Mine, Not Yours

Our little guy, Jackson, continues to teach me more about life, each and every day. His baby days are slipping by (too fast), and he is quickly approaching full blown toddlerhood. With that comes lots and lots of Jackson craving independence, and him staking out his territory on pretty much everything. He wants to do everything himself. He says, "My turn." "Jackson do it, Mommy." His latest saying is, "Mine, not yours." This is typically while he is snatching something out of my hand, off the floor, out of his diaper bag. Everyone probably knows the behavior I am talking about. The other day I was playing Hot Wheel cars with Jackson, and he grabbed the car out of my hand, and said "Mine, not yours." I thought to myself, you little turkey. Then, I started thinking about my relationship with my Heavenly Father. I wonder how many times in my life, I hold onto things....doubt, fear, anxiety, and hold onto matters I have no control over. Sure, I will pray about matters and lay situations at His feet....and pick them right back up again, almost like I am saying, "Lord, that is mine, not Yours." God desires for me to be totally dependent on Him, and for me to say, "I am Yours." He really wants to have my worries, anxiety, my family, and my future. I really do want to give Him everything..... Everything is His, not mine! So, that is my prayer.

"My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart." Psalm 7:10

"As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him. Psalm 18:30

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thankgiving, present your requests to God." Philippians 4:6

"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7

Real Snow, Day 2

Saturday morning, Blake got up and cooked breakfast, and a little bit later we decided to go to my parents house and try out their sleds. We do not have one, and it is now on our must buy list. We hope to see more of these snowy days, soon!! Our neighborhood was/still is pretty icy, but we drove slowly and carefully and made it. We had a blast. We went sledding with my Dad, Brad, and Lydia. We also build our "Old Man Winter" snowman, and Brad made Snow Cream. I also got to break out my awesome galoshes that have been waiting for the perfect conditions to debut.

A "Real" Snow

Maybe we will be weather watchers when we our older for the local news station.

Forget the milk and bread, Blake stopped at Publix on the way home from work, and bought pure junk food for our weekend. And biscuits and bacon for breakfast tomorrow morning!

Doesn't Blake's eye look better this Friday?

This member of the family had the most fun this afternoon!

Play Date

Yesterday, we went to our second Kindermusik class of the semester, which we LOVE!!! We went last semester, and Jackson really enjoys it, and he is learning all kinds of cute songs, stories, and about music. He also really likes that two of his friends are in class with him, Abby and Ben. His teacher, Mrs. Anne is so great with the kids. Keeping a class of 18 month-3 year olds engaged in activities for 30 minutes is quite a task, but she is so great with them.

After Kindermusik, Robin and I ran a few errands, and then went to Zaxby's for lunch. Oh, my. Going out to eat is quite the adventure. The restaurant wasn't crowded....so Jackson and Ben were running around everywhere. I am sure the employees were glad when we left!

It was really warm outside yesterday (hard to believe since we have 4 inches of snow on our deck right now), so we took the boys to the park, and let them play for a really long time. I take Jackson to the park on a daily basis when it is warm outside, and we haven't been able to go in a while, so that was a great treat. The boys just wanted to run, run, run, and throw rocks and other debris in the water (stream). Great afternoon!

Wordless Wednesday

The Biggest Loser: Motivate, Dominate

Last Saturday, a few members of the fam decided to play our own version of "The Biggest Loser." Each participant is putting in 20 dollars, and the winner takes all. I am planning on winning, and have selected Tuesday as my official weigh in day. I don't have Jillian to help me work out, but I know what I need to do, I just need to do it! The final weigh in for our competition isn't until June, so I have plenty of time to meet my goal! I worked out at the Sports Barn last Monday on the elliptical for 30 minutes, and then walked at the park this morning for 30 minutes, and chased Jackson around the playground for a really long time, which, I am sure, counts for something! This first week, I lost 5 official pounds. This result is NOT typical, due to the horrible, awful stomach bug/food poisioning that hit our house last week. One or two pounds per week is what I am hoping for. Stay tuned for more results!

Can you Tell me How to Get to Sesame Street?

Sesame Street Live was performing downtown this weekend, and we decided to take Jackson, as an early birthday present. He loves to watch Sesame Street, and loves Elmo, so we really thought that he would enjoy it. Honestly, I didn't know if he would be scared of the characters, or if he would sit still that long, but he did not take his eyes off the stage, and was thoroughly entertained the entire time. Each time Elmo left the stage, he would look at us and ask, "Where Elmo go?" It was a cute show. We then went to O'Charley's for dinner with the Coffman's. It was a great evening.

New Years...Self Improvements?

I am not really a person that makes New Years' Resolutions,they overwhelm me, but I do love the start of a brand new year. I get excited thinking about what God is going to do with our family in the upcoming year, and am so grateful when I reflect and think about all He has done for us in the previous years.

There are a few thing that I want to improve on in my own life, and really all of them are a constant work in progress. I want to know God more. I want to spend more time praising Him, reading His word, and trusting Him. I want to spend more time teaching Jackson about Him, and pray with more with my husband. I am trying to memorize more scripture.

I want to take better care of myself. Not so much to lose weight (that would be a nice benefit), but to just be healthier. I want to make healthier decisions in our diet, get to the gym more, and exercise. I want to stop thinking of my health in terms of the perfect jean size, or the number on the scale, and just take care of this almost 30 year old body.

I am STILL trying to get our house organized. It is a work in progress. We donated 8 garbage bags of clothes, household items, etc. last week, and threw lots of things away. The last one is kind of silly, but I really want to keep my car clean. It has literally been a struggle since I turned 16...I couldn't keep the Beretta, Escape, or Pontiac clean. Now the Pilot has stale Cheerios, sippy cups, and mismatched socks in the back seat, and I really want to try to keep it clean. So, Blake that one is for you, too!

I have have also rediscovered, after a 2 year hiatus, my LOVE for reading! I am already on my second book of the year. Woo Hoo!!

Let it Snow

As people that have lots of time invested in teaching, and in our school system, the severity of our winter weather is measured by the amount of hours missed in the classroom, etc. So far, I am happy to announce we have had one flood day, one snow day, and an early dismissal, which makes this house very happy! Bring on the snow days!

Family Play Date