Whim Weekends....YES PLEASE!

Wed night on a whim, I mentioned to Matt that we should go away for the weekend......please keep in mind I mention this to Matt once a  month and usually get the same answer...........'sorry babe, to much going on this weekend'
BUT NOT THIS TIME!
He shocked me by saying 'Sure! Let's go'.............

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

Babysitter........check (I love you mom and pops)

3 nights 4 days to do whatever we please- Just the 2 of us........

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

Happy 19th (early)Valentines day to my Matt and I!

True or False for the Win! UPDATED

This is just for fun!

1. If you don't wash off your mascara each night it will stain your under eyes black? FALSE
2. If stranded without water you can drink your own urine (eeewww) and not get sick? TRUE
3. You can cross your eyes so much they will stay that way? FALSE
4. It is physically impossible to sneeze while your eyes are open? TRUE
5. Deer 'shed' their antlers each year only to have them grow back bigger? TRUE
6. If you fart on someones pillow they will get pink eye..........   :)
7. You can make fire by simply rubbing 2 DRY sticks together? RYAN SAY'S TRUE
8.  Flint can be used to describe both a fire starter and the lint out of one's belly button? TRUE
9. Warts are contagious? TRUE/FALSE....... ARE THEY?

I will send the first person to answer all these questions correctly a $5. Coffee gift card (either send me a PM on facebook or answer in the comment section on this blog) :)
WE HAVE 2 WINNERS- CONGRATULATION TO T AND V YOUR GIFT CARDS WILL BE IN THE MAIL!

Happy Mon.!!

19 Months Old

Dear Elle's-
You turned 19 months old a couple of days ago!  I know that someday very soon you and I will get to look back at these post's and read them together- It will be fun to talk to you about what mommy/daddy/Eli & Ryan remember about you when you were little.  Here are a few things that you have started doing over the past month and a few other misc. things that we would like to remember:

• You can say nose, eye, ear, and teeth (teef) and point to all 4. 
• You still have just 8 teeth- 4 upper and 4 lower........If you and I are reading this in a year or so and you still just have 8 teeth we may just make a trip to Uncle Luke, who looks at teeth for a living, and have him make sure there are more coming in :)
• At your 18 month well baby check last week you weighed 20 pounds and are 29 inches long- This puts you in the 3% for both your weight and height.
• You love shoes (and can say both 'shoes' and socks' perfectly- you pick out what shoes you want to wear each day by way of mommy holding up a couple of pairs that will match your outfit- On most days you will even go into my closet and pick out the shoes you want me to wear- this is so precious
• You wear size 12 months clothes, size 4-5 shoes, and size 3 diapers (In Huggies brand)
• One of us always pray with you before you eat- a couple morning ago I put your food on your high chair tray and said 'lets pray'- As I shut my eyes I heard your little voice start talking. I opened my eyes to see who you were talking to......your little head was bowed with your eyes wide open- after you had said probably 15 baby words you announced that you were done with a very loud AMEN!  You said your first prayer..............Oh Sweetie may this be the first of many and may you never ever stop praying!!

You are such an amazing blessing Elle's Marie.......We all love you so much,

Daddy, Mommy, Eli, and Ry

Flipping it Around for Second Chances

I was talking to my dad and step mom a week or so ago and got on the topic of ways that we react to things and the 'real' reason behind our reaction........In the process of thinking I was 'calling my dad on the carpet' for some of his attitudes towards things God flipped it around and I ended up calling myself on the carpet.
How do we react when things do not go our way?
Do we look to handle it our way or God's way...............

God allowed a certain season to come into my life that seemed overwhelming- To be quite honest, I could not believe the intense feelings of anger that started washing over me shortly after this season started.  In my mind it was supposed to be a season of 'dreams come true'!  I thought I had prepared my heart in a Godly sacrificial way for the season and just needed to sit back and reap the fruit of my Godly preparation and obedience.

I had done no such thing but instead had prepared my heart in 'Stephanie's Ideal Land'.......
I was looking to 'receive' in 'my way' and felt entitled to my expectations- Nobody could tell me different.

Shortly after this season started and I realized that it was going to come no where close to meeting any of my expectations  I started looking for ways to justify my disappointments and get 'sympathy' from others- especially my husband. 
'This girl turned up her nose at me and called me a name!' hummph.....I said with my frowning face. 'This is one more reason I don't like it here!!'
I didn't focus or own up to the fact that when I was talking to her my heart was swelled with pride as I talked about places I had traveled- Did it help that I had only brought up those places because she had just shared with me that she had never been on an airplane.........
'I feel so isolated and lonely- everything is different here' I would say to my husband as he would patiently sit across from me day after day listening to my 'woe is me' attitude
He was sitting across from me
God was with me (I will never leave you Deut. 31:6 says)
I refused to let that be enough because it was not in my 'ideals' to only have God and my husband as my closest friends- My ideals were telling me I needed at least 3 or 4 close comfortable friends to ooh and aaahhh with on a regular basis- ones that wanted to do nothing but comfort me in my time of stress......
The list could go on but I think your getting my drift-
I wanted to handle a tough season MY WAY and not God's Way-

God's way would  not have tried to 'one up' the girl who had never traveled- It would not have looked to 'get control' of the situation by way of asserting my self presumed superiority.  God's way would have sat down with that precious lady and asked more about where she lived, how she was, was there anything that she needed prayer for........God's way would have fit into her world instead of demanding that she look up to me because my world was so much 'bigger' than hers.......
God's way would have acknowledged that while I may be lonely I had God (who is more than enough) and I had family.........God's way would have reached out to the lonely around me and ministered to them- not in my own strength but in God's strength.......

The List could go on

I have asked both God and Matt to forgive me for my awful fit throw
In my repentance God allowed my eyes to be opened to this very valuable lesson...........

Thank you Jesus that you are patient with us in our failures and thank you that you redeem us, give us Your wisdom, and offer us second chances..............

'For I can do all things through Christ who gives me Strength' (Phil 4:13)

Gotta go- I have a mound of groceries sitting on my counter just waiting to be put away :)

Have a great Fri.
Steph

Eli's Day Home and Rockin' the Tahiti :)

Dear Eli,

Daddy and I laid in bed 2 Thurs. (1/4) nights ago and talked about what our Fri. looked like.  Daddy told me that he was going to take you with him to work because he needed your help- As daddy was saying this an idea started forming in my mind- What if, instead of daddy taking you to work w/ him- he took Ryan instead.  If this ended up being the case, it would be the first full day you and I have spent together since before you got your license (May 12').  I was a bit uncertain how you would like spending the day in my world- you are not a big house cleaning/cooking/around the house type of guy (more of the working at the shop, hunting, working on your truck sort).
When dad and I decided that you were going to hang with me, for some reason I thought back to that time you and I were in the same Tahiti going down the River back before we moved to Hawaii- I think it was the summer of 08'- you would have been about 12 and I would have been........old :) You were instructing me in your ever practical way how to 'row' and I was instructing you in my every parent tone not to 'boss your mama around!'- In the heat of our verbal communication I noticed that a family on the shore was looking at us- I set my oar down and put on my sweetest smile and waved ever so kindly to the shore people.  You raised your voice a tad at me........MOM! You have to ROW NOW! We are headed for a rock!
As we hung up on the rock, there in the middle of the river, it was all about deflecting your annoyed 12 year old's practical 'I told you so' attitude as the search and rescue had to come save us..............ok so I'm kidding about the search and rescue coming but I swear Eli Ben that is how you made it seem!  It just took a little creative 'oaring' and we were off the rock and back down the river!
Back to our day- Here's what it ended up looking like:
Errands that you were the Chauffeur for
We also went Grocery Shopping- We even dropped Ellie off at Nana's house so it could just be you and I shopping
We then came home and started Making Dinner- You made the mashed potatoes......this is the first time you and I have ever cooked together (how have you avoided cooking with me all these years!!)
You had never made mashed potatoes and were a bit uncertain what to do with all of the peelings you had just shaved off- I was not in the kitchen at the time- you took matters into your own hands- Shoving the whole wad of them into the garbage disposal- The swirling brown water not draining was the first indication to you that something may be wrong!
It was after you used the toilet plunger in the garbage disposal side of the sink (to get those peelings unclogged and sucked down the rest of the way) that you got out the bleach and cleaned not only the sink but all kitchen surfaces spic and span (Grandma and Auntie Rhonda would have been so proud of the cleaning job you did). 
After grocery shopping and making dinner we then just sort of hung out and talked- Not about anything in particular- just life
PRECIOUS!
The day was great- Thank You Kid Pup (I am still trying to remember that you only want to be called KID not Kid pup anymore- It's a hard habit to break because we have called you that for over 16 years)

I love you ever so much-
Mommy


Favorite 2 of 2012

Was looking through the pictures I took during 2012- well over a thousand in all.............
The below are my personal favorite 2..........

Seeing the unguarded laugh on my Eli- The way Elle's is so comfortable sitting on her 'Ry' (as she calls him) and how they are holding hands- And seeing the huge smile on Ryan's face melts this mommy's heart..............

My sis Jodi did not want this picture taken- She was exhausted after almost 12 hours of labor (and nine months before that of pretty severe morning sickness)- Her water was leaking on the pad you see below her feet...She was feeling awful and thought she looked even worse........What she didn't realize is that she was glowing.....Beautiful Jodi! 

My Demanding Dad :)

This afternoon I received the following e-mail from my dad :)

Steph, I've been waiting for your blog for 6 days now. GET WITH IT!!! 

 

To which I sent back:

 

DAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love you and will post one soon- The boys have been on Christmas Break so I have not had much time.  I've been waiting for you to come visit me for 6 months-
GET OVER HERE AND SEE ME.............PLEASE!!

 

So dad, this post is for you!  I love you!!

 

p.s. LOOK HOW MUCH TALLER I AM THAN YOU :)