What Jim Bob Says: A Reminder To Myself

Jim Bob Duggar says that for every time you correct or reprimand your child you must praise them ten more times than that and if you have the opportunity do it front of others, do it.  Praise those little character qualities that make them shine.  Those that God gave them to bless others.

 So what do I do with a day that was just the opposite of that?
Today was filled with a lot of correcting, and a lot of repeating.  Motherhood involves a lot of repeating.  Motherhood involves a lot of repeating.  Did I already say that?
I even get tired of hearing me say things, so I'm sure that they do too.

I feel like I need to do some damage control tomorrow with a lot of hugging, and a lot of reminding them how wonderfully they are created.  Until the morning, I'll just hope one day they'll read my blog and forget about the days that I reprimanded them all the live long day and remember that I find them absolutely amazing.
Libby is filled with so much wonder at the world, so much passion, that it is contagious.  Maggie is naturally thoughtful and very caring.  She thanks me for almost every meal with out being prompted to do so.  Also, if you kiss her head, she will quite often kiss your head back which is very nice.  When you hold our darling boy he leans into you like he is thankful you are holding him, it makes me feel important to him when he does this.

Precious children that I love, oh so much...

and because it is the big one, formally know as my Little, in particular that has been giving me a run for my money this week I'll end this post by praising her passion.
 She is so much fun.  For months she has been telling me that Daddy was going to have a Stihl party for his birthday.  She had so much fun picking out orange and black things for his birthday and helping me decorate for it.  She could barely contain her excitement for his big day.  Like I said, her passion is contagious, just read it in her face.

the orange and black party table

Waiting for him to see the surprise

Pushing the dog out of the way so that she could show Daddy his party

Present time

I don't think that I realized that I was focusing on her instead of him

I think this is my new favorite picture.  I love the way he is looking at them!

Grace and Peace

xoxo

This Time Last Year

 At this time last year this little boy was a tiny baby in my mind that I was dreaming of each night.  He laid inside my big belly just so.  I could feel exactly where his little leg was.  I had an ultra sound photo of his leg.  Footballer for sure we thought.  Sometimes I squeeze his leg now so I can remember what it felt like then.  It is much chubbier now.

 At this time last year I didn't know just how sweet he would be.  "He's a good natured baby isn't he?"  That is what people tell me.  Why, yes he is.  He is very good.  He rolls with life, but give him room to play and he will. I think he might be "the bull in a china shop" type.  He is so fast. Sometimes I blame my little girls for messes that are made only to learn that they were created by him.

 At this time last year, I knew that this year would fly by.  I knew that I would wake up this summer and wonder how it could have been a year ago that I carried him.  A year ago I waited for him.  A year ago I couldn't believe that I was going to have a son.  Sometimes I still can't believe that I have a little boy.  He is so big now.  He is fast.  Really fast.  He can climb stairs.  Fast.  He has six teeth.  He bites.  He eats a lot.  He eats just about anything we put in front of him with passion.
He is handsome.  His eyes are sparkly blue just like his Dad's and his sisters.  He looks just like Kevin.  He loves to be with his family.  He giggles and squeals when the girls are wild.  He lays his head on Kevin's chest when he comes home from work.  He is happy when it's just me and him. I'm still his favorite, but I know that will change soon...Daddy is getting cooler by the day.  He says "mama" when he needs me.  He makes a perfect car noise.  He learned that all on his own.

He is just a few days shy of ten months old.
Loving him is an easy thing to do.  We are blessed by his little life.

Grace and Peace

S'mores Taste Better When You Make Them With Friends

 A couple of months ago we learned that our good friends the Masons were leaving old Virginia to take a job in Kentucky.  Because we live Virginia Beach now, and they were in Richmond, my children didn't actually realize they were gone.

 We were excited that they decided to come this way for their family vacation and let us be part of it.  The Masons are easy company.  They're the kind of folks that you know are still going to be your friend even if your darling daughter tattles on their son ever 5 seconds.  I can hear her now "Beth, Robbie is making a funny face at the camera."

 Kevin checked the tides and assured everyone that this was a perfect spot to dig our hole for our fire pit.

 Fires and preschoolers scare me.  Thankfully, I was trapped inside the house with Cooper, who refused to go to sleep  was gently being rocked to sleep.

 This is Rodanthe, NC.  I think that there is something special about this place.  It is peaceful and unpredictable all at the same time.

We only stayed a couple of days, but in the end I wished that we had stayed longer.  Holidays are nice, I don't know why we don't take them more often.

 There I am up on the deck with Cooper, who still wasn't sleeping.  I really wanted a roasted marshmallow so bad.

 Here are some shots of everyone else enjoying their s'mores.  Don't they look tasty?

I made it down just in time for the tide to roll in and put out our fire.
Sad.
Enjoy our vacation pictures.
Grace and Peace

Beach Children

I'm pretty sure that God made the beach especially for my children.

 The beach makes them run and laugh and play.

 The beach makes them stare out at the sea and look way to grown up.

The beach makes them smile.

Then I smile because watching them play is one of my favorite things.

Shark Bites

Because our house in Rodanthe sat just a short walk from the pier, we would be negligent if we did not take a walk to explore it.

 I would be negligent if I didn't force my, slightly grouchy but willing to oblige five year old, to stop and take a picture on our walk in her trendy little beach hoody.

 "Just one more, hug your sister, and hug her and mean it."  I barely got this picture.  They weren't feeling in the sister mood at this point.  Especially the big one.

 "C'mon kids, please give me some picture worthy moments, just one."

 Here are our family obligatory shots...the Masons.  We're sad that they are Kentuckians now.  It's too far away, and I barely know where Kentucky is on a map. Just kidding, it is by Ohio and West Virginia.  Right?

 The Joneses.  Poor Coop, one day he will walk with rest of us and be in pictures properly instead of being a prop.  He was sleeping.  Praise the Lord he was sleeping, and Kevin was carrying him, and he was sleeping.  He is a fragile little guy when it comes to sleeping.

 Below is my favorite part of our evening on the pier.
The children realized that one of the fisherman caught a shark and they were desperate to see it.

Notice Beth's pregnant belly, this is how I looked last year at the beach

 They quickly ran over to get a better look at it, while he was pulling the hook out.

 That is when Libby looked down and realized that her little white dress had specks of fresh sharks blood all over the front.

 I wish you could have heard her high pitched "sharks blood, on my dress!"  Thankfully, it helped to change her grumpy mood into a silly one.

Following this incident everyone that came in contact with us learned of the sharks blood on her dress.

In other news, I am becoming a stain removing master.

Sharks blood be gone.

Shadows

Give me a camera at sunset while the kids are playing and I am pretty much unstoppable.  My darling are diligently hunting for crabs, with little flashlights.

 My friend Beth is always prepared.  Somehow, while packing for a huge vacation, she remembered to pack four mini flash lights so that my children could hunt for crabs too.  She did this because she knew that I would never ever think to pack flash lights for hunting crabs.

 She not only provided hours of fun for everyone, she avoided the possible disputes that would have occurred if she had only thought to pack one flashlight.

My friend Beth is a genius.