Sharing Jesus with the "Mean Step-Mudder!"

Mackenzie got little, palm-size princess stories for her birthday that she loves... but the thing she talks about the most is the MEAN step-mother. I wasn't really sure what to do about it, she is a mean step-mother (Cinderella, Snow White, and then that scary witch lady in Sleeping Beauty), but why is Mackenzie so focused on the mean people instead of the pretty princesses? So today at nap time we talked about reading the princess books and she of course started talking about the "MEAN step-mudder" and I told her that those people were only mean because they didn't know Jesus. So we took the next five minutes to share the gospel with these poor "mean step-mudders" and we colored happy faces on them with a Sharpie (she helped with a crayon). I don't think she got anything out of it besides the fact that Jesus takes a mean person and can make them nice... but it was a start for her little heart to evangelize to even the "mean step-mudders" in her princess stories. Take a look... I think Maleficent might look even scarier after I was done with my Sharpie!

Our Little Helper!

Helping Mommy plant mums...

Helping Daddy seed the lawn...

She was pushing that around without any seed in it and saying, "So heavy, Daddy do it. Daddy has strong muscles!"

"Fends"

"Fend" is what Mackenzie calls other people... I love her outlook on life! Anyone is a friend, young or old, family or neighbor, they are all her "fends." Her best friend though is her sister, Baby Aubrey! We all affectionately call her "Baby Aubrey" and she continues to be a joy and delight to our family!

We had a great time with the Lockhart's a few weeks ago... we all made smores together in our fire pit... it was so much fun!

We had Jamie and Liv ("Bamie and Lib") over this past Tues. and Mackenzie sweetly read books to the two babies all on her own initiative!

We had play group this past Friday at Katie's house and we all enjoyed a trip to the park together! We were asked by a woman in the park if we were all college friends and we replied that we all went to church together. One thing led to another and my friend Shana got to share her experience from being raised Catholic but converting to Christianity when her friend shared the good news of Jesus with her. This women was asking so many questions and before we knew what was happening Shana was full out sharing the gospel, explaining how she (Shana) had failed to understand grace and how the Book of John opened her eyes to what Jesus had done for her! She did a wonderful job articulating herself and Julia, Katie, and I all silently prayed for Shana's words and this woman's heart as we watched our kids! I do pray that the seeds that were planted will reap a harvest and one day we may meet this woman in heaven!

"Help, Please, Mommy!"

Couldn't have been a more beautiful day or a more beautiful baby in a swing!

"Mommy, MY do it!"

Gracie, Kenzie, and Lissey... hope they all grow up to be friends cuz I sure love their moms!

Thank you, Lord, for "fends!"

TWO!

I can't believe that two years have gone by since I became a mom... it feels like I've been a mom forever, but I can't believe how big my BABY is! These first two years of life have astounded me. She went from being a little blob of cuteness and cheeks to a total little person with the ability to communicate what she is thinking, ask for what she wants, hold her own opinions, and make me laugh! We even have an inside joke now that only she and I will ever get and she brings it up all on her own when she wants to make me laugh! I LOVE having a two year old too! There are moments when the phrase "Terrible Two's" rings so true, but the sweet moments are far more often and make it all worth while.

Today was a great day to give you a glimpse of life with a two-year-old and almost six-month-old: I went to get Aubrey out of the car seat to put her in the backpack while we grocery shopped. Well... she was covered in poop! I had only put two diapers in my purse in my FIRST attempt to go shopping with a purse and NOT a diaper bag in the past two years... figures, ha! So I can't go in the store, she is covered in poop and really not all that happy about it. So I tell Kenzie that we'll have to go home, she has a melt down cuz she loves Shoprite, but she gets over it and continues to eat the marshmellow I had given her from something else. Ok, so we get home and I have one child asleep covered in poop and another child who almost fell asleep so I gave her my cell phone to keep her awake forgetting that she had sticky marshmellow fingers. So now my only phone is covered in goo and I have to get these two kids inside, cleaned, and in bed cuz it's nap time. Mackenzie, of course, doesn't want to come inside... she gets distracted by wanting to play in the mulch. No big deal, I thought, I'll lock the gates and let her play while I get Aubrey dressed. I left the door ajar in case she wanted to come in. I go change Aubrey and when I realize the extent of her poop I know she needs a bath. I'm holding one naked child when my two year old comes running in with hands that were covered in marshmellow goo now covered in goo AND dirt. She's saying, "Mommy messy, I need soap!" I figure why not just throw them both in the tub? So Aubrey is left naked on her changing table (I know I'm not supposed to do that, thank God she only ate her poopy toes and didn't fall of the table!) I rinse Kenzie's hands and then tell her to get naked cuz she's getting a bath too. She needs help getting naked of course, so I sit on the edge of the tub with Aubrey in my lap while I undress her... then I hear a, "Hello, I'm home!"... "We're in here, Babe!"... Jake enters the scene of naked, messy children and just as he asks me what's going on, Aubrey decides to pee on my lap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are both cracking up... him a little more than me, he's like rolling on the floor, and I'm laughing and half crying from the past 10 mins. of life! So glad he arrived when he did... after he stopped laughing he jumped in and was an amazing help as he always is!

Here are some pictures from her big day this past Sunday! This game always ends with, "Daddy, do again!"

Trying to do the same thing with her baby!

Aubrey is always happy! Especially in her exersaucer!

I want to take pictures of each of the girls on their birthdays on this bench so we can see how they grow each year. Here she is telling her daddy to "sit right here!"

She knew what to do with the candles this year!

Mommy's Elmo cake didn't turn out so hot, so Uncle Andy saved the day and got her an Elmo cupcake which she LOVED!

"Deff and Tia" got her a wonderful tea set that she adores!


Memom got her "Pincess" books... she loves them!

And Aubrey loves eating them!

The Lockharts gave us a caterpillar that spun a cocoon and then hatched into this butterfly!

It sat on my finger!

Bye-bye butterfly!

Painting!

We have been having a blast doing crafts together in our spare bedroom. We set up our old computer desk in there and yesterday I showed Mackenzie how to paint with a brush for the first time. She LOVED it!

She also learned that you get brown when you mix them all together!

"Messy, messy, Mommy!"

She is so cute... I love watching her learn!

Friends and Family

Not sure the important things they were discussing... but this is priceless to me!

We had Ella over for the whole day last Thurs. and the girls had a lot of fun together... you'd never be able to tell though from this zoombie picture! This was after naps and they were both spacey, but they really did have fun together all morning!

Our friends Kira and Stephen came over to play last Tues. and we had fun rollar skating together and playing with balls on the lawn.


We celebrated my mom's 50th birthday here on Sunday. We had 12 adults in our living room for dinner and it was a blast! I can't believe God has blessed us with a home that can hold my entire family!! First we had fun walking to the lake and playing a big family game of volley ball. Mommom and Poppop watched Mackenzie for me and they started of taking a little walk down by the water... she ended up going in up to her neck fully clothed, but it was SO cute! I loved watching my grandmother play with my daughter while my Poppop took pictures! It was so wonderful to see them enjoying her AND I got to play a game of volley ball!!

My dad collected letters from 50 of my mom's friends and family and Angie, Amy, and I bound them all in a scrapbook for her! We had so much fun working on that surprise together and my mom (who LOVES encouragement notes!) was so blessed! Great idea, Dad!

We ended the evening with a yummy chocolate cake that is my mom's favorite! It was a wonderful celebration and she is still trying to take it all in she says!

Andy spent the night after the party and it was so much fun to stay up late with him and sit outside with our fire pit! I can't believe we get to live here!! I can't believe all of the extra blessings besides just having a roof over our heads! We have amazing neighbors, everyone is happy to live here! We have a yard that is fenced in! Enough storage for everything! A lake to walk to with a playground, swings, and a great volley ball court! And a house that is big enough for a party... that's my favorite part!!! We never could have seen something this amazing happening when we were walking through the trial of having no house... but God has blessed us more than we could have asked or imagined!

"Daddy Wort Haard?"

Jake has been having the time of his life in our new house! On Sunday he cut down a tree that was dead in our yard. Mackenzie was very concerned the whole time that Daddy would get hurt, "Daddy, NOOOO!!!" was what she kept saying from the window. But then when the tree came down she did the biggest song and dance, "YEAH!!! DADDY!!!!" was what she kept saying and clapping for him!

Every morning when I go into her room she asks for her daddy, "Daddy wort haard??" is what she says. She knows that whatever Daddy is doing, he's working hard at it and that is just one of the reasons we love him so much!!