Just Another Day...

Parker loves farming...so you can imagine his excitement when they harvested the beans in the field next to our house. Last night he took Sean out in the field to "mourn" the fact that all the soybeans were gone for the year. They did happen to pick up a few that were left in the field and that made him feel a little better. You might have to look really hard in the picture to see Sean and Parker...it was getting dark.

His fravite (favorite) thing is his pet lion who sleeps with him every night. This morning he was so funny sitting in the couch talking to the lion...then he told me that we needed to take a "cheese" (which means picture) of lion. So here is our photo shoot with Parker's fravite lion.

"Lion first mommy."


"Now I will cheese."


"Now I will give him a squeeze."


"Now I will be like a lion too."


Oh, and this is what will happen to your playdough if you make worms and holes and then smash the worms in the holes....Yeah, your guess is as good as mine on this one. When I asked Parker why he was mixing all of his playdough colors together he replied, "I am just making worms and smashing them in their holes."



Parker hasn't been napping the best for the past couple days and so all I get done during his nap is worrying...about him falling asleep, and that he will give up his nap before the baby is born and I will be a wreck, and that I need to move him downstairs to his big boy bed, but if I move him to his big bed he will just get out and play during nap time, and he really needs to be completely potty trained before the baby comes, and I need to take a shower, but it seems like a waste of time, and I need to put the clean sheets on the bed so I can finish the laundry (okay, you get the point)...and then he finally falls asleep (yes, after 2 hours of worrying) and I start to worry about him not going to sleep at night because he took his nap so late.

Why do I worry? It is just a nap!!! And I just wasted 2 hours of my life worrying!

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:6-7

What if I would have spent that 2 hours praying instead of worrying? What do you worry about? I challenge you to join me in this...Everytime you start to worry about something, confess it as sin and with thanksgiving, just pray about it...

But please remember, the verse promises that God's peace will guard our hearts and minds...It does NOT promise that your child will take a long nap, or that God will finish the laundry for you and potty train your child...BUT in these things He will give you peace. May His peace be yours today. Love to you.

Pumpkin Patch

Saturday morning we headed to the Pumpkin Patch and had a GREAT time! The weather was perfect, nice and cool and not too windy, and by the time it started to get hot we were ready to head home for naps.






Parker was enjoying the slide with Grandad, but after seeing a little boy go by himself, Parker said, "Maybe I should try that." So he did go by himself, and he was scared to death and crying at the bottom.



So this morning at breakfast he was rehashing the day yesterday and talking about how scared he was on the slide and how he cried a "little" bit. We have been learning Deuteronomy 31:6 "Be strong and courageous for God is with you." and so I said, "Parker, do you remember what Deuteronomy 31:6 says?" And he responds, "I can't say it right now, it is too hard....but mommy, when I was scared on the slide Grandad was with me too." hmmmm.....yes, Parker he in fact was....God was with you and Grandad was with you too! Hey, at least he knew what the verse said right?!?!?

Parker vs. the Pear

Parker had a pear after his nap today for a snack and was very intent on eating every last bite. I guess I didn't realize that you could eat so aggressively...I think Parker won this battle.

Sean was home tonight and Parker loved every minute of it! He got to go up to the attic above the garage...

He got to try on Sean's hunting vest...


And he came in the house yelling for me with a pink string tied on his finger and says, "See this mommy! Daddy says this is a reminder not to whine, see this is a constant rewinder not to mind." Or something like that Parker...Sean may be on to something here!




Days like today make being a mom so rewarding. Thank you Lord for our family and for Parker.

Pink Ice Cream with Sprinkles!

Where has the past week gone? Seriously....has it been a week since I posted last! Well, this weekend Sean was busy with seed corn harvest so Parker and I went on a double date with my parents, Grandad & Grandma Diane, to Grand Island Saturday night. We even got to end the date with a treat at Coldstone! Parker wanted "Pink Ice Cream
with Sprinkles!" and ate most of the sprinkles and hardly any of the Raspberry Sorbet.

This morning we got to play with the McNair girls. Parker loved playing and was sad when he had to take his nap and they had to leave....no, they did not all nap in the bed together...even though I am sure they would have slept really good like that.




My bible study group has been studying the book of 1 Kings and if you haven't ever read the Old Testament it is full of so much history and TRUTH! Last week I was so challenged by this that I must share...(Warning: the rest of this post will be about my study in 1 Kings, so if you are already bored, you will want to stop reading here.)

If you want to set yourself up for this I encourage you to read 1 Kings chapter 1. Here is a brief summary of what is going on....

King David is old and dying so his oldest living son, Adonijah, declares himself king. Bathsheba and Nathan the Prophet get wind of this and tell David. David immediately has Solomon, his son with Bathsheba, annointed King. When Adonijah hears of this he "repents" and grabs the horns of the altar in fear of Solomon and what might happen to him for trying to take the kingship.

This is what Matthew Henry's commentary says regarding 1 Kings 1:50-51...

He (Adonijah) took hold on the horns of the altar, which was always looked upon as a sanctuary, or place of refuge...Perhaps Adonijah had formerly slighted the service of the altar, yet now he courts the protection of it. Many who in the day of their security neglect the great salvation, under the arrests of the terrors of the Lord would gladly be beholden to Christ and his merit, and, when it is too late, will catch hold of the horns of the altar.

How true! How many believers ignore the service of the altar until we need the protection of it?

Oh, Lord...may we never treat you like a God we only need in times of trouble to give us what we want. That we would love you, serve you, obey you, and know you at all times of life whether in plenty or in want...For you alone are worthy of our lives.

"Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance. You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all of our iniquities into the depths of the sea." Malachi 7:18-19.

Love to you all, Jess.

22 Weeks

So Jen requested I post a picture of my growing belly, and I am not one to disappoint! However, I am having a hard time wanting to do this....with Parker I only have 1 picture of me when I was pregnant. I don't really enjoy being pregnant, at all, and I guess at the time I think, "Why would I want to remember looking like this?" and, "How could I ever forget looking like this?"

But, eventually you do forget. You forget and in a strange way you want to remember....not like 9 months long of remembering, but just for a second, you want to remember what it was like to be pregnant. So I posted the picture, mostly for Jen because she asked, but also for ann, erin, jed, jill, eric, and those of you who will get a smile on your face when you see the picture because I am fat and you are not :)!

And even though pregnancy is not fun, and it makes your body look different than you could ever imagine it looking, children are a miraculous gift from God! It is so worth it....and it is worth remembering.

Lord, may you receive the glory due to you for this amazing gift of life!

"Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full** of them." Psalm 127:3-5

**I did a little study on the word "full" in this scripture and the Hebrew word for "full" actually translates into the English word "two"....if you don't believe me you can check for yourself.....so I guess this means my quiver is full......at least that is what my bible says, I am not sure what yours does :)! (that is supposed to be a joke....get it?)

Hannah's 5th Birthday, Rain boots, Wheelbarrow Rides & Frogs

It was a full weekend of fun! Friday night Parker's cousin Hannah had her 5th birthday party.The kids made puppets, visors, and ate pizza and Eileen's cookie.

From the left in the picture above: Parker, Holli (friend), Hannah, Rebekah, & Caiden (friend)
It was a puppy and kitty party and Parker loved every minute of it. The kids started telling knock-knock jokes at dinner and we were all laughing.....and not because the jokes were funny. Parker woke up the next morning and said, "Mommy, remember knock-knock, who is it?" and he burst out laughing....
Parker, Hannah & Rebekah all got new rain boots from Grandma Bev and it was perfect because it had been raining all day. They loved getting to go outside and play in the rain.


Saturday was beautiful and we played outside as much as we could. We went over to Grandma Diane's & Grandad's and were entertained all day. Wheelbarrow rides were a real hit!


They also loved looking at the frog in the red bucket and screaming and saying, "Yuck! It bit my finger!" And if you know Rebekah, try and say that in her language and you will laugh.

My sister Katie had fun riding the red tractor.....(Ann this picture is for you!).

Hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing weekend!

Farming

Parker spent the day yesterday with Grandma & Grandpa Ablott on the farm. He loves working in the shop with Grandpa, watering flowers, swimming when it is hot and sitting in the hot tub when it is not, riding on the Honda, checking the pivots, and playing with daddy's old farm toys. Yesterday the weather wasn't as nice, so Parker had to work in the office with Grandpa instead of the shop. He quickly learned how to use the adding machine and went through an entire roll of paper....

They brought him home and we all went to pick up the last load of pipe. Parker was thrilled to finally get some real "work" done because as he will tell you... "I am a farmer and I get sweaty." He also got to pee outside, which is something he thoroughly enjoys.



We checked on the pumpkins that Grandpa (& mostly Parker) have been growing in the field. He can't wait to bring the BIIIIIIIG pumpkin home and carve it.



It has been such a blessing for Parker to grow up close to all of his grandparents. He loves them all so much! (and so do we :)!)

Baby Names

With Parker we didn't have to try and think of names because we had decided on his name way before I was even pregnant. And his middle name wasn't hard either, with both of his grandpa's and Sean having the first name of Douglas it was a no brainer. However, with this new baby boy, I have no ideas...so I try and think of names I might like and when I pray for the baby and talk to him I try to use those names and by the end of the day nothing sticks.

So I ask Parker, "What do you think we should name your baby brother?" Deep in thought, Parker waits for a minute and says, "Well, probably something like giraffe."

Apparently his favorite animal at the zoo must have been the giraffe...and he thinks it would be fun to have a giraffe for a brother...and it is unique, I have never heard of anyone with that name before....

So what do you think? What boy names do you like? I could use some suggestions here, because I am sure that giraffe won't stick either :)!

Ginger Cookies & Spiced Tea

In my "Changing Seasons" post I mentioned two of my favorite fall treats. I wanted to share the recipes so you can enjoy them too if you would like...


Ginger Cookies
2 1/4 Cup Flour
2 Teaspoons of Ground Ginger
1 Teaspoon of Baking Soda
3/4 Teaspoon of Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cloves
3/4 Cup Butter
1 Cup Sugar
1 Egg
1/4 Cup Molasses

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves. Stir together and set aside. Beat butter until creamy. Beat the butter and egg together and then add the molasses. Stir in the dry ingredients. Roll into balls, roll in sugar and place on pan. Bake for about 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Spiced Tea
3 Cups of Water
3 Cups of Sugar
1 Can of frozen Orange Juice
1 Small can of frozen Lemonade
1 Quart Bottle of Cranberry Juice
3 drops of Cinnamon Oil
3 drops of Clove Oil

Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot and bring to a boil. Boil for about 5 minutes. (Be careful not to boil it over :) not that I have ever done that before, but I assume it would be a HUGE mess to clean up.) Cool and store in a bottle in the refrigerator. Make a cup of tea as usual and add 2 Tablespoons of Spiced Tea Mix to your tea and enjoy!

What are you favorite fall recipes? I am looking for some good casserole recipes to fill up hungry boys....any ideas????? Just think if we all shared a new recipe we could have menus planned for weeks :)!

"We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you." Psalm 33:20-22

May your hope be in the Lord today...that His unfailing love would rest heavy on you today....so heavy that it drives you to your knees in prayer and praise....for He alone is worthy! Love to you all.

Bitter Seeds

This summer Parker and I planted a garden. We grew tons of cucumbers and tomatoes. My mother-in-law taught me how to can pickles and Parker and I canned about 50 quarts of pickles. Just ask him and he will tell you he is a pickle canner. With the cooler weather, our tomatoes have slowed down, but I had about 15 on the counter that I wanted to do something with rather than throwing them out. Since it was so cool outside I decided to boil them and make some good homemade chili soup.....Sounds delicious doesn't it.....

So if you have ever done something like this, you may know that the seeds in the tomato make them very bitter tasting. That is why every educated person would take the seeds out prior to boiling them......After taking my first taste of the soup I immediately decided I was going to throw it out and just go to the store to buy stuff and make new.

When Sean came home for lunch and I said, "Hey, taste this soup, I made with the tomatoes from the garden." He tasted it and said it was good.....Now, every good husband knows that when your wife asks you to taste something you say it tastes good. (And I know Sean is always very hungry at lunch so he may have just been overly hungry and that is why it seemed to taste good). Regardless, I now felt guilty about throwing it out, so I spent all afternoon adding stuff until I thought it tasted edible. In case you want to know how to make bitter tasting tomatoes taste okay, just add some sugar and baking soda.....What would I do without the internet?



Since I spent Parker's whole afternoon nap making the soup edible, that was my only quiet time of the day. I thought a lot about bitter seeds....I was frustrated that the sweet tomatoes we had been eating all summer could taste this bad just because of the little seeds. And it made me think of my life and seeds of bitterness that I may be carrying around and how a few little seeds left to "boil" can cause the whole "batch" to taste terrible....and they don't just taste bad themselves, but make everything else you add to them taste terrible. I was convicted about a few things....

1. My first inclination was to throw out the entire pot of soup: not only is this wasteful, but it speaks volumes about how I deal with certain things in my life......not good.

2. God revealed certain attitudes, situations, and people that have been causing me to "boil" bitter seeds in my heart.

3. These bitter seeds, left to boil in my heart, will only make everything around me taste bitter and that is not okay!

How do you deal with bitter seeds in your life? Are you aware of any that are currently "boiling" and causing the everything else in your life to "taste" bitter? I encourage you to ask God to show you any bitter seeds and deal with them as He commands...

"Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.But let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you." Ephesians 4:30-32

After all, don't we just want a tasty bowl of homemade chili soup for supper anyway!

Changing Seasons

I love the changing seasons. When people ask me, "Which season is your favorite?" I never know what to say. I think it is because I don't love a particular season, I just love when it changes. A few months ago I was so ready for summer to come, and now I am so ready for fall and the cool weather, changing leaves, maternity jeans with a huge front panel :), spiced tea and ginger cookies!

The same is so true in my life. I have never been in a season that I wanted to last forever. I have heard some women say, "I wish my kids would stay this age forever." And I have never felt that. I do love the stage Parker is in right now. His developing vocabulary and the things he says just make me laugh, but I don't want him to stay this way forever....I look forward him growing up. I want him to learn how to use the potty chair (desperately), to learn how to put on his own clothes, take his own bath, to learn to obey his parents (oh, wait that is probably a season that will never change). Another season I don't want to stay in forever is pregnancy, and thankfully I can count down the weeks until this season of pregnancy is over (only 19 more to be exact!)

But each season, as soon as it is over I miss it. I look back and say, life goes too fast. So what is the balance? How do I learn to anticipate and love the changing seasons without wishing them away? How do I learn to enjoy the day God has given me without looking ahead at what is to come, or behind at what I miss?

So today I will enjoy Parker peeing in his underwear every 15 minutes and know that this season will change and one day I will look back and say, "I wish he was running around in his cowboy boots and underwear peeing all over the floor." Today I will smile when I want to puke, because I know in 19 short weeks I will miss the feelings of my baby boy kicking me all night long while I am trying to sleep. Today I will praise God for this season, realizing how short it is and how quickly the next will come.

Thank you Lord for your blessings this day, and the changing seasons you bring!