Chores are Fun!

I have no idea what has gotten into me recently, but I've been a crafting fool!  I've made several things I've been eager to post, but alas, they are gifts and must remain hidden until after the gift has been given!  I can, however, share this one with you!  I made this super simple chore chart for Jacob!  He LOVES using it and chores have taken on a whole new dynamic since we began using this!

This had to be the simplest thing ever to make!  I bought a cheap wooden door hanger at the craft store (less than $1) and let Jacob go nuts in the scrapbook paper aisle and pick out what he wanted the hanger covered in.  He loved this paper with baseballs, so we got that (about $0.30).  I used some Mod Podge I already had at home to stick it down and cover it.  Then I used stencils to do his name and the "To Do" and "Done" sections.  We bought coordinating paint and painted some clothes pins and then I just used a Sharpie to write on the chores.  In the morning I put them all on the "To Do" side and as he completes the task, he moves them over to "Done."  Let me tell you, he LOVES moving them to "Done" and wants to do it as fast as he can!  We have a basic list of chores for him right now and alternate things on different days: brush teeth, laundry, sweep, dishes, Bible verse, Mommy's helper (I get to choose something for him to help me with), Daddy's helper (Daddy chooses something for him to help with), pick up toys....  I think that is about all we have right now.  I also painted a few extras and left them blank so we can add as he gets older.

I was really concerned how this would work since he doesn't read on his own yet and wanted to try to get pictures with the words, but just couldn't get small enough pictures that would be identifiable once I got done with them, however, this has proven to be no problem for him!  At the start of the day we read them together, "brush teeth," "laundry," "sweep," "pick up toys," "Bible verse," etc.  The list is usually short enough that he can pretty much memorize it when we read through it.  Then when he does something we'll talk it over...."You just did l-l-l-laundry.  What word up there starts with the l-l-l sound?"  He is quick to find the one with the letter L first and moves it over to "done!"  Genius!  I started making this thing about a month ago and got caught up with work and household projects that I never finished it.  If I'd known the enthusiasm it would generate I would have done it sooner!! 

Just look at my enthusiastic little helper!  Lots of hands to help makes the load easier and has provided so many opportunities for me to talk with Jacob about what it means to be part of a family and how we all help each other out--and then of course expand that to our family in Christ.  We are so thankful we attend a church that really teaches what it means to live in Christian community.  The basics start here on the home level.  We pray one day Jacob will joyfully serve his Kingdom community, too!

Mother's Day Blessings!

I had a great Mother's Day and felt so loved and cherished by my husband and kids!  This year was a low key year...no big gatherings to go to, no meals to cook, etc.  It turned out to be a rather rainy, dreary day and to be honest, I am glad it was kind of low key! 

On Saturday I got these gorgeous flowers from Chris!  I love their purple sunshine happiness they bring to our home!  It was a perfect splash of color for the dreary weekend!

Then on Sunday morning I got a handmade card--SUPER cute-- from Chris and the kids.  Chris traced each of their hands and he wrote special notes from them.  I also got surprised to see I get to make a kid free trip to IKEA!  Ikea is a couple hours from here, so it will be a fun, day trip!  I can't wait (I've already started browsing online...I need to make my list!!)  :-)

We had church in the morning and all the moms were honored and given a great, gospel-centered devotional book.  I already started working through mine in the mornings and LOVE getting that great focus to the start of the day!  Chris and I had the infant nursery during our BFG time and I especially loved loving on all the babies!  We'd planned to grill out after church, but the rain changed those plans so we went to Little Caesar's for pizza (hey, I didn't cook it and that is really all that mattered to me!).  All the kids took HUGE naps that afternoon and we just lazed around the house.  It was wonderful!

I am so blessed and thankful God has entrusted me with these.  What a high and noble calling to be a mother!  Hope you had a great Mother's Day too!

Springtime Fun!

We've been having fun this spring!
 

One morning we took all three kids hiking at McConnell's Springs.  It is literally five minutes from our house and none of us had ever really gone hiking there before.  It was a short, easy loop with not a ton of super great highlights (the springs weren't bubbling like we'd hoped...too dry), however, we had some good photo ops and Jacob really enjoyed the learning center inside and the bird watching area!  It is definitely a great place for families with small kids or folks who want a small dose of nature, but not all the work of a more serious hike.

Jacob had a lot of fun!

Joshua never misses an opportunity for a danelion!



Grace had fun playing peek on a small foot bridge!

Jacob got to go spend two nights with his grandparents, so we decided to pack up Joshua and Grace and hike some at Shaker Village to a small water fall.  Shaker Village isn't too far from our house and the hike was just the right length for two 14 month olds in packs.  Grace loved putting her fingers in the water and Joshua loved riding high on Daddy's back!  It was pretty scenery and felt more like "real" hiking than McConnell's Springs did.  We will do this one again.

 

We've also been able to have some backyard fun with the sprinkler, however, the water was too cold for both Joshua's and Grace's preferences....  Jacob and Grace got into it a bit more than Joshua did.  I think Grace is too cute for words with her flip flops on!

We hope you've been enjoying your spring!  Summer is right around the corner!





Wild Man

I've been pondering my children recently and just thinking about WHO they really are...all God designed them to be. It is so amazing to me that I could give birth to three individuals (two of them twins) who are so drastically different from one another. I love what each one of them brings to our family and the dynamic each little addition adds.

Today I was thinking about Joshua and this picture of him popped into my mind. This picture...THIS is Joshua. See the pure glee on his face? See his hair standing on end? Notice the icing he has smashed into his hair or the icing also dripping off his lips? Check out the hands he's got slapped to the sides of his head and the pose he is striking. Yes, this...THIS is Joshua. Wild man and one hundred and fifty percent b-o-y!

How I love his giant buddha belly, desire to pound or smash every toy he touches, urge to plow through/over/under/on top of anything that gets in his way, ability to light up a room with is baby blues and bright smile, foot twitching/hand wringing excitement over food, the joy he finds in running, as fast as he can, always in the OPPOSITE direction of everyone else, and full, free abandon to enjoy life to the fullest! Yup, if I had no words and had to describe who Joshua is...this would be the picture I'd draw.

Double to Love

One of my friends had this posted on their Facebook page and I liked it so much, I wanted to share. It is such a sweet (and true) sentiment.

There's two to wash, there's two to dry,

There's two who argue, there's two who cry.

One's in the mud having a ball,

The other holds a crayon, another marked wall.

Some days seem endless, my patience grows thin.

Why was I chosen to be a mother of twins?

The answer comes clear at the end of each day,

As I tuck them in bed and to myself say,

There's two to kiss, there's two to hug,

And best of all, there's two to love!

~~Unknown

I've been having "those" kinds of days recently. If you're a mother, you know the kind I'm referring to. Those days you have to constantly tell yourself you are only in a season of life and like all seasons, it will eventually end. Not that I'm wishing the season away or anything, but man, two one year olds and a four year old certainly trumps last summer's experience of two infants and a three year old!

For example, today we went to the park. The sun was shining and mommy needed something to provide entertainment. The park was a perfect idea! Just getting out the door was an event....Jacob wanted his spiderman socks, not the perfectly good white socks he had on and was not content with the answer he was given, Grace was desperate to be held (she knows when we are getting ready to leave and she has a way of manipulating the situation to ensure SHE is the first to be loaded in the car, not the last), Joshua was doing I don't know what...some sort of writhing and twisting about while I was trying to put his shoes on (note to self: Joshua is NOT a great candidate for shoes that require tying of laces). Then I needed cups....cups for everyone (me, too!)! And hats.....hats for everyone! And sunglasses....sunglasses for everyone! And diapers....and wipes...for two! Oh, and it was just a touch chilly when we were getting ready to leave so we needed jackets....jackets for everyone! Jacob sweetly interrupted me somewhere between getting my OWN shoes and socks on to tell me that someone smelled stinky... All this while Grace shrieked in the highest pitch possible and paced around the house looking as pitiful as possible and Joshua finally caught on that we were leaving and determined that he would not be the last one to be loaded into the car either, so he securely attached himself to my leg and could only be removed surgically (or so it seemed) and Jacob decided Mom was distracted enough to re-engage in the great debate over the spiderman socks. PHEW! All this and we haven't even left yet! I'm pooped! Yes, one of "those" days. Do you follow?

In all this chaos (which frequently consumes my household), there is a mother who is like the little engine that could chugging along, "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can" only my tune sounds more like, "Don't grow weary in doing good, don't grow weary in doing good..." And yes, I do ask that question of God at times. Why me? Why twins? And I do remember....most often in those sweet, tender moments: a "Mommy, I just need to tell you something. I love you." from Jacob or a big gooey open mouthed kiss from Gracie or a super snuggle from Joshua. I remember when I see those sweet diapered butts stuck waaaaaaaaayyy up in the air and the room is filled with sounds of thumb and paci sucking or I see Jacob flopped every which way in his bed sweetly snoring. Why me? Oh yes...now I see. More to bring joy, more to bless, more to hold, more to love. Oh, thank you God for choosing ME. I am SO blessed.

Oh, and P.S. We did enjoy our trip to the park despite the event it was just to get out of the house. We enjoyed it so much so that I cleaned mulch out of both Joshua and Grace's diapers upon returning home.

Play Ball!

It is official! Jacob is all signed up to play his first season of T-ball this summer! We opted to go for a league through the YMCA this year. He practices on Wednesday nights and has games on Monday nights! Let the fun and madness begin!

**I think Jacob and Daddy are both equally excited about this new endeavor.**

Happy Resurrection Day!

We had a wonderful Easter Sunday in the Bluegrass!

We started the day worshipping our Risen Lord together at church and during the BFG hour Chris and I got to work the infant nursery and hug on some really well dressed sweet babies! After church we came home, got some lunch and put everyone down for naps. Grandmama and Granddaddy arrived later in the afternoon and we had a super duper fun Easter Egg Hunt (our first one ever). The egg hunt was a resounding success with all the kids! Joshua found one egg and kept going back to the same spot trying to find more. Grace rapidly discovered that the eggs opened and started downing M&M's before anyone could stop her. YUMMY! Jacob raced around faster than we could keep up with him and kept saying, "I won!" We enjoyed a delicious dinner together as a family and the kids had a blast playing outside and getting some snuggle time with the grandparents.

I can't think of a better way to celebrate our risen Lord. Starting the day with worship and ending it with loads of family fun. It doesn't get better than that!

I hope we can all keep in mind that Easter is not an isolated, one day event. Christ is risen today, tomorrow, and the next day. Praise the Lord!

He is risen, risen indeed!

Jacob showing off his goodies in his basket! This may have been our first ever egg hunt at our house, but it certainly will not be our last!

Sweet Joshua loves all kinds of nature!

Gracie enjoyed checking out the neighbor's pretty flowers, too.

Brothers playing ball together. So sweet!