Happy 3 month birthday, Aria!

Granny Camp!

A couple weeks ago, Cadence and Finn got to head down to Denver with Granny for a two night sleepover! As you can see they got to play with their cousins, too.

Cadence and Finn stuffed their bags full of sleepover essentials, i.e. blankies, pacifier, stuffed animals, cars, trains and a horse.

Aria was sad that she didn't get to go. Next year!

Reward

Cadence and Finn filled up their chore marble jars (Cadence has a small pickle jar and Finn has a small maraschino cherry jar), so we got to celebrate by getting a prize and going out to lunch!

Cadence picked a fairy dress and Finn picked a triple Thomas the Train pack. That boy is crazy for Thomas!

We ate lunch at McAlister's Deli. Yum! I know, that's where Cadence and I ate on our date, but I am addicted! I love their food and sweet iced tea. Finn had a mini-breakdown about something, I can't remember what. Cadence took this picture of him. Look at that sad face. He is so sweet.

I love these two crazy kids!

Bridal Devotional

A couple of weeks ago I was asked to give the devotional at the bridal shower of one of our church members. At first, I was a bit nervous and unsure. I was afraid I wouldn't have enough time to prepare and I didn't know what I would talk about since I had never given a devotional of any kind before. Of course, the power of the Lord's Word speaks for itself, but I wasn't so sure about the vessel that would be delivering it. After some direction from Nancy Peterman and Brad, I had a lot of fun preparing the following devotional.

Bridal Devotional

Ephesians 5:21-24

I. Read Passage

II. Christ First

· Read vs. 21-22

· Our relationships are all in connection to our relationship with Christ. He is what is most important. To love your husband, you must first and continually love and build your relationship with Christ. It is through that relationship that we learn how to love and treat our husbands. When I am not in constant communion with the Lord, it is impossible for me to be in proper communion and relationship with my husband. If we don’t put into practice our relationship with the one who loves us unconditionally, is always there for us and never lets us down, how can we possibly show our husbands the respect and submission they deserve and treat them the way Christ tells us to?

III. Foundation

· Vs. 21 “out of reverence for Christ”

· Our actions and love towards our husband is not based on or reliant on how they treat us first, but are a reflection of our relationship with Christ. Husbands will frustrate us and let us down at times, as we will them, but Christ never will. So, if our marriage is anchored on Him, it will never sink, no matter what storms hit us.

IV. Submit

· These versus mention the word “submit” often.

· Today, many people think of submission as weak. On the contrary, it is a beautiful and strong word. We get the honor of supporting our husbands and being their helper. Submission is kind of a taboo word in regards to our modern American roles. It does not equal doormat. Look at all these strong, beautiful, Godly women around you. They have grown strong through their submission to the Lord and their husbands. Through our submission we not only get strength, but we honor our husbands and push them up, giving them room to be the head you desire. This also helps to increase their self-esteem and feelings of being loved, without making them feel like they are in this alone or fighting against you. God didn’t create woman (Eve) so that man (Adam) would have someone to boss around, but for companionship. Just like in those cooking shows I like to watch, the sous-chef can make or break the head chef.

V. Good or Evil

· This all reminds me of that scene in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”. The mom says, “The man may be the head, but the woman is the neck and she can turn the head anyway she wants.” This is so true. We do have a lot of influence and power. We could manipulate our submission to be deceptive, like they did in the movie to get what they wanted, or we can use it to glorify the Lord, lift our husbands up and help spur them on towards Christ. My high school swim coach once told me, “Behind every successful man is a strong woman.” This is another reason why our relationship with Christ needs to be first and continual. In Christ, we will want the best for our husbands and will reflect His love. Apart from Christ, we will begin to manipulate the head away from Christ. We saw this in the Garden of Eden between Adam and Eve. Sometimes I think women have a bigger role than men, because without that strong, Godly support at home, it would be a lot harder to keep their eyes on Christ.

VI. Give It Your All

· Vs. 24 “submit to their husbands in everything”

· Not just when he does things the way you say or like, but in everything. This can be hard, but we have to be careful not to emasculate our husbands (society has already emasculated their role). We need to lift our husbands up in prayer and allow them to be the man God created them to be. I’ve met several women who are believers but their husbands are not. My friend, Janet, in Korea had this situation in her marriage, yet she didn’t put her husband down or try to step over him. She focused on strengthening her own personal walk with the Lord and prayed for him. Whether our husbands are believers or not, this is the most important thing we can do for them to demonstrate our love.

Ø Recommended books: “Love Dare” and “The Power of a Praying Wife”

After giving the above devotional I ended with an object lesson, which was also my gift.

1. Cookbook
   Put in the right ingredients for your marriage. Make your home a godly home. Fill it with compassion, devotion, submission, joy, respect, and above all, love.



2. Strainer.
   
   Work at keeping the bad stuff out of your own personal life so that it doesn't affect your marriage. Don't let any bad thoughts and deeds slip in that could potentially harm your marriage. Keep in God's Word. Dedicate yourself to prayer.



3. Kitchen Timer (or egg timer).
   
   Make time for your spouse, even if you have to schedule it in on your calendar. Don't be ships passing in the night. You don't grow healthy relationships that way as husband and wife.



4. Rolling Pin.
   
   Keep the dough of your marriage and family life rolled out and smooth. When things come up that cause some lumps in the dough, take care of it right away. Don't let things fester.



5. Meat Baster.
   
   Add that extra juice in to keep your marriage moist. Don't let your marriage dry out. Make a habit of telling your husband you love him. Kiss him hello and goodbye. Write him notes. Do anything you can to keep that relationship fresh with your spouse.



6. Meat Mallet.
   
   It takes work to keep your marriage tender. Marriage is giving 100% from both the wife and the husband. Be determined to work at your marriage and relationship with your husband everyday by the words you say, the deeds you do, and by the thoughts you think. Just keep pounding away to give your marriage your best.
7. Spice Jar

Write nice and unexpected things you can do for your spouse on slips of paper and put them in the jar. Grab a slip of paper every now and then and do what it says to help keep your marriage spicy!

The pug journal is what I write all of my "church" ideas in, so that's what I wrote this devotional in. The pages above the journal and Bible are to show you what I scribbled my first draft on. Like I said, I was worried I wouldn't have enough time to prepare it due to 3 kids, one of which I have to hold a lot, thus occupying my hands. So, I ended up writing most of it during church while the kids were in Sunday school and Aria was asleep in her car seat....sorry Brad. Really, it's a compliment, because Brad's teaching inspired me.

Peek-a-boo!

I carried all my devotional props in this empty diaper box. When I returned home from the shower, Cadence and Finn immediately hopped in. No, really, that looks comfy.

Sleeping Prince

This looks like the day thanks to the flash, but it's actually night. I took this the other night to show you what Finn does most nights. He repeatedly gets out of bed and then finally gives up and collapses in front of his door, usually with some sort of vehicle toy. I usually have to push him back gently with the door so that I can squeeze in and carry him back to bed. What a snuggle bug.

Bathtime

The other night, while giving Aria a bath, I had a couple of little "helpers".

Now, it may look like they're in the way, but they are actually helping, or at least that's what they say.:) Aria didn't seem to mind. I think she kind of liked them tickling her chubby little belly. She graduated from sink baths to tub baths a few weeks ago. I must admit, it was nice and more comfortable giving her a bath in the sink. Our sink wasn't big enough in Lakewood to ever bathe the kids in it, but this one is a nice size. It was much easier on my back to do it in the sink than bending over the tub, but that's okay. She has to grow and she needs to get cleaned. She doesn't seem to mind the baths. She likes to be wrapped up in a towel at the end and loves to smile at you. She is so precious! I love the smell of a freshly bathed baby head!

Side note: baby body shapes are actually quite funny when you look at them. They have all these rolls, no neck really (their heads look like they are just plopped onto their bodies) and big round bellies. It reminds me of the game at Finn's baby shower, which I think Kelli actually won, where everyone had to make a baby out of play-doh. Babies really do look like that. Funny little marshmallow people.

Captain of the debate team

While the kids were waiting for me to finish checking out at the grocery store, they decided to hang out by the penny horse. You would think I'd be prepared by now, but I always forget to grab pennies and have to tell them, "No, we can't ride the horse because I don't have any pennies." Usually, some passerby will hear this, feel sorry for them, and give me some pennies (very nice, but not my evil scheme to get free pennies). Today, though, a nice little girl put a penny in so that Cadence could ride the horse. Then, Cadence wanted Finn to be able to ride, so she just hung out by the horse and accosted innocent passersby. Either she is going to be a beggar or on the debate team. She is very persuasive and I am hoping for the latter rather than the former. She means well, just looking out for her little brother, but we need to work a little more on our socially acceptable behaviors.

Recipe Highlight:

Thursday night is the college bible study night. It used to be at our house until we had Aria, but I still like to make a dessert for the study. The guys are always very complimentary, so that doesn't hurt anything.

Easy Pineapple Upside-down Cake

1/4	cup butter or margarine
1	cup packed brown sugar
1	can (20 oz) pineapple slices in juice, drained, juice reserved
1	jar (6 oz) maraschino cherries without stems, drained
1	box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® yellow cake mix
	Vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box

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1.	Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). In 13x9-inch pan, melt butter in oven. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter. Arrange pineapple slices on brown sugar. Place cherry in center of each pineapple slice, and arrange remaining cherries around slices; press gently into brown sugar.
2.	Add enough water to reserved pineapple juice to measure 1 1/4 cups. Make cake batter as directed on box, substituting pineapple juice mixture for the water. Pour batter over pineapple and cherries.
3.	Bake 40 to 45 minutes (42 to 48 minutes for dark or nonstick pan) or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately run knife around side of pan to loosen cake. Place heatproof serving plate upside down onto pan; turn plate and pan over. Leave pan over cake 5 minutes so brown sugar topping can drizzle over cake; remove pan. Cool 30 minutes. Serve warm or cool. Store covered in refrigerator.

Sleeping Beauty

Here are a couple of beauties for you! I love those chubby little baby legs and the way that babies sit and lay with their knees turned out. They look so relaxed and comfy.

I like this picture of Cadence peaking through her hair. She loves this fluffy white dress from Granny. It reminds me of cupcake frosting.

Here's a bookmark I knit for Brad a few months ago. He keeps it in his Bible. I think I'm going to knit a pink one next.

Duck, Duck....Goose!

Brad is such a good sport and dad. Every night, he comes home from work and is immediately bombarded by Cadence and Finn. Of course, he always greets them with an energetic "Hello, children!" and hugs, even if he has had an emotionally draining day (which happens every so often). Then, Cadence almost always asks for one of two things (or sometimes both), "Daddy, can you build a fort?" or "Daddy, can we play Duck, duck, goose?". I rarely participate in either of these activities, but Brad is always a good sport and is usually found running around the backyard with the kids while I finish getting dinner ready. If it's a fort night, he sets it up with the couch cushions, Cadence and Finn knock it down, Brad sets it up again, and so on and so forth. We are blessed to have such a good father and husband.

Recipe Highlight:

This week I made a couple of new dishes, so I decided to share the recipes of successful dishes every once in awhile. Today's recipe is for all you salmon lovers (mom, dad, I'm talking to you!). I love dishes where you can throw everything into one pot and it all cooks together. This is so convenient with two toddlers running around and a baby who might wake up at any moment and need to be held. Normally, I bake salmon topped with a mayonaisse mixture and cracker crumbs, so I wasn't sure I was going to like it plain. I'm glad to say, that it is actually the salmon I like, not just the mayonaisse. This dish was very tastey and not too sweet. The couscous was really yummy.

Salmon with couscous pilaf

Ingredients

- 1 lb. carrots, chopped

- 1 C. couscous (uncooked)

- 1/2 C. slivered almonds

- 1/2 C. raisins

- 1/4 C. chopped fresh mint

- 1 Tbsp. olive oil

- salt and pepper

- 4 skinless salmon fillets (6-8 ounces each)

- lemon wedges, for serving

How to prepare

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a 9-by-13 inch baking pan, mix together carrots, couscous, almonds, raisins, min, oil, 1 1/4 C. water, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper.

2. Place salmon fillets on top of couscous mixture; season generously with salt and pepper. Cover pan with foil; bake until fish is opaque throughout, 30 to 35 minutes.

3. Transfer fish to plates. Fluff couscous with a fork; serve with fish and lemon wedges.

Enjoy!

Cadence filled her chore marble jar for the first time and got a prize...her very own tinkerbell music box! Just like her cousin Sophie's! She was so excited! Ever since we visited Sophie, Clara, Jenny, Sam and MomPom a couple weeks ago this is all she's been talking about. She actually wanted to get it for dancing in her dance recital, like Sophie did, but since that time has already come and gone, she settled for doing her chores and filling her marble jar. Now, the marble jar is empty and she gets to start filling it again for another prize! Poor Finn wanted a prize too, but he isn't quite old enough to understand the chore/marble jar system. His birthday is coming up, though, so he will get some fun toys. Mostly cars, trains, and a little Handy Manny, I think.:)


I was going to wait until Cadence's birthday to get her a bike, but I found this pretty princess one at the second hand shop, so I had to get it. I can't pass up a deal! Unfortunately, the training wheels weren't the right size, so we had to go to the bike shop and get the right ones. We also got a pink bike bell. No bike's complete without one! So, that ended up costing about as much as the bike did, but that's okay. If I had waited until her birthday she wouldn't have been able to ride it because it would be too cold, so I'm glad I got it now. Finn got to take over the tricycle! We went for a bike ride while my mom was here. They enjoyed it for a little while, but ended up walking home while my mom and I pushed the bikes because they got tired of riding. Fickle kids. Before we got the correct training wheels on, Brad helped Cadence ride her bike so she wouldn't tip over. Poor Brad, he was bent over the whole time holding her up. His back was a little sore after that.

Finn likes to do everything Cadence does. If only she realized how much power she has over him. Then again, maybe she does. Lately, Finn has been hitting, but now I'm thinking that she might provoke him sometimes just so he'll get in trouble. Oh, the craftiness of a woman. Despite all that, they seem to really love each other and enjoy playing together. They also like to look out for baby sister Aria. Sweet kids.

Heads Up!

Here are some fun head shots of my entertaining kids!

flower princess Cadence did Aria's hair

go Rockies! winter fun future skater girl


Ride 'em cowboy Finn didn't have a bike helmet, so he improvised

Little buckaroo

Finn finally got a bike helmet too