Birthday Parties

My kids were born 5 days apart. Ok, Two years, and five days. 

Birthday girl!

I wanted to make sure that their birthday parties were special, but because we don't live super close to our families, we had to have them on the same day. It surprisingly worked really well! 

Maddie had a Pink Lemonade party, and Charlie had a Firetruck party! We kept it pretty simple, with simple decorations, and food. The whole time, I kept thinking, "I'm hosting TWO birthday parties today, but I feel less stressed than ever!"

First Birthday Cake

It was so much fun to watch Maddie at her party. I'm not sure that she really knew what to do! 

Charlie in his fireman gear!

Charlie's party was very relaxed, I think we were all worn out after eating, and presents at Maddie's party! We opened presents, and then...

At the Fire Station

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...went to the Fire Station! A few weeks before his birthday, I found out that the fire stations do free tours for birthday parties, so I called right away and scheduled a time for us to come! Charlie LOVED it! We learned about what they do, and how the station runs on a volunteer basis. Charlie got to sit in all of the fire trucks, and got to meet the fire fighters! 

It was a VERY long day, but it was so, so good!

Around the House

Summer flew by, and the mix of staying up late and not having a set schedule has come to and end. It was a great summer, filled with ice cream, bare little legs, zoo trips, grilling, flip flops, parades, fair food, and extra baths!

 Sweet baby

On the scrambler with my dad, and nephew

Charlie riding the motorcycles with his cousin

This year, Charlie was able to participate in the parades!

We had a WONDERFUL summer, but boy am I loving this beautiful fall that we're having!

Update

Guys, it's been way too long. The end of the summer, was a mess of finding out HUGE news (Yep, we'll get there!) sickness, and trying to enjoy the last few weeks before fall came.

In the summertime, I love enjoying an iced coffee from Starbucks, but instead of them making me feel good, and cool...I ended up feeling sick. EVERY TIME. It seemed so unfair, but I didn't really think anything of it. A couple weeks after giving up on coffee, we figured out the answer. I'm pregnant! We're so excited to welcome a new little one in early April, right around Eastertime. It's crazy thinking that Maddie will be a big sister, and I'm definitely unsure of how it will work...living in a two bedroom apartment, but I know that God has big plans for this little one. Now that I'm FINALLY feeling better, I'm hoping to get back into a regular blogging routine! I have a lot of new ideas and recipes to share, and of course some funny kidisms too :)

Proverbs Bible Study (Week 4)

Here are my notes from this past week! I learned a lot, again! I feel like there are a lot of the same themes popping up throughout all of the chapters so far...one in particular for me was to think before I speak. Any that are coming up over and over again for you?

Proverbs 14 

14:1 I viewed this as building up her family. With words and actions, she can easily build up or tear down her family.

14:6 I need to learn to listen to The Lord more often when I'm needing discernment.

14:7 Keep away from those who lie/tempt you

14:11 Those who believe will live eternally, but those who do not, will be destroyed.

14:12 Do not follow the way of man, but instead, follow the way of God.

14:15 I need to remember to think about what I hear, before taking someone else's word.

14:17 I'm usually very quick-tempered. It's something that I'm always working on and praying about.

14:21 Blessed is he who is kind to the needy!! We need to live and love like Jesus did. We need to love everyone...not just those who we think "deserve" it.

14:26 Those who fear The Lord will have a firm foundation. Their kids will always know that they are safe.

14:28 A large population is a king's glory!! This is NOT how our world currently views high population rates. I thought that this was interesting!

14:29 I'm also constantly praying for patience...

14:30 LOVED this verse. I think it might become my new motto, and I'm going to have to find numerous places in my home to put it. I'm constantly reminding myself that I need to be content with where I am, and with what I have.

Image from pinterest.com

Proverbs 15

15:1 We are currently working on parenting differently,  and using gentle words when disciplining the kids.

15:8 He doesn't want sacrifices from those who are wicked.

15:12 A wicked man wants to do things his own way.

15:15  A cheerful heart has a continual feast! Loved this one too, and I think I'm going to display this one too!

15:28 Think what you say before saying it.

15:30 Humility comes before honor.

Proverbs 16

16:1 If you listen, The Lord will give you the correct answer

16:2 It's not necessarily what you do that might be wrong, but the motive behind it.

16:3 Give all of your  plans to God.

16:4 Everything happens for the good of The Lord.

16:9 God's plans are far greater than our own!

16:18 Pride goes before destruction

16:20 Always trust in The Lord. This is definitely easier said than done!

16:24 This will be a new way of life for me. I will try to remember to always use pleasant words.

I hope that you learned something this week! Please share questions/comments in the comment section below!

Proverbs Bible Study (Week 3)

Sorry this is a couple of days late! We were gone all weekend, and I didn't have a chance to get my study done until today! I have SO many underlined parts in my Bible now...things that I want to be able to look back at and to remember. I hope you are learning as much as I am! Here's my notes:

Proverbs 9

9:2 She prepared her meat, mixed her wine and set her table.

She was preparing for her guests, and was taking care of their needs. I think her desire is to provide and care for others, and to lead them to God.

9:7 I have personally noticed this many times while arguing or debating. Many people end up getting very defensive, and name-calling, and hurting others.

9:8-9 If you rebuke, or correct, a man, he will love you. I truly struggle with correction...I usually view it as a failure on my part, instead of help.

9:10 Learn to fear the Lord, study His word, and know Him.

Proverbs 10

10:1 I have seen this, in the relationship with my parents, and myself as I was growing up. Some decisions that I made, caused them pain.

10:2 Righteousness=Jesus. He delivered us from death.

10:4 Instead of being lazy, and putting off undesirable jobs, just do them and get them done with. 

10:5 Be wise, and store up your goods. Keep them until you need them.

10:7 Memories of the righteous will be a blessing. 

10:12 Love covers all wrongs. 

10:14 Wise men store up knowledge. Continue reading the Bible, and studying His word, so that you can store up knowledge.

10:17 Whoever ignores correction leads others astray (Proverbs 6:17!!)

10:19 He who holds his tongue is wise. 

This is actually something that I do often, and have been viewing it as a bad thing!

10:21 The lips of the righteous nourish many

How many of us are trying to nourish our families through the food we eat? We should be more focused on nourishing their souls with the Word of God.

10:24 Things that I dread or fear will overtake me.

10:29 HE WILL SAVE US OR DENY US. Probably THE most important lesson to understand.

Image from bible-quote.deviantart.com

Proverbs 11

11:1 Don't tip the scales to make you look better.

11:2 With humility comes wisdom

11:4 What a HUGE statement. Wealth is fun for now, but it's better to be faithful and to follow God's teachings.

11:5 I thought that the first part of the verse was referring to Jesus' life and death.

11:7-8 The wicked man was rich on this earth, but it truly gave him nothing.

11:10 Our culture loves seeing stories of people who "do good , and prosper", and also stories of those who do bad and are punished.

11:12 Be understanding, instead of judging

11:14 I see this in my own home. It takes a lot of insight and ideas from others, when it comes to raising children.

11:16-17 Be kind.

11:23 There are so many examples of the future of the righteous vs. the future of the wicked

11:24-25 This isn't only talking about money, but life. The more you give, the more blessed you will be.

11:26 Less is more.

11:28 Do not trust in yourself, but in Jesus.

Proverbs 12

12:1 Be open to guidance from others.

12:4 This was SO convicting for me! A lot of days, I need to find a better attitude.

12:9 Be humble.

12:11 Be responsible

12:15 See verse 1

12:18-19 Be careful, and think about what you say to others.

12:22 Always be truthful

12:25 Build others up

Proverbs 13

13:7 Be humble

13:11 If you continue to do things correctly and faithfully, little by little your blessings will grow.

13:1, 13, 14, 18 All of these verses were about seeking instruction. I'm beginning to think that this is very important! :)

**Please add thoughts or questions to the comments! **

Convictions

Do you ever have any of those moments that feel like you have been sucker-punched? That make you think "How could I even THINK that?" I had one the other day.

Since moving, I have felt like my apartment is cluttered. All of our stuff has been piled into places just to get it out of the main areas. Last week, I had finally had enough. I decided that it was time to tackle the mess, and get it in order! I made a list and got to it. The kids were pretty good, but it seemed that they were getting in my way...I couldn't organize one thing without them destroying something else. I was frustrated.

Over the weekend though, it hit me. I was not seeing them as blessings as the Bible says we should. I was viewing them as burdens. My head spun. My heart ached. All I wanted to do was cry, and hug my babies. 

Instead of talking over them, and looking in their direction, I took a step back and watched them. Watched their faces light up as they played together, watched Maddie pull herself up and walk around the couch all by herself. Watched Charlie meticulously build a tower out of his blocks. My heart was bursting, yet filled with regret. I love these kids. They had no idea how I was feeling, but came to me when I asked for a hug. 

This week, I'm focusing on them. Giving them what they need, and the attention and love that they need. I still have things to get done around here, but that comes second!

Love them.

I'm thankful for those moments that make me stand back and see the mistakes that I'm making. I know there will be many more!

Homemade Bug Spray

I've been working my way towards a chemical-free lifestyle. What does this mean? It means that I don't use any more conventional cleaning products...things like, comet (this used to be my favorite bathroom cleaner), Clorox wipes (hello, easy toilet cleaning!), or even seventh generation products which seem to be relatively safe. Instead, I use a vinegar/water solution, about a 1:1 ratio. This kills germs, leaves things looking nice and shiny, and this way Charlie is allowed to help too!

I'm also very careful with products that I put on our skin. For the kiddos, I use soap from the farmers market at bath time, and coconut oil for a moisturizer when they need it. 

This summer, the bugs have been horrific. I don't want to send my kids out without bug spray, and definitely don't want to use "regular" bug spray on them. Have you read the ingredients? Interesting enough, they only put 5% of the ingredients on the website...the rest are just labeled as "other ingredients". SO, instead of using something like that on the kids, I decided to make my own. I found this recipe on pinterest, and had Mike make it up (I had to change a few things, because we didn't have epsom salts, and I added another oil.)! I had to reapply it a few times, but haven't had ANY bug bites since using it! If you're needing something great, and safe to use on yourself and kids, try this!

All Natural Bug Spray

8 oz. water

8 drops purification essential oil

8 drops peppermint essential oil

8 drops lavender essential oil (mosquitoes stay away from lavender!)

pinch of baking soda

1. Mix the oils and baking soda together. This will keep the oils from separating from the water.

2. Mix the baking soda mixture with the water.

3. Pour into a spray bottle.

4. Spray!

I hope this works for you as well as it has for us!