Compare

People tell you not to compare your kids.... but honestly is there a parent out there who doesn't at some point or another? I mean, not in the "he's better than her or she is better than him", but just in an overall type of way. The other night my husband and I looked through both the kids baby books. We feet like Jayce is a bit small, and so does the doctor. We were wondering if we were mistaken and thought perhaps Jayce is the same size as Lula Mae was at that age. Well, we were wrong.

Lula Mae at 12 months: 21 lbs. 27 1/2 inches

Jayce at 12 months: 17 lbs. 27 1/2 inches

My little guy is 4 pounds smaller than Lula Mae was. He weighs what Lula Mae did at 8 months old. My little guy is tiny, but so strong! His size really fools you. He climbs onto ANYTHING and can pull the little electrical outlet covers out. He is so adventurous and can take a fall or a hit like a UFC fighter. Boy through and through! For those of you who have been praying for him, thank you. His reflux is doing MUCH better and we are hoping to wean him off of his medication in the next few months. Also, his eczema is making remarkable improvements! He still has a few bad patches but his overall skin appearance is so much better! There is so much power in prayer! Please continue to pray for him. Pray that he will begin to gain weight and stay in a healthy range.



PS. This boy is so madly in love! Are they not the CUTEST???? I just love it!!!

Identity Crisis

I shop at Aldi. I love the savings on my grocery bill by shopping there. Pretty much all of their brands are just as good (if not a little better) than most big brand names. On my last trip I grabbed these to try. We love Sun Chips so I figured these would be great for us. They aren't bad, but they are having a slight identity crisis.

They taste like these. No joke. Just like them!

Luckily, I like Bugles just fine (yes I am a junk food junkie *hangs head in shame*) but when you are expecting Sun Chips, it is a bit odd.

I Am A Christian

I got this in an email quite some time back. I do not know who the author is, but if by some chance it is you…. give yourself credit in a comment :-) Thanks!

When I say that 'I am a Christian'

I am not shouting that I am clean living.
I'm whispering 'I was lost, but now I'm found and forgiven.'

When I say 'I am a Christian'

I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say 'I am a Christian'

I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say 'I am a Christian'

I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess

When I say 'I am a Christian'

I'm not claiming to be perfect.
My flaws are far too visible, but God believes I am worth it.


When I say 'I am a Christian'

I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.

When I say 'I am a Christian'

I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner who received God's grace, somehow!

I read this quickly one day and it has been on my mind ever since. I really think that unbelievers have a jaded since of what believers think about themselves. I hope that if you are one of those unbelievers out there that this will help you see things more clearly. Granted believers around you are acting in ways that are bringing glory to God, of course. Still, I know what I thought about ‘Christians’ back before I was saved… and I think this would have really made me think differently.

I Should Have Known

Back when you started climbing....

into your car seat....

before you were even a year old...

I should have known that you...

were going to be...

a hand full! That sweet little face sure had me fooled!

I mean, you just started doing this...

and I just love that every time I take a picture of you walking
it looks like you are dancing! But really buddy...



must you climb on....



everything? I think that toy would be just as much fun
standing beside it. No?



So, is it too soon to sign up for one of those frequent user cards at the local Urgent Care?


Sigh

My Day So Far....

Lula Mae needed a dose of medicine this morning.
Luckily it was not a dose of some crazy life saving medication because this...

defeated me. After nearly half an hour of fighting, I waved the white flag.
Yep, I was defeated by a childproof top.
What a way to start the day!



And then...



Our little man got his very first busted lip!

The first of many... trust me!

How in the world did he bust his lip to the side. Jayce, only you boy!

Letters Of Intent

Have you been disappointed by your favorite blogger lately? Have you received nasty comments on your blog that are worthy of a whole blog post devoted just to them? Has life thrown you some curveballs? Does your spouse write things on Facebook that embarrass you? Speaking of Facebook, are you tired of people airing their dirty laundry disguised as a status? Or maybe you won the lottery and you want to let me know you plan on sharing your windfall with me! Well tell me about it…in letter form of course. Write the who, what, when, where, and why of it all. Grab the button from my sidebar and link up at the bottom. I look forward to your Letters of Intent!

Be sure to visit Foursons for more great letters!

Dear Lula Mae,

Summer has officially started. I don't have to look at the calender or check the weather. All I have to do is look at your legs....
Mosquito bites. I'm shocked they didn't fly away with you to be honest.

Bruises. Lots and lots of bruises. If "summer time legs" was listed in the dictionary, they could put your picture beside it.

Love,

Your Mommy Who Is Worried People Will Wonder If We Beat You By The Looks Of Your Legs

***********************************************************

Dear Junk Food,

Due to my inability to make good choices I am requesting that from here on out you taste like healthy foods. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

The Girl Who Loves You A Little Too Much

***********************************************************

Dear Healthy Food,

Due to my inability to make good choices I am requesting that from here on out you taste like junk foods. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

The Girl Who Loves The Taste Of Taste

Slow Progress

We have been living in our home for 6 months now. When we moved in I was overwhelmed at the amount of work that needed to be done inside and outside. Well, we are starting to finally see some of our work pay off. This is what the outside of the house looked like when we moved in. There was tons of overgrown shrubs, a crazy fence that needed to come down, the baby blue shutters were in desperate need of new paint.



So look at what we have now! We still have quite a long list of things to do, but we are happy to be seeing progress!


I will have a few pictures from the inside soon!

Homemade Play Dough

Lula Mae and I recently made our own play dough. Not only was it homemade, but it was edible! Charlie was worried. He said that it would confuse her and make her think you could eat play dough. I assure you that Lula Mae is to the point where she does not "eat" things. She never really did actually. She told us several times about the little boy in Sunday school who ate play dough and how she told him you weren't suppose to (oh boy, Lula Mae is gonna be one of "those" kids... grand...). Since she was able to repeatedly tell me why we don't eat play dough I decided to go ahead and make it. FYI if you have a child who does tend to eat things like play dough, you may want to hold out on this craft for a while just so you don't confuse them.


Play Dough

- 1 Cup peanut butter
- 1 Cup honey
- 1.5 Cups dry milk
- 1.5 Cups powdered sugar


It's simple! Just stir all the ingredients together until well incorporated and you are done! I do think it is best for it to sit in the fridge for about an hour before playing with it though. That helps it set up a little. You can store this in the fridge for roughly a month. This recipe makes a lot so you will have plenty to nibble and play with :-) Lula Mae really enjoyed it!

A year

Yesterday it was a year.

Has it really already been a year?

Happy 1st re-birth day Uncle Larry. For a year now you have been worshiping God in your new body. A body with no infection, a body with both legs. You have been home for a year.

I thought that after a year I would feel less regret. Somehow, over the past year it is gotten so much worse.

When he first passed I couldn't even cry. I had cried so much over the month prior to his passing that I felt such relief when the time actually came that I couldn't fester up a single tear. Do you know how horrible it makes you feel when you actually feel glad that someone is gone? I felt so wrong yet I know it is exactly how Uncle Larry would have wanted me to feel.

Death is not easy. It is such a tug of war between joy and sorrow. Our flesh feels such pain and sadness for ourselves left here, while our believing spirit feels such happiness for them.

I should have gone to see him.

I should have been there for him with the rest of the family.

It would have meant a lot to him.

Instead, I stayed home. I was worried about me. I didn't want to go because it would be hard to see him like that. I didn't want to go because I didn't want everyone else to see me broken. I like to be tough and be the support that others need. So, for all of those selfish reasons I didn't go.

I missed my chance to hear his voice one more time. I missed my chance to feel his strong arms around me one last time. I missed my chance to tell him how much I loved him and how much I would miss him. If I could rewind time and do it all again I would. Funny how you never regret doing the right thing but when you do the wrong thing it eats away at you for the rest of your life.

Yesterday was hard. Harder than the day he passed. I was in a horrible mood and just couldn't shake it. I wanted nothing more than to hear my Uncle Larry's voice say "hello sweetheart". All day I thought about how different things would be, how different I would feel, if I would have just gone to see him.

My Uncle Larry was an amazing man. He loved the Lord and lived for Him. He was so incredible that there is not enough space on my blog to tell you all about him. I want so badly to be like him someday. He truly tried to be like Christ and I am honored to have been his niece. I am trying to be joyful today, but it is hard.

"We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord." 2 Corinthians 5:8

This was one of his favorite songs and I think of him every single time I hear it. Pray for my Aunt Mary as she continues to adjust to life without Uncle Larry. Also, pray for his children and grandchildren as their hearts continue to heal. Tomorrow will be a better day.

Report Card

Lula Mae is three now (sigh) so I felt like I need to see where she is in a few subjects. I want to keep good records of where she was at each age, or the end of each school year once we actually start official school. So this post is more for me and my records, but I hope you will enjoy it too.

Reading Level: 2.7

WOW!!! Can you believe it!!!! The assessment method I used showed that she is reading at the level of a second grader in the 7th month of second grade. So close to a third grade level! She blows my mind! She is reading some huge words now and is great at figuring out new words all on her own. Her reading list includes over 600 words now and is growing so quickly!

Reading Accuracy Rate: 94%

I did my first running record with her the other day and found out that her accuracy rate is 94%. I am glad that I have a good background in education and can use all the things I learned in my classes to help my teach my kids. It is nice to know that I can put all those college classes to good use :-)

Self Correction rate: 1:3

This score means that for every three 3 errors she make in her reading, she correct one.

Bible: 10 verses memorized/ 20 Catechism questions memorized

I really enjoy seeing Lula Mae learn scripture. Also, seeing her learn truths are amazing to. I love to see her heart being filled with God. She has such a love for the Bible already and adores church and her church family.

Math: Pattens/size/ counting by 10's to 100/ simple addition

Lula Mae is really starting to enjoy math. Charlie is great at helping her with addition. She is super proud that she can count by 10's all the way to 100!

General: Right and left/ opposites/ rhyming/ cutting / tracing lines/ gluing/ self care/ nutrition / chores / Mommy and Daddy's phone numbers

This is a pretty big category. She has known her right from her left for a while now, but I can't remember if I recorded it anywhere or not. She is great at opposites and picking them out everywhere we go. Ever time we go past Moe's in town she says "Moe's... Lowe's.... Lowe's... Moe's.... THEY RHYME!" She loves rhyming her words and I think it is so cute. She a getting better at cutting and enjoys it the most out of all our crafts. Tracing is not really a challenge for her but she likes it. She is positively left handed! Gluing is messy.... but she must learn how, so we do it. Of course, she loves it because it is messy :-) She knows about the importance of brushing her teeth and keeping clean. She also knows that milk is good for her bones and fruits and veggies make our bodies strong. I love that she is interested in chores and is becoming more involved with the house work. And if she were to ever get lost ( and someone would think to ask her) she could tell them both our phone numbers. I feel good knowing that! She is quite a handy little helper these days and I just love it!

As you can see, school has been busy for us! She loves school and does not like to miss it... even on the weekends. We will not be taking a summer break like most schools though because I think it is important to learn all year long. We have such a laid back and easy going so a break is not really necessary. I have seen her learn so much from May 2010 to May 2011. I can't even image how much she will learn this year! The best part is that she is already trying to teach Jayce. She loves to read words with him and help me with his flash cards. Soon she will be really teaching him and I just can't wait to see it :-)

Overall I would say Lula Mae passed this year. Way to go Lula Mae, keep up the good work!