Caught in the act!

So I fell behind in the kitchen (again - big surprise) and ran out of cabinet space temporarily (I just need a bigger kitchen - then this would NEVER happen :) so I had to put my glorious bowl of oranges on the floor in order to cook lunch. As we are finishing our prayer, I notice Paul is not around. Realizing I left the gate to the kitchen open (as I was just going through it a million times to set the table and bring out the food), my heart skips a beat and I go running into the kitchen, thinking he must be at the top of the stairs (just through the kitchen). Good news! He was not at the top of the stairs, but on the floor, sampling the oranges. He made quite the sour face and was not upset at all when I put them back away. Here is the evidence:

I AM IN LOVE!!!

This is the newest translation of the Bible, audio format. It is AWESOME!!! Seriously I am soooooo loving this. I put it on my mp3 player (so I would not have to mess with the discs) and I have been listening to it throughout the day as I do my chores and what-not. It is like candy for my soul. The actors' voices are beautiful, as is the background music - so soothing - AND IT IS SCRIPTURE!!! (It does not get much more awesome than that!) It has me pondering the finer points of the bible while doing my chores and oh. . . I am just so liking it (well, so far - I am only about 10 chapters into Matthew, but so far I am way impressed!!) I highly recommend this. If it were not so late (yes, for m 9:30pm is LATE) I would write a 15 star review on Amazon RIGHT NOW but I want to take time and do it right, so I will wait for now on that. But if you are up in the air on considering this for purchase, or you have not heard of it yet. Check it out here and come share my joy.

Blessings!

How we spent our yesterday

It got up to eighty degrees here, so we felt obliged to spend it outside. We decided to give the roller skates a try.
Here is Jacob looking all adorable. (I did not realize his belly was hanging out when I took the picture - hehe)

Jacob was really quite proud of himself and he was perhaps the most "natural" of all the kiddos, which is really surprising as he is almost three, but still in the awkward phase of tripping and not so much balance. . . at least as far as walking. But apparently putting skates on the boy changes everything. He was quite content to gently scoot himself all around the concrete. He rarely fell.

Samuel, on the other hand, was not so into the skates. He is quite graceful (and quick) on his feet but skates left him off-balance and frustrated. He quickly asked to take his off and (as seen below) was content to run around the concrete in his "safety gear."

Rebekah required the most assistance, but this was partly due to the fact that she had "real" skates, or actually inline skates and they are quite different from little plastic wheels that barely turn. Daddy was patient with her but she is going to need several more lessons before she can do much on her own.

After all the fun, we loaded back up on the bikes to head home. Rebekah looks particularly crabby in this picture as I forgot to pack drinks and the water fountain was not working. In any case, it was quite a fun day.

Paul on the truck

No, Paul did not get in this position on his own and yes, left to his own devices, he would fall with a sickening thud after a few moments. However, he enjoys this pose immensely with the proper assistance and I, of course, think it is adorable. Hope it makes you smile, too for. . .

"Today is holy to the Lord, our God. Do not be sad and do not weep; for today is holy to our Lord. Do not be saddened this day, for rejoicing in the Lord must be your strength!" (Nehemiah 8:9-10)

Picture Day for Rebekah

Rebekah had her second set of school pictures (two per year - sheesh) and she requested braids. I'm not so good at "girly things" like this, but I sure tried. She liked it so I consider it a win.

Small Successes

1. Got the cookie money problem figured out!!!!! (And it was the bank's fault, too!!)

2. Just found out I am down about 4 sizes (was not sure until I tried on clothes today).

3. Put God FIRST today (as in, said Morning Prayer over going back to sleep and/or going right to working out).

Celebrate success with us by checking out the Faith and Family website.

Whiney Wednesday

1. I have been pushing too hard and not getting enough sleep - and it is just getting worse and worse. I am so tired I cannot think straight. EVERYTHING that comes to mind to do seems important (and keeps nagging at me) and I cannot seem to prioritize and do what needs to be done NOW (it was 10am before I finally changed the toddler's diaper - that he wore last night!)

2. Baby. If I had gone to sleep the minute my head hit the pillow and gotten up when my alarm went off I would have gotten 5.5 hours of sleep. As it is, the baby woke up FOUR TIMES in that period. Seriously, FOUR TIMES!?!? He is not a newborn anymore. He can sleep for up to 8 hours (and has before) but of course, last night when I had already stayed up DOING NOTHING because I was so tired and could not think straight, (actually, I would have gone to bed a lot sooner but I was too lazy to put the clean sheets back on the bed, so I was stalling for help from the hubby) the baby had to wake up and be a pain.

3. Girl Scout Cookie stuff. Why does it have to be so complicated? Why can I not keep my receipts and deposit slips together? Why could I not have been more careful about keeping track of additional orders and such? Why did I borrow cash from the envelope and then am unsure if I paid it back? Why can I not get it straight? I think they are going to fire me - too bad I'm a volunteer!

Bleh - what a day!! O God, have mercy on me today.

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