Thankful

We had so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. I had such a good time with my family that I forgot to pick up the camera very often! My parents and my uncle, aunt, and cousin came to our house. Brittney, my nine year old cousin, kept the boys entertained. They had a great time playing together. And my Aunt Kathy kept Allie smiling by holding and loving on her. I felt like I got a real vacation! We even found a few deals on Black Friday. Not at 5 am, although I was up!

Now I'm ready for Christmas! The weather is nice and cool today, Christmas music is on the radio, and decorations are going up all around us. I can't wait to see what it's like to try to get three kids to sit on Santa's lap and look at the camera at the same time! Two years ago I did the Jesus Blog, where each day I wrote about a name of Jesus. I want to do something different to bring glory to Jesus this Christmas season, but I'm not sure what yet. I'll try to figure it out by tomorrow! Until then, here are some pictures from the last week.

Thankful for cousins - Spence and Brittney

Thankful for doughnuts

Thankful for chocolate-covered 3 year olds, and for napkins

Thankful for happy babies

Thankful for Naps

Asleep, and we haven't even had the turkey!

Happy Thanksgiving from The Piks!

A Crucial Potty Update

Ready for church

Today we walked over to one of our favorite parks, the helicopter park, then on to Walgreens to pick up some M&Ms to use as rewards for pottying. This weekend I got the crazy idea to let Spence run around the house naked and see if he would go to the potty. He did pretty well at first, then disaster struck. He pooped and peed on the tile in the dining room. Then the next day he pooped on the stairs! I was pretty discouraged, but I didn't want to pressure him to go in the toilet if he's not ready. Today I started a sticker chart and 2 M&Ms for going potty (3 M&Ms if his pull-up is dry). I caught him mid-poop and we got to the toilet and finished up there. Then 15 minutes later he said he needed to go again. He went poop completely on the toilet! I was so excited! This could be the beginning of the end of diapers and pull-ups, or a total fluke. We'll see!

On a totally different topic, how would you take the following comment? We were leaving Walgreens, all three kids in the stroller. A lady walking by asked how old Allie was. Then she made the most bizarre statement: "At least you got a girl." Like I can now find a good home for the boys and be rid of them? Or what's with the "at least" part? She's not great, but at least she's a girl? I'm still baffled. If nothing else, it just reminds me to say things like, "Your children are beautiful!" Not, "What a relief that your third was a girl! I'm sure you would have climbed a tower, jumped, and plummeted to your death if it had been a boy." Be nice, Amanda.

Pictures, past and present, from the helicopter park:

This is why we call it the helicopter park

It has an awesome sand area

There's also this cool digger...

And an airplane!

Check out Spence on the airplane a little over 2 years ago! (October 2007)

This was Allie's first "ride" in the helicopter

Just look how much these boys have grown in the last 2 years!

What do you see?

I threw some trash away and noticed the above spill on the trashcan. I thought it looked just like a giraffe. Then Coleman came back from the trashcan and said, "Mommy! Come look at this stain on the trashcan! It looks like a giraffe!" He wanted to take a picture so we could show Daddy.

Grandma, Can We Borrow Your Airplane?

The boys like to watch cartoons and kids' shows on one of the Christian channels. And just like any other kids' station, their advertisements bring shouts of, "Mommy, when can we have that?!?" or, "Mommy, when can we go there?!?" One of the commercials is for a Bible-themed amusement park in Florida that has a replica of Jonah's big fish, the parted Red Sea, and other scenes from the Bible. A few days ago we were sitting at the table eating lunch:

Spence: When can we go to the big fish?
Mommy: Honey, that's a long way from our house.
Spence: We can go on Grandma and Grandpa's airplane.

I love these little glimpses into their minds. How cute that he thinks Grandma and Grandpa have their own plane! So, Grandma and Grandpa, if you do indeed ever get your own airplane, can we please borrow it to go see the big fish? It would really make Spence's day!

What It's Come To

I really didn't want to use word verification for readers to leave a comment, but the spammers have given me no choice. I've gotten several spam comments left in the last few weeks. I hope you will still leave your comments. I love knowing that people are reading the blog and enjoying it! Keep your comments coming!

911. What's Your Emergency?

This is one crazy ride I'm on! Sometimes I think my kids are nuts, but I wouldn't have them any other way! And as that popular country song says: God is great and people are crazy (I omitted the beer is good part because I don't agree wholeheartedly with the song). Sunday was one of those days that starts off bad and just gets worse. I sat down to write about it, but it was too overwhelming. I had to take a few days and decompress. I'll just give you the highlights.

Brian had the worst stomach bug I've ever witnessed him have. He didn't even come out of the bedroom when the police showed up! Just wait, I'll get to that. We missed church since I figured we might all come down with what Brian had. (Praise the Lord we didn't!) Spence had been having some rough nights and I was sleeping with him until Allie would wake up and I had to feed her. We've got that all straightened out now. Brian has to check his room for bugs every night and Spence is fine. Simple solution! Sunday afternoon the kids and I were sitting on the couch watching a movie. Coleman was playing with the phone, but I was too exhausted to care. All of a sudden there was a banging at the door. Since I was feeding Allie I asked the boys to see who it was, but not to open the door. They said, "It's the police!" Turns out Coleman dialed 911. The police officer was really nice and talked to Coleman about why it was important not to dial 911 unless there was a real emergency. Coleman was terrified! I think we're safe from Spence calling for a while because he kept saying, "Don't dial 9911! It's not an emergency!" I was tempted to tell the policeman that someone had come in and ransacked the house, but figured that wasn't such a good idea.

Yesterday we were heading out to the park and saw this:

I figured the news was doing a story on the mayor, who lives across the street and one house over from us. When we came back home the vans were still there and a man was outside. I took the boys out to see a real live news van. The man was very nice and showed them his camera and some of the equipment. Then he told me they had interviewed the mayor because he was robbed at gunpoint in his driveway last night. Yikes! It doesn't seem that the thief knew he was robbing the mayor. He probably was waiting around for someone to come home. He pointed the gun at the mayor and took his money and cell phone. Then he made the mayor get under his car. Thankfully no one was hurt. And it actually provided a teachable moment for Coleman. We were able to say,"Now that's when you call 911. When a bad guy has a gun and robs you. If the police have to come to our house when you are playing with the phone and there's no emergency, then they won't be able to go help people who are really in trouble." Lesson learned, I hope!

And just because I think she's the most adorable 5 month old little girl, here's a new picture of Allie!

5 Months

5 months ago our lives changed. Our family of 4 became a family of 5. I started cleaning pink lint out of the dryer. The boys fell in love. Well, we all did. We love you Allie! I'm so glad our lives changed 5 months ago!

Click here to check out her handsome friend Judson. He is two weeks older than Allie.

Not Just Another Messy Face

She may look messy, but she's gonna have to step it up a notch if she wants to compete. In her defense, she's only got rice cereal to work with. Take a look at the reigning Pik Family Messy Marvin:






No contest. He's serious about his title.

The Joy of Youth

"How beautiful is youth! how bright it gleams with its illusions, aspirations, dreams! Book of Beginnings, Story without End, Each maid a heroine, and each man a friend!"

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Life

What's going on with those crazy Piks? Life, I guess. There are ups and downs. Easy times and stressful times. Times of income and times of no income. We're in one of those "no income" seasons. Brian didn't lose his job, but we found out the day before Halloween that his company ran out of money. They deposited his check, then promptly pulled it back out of his account. They have asked their financial backers for more funds, but haven't heard an answer yet. All of the employees are still going in to work with the promise of being paid back should the money come in. Brian is looking for another job, but he really enjoys what he does at his current company. Of course, getting paid is a big part of having a job. So he might just have to find a paying job. Luckily Brian is a big fan of Dave Ramsey, and has done an excellent job saving and building up our emergency fund.

We've been here before, so I feel like an old pro. Except when Brian's entire department was laid off at M.D. Anderson they had one month's notice and a nice severance package. Not so here! It would be easy to get mad at the situation and worry ourselves silly. But I choose to look at this as an awesome opportunity to trust in God. He knows the plans He has for us. They are to prosper us and not to harm us. His ways are higher than our own. He will work it out for good. And though I am not enjoying everything about this situation, I am enjoying resting in His arms and wondering what He has for us.

I have to share a story of God's amazing goodness. Something so simple that He used to remind me who He is.

Early in the week of Halloween (about 3 days before we found out about Brian's job) I started singing the praise song "Great is the Lord." I couldn't remember all the words, but I sang what I knew:

Great is the Lord, He is holy and just.
By His power we trust in His word.
Great is the Lord, He is faithful and true.
By His mercy He proves He is love.
Great is the Lord and worthy of glory!
Great is the Lord and worthy of praise!
Great is the Lord
I lift up my voice, I lift up my voice!
Great is the Lord!
Great is the Lord!

I couldn't figure out why this song kept coming to my mind. I didn't think I had heard it on the radio or sung it in church the last Sunday, so I was a little confused. But it kept coming to me, so I just kept singing it. I began to think that God was giving me this song to prepare me for something that was coming. I'll admit I was a little worried something was going to happen to one of the kids. I went over the words and their meaning, and they were very comforting. This continued all week, then Friday I got the call from Brian informing me that his company was out of money so there would be no paycheck. After we talked and I tried to take in all that he told me, the song came to mind again. I realized God had given me this song to remind me of His character. He is in control and knows the outcome. He will provide for all our needs. We trusted in Him a few years ago when Brian was jobless, and we'll trust Him now. (I have to add that I fully trust Him to bring us through this, although it may not be in the time frame we would want or the circumstances we would choose.)

I was so excited by this realization that God had been whispering in my heart these words of comfort and peace to speak to me at the exact moment I needed to hear them! But I still didn't know what had initially sparked this song in my mind. Later that afternoon, I was getting something out of the fridge (something I do a little too often) when I saw a piece of Coleman's artwork that I had put on the refrigerator door. It was a pumpkin with the words "Great is the Lord" that he had painted. I was seeing it every time I opened the refrigerator door, even though I didn't realize it, and God was reminding me that yes, He is great! So from a simple little art project that Coleman did at school, God prepared me for some not-so-great news, and reminded me that in the midst of hard times, He is great. He is faithful and true. He is worthy of glory and praise. You better believe I wrote a thank you note to Coleman's teachers to let them know how God had used them! I hope this reminds us all that the little things we do can be used greatly of God.

If you're still reading, I'm glad you made it through all that! We would appreciate your prayers. I know God has something to teach us. Maybe dependence on Him and the fact that we cannot put our trust in the things of this earth. Maybe something bigger. I don't know yet. I feel so blessed in my life. I have a wonderful husband and three healthy children. There are people going through such horrible things that I can't even imagine. But God is the same God no matter what life brings us. Maybe you have something going on that is stressing you out. I'd love to pray for you! Leave me a comment. Leave me a comment even if it's just to say "Amen!" to God's goodness!

Happy Belated Birthday Spence!

Spence turned 3 on Saturday! I can't believe it's taken me this long to write about it. I have been exhausted lately! My precious baby who spoiled me by sleeping through the night since she was about 5 weeks old has decided that she wants to see me around 3:00 or 4:00 every morning. That, added to the boys' boundless energy seems to have left me pooped. Well, that's enough for my excuses.

We had a fun birthday weekend. My parents came over Friday and took us out to dinner to celebrate my birthday. Then Saturday we went to Coleman's last soccer game. That afternoon an enormous castle moonwalk was set up in our backyard. Several friends came over to play. It was a simple, laidback party that was so much fun. The moonwalk guy didn't come back to pick up the castle until after 9:00 that night, and Brian and the boys stayed out there bouncing almost that long!

Spence and Coleman with their friends Matt and Keller

Judson and Allie hanging out

When Candice comes over we always get the kids together for a group shot

Jumping into the night!

My guys on the moonwalk

And earlier that day...

Coleman and some of his teammates

Our Halloween

What a busy weekend! Our Halloween started off with a soccer game. Coleman is enjoying soccer immensely and plays with all his heart. Thank goodness! My parents came to watch his game. After the game, we took the boys to Double Dave's, then headed to Nana and Poppa's to attend their church's carnival. Following are probably more pictures than you care to see!

Coleman and several of his teammates during practice

Coleman's cheering section

Star Wars Clone Trooper, Pumpkin, and Clone Trooper

Ready for action!

Too little for the rides

Antihistamines taken, ready for a hayride!

The boys loved this slide

Coleman on the velcro bouncy

A fun tractor ride

"This was fun, but where's my candy?"

"Yes! Another fun-filled Halloween!"

We always have "the feeding of the goats" when we visit Nana and Poppa