The Holidays

I had great expectations for the holidays this year. I "NEEDED" to make them happen. I needed to follow through with all my thought out plans and new traditions that I want to do. These are not extravagant ideas - in fact I think they will make the holidays much more simple, magical and meaningful in the end. But most of them take initial work and preparation on the front end. And well, I have spent the better of the last month and half fighting to stay off the couch - honestly some days I don't even fight. So I have decided that I will finish my Jesse Tree Ornaments this year (starting this weekend) and that will be the only special addition to our holiday seasons. I am trying to use the energy and what little ability I have to make and hold complete thoughts to get our family settled into life and routine for the beginning of the year. So I have decided that I will lower my expectations for this season and enjoy my family.
This move has created in me a renewed heart for my home. Not the physical place as much as what it encompasses. John and I have survived for a long time and we are ready to settle and thrive and I want our home life to be a haven for all who live here. Simple and intentional are the words that resonate with me these days. So hopefully if I can plan for January then I will be ahead of the game instead of frantically playing catchup. My hope is this will set me on a course to have a fruitful, simple and intentional year with my family. Soon I hope we are thriving again - not sure again is appropriate here because John and I aren't sure we have thrived since we had children.

ROLL TIDE

One of our Fall Traditions is to go to the Alabama Homecoming Parade with the boys. This is the 4th year we have done it and it is alot of fun. This year Nana (who is recently retired and we are sooo glad!!!) joined in on the fun. And for a special treat John, Nana and the boys actually went to the game. They said the seats were terrible but they still had a blast. Here are some pics from the day.

it's blurry but the only family pic from the day

This was Brady's favorite thing in the parade - the very very tall football player

We had got up to leave the parade (been there 1.5 hours and it was freezing and almost over) and I looked down the road and saw this coming our way. So glad I did. Jake had a fit - he was so excited!!! This of course was his favorite part of the parade.

Faith

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Heb 11:1

I want a faith that can move mountains. Often I struggle with this concept. Usually when this struggle happens it is because I have misplaced my faith and put it in an object rather than God. The more I parent the more I feel like I understand faith. What I mean is that I know my children hope for certain things. They hope to get to stay up late, they hope to get to have ice cream for dinner. But most days this does not happen. But I also know that despite momentary disappointment their faith in me as their caretaker does not waiver. They do not see me giving in to their whims - even the ones they hope for. It is because their faith is in me and not in what they want. I hope this makes sense. So as I put the boys down for a nap today, I lay in the bed with Brady for about 15 minutes as he genuinely sobbed because he was sad John had to go back to work. (John is working about 14-15 hours a day right now and they see him about 1 hour total a day - if that). So I took that opportunity to try as best as I could to explain to my 3 year old that God will never leave him and He will always be there to love him and take care of him - even when mommy and daddy can't. I said "daddy can not work from home like he use to right now but we can pray and ask God to give daddy a job that will allow him to work from home again." As soon as I said it I cringed inside. For that brief second I felt like i set my kids up for disappointment because it doesn't look like that will happen soon. But then God reminded me of this verse. The object of my faith is not the expectation of getting what I want. The object of my faith is a God who loves me and my boys more than John ever could. He is a God that wants us to learn to love and depend on Him more than we do John. And He is a God who has the VERY BEST plan for our lives. So I can come before my God, with my children, and ask in faith the equivalent question that I hear from my boys - can i stay up late?. I can ask my Father if He will give daddy a job that lets Him stay at home with us again. And God may say no and we may experience momentary disappointment but we learn to trust deeper in our God and His goodness. So we prayed and we ask and we will see what God does. It has been huge for me because I think in my faithless heart that disappointment may be lurking. But the big picture is I know God loves us and wants the very best for us and even though my heart might be sad - second best is not what I want - for me or them!!!! We shall see.

Personality

Jake has started making this really funny face anytime he is concentrating on something. I tried my best to capture it here. I love that he is so serious sometimes. He is growing in to such a sweet little man. He could have spent hours chalking yesterday. I hope he continues to develop his art abilities.

This is the perfect picture for dear Brady. He is always on the move and so completely carefree. He loves life and lives it to the fullest. He was running on those really high rocks like they were no threat to him at all. I love that he is a thrill seeker much like his daddy. He helps me and Jake lighten up most days.

I love my boys and really am enjoying them so much this summer. They are the best of friends and the worst of enemies. I love to watch them make up their own games and play just fine with only their tinker toys and balloons. I have seen such a benefit of removing conventional toys from them (by necessity due to lack of space) and creating opportunities to use their imagination. Yesterday they were playing a made up game and Jake said - "mommy, I love my imagination." Jake I love it too!!!

My Superhero's are growing up!!!

These are pictures from the boys actual birthdays and their joint birthday party. We had a super hero party. The boys got a trampoline from us this year and they love it. Literally that is all the kids did the entire party - except eat cake and open presents of course. It was a fun day.

St. Patrick's Day Ideas

I have been deciding on whether or not I really wanted to celebrate St. Patrick's day. I didn't know that much about the date and I am not one for doing things just because so I used my handy dandy google to learn more about it. Do you know about St. Patrick. He is credited for bringing the gospel to Ireland. So as I read more I thought it is a good day to teach the boys about laboring for God's kingdom. I want the boys to know about lives of people that have given their lives to building God's kingdom. I pray that God ignites their hearts with a passion for this one day and for now I want to expose them to men and women who lived with such passion. So here are our tentative plans for the day:
1. Awake to green all over - in honor of the country St. Patrick reached.
2. Green Eggs and Ham with Green toast (I will add food coloring to green milk and let them paint their toast before it goes in the toaster) and green milk. We will enjoy a reading of Dr. Seuss - Green Eggs and Ham. And no there is nothing spiritual about this Seussish breakfast but God's word says that whether we eat or drink - WHATEVER we do to do it to the glory of God. I don't want my boys to separate sacred and spiritual - having green eggs and ham can be just as sacred as fasting. I want all of their lives to be wrapped up in Jesus - the fun stuff too!!!!
3. We will make us some green shamrock jello jigglers for a treat later in the day
4. We are going to make some green clover cookies and "secretly" spur some friends and family on toward love and good deeds. We are going to package the cookies with this little poem explaining the real reason we celebrate St. Patrick's day, and share them with some of those we love. Here is the poem:

You might think I’m a Leprechaun
here to spread a little luck
But the truth you see is that luck to me
is nothing but a bunch of schmuck!!!

Today is not about a pot of gold
But a man named Patrick who dared to be bold.
God gave him a heart for a country
that was green all over.
Full of folklore, shamrocks
and fields of clover.

So to Ireland he went with one intent
to call the Irish to repent.

He told them of Jesus, his life and how he died.
Irish Luck, they said, would give them eternal life.
He said NO this comes ONLY when
In Jesus we abide.

God turned the hearts of the Irish
and a new life without the need of luck began
God did this great feat using one faithful man.

So today as we celebrate the life of St. Patrick
I wanted you to know what this day was really about.
Not leprechauns, not luck, not pots of gold
but one man who loved God and dared to be bold.

It is Jesus who made St. Patrick bold
He can do the same for you
if the truth be told.
Enjoy your sweet clover
While you stop and think this over:

Jesus died so that you may live.
How will you spend this life He gives?

5. After our "secret spurring" we will come home and enjoy our jello snacks and read some books about St. Patrick's life. I may order this dvd. I found it on Amazon for about $5 so we may give it a shot and watch it with the boys.
6. I am thinking a green pesto pasta for dinner...not sure yet.

Throughout the day, I plan to talk with Jake about what St. Patrick did - what the life of a laborer looks like. Hope these ideas spur you own to enjoy and celebrate the life of a laborer.

Christmas Traditions - A Picnic under the tree

Traditions are huge for our family. I am convinced that this is a way to unite us as a family and to woo my children's hearts.
Noel Piper said in her book Treasuring God in our Traditions, that "in Deuteronomy 11 (is) the essence, the core, or traditions for God's people" ""You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul"" (vs 18). The things we do regularly that help us in our deepest being to know and love and want God, the things that help our lives to be infiltrated with God - those things are traditions. And then if there are children in our lives, to pass the God-focused activities to the next generation - that's what tradition is for a Christian."

This season, I wanted to share some of our traditions with you to spur you on to begin some of your own. Not all of our traditions in and of themselves are "spiritual." But the bigger picture behind them all is always about our children knowing God and His great love for them. Our first tradition of the season begins the Friday after Thanksgiving. As a family we put up and decorate our Christmas tress. Then we spend some time in the kitchen as a family. John and I cook some of our favorite appetizers and the boys decorate cookies. For dinner we have a picnic under the Christmas tree. We turn off all the lights but the tree and a few candles and we eat our cooked goodies. We spend some time chatting with the boys (as much as they could understand now) about the true meaning of Christmas. Then we get out our special ornaments from the previous years and discuss the meanings behind each of them - remembering. After our dinner the boys open 2 gifts from us and then there are 2 more gifts under the tree. This is what those gifts consist of:
1. An ornament - John and I decide on an ornament that reminds us of something that happened in that child's life for the year. A big event, a big obsession, a favorite song that lasted all year long, a silly saying that they have said forever. It is a symbol of a memory that we don't want to forget. I have a mini scrapbook and I take a pic of the ornament and will write the reasoning behind that ornament in it so we can always remember why Brady got a rooster for his 3rd Christmas, for example. When the kids get a little older I want them to participate in this tradition, buying an ornament for their siblings that has a memory attached to it.
2. A Christmas Book - each year we also pick out a Christmas book to build them a collection of Christmas books to have as adults but to enjoy as a child and to be able to one day tell their children about how we read those books to them every Christmas as a child.
3. John and I try to take turns buying an ornament for us - just one ornament and we switch out who buys it (we try to do this). I don't want all of our Christmas to be just about the kids for several reasons. First of all, we were a family before the boys joined us and we will be a family after they leave and cleave with their spouses one day. Second, it is just fun and I don't want my tree to be absent of memories when the kids take their ornaments to their house to share with their family.
4. A Christmas movie - We just get one movie for us to keep at our house for our kids to enjoy but for our grand kids one day. Then our boys can bring their kids home and say we watched this video when we were little kids - and then all 3 generations can watch it together.

So after we open our gifts, put the ornaments on the tree and read the books, we eat the cookies the boys decorated during the day and we watch our new Christmas video - this year it is Max and Ruby's Christmas. This night is soooo fun and just writing about it makes me ready for it to be here. It is a precious night to me and I know that my boys feel completely loved and thought of as we give them their ornament and recall some of our favorite memories of each of them this year. Hope you are inspired - try it I promise you will be hooked.

Is He Real?

Since Jake was a baby, I have wanted him to believe in Santa. It made me sad to think about him not experiencing that "magic" of Christmas. I always said that we would keep it in perspective and not let it override the true meaning of Christmas. Well what I didn't count on as a young mom (I am still in this category by the way) was his little sinful heart that, like myself, wants life to be about ME!!! So this year when we started talking about Christmas all he wanted to talk about was Santa bringing him presents. This just did not sit well with my heart. So I began literally begging God to help me figure out how to make this season about HIM - ALL HIM but at the same time keeping that "magic" that comes with the idea of Santa clause. My heart so much desires to help the Lord to create a longing in my boys hearts for Him and His glory. I want to woo them on this earth and point them to the one who ultimately will woo their hearts forever. I am not naturally an emotional person and so I don't expect my walk with God or Christmas for that matter to be all emotional and "magical" but I do think that true love and passion can not exist without emotion some of the times. So that being said, I want the boys to love love love the Lord with all of their hearts and to be filled with passion for Him. From my experience, knowing Him more is what makes this happen.
So the Lord has begin to literally place what I needed to explain this to my son in my hands. I received an email from Doorpost that talked about how the owners of this business have handled Santa Clause and Christmas. She listed several books that they read and a video they watch and they even had a tradition that they celebrate St. Nick. And then today, I went to the library to get Christmas books for the boys to have next week. I just pulled Christmas books off the shelf - not knowing anything about them. When I was waiting in the McDonald's drive through I begin reading one of the books - Antonella and Her Santa. It was great and very helpful for what I am trying to wrap my head around. I have ordered the book and DVD that Pam Forrester recommended and John and I will watch and read before talking with the boys. December the 6th is St Nicholas Day and their family ate a German meal on Dec 5th, watched the video, and hung their stockings and they all camped out that night by the fireplace (were the stocking were) and the next morning they awoke to their stockings filled with gold coins (chocolate) and little gifts. This was in honor of the story of the true St. Nicholas and you can read about it here
http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=38. So I am hoping to wrap my head around how to explain Santa to Jake in a way that points to Christ. He gives us gifts despite how good or bad or deserving we are. Because He loves us and wants to serve us and glorify God. So all this rambling to say I would love any input you have and your prayers because I want Christmas to be about Christ. I will share more when I wrap my head around what I want to say. Until then, any ideas?

Wooing His Heart

A few weeks ago I finished reading "Grace Based Parenting" by Tim Kimmel.  One of the things he talks about is learning your child and his bents and seeking to cultivate those things in your child.  When I looked up the word Woo in the Thesaurus, other words for woo were cultivate, seek, try to attract, curry favor with, seek to win.  So essentially I gathered from Kimmel's book that as I parent I am to learn my child and his bents and use those to woo his heart.  A few years ago the lady that discipled me in college told me that she strongly believes that Christians feel the presences of God most in their life when they are operating in their giftings and doing the things that God designed them to do for His kingdom.  I see this is true in my own life so of course I want my children to experience this too. 

Jake is very artistic and is in love with taking pictures, painting, drawing and the likes. So today I set out to woo his heart and it was a wonderful day.  A few years ago, the Pensacola News Journal commissioned some local artist to paint/create pelicans to display around downtown.  They were amazing and very creative.  So I decided to take Jake downtown to see them today.  Sadly to say, there were only a few left.  Turns out many of them were vandalized and removed.  Jake took pictures of the ones that were left.  He loved seeing them.  Here are a few of his shots.

We also went to the Pensacola art museum and he was amazed at the paintings.  He would walk up to one and say Mommy what do you see?  Then we headed off and took some pictures of some local places.  We both had such a great time.  It is so fun to watch him get so excited.  It sure filled his tanks.

Now This is Fine Art

what kid doesn't love pancakes, yogurt, grapes and pears that look like this. The boys giggled with great delight as we prepared breakfast this morning

Our Birthday Traditions

Birthday's at the Cook house are a blast!! John and I decided from the get go that we wanted this to be a very special day in each of our lives. (however, i spent my birthday this year in bed with the flu and could care less if it was special:)) We have some great family traditions that I thought i would pass along to inspire you. Most of these ideas were passed along to me so I thought I would do the same.
1. Every year the birthday person wakes up to his door decorated with streamers and balloons.
2. They usually make their way to the dining room where they find decorations galore, some very specific for them:
3. For each of our kiddo's their first birthday gift from me and John has been their traditions box. It includes a birthday banner:

-a birthday tablecloth or runner:
-a painted birthday plate:

-a birthday hat:


4. We start the morning by having cinnamon rolls shaped in the number of that birthday.
5. Dad takes off work for the day and we spend it together as a family - child's pick (or in Brady's case we pick what we know he likes)
6. We have a special birthday dinner - person's favorite- with cake and presents. (we have the intention of dad doing a slide show of the year and we all watch them as a family after presents but because we have moved 50 times :) this hasn't happened yet.)

Well this is a typical birthday at the cook house. We also try to purposefully have their parties after their actual birthday so that they are really excited about their day first rather than being bored by it all because they have already done the party and cake stuff once. Just a thought.

Planning for the Boys

The boys were sick today so we couldn't go to church. During the boys room time this morning, John and I took some time to pray and think for our boys. In Jean Flemings book, A mothers heart, she talks about taking time to do this often for each child. It really seems to help me focus in on specific areas of their life rather being overwhelmed with all that needs to be taught and encouraged. Today was specifically encouraging and productive. One, it is always nice when John has the time to join in rather than getting the big pictures from my time thinking. He always brings insight to the table that I wouldn't catch as their mom. It also really makes the two of us feel like a team in this parenting adventure.
We have really been struggling with what to do with Brady. He is such a free spirit, so unlike his brother. John and I love this about him because he lightens up things. Jake and I are defiantly more serious by nature but Brady does such a great job bringing out the silliness in our house. But oh when it comes to discipline he is so hard. He loves to walk the line of obedience. He waits until he sees me coming to obey and even then he is going to put up a fight while doing it. Up until our time together today, John and I have had differing thoughts on how to approach the disciplining process with him. What was so encouraging about our time was that God really showed us that He has put Brady in our lives to deal with our selfishness and our desire for our own preferences. What I mean is that Jake has always been a fairly obedient and compliant child so we had rules in our home that were preference for us rather than necessity. (Granted I didn't realize that was what we were doing till Brady) Jake for the most part obeyed these rules and made life easy for us. Brady - well that is not the case. He is a rebel of all things pertaining to rules. When John and I were talking we realized that we battle him so often over things that are our preference. So today we decided that for the time being we will choose our battles with him more carefully and discipline him for things that are dangerous and destructive. We also have to add in aggravating his brother because he is a picker and it infuriates Jake to the point of destruction :) (we are gonna work on that too.)
Another encouraging topic of discussion was each of the boys strengths. It was much easier to see these in Jake because of his age. Granted our list of strengths was longer for both boys than weaknesses but I guess Jake's had more depth because he is really becoming a boy. We also pick from these strengths and work on developing and nurturing that strength so that all of our energy is not focused on "fixing them." Jake really has a servants heart and John thought that this was the area to nurture in his life over the next few months. I am really excited about brainstorming ways to do this in his life. I want him to know that all of life is not about him and his little world and serving other people is a way to open his eyes to this.
I loved this time together this morning it was so encouraging and purposeful. Now, I will take the things that we talked over and the goals we set for the boys and make specific applications to our daily life.
If you have any ideas of service projects for a 4 year old feel free to chime in. I think we will bake cookies for the nursery workers at church and take to them one day. We also have a friend that said they had sticks in their yard that needed cleaning up so we may try to do that one day. Any ideas????
I really encourage you to give this planning a try. It is so neat to me to take time to really evaluate my children and see the areas that the Lord is growing them in. It was such a sweet time as we spent thinking and praying for each child. It also gives you a specific time to pay attention and praise God for all the strengths that you see them developing in. I know that so often from day to day I notice their weaknesses most. Any way, give it a try and tell me what you think.