Boys Will Be Boys?

I took the kids to the park today. Lucas loves to pick up sticks and bang on the equipment. There are so many different noises to hear, and let's face it, the boy loves to drum! So, I was observing all the other moms telling their boys to "put the sticks down" and "don't pick up that stick!" I'm not always the most confident in being a parent... not sure why, so I kept struggling with myself about if I should conform to the other moms' desires. But I feel boys like sticks and it's okay to let them play with them. Now, if he's about to harm another kid or running with a stick that's a different story. So, I let him bang away and throw sticks up the slide to watch them come back down. What do you think? Do you let your kids play with sticks on the playground or do you try to keep that under control? And if you don't mind-why?

Updates and Other Randomness

Wow! Two posts in August! I'm on a roll!

I feel like life is kind of at a stand-still... the renovations on our new house are going slower than I had hoped. The expected stay has slowly expanded from 6 weeks to 3 months and now I fear even longer. Moving in with Brian's parents has gone better than I had expected and I think we are getting settled into some sort of routine. But I am looking forward to moving into our own place.

A few things on the horizon:

- Lucas starts preschool Sept 2... I'm anxious, but I believe they will be able to help him in ways I cannot... like speech therapy and occupational therapy, for instance. We had his orientation yesterday which helped to alleviate some of my nerves. His teacher and her assistant seem very nice. Hearing about what they have planned for the kids even got me excited!

-Lydia has taken up the task of potty training herself. I was planning to tackle this task once we got settled into our own place, but if she's willing I guess I'm ready. She asks to go "pee-pee" frequently and most of the time there are results. I just need to find some panties to fit her tiny little bum! She has also taken to singing "Jesus loves me"- or her rendition of it- at the top of her lungs! Often Lucas will join in. I love to hear my kids sing praise and worship to Jesus.

-Still working 2 days a week. We've not had any luck with individual insurance policies due to our kids medical history. Maybe the Lord is asking me to stay a while longer. And I read something recently that I hope will help me change my perspective. I need to think positively about this situation and look at it this way: Instead of thinking, "I have to work because I provide the insurance for our family", I need to think, "I have the privilege of providing healthcare insurance for my family." And it truly is a blessing that I get full time benefits while only working 2 days a week.

-Brian is super busy renovating our home. He also has a "spec" home (if you build it they will come) on the market that we are trying to sell. It is beautiful! And we finally have our first pre-sale for a custom home. It has kept him incredibly busy, but it is a blessing to see his business take off. I'm so proud of him!

-I have been greatly challenged by the book "The Mission of Motherhood". It has helped me to see how I need to be more intentional with my kids and my home to bring godliness into all aspects of our lives. I have loved this book! God is using this book and several other things in my life to continually draw me closer to Him! There is so much molding this earthen vessel still needs!

And finally for some fun! Lucas and I had some fun not too long ago making funny faces at each other. I'm not proud (as you know from my poison ivy pictures), so enjoy these fun photos, as well as one sentimental one for mommy!

I love this face!

Frightening, I know!

True love!

New Adventure

To my few faithful readers, I apologize for my absence this summer! Especially in July. This past week we officially moved. I posted earlier this summer about buying a house in the neighborhood in which my husband grew up. We listed our house thinking we would have several months to complete the renovations at the new place. Wrong! We sold our house in one month!!! Thank you, Lord! We couldn't believe our house sold so quickly the way the housing market has been lately! So, we moved in with Brian's parents on Thursday night. I think we are all still adjusting. We are lucky they having lovingly opened their home to us! We're not sure how long we'll be staying with them, but we sure are looking forward to making new memories in our new home.
Just a glimpse of our home-sweet-home to be!