Moments to Remember

So...I was browsing through my lists of posts the other day, and came across a few unfinished..never posted...posts.  This is SUPER old, but good moments I couldn't delete.

Just wanted to share a few of the things the boys have said/done lately that have made me laugh or have just warmed my heart.

On my first date with Ryan we went to lunch at McDonalds (not my favorite, but the indoor playplace is hard to match).  While waiting for our order Ryan looked up at me and said, "Mom, when I grow up I want to work at McDonalds."  (Oh joy.)

We were watching Gordy (a movie with a talking pig).  In the movie there is a Father and his daughter who travel around singing at establishments.  Ryan asked why the girls bed was in the car and I told him it was an RV.  Ryan's response, "Can we live in an RV?"

Around the corner from our church is a business that sells large lawn ornaments.  You know..the ones made out of wire.  They still have some of their Christmas ones leftover and they light up.  There's one of Santa Clause which has become a favorite of Colin's lately.  "Ho, ho, ho," Colin says.  One night as we headed home from church he sang "Santa Clause, Santa Clause, Santa Clause" all the way home.  I can't wait till he's older.  Maybe he'll want to sing other songs with me!

We had to go to Target to get some diaper, wipes, t-shirts, etc.  When we got home I had to get Blaine in his bed and discipline Colin for not obeying while at the store.  Without me asking, Ryan unloaded the car: two boxes of diapers, a box of wipes, and the bag of clothes.  He's been so helpful lately!

A few weeks ago when I was sick.  The first thing Ryan did in the morning was come downstairs and asked, "Mom, how are you feeling this morning?"  So. sweet.

A Sweet Reminder

Salvation isn't the end goal. A life lived in submission to the Lord is the goal. Salvation happens in an instant.  Submission is something your child will watch you and your husband do every day, and that is how he will learn to lovingly obey God.

-Sarah M.

Look Who Got a Haircut!!!

We decided it was time....and we did the unthinkable.  We cut Colin's hair!!!!

BEFORE:

 

AFTER:

I admit.  I cried.  It is much shorter than what I wanted.  MUCH shorter.  They always seem do that.  I was mad.  So mad....that I had trouble looking at him for the remainder of the evening after he had it done.  Seriously.  But...we went to bed, morning came, and 48 hours later it started growing on me.  I still think it's too short, but after playing with it a bit we decided he looks much better if we put some product in it and give it a messy look or kind of spike it.  

SO thankful that hair grows back!

Photo Shoot {Us}

When Tim was deployed this last time he came to the realization that we only have a handful of pictures of the two of us.  He willingly signed himself up for a photo shoot!  We also knew that Tim's parents wanted some new pictures taken.  My friend Jess was gracious enough to come out to Tim's parent's house and do a little photo shoot for us while we were there in July.  She is an AMAZING, creative, talented, photographer and I would recommend her to anyone in the area!  (I wish she was doing photography and I knew about her when we got married!)  I am SUPER excited for her too, as she is pregnant with her 1st!  When she took our pics I could tell the baby was giving her a hard time 'cause she wasn't her normal energetic self.  It obviously didn't affect her work!  ;)  Make sure you take time to check out her website and blog!

 

We LOVE our pics Jess!!!  Can't wait till we can get some more family shots taken!!!

Milestone {Blaine: 9 Months}

Blaine is actually 10 months now, but I took these SUPER cute pictures of him back in July that I've been meaning to share.

Blaine started crawling a few weeks after Tim got home in June, so by the end of July he was a pro!  He also started pulling himself up onto the couch and he bee-lines it for the stairs any chance he gets.  He's quick too.  We got behind on a shot, so we took him he for a 9 month well-baby check up and he weighed in at 22 pounds and was 31 inches!  He also decided, right about nine months, that he no longer wanted anything to do with baby food.  Or being fed from a spoon, period.  It wasn't a gradual decision either.  One day he ate it, the next day he refused.  He looks like a little hillbilly sometimes with his two front teeth poking out when he smiles and he still screams, instead of laughs, when you tickle him.  He tries his best to get in on the wrestling action with Tim and the boys, and he knows that the best place to be is upstairs in the toy room or outside.

When we visited Tim's parent's this last time around, Tim's mom gave me a few more pieces of clothing that Tim wore when he was a baby.  The pictures I took of Blaine at 9 months are in one of the outfits.  I'm glad Tim's mom gave it to me when she did 'cause he barely fit into it.

LOVE this boy!

Who Am I {as A Christian Woman}

When Tim and I got married a very dear friend/mentor gave me a copy of Let Me Be a Woman by Elisabeth Elliot.  I read it then, but picked it up again recently needing something to encourage me.  It's an easy read in the sense that each chapter is only 2-4 pages long.  And with three kids running around I can actually get through one or two chapters in one sitting (5 minutes max).  :)  I also love that these are her own personal letters to her daughter.  Advice on love, marriage, life, and being the woman that God made you to be.  I just wanted to share some of the things that have stuck out to me this time around.

"In order to learn what it means to be a woman.  We must start with the One who made her."

"I remember how it was.  Your father (not my fiance yet) made the three-week voyage by sea from San Pedro, California, to Ecuador, stopping at fascinating ports along the way from which he sent me fascinating letters.  He began his study of Spanish in Quito without me.  He made his first trip to the jungle where he was later to work.  He had his first opportunity to do medical work, his first crack at an unwritten language---all of these things I myself longed to do, and longed desperately to do with him.  'Let not our longing slay the appetite of our living,' he wrote to me, and those words have helped me very often since.  We accept and thank God for what is given, not allowing the not-given to spoil it."

"The way you keep your house, the way you organize your time, the care you take in your personal appearance, the things you spend your money on all speak loudly about what you believe. 'The beauty of Thy peace' shines forthin an ordered life.  A disordered life speaks loudly of disorder in the soul."

"...This is the crux of the question of liberty and liberation.  Does it mean casting off all restrictions? (Could a ship sail without them?)  Does it mean doing what we feel like doing and not doing what we don't?  It means discipline.  It means doing the thing we were meant for.  What is it to which we are called, women under God?"

"We are called to be women.  The fact that I am a woman does not make me a different kind of Christian, but the fact that I am a Christian does make me a different kind of woman.  For I have accepted God's idea of me, and my whole life is an offering back to Him of all that I am and all that He wants me to be."

A Makeover {Desk}

When we made our last move my parents brought down a set of furniture from their house for us to use for the boys.  It was the set my dad and his brothers used from the time they were very little.  My sister and I used them, my brothers used them, and now my boys are getting to use them.  It was made back in the 1950's (I believe.)  The set includes 2 twin beds (which can also be bunked), a dresser, a night stand, a desk, and another chest.  My parents tried giving us another set of furniture they inherited from my Grandpa, but after speaking with Tim we made an offer to take this other set instead.  I'm so glad we did!

It is A.MA.ZING. furniture.  All the pieces made by Ethan Allen.  They are solid wood; I'm guessing Pine. 

  They aren't put together with screws or nails, but like puzzle pieces.

 

While Tim was deployed and in my exploration of the blog world I came across many refinished furniture projects and self built furniture.  This of course got me thinking and planning of all the great things we could do!  I even bought a sander with some of my Christmas money!  While the furniture set we got from my parents was sturdy I definitely envisioned it with a face lift.  I was hoping to complete at least ONE piece of furniture before he came back, but it just didn't happen.  So after we visited family we came back home and choose our first project.  The desk.  I didn't get very good "before" pictures. Hopefully on the next piece. 

  We ended up having to remove the entire top piece.  It has some type of laminate layer on it that we could sand through or peel off.  It worked out pretty well though.  We bought another solid piece of pine and got a few extra inches out of it.  A few inches makes a big difference!  I love the extra space!

Now don't give me a hard time, but we (I) had a little "trouble" with the stain.  I was going for a deep, espresso brown color.  I'm wanting to redo all the pieces we have, plus add a few, and knowing we will be moving a few more times in our military career I would like to have pieces that are interchangeable throughout the house.  I made the mistake of going by the color of the picture on the front of the can, and not the name.  Apparently, Ebony is black. 

I started on the back panel to try it out.  After the first layer it seemed (to me) to be drying a deep, deep brown.  So I proceeded to continue with staining the remainder of the piece.  

 The "trouble" seemed to unravel AFTER I completed two layers of stain.  Tim, and Ryan, notified me that it was black.  Tim and I must have had a bad communication day when picking out the stain, because I told him that I wanted brown, not black, and he knew that Ebony was black, not brown.  Yet, I still ended up staining the desk black.

While I don't particularly mind the black, it's not a favorite of Tim's.  Having already stained it though, we decided to go ahead and leave this piece as is and to pick out a new stain for the remainder of our projects.  Eventually, I'd like to exchange all the hardware out as well, so that everything will match.  For now, we just spray painted what was already on there with a Nickel finish.

Not the greatest "after" picture ever, either.  (I took it with my phone.)  I think we were anxious to have our garage space back for parking use, so we moved it back upstairs as soon as we could.

I think it took us a total of about two weeks to finish all the sanding, staining, and sealing.  It was hard to find the time to go out and work on it and it was even harder to wait for all the different layers to dry before adding another one.  I am so pleased with how it turned out and can't wait for our next one!