Heading to the Dentist

After a wonderful Christmas we must head to the dentist. To many sweets!

Farewell Gold Tooth

We officially said goodbye to the Gold Tooth. He served us well for over a year and now has a happy new home here in Lake Elsinore.

The wishbone Fiasco

Step One: Hold on tight to your chosen side and make a wish...



Step Two: Pull with all of your 3 and 5 year old might...



Step Three: The Break...



Step Four: Both thrilled that they broke it!



Step Five: Brother realizing that he lost...




Step Six: Sister rejoicing in her victory and informing me that her wish was to stay up until 10:30. I'm not even sure she understands what that means.



Step Seven: Brother fully recuperated after less than one minute...



The End.

Thankful

Here are my beautiful kiddos at Thanksgiving this year. I'm not sure but I don't think they could be any more beautiful!

The Money Shot

This is what we like to call the money shot. This is the Harvest Pumpkin Patch. They had a blast.

Hi Casey!

Just wanted to give a quick shout out to my girl Casey Jones!



Just a little summer sprinkler fun here for you!

These are from Easter. Nothing really clever to say; just keeping you updated!

I have never really liked birds. I actually think people may say I hate birds. I think I figured it out though. When we were kids, my brother was a magician: "Mr. Fire the Mystifier". He had birds. Birds that had their wings clipped so they could not fly away. They would still try to fly though which meant there was just a helpless lame bird flapping through the house. Terrifying. So, what I have realized is that it is not so much the bird itself that I don't like but more the falling flapping bird in your house that I don't like. I say all this because I have really started to like birds lately. There is a hummingbird nest in my orange tree and that sweet little mama perches herself on that nest all day long. I have never seen a humming bird still. It is neat! So, here is as close as I could get without thinking she just might start poking me with her speedy little beak...

Out of the park!

I can't really think of anything to say about these pictures that you probably haven't already thought in your head by now. He is my precious boy.

Lucky

I had a moment today. A moment where all I felt was lucky. I forgot for a moment about rheumatoid arthritis, $80 in our checking account for the next 11 days, an overcrowded garage full of junk, the laundry, the whirlwind of spiritual conflict in my mind, the things I think about doing everyday but never do...you get the picture. I was cooking dinner in my kitchen and my kids were outside in the back playing. As I was slowly cooking over the stove I just listened. I listened to my kids. My sweet kids who are playing together and laughing and sharing and riding scooters. It was great. Then I hear "Mom....Mom, Look at me". I look out the window and Zoe just gives me the I love you sign. Precious. Then Brother of course wants in on the action and they are just screaming my name trying to steal my attention from the other. I just felt lucky. Lucky to have a home, food to cook, kids that love me so much they are fighting over mere seconds of my attention. I quickly grabbed the camera because I wanted to capture the spontaneous, but they caught on. The poses are obvious. I love my kids. I'm just so blessed.

The mount...

Mona.

"We have all had times on the mount, when we have seen things from God's standpoint and have wanted to stay there; but God will never allow us to stay there. The test of our spiritual life is the power to descend; if we have power to rise only, something is wrong. We are not built for the mountains and the dawns and aesthetic affinities, those are for moments of inspiration, that is all. We are built for the valley, for the ordinary stuff we are in, and that is where we have to prove our mettle. Spiritual selfishness always wants repeated moments on the mount. We feel we could talk like angels and live like angels, if only we could stay on the mount.

We are apt to think that everything that happens is to be turned into useful teaching. It is to be turned into something better than teaching, that is, into character."

Oswald Chambers