My kids have a few creative basketball tricks that I was lucky enough to see -
My kids have a few creative basketball tricks that I was lucky enough to see -
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Labels: kids
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Labels: not me monday
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Labels: not me monday
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Lately I've been struggling with managing my frustration and sometimes anger with my daughter and her strong-willed, tantrum-throwing self. Tonight, after having another frustrating evening with her testing me in every way, I sat down and picked up my copy of She's Gonna Blow, by Julie Ann Barnhill, that I had started reading several months ago. What I read brought tears to my eyes as it revealed such a basic but oh, so important truth.
Be sure to check out Amazon.com to get your own copy of this book. I would recommend it to any mother out there striving to be the mother that God wants her to be...we all feel like we are "gonna blow" at one point or another. This book is a great encouragement to help deal with those days.
An Excerpt from She's Gonna Blow, by Julie Ann Barnhill
"What is the picture of a good mother that tends to lurk in your (envious and discouraged) mind? Mine looks a little like this. She is a woman who
Posted by Marsha at 9:11 PM View Comments
Labels: encouragement, parenting
I haven't had the time or energy to sit down and update the blog in a few days, though I have thought of it often. So, I decided I would try to give you a brief "overview" of our recent lives...be prepared for lots of randomness in thought!
The last month, I have spent way too many hours on the phone and online making sure I have all of the proper licensing, sales tax procedures, bookkeeping, and other legal matters for my photography business. Most of the time, it makes me want to go back to hobby photography, but I keep pushing myself to make it through this initial work, so I can find that enjoyment again (but with monetary gain). I have a new respect for stay-at-home moms owning their own businesses, while also taking care of their homes, children, and homeschooling! It's a LOT of work!!
The kids have been spending tons of time outside lately, and their poor elbows and knees are proof! They like to compare their "boo-boos" on a normal basis now...but they never complain. I think they would live outside if I would let them! It does give me a little time to clean up the kitchen, etc., while watching them through the window or door in the kitchen.
This past weekend we were able to go to North Alabama and spend a little time with my family, which we all enjoyed. It went by much too fast, but it always does. The kids enjoyed driving the tractor with Papa Flannagin, petting calves with Papaw Tim, hunting eggs & feeding {monsterous} fish with Papa and Mawmaw Rikard, and enjoying some playtime with Mimi, Papa Ricky, Uncle Gabe, Aunt Megan, Aunt Heather, Uncle Kyle, and Sydney. We're all looking forward to seeing them again next month for our annual girls' getaway trip!
Austin is still cutting molars...the bottom ones, now. Most days you wouldn't know he was teething (unless you felt of his terribly swollen gums), but he has had a few rough days/nights (like last night) where he had a hard time sleeping due to his teething. It has also affected his eating habits some, as well. I'm looking forward to him having all 20 teeth, so we can forget about teething for a few years! He is starting to try to repeat many new words now. He loves to try to say his alphabet, though he gets a little lost after C ;-) Before long, I'm sure he'll be holding conversations with us all.
Katie is growing taller every day, it seems...outgrowing every outfit I bring out for her to wear. She's doing great in homeschooling, and loving it! We've started taking homeschooling down to 2-3 days a week with a little more time spent (versus a shorter time every weekday). It has worked out well for us to be able to have more flexibility with errands and playdates, etc. She's regressed a little in her pottying the past month...she's getting lazy...wanting to wait too long before taking a potty break. It's been a little frustrating for me at times, since I know that she can do it, but we're working on that daily. We've been dealing with more frequent tantrums the past month, as well...but praying daily that God would give us wisdom on how best to train up our strong-willed daughter.
I've started Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred DVD...day 1 was a good but tough workout...day 2 (just completed) I thought I was going to die...we'll see how the next 28 days go! ;-)
Mark has stayed very busy at work, but we're thankful for his job! He's in Portland, Oregon this week, and we miss him terribly! Though I have tons to keep us busy this week at home, I'm wishing for the time to go by so he can be home with us again.
I think that's enough randomness for one day...pictures will return soon, I promise...as soon as I catch up on my to-do list...

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Labels: wordless wednesday
A few things I've overheard the past couple of days...
"Mommy! He's sitting on me again!" (Katie...as Austin does his best pestering)
"Boo Boo (Blues Clues)" and "Duh-Duh (Dora)" along with his creative corresponding hand motions (Austin, wanting to watch his favorite two DVDs)
"I'll show you why I don't want to eat this...because it makes me go *gag*" (Katie and her newly picky-eating self)
"But words keep coming out, even when I try to close my mouth" (Katie - when she's trying to be quiet and explaining why she isn't)
"This this...up up" (Austin, wanting Easter candy)
"Uh-Oh" (Austin...all day long!)
"I just hatched an egg!" (Katie...I didn't ask...)
"I'm still hungry..." (Katie - I'd be hungry too...seeing as how you don't want to eat anything we offer)
"Can you check my panties? I'm afraid to look." (Katie, knowing that she had an accident)
"But why did I say I wanted a sprinkle donut instead of chocolate?" (Katie, trying to understand her choice of dessert on our family night out...she wanted both apparently...)

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Labels: kids
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Labels: kids
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Labels: not me monday
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Labels: product review
I've been a little behind posting pictures of our recent Easter fun (sorry)...hopefully filling this post with LOTS of pictures from the last week will help you forget about me being so slow to share them.
Last weekend, we went to the Bellingrath Gardens' Annual Easter Egg Hunt. This is one thing that Katie looks forward to each year, so we were all excited to see how Austin would react this year. Unfortunately, the egg hunt for the 0-3 yr old children was (for lack of a better word) a dud. There were no eggs left to hunt, which makes an egg hunt pretty hard to enjoy. The kids did get to sit with the Easter Bunny, though. Katie still loves seeing the Easter Bunny. Austin wasn't at all scared of it, but he wasn't nearly as impressed as his sister, either :-) Here's their picture to add to their collection (since this is a family tradition for us):
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Labels: kids