Stand Firm

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;"


Adventures in Potty Training...

Day 1: No success, 
Much laundry,
The only thing dry... the potty chair.
On a positive note, 1 m&m for spawn, many for me!
Day 2: 1 small success, perhaps by chance?
still much laundry.

Day 3: 1 Big mess, 
1 Frazzled mama, and then.....
A Huge SUCCESS!!!  Apparently hearing the tinkle helped her grasp the concept.  It seems we turned a corner half way through the day when we moved to the big "tinkling" chair. She even woke up with a dry pull-up after a 2 hour nap. 

Now if we can only keep our momentum... 

Another Fun Project

The girls and I had a fun time sorting through fabric scraps and choosing colors for our necklaces. We found the great craft here, it was a link from The Long Thread. The blog also has a really cute tutorial to make a bag with braided scraps for the handles. I really haven't read too much of her postings, but I appreciate the great craft ideas!

Picnic

We met Papa at the park for lunch on Friday. It was a great day, not too hot and not too crowded. It was nice to sit on a blanket in the shade and watch the girls play.







Keeping Busy...


Ike plugging away at the wood shop.  It's looking great!

Cooling off in "the turtle."



Doing an art project inspired by Eric Carle's book, "The Very Lonely Firefly." .....which I've never read! Looks like another trip to the bookstore is in order. We found the idea here. I love this website. It is chock full of great crafts, sewing projects and ideas. One of my favorites right now. Someday I will post links in my sidebar... but for now I am still working on updating in a timely manner.






A Bike Ride

Gracie is a riot in her sun glasses! 


The dress Esther is wearing was a repurpose project that I did. I will post on it soon. It was fun, and she really likes it! I enjoy making things that they love. There have been times when I get more excited than they do... this time was a hit!

A prego picture for you to see. I know, I know, I am so stylish in my helmet! Keep in mind, this picture is old- it was taken June 20th. I feel twice as big now! (Some of you have seen me since then.) Thanks to some very kind and thoughtful birthday gifts, I am now able to go on a bike ride and be comfortable! This bike is from walmart- a great price and totally snazzy!

Daily Happenings

It is amazing how fast toys can be accumulated. The girls have been playing together a lot lately.  This is a "house." Esther likes to set up her house, it comes complete with bedrooms and an outside area. They both have quite an imagination.


Tea Party.

Playing Tea Party is such a great opportunity to practice manners. Esther likes to serve everyone their tea and sugar.

This is a friend from church. We were all together for a BBQ and they had a blast together the entire time.

Dirt

As you may know, we had our stumps ground out. Esther discovered a great new play spot soon after...



Popcicles

One of the delights of hot summer days...


And the various "licking styles" cracks me up!

Family

A while ago we had the pleasure of having Grandma and Grandpa visit. We all enjoyed spending time together. As you can see, the girls were very excited!


they stayed at a cute little motel close by our home that had a great courtyard garden. Here the girls are checking out the pond and waterfall.

Of course Shatzi was a big hit... the girls always talk about her. Sometimes they even call her on their phones! There is even a button at Joanne's that they think looks like her. 

A sister moment in the swing. Thank you guys so much for taking the time to come out our way! We love you!