My "Baby"

 Wednesday night Bethi went to sleep in her crib by herself for the first time and she was fine last night as well. She's been so restless the last couple of weeks as I would try to put her to sleep, like she couldn't get comfortable. I finally realized she was trying to tell me she was ready to bridge that mini-milestone. She's been putting herself back to sleep when she wakes in the middle of the night for many weeks now but I was continuing our bedtime routine out of habit. Just her way of making room for the new baby, I guess :). It was a bittersweet moment when I laid her down and she simply rolled over and got comfy, not even looking back as I left the room...sniff, sniff...I'll be O.K....

:).

Learning to Read in the 21st Century

  Tori brought out her magnetic letters yesterday and was attempting to spell "dog", but instead of a D she kept trying to use the B. Instead of telling her her mistake I told her to sound it out. She did and quickly realized that she hadn't spelled "dog" so she sounded it out a couple more times..."B-O-G...B-O-G...I know!!! I spelled blog!!!" :).

It's Here!

  My new camera, that is. Now Lee just has to teach me how to use it... I have faith that he's up to the challenge...he taught me how to drive a stick shift as newlyweds :). Besides, it HAS to be easier than checkers!!!

Even a Diaper Change Can Prove Amusing...

Said by our 4 year old as she was bringing me the A&D ointment so I could finish changing the baby's diaper:

"Here mom! Here's her DNA!"

Third Trimester Insomnia

    That is why I have had the time to make two posts in one day :). I don't remember having it with Bethani or Tori. It was really bad with Bri but, being my first, I was able to nap through out the day if I needed to. The last two nights I have averaged four hours of sleep and my morning sickness is worse than ever, probably from being tired. Yet, as they say, "this too shall pass", and a year from now I'll wish the time had moved even more slowly.

   The girls are sitting at the table; Bri with her cursive lesson, Tori with her "math", and Bethi with her color book. The last few days Bethani has had to get up in her little booster seat with a crayon and color book, her "school",  any time the other two are at the table working. It is so cute :).

   We had a cozy Father's Day. Bri made Lee a Maple Twist Coffee Cake all by herself for breakfast. He already knew that we were making his favorite cherry cookies and a pumpkin pie so he wasn't expecting the coffee cake. Bri made it last year as well and had used vanilla instead of maple flavoring in the dough by accident so she did it again this year, on purpose, for "tradition's sake" :). The girls had cut out their own confetti and brought it out in little cups from their kitchen set. The idea, of course, was to come out and shower daddy with the confetti while shouting "Happy Father's Day!". Well, Tori had never done this before and threw the whole cup, pelting him with papers and something a little harder, to make it even funnier they did it from behind :). He was definitely taken by surprise :)! Don't worry, it didn't hurt ;). We put the girls hand prints on a T-shirt for him. I wish I had run the video camera when I was doing that with them all by myself! And we gave him a table top game house, he has been trying to teach me to play checkers on it :). We played three times last night and of course he won every time! Now, doesn't it make sense to you all that a mom should be great at checkers?! Is it not in the very fiber of a mother to be aware of every situation and tuned in to every possible crisis that could at any moment befall any of her children? Have you other moms never had to "rescue" three little people, or more,  at one time? Well, you would think that would translate into a great checkers player...you would think... :).

   Lee got me a digital camera yesterday! I don't actually have it yet, it will take a few days to receive and then he's got to teach me how to use it :). It looks rather imposing but I'm feeling kind of brave after what I accomplished on my blog the other day :). I'm hoping it will make it easier to keep up with pictures, we have five rolls sitting here just waiting to be developed! I'm hoping to get some practice in after it comes by posting a few pictures of our home and maybe a "Day In Our Life" post, I think that would be fun. But, for now I'll leave you with the most recent picture of my three mini-maidens, don't they look "rosy in red"?

   Now, I'm off to cut out a dress for Bri. With the choices in the stores these days I'm slowly coming to terms with the fact that I will likely be making a lot of the girls clothing someday in the future, I better start perfecting my technique now!

On Babies, Birthdays, and Kings!

  Tuesday was Tori's first "Heavenly Birthday". We actually celebrated on Monday because Lee had to work all day Tuesday. We went to the zoo that afternoon, we get season passes so that is a favorite thing to do around here! That evening we had our traditional heavenly birthday cake, angel food cake, of course. We shape it round to signify His gift of eternal life, frost it white for the clean heart God gives us when we're born into His family, sprinkle it with hearts that remind us of God's love and flowers that remind us of new life, and a candle to remind us to let our lights shine among men :). We gave Tori her gift, her first "real" bible she can actually touch :)! For Christmas the girls got collectible bibles for their hope chests and Tori is CONSTANTLY wanting to get it out and peruse it, she was so excited to get a bible of her very own to have for "everyday". We have bibles all over the house, but we all know there is no bible like *your* bible :). On Tuesday we had our "Tuesday Tea" and I made muffins since we hadn't made them for "Muffin Morning Monday", Lee fixed us a "real" breakfast instead ;). We stuck a candle in it to sing again since that was her "real" day. Heavenly birthdays have been a very special tradition and I'm so glad we were able to start it when we did.

   Wednesday our littlest one turned 27 weeks :). We are now in the third trimester, the home stretch :). I can't believe how quickly the time is passing! Only 121/2 weeks to go until the due date. How exciting! I can't wait to see Bethi with a baby. She said baby for the first time today, actually it was "bay bay" :). I have an appointment on Monday and they will be doing the sugar test, yeah... after this I think all of the really unpleasant stuff will be behind me!

   Thursday I spent hours transferring home videos from our recorder to tapes, ugh...I've got to start getting to that more often! You should have seen poor Bethani try to figure out that one! She just sat in the middle of the living room floor looking from me to the TV wondering, I'm assuming of course: A) How did mommy get in the TV B) If she is in the TV than how is she still here with me C) Which one do I listen to?! Every time "mommy" on the TV would say something like "Come here, Bethani" she would look at me, look at the TV, and then get up and toddle over to me, it was so cute. Bri and Tori had more fun watching her than they did watching the videos!

   Yesterday and today have been spent in a flurry of activity getting ready for one of our favorite days of the year, the celebration of the king of our earthly abode, otherwise known as Father's Day :). Baking, crafting, wrapping, etc. What a blessing he is in our lives! He is a great father and a wonderful husband. I am so privileged to see our girls growing up with such a strong example of manhood to take with them into their "grown up" lives, what a difference it will make in the long run. My heart just melts watching all of the little ones "attack" him when he gets home :). Last night he didn't get home until the other two had gotten to bed but Bethi and I were cuddled on the couch and as soon as she heard his key in the lock her little eyes lit up and she started talking :). When he came over to tell her goodnight she wouldn't let him go :). So, daddy got to put her to bed last night. Do you ever wonder what you did to deserve the blessings you've been given? I'm having one of those moments right now :). Oh, that's right! I did nothing, it is all by God's grace...Praise God for His grace!!!

   Here's something to make you smile :). The other day Tori called to me from the living room while I was making supper and said, "You know what? God is an Everlasting God.". "You're right Tori, where did you hear that?" I asked out of curiosity, because I couldn't remember ever putting it that way to her before. "Because", she answered, "God is an Everlasting God because He never ends just like an Everlasting Gobstopper.". God can even use a fictional candy to teach His truths to a four year old :).

"Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable." ~Isaiah 40:28

Just Something to Think About...

     "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him will be gathered all of the nations, and he will separate people one from another like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And He will place the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world...Then He will say to those on His left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels...And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." ~Matthew 25: 31-34, 41, 46

   We often despair about the condition of our culture's youth but a while ago while reading this passage in Matthew it hit me, what can we expect when we're raising a bunch of goats?! I know it seems like such a small thing, and perhaps it is, but after studying these verses I have felt convicted every time I call my children "kids". Soon after coming to this conclusion for myself I ran across a very interesting article on this same subject by Nancy Campbell of Above Rubies that put it much better than I could. I want my children to grow up being comfortable with the sheep so they will end up on the Son of Man's right side, what better way to do that than to raise lambs, not kids!

 I am in no way implying that calling our children "kids" will hinder their salvation. Leading our children in the paths of righteousness will obviously take a lot more work than just calling them, or not calling them, certain things. Proverbs 23:7 says, "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:". Consciously calling my children "children" has just been one way of helping myself and my little ones think of themselves as children of the King and sheep that know His voice.