Discouragement

I've been feeling a little bit of discouragement over the past couple of weeks. I'm not exactly sure if I can put my finger on why. I think it's just part of life. And I really think lack of sleep has something to do with it.

But, I listened to talk from Breakaway (a large group Bible Study at Texas A&M, that Jared and I both attended while we were in college.) The talk was called "Freedom from Despair" quite appropriate for my time of discouragement.

I wanted to share a few of the points and scriptures that I've been thinking on:

1- Realize that Joy is a gift from God, and to fight for joy means to fight to position myself to receive it.

2- The hard work is to choose to rest in the Lord.
Matt. 11:28 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

3 - Resolve to attack the sin in our lives- it is where the enemy steals our joy.

4- Fight with truth- don't confuse justification with sanctification.
Romans 8:1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Psalm 1:2 But his delight is in the laws of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night.

5- Battle to see God for who He is.
II Corinthians 3:18 And we who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

6- Learn to preach to ourselves instead of just talk to ourselves. He shared a quote: "don't believe everything you think." Put everything under the light of scripture and truth. The psalmist does this-
Psalms 42: 5 Why are you so downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him my Savior and my God.

7 - Have people around who help do these things.
Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider how we may spur one anther on toward love and good deeds

8- Get adequate rest and exercise.

9 - Get outside and enjoy God's creation.

10- Serve- get a healthy dose of "self-forgetting".

Here's the link to the talk:

http://breakawayministries.org/j/content/view/50/51/

Smarty Pants

This is in response to my previous post about Will and his gate.

Tonight when I was putting Will to bed he looked over the gate and said:

"It's upside down"

I was floored, the kid notices everything!

And we have a Crawler!

Well, gone are the "glory days" as I like to call them. The glory days are when a baby knows how to sit up and entertain themselves but can't move any where from that one spot.

As of yesterday Luke is now officially mobile. He has his own little version of crawling/scooting, it is a little amusing to watch. Mostly he is motivated to get to Will's toys.

I'm off to go through the playroom and remove all small toys and other various "choking hazards" that we haven't put away yet.

My latest goal is to learn how to post videos, once I do I'll post one of Luke doing his crawling manuver.

Will the Escape Artist

Since Will started sleeping in a big boy bed (about a year ago) we have put up a gate on the outside of his door for naps and at night time. I guess he's been studying the gate and how we use it, because this weekend he figured out how to open the gate himself!!!

I was shocked. It was nap time and he just came right out into the living room, I was kind of like- where did you come from? We went back to his room and he had opened the gate and put it back where it goes when we're not using it. At least he cleans up after himself, I guess he thought that would help his case.

Thankfully Jared had the idea of flipping the gate upside down when we put it up. He can't reach it now, but it sure is difficult to put up upside down!

Batter-Batter Baseball

That is what Will is calling his new favorite game. Every afternoon he wants to get the bats and baseballs (don't worry they are they soft version) and go out back to play "batter-batter baseball" These aren't the best pictures, but it is really cute to see him play Jared play their version of baseball. I've tried to play with Will and he's not very entertained with me, there are some things that only daddy's can do. I'm okay with sports being Jared's territory. I'm sure that's shocking to any of you who have ever seen me play sports... (Kristi stop laughing!)
This is obviously Daddy-son bonding time.

Even though I know he can't wait to be in the middle of the action Luke is a happy spectator. He happily sits in the little bumbo chair and watches Will run back and forth across the yard. Luke just wants to have a ball of his own to hold and he's content.

High School Reunion

I had my 10 Year High School Reunion last night. "Hail to thee Northwest Academy..." just kidding I won't bore you with that stuff. Seriously, I can't believe how 10 years has flown by. It is was great to see people I haven't seen in a while and catch up.

Of course I only got a picture of Jared and I. I think Jenn got a good pic of Kristi, Michelle, Jenn and I, so Jenn you'll have to post it on your blog for us.

Things like Reunion's make you do a little self reflection, and I thought that Brandon Heath song "I'm not who I used to be". I'm so thankful for the grace of God and the changes that He has brought about in my life because I can say that I'm not the same person I was 10 years ago. Not that I have arrived as Philippians 3:14 says, I know that I still have a long way to go. But, it is nice to reflect and see the ways that the Lord has worked in the past 10 years. I do hope that at my 20 year Reunion I can look back and say the same thing.

Bathroom Magazine Pileup

Our bathroom is usually overflowing with magazines that have big fish or deer on the front and have charts about the tides and the lunal schedule, not really my thing, so I've created a for those (so my honey always knows where they are). But latelyI've been seeing a pile up of magazines on the ledge of my bath tub and I thought maybe I have too have a magazine problem...

You see every night, usually after the kids go to bed (or right after Jared gets home, if it's been a stressful day) I end up in the bath tub with a magazine in hand. Baths have always been part of my escape, my dad used to tease me that I didn't take baths but I took vacations. Now, with two little ones I need a vacation more than every. And I used to read a lot of books and yes a lot of times in the bath tub, but these days it's magazines and after a little analyzation I think I figured out why.

I really do love to read, probably much to the amazement of Mrs. Neighbors (high school English teacher). In high school I much prefered my friend Cliff's version in that great little yellow and black book, because who really wants to read Jane Eyre? But after high school I did actually learn to read a book for enjoyment and to gain insight for my life. You would never have caught me reading Pride and Prejudice in high school, but I've read it numerous times since then.

But, since becoming a mother I've found it very difficult to finish a book, or should I say even start a book. As my list of books I want to read just continues to grow and grow, so does my frustration that I can't seem to get around to reading them.

But, for now I read magazines, because in my 20 minute nightly soak I can usually finish 1 -2 articles and feel like I've accomplished something. At this stage in my life I'm okay with magazines and maybe a book thrown in every once in a while. Someday I'll catch up on that reading I'm missing out on right? That is when my kids start school ... or is that college?

What's on my bath tub ledge right now:

MomSense Mag, Parents Mag, Focus on the Family Mag, and Wondertime Mag - wouldn't you know that in my time away from my kids I'd still read stuff about them...

Luke is 7 months old

Today Luke is 7 months old. Here are 7 things he's up to these days.

1. He's got 3 teeth and the 4th is coming through, he loves to show them off with his big-mouthed grin

2. He wants to be anywhere where Will is, if Will is in the room with him Luke is totally content.

3. He is scooting on the ground, he can scoot to get things that he wants, like Will's toys.

4. He is putting everything in his mouth!

5. Just in the past couple of days he started pushing up into the push up position, and today I saw him do a little rocking back and forth, crawling must not be too far away.

6. He is pretty sucessfully holding his own bottle (Mommy is very happy about this one.)

7. He is sitting up so well now, he falls after a while. But, really enjoys sitting up to play. He is becoming such a big boy.

Happy seven months Luke!

School Pictures

Will had pictures done at his school last week, so I took Luke up to get a pic of them together. It should let you in, but if the password screen comes up the password is "stacey" and pictures are on pages 8 & 9.

Here are the links:

http://braveheart186.exposuremanager.com/p/holy_cross_preschool/e8148davissiblings35

http://braveheart186.exposuremanager.com/p/holy_cross_preschool/e8158davis36#photo_s

http://braveheart186.exposuremanager.com/p/holy_cross_preschool/e8045wdavis8

Goldfish and other thoughts from Will's on doctrine...

Last week I asked Will "why do we go to church?" and he answered "to sing and eat goldfish".

I thought he was pretty accurate on that one, because they do have goldfish for a snack every week. We're still working on the idea that we go to church to worship God.

At least he didn't say anything about monkeys...

If you haven't heard that story:

One day Will was holding his little Bible that he got at his dedication and he held it up in the air and as serious as could be said-

"My Bible says: No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"

Will's Chick Shoes

Will's Aunt Jade gave him these great Chick house slippers for Easter, I think they are so cute. He can't really walk in them, but it's adorable to see him try.

Big Boy Luke

Well, Luke has been eating solid food now for about a month and he loves it. He just started sitting in the booster chair at the table. He enjoys sitting at the table with the rest of the family.

We have been giving him a few fruit puffs to let him start working on feeding himself, but they keep disappearing off his tray. Will???




We can't get the food to his mouth fast enough.

I just think there's nothing cuter than a messy faced baby!

Spoke to soon?

Will is napping today, I can hardly believe it. But, I'm truly thankful for the down time today. The only thing I can think of is that I gave him Claritin this morning, maybe it helps him sleep? Well, I'm off to lay down for a few minutes while I can.

Sleep!

Well, I have to say how thankful I am that Luke is beginning to sleep through the night. I think I've had 3 nights in a row now that I haven't had to get out of bed. Now I'm going to start catching up on all that sleep that I've missed for the past 7 or so months. So wonderful!!!

But, as Luke is becoming a better sleeper, Will is deciding to stop taking naps. Afternoon naps was the only time that I can guarantee that they are both quiet and not right next to me. I just don't understand how a 2 year old doesn't need a nap? I've been trying quiet time in his room every day, but I think I'm about to break down and just have movie time. It's against everything I'd like to believe that I stand for, but I've got to have some down time.

Well, Will is yelling at me from his room so I guess his "quiet time" is over now.