Interesting, to be so close to 100 but falling short. I could have finished early but I delayed…

Which brings me to what I am working on this week in my world. Child Dedications….In raising your kid do you fall short sometimes? Do you miss the goal by just a little? What small thing could you have done to help them reach that next achievement?

Me?!? It’s my job?!?

Of course…. My kids are my responsibility and I have to actively pursue raising them for greatness each day. I can’t let up or give up because the enemy and the “world” wants them to fail or succumb to its ways. For analogy purposes a football team is always looking for ways to score a touchdown… Carefully looking for creases to slip through, dissecting weaknesses and exposing ways to where you can succeed, defend and reach your goal.

That’s what we need to do as parents. Rise up and protect your children, defend them, and more importantly equip them for success! Please make the choice to pray for them and devote time to lay them at the feet of Jesus. Allowing Him to use you and those around you to help properly raise your kid.

Now in our child dedication meeting next Monday I am going to have the privilege and honor to talk to some parents about this and 5 other great points to help them with the first crucial steps of raising there kiddo.

So i end with this….. Don’t delay, don’t miss your goal by a small step, don’t let “life” get in the way of raising your kids and no matter what….. Have a blast doing it!

Let me just update you all with what has happened in the past 12 months…. If I can remember it all of course.

-Brooklyn is now 5, reading a ton and in kindergarten… And dominating all the previous.
-Bailee is hilarious and is just amazing me daily… She still has all her skin and allergy issues. Nothing new there.
-Sheena and I have accomplished our 7 years of marriage and are looking forward to the next 100 years for sure.
-I got a new job, kinda. I am now at LifeChurch.tv in Yukon! Loving it there and love what God is doing through his people for sure! Got a team I love and will fight for!

Why do I choose today to knock of the dust on the ol blog? Because within 24 hours my life changes a little more…. My brother is flying in and asking his Soul mate to marry him! I am elated for him and looking forward to having Mandy-Mack as a sis-in-law!

Blog…..welcome back.

What you think? What do you prefer?

Mandy’s Blog

Yep, Yesterday Brooklyn caught her very own Fish!  I was so proud of her!  She cast it out about 30 feet (no lie….She’s that good and she’s only 3!)  Reeled it in just a little and once she had that bobber go down she set that hook and reeled in a whopping 6-7 inch fish!  Was it a Perch?  Nope….A CATFISH!!!  I was so proud of her!  Bout brought me to tears!

What made me so proud of her was not that she did i t all by herself or anything but the fact that she practiced for so long!  She would have her practice lure on and she would cast, and cast, and cast till she got the hang of it.  She would probably do this for about 3-4 weeks now….  I truly think she is the best soon to be 4 year old caster in the state!  So it was great to tell her that all that practice paid off and she came out with a reward!  a 6-7 inch Catfish!

She was so patient, and wanted to bait the hook, cast, wait for the fish, and reel it in….But of course didn’t want to “pet” the fish.  I am fine with that for now….But soon enough she’ll be my little helper and taking care of her sissy and her mommy.

Still working on it.  As you can see my pop got his tattoos on his arms that he’s been wanting and I finally got that belly I have been working on….

There were two kids who actually dressed up as us!  Hilarious!  Rightly named as Mini Edge and lil’ Red Dawg.  We had 4 overall winners that night Mini Edge won and 3 other costumes, A cowboy, Nancy Drew and a Mail Carrier.  Good creativity juices flowing that night!  I didn’t know why lil’ Red Dawg didnt make it on stage but he had an excellent chance on sweeping the competition!

Well below are some pics for your enjoyment……

Enjoy.

……………well yesterday (i don’t know the exact terminology) our overhang on our roof has vents on the underside that keep the circulation going in our attic…..on one of the mesh vents have gone bad and a hole has somehow been punched through.  I didnt think of it much but Sheena said, “we better cover that before a bird flys in there.”  I said, “I’ll get it tomorrow. A bird won’t find that hole and make a nest or anything this quick.”

HA

Well this morning I pull up into our driveway and see a huge fat pigeon sitting on our gutter in front of the hole!

You can imagine what flys through my mind!

As I step closer a bird flys out of the hole!

What tha!

Well I run in and tell Sheena that she’s right and there is a bird trying live up in our attic….Of course she says the common words…”I told you!”  So I drop what I got and go up in the attic to try to plug the hole.  As I am up there I realize I can’t reach the hole so I go BACK down into the garage and try to assess the situation a little better and figure out how I can plug that hole! 

After a short deliberation we decide to do a temporary fix and fill it with a piece of cardboard.  But before I put the cardoard piece in i go ahead and rip off the entire piece of bad mesh.  When I pull down the mesh and feel around I pull down tons of pine needles, leaves, twigs and various goodies.  CRAP!  Luckily, I tore it down before a full blown nest was developed.

I stepped away after blocking everything off and cleaning everything out and I watch to see what tries to fly back in there and complete it’s nest. 

I waited….

and waited….

and waited….

for like 1 minute and then I saw a black bird with twigs in mouth try to fly up into the attic!  SUCCESS!  It tried a couple times but failed! 

Just be careful what you watch on TV….It may just happen to you…..unless you are smarter than a dumb bird.

Sheena and I are sitting next to each other in the girls floor getting ready for prayer time right before they both go to bed.  The girls Brooklyn (3) is in her PJ’s sitting in her bed.  Bailee (2) is in her Pj’s as well sitting in a little chair right in front of us.  We always ask the girls who wants to pray, sometimes it’s us and sometimes it’s them.  Last night…..me…..

Okay the stage is now set.

As I am praying for various things I keep on hearing something pitter patter back and forth back and forth with little whispers…..I keep to my guns and continue to pray.  Once I finish prayer I look over and Brooklyn is 2 inches from Sheena’s face Whispering  “Mommy, Where’s my water bottle?”  Sheena then said, “I don’t know where it is but during prayer we sit still and talk to God.  It is not a time for playing, getting up, or looking for water bottles.  We can do that AFTER prayers.”  So we then go into a discussion about the importance of Prayer and reverence to God.  (Yeah with a 3 year old)  Crazy Huh.

THEN all of a sudden RIGHT in the middle of this 3 way conversation of intense bibical doctorine and theology with our 3 year old we hear something that just brings you back the the reality of a family with 2 amazing little girls……Bailee says these precious little words….

(NOW WAIT before I get any further……..Think of the sweet little voice she has and how adorable her puffy little cheeks are with her little dutch girl blond curly hair and her big blue eyes)……..

Bailee says “I got a boobie.”

Sheena and I look at each other with out laughing and stare each other down trying to build strength from each other to not die laughing in the middle of our SERIOUS conversation with Brooklyn.

But Bailee wouldn’t stop!  “I got a boobie, I got a boobie, I got a boobie.”  She is saying these things as she is holding her leg showing us her BOO-BOO!

Oh geez…..

Our girls are hilarious, awesome, smart, kind, polite, oblivious, random, and obviously at this young age have no clue of when it is appropriate to say Boobie.

Which I have been informed…..There is never a good time to say Boobie.  So you better say it as much as you want right now Bailee because you won’t be able to get away with it for much longer…..

Ah….Welcome to my House Full of Ladies.