A Extraordinarily Beautiful Day In January...

The weather was so nice today that we just had to get outside and enjoy it!  My nephews, Elijah and Jackson, came over to play so we spent a few hours enjoying the fresh air!  I can't tell you how many days in the last month I have looked outside the sliding glass door in my kitchen and been surprised to see golfers on the course.  Isn't this supposed to be winter?

Mason loved the grass and leaves and dirt and I only had to fish them out of his mouth a few times. :)

 Mason got upset because I would not let him crawl up the stairs.

Here, you can see the difference between when you tell a 6-year old to smile and when you tell a 2-year old to smile. :)

Here's a fun sequence...

Layla wanted to take her jacket off so I told her she could when we went inside.

So, she decided that instead of waiting until we were done playing outside like I meant, she would just go inside by herself and take it off.

 The door wasn't wanting to cooperate with her plans but she wasn't giving up.

 Here she is showing me that its off.  Gotta love that persistent, ornery little girl!
(By the end, Mason was the only one with his sweatshirt still on.)

I love our little nest in our little tree.  We also had a picnic snack outside.  As you can see, we pretty much stayed in the front yard today.  I thought it would be easier to ensure that Mason didn't swallow any twigs.

Here's where Layla scraped her knee after she and Jack collided.  When this picture was taken, she had no idea she was bleeding, therefore, her knee didn't hurt.  One of the other kids pointed it out to her shortly and she spent the next few hours either acting like she couldn't walk or insisting she sit on my lap. :)

 I think we're supposed to have another beautiful day tomorrow!


On an unrelated side note, I just heard Jade laughing in her sleep. :) 

Philippians...

Tonight, we finished our study through the book of Philippians at Church. The fact that Paul packed so many valuable insights into only four chapters only serves to further my belief in divine inspiration!  I have learned a lot and was reminded of a lot as Gregg led us through this study, so I am going to share just a little bit with you.  I decided to go with a few of the most well-loved verses from Philippians because they are proof to me that even if it's a verse or passage I've read or heard thousands of times, there is still more for me to learn and put into practice!  (And that is something I really need to be reminded of sometimes!)


PHILIPPIANS
¹³ I can do all things ^[i]through Him who strengthens me. 
Something that really stuck out to me tonight from this well-cited verse is context.  You can find this verse plastered everywhere as people us it to convince themselves or others to do something that they feel they cannot do of their own accord.  I am sure I myself have used it to gain the confidence to do something I felt insecure about.  The problem, however, is that I didn't consider context first.  The previous verse reads, "¹² I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need."  What this verse is talking about is not performing miracles or taking on a task of which one is nervous.  This verse is saying that no matter what circumstances (really good or really bad) God places in my life, I can endure through them because God is the One who will give me the strength to do so! 
P.S.  Here's a thought that my mind ran across...I love verse 12 where Paul says that he has "learned the secret."  He didn't learn this the easy way, like by being told or reading it, he had to learn it through living it.  He lived well and he lived poorly and he learned that God's strength is what carried him through both. Sometimes the only way we will learn what God wants us to know is by suffering through it ourselves.

 ¹¹ Not that I speak ^[g]from want, for I have learned to be ^[h]content in whatever circumstances I am.
Talk about conviction!  Bear in mind that Paul is writing this letter while he is chained to a guard in a Roman prison (which is nothing like today's prison...for instance, prisoners were not even given food, they had to rely on the kindness of people outside the prison to bring them food or they didn't eat), and he can truly say that he is content.  I, by contrast, sit in my comfy home, surrounded by too many blessings to count, and focus on 'a little more.' This verse is a goal for my life.

 ⁸ Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is ^[e]lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, ^[f]dwell on these things.
Talk about more conviction!  If my thoughts always fell in line with this verse, I would be a much better example of Christ.  I need to focus on thinking AND speaking whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, excellent, and worthy of praise!

This is just the tip of the iceberg.  I encourage you to take your time and read through the book of Philippians!

Standing...

Apparently, my little man thinks 6 months is as good a time as any to start pulling himself up and standing every chance he gets.  As if he wasn't enough work already, he now insists I either let him eat anything two feet off the floor or else move it!

(Notice his hair in the following picture.  It also has a mind of its own, but it was much longer before either of the girls had enough hair to do this, so I love it!)

This is how we now find him just about every morning and after every nap.  Seeing as we have the same ol' crib we did with the girls (as opposed to the fancy new ones where the side doesn't lower), it looks like we'll have to start keeping the side up.

He will use anything to pull himself up...

...including the wall.

I got a kick out of him earlier when he tried to climb up the laundry basket and ended up falling in.  He didn't find it too funny until he realized how cute Mommy thought it was!

If he's this busy a boy at 6 months,

what is he gonna be like at a year? :)

Makeover With The Girls...

Jade got a bunch of make-up for her birthday so, of course, we had to have a makeover today. I think the girls loved doing mine for me even more then getting make-up on themselves.

You may not be able to tell from these pictures,

but let me tell you, we were stylin'

with our hot pink eye shadow and three layers of lip gloss. :)

P.S.  I am not actually sure of the stamps were actually intended to be used on the body (as opposed to paper or such), but it came with the make-up so we went for it!

Jade's 6th Birthday...

Despite my protests, my baby girl turned six last week.  I don't know why, but six just sounds so much older than five.  I think she had a great day and was truly spoiled!

Sporting her Hello Kitty birthday pajamas



Hair!

I loved the cake!!!  Thanks to my Mom!





Jade using The Birthday Glass...a tradition from my childhood :)

Guess What Jade Found?!!!...

That's right, I am so very happy to announce that Jade found my wedding band.  After a week of Matt and I looking all over for it, it was Jade to the rescue!  I was on Pinterest today and Jade walks over to the computer, with one hand behind her back, and asks me, "Mom, did you look by your bed?"  It was appearently on the floor by my bed, a spot where I had looked MANY times, but for some reason the Lord decided to let her be the one to find it.  I'm not complaining, I am just glad to have it back.  Although, Matt seems to think I should have learned my lesson with Jade was little and I left my rings within reach.  I think she was only 1 at the time and, after searching the house from top to bottom numerous times and finding nothing, I asked Jade if she knew where my rings were, not expecting any help.  Much to my surprise (and delight!) she lead me straight to the DVD player.  Shaking it a bit confirmed she had thought that was a good place to stick them and Matt was able to take it apart and retrieve them.  Had she not told me, though, I would have never recovered them!  Lots of thankful prayers after that one!  Now, 5-ish years later, I once again leave them within reach.  Maybe I will learn before Mason gets a chance at them!