Saw this quote today

Life without God is like an unsharpened pencil - it has no point

Guess???

Can you guess where I may be? What I may be doing? One clue is I'm NOT doing laundry every day! Yay!!

 

Happy Birthday, Aunt Dee Dee!

 

We hope you have a great day!

Love,

Luke, Zach & Gray

(and Mommy & Daddy)

 

 

Double Trouble

Were you expecting a picture of Luke and Zach?? :) NOPE! It's ME! And Luke, of course!

This pic was taken back in May for our Mother's Day lunch. We made some fun memories that day!

Soooo true...

and so convicting!

Luke's First Day of School

 

 

My baby is in school! Homeschool, that is!

I love his cheesy grin :)

 

Love his smile...

 



He was so proud to hold this chalkboard!

He thought it was SO neat that we were outside taking pictures while

brothers were taking naps! We made some great memories this day!

 

I love you baby boy

 

 

Aunt Dee Dee Love

So, tonight, I was getting the boys ready for bed and all the while talking about God, the Bible verses we are learning in Sunday School, and such the like. We always kiss and hug the boys goodnight and tonight, as I leaned down to Zach, I said "Goodnight, Zach, I love you. And think of Jesus". He replied, "I will but I want to think of Aunt Dee Dee too!"

He has a tender heart for his Aunt Dee Dee! :) (love you, Dee!)

And, as off to bed I go myself, I will leave you with...

Think of Jesus

Mid-summer update!

Wow - this year has been SO busy already! I wish I could blog every day to remember the little ins and outs of my day but time gets away too often. God is good and keeping us healthy and safe!

Here are three reasons why I'm very busy and not blogging much! Being a mom to these three is so rewarding and I'm so thankful for them! We are enjoying every minute of this summer!

Why, Why, Why...

thought these were funny!



Why, Why, Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are getting weak?

Why do banks charge a fee due to insufficient funds when they already know you're broke?

Why is it that when someone tells you that there are one billion stars in the universe, you believe them but, if they tell you there is wet paint, you have to touch it to check?

Why do they use sterilized needles for lethal injections?

Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?

Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you throw a revolver at him?

Why did Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?

Whose cruel idea was it to put an "s" in the word "lisp"?

Why is it that, no matter what color bubble bath you use, the bubbles are always white?

Is there ever a day that mattresses are not on sale?

Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?

Why do people run over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance?

Why is it that no plastic bag will open from the first end you try?

How do those dead bugs get into enclosed light fixtures?

Why is it that whenever you attempt to catch something that's falling off the table you always manage to knock something else over?

Why, in winter, do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when we complained about the heat?

How come you never hear father-in-law jokes?

Boys Update

Since I haven't blogged in a while, I thought maybe some of you were wondering how the boys were doing... Well, these were the best of the worst pics taken on Easter Sunday. We got home from church and changed clothes before lunch and then Sonny and I realized we didn't take a family picture so just imagine us somewhere in these pics :)  Aren't these shirts so cute?! FYI my new favorite kids store is called "Crazy 8". Usually my favorite kids store is called "Garage Sale" and "Thrift Store" but I found these shirts on the clearance rack! This store has a good range of sizes in matching clothes. I like matching them all every once in a while.

Luke turned five recently and I'm trying to get him to enjoy being five and not wanting to be six so soon! He enjoys cowboys and loves horses and thinks that Zach is funny and Grayson is cute!

Zach is two months shy of turning four! He loves cereal, naps and playing 'caw-ers'! He has a soft heart and is my cuddle baby!

Grayson is one month shy of turning two and is a bundle of boy! He loves doing whatever his big brothers do and has an appetite that is making me dread the teenage years! He can count to ten and has a smile like no other (he's just not showing us in these pics)!

Memories

10pm. All is quiet. Kiddos are fast asleep. Hubby too. Dishes aren't done. Laundry is piled next to my chair . I am exhausted but am smiling, sitting here and reminiscing about my life five years ago today.

It was a Wednesday as well. I was nine months pregnant, humongous and nervously laying in a hospital bed. I was being induced with my first child. I had gone to the doctor earlier that day for a routine visit. I remember discussing that I hadn't been feeling the baby move much. I remember having ultrasounds and other tests too. My blood pressure was a little high. The doctor said that being so close to the due date (March 9th) we could go ahead and induce so inducing it was. I remember packing and re-packing, and then re-re-packing my hospital bag, taking a pillow, blanket, books, magazines, cameras, cords, and a ton of other stuff that I didn't even use or really need. I remember thinking how funny it was that I knew I would be having a baby soon. Sonny was nervously calm, if that makes sense and together that Wednesday night, we went off to the hospital to check in. In the car, we discussed a myriad of things, one being that when we went home together, it would no longer just be the two of us. Amazing!

I remember the uncomfortableness of not being able to do much, just had to lay there and look at the white walls, white curtains, white doors, etc. Sonny was tired but stayed by my side. It was such a scary and exciting experience. A baby was on its way. My baby. Amazing!

It's so unbelievably true how fast time goes. The hours in a day never changes, but the years go by so fast. Tomorrow my baby will be five.

Thank you, Jesus, for my bouncing baby boy... who is still bouncy! I love him so so so much!

Luke on his first birthday

Please pray for the Cretzman Family

Please pray (right now) for the Cretzman family, Baptist missionaries currently on deputation to Cuba. While traveling in North Carolina earlier this week, they were involved in a serious car accident which took the life of their three year old daughter, Azlynn. Father and baby sister are ok while mother, Lana, is still in the hospital. Please pray for this young family during such a difficult time.

As I sit here typing this post, I just can't imagine the grief for such a young life. I know we all say we can't imagine why God would allow this, but He has, and for a reason. All we can do is rejoice in His infinite wisdom and pray for the comfort of their families and friends,

For more information or to donate to the family, you can visit their website at www.cretzmanstocuba.com.

*UPDATE from Facebook missions page: Matt says, "Lana was just released from surgery.
Everything went well the doctor said. Thank you Lord. Now the hard part. How to
plan a funeral for a 3yr old. Lord, we need your help. Thank you for the
overwhelming support everyone. We can't say thank you enough."

Wordless Wednesday - blast from the past

Fun with cousins last fall... I just love all these cheeseballs!

Wordless Wednesday

Brudders Playing

So, today, it was close to 60 degrees! On the last day of January! We made the best of it :) No hats, no gloves, no boots - we just played...

and played...

and put our sunglasses on crooked, and then played some more...

Thank you for a great day in the sunshine, Jesus!

Happy Birthday to My Hubby!

A very special "Happy Birthday" to my fifth grade crush and now my husband...

More than a catbird hates a cat,

Or a criminal hates a clue,

Or the Iranians hate the United States,

That's how much I love you.

I love you more than a duck can swim,

And more than a grapefruit squirts,

I love you more than a gin rummy is a bore,

And more than a toothache hurts.

As a shipwrecked sailor hates the sea,

Or a juggler hates a shove,

As a hostess detests unexpected guests,

That's how much you I love.

I love you more than a wasp can sting,

And more than the subway jerks,

I love you as much as a beggar needs a crutch,

And more than a hangnail irks.

I swear to you by the stars above,

And below, if such there be,

As the High Court loathes perjurious oathes,

That's how you're loved by me.

Ogden Nash

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today's a very special day

Here's a Happy Birthday wish to you

This comes with deepest fondest love

From your wife and best friend too!

You know I love you

And you must know too

That my happiest moments

Are those spent with you

For when we're together

Or when we're apart

You're first in my thoughts

And first in my heart!

Love you Son hon

~Mary

Meet my Russians

~ The first of sledding season 2012 ~
I told them - "the faster you smile, the sooner you can go sledding"
They're smart blondes :)

Proud family sled

Baby Gray had to stay inside with Mama, Thanksgiving bib and all :)

A good time was had by all... well, except for Daddy who did all the work but the boys had fun getting snow in their face when they fell and Gray and I enjoyed 'joose' and hot cocoa!

Stay warm!

From Frazzled to Dazzled

Stressed spelled backwards didn't matter much this morning. I woke up with stress oozing out of me. I had plans with my mom and when she called that she was on her way, I told her "I woke up late, I'm running late, I'm stressed etc." I repeated all those things to her when she arrived and upon hearing she said "Go somewhere and just take a minute, and give it to the Lord." Well I got distracted with what I was doing and didn't do it. Wish I had. We started our day of a few errands and had a nice time, even though the kids were somewhat antsy in the store. I still had a feeling of 'rushed' in me. My mom was gracious enough to stay over during naps for me so I could run and get a haircut. (Thanks again, Mom!) Even at the salon, I still felt rushed and stressed because of the feeling of being behind, and with the snow falling fast, I just wanted to get home.

Home I went to kids who didn't take a long nap and were ready to play, Daddy who was on his way out the door to plow and dinner not made, dishes not put away, you get my drift. It was then that I took out that time to give it to the Lord.

From Frazzled to Dazzled.

Kids played so nicely downstairs by themselves, dishes were put away and another load went in, dinner was in the oven, even had a chance to hang a new curtain I had bought recently and all just felt good! Daddy was gone so we weren't complete but made the best of our dinner time together. The boys talked to me like little grown-ups about their day and how much fun they had at Kohl's and how glad they were Baba (my mom) came over and how much they loved me. I was so surprised and pleased by our fellowship. God knew I just needed that. One boy at without talking (a rarity) and the other ate his whole meal without complaining about the "Shaw-shiz" (a miracle)! Baby didn't throw his plate OR cup on the floor and no spills! The joys of motherhood! :)

After dinner, I cleaned up and decided to tackle a project I've been putting off - organizing my recipe basket. Instead of just having the kids play, I involved them. I started cutting down copies of recipes I have made and letting the boys cut the scraps of paper just for something to do. They absolutely loved it! I have realized my oldest's newest talent - cutting one 5x7 sheet of paper into 829 pieces! My frazzled-self would have gone nuts about the itty bitty pieces on the floor but I didn't care tonight. We made a mess and got our projects done and had fun! I was so happy to get my project done and even more happy to have three assistants who wanted to just be with me. After we were done, we picked up and even the oldest assistant vacuumed up the pieces. Dazzled I was.

I realized I need to take a step back from our every day stresses and just enjoy the moment. God is so good and I just love how He knows what we need! Let me encourage you to do the same if you are like and try to do everything quickly and neatly and by yourself. Sometimes with little ones, it's easy to just do it yourself - but don't rob them of the joy of being a help, of having a servant's heart. That's just what they need!

So, my middle assistant, during his shift on the potty, tells me (quote) "Mom, I'm glad I helped you tonight, Mom. Children love to help their Mommies" and BOY, how right he is!

Hello and Happy New Year!

I'm back!

Hello, everyone! How are you? Happy New Year!

2012, wow! Time is sure movin'! I have been busy the last few months and there just wasn't any extra time for blogging but I hope to keep up more in 2012! God has been good to us, as always. We had a busy, trying and blessed 2011 and are looking forward to what He has in store for us this year!

Talk to you all again soon,
Mary