To Jocelyn, on Your 18th Birthday

 

Dear Jocelyn,

                      I can not believe that I am writing this to you on your EIGHTEENTH birthday. I started writing to you when you were four. I am almost at a loss as to what to say. While I know that I will always be your mom, I know that no matter how hard it is for me, this era of our lives is drawing to a close. I don't think it is wrong for me to take a moment to grieve that soon things will be radically different. You won't be in your room at the bottom of the stairs every night when I go to bed. Your dreams are coming true and they are much bigger than our little house. And I love that, but it hurts too. 

    Parenting is the most beautifully, exquisitely painful, thing I have ever experienced. It fills your heart while simultaneously breaking it over and over. We are already experiencing the end of so many sweet "always" things. This was the first year ever that I delivered Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes without you. We didn't get to have corndogs at Sonic on Halloween. You have your own job, and school, and it is good! I'm so thankful for all the opportunities you have. We have worked hard to train you up in the fear of the Lord, and the time is quickly approaching where you will get to choose on your own how to put into practice all you've learned.

 

    And I know that you will still need me, but it will be different. You are already so wonderfully independent in so many amazing ways. You have made juggling college classes, work, and church commitments look effortless. But even beyond that, you have traveled with friends and student government on your own, found a new job, applied for college and managed to help out friends and family, too. 

    You are creating a life that you love and seeing you achieve so many goals is absolutely inspiring. You decided to go after a position in the college student government and you have fallen in love with it. You found a place in a group of strangers who are now friends. You have put on countless events already, and attended so many retreats and conferences. The highlight was sneaking in a trip to Disneyland this last week, which was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream for you! I could not have been happier for you.

    I know you have your heart set on going away to school, and I know you will be successful at whatever you choose to do. You are still so fearless, and you love a new adventure. I know that you will stay strong in your faith wherever life takes you. Your love for Jesus hasn't wavered, and He will never fail you.

   I am SO proud of who you are. I have always loved you, but the older you get the more I truly like you. You have reached an age where you need less "telling" and more "recommending". I can trust you to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, and I am always praying that will be true. I hope you will always know that the advice I give is based on my desire for you to follow the Lord, and that you will be able to trust that my love for you is an outflow of the love He has for us. And I pray you will never "outgrow" your need for me to be your mother. I love you.

                                                                                             Love always,

                                                                                                         Mom

To Jocelyn, On Your 16th Birthday

 

Dear Jocelyn,

                      Happy 16th birthday! It is impossible to describe the joy that you bring us, and I hope that on your birthday you know at least a small part of that. We are past the halfway point of your teen years (eek!) and it has truly been a pleasure to be your mom. People say teenagers are the worst, but this has been my favorite part of parenting so far. 

        The biggest reason for that is that you are not just my daughter, you are my sister in Christ. You are there with an encouraging word for me in tough seasons, and have already given me wise and loving counsel. I see Jesus in you and it continually delights me. You are the fragrance of the Gospel wherever you go and it is inspiring to all who know you. You live a life worthy of Him who called you, and it isn't one lived in a bubble. You have been in some difficult relationships, and you have had your beliefs tested. I doubt that it will end soon, but allow it to continue to make you lean into Jesus. 

       I am trying hard not to think about the fact that our homeschooling journey is almost at an end. I am having so much fun teaching you this year-you have developed a love for literature that delights me to no end. You still have a brain for science, and of course, math! You can run circles around me in those areas. You carefully chose to end your dance training this fall, so you could pursue other interests. You've put time into your social media channels, and it has been fun seeing your success. You are so brave! You have had fun learning guitar, and spending time on your artwork. When you won that art contest earlier this year it was nice to see the validation you felt-it was time well spent.

      Of course you have had time for friendships, too. You make your friends feel valued and it shows in how they seek you out. I loved that you still find ways to have fun and be silly-you realize that one is never too grown up to wear a good costume. Your "White Rabbit" this year was one of my all-time favorites of ever. (And literature inspired, too!)

   And you are as helpful and cheerful as ever. Awana, Operation Christmas Child, our Browne ministry, Vacation Bible School. You are my volunteering buddy and I love it. Your work is exemplary, and you serve more than many adults, but you never ask for accolades. I know that your future crown is already full of jewels. As always, you inspire me, challenge me, and daily remind me of God's goodness. I am looking forward to seeing you tackle driving and starting college soon. You will do great, I know, because you will do it with the Lord at the center. With Him, you will never fail. I love you so much, my wonderful daughter. 

                                                                                                Love Always,

                                                                                                                  Mother.

To Jocelyn, On Your 15th Birthday

 Dear Jocelyn,

      Happy Birthday! What a year to be 15! This year has been hard, no doubt about it. It has tried all of us in many ways and you are no exception. However, in the trying you have been refined, not broken. I see you wrestling with your faith, and I am thrilled. You are truly learning how to walk with Christ on your own, and that is all I could ever have asked for. All the other wonderful things about you are just extras.

    And there are so many extras. One of my greatest pleasures this year has been sharing classic literature with you. Wrestling with  Hamlet and delighting in Jane Eyre, seeing you "get" "The Yellow Wallpaper" and chuckle over "Bernice Bobs Her Hair" has brought me such satisfaction. You haven't loved everything, (such strong feelings about "The Gift of the Magi"!) but you've tackled it with enthusiasm. I always want you to know that I have never lost sight of what an awe-inspiring privilege it is to homeschool you. Our homeschool journey together is drawing swiftly to a close. It is so hard to think of "graduating" from that part of our relationship. You've suffered from many of my mistakes, but when I see your love of learning and your skillful work, I know we made the right choice. I wouldn't trade this time with you for anything. 

  In all of the teaching I've done, I am still learning, too. And you have shown me so much. You have an incredible talent for friendships. You are the friend to others that I always wanted at that age. You truly love your friends, and you care enough to work through tough things with them. You have faced some challenges, hard things, stuff that would have caused adults to abandon friendships without a second thought. Instead you have prayerfully confronted these things, and it blows me away to think of how the Lord has used you. People need to hear hard things from people who love them. It takes an incredible amount of grace and maturity, though, to be the one who speaks truth in love. 

    I am constantly astonished that you turn to me for advice, that you listen to what I have to say. The relationship that we have is truly a gift. To know that you trust me to lead you in truth makes me strive even hard to be the woman of God that you believe to me. You have deepened my relationship with Christ in so many ways. I am constantly praying that the Holy Spirit will make me worthy of that trust.

    I am so thankful for you in so many ways. You are such a help to me-my companion in many of the ministries that I lead, and I don't think anyone realizes the ways that I rely on you. You are such a faithful worker for Christ-serving in countless ways, never expecting praise or recognition. You are essential in our Operation Christmas Child projects, we couldn't do VBS without you, you are always at Awana serving kids, you come early to co-op and stay late. You are involved in your own things, too. I know your gift of administration will shine in your new position as Student Representative. They have found a jewel in you! You know how to coordinate and motivate people in ways I could only dream of. 

    You are amazing. You are already doing great things-you've never seen any reason to wait to invest the talents God has given you right now. Here, now, you are living in confidence that God can use you and you are absolutely right. I'm just glad He let me be a part of it all. I love you so much. I hope 15 is wonderful beyond your wildest expectations. 

                                                                                                 Love,

                                                                                                     Mom

    

To Jocelyn, on Your 14th Birthday

Dear Jocelyn,
             Happy Birthday! It is easy to celebrate all the wonderful things you are: Christ-like, talented, creative, loving, kind, smart, pretty. I wish that you could see in you what I do. I see the fears that are fighting to steal that light. I wish I could hide you from those anxieties and protect you from the things that try to steal your joy. However, that isn't truly my job. My job is to teach you to turn to the only One who can take away all your worries, and protect you from anything that comes against you.

      My job is to remind you that He alone can truly bring comfort and peace. My words can only be a poor imitation of His, but as long as I have breath my prayer is to point you to Him. In everything, big and small. I keep telling you that things won't get easier, not to frighten you, but to say that now is the time to fully trust Him. Your dad and I do our best to be a loving, safe haven for you, but we are flawed. We will let you down, frustrate you, at times we will even hurt you, because we too are humans. But if I only teach you one thing let it be this: You can trust Jesus fully. He will never let you down, He will never hurt you, He will unconditionally, eternally love you. He will always be there.

       Life isn't fair. Life isn't for the faint of heart. But Jesus can help you learn to live without fear-only imitate me as I imitate Him. My hope has never been to have a daughter that takes after me, but rather one that takes after her heavenly Father. Perhaps one day, instead of hearing that you are like me, people will say that I am like you, as you follow after Jesus completely, unashamedly, without any reservations. That would bring me more joy than anything I can think of. This is my constant prayer for you as you navigate the complexities that maturing brings:

"Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always." Psalm 105:4

   If you can grasp this now, during these tumultuous, coming-of-age, times you will find true success. I could not care less if you are famous, or rich, or even happy. None of those things matter, what truly matters is knowing that you are worth so much to Christ that He gave His life for *you*. And you were created to "glorify Him and enjoy Him forever". You do not have to wait to be a "grown-up", whatever that means, to do those things. Christ is fully in you now-You have complete access to every promise in Him that you ever will. Don't wait to follow Him without reservations. Today is the day! And all I want you to know is I am behind you, cheering for you, praying for you, and at many times, learning from your example. Jesus is all you will ever need. And it is my honor to be able to remind you of that when you need to hear it. I love you.
                                                                                                              Love,
                                                                                                                       Mom

Beautiful Feet

My Dearest Daughter,

    I wanted to apologize to you for something: we tease you about your feet sometimes, and it isn't very nice. You, unfortunately, have your Dad's feet. We jokingly refer to them as "Hobbit feet" (although, just to clarify, yours are not hairy!). You often lament that you wear a bigger size shoe than I do, evidenced by that span of less than three months you jumped two sizes. Don't feel bad, I am definitely out of the running to be America's Next Top Foot Model, too.

    But I wanted to tell you something today: you have beautiful feet. (And not just because we got pedicures earlier this week.) And you are smart enough to know that I am not talking about the things that are at the end of your legs. You have the kind of feet that Isaiah was talking about:

"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!". Isaiah 52:7

   I learned that verse in VBS before you were even a thought to me. The summer of my junior year in high school, a single year spent at my grandmother's, feeling adrift because I knew that my time there was fleeting. Frustrated, because I had big hopes and dreams but no way to give them...feet. Knowing so strongly that I was called, but only hearing a Voice, with no words.

    It would be many years before there was you. You and your beautiful, beautiful feet. You and your going feet. Finally, my dreams are starting to become clearer: it was you. You are my calling, to raise you up in the knowledge of the goodness of God. And while you may not have my feet, you do have your grandmother's: feet that love to take the Word to everyone. And your great-grandmother's: feet that long to share the greatest Gift to the ends of the earth. And maybe, just maybe you do have a little of me, after all. Because in knowing about those beautiful feet from Isaiah, all those years ago, I've spent all your lifetime praying to God to help me prepare your feet. Feet that are literally taking the Gospel in answer to this:

"[F]or everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How, then, can they call on the One they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"" Romans 10:13-15

    You are the beautiful feet of my dreams. You are living boldly-and I, along with the Body of Christ, am sending you and your precious feet. It is the hardest thing I have ever been asked to do, this sending. But, I know this to be true: the Good News that you and your feet are carrying is far too wonderful for me to keep here at home, no matter how much I want to. And I hope that in this, one day, my feet will be as beautiful as yours. I love you.
                                                                                          Love,
                                                                                                   Mom

To Jocelyn, On Your 12th Birthday

Dear Jocelyn,

                 Another year, another birthday letter. It's really starting to feel like you are growing up. It doesn't really have anything to do with your age, although that is one way to mark it. It has more to do with how you talk, and think and act. 

   Moms often say they miss when their kids were little. I don't miss that so much (although you were awfully cute!) as I miss how blissfully unaware you were-carefree and easygoing. The cruddy part of growing up is that those things somewhat have to fade away as we truly mature. We have to take notice of what is going on around us. We have to put thought and care and *work* into doing things that must be done. We can't always expect someone to tell us how to think and act. You are beginning to realize there is a great big world outside our safe little home, and while it many times pleases us with its pleasures and beauties, it can sometimes bite and poke and break. 

     But I think you are going to hold your own. I think you will make it through relatively unscathed. I know we can do this with the Lord's help. I believe in you-I believe in who you are in Christ. It hurts to see things affect you like they never have before-for every tear you have shed this year over the growing recognition of the cruelty of the world, I have cried two: one for the world and one for you. As much as I want to prevent you from seeing and knowing those things, that is not right, nor is it fair. 

   We will figure this out, though. I am muddling through right alongside. You've never been in this stage before, but I've never mothered a child in this stage, either. We have to give each other grace, love, mercy, tenderness. We have to forgive, over and over-both of us. We have to be honest, but not unkind. I want you to know that I am here to protect you, but not insulate you, to give you boundaries but not cages, to teach you, but not do for you, to love you unconditionally, but not free you from responsibility.

    I am excited now, more than ever. You have already surprised me this year with your maturity, thoughtfulness, and responsibility. You are meeting challenges head-on, and rising to the occasion. You are trying new things, and figuring out who God wants you to be.

    This is going to be a good year. The Lord has big things in store for you-not when you are an adult, but this week, this month, this year. He is using you right now, and will continue to do so as long as you stay close to Him. That is my prayer for both of us, to stay close to Him and to each other.

    I love you. I'm thankful God chose for us to be family. Together we will rock this 12 thing!

                                                                                  Love,

                                                                                       Mom 

   

To Jocelyn, On Your 11th Birthday

Dear Jocelyn,
                   I am a little sad that this is the first of these letters that I have written late. Since your birthday was on Thanksgiving this year it was almost impossible for me to write your letter, and I didn't want to do it before your birthday. Hopefully, if you ever read all of these, you won't mind that I wasn't on time.

    Wow. This has been one crazy year. I always think that if something has been hard on me as a comprehending, mature "grown-up" it must be even harder for you, as a kid. 2016 started off with the death of one of our favorite people, Grams. That was the first really important person you have ever lost and it has been a doozy. Watching you deal with your grief has changed me as a mom. Encouraging you to show your feelings, and seeing how you have openly been so very sad, has been hard. But watching you fiercely love Gramps, and never allowing it to make you bitter has helped me to see that it isn't impossible to grieve as one who has hope.

   Because you are filled with hope. Each passing day I see your love for Christ deepen, and you search to become more like Him. It is so crazy to say this about your own child, but you truly do challenge me in my walk. Honestly? I kind of want to be like you when I grow up. You have a joy for the Lord and a passion to share Him fearlessly. Your gift of evangelism is certainly something you have in common with Grams. I can see the beginnings of the transition to adulthood, and it is painful for both of us sometimes. You have shed more tears in the past year for various reasons than you have in rest of your life. But even in the struggle to deal with your changing feelings and starting to become more aware of the complexity of life, you've continued to turn to the Lord and stayed strong in your desire to tell everyone you come in contact with about Him.

   I pray that sticks with you. We are coming to the end of the innocence of the "little girl" years. It isn't easy for me, but I'd much rather have you grow up than face the alternative! Watching you mature makes me bittersweetly nostalgic. I am excited to see where you will go, but at the same time I just want time to slow down a little! I feel this way much more frequently than I did when you were an adorable toddler, even.

   I'm just praying you hold on to the sweetness of spirit and joy for living that makes you *you*. You are incredibly kind and generous, creative and friendly. You've spent this year learning so many new things. You've stayed with hard things, like dance, determinedly practicing, not bent on being the star, but just on improving. You committed to working diligently in school, not complaining and getting your work done. You've taken a real interest in history, and blown me away by using the summer months to work hard in math so that you are now working a grade ahead. I thought sixth grade would be difficult, but you have surprised me!

    You've really made a name for yourself with your helpful willingness. I can count on you to do the work of an adult, practically, when we are volunteering at church! Watching you carefully pack Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes blessed me so much. You have a real heart for ministry. You always say you want to grow up to direct VBS and it probably won't be long before you are more qualified than I. I look forward to working for you! People genuinely love to have you around-the only credit I can take for that is all the prayers I have prayed for you. The rest is all the Lord.

    He knew we would need our ray of sunshine. In our little family you definitely can claim that! I love you so much it hurts sometimes, and I am praying constantly that the Lord shows me how to be the mom you need and deserve. Every time I write one of these letters I cry, not for the time that has passed, but for how blessed I am to get to call you my daughter. For how proud I am of you, for how intensely I love you, and how sweet it is to know you return those feelings. You are amazing, beautiful inside and out, and I love you.
                                                                                        Love,
                                                                                              Mom

To Jocelyn, On Your Tenth Birthday

I am assuming by now that you are used to your brother photo-bombing...;)

Dear Jocelyn,
              Double-digits! Finally! You've been waiting for this day since your birthday last year. Ten *is* pretty special, but I think that about all of your birthdays. I was nervous about your party-you've never had that many girls before. I shouldn't have worried, you are always the consummate hostess, making everyone feel welcomed.

    I always admire that about you-you can talk to anyone. You aren't afraid people will like you, and you shouldn't be. Adults are always telling me that you are so friendly and polite. You might talk a little too much (you came by that honestly!) but I think people would rather have more than less.

   You have done so much growing up this year, and in the very best of ways. You've tried new things, like taking dance, that are helping you to mature and become a very godly young woman. You aren't afraid to be yourself, and that is good because you are pretty wonderful.

   Your birthday party had to be big, because you are friends with everyone! You probably would have invited ten more girls if I had let you. You can talk to anyone, and you see the best in everyone. Your bubbly, encouraging nature makes it hard to not like you!

     And I think the biggest reason why everyone likes you is because you are constantly seeking opportunities to be more like Jesus. You really care about what the Bible has to say to you,and you want to apply it. Your faith is enormous-you know the Lord is faithful, so why is there any reason to doubt? Once you accepted Jesus you did what you always do: jumped in with both feet. And you have never looked back. You inspire me with your walk, and that is pretty impressive, since I have been at it a while myself. ;)

    I know we are on a down-hill slope to the teenage years, and that makes many parents nervous. I don't know what that will look like, but if you stay on the path you are on, I think I might be in for some delightful surprises. You aren't perfect, you've never claimed to be, but you do want to be more like Jesus, and I think that will pull us through.

   For now, though, I plan on enjoying these sweet fleeting days, when you are still very much a little girl. You take joy in childish things, and I hope you hold onto that for as long as possible. You still love dolls, and playgrounds, and playing in the snow. I am going to try to keep those things fun for as long as I can. Your enthusiasm for the small things in life is something I pray you never outgrow.

     I will be praying for lots of things-but most of all, that you stay close to Jesus. No matter what life brings, He is what it is all about. You are His, and He has good, good things in store for you. And I am glad I get to be a part of that. I love you, my happy, charming little girl. I hope you had a wonderful birthday-you deserve it.

                                                                                 Love Always,
                                                                                                 Mom

G.I.G.-Day 24

 

     Today is Jocelyn's birthday. I always write my kids a letter on their birthdays, and post it here on the blog. I thought about combining the two today, but that felt a little bit like cheating. So I will post the letter later, but I do want today to be all about Josie, and I know it won't be a problem to find twenty-four things that I am thankful for about her.

Today I am thankful that Josie is:

1. So loving. She really does love other people.

2. So kind. She likes to do little things to make others happy.

3. So helpful. She loves to clear strangers' trays at restaurants, much to their surprise. It is adorable.

4. So creative. I have never seen anyone who can literally take scraps and trash and turn them into cute and imaginative creations like she can.

5. So resilient. There isn't much that gets her down.

6. So happy. That is one of the first things almost everyone says about her!

7. So sweet. She has been leaving me the most thoughtful little notes lately-its adorable.

8. So brave. She is not afraid of anything-or anyone. Nothing daunts her.

9. So in love with Jesus. That has been my prayer for her since birth, and it has been answered over and over.

10. So mission-minded. She really does want the *whole* world to know about Jesus, and she is starting in her own backyard-literally.

11. So smart. She doesn't always show it, because she isn't concerned with "impressing" people, but she is pretty darn intelligent.

12. So adventurous. She loves to try new things.

13. Not easily pressured. I never realized what a blessing that is in a child until I had the opportunity to really observe them. She doesn't go with the crowd for the sake of pleasing others-and this has been a good thing more often than not.

14. Easy to get along with. People like to spend time with her.

14. Friendly. I had a hard time with this as a kid and I really admire it in her.

15. In love with the Word. Reading it, memorizing it, talking about it. I like to think she gets that from me. ;)

16. Persevering. She doesn't give up easily. 

17. Concerned with doing right. She really wants to obey the Lord, and probably more than anything else, that is how I get her to correct her behavior, by reminding her what God wants her to do.

18. Full of energy. She is always bouncing around, and never seems to tire of helping others.

19. A dedicated church-goer. She loves the Body and never gets tired of going to church. I have never had her complain about it.

20. Polite. Another things she often receives compliments on-it makes my heart happy.

21. A good big sister. She loves Carson, and is really a good example for him.

22. Teachable. She is strong-willed, but as she matures in Christ she becomes more and more willing to learn.

23. Easy to please. Little things make her happy, which makes it fun to give her any little thing. She isn't hard to buy things for.

24. Good at sharing. Really important since her brother is terrible at it.;)

  I could probably list even more things that I am thankful for, but I will talk about that in my letter. Who makes you thankful today?

To Jocelyn, On Her 7th Birthday

 Dear Josie,
               It is your seventh birthday! So many things have happened this year, it is hard to know where to begin. I have spent a lot of time learning how to trust God: that He will keep you safe, that He will give you the things you need, that He will show me how to be a godly mom to you.

He has far surpassed my expectations. You are the sweetest, most cheerful, Jesus-loving little girl. And you aren't growing up too fast. You still have that child-like sense of wonder, while having a very intuitive awareness. You are so interested in the Bible. You are always asking me questions. (Some of which I have a very hard time answering! You asked me the other day if Satan had children-not sure where that came from!) You still love Awana, and in the spring we were both surprised to find that you were "Clubber of the Year"- a high honor for learning the most sections in your club! I am so proud of you.

You make friends easily, and you aren't concerned with whether they are older or younger, boy or girl. You aren't self-conscious, either. You think that you are pretty, and smart, and talented-but not in a boastful or proud way. Just a contentment in truly believing that God make you special. And He certainly did! Your God-given confidence is one of the things I admire the most about you.

You love to have fun! A party, a friend's house, or just jumping on me and your Dad's bed at night. You definitely have a lot of "otter" in your personality! You love to make up songs, and create things. You make the coolest crafts out of paper and tape. You made a whole "box of donuts" the other day, and you make little purses and fill them with all kinds of notebook paper accessories. It is just the cutest thing! You will play for hours by yourself-your imagination is huge and you are never limited by what something is intended for-everything has a million uses in your eyes.

You are doing so well in school this year. Last year was a struggle, but we persevered and the Lord has really been gracious since we started second grade. You love math! That makes me so happy. You love "Hairastitch Studies" (Heritage Studies, or history), too, because you get to do crafts. You love crafts! You started reading independently too. Your first chapter book, The Boxcar Children, was read on the plane on the way to Aunt Robyn's.

You have been a traveling maniac- you had your first "week away" at Grams' house, and you were so homesick I came to get you early! We stayed at Grammy's for a month, and did VBS and celebrated birthdays. Then we got to go to Aunt Robyn's in North Carolina, to be there for baby Gwendalyn's birth. You love your cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents, and all the other family, so much! You cry so hard every time we leave, it breaks my heart. You love being with your family!

You love VBS,too. Miss Kelly named you honorary VBS co-director this year. You proclaimed yourself the "Queen of VBS"! You tirelessly help, and figure and plan. You get so excited that it is contagious! You attended three VBS this year- ours, Grams' and Grammy's! You could have lead the music by the end, but you never got tired of it! You are already gearing up for next year. And Mr. Jeff, the new children's minister, loves your input, too!

You lost your first tooth this year, and took ice skating again, and spent tons of time riding your bike, and listening to Adventures in Odyssey, Jamie Grace and Toby Mac. You are really liking hanging out with your Dad, and you play so well with your brother. Carson loves you so much- and you are a great big sister. It was a full, busy, but wonderful year. I can't wait to see what "seven" brings. I know the Lord has great plans for you! I love you so much, and am always praying for you.

                                                                                   Love,

                                                                                         Mother (what you always call me!)

Easy Easter 2012

 First, let me apologize for the poor photo quality. I have been having problems with my camera, and I am not quite sure how to fix them. If I stage the photo just right, and make sure I have tons of natural light, then I can usually get a decent photo. However, the nature of children is to be ever moving and never quite where you want them to be, so many of my pics lately have been less than perfect. One day, a DSLR. Today, problematic point and shoot....

Anyway, Easter fell right in the middle of some insane business in our house. It seems like I am always saying how busy we are, but truly this was out of the ordinary. I spent Friday finishing up JBF stuff (consignment sale) and then we babysit for some friends so they could go out for a birthday. Saturday we had an Easter egg hunt at church, which I got zero pictures of because I was manning the VBS registration table. Which, I also had to make clipboards for, did that on Friday too. Also on Saturday, Sarah and I were decorating for a baby shower. I spent Thursday, Friday and some of Saturday afternoon working on that. I am hoping to post photos soon, because I forgot my camera, but *thankfully* I had my snazzy new IPhone. I hope I got some decent shots! Anyone know how to do that?

So, all that said, (and by the way, Tuesday of that next week was Carson's birthday AND JBF drop-off, so still the craziness was not over) so I really wanted a low-key day. And I got one. It was wonderful. Joel picked up donut holes for the kids, and we surprised them with the basket above while they were still in bed.

 I filled large eggs with two donut holes each. I call those preschool eggs because they are just perfect for toddlers. I like to keep them on hand, in case I have something bigger that I want to put in an egg. In this case, it was breakfast!

 They loved it! They both love donuts, but they had never had donut holes before. Besides, having breakfast in bed is always a treat.

 I may have snuck a couple of chocolate rabbits in there, too. Jocelyn always loves candy, but especially at breakfast time!

 Of course, church was on the agenda. I was running the VBS table again, so we had to be there early. This photo so reminded me of "American Gothic". Jocelyn is definitely not an early bird, and the sun shining in her eyes wasn't helping!

 I did get this adorable photo of my two best guys. Carson has black dress shoes, but I couldn't resist pairing his Converse with his outfit. He is such a little hipster!

 After church we skipped the traditional ham dinner in favor of Qdoba. I was pretty much tapped out from all the busyness so I couldn't even think to plan something in advance. I am so blessed to have such a great family that doesn't care about those things. It also gave us time to just relax together. And stock Easter baskets.

 The baskets are always a hit, but "Baby Chewie" was Carson's favorite. When I saw the tiny stuffed Chewbacca at Target I couldn't pass it up. And I am glad I didn't!

 I won't lie. It pained me to let them hunt eggs looking like this. The perfectionist in me wanted to send them to change clothes-preferable something spring colored with a collared shirt for Carson and something not so short for Josie. But I am trying to battle that OCD so I let them hunt eggs looking like homeless children. In mini skirts and pajamas. Ugh. Jocelyn is checking to see how many eggs Carson has found.

 They were as adorable as ever. We mixed all their eggs together (Usually I separate them into sections, so they each get their own dozen eggs) and it actually made it really fun. They didn't even fight over who got the most eggs. I love those kids.

 The surprise hit of the whole day was the glow in the dark egg hunt. I had briefly glimpsed a photo on Pinterest of a glowing egg. I assumed (correctly, I found out later) that it was activated glow sticks in eggs. I took glow bracelets from the Dollar Store and shoved them in light colored eggs.

 They loved hunting eggs in the dark! I didn't even put any candy in them, just the bracelets. We didn't give them flashlights, so the eggs were actually pretty hard to find, but in a good way.

 My camera doesn't like the dark. I have no idea why it looks like it is snowing in these photos. Carson's outfit just keeps getting better doesn't it? Loving the flip flops. Oh well. Anyway, the glow in the dark egg hunt wrapped up our night. It was a really nice day.

One last photo. Jocelyn's egg hunting basket (I don't let them drag their Longabergers around the yard-those are keepsakes!) got broken after the church egg hunt. I was a little frustrated with her. She proceeded to make her own basket! It was so cute. She decorated a shoebox all on her own and tied on some ribbon she found. She was so proud. I loved it. She is such a little artist! Glad to see that creativity isn't necessarily genetic...

April Foolin'

April 1st is just one of those things that creeps up on you and then suddenly it is there before you can even think about it. I love the idea of fun, playful "pranks" -especially for my kids. This year, I was finally able to do some. I think they really enjoyed it!

I got most of my ideas from Family Fun. If you have never looked at their April Fool's Day section, they have some fantastic ideas. Some are really simple, while others can involve a lot of planning and preparation. Being true to my nature, I stuck with the easy ones!

First, Joel and I planned to have some stuffed animals "eat" the kids breakfast. I had bought donuts the day before and we just emptied the box, all except for some crumbs. Then we positioned the animals on the table like this:

Jocelyn is serious about her donuts. She didn't really believe that the animals were the guilty party until we gave her a poptart to eat. Carson thought it was funny, although he was a little bummed that all the donuts were gone.

We even put powdered sugar on the animals' faces so it really looked like they enjoyed themselves! The gorilla is holding a little bit of the "last" donut.

 It really wasn't too hard to set this up- and in the end the kids thought it was really funny. I just put the donuts in a ziploc and hid them in the pantry.

 One of the things that I got from Family Fun was these adorable "doughnut seed" packets. (Update as of 3/2016: The Family Fun printable is no longer available, but try this cute, and still free, one that is similar from Printables 4 Mom)The printable was so easy to use! I glued the packets together and filled them with Frosted Cheerios. The kids gave them to their Sunday School teachers. It was so cute to see them shout, "April Fool's!"

I also got the idea for these jello "juice drinks" from Family Fun. I used strawberry jello, and made it according to the directions. I re-filled the little barrel drinks, that way the kids couldn't really see that the juice wasn't moving. I made it the night before so it had plenty of time to chill. 

The kids were hilarious trying to get the juice out. Josie said it was frozen, which I thought was a pretty smart guess. They sucked at the straws for about three minutes before Josie finally pulled out her straw and realized what it was.

She thought it was cool that she could hold her drink upside down. They enjoyed their breakfast of jello and donuts- healthy, huh? Josie loved it all so much by the end of the day she was thinking up jokes of her own! I think I will really be in for it next year...



Thanksgiving and A Birthday

My Thanksgiving baby had another Thanksgiving birthday this year. Josie was born on a Thanksgiving Thursday and this year she turned six on Thanksgiving day. It was fun to remember all the excitement of her delivery! Her dad gave her flowers (she loves flowers, such a girl!) as a wake-up gift.

 Her brother gave her pajamas and bunny slippers for Kit. She was thrilled! I thought it was hilarious that she slept with her bow in- it made her look so cute for her photos. Usually, we do breakfast in bed, but since we weren't going out for lunch, we had a special birthday breakfast at McDonald's. A sausage McGriddle is one of the birthday girl's favorite things.

 We had been invited to have dinner at our friends' house, so we had a very peaceful morning. I whipped up my most favorite Thanksgiving dish, sweet potato casserole, while the rest of the family took in the Black Friday ads and the parade.

 I wanted to snap a shot of one of our favorite traditions: watching the Macy's parade. Jocelyn couldn't believe it was on when I was a little girl. We really should have a tradition of watching the dog show-that is what I watched while I was in labor with her!

 I also wanted a good picture of my two favorite turkeys. I got some really good ones-for once! This one is such an accurate representation of their personalities.

 Josie was excited to get to spend her birthday with her best friend, Hannah. I was excited that I didn't have to cook! Lunch was delicious, thanks to my dear friend, Sarah, and her sweet mom. It is so nice to not have to spend the holiday with just our little family. I always miss my wonderful extended family, and it helps make it a little easier when you are with good friends.

 Jocelyn discovered a love of pumpkin pie! It is kind of tough to fit 6 candles in a little piece of pie- next time her birthday is on Thanksgiving we will have to put them on the whole thing!

 A girl after my own heart: she used her candles to lick all the Cool Whip off her plate. Pumpkin pie without cool whip is like a mashed potatoes without gravy-except for worse!

 Another favorite tradition is making a snack-craft. We did turkeys last year and this year I copied these little acorns from my sister.

 These were a snap, and the kids loved making them! It is:half a mini Nutter Butter cookie, an unwrapped Hershey's kiss and a mini chocolate chip (we stuck ours on with a little bit of peanut butter piped out of sandwich baggie). So easy, so cute!

They were obviously a hit with Carson, who clearly takes after his dad. Josie had a great birthday, and we had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Who can go wrong with good food and great friends?

To Josie, on Her 6th Birthday

Dear Josie,
             What a year this has been! Far and away, the biggest and best memory I will have of this year is that you were saved. I never realized how hard it is to trust that the Lord will draw your child to Himself when the time is right. I have wanted for you to have Jesus in your heart since before you were born. I have prayed that He would give me the right words to say, and not let me get in the way, and He didn't!

You came to me one day in January (I wish I had written down which one) and said, "I prayed to Jesus, and asked Him into my heart during rest time". You told me that it had been a few days before. I was a little hesitant- I mean, you were so little, barely five! But you had been asking a lot of questions, and the more we talked to you about it, the more we realized, you had figured out how much you needed Jesus. And I hope you will see that you always will.

Miss Kelly, one of the best teachers ever, talked to you about it a lot, too. She knew you were ready, and she has been so instrumental in discipling you. You have been so excited, telling everyone you know about Jesus, and how to accept Him as Savior.

You were so ready to be baptized! It took a long time, for a lot of different reasons, but finally you were baptized last Sunday. You were so proud, and so very excited. Your dad was very nervous, but he did a great job. He talked about how " when your 5 year old tells you she accepted Jesus, you think she is too young to know what she is talking about, but after you listen to her you realize you might be too old to know what you are talking about!" and he shared Philippians 1:9-11. We picked those verses for just for you.

"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,  filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God." Philippians 1:9-11

When Daddy asked you if you had accepted Jesus into your heart, you so proudly and clearly said, "Yes." It was one of the sweetest moments of my life.

And, of course, you did plenty of other things this year. You have learned how to ride your bike, cross the monkey bars, and tell time. You love playing with your birthday gift, Kit. You spend hours with your Barbies and Pollys. Drawing entertains you endlessly, too, and secretly I hope that you will continue to be artistic.

You are so confident, and I love that. You have lots of friends, but your best friends are Hannah and Rebekah. You are polite and fearless. I hope you keep your great sense of self-esteem. You are created in God's image-so you should be confident in His love. You are a wonderful big sister, sharing and taking care of Carson. I see you always thinking about everything-and you are so curious!

Some other things: you love to eat your vegetables (every mom's dream!) and bell pepper and carrots are your favorite. You love an apple with the peel on, too. You love to watch "Mythbusters" and "Chopped" with me and your dad. You love to play outside, and are great friends with all the kids in the neighborhood. You love listening to me read from the "Little House on the Prairie" series.,

 You are a CHAMP at learning your Awana verses. You passed your book and review in less than one-third of the time you were supposed to. I am so proud of your love for God's Word! I hope that stays with you.

I love you so much. I am so thankful for you, and I love that your birthday is on Thanksgiving this year, just like the year you were born. And this year, I am thankful for your new birth in Christ. He gave you to me, and it thrills my heart to know that you belong to Him. You are so wonderful, and I can't imagine having a better daughter. I love you.
                                                                                              Love,
                                                                                                    Mother
                                                                                (because that is what you always call me!)

Josie's "Best Birthday Ever!"

Josie has known since her dear friend's party at American Girl (in March!) that she, too, wanted to have an "American Girl Store Birthday Party and the Cheesecake Factory" celebration. The heart knows what it wants. Anyway, in order to avoid the holiday rush, we scheduled her party before her birthday. That did not seem to bother her in the slightest...

I don't consider myself to be super "girly". Feminine, yes, but not so much into high heels, make-up. poofy dresses and bling. Josie is the exact opposite. She wanted to have the whole look for her big day. She loves to dress up! She posed for a photo by the display window of the store.

She was joined by her two "bestest of best" friends. They all delighted in opening every little box and bag at the store to ooh and ahh over the tiny things. I may have been guilty of a little of that, too!

My little cheeseball. She could not make a decision about her doll. We had spent almost an hour in the store, literally inspecting every single doll! I tried not to push her towards Marie-Grace (who just so happened to be 25% off- a significant amount when each doll is $100!) I really wanted it to be her choice.

In the end, she selected Kit. An excellent choice, if I do say so myself. They bear a little bit of resemblance to each other, and I had heard horror stories concerning the upkeep of the dolls with the long hair. Kit's is nice and short- a typical 1930's bob.

Josie anxiously watching while the purchase is completed. I think she told everyone in the store that it was her birthday party.

Someone kindly gifted her with a sticker to announce it. Her dad gave her money to buy whatever she wanted, as a special gift from him. She choose, Grace, Kit's basset hound. I think that is an adorable name for a dog- especially a basset!

Aunt Robyn generously provided the money to have Kit's ears pierced. Josie is dying to have her own ears pierced, but I am not ready for that quite yet. Both of Josie's friends also decided that they wanted to have their dolls ears done, too.

The three princesses waiting on their dolls. They were by far the cutest girls in the store!

If you ever want to get a million compliments on your daughter, put her in a frilly dress, do up her hair and let her wear heels. People kept stopping me to tell me how beautiful she was. She, of course, ate it up with a spoon! Also the perfect time for her to interject, "it's my birthday party", cue more compliments!

Finally, she got to hold her doll, all ear-piercing complete! I love the little bag they gave us with the extra earrings.

Headed to dinner. Josie was insistent on bringing her stroller for her new friend. It was pretty darn cute to watch her wheel Kit around.

Josie's dress came with a matching one that fit Kit. Of course, Kit had to do a costume change before dinner, so they could be twins.

Michael's has the CUTEST American Girl doll party supplies. Each doll got her own plate, place mat and cup. EEEK! I almost couldn't stand the cuteness. They also had a great craft set so each girl was able to make two headbands and two bracelets for her doll. It was a wonderful activity for taking up the time while we waited on the food. It would have been even better if it hadn't been so dark! But they still had fun (although after trying to tie clear string in the dark it is a wonder the three moms aren't blind!). You can see Josie explaining her headband technique to her friend. (Just in case you were wondering, I did NOT pay full price for the things-providentially, there were 50% of coupons the week of her party!)

Josie, sharing a sip with Kit. The paper goods also went well with the mini favors that I packed for each girl. They had tiny packages of candy (mini Tootsie Pops, Haribo gummy bears, etc.) teeny notepads, mini cameras, and little Hello Kitty tins that looked like purses. Everything was doll-sized!

The fun didn't stop! Josie had a great time opening her presents. She got one of the best little girl gifts- a purse filled with fun things.

She got a little ambitious pulling out all the tissue paper!

Josie with Grace. Aren't they adorable?

This, too, was also adorable, errr delicious! I tried the new Hershey's cheesecake: chocolate mousse, chocolate cake, chocolate ganache, chocolate cheesecake=yum!

Josie's special birthday sundae. She was beaming while the servers sang to her. The one time that happened to me, I cried. Josie just eats up all the attention!

She also love that the plate read "Happy Birthday Josie!!" in chocolate and sprinkles.

After everyone was packed full of dinner (all the girls had mini corn dogs, by the way, which I thought was hilarious!) my good friend suggested the most beautiful photo spot. I think they should model, don't you?

This one, however is my favorite. She is such a special little girl. Hard to believe she will be six soon. She just kept saying, over and over, that it was "the best birthday ever". I'm glad.