"Those who love their children care enough to discipline them!"

Proverbs 13:24

Apparently this is my new favorite verse for today! :) My M and Z are just having a rough day! We had a busy fun-filled weekend, and I know they are so tired, but WOW!! :)

You would have been super impressed with my son's fit throwing skills today as I had to pry him off of the play area at Chick-Fil-A!! Our friends were headed out the door and I thought we would stop by the store in preparation of the BIG store that is supposedly headed our way! So, as always I gave the 2 minute warning! After 2 minutes-ish, my kiddos are usually ready to head out and they run over, putt heir shoes on and are ready and excited for our next adventure!! Today...NOT SO MUCH!! After much "discussing" and 2 spanks later we were in the car going HOME! They went down for naps and I fell on my knee's and prayed for them to have good restful naps!! I guess sleep is what they needed, they have been fast asleep for 2 hours and counting!!! Thanks God for great naps today! Please help them to wake up with happy hearts and listening ears!!

I hope I never forget...

This week has been a CRAZY (yet wonderful) week! We have enjoyed play dates, time with my family and friends...pair that with my little girl getting sick, Wyatt being out of town for several days, a jewelry party, Bible study and so much more!! That all makes for a pretty busy week!! But in all of our craziness, I want to remember ALL of the fun, special moments I got to have with my M and Z this week! :) They are SO much fun and I am enjoying them both SO much!! So, since this is kind of my "diary" if you will...I thought I would list some of my favorite things that happened with my two precious kiddos this week...so I don't ever forget!! :):):)

*Zack's little hand wrapped around the window today as I rolled it down! It is GORGEOUS here today, and we all were excited to drive with the windows down! As I looked back to check on them...Zack was reading his favorite "Thomas" book with his little hand wrapped around the window enjoying the breeze! PRESH!! :)

* Maddie telling me at 3 .m. that her nose won't stop sneezing! :)

* The way Maddie and Zack hold hands whenever they are nervous or unsure about something!! :) (This made my WHOLE week!! :) They were walking into church for Bible study on Wednesday, and they were feeling unsure about their new teacher, so BIG sister Maddie grabbed Zack's hand and he held on for dear life! Off they walked into their class together!! They are the BEST OF FRIENDS!! And I am SO thankful!! :)) This is one proud momma!!

*Getting to spend time with each of my kiddos, one-on-one!!

Maddie-- she has been up a lot the last few nights and she has wanted me to snuggle her, so I climbed into her bed and snuggled with her until she fell fast asleep!! I am in awe of the beautiful girl God has made her to be!! I prayed over her each night as she struggled to breathe due to her clogged nose and sore throat! But I know in just a few days she will be back to her normal, precious self!! I have such a hard time having her sick with a cold, I CANNOT IMAGINE what it would be like for her to be sick with something serious!! I am SO Thankful!!

Zack--My little Z and I got to spend some good time together a few days this week as Maddie was sleeping late!! He always wakes up with a smile and calls out to me by saying, "Mommy, I am awake..where are you!?!?" :):) He LOVES trains and I LOVE that he loves them!!! We read his train books, played with his train set and just had us time! I loved it!!

* The way Maddie and Zack's laughter rings around in our house as they play together, grow together and share in our precious family together! No one can get then laughing like the other!! It is positively precious!! :)

* Maddie telling me she has a baby in her belly! Oh I cannot even imagine what that will be like in 40 YEARS (ok, so maybe I am kidding...a little bit!!:):)) We went to a play date today and she asked which one of our friends had a baby in her belly! I told her that no one at our play date today was pregnant, so she told me that she was!! I love how her mind works!!

* Zack telling me he loved me...for no specific reason!! He just looked at me and said, "I yuv you mommy!":) My heart melted right away!

*The questions that M and Z ask about stuff...just for clarification! Like "Now when do I have to sit time out...when I hit or when I push!?!" HILARIOUS!! Of course I have to be strict and tell them that both of those are offensivable acts and will both be punished with time out...but the way they say it is SO funny!! They also are starting to ask a lot more questions about God and who He is!! I PRAY that I have the answers they need to fulfill their questions! I also pray that I have the wisdom I need to explain SO much to them in the next weeks, months and years to come!! Father, hear my prayer!!

* The way the scream "DADDY!!!!!" with such JOY after not seeing him for a week!! They were SO excited to see him! A huge grin spread across his face as he was reminded of one of the reasons that God blesses us with children!! Their JOY is contagious!!

* The way my kiddos drag our big kitchen table chairs over to our island so they can "help" me with whatever meal I am making! They just want to be beside me... helping! I LOVE that!!

* Maddie asking when she was going to see her daddy again! She said, "Mommy, I love you and I love my daddy SO MUCH!! I miss him, but where has he been??" :)

* Zack holding my hand as we watched "Dispicable Me" last night! We just sat together and held hands so sweetly!!

*The way the stick up for each other!! No one is going to mess with my J's...they will be SURE of that!!!

* Zack and Maddie both saying their meal time prayers and their bed time prayers! I pray so hard for my children to come to know and love Christ! It is such a JOY to see those seeds planted and growing in Maddie and Zack's hearts! AMAZING!!

Oh there were SO many precious moments this week, among the craziness! I always want to remember the sweet, cute, funny and CRAZY things they do!! I am so thankful that I get to stay at home with my kiddos and love on them every single day!! Being a mommy is the hardest job I have ever taken on, but I am so thankful that my heavenly Father knows what He is doing, and that He found it fit to bless us with our two kiddos!!

Time

Do you think very much about how you spend your time?? I really never thought that much about the time I have daily, or in the evenings or even early in the mornings!Of course when my babies were tiny, I thought ALL the time about time...and how I didn't have any! :):) He he!! But these days, our days are so calm and fun, I really don't watch the clock any more!!

Since Wyatt has started his new job "time" seems to be one of our main topics of conversation!! We LOVE how much time we have together these days!! Really, we can't get enough!! :) The time we have together is so precious! I see such a difference in our family!! I don't think that we even knew what we were missing, we just went along with life not realizing that we could have something different!! I am SO in love with my husband and I PRAISE God for the wisdom and knowledge that He blesses Wyatt with each day!! I am also so thankful for Wyatt's prays of intention...for praying for God's will for our family purposefully, and then following His leading!! Making the change in jobs was not easy for Wyatt, he worked really hard to get to be where he was, but I am SO proud of him for trusting God with our family!! Every time I hear this song on the radio, I cry!! Wyatt could have kept working loooong hard hours to get to the top, and he could have made it in 10 years! He "earned" his way by getting his MBA and CPA, but he knows there is something much greater! Time is MORE PRECIOUS than money!! I am SO VERY THANKFUL for a Godly husband!!!!

Sanctus Real - “Lead Me”

I look around and see my wonderful life
Almost perfect from the outside
In picture frames I see my beautiful wife
Always smiling
But on the inside, I can hear her saying...

“Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can't
Don't leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, what about us?

Show me you're willing to fight
That I'm still the love of your life
I know we call this our home
But I still feel alone”

I see their faces, look in their innocent eyes
They're just children from the outside
I'm working hard, I tell myself they'll be fine
They're independent
But on the inside, I can hear them saying...

“Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can't
[ From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/s/sanctus-real-lyrics/lead-me-lyrics.html ]
Don't leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, but what about us?

Show me you're willing to fight
That I'm still the love of your life
I know we call this our home
But I still feel alone”

So Father, give me the strength
To be everything I'm called to be
Oh, Father, show me the way
To lead them
Won't You lead me?

To lead them with strong hands
To stand up when they can't
Don't want to leave them hungry for love,
Chasing things that I could give up

I'll show them I'm willing to fight
And give them the best of my life
So we can call this our home
Lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone

Father, lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone

1/2 birthday!

So today as we were driving into church I realized that today is January 23rd! Not only is it two of my favorite people's birthday's :) BUT it is my BEAUTIFUL daughter's HALF BIRTHDAY!!! (Ok, so I am not really into the 1/2 birthday things for Wyatt or I...but when it comes to my kiddos, everything is special!! :):)) She is 3 1/2 years old today!! MEANING that in just 6 short months my baby girl will be 4!!!! WHAT!?!? Time is flying, it truly is, AND we are having a great time, so I guess that is good...right?!?! :) Since time is flying I think I will go give her another hug and kiss...and maybe even snuggle her in her BIG girl bed for a minute! Oh, how I LOVE my little mini-me!!!

We are excited for our weekend!!! We have a busy one planned, but we hope it will be a blessing to all of us!!! Tonight we are headed to our friends, the Scott's house for dinner! We are very excited to get to hang out with them and enjoy an evening together! Friends are so precious!

Tomorrow we are attending a birthday party at the Fire Station!! My little Z is especially excited about this party!! He keeps asking when we are going to go see the Firetrucks for their birthday! :) He is SO CUTE!! :)

Tomorrow night is Wyatt and my FIRST date of the year!! :):) I am TOTALLY stoked!! The funnest part though, is that I haven't even told him yet!! I want to SURPRISE him!! (So if you see him between now and then, DON'T tell him!!:)) He he!! I love surprising my husband, he is such an incredible man!

On Sunday we get to go to church and delve more into our B90 challenge! We are SUPER excited about this challenge!! As a church we are reading the Bible in 90 days and it is AMAZING!! I have honestly never read the Bible all the way through! Isn't that terrible?? I have read all of it...just not all at the same time!! :) However, I am well on my way and enjoying it SO much!! Then we will enjoy the day with my family! :) I can't WAIT!!!!

Happy weekend to you!!!

SNOW DAY!!!!!

Wyatt took a snow day today!!! :):) Whoo-hoo!! I was TOTALLY stoked and completely surprised!! He has never been able to do anything like this before...especially at this time of the year!! It has been the BEST day!! :):) We bundled up the kiddos and went out on a BIG adventure early this afternoon! We drove around to some of our favorite places in Nixa and Springfield just admiring God's handy work!! The snow just glittered all around us and we were amazed!! :) After a yummy lunch at Q'Doba (buy one get one free...YES PLEASE!!:)) we headed home and played outside in the snow for a long time!! (VERY cute pictures to come!!:)) Our little family is definitely a snow-bunny family!! We love playing in the snow...having snow ball fights...building snowmen (although the snow man today, was v-e-r-y tiny:)) ...making snow angels and just playing around being goofy!! Of course, after being in the snow, you have to come inside and warm up with hot cocoa with LOT'S of marshmallows! Wyatt gave each of our kiddos their own little mug with a million marshmallows in it as I quickly baked some fresh cookies!! Now the kiddos are snuggled in bed taking their nap and Wyatt and I are enjoying the beautiful snow, sitting in our living room chatting it up!! Tonight I am planning to give them snow baths, I think they will love it!! :) I am SO joy-filled and thankful for days like today!!

Last night I went out with some girlfriends for a girls night out! I always love to be with my friends, but I do have a hard time leaving my kiddos sometimes!! I love them so much and I know they love me and are used to being with me!! So last night as my friend and I pulled out of the driveway, both Maddie and Zack were crying, so I silently prayed for Wyatt and for M and Z and for their evening together! (Wyatt is such an AMAZING daddy, I never worry about them! BUT, I love their sweet and tender hearts and I love to LOVE on them!!:):) Anyway...:)) I was out pretty late, and when I got home Wyatt gave me the rundown on their night! He had taken them to Kids Night at McDonalds for their chicken nuggets, (which they L-O-V-E!!) they had gotten to rent their free redbox movie and eaten popcorn and snuggled on the couch together! Of course they got to go to bed a little later so Wyatt said they had just passed out! :) I think their evening together was pretty much perfect!!

So, when I went in to get Maddie this morning, she squealed with delight to see me (which of course melted my heart:)) and asked how my "giwls" night was?! She went on to ask if she could come next time, since obviously she was a "giwl!!" :) Then, she started in with her sweet little conversation asking about what we did on our girls night...did we paint our nails and do our hair? Did we put on make-up? Had we gone shopping and out to eat?? I love the way her little mind works!! She is such a SWEET little girl, she loves ALL things girl-y and pretty and princess-y! And she loves her mommy...that is my favorite of all!!! :):)

A Hair Cut

We took Zack to get his hair cut on Saturday morning! Usually Wyatt likes to take him and they have a little one-on-one time together, but Maddie and I were quite excited to go with them on this time!! Maddie and I always go together to get our hair cut, so we chatted on the way there about our special "Becca" (She is our hairdresser!:))! We enjoy spending one on one time with our kiddos so much!! We want them to know that although they have siblings, they are individually important also!! :) We are so blessed!!

So we went downtown to their special barber shop and it was very fun!! There were SO many guys there waiting...I asked Wyatt if it was always so busy and he said they usually had to wait between 15 and 20 minutes and that Zack was always terrific!! Well Saturday was NO different! He just sat and watched in awe...it was SO CUTE!! Then, when it was his turn, he hopped up in the chair (that they had to make taller of course, with a wooden board) and let the barber chop away at his hair!! A few minutes later a chair opened up for Wyatt, so he sat right next to Zack and they got their hair cut at the same time! Zack kept looking over to make sure Wyatt was still there, IT WAS SO CUTE!!! SUCH a special memory for our fam!! :) :)

Sizes

Today my little family of 4 headed to the mall for the additional 50% off of Old Navy and The Children's Place's clearance sales!! I am a bargain hunter...I LOVE sales and I LOVE coupons, so I love to find items really marked down, and then have a coupon for it!! Call me crazy, but I LOVE it!! It is kind of addicting and it's exciting to think about what I might find!! :)

Today I was on the hunt for some new clothes for my kiddos!! They growing SO fast and I can't keep up with them!! We have been so blessed by some great hand-me-downs, but even some of them are getting too short!! So into the Children's Place I went! I quickly found Zack some cute new shirts and 2 sweaters for pretty inexpensive!! He looks so handsome in blue, so I picked him out a blue and gray sweater and a blue and green button down shirt! Feeling totally great about my findings for my son...I headed over the girls' side and quickly realized that--- MADDIE HAS GROWN OUT OF THE LITTLE GIRL section!!! WHAT!?!?!?!?!? My little Maddie now wears a 5T (because she is so stinkin' tall! 5T's are too big for her around the waist, but a great length for her loooong legs!!! :)) I almost started crying right there!!! I had to move to the BIG girls; section!!! AUGH!!!! :):) I cannot BELIEVE how BIG she is getting!!! She is so beautiful and SO precious, I just want to keep her little forever!!! Time really does fly when you are having fun, and we are having A BLAST!!!!!!

P.S. My SCORE of the day...little girls' red "quilted" boots from Old Navy for $5.00!! They are ADORABLE and Maddie LOVES them!!! :):)

Friendship

I am SO thankful for the friendship my daughter and son share!! They truly are the BEST of friends!!! I am pretty sure it is because they have never known any different!! They are so good at playing together, it brings tears to my eyes! They are such a special pair! This morning as I was getting ready for our play date, I heard them laughing hysterically at each other in the other room...I peeked into see what they were doing! Maddie was tickling Zack...like really just getting him and he thought it was HILARIOUS!! Well Maddie was getting so much JOY from his laugh that it made her laugh too!! They were both just belly laughing and it was the perfect moment!! I never want to forget moments like these!! I hope M and Z are always close friends, I pray that they always have a sweet and happy heart towards each other! I pray that Wyatt and I will never make them feel that they are in competition with each other, but that we will affirm them in everything that they are each good at!!! I pray we can teach them to be proud of each other and really encourage one another in the activities that they each like!! I pray that they will hold each other accountable as they get older and that they will share in many wonderful conversations together!! I am so thankful and JOY-filled for my kiddos!!

Manners

Manners were VERY important in my house as I was growing up! We were always instructed to use our "pleases" and "thank you's!!" We were instructed to ask, "May I be excused," before we left the dinner table and our napkin was always to remain in our lap as we enjoyed our dinner as a family!! My mom and dad made having manners fun, I have to admit!! If someone was caught without a napkin on their lap, they had to leave the room and count to 10! It was ALWAYS fun to catch my dad without HIS napkin!! My parents really were quite thoughtful, they wanted my sister and I to be respectful and kind to others!! Of course as a child, I thought manners we absolutely ridiculous!! :) But now, I am SO thankful for the manners (I HOPE) I have!! :) I am trying very hard to pass them down to my children so that Maddie and Zack will be respectful to others and to each other!!

I am just so proud of my Maddie and Zack as they learn and grow!!! They are certainly learning by example and Wyatt and I pray that we will continually be good examples to our children in SO many areas!! We are so proud of them for SO many reasons!!!

Our new "manner" for the week is teaching each kiddo that they need to take their plates to the sink after each meal!! They already know to ask to be excused (which is ADORABLE!! My little 2 and 3 year olds voices saying, "May I be exxxcccusssed?!!?!?" :)) before they leave the table! Wyatt and I believe that it is very important to have family time at the dinner table each night, so we all eat together at every meal we can!! We just enjoy the time together laughing and sharing about our days! M and Z love to be asked about their day (especially by their daddy!!:))! When Wyatt asks them, they both launch into the funnest story of their day! It is precious!! :) They both have such kind and gentle spirits, I LOVE them SO much!! It is an honor to watch them learn and grow every single day!! :):)

12 Dates

For Christmas this year, I gave Wyatt 12 envelopes that have 12 different dates in them! It was SO MUCH fun thinking about different ways I could surprise my husband!! Every month is different, but they are all representative of activities we like to do together!! I also added in some of the activities that I KNOW he likes...like hiking around Springfield Lake or reading books at the cafe at Barnes and Noble! I really want this time that we have together to be relaxing and fun!! :) Some of our dates will include a little more than others, but I am looking forward to these dates SO much!! I LOVE being with my husband, I love dressing up for him and remembering what our dating and early married years were like!! We LOVE our children SO much and easily lose sight of "us!!" (Although we really try not to forget how much we need us time and often enjoy "date night" at home!! :):)) He he!! :) Before I could offer this gift to my amazing husband, I asked my mom to get on board with us...and she very willingly offered to watch our kiddos these 12 times!! We feel SO blessed to have such an amazing woman to love on our children!! She loves them, and they LOVE her!!!!!! Our first date is coming up in the next 2 weeks and I am SO excited to pull out our envelopes and let Wyatt take a peek at our first "planned" winter date night out together!! :):)

SAHM!

Anyone who is a stay-at-home-mom knows what my title means! :) Some day's, it is a four letter word around here!! :) But most days, it is the absolute BEST job I could have ever hoped for!! It is my dream job really!! I could have never began to imagine the adventure God would bring Wyatt and I on, having two kiddos so close together! :) But God has used my children to refine me and refocus my eyes on Him! I am learning so much and enjoying my time SO much with my sweet kiddos! :) I thought it would be good to list some of the reasons that I love being a stay at home mom!! I feel so blessed!!!

Reasons I LOVE being a stay at home mom...

• I get to sing songs to Maddie and Zack each morning as I walk into their room's to start the day together!! :)
• Our prayer time together before I even get them out of bed! We pray for their hearts and minds to be open to what God wants to teach us that day! We also pray for JOY, contentment and love!!
• Being snuggle-buggle bear's early in the mornings when it is cold or rainy...or just when we want to snuggle!! We rarely rush out of the house in the mornings!
• Maddie and Zack get to play together and grow together all day, forming a special brother/sister friendship/bond.
• I get to reinforce and teach our faith continuously through the day with bible verses, stories, worship music, little discussions and LOTS of prayer.
• I get to discipline them each day. I try to discipline them fairly, and with LOTS of love and grace.
• ART and CRAFT PROJECTS!! :):)
• I can comfort them when their sick or having an "off" day!
• Their hugs and smiles...they are ABSOLUTELY PRICELESS.
• Living life daily with my favorite little people.
• Baking cookies for special people!!
• I really truly know them...inside and out. I know what makes them tick...I understand them like no one else does!! I love them SO much!!!
• They know ME! They know my expectations and my desires for them!! They know when they do something awesome, I will be RIGHT there cheering them on with a BIG hug and LOTS of LOVE! They also know that when they do something that is wrong they will be disciplined, but together we will pray for a better decision next time!!
• The time I get to spend investing in my relationship with God, Wyatt, Maddie and Zack and our family, and friends!!!
• Learning together about different topics...science, math, how-things-work...! It is AWESOME!!
• The peace that has come to our family by knowing we are doing exactly what God wants for our family!
• Getting housework done each day so I am not stressed when the weekend comes!
• Getting to cook dinner and watch M and Z learn to enjoy serving each other by making meals together!
• Finding pockets of time for exercise!
• The play dates we get to plan with dear friends!
• Tuesday lunches with Ga-Ga!
• Getting errands done throughout the day!!
• The days we ENJOY at HOME, just the 3 of us!!
• The frugal lifestyle...I love that God has placed a sense of urgency in my heart to be a good steward of the money we have!!
• The love that we share between the 4 of us is absolutely one of the GREATEST gifts I have ever been given!!

I feel SO BLESSED to be a stay at home momma!!! :)