Bu-tee-ful Butterflies and Give Me Grace

So, every year our church gets caterpillars. You get these in honor or memory of a loved one. You watch them make their cocoon and eventually hatch into a beautiful butterfly. The butterfly part is supposed to come right around Easter weekend. Then on Easter Sunday, our entire congregation goes out on the steps of our church and releases our butterflies. Just as Christ dies and rises. These caterpillars seem dead, then emerge from their cocoons to go forth into the world. It is a wonderful way to teach our children about Christ's resurrection. 

Well, we got 4 caterpillars this year, honoring the boys, Mary Flynn, and my mom and her husband Charles, who do so much to help us. Well, last night, Reed starting screaming,"Mama, come in here--HURRY!" Our first butterfly was flitting around in its box and he and Luke were beside themselves. Rob and I are hoping/praying it will live 2 weeks in its temporary home (which is a corsage box) until we release him on Easter Sunday morning. Be it natural causes or the curiosity of two little boys, 

we may need to have an early release to guarantee his survival!! 

Luke keeps saying, "It's a bu-tee-ful butterfly," "Mommy, see the bu-tee-ful butterfly!" He never just says butterfly, it's always "bu-tee-ful" butterfly. 

I am touched each time our children say a prayer or bless our food. Luke said the blessing last night with his own prayer, repeating, "Thank you God so much, thank you God so much, thank you God so much, thank you God so much, AMEN!" Simple and sweet! I am going to remember that one for sure!! And he also (which is so so sweet) loves to keep everyone "safe" in his prayers. He will name every person he knows individually saying, "keep mommy and daddy safe, keep baby sister safe, keep "fill in the blank" safe." I am loving hearing them pray -- it sometimes brings tears to my eyes hearing their prayers -- I see them learning more about God and seeing Him in their respective "worlds" each day.

And speaking of children and prayer, a sweet sweet friend of our family, Gloria Mason, gave Mary Flynn a prayer book for children called, Give Me Grace. I started reading this book to Reed and Luke each night right before bed and if for some reason I forget, I am very quickly reminded. They are short prayers for each day like this:

Saturday in the early morn

make me thankful I was born

Give my spirit peace within

let each day with hope begin.

Reed has started to recite some lines by memory. Luke just says what Reed says (then follows with his list of "Keeping ____ safe). My hope is that they will memorize each day and can teach them to Mary Flynn once she is old enough, and remember them for the rest of their lives.

Books on the nightstand

So, I have had these three books on my nightstand for a while and I am loving all three. 

 

The first is called The Happiness Project. My cousin, Suzanne, told me about it at the Fair this year and I happened upon it at the bookstore. It is a wonderful account of Gretchen Rubin's year of making her life happier. Not that I am unhappy (nor was she), but there are so many little things we can do each day to be happier people. One of my favorite parts of this book is the "treasure house of happy memories" part. She wanted her children to remember their childhood home as a happy place when the think back on their lives. Don't we all!! Now, each afternoon I try to really think hard about how I spend my time with the boys and make every moment count. I TRY to take TONS of pictures which in the future will help us recall happy memories. Don't get me wrong, some afternoons involve a 2 year old screaming because he is not getting his way and a four year old not wanting to share with his two year old brother, hence the screaming, but hopefully they can look back and remember mostly the laughing, playing, and loving! 
 

The Happiness Project

Okay -- let me preface this book by saying if you don't want your toes stepped on by God, wait until you do before reading this book. It (God) will move you in a mighty way while reading it. I was so moved by it that we are in the middle of studying it in our Sunday School class and some amazing things are happening there. It truly makes you think about your own personal walk with God, spreading the Gospel, and the people around the world who haven't heard it!

Radical

This is a daily devotion book that I also read about on Fly Through our Window and it speaks directly to me every single day. The main thing that registers with me is how Jesus wants to to have a minute to minute conscience relationship

Jesus Calling

Back to Blogging...and A LOT to catch up on!

Well, it's time...to get back to this ole blog. I think about it all the time. Posting it is a totally different matter. With our family of 5, it's hard to find time. 

But just a little update:

Mary Flynn is 3 month old! It is so hard for me to believe. She is looking like a teenager (j/k), but seriously -- she is growing up WAY to fast. She is smiling all the time and is sleeping from around 9ish to 6ish -- which is wonderful! I am loving making her precious bubbles, burp cloths, and outfits. I just finished a bullatin board for her room (I am going to try my first "how-to" post...more on that to come). She is looking so much like her brother Reed! We baptized her April 27 at our church and it was a special day! Our families came and ate lunch at our house afterward and we had such a lovely afternoon. She wore a gorgeous heirloom gown made by my sweet sweet first cousin, Suzanne. She also make Reed and Luke's gown/bubble and truly has a gift. I walk in Mary Flynn's room everyday and just want to put her in it because it is so sweet and angelic. A keepsake she will have forever!

Luke -- hehe... What can I say? The child makes me laugh and makes it so hard for me to discipline him because of that. My loving rough and tumble boy! He is saying some of the funniest things lately. Also at 2 1/2, he is finally 100% potty trained. It took getting lots of prizes and TONS (literally) of stickers! He still likes to put a sticker on his "poster" after each visit to the potty. All I can say is Hallelujah -- only one in diapers! 

He is always saying, "mommy, come play with me, mommy, come watch a movie with me!" And I am learning to just drop what I am doing at the time and do just that! Lately, he has been seeing "dina-surs" over at our neighbors house who want to "get me" at around 3 am. Reed has come to the rescue and it makes me wish I still had a monitor in their room so I could hear exactly what he was saying...I'm sure it is precious!

Reed continues to remind us not to break the "lemon speed" so the police won't get us, wants to pick "dandle-lights," and tons of other "off" words that keep us rolling. K4 is almost over, which is very hard to believe! He is becoming an expert marksman and corrects me every time I call the arrow a bow (as does his daddy!). 

Luke and Reed have started to get in bed with each other every night. Some nights we try to keep them separated, but they truly LOVE (and sleep better) sleeping together. I think it is so sweet and am such a pushover when they ask if they can.

I am going to try to start putting all the funny things they are saying on here so I can remember! I know since I can't remember what they were saying two weeks ago, I am going to be so sad 20 years from now when I don't have a clue. And some of the things they are saying and doing, I know I'm not gonna want to forget! 

PJ Bday!!

 

Night Owl Birthday

I came across this birthday party idea today and wanted to remember it for a future birthday party (more than likely for Mary Flynn) but the boys may get into something like this too! 

Happy Monday and more posts to come...we have a lot to catch up on!!

MSU vs Kentucky

Reed and Luke 

with Bully 

AND 

THE Egg Bowl

...I'm thinking we'll be bringing it home again this year! 

Go Bulldogs!

p.s. the look on Luke's face is priceless...must be almost out of candy...ha!

Snoopy and Woodstock

On Halloween this year, our church had Trunk - R - Treat where everyone in the church decorates their trunks for the kids to trick or treat! It is always very fun and I always try to decorate our trunk. At 8 months pregnant, this was a very large undertaking...ha...just like me though to do it. I loved doing it and had a great building assistant/strategic planner who was the biggest help in the world!

 

The boys woke up from their naps on Sunday afternoon and the first thing Reed asked was "where is my Snoopy Doghouse?" He squealed all the way out to the backyard where the "construction" had taken place. All I can say is, thank goodness for Christmas lights and darkness, because our architecture was lacking big time!

Two proud occupants of the doghouse. This was one of the only pictures we got where both boys had their hats on. Luke WOULD NOT wear his and people kept asking me if he was the sun or a yellow flower. 
NOTE TO SELF: Halloween costumes next year will NOT have headpieces.

Here is Luke eating cotton candy. This child loves candy more than ANYTHING in this world. Might as well call him the Candy Monster, because he ate his weight in it Sunday night (and is continuing to try to get more candy any way he can). He will walk into the living room with candy in his hand and I have NO idea where it came from.

Love those eyes...

...and these!

Snoopy getting everything ready for trunk-r-treat

Our attempt at a family photo

Reed and Luke with Peg
 

Wonderfully crafted jack-o-lanterns!!!! All I can say is "WOW!"

Diving into the candy...making sure to get exactly what they want!

The boys hung out "around their house" most of the night and their daddy's lap was the best seat in the house!!

I wanted to try one more time to get Luke to wear his headpiece and this is what happened..."No, No, mommy!"

Best friends forever!

Sally Ann, Luke, and Harper

What a crew!!!

Luke, Sally Ann, Kaitlyn, and Fin

Hugs for Harper...

...oh, and a kiss!!!!

Me: "Luke, give Harper another big kiss."

Luke: the above photo

Luke and Harper in Snoopy's Doghouse

Luke, me, and mama (the sweetest witch I know!)

Laura and Me

...and here is Luke...where else but in the candy!!

Me and Abbie Smith -- our babysitter and good friend!

Luke showing Sally Ann all of his candy...hahahahaha!

Still going through his "loot"

And finally, my doghouse builder/contractor! 

What a fun night!!!!

1st Soccer Game!

We decided to join the world of organized sports this fall! Reed wanted to play soccer and he wanted his daddy to be his coach so we obliged! Our season started in October and it's been a funny fun couple of months. We have had games every Monday and Thursdays which has been A LOT but the boys (age 3-5) have come a long way since this first game. Reed even scored TWO GOALS. He is about a head shorter than everyone, poor thing, but we keep telling him if he drinks his milk and actually eats food his muscles will get really big. 

Luke has even had fun!

(as long as there is plenty of food candy for him to eat and he can play in the dirt)

One of his happier moments. 

There have been a few games where he has been "sick" and cried every time Rob would try to sub him in. Even bribing with candy wouldn't work.

Yet another kick out of bounds...

Saying good game at the end of the game 

(Glad #3 was shaking with the other hand...ha!)