A Day With My Love Bug

On Saturday, March 6, I spent the afternoon with my Katybug!  We met her sweet friend, Ella Grace, and her Mommy at Lilly's Bead Box. 

This was the first time that the girls had been there and they loved looking at all of the beads.  They both picked out pretty blue sparkly beads and the letters of their name.  We gave the girls a tray to line up their beads in the right order:

Then it was time to string them on the wire:

I think Katy and Ella Grace had the most fun coloring and "writing their names" with blue pens

They were so cute together and had fun singing and being silly.  Here is Katybug with her new bracelet on:

We included a special ladybug charm on both the girls bracelets to remember their special day: 

After bracelet making, we headed to "Chick a lay" for some yummy chicken and french fries and play time!  The girls played so well together.  Katybug just loves her friends.  Tonight before bed she thanked God for her "best friend, Ella Grace."  I am so grateful for all of our sweet friends that the LORD has blessed us with.  Thank you, Ella Grace and Amanda for a special day and for making my Katybug happy!

Every time I think of you, I thank my God.

And whenever I mention you in my prayers, it makes me happy.

Philippians 1:3-4

He Has Made ALL Things Good!

I want to give everyone an update on my precious boy.  Parker was scheduled for a recheck at the Allergy & Asthma Specialist on February 12 and we were to receive the results of his Immunoglobulin test performed on January 28.  He had been healthy for almost 7 weeks, and the morning of the 12th, he woke up with a stomach virus!  So we rescheduled for February 19th.  We had been praying for good levels and that he would not be diagnosed with an autoimmune condition.  His levels indicated that most of his levels had improved which was a huge praise.  However, his IgA levels were extremely low.  Immunoglobulin A is one of the most common antibodies in the body and is responsible for protecting all of the mucous linings in the respiratory system (nose, throat, etc.) and the gastrointestinal tract. I was told that because Parker's levels are so low, he would 100% catch anything that he came in contact with since his body wasn't producing enough antibodies to protect him. And that it was going to just take time for his body to fight to get better. This was hard to hear about my baby's deficiency, but I know that Parker is PERFECT in the LORD's eyes.  Everything that we have gone through and will continue to go through with Parker has drawn me closer to the LORD.  It has helped me realize that I am not alone (John 14:16-17) and that the only person I need to please is HIM (Matthew 7:1-2).  God has blessed me with Parker and it is my job here on this earth to love and take care of him and train him up in the way he should go (Proverbs 22:6).  Please pray for my sweet boy as we continue on this journey.  Our next step is meeting with a Gastrointestinal Specialist which should be scheduled very soon.  Until then I am leaving everything at the cross where I know Jesus will meet me there!

...He has done everything well...
Mark 7:37

God's Little Princesses

For Valentine's Day this year, I really wanted to focus on God's amazing and neverending love for us.  The girls and I have been spending time every night before bed reading "Sweet Dreams Princess Bedtime Bible Stories, Devotions, & Prayers" by Sheila Walsh.  Most of you know that I was raised Catholic and never knew what it meant to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  I want so badly for my children to know how precious they are not only to me and Jonathan, but to their Father God who created them.  I love watching the girls' faces light up when I tell them that they are God's Little Princesses.  What girl doesn't want to be considered a princess to the King, especially the greatest King who created and rules over everything?  I wanted to design a shirt for the girls to wear for Valentine's Day that went along with what we have been learning at home.  Katy asks me all the time, "Mommy, Jesus loves me?" so I wanted to make sure to include that in my design.  Here is the front of the shirt: 

And the back: 

The girls were so excited to put them on and wear them to their favorite place, God's house!

I am praying that they will continue to learn just how special they are, that they are a gift to be treasured forever, and that they will learn to trust in the One who will never leave them.  I love you Lily, Maddy, and Katy, but there is One who loves you even more than I!  

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.  

John 3:16 

Melt My Heart

We were so busy at home last week doing lots of fun things for Valentine's Day like crafts, baking, and studying Bible lessons on love.  I wanted to share a craft that I found in Family Fun magazine that I did with Maddy and Katy this week.  It is a favorite of mine and we did this same craft 2 years ago for Lily's Valentine's.  You don't need to buy anything special for this craft so it can be done anytime.  Maddy and Katy were so excited to get started: 

I preheated the oven to 250 degrees and got the girls busy looking through our crayon boxes for broken crayons and peeling the paper off:

Then they placed all of the broken pieces in the heart shaped muffin pan.  (You can use any shape pan and make sure to pile it high.):

Then place the muffin pan on a baking sheet to catch any spills.  Put the pan in the oven for about 15 minutes or until all of the crayons have completely melted.  Here is what it should look like about halfway through:

Then this is what it looks like when the crayons have finished melting:

Be careful taking it out of the oven because the wax is very runny, almost like water.  Let it cool completely and then pop the new crayons out of the muffin pan: 

Then we cut out heart shapes from paper and I wrote "You melt my heart." across the top. 

You could also write "You color my world," which is what Lily chose.  You can use double sided tape to attach the crayon to the paper heart, or we decided to have Maddy sign the heart with her name and used a ziploc bag and placed both in there for her to pass out to all of her friends.

Thanks for taking a peek at what we've been doing at home.  I love craft time with my girls! 

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. 

Mark 12:30

Ice Princess

After my special morning with Maddy last Saturday, I got to spend the afternoon with my sweet Lily.  It was a day full of "firsts" for my girls! Lily was invited to a Birthday party at the Ice Chalet and she was so excited to try ice skating for the first time.
Here is Lily in her first pair of ice skates:

I was so proud of her for not being afraid to try ice skating.  The Ice Chalet was packed full of people and she did great!  She held on to the wall and spent most of the time going around and around the rink. 

 She did let go of the wall a couple of times, but she didn't go far from it just in case!

What an exciting day!  I am so thankful for every moment spent with my precious children.  They bring me so much joy and happiness! 

You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Psalm 16:11

Bowling is a Ball!

On Saturday, February 6, Maddy and I got to spend part of the day together celebrating her sweet friend's Birthday at Strike and Spare Bowling Alley.  This was her first time bowling!  She was so excited and I was so happy to be there with her.  I love my "girl" time!  Maddy met her friend, Mollie, at WHBC Preschool in August 2008 and they have been best friends ever since. 

The Lord was so sweet to bring them together!  They share so many interests and most importantly, a love for Jesus! 

Maddy couldn't wait to get started.  Here she is typing her name into the computer: 

Maddy and her Gold ball:

Her first attempt at "bowling":

Watching and waiting very patiently as the ball slowly rolled down the lane:

Mollie cheering Maddy on:

Maddy was so proud of herself for knocking down some pins! 

Thank goodness for gutter bumpers!:

Two precious friends: 

Thank you, Jonathan for letting me spend time with my sweet Maddy!  And thank you Lord for blessing Maddy with such a sweet friend.  We love you Mollie! 

But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you.  Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay.  Your people will be my people and your God my God.

Ruth 1:16

Snowflakes are...

kisses from heaven!

Wow!  What an amazing weekend!  Jonathan and I were supposed to have a Date Night on Friday night.  This was going to be the first time since our Anniversary in May 2008 that we have had a date night out of the house, and I was really looking forward to it.  But the Lord had different plans, and they far exceeded mine!  What a sweet reminder that His plans are always better than ours and that He is going to provide exactly what we need.  Oh how He loves us!  As the snow started to fall on Friday afternoon and I heard my sweet children squealing, cheering and thanking God for the snow, I was quickly reminded how blessed I am.  Jonathan and I spent Friday evening with our precious blessings and just enjoying our family.  Saturday morning we awoke to a gorgeous blanket of white!  We got the kids all bundled up for a day full of fun.  My awesome hubby made sure Parker's mittens were going to stay on this time, so he used tape to secure them in place! 

Parker wasn't too happy about getting bundled up,

but that all changed once we got outside: 

Little P was determined to get down to the road and play in the messy slush: 

He loved stomping in it and splashing the wet snow everywhere!

Boy how his smiles make me smile! 

Katy was also very happy to be out in the "smow":

Lily enjoyed making snowballs:

Then Jonathan and I took the kids on a sled ride through the neighborhood:

Our house sits on a mini hill, and it is difficult for parking in the driveway. But the hill was perfect for sledding!

Lily and Maddy wanted to give Katy a big push,

and of course she would be the one to wipe out! 

She was the one who flipped off of the sled the last time it snowed!  Krazy Katy! 

After several hours of fun, Little P was ready to go in:

Poor baby! 

We enjoyed all of our snow adventures, but my favorite moment of the whole weekend was finding all of my babies in Katy's bed reading books together!

The girls started bringing Parker books after books and he was so excited when he got a Thomas the Train book:

You can tell that he is saying "choo choo" here!:

Thank you Lord Jesus for all the many ways you show your love to us.  YOU couldn't have planned a better weekend for me! 

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth:  It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. 

Isaiah 55:10-11