool.

*You can't say "I love you" too much or in too many ways.

Here are some resources:

Shepherding a Child's Heart - Tedd Tripp

Families Where Grace is in Place - Jaff VanVonderen

How People Change - CCEF

Weeeeeeeeeeee!

This is what we do in our spare time...





We do it every evening when Justin gets home and Silas LOVES it. I mean, he really really loves it. He kicks his legs and squeals. Momma and Daddy love it too. :)

Silas (9 months)

{EDITED 4/13 because I forgot a couple of things}

It's that time again! Silas turned 9 months old yesterday. My heart broke right in two. That means that in just 3 months he will be a year old.

We are having so much fun every day and this past month was a blast! There are tons of pictures to prove it and trust me when I say that even though there are 15 in this post, there are 500 more that I could have shared. He was just ultra-adorable this month. And every month. :)

He is:

*no longer just pulling up on everything. He now walks around the tables and chairs and anything else he can get to. Occasionally he lets go for a second or two. But when we are taking a bath (yes, we bathe together) he just lets go and free falls assuming I will catch him. He also dives from one side of the tub to the other (it's a pretty big tub) with no concern for the water in between. Guess that means he trusts me. :)

*Walking very well while you hold his hands. He just got good at this in the last 3 days.

*still talking non-stop. He cracks us up because he will even whisper to his toys. No real words yet.

*Waves hello and bye-bye and any other time he feels like it. I plan to video this today. He stretches his arm way out in front of him and opens and closes his hand. I melt every single time he does it. He also does this when he is eating and we think he might be using it as "more" but aren't quite sure.

*Gives high-five :)

*very indecisive about how he feels about brushing his teeth. One time he loves it and the next he throws the toothbrush at me and screams. He has five teeth now - 3 on top and 2 on bottom.

*His favorite things to do are:
~walk around and climb on EVERYTHING
~eat puffs and Biter Biscuits and anything else he can find on the floor
~follow Momma around the house
~take stuff out and make a mess. Everything from his toys to clean clothes to trash bags to wipes. He can make a mess faster than anything!
~turn on the faucet for the tub and then get scared and dive for Momma. He does this at
least 5 times every bath.
~anything outside
~undo his diapers and pull them out from under himself. This has resulted in more than one mess.
~take off his bib and throw it

Here are the pictures. They are in no particular order. If you make it to the end you can have a pat on the back! :)

This is what he did in the 2 minutes I was putting away clothes in our room. He was so very proud of himself.

He is lightening fast when he wants to be and he escaped while mom was changing him and putting on his jammies. Clearly the kid is mine with his love for the nakedness.

Easter. Please excuse the whiteness of my legs. I'm working on it.

My parents drove out and spent the week before Easter with us. We had a blast and Silas LOVED playing with Mamay and Pops.

He will eat anything.

I am happy because we have several pictures of the two of us from the past couple of weeks. I am usually behind the camera.

Walking with Pops at the Monastery

Weeeeeeeeee!

Mamay and Pops at the Monastery

In his new cap handed down from Connorkins

Once again, I left the room for a minute or two to do something and this is how I found him. Look at the expression on his face!! TROUBLE.

Playing in the trailer and being a loon

Goofin' off with Daddy

Precious.

And just because he is gorgeous. I have no problem saying it. :)

Did you make it??