Galations 5:22-24

This is just going to be a rambling post I am sure. But I just need to pour out my heart somewhere. I tried with a friend & my hubby yesterday but I am still needing something.

On Saturday I felt like I was the worst mother. Ellia is having some issues with fits, whining, and down right defiance. And I am at my wits end with it. And sadly I haven't been the best mom during these fits. I am very quick to get frustrated & yes, sometimes yell at her. Which of course, shocking, makes them worse! I also, really was feeling like I am easier on Addie & harder on Ellia. I have more grace with Addie than Ellia and sometimes over the exact same thing.

As I finished reading the book Last Song by Nicholas Sparks (great book!) there was a scripture that one of the characters mediated on. I immediately knew it was the scripture on the Fruits of the Spirit. So, that afternoon I picked up my Bible, sadly the first time in awhile, turned to that scripture and began reading it. I began to pray & to cry. Because I haven't been displaying those fruits to others, especially my daughter.

Lets back up & break apart the scripture:

In verse 19 it stated

"Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are:

adultery, fornication,uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry,

sorcery, hatred, contentions,

jealousness, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions,

dissensions, heresies, envy, murders,

drunkenness, revelries and the like:

of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in the past

that those who practice such things will not inherit the

kingdom of God"

Yikes, the ones that stood out to me the most were Outbursts of Wrath and dissensions. I decided right there & then to really try to re-memorize the verses 22-23 again.

vs 22-24 says:

"But the fruit of the Spirit is

Love, Joy, Peace, Long suffering, Kindness,

Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-Control.

Against such there is no law. And those who are

Christ's have crucified the flesh with it's passions and desires"

And in order to combat those areas of weakness I see in myself I must begin trying to display more Kindness, Long suffering (Patience), Gentleness and Self-control. And once again crucify the flesh that has reared its ugly head.

So as soon as I decided to really start putting this verse into practice, meditating on it & trying to change my ways I was confronted with an issue with a friend. The very next day!!! And of course I didn't recognize it as a Test. Today I am seeing it more clearly as a Test & am just trying to figure out how to proceed.

Test or no Test I am still hurt by the situation. I still feel like my friend has to admit to her share of the problem, should try to talk to me and mend things. And my I feel like my other friend & my hubby are taking her side. They both told me to give her grace, and I want too. But I feel like they are making excuses for her and trying to poo-poo it away. What happened to being an adult & accepting our responsibilities in things?

I am really, really trying to find the Grace, Kindness & Gentleness that I know the Lord wants me to show her. But it's HARD!!!

Things Ellia has been saying

Over the last few weeks Ellia has been talking more and more. And so much that now even Bill can understand her. (it used to be that I was the only one that knew what she was saying)

So I thought I'd compile a few things that she is saying:

"Addie I said you no play with my baby" - to which I reminded her, "That is Addie's baby"
"Well I burrow it now"


"Mama you too big for the tub" - said to me as she jumped in the tub with me the other night. And let me tell you that sure did wonders for my pregnant self esteem!!


"Mama I think Addie wants cookies"
She does
"Yes, she does"
Okay, then I will just give Addie some cookies
"Noooooo, I want them too"
Oh really, cause you said just Addie wanted cookies
"I meat we both"
Oh, okay you meant you both want cookies too. Gotcha


"Mama I not take a nap, I big girl & big girl not take naps today"
Ummm, I don't think so little one, you are taking a nap
"Ummmmm, just a minute..........she tilts her head OK I think so"



"ooooh bubba just licked my butt"
He did?
"Yes, I let him, he likes it"
Well, lets not let him do that anymore. And why are your panties & pants off anyways?
"Cause I wanted to let Bubba lick my butt"
That is not acceptable Ellia, please put your pants & undies back on right now.
"okay, mama"
"You mad mama?"
No, but I do not want Bubba licking your butt.
"That nasty"
Yes, that is nasty

Seen, Heard, Said Wednesday

Seen: Ellia dancing with her giant stuffed penguin. Holding the flippers and making it dance with her and go around and around in circles to "Ring around the roses"


Heard: That Ellia really likes to dance but Addie not so much. "And Addie especially doesn't like it when her sister drags her around making her dance." This was told to us by the Sunday school volunteers when we went to pick the girls up from class after church.


Said: "You must share Mama with YaYa" - Ellia telling me I have to share my tuna sandwich with her, after she had already eaten her own lunch. Guess this sharing thing has to be practiced by all of us.

Not Me Monday on Tuesday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This was created by MckMama, head on over to her blog to see what she and everyone else have NOT been doing this week! (Although, MckMama is in Kenya this week, so she might not be there for Not Me! Monday! But go there anyway to see all about her adventures in Kenya.)

I did NOT create a "honey to do list" for Bill this weekend since he was off for 3 days. He did NOT come close to getting the list complete.

He did NOT instead make 4 new duck calls thus resulting in a lot of time in the garage. He did NOT try to rationalize his actions by saying to me yesterday "I am trying to get good at this so I can start selling them"

Our sweet and angelic Ellia did NOT throw a tantrum/fit for 2+hrs on Sunday night. She did NOT wear herself out & finally fall asleep in her bed at 6:30. Bill and I were NOT exhausted ourselves and fall asleep by 9 o'clock.

I have NOT been craving a juicy steak for days and it was NOT all I could think about all week. So on Friday night when Bill called to see what was for dinner I did NOT beg & plead with him to take us out to dinner at Outback for steaks. He did NOT finally succumb to my pleading and we did NOT wait 30 Min's on a busy Friday night to have that juicy steak. The girls did NOT act up, spill food, scream, & just generally act crazy, NOT our girls. And I did NOT end up taking half the steak & potato home and I did NOT eat it for breakfast the next morning ...... cold.

My tummy is NOT so big that it is inhabiting me from now doing dishes. That's right folks, I am officially too big to do dishes.....NOT joking. This kid is sooo much out front that it hits the edge of the sink & if I have to bend in to get something out of the sink it pushes into my tummy. This never happened with the girls!!!

Friday Facts

Thankful for:
I am thankful for all the beautiful weather this week. The girls and I have played outside almost everyday. It has been so lovely.

Looking forward too: Bill being off the next 3 days in a row.

Whats for dinner tonight? I do not want to cook so I don't know. Bill suggested picking up a pizza on his way home. Sounds like what we might do.

Listening to: Rather reading - Reading my friends FB comments. After a few years they are finally adopting a baby! Such an answer to prayers. They were told they couldn't have any more children, they have one little girl who is 5. (They are young too) They came to Presentation Sunday 2yrs ago with us and started pursuing adoption. This week they got the call and today they picked up their little boy. I am soooo happy for the.

Missing: My reef flip flops. These are the BEST flip flops ever. They sell them at Nordstroms. Mine broke and Nordstrom gave me a gift card b/c they were out of stock of them. I am hoping they come in very soon cause I miss wearing them.

Wanting/Needing:
I am wanting / craving steak!! I mean a nice juicy steak and loaded potato. Forever it's been Mexican food but today I woke up just wanting to eat a big steak. And it's all I could think of today. Maybe we will pick up some steaks at Costco this weekend when we go shopping.

Seen, Heard, Said Wednesday

Seen: Ellia running around the house wearing not 1 but 2 ski hats on her head AND a cowboy hat over them.....let's just say her head was very wet from all the sweat when she finally removed them! And when I asked her if she need them all on she said " Yes, mommy they make me look pretty" - well okay then


Heard: Ellia singing in the back seat to my favorite worship CD. It's the sweetest thing to hear her say "Open the eyes of my heart Lord"


Said: "Addie please do not put your fingers in my belly button" - She is fascinated with pulling up my shirt now & rubbing my big belly.

And

I told Bill our friend's husband was getting snipped on Friday....as in no more children for them...and Ellia says "Snip, snip, snip" - We both busted up laughing...where does she come up with this stuff?

Not Me Monday - scrapbooking weekend style

What did I NOT do this week? What did others NOT do this week? Read my confessions and then head over to MckMama's to see what everyone else is NOT doing.


This weekend I did NOT go away for 3 days and 2 nights leaving my children with in-laws & hubby. And I was NOT super excited!!!!

I did NOT miss cooking, cleaning, laundry & changing diapers.

I did NOT eat chips, garlic dip with veggies, brownies, cookies, gummy bears, pizza, Cheetos and anything else I could get my hands on all weekend long. This was NOT after going to doctor for my 30week apt on Fri and finding out I had gained almost 5lbs in 2 weeks!! Guess after this weekend it will be another 5lbs.

One early morning this weekend I did NOT get up to go to the bathroom and walk past our cabin & I did NOT open the door to the cabin next door. Only to discover it was empty & not our cabin. Good thing there was no one in that cabin!

I did NOT say to all my friends that I thought I'd come home to a disaster of a house only to come home to a rather clean & put together house. And did I mention Bill also gave the girls baths too. I did NOT have to apologize to my husband for not giving him enough credit.

My husband did NOT offer to go get a pizza for dinner last night so I wouldn't have to cook & I did NOT turn him down and instead make Tacos for dinner.

I did NOT get into bed last night at 7:30 because I was so tired from our weekend.

It was a fun weekend & I am so glad that I have friends that I can hang with & have a good time.

Anyone up for a tea party?

I took this sweet video of the girls playing tea party last week. Had to share it.

Seen, Heard, Said Wednesdays

Seen: Addie picking grass and throwing it up in the air and then shoving some in her mouth. Guess she thinks she's a little cow.

Heard: Addie saying "Quaaaack, Quaaack" while reading a book with ducks in the pictures by herself

Said: "No Mama YaYa is in charge" said to me after I told her "I don't think so little Missy" and she replied with "Yes, I think so"

Not Me Monday

What did I NOT do this week? What did others NOT do this week? Read my confessions and then head over to MckMama's to see what everyone else is NOT doing.

This past week after our daughter had stuck something yet again up her nose (2x in 24hrs) I did NOT wish the doctor would extract it and make it hurt. This Mama would NOT wish for her child to hurt so as to teach her lesson, never.


I did NOT attempt to make bread this week. The middle was NOT done on one of the loaves, which I turned into bread crumbs. However, after baking the 2ND loaf for a bit longer I did NOT eat almost the whole loaf myself!! Leaving my husband to say "What happened to your bread, I never got to try any". Ooops! I did manage to save him 1 slice.

We had a family day on Saturday and visited the Zoo. Before leaving I did NOT forget to ask Ellia if she needed to go to the bathroom when I went. B/C I'm a good toddler Mama and always ask if she needs to go. When we got out to the car she did not proclaim "I have to go peepeee". Since we parked on the street a few blocks away we had no bathroom within close distance. So I did NOT tell Bill to help her pee on the side of the car as I was changing Addies diaper. He did NOT get frustrated trying to make this work and tell me this was more up my alley. We did NOT switch children and I did NOT help Ellia pee on the side of the road. And she did NOT proclaim as she was peeing "I go peepee on the grass mommy"

And later I did NOT wish I had taken a photo of this experience

"We do not put things up our nose"

We have officially adventured into the toddler years. I say that not because Ellia has started throwing fits. You, know the ones where she throws herself on the floor kind. Nor, because she says to me "I do it myself" Nor, because she is completely 100% potty trained, even at night.


Nope I tell you this because in the last 24hrs we have made 2 trips to the doctor for nose extractions. Neither time did we actually have to have a nose extraction but none the less we have made the trips.

Yesterday, G & G came over for a couple of hours. We went to the park to play and had a lot of fun. Grandpa sat between the girls in the backseat....quite a sight. (I forgot camera to take a picture) But imagine a full grown man squeezed into a seat meant for a 5yr old....with his arms resting above his shoulders on top of the girls car seats.

On the way home Ellia was playing with a foam letter "S" she found in the car. Cause you mom's know how you find odd things in the car. She tore it in half and was playing with it. We pull into the driveway and unload. As we are unloading Ellia starts crying about her nose. I think "Ohh her nose & fingers are cold" I tell her it'll be better once we get into the house. She keeps crying and crying. Big tears. Then as we get into the house she says "get it out". I sit her on the counter and look in her nose. I don't see anything. I tell her to blow...nothing comes out. She is still crying and saying "get it out" - I ask her "did you put something in your nose?" and she says "Yes".

Grandpa goes out to the car and finds the torn in two "S" and brings it in. We notice a chunk is missing. We ask her if that is what she stuck up there, and she says "Yes".




By this time Grandma is on the phone with the nurse who says she must be seen cause she could suck it into her lungs. So Grandpa and I head to the walk in clinic while Grandma stays behind to feed Addie dinner. We arrive and find out the wait is 1.5hrs. Great!


We settle in for our wait. And let me tell you find some interesting people at the walk-in-clinic at 6:30 at night....well at least this one. Long story short, after an hour of dancing & jumping around the foam dislodged itself and fell out. Grandpa and I looked at each other, picked up our stuff and walked out. Glad to not have to wait any longer.

The culprit - finally out

Bill gets home later, sits Ellia down and tells her "We do not put things up our nose" and she says okay. He sounds like a song off of Yo, Gabba Gabba. We think it's over, even though everyone on FB says once a kid does this they become repeat offenders. I shrug it off and think "not Ellia"

WRONG!! This morning she asked to play with play dough. So I giver her some and a few minutes later she is crying and saying some of it is in her nose. I try to get her blow and blow, holding one nostril. Nothing except pink snot comes out...the play dough was red. I call G & G because of all days, Bill drove my car to work. So I have no car. By this point I am just frustrated & mad. Last night I was worried, concerned, scared etc. Which caused me to have contractions. But today I am just done, done with the whole mess. And flabbergasted that she would do this 2x in 24hrs.

G & G arrive and Grandpa and I trek down for another 1.5hr wait. This time we are seen and they can see remnants of play dough in her nostrils but no big clumps. We leave with a RX for ear infection, cause low & behold she has one. So I guess not a wasted trip but none the less not how I wanted to spend my afternoon!! Nor I'm sure did G & G. But I am thankful they were home & available to come out.

I am hoping this is it. I am hoping that we do not have to go through this again!!

For now I'll be the mom who is keeping an eye out for discolored snot or foul smells coming from her daughters nose.

Valentines Day weekend wrap up

This weekend was the "Love Weekend" and boy was our house filled with love & fun. The girls and I made some scrumptious peanut butter chocolate cupcakes & home made valentines for some special people.

Ellia loved gluing on hearts & colored pasta I made for her

Addie loved eating the peanut butter mixture off the beater




On Friday evening I went out to dinner & a movie with some great girlfriends for a girls Valentines day night. We saw the movie Valentines Day. It was sooo cute & so funny.

Bill had to work on Valentines day and so we celebrated on Thursday evening. We left the girls with G & G and headed out to a nice dinner in Bellevue. It was so nice to get away, enjoy a nice dinner & not have to cut up someones food or feed them!

Yesterday, morning I made the girls heart blueberry pancakes and then we went to our friends house for a couples Valentines Day party. I was minus my main date but had 2 smaller dates. It was fun afternoon.

Daddy & the girls valentines

Our couples table all decorated

Playing a game with conversation hearts (Darren looks like he is having fun)





My sentence "Crazy for you my love"

But on this day we always remember 2yrs ago when this little one was conceived. Not a planned conception but none the less a priceless part of our family. We love you Addie!!

Seen, Heard, Said

Seen: Valentines Day movie - it was GREAT!! Laughed & cried just a tiny bit.....so worth the $10.50 ticket and $4.00 red velvet cupcake.


Heard: Ellia telling Addie "No, Addie you not touch, Addie I said no touch" - hmmmm, I don't know where she hears that.


Said: "I want to have this baby but yet I don't want to have him " to my doctor yesterday as she completed my 28week appointment & an exam. To which she replied " I suspect he will make an early appearance like his sisters & come by 36 weeks" YIKES!!! That's only 7weeks from now!

What has Team D been up to this past week?

I know those that read this blog are just dying to know what we've been up to this past week. Okay, maybe just Nana and Papa are wondering....but just in case I'll post some pictures.

We went to the park as a family & played

We baked cookies

"Ta daaaaa" she was proud of her cooking making






She ate more of the nutella then she actually frosted the cookie with



We had Chinese dinner with Bill's parents, sister, aunt & uncle & cousins.

Nate & the girls had fun playing bus



Waiting patiently for the food to arrive


Addie loved her Chinese food




Just as much as she loved the sesame seeds & BBQ'd pork

We went out to breakfast as a family

Wow, it was a busy week but filled with lots of fun times & great memories.

Friday Facts

Thankful for: My in laws who came over today and watch the girls so that I could go out to lunch with some fun girlfriends. And did I mention I got in a trip to Target without children as well AND that my FIL packed up all the books in the guest room. The room that will be baby Boy D's.

Looking forward to: A date night/morning/afternoon soon with my hubby. We did not get to go out to dinner for our birthdays cause we were all sick. So we have a date night waiting in the wings. And I am looking forward to it, whenever it happens. Ohhh, and for Bill to do our taxes so we can see if we get any tax return. We haven't gotten one in the last 2yrs.

Whats for dinner tonight: Why Mexican of course! See the last post. And Bill did not seem to mind when I told him. He must be getting used to my Mexican cravings.

Listening to: Ellia is watching something on Nick Jr, not sure. And Addie pushing around the baby stroller. Which when she pushes around always seem to be louder than it should be. She seems to always make things decimals higher than they should be. Is this early signs of the middle child??

Missing: Not missing anything right now

Wanting/Needing: Baby Boy D's room to start getting fixed up.
And to decide on a name for this little guy. Bill has thrown another name into the mix and now I am just not sure. Micah or Brayden???

Quote of the week: "Fine then" when Ellia didn't get to have a snack before dinner last night. And can I just say it was said with soooo much tone & attitude it's ridiculous!! I told her that, that wasn't a nice way to talk to me and she said "You make me mad mama" - well good I'm glad. Does attitude in little girls really start this early???

Pace Picante - it does a body good!

This my friends has become my most favorite thing to eat, yep, Pace Picante sauce. It started a few weeks back at our friends house where I couldn't stop eating chips & salsa.

I started by buying a jar at the store one afternoon. Which resulted in a second jar a few

days later and last week we moved up to the Costco size!

I am in love with this stuff!!! I am eating it on eggs, by the spoonful, with chips and just about anything else I can get my hands on it with. (not so good on toast)

I guess baby Boy D really likes the spicy stuff but not sure my hubby likes having Taco's every other day!

***update*** My friend reminded me, his due date is Cinco de Mayo 5-5-2010

Presentation Sunday

Presentation Girls

Yesterday, these two sweet, little girls posed for a picture and it has special meaning. They are both Presentation babies.

Ellia was conceived within 2 weeks of Presentation Sunday 2007 and Georgia conceived & born 9months to the DAY of Presentation Sunday 2009. God is so good!

On the last Sunday of January, for the last 22yrs, Cedar Park Church has prayed for couples to have children. The service is geared towards infertile couples but you do not have to be infertile to come & be prayed for. Bill and I weren't infertile (obviously) but we went that first year just to ask God to bless us with a child. We humbly gave over our desire for a child & said Lord, you are in charge. We both left filled with Faith & Peace. And in speaking with other couples they too leave feeling so full of Faith. It is an incredible service!!

On Saturday, Georgia and her parents (her mom is Bill's cousin) made the trip up from Portland to be at the service yesterday and celebrate their miracle. Along with them they brought some friends D & D who were coming for prayer. They had heard the stories of God's miracles that come out of Presentation Sunday and wanted to come be prayed for.

We enjoyed getting to know D & D and some other new friends we met through Georgia's parents who it seemed have told the everyone about their miracle baby girl and why not?

This year Bill and I have pledged to pray for:

D & D

J & A

J & D

These three couples are seeking the ultimate miracle, to hold their own sweet little one in their arms. And we are going to come along side of them and pray that the Lord will give them the desires of their hearts!

Not Me Monday

What did I NOT do this week? What did others NOT do this week? Read my confessions and then head over to MckMama's to see what everyone else is NOT doing.

This past week at MOPS I did NOT let my girls eat all the leftovers they wanted after the meeting. They did NOT eat a whole plate of grapes, some muffin pieces and some cookies all while I helped clean up. And then I did NOT take them home and put them to bed without lunch. It may NOT have been a healthy lunch but it was food & their bellies weren't empty.

Ellia is doing so great potty training and has started to finally pick up that poopy also goes in the toilet. So this week when she went poopy in the toilet she started to also pee, she did NOT then stand up mid stream and say "Ohhh no the pee pee is on the poopy". Thus, resulting in me having to explain that the two go together.

Our 2yr old has NOT become a bossy little one. She did NOT tell me this week to change the channel on the radio because "I no like this one". Since when did she become such a music expert?

I did NOT clean my house all week and then yesterday spend 2.5hrs sweeping & cleaning. And while I cleaned I did NOT put on Yo Gabba Gabba for the girls. They did NOT watch 2.5hrs straight and enjoy every moment of it.

This pregnancy I am NOT craving salsa and chips. Therefore we did NOT have tacos 3x in the last week. And one night I did NOT have Bill run to Taco Bell and get me Nachos at 10 o'clock at night. Nope NOT me.

Potty Training 101 Team D style

Potty training 101 officially started last week and I am happy to report that it is going GREAT! Ellia has decided this time around (3rd attempt at this adventure) that she is willing & ready to participate. This morning we had our 2ND dry diaper after an all night sleep & today we had our 3rd dry diaper after naps!! She is on her way to mastering this I am sure of it.
For all you out there, not sure who that is, but those that read & follow (mostly my parents I'm sure) who are looking at potty training in the future here are a few things I have learned:

• Potty training tests your patience, every last nerve!
• If the child isn't ready, then it will never happen
• If younger children show interest in the process that's okay
• However, do not assume they are ready to attempt, and do NOT let them run around naked, because it only will tear that last nerve of patience to shreds!!
• Expect lots of cleanup. The mop & rug cleaner become your best friends!!!
• Younger siblings and the dog will inevitably get into the potty chair & play in the deposits
• Be okay with half attempts, which are when they get half in the potty & half on the floor.
• If you decide to go to the park on one of our finally nice days, do not think she is ready to go with panties. Because you will find your 6month pregnant self running to the bathroom with your 15month old in tow. Only to watch her lavender pants turn dark purple as the pee drains down her legs as she runs to the potty.
• And remember a shart is still a shart! - Even if it happens in the toilet or in our case her panties

Ohhh my heavy heart

For days now all I have been able to do is watch the news channels about Haiti. I have wanted to write a blog but each time I sat down to type I would just cry. My heart is so heavy for those people, that country and the relief workers. Maybe it's because I'm a mom and if I had lost all 5 of my children in an instant I too would be wailing in the streets. Or maybe it's because I'm human and this natural disaster touches a cord in each of us that only the Lord can do.

Why? Was of course my first question. But really there isn't an answer to this question. What I do know is this, it's not because that country was inherently evil as one very popular Religious speaker recently said.

During my many hours of TV viewing & web surfing I stumbled upon some staggering statistics about Haiti that just boggle my mind.

- population is almost 10 million
- 200,000 families are in need of shelter
- 80-90% of all buildings were destroyed during the quake, due to their concrete construction and the fact that there are no construction standards set up
- 80% of the population is Roman Catholic and 16% Protestant
- It is estimated that roughly half the population practice voodoo on a regular basis
- Most Haitians live on just $2.00 a day, which means 80% of the population lives below the poverty line.
- Haiti has no military forces IE...ARMY, NAVY etc. They do have a small Coast Guard
- They do have roughly 10,000 police officers, whom have also lost families and homes And now must try to keep peace when many criminals are now roaming the streets again.
- Before the earthquake there were an estimated 400,000 orphans living in Haiti - who knows what that number will rise to now
- 38% of the population is comprised of children under the age of 14

These stats are overwhelming to me. Some of them, especially when it comes to the children are almost too much to even type. When I watched a story about these orphans the other night I just cried & cried. Bill held me and we prayed for those little ones.

Some of us will never face a disaster like that and for that I am thankful. But that doesn't mean we are exempt from it. These people, this country, the aid workers/volunteers need our prayers more than ever.

Please join with me in praying for this country & if possible making a donation to Red Cross, World Concern, Compassion International or any other relief network of your choice.

Pray for:

The people left homeless & without food
That food & shelter supplies arrive swiftly & are handed out smoothly
The orphans who are left to fend for themselves
That the volunteers/relief workers would have strength and not become weary
That disease & sickness do not spread as the conditions there worsen
Civil UN-rest does not rise up & take over
Most importantly that these people come to know the one and true God who loves them. When disasters come it is often when people come to know the Lord, their hearts are open, please pray the Haitian peoples hearts would be open to the gospel.