I want to learn to do calligraphy.
I want to learn about the history of Jerusalem.
I want to learn how to be a more gracious hostess.
I want to learn the art of being silent.
I want to learn how to put outfits together from what I have in my closet.
I want to learn how to encourage others.
I want to learn how to give a good massage.
I want to learn to be comfortable in my own skin.
I want to learn how to organize my life, my home, my day.
I want to learn to live a service-oriented life.
I want to learn to play the piano.
I want to learn to write better, more effectively.
I want to learn how to take better pictures.
I want to learn how to make beautiful tablescapes.
I want to learn how to garden.
I want to learn to speak in a whisper when I want to yell.
I want to learn to be confident in who I am.
I want to learn my family's history.
I want to learn to love more, better, deeper.
I want to learn to be more like Jesus.
(This post was inspired by Annie of Annie Blogs post of what she would like to learn. How about you? What would you like to learn?)
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Monday, November 28, 2011
My Favorite Weekend - Motherhood is Calling
It's an established fact that Paco and I love Thanksgiving weekend. It's our most favorite weekend of the year. Four long days to spend with each other (oh, and the kids, too). We host Thanksgiving with both of us in the kitchen (using some recipes from the cooking blog "Smoochin' in the Kitchen") and then party for the other three days.
This Thanksgiving was different because we spent it with dear, old friends and Paco's mom. Usually, we have all the extended family from both sides over so this was definitely a change for us. It was so lovely to just sit and talk and be together.
Our kids had so much fun with each other playing games, climbing trees, and just simply playing.
The next generation of friends...
On Friday, we managed to emerge from our turkey-induced comas long enough to go hiking with some of our besties at one of our favorite local spots, "Silly Mountain". Allison, how many pictures do we have like this? All with different babies, of course.
Saturday we went to another local spot that I've never been to called the Boyce Thompson Arboretum to see their Fall Foliage Festival. We watched kids frolick in the leaves to their hearts' content, making this mama pretty happy.
It was achingly beautiful to see all the different colored leaves against the robin's egg blue sky. One quarrel I've always had with the desert is the lack of fall colors. These Chinese Pistachio trees soothed my heart and gave me a taste of what it would be like to live in a place with actual seasons.
All in all, it was a pretty darn good weekend.
How was your Thanksgiving weekend? Did you do anything special? Post something on your blog, use my sweet "Motherhood is Calling" button and then link back here! Pretty simple, huh?
This Thanksgiving was different because we spent it with dear, old friends and Paco's mom. Usually, we have all the extended family from both sides over so this was definitely a change for us. It was so lovely to just sit and talk and be together.
Our kids had so much fun with each other playing games, climbing trees, and just simply playing.
The next generation of friends...
On Friday, we managed to emerge from our turkey-induced comas long enough to go hiking with some of our besties at one of our favorite local spots, "Silly Mountain". Allison, how many pictures do we have like this? All with different babies, of course.
Saturday we went to another local spot that I've never been to called the Boyce Thompson Arboretum to see their Fall Foliage Festival. We watched kids frolick in the leaves to their hearts' content, making this mama pretty happy.
It was achingly beautiful to see all the different colored leaves against the robin's egg blue sky. One quarrel I've always had with the desert is the lack of fall colors. These Chinese Pistachio trees soothed my heart and gave me a taste of what it would be like to live in a place with actual seasons.
All in all, it was a pretty darn good weekend.
How was your Thanksgiving weekend? Did you do anything special? Post something on your blog, use my sweet "Motherhood is Calling" button and then link back here! Pretty simple, huh?
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Christmas Card Loves
Every year, my husband braces himself. He goes through the whole Christmas card process with great patiene and understanding... as long as he doesn't have to do anything except smile when the pictures are being taken.
That means that the whole process is up to me. I have a feeling that mine is not the only house that works this way. Actually, I'm okay with it. I'm the one with the vision, the desire, and the patience for it. Plus, I'm the one who runs down to the mail box every day the mail is delivered up until Christmas peering in for another card from friends or family.
I'm a huge fan of the mail box and any kind of fun thing that could possibly be in there. My dad was a mailman before he retired, so I'm a staunch supporter of all things "mail-y". Now that I think about it, does anyone want to be my penpal?
Well, every year after the clothes have been purchased, the photos have been taken and then stared at for hours on end (my family is just too cute), I get to pick out the card. This year, I'm using Tiny Prints. Can I get a whoop whoop? Their cards are so adorable and think of how much more adorable-r (wait, is that a word?) they will be with my off spring on them!
I love how the picture takes up the whole picture on this one. Plus, the snow. {sigh} I just with we could have had that in our pictures.
Then this one uses Scripture, which I try to do every year. It's so cheerful and Christmas-y! The kids will be working on memorizing this over the next few weeks.
I love the font and colors of this one! Plus, I wouldn't have to pick only one picture to put on our card. I always have a hard time choosing which picture. Darn those photogenic kids of mine!
Now comes the hard part. I can only choose one. I have no idea how I'm going to choose. Well, there's always next year, I guess!
That means that the whole process is up to me. I have a feeling that mine is not the only house that works this way. Actually, I'm okay with it. I'm the one with the vision, the desire, and the patience for it. Plus, I'm the one who runs down to the mail box every day the mail is delivered up until Christmas peering in for another card from friends or family.
I'm a huge fan of the mail box and any kind of fun thing that could possibly be in there. My dad was a mailman before he retired, so I'm a staunch supporter of all things "mail-y". Now that I think about it, does anyone want to be my penpal?
Well, every year after the clothes have been purchased, the photos have been taken and then stared at for hours on end (my family is just too cute), I get to pick out the card. This year, I'm using Tiny Prints. Can I get a whoop whoop? Their cards are so adorable and think of how much more adorable-r (wait, is that a word?) they will be with my off spring on them!
I love how the picture takes up the whole picture on this one. Plus, the snow. {sigh} I just with we could have had that in our pictures.
Then this one uses Scripture, which I try to do every year. It's so cheerful and Christmas-y! The kids will be working on memorizing this over the next few weeks.
I love the font and colors of this one! Plus, I wouldn't have to pick only one picture to put on our card. I always have a hard time choosing which picture. Darn those photogenic kids of mine!
Now comes the hard part. I can only choose one. I have no idea how I'm going to choose. Well, there's always next year, I guess!
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Being Thankful in All Things
This year has been a roller coaster of a year for us. Ups, like Jack being born (oh, how I love that sweet squishy boy) and downs, like dealing with moving, the sense of being lost and forgotten. Through it all, we've loved, laughed, cried (and cried, and cried...) and grown in our faith. This has been a watershed year for us.
Yet, we're learning to be thankful in all things. Not at all easy, always good.
Last night during family worship, Paco and I were talking about thankfulness with the children. Of course when we ask them what they're thankful for, we get the typical answers, such as "food", "clothes", "our house", and my personal favorite Sunday school answer, "uh, Jesus?"
I wanted them to start thinking outside of the box a little, though. So in a streak of insanity I said, "what about undies?" (If you knew my children, you would know how dangerous it is to say the word undies, especially during family worship, but I really wanted them to think.)
During the discussion, we talked about the conveniences of modern living and natural things from God's creation that we have been blessed with. We talked about the feel of different textures, the smell of dinner cooking, hearing people laugh, the feel of holding a baby (mainly our baby, of course). The kids loved it! They could be silly and yet realize how much we have to thank the Lord for.
I am so thankful for the feel of slobbery baby kisses and books. I have memories and pictures that were taken years, months, days ago to help me remember. I am thankful for the desire to learn more and more about my God and other things (but not ever math. no, not ever math.). I have a delightfully comfy bed that I rarely want to leave and a pantry stocked with food that I get to cook. I am blessed to have people (older, younger, whatever) in my life, willing to invest in me, my life and just love me, even when I'm as prickly as a porcupine.
God is good. All the time.
That is what I'm most thankful for. All the time. I can always trust that.
What are you thankful for? I'd love to hear. It can be as silly or thoughtful as you like.
Yet, we're learning to be thankful in all things. Not at all easy, always good.
Last night during family worship, Paco and I were talking about thankfulness with the children. Of course when we ask them what they're thankful for, we get the typical answers, such as "food", "clothes", "our house", and my personal favorite Sunday school answer, "uh, Jesus?"
I wanted them to start thinking outside of the box a little, though. So in a streak of insanity I said, "what about undies?" (If you knew my children, you would know how dangerous it is to say the word undies, especially during family worship, but I really wanted them to think.)
During the discussion, we talked about the conveniences of modern living and natural things from God's creation that we have been blessed with. We talked about the feel of different textures, the smell of dinner cooking, hearing people laugh, the feel of holding a baby (mainly our baby, of course). The kids loved it! They could be silly and yet realize how much we have to thank the Lord for.
I am so thankful for the feel of slobbery baby kisses and books. I have memories and pictures that were taken years, months, days ago to help me remember. I am thankful for the desire to learn more and more about my God and other things (but not ever math. no, not ever math.). I have a delightfully comfy bed that I rarely want to leave and a pantry stocked with food that I get to cook. I am blessed to have people (older, younger, whatever) in my life, willing to invest in me, my life and just love me, even when I'm as prickly as a porcupine.
God is good. All the time.
That is what I'm most thankful for. All the time. I can always trust that.
What are you thankful for? I'd love to hear. It can be as silly or thoughtful as you like.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Movie Watching With the Kids - Motherhood is Calling
Our kids love movies. There. I admit it. Does that make me a bad homeschool mama? Maybe. However, we live in a climate where about seven months out of the year, it's just too hot to do anything (like even breathe) outside.
So my kids get to watch a lot of movies, at least during the long Arizona summer. We have a Netflix account, which I absolutely love. In fact, that's one of the things I like most about our technological-mad world we live in. Really, where else can you get so many cool, old, classic and family-friendly movies? My kids have fallen in love with Bob Hope, Lucille Ball and John Wayne, as well as old Disney movies. You would never see these at Blockbuster, that's for sure. Plus, who wants to walk down the aisles at Blockbuster? All you see are the jackets of horror movies or suggestive pictures of scantily-clad women. Um, no thank you.
Lest I sound like a huge Netflix advertisement, there is also another option: the library. The library is a good option if you don't have a Netflix account and it free. Our local library has a pretty good selection, especially since they do interlibrary loans throughout the country, but there's a hefty fine if you're late. You can check movies out for a week (renewable if no one else is on the list to check it out) but for every day you're late, it's a $2 fine. I can't take that kind of pressure, people!!! That's why we resort to Netflix most of the time.
We are pretty picky about the movies our kiddos watch. I know every family has their own standards and ideas, which is great. We have been convicted about particular things and that reflects in our movie choices. Our kids don't watch many movies that we haven't seen yet. If we haven't seen them, we make sure to read the movie reviews, like Focus on the Family's Plugged In or talk to friends who know about them. We also don't do princess movies with our girls or magic (like Harry Potter). That's just what works for us. I know that others don't necessarily agree with us (some within our own families), but thankfully we are the parents, even though that makes us the bad guys a lot of time. For the most part, our kids are understanding about why we do what we do (and we we don't do certain things).
How do you pick movies for your young'uns? It's Motherhood is Calling Monday so link up here, use the cute little button and make sure you let me know you stopped by!
So my kids get to watch a lot of movies, at least during the long Arizona summer. We have a Netflix account, which I absolutely love. In fact, that's one of the things I like most about our technological-mad world we live in. Really, where else can you get so many cool, old, classic and family-friendly movies? My kids have fallen in love with Bob Hope, Lucille Ball and John Wayne, as well as old Disney movies. You would never see these at Blockbuster, that's for sure. Plus, who wants to walk down the aisles at Blockbuster? All you see are the jackets of horror movies or suggestive pictures of scantily-clad women. Um, no thank you.
Lest I sound like a huge Netflix advertisement, there is also another option: the library. The library is a good option if you don't have a Netflix account and it free. Our local library has a pretty good selection, especially since they do interlibrary loans throughout the country, but there's a hefty fine if you're late. You can check movies out for a week (renewable if no one else is on the list to check it out) but for every day you're late, it's a $2 fine. I can't take that kind of pressure, people!!! That's why we resort to Netflix most of the time.
We are pretty picky about the movies our kiddos watch. I know every family has their own standards and ideas, which is great. We have been convicted about particular things and that reflects in our movie choices. Our kids don't watch many movies that we haven't seen yet. If we haven't seen them, we make sure to read the movie reviews, like Focus on the Family's Plugged In or talk to friends who know about them. We also don't do princess movies with our girls or magic (like Harry Potter). That's just what works for us. I know that others don't necessarily agree with us (some within our own families), but thankfully we are the parents, even though that makes us the bad guys a lot of time. For the most part, our kids are understanding about why we do what we do (and we we don't do certain things).
How do you pick movies for your young'uns? It's Motherhood is Calling Monday so link up here, use the cute little button and make sure you let me know you stopped by!
Why I Love Paula Deen and A Big Announcement!
I'm a big fan of anyone with a southern twang. In fact, when we were in Oklahoma this past summer, we drove away with me saying, "Mind yer mama" and other such cute "Okie-isms".
So, of course that means that I love, love, LOVE Paula Deen. Not only is she adorable but she says "fork" using three syllables. What's not to love?
She's beautiful, has a fantastic relationship with her sons and sometimes has a naughty sense of humor. She cooks with real butter (and lots of it), has a wedding ring the size of a belt buckle and a grandson named Jack. She has good taste.
I love to watch her show on the Food Network, hearing her laugh and seeing all the cool cooking things she has. So it was only appropriate that I use one of her recipes for the very first post on our new cooking blog.
Say wha?! Yes, youheard read that right! Pat and I have started our own cooking blahg (as Paula would say). It's going to be so much fun! It's called "Smoochin' in the Kitchen" and we'll be posting lots of recipes on there. I manage most of the baking while Paco gets a lot of the cooking stuff going on.
Won't you please join us? We'd love it if you started following or just tried some of our recipes and let us know how you like them.
Paula and I would be ever so grateful if you did!
So, of course that means that I love, love, LOVE Paula Deen. Not only is she adorable but she says "fork" using three syllables. What's not to love?
She's beautiful, has a fantastic relationship with her sons and sometimes has a naughty sense of humor. She cooks with real butter (and lots of it), has a wedding ring the size of a belt buckle and a grandson named Jack. She has good taste.
I love to watch her show on the Food Network, hearing her laugh and seeing all the cool cooking things she has. So it was only appropriate that I use one of her recipes for the very first post on our new cooking blog.
Say wha?! Yes, you
Won't you please join us? We'd love it if you started following or just tried some of our recipes and let us know how you like them.
Paula and I would be ever so grateful if you did!
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Just Me Hyperventilating Again
It's been quiet around here. Too quiet.
Ack!! How did that happen?
It's called life. As much as I have been wanting to be writing and posting on here, life has been getting in the way. Darn that life!
The busyness of life has been taking everything over, even on here. I love this season from the bottom of my heart, but I have yet to figure out a way to make is less busy.
THAT is my quest this year. I'm trying to get thing planned and organized so that the holidays aren't so stressed, but all this planning is making me feel stressed out already! Let's top it off with real life that must be lived and I'm about ready to hyperventilate.
Deep breath, deep breath.
So let's readjust priorities, shall we?
Priority number one... breathing. Yes, let's start there.
Where'd I put that paper bag?
I'll have to get back to you. Hopefully soon.
Ack!! How did that happen?
It's called life. As much as I have been wanting to be writing and posting on here, life has been getting in the way. Darn that life!
The busyness of life has been taking everything over, even on here. I love this season from the bottom of my heart, but I have yet to figure out a way to make is less busy.
THAT is my quest this year. I'm trying to get thing planned and organized so that the holidays aren't so stressed, but all this planning is making me feel stressed out already! Let's top it off with real life that must be lived and I'm about ready to hyperventilate.
Deep breath, deep breath.
So let's readjust priorities, shall we?
Priority number one... breathing. Yes, let's start there.
Where'd I put that paper bag?
I'll have to get back to you. Hopefully soon.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
The Good, the Bad, the Ugly - Getting Cold in AZ
Those of you who live where it actually gets cold may just roll your eyes at this. It's been down in the sixties during the day here, thirties at night and whether you concede it or not, for Arizona desert people it's downright cold.
And I love it! However, our cold season is dreadfully short here (the hot season interminably long) so I forget some of the wonderful and not so wonderful things that the cold brings with it.
Here are some of the reminders we've been given over the past week or two:
The Good:
1. Flannel sheets to cuddle up under. They had to be dug out of a box in the garage, but hubby purposefully dug after them like a miner looking for ore, complete with intense focus and diligence. He's passionate about those sheets, don'tcha know.
2. The smell of fires in fireplaces and fire pits.
3. Hot chocolate and fuzzy socks.
4. Baking, baking, baking!!! So excited that the inside of my house smells like a bakery yet doesn't feel like a sauna. Heavenly.
5. Hubby warming up my side of the bed for me while I'm brushing my teeth. He's romantical that way.
Plus, memories of our winter wedding, first Thanksgiving and Christmas together, honeymoon in Lake Tahoe (ooh, la, la)...
The Bad:
1. Cold potty seats in the morning. Yipes!
2. Getting out of aforesaid cozy, wonderful bed. Sometimes, I manage not to cry every morning.
3. Trying to change diapers with cold hands. Sorry, my darlings!
4. Socks and shoes. Silly, right? I know. But trying to get socks and shoes on five kids when they're used to only wearing flip-flops and sandals can be quite a pain in the royal rump. I'm not even sure any of us own socks and closed-toed shoes. I'd better check...
5. Pulling kids limb by limb out of their cozy, wonderful beds. Nobody seems to want to get up when it's cold and dark outside. Crazy people. I don't know where they get that from.
The Just Plain Ugly:
1. Trying to shave legs over goosebumps. Yeah, not a pretty sight.
2. Not waxing my eye brows because maybe the extra hair will keep me warmer. (Ok, not really, but that doesn't mean I haven't been tempted.)
3. Dry skin and chapped lips. ugh. Just not a pretty sight. Thank goodness for lotion and chap stick.
4. My Doc Martin boots that I've had for fifteen years and still wear. Seriously. I think Hubby groans every time I pull them out. I've worn them through five pregnancies and have completely worn out the tread on the bottom. I don't think those two facts are related. (Someone please tell me that they're not. Please.) I think the solution to this would be for Paco to just buy me more new shoes. See? Perfect solution?
5. Head to toe warm fuzzy jammies. Now, some people might put this into the "good" portion of this post. On one hand, they keep me warm AND cover my un-shaven legs. Two layers of insulation. However, my husband would not agree. I think that he would like to see me not looking like a nun. (Not that nuns are ugly.) Wow. This could go downhill really fast. Ummm, let's just say that winter jammies could be put in either category and leave it at that. (whew!)
So now you can see why it's rough living through sixty-three degree days. I'm sure you're all clucking you tongues in sympathy, especially those of you who live in the northern tundras. You know what I'm talking about. (hee, hee)
And I love it! However, our cold season is dreadfully short here (the hot season interminably long) so I forget some of the wonderful and not so wonderful things that the cold brings with it.
Here are some of the reminders we've been given over the past week or two:
The Good:
1. Flannel sheets to cuddle up under. They had to be dug out of a box in the garage, but hubby purposefully dug after them like a miner looking for ore, complete with intense focus and diligence. He's passionate about those sheets, don'tcha know.
2. The smell of fires in fireplaces and fire pits.
3. Hot chocolate and fuzzy socks.
4. Baking, baking, baking!!! So excited that the inside of my house smells like a bakery yet doesn't feel like a sauna. Heavenly.
5. Hubby warming up my side of the bed for me while I'm brushing my teeth. He's romantical that way.
Plus, memories of our winter wedding, first Thanksgiving and Christmas together, honeymoon in Lake Tahoe (ooh, la, la)...
The Bad:
1. Cold potty seats in the morning. Yipes!
2. Getting out of aforesaid cozy, wonderful bed. Sometimes, I manage not to cry every morning.
3. Trying to change diapers with cold hands. Sorry, my darlings!
4. Socks and shoes. Silly, right? I know. But trying to get socks and shoes on five kids when they're used to only wearing flip-flops and sandals can be quite a pain in the royal rump. I'm not even sure any of us own socks and closed-toed shoes. I'd better check...
5. Pulling kids limb by limb out of their cozy, wonderful beds. Nobody seems to want to get up when it's cold and dark outside. Crazy people. I don't know where they get that from.
The Just Plain Ugly:
1. Trying to shave legs over goosebumps. Yeah, not a pretty sight.
2. Not waxing my eye brows because maybe the extra hair will keep me warmer. (Ok, not really, but that doesn't mean I haven't been tempted.)
3. Dry skin and chapped lips. ugh. Just not a pretty sight. Thank goodness for lotion and chap stick.
4. My Doc Martin boots that I've had for fifteen years and still wear. Seriously. I think Hubby groans every time I pull them out. I've worn them through five pregnancies and have completely worn out the tread on the bottom. I don't think those two facts are related. (Someone please tell me that they're not. Please.) I think the solution to this would be for Paco to just buy me more new shoes. See? Perfect solution?
5. Head to toe warm fuzzy jammies. Now, some people might put this into the "good" portion of this post. On one hand, they keep me warm AND cover my un-shaven legs. Two layers of insulation. However, my husband would not agree. I think that he would like to see me not looking like a nun. (Not that nuns are ugly.) Wow. This could go downhill really fast. Ummm, let's just say that winter jammies could be put in either category and leave it at that. (whew!)
So now you can see why it's rough living through sixty-three degree days. I'm sure you're all clucking you tongues in sympathy, especially those of you who live in the northern tundras. You know what I'm talking about. (hee, hee)
Sunday, November 6, 2011
The Lion - Motherhood is Calling
Every time we've been pregnant (and by we, of course I mean me) we've gone back and forth, back and forth trying to figure our names. Not only must we love the name, we must love it's meaning. I couldn't name my child something knowing that it meant something awful like pagan priestess. Really, I couldn't.
When I was pregnant with Judah, we didn't know if we were having a boy or a girl. I knew in my heart it was a boy, but we didn't find out at the first ultrasound. We had our girl name settled on, Lucy Elizabeth (sigh....still love it), but we're deciding between Noah and Judah for our boy name. Paco really loved Noah and so did I, so we had pretty much decided on that. Noah means peaceful and boy, were we going to need that with four kiddos in our house. One day, God changed his name quite dramatically in the middle of the Focus on the Family bookstore in Colorado Springs (a post for another day) and since then, he's been Judah Grayson.
Our baby name book not only has the meanings of the names, but the spiritual connotations and a bible verse to go along with it. I love that! As you may know, Judah was one of the biblical Jacob's twelve sons and his name is Hebrew for praise. The spiritual connotation is "full of love". Grayson means "son of the gray-haired" (hee, hee, that's for you, daddy) or "son of the bailiff" (law-enforcer). The spiritual connotation is "one of knowledge".
One of the reasons I love all of this so much is because I think that it gives me, as his mama, a special insight into who he is and how God may use him. He is not a silent little boy! Oh, no. He is bubbly and loud, someday to be full of praise. He's already a little cheerleader and encourager. As for "full of love"? This boy loves everyone, running at complete strangers with open arms ready to give hugs. Son of the gray-haired? Well, that speaks for itself. Daddy possesses waaaayyyy more than mama, by the way. "One of knowledge"...We'll see how that one plays out.
I also love that Jesus is referred to as the "lion of Judah". My sweet Judah definitely has some lion-esque qualities about him. He's bold and loud, protective and territorial. I should have known when God changed his name that we were in for some moments when he's thought HE was king of the jungle. Good thing daddy and mama have been there to take him down a few pegs.
I love all of our children's names! All of them reflect part of who they are and God's promises for their lives. Do you pick your kids names in a special way? What are some of your favorites? Please link up with us and share! Don't forget to link back here and use my cute Motherhood is Calling button. Be blessed this week!
A Month of Thankfulness continued:
5. Rainy nights with windows opened (finally!) and snuggling under the covers with hubby.
6. Potlucks after church where we sit around and chat, stuffing our faces with soups and yummy pumpkin desserts.
PS Hubby and I are starting a new cooking blog! Woohoo!!! We absolutely love cooking together and want to share some of our favorite recipes and tips with you. I'll be getting back here in the next couple of days to share more about it with you. I'm so excited!
When I was pregnant with Judah, we didn't know if we were having a boy or a girl. I knew in my heart it was a boy, but we didn't find out at the first ultrasound. We had our girl name settled on, Lucy Elizabeth (sigh....still love it), but we're deciding between Noah and Judah for our boy name. Paco really loved Noah and so did I, so we had pretty much decided on that. Noah means peaceful and boy, were we going to need that with four kiddos in our house. One day, God changed his name quite dramatically in the middle of the Focus on the Family bookstore in Colorado Springs (a post for another day) and since then, he's been Judah Grayson.
Our baby name book not only has the meanings of the names, but the spiritual connotations and a bible verse to go along with it. I love that! As you may know, Judah was one of the biblical Jacob's twelve sons and his name is Hebrew for praise. The spiritual connotation is "full of love". Grayson means "son of the gray-haired" (hee, hee, that's for you, daddy) or "son of the bailiff" (law-enforcer). The spiritual connotation is "one of knowledge".
One of the reasons I love all of this so much is because I think that it gives me, as his mama, a special insight into who he is and how God may use him. He is not a silent little boy! Oh, no. He is bubbly and loud, someday to be full of praise. He's already a little cheerleader and encourager. As for "full of love"? This boy loves everyone, running at complete strangers with open arms ready to give hugs. Son of the gray-haired? Well, that speaks for itself. Daddy possesses waaaayyyy more than mama, by the way. "One of knowledge"...We'll see how that one plays out.
I also love that Jesus is referred to as the "lion of Judah". My sweet Judah definitely has some lion-esque qualities about him. He's bold and loud, protective and territorial. I should have known when God changed his name that we were in for some moments when he's thought HE was king of the jungle. Good thing daddy and mama have been there to take him down a few pegs.
I love all of our children's names! All of them reflect part of who they are and God's promises for their lives. Do you pick your kids names in a special way? What are some of your favorites? Please link up with us and share! Don't forget to link back here and use my cute Motherhood is Calling button. Be blessed this week!
A Month of Thankfulness continued:
5. Rainy nights with windows opened (finally!) and snuggling under the covers with hubby.
6. Potlucks after church where we sit around and chat, stuffing our faces with soups and yummy pumpkin desserts.
PS Hubby and I are starting a new cooking blog! Woohoo!!! We absolutely love cooking together and want to share some of our favorite recipes and tips with you. I'll be getting back here in the next couple of days to share more about it with you. I'm so excited!
Friday, November 4, 2011
I'm Thankful For....#1-4
Okay, decided to get into this late in the game. I've decided to post something that I'm thankful for everyday this month. I know, I know, totally not original, but heartfelt and meaningful, just the same.
Through this whole transformation process (that is seemingly overtaking my life), I'm realizing and remembering all of the blessings I have been given. Now, I have always thought that I couldn't be anymore grateful than I already am, but we're going to give it a try.
Because it November 4th (what?! already?!), I'll do four things today:
1. My husband. Plain and simple. Incredible, godly, hysterical, and romantic...He's the whole enchilada, baby!
2. Trees in my backyard. My last house had one baby orange tree, which the doggies decided to eat. Actually, it was more of a twig with a few green leaves at the ends. Think Charlie Brown Christmas tree. So yeah, loving my three green, gorgeous trees in the back.
3. Crayons, colored pencils, markers, paints...Anything that brings color into the world is fine by me! One of the things that I love about being a homeschool mama is that I still get to color.
4. Fall's colors, smells, tastes, everything about it. Makes me so glad to be alive!
Well, there you have it. The first four. I'll be back later to share some of my favorite soup recipes (perfect time of year for it, yah?) and then tomorrow with more thankfulness. Yes, it's a beautiful day over here on One Blessed Lady!
Through this whole transformation process (that is seemingly overtaking my life), I'm realizing and remembering all of the blessings I have been given. Now, I have always thought that I couldn't be anymore grateful than I already am, but we're going to give it a try.
Because it November 4th (what?! already?!), I'll do four things today:
1. My husband. Plain and simple. Incredible, godly, hysterical, and romantic...He's the whole enchilada, baby!
2. Trees in my backyard. My last house had one baby orange tree, which the doggies decided to eat. Actually, it was more of a twig with a few green leaves at the ends. Think Charlie Brown Christmas tree. So yeah, loving my three green, gorgeous trees in the back.
3. Crayons, colored pencils, markers, paints...Anything that brings color into the world is fine by me! One of the things that I love about being a homeschool mama is that I still get to color.
4. Fall's colors, smells, tastes, everything about it. Makes me so glad to be alive!
Well, there you have it. The first four. I'll be back later to share some of my favorite soup recipes (perfect time of year for it, yah?) and then tomorrow with more thankfulness. Yes, it's a beautiful day over here on One Blessed Lady!
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