Summer is here!

May has been quite busy for us! We've been enjoying the weather before it gets to be in the 100's and have acquired some awesome tans because of it! Here are some snapshots from our various adventures.

 Fun at bath time

 Mother's Day - the day started off with cinnamon rolls and pigs in a blanket from Ethan. I received some sweet cards from Ethan and Olivia, along with these flowers that I was able to enjoy a few days earlier.

 Annual Girls' River Trip to the Comal in New Braunfels - this year was extra-special, sort of a send-off for Steph who will be moving to North Carolina in July. We enjoyed a lot of sun-time on the crystal clear and calm waters of the Comal, but so were some snakes, so I wasn't in the water too much. In downtown Gruene, we managed to win a couple of Jerry Jeff Walker tickets, but since not all of us could go, we decided to sell the tickets and spent the night and morning watching the movie, "The Vow." Good time and good food spent with great friends!

 Snack time with best friends at the Houston Zoo. Yes, it was WARM, but we decided to take advantage of the "cooler" weather along with the Finks who are in town from Wichita! We've missed them so much!

 Waiting in line to ride the Zoo Carousel

 On the carousel

 Pool fun at Mrs. O's house

 But, we spent most of the time in the swing...

 Uncle Trav and Lynn came down from OKC to visit us and Galveston on Memorial Day weekend.

Celebrating Papa's birthday

 Picnic Fun at church

 Hanging out at the pool on Memorial Day

 Ready, set....

 ......go!!

 Taking it easy

Kisses for momma

 We enjoyed a members-only sneak preview of the new Paleontology Hall at the Houston Museum of Natural Science before it opens to the general public on Sunday. The girls also participated in a private science experiment lesson on oxygen and carbon dioxide. It was our very own "Sid the Science Kid" super fab lab!

 In front of one of the T-Rexes (T-Rexi?) in the new Paleontology Hall. The museum was still putting on the finishing touches to the new permanant exhibit. I plan on coming back soon, maybe sans kids, so I can actually stop and read the captions of each piece.

 Run for your life!!

 Pointing out the baby dinosaur

Bye-bye T-Rex....such an awesome experience!! We'll be back!!

Books

Ever since we finished with my Bible study, I've been reading through various books on parenting that friends from church have suggested. I've been reading a couple great books by Barbara Curtis, who has 12 kids, so she knows what she's talking about! I am also reading Tedd Tripp's books on shepherding and instructing a child's heart (aka: a child's behavior!)

But my most favorite book so far is Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches by Rachel Jankovic, suggested by the wife of one of our pastors. It's so great that I've read it twice in two weeks. You can tell she is a hilarious person by the picture she chose to put on the cover.... 

She is a mother to five kids under the age of five; 4 girls and 1 boy. Here is one of my favorite excerpts from her book in a chapter called, "Spirited Riders":

Titus is so simple - just right up the middle and easy. He either disobeys, or he doesn't. Sometimes, when he feels really complicated and deep, he fusses. I am sure he will grow into more difficult problems (competition, for one), but right now there are no subtexts with this kid. He wants milk - that is why he is fussing and saying, "I want milk!" Not so complex - even a beginner parent can figure out a technique to deal with this. But girls are different, and sometimes that difference can leave a person completely bewildered. When it comes to little girls and their emotions, "A" does not necessarily cause "B." But when "B" is what needs to be disciplined, it can feel frustrating to have no clues as to what member of the alphabet actually caused it. Are you with me here?

This all-too-real onset of early girl drama has been happening with Olivia recently. I won't get into the details of our potty-training drama, but Jankovic hit the nail on the head! Olivia can be completely happy one moment, and then start wailing for no apparent reason within the 15-second walk to the kitchen or bathroom (moms - tell me you get excited when you can go to the restroom alone in peace without a pair of toddler eyes staring at your every movement, sound and wrinkle on your body?!) Oh, and don't get me started about the pickiness with her food. I just wonder one day, if we have a son, will he act out like this? Will he pretty much eat anything that we put on his plate? Well, I guess we'll find out if we get to hop on that journey when we have our gender ultrasound in June!

Jankovic closed the chapter with this:

Give her lots of praise when you see her overcoming little emotional temptations.

Be right there with her as she learns to recognize what is happening. Little girls can be scared out of their minds when their emotions charge off with them. They need the security of parents pulling them back.

The goal is not to cripple the horse, but equip the rider. A well-controlled passionate personality is a powerful thing. That is what dangerous women are made of. But a passionate personality that is unbridled can cause a world of damage. If you see a lot of passion in your little girls, don't be discouraged. It is just wonderful raw material. Our house is pretty near full to overflowing with this kind of raw material! But don't treat it lightly either - runaway horses can be a real threat to your little girls.

This book is a must-read for parents of both boys and girls!







Community Bible Study

Olivia and I were have been so blessed to be a part of Community Bible Study since the beginning of the school year. CBS is an inter-denominational bible study for ladies of all ages. There are a number of CBS groups in the Houston area, but I belong to the NW chapter that meets on Wednesday mornings at the Foundry Church on Jones Rd. near 290.

The CBS program provides in-depth studies of books of the Bible, brought to us by core-group discussion time, devotionals, lectures and daily homework. This year, we studied Hebrews, Galatians and James. Next year, we are studying the books of Mark and Ephesians. I feel as though I have grown more spiritually, and have learned so much about how to live my life first for Jesus, others and then myself.

Even though I have been so fortunate to gain so much from the program, especially from those ladies in my core group, I cannot praise the CBS Children's program enough!! Olivia has learned so much about being a loving child and servant of God, and wears her heart proudly for Jesus from learning Bible stories, lessons, songs and memorizing scripture from her awesome CBS teachers.

CBS is moving to Thursday mornings next year, and since I had already registered her for school Tuesdays and Thursdays next year, she won't be back for another year. So sad. Today on their last day, the children performed songs they had learned all year. It's so funny to watch Olivia. She is just a HAM for crowds, and then of course, forgot most of her words and routine during the performance! She was one of the younger children on stage. But, I did enjoy hearing her sing all the words as we drove home, ate lunch and sat down to watch these videos.

Click here to watch video #1

Click here to watch video #2

Click here to watch video #3

Click here to watch video #4