Mommy Thoughts

A year at glance 2010

2010-12-31T19:22:00.005-06:00

Welcome to our family Autumn Mckenna Moser. Since I last blogged I was expecting our third child. Little did we know at that time the Lord was going to bless us with a third girl. Yes that is right a THIRD girl. In September we welcomed our precious little girl to the family. We were very blessed for she is healthy and her sisters adore her greatly.

As we look forward to a new year we repent of our sins and turn to our Father in Heaven who has, by His grace, forgiven our sins and continues to teach us through discipline and through His Word.

A quick reflection of what has happened in our lives the past year, which has shown us God's grace, mercy, and provision through the ups and downs.

February: find out that we were expecting a baby

March: Bought a home - only by the grace of God did we find a home that was the right fit, and price

April: moved into our home

May-June.ish: Our Church moved into a new location, as we began to grow and see God move in many ways.

June: Took a trip to Vail, CO (only Brett and I) to our yearly lead pastor conference for the Acts 29 network. The girls got to spend a week with Nana and Papa.

July: Our yearly family trip to Crystal Springs Baptist Camp "family camp". It was a great time, but also a time to remember a dear friend whom past away not to long before camp.

June-August: Full of busy summer days working on putting up a fence, a garage door, and gardening with the help of our parents.

August: Uncle Ben - my little brother began school at NDSU. It is so nice to have him in town.

September: I began teaching a class of Anatomy & Physiology in the morning. Aunika began preschool for the 1st time, and yes I did cry when I took her for the 1st time! We awaited the arrival the birth of Autumn - who put me into labor 2 days before her due date, and actually arrived the morning of her due date! (to which I am told does not happen much)

October: Alayna turned 2! We had to say good by to our trusty Toyota Corolla as it broke down for good :( We also had to say good by to our washing machine that decided to quit working also.

November: The weather was amazing so we took a trip to Nana and Papas and returned again over Thanksgiving!

December: On the coldest day of the year at that point, our Furnace broke and to the point that we needed to have it completely replaced. Now we are experiencing back to back blizzards in the last two days of 2010!

Through all of this we have seen God provide amazingly for us and we are so thankful for friends, family, and health. Praise God and to Him Only Be the Glory!

Taking a Break :(

2010-05-13T16:25:00.004-05:00

Dear blog friends and family,

I thought I would inform you that I am going to have to take a break from blogging, until we get internet connected in our house. This may be a month or two? Not for sure. We will see...but don't worry I will be back to blogging and keeping in touch. Have a great spring and summer, Love you all.

shannon

Number 3

2010-02-27T17:14:00.001-06:00

Just would like to let my viewers know that we are expecting number 3 :) Baby 3 will be born, Lord willing, sometime this September 2010. We are very excited, and please keep us in you prayers for a healthy baby and pregnancy.

Girls' Summer Dresses

2010-02-27T17:03:00.002-06:00

I don't know about you but, I have spring fever! I finally finished a pair of dresses I made for the girls to wear this summer!

Please Clothe Your Barbie Dolls!

2010-01-04T23:26:00.004-06:00

As I was cleaning up our "toy room" I found several barbie dolls with no clothes on. Aunika has figured out how to take their clothes off, but is unable to put new clothes back on by herself. I don't know about you, but I absolutely hate naked barbie dolls! I think that they need to stay dressed, and when you want to take their clothes off, put new ones on right away. Needless to say, I could not leave them naked...so I got to play barbie doll dress up while my girls were tucked away in bed.

QUILTED STOCKINGS

2009-12-17T22:41:00.003-06:00

I finally finished the last on the four stocking I was making for Christmas! Just in time with a week before Christmas. Here is a look at them. The two Red ones are for Aunika and Alayna and the black and pink one is for me, and the black and blue one is for Brett.

A precious moment I shared with Aunika

2009-12-13T22:34:00.006-06:00

Aunika and I baked some cookies this week. Peanut butter drops. She had the job of unwrapping all the hershey kisses! As we were doing this, she asked why we were making these cookies. I told her for church on Sunday. She then replied "ya, because mommy likes cookies, daddy likes cookies, I like cookies, and JESUS likes cookies too"! "Yes sweetie, and why do we have Christmas I asked her." She replied, "It is Jesus' birthday", "and what did he do for us," I asked. She said, "died on the cross for our sins, and now Jesus is in my heart" as she pointed to her chest and said "right here in my heart." I said you are sure right and she began to sing "Jesus Loves Me"

This is a moment I will not forget...I did not prompt her, she just said these things by herself, and began singing!

I Love Toddlers!

Quilting is my new hobby

2009-12-10T09:58:00.002-06:00

I say to all you stay home moms, that you need to find something you really enjoy to do. There is only so much cleaning, cooking, laundry, diaper changing, and playing with the kiddos that you can do before you go crazy! You need to find something that allows you to escape and feel like you are accomplishing something. Don't get me wrong, my kids are my joy and love...but I have found that you need to let them play by themselves too!

So I have taken up quilting. Here is a look at some projects I have made for Christmas. A Table runner and some stockings.

nothing like it

2009-11-10T13:07:00.001-06:00

I never imagined myself being a stay at home mom. Not even once...no one in my family was. Now that I am I can not say it enough...it is fantastic. I say to all you out there who say it is impossible, can't afford it...etc... there is always an excuse. If it is a desire for you, you can do it. We never thought that it would be possible here, but the Lord has provided. If this is a desire and a calling for you. Trust in Him and know He will provide. Not saying that is has been smooth sailing, we have had our share of kinks and difficulties, but there always is in "life".

Home Sweet Home

2009-10-27T15:05:00.005-05:00

In early October the girls and I traveled 8 hours to Montana to visit the Grandparents and Uncle Ben and Uncle Jacob. Ben was going to be turning 18 and it was homecoming, and he starts on the Football team. It is his senior year, so I wanted to make it down to one of his games.

While we were there Aunika got to feed the horses and puppies
everyday. When she woke up she would run to grandpa and ask if she could go and feed the horses! Here is a look at our trip :)

Nana and Papa's House for the weekend

2009-10-27T14:46:00.006-05:00

In September we took a trip to nana and papa's house, and boy oh boy did the girls have a blast. They got to ride the scooter, pick apples, have a tea party, and play with papa! Here is a look at some of the things we did. Brett and I joined in on the fun that weekend, by playing in a golf tournament with Larry.

After a long time, it seems

2009-10-21T10:27:00.003-05:00

Well, about 3 weeks ago we traveled to the in-laws and then out to Montana for a week. When we came back home we were hit with a serious of illnesses, cold and flu, and now I have a sinus infection. This is why there have not been many blogs for awhile. We have been trying to recover and in the mean time I think a tornado hit the inside of my home :) So that needs lots of attention! I hopefully will be able to give a report with some pictures about our trips that were a month ago already!

Splish, Splash, We're Taking a Bath

2009-09-22T20:46:00.003-05:00

For the last couple months Alayna has just hated taking a bath. It has been screaming from when I start the water (before she is in the tub) till we have the pj's on and are going to bed.

Tonight was a success story.

I am not sure what was different, but she sure was! It has been so hard, and at times I think to myself; what am I doing wrong as a parent? Tonight she fussed when the water started, but shortly after I got her to play in the tub with bubble and even splash...I kept thinking oh, when is she gonna start to cry. I washed her body and hair and still no tears! I even was able to dry her off, brush her teeth, and get her dressed with no crying. That my friends was a huge accomplishment after two months straight of hating the bath-time. Now we will see if that stays or goes tomorrow night.

This Week

2009-09-21T11:28:00.004-05:00

Well, this week we are going to have lots of play time for the girls. I am watching Natalie and Ben today and Wednesday. The girls should not be bored or be whinny! Unless, (like today) Natalie hit Aunika on the head with a toy penguin (hard) not a stuffed animal, but a hard plastic toy! I love watching the girl play together. Ben and Alayna just kind of watch the big girls and follow them around everywhere. I feel really bad for Ben, the only "boy"!

Tuesday we have gymnastics

Friday we are headed to nana and papa's in Cando, ND.

2009-09-21T00:26:00.001-05:00

Aunika's Gymanastics Class

2009-09-15T18:04:00.006-05:00

Practicing Tuck Jumps, it is never too early to start our cheerleading training! Just don't tell daddy, he thinks we are working on coordination for basketball!

The New House

2009-08-21T13:33:00.009-05:00

Moving was not part of our plan for another 10 years or so. God had a different plan for us than what we would have ever thought of. Instead, we felt called to sell our home and move toward downtown and plant a church. If you would have asked me a year ago if I would do this, I would have said no. The Lord has worked in many ways to change my heart and mind to be more Christ-like and focus on what He would want us to do. What I once would have thought this to be crazy, I call a blessing. After 3 weeks on the market our home sold! Wow, 3 weeks while most homes are on the market for 2 months or more. The Lord was assuring all our doubts and making sure that we knew that this was his plan. For now we are renting the upstairs of a friend's home, which is located close to downtown Fargo. Praise God for his Greatness and provisions. Here is glimpse into our new home.

Camera is here, and so are the pictures!!

2009-08-11T19:06:00.002-05:00

waiting on a camera

2009-08-05T21:37:00.003-05:00

I really need to start posting more. I think I lost my followers because of such slacking in the updating world. I last asked anyone if they think I should write a book? No one responded.

Well anyhow, we are getting a new camera. Our other one was broken by our lovely 2 1/2 year old. I actually was happy that she broke it. It was a bit out dated and the quality was very poor. But at the time it did the job. It has been about 2 months without being able to take any pictures and keep up with our youngsters changes. So as soon as we get our new camera I will post new pictures.

Here is the camera we are getting. Let me know if you have any comments our feedback on the camera, Thanks

What do you think?

2009-07-27T15:49:00.001-05:00

Hey all you mommy thought readers...if there are any of you! I was thinking about possibly writing a book. What do you think? On what you ask? On my life experiences till now.

A Call to Change

2009-07-07T17:22:00.003-05:00

Life goes up and down and fast then slow. It seems just like yesterday I was in college. Brett and I have been married for 6 wonderful years. We have been called by the Lord to serve in Metropolitan Baptist Church for those 6 years. Brett and I have been praying about what the Lord would like to see us do. We have spent the last 6 months watching God open doors to a new ministry and a change in life.

What is this change you ask? Well we are selling our home, moving closer to downtown Fargo, and planting a church in the heart of town. River City Church; is going to be our focus in sharing the Gospel of Christ with the people of Fargo, living life with the people of Fargo, and building a community of people within our city that love God, serve Christ, and serve each other.

Rocky Mountain High

2009-06-15T16:52:00.005-05:00

It was a great blessing to take a week and go on a vacation with my husband and our good friends Steve and Kami Pederson. To top it off it was with no kids...I will tell about the girl's vacation with the next blog. We took a road trip to Colorado. We first stopped off at Mt. Rushmore, but it was so foggy that morning we were unable to see anything :( We then took off for Denver and spent a day and a half in Denver exploring downtown. We then continued our journey to Colorado Springs and stopped in to see the amazing rock formations of the "Garden of the Gods". When we completed that journey we went around many windy roads and ended at our cabin 35 miles west of Colorado Springs. We stayed at a beautiful 2 bdrm 2 bthrm cabin. We spent one day just resting and relaxing. It was absolutely fabulous to not have to get up early and not have any commitments for the day

The next day we went golfing just outside of Colorado Springs. Our last day we traved up to Pikes Peak, and elevation of 14,110ft. Wow talk about altitude sickness! First we took a train up the mountain (roads were closed) it was a blizzard up on the summit and about 30 degrees. It was beautiful scenery and a great ride. We were a little bit dissapointed that we did not get to see any wild life on the ride. None the less is was a great trip.

My 1st sewing adventure

2009-05-26T14:14:00.004-05:00

Well here is a picture of the 1st thing that I sewed for my girls, it is a nightgown for Aunika.

"I do it all by myself"

2009-05-18T18:03:00.005-05:00

Well that says it all, I do it all by myself. My daughter Aunika seems to be getting bigger and bigger by the day. My favorite thing to see from Aunika is some independence as she gets older. Aunika's independence has gone to the extreme at times and other times I don't understand why she needs help!
For example; when getting dressed in the morning there is no helping her. She loves to pick out her own clothes and put them on. I am not sure how she picks out some of the combination she does, but they sure do look funny - and cute at the same time. I use to go to shopping (before kids) and see toddlers and kids dressed in the craziest and funniest non-matching outfits. I would always tell myself and others, that my child will never be seen in public like that. Yea Right! Once they learn independence there is not reason to pick a battle of matching clothes vs. non-matching. I did draw that line once when she came to me with one dress shoe on and one water shoe on! I was not going to let her go with non-matching shoes.

So now this brings me to a time and place where she is fully capable of being independent, but chooses not to be. Aunika is potty trained, but when is comes to pulling her pants down to sit on the potty she cries for help! Now we have gone to using pants that she can pull on and off easily. I have tried time and time again and still she must have "mommy" help. I know it will take time and I am sure that she will be able to do that step all by her self.

Easter

2009-04-12T19:21:00.003-05:00

Seasons come and go, holidays come and go, birthdays come and go, but the one thing that matters in the life is we have been redeemed through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. What an amazing thing. Our girls celebrated Easter with us this year, and one thing I always want to remember is to tell them what Christ has done for us. Not to just tell them what Christ has done when "Easter" comes but to tell them all the time. As a parent Christ has put it in our hands to bring up our children knowing who He is not just when it is Easter!

Terror-ific Twos

2009-02-20T16:00:00.000-06:00

Our daughter Aunika turned two and I think that the mood swings began shortly after. One minute she is the sweetest and cutest girl, the next she is snooty and crying and throwing a tantrum. It reminds me of a light switch. You are not sure what turns it on or off but it randomly goes on and off! With the two's we are starting to notice the want for independence. She would like to do everything herself, and if she can not do it herself first, the light switch is turned on! That is she throws a tantrum. It is always "Aunika do it" or "I do it" it is so much fun to see her want to gain independence.

Since she wants so much independence we decided to start potty training. After 2 weeks of potty training I think we are there. Except for night time and for nap time, she tells us when she has to go. We have had a few accidents here and there and I am sure there will be more to come. For example when daddy had to take her to the potty...she insisted that he put the smaller potty lid on the big potty, but he couldn't figure out how it went. So by time he got the lid onto the potty Aunika was standing there and couldn't hold it any longer, so oops her pants were soaked. Those Daddies they need to work a bit faster for the little one's bladder.

My favorite example of independence is Aunika's need to help out with everything. She loves to help us put the dishes away. She will hand us the dishes and tell us where they go if she can not reach its spot. Aunika also insists on helping make dinner almost every night now. If she can not make it she still pulls up a chair to the counter and climbs up and watches. What a big girl.

Influenced Easily

2009-01-03T17:05:00.001-06:00

t is great to see our 1st daughter growing up. At times we forget that at the age of two they know so much more than you think, and they sure pay attention to everything around them. One night I was busy doing something downstairs, working away. I came upstairs only to find my husband on the phone and watching UFC on the television. Now, if you don't know my husband, he is a sports crazed man. I have tried to tell him, that he needs to pick only so many sports to follow, otherwise it just becomes too much for me to handle - all the sports that is. UFC is not one of my favorites. I don't understand the point of watching people beat the living daylight out of each other and then call it a sport? Well, anyway I could go off all day on why I don't like UFC. So back to my story. I came upstairs only to see our oldest daugther (2 years old) watching UFC with her dad. I began to yell at Brett while he was on the phone about how I don't agree with UFC....and then shortly after that, Aunika went up and kicked at the man on TV that was in the middle of a fight! SHE KICKED THE TV! NEED I SAY MORE! We both just stood there is shock and chuckled a little bit, before we had to try and explain to her that you can not kick the tv, and that fighting is not nice. She also has a tendency lately to push down the daycare boy (which I think she picked up from UFC)

So need I say more that it is important to start screening what your child watches at a very early age. It is also important to make sure you explain things to your kids, and help them understand God's way. How do you explain that UFC is something God would smile down on? I don't know??? Maybe that is a question for my husband Brett!

Silly Toddler - Aunika Marie

2008-12-01T09:33:00.000-06:00

Well, having a toddler is something else. When they start to talk and communicate you are amazed at what they say and do. When we first starting seeing if Aunika could talk we would prompt her what to say. She proceeded to, as any good child would, to repeat what we said. Now she is getting to the point where she does not need prompting and she tells us things, and just talks to herself all the time.

We were all decorating the Christmas tree, when Aunika was carrying something. She dropped part of what she was carrying and immediately said "whoops". Brett and I looked at each other in laughter and amazement that she knew to respond to dropping something by saying whoops! How do they know what to say? Either it was instinct or she has seen or heard one of us say whoops when we have dropped something. I say it is a good thing we don't use foul language around here otherwise that word could have been something else.

She has also developed a favorite word. She goes around the house calling people and things we do "silly" and fake laughing after that... you have to see it to really understand how this one word can be over used!!

Shaq on Physics

2008-11-20T14:36:00.000-06:00

I find this quote by Shaq rather funny...maybe it is because I am a science geek!

"When you understand the laws of physics like I do, the laws of physics state that a body in motion stays in motion," Shaq said. "So when you have two objects that meet in the air, the smaller object is gonna fall much harder at the same rate of speed. I've never been the type of player to take anybody out. I was going for the ball, little guy ran into a brick wall, and you know, he fell, and he added a little bit to the end. The referees looked at how he fell I think. But it's nothing I'm worried about, I've never been that type of player. If you understand physics like that, anytime you come in there out of control like that and you run into a brick wall, you're going to get that effect."

"I know I was going for the ball. I've played 17 years, I'm not a dirty player. I don't get dunked on. Little guy tried to come in my house, I wanted to block the shot, and he fell. If you apply the laws of physics, you know why he fell the way he fell. Period."

So You Think You Can Sing!

2008-11-12T09:32:00.000-06:00

For years I thought that I could sing so/so. When I met my husband Brett, he and his entire family can sing very well. They sing for church events, for musicals, and for family get togethers. When Brett was no longer trying to impress me he got serious and told me I was off tune all the time. I came to realize that what I was hearing - I thought sounded good because I don't have an ear that can tell if things are in tune or out. That is not a good quality to have if you are going to be apart of a musical family.

Things are so bad, that for entertainment, my friends and family ask me to sing solos, so that they can all laugh at me. They say it is funny because I try so hard. You may say "how sad", but I really don't mind because I can not tell if I am out of tune or in tune! Plus, I love to make people laugh.

The point of this is that I have always thought I can sing and in reality I can not! So where is that going to leave our children? Will they be able to sing or not?

My daughter Aunika has discovered that she can sing, by allowing her to continue her voice for a while - including one or two words her or there!

Keep in mind she is 21 months old (not quite 2 yet). This weekend we went to the Great grandparents and at church Aunika would try to sing along with the songs. Of course there are only a few words that do come out, so everyone can definitely her singing. The part that makes this funny is when there was special music (one person singing a solo) she thinks that she can still sing. So during the special music she was trying to sing along with the soloist. It was a bit embarrassing for us, because she is loud and you don't want to take the attention away from the song that is being sung. How do you tell a 2 year old when they can and cannot sing when they don't understand? You got me!

My brother-in-law Kelan tells me that Aunika has my singing voice! Right now I don't know, but I pray that she will be able to develop an ear that can tune her voice. Because, when you have her walking around the house for hours pretending to sing songs at the top of her voice, your head begins to ache! Besides the fact that it is pain to the ears, it is so cute, to hear her try to sing songs.

Hidden present!

2008-11-11T13:02:00.000-06:00

My oldest girl is two months from turning two. So we have been slowly introducing potty training to her. She knows it is a big girl potty and she has gone 2 (twice) in the potty. But not in a row, and it really doesn't seem to click for her yet.

One thing I have noticed it that she knows when she has to go number 2 (poopy). If only I could catch her before she goes. If I pay close enough attention: you can notice that she will go and find somewhere that is very quiet. Now we all like to go to the bathroom where it is quiet and no one can here us - so I can understand why she does that. Then she will do her dirty job and run and tell mommy "stinky, poopies" and pat her butt! She wants me to go change her diaper.

So tell me this when will is click that she will tell me before she goes poopy, because I am sure sick of changing poopy diapers, especially when there are two girls to be changing. It seems like sometimes all I do right now is change poopy diapers!

creeper book A.K.A "facebook"

2008-11-05T14:23:00.001-06:00

My husband Brett likes to call facebook "creeper book"! Which is funny to me, because it can be used as a tool to know what is going on in everyones lives that you know and don't know. What I find just absolutely amazing about facebook is that people either don't use their brains when using this Internet application or they just don't care about the influence and image that they can portray of themselves to others.

Recently I have noticed some very disturbing pictures of people that I know on facebook. Placed by themselves onto their pages. So what? Why do I care? Is it any of my business?

Here is the deal:
1) Now having daughters, I have seen pics of young girls parting, drinking, and dressing inappropriately.
2) These girls claim to be followers of Christ.
3) Everyone has parents, and is there no shame, if your parents saw these pics, and how would you feel if you saw what was going on with your child? Would you care, because in some way your child is a reflection of you and your family and what and who you represent.
4) What is your purpose in life? To party and have fun? Is that what you really think?
5) Can you only imagine who has seen these pictures (young girls) they know: young girls who look up to them or who did look up to them at one point.

Here is the second deal: (pictures of grown women - married women claiming to be followers of Christ) out partying.
1) I am not saying that you can not drink alcohol. Drinking is not sin - Drukeness is....
2) But when a grown - married woman places pictures of facebook for all to see of her partying
3) What does this say to your husband?
4) What does this say to other believers in Christ
5) Are we putting on an image that will reflect Christ and reflect his Glory?
6) What if you kids see these? They too probably have partying pics on facebook!

Facebook can be a great tool to communicate and share information with others. With use of discretion and purpose it is a great thing. It also can be a tool to destroy your reputation with believers and non-believers.

If your purpose in life is to bring glory to our God and savior Jesus Christ, then we should be doing that is all walks of life.

I am also saying too that I too am not perfect and I do not always make the right decisions or say/do the right things. I just wanted to share my opinion of good uses and bad uses of facebook.

So if you read this...do you think about what your life reflects? On facebook, e-mail, at home?

Been A While....Now a mom of two

2008-11-03T12:51:00.000-06:00

Well, I know it has been sometime for the readers to hear from me. I started a daycare and then I had a baby... so sorry for the long wait.

Who knew (but God) that someday I would be a mother of two Girls! Yes that is right two girls. I grew up with mostly boys around and so did my husband, so for us to enter the world of having two girls; it is a whole new adventure.

At first I was excited about having one girl, and now that we have two I am absolutely thrilled, nervous, excited, and concerned all in one. To think of the future of our little girls and what the Lord has planned for their lives. Friends, love, school, each other, and family... who knows what to expect. I do know that my husband will definitely begin to see that girls are very different from guys - that is when the hormones and emotions and sappy movies come into play!

Enough about that right now. Here are some pics of our beautiful and fun loving girls.

Empty Me

2008-09-15T21:27:00.000-05:00

American Idol star, Chris Sligh has released a single called "Empty Me". I would just like to share a bit of my heart, and send this out to my readers. The lyrics to this song speak to me, and are my prayer to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Empty me Lord and fill me with You. Pride and selfishness is something that I struggle with and too many times I find myself acting out my life for ME and NOT for the LORD. So if you find that you are in the same situation, I hope that the words of this song can speak to you too.

To listen to this song and others by Chris go to: www.myspace.com/chrissligh

I've had just enough of the spotlight when it burns bright
To see how it gets in the blood.
And I've tasted my share of the sweet life and the wild ride
And found a little is not quite enough.
I know how I can stray
And how fast my heart could change.

Empty me of the selfishness inside
Every vain ambition and the poison of my pride
And any foolish thing my heart holds to
Lord empty me of me so I can be filled with you.

I've seen just enough of the quick buys of the best lies
To know how prodigals can be drawn away.
I know how I can stray
And how fast my heart could change.

Empty me of the selfishness inside
Every vain ambition and the poison of my pride
And any foolish thing my heart holds to
Lord empty me of me so I can be filled with you.

Cause everything is a lesser thing
Compared to you, compared to you.
Cause everything is a lesser thing
Compared to you. So, I surrender all!

Empty me of the selfishness inside
Every vain ambition and the poison of my pride
Empty me of the selfishness inside
Every vain ambition and the poison of my pride
And any foolish thing my heart holds to
Lord empty me of me so I can be
Lord empty me of me so I can be filled with you.
Oh, filled with you.
Empty me.
www.onlylyrics.com

Raising Kids for True Greatness

2008-09-03T13:04:00.000-05:00

I starting reading this book by Dr. Tim Kimmel. What is true greatness? That is the question that everyone asks themselves at one point or another in their lives. We all want to achieve true greatness. Is it success, wealth, power, or beauty? Do you know? What do you want for your child as you raise your child? We all have great influence on our children, and what will we place as important? Sports, education, looks, future job, their spouse, or will we influence them in the way of the Lord. Will we show them through our actions and words that true greatness can achieve eternity? I encourage you to check out this book if you have kids or are planning on having kids someday. Click on the title to see Dr. Tim Kimmel's books.

Overwhelmingly Blessed

2008-08-20T12:43:00.000-05:00

I don't' know if it is possible to feel overwhelmed and blessed at the same time. That is exactly how I feel right now. There is a couple that we ref volleyball with who keep giving us stuff. That is stuff for our kids. It started out just with clothes, then a few toys, and now they gave us a toddler bed, highchair, and numerous other items that are very expensive. This is a blessing, for the daycare I am trying to start and for the next baby that is on the way (due in 2 months).

God sure has a way of working out your needs, and beyond your needs sometimes. There are so many items, I honestly don't know where we are going to put them all! Oh, I know what a bad thing to have right. It is not bad it is wonderful to have been given so much and have to find a place for it all.

May you find yourself as blessed as we have in the receiving of gifts from others.

Learning to brush the teeth

2008-08-18T21:57:00.000-05:00

Aunika is so silly. Tonight we were brushing our teeth, which we have done many time. This time though it made me laugh so hard. She tried to spit into the sink inbetween her brushing! What makes this so funny is that she eats the water and toothpaste so there is nothing left for her to spit out!

If Favre can change his mind so can I

2008-08-06T21:58:00.000-05:00

Well the buzz in our house is what is going to happen to Brett Favre? See I have family that are packer fans and I guess you could say I am too as long as Favre is playing for them. So I decided that if Brett Favre can change his mind on retirement I can change my mind on blogging. So here I am back again in such a short time! With much convincing by my husband ... I decided I will continue to blog, but don't expect one every day or even every other day.

So back to Favre. What do you guys think about the whole ordeal. I really wish he would have stayed at training camp and taken the field with the team, to force the Packers to give in and let him be traded to the Vikings (my husband's team). I then would not mind cheering very hard for the Vikings.

See when I met Brett (my husband) I was a packer fan he was a viking fan. I told him when we got married I might switch to the vikings. Then we got married...and well it was really hard to cheer for the vikings with Brett Favre still playing for the packers. So I did promise him that I would switch my loyalty to the purple and gold when Brett Favre retired and left the packers.

So here it is ... I now say to everyone who reads this ... I am officially a Vikings fan for the 2008-09 Football season. Go Vikings Go!

The End is Near

2008-08-04T21:42:00.000-05:00

I started this blog in honor of my husband. I have concluded that I can not keep up with the fast pace needed in blogging. So to all my fans out there . . keep in touch with me by e-mail, I will miss you all so very much.

In Christ
Shannon

Importance of Family

2008-07-27T21:45:00.000-05:00

Wow, it has been awhile since my last blog. I have been on "vacation" from blogging! My mother came to town to visit us and take care of Aunika and I. My family lives about 8 hours away from us. So when we get a chance to visit, our normal day to day lives get put on hold.

When I was entering college it was easy to say "so long family" and place distance between us. Now realizing that my family is not so close it becomes harder, and harder to deal with the distance. With the addition of Aunika to our family it seems that my heart grows weary and aches for us to be closer to my family. There is something about seeing the joy that Aunika brings to my parents and bothers that makes me wish we were closer.

Brett constantly reminds me that we could be further away from them, and I understand we could. But my heart longs to be closer and even to strengthen my relationship with my parents. I think this must be step in the direction of maturity.

Just like my heart longs to be closer to family, our hearts should long and ache to be closer to God. God is our one and only true heavenly father. He is the one who placed us with our families, who has blessed each situation to fit into His perfect plan. So I would like to thank God for the life he has given me in the past, present, and future. Through the struggles, pain, and joy. The book of Job is one that comes to mind when I think about what is important. Through the joy, pain, trials, burdens in his life; He knew always that God would be there and that God had a plan for him.

"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5b

"Dark Knight" the Batman movie

2008-07-19T00:19:00.000-05:00

Well, I know my brother in law Kelan will not like this post, but here it goes. Kelan has seen the movie twice and liked it.....a lot. We just finished watching the "Dark Knight". I personally am not a fan of freaky characters in movies. The movie was OK, but I do not recommend it for children under 18! To top off the movie experience there were some interesting events that occurred at the movie theater. Half way through the movie my husband was getting splattered on by a leaky ceiling that eventually soaked part of his shirt and pants! I went to place my soda in the cup holder and the arm rest fell off the seat! While walking to our car Brett stub his toe. Needless to say the movie was not the main event for us this night. Have you ever had an interesting night like this? Do tell.

Can you Remember?

2008-07-17T22:36:00.000-05:00

This question is for the husbands out there. Have you noticed that your wife misplaces everything? First, she lost her purse, then her keys, oh yeah where did she put her cell phone too? Studies have shown that there is a reason for that. Women who are pregnant or who have had children show an increase in short term memory loss. So for those who have not had children or who are not pregnant, sorry you can't use this excuse!

My husband always gets after me for having a hard time remembering where did I place things. See I have this habit of picking up things constantly and putting them in their place; but later I can't remember where that place was!

I really started noticing an increase in short term memory loss with the pregnancy of my 1st daughter. From there on it just seems to not have gotten better. Now that I am pregnant again, I am trying very hard to not forget things! Needless to say I still forget where I put my keys and cell phone on a daily basis.

This is a site for information on memory loss during pregnancy and afterward. It gives you some tips on how to regain your memory - so if this is a problem that you have, please by all means (at least for your husband) read up.

This next site is just some information from a study by CNN

Golf Ball Soup

2008-07-15T14:11:00.000-05:00

Have you just ever wondered what goes on in a child's mind? Some time ago my husband became the primary daycare delivery man. That is he took our daughter Aunika to daycare everyday. I don't know exactly how is started, but he began to give her a golf ball to take along for the ride to daycare. Since that time every time she sees a golf ball or should I say "bolf ball" she will pick it up and carry it all around with her.

That has lead us to today! I caught Aunika coming out of the office with her arms full of golf balls. Where she then proceeded to place the golf balls into bowls. She would then mix the bowls and pretend to eat! We now have a chef who can make a mean golf ball soup! I wonder if she will realize that golf balls are for hitting, and not eating. Maybe she will live our mommy's dream of being on the LPGA.

Sports Center from a Wife's view

2008-07-11T17:09:00.001-05:00

I don't know about any of you, but my husband is a sports fanatic. Here are my pros and cons of "sports center"

Pros:

There is so much junk on TV that I'd rather have him watch sports center
It gives me something to watch so that I can impress him with my knowledge of sports!
It makes for some great conversations at dinner, while driving in the car, or whenever

Cons:

He tunes out everything around him when sports center is on
It takes his attention away from the kids and I

When it comes down to it, sports center is not so bad. I do support my husband and his sports watching hobby!

Why Now?

2008-07-11T14:10:00.000-05:00

I've started a blog! obviously. The decision to begin blogging came about from my husband. He has a blog "saved from wrath" and so this is for him! Basically it will be about our family, motherhood, and where God fits into the picture of all this. Many blessings to you.