What happens when Nee-Nee babysits?

My nephew, Asher, and niece, Tatum, call me "Nee-Nee". We have no idea where Asher came up with it 2 years ago, but it has stuck. And, I love it!

I had Lish's kids this morning and this is what we did...

First, we drew on our faces. (They did this in the 30 seconds that I had my back turned)



Then I made a T-Rex out of Play-Doh. This was Asher's request for me... Please don't laugh.

Okay, laugh.... it doesn't look anything like a T-Rex!

Then I got Tatum to practice her new "CHEESE" face.

Fun was had by all!

Heart, shoulder, big muscles and brains.

Reagan and I were sitting down for some quiet time this morning and I read the following passage to her (a couple of times for emphasis).

Luke 10:27: He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself'."

I then asked her to repeat what I said... it went like this:

Me: "Reagan, can you repeat this verse? "Love the Lord your God with all your ________"

Reagan: "Heart!" (Woo Hoo! She was listening!)

Me: "and with all your ______"?

Reagan: "Shoulder!" (hmmmm?)

Me: "and with all your _______"? (I pointed to my arm and flexed)

Reagan: "Big Muscles!" (funny because my arm muscles are no where near big)

Me: "and with all your ______"? (pointing to my head)

Reagan: "Brains!" (Nice.)

So... here is Reagan's version of Luke 10:27

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your shoulder and with all your big muscles and with all your brains"....

If God has the sense of humor I like to think He does, then that made Him smile this morning! It sure made my morning.

Fun with Flicker!

Check this out... I saw this on Lisa's blog and I had to try it! You can click here to see your own names this way. Enjoy!

7 years...

7 years ago, we said "I do"...

Fast forward through those 7 wonderful years to today and I love him more than I thought possible.

He makes me laugh every single day.

He is amazing with our 2 beautiful kids.

I love you Sean--- more every day.

Happy Anniversary!

S.O.M.E. still...

Diet Pepsi Update...

So, it has been a week.

A whole week.

A whole week with no cheating, people!

I wish I could tell you how much better I feel. Really. It sounds so hokey, but I'm not kidding! I don't have that "fullness in the head" feeling and I don't crash in the afternoon anymore.

I don't crave it anymore either... almost.

Oh, and I really like Earl Grey tea!

The National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families

The National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families is sponsoring a golf tournament on August 22nd. Sean is going to play in this tournament in order to support this fantastic organization. If you aren't familiar with the National Coalition-- click here to read about them.

If you would like to sponsor Sean and help reach the fundraising goal-- click here.

Thank you!!!

Oooooooooooo!

This is Ian's "ooooooo" face. (think "oo" as in gOOse).

It is hysterical and I LOVE it!

Balance

I'm doing this great bible study called Balanced Living and I'm loving it! (thanks Lish!)
Today I came across this paragraph and it made me really think... I thought I'd share it with all of you!

"God promises that the person who fears Him and delights in His Word will be 'like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever [she] does prospers' (Psalm 1:3). The roots of such trees grow deep because they receive an endless supply of water. They are healthy and are able to yield fruit in season; their leaves do not wither and they give shade to others.
While our final destination-- our hope-- is to be planted by the stream, some of us presently find ourselves in shallow pots. The master gardener has some of us in itty-bitty pots inside His greenhouse, where we are protected and allowed to germinate. Others have graduated from the greenhouse to larger terra-cotta pots, where they catch glimpses of both the freedom and the refreshment that being planted by streams can bring. Some are cut back or pruned so that they will grow to be healthier plants. Others have been recently planted next to the streams. Their roots are just starting to sink deeper, and sometimes it is a bit scary when the storms try to shake their confidence in their new found home. Still others are like giant oak trees-- well rooted, strong, sturdy and certain of their place and position by the stream. Their thirst has been satisfied."

Isn't that good? I love a good allegory.

Day 1

Today is Day 1.

Day one of what, you ask?

Day ONE of no more Diet Pepsi for Lindsey.

I know, I know. It isn't good for me. But, I have been hooked (okay, addicted) for a long time. Too long. It was my indulgence. (along with Tillamook Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream, but that's for a different post)

It took a lot of reading (specifically about the effects of aspartame) to convince me that I needed to do this. You see, I am very careful about what I feed my children, but I'll pump my own body full of chemically created sugars?? That doesn't make sense. So, I'm finally biting the bullet. I have no more Diet pop (or any sort of soda product) in the house anywhere and I've committed to not buying more. We'll see how this goes.

I've taken a liking to some teas, which helps, because water is really boring all the time.

Ugh. This is going to be hard.

A day at the park...

My sis and I decided to take the kids to a fun park today-- they fill up a great wading pool at 11:30 and the kids can kick around in it and soak up some incredible Northwest sunshine (it's in the 80's today!). We were extra blessed today when we realized there were some fun activities going on.

There were a group of kids from an Awana camp in the park. They were singing songs, doing puppet shows, painting faces and making animal balloons. It was great! The kids ranged in age from early teens to 16-17 (maybe). Here is the best part.... these kids had amazing ways to intertwine the Gospel into every single thing they did with the kids. It was spectacular to watch. When Reagan and Asher were getting their faces painted, the kids painting told them about Christ. Amazing.

Then, as we were getting ready to leave, 3 young boys approached Reagan and Asher and asked if they wanted a bracelet. On the bracelet were colored beads, each representing a point in the Gospel. (I'm sure you've seen a bracelet like this before) The boys were so humble and genuinely cared about our kids. They took their time and told Reagan and Asher what each color on the bracelet meant... in terms they could understand. I cannot begin to tell you what it felt like to see someone sharing Christ with my child.

In a world where selfishness seems to reign, this was the most refreshing thing to witness. These kids, who are at such a critical age (teenagers), put aside all of their pride and desires to be "cool" and oozed the love of Christ.