I don't want to forget....

Once in a while people will say to me "I don't know how you do it." or "The Lord knew that you would be the perfect mom for EK". While I think these are said with sincere hearts, I also think people think much better of me than they should. Sometimes I want to say something sarcastic, but most of the time I say with a smile "It's really hard some days." I don't believe that God gave us EK because I'm such a great mom or because I have a teaching background or because I love kids. Two of the three statements are true. I taught 2nd grade for several years before becoming a full-time mom and I do love kids. However, I'm not a great mom. I love my children a lot, but I'm still a sinner (though saved by grace) and I'm selfish. I'm prone to lose my patience when things don't go how I want them to and I'm not always kind with my words. I don't always handle stress in a gracious way. I want to be left alone at times and ...

Just want to remember a few things that AK says right now... Me: Hey buddy, where did your cookie go? AK: in my teeth When he bumps into me, "Sorry mama!" (He's also recently said "No sorry!" a few times in a defiant manner. I'm wasn't really ready for that.) When agrees: "Okay, mama!" The other night, I was putting him to bed and he doesn't like bedtime. "No nap! No night-night! More Daddy!" If you ask him where an object is, "Ummmm...(with his pointer finger near his lips) If I'm in a room he doesn't want me in, he'll say "Shoo mama!" He'll tell me "SHHHH!" if  I'm talking to him about something he doesn't want to hear. If he tells me "Stay mama" and he runs off, I know I better follow him. He's about to make a big mess! Instead of just answering no, he says "No, nnn, nnn, no!" Sometimes he isn't a fan of going somewhere in the ca...

Here are my sweet ones before we went trick-or-treating last night. AC couldn't wait to go! The girls were the Von Trapp singers from "Sound of Music" (Keith bought these dresses on a layover in Germany on his way to Romania) and AK was a farmer. Keith did buy him a pair of lederhosen but he wasn't too happy to wear them. He loves hats so I thought being a farmer was the way to go (and easy!) EK sat in the wagon and enjoyed being outside. AC loves going with her good friend and her sisters. And AK surprised me how he would go right up to a house with them and say "treat" and then "thank you." He even scootched his way up to the front a couple times. He was a little slow in walking to the next house b/c he'd be watching all the other kids in their costumes. If I tried to get him back in the wagon, he's say "My walk!" When my friend tried to help him carry his pumpkin (b/c it was getting heavy with treats) he was worried she w...

Sometimes it is so hard to believe that my AC is SIX years old! She is such a bright, funny, sweet young lady. I enjoy having real conversations with her. She is a thinker and is constantly asking questions! I'm thankful I get to teach her part time and spend that extra time with her. :) It's not always easy (some days are a big challenge) but I wouldn't want it any other way. She's lost her two bottom teeth in the past couple months. Daddy pulled the first and she pulled the second. Time, please slow down!    

October is Pastor Appreciation Month. I became a pastor's wife a little over 10 years ago. I can remember as a teenager (and maybe even younger) wanting to marry a minister. You may laugh, but I knew then that I wanted a husband who was serious about his walk with Lord and wanted to serve Him. I wanted to be in full-time ministry. I didn't want to just attend church on Sundays. As a teenager, I felt that most of the guys I knew went to church because their parents required them to. I wanted to marry a guy that didn't go to church because he wanted to make me happy. I wanted a husband who would lead our family to go to church, be involved and grow more into the image of Christ. Again, you may be thinking I was naive to think that marrying a pastor would make everything perfect. You're right to a point, but I think there's two main reasons I admired the role of pastor. The pastors/ministers of my youth were great examples to me. I saw no negatives to m...

Last year we tried out a different pumpkin patch and AC wasn't a huge fan. She remembered going to this one so the other one just didn't live up to her expectations. :) I was a little nervous as we drove up there because it was raining. It's no fun to go when it's rainy and muddy. Thankfully it didn't rain much and it was actually "fall-ish" weather. YEAH!! :)   AC in the pumpkin house   AK in the pumpkin house. (I had to keep an eye on him so he wouldn't throw all the pumpkins on the ground.) AC's favorite part is the cutouts. It's fun to see all the characters they have. :) EK had fun too. This was the happiest she's been since her regression. :)  Strong AC!  Pulling the wagon...such a big boy.   He loved this pumpkin cutout. I was worried about the windows falling on his head or getting his fingers pinched. Thankfully we didn't leave with serious injuries, just a small bump. We me...

Look at my handsome little boy! He was not really into getting his picture taken, but we still got a few cute ones (and a few that totally show his personality).   Here he's throwing a stick (and of course making sound effects while he throws it!) This grumpy face is something we see often when he doesn't get his way. ;) And this one..."Huh?" What is it with boys and sticks? Thanks to Jamie for capturing some sweet pictures of my boy! :)