Chirps from the Tree~ February

Outside the Nest...

This week our "nest" has been relocated to the Livable Forest which is a great place for a "nest" to be. It is sunny, about 60 degrees, lovely if you ask me. 

I am thankful for...

my parents & brothers. We are blessed by great relationships with each of them, they love & serve us by their hospitality & kindness, they make us laugh & they seem to not get sick of us.

I am thinking about...
how to correct back talk from little mouths.  A friend recently texted me for my advice on handling the same common offense & I laughed (at my feeling so inadequate to give advice) & said I am asking friends the same question. We have been trying to turn the girls back to what God says about the way they should interact with us referencing the verse "Honor your father and mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord God is giving you" Exodus 20:11-13 It has been helpful to ask, "did what you say honor mommy or dishonor mommy?" Even Eloise at two and a half can evaluate what she said & place in one of the categories. When we address not doing what God asks when choosing to dishonor mommy or daddy, we talk about how that dishonors God also. My friend said a verse they are working on with their children is "Let the words of my mouth & the thoughts of my heart be pleasing in your sight O Lord." Psalm 19:14. That is an excellent verse for me as the mama to run my thoughts & words by as I interact with others during the day. It is still hard for me at times to explain the gospel in the midst of these common occurrences but so necessary to apply over & over & over as we raise our children to know & understand God's love for them.

Another piece of this I have been thinking about is the fact that my children at this point in their life have not made the decision to follow Christ. With this in mind, what should I require or expect of them? I came across this article which provided great insight.... Why Require Unregenerate Children to Act Like They're Good?

a bit of takeaway from the article on ways to lead them to to Jesus...

• Let there be much spontaneous celebration verbally of every hopeful sign of life and goodness in our children.
• Let us forgive them often and be longsuffering.
• Let us serve them and not use them.
• Let us lavish them with joyful participation in their interests.
• Let us model for them the joy of knowing and submitting to the Lord Jesus.
• Let us apologize often when we fall short of our own Father’s requirements.
• Let us pray for them without ceasing.
• Let us saturate them with the word of God from the moment they are in the womb (the uterus is not sound proof).
• Let us involve them in happy ministry experiences and show them it is more blessed to give than to receive.
• Let them see us sing to the King.
• Let us teach them relentlessly the meaning of the gospel in the hope that God will open their eyes and make them alive. It happens through the gospel (1 Peter 1:22–25).

In the schoolroom...

we started on our new reading curriculum & Charlotte really took to it well. She is excited to work on it each afternoon while the three other kiddos are snoozing. Her favorite portion is matching pictures together of words that rhyme & filling in the blank when I am reading a book to her that has rhyming words. Sadly, I was in a major hurry packing up to leave & didn't bring it with us so we will pick back up upon our arrival home. We spent a portion of last Friday with the wife & kids of one of Rob's co-workers who does CC in Dallas. She shared some oh her Kindergarten math & reading curriculum that got me excited to make some plans for next year. I really need to find some productive things for Eloise to do while I need to focus on Charlotte. She is slightly destructive/distracting which is probably the biggest challenge in the homeschooling realm right now.  I have a feeling that by the time Eloise is capable of not being destructive, I will have destruction times TWO ; ) 

From the kitchen...

home cooked meals by my mom are always enjoyed when staying in her home. This morning it was biscuits that just about melted in our mouths. It is helpful to have another mama to tag team with while doing meal prep for the kids as it decreases the screaming by leaps & bounds. I will be honest in saying that returning home & getting back into the swing of things in being the main chef is a little difficult. I am feeling the need to branch out & try a few new easy dishes. Any suggestions?

Mommy by day, nurse by night...

due to our trip, I didn't work too many shifts this month but was able to attend a class the week we were leaving. I love the nursing field because there is always something to learn more about or some refreshing to be done. This class was about position changes in labor to help labor progress & in turn decrease our primary cesarean rate which I (along with many others) are ALL about! We were also filled in on what is being taught in community birthing classes so we can be more in sync with what patients are coming in expecting. We had some good laughs as us labor nurses took turns on a birthing ball while sticking our hand in a bag of ice to simulate contractions while another nurse coached us through breathing. It helped to have some tunes to jam out to while bouncing away but even with that, it was seriously painful!  Over all, our educators provided some fabulous reminders about how to do our job well & made me excited to get back to work once we return home.   

I am creating...

a "Just Married" banner for a childhood friend who is getting married this weekend. These cute banners are all over Pinterest! My original plan was to use my Silhouette Cameo to cut out paper letters but it pushed me over the edge the night before heading out of town when it would not work right. So, plan B was to go wonder around Hobby Lobby & see what came to mind. I ended up choosing burlap, sheets of sticky back felt, bias tape, pearls & adhesive spray. I attempted to print out the font I wanted to cut out & trace but I guess electronics were not on my side this week so ended up doing it the old fashioned way of my own writing (while looking at a font) on the backside of the felt in reverse, hand cutting & sticking it to the burlap.

I am working on...

plans for a mini buckaroo party for two little guys FIRST birthday this coming weekend, two blankies for the birthday boys & multiple other things surrounding the celebrating of Owen & Anson : ) 

Clicking around...

A few blogs I have frequented as of lately are:

jones design company- beautiful printables or prints to be ordered, ideas for home decor

Lil' Light O' Mine- written by a creative mama that lives in the Orlando area who seeks "to empower moms and change little lives through innovation in the home...for families to grow closer to Christ and for those around us to see the light of God." to take the words right off her blog : ) 

I am reading...

The Ministry of Motherhood: Following Christ's example in reaching the hearts of our children

Curious George Goes to the Hospital- a favorite of two little girls 

I am praying for...

the Wallace family- Kate is the older sister of my friend Jocelyn & overlapped our time at Texas Tech for a year. Our kids are stair stepped & we enjoy keeping up via blog & email.  Her husband Dustin was in an accident that caused major damage to his pancreas a number of years ago & is undergoing a major surgery next Monday the 3rd to have his pancreas removed. 

the Dullmeyer Family- Jamie Rae is a precious little girl in Charlotte's CC class. Her family is made up of three biological kids, one adopted & one in the process of being adopted. Her parents are in China right now to bring home Jamie Rae's baby brother Jonah who is about 18 months old. Laurie, the mama has been such a big help with helping me juggle the twins on Thursday mornings at school along with offering plenty words of encouragement along the way.

Lisa & Euan- Lisa is that sweet childhood friend I made the Just Married banner for.  She & Euan are starting their life together as husband & wife this week which prompted the trip to Texas : ) Great reason to come!

I am hearing...

a bit more country since we have been in the great state of Texas for nearly two weeks! There is more coming our way as we head to the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo next week. 

Something that has made me laugh...

how Eloise says "pods-tid-dal" for popsicle & "hods-tid-dal" for hospital

Around the house...

meaning my mom's house, it has provided extra fun/heart attacks with the wooden staircase & two speedy crawlers ; ) a fireplace which just makes me happy when lit & a cozy place to sleep every night where we play musical beds. 

One of my favorite things...

watching the girls make the boys laugh. I cannot get enough of all the giggles going on right now. It is frequently at mealtime when the girls start laughing or making funny sounds & the boys just get going with their cute little laughs. Lots of noise, lots of smiles.

Plans for the rest of the week...

Lisa & Euan's wedding, catching up with a couple friends, walks on the Kingwood trails, Rodeo & celebrating the Buckaroo's turning one!

Life via Instagram...