We are wonderfully made!

"I would rather be what God chose to make me than the most glorious creature that I could think of; for to have been thought about, born in God's thought, and then made by God, is the dearest, grandest, and most precious thing in all thinking." - George MacDonald

Taking a moment...

Ahhh...a moment to take it all in. It's a cold, blustery autumn day, but the wind is just beautiful. It feels good to be outside in the midst of it actually. I'm sitting on my back deck watching Gideon play with his digger and dump trucks on the patio. If you know Gideon, you know that this is his most favorite thing to do these days. He can pretty much name most types of trucks and/or vehicles. Any kind of construction type truck amazes him. We were out in Lancaster visiting our good friends, Heidi and Colin on Saturday and we went to the Strasburg railway to see the trains. Gid wasn't too into it surprisingly, but when he caught sight of a digger truck around back, well nothing could contain his excitement!

Gideon is learning a lot lately. He speech has finally taken off and he repeats most anything we say now. Sometimes I can't understand what he is trying to say to me and it frustrates the both of us so much that we end up yelling at each other. UGH! We are so much alike it's frightening. Colin notices it the most. It may be interesting as the days go on. We are both easily frustrated, miserable when tired, over-reactors and can be stubborn at times. What is really funny and scary is that Gideon has picked up my "ocd tendencies." If things aren't a certain way, he will notice. He is very observant. When we come downstairs in the morning, I flip on the one lamp and he will immediately flip on the other lamp. He loves to put his toys away and help me vacuum. He often times will put his toys away when I tell him we are going out somewhere. Lately, we have found that he must use a napkin at dinner. He will wipe his mouth after every bite. It bothers him if he has a loose string hanging off his shirt or stuffed animal and cannot rest until I cut it off for him. Life with Gideon and I can be quite interesting or, er... maybe difficult is the better word? Ask Colin. I fail every day in my parenting. But for this moment, I am thankful and appreciating who Gideon is and who God made him to be. Who knows what each day will bring. I just hope I can train and help him along his way into becoming the best he can be. "Lord help me to see him as you do."

Quote

"I long to put the experience of fifty years at once into your young lives, to give you at once the key of that treasure chamber, every gem of which has cost me tears and struggles and prayers, but you must work for these inward treasures yourself."

-Harriet Beecher Stowe

Simple things

This morning I am enjoying the simple things in my life. Hanging outside on the back deck with my Gideon. Watching him dance and play in his pool. Looking at my flowers that are finally growing! Watching the birds and the butterflies. Sipping my coffee with whipped cream and chocolate syrup on top. I'm learning to take some time to be still and focus on the good things when life is hard.

Thankful

Life is hard sometimes. It brings disappointments which can easily bring us down and not want to focus on anything but the problem or trial we are facing. As I go through a trial which requires patience and waiting, I've been trying to focus on the good things in my life.

As I was washing dishes tonight after work, I saw Colin and Gideon pull into the driveway. (They always eat dinner at my in-laws every other Tues night while I'm at work.) I watched Gideon follow Colin up the sidewalk. Then I watched as Gid turned back the other direction. I thought, "he's trying to escape back out to the driveway." But actually, being the responsible boy that I've trained him to be, he turned back to close the gate to the back yard. I laughed out loud because I find him doing responsible things like that now and again. He feels the need to put his toys away before we leave to go somewhere. He likes throwing trash away. He sets his sippy cup on the table instead of throwing it on the floor. But, it still surprises me when I find him doing a new responsible task like this. He's a boy after his mom's own heart.:) But he has my bad characteristics too...which we both need to work on. From the beginning Colin told me, "He looks like me, but acts exactly like you, Justine!" This is proving to be truer and truer.

I'm thankful for the wonderful husband and for the unique, smart and sometimes...ok, often naughty little boy God has given to me.

Philippians 4:6,7

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Family Memories...

This is an idea I found out of a magazine at work one day. It's a family memory box. Each night, write down a favorite thing that happened that day that you don't want to forget. You make a card for each day of the year, then the following year on that same date you just write your next memory underneath the previous memory. It's fun to look back and remember what happened each day. I haven't been as consistent with it as I'd like to be...but it's a start and something I'd like to keep up with and have my kids participate in eventually...and maybe Colin too.:)

Below is a memory from February that I found that is so cute... (if you can't read the small writing, its reads "Gideon and I took a walk on the snowy sidewalks. Every two seconds he would reach down and touch the snow. It made him giggle each time. He also found a rock which he carried the rest of the way.")

"This is the life."

One of my favorite paragraphs from Laura Bush's book, "Spoken from the Heart" :

"Our lives in those years in Midland were centered on our family and our friends. Often, Mother and Daddy would come for dinner. I would call Mother late in the afternoon to see what she was cooking, and we would put our meals together around our little table. I remember one summer evening, working in the flower beds in our yard after the girls had gone to sleep, while the sun still hung low in the sky. George was sitting on the steps with the newspaper, and I thought to myself, This is the life. And it was."

OH WOW!

These are the words I hear every day from Gideon. He seems amazed by everything these days. As I listened to him repeat this phrase over and over again today, (with much enthusiasm, might I add) it got me thinking. What if I were more amazed by things in my life and why am I not? Am I too bogged down by busyness and worries? Maybe I focus too much on the negative things in life. Our Pastor spoke a bit on Sunday about being aware of God working around us and in our lives. Perhaps God is trying to get my attention. I know that it is Him working each day in my life, but sometimes I miss it because of "blinders" I put in my life. I want more moments where I can say, "Oh wow!" and know that it is God's handiwork.

"As we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about."

The latest

My Gideon boy is growing up. 21 months and full of more energy and spunk than ever. People wonder why I'm so skinny? Well, spend a day with Gideon and you'll understand. Another reason I've had no time to blog. That and the many projects needing to be done around the new house. Hopefully pictures of that to come...eventually.

Back to my growing boy. He's finally building his vocabulary...took him a little while, but he's figuring it out. He does things in his own time. His favorite words...BUS, CAR and TRUCK. His three favorite things? Buses, cars and trucks. All he will play with right now are his Uncle's hand-me-down Hot Wheel cars. Seriously...that's all he plays with all day long. He will not go anywhere without a car or two...or five in hand.

We are also giving him little chores to do around the house now. Each time he finishes a responsibility, he receives a star for his chart. When he fills up a row...his reward is a new Hot Wheels car! He loves it.

So, that's just a taste of the lastest! We are headed to CALI in a week. Gideon's first trip on a plane. Wish us luck!

Verses I am meditating on tonight

"Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God" (2 Cor. 3:4-5).

"Apart from me you can do nothing!" (John 15:5).

"For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. . . . I can do everything through him who gives me strength" (Phil. 2:13 and 4:13).

"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you" (Heb. 13:5).

What to do on a rainy day...

We couldn't complain this entire week since it has been gorgeous out, but last weekend was rain, rain, and more rain. Colin had to work all day, so it was just me and Gid.

He started out the day by playing with his new favorite things...matchbox cars! Every morning it's the first thing he picks up. He heads right over to the front windows, where he can watch the morning traffic go by, and plays with the cars on the window sill.




He also enjoys playing with his racetrack from Gramma and Grandpa.



Oh, and here is my little reader. He's so intelligent.




Then, we got creative. I made some homemade finger paint and let him do his thing.


I guess he got bored and decided to taste it.



Um, not so tasty.


So, back to making a mess!


Surprisingly, we found many fun things inside to keep us busy! But we were SO happy to enjoy this entire week OUTSIDE in the sunshine. The weekend will be beautiful too!! Enjoy everyone!

Instead of French Fries...

try CARROTS! Seriously, these are SO good. I never buy french fries to serve with burgers, etc. I always make these. Try them. Colin says that they are better than fries.

Roasted Carrots

12 carrots
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill or flat-leaf parsley (I usually leave this part out, although I'm sure it's delicious)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

If the carrots are thick cut them in half lengthwise; if not, leave them whole. Slice the carrots diagonally into 1 1/2 inch thick slices. (The carrots will get smaller while cooking, so make the slices big.) Toss them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet in one layer and roast in the oven for 20 minutes.

Toss the carrots with minced dill or parsley, season to taste, and serve.

Happy Valentine's Day

Colin and I usually keep Valentine's day simple. No need to go overboard and deplete our bank account. Besides, we should be making every day "Valentine's Day." But I did want to do something special and creative for my boys. So while Colin was at work on Sunday, Gid and I made a Target run and picked up some little things to decorate the dinner table with.






Pizza isn't fancy, but a heart shaped pizza is special!





I also baked a super easy cake from my favorite recipe book! (Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook) Seriously, Colin said this is one of his new favorite cakes and he wants it for his birthday from now on. I didn't even add one pinch of sugar to it. Of course, there is sugar in it from other ingredients (pumpkin, yogurt...etc), but it's so much better for you than your normal cake.



Hope you all had a wonderful weekend too!

Gideon's new room!

This is for you, Sarah...=)

This is the only room I have completed so far in our new house...I will post pictures of the rest eventually. This room was the most fun for me. I went with a jungle theme room for him.





Here is where I rock him before bed most nights.













These are curtain hold-backs that I made with some wooden animals, elastic and velcro from Michaels. Very easy and fun!



























And here is my little monkey himself in his room.:)

Blizzard of 2010!

We got hammered with snow early this week. I didn't mind, even though I hate winter. But ya know, if it's going to be so rotten cold out, it may as well snow! So, here are some shots of the boys out in it.






Look how small Gideon looks next to that snow pile! Good job, Colin. Keep it up!












Yeah, so...Gid and I got cold and went inside to warm up. No Colin, you can't come in until you finish your job! :)



So...is it spring yet???

Wonder of the Snow

So........I should be asleep right now, but it's snowing outside and I can't help but watch it for a little while. The house is quiet and the snow brings a peaceful feeling. I know as soon as I fall asleep, the next sound I will awaken to will be Gideon's crying to be picked up out of his crib, and from there on through the day, there will be no calm like this. And so, I soak in the stillness for just a moment longer.......as if to prepare for another day, filled with it's busyness.

Just another quote...

"Just as there comes a warm sunbeam into every cottage window, so comes a lovebeam of God's care and pity for every separate need."

-Nathaniel Hawthorne

Anchored in God

Well, here I sit in the middle of a chaotic mess in my living room. How ironic, because that is how I feel on the inside too! Life has taken over me, and I am thoroughly overwhelmed. I've lost myself in all that has been happening lately. Where has Justine gone? When is she coming back? I think this is what my husband has been asking for awhile now. I shouldn't complain, because so many wonderful things have been happening in my life lately. I'm married to my best friend. We have a beautiful, healthy little boy (I wrote baby, but had to erase it and put little...sigh):) We have joined a new church plant where we are very involved and have been developing amazing relationships. The most recent blessing...a NEW HOUSE! God has been pouring his blessings on us. Yet, somewhere along the way, I've lost sight of who I really am and what I'm really here for. God brought a verse to my attention today. Mind you, I was standing in the middle of my living room, not knowing where to start with the clean-up from our move. Should I put the toys away, sort through the picture frames, take more boxes up to the attic, sort through the mail...hmm, mail, anything good? I came across my MomSense magazine and opened it up to an article that I know God had just for me today. The verse that woke me up was Matthew 10:37. "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." Before I was a daughter, wife, or mother, I belonged to God. I have a purpose outside all of this. All of these wonderful things are nothing without God. I need to be anchored in Him and love Him more than anything. Quoting from the magazine:
"If we kept this straight, we'd never lose ourselves again. How could we?
We'd be in constant touch with God who loves us.
He would never let us forget our passions; He put them there.
We'd have a grip on perspective, less likely to get consumed.
We'd remain attached to the source of strength and peace.
We would remain anchored in the tempest of early childhood, neither losing our way nor losing our minds.
The "you" buried under "mom" is vital, essential, important. Hang on to her. And make sure she gets face time with God; hell remind her who she is."