Update #1

Well, Justus is napping sweetly in his pull-ups and I have completed my first morning. So far I have one poopy pair of underwear and 3 pairs of pee-pee underwear to clean up. Not to bad - Frustrating but not discouraging! Justus did go many times in the potty - sweet victory!

All this and I havent even felt the need for my chocolate covered pretzels that I have stashed away! :)

Potty Training & Chocolate Fast

POTTY TRAINING - Ive decided that tomorrow is the official day! Justus and I have been talking about it for a week now. Ive been encouraging him, telling him how soon it will be time to go potty in the big boy potty and that he will get to wear his big boy underwear. Last week he would scream whenever I attempted to put him on the potty - but since all of our conversations, he now will sit on the toilet without issue. So my strategy is to just start the day with big boy underwear and every 20-30 min put him on the potty. Hopefully he will get it quickly!

CHOCOLATE FAST - Tomorrow also is the day that I start my chocolate fast. Maybe that is poor timing! But it needs to be done. Ive been going crazy lately and my waist and wallet can no long accept such behavior. So tomorrow it is! No more Ben and Jerry, no more 8pm brownies, no more Sonic peanut butter chocolate milkshakes, no more Fosters twisters with chocolate ice cream and Reeses, no more Reeses, no more Eddies cookies, no more homemade cookies, no more eating all of my in-laws peanut M&Ms. Ive got to go cold turkey. Ive also enlisted my friend Ersillia to come along too. So she and I will be doing this together. Our goal is one week and hopefully we will continue.

So a busy week in store for me. :)

Pictures

We took a little family trip to the park. Took some pics. Justus got a new hat from Papa and GiGi. Took some pics. Cute Kids - Fun times!

Wonderful People

Neil and I are so blessed to have wonderful people in our lives. Today I got to experience such a wonderful person. Renaee invited the kids and me over for lunch to her beautiful house. And when I say beautiful home, that is an understatement. Its one of those homes that is picture perfect - decorated perfectly and perfectly kept. Her husband built it for her and it is amazing. She made us lunch, rearranged her furniture so Haven could play safely, got out all her toys so the kids could play, waited on me and did everything for us. Was patient during our conversation if I had to give instruction to Justus or pull Haven out of trouble - all without missing a beat. It was great - such a relaxing time. Yesterday she even came over and watched Haven for a few hours while I took Justus over to my sisters to swim. Renaee is one of those beautiful people that you feel so blessed to have in your life and I do feel so blessed!

Prego!

Not me. PTL! But so many women I know! I just saw two on Tues that are due this month - both with their 3rd. My sis-in-law also prego with her 3rd! Im in awe of people with more than 2 kids. You guys rock! Just found out another friend is prego with her second but is only 5 weeks. More friends that are prego with their 1st. That is fun, cause you know, the first pregnancy everything is new and fun. And they have no idea of whats in store! For good or bad ;) Anyways, as much as Im not a fan of pregnancy or brand new baby stage, it is such a miracle and gift from God. Children are blessings! My all time favorite verse is Psalm 139 (ok, fav chapter). Heres an excerpt: For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mothers womb. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. vs. 13,15 & 16.

Stir in my heart

As I was laying in bed (Haven woke up crying, but good thing nothing was wrong, and she went back to sleep without event) my heart was stirring over a conversation I had with a lady. This lady is the mom of a tweener. Her daughter is about to be 11. (she also has a son that is 9). So the minute I found out she has a son and daughter I started asking her what it was like when they were young and how they played together and WHEN did they start being able to be with each other and play. In the course of all this, we start talking about her daughter and how she is at the beginning of the blossoming years. We talked of how she knows she needs to have "the talk" but is not sure how. Of course some of her stories were funny and some were awkward, but what hit me most was a comment she made. She said that she didnt know what she would do if her daughter one day at 16 came and asked to be put on birth control. She was like, I dont want to be a grandma then, but I also dont want my child choosing that path. I was just floored cause in my mind birth control is not an option. I want my kids to be educated in Satan's schemes and the consequence to them. I claim my children in Jesus name that they will know the tools they can use to fight their temptations. And maybe she was just in the midst of the issue and was talking it out. And maybe I was to busy looking for advice and not encouraging my sister-in-Christ like I should have been. But my goodness, May God always make me aware and always talking and informing my children that they may know how to use the Sword of the Spirit and the Shield of Faith. May they use their Helmet of Salvation - knowing to whom they belong. May they put on the Belt of Truth and the Breastplate of Righteousness and shod their Feet with the Readiness of the Gospel of Peace. And Dear God, if they are so in the throws of battle and they have not the strength to fight, may Neil and I stand in the gap praying for them, holding up their Swords and Shields for them! My heart is stirred. Lord, help me to be the best mom to my children. Help me to teach my children of your word. Thank you for Ephesians 6. You are a good God and I notice all that You have done for me. Thanks you! In Jesus Name, Amen.

Valley of the Shadow....

Ive been doing Beth Moore's The Patriarchs bible study and of course it is phenomenal! I read something today that she wrote that touched my mommy heart and I wanted to share it, but first here is the background: Im studying Jacob, now Israel, and Rachel his wife just died giving birth to Benjamin. Beth says "I remember the words my own mother said to me after my firstborn's birth turned into an emergency delivery. 'A mother walks through the valley of the shadow of death for her baby.'" Of course for us today, modern medicine is great and super useful. But it wasnt that long ago that mothers died to give birth way to often. And even now, childbirth still hurts! I had an epidural with Haven but I still had plenty of pain. We wont even mention the pain I had with Justus via natural. And I know that with children comes the long hours of intercessory prayer. Neil and I pray every night (almost) together for our children, interceding for their salvation, their spouses and their children among other things. So that Valley, I do feel like I walk it - even if it is not in the literal sense. And as I would assume all mothers, I will continue to walk it bravely to keep my little ones from harm!