The verdict is IN

Arianna’s eyes are turning brown.

Andy 4.

Moriah 0.

(So. Not. Fair.)

Thanksgiving In Pictures

Our hosts, my brother and his wife:

The kid table:

The back-up turkey (which I brined, thankyouverymuch):

My dad and sisters:

Mom & Dad:

Adelaide being a ham (as usual):

Micah had raked up a huge pile of leaves for the kids to swing/jump into:

They also had a bonfire and some outdoor games but I was too cold to stand out there with my camera any longer and opted for apple cider and pie instead.

It was such a great holiday!

They’re called ‘Grand’ for a reason

It’s Grandparents Week here at our house. Andy’s parents came down Monday and spent two full days with us, bringing Christmas and playing with the kids.

And also meeting their fourth grandbaby:

They brought us a mattress that we had left in their attic and a new-to-us crib, freshly painted white (thanks, Dad!)… We’re in the process of changing around the girls’ room and when it’s finished I’ll post some after photos. Madeline is beside herself with excitement.

My mom got back in town last night (my laundry fairy, I told you I needed one) and will stay through Thanksgiving and a little after. Andy and I even caught a quick date while she finished putting the kids to bed.

I’m telling you, I could totally get used to this.

Tuesday

Stopping this Tuesday to enjoy an impromptu tea party with an adoptive great-aunt.

And grandmothers.

And sleeping 5-day-olds.

(For other Tuesdays Unwrapped posts, click the button.)

Wherein Drew is spoiled rotten

Drew had his big day-o-golfing with Daddy and Papa yesterday. Andy and Dad golfed for real while he was at VBS and then my mom and I dropped him off after a quick bite to eat. (Chick-Fil-A of course.)

They did a 3-par course, which was perfect for the little guy. I wish I had thought to drop off my camera as well.

(Because I’m sure we would have all loved to see pictures of him chasing the geese…an impulse he apparently inherited from his father.)

They stopped for chocolate shakes at Sonic on their way home, so needless to say, Drew was riding high on life yesterday. He only had a mild fit when we told him he couldn’t finish the entire thing before naptime.

(And what do you think was the very first thing out of his mouth upon waking up?)

I enjoyed a quiet afternoon here, which I needed after running around like crazy the last few days. When my sisters got home from work, my mom, Cassandra and I went over to my grandma’s house for a little impromptu tea party. Which, you know, are really the best.

Andy, Cassandra, and I took Drew and Madeline to see “Earth” last night at the $1.50 theater. We got there a little late and were forced to sit down near the front, and then as soon as we had sat down, Madeline looked up and exclaimed “TURTLE!!”

Five minutes later, “FOX!!!” And then after two beautiful scenes of flowers, “it looks like the ‘Secret Garden’!!” Our shushing her clearly wasn’t meaning much. (There were other kids there so it wasn’t a big deal.)

But then she and Drew started begging for water (what do you know, salty popcorn makes one thirsty) and we had a few up-and-downs for that. I’m just thankful the entire tub of popcorn didn’t spill or something equally as embarrassing.

On the way home Drew started asking about the rest of his shake again, and we told him it would be nice of him to share some with Madeline. She piped up with “I’m only going to eat a teeny, tiny bite because you got your special shake from McDonalds.” (Sonic.)

Drew, a touch condescendingly: “Madeline, that’s exactly right.”

And the grown-ups died laughing.

Sunday best

Usually I go on vacation and have a ton of pictures of the kids and possibly Andy, but there are never any of me.  Isn’t that the life of the mother?  So after church on Sunday we took a bunch of Sunday-best photos and I made sure I was in some of them with my kids.

So, since we really didn’t do anything newsworthy yesterday (besides picking Andy up from the airport and doing a little shopping), I thought I’d post a few of Sunday’s pictures today.

Cabin time

My dad’s side of the family has a cabin up in the mountains here, and we drove up on Saturday to have dinner with my Uncle Steve and his wife and my cousin and her family.

Drew and Madeline got to ride up in my dad’s Jeep, and as you can see they’re just a teensy bit excited:

Helping Papa build a fire:

A very important task, indeed.

My sisters took all the kids on a walk to feed the local horses:

Hanging out with Grandmommy:

My cousin Dagney who I haven’t seen since we were pregnant with Adelaide and Sadie, over two years ago:

When we get together we pretty much can’t stop laughing.

And here are our cutie-pie girls, who are 2nd cousins:

(It’s nearly impossible to get a photo of two two-year-olds both looking at the camera at the exact same time.)

We had such a great time even though we were only up there for the evening.

Visions of water parks in my future

We took the kids swimming yesterday and I really thought we’d end the day with a trip to the ER.

The pool had both a diving board AND a slide. My girls were enamored with the slide. It was one of those older ones that have a steep ladder of about eight rungs, and the slide itself has a pretty steep incline. I could just picture Adelaide slipping off a step at the top and falling backwards onto the concrete below.

But she would NOT be deterred.

The girl has no fear. So my mom and I took turns standing behind her on the ladder as she clambered up and then she’d sit herself down at the top and, seriously, FLY down the slide. Rinse and repeat about 20 times.

Madeline was a little more nervous her first three times and then she was up and down as often as Adelaide. Drew took way more convincing, and I kept telling him he didn’t HAVE to go on the slide.

But what self-respecting boy is going to be shown up by his two little sisters?

The diving board, believe it or not, didn’t give me quite the nervous breathlessness as the slide did and they jumped off that plenty, too. Adelaide jumps as far as her stubby little two-year-old legs will get her, goes under about three feet, pops up (THANK YOU FLOTATION DEVICE INVENTOR), and “swims” back to the side. You really can’t believe it, she’s so teeny.

I have a feeling I’m going to be the mom chauffeuring her kids to water parks when they hit junior high.

(That and high-dive lessons.)

After dinner my sisters watched my kids (just like old times!) and my grandparents, parents, aunt, and I went to see The Proposal. Hilarious. Gorgeous Alaskan scenery. I absolutely recommend it if you like romantic comedies, otherwise known as chick flicks.

And then I promptly fell into bed.

(What am I, 80?)

(In my defense, the altitude is totally kicking my rear.)

Dry, dry, dry

Are we EVER in the Land of Dry. I’m going to need a gallon of lotion just to see us through the week. It’s the kind of thing that makes your eyes burn and I’ve already got a patch of dry flaky skin on my cheek.

A little bit of a shock, even if expected, coming from the South where you don’t need lotion because it’s so humid. Madeline’s curls have even fallen out, turning into a messy sort of wave.

We got to my mom’s yesterday afternoon. When my sisters got home from work, they wasted no time in taking the kids out to play and showed the kids this new trick:

My grandparents live down the street, so we went over there for dinner last night.  My kids got to sit up at the bar (which they thought terribly exciting):

My aunt made the yummiest chicken enchiladas but they should have come with the pregnancy heartburn warning label “FIRE, FIRE! PROCEED WITH CAUTION OR YOUR STOMACH WILL HATE YOU LATER!”

And then we got to watch some natural beauty like this:

And “borrowed” my grandparents’ neighbor’s toys:

This morning we’ve been playing puzzles (which have their names personalized into the picture, courtesy of the grandparents):

My girls have been in heaven with my sister’s makeup drawer(s) and having their aunts around to do things like apply glitter and paint nails:

(Aren’t chubby two-year-old hot pink nails the cutest?  You should see her toes.)

And we’ve been messing up the Post-It notes:

The things you get away with at Grandma’s.

I’m telling you, the fun never ends.

The Icing on My Pink Cake

We found out yesterday morning that we are having another girl. I don’t think either of us were surprised, since I’m carrying exactly like I did with both Madeline and Adelaide and with Drew I was the size of a house. (Just ask my friends, they’ll be happy to confirm.)

I’m excited… I can do this girl thing. I love hairbows and pretty dresses and crammed-full-of-junk purses. Andy’s excited, too; he’s just a little nervous about the wedding bills. He also mentioned being glad he at least has Drew and a male dog.  Drew has enough boy in him to last through about ten sisters.

The funny thing is… my granddad had four girls and a boy. My dad had three girls and a boy (and his dog was even a female). So… like Granddad, like Dad, and now like Andy.  Apparently we like to do things in patterns.

I’ll show you this cute profile shot, because I feel a little weird about showing *girl* shots on my blog.  (Call me old fashioned.)

Arianna Noelle

I realize not everyone reveals their baby’s name before birth.  We have with our other three and mostly because we’re not very good at keeping our secrets when we just don’t mind people knowing.  She IS a little tiny person, and we pray for her by name.

(Arianna – Latin, “very holy or very pleasing one.”)

Weekend Visitors

Oh. Hi.

(A blog? What’s that? I have one?)

I hadn’t intended to take a break this past week, but I know you really didn’t want to hear about the laundry. I’m sure that’s all I did (at least until Friday when my friend Sarah called for a playdate at the park).

But this weekend was busy, full, and FUN. Andy’s folks flew down for a quick visit, arriving at our house a little after noon on Saturday.

This takes a little explaining. Andy is an only child. However, his friend J lived with Andy’s family during summers and Christmas vacations and he’s sort of like the adopted son/brother. He was the best man in our wedding. (And then surprised us all and got married himself, a couple of years later.) He and his wife live in Atlanta.

So anyway, Andy’s folks drove here with them. The guys, including Drew, went golfing Saturday afternoon and Drew pretty much thought he had died and went to heaven. (As Andy so perfectly put it, he “got to drive around in a golf cart, run around in a field, hit a ball with a metal object, and hang out with dad.”)

(And yes, he’s been asking to go play golf ever since. Andy even bought him a set of real, albeit tiny, clubs.)

(They’re currently residing on the very top shelf.)

Meanwhile, both my girls, my mom-in-law, and L all went to tea (what else?) and then did a little boutique shopping. I was a little curious/nervous to see how Adelaide would do but she did great!

She only dumped one cup of tea in her lap but made up for it with the other twelve that she actually drank. (They were baby cups. But still. Let’s just say we found out she likes tea.)

(And I’m still kicking myself that I didn’t get any pictures of Adelaide’s first real tea party. I was sure I left my camera at home and later found that it had been in my purse that entire time. GAH.)

The boutique maternity store I wanted to show L (also pregnant) ended up being closed but we were able to peek around one of my favorite kids stores. Later I’ll have to show you the matching dresses my mom-in-law bought the girls. (They need to be hemmed.)

Saturday night we got a babysitter (only took me two weeks; EVERYONE is out of town) and we all went to Andy’s restaurant for a VERY nice dinner and I didn’t even have to cut up anyone’s food!

(Fortunately Andy’s pretty good about cutting his own.)

(The only mistake was my drinking waaay too much iced tea. I woke up at 3:45 WIDE AWAKE, which was rather inconvenient.)

After church we had a quick lunch of Chinese food and then the kids played a little with the grandparents before they needed to head back.

A whirlwind trip, but very fun.

I think she has ESP

On Tuesday night (Andy’s day off), he told the kids to get a stack of books and they’d read together before bed. Madeline brought him this:

We took it as a sign and told them about THEIR new baby. You would have thought we told them Christmas was in the morning.

Drew was very helpful with name suggestions. The first was “if it’s a boy, let’s name him Andrew!”

Me: “We already have two Andrews.”

Drew: “NO! We have Andy and Drew, and then Andrew!” (That wouldn’t be confusing or anything.)

Next, he suggested ‘Baby Sebastian,’ but “NOT like Nicky’s Baby Sebastian, this would be OUR Baby Sebastian.”

And then the next morning, “How about Baby Olivia?”

Thank you sweetie, but I think we’ll come up with something a little more original than the recent baby names of all our friends.

And I definitely have to put my foot down against any suggestions of ‘Baby Max.’

Peace and Quiet

So last night Andy and I drove about 30 minutes out of town to a bed & breakfast for his birthday and our anniversary (both this week). Oh wait, back up, first we ate dinner at the restaurant he used to manage and stuffed ourselves to the gills. And then we drove out to the B&B.

It was so, SO quiet. We were the only guests there and it was a beautiful house out in the beautiful, peaceful country. We slept in. We had a quiet morning with nothing to do. It was heavenly. I will say the breakfast left something to be desired and the coffee was just bad. So we stopped in at Starbucks on our way home.

Sadly, my mom and sisters leave tomorrow. Mom has been such a HUGE help this past week, helping me overhaul my laundry room and clean and organize more things than I probably know. (The lady just doesn’t stop!) During naptime today we ran out to the mall and Target and that’s probably the first thing we’ve done alone together this whole week. (On Monday we went to tea but the girls and Madeline and Aunt Collyn came with us.) THANK YOU MOM! I LOVE YOU!!

The last day of preschool is tomorrow and I also need to blog about Tuesday’s closing chapel – the kids recited their verses and sang and we got a little time (and a surprise!) in his classroom afterwards. I haven’t uploaded the pictures yet so I’ll combine them with last-day-of-school ones tomorrow.

(Although can I just stop and say, I sorta wish preschool just continued right on through the summer. I mean really.)

Okay, I’m off to bed. We joined the Y a few weeks ago and I think the plan is to drag my lazy self to the gym tomorrow morning. (Hello, free childcare.)

If Andy gets me out the door, that is.

Ladies’ Tea

This morning our church hosted a Ladies’ Tea and it just so happened my mom was in town for it! I put Adelaide in the nursery because everybody knows she and fine bone china don’t mix.

(One little teensy weensy thing I LOVE about our church: there is nursery for everything, should you need it.)

One of my sisters was also able to come; the other one got stuck going to attend a graduation ceremony.

Later in the afternoon, we went over to my brother’s house to celebrate Erin’s mom’s graduation (of her Master’s) with a cookout. (Although I must admit, I was still too stuffed with tea sandwiches.)

On the way home, Adelaide came up with her new favorite car game; covering her mouth and screaming into it and then laughing hysterically afterwards:

What can I say? She’s easily amused.

Parenting on Purpose

A few weeks ago Andy and I attended a short parenting conference put on by the youth of our church. (They did all the babysitting and served the lunch, accepting donations for upcoming missions trips, etc. I thought it was a great way to do fundraising and I know they blessed us parents through their work that day.)

There were three speakers; our senior pastor’s topic was “The Training and Instruction of the Lord,” one of the elders (who also happens to be our Sunday School teacher) spoke on communication, and the director of the local Christian youth network spoke on “Fueling Your Child’s Passion for Christ.”

Even though the conference was short, it was one of the highlights in my (continuing) education on how to be a godly parent. (I need to find out if any of it was recorded and get a copy, STAT.) Due to length, I’m going to have to break this into more than one post…

THE TRAINING AND INSTRUCTION OF THE LORD

Introduction: Col. 3:20-21; Eph. 6:1-4
These are the two verses that speak to children obeying their parents in the Lord. Pointed out that immediately after that directive in both verses, Paul tells fathers not to embitter or exasperate their children – this is just as important as that obedience! You can embitter or exasperate both by underdisciplining AND by overdisciplining.

I.  You are to train & instruct them by your walk

A.  Scripture teaches believers how to “walk” – (Deut. 8:6, I John 1:7; 2 John 6; 3 John 4)
B.  By your walk you teach & instruct them 24/7 – they pick up more by watching you than what you say
C.  If your walk fails consistently to line up with your talk then they will learn to disrespect and then disregard you
D.  But if your walk matches your talk, you can become your child’s hero
E.  Therefore,

1. How should you live? (Col. 3:12-17)
2. What should you do when you sin? Your children should know what confession/repentance/forgiveness looks like because they watch YOU
a. If your kids never see you repent or ask forgiveness, you are deceiving them and living a lie

II. You are to train & instruct them by your words

A. “Sticks & stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me” – that’s a LIE. (Prov. 12:18; 15:1; 25:11; 4:3-5, 20-22) Words are a double-edged sword, can be used for life and health.
B. Informal training and instruction – happens all the time
C. Formal training and instruction (Deut. 6:7)
1. Teach them about men and women who had a passion for the Lord and served others in His name

III. You are to train & instruct them by your disciplining

A. Training and Instruction –
1. They should obey you without challenge, excuse, or delay
2. Remember Paul’s warning (introduction above)
3. Remember your purpose
B. A Biblical pattern of discipline
1. Spanking (Prov. 22:15; 13:24; 23:13-14; 29:15)
2. How we did it…
a. When our child deliberately disobeyed, we took them aside
b. We talked WITH (not at) them, and asked two questions:
i. Do you love me?
ii. Do you love Jesus?
iii. Disobedience IS sin.
c. We then…
i. Spanked them (Prov. 22:15; 13:24; 23:13-14)
ii. Forgave them, assured them of our love
iii. Prayed with them
iv. And then it was OVER (Like our sins are IMMEDIATELY over with God)

IV. A Few Brief Observations

A. Raising children should be a delight (Prov. 29:17)
1. The first few years are crucial
2. The teen years should be a delight (they should be well trained by then in practicing “common courtesy”
a. Discernment
b. The biggies: LYING & DISRESPECT
B. Remember: Your child’s relationship with the Lord is ultimately their responsibility

BUT WHILE THEY ARE STILL YOURS YOU CAN BE USED PROFOUNDLY BY THE LORD TO SHAPE & MOLD THEIR THOUGHTS AND BEHAVIORS…

AND IN THIS LIFETIME YOU WILL NEVER HAVE A GREATER RESPONSIBILITY, OPPORTUNITY OR PRIVILEGE

(Outline follows handout.)

Sweet Visits

Last night a friend from college came to see me, and brought her three-month-old bundle of pink. My sisters showed up conveniently about five minutes before, and were able to help me with the last-minute bedtime preparations so I could spend my time gabbing with Monique. (Thankfully the kids had already been bathed before the doorbell ever rang, so there really wasn’t much to do.)

We had tea and she stayed really late – a great time in my book!

And then my phone rang this morning, and it was my Aunt Florence, who is in town for my cousin/her son’s music concert. She wondered if she and Aunt Collyn could stop by, and maybe Nicky wouldn’t mind walking over as well.

I wasted no time calling Nicky and special-ordering muffins, while I was at it. I mean, if I’m expected to have an impromptu tea party, the least she could do is bring the muffins. Oh, and don’t forget the pineapple!

(Don’t you wish you were my neighbor?)

We had a sweet, lovely time together. My sister turned up again with a friend (who needed to interview Madeline for her Dev. Psych class), which meant we also had someone to watch all the kids outside so we could enjoy our tea and muffins from the comfort of the living room. Nice!

I mentioned a family heartbreak a few weeks back. My aunt showed us her pictures and told us some of the details we hadn’t yet heard. It was such a bittersweet time – sweet to be together, yet sorrowful about the reality of it all. (Again, sorry to be so vague, but I’ll fill you in if and when I have permission.)

It was such a blessing to be able to spend time with dear people I don’t get to see very often. (Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures since my camera has decided to walk off.)

A beautiful day in the neighborhood

My dad is here! He has a meeting in Atlanta next week so he flew in early to be with us this weekend. My sisters and I talked him into a riveting game of Taboo last night and obviously he’s been playing with the grandkids a lot.

My girls took a bath this morning and almost immediately I heard Madeline yell “MOM! SHE POOPED IN THE TUB!”

WOE. IS. ME.

It ended up being a CEREAL bar. Who takes a bath with a cereal bar?!

But since it wasn’t poop, I was happy as a clam. Except they had also clogged the tub with huge wads of shredded toilet paper. I spent an unbelievable amount of time straining out dripping strings of tissue paper and soggy bits of wheat product.

I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried.

Andy and my dad just took Drew and Madeline to the waterfall and later (meaning naptime), my sisters and I are going to “Marley and Me” at the cheap theater. We also have a dinner invitation from my brother and sister-in-law.

It’s shaping up to being a beautiful Saturday after all.

One Crazy-Busy Week

Because my mom is here, it’s been a crazy-busy week for our little family. The whirlwind is starting to wind down and I’m able to stop and catch my breath a little. She’s the type of person that likes to cram each day to the brim and drags me into it (almost) unknowingly.

For example, she’s watched the kids so Andy and I could go out on a couple of dates, hosted a little Valentine’s tea for some dear local friends, ran errands, made dinners, took Madeline, my sisters and me out for an afternoon tea, helped finish a few house projects (which I’m saving later posts), and organized my laundry room.

Not to mention all the babysitting.

This morning Andy and I went out to breakfast and then on a nature walk. (I surprise myself sometimes.) It’s really very convenient having a live-in babysitter, even if only for a week! I was able to meet some friends for coffee on Tuesday, and different friends last night. (I could totally get used to this.)

And this probably goes without saying but my kids have LOVED IT. They’ve gotten to go to the playground and Chick-Fil-A and on bike rides and learned several new games and Drew started getting into this ABC floor puzzle she brought him.

He also had his very first school Valentine’s party yesterday and it was the cutest thing in the world to watch him share his cards and candy with his sisters.

These are the things I want to remember.