The Funny Side of Parenting

The Nation Center for Biblical Parenting is an excellent resource for Christian parents who want to thrive at raising their children. We actually just went to a conference a few weeks back that was so helpful. I am so thankful that there are such good resources out there to assist us in parenting.

They send out about 2 emails a week on various tips revolving around raising kids. This is the email I got today. Too cute to not post.

The Funny Side of Parenting

Parenting often contains surprises, some delightful and others, well... How many of the following might you be able to relate to? Hint, if you smile at any one, it's probably because you've experienced it in your home.

1. The later you stay up, the earlier your child will wake up the next morning.

2. For a child to become clean, something else must become dirty.

3. Toys multiply to fill any space available.

4. The longer it takes you to make a meal, the less your child will like it.

5. Yours is always the only child who doesn't behave.

6. If the shoe fits...it's expensive.

7. The surest way to get something done is to tell a child not to do it.

8. The gooier the food, the more likely it is to end up on the carpet.

9. Backing the car out of the driveway causes your child to have to go to the bathroom.

10. The more challenging the child, the more rewarding it is to be a parent...but you usually have to work overtime to get that reward.

How many of you have experienced some of these??? I know I have! Oh the joys of parenting. The best job in the world :)

First Spring Hike

We celebrated the beginning of Spring with a family hike. It felt so good to get out on the trails again. It had been quite awhile since we've all been out there together. I didn't realize how much I missed hiking.

Spring is so full of hope. I love it that Easter is in the beginning of Spring. I could not think of a better way to begin a season of new life than with the resurrection of our KING!

It's also a great season to have a baby :)

Handmade Gifts for All Ages

Making gifts is something I love to do. There are so many reasons why:

1). It's usually less expensive than buying something already made.
2). It gives you the opportunity to make it more personable.
3). You can create it exactly how you want it.
4). It usually means a lot more to the receiver that you put so much thought and energy into the gift.

I've been able to make several gifts lately that I've wanted to document on here and also to share them with you in case you'd like to try some of them.

For Joseph's birthday I made him a birthday crown that I discovered through SouleMama and then researched several other people's designs on the web to come up with my own version seen below.

Also for Joseph's birthday I made him a matching set of oven mitts and an apron. I originally found the oven mitt pattern here and the apron pattern here.



For Christmas I made the same kind of birds seen below but out of Christmas fabric with a loop in the back to hang as an ornament. The pattern can be found here. Really simple but is a great gift.

And of course the car caddies. I made these for the boys for Christmas. The pattern can be found here.

Then with all of my friends that are having babies I decided to make them all taggie blankets. I didn't follow a pattern, but if you're interested in making them you could find one online somewhere. These are very easy to make, and are super gifts, especially if you don't have much money to spend.

And here are the boys' capes I made them for Christmas. They have turned out to be big hits. Don't take their faces as proof :)



And then the last thing that I wanted to share was these silhouettes. I don't have a picture of mine, but go look at them to see. They were given as gifts for Christmas and everyone loved them. I am currently working on a set of our whole family that I will be putting up in our home. It's a great way to document the kids as they grow. And you can really tell them apart even if it's just their shadows.

I can't wait to share all of my next projects. I'm nesting like crazy so the creative juices are flowin'. If you have something that you'd like to share, pass it along :) I'm always looking for a new project to try!

Third Trimester

March 21st I completed my 28th week of being pregnant. And for most calculations out there, that is officially the third trimester. It also was the 2nd day of Spring. How fitting.

With the combination of nesting and Spring fever I have reached a new level of list making. Andy has been such a servant during this time. He's been working so hard to meet my self impossed deadlines with a smile. I realize that life is not about finishing tasks, but right now I'm convinced it will make my life easier come mid-June.

Even though there are blossoms abounding everywhere and the temperatures are reaching new highs, my heart is still hesitant to welcome Spring with open arms. I'm still waiting on that last huge snow storm for some reason. Fear? I don't know.

Now that the calendar reads April I am now allowing myself to get the Summer jitters! I can without a doubt say that Annabelle will be here in 2 months. We're in April and then comes May and the next month is JUNE!!!

If we're going off of the same mentality as we did with Joseph, she could completely surprise us and come in a totally different month than what we were expecting. (He was due mid-March, but came in February).

But, unlike with the second birth, 3 just seems a little terrifying to me. Transitioning to one was easy and two wasn't bad either, but THREE!!! That's a whole new ball game for me. We'll be outnumbered! I'm starting to think that this child is where I'm really going to be challenged. And knowing she's a girl, I'm almost convinced that this one will be the one. Not to say she'll be the last (we really hope that's not the case) but the one where the Lord finally is able to break me of myself and bring me to my knees like I've never been brought before.

I'm excited for the challenge to say the least. My heart's cry is to welcome anything that will bring my heart closer to the Lord's. Having children is definitely how I see God doing that in my life. I couldn't think of a more challenging yet rewarding experience.

Thankful Thursday

*We had an appointment for Annabelle on Tuesday and she is doing well. She seems to be slowing down in her growth, praise the Lord! Maybe she won't be a mammoth child like I had feared. As frightened as I am to give birth again I am coming to have more peace about this birth. I got a ton of supplies from my midwife at my last visit and we're doing well in our progress of getting her things together.

*Andy's mom just left today from coming to visit. I got errands done that have been on my list for months. She brought me some flowers to plant and even planted them for me, made meals, cleaned up, you name it... I was spoiled. And now she's gone :( But good news is that my mom is planning on coming soon! Having two moms is really helpful! I just wish they didn't live so far away!