Ordinary Life

Happy Baby Brad & Jamela!  Can't wait to meet you,  Little BabyBerry Hagan! 

Riley can reach the make-up drawer now... and she has paid close enough attention to get the general idea.  When all was said and done, I lifted her to the mirror and said "Aren't you pretty?"  She said "I'm a mess!"  Oh, yes.  She is. 

Rye loves the "cone-part".  So, that is where she started. 

Grammy gave "Lovey" to Riley when she was born. This large, loveable pink pooch has been through various moves and times of storage; as well as plenty of playtime with Rye. Because of all the living and loving evident in Lovey's fur, we recently took him to the local laundromat for a quick, sudsy spin and a fluffy air dry... Riley cheered Lovey on the whole way, Fisher cheered Rye on. Riley and Fisher have similar dispositions towards their stuffed friends-simply put, stuffed animals are real... and the cuter the stuffy, the more in tune with its feelings they seem to be... situations like being put in the washing machine are matters of survival, not just hygiene. It's cute ~until something tragic happens, like a severed limb    (or ear!)    or a spill over of stuffing or something... you would think we'd lost a family member in the trauma unit should something like that occur. (There was a light stuffing leakage on this day and ALL of my kids thought we'd los...

Rye has her daddy wrapped around that pretty little pinky... 

As Clay was leaving for work, Rye decided to walk him down... we are in the midst of potty training, which should help explain to all who know, why she's just in a tee shirt. For the uninitiated, the less layers, the more success we seem to have.  I thought, "No worries- it  is early morning, we will just walk him to the truck and be right back in the house" And we were right on schedule too, until she spotted the puddles. The neighbors came out to watch and cheer her on  (She loves Mr. Jim & Mrs. Peggy and asked them to join her in the splashing fun)  Eventually, I had to force her to slosh on in to the house... but not before Mr. Jim spoiled her with a bag of M&M's from his 'robot' (automatic candy dispense) 

Riley brought her cup to me "More Unicorn Milk? "  I corrected her manners, having her ask "More Unicorn Milk, PLEASE ?" I filled her cup with goat milk and sent her happily on her way. Later, as we were watching 'Tangled' (for the 37 million th time), for the sake of continuity, I pointed out a goat from one of the scenes and asked "Is that a unicorn?" ' Mmm-Hmm !' she nodded affirmatively. I guess they DO both  have a horn...or two...on their head. She has since heard us refer to goat milk, and will ask for it properly some of the time. Other times she sticks with the unicorn story.  I bought the first quart of goat's milk assuming I would be looking for ways to sneak the majority of it into cooking & baking. I didn't think she would finish the first sippy cup full. I never thought she'd come to prefer it.  Last night, she tossed a cup of cow's milk my way and called after it 'Goat milk....p weeeze ?!' Go fi...

While looking for something celebratory for my nephew's birthday, I came across   this piece  for mothers. In the interest of equality, I share this equally challenging & powerful piece on the calling of fathers. I am grateful for the good fathers I know. If you are a dad, I hope you celebrate the gift that God has given you in the form of your children and take to heart the call to disciple them & ready them to be presented back to their Giver someday. 

As I was looking for something 'sentimental' of sorts, to mark my nephew's 5th birthday and to celebrate his mom and dad's 5th anniversary as parents  (Reagan made them parents for the first ~but not last~ time)  I came across this piece on motherhood. It seems to be an excerpt from a mother's day sermon at a church I've never been too. It is a really good thought.  It made me thankful for all the godly mothers I know. It also made me want to encourage those who may not value the calling God has placed on the life of a mother... especially friends and family who are moms but think that it doesn't count as much. I hope you will be encouraged if you are a mom. I hope you will pass this on if you know any other mothers that need to be reminded... or perhaps told for the very first time. And...if you happen to be a father? Well... there's something in there for you too  :) Big Smiles Until We Meet Again 

We have been doing a version of catechism with the children for the past few years. It started with reading through " Training Hearts, Teaching Minds " and the desire to give our children a solid foundation of biblical truths. Now, b efore you dismiss catechizing as an archaic practice or too quickly equate it with a Catholic-only practice, let me say that I have found it a wonderful way to ensure I'm 'covering all the bases' as I attempt to train  my children in Biblical doctrine. Someone else likened it to teaching the times tables and I have to say, I believe that is a more than adequate analogy.  We've gotten off track in our home with teaching through the questions more often than we've sailed right through. Even so, it is nice to have a schedule of sorts- a checklist of fundamentals to make sure we've covered as we go; to pick up where we left off.  It was while looking for varied schedules that I came across this blog post:   'Cheerios with ...

Riley greets the morning.  (these were snapped a bit after 9 AM on a recent morning- practically afternoon!) Must  be nice to be s o  very asleep, so very late into the day...  (says the one Rye calls on to fetch her 4 AM sippy cups...or be her personal heating pad)  And....notice whose bed she claimed...realize that she has kicked the rightful owners out and decided to sleep in...not that I mind.  :)  L o ve our little sleepyhead.

All too familiar: