A Little Encouragement

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

I just bought a new devotional book to start the new year called Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. As I read the intro, she talked about the above verse and replaced "Be still" with "Relax," "Let go," and "Cease striving." Doesn't that sound inviting?  I would LOVE to relax, let go, and cease striving. I am tired of striving, aren't you?

She encourages us to do this with God each day and to raise our sights from our "light and momentary troubles" and receive the balm of Jesus' peace. Even more inviting if you ask me! Especially if I have a hot cup of coffee in hand :)

I am excited about a new year, a new beginning, and a renewed excitement over my quiet times with my new book.

I'll let you know if it turns out to be a goodie :)



Oh What Fun!

I loved our boys' ages this year at Christmas. Carter was into all of it! And of course if Carter thought something was exciting, then Coop followed course :) We made lots of sweet memories and had a ball watching our boys and celebrating the reason for the season. Here is Jesus' birthday cake. Isn't it so "little boy"? Of course Carter HAD to have Thomas on it, and Coop's vote was for Elmo. It's going to be sweet to see what Jesus' birthday cake looks like each year :)

BB and PawPaw came Christmas Eve bearing fun fun fun gifts! One of Coop's presents was this Thomas power wheel. So fun!

Carter got a cool big boy bike and this fancy guitar. How cool is he with that guitar?

My wonderful parents. They love my boys and treat them like their own children. So thankful for them. We love having them stay with us on Christmas Eve.

This is about 3 minutes after Coop woke up. His milk is his priority in the morning, but he decided maybe he could check this race track out while enjoying his morning beverage.

Carter was overjoyed the second he layed eyes on that train table. I loved seeing him so excited. This kiddo loves those trains.

Coop all decked out and ready to help DaDa in the yard.

My favorite picture of the season. Carter said, "Over here PawPaw. Get a picture with my train table." Precious.

I am sad to see Christmas go, but excited about a new year. Gotta get to making some resolutions! I'll keep you posted.

Lots of Silly

As soon as people would hear I was having another boy during my second pregnancy, they immediately felt the need to warn me of all the rough housing, sports activities, hyperactivity, etc..., but no one warned me about all this silliness! Hee Hee. I mean the silly factor is through the roof over here in the Bell household. Here is the evidence:

These two always have a game of "Fumble" going on which basically consists of Carter and Joel slamming their bodies into one another and rolling around on the ground in a wrestling/tackling type thing. Why do men/boys feel the need to slam their bodies together and yell while doing it? It's beyond me.

Oh this one is the king of silly!

See what I mean.

Carter: Mama, I am baby Jesus in the manger scene, and you are Mary, and Dada is Joseph.

Me: Oh okay, well what is Coop. Is he a shepherd?

Carter: No, he is a cow. Coop, don't eat all my hay!!! Mama, sing "Away in a Manger" to me. Dada, you come sing too.

Needless to say, we all gathered around "Baby Jesus" and sang "Away in a Manger" while the "cow" threatened to eat some of the baby's hay.

Poor Coop kept getting scolded about that darn hay.

I don't think we have to worry about the development of Carter's imagination. I would say he is up to par in that area :)

No worries, Coop got his turn to be Baby Jesus too, and he ate up every moment of it. And, yes, he was serenaded as well. We have a serious case of "Monkey see, Monkey do" over here. And a serious case of the "Little Boy Giggles" as well :)

Just a thought

Recently one of our church's missionaries came to share with our congregation. He preached a sermon on this thought:

"What are you trusting God to do, that only He can do, so that when He does it, only He gets the glory?"

I have been meditating on this thought for weeks now and wanted to pass it along.

I pray we are all trusting God to do radical things in our lives and in the lives of those we love this holiday season. He can do radical things, you know!

God bless you as we all celebrate Immanuel, God with us!

It's the Holiday Season

Christmas is almost here! We have had fun fun fun this month. Christmas parade, parties, Christmas cookies, gingerbread trains, lots of yummy treats, a flying elf, visits to see Santa, Christmas music, wrapping, and shopping. We are all geared up for a big celebration next weekend!

Carter has already told me that Jesus' birthday cake is going to have trains on it :)

Here a few random pics from the past two weeks:

 

Who knew this little guy would one day WANT his picture taken?!! Yes, it's true. He requests it. And man oh man does his mama ever love it!

This on the other hand this one is hot and cold when it comes to the camera. Depends on the day's mood :) Got him mid giggle here. Priceless.

Is he a poser or what?

Ready. Set. Go!

Gotta get my smooches.

Cheeeeese

Backwards fire hat and his favorite shirt. Framer.

I want to run away! (Keepin it real, people)

Have ever felt like getting your car, backing out of your driveway, and driving into the distance? I feel like that today! Don't get me wrong, I love my Hub and my babies more than anything in the world, but today I want to run away!!!

So here's how my day has gone: Carter came barreling into our room at 6:36 screaming and crying. No reason....he just decided to be mad and grumpy today. He has yelled, screamed, and refused to share all morning long. Coop came to me and told me he had a dirty diaper mid morning. I looked down at him, and his diaper was at his ankles. I gasped, picked him up to run to the bedroom for a major poop clean up, and as I started to run, I stepped on a huge log of poop and went slipping across my freshly mopped hardwood floors. Yes, that happened, and it is not the least bit exaggerated. So there was a 2 foot streak of poop along with more poop logs all over my floor, a screaming toddler with poop ALL down his legs, and me with poop IN BETWEEN MY TOES!!!! Ahhhhhhhhh!!!

Carter is gagging, Joel is saying, "Gross!, Oh my gosh!, Carter, don't throw up!", and I am holding Coop who is covered in poop and hopping on one foot to the nearest source of water and antibacterial soap. Thirty minutes later, after I scrubbed the poop off of my foot, my toddler, and washed a huge load of clothes in hot water, I stupidly attempted to wrap presents.

WRONG idea. Coop crumbled every piece of paper I cut, Carter wrangled all the tape, and I wanted to scream!

On top of all that, my hair looks like poop today since the main theme of this post seems to be poop, I'll continue the theme :)

I have roots an inch long, and I have bags under my eyes and a zit on my lip.

I sincerely apologize if I have just ruined your sweet, serene picture of me and my perfect little family :)

Carter is down for a nap, and Coop is watching Elmo at the moment, so I am feeling a little more like staying put in my life right now. Hahahahahaha!

Just another day in paradise :) Thanks for letting me vent.

A Touching Song

Makes me cry everytime:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CSVqHcdhXQ

And one more:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YO4fZUCQAw
This one was sung at our wedding. Love it.

Sorry for the sappiness...feeling sappy today :)

At least I tried

Carter has had some very "toddler" behavior lately. Simply said, he has been difficult in every aspect imaginable. So attempting to be a Shepherding a Child's Heart type of mother, I decided to sit him down and have a heart to heart talk with him. It went something like this:

Me: Carter, Do you know what sin is?

Carter: blank stare

Me: Well, sin is the bad in your heart. When we disobey or whine or when we are mean to others, that's called sin.

Carter: looking out into space

Me: Did you know that that is what Christmas is all about? Jesus had to come to earth to live and die so he could save us from the bad in our hearts. At Christmas we celebrate his birthday...the day He came to live on earth so he could save us.

Carter: Looking at me (I said the word "Christmas" so I got his attention)

Me: Did you know that Jesus can help your heart? He can help you be kind and obedient. He can even help you be brave.

Carter: Can I play Angry Birds?

Me: Sure. (as I giggle under my breath)

Hence the title: "At least I tried" Hahahaha!

I had to laugh at this. It's so typical of all of us isn't it? So many times other people and even God are trying to get through to us, and all we can think about it our "Angry Birds game." My Angry Birds game usually takes the form of a grocery list or dirty bathrooms, or the laundry pile. 

I pray that I am more attentive this holiday season and into the new year. Opportunity is all around me. I just need to stop thinking about my Angry Bird game long enough to look and listen to God and those around me.

I am loving this holiday season already. My boys are full of wonder at all the lights, activities, and anticipation. I love a good celebration, and we have already begun around here to celebrate our King.

This little guy is all about Christmas trees. He can spot one a mile away.

And as we all know, everything is exciting when you are 20 months old.

I said, "Coop, sit down and let me take your picture." And he did! I may enter Coop into the world's most charming baby contest. Does that exist? He would win!

But then he was over it.

An elf came to our house! His name is Fly, and he moves around A LOT. He likes Cheetos, Mickey Mouse, and our tree. I love watching Carter's reaction and grin when Fly is on the move.

Hanging out at BB and PawPaw's. Notice Carter's socks....Lightning McQueen. He has 2 pair, and he wears them every. single. day.

Doesn't that grin make you want to squeeze the life out of him? He seriously may not survive his mother's hugs and kisses.

The Small Things

Here we are at the boys' Thanksgiving Feast at their school. I love their school. I love their teachers. It's such a blessing. It's just two short mornings a week, but it's just enough so that everyone gets a break from each other, and Mama can get some things done around the house! 

Grammy, Pop, and Uncle Stephen came to visit for Thanksgiving. We had a great feast and great fellowship. The only rough part was Carter's behavior. He seemed so excited when they arrived, but slowly he started getting grumpier and grumpier. He was crying and whining constantly and even pitching a few tantrums. I was perplexed! Why was he acting like such a brat?! Finally, Friday morning I took him to the doctor only to find out he has strep and an ear infection! Is it bad to say I was relieved? I mean he wouldn't even let me leave the room without crying for me! I was about at wit's end by the end of the weekend. Poor Grammy and Pop had to listen to his whining all weekend! Thankfully he is a new kiddo today and back to his happy self, but I took Coop in this morning, and now he has strep. Ugh.

Here was one of the few smiles from the weekend.

Playing "Fumble" with Dada. Daily occurence since it's football season.

Warning: Mom Blab below:

Lately, I have really been struggling with sweating the small things in life. I don't know why. I really wish I was one of those people who didn't worry. Before I had kids, I was one of those people! But ever since I had these two little stinkers, I have had a hard time "letting go and letting God." Carter has really had a few hiccups lately with is separation anxiety and this has really shown me my lack of truly trusting the Lord in all things. There is no rhyme or reason to his separation anxiety. Sometimes he has it, sometimes he doesn't. He was doing soooo well all fall, and all of the sudden he has had a few bumps in the road...almost always at church. Two different times in the last two weeks, he has cried and cried for us during church. Also, he has been crying when I leave to just go run a few errands! And like I said, when he was sick, he didn't even want me to leave the room (although, that was excusable since he was feeling so bad.) I really, really, really want to just trust God with this. Why does Carter struggle so much with separation? I ALWAYS come back for him. I have never lost him before! This has been going on for almost 2 years. Why does he still struggle with this? I know God is in control, and I believe with all my heart that God is doing ALL of this for a reason and for our good, but man oh man, I am struggling to hold onto God's peace. I find myself dreading the next drop off, and even lying in bed sometimes thinking about why he struggles with this so much. I know it's a small thing compared to what a lot of people struggle with. Carter is healthy and happy and smart and beautiful and fun, and he isn't in St. Jude. He doesn't have a disease, and he loves life, but being a mom, I just want everything to be easy and perfect for my babies. But that's not life. If you think about it, would you pray that God would give Carter security and courage? I so badly want God to deliver him from this. I want him to be secure and not fearful. I want him to explore and not worry about where Mama is. Mostly I just want him to feel safe. Would you pray for him? And would you pray for me that I would not sweat this small things?! God loves me, and I am bound for the promised land, so why do I make small things so big?!!!! Ugh. I really want to trust God more. I want to hand this burden over to Him and NEVER TAKE IT BACK!

Thanks for listening :)

Jill

Eight Thankfuls

This year I am overwhelmed with thankfulness. Here are a few of my top "thankfuls."

1. God's grace. This year I feel I have begun to give my burdens to God...big and small. I still take them back daily, but I am getting better at handing them back over. I am thankful for this progress in my trust in Him...that He truly is sovereign, and that all things are working for my good no matter how painful, inconvenient, or confusing. It's hard to always believe that, but my faith is growing.

2. My husband....my wise, hardworking husband. I have never trusted or respected anyone more.

3. Carter, my buddy. He has made so much progress this year with his speech and anxiety. I am thankful beyond thankful. God is so good.

4. Coop, my beautiful baby. I am thankful for his charm. No one makes me laugh like that little guy. What a gift he is.

5. My parents. I think everyone should have as great of parents as I do. They are the biggest servants I know, and I have never known anyone to love so sacrifically. I hope I make my boys feel at least half as loved as I feel.

6. True frienships. I am thankful for friends who love me for me. Listening ears, advice, love. You know who you are.

7. Oxford. I am thankful for such a wonderful, welcoming place to live. My friends, my house, my church....I love my community.

8. Staying home. I get to be at home with my boys. I am truly blessed to have this opportunity, and I often take it for granted when it gets tough.

Happy Thanksgiving Week! We all have so much to thank God for this week. I look forward to the celebration of His goodness.



Oh so animated

Life with two little boys is oh so animated. Not an hour goes by that we don't experience laughter, a tantrum, a fight, a giggle, a wrestling match, or a performance. Life is moving, and it moves even faster when you are refereering, laughing, rescuing, spanking, and cheering.

Our crazy backyard where most of our action occurs. I sit in a lawn chair and hoot and holler when they do something cool, yell when they fight, and occasionally rise from my throne to spank or rescue from danger.

Mr. Drama himself....always "crashing" like Lightning McQueen, swinging "up to the trees," or riding through obstacle courses on his tractor.

Carter's reaction to the Joel cranking up the leaf blower...excitement.

Coop's reaction....terror.

Mr. Performer....always entertaining us with his funny faces, dance moves, charm, and wipe outs.

Look at those fleece lined crocs. Hahahaha! He loves them.

A sweet, still moment.

Carter loves rolling in the leaves. Notice he dressed himself....firetruck jon jon and crocs.

Couldn't you just eat him for lunch?!

If Carter is my lunch, this must be my dinner! I mean look at that face.

Here is Coop's new trick:

So we found out that this little boy at Carter's school has been pushing him/picking on him a little bit. I don't want to teach him to hit or retaliate, but I also want him to take up for himself and not be subject to bullying. So what do you do? I am going to start with the below training....of course Coop had to jump in on it too :)