Happy Birthday Big Girl

My sweet Noel Marie is 3!


Noel you are silly.  So so silly!  You like to make faces and tickle and even seem to get jokes already.

Noel you are a good mama to your babies.  They are all named "Baby".  Talking Baby, Sleeping Baby, New Baby, Soft Baby.....all Baby.  You tuck them in at night, give them bottles, bounce them when they are sad.  You are going to be a great mommy some day.

Noel, you like all things PINK.  Your favorite book is even Pinkalicious.  You want a pink room, pink clothes and pink blankets.

Your favorite thing in the whole world is MiMi your blanket.  It's Pink and it's a quilt that my grandma Luter made for me when I was a baby.  You never go to bed without it.

You LOVE candy and sweets.  Oh dear, do you love them.

I love you sweet silly girl!  You are my little baby girl and even though you tell me you are big, you will always be my baby girl.

Sisters

I never had a sister.  I have one brother.  I'm not sad that I never had a sister.  I love my brother and love the family God gave me.  Yet....I LOVE that these girls are sisters.  Something extremely sweet and, this word sounds weird, but secret about sisters.  Secret because they are so much the same, yet so different.  They can look at each other even with the huge age difference (10 yrs) and giggle at each other with an unknown between them secret.
Big sister teaches little sister so much about things.  How to feel pretty, how to bug big brothers, how to obey parents, how to give really good hugs...they are teachers unaware.
Little sisters teach too.  They teach how to be silly, how to be courageous and try new things, how to be sweet and tender, how to love big brothers.  She too is a teacher unaware.
I love them.  I love that they are sisters.  I love that they learn from each other how to enjoy life, to enjoy God, to enjoy the life God gave them together.

Sisters are special.

Things They Remember

James IV recently won the "Coach's Award" for his Middle School track team.  What is that?  It's an award for being respectful, helpful, doing his best, achieving his goals and being kind to his team mates.  It's an award that makes parents tear up with pride.  I know his Daddy let some tear pool up in his eyes as he saw James show it to him with immense pride.  His Dad looked at him and said  "this is something I want you to remember, awards for being like Christ".  Then I teared up.

That award started a conversation in the van on the way home that somewhat broke my heart.  We were talking about things that we remember from our young life.  Things that were said or awards we won.  One of the older kids broke my heart with this.  "I remember when I stood up for what I thought was right and told an adult that all the swearing was bothering me and they said I was too sensitive to get over it - I've never thought the same about that person".  Woah.   That was significant to them.  Oh how our words can change a person.  I felt a bit heartbroken that some of their sweet innocence was  lost.  That innocence that tells them if they tell an adult in a respectful way that something wrong bothers them they will be admired.
It was a moment that made me stop and think about my own words.  How they will be remembered?  I need to pray over my words each morning.
Oh the things they remember....may they be sweet and grow them closer to God.

Then the Hard Drive Went.....

I started blogging.  I had great intentions of it being a regular thing.  Then our computer died and it took a while to replace.  While I can access the internet on my Kindle or Husband's phone there was no way I was going to blog on a phone.  

I will blog soon.  I have a million thoughts floating around in my head and heart.  

I will leave you with a family picture.....for fun.  

Competition

Tonight is the BIG game!  The BIG one...U of M vs...someone for the NCAA Championship.
I guarantee you these two teams know they are in a competition.  They are fighting to win!
I also read a great blog post today about Motherhood.  It's competition too..isn't it?
Me?  Sometimes I feel like I'm in a competition on a daily basis.  One I didn't sign up for, but find myself in all too often.  The motherhood competition.  Am I a great Mom?  Sometimes it's not until someone responds to you do you realize you were comparing or being compared with.  That second feeling is the hardest for me to understand.  Why would anyone compare their life to mine and try to "one up" me or think that what I am doing has anything to do with them?  It baffles me.  Then I realize I do the same thing.  I see others that have something in their relationship with their kids, or the type of home that they have and I feel the need to compare myself.  WHY?  Am I really that shallow?  The answer?  Yes.  I am.  Not always but on days when I'm not grounded in God's Word and I get involved with thoughts that I have not taken captive.  Yes I am.    Seeing real competition on TV is making me realize that I am in a race.  I need to stay in the right race.  Not the race to see who is the better mom, the thinner mom, the happier mom or the financially secure mom. There is a race set out for us.
So I need to remember...Hebrews 12:1b-2a......let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith 
I loved this blog post and encourage all you mom's to read it.  We just need to be good moms to our kids, the way God calls us to.
http://lysaterkeurst.com/2013/04/the-day-my-fragile-identity-as-a-mom-melted/

Happy Birthday To My Husband

Dear Husband,
I am so happy today to celebrate YOU!  You are the most wonderful man I know.  I love you from the depths of my heart.  There are so many things about you that I admire and respect.  You take care of us so well. We have never needed anything and for that I thank you.  I am even allowed the privilege of my only job being raising our 4 kids every day rather than having to leave the house.  I am so blessed.   You spend time with us playing.  It's a good time when Daddy is home to play!  You love me unconditionally.  Faults, failures and bad breath.....I have never once doubted your devotion to me.
Husband there is one thing I admire more than anything else.  It's that you are constantly changing.  Not personality wise or even in looks but you are constantly striving to be what God wants you to be.  You follow HIM each and every day and I see that clearly in your life, and ultimately in our life.  You are not the man I married - you are better because of your choices and desires to love God most.
Thank you dear husband for all that you do.  I appreciate your work, your mind that keeps our life organized and financially secure, your willingness to be a kid and be silly with us.
I love you.

GO BLUE!!

5 Years Old!

My little boy turned 5 yesterday.  It seems as thought This Day was just a week or so ago.  This year he sat to open his gifts and read his birthday card from Grandma all by himself.

I am so grateful for this little wonder that is the child I pray for so many years for.  He has been the biggest blessing and I have learned so much from him.

I love being his Mommy and I pray that as he grows, as much as he loves his mommy and his mommy loves him, he love God more.

Reading his card all by himself.