Things You Must Do On a Beautiful Day

Run down a hill

Sit in the sun

Stare at a windmill

Talk to your brother...

...through a cement culvert

Catch a ride...

...on your sister's stroller

Take a new picture for your Mommy's blog!

What's Wrong with This Picture?

This week Allie learned how to pull herself up. The first time I saw her do it, she had pulled herself up and was leaning on a tub of spackle. We've got several house projects going on, so that's really not as strange as it sounds.

Here she is showing off her new skill! Her concentration level is right up there with top athletes.

Making the reach for a bucket of G.I. Joe toys

One day I'll get the girl toy with my own Happy Meal. One day.

G.I. Joe? Space stations? Bat Caves? Don't these people have any dolls?

Check out the chubby thighs and ankles (or lack of ankles)! Apparently no girl likes to be called chubby.

And there are multiple things wrong with this picture. Let me just say that this is what one might look like after being dragged to the potty every 20 minutes and wetting his pants and one sock. Yes, just one sock. There is no picture of Mommy because after a day of potty training, the trainer looks worse than the trainee!

As for potty training (evil, evil words), Spence has gone poop 7 days in a row with no accidents. He even told his teacher and went at school! He is completely opposite than Coleman. It took forever for me to get Coleman to go poop in the potty. I had to resort to embarrassing the mess out of him (literally). I would refuse to change him when we were out in public and he would get upset that other kids could smell him. Spence, I'm afraid, has no shame. Poop could be smeared across his face and he'd still be running around roaring at other kids. Oh well. Today the timer is set for 25 minutes. Baby steps.

I've been meaning to write about some of the funny things the boys have said this week. I'm not sure why I haven't gotten to it. Oh yeah, I've been in the bathroom every 20 minutes!

Driving to the park the other day, we passed some guys mowing. The air was on recirculate, so the smell of fresh-cut grass filled the car.

Mommy: I like the smell of fresh-mowed grass!
Coleman: Ewww, I don't! I like gassy smells that come from trucks!
Spence: I like turkey smells!

Spence: I wish we had a helicopter.
Mommy: Where would we park a helicopter?
Spence: We should get a landing pad.
Of course! He's thought of everything! Well, almost everything. There's the lack of funds, space issues, and the fact that none of us knows how to fly a helicopter. Minor details.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Kid Pictures

Allie enjoying her first time at the mall play area

Spence looking all relaxed

Just being silly!

From Sea to Shining Sea

Brian has made searching for work his full-time job. We've been playing the waiting game. God has been working in our lives and drawing us closer to Him. Now things are starting to happen! It's exciting and a little scary!

Last Thursday, Brian had a phone interview with HR from a company in New Jersey. My first thought was mobsters and stink. Probably like someone from New Jersey interviewing for a job in Texas might think cowboys and oil wells. I don't know. Back to the story. So that interview went really well and Brian was advanced to the next level of phone interviews. She said she would get back to him in the next day or two to set something up, but she called back 10 minutes later to tell him that he would be talking with the direct supervisor for the position the next day! That phone interview went really well also! We had to wait over the weekend (torture) and finally got an email Tuesday saying that they wanted one more phone interview with someone higher up. It is scheduled for Friday. While waiting to hear when this interview was going to be scheduled for, Brian received a call from a company in the San Fransisco Bay area. They talked for about 20 minutes, then decided to fly Brian out for an interview! He'll be going in about 2 weeks! So I was in shock! I thought Brian was talking to the man from New Jersey when he announced that he'll be flying to California to interview. Talk about having to change gears! He also has a phone interview today with a company in San Diego. Isn't this amazing?!?

This is truly turning into a great adventure. Our realtor came out earlier this week to give us some pointers on getting the house ready to go on the market and tell us what she thought we could get for it. My mom is here painting. My parents. We love living close to them. It has been great to be able to see them so often and have the support of family close by. And we may get to stay here, but it doesn't look likely. They understand that we have to go where Brian can find work, they are trusting God just as we are, and they are excited with all the prospects Brian has. That has made this so much easier.

So where will we end up? We have no idea! Soon we might be trying to decide which offer to choose, or starting over completely. We could be packing up everything we own and moving it to the East Coast or heading to the West Coast. We don't have any answers yet, but we are excited! Here's a quote for today from a prayer by Lysa TerKeurst:

I praise You for new beginnings even when I can't see them yet!

Look What I Can Do!

Pick up the tiny toys! Gate the stairs! Keep your eyes open for a baby on the move!



She's been rolling around and scooting backward for awhile, but today was the first day for an actual crawl. My baby is getting so big!

Eight Months Old

One cheerio for each month!

A Fun New Toy

Thank you all for your kind words of encouragement on my last post. I love my readers!

A few nights ago Spence got this toy for going poop in the potty!

Mom got this for him last time we were perusing the clearance section at Wal-Mart, so we decided to hold onto it for a "special occasion." What's more special than not pooping your pants?!? I remember when I was a kid these were made with metal sticks. I wonder how many kids poked their eyes out? Everyone in the family is enjoying playing with it. Well, everyone except Allie.


It scares her! Poor baby. (And as you can see, she still has no teeth.)

Here a few little funnies to get your week off to a good start:

Coleman: This pajama top is impossible to get off! What does impossible mean?
Mommy: It means something can't be done. Like you can't fly over to Matt's house. That's impossible. Sometimes we say things are impossible, but they really aren't. You got the pajamas off, so it wasn't impossible.
Coleman: Well, it was half impossible.

Coleman: Spence, you're too little to be in my class at school, and I'm too big to be in your class.
Spence: Maybe you can grow down!

Coleman: Mommy, that Scooby Doo movie (a scratched DVD) worked last time we watched it! Maybe it just needed to rest from that scratch.

And my potty training lesson of the week: Wal-Mart bags make great car seat liners to put between the soaked kid and the seat. Just in case you ever need that little bit of information!

How Would We Know?

I've been promising an update on life with the Piks. I'll admit, at times I haven't wanted to say anything because it's easier to just pretend things are swell and we're "doing fine." Other times it's too depressing or too much of a chore to sit down and write out our circumstances. But I've realized something. I must take my eyes off our circumstances and place them on the God who I serve. The circumstances of my life may be good or bad - it doesn't matter. What matters is how I respond to those circumstances. I can wallow in them or choose to honor God in them. I didn't just come up with this epiphany on my own. God led me to the most wonderful Bible study that could not be more fitting for this phase of my life. It's called "What Happens When Women Walk in Faith" (written by Lysa TerKeurst) and it has been amazing. The situations Lysa writes about in her book are completely different from my family's current situation, but the verses she references and the advice she gives could not be more relevant. And I know they are not ultimately from her, but from God Himself.

Before I go any further, I want to say that I know there are others in more dire situations than us. (Click here if you don't know about our current situation.) There are those who have been out of work for many more months or even years. There are those facing sickness or loss of loved ones. Our circumstances seem small compared to these. But God cares about each of us and our problems - big or small, significant or seemingly insignificant.

Last night Brian and I talked about our situation. We realize we could easily become bitter, frustrated, and depressed. But we don't want that. Satan wants that for us, but our God has a plan for us. A plan to prosper us. We know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. We know that God will bring us through any and all trials. And when He brings us out, we will have a testimony to share. A testimony of His love and faithfulness. Brian and I decided we will make choices to honor God in these circumstances. We may not see any good come our way today, tomorrow, or even months from now. We are not promised a trouble-free life. But God promises to always be with us. Here is a verse He has showed me over and over in the last few months. I think He's hitting me over the head with it, and I like it!

If the Lord delights in a man's way,
He makes his steps firm:
though he stumble, he will not fall,
for the Lord upholds him with His hand.
...I have never seen the righteous
forsaken or their children begging bread.

Psalm 37:23-25

Brian and I are choosing to honor God. We're choosing to wait on Him and His timing. We want Him to delight in our way and then be upheld by His hand.

So my question today is, '"How would we know God's faithfulness if we never went through hard times?" The answer is that we could see it in others' situations, but we wouldn't know it personally. And while it's no fun to go through the storms of life, it is well worth it to experience God and His goodness. I've shared all this because we want to bring glory to God and share the hope we have in Him. I would love for you to leave a comment, whether to share a testimony of God's faithfulness in your life or just to say hi. So don't be shy! And maybe you are in a similar situation (or a completely different situation that is far worse than ours) that is calling for you to honor God in a hard time. We can pray for each other. Thank you for reading to the end. I hope this wasn't a rambling mess of words, but something that brought encouragement. Have a blessed day!

Underwear, Cookies, and a Hammer Tale

Potty training (known to all as my least favorite aspect of motherhood) is in full force. Monday, Spence went through all three pairs of his underwear in the first half of the day. Tuesday I bought a pack of 10. I have to set the timer for 20 minutes and have plenty of M&Ms on hand. I feel like all I do is wind up a timer and pull down pants all day long! For now the underwear is only an at-home experiment. It's been getting better.

Spence in his Toy Story underwear. Isn't he sweet?

Our Valentine cookies were sweet too!

Grandma and Grandpa sent us a Valentine package that included some red, pink and white M&Ms. Instead of using them all as potty treats, I decided to make one of the recipes from the back of the bag. Didn't our Valentine cookies turn out pretty? But really, who cares what a cookie looks like as long as it tastes good. And they did!

Nana helped decorate

Spence helped lick the utensils

One night this week Spence hit Coleman with his plastic toy hammer. Brian sent him to time out then was talking with him.

Brian: Spence, do you hit your friends at school with a hammer?
Spence: No.
Brian: You shouldn't hit your brother either.
Spence: (after thinking for a minute) I don't hit my friends with a hammer because they don't have one at school.

She's Not Where I Left Her

Seems these days Allie is never where I last left her! She's not crawling yet, but I don't think it will be long. She likes to roll around or scoot herself backwards. She also does some crazy push up where she ends up on her hands and toes with her bottom sticking up in the air. (If I did 100 of these per day I might be in better shape!) And most recently she's learned to pull her knee up under her from the previously mentioned position. I've got to start gathering tiny cars, super heroes, and legos! We're about to have a crawler! Check out her moves:

I start on my tummy...

Then I raise myself up...

Bet you didn't think I could get this high!

I pull my knees up under me...

Then flop over and roll to my desired location!

That's how it's done... for now!

The boys had pajama day at school this week. I remember having pajama day when I worked at a summer day camp. I never liked pajama day. Why would I want to go in public wearing my pajamas looking like I just rolled out of bed? I was always very uncomfortable with pajama days. But the boys liked it, so that's what matters! It was really cold that day, so Spence wanted to wear his fuzzy jammies, and Coleman had to wear a shirt under his. Check out the boots!


And I've been meaning to post a picture of my awesome new bag! I had never found a diaper bag I liked to carry for Allie, so I decided to start looking for a big purse-like bag. While in Montana I found one I really liked at Dillards. On New Year's Day it was on major clearance and Rita bought it for me! Then the old bag tag just didn't work with it, so I found a lady on Etsy to customize one for Allie. Take a look!

Love my cool bag!

And isn't her tag adorable?

Here is a link to her Etsy shop. She custom made the tag for me for $5.00! Gotta love good deals.

I'll probably have an update on life coming soon. I just need to get my thoughts together. And we all know that can take awhile!

Words You Won't See In Websters

Last-er-night (noun) the night preceding this day

Example: Coleman said, "I want to play that same game we played lasternight."

Re-mem-ber-y Game (noun) a game in which players turn over two cards at a time, hoping to find a match

Example: Coleman usually gets more matches than I do when we play the Toy Story Remembery Game that Uncle Brent got him for Christmas.

I Know...

... I'm precious.

But I just wanted to tell you to look at the post below to hear all about my brother's birthday party!

Mission Complete!

Yesterday we experienced an avalanche, a meteor shower, and a flood at our house! Luckily, there were 12 Rescue Heroes here to help us out!


It was Coleman's birthday party! He wanted a Rescue Hero party, so the kids went through a training course, got their "official" Rescue Hero t-shirt and identity, then went on several missions. Brian made an awesome DVD to tell the kids what their missions would be. He included footage of the three disasters they would deal with. It was WILD! But it was a lot of fun too. I was so busy running the training course and getting everybody where they needed to be that I didn't get as many pictures as I wanted.

The birthday cake

Blowing out the candles

Coleman's team getting their mission instructions

Rocky Canyon (Matt) and Billy Blazes (Coleman) holding meteors

Nana ran the hospital where injured victims from the meteor shower were brought

This was the avalanche where they had to dig out buried animals...

...then load them into the rescue basket and pull them up to the helicopter.

Here they are using "sand bags" to build a wall and stop the raging floodwaters

Our Rescue Heroes!

Reunited!

Oh the places he's been! The things he's seen! It's not only true that penguins cannot fly, but they also do not like to go on airplanes. They freak out and hide under the seat, unintentionally getting left behind. But the good people of Salt Lake City found our lost penguin and shipped him back home. What a migration! What a happy homecoming!

7 Months Old

This little girl is sweet, smiley, and oh so lovable! She's also 7 months old today!

Mixed Up Quote of the Day

Coleman told Daddy, "Nothing scares me! Well, nothing except haunted houses. Those really freak me up!"

Birthday Presents

Coleman opened his birthday present from us last night. It was a Star Wars Clone Trooper Blaster Game. Pretty much a gun that connects to your TV and has you shoot droids and other Star Wars bad guys. He loved it!

Excited about his new Star Wars game

Daddy, Coleman, and Spence played last night. Then today as we were coming back from school, Coleman said, "I want to play my Star Wars game again today. Now that I'm 5 I think I'll be better." Daddy printed out a birthday card that showed Coleman what his other present is: going to see a real race! That will be some time next month.

Inside his card, Daddy printed pictures of the race the boys will go to next month (they will have hot dogs and Sprite while there!)

5 Years Old

January 12, 2005

January 12, 2010

Five years ago today I started the journey on the greatest adventure of my life - motherhood! I of course didn't know what I was getting into! Does any new Mom? But I love this life and these kids and wouldn't trade it for anything.

Happy birthday to my oldest! Coleman, I honestly cannot believe you are 5 years old today. Where have the years gone? You are not my baby anymore, but my amazing little boy. You are smart and funny and thoughtful and loving and so much more. You like sports, computer games, cartoons, video games, books, board games, parks, superheroes, Star Wars, your brother and sister and the rest of your family, and your stuffed animals. When we go to McDonald's, which is almost every Sunday, you say, "I want the usual!" And just in case we forgot you remind us that the usual is chicken nuggets, fries, chocolate milk, a straw, and a new toy. You also like turkey sandwiches, Sprite, chocolate chip waffles, Life cereal, string cheese, granola bars, and yogurt. One of the last things you did that truly amazed me was make up a song about Jesus and sing it in front of all our family and Grandpa and Grandma's friends in Montana. I enjoyed hearing you put into a song all the things you know about Jesus. I pray that you'll learn more and more and He will be your best friend! I could go on and on about how special I know you are, and about all of your interests, but I think this gives just a little glimpse into who you are at 5 years old. You are my favorite 5 year old in the world. I love you!

New Year, New Me?

Allie's New Year's Resolution: Get sweeter every day!

I've been going back and forth trying to decide whether to make New Year's Resolutions and share them or not. I HATE New Year's resolutions! Why? Because I never keep them! I would love to lose weight, eat healthier, get my house organized, be more environmentally friendly, and about 20 other wishful things. But if I write that list out and share it with the world, isn't that like jinxing myself? If no one knows I made them, then no one will know I failed, right?

All that said, it just seems natural that every new year I should set some goals for myself. My wonderful mother-in-law gave me a subscription to Woman's Day magazine, and I've found some great tips for making changes this year. One article suggested taking on one challenge each month. That sounds interesting. And difficult. I tend to have about 7 things going at once, and none of them getting finished! Maybe I could succeed if I focused on one change per month. Here's a site I found in WD that has given me some downloadable charts to use to plan out menus and keep a food journal: TheProjectGirl.com. (Look under Top 10 Posts on the right-hand side.)

So do I do it? Do I write out my resolutions here for all to see? I think I will! Except I'm not going to call them New Year's resolutions. That just reeks of doom. A few days ago in my quiet time I started a list called "What do I desire in this new year?" Then I thought I should add a second column to that list titled "How can I achieve this?" So here it is - my desires for 2010, with ways to make those desires happen in parenthesis:

1. To have a closer relationship with Jesus (daily quiet time, prayer, reading Bible, scripture memory)
2. To be the best wife I can be (Sometimes I focus all my energy on being a good Mommy and wife gets overlooked. Spend quality time with Brian, be an encourager to him, make my love for him characterized by the qualities of 1 Cor. 13:4-8 that I learned in my last Bible study -if anyone is interested I can write more about this later)
3. Develop friendships (pray about it, be active in inviting others to do things)
4. Get healthier (Doesn't this sound much better than lose weight? Make better food choices, exercise, keep a food journal)
5. Organize my house (Make a plan, get everyone on board with the plan, list where things go, stick with it daily)

There it is! Out there for the world to see. Luckily I know you guys would love to support me in this venture, not laugh at me if I fail. I don't expect to lose 15 pounds, become a social butterfly, and have a junk-free house by March. I think I have pretty realistic expectations. I just plan to take it one day at a time. Feel free to leave me a comment asking how I'm doing. I would love it! And I would love to hear if you have any desires for yourself in 2010. Share them in the comment section if you dare!