family Update

Hi all,

I just wanted to give you a family update...

First, Kaitie is doing AWESOME at potty training!  You can be proud of her just like I am!  She also has taken a great interest in cooking!  She always wants to be right next to me when I am making breakfast, lunch, or dinner!!  Can't wait til she starts cooking some meals..haha!

In other news, Annie recited Isaiah 40:28-31 in her school's talent chapel on Wednesday...she did a wonderful job!!  She is so smart!!  She had quite the head injury this week too...but she is doing much better.  She had quite the goose egg on her head, but she was so brave, and I am so thankful God protected her from a worse injury.

Nash is turning into a REAL boy..haha!  His sisters thought they could make him a girl by putting him in tutus, but now all he wants to do is play cars, trains, and growl... I love watching him grow up!  I just don't want him to get too big too fast!  

Matt is doing well.  He has had a plethora of meetings this week for different events, and is working on the details of our church's first Community Day, coming on May 16.  We're excited that 2 newspapers have expressed interest on releasing a story for the event...free advertising..YEAH!  He is working hard...keep praying for him!

I just got back from our first women's Bible study and it went great!  I am so blessed to have some ladies who work so hard and have such servant's hearts...  Now I am gearing up for Sunday's service as well as a Mother/Daughter banquet that I was asked to speak and sing for in Bellefontaine next week... 

All in all, we are doing great, and trusting the Lord always!!

Love you all!

laughter

hi all...

the other day matt and I needed a good laugh...SO we turned to one of our favorite comedians Tim Hawkins.  HE is a hilarious Christian comedian...  we laughed so hard when we watched his stuff... he has some VERY funny songs!!

It inspired me to speak on laughter at an upcoming speaking engagement I have..

I am going to be sharing about "Learning to Laugh Again"...  

It got me thinking about some things in our lives that weren't funny when we were going through them, but they are now...and then I realized there will be a day when I will look back at some of the frustrating things going on right now, and be able to laugh at them:

1. Kaitlyn pooping her pants--AGAIN--while I try to potty train her..

2. Nash making himself throw up when he gets really upset--and throwing up all over me!

3. Annie always deciding that she is starving to death or going to die of thirst when it's time for bed.

When I am in the middle of dealing with those things, it can be very frustrating, but even as I am writing them down, I am chuckling...

I hope you can laugh too!!

Love you!

Driving in the Grocery Store

Usually I try to go to the grocery store when Matt can be home with the kids, so I can get in and get out... I actually am not a lover of the grocery store...sometimes it feels like the walls are closing in on me...especially if I am crunched for time.

But TODAY I had to take kait and Nash with me to the store because it just didn't work out for me to go last night. I mentally prepared myself for a tough trip with episodes of whining and arguing...but my kiddos were WONDERFUL! They have these crazy grocery carts now where the kids can sit in a little tikes car and pretend to be driving the cart. They were laughing all the way through the grocery store...and then they were waving to everyone they saw and saying HI! The older folks loved it!!

As we were leaving, the man who was bagging our groceries gave them a sticker, and then we left... I was very proud of them... and I think we will definitely go driving in the grocery store together again!!

Love you all!

potty training

i recently heard a statistic that most child abuse starts around the potty training season...don't be alarmed.  I am not thinking about EVER abusing my children.  However, I am remembering the frustrations of potty training.  And even more so...because Annie was so quickly trained, I have had to learn great patience (thanks, God!) while potty training Kait.  

She is doing SO much better though.  I have tried and tried to find a reward system for her that would work...  She doesn't care much for prizes, or candy, or special treats.  But I FINALLY found something that works for her...and it's hilarious...PENNIES!  I got her a tootsie roll bank for Easter..well, the Easter bunny got it for her..  She loves earning pennies to put in her bank, so I have been giving her a penny when she pees in the potty and two pennies for #2.  In the last two days, she has only had one accident, and that was on a day when she was sick!  I almost hate to brag because I have no idea what tomorrow holds!!  However, i am SO VERY PROUD of her..okay, and a little proud of myself too.  I have stayed patient, with God's help!!

Thanks to all of you for your prayers for our family!  They help with every part of our lives...even potty-training!  

Love you!

adding a little color

hi all...i am going to try to blog here about our family...hope it makes us all feel closer together no matter how far apart we live from eachother...

Yesterday, we colored some hard boiled eggs. It was HILARIOUS! Normally, we write names on all the eggs with a wax crayon before we dye them to make sure everyone in our family gets a few personalized eggs. This year, I think there is a name on two of them...one for Ri-Ri, and one for Jesus!!

Nash just dropped the eggs into the mugs of color...basically cracking each one he touched. Kaitie was the ultimate checker of the progress of the eggs..."Is this one colored yet?" or "Is this one purple enough?", and with each one, she would reach her hand down in the dye and pull the egg out...so her hands actually got more colorful than the eggs...haha!

At one point, Nash just stuck his whole hand in the dye and into his mouth..and said.."mmmm Good"! And proceeded to take another lick... SO I was thinking vinegar is not going to be a good discipline for him when he talks back or uses yucky words...

Annie, of course, was very careful and made beautifully colored eggs...now the Easter Bunny just has to hide them!! Hee hee!!

Have a blessed Easter....Jesus is Alive!!

Love you!