Brotherly love

When Allen and I first got married, I only wanted to have one child. I wasn't sure if I could be a good mom to more than one child. After 6 years of marriage, I started to wonder if I wanted to have kids at all. Luckily God intervened, and I got pregnant with Laney.

She was about 8 months old when I decided I wanted another. So much for an only child. I wanted my kids to be close in age, since I didn't have that growing up. Thankfully, blessedly, amazingly I was pregnant again when Laney was 18 months old.

I was so excited that they would be close in age. I just prayed that Jude and Laney would be close all their lives. It's even on my list of things I'm believing God for!!!!

They get along so incredibly well, and I'm amazed at their closeness and their love for each other. I remember the first time they held hands across their car seats. My heart was happy.

Anyway, Laney wrote this book the other day, and it really put into words what I wanted for her and for Jude. I'll be glad to
translate for you!!!

"I love Jude" by Laney

"When Jude was born, I was very...

happy that I had somebody to play with and as Jude got bigger...

I got to play with him. Now I love him to the moon.

I kiss him every time I see him. The end."

I just love to watch them, and listen to them.

Laney asked me yesterday if she could call Jude "sweetheart."

I said, "Well, you'll have to ask Jude about that."

He replied, "She can call me whatever she wants to."

I told Laney that I would help Jude make a book for her called, "I love Laney." Jude is excited about that...

I am just so thankful for how God is blessing our family. I am just amazed at His goodness.

Satan is patient

Jennifer has already heard these ramblings today, so I'm giving her fair warning so she can go peruse someone else's blog!!

I picked up Battlefield of the Mind this week, just to read, and I didn't get past the first few sentences. Where I got stuck is the idea that Satan is patient. Evil, cunning, plotting, seeking, father of lies, and horrific. I had all that.

Patient??

He's much more patient than me. Waiting, watching. Never faltering in knowing that if he just waits long enough.

Patience isn't my strong suite. I get antsy. Let's go, already. I start praying over something, and then I'm ready to see some action. None comes, so I go on to something else. Leaving wide open an area of my life that needs tending. Needs guarding. Needs the protection of prayer.

I'm off-on to something, and Satan sees an opening. Because he wasn't hasty. He was willing to wait. He has nothing to lose, really. His demise is certain. He can wait. He gets pleasure in the knowing that he can cause such pain, destruction and misery. All because he can out wait me.

So I've decided that I can outlast Satan. I can pray over the areas in my life that needs the Lord's protection. I can be more diligent that Satan. I can do better than he can.

I've seen recently firsthand the result of Satan outlasting and out persevering someone who once served the Lord. It can happen to any of us. Not one of us is safe, unless we are willing to outlast the Devil.

Scary stuff.

"Be of sober spirit, be on the alert Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith..."

Oh Lord, show me how to stay firm in my faith. Show me where I am weak. Show me where I am vulnerable. Show me where there is a crack in my fence. I don't want to give the Devil any pleasure.

My thankful list

I just need to be thankful today:

I love the location of my house and the neighborhood it's in. It's clean to, by the way. The house, that is. Or as clean as it's going to be with three little people.

Allen and I had a great weekend, and I'm very blessed by my husband.

I have great friends. One even made me sushi today.

I love the warm weather and sunshine we had today.

We have been so healthy in the midst of so much sickness.

I am thankful that God isn't letting me rest where I am spiritually.

I love me some love!

We had such a great Valentine's Day. We started off the day with a Valentine's breakfast, complete with heart shaped cereal and heart shaped toast. The kids got treats from us and Mimi, and cards from Grandmother. Then we met friends at Chick-fil-A for a breakfast play date. We then headed to Ronda's house for a Valentine's party. The kids made "mailboxes" and then traded Valentines. Whew. Such great fun...

That night, Allen got off work early, and brought home Tortuga's pizza, his favorite. That was his treat, along with some new Alabama pants. He surprised me with roses, chocolates (Okay, I told him to bring those home...) a new David Crowder cd and this super cool balloon!!! He knows me so well...

We munched on pizza, chocolate cake (another of Allen's surprises), heart shaped donuts from Krispy Kreme and watched "Lost." It was such a great way to end the day.

I love Valentine's Day so much. It's a little happy spot in the winter!

Washable doesn't *always* mean washable

Jude so kindly left out a nice green marker today. While we were *trying* to do school, Zane so kindly colored on my wall. Grrrrr.....

After much scrubbing with my every trusty vinegar/water combo and not having much luck, I realized we needed to pull out the big guns. I pulled from my arsenal the Magic Eraser. Not so magic after all...

All that scrubbing, and it got reduced to this: (It's much darker than it appears)

Now if you are laughing, either one of two things are happening. 1. Your children aren't old enough to pull this kind of stunt. 2. Your children are too old to pull this kind of stunt.

"So, Amy, what was Zane doing while you were scrubbing with your toxic not-so-Magic scrubby? Cowering in the corner, feeling much remorse for his bad deed???"

Oh, not so, my friend. He was using the newly moved-so-Mommy-could -vacuum-up-all-the-stuff-on-the-floor chairs to play in the sink FULL of dishes. He's learned to pose for the camera too, by the way. I know that's hard to tell by this photo.

*sigh*

I'm going to miss these days, you know. That's what they tell me.

And any suggestions for what to do with my wall is much appreciated. Moving the mirror down isn't an option. It might bonk a kid on the head and cause damage... Okay, tempting, but still not an option.

There is progress on the house, though. I can't post pics of the kitchen yet, though. David Crowder and I are about to go tackle that now...

There's a ton of laundry on the sofa to be folded, but at least the laundry is moving through the proper channels. And you *can* dig through the pile for clean underwear if the need arises.

Hope your day was green marker free. :)

My house is a wreck

I just said this to Hayes, and she chuckled and said, "Sure it is."

Okay, I know I can be a bit Stepford, but seriously, this is *bad.*

I don't even know where to start. Usually I just click into overdrive, and bust it and get it done. But I don't have an overdrive mode today, and we've been so busy this week that I'm exhausted. Zane is super fussy and the others are high maintenance.

So I'm posting pics to make *you* feel better about your house. Which is, I'm sure, perfectly clean. Dinner is on your table, and you've been a patient and kind mother all day. This is what I tell myself, anyway. :P

Jackie and I did this once. We were having a "fight" about whose clean laundry waiting-to-be-folded pile was bigger. We both sent each other pictures, and I think I won. I laughed so hard, and it made me feel better about *my* pile.

So here's hoping I make your day. I know my mess wins. I just know it does!!

David Crowder and I are off to make a gourmet dinner of turkey dogs and broccoli. Don't you wish you lived here??? :)

From us to you

Laney did a great job!! We hope your *heart* day is wonderful!!!!

John 15:12

"This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.