Moments of Joy and Grace

Eden Hope

2010-09-30T06:12:00.000-07:00

It's Thursday, my grocery shopping day...or at least it has been my grocery shopping day. We'll have to see how little Miss Eden behaves herself when she gets here. She is going to make her grand appearance Sunday!! The Dr. offered to induce me Sunday and I said okay! I am to call before I come in to make sure there is a room.

I cannot believe she will be here in three days! My emotions are all over the place. In one sense, I cannot wait to see her sweet face, pat her little behind, and tickle her toes. But then, I'm also savoring this pregnancy because I know it's my last. I love feeling her move in my stomach. I love guessing, was that an elbow or a knee? I love when the little stinker comes to life at 10pm. when I am ready to go to bed. I thank God so much for blessing us with one more. I thank Him for an amazing, uneventful pregnancy! "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good" Ps. 118:1....this is one of the girls' memory verses in Awana this week!

I am also praying for a good transition for our family with bringing home a newborn. Am I ready for the sleep deprivation? For 24 hour feedings? For changing poopie diapers at 2am.? So many people probably think I'm nutty for starting over just as I have gotten my girls off to school. Honestly, sometimes I feel a little nutty. But, the excitement on the girls faces and the love I already feel for Eden Hope makes it all worthwhile! "Children are a blessing from the Lord".

So, Eden Hope, we are ready to meet you. Your sisters cannot hardly wait. Emma has already marked it on the calender, as Oct. 3rd. Eden's Birthday! Mommy and Daddy are very excited to hold you and kiss you. I will try my best to keep you protected and hopefully you won't have too many pinched fingers, as we have two very BIG helpers that are already planning on taking care of you so well. Sunday is your day, baby girl! Be obedient, and come meet your family!!!

It's More Blessed to Give

2010-08-11T10:37:00.000-07:00

This week has been a tough week in some ways. I can remember when my girls were little and we were having a hard day. (They are 17 months apart and though it's great in some ways, it was still hard when they were little). I remember thinking I can't wait until they're old enough to go to school! Well, that day came on Monday, Aug. 9th. I waved good-bye to them on the school bus and broke into tears. Really this is the first time they have been gone all day. Emma did a half day program for Kindergarten last year so I had her home by noon everyday.

It's hard to put into words the emotional struggle I've had with it. I guess for almost 7 years I have been able to monitor them, watch over them, protect them, know what they were eating, make sure they were getting enough rest...etc. I was able to grasp those teachable moments with them and shepherd their hearts. In some ways, I could control their environment. On Monday they stepped onto the school bus at 7:30am and entered another world. A world that I can't control. A world in which I can't protect them from. It broke my heart.

The good news is that my God loves them more than me and they actually belong to Him. I truly had to surrender them to Him and trust Him to protect them. And also, trust that everything Happy and I have taught them will equip them for school. It's scary knowing that they are now under the influence of others more than their family during the week. I've had serious doubts of whether or not this has been the best decision. I believe God has given me a peace about it, but I still have my moments. I understand that one of the goals of parenting is raising a responsible adult and in order to have a responsible adult you have to let them go at some point. I've just wondered if First Grade and Kindergarten were too early.

So my prayer for them has been something like this, "God may they be true to themselves and true to You. May they remember what they have been taught. Use them for Your glory. They are Yours. May they be a blessing to others". Today I got to see a little answer to that prayer. I went and had lunch with Myah. She began to tell me that she received some care cash today. (I guess care cash is something you get when you have obeyed, done something good...etc.) She said that one of her friends was sad because she didn't get any care cash and put her head down. Myah told me I thought about it for a minute and then I remembered what you always say, "it's more blessed to give than to receive", and I gave her my care cash. I almost broke into tears in the lunch room. I was encouraged today.

So, I will continue to commit them to His care everyday and thank Him for the incredible privilege it is to be their mommy. I know it's going to be hard at times, but I also know where I can go to find peace and comfort. Thank you God for loving Your children!

Happy 5th Birthday Myah Grace!

2010-04-25T19:27:00.000-07:00

Myah Grace:
You are truly a joy in our lives. I love you more than you love your pink gank and your thumb! By the way, one day we gotta give those up booger! I cannot imagine life without you. On April 26th, 2005 God allowed me the privilege of becoming your mommy. Really earlier than that, but on that April day, I got to hold you in my arms for the first time. You weighed 7 pounds and 13 ounces and were 22 inches long!! You were a fighter from the beginning! One of the things I think is so neat about how God made you is that you are so tender and sensitive. You have been from the beginning. But, you can be so brave too. Like when you had stitches, I couldn't believe the strength I saw in you that day. Or even when you got your 4 year old shots. I thought for sure the whole hospital would hear you scream, but you were so brave and you amazed me. I am praying for you to truly give your heart to Jesus one day and allow God to live through you. I know He has a purpose and a plan for you. God's hands lovingly made you and I can't wait to see how God is going to use your life. I love you Gracie!!

Love,
Mommy

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-19T06:33:00.001-08:00

We made pink pancakes with chocolate chips in them. (Because I did not feel that they had gotten enough sugar from all of their V-Day parties). :) They are at such a fun age. They are just tickled to death with anything. I gave them each a $5 Barnes and Nobles gift card and a box of chocolates and they thought it was Christmas. I love that. I want to keep that gratefulness going for a few more years!! Emma came home last week from school and asked me if I would buy her a North Face jacket. Happy asked her why she wanted one and she finally responded, "because it's cool". Happy said, "Emma you don't know what cool is"! But, she insists she does and a North Face jacket is cool. Oh dear.

January 1, 2010

2010-01-01T07:46:00.000-08:00

Here is what I wrote in my journal this morning. For some reason, I thought I would share it:

Today is New Years Day. We all slept in and are having a lazy morning. The girls woke up and went straight to writing books. It's amazing to see how Myah is sounding out words and writing a "book".

I'm sitting in my bedroom trying to have a moment of reflection and prayer, but instead I am hearing the sweet chatter of little girls who are best friends, the dog's obnoxious squeaky toy, and the Today show on the television. Usually, I would be annoyed not to be able to have some quiet time, but this morning, it puts a smile on my face. I am hearing the blessings God has given me.

I am so blessed to have Emma and Myah. I know they were given to Happy and I as a gift from our Heavenly Father. I love being the mom of little girls. I love making baby doll clothes and playing barbies. The drama gets a little crazy at times, but what a blessing they are!

Then, I hear that annoying squeak. (Why did I even buy her a squeaky toy?) Roxy has been quite the challenge. I guess God wanted me to experience a strong willed child. Only strong willed children are usually highly intelligent, and I'm not so sure Roxy has that part of it going for her. But, even she has given our family many laughs together and we are thankful for her. She is also a strong thing, having survived getting hit by a car! Or I could say the car survived getting hit my her!

Last, because he is the most important and biggest blessing in my life is my lifetime partner, my hubby, Happy. My sweet, easily pleased, quiet, and gentle husband has loved me when I've been moody, unlovable, and unsure of myself. He has dedicated his life to changing the world and by no means has he ever forgotten his family. He is so kind and caring. People crave the Jesus they see in him. There have been times in our marriage when we've struggled. I was gently reminded of three things that me, as his wife, need to always remember.

1. To accept him as my husband
2. To accept him as a gift from God
3. To make him my primary ministry

I think I have done okay with number one and number two. But, number three would get a big fat F! This year, with God's help I want to work on that. One day the girls will be gone from our home and only Happy and I will remain. I want to spend the rest of my life with a friend and a lover, not with a man who helped me raise my girls. "You have to fight for it", is what was said to us. It's hard. I'm exhausted at the end of the day. I don't feel like being creative and besides we don't have any money to go out on dates..........EXCUSES!! I'm going to fight for it guys!!!

So, I challenge anyone who might read this to sit back and and "listen" to the blessings in your life. It may be the sound of your dog ripping your favorite pillow apart. Or it might be the sound of children chattering/screaming/crying/fighting, in the background. It could be the sound of your heater coming on, like mine just did, and oh how I'm thankful for that noise!! It could be the sound of coffee brewing, or the television, and you know there is the presence of others in your home. Our God is good. We have much to be thankful for.

Highlights from the past couple months...

2009-12-29T09:24:00.000-08:00

In November, Emma was a turkey in the Thanksgiving play. Thanks to my friend, Melanie, I was able to come up with a costume that somewhat resembled a turkey. I think Emma was embarrassed, but she didn't say anything to me and wore it anyway, not wanting to hurt her mommy's feelings. :)

Also, in November, we celebrated Emma's 6th birthday. She wanted a Littlest Pet Shop party. My friend, Becky, graciously took on the task of making Emma's cake with only a napkin to look at. She did a GREAT job. It tasted just as good as it looked!

Emma was in the Christmas play at church, "Cookin Up Christmas". It was so cute! She had her famous one liner again this year. She said, "It makes me want to love and serve Him more. It makes me ask myself what gift can I bring Him? What can I offer Him now?"

Myah had a busy month too. She celebrated parties at school and really enjoyed going to see sissy in all her fun plays. Emma was a mule in the Christmas play at school. She had quite a few lines. It was an adorable play. I'll post pictures of that later. I ended up using another camera and do not have access to those pictures as of now.

Emma's baptism

2009-11-22T11:38:00.001-08:00

What a sweet moment when you start to see your children begin to understand their faith and take hold of it. Emma has been wanting to get baptized for quite some time now, but we have been hesitant, not wanting her to rush into something she didn't understand. Last Wednesday night at church she saw Pastor David and wanted to go say hi to him, or that is what she told me. When we got over to him she said, "Pastor David I understand about baptism now and I'm ready to be baptized Sunday morning". How can you argue with that? She understands that being baptized does not make you a christian, it is just a public profession of the faith you have already trusted in. We are so proud of her. She is a blessing from above. What is even more special is her daddy is the one who baptized her. :)

Smiles

2009-10-28T15:12:00.000-07:00

So I am not doing very good at these moments of joy and grace...but here are a couple moments that made me smile this week.

While driving home from school yesterday Emma says, "Mommy, can we just stop and pray. I feel like praying." I respond, "well, of course". So, here is Emma's prayer,

"Dear Jesus, I just want to thank you for forgiving my sins. I just feel like
telling you that. I love you Jesus. Amen".

Here is a Myah moment:

I am sitting in my bedroom and she is singing Waves of Mercy over and over and over again. I finally say, Myah that is beautiful singing. Mommy loves to hear you sing. Here is how Myah responds, "I know Mom, I just LOVE to hear myself sing!"

Hope those made you smile.:)

ROXY

2009-08-09T15:59:00.000-07:00

Here is our new addition. Roxy Ann Peterson. She is so much fun...but I forgot how much work puppies are and how much they like to chew on things. She is just like a baby in that, she will pick out the one toy that is not hers, and want it more than the six toys that are hers, that are lying on the floor. What a mess! Emma and Myah are doing good with her. Emma hides and jumps from chair to couch when Roxy is in a playful mood. She doesn't like Roxy to jump on her or bite her. (I don't blame her). But, when Roxy is calm or asleep Emma with not leave her alone. She carries her around like a baby using words like, "oh sweetheart" and " that 'a' girl!". As of right now, Roxy is a good fit, but only time will tell. :) If you have any dog advice, let me know!

The Month of July

2009-08-02T12:15:00.000-07:00

We had a lot of fun this summer and stayed very busy. My sister came down from Maryland with her three boys and they stayed for a couple weeks. We took the kids to the pocket and had a picnic. While wading in the creek we saw two copperheads. YIKES! We got out right away! We also took a vacation to Myrtle Beach with my parents, my brother and his wife, and my sister and her kiddos. The kids had a wonderful time. Zac, Jacob, and Emma really took to body surfing this year. Especially Emma and Jacob. They just kept on getting hit by waves and they just kept getting up. On the last day Emma got knocked down pretty hard and had finally had enough. It was so much fun to see my dad and mom out in the ocean with their grandkids. It was also a lot of fun to have my brother and Rochelle there. The kids love their Aunt Ro and Uncle Jeff! Happy had to fly out of the Myrtle Beach airport on our last night to attend Student Leadership 201 in Washington DC. He returned on his birthday and then the next day he and I left to take a group to Student Leadership 101 in Orlando FL. When we got home we went and picked up a new addition to our family. Her name is Roxy and she is half bulldog and half collie. She is the sweetest little thing. The girls are enjoying her and it's helping Emma with her fear of dogs. And that completes the month of July. Emma will be starting Kindergarten soon and Myah preschool, three mornings a week. Our schedule will change. I'm looking forward to structure, but not looking forward to 6am. alarm clocks!!

Cave Spring Fun Run and 5K

2009-06-13T13:03:00.000-07:00

Happy, Emma, my brother, and myself ran a race today! Happy ran the one mile with Emma. She did soooo good! I really did not think she could run the whole thing, but she did! She told me later, "Mommy, I was hurting a little and tired, but I just kept going". We were all so proud of her. My brother, Jeff, did amazing. He finished it in 22min. Me, on the other hand, well, I decided to take an alternate route that deviated from the main route. I told Happy, this was the first time following the pack, didn't work out so well for me. :) I think I was on track to finish in 29, maybe even 28, but followed a couple runners, who were wearing numbers, around a big building and through a field. (It's OK you can laugh. I can laugh about it now.) There were workers RIGHT THERE who just let me follow them. When I discovered no one was behind me I yelled to the guys in front, "Hey! ARE YOU RUNNING THE RACE?" ( Yes, you can laugh again at the sight of me yelling my head off at two guys as we were running through a field.) They said they were doing their cool down and apologized for being on the course. I couldn't believe it! HA! Only I would get lost on a 5k! I turned around and when I saw those workers again, I told them what had happened and one worker said, rather too cheerfully, "I saw you, but I thought you were just out for a joy run." OH PLEASE!!! It was a fun time though. Emma wants to run another race. We might sign her up for clock tower in August. Don't worry, I've done clock tower before and won't get lost!

Preschool Graduate

2009-05-25T19:36:00.000-07:00

Emma graduated from preschool last week. It was a sweet ceremony and even got captured in the paper. She is so excited about starting Unity Christian School next year. She keeps telling people she's going on "spring break" and when she comes back she'll go to kindergarten. She is a sponge right now...what precious times!!

The Ballet Recital

2009-05-21T18:11:00.000-07:00

This was their ballet dress. They danced to"Girls Just Want to Have Fun".

Their updo's. They even had glittery hairspray....and mommy ended up wearing some too.

Their tap was to Annie's, "It's a Hard Knock Life For Us". They all were so adorable. They even had little pails that they pretended to scrub the floor with.

This is the dress rehearsal

Pa Pa and MiMi, and Uncle Chump! My parents came too, but left

before picture taking began.

And the next day....Uncle Chump brought them each a dozen

roses for their performance.

The Habit of Having No Habits

2009-05-12T06:12:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since I have picked up my dear old Oswald Chambers book, "My utmost for His highest". That book is one of the most amazing devotionals I think I have ever owned. I have lots of things to say about today, but I thought I would post it so all my readers could hear the insightful words... always so challenging!

2 Peter 1:5-8 May 12th

"When we first begin to form a habit, we are fully aware of it. There are times when we are aware of becoming virtuous and godly, but this awareness should only be a stage we quickly pass through as we grow spiritually. If we stop at this stage, we will develop a sense of spiritual pride. The right thing to do with godly habits is to immerse them in the life of the Lord until they become such a spontaneous expression of our lives that we are no longer aware of them. Our spiritual life continually causes us to focus our attention inwardly for the determined purpose of self-examination, because each of us has some qualities we have not yet added to our lives.
Your god may be your little Christian habit- the habit of prayer or Bible reading at certain times of your day. Watch how your Father will upset your schedule if you begin to worship your habit instead of what the habit symbolizes. We say, "I can't do that right now; this is my time alone with God." No, this is your time alone with your habit. There is a quality that is still lacking in you. Identify your shortcoming and then look for opportunities to work into your life that missing quality.
Love means that there are no visible habits-that your habits are so immersed in the Lord that you practice them without realizing it. If you are consciously aware of your own holiness, you place limitations on yourself from doing certain things -things God is not restricting you from at all. This means there is a missing quality that needs to be added to your life. The only supernatural life is the life the Lord Jesus lived, and He was at home with God anywhere. Is there someplace where you are not at home with God? Then allow God to work through whatever that particular circumstance may be until you increase in Him, adding His qualities. Your life will then become the simple life of a child."

Isn't that good? My first initial thought is, I do not want God to be my little habit!!! He is way too amazing to be reduced to a habit. I'm sure at times in my life I have reduced Him to that and it breaks my heart. I think a lot of Christians are tempted in this way, because we are taught to have a quiet time....and NOTHING is wrong with that....but I think the question bears asking, are we truly meeting with our God during our quiet time or are we checking off our quiet time for the day? Thank God we serve such an amazing gracious God who yearns to spend time with us! Dare I say, even if we are just meeting with "our habit". But, I pray that Christians everywhere will stop worshiping their habit and start to worship their Maker!!

Discipline and Parenting

2009-05-02T05:20:00.000-07:00

Discipline. Such a harsh word. But is it really? Most people, including myself, tend to think discipline is all about correction. However, there is so much more to that word. The root word of discipline is "disciple". So when you are discipling someone, say your child, you are giving them instruction on how to live life. II Timothy 3:16 tells us that God's Word is useful in teaching, rebuking, correcting and training us in the way we should go. The same holds true for us when we disciple our children. We are not only correcting them, but we are teaching them and training them for life! What an immense responsibility. One that requires us as parents to have confidence and consistency. Does anyone else struggle with this?

This morning as I was doing my quiet time I was challenged by this. It seems there are days that I lack the confidence and consistency I need to discipline my children. I was encouraged as I read from the Word this morning. Here are some amazing verses Proverbs offers us in disciplining our children.

13:24 "He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him."
19:18 "Discipline your son, for in that there is hope;"
22:6 "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."
22:15 "Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from
him."
24:14 "Know also that wisdom is sweet to your soul; if you find it, there is a future hope for
you."
29:15 "The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother. "
29:17 " Discipline your child, and he will bring you peace; he will bring delight to your soul."

Here is one is Hebrews:
12:11 "No discipline at the time seems pleasant, but painful. Later on however, it produces a
harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

So, in order for me to have the confidence to discipline my children consistently I need to understand that God has empowered me to do this. By disciplining them I am teaching them life skills that they will need when they get older. I will be instilling knowledge and wisdom in them. I will be helping them learn how to be a best friend, a student, a follower of God, an employee, and possibly a parent one day. I want to raise responsible children who will know right from wrong and understand that there are consequences to their actions. I would be doing them such and injustice if I didn't.

It's encouraging to me to know that God disciplines me because he loves me, because He delights in me and has my best interests in mind. He wants me to be the best I can be. Discipline isn't negative. It's good. It's God training us and molding us. If God gave up on us and never rebuked us or showed us a better way, we would be lost.

My prayer as I seek to raise children who love God is that I will be consistent with them. I have to remember the main goal of parenting is to raise an independent adult. An individual who will be making her own decisions one day and have her very own family one day. The verse in Hebrews is so true! None of us like to be disciplined, but how grateful are we for our parents who were consistent with us? I owe my work ethic and everything to godly parents who taught me right from wrong. I'm appreciative of it now, though at the time, not so much. :)

So, parents may we band together and discipline our children. By disciplining them we are LOVING them!! Philippians tells us, we can do everything through Christ who strengthens us!

And a BIG special thanks to my parents who did not spare the rod with me, but who taught me, and modeled for me a "better way". I love you mom and dad!

Impacting my Children for Eternity

2009-04-13T16:49:00.001-07:00

I LOVE listening to my girls sing. One of their favorite songs to sing is "Mighty to Save". Imagine driving down the road with us and listening to two little voices singing as loud as they can,

"Savior, He can move the mountains, my God is mighty to save, He is mighty to save
Forever, author of salvation, He rose and conquered the grave, Jesus conquered the grave!"

We had some good conversation about "Jesus, conquering the grave" this Easter. Emma is certain she has asked Jesus into her heart. Happy and I have wanted her to wait, but she has pressed us and pressed us. One night she asked us how to become a Christian. Happy and I explained it to her...she then said, OK, now pray with me. When she was done praying she had tears in her eyes and was ecstatic that she was a Christian. Not wanting to rush things for our 5 year old, we never did make a HUGE deal of it. We were not even sure she really understood what she was saying. That was a couple months ago. Last week, on the way home from church, Emma asked me if Myah was a Christian. Then she asked if she was. I said, "I don't know Emma, are you?" (Sometimes, Emma just likes to test me on things....). She said, "Mommy don't you remember when me and you and Daddy prayed together? I asked Jesus into my heart that night." It made me feel good to know she had remembered it. So, Emma's journey of faith has begun!

I was given too much change back at McDonald's not too long ago. A ten dollar bill to be exact. I explained to the cashier that I was not giving this ten dollar bill back because I was a good person, but because I was a Christian. He said thank you and I could tell he was shocked I was giving it back and not driving off with extra money in my pocket! But, from the back seat, he also heard...."I'm a Christian too!" "I'm a Christian too!"

I can only trust God that He is using me to impact my children for eternity. They see my good days and my bad days. My prayer for them and for me is that we will continue growing in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior every day. :)

Blogging Again...

2009-03-26T05:05:00.000-07:00

I have not blogged in so long! I guess I have allowed other things to come between me and blogging. ho-hum. I will attempt to get back into gear. :)

In February, I celebrated my birthday. Wow! I still cannot believe I'm in my thirties. Instead of worrying about it, I am bound and determined to make the thirties the very BEST years of my life...and then, when I turn 40, I will be bound and determined to make those the BEST years of my life...and so on. Good plan, huh? I'll let you know how it works for me. :)

In February, my Grandpa (Mom's Dad), went home to be with Jesus. He had battled emphysema for many many years. He went into the hospital for pneumonia, which he was very susceptible to, and his body decided to shut down on him. His heart, lungs, kidneys, they all began to quit. My sister flew into Atlanta from Maryland, and she, my mom and dad, and myself drove to Texas to visit him. He was alert and knew who we all were. He was such a gentle man. Never yelled at the nurses, but would say, "thanks hun". I never really thought about how gentle of a man he really was. We absolutely cherished those moments with him. He said some things that made us laugh. My dad offered to go down the hall and get him some coffee and as he was headed out the door, my grandpa calls out, "I want starbucks, Gary." he-he. Another time, after he had been moved to Hospice, the Chaplin came in to talk with Grandpa. He asked if Grandpa was at peace with God and Grandpa said yes. (Never once did he seem scared about death, only sad to leave those he loved.) He asked Grandpa what religion he practiced and my dad answered, "we're baptist's". Grandpa had to clarify, "East Texas Baptist". My dad and Grandpa and I got a chuckle out of that. Grandpa fought for life until the end. I guess that is how God made us. It's very natural for us to cling to the life we know and love. After a week with him, we traveled home and he died two days later in his sleep. I was unable to go back for the funeral, but he was given a military funeral. He had worked in the military for 30 years and then, AT&T for another 30 years. (He was actually my dad's sergant in the military...before my dad even met my mom, but that is another story for another blog. :)) My Grandpa lived a legacy of faith. I will cherish the memories I have with him and cannot wait to see him again one day!

There is plently more to say, but for now I will end this blog. We have some big news to share with you later, but right now Myah Grace just woke up and needs some morning snuggles. (No I am NOT pregnant.) :)

Simply Emma

2009-01-29T17:13:00.000-08:00

Tonight before going to bed Emma and I have this short conversation:

Emma: Mom, how did God just make stuff with his own hands?

Me: He is an amazing God.

Emma: No, I mean how did He just create the whole world with His hands?

Me: He is God and...

Emma: No, HOW DID HE DO IT?

Me: I'm not sure how He did it Emma, but we'll talk about it more in the morning.

Emma: Well, I'll probably just ask Mary about that when I get there. :)

Apparently, Emma believes Mary might offer her some insight into Creation.

Check this out!

2009-01-15T18:20:00.000-08:00

My brother-in-law just started a blog and posted some really great thoughts on peace. Thought you might like to check it out.

http://www.coffeejive.blogspot.com/

Baby doll slings

2009-01-13T13:08:00.000-08:00

The girls wanted me to make them a baby doll sling. I used some scrap fabric that I already had and slapped a couple pieces together and there ya go! Anyone need a baby doll sling? he-he!

"Will you sing with us?"

2009-01-13T12:33:00.001-08:00

Emma was in the Christmas play this year and was cast as an angel. She had one very important line. "Will you sing with us?" Her daddy and I were so proud of her. She is the youngest one of the group. In the end they did a dance to "Go Tell it on the Mountain". They were suppose to jump every time they sang "go". Well our little angel nailed every jump. Never mind the fact she was the only child facing a different direction throughout the song. :)

A big hug from daddy at the end!

Christmas 2008

2009-01-10T17:55:00.000-08:00

Well, my sister came down from Maryland with her family and brought the tidings of pink eye and bronchitis. Though they were ready to stuff our stockings with pink eye drops, we managed to not get it. Unfortunately, however, Myah ended up with pneumonia. She had it two years ago as well. Doc told us once you get it once, your body will become more susceptible to it. She really did quite well and never even acted too sick. God was watching out for her. She missed out on the Petite Farms hayride, but that was all. We had a wonderful time with our family. It always seems too short. My sister's boys are getting so big. Zachary is 8, Jacob is 6 and Simon is 21 months. Emma and Myah just LOVE their cousins to death. They decided they all wanted nicknames this year. Emma wanted her nickname to be Stella, Zach decided on Al, Jacob was just plain ol' Jake, and Myah was.....hmm..I don't know who Myah was. There was never a dull moment that's for sure! We also enjoyed a wonderful time with Happy's parents and family. I'm sorry to say I did not take any pictures that day. I don't know what was wrong with me. I must have been coming down with something. Next year I will take double!!

Myah, having a breathing treatment.

Emma opening her rollover pup!

Celebrating my mom's Birthday at Petite Farms

The cousins had so much fun playing air hockey.

My Dad opening his Wii

Simon, riding his new rocking horse

Happy Birthday Emma!

2008-12-01T18:36:00.000-08:00

Emma turned five on November 21st. I cannot believe it. She decided she wanted to have a puppy dog party. She had so much fun at her party. She has brought so much joy into our lives. I praise God for allowing us to be Emma's parents.

Here are some fun facts about Emma:

* She was born in Akron, OHio
* She has two missing teeth
* She loves Ariel
* She loves puppies
* She loves to pretend...ALL THE TIME!
* She is an angel in the Christmas play and has
one line, "will you sing with us?"
* She LOVES carrots
* She loves to ride horses at PaPa and MiMi's
* She loves to be the last one up in the morning
* She can whistle
* She takes ballet
* She loves to be around people

Here are some pictures of our "Joy Joy":

Bedtimes in Heaven

2008-11-16T14:16:00.000-08:00

There has been much discussion in our home lately about whether or not there will be sleeping in heaven. I tend to think we will not need to sleep because we will not be physical beings. Also, God doesn't sleep. However, my husband is fond of sleeping and hopes to take naps in heaven. The girls were asking about heaven one day and what their bedtime would be in heaven. I told them we wouldn't have a bedtime in heaven. They got so excited and said they wanted to go to heaven right now. Last night, Emma was having a hard time going to sleep. (She has a birthday to celebrate and is very excited). She came out asking, "why do we have to sleep on earth but not in heaven?" Happy and I told her she needed to go back to bed. (This was already the third time out of bed). As she is trotting off to bed she yells from the hallway, " Yeah, well, I know why we have to sleep on earth....God just doesn't want us to be all tired out when we get up to heaven!"

Honestly, that child cracks me up! I would never have thought of that! Of course, God does not want us to be grouchy and tired when we get up to heaven. We should be all rested up from our sleep here on earth. Makes perfect sense to me!

trick or treat!

2008-11-01T15:02:00.001-07:00

This year we went trick or treating in my parents' neighborhood. We enjoyed a meal of "yummy mummy" hot dogs that Aunt Ro and Emma prepared for us. Aunt Ro went with us and was dressed up like a kitty cat. The girls got SO MUCH candy this year!! They both came home with a pumpkin full from school today and then got another pumpkin full tonight. AHHH! What will we do with all this candy? Last year we let them have two a day, but then it lasted FOREVER. Maybe I should just let them gorge and then get sick and never want candy again. he-he. Just Kiddin!

Aunt Ro with the two little fairies.

Their loot!

Myah and Ma Ma (my mommy) :)

2008-10-30T18:34:00.000-07:00

Emma lost her first tooth tonight. I can't believe my baby lost a tooth. She's not even five yet. She is so excited, but very nervous about the tooth fairy. Happy and I hadn't had time to discuss the tooth fairy and were caught off guard by Emma's lost tooth. We told her to put it under her pillow and the tooth fairy would bring her a gift. Emma asked me, "O.k. mom, is the tooth fairy a girl or a man? Will he come in my room"? About that time, Myah starts to cry, "I'm scared of the tooth fairy"! I'm thinking, oh brother, is the tooth fairy really that important? Should I just brake down and tell them the tooth fairy is not real? No, instead I say, don't worry Myah the tooth fairy won't bother you because you haven't lost a tooth yet. Emma could not go to sleep tonight. She said, "I'm just a little nervous about this tooth fairy". So, we finally, decided to adopt my sister-in-law's tradition and told Emma to put her tooth in a glass of water and leave it in the kitchen. This way, we told her, the tooth fairy won't have to come into your room. phew. She was content with this and FINALLY went to bed .... only after writing the tooth fairy a sweet note explaining why her tooth was in the kitchen, in a glass, and not under her pillow in her room. :)

Emma directed her daddy in how to write the note to the tooth fairy.

conversations

2008-10-29T18:10:00.000-07:00

While we were driving home from church tonight Emma and Myah were talking about how big God is. Here is what they said:

Myah: Emma, Jesus is bigger than EVERYONE "down here". And even in this car. Jesus is the
biggest.

Emma: Myah, do you think God is "down here"? He's not Myah. God is not "down here."
So, Myah who is the biggest "down here" now?

Myah: Daddy.

Emma: You never know, Myah. You never know.

I will have to do a follow-up conversation with Emma so she knows that, yes, in fact, God is "down here." :)

One more cute conversation with Emma:

Emma is procrastinating going to bed and asks me to come lay down with her for awhile because she has no one to talk to. I told her she could talk to Jesus. She smiled and said, "but, how come when I talk to Jesus, He just never talks back"? I told her He does talk back. He wrote us a very long letter and that's why mommy and daddy like to read the Bible. As she is headed off to bed, I hear her say, "God, so how many hairs are on my head?....God?.....HOW MANY HAIRS ARE ON MY HEAD"!?

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-27T18:45:00.000-07:00

Every year, since we have lived in Rome, the girls and I have gone to the Pumpkin Patch in Adairsville. The past couple years it has just been the girls, myself and Happy's Aunt "Poopie". Yes, there are some different names in the Peterson family. Let me answer your question, because I know you are wondering. Yes, the girls call her "Aunt Poopie". :) Apparently when Happy and his brother Aaron were little they couldn't pronounce her name and this is what came out. Needless to say, it has stuck all these years. We love her dearly and she spoils my girls so bad! Anyway, this year we were blessed that Daddy and Mi Mi (Happy's mom) were able to join us! It was a great time to be had by all.

On the hayride with Aunt Poopie

Ring em' Mi Mi!

Emma taking a little rest

The poor pregnant goat we saw. How rude!

Ya'll come back now ya here!

I Am a Promise

2008-09-26T12:52:00.001-07:00

I sang this when I was a little girl in front of our church. Some of you may remember this old Bill Gaither tune. Emma says she wants to sing it in front of our church. Here is Myah singing it.

ladybug treats

2008-09-24T19:18:00.000-07:00

The other day, I was given the opportunity to spend the day just with my Joy girl. Lately, I had been feeling like she and I needed some time alone. So, often, I feel like I am scolding Emma again and again. I wanted some time with her that was completely free of scoldings!! I told myself, just for the next few hours I am not going to correct her. I pondered what I could do with her that would make our time special and decided I would take her to the Honey Moon Bakery and let her pick out a cookie. She was so excited. We walked in and I told her to pick out which cookie she wanted. As she was looking at all the cookies a ladybug cupcake caught her eye. She said , "Oh mommy I want that ladybug cupcake." I replied, "Sweetheart, mommy said a cookie, not a cupcake" (I know that was kinda bordering correcting, but the cookies were a dollar and the cupcakes were $2.75). Then Emma said, "O.k. Mommy, but they sure are beautiful, aren't they?" I have to admit she melted my heart. She obeyed right away and with such a sweet attitude. I reminded myself that today was a special day. So, can you guess what kind of treat Emma got that day? And boy, did she LOVE it!

Fashion Show

2008-09-17T12:44:00.000-07:00

So, the girls put on a fashion show the other day. Their audience consisted mostly of their furry friends and myself. They are so fun to watch. Emma even made a sign to go on the door. She cleaned her room to the best of her ability and "accessorized" it with some bows. Emma also has a wonderful talent of creating anything out of paper. In this case, I think she tried to make a shirt and tie for her puppy. She is funny. If she is playing Cinderella and doesn't have a crown she disappears into the kitchen for a little while and comes back out with a homemade paper crown. One time she specifically wanted a blue head band, so sure enough she went and made herself one. She made her doll the cutest little purse the other day. Who knows maybe she'll be a fashion designer. he-he.

Myrtle Beach

2008-09-05T18:21:00.000-07:00

We have just returned from a wonderful four day vacation in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It was cut one day short due to Tropical Storm/ Hurricane Hannah. We surely didn't want to ride out a hurricane on our vacation. The girls had a blast. We went back to the same place again as last year. It is just too good a deal not to partake. We mostly played in the pools and the ocean. We did do the aquarium and a little park on Broadway at the Beach.
Emma is so crazy. She will go on ANY ride they let her on. She and I rode the swings and she scared me so bad!!! I guess it's being completely helpless if she were to need me. And maybe the fact that I have a fear of heights. She was waving her arms all around and wiggling in her seat. She managed to clang her bar a couple times. AHHHHH! I was trying to not be a stick in the mud, but I know I kept saying over and over again, "OH Emma be still. Emma hold onto the bar. Emma stop waving at Daddy. Emma be still." Emma was saying, "Ohh mommy I can see all the city from here. Hi Daddy, Hi!! he-he he-he."
Emma has also mastered a somersault in the pool, which she did over and over and over again. She is a very good little swimmer. She also learned a back flip and a hand stand in the pool. Myah, on the other hand, bless her little heart, is quite content if water never touches her face again. She is my cautious child. I love the differences in my girls. Myah will see something kind of crazy or wild and say, "Oh Emma you would love to do that wouldn't cha!" And Emma would reply, "Yes, but Myah you would be scared so you wouldn't like it at all." :)
I won't bore you with any more stories. Here are some pictures to enjoy from our vacation.

Emma's Handstand

Myah's favorite ride

Emma swinging her heart out

Boardwalk at the Beach

Boogers

2008-08-25T17:59:00.000-07:00

So, we've had quite a few discussions on boogers lately. These conversations have taken place in the car on the way to Emma's little PALS preschool.

Emma: "Mommy how come when I pick my nose and I get all the boogers out they just come back again?"

Mommy: "hmmm. that's a good question, we'll ask Daddy later, K?" :)

Another morning on the way to school:

Mommy: "Emma, get your finger out of your nose please."

Emma: "Well, how come I can't just have my finger in my nose?"

Mommy: "Because it is very bad manners. We need to use a tissue if there is something in there that you need to get out. Someone might see you and say, 'Oh what a pretty little girl...but she's picking her nose. ew. yucky.'

Emma: (while looking around) "well, there's no one around right now to see me, mom" :)

Mommy: sigh

egg shells in cookies

2008-08-23T18:53:00.000-07:00

I didn't think I would have much time to do this bloggie thingie, but here I am giving it a whirl. I have found myself checking my friends' blogs weekly and I thought it might be fun to give it a try. I have two little girls. Emma Joy is 4 and Myah Grace is 3. This blog will primarily be about what it's like raising two little gals. Sometimes there are amazing moments of joy and sometimes I am on my knees praying for God to give me the grace I need to parent these little tots.

Today we had a parenting seminar at our church. It was a speaker from Youth Specialties. He did a phenomenal job. It was actually a seminar on understanding your teenager. I went for two reasons. One, my husband is a youth pastor and we work with youth, and two, my adorable little angels will be crazy, hormonal teenagers one day. I thought I'd get a head start. I'm glad I went. I was challenged, educated, broken, and encouraged. I will share a couple moments of joy and grace with you.

Jim was discussing how teens are in transition and how we as parents should treat them less like a child and more like a young adult. Whatever a child is treated like is how that child will act. He made the comment "whatever your child is capable of doing by themself, LET THEM DO IT." Right now in our house the girls have started getting into the refridgerator and getting their own juice. At first I hesitated because to be perfectly honest, I don't want to clean up a huge mess. So we struck a deal. When the juice is half way gone, they can pour it themselves. Oh boy do they love to do that. It builds their self-esteem and makes them feel so grown up. It's such a small thing that I can do that gives them so much joy.

One more thing for tonight:

Jim stepped on my toes a little as he talked about the teenager that won't help mom bake cookies. This teen wanted nothing to do with cooking. Jim says it goes back to that 3 or 4 yr.old who begs mommy to let her help while mommy is in the kitchen and mommy says, "no honey not today. We don't have much time today. Why don't you go watch some t.v. and then when they're all done you can have one." Myah Grace Peterson is a little helper. She is by my side ALL day long. She dusts with me, she cleans potties with me, she washes dishes with me and of course she wants to cook with me. All I have to do is take out a bowl and a measuring cup and she goes runnin for that darn blue chair of hers! Lately, it had started getting on my nerves. I just wanted to cook by myself. So, I would find myself frantically trying to throw meals together without her seeing or hearing me. Or if she saw I would say, "not this time." I'm sure I will still want to cook by myself some, but after today I was reminded, one day Myah will be grown and I would probably do anything to taste some egg shells in my chocolate chip cookies again.

So, if I could encourage any mommy today with little ones I would say, "Have you tasted any egg shells in your cookies lately?"