tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39805640814769801102024-03-04T22:20:29.190-08:00flying by the seat of my pantsramblings of a stay-at-home momEric and Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00632197900480269886noreply@blogger.comBlogger463125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980564081476980110.post-10638016587542042432014-07-19T12:58:00.003-07:002014-07-19T13:30:12.912-07:00a mommy's iPhone photos explained........ I'm just gonna go ahead and admit that this post is a complete and total ripoff of this post here: <a href="http://www.bustle.com/articles/32177-what-i-instagrammed-vs-what-was-really-happening-or-my-entire-life-is-a-lie">http://www.bustle.com/articles/32177-what-i-instagrammed-vs-what-was-really-happening-or-my-entire-life-is-a-lie</a>. In order to understand my post, you might want to follow ye ole link above and then come back.<br />
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Ready? None of these were instagrammed. Why? a.) I'm not on instagram, because 2.) I don't have the time. I haven't even blogged in 2 years. The baby who had celebrated her first birthday in one of my last posts is now 3 and has a baby brother named Seth, who is almost 6 months old. I've been busy. Plus, I kinda think blogging is so over. But this was worth coming out of retirement for. So without further ado, here is my iPhone photo library explained.<br />
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<strong>THE CLEARLY STAGED PHOTO</strong><br />
<img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" height="960" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t1.0-9/10325297_10152056730685060_1309124399580688997_n.jpg" style="height: 580px; width: 326px;" width="540" /><br />
This is the only photo I have from my youngest child's baptism a few weeks ago. It was taken on my mom's iPhone. Considering I didn't even remember to take any photos on the day the older three children were baptized, I'm very proud of this shot. Even if it is from a weird angle and I look like I'm attempting a ballet position with my foot placement.<br />
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<strong>THE COFFEE + FEET SHOT</strong><br />
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I can't very well call this the coffee + shoes shot because who wears shoes around the house? It should be noted that this particular cup of coffee was poured a little after 7am and tasted wonderful at 2pm when I finally got to drink it, after microwaving it twice. If you look closely, you can see the freakish flip flop tan lines I have on my feet. Those are not courtesy of a relaxing beach vacay. I got them while swinging kids in the backyard.<br />
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<strong>THE WATER CLEANSE SHOT</strong><br />
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I'm not attempting a water cleanse on purpose, but like most moms of young un's, I don't eat my first meal until late afternoon. Occasionally, I've been stirring a spoonful of sugar into my water to ward off the mid-morning shakes. Wreaks havoc on the waistline, but at least I'm conscious.<br />
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<strong>THE ULTIMATE SELFIE</strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-yuLwVRsUFmXmozJeYDEiDmiGqngv8p3hnrP29ZnVtD3EVeSvSJC83vUE_haap7EtM2i0tNIxRCH4MNqUmi-iWvn2C0t22K-seLQSzsb48poB-7cgrHV1nro6kNAbfvyRzQFrnluYRbKs/s1600/048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-yuLwVRsUFmXmozJeYDEiDmiGqngv8p3hnrP29ZnVtD3EVeSvSJC83vUE_haap7EtM2i0tNIxRCH4MNqUmi-iWvn2C0t22K-seLQSzsb48poB-7cgrHV1nro6kNAbfvyRzQFrnluYRbKs/s1600/048.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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So, while this is not a true selfie because I didn't take it myself, it is the closest thing I've got to a selfie. I don't take selfies. I think its kind of weird when people do. I don't know why, it just strikes me as a little odd. This was taken by my 3 year old. Looks like I'm either singing a song or trying to read a book to another child, while holding the baby. Let it be noted that the children are not supposed to have my phone, ever. So this was a renegade photo op.<br />
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<strong>THE GOURMET FOOD SHOT</strong><br />
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You are looking at my children and some dear friends eating pizza off of paper plates. Y'all, to a mom, that is gourmet. You have fellowship plus food no one will complain about. Gourmet. Notice, we apparently didn't have enough seating to accommodate everyone, so my son is sitting on a stepladder. We're all class here, folks.<br />
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<strong>THE SHOES PICTURE</strong><br />
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Notice the large black box in the background I have provided for shoe storage. Clearly, not one of us shoe wearers could be bothered. Me included, because those are my hot pink flip flops. Yes, the same ones responsible for my exotic foot tan. I love the dirty sock just lying there. There is only one, though. There are two sneakers so I'm left wondering what happened to that other sock. My guess is that the child who was wearing the sneakers is either still wearing one sock or was only wearing one sock to begin with. Because kids do weird things like that.<br />
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<strong>THE PRODUCE DRAWER SHOT</strong><br />
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I don't go to the farmer's market any more. Don't have the time and when I do, I choose to nap. I'm tired, y'all. You'll have to settle for a peek into my produce drawer. These are peaches bought at Sam's over a week ago. They were not good so no one will eat them. I can't bring myself to throw them out and I haven't been able to muster up the energy or time to put them into something edible, like a cobbler. Deep down I know farmer's market peaches would be better. Perhaps I should skip my nap today.<br />
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<strong>POOL DAY PHOTOS</strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuZL2L6Wg4XweojGwapYSsrM-Zj05ZdHZFbwKx1sf21-iVsY0A5SaOgCHbn-muFtGMsoOYm1XnufE3FYnMpDTSgJtP7YFf10Hc3lcA7vXNkaKob2zKe5SsslD51bc5vsRdkDC4zYvY8PDn/s1600/155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuZL2L6Wg4XweojGwapYSsrM-Zj05ZdHZFbwKx1sf21-iVsY0A5SaOgCHbn-muFtGMsoOYm1XnufE3FYnMpDTSgJtP7YFf10Hc3lcA7vXNkaKob2zKe5SsslD51bc5vsRdkDC4zYvY8PDn/s1600/155.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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We went to the pool on Tuesday. I forgot to put sunscreen on folks. Everyone got sunburned, including the infant. I felt like a terrible mom. We came home and I asked the kids to please put everything on the back patio to dry. It is now Saturday. Everything out there has been rained on. Twice. The end.<br />
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<strong>THE COOL PASTRY</strong><br />
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This is my son's birthday cake from his third birthday. In 3 weeks, that will have been 2 years ago. I didn't bake this cake. I asked a baby sitter to please bake it for me because I totally forgot to do it. Yes, my son had a sitter ON HIS BIRTHDAY. I had a surgery consult appointment that took precedence that day. I was gone for almost 4 hours. This "pastry" is so cool to me because my dear husband free-handed that Batman logo with gel icing. No small feat indeed. At least my son has an awesome dad.<br />
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<strong>THE "I AM PRODUCTIVE" SHOT</strong><br />
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I was up at 5:20am to feed this little man, who never went back to sleep. So, I did what any mother interested in self preservation would do. I took him out to the living room and put him in the swing where I knew he would be happy and might fall back to sleep. I went back to my bed, and closed the door so his happy babbling wouldn't keep me awake. I got another hour of sleep, only to be awakened by my oldest child asking if she could get the now sleeping baby out of the swing and play with him. I said, "Absolutely not.", drug my exhausted self out of bed, and made breakfast for the 3 other children. I was productive and it was early.<br />
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I don't have a <strong>FLOWERS ARE PRETTY </strong>shot. No because I'm too busy for fresh flowers. No, it actually keeps me sane to keep some pretties in a vase on my table. However, this particular week I never made it to Walmart to get some.Eric and Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00632197900480269886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980564081476980110.post-31158794137626400742012-05-18T12:35:00.000-07:002012-05-18T12:35:04.335-07:00PHOTOS!!!!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmmR7NxVIL_wXq9FgiM6L-bEZ14RUDNZyQ27DGj4xsUwWje8hJJeLmGk1aoM9gl2A_WSDGcRL2TZIVG2sIwNw_Ka-YKgsKr_BRZccydDnlI0g4k1_foF8zNL5fCS10W-IERIyHhQQf9MvO/s1600/014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmmR7NxVIL_wXq9FgiM6L-bEZ14RUDNZyQ27DGj4xsUwWje8hJJeLmGk1aoM9gl2A_WSDGcRL2TZIVG2sIwNw_Ka-YKgsKr_BRZccydDnlI0g4k1_foF8zNL5fCS10W-IERIyHhQQf9MvO/s320/014.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In March, a certain someone turned 1!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4CaG0qG2QjEi-wbtqKBeCsvln6Ax0KGikJ2GNt9WG9eqpw1_GUb-elyG_MmT4RtwSGqa45MkAr1oTEXBZSRpp3_YUdniC7o8pj3pNGVd0-zzI6h5vY6vGkY5P0RfaP_SW1SVkPOAWucCX/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4CaG0qG2QjEi-wbtqKBeCsvln6Ax0KGikJ2GNt9WG9eqpw1_GUb-elyG_MmT4RtwSGqa45MkAr1oTEXBZSRpp3_YUdniC7o8pj3pNGVd0-zzI6h5vY6vGkY5P0RfaP_SW1SVkPOAWucCX/s320/011.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reading.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfFS1Zd0FRDWMkkPzY3JywHLmN7ThLJ4E0zs1F3xfRxI7VcwQoJETPh2HapE7aQHikBWBk8zWTfTQ7H-Hr0AYGmIW7GlbPKn1TfZqGY0ltmlBKXPm1JW37JRN_j9H-zj-AyXcnpKdcD8xJ/s1600/033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfFS1Zd0FRDWMkkPzY3JywHLmN7ThLJ4E0zs1F3xfRxI7VcwQoJETPh2HapE7aQHikBWBk8zWTfTQ7H-Hr0AYGmIW7GlbPKn1TfZqGY0ltmlBKXPm1JW37JRN_j9H-zj-AyXcnpKdcD8xJ/s320/033.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Torturing the baby. (Who actually really enjoys it.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiDLn2hfzRTBAFL3QPG2m9LO_xijY14N9VNn51IqgUEYwjIIJstNPgZcWF4ry5o9XjC1K9fToPwRoHAasXzCU1tjH5htk2lsugFcklQPbZys7xuS-0knSDHFWLSrLWFV8xiEfbupmkXUri/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiDLn2hfzRTBAFL3QPG2m9LO_xijY14N9VNn51IqgUEYwjIIJstNPgZcWF4ry5o9XjC1K9fToPwRoHAasXzCU1tjH5htk2lsugFcklQPbZys7xuS-0knSDHFWLSrLWFV8xiEfbupmkXUri/s320/008.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Water play in the front yard.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9hhHmpTv3SLV1xKv_IINCRzhv6xMUM0piGqjuc0MRM6QKpVlY88lqSuEvB96uShYX5RvBwG5upa-yBrCiQSejV5cqqnV6YjbBthY9jWq8CtslS_tXw81PpUxg6UClUr5bwVfXbd_qgDG/s1600/012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9hhHmpTv3SLV1xKv_IINCRzhv6xMUM0piGqjuc0MRM6QKpVlY88lqSuEvB96uShYX5RvBwG5upa-yBrCiQSejV5cqqnV6YjbBthY9jWq8CtslS_tXw81PpUxg6UClUr5bwVfXbd_qgDG/s320/012.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Communicating to mommy without words...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimqp25gZlNHYG1LRv6kwQq1flOjvTUKKJIrI4Ym-tMbVDe2G-ua0MZF_Psb4L14smCGbJqW5rTxTEJfWxNHqtxLUyT_971QQ0XhsLDnfzEH8abfzkwfhSusy3-QSRk6mGtyn4v4a3ZEw7z/s1600/bedhead.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimqp25gZlNHYG1LRv6kwQq1flOjvTUKKJIrI4Ym-tMbVDe2G-ua0MZF_Psb4L14smCGbJqW5rTxTEJfWxNHqtxLUyT_971QQ0XhsLDnfzEH8abfzkwfhSusy3-QSRk6mGtyn4v4a3ZEw7z/s320/bedhead.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wicked bedhead.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAKVz1YGZSAJaKna1FjkN9jkFoNzkBX6uu4hFXu1_KdX6oybY3hMUoF1ZoGn9NMDwntS68iG28-xv_Jv5ThL45CjQv-KS0O25pyD5DLK6ruoacQ7jrDk9vTyEV3rts6qZCAkHBCxe6siip/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAKVz1YGZSAJaKna1FjkN9jkFoNzkBX6uu4hFXu1_KdX6oybY3hMUoF1ZoGn9NMDwntS68iG28-xv_Jv5ThL45CjQv-KS0O25pyD5DLK6ruoacQ7jrDk9vTyEV3rts6qZCAkHBCxe6siip/s320/002.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">more reading!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY4quofp4bBeSzcS_a2qNOZJp6QnLPOXLrUnBYg-lRbMWTdqBPlUvFjWR5dzH5sODh0l6K0RiZ35F29Y_4ZBun0MsxkdOg2TtWZJ22n_kegk6ivuvIGtgfoG2GjpHBwuHXaESC_fkDza70/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY4quofp4bBeSzcS_a2qNOZJp6QnLPOXLrUnBYg-lRbMWTdqBPlUvFjWR5dzH5sODh0l6K0RiZ35F29Y_4ZBun0MsxkdOg2TtWZJ22n_kegk6ivuvIGtgfoG2GjpHBwuHXaESC_fkDza70/s320/003.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">what a rascal. pic got snapped a second too late. there was major straining involving tippy toes and all.<br />
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</tbody></table>Eric and Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00632197900480269886noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980564081476980110.post-81862022778000285542012-05-18T12:27:00.000-07:002012-05-18T12:27:04.955-07:00my kids can be witty....<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}">I have always suspected that the little people in this house are highly intelligent but today their brilliance was confirmed. Discovered that they have made a nasty old basketball their baby and have named it, "Poop." This way they can say things like, "I am going to throw poop at you." and "Come kiss my little poop." without consequence. Imagine my pride</span><br />
<br />
<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}">Today we were "swimming" in the small plastic pool we have in the yard. Daddy dearest was home for lunch, but as he had to go back to work, he was sitting off a bit from the revelry. At some point, Ethan walked over to him with a bucket full of water and a gleam in his eye. Eric reminded him, "I have to go back to work. I can't get wet, Buddy." At this, Ethan turns to me with a wicked gleam in his eye, points and says, "But you can."</span><br />
<br />
<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}">Yesterday Ethan was climbing into a small red rocking chair we have and jumping out of it. At one point, he turned around while in the chair to face the wall and I asked him, "Buddy, you going to try to jump out backwards?" My ever cautious middle child turns around to the front and says, "No, I'm gonna jump this-wards."</span><br />
<br />
<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}">Convo with Emory over breakfast.... "Mom, are we going to ever get a bigger house?" (we live in a small 3/1) "Why do you ask?" "Well, what I really want is a house with stairs, like Philip's house." "I'm not sure if we'll ever have a house with stairs. It depends on what we find when we are ready to move. Ella Margaret will have to get bigger before mommy is ready to move." "Well, then, can I go and live with Philip until you are ready?"<span class="fcg">.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"><span class="fcg">One evening last week we went to see a small friend's school choral performance. Afterwards we headed to Zaxby's, them for dinner and dessert for us. I was by myself with all 3 kids (who sat <strong><u>almost</u></strong> all the way through the one hour performance. Music is magical at our house!) My children were generously provided with a milkshake courtesy of the friend's grandfather. (The grandfather in this story is a dear friend, and has been a prominent figure in our church's denomination... that denomination being the PCA.) Hoping to drill home the difference that loving Jesus makes, I ask the kids on the way home, "What would make a man that generous to buy you a milkshake even if you are not his own grandchildren?" Emory says from the back of the van, "I bet he was born on the Sabbath. That has to be it, right mom?"<span class="fcg"> </span></span></span>Eric and Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00632197900480269886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980564081476980110.post-62686446087277174572012-04-02T07:56:00.000-07:002012-04-02T07:56:17.461-07:00Mark Twain...said the following....<br />
<br />
"<strong>Be careless in your dress if you will, but keep a tidy soul</strong>."<br />
<br />
AND<br />
<br />
"<strong>A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval</strong>."<br />
<br />
I love these and I'll explain why later. For now chew on this and let me know how it hits you. I'm off to shower while the kids rot their brains out in front of Sesame Street and the baby naps. Gotta dash!Eric and Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00632197900480269886noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980564081476980110.post-47003263559472226212012-04-01T21:57:00.000-07:002012-04-01T21:57:58.018-07:00She's a keeper!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5e0qncgyoeNebT2g0NqMQI6jFghHin_skdPBRc-GddogKm9oUgrHTCFva-DfLjFqkmdeb7YfKHiNXO8m_VHEcxTW8j469dOps0h9umcz3jE2o5L5A7MpPxzP-ewJad65QeZM4GSO5ThVn/s1600/em1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5e0qncgyoeNebT2g0NqMQI6jFghHin_skdPBRc-GddogKm9oUgrHTCFva-DfLjFqkmdeb7YfKHiNXO8m_VHEcxTW8j469dOps0h9umcz3jE2o5L5A7MpPxzP-ewJad65QeZM4GSO5ThVn/s320/em1.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
Want to know why we love this baby? Let me count the ways.... ok, I'll just give you ten. It's an appetizer, really. Here goes:<br />
<br />
1.) she's really cute. I mean, just look at that face!<br />
2.) she gives THE BEST kisses. She's the only one of my children thus far to love being kissed and to reciprocate the blessing. *LOVE*<br />
3.) she jabbers constantly in this really cute, non-feminine, guttural growl type noise. We have no idea what she's saying, but it cracks us up. Every time.<br />
5.) She sleeps anywhere. This is an invaluable tool.<br />
6.) She can go all day without a nap, be held up impossibly past her bedtime, and still charm the pants off of anyone. <br />
7.) She is almost always smiling. Seriously, we should have named her Joy. If she's crying, we tend to actually pay attention because she. never. cries. Never.<br />
8.) Have I mentioned how really cute she is. Just look at her. So kissable!<br />
9.) She mimics things we didn't even know we did. I think she'll probably be our ham. The class clown, if you will.<br />
10.) Doesn't back down from a fight. Can give it to big brother and sister as well as she can take it. She has even been known to provoke a fight or two. I love that she stands up for herself.<br />
<br />
I love this kid!Eric and Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00632197900480269886noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980564081476980110.post-658896623942875332012-03-24T07:53:00.000-07:002012-03-24T07:53:12.843-07:00all things good........ we recently took a road trip where nothing went according to my plans. Not a darn thing. I was frustrated, anxious, and even a bit irritated with God that my plans had been so hijacked. As I was licking my wounds on Monday morning, doing all the laundry that comes home with you after a road trip, and pondering how the frustrating things that happened on that trip could be considered good, it occurred to me that I had Romans 8:28 completely wrong. I've always read that as "God only sends good thing to His people." Um, I don't think so. <br />
<br />
This past year has been really, really hard for a whole bunch of reasons I won't go into here, but very few of the things that happened to make it hard are "good". I haven't been totally truthful with myself, but I've been getting angrier and angrier with God for all the hard things when I was believing He had promised me nothing but good. Which meant, to me, that when a hard thing came, I had to be happy about it because it had to be good somehow. <br />
<br />
On Monday, I finally gave myself permission (or maybe the Holy Spirit did when He whispered this truth to my heart) to see all the hard things as bad. They are bad. We live in a sinful, fallen world and there is no way that everything that happens to us is good. But, we can't stay there just knowing that the things are bad because it will only cause us to harden our hearts, which is not at all fruitful or even good for us. Ever been around someone with a heart hardened by life? Not fun. I tend to avoid those people, don't you?<br />
<br />
Here is God's promise in Romans 8:28 ".... in all things God <strong><em><u>works</u></em></strong> for the good of those who love Him....." (emphasis mine!). He doesn't promise me all good things. How can I share in the sufferings of Christ if all things coming down the pipe of my life are grand? But, my heavenly Father, who cares me for me as tenderly as I tend to my newborn babies, promises me that He will take the yucky, tainted things that happen to me and weave them into something that is good for me. I can swallow that pill far more easily than trying to drum up false joy at the next trial that comes my way because I'm believing a lie that I have to find all things good. Guess who whispered that lie to me for 34 years? And, I fell for it. <br />
<br />
Not any more. I'm going to trust my Father the way I teach my children to trust me. I have something I do around here when I've made a decision the kids don't like and their mouths gape open in horror that I would deny them some joy or pleasure that they desire. I get right on their level and ask them, "Does mama love you? Does mama want good things for you? Please trust me, I have a plan." A lot of times, it actually works and the child calms down enough to listen to mama remind them of times it looked like mama was destroying their hopes and dreams, but really had better things waiting in the wings for them.<br />
<br />
I can almost hear Him audibly, "Have I ever failed you? You can trust me even when it seems like you can't. I know something you don't know yet. I have a plan for you, to prosper you and not to harm you. I will never hurt you."(Jeremiah 29:11) Maybe I can start to listen a bit. Isn't it interesting that His actual requirements are not nearly as harsh as I make them out to be when I am throwing a spiritual temper tantrum? We can trust Him. His yoke is easy and His burden is light (see Matt 11:28-30). Throw off the temptation to approach God like the Israelites in the desert and allow Him to draw you close as Jesus did the small children.Eric and Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00632197900480269886noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980564081476980110.post-29983895162212117082012-02-25T14:37:00.000-08:002012-02-25T14:37:58.654-08:00the end of the day......... with one child, goes a little something like this....<br />
"Thank goodness it is almost 5:00 and Eric will be home soon and there will someone else to talk to."<br />
<br />
.... with two children, goes a little something like this...<br />
"Look at that! It's already 5:00! Daddy will be home soon."<br />
<br />
....with three children, goes a little something like this....<br />
"Holy crap! It's almost 5:00 and Eric will be home soon, and just look at this place! Holy crap!"Eric and Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00632197900480269886noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980564081476980110.post-64030523068777362652012-02-09T20:57:00.000-08:002012-02-09T20:57:11.459-08:00the sippycup chronicles....... I am so thinking of changing the title of this blog again. By my absence, you can guess how busy we have been around here. Life with 3 non-school age children underfoot is busy to say the least. Add to that, a wee bit of kindergarten homeschooling and no mother's day out budget and my world revolves around whose sippy cup needs refilling. But, truth be told, I'm loving it.<br />
<br />
Ella Bella Ding Dong was 11 months old today. I didn't realize it until after dinner and happened to glance at the school calendar that we forgot to do today. What does it say about me that I routinely go the entire day without knowing the date? Anyhoo, the kids are flourishing, and that makes my heart full. We've unloaded some furniture since we keep adding humans to the abode. So, space is at a premium. <br />
<br />
I went to ease Emory out of my way as I was clearing dinner dishes and she thought she was getting a hug so she leaned in. I didn't correct her. I'm glad that she is so used to getting hugs that she assumes that is what I am doing if I touch her. <br />
<br />
Ethan is our most likely to say thank you. I've seriously never met such a grateful two-year-old. I never wanted a boy, but I am so glad God (in His infinite wisdom) knew better what I needed and gave us our E-bug. Still loving his paci, with no steps taken yet towards kicking the habit, he is officially potty trained and sleeping in a big boy bed. And, he still has a month to go before he's officially 2 and 1/2. I think being a younger sibling stimulates his desire to "be a big boy" because none of these milestones have been our idea. The kid literally potty-trained himself. It was A.W.E.S.O.M.E.<br />
<br />
Emory is a book worm and can usually be found with a book in hand. She is sometimes successful in convincing her brother to let her read to him, and when she's not, she reads book after book on the couch. Today she was having some serious difficulty opening the van door. I couldn't see her from where I was on the other side and I couldn't step away to help her because I was buckling the baby in. When she was finally able to get the door open I could see what the problem was... she had a book in hand and was attempting to open the door while reading.<br />
<br />
The youngest in the nest is such a ham. We love this baby! Always ready with a smile, is a bottomless pit at mealtimes, and can smell an open bathroom door from clear across the house.... Ella Bean is a 21 pound party animal. That kid loves to play in the toilet! We haven't done anything more than pull her away and wash her hands when she's been able to satiate her whim for potty splashing, but she cries as though her heart has been broken when you interrupt her water play. Eric and Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00632197900480269886noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980564081476980110.post-12083423612037760122011-10-25T06:55:00.000-07:002011-10-25T06:56:09.473-07:00life...What I'm loving....<br />
<br />
- homemade honey bran muffins slathered with a friend's homemade pumkin butter. so good!<br />
- spending an uninterrupted hour with my oldest while the littles nap<br />
- my new gym routine. losing weight easily (the first time since giving birth in 2006) and feeling o-so-good<br />
- hearing the thoughts of my middle child. he's putting words together well and communicating better than I thought he would, given that he's a boy and a younger sibling.<br />
- the afternoon sunlight. it goes perfectly with my Bible and a cup of tea.<br />
- my youngest child. I never knew such delightful babies existed.<br />
<br />
What I'm struggling with...<br />
<br />
- figuring out how to balance all my hats: mommy, cook, maid, laundromat, teacher, wife, personal shopper, friend, daughter, sister... something always gets left unattended and I'm sad to report I think it is usually a relationship.<br />
- the new rebellion I see in my two-year-old. Staying consistent is hard!<br />
- the repeated bouts of copious amounts of snot with my youngest.<br />
- the afternoon nap of the eldest has been completely and utterly laid to rest. Sob.<br />
<br />
So that's life as we know it... for the moment.Eric and Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00632197900480269886noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980564081476980110.post-71246285091991094922011-10-19T08:40:00.000-07:002011-10-19T08:40:48.214-07:00the whole purpose...... of discipline is to stay in fellowship - fellowship with God and other fellow image-bearers. Sin is a fellowship destroyer. Recently, there was a remarkably vague post on <a href="http://www.feminagirls.com/">Femina</a> about the specifics of discipline, but it held a nugget of gold that I latched on to. How do you know after you've disciplined your child whether or not it has accomplished your purpose of drawing them back into fellowhip with not only you, but also God, or if you have just created a boiling-beneath-the-surface-but-I'll-smile-and-pretend-it's-all-good-or-they'll-spank-me-again* situation with you child?<br />
<br />
The only specific that was named in the post was that the author's toddler is asked to give a high-five before the discipline can be deemed complete and effective. The premise is simple - most toddlers won't give you a high-five if they are ticked with you. So, we've adopted a similar approach to ending discipline here. Ethan has to shoot us a high-five, and Emory has to tell us a joke. Both are based on the individual tempermants represented by the kiddos, and neither child will preform the necessary action unless their heart is happy.<br />
<br />
That's what we're after anyway, isn't it? A happy, joyful heart is a truly obedient heart. My heart's desire is for my children to know the joy of the Lord. It's hard not to obey someone who fills your heart with joy.<br />
<br />
*Cat's out of the bag. We do spank, but it is not our only method of discipline. We love our children dearly and are careful to use this method responsibly.*Eric and Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00632197900480269886noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980564081476980110.post-27051574316827000522011-10-11T13:09:00.001-07:002011-10-11T13:09:33.891-07:00Philipians 4:11<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/0rFHS7ezQvY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Eric and Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00632197900480269886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980564081476980110.post-81954640348331902032011-10-06T15:15:00.000-07:002011-10-06T15:15:49.831-07:00what's goin' on?Life has been so hectic lately. I'll start with some bullet points on what we've been up to since my last post:<br />
<br />
- We went to the beach for a week. I'll post pictures soon. Fun was had by all.<br />
- We're still chugging along with kindergarten. It takes up a lot of my time, which I totally expected, but it still frustrates me.<br />
- I had minor knee surgery taking me out of the mama game for a few days. We were well cared for by friends.<br />
- Ethan's been diagnosed with an auto-immune disorder. We're still in the process of narrowing down which one. Lots of blood being drawn. He looks the picture of health, you'd never know anything was wrong with him... until he catches a cold that knocks him down for 2 weeks.<br />
- Ella Margaret is still such a terrific baby. Beginning to sit up. Still on an all milk diet, won't touch solids. Slaps the spoon right out of your hand. She'll be seven months on Sunday. She doesn't look like she's hurting too much for nutrition, weighing in at 18 pounds, 10 ounces at her 6 month check up. <br />
- Emory has finally accepted school as part of her day. She is a real trooper. Working really hard at not crying when she's frustrated with a new concept. She's almost nailed it. I really enjoy being her teacher. This is where she and I connect the most.<br />
- Eric is hard at work being a veternarian extrodinairre, a selfless husband, and a fun daddy.<br />
- We've decided to start doing cloth diapers for the 2 diapered kiddos, and I am loving it. It does not add that much to my workload at all. Ethan, in true boy fashion, loves to flush the dirties. It's something I've wanted to do for our children for over a year and my parents made it happen for us. Thanks Mom and Dad!<br />
- Since switching to cloth diapers, we're generating only 1/3 of the trash we had been. We haven't taken our dumpster to the street in 2 weeks. We used to take it twice a week. That speaks volumes to me and is totally worth the microscopic bit of extra work cloth diapering is.<br />
- Because of Ethan's issues I'm working on getting us on a preservative-free, whole food diet. Educating myself has been a slow process. I'm looking forward to eating a cleaner diet and not feeling so sluggish.<br />
<br />
What's going on with you guys?Eric and Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00632197900480269886noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980564081476980110.post-83875767523302433692011-09-11T20:02:00.000-07:002011-09-11T20:02:03.740-07:00the pox........ my children have contracted an illness known as hand, foot, and mouth disease. Wouldn't you know, it is the same thing as hoof and mouth disease that animals get. Leave it to a veterinarian's pack of kiddos... Fortunately, the dogs and cat are safe since the respective human and animal strains of this virus don't cross that particular species line. <br />
<br />
This virus is characterized by an unexplained high fever for about 48 hours. Just about the time the fever breaks and you figure your child has finally kicked yet another fever virus, these horribly painful blisters appear on the soles of their feet, palms of their hands, inside the mouth and throat, and the diaper area. It has not been the most fun my children have ever had, but I think we've found a few remedies that have made waiting this virus out a bit more palatable. <br />
<br />
For starters, we don't ever let the Tylenol expire. They are getting their recommended dosages every four hours whether they act like they need it or not. To wait until they act like they need it ensures that you will endure over an hour of holding your screaming child as they writhe in pain over the blisters covering the most random parts of their body. It's amazing to me that a dose of Tylenol seems to keep this monster at bay. Our other remedies include ice packs on the most sore spots, which have tended to be the kiddo's feet, and lots of movies. I think the ice is partly a placebo effect, making the kiddos feel better because Mommy is doing something for them other than chanting, "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." over and over as they wail and gnash their teeth while writhing in my lap. I do think the ice has a small numbing effect which has to help the my-feet-are-on-fire-because-they-are-covered-in-blisters symptom. <br />
<br />
Here are my babes watching a movie while icing their feet. Yes, we use frozen brussel sprouts as ice packs. The only useful way to use the vile weed, according to my children.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirgVFnAGEbM5MJjp4a6z2YijtWLrPh2upAf0ghLdn_QNfU-XlQrOMJk6SPCo_koDFFeO_F8eyfpxbT7e-0-jnkr0O7wt4yqNzrJ31_f0F_IjJ2avtTZ24hSQCSJ6w_2wTOyFEsK7drqHhC/s1600/112_2063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirgVFnAGEbM5MJjp4a6z2YijtWLrPh2upAf0ghLdn_QNfU-XlQrOMJk6SPCo_koDFFeO_F8eyfpxbT7e-0-jnkr0O7wt4yqNzrJ31_f0F_IjJ2avtTZ24hSQCSJ6w_2wTOyFEsK7drqHhC/s320/112_2063.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Eric and Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00632197900480269886noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980564081476980110.post-8363261790884168832011-09-06T21:24:00.000-07:002011-09-06T21:24:14.803-07:00kindergarten....... homeschooling is something I've always been open to. Since Emory won't be 5 until October, yet has been pining away to begin school, we've decided to do kindergarten at home this year. If it goes well, we'll do first grade at home next year. If this is a bust, she'll go to kindergarten at a local classical school.<br />
<br />
So far so good. The first week was really, really hard. Emory does well, very well. Ethan has been harder to occupy while I teach Emory, while Ella Margaret either sleeps or is content to be held. I was fairly discouraged until Emory's first soccer practice when I got to chat with a mom who is on her second year of homeschooling and has children the same age as mine, with one extra thrown in there. Our educational approach is very similar (I'm doing a blend of classical and Montessori) and she had some good ideas that have worked well for me.<br />
<br />
For starters, I have stopped focusing on getting school done by a certain time. We start around the time I put the baby down for her morning nap and get started on the hardest subjects first. This first session is about 45 minutes. Then, I just sneak in another small session or two throughout the rest of the day. Emory has asked that she has an art project each day, and she usually completes that while I make supper. So far, this system has worked far better. <br />
<br />
I've doing weekly thematic units, and I am planning my own curriculum which is a lot of fun but very time consuming as well. If I teach Emory at home next year, we'll definately be purchasing a curriculum. Here is a photo of my little scholar hard at work...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWAYiJ6r8beB3IG8Kkbi2-jh2gxKCDOdyKs3U6rkPWJLQNSdyO1WPyALpC1mYFhw4oJBoPkP1sc1AtZRLJtWOTmLCdJlO0KIUWI3D6GU0stYenWYHXa7UrwMDaY_c-Ll86ZKHueWRviSeb/s1600/112_1966.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWAYiJ6r8beB3IG8Kkbi2-jh2gxKCDOdyKs3U6rkPWJLQNSdyO1WPyALpC1mYFhw4oJBoPkP1sc1AtZRLJtWOTmLCdJlO0KIUWI3D6GU0stYenWYHXa7UrwMDaY_c-Ll86ZKHueWRviSeb/s320/112_1966.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Eric and Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00632197900480269886noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980564081476980110.post-79575271578092369512011-07-19T14:21:00.000-07:002011-07-19T14:21:53.069-07:00the 15 minute shakedown......... I got this idea off the <a href="http://www.kellehampton.com/">Enjoying the Small Things</a> blog, bookmarked on the right over there. Kelle does a shakedown to make it look like she's been productive right before DH comes home on the days she's been productively playing with her little ones. I've modified the idea a bit and it has worked so well for us that I thought I'd share. Each evening after dinner around here, my house resembles a primordial cave full of savages. I was tired of it taking me another half hour of straightening up after the kids were finally down before I got to sit down and relax with the dearest. Since I head to bed early right now due to the inconsistent waking times of our youngest, that was leaving me with precious little time for the most important relationship in the house.<br />
<br />
Soooo, each night after dinner we have a shakedown. I put 15 minutes on the timer. Baby goes into the swing, happy or not, and everyone who can walk gets busy. My main focus is the kitchen while Daddy and the older 2 go from room-to-room putting things to rights. We have 3 rules for the shakedown:<br />
<br />
1. No stuffing or cramming - everything goes back where it belongs.<br />
2. Each room has to be put to rights, this means mama has to get a move on putting dinner away.<br />
3. A room is not clean unless Mama has declared it so before the timer dings.<br />
<br />
Having to race against the timer puts everyone in high gear and the motivation is completed with the promise of 3 M&M's if the work is done before the timer buzzes. It's super cute to hear the kids encouraging each other to work hard to get the job done right. This system has brought out the best in our kids, which was our goal - teaching them to work well together. And ain't nothing wrong with a little reward for a job well done. <br />
<br />
This works so well that now all I have to do is yell "Shake-down" and everyone gets busy. Ethan will run into a room and overturn something if that room is clean just so he can pick something up. Emory comes running into the kitchen every 30 seconds to make sure there is still time left on the timer. We haven't had to use this during the day (only at the end of the day), but I totally reserve the right to use it twice in one day if things get really out of hand around here.<br />
<br />
So far, we've beaten the buzzer each time. Our home is small enough that it can totally be picked up by 4 people in 15 minutes if everyone is diligent. I imagine there are homes out there that would need a bit more time to get picked up. Whatever works for you. I just think it shouldn't always be mama doing the picking up, and there is no reason why cleaning can't be made fun for the kiddos. Eric and Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00632197900480269886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980564081476980110.post-57742635506652443022011-07-15T14:34:00.000-07:002011-07-15T14:34:01.502-07:00soccer mom....... Emory has found her athletic niche. After trying our hands, or rather feet, at ballet, tap, gymnastics, and swim I think we've settled on what may be this girl's calling... athletically speaking. She comes by it naturally. Daddy was a soccer super star, even landing himself a scholarship to Belhaven, which he turned down for the promised land of Mississippi State.<br />
<br />
I have to admit to being a little surprised. We enrolled her in this week-long soccer camp to give her an introduction to the sport. I thought fo' sure we'd discover that she hated it. NOPE! Just shows ya what do I know? I'll even admit it felt really natural to pull up to the soccer field and watch her do her thing each day this week.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW9lWPn-dfKrd9CwyvY8PM1ZT1dWiqZZZFquNzNxK5p-SmO5dGwurmdZNcLctKeX6nCIEg_LjD4S2_5QGWMLBFTqmzWp0QI1RRq2uRHeElu2MWr8cbJelJINRtmG_-qtFVm67Vud3qyQfK/s1600/soccercamp1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW9lWPn-dfKrd9CwyvY8PM1ZT1dWiqZZZFquNzNxK5p-SmO5dGwurmdZNcLctKeX6nCIEg_LjD4S2_5QGWMLBFTqmzWp0QI1RRq2uRHeElu2MWr8cbJelJINRtmG_-qtFVm67Vud3qyQfK/s320/soccercamp1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkZyCtyECNlpTUl_5Ral2cZsEFrchUW5bWksDzSVXVpDSLJPSYzHPn3Z1jX8c25ffGSlIyZg2YjaKmmhirYJ9tPV3okn0MpCe2cSsZZ1PbaxT1pYahUN7ajRXJedd74ocjX49llFwLURWK/s1600/soccercamp2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkZyCtyECNlpTUl_5Ral2cZsEFrchUW5bWksDzSVXVpDSLJPSYzHPn3Z1jX8c25ffGSlIyZg2YjaKmmhirYJ9tPV3okn0MpCe2cSsZZ1PbaxT1pYahUN7ajRXJedd74ocjX49llFwLURWK/s320/soccercamp2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Her scrimmage team for the week.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioFBwHRPodHH2vfYxD27XWC3U4dTrdr65GPuAkJIjcibemFvIWJAm6cijXZxM9arTYaM3aJHVpVkTtsHssF_QwbwFtY0lYS0Z6WTGmY17EzRTPCrczDt3nc3gDqf3_zldZ44rEBpxuGd8U/s1600/soccercamp3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioFBwHRPodHH2vfYxD27XWC3U4dTrdr65GPuAkJIjcibemFvIWJAm6cijXZxM9arTYaM3aJHVpVkTtsHssF_QwbwFtY0lYS0Z6WTGmY17EzRTPCrczDt3nc3gDqf3_zldZ44rEBpxuGd8U/s320/soccercamp3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB1NuiKyjrMPErKeuy1ITi1YB9bNqyGUongtTcUXXkiLAJEWRwItXhW5N0iHMEyFliRNalNI5hKVU0l7CLDam8OFE4T_6IszjlhYGgrBKwjxxJG7qyGRf6p85Nis4T9Rboif1AzHo_hhZE/s1600/soccercamp5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB1NuiKyjrMPErKeuy1ITi1YB9bNqyGUongtTcUXXkiLAJEWRwItXhW5N0iHMEyFliRNalNI5hKVU0l7CLDam8OFE4T_6IszjlhYGgrBKwjxxJG7qyGRf6p85Nis4T9Rboif1AzHo_hhZE/s320/soccercamp5.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Eric and Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00632197900480269886noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980564081476980110.post-75524697217042259372011-07-14T14:34:00.000-07:002011-07-14T14:34:42.167-07:00my husband is dating a beautiful blonde....... he's also thinking about taking up with a curly headed dude. Good thing we all live under the same roof so I can keep my eye on the competition. <br />
<br />
Emory's daddy asked her out on a dinner date for tomorrow night. They've been dating for some time, about 2 years now, but the dates have all been of the breakfast variety. Now, at long last, it looks like the relationship is being upgraded. I think he's teaching her to take it slow! We're making a big deal out of this time they'll have together by encouraging Emory to choose something special to wear tomorrow. There might even be a fancy up-do and some pretties applied to the lips to complete her look. She and I have had a few conversations about the upcoming night out with her daddy and she's totally stoked about the idea of dressing up and going out with an older man.... even if it is her old man!<br />
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Next Friday night is Ethan's turn for a "man-date". I smell a tradition developing.....Eric and Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00632197900480269886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980564081476980110.post-8265512435763245902011-06-29T05:21:00.000-07:002011-06-29T05:21:11.793-07:00for the newcomers....... I forgot that some of you might not know my whole story when I wrote #34 on my last post. For those of you who need to be caught up (or just need a refresher course) check out these posts:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://skocelai.blogspot.com/2008/02/alabaster-boxes.html">Alabaster Boxes</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://skocelai.blogspot.com/2008/02/how-it-all-began.html">How It All Began</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://skocelai.blogspot.com/2009/11/original.html">The Original</a><br />
<br />
Enjoy! Eric and Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00632197900480269886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980564081476980110.post-67131250838197063092011-06-26T14:52:00.000-07:002011-06-26T14:52:31.822-07:0034 things........ in honor of tearing another page off the calendar of my life, I thought I'd jot down a couple of things I've either learned about life, or discovered about myself on this journey:<br />
<br />
1. three small kids ain't all that bad as long as you remember to breathe through the chaotic moments.<br />
2. if you stay really organized it reduces the number of chaotic moments you experience.<br />
3. those chaotic moments make really funny stories later.<br />
4. in order to not just survive, but thrive, you have to see every spare moment that you get to do something just for yourself as a bonus, not a right.<br />
5. humor diffuses all kinds of stressful moments... it can even stop a toddler fit in it's tracks.<br />
6. if you haven't told your husband very specific ways he can help lighten your load, you can't complain (yet)<br />
7. obedience to God's word really is the only way to have a happy life.<br />
8. if I make it a goal to make life as much fun for my kids as possible, life is more fun for all of us.<br />
9. making life fun for the kids also makes them more receptive to the harder lessons in life.<br />
10. when the kids are running wild giving them a sorting job really helps them to settle down.<br />
11. a lot of times, out-of-control kiddos just need that energy directed a bit.<br />
12. as long as the beds are made I feel like the house is clean.<br />
13. the hours between 1 and 5pm are my favorite time of day.<br />
14. I believe beer was made for summer. There is nothing as wonderful as a cold beer on a hot evening.<br />
15. I love, love, love to eat outside and it is my goal to one day own a really nice patio set and eat outside as many times a week as we can.<br />
16. a cookie can never have too many sprinkles or chocolate chips.<br />
17. dark chocolate is most certainly the nectar of the gods.<br />
18. a fun drink is the fastest way to my heart.<br />
19. my favorite hot drink is a peppermint mocha.<br />
20. my favorite bubbly drink is diet dr. pepper cherry.<br />
21. my favorite adult drink is a gin and tonic.<br />
22. my favorite fruity drink is a Leapin' Lizard from Planet Smoothie.<br />
23. I only drink water because it is good for me.<br />
24. Not only do I love a special drink, but a cool cup makes it taste even better.<br />
25. I am not a shoe gal. In fact I am painfully practical when it comes to shoes, much to my sister's chagrin I am sure.<br />
26. Not only am I practical about my shoes, I'm not very fashionable at all.<br />
27. I am usually the last to know what it going on and I have no idea how or where people get the info they have.<br />
28. I really hate to talk on the phone.<br />
29. the best advice I think you can give a new mom is to pray, pray, pray about everything (even things like sleep training) and then trust your gut.<br />
30. I am thrilled my oldest seems to enjoy reading as much as I do.<br />
31. I really like having 2 girls and 1 boy.<br />
32. We never intended to give all of our children "E" names, it just kind of happened.<br />
33. I never thought I'd have a child with a double name.<br />
34. I will forever be so thankful for June 7, 2003! Without it my husband and children would not have been a possibility.Eric and Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00632197900480269886noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980564081476980110.post-23290392702455319702011-06-22T13:51:00.000-07:002011-06-22T13:52:20.864-07:00freaky, huh?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0MDX6fOPlTh46094H0GyjdecFjJQYa0_sNz7Ce4eE65GV5v05CW2BYJhieIap4bKmnkKyrjlsxEbkC-6fL9Hl6b8a7b-oB40BNh6LSj2y3XRhgkojFM7hMfpXBCdPLrUUU4lQGyNlpJo1/s1600/mini+me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0MDX6fOPlTh46094H0GyjdecFjJQYa0_sNz7Ce4eE65GV5v05CW2BYJhieIap4bKmnkKyrjlsxEbkC-6fL9Hl6b8a7b-oB40BNh6LSj2y3XRhgkojFM7hMfpXBCdPLrUUU4lQGyNlpJo1/s200/mini+me.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9xxhlUo4gHR-1KRuNg_9DJBaABinAz9CX266M_jxgz_iMdPgmJwVlH246FYnKUl6nU4ETR_AfOIspKVTrP6DRwyul_U_-_vnFr9EIjnj1U6A4fo4QFjFRmwSrpI-o0ufHnr3QpWZAMqEm/s1600/baby+me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9xxhlUo4gHR-1KRuNg_9DJBaABinAz9CX266M_jxgz_iMdPgmJwVlH246FYnKUl6nU4ETR_AfOIspKVTrP6DRwyul_U_-_vnFr9EIjnj1U6A4fo4QFjFRmwSrpI-o0ufHnr3QpWZAMqEm/s200/baby+me.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><br />
If it weren't for the obvious 1970's photograph, I'd host a give-away and make you all gues who is who. Indeed folks, it ain't hard to tell you this kid takes after. Most people say she is the spittin' image of her daddy until I whip out this picture.Eric and Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00632197900480269886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980564081476980110.post-47912881205582402992011-06-22T07:06:00.000-07:002011-06-22T07:06:24.225-07:00moments....... that is what I've decided motherhood can summed up as - moments. Both good and bad, everything is just a moment before it all changes again. Gone are the leisurely Saturday mornings of hours spent sipping coffee while reading a good book. Instead they've been replaced with lots of little moments which are so much better. Moments like when the two big kids are happily entertained with coloring, the baby is napping, your cuppa coffee is still hot (remarkable, really), and you get to blog. Moments when the house is the exact perfect temperature (very difficult to achieve during an Alabama summer), all 3 children are napping, and you found a diet dr. pepper cherry you didn't know was hiding in the fridge. Moments such as this morning when the littlest one awakens a full half hour before the other members of the household and you and your beloved get an incredibly rare chance to enjoy just her, all by herself, without the background noise of the bigger kids vying for their fair share of parental affection.<br />
<br />
Of course, there are the moments, too, when you've tried to cram in that last errand and you get home at the hottest part of the day, unload 3 hungry children who all happen to be crying, and have to decided who gets fed first. And you're hungry too because while everyone else got breakfast you were making beds and starting one of 10 loads of laundry scheduled for that day. And you're pouring sweat because you live in Alabama and it's hot and humid. And, being hot and hungry, you're desperately close to losing your temper with the first kid who looks at you sideways. But then you remember to breathe, it's just a moment and it won't take long to get the children inside where it is cool (or at least, cooler), feed them, and everything will be right again. At least for a moment. Or the moment that just interrupted the blogging of this post - the moment where you had a show-down, knock-down-drag-out fight with the toddler over a pair of scissors that the preschooler set down for a moment. Because that's all it takes for a toddler boy to get hold of something he really doesn't need to have - a moment.<br />
<br />
Older women keep telling me I'll miss these moments. And, I believe them on most days. Treasure the moments, friends. They are fleeting!Eric and Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00632197900480269886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980564081476980110.post-74574988078034112472011-06-21T20:22:00.000-07:002011-06-21T20:22:19.775-07:00what's not to love...... about this precious face?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3XWnTrJh7A46k1j0Don3tQKZcZTT6TjfjoUVHGXni8mvq76z_87iAUpPFZoZ0O2DavJP0O5K7IpJ_lRD36GHful7rODNBrMHfbpVSkkJWOPO_sz7IWP0zxktlmG5XiBj0aHa56aR6uFvS/s1600/112_1800.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3XWnTrJh7A46k1j0Don3tQKZcZTT6TjfjoUVHGXni8mvq76z_87iAUpPFZoZ0O2DavJP0O5K7IpJ_lRD36GHful7rODNBrMHfbpVSkkJWOPO_sz7IWP0zxktlmG5XiBj0aHa56aR6uFvS/s320/112_1800.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Eric and Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00632197900480269886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980564081476980110.post-75785398762612904032011-06-21T20:20:00.000-07:002011-06-21T20:20:33.543-07:00lost in translation........ we were listening to an Indelible Grace cd today at lunch and the song "Jesus Cast a Look On Me" came on. In true Emory style, she began belting out the song along with Matthew Perryman Jones, only with her own little twist...<br />
<br />
"Jesus, I've got a cast on me..."<br />
<br />
Just too precious not to record.Eric and Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00632197900480269886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980564081476980110.post-5783903006261174262011-05-29T13:36:00.000-07:002011-05-29T13:36:34.019-07:00the pirate story....... mostly just for Mom and Dad, but the rest of you can enjoy it too.<br />
<br />
About a month ago I had the kids at Sam's. Ella Margaret was in the Baby Bjorn while Ethan and Emory were in the double cart. I'm pretty sure I had not yet had a shower and had thrown something random on since we were mostly hanging out at home that day. Anyways... we were standing next to the lunchmeat making our selection when Emory announces, "Hey Mom. Look! A pirate." I naturally start to half-heartedly scan the packages close to me to see what she's talking about while I am bouncing in order to keep the bjorned baby happy, trying to keep Ethan from spilling his "example" (what Emory calls samples), and make a wise choice in the lunchmeat we'll be eating that week. <br />
<br />
I can't find a package with a pirate on it so I decide to ignore her.<br />
<br />
Again, "Hey Mom. Look! A pirate."<br />
<br />
I decide to "come to" out of my lunchmeat-selecting-while-tuning-out-the-incessant-chatter reverie, and respond with a "What, Emory?" <br />
<br />
Again, this time pointing behind me, "Look, Mom. A pirate."<br />
<br />
I glance behind me and there, sure enough, is a gentleman pushing a cart and wearing an eye patch.<br />
<br />
Emory asks, "Can we go over there and say 'Argh' to him?"<br />
<br />
I whip my head around so fast that the wind my movement creates almost knocks the 1/4 of a bagel bite out of Ethan's hands and hiss, "No we can not go over there and say 'Argh" to that man."<br />
<br />
My reaction was a big mistake because now my eldest child senses my fear and she, being who she is, will exploit this and make me regret not playing it cool. <br />
<br />
"Why can't I say, 'Argh' to the pirate Mommy?" only this time her voice is a mite louder.<br />
<br />
Now my voice has dropped to a whisper, "Because he might be sad that he has only one eye."<br />
<br />
"Why is the pirate sad, Mommy?"<br />
<br />
"He's not a pirate! And, wouldn't you be sad if you only had one eye?"<br />
<br />
"Why does the pirate only have one eye, Mommy?" again, a little louder than before.<br />
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"He's not a pirate!"<br />
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"Can I ask the pirate why he only one eye?"<br />
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"He's not a pirate! " then thinking that the best tactic is to just divert the attention off of the "pirate" and onto something else I ask a little too brightly, "Who want to go get some yogurt samples?".<br />
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At this time the gentleman passes us, and as fate would have it, Ethan has finally finished his 1/4 of a piece of a bagel bite example, looks up and upon seeing the eye-patch hollers out, "Yo ho ho!" <br />
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Moral of the story? God gives us children to keep us humble.Eric and Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00632197900480269886noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980564081476980110.post-73713737067246491732011-05-24T18:44:00.000-07:002011-05-24T18:44:27.710-07:00out of the mouth of....... well, you know. <br />
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Every little piece of fuzz or lint, as well as anything creepy or crawly is dubbed as a "pider!" by Ethan. It cracks us up! He'll jump back and say, "Oooo, nathy! Pider!" (Translation: "Ew, nasty! Spider!")<br />
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Emory tripped in the kitchen tonight at dinnertime and hollered out, "Mouse!" I think she meant to say "Rats!". She's taking after her Gigi.....Eric and Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00632197900480269886noreply@blogger.com0