Dutyisms

Easton - isms:

"Mommy, you put some white spwinkles on my baw-dom?"

(his way of asking if I was going to put baby powder on him)

(to daddy while he was washing his hair) "Be careful wif me...I'm a baby."

(and a little later) "I'm a kween man."

Beckett - isms:

:

Mommy, that sign says, "Welcome to our Homie!" 

Beckett made a book at Chick-fil-A and these are some of the things that he told me to write in it:

Nickname: Buddy
After high school, I will: I don't know
For fun I will: Play Wii
I would like to live in: California
I would like to have 10 kids
My job will be: Dolphin Trainer
The car I would like to drive is: Dolphin Rescue Car
Someday I will take a trip to: the sea to rescue dolphins

*we watched Dolphin Tale with the kids and they are obsessed*

Taylor Joy - isms:

(after correcting Allen for using a "mean voice" with Easton)

D: Thanks for helping me be more like Jesus

T: Oh you know...just doing my thing.

Taylor Joy filled out a book that she got from Chick-fil-A. I think it's priceless:

After high school, I will: be a fir fitr (fire fighter)

For fun I will: dres up

I would like to live in: chanlr (chandler - parent's lake house)

My job will be: a fir fitr

I would like to have 8 kids

The car I would like to drive is: a van

Someday I will take a trip to: chanlr

If I could meet a star, it would be: grat

Camping Party

When Taylor Joy started talking about her birthday party months ago, she was coming up with some strange ideas ("animal" party, My Little Pony)... I quickly realized that my job as a Mom was to redirect her to some cute ideas from Pinterest and fortunately she fell in love with some of the "camping" parties that I showed her.

Since she is only turning 6 and has many friends who are younger, we decided to do the camping party at night, but not as a sleepover. Truth be told, I don't think I'm ready for that either. The day will come, I'm sure, but it doesn't need to be this year. She is already growing up so stinkin' fast!

Here are some pictures from the party:

Simply playing in the tent was big fun!

Watermelon Lemonade

Making S'mores, of course! They also dipped the sides in sprinkles to make them pretty!

 Campfire Cake

(fitting and super yummy! I made a cinnamon frosting instead of chocolate like the link shows)

Our birthday gal

Blowing out her candle...

 Pinata Time!

(Mine was NOT cute, but they were smashing it into pieces anyway, right?)

Gifts for the birthday girl!

We also enjoyed:

Making our own Trail Mix (and letting the girls take their bags home)
Modge Podging Time Capsules (and sending home questionnaires to do with their parents and be able to look back on)
Bubble blowing
Nature Scavenger Hunt

Homeschool Update

Homeschooling is going so well. I haven't updated until now, but all of 12 weeks so far have been so fruitful. I, also, am learning so much as their teacher. Isn't this how it always goes? There is so much out there that I either forgot or never had the opportunity to learn. So, here's to filling in the gaps of my childhood and school days! I hope to update at least a couple times a semester so that I can make a scrapbook of all that Taylor Joy learned this year and let it be a reminder to her in the future.

Science has been a fun subject and our "exploration days" generally fall on Fridays, so Dad is charge of most of the experiments that we do. We have learned much on the topics of:

• seasons
• the parts of a plant
• trees
• different types of seeds
• ants
• thunder and lightning
• rain
• rivers
• volcanoes
• oceans
• the sun and
• the planets!

Here is a picture of the water filter we made one week:

Allen put pieces of an old t-shirt on the bottom and gravel on the top. Beckett had the job of making the water all muddy (a job he was way too excited about!).

We punched holes in the bottom and then poured in the muddy water 

to see if our filter would actually work.

Waiting...

Yay! It worked. Slowly, but surely the clean (ish) water poured out of the bottom of the carton.

We have also been learning the books of the Old Testament and both Beckett and Taylor Joy know almost all of them. We have made a timeline starting at the beginning of creation and adding in each story from the Bible that we learn about. Taylor Joy has been illustrating her Bible Notebook, as displayed below:

We've learned the geography of the Bible lands map and
even copied the Greek alphabet (Allen was so proud!)

She is also learning how to draw animals. Here is a page from her Art Spiral:

As we talked about the days of creation, we had a Feast Day to represent our Sabbath Day, which included fine china, candles lit, a blessing from Dad on all the family members, authentic Challah, and grape juice all around. Such a fun family night.

One of the things I wrote on my thankful leaf last night was: 

that I get to be the one who teaches my kids.

Truly, what an awesome privilege. 

Lord, help me to see the blessing even when it's hard, even when my 2 year old is eating playdoh, even when its just one thing on my long list of things to get done.

( a video of our volcano experiment)

*yes, the kids are in their pajamas. don't judge ;)

Dutyisms

Taylor Joy-isms:

T: If you try to hide from God, He is EVEN in your hiding spot!
B: Not if you are under Mommy and Daddy's covers!
T: YES! He is EVEN there!!!

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While waiting at the dentist office for the dentist to come in, Mommy hopped up in the chair and asked Taylor and Beckett to examine my teeth.

Taylor Joy looked at them, grabbed her drill and said, "Drill, drill drill! Here come your new teeth! Get rid of those old ones!"

Beckett said, "Now it's time to scratch your teef!" and proceeded to stick his little fingers in my mouth and "scratch" my teeth (I guess that's what he perceived they were doing with their big metal scraper).

Later on Taylor Joy made the comment, "when my baby teeth pop out I want silver teeth! That's what the dentist said!" (what in the world? I must have been out of the room for that one! who are these people?)

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"Once upon a time there was a boy named Beckett. He was 100 so he could drive..."

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"Mom, how come birds have white poop and we have brown and green poop?"


Beckett-isms:

Allen: Buddy, I'm going to eat you!
B: No, I not a eater-boy. That doesn't make me happy. The oney thing that does is...FOOTBALL!

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B: I know everything about GAS! (in regard to the answer to an Explode the Code I was doing with Taylor)

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"Oh no, mom! He's got your fing! The fing you use to make stuff for people!" (Beckett yelling to me from outside the shower that Easton was turning on my sewing machine...)

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B: Let's play Tangled! Yeah! Easton's the mean ol' wady!

Easton-isms:

During our vacation, Easton decided he wanted to be in charge of someone (since everyone is always in charge of him...see above). And Angel was the victim (my parents' dog). Pretty much all week, he was leading Angel around, telling her what to do, saying things like, "way down" (lay down) and pushing her head down in her bed.

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Mom: Easton, time to get out of the bath!
E: No, kee koo! (no thank you)
Such a polite little rebel...

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He kept crawling inside the fire pit, calling it a "bubble baff!"

Not a Preschooler Anymore

She's officially 5 today.

This seems like a big deal. A huge deal. 

How did this happen? And more importantly, how can I make it stop?

I am currently reading, "Keeping the Little in Your Girl" by Dannah Gresh, creator of Secret Keeper Girl, which I fully intend to utilize the resources from. I do want to keep her little. I do want to be who she looks to as an example. I do want to be the one who answers the "why" questions. I want to take the time. I want live out the values that she will take on. I want to give her confidence in how God made her. I want to play princesses, tea party and pretend games for as long as she will let me.

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(Newborn)

I praise the Lord for you, Taylor Joy. That He created you from the inside out. That God knit you together inside of me just as He wanted to. That you are perfectly made by God's own hands. I so badly desire to live in a way that instills a love of life, a love of learning and a love of God within you. You should know by now that I need help to be able to do that. I need so much grace. 

 (One)

I can't imagine a better "helper" than you. I don't think I would have survived welcoming our third baby into our home if it hadn't been for you. You delight to grab diapers, to help the boys put on shoes, to buckle them into their carseats, to grab a towel for me when there is a giant spill...The Lord created you with a gift to help. Someday a man will be greatly blessed by that amazing gift. Our whole family has been a recipient of that grace within you.

 (Two)

You also delight in such little things and become so enthusiastic over the simple things in this life. I rejoice that your joyfulness always spills out onto others as you lead the way in playing games, including others, and beginning a new adventure with friends. Joyfulness follows you wherever you go. You are so caring and thoughtful when it comes to your close friends: making notes, giving gifts, making them feel so special. Your friendship is a gift.

(Three)

The soil of your heart that Daddy and I have been working on for 5 years is ready. We have been fertilizing it, cultivating it and making it ready for the seeds of the Gospel to plant in your life. Some of those seeds are beginning to take root and we see that God is giving you faith...slowly, but surely. God doesn't start something that He doesn't intend to finish. We have great hopes for what God is going to do within your heart. That's a gift from God that I am unable to put into words or put a value on. It's what we have longed for from the moment we found out about you and even before.

(Four)

I pray this blessing over you Taylor Joy: 

May you boast in the Lord

In His wisdom, in His might, in the riches of His grace. 

May you boast in the grace of knowing the Lord. 

May you be blessed as a tree planted by streams of water.

Not fearing the heat

Not anxious in year of drought

Always bearing fruit

May you be blessed as you trust in the Lord

May you seek God and find Him

For He hears the prayers of His people

May you call upon God and seek Him with all your heart

For He will be found by those who belong to Him.

(taken from Jer. 17 - from a Father's Guide to Blessing Your Children)

Will you join me in praying this over sweet Taylor Joy today? 

The prayer of a righteous man (or woman) is powerful and effective.

(Five)

Happy 5th Birthday, Sweet Taylor Joy!!!

Jessie the Cowgirl Party

Taylor Joy's all-time favorite character is Jessie the Cowgirl from Toy Story 2 and 3. She was Jessie for Halloween and she puts on her costume almost everyday when they play dress up. So, naturally, when talk about her 5th birthday came up, Jessie was the subject of that conversation. 

We compromised and made it a Jessie the Cowgirl Party, so as to steer away from an all-out commercial party.

Taylor Joy and sweet Brooklyn

The cowboys and cowgirls

And cowmama with her kiddos...

That's a face of guilt...I know this one all too well...

The craft table...making Bullseye nametags and cowgirl bracelets

Gotta slip in one of this cutie. He wears Taylor's cowgirl hat all around the house just about all day everyday, and yet, would not have any of the cowboy hats that were offered to him this particular day. That's just one of the reasons why he becomes a sermon illustration for Allen so often!

First game: Snake in My Boot

Object of the game: See who can throw the snake into the "boot" from the farthest away

2nd Game: Water the Horses

Object of the Game: In teams of two, dip sponge in first bucket of water and quickly squeeze it out in the second bucket of water. After a specified amount of time (ours was very arbitrary), we check and see which team has more water.

Last game: Pin the Tail on Bullseye

Object of the game: With a bandana over your eyes, get the closest to the space where Bullseye's tail should actually be.

Proud winners!

Yummy food!

Lovely party-goers enjoying watching the games

Quality time with Easton

Ready for the homemade pinata! (in case you can't tell!)

Easton got in a GREAT hit! Excitement all around!

Even some adults were scattering to get the goods

That 5-year-old and her cake

Presents for the princess (that seemed to be the theme of her presents...)

A Sleeping Beauty dress! She has been asking for it and I am thrilled she got it! There is something about getting gifts that promote an activity like pretending, imagination and creativity that make me excited as a parent. I am excited about playing "princesses" with her. 

Oh, and a dress for her baby Emmy, of course! She loves it! I love to see her so excited...

A wonderful day for celebrating my precious girl who was seemingly 3 just yesterday, yet acts like she's 15 everyday. I pray the Lord will give us grace to celebrate and soak in this girl everyday instead of just birthdays.

(Special thanks to Brittney for taking all the pictures and helping with games, Sue for making the delicious food and hosting us, and Mom for bringing the cake and supplies. Made for an easy job for me!)