Train up a child....

A verse in the Bible that I constantly think about is "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it." I know lately there is A LOT of training going on at our house. The picture above is my sweet little Anna who loves to take many of these items to bed with her, but she also likes to take them out. I've been telling her we can only take one toy out and she tends to get a little upset about it. My girls are so different in personality. If you are around our house long enough you could observe it pretty quickly. They are both angels most everywhere we go (church, mdo, friends house, etc....) Ellie is my rule follower who for sure loves to tell me when Anna is disobeying mommy and she has to follow all of our daily routine. We must brush our hair, teeth, hands, pray, milk, books, etc.... she would never let me forget any of them. Anna is the one who tends to be more emotional, but then melts in your arms after she has to be disciplined. They each respond differently to discipline. Ellie doesn't mind it very much and forgets about it in a short amount of time. Anna responds really well to time-out. She hates it while she has to sit in her crib, but when I go in to get her she always says "sorry mommy" and then gives me a big hug. She's like a new person after time-out. I am certainly learning much during these toddler days and I'm thinking baby girl #3 will teach me even more.  What are some ways your children respond to discipline? I love to get new ideas!

ps- our ice storm lasted about 3 hours. My driveway is completely dry, but school was cancelled today. It was fun while it lasted!

Ice Storm 09

I am still waiting for this big ice storm that is supposed to hit us anytime now. We got out of preschool early which was nice, but there is still no ice. We mainly got out cause many of the teachers live pretty far away from school. I think Texas is the worst on people going crazy. NC was pretty funny as well, but there were many northerners that were used to it.  Anyone from seminary remember our big ice storm? ha! What a fun memory. So I guess I will stay glued to winter weather coverage all day. It does get pretty amazing watching there coverage. Many out of state people have heard of Dallas and all the loops/bridges that go around the city. We have one about a mile from our house called the "High Five" where there are 5 loops/ bridges that intersect. It is crazy, but they always show cars slipping all over it. I don't like driving on it when it is dry so I think I will stay home for the day. I'll keep  you posted if our "extreme weather" ever gets to us.....

Ellie the ballerina.....

Ellie went to ballet this week and it was so cute. We were excited to see two of our playgroup friends were also in the class. Ellie was ready to move and dance right away, but the teacher wanted to "instruct". It was pretty funny to watch. I think the more they do she will start to love it! I think she looks so cute in the black leotard and tights. She will be wearing tennis shoes as most the girls parents did not buy ballet shoes! I was glad that they didn't have to wear them. Anyways, Anna watched with me through the window and I know she enjoyed the one on one time with me. She tends to be quite the mommy's girl. 

Ponytails....

The girls hair is finally long enough to put up in a pony tail. They want me to do it everyday and they love picking out what rubber band. I love it cause it keeps the hair out of their face. Ellie's hair has taken forever to grow and Anna's is actually longer. They look super cute and I love it! 

What are we having? Spiderman?

Go down to the next video to see what we're having...

Third Time is a Charm......

Well, the third baby is a charm cause baby #3 is another precious baby GIRL! We will be full of pink and estrogen in our house, but we are so excited. Baby Girl tricked us all including my doctor. He said it is so rare for someone to feel so different and it not be a different gender. However, I think God knew  I could not handle being sick, two toddlers, working, ministry, etc... I am very thankful that she is so healthy. I have been really concerned cause I am still not sure if I've felt her move, but she is perfect. She was sound asleep during the ultrasound which will be good if she continues her trend of mellow baby in about 5 months. Mike really wanted three girls. He is such a girl dad and even though a boy would have been so fun I like the idea of three girls. I am very sad that I don't get to use my boy name cause we actually agreed on it and we have NO girl names. My boy name was Graham and I just loved everything about it. If you want to give me some ideas on girls names feel free! I took a lot of pictures and some really fun video of the girls, but we left our camera at the doctors office. I hope to go get it today, but it is in downtown Dallas (not a fun drive). The other funny thing I keep thinking of is whenever the girls are teenagers. We will have a 16 yr. old, 14 1/2 yr. old and a 12 yr. old. When I was at my 10th grade girls s.g. the other night and I listened to all the drama. I really can't imagine our house during those fun days!  Anyways, sorry to keep you hanging last night, but I was so tired from a really long day. Have a great Friday!

You think you've had a bad day and baby #3 is......

You have to read my friend April's blog of her day with her kiddos. She has some "memory maker" stories with her kids and I love her so much cause her craziness at home reminds me of how we are all in toddler world together! Oh and I will let you know what Baby #3 is tomorrow cause I am to tired to tell the story!
Read Here

My Big Girl...

I signed Ellie up for ballet class for the spring semester. I feel like she is so big and changing daily. I don't even have to stay for the class. How crazy is that? I will love to watch though I am sure. I did it through our city recreation dept. The dance classes at a real studio are a little more than I want to pay for a 3 year old who I am unsure if she will like it. I am pretty sure she will as she loves to do anything with other kids and especially if it involves movement. I feel like she is gaining weight for sure as she is so heavy to lift up into the car seat. I think she is still under 30 lbs., but is growing like crazy. Her favorite things to do currently are:
- drawing
-painting
-feeding the ducks
-pre-school
- playing outside
-anything with a ball
-tormenting her sister!
A funny thing she said yesterday at pre-school according to her teacher is that there was a boy who was having his birthday. The mom brought in sponge bob party plates, cupcakes, etc.... Ellie said "Sponge Bob is wierd, I can't watch that show" in front of the little boys mom. I am thankful that a few other kids commented!
We are finding out the gender of baby #3 on 1/15. It is only six days from now and I can't wait. I will be so excited either way. My prediction is still a boy cause this pregnancy is so different from the others. Ellie wants a sister, no brother for her!

She amazes us daily and we are so thankful for such a sweet little girl. Have a great Friday!

Mike's Marathon!

Mike ran the Dallas White Rock Marathon in December. He did amazing and I was so proud and impressed. He had been training since September and then at the end of November he injured his knee. He didn't decide until the week of the marathon that he was for sure going to do it. He was determined to do it after months of early morning runs etc...The day of the race was horrible weather. It was 80 degrees, humid, and 40 mph winds. All of his training partners finished as well, but all said it was miserable. The times were much slower than in previous years, but they all ran 26.2 miles! I think he will do another one next year, but all of us wives are hoping for somewhere fun and with more predictable weather than Dallas.

"Extreme Mothers"

20/20 tonight at 9 is doing a special on "extreme motherhood". All I saw was a preview of a mom who is still nursing a 7 yr. old who I think was a little boy! Wow! I think it was enough to make me watch! It should be good Friday night entertainment.