Pray for our Neighbors

Chris and I have been trying to be more intentional about spending time talking with the neighbors to the right of our house (if facing the house). They are a couple probably in their mid 30's with a little girl who will be 4 soon. David and Christina are their names.

Christina loves to work in the yard, so working in our front bed yesterday was a great opportunity for us to socialize with them as she was very curious about what we were going to do with the bed.

In talking with them, they shared some struggles they are facing as parents with their little girl. She refuses to eat much of anything (oh, how we understand this battle!) and she has never been a good sleeper. It sounds like they have disturbed sleep almost daily! To our knowledge, they are not involved in a church or believers.

Please just be intentional about praying for David and Christina along with us. Pray for the battles they are facing with their little girl, pray for them to find and know Christ, pray for Chris and I to spend more and more time building a relationship with them, and for us to be God's instrument, serving our neighbors however He might lead. How awesome would it be for our neighbors to come to know Christ through the power of prayer!

A Much Needed Sprucing Up!

It was time! Our front bed was in need of a long overdue sprucing up. So we decided to have a Burris Family Yard Work day. It was great. Jacob took a giant three hour nap. Chris and I did this...

These are the before photos. I am almost a bit ashamed to post them. The bed had really just weeded up and gotten a bit out of control.

These two photos above are the before pictures. Not so hot....

And these two pictures are the after! It looks 110% better! We wish we had a larger porch so we could actually sit out there and enjoy it.

The neighbors on both sides of our house stopped by while we were working and after and both sets commented on how much they liked the new look. I am sure they are relieved we finally did something with it!

We also bought Jacob a small wading pool to use on the patio. We shall save those photos for a future post.

All in all it was a wonderful Burris Family Yard Work Day. I loved every moment of being in God's creation, working side by side with my husband, watching him get so excited about making something so beautiful for his wife in the dirt!

Hope God blessed you today with the beauty of His creation as He so richly blessed us!

Mr. Picky Pants says, "I do it myself!"

I am there. Where every mom dreads going and hopes she will be spared. I am there. The dreaded picky eating toddler stage who insists on doing everything himself. Don't get me wrong, it is a blessing to see my little man stretching his wings and showing some independence. However, meal time has a pesky habit of rolling around three times every single day. It can become a bit of a chore. What he loved yesterday, he now hates, and my goodness, ask him to try something new and it is like the world is coming to an end! And yet, I love my child. I adore my child. Sometimes I even think he hung the moon. So I patiently (or not so patiently) try, try again, until he learns I will always love him and that he can trust me to provide him with food he can eat.

So I am trying to be creative. Today we bought three new plates. Little divided tray plates that fit perfectly on his highchair. I got them for 98 cents each at Wal-Mart. He seems to like having his food neatly divided and having his own plate, like mommy and daddy have. He wants to SEE what he is eating and not simply have food thrust in his mouth. He is really starting to give up pureed foods, which is wonderful. I am so tired of buying baby food. BUT, I wish I'd realized this was going to happen overnight as I am just sick by the massive stock pile of baby food I have stashed in the back of my pantry. Baby food adds up so when you find a sale, you buy a mother load of it! :-) Once I am sure he has really given it up, the Salvation Army food pantry might strike it rich on baby food!

With a picky toddler you celebrate the small victories. And you resort to bribery. No, I am not too proud to offer my child a cookie if he eats a good meal!

Today's lunch and breakfast actually went fairly well. We tried oatmeal for breakfast and he totally hated that, so we switched to breakfast bar and moved on. I can't say I blame him and was not about to force him to eat oatmeal when I despise it myself. Lunch, however, was nothing short of miraculous! The new plates are working! He ate a whole piece of whole wheat toast, a whole slice of watermelon, tried three new banana chips I got him (he RARELY will try something new on his own...it usually must be forced into his mouth), and had 1/2 a jar of sweet potato puree. Woo hoo! He earned a cookie. And asked for a 2nd. I told him no.

Then it hit me. As I sat with my child at the kitchen table, turning cartwheels over the fact that he was actually eating his lunch, I realized how often I am Mr. Picky Pants saying, "I do it myself!" to God. I think about how ridiculous my child can appear when refusing a meal, telling me, his own mother, that what I prepared is not good enough for him. I imagine what I must look like to God, when I do just the same thing, telling Him, my Father, that what He prepared for me is not good enough and that I will do it myself! God must certainly have a great sense of humor because to watch adults revert back to the very behavior they despise in their toddler...well, it takes a mountain of love to overcome that. Thank you, Lord, for loving me. For having a cup that runneth over. For ever so patiently trying again and again until finally, one day, I realize I can trust that you will always love me and that you will provide me with food I can eat. Do you think God turns cartwheels when we finally get it? I like to imagine that He does.

Living out the gospel among friends...

We have some friends who are in the process of moving to a new home and this has made me stop and think; what on earth would we do without our friends? Our friendships are such a wonderful, fertile place to grow as Christians and learn to more confidently share Christ and embody His love. Chris is on his way to help our friends move the final round of larger items (and get fed a delicious dinner that they should not go to the trouble to fix on moving day!) and I plan to take dinner to them tomorrow. Nothing spectacular and nothing special, but something that I know, from experience, is so meaningful! It isn't anything they wouldn't do for us and it is an opportunity to live out the gospel to those we care a great deal about!

Our Pastor challenged us this week by asking how we are using our gifts, blessings, time, etc. to live out the gospel to everyone around us. How are we using what God gave us to share His love with others? It was a challenge I needed to hear because I can be so incredibly selfish with my resources and talents. I am so thankful our friends are moving so that Chris, Jacob, and I might have this opportunity to share our gifts, talents, and resources with them!

Praise God for friends and praise God for opportunities to learn how to live out the gospel...even in the simple day to day things!

Vacation is a Wonderful Thing!

This is the view from the pool over Kentucky Lake. Oh, I could so get used to seeing God's gorgeous creation like this every single day!

Jacob and Chris are set to go for a hike. This was Jacob's first ride in the pack. It went well...sort of. Jacob was ready to get out when we'd made it to the close of the hike!

A hard day of vacationing for a little guy. All that sun and pool time just wears him right out!

My ever necessary "photo by the sign." I wanted one desperately of us by the sign stating we were at the Land Between the Lakes, but every time we drove by, Chris said, "we'll get it next time." Well, as we all know how that story goes...we didn't get the photo. Fortunately we were out for a leisurely stroll one morning and I at least got to snap one by our resort sign!

Jacob getting splashed down into the pool. He thought this game was quite fun!

Our Family Blog Has Moved!

I know, I know...I just got everyone to finally figure out how to use our Shutterfly share page, and I'm up and moving our blog! I have a reason! Some of my family members were having trouble opening or viewing my Shutterfly share site, so I thought I would give this land of blogging a whirl. It can't be that difficult, can it? Hmmmmm...I am not so technologically advanced to think I have this figured out. We'll try it and see how it goes. Now if I could just figure out how people get those gorgeously cute scrapbook type templates for their blogs.... Looks like I'll have to get the husband involved on this one!

So much is new since our last post! Jacob is a walking, talking machine! He is growing in leaps and bounds!

We went on a short vacation to Western Kentucky this past week. While on the trip, we saw some Bobcats in captivity. Our son started to meow at them! Yes, he meowed! Ummmm....those definitely DO look like big kitty cats, Jacob, but they will definitely NOT run from you like your kitty cat does at home!

Jacob has also discovered how to give "hugs 'n smooches." The hugs, I must admit, are the bomb. Our boy knows how to hug! The kisses, however, while cute and endearing, truly are a full, open mouth, slobbery mess! Still warms my heart though!

There is much more to write, but I'll save it for future posts. That is, if I can find my way back to this silly thing!

Till then, we are thinking of you, missing you, and praying for you!