Mini Vacation

It has been a long time since we were able to get away (January I believe). So, we headed up to the cottage Thursday and stayed up through the big Morgan side reunion/birthday party on Sunday. We had great weather and a wonderful time. Izzy had a great time at the beach- the girl loves her sand and water! She cried when it was time to leave this morning. I didn't get my camera out much (I was having too much fun or I was just resting a lot!). But here are a few fun pics.

This is the glazed over look we'd see every night...she nearly fell asleep in this chair! Enjoying the Sand

Love this shot! Such a genuine smile


Who knew it would be fun to try and slide down with the swim ring

what a beach bum!

Father's

Happy Father's Day to all of the wonderful daddies out there.

You are our leaders. The heads of our households. Our shoulders to cry on. Our jungle gym in winter. Our fort making friend. You have a way of making us laugh at the simplest things. You unify a family around each other. You are the example to which our sons and daughters look up to. Once a daddy, always a daddy. Its the job title that never goes away. Yes, its job description changes somewhat from diaper duty to playmate to coach to mechanic to wise council. But, you will always be our daddy. Nothing can every change that.

Today I am thankful for a wonderful father and a father-in-love. My father has seen me through the best of times and worst of times. He has pulled me out of a ditch. Let me cry as I made those "this is going to change me life forever (ha!)" moments in high school. My father-in-love has taught me a different side to life that I had never lived before. Even today he showed me the joy that a new water gun can bring (and how cute it is when he squirts his unsuspecting wife!).

I am also thankful for my daughter's father. My husband has evolved as a man and as a father over the past 3 years. I love watching him play with dolls and get on the floor with our daughter. I love how he initiates their bingo games- not always waiting to be asked to play. I love that he dates our daughter.

Don't forget to love on and thank you father's and you children's father for all that they do. They need our respect, our love, our encouragement.

The Strain of Guilt and Power of Repentence

I was in Meijer this morning, sitting in the waiting area at the pharmacy with my cheerful little Izzy. Waiting for the "5 minutes" to pass before my perscription was ready, I played the familiar 'I Spy' with Izzy.

I spied something red- the red button on the blood pressure machine (ok, so probably not the smartest idea to point out a big red button, because isn't it in human nature to want to press or pull anything big and red?)

As she spied the big red button and I told her, "Please don't press the button"...she looks at me, looks at the button and...PRESS!

While in general the whole incident was not a big deal- the button was not going to hurt anything or anyone. I was tempted to just let it go, I was after all, in Meijer. But I realized that this wasn't a case of doing something that was terrible, but rather it was an action of direct disobedience. I called her over and reviewed what just happened to make sure she knew what I had said (2 year olds have selective hearing sometimes!). She did. She was punished. And, in typical Izzy fashion, was immediately strained with guilt. Izzy has always been the sort of child where you can look at her with the 'mom eye' and she knew she was wrong and correct herself. She cries when she does wrong. She has a strong sense of guilt. I let her sit on that feeling for a few minutes until we returned to the car.

We discussed what she had done. That disobeying was wrong. It made mommy sad. But more importantly it made God sad, because He is the one who told us to obey. She then proceeded to say Sorry to Jesus, and choked down an apology to me. With tears streaming down her face she said she was sorry. Who knew how hard it was to apologize and repent?

I can guide Izzy into dealing with her guilt and then teach her who to apologize to and how to change her ways. Why is it then so hard to sometimes do it myself? Why is it so hard to admit when I've wronged my God or my neighbor and then say I'm sorry? Is the strain of guilt really worth the avoidance of temporary pain? Never, because of the power of forgivness and repentence heals those wounds. If only I approached the throne like a child, with child like faith. With the ability to just say I'm sorry from my heart.

Things I Love Thursday- Miss Pattycake

I'm back for another round of sharing something I love on this beautiful Thursday. Hosted by the lovely Miss Diaper Diaries :) Visit thediaperdiaries.net for more things that people love!

This week I am going to share my love for Miss Pattycake. Miss Pattycake joined our house by accident. There was a buy one dvd get one free at a local christian bookstore when Izzy was about 1. I was struggling to find an under $10 DVD to throw in when a salesperson showed me a demo of Miss Pattycake that was for sale. Our life has never been the same since!

Miss Pattycake is a character created by Jean and Nancy out of a desire to fill a void in the christian media. They desired to create a music and video experience for preschoolers and their parents. Miss Pattycake started out as a church ministry, but grew quickly into a singing and storytellling extravaganza! Through exciting songs and bible stories and a smile that glows, Miss Pattycake encourages preschoolers to praise the Lord no matter how big or small they are. Firmly planted in Biblical truth, I have been amazed and impressed at every DVD, book, and song I have heard. My daughter (now 2.5) jumps around singing "patty cake praise" "bubbling joy" and some great old Sunday School Song classics. She knows the story of creation, moses, Christ's resurrection, Christ's birth, and has even been taught how to pray for kids like her around the world.

If you have kids of preschool age (or even early elementary) I guarantee they will enjoy listening to this engaging teacher. (my husband finds her slightly annoying and corny, and you may too, but her voice does keeps kids engaged). Check out the Miss Pattycake videos at your local Christian bookstore or library! Or here at http://www.misspattycake.com/

Zoo Adventures

We've had a few eventful trips to the zoo so far this year!

The first one never actually happened. We were headed out for an atypical afternoon get together not realizing that the zoo was still under 'off season' hours and rates. We arrived to late and were not allowed in the zoo! So sad. Luckily, there was a park right next door that we could go to!

\

The next trip was a fun Sunday family day for the three of us (yes, we were skipping church because we were in desperate need of some family time due to insane work hours lately- criticize if you must- but it was needed!). Paul hadn't been to the zoo since elementary school- I was eager for him to share in Izzy's joy of seeing the animals. Also, with our recent outing of not being able to go the zoo- we thought it would be a good thing. So we packed a picnic lunch and headed out for a day of fun! We had a great hour at the zoo- Izzy was literally running from animal to animal- so excited about seeing her furry friends. Well, as we came upon the brand spankin' new monkey island exhibit- we started smelling gas (paul joked that the animals were um...farting!) Well, moments later over the loudspeaker we hear the announcement to evacuate the zoo! As we approached the entrance we heard the loud hissing sound- it was quite a gas break! The smell was awful too. It was quite the event- but people were pretty calm. Poor kids were hysterical. How do you explain to kids they have to leave the zoo right after getting there? There were also a lot of extended families there for a memorial weekend activity just standing around wondering what to do next! Luckily Izzy handled the situation great (better than my pregnant emotional self I might add!). We took her to a park and had our lunch there and then stopped by an ice cream window for a little afternoon treat! It ended up being a great day.

Finally, Izzy and I made it through the whole zoo with her cousins and aunts and Grandma a few days later and had a blast. She was however, disappointed that there were no zebras, elephants, or polar bears. We're hoping to get to a big zoo sometime this summer either in BC, Chicago, or Toledo so she can see some of those great creatures in person!

Fun cooking adventure

I know I've been gone awhile- let's just say I'm so pooped these days, writing a blog is the last thing on my to do list. I try to nap or at least rest when Izzy does- which then takes a lot of my free time away.

But, I thought I'd come back and share a fun, easy little cooking adventure with Izzy. I'm no kitchen pro. No chef wanna be. I'm not nearly brilliant like my friend Sarah (she is amazing, cook, mom, wow! her examples of cooking with her boys will put my post to shame). Alas, this is all I have to offer at the moment. I thought Sarah's idea of cooking with her boys and teaching/sharing with them the joy in the kitchen was a great idea. I've tried coming up with ways Isabelle can help me in the kitchen to 1) Have fun, quality time together (so I'm not constantly saying, mommy's cooking go play!) and 2) Having 'chores' or jobs makes kids feel valuable and a part of the family.

So, a little project we did together yesterday was from my favorite recipe source (Kraft Food Magazine!). Little homemade pudding pops.

Yum. Pretty healthy. Easy Cheap. Quick sweet fix for miss preggo over here. What's not to like?

Grab some little Dixie cups and Popsicle sticks and try it for yourself!

Pudding pops

1 box of instant pudding (any flavor)
2 cups of cold milk
1.5 cups of thawed cool whip
Any desired mix in (marshmallow, crushed cookie, chocolate chips...fruit if you are feeling healthy)

Mix pudding and milk for two minutes. Add cool whip and stir until well blended. Add mix ins. Pour into small Dixie cups and place a Popsicle stick in the middle. Freeze for 5 hours (ours were ready after about 2-3 hours).

To get the pop out of the cup, run under warm water and give it a little squeeze and pull.

These are also the perfect size for small eaters.

Enjoy!