Boys

I know this picture is blurry, but it's SO CUTE!


Joshua is going through a phase where he doesn't want his picture taken... can you tell?


And Daniel is going through one where he always wants his picture taken...


And Elijah is just plan cute eating cookies in his car...

I broke down and got a cheap camera. It's simple to use, so my plan is to use it until Daniel's birthday, give it to him for his birthday and then order one that will hopefully last longer then the last one. What happened with our last camera is that i brought it to the beach with us, lots of sand got mixed in the bag where it was stored and it refused to work no more. Sad really... I liked the camera. Matt tried taking it apart to clean it out, but that was rather disastrous.
Here are a couple of pictures with the new camera...



Do you notice the dark circles under Daniel's eyes? We have him off of dairy, but i'm wondering if he has a wheat issue. Though, he has been snuggling with animals lately, and i know that he has allergies, SO it may be that. Sigh...

camera

I know what you're thinking.. WHERE ARE SOME PICTURES? well.. unfortunatly the camera broke and we are camera less... :( I really miss having a camera and i'm thinking i might just go to the store, find a cheaper digital camera and just make do with that.
I've got lots to share so once i have a bit of peace and quiet I will type it all down and share my brain with you :)

Hope you're having a fabuous day!

parenting children is like a hike

Today we went hiking. Which really isn't anything new if you know us well, but i had some thoughts along the way. I love analogies so here you are. as i was walking i was thinking about the description that the hiking book gave of the hike. Beautiful and serene forest trail with tall Douglas firs following a flowing stream and many waterfalls along the way. Sounds great doesn't it? The person who hiked it and wrote about the trail had an experience on that trail that they deemed to be a 4 out of 5 stars. Now I will share MY experience. It was 90 degrees out. The kids started whining the minute we started the trail, which made mommy and daddy a little edgy and impatient. It seemed to be a never ending uphill. The flowing stream was a small trickle that later turned into a stream. The trees looked like every other tree that we have on our own property and did i mention the kids where cranky and practically wanted to be held the whole way? Take into account they had just spent 3 hours driving in the car to get there... our car which does not have air conditioning and our middle son does not like wind and screams if it's to windy do windows down had to be at a minimum.
The hiker man didn't write about these things in the hiking book! He couldn't know our situation or the circumstances of our situation. He just recommended from his experience the hike.
That's a lot like parenting. Many have gone before us, written books, given lots of advice and told about the great blessings or hardships of raising children. When a new baby is expected to arrive the parents can read books and get all the advice they can until they are blue in the face, but you can't really tell them what their experience is going to be. Each and every parenting situation is different. The path is the same, but the conditions are not. If it had been 20 degrees cooler, my children much happier, less uphills, and a shorter car ride I am positive that my perspective of that trail would be much different. It's the same with parenting..

well that's about all that i can muster right now as in thoughts.. so there's my analogy for you... :)
I would post pictures but our camera is broken :(

Money and the spending of it...

If you know me very well you have heard me say many times that I would rather spend money on starving children in Africa then buy something, like a new couch. Not that getting a brand new couch is a sin, but for our family it is a very strong conviction to have as little as possible and to get second (third or fourth) hand things. I think that as Americans we generally spend money terribly and tend to mistake our wants with our needs and not look at the bigger picture. On the flip side, as great as always wanting to feed the poor and sick and needy sounds, I think, there can actually be a danger in it. I think Jesus really lays out a great example of the way that we spend our money and the heart behind it.
For example, the story of the woman who anointed the Lord with expensive perfume. It's not only a great story of the compassion and love of our lord, but also a great example of spending. For those of you who may not know the story or are a bit rusty I've included the passage at the bottom for you to read. My favorite part of the story is Jesus' reaction to the people present when they where commenting on how the money could of been put to better use.

"Leave her alone," said Jesus. "Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me.


This woman came before the lord and loved on him and showed him her love the best way she could think how, by pouring expensive perfume on him and anointing him! I personally think that He felt blessed by such love and thoughtfulness. I take that passage to heart and think about how it blesses people to love on them. Yes it cost money to bring people out to dinner, it cost money to put together care packages and to send them, and that money that you spent on that one meal or care package could keep a child alive and healthy for a whole month... BUT the fact is that by spending that money and loving that person in a way you know will bless them, it's as equally a blessing as feeding a starving child in Africa. I think there needs to be a perspective, it's OKAY to spend money on people to love on them because you are being a blessing and doing something beautiful for them. Of course I'm still all for feeding starving children in Africa... but maybe the next time you have a bit of extra cash and you really want to be a blessing and serve the Lord with your finances, send an encouraging note and a small package to a friend. That is sharing Jesus love just as much as buying a meal for a hungry child. It's all in our heart and how we perceive it.

Mark 14:1-9
Jesus Anointed at Bethany
1Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some sly way to arrest Jesus and kill him. 2"But not during the Feast," they said, "or the people may riot."
3While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.

4Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, "Why this waste of perfume? 5It could have been sold for more than a year's wages[a] and the money given to the poor." And they rebuked her harshly.

6"Leave her alone," said Jesus. "Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."

How did it go?

Well i wish i could tell you.. but when i got to the office they said that my appointment was for wednesday.. SERIOUSLY? All that driving and figuring out sitters and you tell me I'm a day early?!?! And yes, they told me the wrong day, but what do you do? So i'll tell you tomorrow how it went!
Sigh

dentophobia

When i was younger i had lots of dental work done... a retainer for a couple of years and then braces. I didn't mind going to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned and i even sometimes enjoyed it. My last visit to the dentist was shortly before Matt and I married, 7 years ago. 7 years has done a lot to my teeth... well i should say 3 pregnant has done a lot to my teeth, between cravings of starlight mints and lemons and a strange obsession with wanting to brush my teeth 5 times a day. I'm not sure when it started, but I've been scared to go to the dentist. And now finally i can put it off no more. This morning while i was flossing and then brushing my teeth i noticed a big hole... one of my fillings was gone. SIGH.. i thought to myself, now i HAVE to go to the dentist. I called up my friend maria for moral support (thanks maria) and then called to make an appointment. I go in tomorrow... Maybe i should have looked up a dentist that does sedation dentistry. Either way... not excited about tomorrow, but i know that i will survive. Hopefully they will be nice to me and I'll be able to overcome my slight case of dentophobia. :S