Look at Me!

I am three months old!

I love to be engaged in conversation...just talk to me and I will talk, laugh and smile for as long as you like.

Watching big brother and sister run around is one of my favorite things to watch. I sit in the Bumbo and watch them go back and forth racing their strollers.

I also like to watch Beckett and Taylor Joy help cook and look forward to the day I can help mommy too.



I was dedicated at church this month and the whole body of believers agreed to pray for me and help my parents shepherd and train me as I grow up in the church community. Aunt B came to visit that weekend and be a part of the dedication.






The third month was stellar!

Pumpkin Patch Pics

Say that 10 times fast ;)

Dependence

My baby is 2 months old and since his birth I have been determined to soak up all of his littleness before he decides to become "big" like my other two.

I have been blessed and overjoyed to witness all of his babyish ways.

Those baby arms.

That double chin.

Those chubby thighs.

The plump cheeks (both sets!).

His big eyes, ever exploring the world, ever following me around the room.

His sweet dependence on me.

His expectation that I will meet his needs.

Those big smiles and overwhelming joy, his delight in me.

All of this soaking up of his precious infancy has led me to greater insight, by God's grace, of my status before the Lord.

As Easton depends on me for nourishment, comfort, and love, so I must depend on the Lord for my spiritual nourishment, comfort and love.

So often, on my quest toward finishing this life well, with good intentions I slowly begin to depend on myself. When life leads me through trials, I begin to depend on myself to get through it. Often it isn't even conscious. If I think about it hard enough, I know that that I can't possibly get through it without the Lord. Other times, I have planned something in my head and I have a need to control it, regardless of the Lord's plan.

I think the Lord must look at me and see me as a toddler scurrying around (picture Beckett), saying things like, "I can't pay my bills!" or "How will I get all this housework done!?" He is so patient with us, waiting for us to slowly come around and realize that we must depend on Him.

As I looked at Easton staring up at me the other day, smiling his precious little face off, the Lord gave me great insight into the way that we can delight Him. He is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. I was so delighted to see my son smiling at me, satisfied with his mommy and content to look upon me.

It reminded me of how often I fail to just sit and be content before the Lord, delighted in Him, in who He is. Often I read the Bible just seeking out application to my life, instead of first recognizing the character of the Lord in the pages that I read and praising God for the way that He reveals Himself to us through scripture. That is the way that true application takes place. A desire in my heart to serve the One who I owe everything to. My true gratitude for the Gospel and what it means in my life, soaking that up, is what leads to effective application of the way the Bible says I should live.

I hope this encourages you to rest in the Lord, no matter what you are going through.

"Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good." 1 Peter 2:2-3

Crafty Links

This one is for my crafty friends...which really means, those who desire to craft something. The crafts that I pick are extremely easy and anyone can do. Really.

My lack of posting about crafts in no way means that I haven't been crafty, I just haven't had the energy to post about the crafts, which means I am combining several of my favorite crafts into one post.

And, before I begin, I just want to say...posting fun crafts to our blog is a way for me to expose you to the fun of crafting and show you that anyone can do these! This is not my way of showing your how crafty I am..as a matter of fact, I get all my great ideas from someone else. There is rarely something I came up with on my own. So, be inspired and get crafty this week!

T-Shirt Shrug
Cut Out and Keep
This was definitely the easiest sewing project I have ever done. I am recommending it for your first sewing project. And I am going to make about 10 more of these for myself as well as some for Taylor Joy. They are perfect for layering.


Painted Pumpkins
My family loves to decorate pumpkins every year. We paint pumpkins, carve pumpkins and eat lots of yummy pumpkin desserts.

Last year I became frustrated that our pumpkins weren't lasting longer and so I bought a bunch of foam pumpkins on clearance at Hobby Lobby, thinking it may provide a way for my fall decor to go further in the season. After all, fall decor usually starts in October in our house and ends right after Thanksgiving when we pull out the Christmas decor.

I pulled out some acrylic paints and glitter from the craft closet and went to town on the foam pumpkins a couple of weeks ago. I painted stripes, polka dots, I layered paints to give a distressed look and I even glittered some. I tied raffia and bought a straw bundle to accessorize the pumpkins. I was very pleased with the result. And the best part, I can use them again next year!

So here are the steps:

1. Buy:
foam pumpkins
acrylic paints
glitter
raffia
straw bundle
Clear coat spray

2. Paint pumpkins as desired. Dots and stripes do not need to be perfect. Mine certainly aren't.

3. Let dry and then spray with clear coat.

4. Accessorize with raffia, etc. to achieve the look you desire.

Peasant Skirt
J-Caroline Creative
I made this skirt (a 3 tiered) with some ladies and being together was the most fun part. Actually, wearing them to church together was fun and reminiscent of my high school days when me and my friend Misti would wear coordinating outfits...oh the days! It makes me smile to think of our neon-wearing, platform-sporting selves.

Best. Husband. Ever.

2 Months of love and cuddles

Look at me, I am 2 months old! (yesterday actually, but mom was having a busy day)

I have really gained some poundage over the past month. I now weigh between 12 and 13 lbs. I am 24 inches long and I am cute as a button.

I have become quite interactive lately. I have been smiling for weeks now and just in the past few days I have been cooing at mommy. She thinks it's the most precious ever.

My brother and sister provide quite the entertainment. I love to watch them and smile at what they are doing even when they aren't paying any attention to me. Then, when they notice me, they rush over and begin to pay LOTS of attention to me.

Like today, when my sister was dressing my brother up like this:



See? Lots of smiles all around.

Read and Share Toddler Bible

The Read and Share Toddler Bible is a children's Bible directed at toddlers aged 1-4. Based on our experience with this Bible, I would say that it is better directed toward children aged 1-2. The stories are short and simple and easily understandable for this age range. Plus, they cater to a very short attention span with each story containing around 4-6 pages with very few words.

The Read and Share Toddler Bible is the perfect size for toddlers to carry around and read without it getting bent or the spine getting loose. It's perfect for chubby little fingers to wrap around and it's the perfect size for taking to church, to keep the little ones amused during the service.

I love it that there is a DVD of stories that accompanies the Bible to enforce what your children are learning during family worship and independent reading times in the Bible.

I love the concept that they use at the end of each story, which is to engage your children with a particular activity that pertains to the story or questions to draw out your children about the story.

Now, most people may not have an amazing children's Bible to compare this to. I do. The Big Picture Story Bible is packed with God's amazing character interwoven into the stories that it depicts. His character and his promises are emphasized as you read through the Old and New Testament. The Read and Share Toddler Bible fails to emphasize God's character as it tells the stories. Here is an example:

Jesus Helps a Little Girl

The conclusion: "He (Jesus) took her by the hand and said, 'Stand up!' She stood up! She was all better."

I read the last page of this and flipped the page waiting for more.

An explanation.
A praise.
Something about who God is.
Please!

Nope. And most of the Bible is like this. I want a Bible that emphasizes God's character in the story. I want to instill faith in my children by revealing the character of God, not by simply telling them a nice moral story. The stories told are true and accurate, but the missing ingredient is an important one: God's revelation of himself through these stories.

This Bible is fine to add to your children's library as a storybook, but as you read the pages I encourage you to ask yourself, "What does this say about God?" and to teach those truths about God to your children as He reveals himself through the pages of the Bible. As your children learn more about His character they will have a greater sense of their own sinfulness, which will lead them to a greater dependency on God, and this is ultimately what we desire for our children.

If you decide to purchase this Bible, keep this last point in mind so that your children don't simply come to know the morals of the Bible, so to speak, but that they can also understand the God of the Bible who wills and acts according to His good purpose throughout the pages of Scripture.

State of the Duty Union

Hey friends!

Sorry it's been so long since I posted pictures! I know that is unacceptable when you have a newborn and they are growing and changing so much.

Easton is putting on some weight (especially in his cheeks!) and is quite tall. I still think he looks more like Taylor Joy did when she was a baby with the exception of his smile. That is totally Beckett. I must admit, I am so thankful to Allen for his genes since he gave all our our children adorable dimples. I always wished I had them and now I can be thankful that our children have them. Oh, the little things!

As for the other kids, they are really enjoying having weekends filled with family and friends. Allen's family came 2 weekends ago and my mom and sis came this weekend. Taylor Joy has started her weekly Bible class with Asher and is doing some preschool work on the off days.
MOPS just started up, which we go to every other Tuesday, and I am still coordinating crafts for the group. So, if you have any cute crafts that a group of women could easily do together, please let me know! I am always looking for good ideas.

New Life is really growing and we love it. Allen just started a series on Matthew (The Sermon on the Mount) called Righteousness Redefined. Last night was an overview of chapters 1-4 and Jason Kinnard, another elder, will be preaching next week.

We are also excited because we are on the verge of becoming an Acts 29 church. You can read more about what that means (if you are interested) here. Allen and I will be assessed on Thursday of this week and should know very soon if New Life will be approved. Some of our favorite pastors are of the Acts 29 variety: Mark Driscoll, Matt Chandler, and Jonathan Dodson plus they are closely tied to our other favorite pastors, John Piper and C.J. Mahaney. This would be a wonderful alliance for Allen to have with others who have been very successful at church planting.

Our second membership class starts at the end of this month so we will more than double the members we have now. For those who are visiting New Life and aren't intending on joining or those who don't really know the purpose of the church or church membership, please listen to this: Mark Driscoll's, "What is the Church?"

Now, for the pictures! Enjoy!




Nanny (Kendra's mom) with the kids


Nanny and Easton


Aunt B (Kendra's sis) with Taylor Joy


Dad's MVP



Soon-to-be Uncle Ryan playing blocks with Taylor Joy


Aunt Cathy with Easton

Rooted

Now that the students are back, New Life is exploding and it is a wonderful thing. I love having students around at church and at our house (at the grocery stores and on the roads...not so much).

They love on our kids and reinforce to our children that what we are teaching and instructing them isn't isolated to our family alone. Other people live this way and see the value in living this way, according to God's word. I love that!

I love it that our home is a wonderful place to be, a place where the word is opened and taught, truth is discussed, and we pray, sing, fellowship and break bread all to bring God glory for the things He has done. I love it that my children see others doing these things in our home with us. My desire is that our home will always be a place of ministry, where discipleship and evangelism are on the forefront of our minds in regards to our children, the church body and our community.

All that to say, New Life has been going through a series that outlines the vision of our church and since many college students were gone for the summer and the past two weeks, it would be worthwhile to listen to the past two messages that Allen has preached.

Here they are for your convenience:

Know the Vision

Making the Vision Known

If you haven't made it out to New Life yet, we would love for you to join us at 5 p.m. on Sunday nights.

Look at Me!

I'm one month old.

How incredibly cute am I?

I am sweet, cuddly and I love to sleep.

I can sleep anywhere, in any position with anyone holding me.

I can sleep through any noise, thanks to brother and sister, who run around the house squealing, dropping things, even sometimes knocking on my door...

I must be a typical third child.

Mommy is happy for this fact.

Happy 1 month, Easton!

There's a Time...

Realizing (again) and rejoicing in the blessings of motherhood...

There's a time for checking things off the to-do list
and there's a time for avoiding the composition of one

There's a time for delectable dinner preparation
and there's a time for leftovers

There's a time for spotless floors, toilets and tubs
and there's a time for letting the crumbs fall where they may

There's a time for frugal living
and there's a time for convenience

There's a time for washing hair
and there's a time for ponytails

There's a time for going places
and there's a time for staying in

There's a time for growing up
and there's a time for staying little...

Enjoying the "littleness" of my 3 littles (plus baby Eli...),

Kendra

Life...

Life.

So different with three children, yet not so different.

Allen and I were reflecting the other night about the changes that have taken place over the past 2 weeks and rejoicing that this transition has been so seamless, so easy. We had the baby one day, were in the hospital the next, and then it was back to life as usual.

Sometimes I am playing with the kids and as I am stepping over the bouncy seat with the baby inside, think to myself, "oh yeah, there's one more..."

He sleeps often. Poops often. And loves to be cuddled. He's such a sweet baby.

Taylor Joy is absolutely in love with him. She loves to hold him, help change his diaper, go get diapers and burp rags for me when I need them and talks to the baby in such a sweet voice, saying, "He is SOOOOO cee-yute!" (Hmmm...wonder where that came from...)

Beckett has yet to notice that there is another person living in our house. Seriously. He is just too busy to slow down and take a second to see Easton. I have seen him stop, pat his head and say, "Aww, bebe" a few times. Other than that, I can't speak for what Beckett thinks of Easton, which is also a praise because there is certainly no jealousy to be spoken of at this point.

The kids have been playing so wonderfully together and I think that's what has eased this transition, as well. I realize that going places will probably be my biggest challenge, but for now, that is the last thing on my mind.

Well, that is the state of the union for the Duty family, since many have asked and wondered what things were like with our newest addition.

I have to remember to give praise to God, whom we prayed to with very specific requests throughout the pregnancy and especially the night before the baby was born, and He answered our prayers very specifically. He has always been so faithful to our family. I encourage you to listen to Allen's latest sermon about Genuine Remembrance and the Lord's great faithfulness to us.

Girl's Guide

Several weeks ago (maybe a month) I posted a link to the Guy's Guide for Marrying Well from Boundless Webzine and now they have come out with the Girl's Guide.

I haven't completely read through it yet, but here are some articles in there that would be helpful to many single ladies I know:

• Not Your Buddy (an article about being intimate friends with a guy...Allen and I could give you some insight on this as it played out in our friendship/courtship if this is something you are dealing with)
• When He's Not Asking (an article that delves into the girl/guy friendship when she's ready and he's non-commital)
• What Happened to Courtships (a well-written article about how proper courtships were abandoned during the sexual revolution)
• Other Probing Questions (great questions for dads with older/potentially courting daughters)
• You Need a Network (an article for those without involved parents)

And I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes,

"Marriage is 98% living and 2% looking - so learn to value character over appearance"

Easton Brooks Duty

Let me just start by saying...

I am overwhelmingly blessed by God to call these precious little ones my children and also by all of you. Thank you for all your sweet emails, comments, phone calls, visits and prayers.

The labor was swift, easy and I am recovering quickly as well. Easton is getting acclimated to his new home and only woke up twice during the night to eat. I haven't slept as well as I did last night since I was probably 7 months pregnant. Praise the Lord for that! He always knows what we need when we need it.

Well, without further ado:

Our life in pictures these past few days...


Make a Smilebox photobook

And a picture in color for good measure. I know everyone is dying to see his red hair, which, in actuality is not red like Taylor Joy's (as the guest blogger below stated), but is a very light reddish blonde. And there's not much of it. Check it out!

Our baby is here!

(This post penned by guest blogger Allen Duty. Allen is not a professional blogger, but merely a stand-in at a very important time.)

Kendra gave birth to our third child around 4:10 p.m. this afternoon. The delivery was very quick and very easy, and both mom and baby are doing great.

What's that you say? You want to know whether it's a boy or a girl?

Ok, I suppose I can tell you. Kendra gave birth to a healthy baby...BOY! Easton Brooks Duty is big and healthy and has red hair like his sister, Taylor Joy. I have no stats to report as of yet because he hasn't been to the nursery, but he seems to be a little smaller than Beckett, which of course isn't saying much. My guess is around 8 lbs, 8 oz. I'll keep you all posted! Thank you for your prayers!

Here We Go!

Some search phrases you might have seen in my Google history in the past few days:

"How to induce labor naturally"
"Exercises that induce labor"
"Labor-inducing 101"

Some activities that you would have seen me engaged in if you lived here:

Doing the Wii fit like a madwoman (hula hoop, advanced step, squats, lunges)
Eating spicy salsa and chips
Cleaning like nobody's business

And here we go!

I've been in early labor (3 cm. dilated) for the past few days and now we are heading to the hospital!

The newest member of the Duty family will arrive today sometime and I am completely overjoyed to find out who is in there.

We'll post updates on the blog throughout the day.

Please pray for the delivery, the baby's health and our little ones at home.

Kendra

Taylor Tidbits

Just wanted to post this cute picture of my family... (nothing to do with the post, really)


A few more Taylor Joyisms that I want to remember:

Riding in the car and Beckett blurts out "Bah!" (Ball)...he may have seen one or something that looked like one.

Taylor Joy: "Beckett, did you say 'Ball' or 'Bah', like a sheep?
Beckett: "Bah!"
Taylor Joy: But there's just no sheeps around here and there aren't even any shepherds!

Seriously, how cute is that little conversation?


While Allen was out of town last week on a mission trip, he told her that he was going to the beach one night and would find her some shells. Well, she took that to mean that was what he was actually DOING there, as in that's what he went to do. So, anytime someone would ask her where her Daddy was, she would say, "Oh, he just went to the beach to get me some shells."

Her prayer one night went like this: "I pray for Daddy as he plays in the sand and gets me some shells and I just pray for no crabs."

One day when Allen and her were about to play a game, she told him, "Daddy, I'm going to dominate you!"

Hmmm...wonder where that came from?

The same is true for the phrase she uses when we are leaving somewhere, "Mommy, why are we peacin' out?"

And lately the little sweetheart has been telling me every time I put her down for bed or a nap, "Mommy, you are my special girl, you are pretty and you're a good maker (cook)"

Talk about melting my heart.

How sweet the Lord is to me to encourage me through these precious children!

Crayon Rolls

I got this idea from Skip to My Lou, a blog that I frequent when I'm feeling crafty and want some new ideas.

This is great for us to use during church stuff, when the kids need to be quiet, entertained and kept from making a huge mess. They can only pull out one at a time! Sheer genius.

Beckett stays entertained pulling them out and putting them back in. Hey, whatever works!

Here are pictures of one that I made:

Baby Poll

Vote on the sidebar!

AND

If I haven't already told you our girl name, take a guess!

Since we only semi-have a boy name, leave your suggestions for that as well.

We'll see who is right in a couple weeks!

Dresser Revamp

BEFORE


AFTER

My mom bought a dresser for Taylor Joy's room awhile back and, though semi-cute in a tacky sort of way, I decided it needed an overhaul.

I painted it white, attempted to paint the knobs, ditched that idea and decided to cover the knobs with cute fabric and bows. A novel idea!

So far they have been low maintenance...I hot glued the bows so that they can't be undone, which would be our little guy Beckett's idea of fun.

Simple, chic, and perfectly fitting for our little princess room!