*listening to Aubrey tell knock knock jokes..."Knock, knock. Who's there? Boo." That's all.
*the way Aubrey always carries Madelyn's lunchbox after school
*being Zero the Hero for Madelyn's class this morning. I read Bear Stays Up For Christmas and brought in cookies. I enjoyed it!
*reading Gracie's snowwoman paper at school
*observing Gracie's thoughtfulness. She wants to make cards for her whole class and give away her potholders that she made.
*popcorn and eggnog with Jim
*Holidaze movie on ABC Family
*daydreaming about moving back to Arizona
*praying the sleep study people will call about Madelyn
*praying Madelyn will be okay...that the sleep study will go well, be helpful, that removing her tonsils and adenoids will help her sleep and her behavior, hoping we find answers about her GI issues
*

*watching the girls play outside in the chilly air. Aubrey loves to slide!
*watching Aubrey watch a ladybug crawl on her hand
*cuddling on the couch with the girls and reading
*playing Uno. Even Aubrey joined in like a big girl!

Aubrey's Second Birthday

*her first word to us this morning was "cake"
*showing Aubrey her new big girl bed
*eating her Itsy Bitsy Spider cake...yum!
*having our parents over to celebrate
*watching her blow out her candle. She knew just what to do!
*watching Aubrey open her presents. She was overwhelmed and just wanted to stop and play.
*eating lunch at Red Robin. No balloons at this one. Boo!
*her favorite word right now is "pinch" but it does not sound that way. :)
*presents: from us...small magna doodle, Biscuit book, Color Wonder coloring book, Letter Factory, and bedding set for toddler bed; from Grammy and Grandpop...clothes, coloring book, colored pencils, animal flashlight; from Grandmother and Grandpa...small pink laptop; from Aunt Joyce and Uncle John...puzzle; from Uncle Ron and Aunt Dixie...$3

*having a day to homeschool Madelyn(working on rhyming, painting, writing, a sticker story, creating new animals at switchzoo)
*watching Aubrey paint (she gets so excited)
*singing to Madelyn at bedtime
*Jim's homemade pumpkin pancakes
*seeing Jim's mustang travel down the wet road in the misty dark toward home
*thinking about teaching fourth grade
*Madelyn asking me if I will be a librarian when I don't have any kids to take care of anymore
*listening to Felicity, an American Girl story (I think I like them more than my kids)
*thinking about the warm Sahuarita sun (those thoughts will have to get me through a lot of gray gloomy days this winter)
*reading in PW about a little bookstore that is opening and daydreaming about opening my own children's bookstore (what would I call it?)
*seeing how grown up Gracie can be sometimes

Aubrey's latest word is "mean". She points to someone and says, "Mean!" So tonight in her prayer, we are pretty sure she was saying names of our family with the word mean after each one. We couldn't help but smile.

*the cool fall weather
*the pumpkin festival
*finding out that Madelyn's teacher is pregnant
*so thankful for their teachers
*watching Aubrey take care of her baby. She put it on the caterpillar and rocked it.
*going through my teaching things
*writing, writing, writing!
*researching agents
*reading about children's literature
*helping during library time
*praying over the school and kids at MIP
*that my dryer works again

*a hug from Aubrey
*a new bottle of wine waiting to be opened
*a calm moment
*anticipating playing with textures in Photoshop
*reading a blog about motherhood being enough
*the girls' laughter
*watching Aubrey grow and learn
*the girls' excitement about school
*finding a shortcut to the school
*legos
*birthday cake
*Madelyn turning five
*Madelyn asking me if I taught in the one-room schoolhouse at Wildlife Prairie Park
*a moment to even look at my blog
*Hollywood Game Night and popcorn
*getting the teachers I requested

*playdate with Britt and Alice
*watching the baby robins get fed
*going to the Blend with Bethany
*organizing! It makes me feel so much better.
*watching Gilmore Girls
*reading These High, Green Hills
*hearing Aubrey say "laptop" over and over at Bethany's while she played with her Leapster Explorer
*Madelyn's normal blood tests (now if we could just figure out why she yawns and is tired)

Some Favorites

*taking pictures of the girls playing in the wading pool
*having lunch with Rachel E.
*Steak 'n Shake with Rachel M.
*working in my Smash Book
*organizing my counter
*planning our anniversary getaway
*fireworks at Eureka Lake
*looking at beautiful land east of Eureka
*reading A Light in the Window
*teaching the girls about Ancient Egypt, Joseph, and Moses and the Exodus
*watching The Back-up Plan, funny!
*looking at pinterest and trying to decide if I should join
*planning a second grade classroom, just in case :)

Favorite Moments

*reading Joyce's update on Tomas to the girls and getting teary as I thanked God for his recovery
*taking Gracie and Madelyn to drawing class
*looking at their drawings
*watching them play on the playground and make friends
*the way Gracie wrote a note and added a pink jewel and made an envelope to give to a friend she made in art class who actually lives in Minnesota
*being there to help Aubrey after she got her first skinned-knee
*reading the Bible at supper
*reading The Saturdays at bedtime
*listening to M's prayer and A's prayer
*hearing my kids' excitement that Grandpop got to visit
*watching G and M draw on the sidewalk with Grammy
*spending time with Jim

One Sunday morning, M ran out of underwear and was wearing a pair of Gracie's to church. And when we got home from church, M said, "Don't worry, Gracie. I didn't let anybody color on your underwear this morning."

Favorite Moments

*going medallion hunting with Jim and the girls. We looked in Washington Park, drove by another park, and ended up at the Park District. Disappointed, we came home. Then we looked on facebook to find that someone had found it earlier that day! It was still a fun time.
*reading books on the bed with the girls, looking out the window and watching the clouds, talking about the different types of clouds
*Finding so much cool information about clouds to share with the girls tomorrow. PowerPoints, puzzles, games, art projects.

Spraining an ankle is no fun.

Homeschooling Today magazine, a magazine I used to subscribe to but haven't seen in at least a year and a half, made its way to my mailbox today. And it comes on a day when I had trouble registering Madelyn for kindergarten. Now we don't know if the school will let us in once we have our building permit because our house most likely won't be finished by December. It has me questioning everything (once again).

Favorite Moments
*the girls putting on aprons and helping me get supper in the crockpot this morning
*listening to "You're Gonna Miss This" by Trace Adkins
*rejoicing that Gracie has been working through her folder work
*the way Madelyn is so willing to do her folder work
*reading all about whitetail deer and finally finishing Gracie's forest animal packet
*filling out a living vs. non-living paper and learning about earthworms
*receiving the Homeschooling Today magazine
*going to the library
*setting up the library books on our counter as a surprise for the girls in the morning
*setting Gracie's little recipe box on the table so they can help me decide on a dessert

Favorite Moments

*After telling M she could have a reward for taking her bath, she asked me, "Can I get a real baby reindeer?" Oh how that girl loves animals!
*taking the girls to the Snow White Ballet. It was cute!

From the website below: "No matter how much time and effort we put into teaching our children the proper ways of responding and reacting to what is going on around us, their greatest and best-learned lessons will be from watching what we do."

http://themarathonmom.com/keeping-our-childrens-hearts-its-not-just-what-you-say.htm

This is hitting home with me right now. As we have had more children and tried homeschooling, I have been spread more thinly and have not been acting in a Christ-like manner. I need to be reminded of this on a daily (sometimes hourly) basis!

Here is what I'm working on now (from the website above).

Have I allowed God to transform my heart so that my words, actions, and habits reflect my relationship with Him?

Jesus said, “Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.” Matthew 12:34
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2

Do I see the fruit of the Holy Spirit at work in my own heart, in my own life?
Are the good fruits that I am wanting to cultivate in my own children’s lives evident in mine first?

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22, 23

Smash Booking!

I gave Jim's mom the Pretty Pink Smash Book for her birthday, and I fell in love with it! I will be ordering one for myself. I will decorate the front with ribbons and bows. Here are a few ideas for the journal...


*poetry...poem I wrote for my grandparents...put that on bicycle page (because my favorite picture of them is on a bicycle when they were young)
*favorite Bible verses
*a list of my favorites
*dessert recipes
*favorite quotes from my kids
*photographs I've taken of the girls
*library slips on library page, favorite kids books
*pictures of pretty things from magazines (Land of Nod)
*words of wisdom page
*page about Jim and me
*movies page
*Gilmore Girls page with favorite quotes
*teaching page (all my favorite memories and moments)
*horses page
*birds page
*picture of each of the houses I've lived in with the matching key

I think that's a good start!

*meeting a neighbor
*watching the girls look out the window
*the sunshine
*revising my stories
*hiding and finding eggs outside with the girls
*playing Gilmore Girls trivia

Favorite Moments

*Aubrey wearing her little undies
*walking outside with the girls
*changing my blog background
*hearing their laughter
*realizing I need to laugh with them
*coloring with Madelyn
*Aubrey sitting on my lap
*bedtime
*thinking about date night
*Gracie completing her schoolwork amidst all the chaos
*planning an Easter menu for our family
*Madelyn finding cotton in the yard today and wondering if it was Easter Bunny fur
*Madelyn's dinosaur drawing
*all of Gracie and Aubrey's drawings

Life With Little Ones

Chaotic laughter fills the air
I try to remember to stop and stare
and watch these people who are in my care.

They sometimes surprise me
often exhaust me
cry a lot and then they need me.

I don't want the years to go too fast
but I'm usually glad I have a stash
of chocolate in the pantry. :)

My Happiness Project

A List of Things that Make Me HAPPY!

*writing
*turning up the music loud in the car
*pedicures
*using pink and purple pens
*listening to music in the house
*reading
*wearing my cowboy boots
*flower hair clips
*lipgloss
*a clean and organized house
*books, books, books
*journaling (especially gluing down favorite things from the Land of Nod catalog)
*baking and homecooked meal smells in the house
*my post-it note planbook/planning lessons
*pilates and salsa cardio
*going to the library
*walking through Barnes and Noble
*watching Gilmore Girls, Bunheads, and Say Yes to the Dress
*curling my hair and wearing make-up
*taking pictures of my kids
*my purple memo board and magnets
*making cards for people
*my little moments notebook
*reading to my girls while cuddled on the couch
*listening to Jim read-aloud from a family chapter book at the end of the day
*popcorn and movie night with Jim
*going to The Blend or Starbucks at Fry's
*writing on this blog and changing the background
*writing verses and our menu on my kitchen chalkboard

Homeschooling (Again)

Well, it seems we will be homeschooling once again. Since we will be renting in one school district and building in another, we didn't want to deal with two schools. Homeschooling for the remainder of first grade with the possibility of using our building permit in the fall to get into the school district we will be building in seemed like the best option.

I have thought about what didn't work last time we tried it and have come up with some solutions to hopefulling make it go better this time.

What Didn't Work
*no co-op
*no help with Aubrey
*journaling curriculum didn't work for Gracie
*not giving Gracie enough work
*not enough breaks from each other!

Possible Solutions
*a co-op is a MUST...looking into one right now
*my mom will be helping with Aubrey in the mornings, and we will utilize Aubrey's afternoon nap
*curriculum will now include teacher-planned themed units with more worksheets (Gracie's loves them!)
*keep a folder of work for the month, covering all subjects, and work our way through it, if the work runs out, find more
*join Awana for another social outlet and get plugged in to a Sunday school class

I saw this and love it!

Before you speak, THINK...
T...Is it true?
H...Is it helpful?
I...Is it inspiring?
N...Is it necessary?
K...Is it kind?

And a favorite quote...
"For the mother is and must be, whether she knows it or not, the greatest, strongest, and most lasting teacher her children have." Hannah Whitall Smith

Favorite Moments

*how cozy our bedroom feels when Aubrey's sheep light is on and the heater has warmed up the room
*watching Aubrey lay on her tummy and kick her legs as she colors
*getting cowboy boots
*having conversations with Gracie
*Madelyn's sweet kisses when someone gets hurt
*popcorn and movie night with Jim

Love and Writing

I am not very good at sticking to resolutions. I am flighty. I am emotional. I have terrible follow-through. I have grand dreams and ideas and never do anything to make them come true. But I've been reading a lot lately about how we have been created with a purpose. God has big plans for me and can accomplish through me far more than I can even imagine or dream. So I should not foresake these gifts he's given me just because I have some obstacles in the way. I have the Holy Spirit in me because I've accepted Christ as my Savior. Therefore, if my dreams are in tune with God's plans, I can do anything.

With that in mind, I have made two resolutions that will not only be for 2013, but will be my life resolutions--to be more loving and to write.

When I think about how I can be more loving, I can't just say it and expect it to happen. I have to find tangible ways to make it happen, especially since we will be moving back home and be around family a lot more. Family is strange. Not to say that our particular family members are strange, but family relationships are strange in that they are the people you love most but also the people you tend to treat the worst. My goal is to try and figure out what everyone's love language is and acknowledge that. According to the book The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman, everybody has a love language that speaks to them--quality time, words of affirmation, gifts, acts of service, or physical touch. Knowing each person's love language helps show that you care about them, and it can help improve relationships. Life is all about relationships and reaching people for Christ--something I'm good at talking about but not actually doing. I hope to become better.

 Another way I can be more loving is to take care of myself. And one way to do that is to write. I've been ignoring my blog for awhile, and I've come to one conclusion--I should not ignore my blog. An up-to-date blog is a happy blog. Writing here just makes me happy. Writing anywhere and about anything just makes me happy. So everyday I will write. I am working on a couple writing projects, a children's picture book series and a middle grade mystery. Once we move, I plan to work towards finding an agent for a picture book I have already written. But even if I don't have time to work on these projects, writing on my blog and keeping up with my favorite moments journal is a must!