Kaleigha turns 4 today

My friend, Pam does this with her daughter and I thought what a great idea... So, Kaleigha is having an interview with her mommy on the day that she turns 4!!

What do you want to be when you grow up? Um, a teacher and takes care of kids. If they are lost they can go in my class with me. (smiles and looks at me)

Where do you want to live when you grow up? Here, in America and I want to live next door to you and Jacob and Becky will finally move next to me.

Where do you want to go on vacation? Gatlinburg.

What is your favorite thing to do with Mommy? Play with pillows and I really like to just snuggle with my mommy.

Daddy? Watch the Bengals and cheer.

Jillian? Play with her toys.

What is your favorite place to go for fun? Um, that place where totters otterville. (It's in Covington, KY).

What would you do with a million dollars? Give them to the poor people (we have been putting money into the red salvation army buckets).

What was the best thing about being 3? Everything.

What are you going to do now that you are 4? Be dry in my underwear at night.

What did you learn about Jesus this past year? Jesus takes our sins away.

What are you looking forward to about being 4? Now, I can call you just Mom, now?

Favorites:

Store? Kroger - (why) because mommy loves going to Kroger and the carts go really fast.

Place to eat? McDonalds

Food? Cupcakes and yogurt

Color? Pink and purple

Toy? Hello Kitty Stuffed animal

Book? Cat in the Hat

Thing to wear? Hello Kitty things

Is there anything else you want to say at the end of this interview? Thank you for coming to my birthday. Happy Birthday, Kaleigha.

As I get ready for this new school year, I am reading about how God keeps His promises... even when it doesn't seem like it will work out - He does it. I am praying that this year I can be kind and loving and patient with the students in my classroom. I know that I can teach them what they need to learn to move onto first grade, but my hope is that I can do it with loving-kindness.

Yesterday, I really had to pray several times as I found out that I am going to be teaching a child with down syndrome. That scares me, because I don't know what to do. I have taught my fair share of behavior problems, ADHD students & emotionally disturbed kids. I kind of have it figured out... and then I get thrown a curve ball that I wasn't expecting. Yesterday when I started getting anxious like I normally would, I had to stop for a minute and remind myself that God put each of these kids in my classroom. He is in control of this situation and I am not. Isn't it in situations where we feel we don't have it figured out that we need to rely on the Lord.

So, I am praying and trusting God instead of believing in myself.

Psalm 46

Wow, what power in these words: Psalm 46 - NKJV: 1-7

God is our refuge and strength,

A very present help in trouble.

- I read this and I think about this past year with any of the troubles I went through. I did not make God my refuge & therefore I didn't feel His presence - but it didn't make Him any less present.

Therefore we will not fear,

Even though the earth be removed,

And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

Though its waters roar and be troubled,

Though the mountains shake with its swelling.

There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God.

The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High

- despite the chaos of life, there is this peace that is supplied through our Lord.

God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;

God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.

The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved;

He uttered His voice, the earth melted.

- He uttered His voice... an utterance, a sound which can be bound by silence... He is so powerful that He contained his voice, lest the earth melt. He is so powerful that just a sound released from His lips causes the earth to melt. He is so mighty He can do this... and yet I wonder if He can provide for me... I think logically, I know He CAN - but I doubt at times if He WILL...

The Lord of hosts is with us;

The God of Jacob is our refuge.

- This answers my earlier doubt... He is with us... He is our refuge.

A little Prayer

Tonight, Kaleigha was telling me how hard it was to obey, so I told her a very small version of the gospel and a kid version of what sin is. So then she said, Mommy, I want to pray.

And here were her words: Dear God, Please make my heart clean. Please let me go to Heaven. Amen. Oh wait, Dear God, please help me to grow big. Amen.

Not sure what your thoughts are about when a child can be saved, but I wanted to make sure to record her little prayer, because it was so sweet.

Joy

Do you ever feel like the joy has slipped right out of you? I think that is what has happened to me over time. My joy has slipped through my fingers like sand... and while it was simply small pieces of sand - a little bit here and a little bit there I don't think that I truly noted what was occurring. Until one day, you look at your hand and realize there really isn't a whole lot there. What was once full and overflowing is just a small teaspoon of granules.

So, now I am on a journey to get my joy back. Oh, I have been happy at times during this... my husband is wonderful, our girls are such blessings, my family and friends are great, we both have good jobs and we live in a beautiful house, we have food and clothing and extra things as well. Notice what is missing? Jesus. The giver of Joy. I have neglected my love for Him. My head still calls him Lord, but that is not the same tune of my heart.

I remember an analogy when I was in high school at a retreat. The speaker showed us a jar and demonstrated how if you put the small things in first, the big & important things do not fit. That's where I have been. Trying to jam so many things in & not stopping to put the most important thing into my jar - my relationship with God. So, I keep looking at my jar and wondering why? Why am I not feeling peaceful? Why am I not feeling joy? So, I am praying for this to change & for God to change my heart towards Him.

my littlest ballerina

My little Valentines!

My little baby's first valentine's day... she is so cuddly!

The girls looking "cool" on Valentines day :)

My sweetheart, Josh made these valentine pancakes for us, I love him - he is so dear!

A big Valentine's hug from Kaleigha to you!

So, we went to this parenting conference this weekend and the speaker was Paul Tripp. There was this question he said to say to your kids when they are being bossy/acting like they are in control. So, I had this conversation with Kaleigha...

Me: When you act like that you are acting like you are the mommy of mommy and if you were the mommy of mommy, then you would have no mommy...

Kaleigha: (blank stare)

Me: Who would take care of you if you had no mommy?

Kaleigha: God. God would take care of me.

How to respond to that? :)

My little Jillian

This post is obviously about my sweet little Jillian, who is now 8 months old! (Special props to my friend, Shawna who watches my girls while I am at school - she took these first 2 pictures of Jillian)

So, my little Jilly-bean has likely been affected by the mold growth in our house. She has been heavily congested and has been taken to the Ped. 3 times and an Allergist once. Now, we have to go to get an x-ray for her and get blood work taken to determine why she has been having such bad reactions. It makes me so sad to see my little baby in pain! This is what she looks like in the morning - with her little face all puffy :(

Here are some other pictures to show off her cuteness though :)

Jillian and big sister Kaleigha taking their allergy medicine in their milk. Kaleigha was "helping."

Jillian has been a pro at eating solid food, here she is in the bumbo getting ready to take care of some carrots!

Kaleigha in the snow... gotta love snow days!

Getting ready to go out in the snow for the first time this year...

She of course, loved being in the snow & didn't want to go in, even when I was done :)



Snow Angels:

Gotta love snow days! We had so much fun playing in the snow during the first snow day of the year. Plus, she learned how to make snow angels, too cute!

Looks like after today, we will have enough to go sledding too, it just keeps snowing! (We just have to sneak the time in while baby sister is sleeping)

Taking down the Christmas decorations...

... and Kaleigha says, "Is Christmas over?"
Josh says, "Yes, it's January."
Kaleigha says, "When are we going to put the January stuff up?"