sticking with the letter theme

This letter will have nothing to do with preschool.

But I had a bunch of pictures and they all fit the letter T.

T is for Turning 30.

Nope, not me, thank goodness - YET.

Kendall was up first.

Our fun day started off with a Turkey Trot - I was the only one that didn't run.

I decided to be the holder of things, and picture taker.

After the race, they were serving brats - what a great snack after running.

All but one of these girls are just faking that they are eating a brat.

Only the strong of heart can take on a brat after a 2 mile run.

Can you guess who?

We spent the whole day together - shopping, spa, coffee (or cider for me), ice cream, Panera, and just an all-together awesome time with girlfriends! 

T is for tree.

Another fun painting project we did.

I painted Taylor's arm and hand brown.

Mason wanted NOTHING to do with this.

So Taylor did a hand/arm print on her paper and Mason's.

Then they added leaves with yellow, orange, red and brown paint.

T is for tutu.

And for TOTALLY dead. Because that's what I'll be when Dave sees I posted this picture.

The funny thing is that this wasn't just a one time thing.

He insisted on wearing this for a week.

One day he insisted on wearing it during nap.

Dave finally hid it.

The long shaggy hair doesn't help make this any better!

T is for tracks.

A new favorite activity at our house.

We zoom cars down the hallway, and even down the stairs.

We make jumps for them and the kids try to race them to the end and catch them.

Daddy even made a tunnel for them to go through.

Taylor decided the tunnel needed decorations.

T is for timeout.

A place this little guy has been spending a lot of time in.

Hopefully he will learn soon that he can't demand his way around here.

But through all our daily struggles with him - he still melts our hearts, says the cutest things, and can be so cute, fun and happy when he wants to be.

And we are thankful that things are getting better, we've made some progress.

And no matter what - we are THANKFUL for our strong-willed child.

It just means that Mommy and Daddy have TONS to learn, and our mistakes and own weaknesses are being exposed way more than with our first child.

And it means that we are learning with our 2nd child, that this is not a job we can do alone.

I think our pride got in the way with our first.

She was easy, she was easily corrected, she didn't push our buttons (well, she sometimes does, but nothing terrible), she has a tender heart, and has been pretty easy to train so far.

I think we got caught taking the credit for that.  And we found ourselves caught up in some pretty prideful assumptions.

We were doing something right.

 We were doing a good job with her. 

This parenting thing is pretty easy. 

We can do this alone.

But what we are learning is that God does not want us to do this alone.

And sometimes he has to break us down to remind us of things.

Our children are GIFTS from him.

He chose us to raise them for Him.

It's not a job to be prideful about and to take credit for.

And when things are easy - isn't that what we do sometimes?

It is only by His grace that we are entrusted with them.

We are learning that our children are a constant reminder of His grace and love.

And I have found these words from this post, to be very humbling and encouraging as I try so hard, but fail all the time...to be the mother I am suppossed to be to each of my two precious ones.  As draining as that can be sometimes.

He helps bring me to my knees. Being a mom is one of the most challenging yet amazing jobs I have ever had. And there is nothing like a child to cause you to fall on your knees at the feet of our Heavenly Father pleading for help. Sometimes I get so overwhelmed with my responsibility as a mom. It is a job that no matter how good my intentions, or how hard I try, I can’t do on my own. I will get tired. I will get frustrated. I will mess up. I need the help of my Heavenly Father. And I need it everyday.

I lift my eyes to the hills–

where does my help come from?

My help comes from the LORD,

the Maker of heaven and earth.

Psalm 121:1-2

Our children are an incredible gift, entrusted to us by the Lord. Will you seek His help today for whatever challenges you are facing with your little ones? And as Ashley reminded us a few weeks ago, don’t forget to celebrate the everyday mundane moments.

(from the heart of Jess Mac - a wise and dear friend who is always an encouragement and reminder to me to seek God is all I do).

Seek His help for whatever challenges I am facing with my little ones.

One of the best lessons I can learn as a mother.

And from the mouth of another friend...

"Mason is no longer up for adoption"

:-)