Sometimes, it feels like I live with a bunch of turkeys!!

He's gonna be the death of me!

This kiddo...

...is gonna be the death of me.

Since he was teeny-tiny, I knew he was trouble.  He's never had fear.  In his mind, the phrase, "you're too little" just doesn't apply to him.  Perseverance and an "I think I can" attitude are the hallmark of his little personality.  And keeping up with the big brothers, well that is a challenge he believes he is up for.  

Yesterday, Abel, Eli, and I were getting ready to head upstairs for naptime.  Holding Abel, I opened the gate at the bottom of the stairs only to realize that Abel's beloved "bunny bear" was still sitting in the middle of the living room floor.  Eli headed on up the stairs.  I put Abel down and trotted over to grab "bunny bear."  As I turned around, I realized Abel was no longer standing at the base of the stairs and felt that panic.  Mamas, you know what I mean.  I realized he followed Eli up the stairs.  Then, I saw it--a flash of orange tumbling down the stairs.  Oh, no!  Oh, my gracious!  I saw my baby log rolling down the last four stairs.   Now, I only stepped into the living room, so I cognitively knew that he couldn't have fallen from very far up the stairs, but my mama's heart was so shaken.  The "what ifs" started flying through my head.  I was planning the quickest route to the ER.  I was kicking myself for leaving him unattended.  I swept my crying baby up and held him close.  I quickly checked him over. He was fine--a little red mark on his nose, but he was fine!  Thank you, God, my baby was fine!  His mama, however, needed a little more time to be fine!  :)

Of course, being the little Abel that he is, he cried only briefly before trying to get down from my arms to climb the stairs once again!  I guess you can't keep a good toddler down!

One year older

Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday, dear Jacob

Happy Birthday to you!

Dear Jacob,  Happy birthday, Jakey!  Today you turn 12.  I didn't give you life, but I love you as if you were mine!  Every year I say that time is flying by, but it warrants being repeated.  Your childhood is quickly slipping away.  12 is that tricky age between childhood and the teenage years, where you're too old for some things and too young for others.  You are learning who you are and I pray that as you work on that discovery, you remember who you are in Christ--you are His child, His chosen one, and dearly loved.  Jacob, I want you to know that I am so proud of who you are choosing to be.  Your kindness and leadership with your little brothers is so heart-warming.  Your quirky sense of humor keeps me giggling.  Your respect for others is admirable.  Your joy is infectious.  Your thirst for knowledge is refreshing.  Your love is inspiring.  Jacob I am so grateful that you are part of our family and pray that this twelfth year is amazing, just like you!  Love!

Hide and Seek

Ready or not...

...here I come!!

Let Him Eat Cake

Jacob's birthday isn't until this Friday, but one of the benefits of being in a blended family is the opportunity to celebrate special occasions multiple times.  So, the big 12th birthday celebration happened this past week at our home.  As is the annual tradition, Jacob asked for cheesecake.  He certainly got the "cheesecake lover" trait from his daddy, who makes that same request every February for his own birthday.  This year's request was a chocolate swirl cheesecake and I threw in a chocolate crust for good luck!  According to my boys, this cheesecake was a hit!!

Then, on Saturday, we celebrated with family and Jacob requested a carrot cake--I mean, he can't be expected to share the cheesecake, right?!?  So, I headed back into the kitchen.  I love to bake, but with my effort to lose weight, I haven't been baking at all.  This past week was a great time to get to enjoy baking, then being able to share the end product rather than having it tempt me from the kitchen.  I chose a new recipe that used baby food carrots and just 1/2 cup of shredded carrots.  It certainly was easier than the old recipe that had me shredding 3 cups of carrots!!  And, looking at Jacob's face in that picture, I think he was completely satisfied with the outcome!

Happy Early Birthday, Jacob!  We love you!

Caught, not taught?

Some days, I think all I do is train children.  Now, I don't want to complain, because the reward of hearing someone compliment my children on their behavior is worth every minute of training!  I firmly believe that it is my God-given responsibility to train my children and I do so purposefully.  However, recently I've been pondering the phrase, "values are caught, not taught."

I have big dreams for my children and many of them involve the type of men I want them to become. I want them to be honest, loyal, generous, respectful, sincere, kind, and disciplined.  More than anything, I want my boys to grow to be the amazing men that God has purposed them to be.

Boy, have I set myself up!  Expecting those things from my boys means that I must be prepared to model those same behaviors and attitudes.  I don't want to live in a home where the words, "Do as I say, not as I do" are a common phrase thrown around as an excuse.

Are values caught, not taught?  I think it's a little of both.  So, I am determined that not only will I train my children to be obedient, but I will strive to model those values that our family believes in.  And, since I know that they watch every. little. thing. I do, I know they'll see it!

Diamonds are a boy's best friend--baseball diamonds

Fall is almost here and that means "fall" baseball.  This year, however, there was a time when we weren't so sure we'd be singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame!"  Jacob seriously considered going out for the middle school football team.  As much as we wanted to encourage him to pursue a new endeavor, secretly, well...um...there was no hiding the fact that I wanted him to stick with baseball.  He's not a super big kid, and has never played tackle football before.  Not to mention, I just love baseball and he has so much experience since he's played for 10 seasons.  After much deliberation and soul-searching, Jacob decided to choose baseball!  This season he's on the Angels.  Many of the same boys from last season are on his team again.   They are having fun, even if they aren't winning.  Jacob has enjoyed the opportunity to play lots of positions already this season.  Just last night, he caught, played short stop, and center field.  He's also pitched.  I love that he's a flexible player and has the skills and quick thinking to play pretty much anywhere the coach puts him!  Here are a few pictures I took at last night's game!  

Let's go Angels!!