Bedtime Prayers

All 3 of the kiddos -- yes, you read those lonely words correctly -- are at Grandma and Grandpa's house!
I am enjoying a few days of quiet to complete some tasks, run some errands, talk in complete sentences to my husband, and eat/sleep/breathe when I want to.
However, the silence is kinda' empty. I don't fully realize every day just how much my children add to the joy of my life! One of the things I've missed the most the past few evenings is saying nighttime prayers with Abi. Brandon still mostly thanks God every night for his mommy and daddy, sissy, Camryn, truck pictures, and door-stopper (yep!). Abi, on the other hand, is beginning to really grasp the concept of talking to God about different things in her life and in the lives of others.
To soothe my lonely heart, I'll share a few snippets of Abi's recent nighttime prayers:
* God, please help my Mommy not be frustrated, and help me and brother and sister to be good while Daddy is at work.
* God, please help my Mommy love her husband, who is so nice and kind to her (I had to ask Nick if he's been prompting her with his prayers!).
* God, please help my Mommy to be thankful for aaalllll these kids of hers.
* God, thank you that you gave Daddy a wife, so that he would not have to be all alone here on Earth. (What?!?)
* God, help Mommy and Daddy not to fight when we're in the car.
* God, help Mommy to feel better about Bella (the little dog), so she will like her. (Can you say using prayer-induced guilt to manipulate Mom?)

Vacation

So, we're not a big vacation family, generally. Too expensive. Too tiring. Too much whining. Too few things to keep kids this age entertained in the car. Too much of a good thing.
So, we made a 2-day trip to Grandma and Grandpa's house, with a day spent at Magic Springs & Crystal Falls. Abi and Brandon had an "awesome" time, according to Brandon. Camryn had just as much fun being Grandma's buddy for the day! Even Bella dog had a good time playing with "Cousin Cooper."

Anticipation!

That is one tired little man. He was too tired at this point to stand and wait in line!Grandpa & His GirlsExplorer / Welder / Chippendale Brandon at Grandma'sBella and Cousin Cooper playing tug-of-war

Name that Coston Girl

My Baby Camryn is 16 months old today!
Hard to believe it's been almost a year and a half since she joined our family. So, I thought it might be a fun game to play "Guess that Coston Girl"!
Easy to play: Reply with a comment, telling me which numbered pictures you think are the Birthday Girl.

#1

#2#3

#4#5#6

#7#8

B is Brave

Despite a lot of anxiousness before-hand, Brandon was a brave boy at his first dentist visit! When our hygienist, Theresa, who is absolutely wonderful with the kids, leaned the chair back, he remained upright and stiff as a board. Very funny, but I knew how nervous he really was. After we got him to relax a little, he followed directions very well and enjoyed wearing shades and picking his paste and flouride flavors.

See those nervous little fingers!

The Lord is My Shepherd

I know a woman with teenage daughters who recently shared with me about her daughters being an incredible spiritual encouragement to her and what a blessing it is to watch your little girls grow into mature, Christian women. I pray for that blessing, to have the opportunity to watch my girls grow into women who love God above all else.
Nick and Abi have begun memorizing Scripture as part of her bedtime routine -- I let them have their special time and don't interrupt very often. So, imagine my surprise -- and delight -- when Abi quotes the 23rd Psalm! She wants to "hide God's Word in her heart forever."
I don't think I questioned the things she thinks about or felt motivated to study and memorize Scripture the way she wants to until I was a young adult. I pray that she will continue to grow and question and learn and be a spiritually mature young woman when she's ready to leave our home.

I'm Trying Really, Really Hard ...

To hate this dog!

Nick "rescued" a little puppy and has been trying to find it a home for about a week now. There must be something different about this one because we have managed to make it through 4 years of vet school and 5 years of practice since then without bringing anything home from the clinic.

I am pretty pragmatic about puppies, babies, and anything that is cute -- but a lot of work. I don't get terribly swept up in their "cuteness." Camryn has only been sleeping through the night for about 3 weeks now -- since we disposed of the binky. So, I'm enjoying sleeping again! I am a wee bit of a clean nut, so I enjoy not having to clean any pee spots -- other than the occasional oopsie Cam has if we don't diaper her fast enough after bath -- or lots of pet hair or my cords and kid toys being chewed up.
There are so many reasons to send this pup packing . . . or maybe not.

It's Not Ballet, for Sure

Abi watched part of "Lonesome Dove" with Nick this weekend and is now fascinated with cowboys and Indians. We've dressed up today -- sorry no pics of me as a rough, tough cowboy -- and played cowboys and Indians.
To throw a little culture in with her Hollywood-ized view of history, we researched different types of Indian dance on the internet until she found one she wanted to do. She liked the women doing a stick dance.

http://www.spike.com/video/native-american/2751392



And then Camryn had to join in, of course! She liked the Indian dancing much better than the guns and bows and arrows. She cried when I pretended to be shot by my other wild Indian child.

Low Carb Diet

Camryn could be perfectly content to eat nothing but carbs -- with the occasional side of fruit. Meat, not necessary. Vegetables, absolutely detestable. That, of course, is not acceptable. So, this week, we've challenged Camryn to eat more vegetables.
It's been like the old joke my dad loves to tell. One day, an old guy saw his friend's hunting dog eating turnip greens. He said, "My dog wouldn't eat greens!" The dog's owner said, "My dog wouldn't either -- the first two weeks."
So, veggies Cam didn't eat for breakfast . . . or lunch . . . or snack . . . were considered quite yummy at dinner! She'd still choose a cracker over a sweet potato, but we're making headway.


To celebrate her new-found tolerance of veggies, we made her a bumper sticker for her car.

Move Over, Bill!

The kids helped me make homemade pudding pops (recipe below) -- fun to make and even more fun to eat apparently! Watch out, Bill Cosby, I think they're going to take your job of advertising pudding pops!
Camryn doesn't just enjoy pudding pops -- she eats about anything with gusto! Here are the trial runs with corn on the cob and whole bananas.

She loves play-do -- and did try eating it. Thankfully, that was something that will go the way of green beans for Cam - Yuck!
Cookies & Creme Pudding Pops

1 pkg. sugar free instant chocolate pudding
2 cups cold skim milk
6 oreos
1/2 cup thawed lite cool whip

1. Prepare pudding mix according to instruction on pkg.
2. Crush cookies.
3. Add cookies and cool whip to pudding; stir just until blended.
4. Spoon into 9 small paper or plastic cups.
5. Insert a wooden popsicle stick or plastic spoon into each for a handle.
6. Freeze 5 hours or until firm.
Tip: To remove from cup, place bottom of cup in bowl of warm water for 15 seconds. Press up on bottom of cup.

Only Child Syndrome

It's characterized by not having to share Mom with anyone else, being able to say and do what you want to do without a sibling correcting you or stealing your toys, not having to wait for Mom to finish doing anything for anyone else before I get what I want, and lots of room to play in the tub!
Abi and Brandon have spent the past couple of days with their MeeMaw, so Camryn has had the run of the house. She's learned a dozen new words -- she can actually get a word in! And she's had the best time at night playing in the tub. She's never had much room to roam in there with three little monkeys packed in like a sardine washing! I think we might have to start bathing in shifts to allow a little more playing space.

Play Hard, Sleep Hard!