Life these Days......

snowblowing....

puzzle building....

gift wrapping...

lots of reading....

lego creating....

warmth from woodburning....

Lauren singing....

sled riding....

cake baking....

cake eating....

husband hugging....

snowball throwing....

lovie snuggling....

baby-food making....

homeschooling....

 family devotion in evening....

Noah helping....

friends here playing....

tear wiping....

boo boo kissing....

diaper changing....

kids drawing....

lots of laughing....

mama blogging.... 

baby nursing....

gift wrapping....

Nate writing....

packing, packing, packing....

family time praying....

coffee drinking....

movie watching....

floor sweeping....

picture taking.... 

craft making....

nose wiping....

kids dancing....

Daddy loving....

lots of hugging....

potty training....

smiling....

facebooking....
kiss giving....

tons of tickling....

life loving....

God blessing....

family thanking....

There is a baby brother......

 who LOVES his big brother......

 And a big brother.....

who LOVES his baby brother.

This Mama is thankful for......

adorable......

 

 

 

 

these precious.....

sweet.....

 little.....

girly hands.

Miss Messy....

While Lauren was eating she kept looking down and saying, "I'm a mess."  No truer words have ever been spoken.

Partners in Crime

It all starts with curiosity....

Next...an accomplice

 The first move...

Then....guilty by association

 

The Distraction from the authorities...

 

 The cover-up...getting the story straight

  

The adorable face that will always get him out of trouble.....

H

Car Lovin' Little Boy

Brownies Anyone?

 

Ok....so hopefully you weren't too grossed out by this pic of my sweet little girl..{ahem}.. preoccupied with something.

Just a classic moment in the life I live. When you're a mom or just around kids often, you pretty much become desensitized to certain things {grin}

Having a sense of humor is essential when raising kids....well it is for me anyway. I love to be able to laugh with my kids and I may even be caught being silly....ok, yes I can definitely get caught up in being silly..... singing, dancing, giggling right along with them.

Some days I look around and see that my floors need swept, I am waaaaay behind on laundry, and dinner is less than gourmet. But on those days I know that I was where I was supposed to be.....being a real part of the lives of my lovies.

No, not everyday is giggles and gumdrops. To be honest, being a mother is extremely challenging....on so many different levels. But despite that, I feel overwhelmed with blessings daily....4 to be exact. God has taught me so very much on this beautiful journey of motherhood.

Along with the trials and challenges there lies a deep root of love....deep down to my core. I know this can only come from God. Any patience I practice, any compassion I show, any forgiveness I offer, all is rooted in Christ. I cling to God daily to help me be the mother that He wants me to be, and that I long to be.

Through my triumphs and failures as a mother I am ever grateful to this special calling. I have so much to learn, and by God's grace I will grow. I am amazed how children can reveal so much about a person. God uses my lovies to make me want to change to be someone I am supposed to be....to be more like Christ....and man am I a long way off.

 I will joyfully press on, collecting all of the kisses and snuggles I can get along the way.

Nate makes me smile....

Everyone has there own way of playing with dominoes..... 

I found this on our desk this morning. Nate has this thing about PIXAR films......obviously.

The Girl

 There is a little girl, who is not so little anymore......

 

She is thinking.."No thanks Mom, I don't need any help."

She is thinking..."Oh Man...Busted!"

But the climbing was all for a good cause.....there was an important group of critters who needed a story {grin}

Man of the House

While Jared was away for a couple of days, I was pleased to see my little man take care of one of Daddy's chores. Noah was sure to remind me that he was      "the man of the house" while his Dad was away.  Great news for me since one of my least favorite things to do is carry in wood.  Don't worry...I still kept the job of lighting the wood burner.