Life at 4

Noelle's 4th birthday was not only fun, but quite unforgettable!

We started the day with a mad dash to the a morning show of Alice in Wonderland at the Stahl Family Theater

Once the performance was over and the actors had taken they're bow, Alice surprised us all by announcing that it was Noelle's birthday. She called her to the stage and everyone in the auditorium sang Happy Birthday to her!

Poor thing. You should have seen her face. The girl was in a state of pure shock!

Here is a picture of her and Bella with some of the actors.



After the performance, we went to Dunkin Donuts for munchkins and iced coffee (because what would be a birthday without iced coffee?) Later, we stopped at Target (because what would be a birthday without a trip to Target?)

In the evening we had cake, ice cream, and the birthday girl opened her gifts.

Before she went to bed I said to her, The Lord really you blessed, huh?"

She replied, "Yeah, I got everything I always wanted."

Ah, life at 4...so simple, yet so extraordinary.

Happy Birthday Noelle!

Today is Noelle is turning 4 years old! I am dedicating this post to all things Noelle.
















About Noelle:

• Noelle was born a few days before Thanksgiving and a week past her due date.
• Noelle practically skipped crawling entirely and walked at 9 months.
• She was an early social smiler.

Noelle's Likes:

• Noelle loves to help others and to learn new things.
• She doesn't like to leave home without her purse.
• Her favorite devotion song is "God is a good God."
• She never passes up a good game of "Hide and Seek."
• She never passes up a good powdered sugar donut.
• She loves the entire concept of Birthdays and is genuinely excited when anyone has one (so you can imagine how she feels today!).

Things we love about Noelle:

• Her adorable dimple!
• Her vibrant and friendly personality.
• The way she initiates helping at the grocery store by putting items in the cart and on the checkout counter.
• The way she randomly tells us she loves us throughout the day.
• Her polite demeanor and the way she always remembers to say grace before she eats.

We love you Noelle! Happy Birthday!

Simple Meals for Busy Moms

Lindsay at Passionate Homemaking is hosting the Nourishing Crockpot Carnival. Over 50 bloggers have jumped at the opportunity to share their favorite crockpot recipes!

You can share your own or just browse through the links to find new ones to try. Enjoy!

Words from the Wise

The picture above is of Maggie Erber teaching a seminar at the 2009 Mother Daughter Tea. Maggie is the mother of 8 children & grandmother of 7.

I had the pleasure of hearing her share some of her experiences and wisdom on motherhood at the 2009 Tea. Below are some of the notes I took during Maggie's seminar. I hope that they will be as much of a blessing to you as they were to me.

*Please Note: I am paraphrasing her words, these are not quotes.

When you're feeling overwhelmed...

• We honor God by continuing on the path he put us on, even when its hard, knowing that God has a plan for us.

• When you're feeling overwhelmed, just do the next right thing that is in front of you (that may be praying, cooking dinner, or giving the baby a bath). That's the thing you have grace for.

When you're losing perspective...

• God says that holiness is beautiful. When we think like God, then holiness is beautiful to us(Psalm 29).

• A mother sacrificing her life to take care of her children is beautiful. (Titus 2 & Proverbs 31).

When you're struggling to have a good attitude...

• The fruit of the spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galations 5:2).

• Doing daily tasks with joy and the fruit of the spirit shows your children that holiness is beautiful and enjoyable. It causes your children to want to walk in the same path.

• You may not feel like doing it, but actions lead and feelings follow.

When you're feeling like an inadequate parent...

• Even though you see your faults, teaching your children to honor you, teaches them to honor God.

• Teaching them to obey your low patient voice, prepares them to obey God's still small voice.

In the mood for a little...

...praise and worship?

There's nothing like a little praise and worship music playing behind the daily noise of dishes banging, children playing, and dinner cooking!

The video below is of the artists from the Glory Revealed record. They are singing an awesome version of Mighty to Save on TBN.

Artists include: Candi Pearson, Mac Powell (from Third Day;) and Shane and Shane.

The chorus says,

My Saviour, He can move the mountains,
My God is Mighty to save,
He is Mighty to save.
Forever, Author of salvation,
He rose and conquered the grave,
Jesus conquered the grave.

Had a rough day? Go ahead and push play. Then turn up the volume, lift your hands, sing along, and worship Him right in the middle of the kitchen! You'll feel better.

The 3 Amigos

Since Noah has been getting around on all fours, he and his sisters have become an unstoppable force!

You can tell that he thinks he is "in" by the way his face lights up and his legs kick whenever he hears their giggles coming near. Hubby and I have been getting a good laugh out of seeing the way he trails behind them from room to room, trying to get in on the "action."

I don't think I grasped the joy I would feel as a parent, watching my children develop a strong bond with each other. My only reservation about their playing is that the girls seem to already have a tendency to designate my baby boy as "the monster" during their play. The nerve!

Of course, this only causes me to want to have another boy in order to even out the playing field;)

Why I Love Being Married #1: I Look *Good*

I've concluded that there are some things that can only occur in the context of this holy, sacred, kinship-forming, gift from God called marriage.

There are just some things that can only carry a certain weight when coming from one spouse to another. No other human bond can match it.

Take this conversation I had with hubby for instance...

Hubby returned today from a weekend in Texas. In the midst of our catching up on each other's lives, our conversation took a turn like this:

Me: (feeling sorry for myself) "Yeah, I've been dieting all weekend. I actually have a hunger headache, like right now."

Hubby: "Honey, you've had 3 babies. You look good."

Me: "No, but I..."

Hubby: (cutting me off mid-sentence and looking me straight in the eye) "Babe, you look GOOD!"

Me: (holding my head a little higher) "Oh...okay."

Well then, I guess that settles that. I look GOOD.

See what I mean? Now, pass the chocolate!