Picture Update

Elise's Preschool PartyThe Loot

Cinderella Snow White, Betty Sue, and the Baby Bear

FaithLyn and Me after her Kindergarten program last night

We all enjoyed the program...Judson danced and clapped through the whole thing!

Doin' her Thang!

Aww SHOOT, MAN!!

Well. It is a sad day here at the B Casa! And not just because I just watched the Little House episode "School Mom". You know....the one where Miss Beadle breaks her ankle when the horse gets spooked and Mrs. Ingles is asked to teach. She teaches the older boy Able McKay how to read in about a week. He's fluent by the end of the show....Man that one gets me EVERY time! I thought I was hardened enough but no. I cried again! Sometimes that show makes me yearn for simpler times. By simpler I only mean times when everyone walked everywhere and had more time for each other. Not the make your own bread every day from scratch days....

Which brings me to our current sad state. My kneading blade in my Bread machine broke. I didn't even realize it. But it's dead. And today I am mourning. The worst part? I looked up the company online and it's so old that they don't make them anymore and DON'T EVEN PROVIDE REPLACEMENT PARTS!!!?? What is a girl to do? Surely you don't expect me hand knead me bread and sweet treats? I don't even have a stand up mixer to do the work for me. Yeah, I don't want to be Caroline Ingles.

Anyone have a bread machine layin' around gatherin' dust? I would be willing to give it some tender loving care!!!

Post Anti-TV Update

It would be a lie if I told you we have breezed through the last few days with out even a thought about TV and what we could be watching. We(I) have thought about it. The girls, mainly Olivia, has asked REPEATEDLY to watch. But frankly, we are too busy to watch TV right now.

As you can see Mount St. Laundry erupted on my couch Monday. The sad thing is, that wasn't even all the clothes yet! I had three or four more loads to add to that. So, Monday, thanks to some sick kids we were able to stay home ALL day and get some work done. I am not thankful my kids are sick but Mondays are super busy and following a super busy Sunday makes for a pretty hard start to a new week. We started by making some yummy chocolate pumpkin muffins. Then we tackled the floors in the living room and kitchen. With that done we moved on to the TV room to tackle the natural disaster on our couch. I broke out the Little House on the Praire DVD's and got busy. I folded and watched and cried and folded and watched and cried....by the 3rd episode I was sufficiently hardened to the pulling of my heartstrings by Ma, Pa, Laura, Mary, and Carrie. That's when I really got busy! I got all of those clothes folded but they are still waiting to be put away. Along with the 3-4 other loads that now need to be folded. It's a start!
We took a little break from folding to play.

I know I still have a long way to go. It is amazing to me to see how much more I get accomplished with out the added pull of keeping up with my "hollywood family". I have also been able to see some of the other habits that are leading to my ineffectiveness in my home. It's good. We haven't dug the bunny ears out of the trashcan. We won't. But there are some signs that I am starting to feel the effects.

Actual Conversation This Morning:

Dan: Kel, do you know what the weather's supposed to be like today? Is that front going to hit?

Me: I DON'T KNOW! I don't know anything anymore! WE DON'T HAVE TV REMEMBER!?"

Dan: "Kelli..."

Me: heavy breathing as I leave the room.....

We never even watched the news! I am a lunatic! But at least I have the ability to change that.

Don't I? I mean I am not just crazy am I? It's the withdrawl talking...it can do crazy things to you....CAN'T IT? HEY YOU! ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME!?

Update: for those of you that like to keep up with these sorts of things....

The front rolled in this morning right as everyone left for school. I can hear the wind whistling under the doors and around the windows. It's a nice and gray Fall kind of day! Now I have to get back to my clothes. Mary and Laura are about to be invited to a town pary at Nellie's house...I don't want to miss it!

Here We Go Again!

Some of you know our love hate relationship with TV. We LOVE to watch it and HATE what it does to our family. Some of you also know that if a TV is on Dan will stop whatever he is saying/doing/thinking and watch...open mouthed...like in a trance. If I want to bring my children from any room in the house all I have to do is turn on the TV. It doesn't matter what time of day or how loud the volume....they come RUNNING!

I often use evening TV watching as my way to hear adult conversations....Dan is a youth minister and a Seminary student. He is wonderful at balancing it all, but I am just saying...he's busy. I SHOULD be busy. If I weren't glued to the TV most evenings of the week I bet I would get lots more work done, or more reading, or at least more sleep.

There isn't anything wrong with watching a program or two. But it is certainly no substitute for life! I have an idea of what I would like our family evenings to look like. That ideal does not include 3 hrs of TV viewing.

There are so many things I want to do with the kids before they get so busy we hardly see them. I want to read LOTS of books out loud and someday I hope they will read to me. I want to study the word and memorize scripture. I want to live in a clean and peaceful home. I want to think more of what would be fun for my kids instead of what would be the least amount of work for me. TV makes me selfish. It ROBS my family of time spent together learning about each other and interacting with each other. It ROBS me of my joy in service.

BUT TV is not a thief. I invited it into my home! I let it entertain my children so I can read or write on my blog or even get dinner ready. SO I am ready to admit that I have to change this.
We got rid of our bunny ears today. After letting my kids watch 2 1/2 hrs of cartoons this morning. I am ashamed to even admit it. I am more ashamed to admit that this has become more of the norm than exception. BUT NO MORE! I am taking back control. From now on when we watch something it will be a deliberate choice. A deliberate choice of WHAT we watch and for how long.

We have done it before and will no doubt walk this road again but for now I am determined. I wouldn't be honest if I didn't tell you I am a little scared too. You see TV has become a convenience for me. And convenience is good.....until you become dependant on it! Then you are just a slave to one more thing that makes life EASIER. I want this family to have a choice to be slaves to righteousness, not sitcom and ease.

This is, I am sure, one of those things I will have to tell my children "builds character." And as much as I hate to say it, it won't kill them or me for that matter. Now I will no longer feel the rush to get the kids to bed so I won't miss my show. And hopefully we will all reap the benefits of some renewed creativity.

We will probably still be doing some of this (our family movie theater night)
But hopefully no more of this (afternoon snack and tv watching)

Here are some of the ideas I have to fill the TV void my kids will surely feel:
-Baking
-Crafts
-School time with Mom (I have some workbooks to use)
-More responsibility with housework
-Playing more games together
-READING!!
-Coloring
-Play-time stations (this is where I pick out certain toys and put them in separate rooms for alone play time)
-Books on Tape
-Playing outside together
-Walks
-Science walks
-Prayer walks

Well the possibilities are nameless! I have two good friends who encouraged me in this decision! So thanks, girls, for showing me the way and helping me get a head start!

Obedience

That's the theme.

It's the emphasis of my bible study this week.

We had some issues with E during the children's sermon this week at church. (that, and how we handled it was also emphasized at our bible study ;)

We have a 14 month old son who is now walking.

We have a Kindergartner who is WAY to wrapped up in all the boys at school.

And we have a 3 yr old who wants her way.

Obedience has been on my mind A LOT.

It's not something I have been mirroring for my children lately.

Here are some of the scriptures that have been playing on repeat in my head the last few days.

• 1Samuel 15:22 "...To obey is better than sacrifice...."
• John 14:23 "Jesus replied, 'If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching..."
• Jeremiah 7:23 "...Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that it may go well with you."

Obey: to do as asked; to yield to someones command or wishes. (according to my NIV concordance)

We yield to the wishes of our Maker because we believe He knows best. It is an act of self-discipline. We YIELD. We do it out of love. We love Him and trust Him. It is the same with our children. We must love them ENOUGH to expect obedience. It is the natural order set before us from the beginning of time. The Creator created man, Adam, and set down the rules. It was only ONE. He disobeyed. Because the Creator loved us all so much He already had a plan in action to redeem all of mankind from disobedience. Disobedience is SIN. James 4:17 "Anyone who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." It's that simple.

But it really isn't that simple, is it? You see, in my opinion, the hard part is the yielding part. That's the hard part for our children, too. To yield means to give up the possession of something; to give way to. We have to give up the possession of our will and give way to the will or commands of our Creator. It's not always an easy thing to do.

But if we love Him....

we will.

These Boots Were Made for Walkin' and That's Just What They'll Do!

Well, I guess it's official. Judson is a walker now. Yesterday he took his first steps without us goading him. It was before lunch and he walked away from the fireplace a couple of steps on his own toward us at the oversized chair. I made a huge deal of it all and immediately staged a do over so I could record it for posterity. It was big stuff. I, of course, knew he could do it long ago but the little stinker works on his own terms. It was pretty fun. If only I could get him to stop pulling things off of every flat surface he can now reach.....

Surprise Visitor!

We were so pleasantly surprised by news that Uncle David's work brought him SOOO very close to us last week! He was only an hour and half away for the day. So he drove the hour and a half and spent the night with us......well, he rested for a few hours. He had to get up VERY early to make it to the airport for his flight home. We got an hour or two of good visitin' in before bed. The girls were so pumped to see Uncle David!! He is a legend around here! They waited up for him to get here and we sat and visited with him while he ate a sandwich then he read them their bedtime bible story. The big girls were glad to give up their bed for him. They were super sad, though that he wouldn't be here when they woke up.
Even though I told them SEVERAL times before we even left the bedroom that Uncle David was already gone they came tearing through the house to see for themselves. Alas, he was IN FACT already gone.

We were all sad we didn't have more time with David but we sure did enjoy him. What a super treat on a reagular Thursday night. It also gave me a super sweet reason to *miss* the VP debate. I am so DONE with this election year! (DON"T FORGET TO VOTE!!! NOV. 4)

It certainly wasn't the easiest thing for David to come see us...I am sure it made his Friday LONG, but we sure did feel special that we got to be his pit stop for the night!! It was just enough time to make us realize how darn much we miss him! These years in our families lives don't offer lots of free time and it's only going to get crazier....But we sure do love our families! We are so blessed by them all!

I had to make sure I got a picture to document the event.

I will leave you with the song that sweet little Elise was singing Friday morning while getting ready for preschool....you will have to imagine your own tune

"Uncle David, Uncle David, we love you. I wish you could have stayed longer.
Uncle David, Uncle David, Uncle David , Uncle David, we love you.
I wish you could have stayed longer....."

It made me smile, anyway. And it is just SOO TRUE!

Weekend Getaway!!

We are heading over to the Doorpost for an early weekend. The hard working Daddies are going to have some no questions asked men-only camping. We are going to try to keep the kids enterained and fed at the house. I am so excited to spend some time with our sweet freinds. These guys go WAY back. They were at our wedding we were at their wedding. They were some of our first friends at college. Now our families are friends. They are a true blessing in our life. I hope we don't wear-out poor Mandy! Have a great weekend!

Happy Birthday, FaithLyn Diane!

That's right! She's our BIG 6 year old as of Saturday! We have celebrated 3 times now. FaithLyn was able to choose 3 girlfriends for a party at Chuck E. Cheese. (with FL you have to distinguish between boy friends and girl friends....she has LOTS of "boyfriends") We did that a week ago because this past weekend was Homecoming and you know how small town Texas is crazy about football! It was a full weekend! But we were still able to squeeze in an intimate family party at the park. I have no doubt FaithLyn felt well celebrated this birthday! She even got to take cupcakes to her class and celebrate with all her new friends at school.

Doesn't she seem so grown up?

This game is SOO much fun and it's for ages 3+ and it really is a game a 3 yr old could play. The girls can play together and they love it!!!

The love of my life, my encourager, my Danny!Here is the Princess Party. Girls Only!


FaithLyn we are so proud of the young lady you are growing into! I love your sensitivity, your strong sense of justice and your ever-loving spirit! May the God of Peace continue to develop your heart to love others and walk humbly in His path. I pray you always have the courage to speak up for those who can not speak for themselves and continue to love the less lovable!

The Honest Prayer of an Imperfect Mother

Those of you that know our family well know that discipline is a big thing with us. We believe that God created the family unit. He created it for a purpose and it is the parent's job to train for that purpose. Though we believe only He can accomplish that purpose.

What is the purpose of family? There are several.

1. The marriage relationship is meant to represent our relationship to Christ. The man giving of himself as Christ for his wife and the wife humbling herself in submission to the head of the family, like we as christians submit to the will of our Lord. (Ephesians 5:22-33)

2. The parent/child relationship is created to prepare our children to follow, submit and love the will of our Heavenly Father. (Deut. 6: 6-9) I personally believe the parent/child relationship is also meant to bring us down a peg or two in our own eyes!

3. I believe the family unit as a whole is a representation of the body of Christ. One body, many believers working for one purpose, to glorify the Living God.

Now, how we accomplish this grand task of glorifying the Living God through our family......well I don't dare claim to have that nailed down! But I do know that "To do what is right and just is more acceptable than sacrifice." Proverbs 21:3.

How do I teach my children to do what is right and just? Well, first I have to teach them what is right and just because, I probably don't have to tell you that, even our sweet children need to be TAUGHT right from wrong.

Next, we need to teach our children to CHOOSE to do what is right and just. Our children are still fairly young. We are mainly still in the stage of teaching what is right and wrong. To us that goes hand in hand with teaching our children to obey. How can we expect our children to obey God our Father if we do not expect them to obey their earthly parents? Perhaps I am wrong but I fear that if they do not learn to obey their earthly parents, who love them and want what is best for them, they might not choose to obey their Heavenly Father who is infinitely more loving and good. I also understand that, ultimately, I have NO control over their decision to follow Christ and accept His salvation. But I can certainly do my part to lead them to the door where I am promised that Jesus waits ready to welcome and receive "...whoever hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with me." Rev. 3:20.

In our effort to teach what is right and wrong I fear I have missed the mark. It is much easier to tell a child what is wrong than to teach what is right. My good friends and family know that I am a control freak. Many misinterpret our discipline as simply control. But I must admit that they are unfortunately not far from the truth. You see I often forget that the goal is not to control my children to do what is right. I am supposed to train them to do what is right, and training leaves room for choice. I like to think that I give my children choices. They have the right to obey or not. And when they do not they can depend on discipline. I am realizing that my role is not their ruler. I am to be their guide. I need to show them both paths and tell what lies ahead on both, and for now, I will take them on the correct path, but soon it will be my job to allow them to choose their own path.

I will never prepare them for that day of choosing if I never allow them make wrong choices. I would much rather my children make poor choices while they are under my care. Then I will have the power to guide them back to the correct choices while I ease them through the consequences in a loving and forgiving enviornment. When they are no longer under my care I can only give advice and guidance when it is sought. Will they seek my advice if they are finally so glad to be out of my control?

There is a fine balance between the relationship of mother and child. I must be the parent not the friend, but I must not sacrifice the relationship in order to be "in charge." Honestly, I haven't figured that part out yet. I know that there is a balance. I want my children to see the love of Christ in me. I want them to recognize His voice because they have heard it before through me. But I spend a lot of my time saying no, and correcting wrong behavior. My earnest prayer is that I will not damage my relationship with my sweet children cutting off any opportunity to impact them with the LOVE of Christ.

I am humbled daily by my sinful anger and hurtful reactions to my children. And all to often they show me the love of Christ through their loving forgiveness more than I do through my loving guidance.

I tell you what, this parent thing, IT AIN'T EASY! But it brings me to my knees more regularly than any other relationship or responsibility in my life. There is no question that I love my children. I just sometimes forget the BEST way to show it. I know there is a middle ground between disciplinarian and permissiveness. Fortunatley I do not struggle with being too permissive. I am seeking out that middle-ground from the PERFECT parent. I feel confident that even if I am unable to perform the task flawlessly He will show me the correct path. So to all you fellow parents on this long hard journey of parenthood, I pray for you also. May you guide your children to the one Perfect Father, and find peace and joy in the journey yourselves.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AUNT ANGIE!!

WE LOVE YOU!

Been a While

Our Big Preschooler!

1st day of Preschool. She was super excited and had a great time. And it wasn't quite as hard for me as I thought. Now, a full week into this schedule and we may be getting the hang of it.

I just want to point something out about Elise....
She picked the only empty table and got to work on her puzzle.

Then you notice that other kids came, left their seats, and sat with her at her table....She has something about her that is so magnetic!

Bragdon Theaters Presents:

MOVIE NIGHT !It's the only theater around that I know of that encourages it's patrons to wear their pj's. Here you see the girls with their tickets waiting for the snack bar to open.

Daddy picked up all the treats we would normally get only at the movie theater.

(Junior Mints, Twizzlers, and Popcorn)

Here they are watching the previews. It was a kid movie (Ariel's Begining) and they had lots of fun! Thanks to Redbox $1 movie rentals we had a really fun evening in for less than $5.

It was lots of fun making this night special for the girls. They had tons of fun. I did too.

Thirst for Knowledge

Well, FaithLyn is an old pro at this school thing now. I had to take a picture to document her first actual day of class. She looks even more grown up in this picture than the day before! She has had so much fun and is counting down the days until she gets to stay all day.

I on the other hand hit a bit of a wall. Today, it all sank in. I am thankful I had a week between FL starting K and Elise starting Pre-K. I am pretty sure I couldn't have handled it all at once.

It didn't help that Steven Curtis Chapman was on Focus on the Family this week. They were discussing the recent accidental death of their sweet little girl Maria. She was 5. It all came clear to me today how extremely blessed I am to be able to walk FaithLyn through this next step in life. It feels like the first step in a long line of many that usher her into Independence. I know that is the ultimate goal. It is right and good. But DANG if it doesn't all happen TOO fast! The Focus on the Family show ended today with Steven singing his song Cinderella. It's already a tear jerker about a little girl asking her daddy to help her practice her dancing for the ball with the prince, then for prom and then for her wedding. Well the chorus is something like, So I will dance with Cinderella while she's still right here in my arms cuz I know something the prince never knew, that soon she'll be gone. The song ended with with the chorus but He changed it a bit. "So I'll dance with Cinderella, while she's still here in my arms cuz I know something the prince never knew.....The Dance still goes on."

No joke, if the girls hadn't been in their room playing nicely they would have been worried about me. I was SOBBING curled up on the chair in the fetal position! Yeah, I lost it. You see there is so much emotion going on in my heart right now. I am SOO excited to see FaithLyn and Elise and Olivia and Judson growing and maturing and learning to love others and God. It's one of the most important things I will ever do with my life, direct their hearts to our Saviour. I love seeing them learn to be kind and put the truth of the Word of God to work in their lives. I WANT them to grow up and become contributing adults who make an impact on the world for Christ. Oh, but when I get a glimpse of what that means. Ultimately, when they leave to create those lives........with. out. me. It's like the most wonderful, heart-breaking feeling in the world.

Maybe it isn't so awful to have to wipe noses and bums all day. To have to refill sippy-cups and play endless-mindless games all day, well, maybe that isn't so beneath me! Maybe I can endure that for a while longer and perhaps even CHERISH those things. The 50 pairs of tiny panties I wash every week. The stains I am constantly working on. Those impossible to clean sippy-cup lids. The ALWAYS dirty floor under the table. The constant picking up. I mean, really, what WILL I do with myself when I am successful at eliminating these tasks from my everyday? I am not quite ready to be planning weddings and sending my sweet children to start their own families just yet. So for a while longer I will be content and even satisfied with what each day brings my way.

Oh Lord, do help me to CHERISH my children every moment. I pray that I will give of myself so much that I am lost and they only see YOU. May my husband and children be blessed daily by who You are creating me to be. And above all, I pray that Dan and I mirror for them an image of You that is so attractive they NEVER desire anything else!

First Day of Kindergarten!

It's the official first day but we only went to meet the teacher today. How exciting. I had forgotten how much I love school! You know elementary school is still exciting. You don't have that feeling of doom and darkness that fills the hallways of Jr. High. It's so exciting to be in elementary school! The teachers are excited, the students can't wait to experience their first taste of freedom....And knowledge is lurking around every corner just waiting to be found! For a moment I got caught up in it all. At that moment I was able to let go of my mommy guilt, anxiety and what could have beens. I am so excited for FaithLyn. She is going to LOVE school. Isn't she so grown up!?
All the proud sisters.
They were all pretty pumped to get to go and see FaithLyn's school and meet her teacher. I saw Elise come alive in a way I rarely see! So exciting!


PRECIOUS!

Here is the classroom and her desk, in the background you can see FaithLyn's first new friend, Andrea.
Here is Mrs. Richter. I think she is going to be GREAT!! She is so excited! I hope I get to help out lots. I really want to encourage this sweet young teacher. You could tell she put a LOT of effort into her planning. I hope our family can be a blessing to her.
Teaching strategy has changed so much since I was in Kindergarten! These kids are going to learn lots more than their letters! How fun. I really think this energetic young teacher is going to be a good fit for FaithLyn. They can let their excitement build off of each other.

Tomorrow is the first half-day of class. FL is sure pumped! Do you remember your first day of class? I remember not sleeping at all the night before my first day. I played on my bed ALL night long and sang songs dreaming of all the things that would happen.

It was so sweet to hear FaithLyn singing songs this morning in her bed before I got her up.

Lord, cultivate in her spirit a desire to learn that reaches far beyond the walls of "education." I pray that her love of knowledge would never be quenched and that she would desire Your knowledge above any other! Help her to keep her identity grounded in You and Your word. Keep me so engaged in her world that I can guide her to You always.

A Dose of Good Medicine!

"A cheerful heart does good like medicine" Proverbs 17:22a

These dear saints make our hearts cheerful and their visit was good for our souls like medicine. It's funny how just 2 hours with some dear friends can do more good than a whole week away on vacation!

Clay and Marty have been our mentors, our family, our friends, our fellow Texans far from Texas, our co-workers, our encouragers, our boss, our prayer warriors, our advisors......We love them a lot. Some how having them visit this house made it feel more like home. It's complete now, you know?

Thank you, Father, for your saints who diligently seek You and through that have changed and impacted the lives of so many, our little family is only one of MANY! And thank you that we are truly "surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses"(Hebrews 12:1). May your love be futher proclaimed through this dear couple and the kingdom work that they so diligently attend to!

The Triple Birthday Bash!

August is a busy birthday month! Olivia celebrates at the end of July and Judson follows her one week later and then Cousin Luke has his big day at the end part of August, it's actually coming up pretty soon. Dan got an opportunity to preach that weekend so we decided to make it a party! It was a blast! Aunt Angie and Luke came up Friday night and Nana and Papa came Saturday evening. We all went to church together and had some great, fresh produce from Nana and Papa's garden for lunch along with Brisket. Then after naps we celebrated with cake! I love having my family over. It's so much fun to have them here. It was a great weekend! I can't wait until I get to go see Angie and Luke. It is definitely my turn to make that 6 hr. drive!

Luke says, "You want me to do WHAT?" Olivia, "Like this, Luke!"
Isn't he sweet?
Not the best picture but I only had 2 with Nana in them!
Everyone loves Papa!
There's my sweet boy! Check out those teeth!

CHEESE!
You know there has to be presents.
Lots...and lots of presents.
Look, I did it all by myself! Cute, huh?

My two best friends!
Yummmmm
That is one happy boy!