Hints For Parents, Gardiner Spring

"Let children be taught that God sent them into the world to do their duty, to fill up their life with usefulness, and thus to honor his great name. If this generous principle takes its seat in their hearts, they will enjoy greater real happiness than if they sit in the thrones of princes, or become possessors of untold millions. . . Let children be taught that God sent them into the word for the sole purpose of obeying him, and bringing honor to his great name. If this principle rests in their hearts, and becomes a controlling influence on their lives, they will find contentment and satisfaction in the work God has given them (Colossians 3:23)."

A Spring Sunday

Good Job Ryan!

My wonderful hubby has just completed his 100th post! If you haven't been reading his blog, Out of the Mirey Clay, why not?! His blog is full of wit and wisdom. He has a gift for writing, he is encouraging and inspiring. Go check out his latest post and give him some comment love!

Thankless Job?

So often motherhood is a thankless job. You do hundreds of mundane things a day that largely go unnoticed. But, sometimes you hear this:

"Mom, thanks for buying us more toilet paper and for putting some in my bathroom."

Gotta love this girl!

Smiles!

Church Skating Party

Week 1: Weigh In

A few people have told me that they are wanting to make a lifestyle change towards weight loss. I thought it would be fun if we all did this together. You can do whatever, "diet" or exercise routine that works for you. We will keep each other accountable. You can leave a comment in the comments section with things that are working for you and how much you've lost each week, or a link to your blog (if you have one) if you do a post about it. I think other people are very motivating!
I had a very exciting first week, I lost 5 pounds!!! 70 to go!
I went to the Biggest Loser site and did the weight calculator. It told me what my BMI was and what it should be, my ideal body weight, and the amount of calories I should shoot for every day. It said I should try for 1400 calories a day. I have been sticking to that and it has actually been easier than I thought. I'm also staying away from deserts and only eating when I'm hungry (when my stomach growls) and stopping when I'm full. I'm also trying to exercise. I'm not doing as well in this department. I walked with my sister in law for an hour one day this week, but other than that, I haven't done any formal exercise. However, I also haven't sat down at all, (except for when feeding Anna) so I am getting some exercise through housework, etc. My plan is to walk with Pam two days a week, Davina two days a week, do a workout DVD, and treadmill. I much prefer walking with friends, so if anyone wants to go walking let me know! That gets my girls outside too!
Thanks to my personal barista, Jenaya, I found out that if you get an Americano with sugar free vanilla syrup, it is no calories! The sugar free chocolate syrup is 40 calories. Good to know for all of us coffee addicts!
Leave a comment and let me know how you're doing and go read Ryan's post today about repentance, very convicting!

My Girls!

Earth Day

In honor of Earth Day, I want to remind us of Genesis 1:1. It was God who created this earth that we are celebrating, so I suggest today, instead of celebrating the earth, celebrate the God who created the earth! This is our Father's World!

God and Myself; a Valley of Vision Prayer

Lord God Almighty,

Thy understanding is unsearchable and infinite,

Thy arm cannot be stayed,

They agency extends through limitless space,

All works hang on thy care,

With thee time is a present now.

Holy is thy wisdom, power, mercy, ways, works.

How can I stand before thee

with my numberless and aggravated offences?

I have often loved darkness,

observed lying vanities,

forsaken thy given mercies,

trampled underfoot thy beloved Son,

mocked thy providences,

flattered thee with my lips,

broken thy covenant.

It is of thy compassion that I am not consumed.

Lead me to repentance, and save me from despair;

Let me come to thee renouncing, condemning,

loathing myself,

but hoping in the grace that flows even to the chief of sinners.

At the cross may I contemplate the evil of sin,

and abhor it,

look on him whom I pierced,

as one slain for me, and by me.

May I never despise his death by fearing

its efficacy for my salvation.

And whatever cross I am required to bear,

let me see him carrying a heavier.

Teach me in health to think of sickness,

in the brightest hours to be ready for darkness;

in life prepare me for death.

Thus may my soul rest in the, O immortal

and transcendent one,

revealed as thou art in the Person and work

of thy Son,

the Friend of sinners.

Weighty Issues

I had my postnatal checkup the other day and was surprised to find out that I weigh more than I thought I did. I have been losing weight since I had Anna and even fit into some jeans that are a size smaller than before I was pregnant, but I still have a long ways to go. 75 pounds to go, to be exact. I decided I'm going to tell you all, my internet friends, so that I can be accountable. I was going to tell you my weight each week, but I am not that brave. Let's just say that it is high! Instead, I will tell you every week how much I've lost. My goal is to lose 75 pounds by Christmas, that's around 10 pounds a month. I'm going to eat less (around 1400 calories a day), eat healthier (no more deserts), and move more. I'm still trying to figure out an exercise plan. I'm going to go walking with my sister in law two days a week, but beyond that, I haven't decided. I do have a workout DVD and a treadmill at home. I would like to join a gym (maybe Curves) but I'm not comfortable leaving my girls (especially Anna) with strangers. If anyone has any great ideas for me, let me know.
I will post every Thursday on how much I've lost so far. Since I don't want to be humiliated in front of all of you, this should be good motivation.
I started yesterday and so far, I'm hungry! That should change once my stomach shrinks. I was thrilled to find out that a skinny cinnamon dulce latte from Starbucks is under 100 calories!

My hubbys coming home!

He's ready to board his plane and wing his way back to us! We are grateful that he got this opportunity to go to a wonderful conference and have his soul rejuvenated, but we are also very happy to get him back! We missed him (and so did his Wii)!

Grandma

Today is Grandma's first Chemo treatment. Please pray for her!

Cousins and Aunt Paula!

Today's Rylieisms

Rylie: I'm nervous!
Me: Why?
Rylie: Because Daddy Bear is sick.

While Mom and I were talking at lunch:
Rylie: Excuse me Mommy, are you talking to yourself?

You have to see the faces that she makes to go along with these things. They are too funny!
I had a bird poop on my back tonight! I was bent over unbuckling Rylie from her car seat and I felt something. I looked around and saw bird poop all over the car and my shirt! It was disgusting!

Rylieisms

No, this isn't a picture of Anna! This is Rylie when she was about two months old. Some people have asked me to post a picture of Rylie as a baby so they can see how similar she looks to Anna. I think they look a lot alike. My friend, Erin, recently asked if there were any new Rylieisms. Everyday, she says something that cracks us up, I just don't always remember them! Here are some things she's said recently:

Rylie: Mommy you're not feeling good are you?

Me: No, I'm not, how did you know?

Rylie: Because you have sickness in your heart. Jesus can heal you!

Rylie: Let my people go!

Me: That's what Moses says, right?

Rylie: (with exasperation) No, that's what Larry boy says!

"Daddy Bear (her teddy bear) is my best friend. He protects me and all my friends. We had a wedding and we're married now. Monkey and Lion are our kids."

"Daddy's not a man, he's a person."

Me: (in the car) How's your sister doing?

Rylie: She's not here.

Me: Where did she go?

Rylie: She ran away to our house. She wanted to stay home.

"S starts with snake." (we're working on letter sounds)

Rylie: I'm upset right now.

Me: Why are you upset?

Rylie: Because of Satan.

"Mommy, I don't love Satan."

She loves to pretend. Yesterday she asked me if I wanted to go to Starbucks with her. I said sure and she told me, "hop in the car". She pretended to drive up to the window and then asked me what I wanted. I told her, then she told the pretend barista that she wanted a "tomato coffee" because tomatoes are her favorite food.

Lot's to say!

I haven't had a second to post lately. There have been several posts ruminating in my mind however. I would really like to clean up some of this mess of a house before I have to feed Anna again, so I won't make this post as long as I'd like.

Our visit to my Grandma's went well. I think she enjoyed the distraction of her newest Great Grandaughter. We found out that she does indeed have Ovarian Tissue Cancer. Women have ovarian tissue in their breasts, stomach lining, and of course ovaries. She has the cancer throughout all of these places. She will start Chemo this Wednesday and have it once every three weeks. The doctor told her that if she does Chemo she has an 80% chance of a good quality of life for the next two-three more years. If she doesn't do Chemo it will be a painful, swift death. Thankfully she chose to do the Chemo. She is upset that she will lose her hair. She is very strong though! While we were there she fell in a parking lot and we had to call 911. After an afternoon at the hospital, she was okay, but it was a little scary. I did not like seeing her laying on the pavement as it rained down on her, or hearing the sirens, knowing they were for her. She fell right in front of Rylie, which upset Rylie quite a bit. She cried for awhile and kept telling me she was worried about her.

While we were there, we got a phone call saying that a sweet man from our church unexpectedly passed away. We had the funeral for him today. That is him and his wife in the picture, when they came to visit Anna in the hospital. I'm so thankful that I got a picture of them together just a month ago! We are also very thankful that he was a faithful follower of the Lord and is with Him in glory!

Anna had a doctor's appointment this week and we found out that she is in the 80% for height! This cracked us up, because Ryan and I have never been considered tall! She is in the 25% for weight, so we think she might be built like my brother. She did gain ten oz in the past week and a half! She now weighs 8.11 and is 22 1/4 inches long. She did not like her shot! The poor thing had the most pitiful cry with her bottom lip sticking out.

Yesterday I had one of those, "I'm not sure I'm cut out to be a Mom" days. There were lots of tears on mine and Anna's part. I won't go into all the details, but we were having some feeding problems. I'll save that for another post, suffice it to say I ran the gammet of emotions from guilty to thankful.

Off to do laundry!

Home!

I am home and have lots to update, but don't quite have the time to do it yet. Here are some pictures from our weekend and I will write soon!

Pray for Grandma!

Please pray for my Grandma! She had to go into the hospital Tuesday night and they discovered that she has blood clots in her lungs and Ovarian Cancer. She is being treated for Breast Cancer and possible Thyroid Cancer. This new diagnosis was a surprise for us. Please pray for my Grandpa, Aunt, Uncle, and my Mom as they are feeling a great deal of sadness right now. My Mom, the girls, and I are heading out of state this afternoon to be with my Grandma.

I Forgot!

On my last post, I forgot to mention two important things. The first thing is that we bought a Wii! Our friends, Justin and Chantal have one and we've been having some Wii parties with some of our friends. I'm not a video game person at all, but I have really been enjoying the sports games on the Wii, especially the bowling. I was excited recently because both Becky and I lowed our Wii fitness age by about 15 years! (We were previously both 80!) The Wii's are sold out everywhere, but Ryan successfully bid on one on EBay for a decent price. So, if you want to play a little baseball, or bowling, come on over!
The second thing is the most important. Last night I got the biggest smiles from Anna! I wish I had the camera at the time. Her smile was absolutely beautiful and lit up her whole face! I think she's been trying to give me kisses too. I love my little banana!

Happy April Fools!

Happy Birthday Sarah!!! My sister-in-law turns 30 today! We celebrated last night by going to Applebees for dinner and having delicious oatmeal cake. We love you Sarah!

We also celebrated Mariners Opening Day yesterday. Rylie loved wearing her Mariners hat (her idea) and yelling, "Home run!" and "Strike out!" We were very happy that they won!

We had a rough weekend. Ryan was at the Men's Retreat for our church and Rylie and Anna both decided that would be a good time to get sick. Rylie had a fever and a bad cough and Anna had a rash all over her face, neck, and chest. Friday night we got about an hour and a half of sleep. Thankfully we had decided to spend the night at my parent's house, so I had my Mom to help. We took the girls to the doctor the next day and they are both on antibiotics and starting to feel better. The nurse weighed and measured Anna and she has gained a whole pound and 3/4 of an inch in 2 1/2 weeks! She has been sleeping much better at night and has slept 8 hours the past several nights! I'm so thankful!

Now, I have a stomach bug. Ryan was wonderful and stayed home this morning to help with the girls so I could rest. He really is a keeper!