President's Day

I didn't want this day to go by unnoticed.  I mean, how do people even "celebrate" this day besides federal employees getting off work?  So, when I saw the fun activities in the Family Fun Magazine, I geared up.  The morning was spent for Kendrick and me at BSF training while Cavett put together legos at Dad's office. 

After picking up Cavett, we headed home for a Presidential Lunch.  (And no, I'm not talking about Obama's State Dinner for the Chinese!)  We had Franklin-furters (though far from my favorite President), Lincoln Logs, Adams Apples, George Washington's Cherry Juice, and Plain Old Presidential Pudding for dessert. 

Following lunch we had a science experiment by dropping pennies into salted vinegar.  Most came out bright and shiny.  We specifically used ones with the boys' birth year and created penny pins to wear the rest of the day. 

Art was next and we created Abe Lincoln's face with their handprints.  Stolen idea, but very clever.  Cavett added some facts about Lincoln.

But, the favorite activity by far was the penny toss: large bucket full of water, floating small plastic dish on top. The boys took turns flinging pennies into the floating cup. Kendrick was the first to land a score, but Cavett eventually beat him 11-4.

My prayer is that my boys know what our founding fathers stood for and what they believed in for our nation: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  And, that they through God, knew best when setting up our government as a constitutional republic, using 3 branches of government with checks and balances.  In addition, they will have respect for our country and those elected to office and be involved and take initiative when they feel the country is going in the wrong direction. 

Another Great Weekend with the Alexanders

It was a packed weekend as it always is visiting old stomping grounds!  After lunch at Berry Hill on Saturday we headed to the Houston Zoo with the rest of Houston and eventually met back up with Walker and Mark before we headed to Sugar Land to meet Baby Judah Crum.

Walker and Kendrick are becoming best buds despite the almost year difference.

The new African section was pretty cool and a little Disney-esque.

There's just nothing like the safari carousel!

J.P. is just the cutest thing ever!!!

It was a great time with the Alexanders and hope that one day they will join us in North Texas!

Fruition, Finally

I didn't want to post pre-maturely. I wanted to make sure there was complete mastery and it wasn't dumb luck or a one-time thing. But for almost 3 weeks now,

KENDRICK HAS BEEN POOPING ON THE POTTY!!!!!

We are out of our "hard season."  I know it is really weird to post a blog on something like this, and no, there will be no picture associated although I have them.  But, this is a really big deal.  It's been a long 9 months.  We started this process last spring with the push from his pre-school teacher.  I knew he wasn't ready, but she insisted.  By fall he finally mastered #1, but the poop drug on, and on, and on.  Stephen read on the internet that there are kids that never do it on the potty and not because they can't.  They choose not too.  (Scary!)  We moved to underwear and sometime in November he began having 3-8 bowel movements a day the size of Hershey Kisses.  Not so sweet.  

By January, I was worn out and besides praying about it every now and then, it became a daily prayer.  Mid-January, I felt the need to seek medical advice.  The doctor decided he was constipated and meds followed.  It was not a pretty week following, especially with  Dad in Vegas.  Many tears were shed by all. I knew it was bad when he said to me, "Mommy, take a deep, deep breath."   But, a week and a half later, a bag of gummy worms and a trip to Chuck E. Cheese, he was making major strides toward mastery.  

If you ask him what his "high" is for the day now, he will say "pooping on the potty" 90% of the time.  He's proud of himself and I am extremely proud of him as well.  It wasn't until I gave it completely over to God realizing that I could do nothing and that it had to be Kendrick's decision did anything ever happen.  Yet again proof of His sovereign control over every thing, everywhere and He has perfect timing.  It was His timing to show me that I am not in control at all. 

So, our final "Hip-hip-hooray!" was this afternoon when we picked Cavett up after school and headed to Lewisville to play at Going Bonkers. 

Congratulations, Kendrick.  You are my very big boy now.  Now, you can stop growing up!

White as Snow

I'm sure most have experienced it at some point or another.  A snowfall.  A blanket of snow that covers your whole world--every little dark colored thing surrounding you.  It's beautiful.  It's God's beauty.  And then when the sun peeks out from behind all those low snowy clouds, it's blinding.  The snow is so white that it is dazzling, sparkling and literally blinding.  It is so white that it glows and radiates more light. 

It's just like God's love for us. 


"Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow."  Isaiah 1:18
 

He will take our dirty lives, our sin stained hearts, red as crimson, like Kendrick's coat and make it white as snow.  Only God can make the weather raindown beautiful, individualized snowflakes and in the same way only God can cleanse our sin when we confess to Him.  We are covered with a blanket of snow--His forgiveness. 
 
"Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow." Psalm 51:7 

Not only will we be white as snow, but if we let God do the cleansing and accept His love, doing it His way, we will be WHITER than snow.  After seeing all this snow from the week and then the Saturday sunshine on it, I can't even begin to think how it gets whiter than white. 
 
I love all the references to the hyssop branch cleansing as well.  If you don't know, it was used according to God’s instructions to apply the blood of the Passover lamb around the doors of the houses of those that wanted the angel of death to pass by their household just before Israel was released by Egypt in Exodus 12:21-22.  Also it signified the cleansing of a leper or a house of a disease.  Not to mention it is the same branch with which a sponge of vinegar was held up to Jesus' lips as he was taking our punishment for us by dying on the cross. 
 

There are no references to bubbles, but I think if there had been bubble baths at the time, He just might have said bubbles instead of snow, as well!

Second Snowing of 2011

On Tuesday we were iced in. The roads were "treacherous." The temps stayed well below freezing and everything was closed......for 4 days! On the fourth day we were surprised with another 6 inches of snow on top of the ice. It was nice to have some extended family time and it wasn't too bad, but I think we are kinda done with the cold.  And, we need actual snow gear.  Of course as soon as I buy it, it won't snow for several years.  We also realized that we need to wait a few more years until we consider going snow skiing or at least go during Spring Break when it's warmer.

We did get Cavett's room painted.

 The favorite pasttime is eating the snow.

 We bought a new inner tube for this snow fall.

 But the inner tube was quickly popped. 

 Our backyard pet nusance showed his hippipty-hop foot prints.

 The icicles were massive and some on the pool are still lingering 3 days after the thaw. 

 By far, the highlight of the week was making snow ice cream. 

It just doesn't get any better!

Home Schooling

I might just could do this.....maybe....when Kendrick is older. 

School was cancelled today due to "severe and treacherous road and sidewalk conditions" and it's closed tomorrow as well.  We haven't left the house and have been in our pj's all day.  However, that doesn't mean that Cavett hasn't learned anything. 

Writing:  Cavett finished writing all his thank-you notes from his birthday.
Geography:  He chewed on his apple until it was the shape of the United States and we talked about where certain states were.
Reading:  He spent almost 1 hour reading his new Toy Story 3 story book with chapters.  Ok, and he watched one "Between the Lions."

Math:  We took a square piece of paper and folded it into halves over and over, talking about fractions and finding the pattern established when folding into halves. 

Art:  Made snowflakes out of the squares.

Religion:  I taught him my BSF lesson for tomorrow.

Music:  We played and sang "Sally Go Round the Sun"

Science:  With Dad, the boys made a ballon rocket ship on a string between two chairs and made hypotheses about different shaped balloons and how if they attached differently it effects the speed and distance. 

Instruction Following and Spatial Relations: Put together a 370 piece Toy Stoy 3 Lego set

Spelling: Played Bananagrams while waiting for dinner.

I think that is a full day's work and I didn't even plan it this way.  It just happened.  Hopefully, tomorrow will be more of the same and we won't have too much "stir craziness!"