Act Your Age

This was the conversation I overheard while the kids were setting the table for lunch:

James: "I'm 5. You're 3."

JoyAnna: "Lydia is 1."

James: "Mama is 29."

JoyAnna: "Daddy is 16."

I HAD to interrupt... 

Me: "HOW old is Daddy?!"

Both: "16!"

Ha!

Saturday Excursion

Heading Towards Sanibel!

Our weekends are terribly busy. I don't have a car during the week, so Saturdays are when I go grocery shopping and run my errands. Our time together on Saturday is also the only quality (and quantity) time that we get with Daddy. This past Saturday, instead of running errands we decided to rebel! We spent the morning taking care of business at home. Then, we went out to lunch! And after that...we visited Sanibel!! What fun!
 

This was Lydia as soon as we left the restaurant!

First we went to Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge. We had been there recently with Grandpa Beaver, so the kids weren't quite as curious about the museum part this time. We built a bird again, we pushed all of the buttons on the audio and video exhibits, we got to go into one of the conference rooms that was loaded with amazing photographs of local wildlife. We went to the birding room and tried out their binoculars. No birds. Except on the wall. There was a big picture on the wall of the local wading birds so I asked the kids to point to their favorite bird. They both immediately ran to the roseate spoonbill, but then JoyAnna changed her mind in favor of the little blue heron.

 
After walking around for a bit, touching animal pelts and making fun crayon rubbings of different animal shapes we decided to get back in the car and take the Wildlife Drive, which is something that we couldn't do last time we came because it was closed. But before we could get back in the car, James explained that he had to go potty. For those of you who know us, this is no small ordeal.

So the girls and I waited outside on the deck. They entertained themselves by racing back and forth and peeking through the railings. I sat on a bench enjoying the breeze and my carefree girls!

JoyAnna found a shiny penny under my bench. It reminded me of going to the grocery store with my Granny and Gramps as a little girl and getting so excited over finding pennies in the parking lot! Gramps would say: "Find a penny, pick it up. All the day you'll have good luck!"

When James and Daddy finally emerged from the restroom we eagerly climbed into the car for our adventure through the wildlife drive. We were really hoping to see some alligators and identify new birds.

 Immediately after we passed over a weir I noticed a horseshoe crab by the shore. Josh pulled over and we all jumped out of the car to check it out. Despite having grown up in New Jersey, I have never seen a live horseshoe crab in the wild. That one turned into dozens! As we looked up and down the shoreline, we noticed them all over. Pretty neat!

 Down the road a little bit there was a boardwalk that led to a pier. We saw mullet jumping and more horseshoe crabs. We even saw fiddler crabs all over the trees. One lady who was visiting from Colorado said that when she first saw them she thought they were big spiders. Then she realized they were crabs. Walking back to the car and said, "You can always tell who is a tourist and who is a local!" But, seriously, thanks, tourists, for paying our income tax for us!

 While we DID see a species of bird that we had never seen before, we did NOT see any alligators. And THAT was very disappointing to certain individuals.

Josh was guessing that these were some kind of stilt. James, JoyAnna and I have the bird book out now. First we thought it could be a long-billed dowitcher. But their beaks are not long enough. Now we believe they are willets. What do you think?

We were all hot and tired by the time we got back in the car! We had wanted to hike the Indian Mound Trail towards the end of the drive, but it would have been too much. Josh promised we would come back to Ding Darling and do it another time. The weather was surprisingly nice for May, but it would be better to go back in October or November.




By the time we got back into town the kids had taken a nice little nap in the backseat. So we picked up sandwiches at Publix, got a large lemonade and then visited the local mini-golf course. This was the first time we've ever taken the kiddies mini-golfing. They were VERY excited! JoyAnna kept saying in the most incredulous voice, "I can't a-bleeve I'm mini-gaw-fin!!" (Translation: "I can't believe I'm mini-golfing!!") Lydia didn't get to play really. We let her drop the balls into the holes after we finished. JoyAnna enjoyed petting the fake zebra. We learned that James might do better at the driving range. Josh made two holes in one, I made one and JoyAnna made one. And out of those 4 holes-in-one, not one of them was the mystery hole! No free games for us. Oh well...it was a blast anyway! (And Josh said he might take me back so we can do the batting cages together!)

Enjoy this little video of the entertainment we had during out long drive:

 

Baa, Baa, Baa-Baa!!

Mother's Day Portraits

Introducing: Dylan!

Introducing Dylan to the family!

The day after we picked up Tea Cake in Bradenton, I received a phone call from our 4-H leader, Mrs. Flowers. She had a friend who needed to find a new home for her 1 year old English Angora buck named Dylan. Dylan was bred by Mrs. Flowers so we knew he was top quality, and he was already litter trained. So we said that we would be happy to have him!

We drove up to Punta Gorda to pick him up on April 11th and brought him home. We were very encouraged when we were NOT sprayed with urine at any point! Nor were we nipped when we handled this sweet boy. Neither did he scratch our arms and legs when he held him so that we looked like we had been attacked by Edward Scissorhands. Pretty promising!

JoyAnna meeting Dylan!

Dylan is such a sweetie!! He has such a different personality than Tea Cake. He's more like a dog. In the morning he runs around in circles in his cage because he's so excited to see you. Adorable! Dylan just loves, loves, loves to be affectionate. He is gentle and sweet. Whenever I hold him, he likes to climb up and nuzzle my neck. Tea Cake, on the other hand, is more like a cat. He loves his space. Of course, there are times where he does like to be appreciated, too. He is just not quite as snuggly as Dylan is.

Josh and I introduced the boys after the kids went to bed the evening we brought Dylan home. Let's just say it wasn't pretty, folks. So we put them back in their cages and thought we'd try again in the morning...this time separating them with a baby gate. Bad idea. James and I spent the rest of the day scrubbing the lanai and the baby gate.

Tea Cake and Dylan staring each other down through the gate.

 Dylan does not use the litter pan that I was using with Tea Cake. I don't know if it's because it's not the same as the one he had before, or if he is going through a "I'm-Not-Sure-About-This-New-Family-Rebellion thing". He does not discriminate when it comes to places to relieve himself. And, unlike Tea Cake, he does not have a "favorite" spot. He goes all over. He goes while he is running. He goes while you're carrying him. He goes while you are holding him on your lap and burying your face in his nice soft wool. Still...we just love him! Anyone know any tricks for getting urine stains out of bunny wool?? Help!!

Trimming

Now, I find this odd since Tea Cake is supposed to be the "uncivilized" bunny. He lived outside! But Tea Cake WILL NOT go potty if he is not inside his cage. He will hold it for hours if he is having playtime on the lanai. Or he will occasionally use the litter box. I've even given him playtime in the laundry room where I have their cages set up and Tea Cake will actually hop back into the cage, go potty, and then hop back out. No one trained him to do that, he just does.


I went to Tractor Supply to get some more pine pellets, sweet PDZ and a litter box...the kind used for bunny cages. I figure that's probably what he's used to, so maybe he'll recognize it and say, "Hey! Now THAT'S where I'm supposed to do my business!!" But they were ALL OUT of bunny litter pans.

A handful of fluff

I decided that I would trim Dylan down. He wasn't happy. Probably because I had no idea what I was doing. I have never given a rabbit a haircut before. (James took the pictures for me... I think he did a pretty good job!) I was never able to do his belly or tail area by myself because I couldn't figure out how to hold him still by myself. Now I know that I need someone to hold him for me. Duh.

I couldn't help but laugh when Josh came home from work and greeted the bunnies on his way through the laundry room from the garage. I heard, "Helloooo, Wabbits....Dylan! What happened to you!? You poor thing!"

Then I had to convince him to hold Dylan so I could trim the rest of him. That was harder than actually getting the job done!

Dylan hated me for a whole day and a half afterwards.

Our First Camp Out

James bringing the tent poles to Daddy.

The kids have been asking for a long time to go camping. Life has just been so busy that we haven't been able to. Since it's the end of the semester and things are starting to quiet down a little, and since the weather has still been cool at night, we set up the tent Friday evening and slept in the backyard! Josh and James put it all up by themselves and got our "fire pit" ready. The girls and I got all of the sleeping bags, pillows, and camping chairs together and set up the beds.

So excited to camp!

The girls supervised the boys while I was cleaning dinner up.

Testing out their nest as soon as it was made!

It was very dark by the time we finished. We shared S'mores and did devotions around the fire. I taught the kids to identify the call of the Common Nighthawk and the Chuck Will's Widow, two birds that come out at night. We heard them calling all night. (We also heard our neighbor's loud Latino music for awhile too - which just wasn't quite as nice to try to fall asleep to.) You can listen to the Common Nighthawk too (and our neighbors...):

Just before bed, the kids started asking questions like, "Is it safe to sleep in the tent?" and "What if the ________ come?"  (________ = panthers, coyotes, bears, bad people, raccoons, skunks....) We explained to them that it was safe to sleep in our tent because God was in control of all of those things (panthers, coyotes, bears, people, raccoons, skunks, etc.) and He would be with us all night. Then we reminded them about how the Israelites spent 40 years wandering the wilderness and sleeping in tents. So we pretended we were the Israelites sleeping in our tent in the wilderness.

Redneck Fire Pit

Cutting up wood for the fire

Yes, someone did sit on a sticky skewer.  Names will NOT be mentioned.

All ready for bed!

After we put the kids to bed in the tent, Josh and I sat by the fire for a little while.  It was nice to sit there together, talking and watching the fire. Maybe we'll do it again this weekend? Since there was no rain in the forecast, Josh did not put the tent fly on. We really were sleeping under the stars. The kids slept through the night very well.

The moon was so big and bright behind the pines!

It was a good trial run because I wasn't sure how the kids would do. I really expected that I would end up in the house with Lydia, at the very least. It was comforting to know that if we needed, I could "go home" at a moments notice. Or use a civilized toilet if one was required.

I woke up to a mockingbird singing in the apple tree and the sun just coming up through the pines. How nice! Lydia was next, and she immediately toddled over to our air mattress for some milk. Josh got up and went to sleep in her spot for a little while longer. Here was my view:

James is the lump on the left, Josh is the lump in the middle, and JoyAnna is the lump on the right. 

JoyAnna's Favorite Part:  "Going in the tent and sleeping."

James' Favorite Part:  "The fire."

Lydia's Favorite Part:  We're still not sure, but she seemed to enjoy the entire experience.

Josh's Favorite Part:   He says he doesn't know. But I'm pretty sure it was the campfire, too!

My Favorite Part: "Waking up in the morning to blue skies and songbirds."

Be a Do-er...Not Just a Hearer

 "Jesus said, 'Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.'" 

-Matthew 18:3-4

James has really been paying attention during devotions and church lately. He’s been remembering things that were mentioned in the sermon that even Josh and I had forgotten. And he has been wanting to talk about them; asking questions that show he’s been thinking deeply about things of eternal importance.

In the night James had come to me and complained about a bad dream he had had. I prayed for him and he went happily back to sleep. A thunder storm, a restless rabbit and a stiff neck provided me with a restless night. In the morning, I overslept. At 7:30 I was jarred awake by the sounds of laundry being shuffled around just outside my bedroom door. I had heard Josh leave for work about 45 minutes before. Did he forget to put the garage door down? Did someone let themselves in to do my laundry??

I cautiously stepped out of my room to see James unloading the last of the clothes from the dryer into a laundry basket. “Good Morning!” we cheerfully greeted one another. “I’m helping you with laundry,” he explained.

I was shocked.

Not because he was helping with laundry, because James likes to help me do chores - especially laundry. But from the moment this kid opens his eyes in the morning, the only thing on his mind is breakfast. Even after breakfast is over, he is already wondering what and when we are going to eat again.

No mention of food…just a boy on a mission!

I followed him to the living room and asked, “Honey, why are you doing the laundry?”

“Because when I was sleeping God told me, ‘James, wake up and do the laundry and I will bless you.’ And I got up right away and went to get the laundry.”

“God woke you up and told you to do laundry?”

“Yes. He said to help you with the laundry and that He would wake you up.”

"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."  

 James 1:22

James isn’t one of those kids that likes to make up stories a lot. Sometimes he will make up a story, but then he always tells it with his silly voice. There is no mistaking it. He was absolutely certain that God spoke to him this morning and told him to help with the laundry. And I believe He did too. But more importantly than hearing God speak to him, He obeyed His Word!

“James, don’t you remember Samuel? When he was a boy, God called to him while he was asleep too. I’m so glad that you chose to wake up and obey God this morning.”

“I remembered the sermon yesterday. I want to obey God and show Him I love Him.”

Josh and I pray every day that our children would know God for who He truly is, that they would love Him with all their heart, and that they would live every moment of their lives in obedience to Him. I have been watching God actively working in James' heart for over a year now. Oh, how worthy He is of our praise!

I pray that I, too, would be as sensitive to hear, as quick to obey and as committed to love God as my little boy was this morning.

"But Jesus said, 'Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.' 

-Matthew 19:14

  

A Captivating Challenge

 Some wonderful friends of ours lent us a documentary they own a few weeks ago. It took us 3 consecutive nights just to get through the whole thing because we were so exhausted we kept falling asleep. This seriously had NOTHING to do with the content of the documentary, because we both found it fascinating and convicting. It truly was because we were dog-tired and could not keep our eyelids opened!

Before Josh and I were married, we collected quite an assortment of video gaming paraphernalia. To our shame, I admit that by the time we were married, the two of us owned:

A PlayStation 2

An Original XBox

An XBox 360

A Nintendo 64

A Nintendo GameCube

An Original Gameboy

2 Nintendo DS Gameboys

Hundreds of Games

Dozens of Player's Guides/Manuals and Accessories

The Nintendo Wii came out during the first year we were married and we sat in line to buy one of those too. In fact, we sat in line many times to buy Nintendo Wii's because we found that if we were willing to sit for a few hours to get one, someone would be willing to pay us a few hundred dollars so that they didn't have to. That year we paid for all of our Christmas presents out of the profits from selling Nintendo Wii consoles!

Anyway, about two months ago I began to clean out underneath our entertainment unit because I needed some extra storage space. I was so appalled at how much money we had thrown away over the years! Easily thousands and thousands of dollars! What fools! Josh and I decided that we would keep the Wii, throw away the really outdated stuff, and sell the rest.

Thankfully, I was not successful in selling our video gaming collection. After watching Captivated, we were so convicted that we had been willing to sell these things that only serve to draw people's hearts away from God. We decided that if it wasn't good enough for us to use in our home, then it certainly was not anything we wanted to pass on to anyone else. 

This morning James and JoyAnna and I went through and took out all of the game discs from their cases. We separated them in case someone picked through the trash (which, believe it or not, there are several regulars who come through the neighborhood on Garbage Eve to see what treasures they might find) and carried them off. I placed the cases in a garbage bag. It was so full I could barely tie it shut! The game discs we threw in the kitchen garbage to be tied up in that bag and thrown away separately. 

Next I cleaned out my fridge. I found some expired jars of olives, pickles and creamy salad dressings tucked way in the back of the bottom shelf. And a bottle of Heinz ketchup that had been purchased accidentally, (I don't use Heinz because it has so much HFCS in it), and squirted that on top for good measure. There was even a third of a can of whipped cream that got thrown into the mix. Now, even if anyone should dig through to the bottom of the can, hopefully it's such a mess they would never dare haul away that junk. Next week I will throw away the consoles, being careful to place them at the very bottom of the can. We don't want to have an overflowing garbage can come Friday to draw any extra attention to what might be in there.

We had read about the golden calf that the Israelites were worshipping while Moses was on Mt. Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments from God just last night. So this morning, I explained how these video games can become like the golden calf and how Mama and Daddy don't want to have anything in our home anymore that does not help us to love and honor God more.

Two weeks ago, before we had watched Captivated, the Lord led us to clean out any DVD's that had any sort of suggestive or unholy language, images or plots. There really weren't many. But one or two favorite old movies got thrown away. Josh parted with Gone With The Wind and I parted with What About Bob.

I have to say that I have so much peace and such a sense of lightness now! It has made such a difference in the attitude of my heart. Even  the whole attitude of our home seems to have changed for the better as well!

I challenge you to watch and consider the challenges presented in Captivated! 

 

I think you will be very glad you did!

Here is ALL of the junk we got rid of today!

Cookout At The Park!

Aly and JoyAnna waiting for their ride...Pelican's waiting for their meal.

Erma and Erpa (Josh's parents) invited us
to the park for a cookout last Saturday.

 Josh and James went early so they could go fishing on Erpa's boat before the girls came along with the grub.

Aly and Kynlee were even there!

When we got there, Erma took Kynlee and Lydia to the park while the older kids went out for a boat ride with Erpa, Josh and me.

Brown Pelican

Anhinga drying it's wings.

We saw lots of birds!
There were mockingbirds, american crows, loggerhead shrikes, blue jays, seagulls, pelicans, anhingas, and what we think might have been terns?

James and I think this is some kind of tern...Do you know what it is?

JoyAnna and Alyson with James at the helm!

Joy and Lydia swinging.

We had so much fun playing together at the park! They had this great pirate ship themed playground. We were surprised at how empty the park was for a Saturday afternoon. It was a nice, overcast afternoon so it wasn't too warm.

James climbing the rock wall.

 

 

 

Of course, Josh was encouraging everyone to climb the rock wall. James doesn't need too much encouragement. It's one of his favorite things to do! I think Josh is secretly hoping that I will let him take up rock climbing if he can get the kids into it too. Crazy man!

Ahoy, Lydia!

 Lydia was having so much fun climbing all over this thing! It is so bittersweet to see how quickly she is growing! Almost 18 months old already...where does the time go?!

Underneath the pirate ship there was a Scavenger Hunt game. Josh took the kids over while Erpa was cooking to find all of the symbols. There were two that they could not find...not even Josh! Finally, James found one and then Josh found the other. It was quite challenging and kept them busy for awhile.




We were able to use the grill at the pavilion nearby for dinner. We grilled hamburgers and hotdogs, I brought a homemade potato salad (Granny's famous recipe, of course!), there were some unnaturally large and super sweet strawberries as well as chips, pretzels and squished cupcakes. The cupcakes, though squished, were quite delicious! Really, everything was delicious.

Kynlee and Alyson resting before dinner.

The "babies" snacking on hotdog buns.

After dinner, we all cleaned up and Erpa left to wash the boat. The rest of us took a walk to the fishing pier. A little boy caught a little snapper while we were there. Fun!! And Daddy accidentally dropped James' sunglasses into the water. He wanted to go in and get them, but Erma and I asked him not to. Apparently, red sunglasses will attract large fish.

Peering over at the lost sunglasses.

JoyAnna giggling with Kynlee at the pier.

Then we all went home and slept well.

Heading home!