Fire of Love

I teach 1st Grade Religious Education at my church. One of the biggest things I hope they come away with is the reason Jesus died on the cross. I love this picture from the The New Saint Joseph First Communion Cathechism because I think it is such a powerful image that will hopefully stick with their little minds. My hope is if they can get a strong understanding of why He died and rose again, then the rest of their religious training will make more sense.

HOWEVER, recently I got concerned that what I am teaching and what they are understanding are two very different things. I asked a question completely unrelated to salvation and one little boy shot his arm up with an answer.

He said, "That is when Jesus shot fire out of His Heart to break open the gates of Heaven."

So what a 6 year old boy takes from all of this is, "That is so cool that Jesus can shoot fire out of His Heart."

Never Tired

Today I had a really pleasant time shopping with Sophia. She was adorable in her Halloween shirt, pumpkin socks, and the 3 "I Voted" stickers really made her outfit "pop." ;)

She yawned while we were trying to find last minute Halloween goodies at the Dollar Store, and I said, "Are you getting sleepy?"

She replied, "No, I was just stretching my mouth."

Observations by a SAHM

I've noticed that if I am getting something done in one room, it usually means that something is getting un-done in another room.

When I Grow Up

I think I'll be a doctor. Why not add medical school bills onto our little debt pile? While I greatly appreciate the doctors we have, I often think I too could come up with the same diagnosis if I had the right medical books and tools. I may be overestimating my abilities and God may humble me shortly, but with all of the wierd stuff I have seen as a mom, I think I could do it! I am not talking about brain surgery, but general practice, sure! I am sure many other moms feel the same way. Just give me that little ear thing and I can see if he needs antibiotics!!

So...it wasn't chicken pox. It was a nasty case of poison ivy and a secondary reaction to the 1st allergic reaction which gave him the overall body rash. We've been not treating it correctly for 2 weeks. I am so grateful that I am home, how would we have done it if I had a paying job?

Off to a Great Start

2 potty training accidents by 9:30 AM. Sophia encourages me by saying, "Mommy, it's ok."

Is she going to pay for the professional carpet cleaning when this is all said and done?

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

Sometimes it seems like it would be easier if God would just lay out His plan for us, plain as day. Then it wouldn't be so hard to know what it is we are supposed to be doing. I sure spend a lot of time running different scenarios in my head trying to figure out what the best solution would be. Whether it be rearranging rooms to make everything and everyone fit in our house, or sending my 3 year old to pre-school, I tend to over analyze everything a little bit. I pray and ask God to open and shut doors, and He does. His timing is just sometimes a little slower than mine. I guess I am still learning a lot about patience. A while back a friend shared with me that she discovered it is the journey that is important. Maybe that is where we can find peace...the journey is just as important, if not more, than the destination. The journey is where we are molded and formed into the person that God wants us to be.

That Will Be $2.79

We were participating in our neighborhood garage sale and the kids were in and out of the house. Sophia wanted to join in the fun. I think most of our profits went to a new box of Ziploc bags.

A Little Goes a Long Way

These types of incidents tend to slow me down a little bit. They usually tend to occur as I am frantically trying to get out of the house.

Chicken Pox Central

Chicken Pox Fortress

Sympathy Fortress

The whole living room became a fortress. (Notice the Guard Bear on top.)

Feeling better and sharing germs.

(Is there a money back guarantee on those varicella vaccines?)

Their Answered Prayer

This weekend my family received a great blessing, you might even call her a miracle! My brother and his sweet wife welcomed their first born child into the world. They have been on a long and painful journey, but God heard their cries and blessed them with a beautiful baby girl. Their journey has been such a witness to me, and to many others, about faith and perseverance and trust. I think God has shown His Glory through their pain and has rewarded them greatly for their faithfulness. They have been open to His will for their lives, even when that meant suffering tremendous heartbreaks.

Thank you Lord, for the gift of life. Thank you Lord for the precious innocence of a baby. Thank you Lord for allowing us the privilege of caring for your little souls. God is so good! Let us learn from my brother and his wife to remain hopeful, keep trying, keep trusting.

Not Too Bad

They say the two's are terrible, but a dear friend of mine and I beg to differ. We tend to think the tantrums at three are much worse. The other night Sophia was allowing us to grow in grace with a monster of a tantrum. Omar was on duty. The next morning I asked her if she got in trouble from Dad.
She said, "Yes, but just a little, not a lot of trouble."

I think she has us figured out.

My Hannah Banana

Happy Belated Birthday to my beloved, sweet 9 year old daughter, Hannah Therese. (I guess it could be MOTY Award #2 since I am posting this 5 days after your birthday!)

You are such an angel to me. You are named after St. Therese the Little Flower and that is what you are to your dad and me. You are a beautiful flower who gives glory to God and honor to her parents. I could never list all of the reasons why I love you, but I will make a list of 10 things that I think are totally cute about you!!!

1. You love to do cart-wheels and round offs ALL day and night long.

2. You are so funny, clever, and witty!

3. You can talk with a great British accent.

4. You asked the new girl at school to sit by you at lunch, so that she wouldn't feel sad.

5. Your mind is so amazingly sharp and you read all the time and love to do 300 piece puzzles. You ask me not to touch the last few pieces!!

6. You have cute freckles on your nose.

7. You love me (or your Grame who has longer fingernails) to tickle your back. In fact you could sit all day and have one of us tickle your back.

8. You are in a fancy hat mode.

9. You love to eat vegetables dipped in ranch dressing and you will try new foods.

10. You are kind and good and loving. Truly you are a gift to me.

There are so many more things I love about you, I could go on forever...

Happy Birthday my sweetie!