My little ballerina on her first day of class

John Thomas

This little guy was baptized this past weekend.  And he did great!!  I was worried that he would have one of his breath-holding spells when the water hit his head, but he didn't even flinch!!  Sadly, just at the moment in the service when Matthew (our pastor) began to explain the sacrament of baptism, Ada started jumping around saying that she had to go to the bathroom.  I tried to brush her off, but she insisted, so I asked Edna (Scott's mom) to take her, and Edna and Ada both ended up missing the actual baptism.  BUMMER!!!  And I was so busy watching the door to see if Edna was going to make it back in time, that I almost missed hearing what Matthew was saying.  But...he got baptized, and it was special, despite the mishaps.

Scott's parents were in town for the event, and after church we went to lunch at a restaurant on the square.  At lunch John had one of his worst breath-holding spells yet, which involved my sticking my hand down his throat just to make sure he wasn't choking on an actual object.  It was awful.  I think he just wanted to make the day memorable;)  I will be one happy mama when he outgrows the breath-holding.  They seem to get worse as he gets older (and more strong-willed?)

It was a beautiful day--beautiful weather.  And the baptism was such a reminder of what I am praying for John and for Ada and for any other children the Lord chooses to give us and even for generations to come.

Little John, you are so dependent on me now.  You love to nurse and to cuddle and to be with me, immediately crying if you see me and can't get to me, but I know that I will blink, I will blink, and you will be a big, strong man.  The years will fly by; I know that they will.  And so I start now to pray, oh I pray, that you would Know God.  That you would love Him and His word.  That you would cling to His gospel.  I pray that you would love righteousness and hate wickedness.  That you will always delight to do God's will, and that God will work in you what is pleasing to Him.

This is what I cry out to God for (quoting R.C. Sproul Jr. from his When You Rise Up),

"If you are like me, you long to see your children exceed you in holiness.  You want your grandchildren to do still better.  If you're like me, you look for progressive familial sanctification, one generation standing on the shoulders of the previous generation and seeing further into the consummation of the kingdom...we start with the Bible and go from there, learning evermore of who God is, of what he has done, and of what he requires of us," (96).

On Sunday, I wore a bracelet that belonged to my maternal Grandmother.  I slipped it on Sunday morning because I wanted a reminder of the generations before me and the generations to come, and I thought of the words that I typed above--of one generation standing on the shoulders of the previous generation.  I pray that John will not only long to know God more and more, but that he will also long for the generations after him to know God more and more. 

Recovering

I am feeling much, much better, but I am now dealing with the aftermath of being down and out for a few days.

You know, sanitizing this germ infested house, rescheduling tutoring sessions that I missed while sick, and praying, praying, praying that John doesn't get sick, etc. etc.  At the same time I am trying to make sense of the millions of piles of baby clothes that I have lying around as John keeps outgrowing things left and right.  I still haven't dealt with 0-3 months and he's wearing 12-18 months.  Piles are everywhere.  Not to mention making the seasonal clothing switch.  Ahhhh---OVERWHELMED.  But, I am chipping away at the tasks.

Plus, we have a busy weekend ahead.

Scott's parents are coming into town for John's baptism, and Ada is thrilled.  John would be thrilled if he ever got thrilled about anything;)  Actually, he has started laughing out loud if Scott or I tickle his ribs, so that's major improvement for my little melancholy, breath-holding baby.  Who, by the way, is on the verge of pulling up.  I can tell he's dying to.  He gets himself up on his knees, but he hasn't worked up the courage/effort required to pull all the way up.  Big boy.

Okay, just wanted to give my blog a little attention.

Sick

So sick and loving these

Will be back soon once I get to other side of this awfulness.

Strange Day

As I was going to bed last night, I realized that I was getting the throat thing that Ada has had all week.  So...this morning, Scott took Ada and John to church, and I stayed in bed until noon!!!  (CRAZY).  I did get up long enough to pick out clothes for Ada and John and brush Ada's hair.  There is no telling how Scott would have dressed them for church.

Feeling sick was disappointing for so many reasons.  I hate to miss church because, one. I like the corporate worship, and two. I like the fellowship.  But I was also disappointed because I had planned to go to Perimeter Mall this afternoon because I have a Anthropologie gift card burning a hole in my pocket.  (Thank you, mom and Ann!!!).  I had even worked very hard to pump some milk, using my measly little manual pump, and I was crossing my fingers that John would drink the milk out of a sippy cup.  I tested the sippy cup earlier in the week using apple juice, which he loved, so I was hoping he would also take milk from a sippy cup. 

Well, Scott and I evaluated the situation, and I decided to head to the mall despite not feeling well.  So, off I went, all alone, headed to the mall to shop at Anthropologie.  You can see why this was a strange situation for me.  Alone.  Shop.  Anthropologie.  What?!!!

So, I got to Anthropologie and headed straight to the sale section with hopes of making the gift card stretch as far as possible, and here is what I found.

I don't think this picture does the sweater justice.  I really love it in person. 

I tried on lots of other clothing, but I wasn't finding anything else that worked.  They didn't have much in my size in the sale section.  So I headed to the home section.  There I bought these

I plan to hang these in John's room, and I am so excited to have them because I think it will make his room look much more complete.  I also purchased a candle with a M monogram to go in our downstairs guest bathroom.  It was marked down from 26.00 to 4.00.  Yes, even at Anthropologie I am finding deals!! And guess what, I have almost 30.00 left on the gift card.  I think I can easily find a sale shirt for not much more than that. 

Okay, at that point, I called home to see how things were going, and Scott said good, so I decided to browse through Forever 21 for a bit, since I am never near a Forever 21.  And this is when things got really crazy.  I tried on and bought a pair of skinny jeans!!!  I can't believe I did this.  The only reason that I bought them is because they were only 9.50.  And I want a pair of jeans to wear tucked into boots.  I will only wear the skinny jeans with a tunic type shirt that very much covers the rear end area.  I'm just saying.  I mean, 9.50.  Really.  And by the way, Scott informed me that he doesn't like the jeans in boots look.  Oh well.

Here are the jeans, and, by the way, my legs do not look this skinny in the skinny jeans.  (side note--thanks for the blue jean feed back.  Obviously this jean purchase was based on price not on recommendation)

Now, in the midst of deciding whether or not to buy the jeans (for 9.50), I called home to get Scott's input, and I found out that John refused to drink the milk out of the sippy cup.  Come on, John.  8 months, and we have never been apart for more than 3 hours.  Cut me some slack, buddy.  So, I hurried my way through the check out process and headed home, slightly panicked that John was going to freak out when he realized that I was not there.  (no worries, Scott fed him two jars of baby food and he was fine.  He did start crying as soon as I walked in the door, but he often starts crying when he sees me.  I have that effect on him.  Who knows).

So, overall, it was a very strange day.  And now, at 9:00, I am about to go to bed because I still don't feel well, and I think sleep is the best solution.

By the way, I would love some advice on getting John to drink milk from a sippy cup.  I know that I prayed that he would nurse, but at some point in his life I do plan to wean him, and I don't want to wait until that point to introduce the sippy cup.  And I would love to have another option other than me to give him milk.  Thoughts?  Suggestions?

Saturday and a Need to Share

Scott has started a little ritual with Ada to go on some sort of "daddy-daughter date" every Saturday.  This usually consists of a trip to the park, which Ada thinks is almost as good as Disney World.  She can't contain her excitement when she hears the word park; in fact her reaction usually causes her to jump up and down or run in circles around the house.  Sometimes they grab a happy meal on the way home, and there was even that time that they went to Six Flags, though that was a Sunday.  Obviously, Scott is establishing this time to create a habit of spending one-on-one time with his daughter while she is still young, in hopes that the ritual will continue as she gets older.  He also does this to get Ada out of the house and give me a little time to myself on Saturdays, since John is usually sleeping while they are gone.

Well, today is a special "daddy-daughter" date.  Scott took Ada to see Toy Story III at a local dollar movie theater.  Ada has never been to a movie theater, and they are both very excited about this outing.  I am sure Scott will blog about the experience later.  That is where they are right now. 

John is sleeping, and I have the Georgia/Vanderbilt game on the television, while I wait for the start of the Auburn game.  I have also been using this rare quiet time to read one of the books I am currently reading. 

You know where this is going, right?

I have something I have to share with somebody.  Scott is gone, so, tag, you're it.  I have to share. 

I am reading (along with a few other books, that I am sure I will mention later) R.C. Sproul Jr.'s, When You Rise Up, subtitled: A Covenantal Approach to Homeschooling.   Thank you, Mary, for lending it to me.  I am loving it, but I am not openly recommending that everyone read it, because if you don't plan to homeschool, you will most likely find the book offensive.  Sproul's tone is rather, um...harsh?  In other words, he doesn't leave room for other life situations other than homeschooling.  Since I plan to homeschool already, I am enjoying the book, but I can also understand why someone else might not like it.  (If you do plan to homeschool, I strongly recommend the book--it's great). 

All of that to say that opinions on homeschooling aside, he has some great things to say on what our goals for parenting should be.  It is convicting, to say the least.  In the chapter that I am reading right now, Sproul outlines three goals of homeschooling, but I would argue that these should be the three goals of parenting, homeschooling or not.  He says that it is our job to teach three G's--who God is, what God has done, and what does God require.  He believes that everything else is just secondary.  So, in the midst of this chapter he poses this question, "Our calling is to tell our children who God is.  This doesn't stop, of course, once they have made a decision for Christ.  This is our eternity, that we will know him better and better on into eternity.  When we wake up each morning, we ought not ask ourselves, 'How can I prepare my child to enter into the nice middle-class world of grown-ups?'  Rather, we should be asking, 'How do I tell my children who God is?" (89-90).  And prior to that he briefly shows what this looks like when he shares a conversation that he had with his son over his son's competitive nature when playing the punch buggy game ( you know, looking for volkswagon bugs?)  He says to his son, "I don't mind you enjoying the game.  It's fun and it's a gift from God.  But it should not mean so much to you.  That's not wise.  That's elevating it to a place where it doesn't belong.  Knowing God is the thing we want.  If you want to be upset about something, be upset that you don't yet know God better, not that your little sister saw the blue punch buggy before you did," (89). 

That conversation made me laugh, but it also convicted me that I should not be upset about the things that I get so upset about--the state of my house, not buying the boots or sweater or whatever that I want to buy, etc. etc. etc., instead, I should be upset that I don't know God better, that I am not longing for Him and his word more!!!  And this is what I should want for my children, and this is what I should teach them--all of the time.

Okay, this is getting super long, but I had to verbally process.  Thanks for letting me.

What is the goal?

We have had a hard week here at the Moore house.  Ada has been sick with a sore throat, which is an understatement.  I took her to the doctor on Tuesday, and she had ulcers on her throat.  Ouch!!  She has had no voice except for a whisper, and she has been so pitiful.  It made for a couple of very long nights.  Now that she is getting better but still feels somewhat "under the weather," her behavior is out of control, and my patience is wearing thin, thin.  So...these verses that I read today were just the ticket to get my eye on the goal and off of the daily stuff that "entangles" me.

Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;
incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings from old,
things that we have heard and known,
that our fathers have told us
We will not hide them from their children,
but tell them to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,
and the wonders he has done.


He established a testimony in Jacob
and appointed a law in Israel,
which he commanded our fathers
to teach to their children,
that the next generation might know them,
the children yet unborn,
and arise and tell them to their children,
so that they should set their hope in God
and not forget the works of God,
but keep his commandments;


Psalm 78:  1-7

When it is hard for me to see past the children's tylenol and the piles of dirty dishes and the time outs and the spankings and the endless discipline, I am reminded that this is so much more than the day to day.  Generations upon generations are depending on this.  Generations upon generations are dependent on diligent parenting, on my not dropping the ball.  And the best news of all?  God's grace is sufficient for this day-to-day parenting.  In his sovereignity, He made me, absolutely inadequate me, a mother, and All that he asks, he provides.

Dinner Making Companion

Where mom is, John is...even my filthy kitchen floor.

Advice, please?

Lately I have realized that I need a tube of quality mascara.  I have never been a big mascara person; I have used it but haven't paid attention to what kind I bought--most likely whatever was on sale.  Well, over the last few weeks, I have noticed that my mascara is just no good, and I predict that a quality tube might change the look of my make up.  So...readers, do you have any suggestions?  Do any of you have a brand of mascara that you swear by?  Don't worry about price because I can always just opt to not buy it, but if I do decide to one day splurge on mascara, I would love to do it based on a recommendation.

And the second question...blue jeans.  I have the hardest time finding blue jeans that I really like, so, again, I am asking you to share your favorite brand.  I am so stinkin' short--5 ft. tall, and I think this contributes to the blue jeans problem.  Again, don't worry about price, just tell me what you like.  I am trying to store this information away in my brain for future use. 

Thanks!

Book Sale

This past Saturday, there was a book sale at our library.  I was so excited about this.  I planned to get there when the doors opened, anticipating that the good books would quickly be bought.  In typical Moore fashion, the family finally got out the door at 9:45, 45 minutes past the start of the sale. 

Oh well...I did make it, and I did manage to find a few gems, though the childrens' books seemed very picked over only 45 minutes into the sale.  Look what I managed to find though, for a total of 10.00!!!!

Things I am most excited about?  Three!!!  Southern Living cookbooks for 1.00 a piece!!! I would have bought more of these, but someone got to them before me.  I also found the only copy of Ruth Beechick's The Three R's, which I have been wanting to read for a while.  They are wonderful little books that walk you through all you really need to know to homeschool your child through grade 3.  Reading those books has helped me to refocus on what Ada really needs to be learning because I can get overwhelmed with all of the ideas that are out there.  And finally, I was thrilled to find Bringing up Boys by James Dobson, another one that I have wanted to read for a while.  I didn't find any wonderful children's books, though I was excited to purchase some classic Pooh and a Mother Goose book.

Overall, I say the sale was a success.  In fact, I am making three different meals from the cookbooks this week, and I am already using the ideas from Beechick's books.  I can only imagine what I would have found if I had managed to be there when the doors opened!!

And, by the way, Ada's doll is back home, safe and sound. 

Slight Ada Crisis

We are having a slight crisis tonight.  (crisis to a three year old, I mean)

Scott and I were in charge of children's church this morning, and I took Ada's American Girl Bitty Baby doll as a "prop" of sorts.  The story was about Jesus healing the leper, and I put band-aids all over Bitty Baby and after Jesus healed the leper, the preschoolers got to take all of the band-aids off of the doll--anyway, you get where I was going with that.  Well...during tonight's bed time routine, Scott and I realized that Bitty Baby is still sitting in the children's room at church, right where we left her this morning.

Bitty Baby's usual spot is in a doll bed in Ada's room, and we were crossing our fingers that Ada wouldn't notice she was gone. 

She noticed.

I think that Ada is genuinely worried about Bitty Baby, as if the doll is real.  I mean, you can imagine how that feels to a three year old.  She asked me where she was, and church was certainly not a sufficient answer.  So I told her that the doll was probably in the nursery, and that there is a baby bed in the nursery, so Clementine (what Ada calls the doll) has a comfortable place to sleep.  Then Ada asked if there was anyone there to take care of her, and I 100% lied to her and said, yes!!  There is definitely someone to take care of her.  Then she asked if Mrs. Kelli or Mrs. Jessica was taking care of her, and again, I lied and said, Mrs. Jessica.  I mean, I just wanted Ada not to feel so awful about the situation, you know? 

Well...after many tears and by tears, I mean her eyes are swollen from all of the crying, and we even prayed that Ada would have peace and be able to sleep and help her to know that Clementine was safe, I finally just rocked her and rocked her and rocked her until she fell asleep, which has happened maybe once before. 

Ada was a total babywise baby, so I didn't rock her to sleep as a baby (sad). 

Oh man, I cannot wait to get that doll back in our arms tomorrow.  And perhaps it has taught this scatterbrained mama to be a little more careful with Ada's things (especially the costlier ones!!).

Life

I keep saying that I am busy, so busy, and unable to update the blog as often as I would like.  But then, I think, what am I busy with?  There's not much going on.  But there is much going on, so much...

 We are busy eating breakfast early on Sunday morning--Bananas for Ada, Bananas for John.

 And then later, attempting to get a photo with the kiddos when we are all actually out of our pajamas and play clothes.

 And very busy enjoying this amazing fall weather!!  This is our neighbor, whom Ada begs to play with on a daily basis.

 Fall weather that beckons us out of our house for long walks around the neighborhood.  Ada insists that it is not cold enough for pants, but definitely cold enough for a hat.

 Busy as little bees;) with school, of course.

 Busy searching for the little bs and the BIG Bs in the week's poem.

 Found one!!

 Busy finalizing paint colors for all rooms downstairs!!  And mom has said she will come help me paint in a few weeks.

 And busy being thankful for the train and praise baby on a day when daddy works late and I need to get dinner ready.

And that is our day-to-day

My Friday and Stopping By for a Quick Hello

oh, little blog, I have been away for too long.

This week has been busy and so full of daily stuff, that I have neglected my little corner--my getaway spot.

Now my mom is here for a couple of days, and I am busy hanging out with her.  Today we even made a quick trip into Atlanta to visit Trader Joe's.  We were walking distance from the apartment where Scott and I first lived as a married couple just a few years ago.  After Trader Joe's, we were sitting outside of Starbucks while I nursed John (discreetly), and we were across the street from the Grady High School football field and track where Scott and I often ran during our time in midtown.  We would run there from our apartment.  I thought about that self that was running around that track, and I know she would have been shocked if back then I could have told her, "look across the street at the Starbucks, you will blink and you will be sitting there nursing your second baby..." How could I have known how quickly things would change?  Whenever I am in that part of town, nostalgia nearly overwhelms me.  The memories of that brief moment in time are sometimes hard for me to believe.   It often seems as if those months didn't exist until I am back in that place, and I can feel the way it felt to be newly married and living in that new city.  But, alas, I now have my dear, precious, and exhausting Ada and John.

And now I am going to steal pictures from my mom so that this post won't only be words....

 Chick-fil-a before heading into the city.

 Ada and mom while "skyping" with Kate.  My first skype experience, by the way.

 John-John (what we affectionately call him) on my hip, his second favorite place to be.

 more skyping.  Side note--I am hoping that by November, I will be able to say that my entire downstairs is painted.  And this includes repainting the dining play room a chocolately/mocha brown color.

 And more pictures from Chick-fil-a.  John was a trooper today, and we found out this morning that the EEG results are normal...Praise the Lord!!

And that was our day, a nice break from the norm...happy weekend!!