C and E Heading to GUA

"God has been talking a lot to me about Guatemala. I feel like He has laid it on my heart that I should go there so that I can see how other people live."
- Chloe, age 8

This conversation took place a couple weeks ago at the dinner table. Chloe had heard us talking about a mission trip that was happening with our church. She knew that Daddy and Mommy were going...but she did not know that we had already decided to take her and her brother.

Granted, she has grown up around short-term missions...she has sat and listened to stories of all the great things God is doing in different parts of the world. But, for her to share that The Lord had been talking to her about Guatemala and that He was laying it on her heart to go...

Kev and I were blown. away.

It has always been the plan/dream to do missions together as a family. We have always shared our hearts for the nations with our kids. We sing worship songs before bed in the languages of places Kevin and I have been. We support a national missionary in India. We talk about the places some of "our people" are serving. We almost went to Haiti last summer as a family, but God closed the door.

So we are delighted and excited to be going AS A FAMILY on a mission trip to Guatemala April 12-22!! Our church has been partnering with a village there for the past 5 years to help support the people of the village to have a sustainable life free of the bondages of poverty through micro-loans and agricultural development.

We are expectant of what The Lord may have in store for us as a family! In order to make it possible, we need to have people praying for us. We ask for prayer for both Chloe and Eli to be excited and receptive to God's heart for the nations. We need prayer for open eyes to see the ministry opportunities The Lord will have for us as a family. We need wisdom in what areas to have the kids be a part of. We ask for specific prayer for Eli's food issues to be covered in grace and peace while there.

And of course we need to raise the finances required to make such a trip possible.
We need to raise $3,000 to cover Chloe and Eli's expenses for the trip. That number includes their travel, shots and medications and on ground expenses. If you are able and feel lead, all gifts can be sent to Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church and will be tax deductible.

Please mail checks to:
Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church
PO Box 829
Gig Harbor, WA 98335-0829
(Please include a note designating the check for Chloe and Eli Williams - Guatemala)

We are trusting the Lord to provide and are making some cuts on our end to try to fund as much of their trip as possible. We know that a step of faith this huge will require both sacrifice and commitment on our part. We desire to be obedient.

Thank you ahead of time for your prayers and support! I hope to document our trip on this little blog here...so stay tuned!

Be Still My Heart

In a fleeting, random moment...
In the middle of dinner prep and homework...
Eli reaches toward me and cups my face...
Eyes endearing...

"I love sharing this life with you."

First Day of PreK - Take 2

E started PreK last week.
Well...technically he started PreK in April.  In order to get him into a program he needs, we needed to enroll him into their school.  So he finished PreK precisely 4 weeks after starting it...and ABCs and 123 were but a review...

So he started FOR REAL last week.  It's a wonder how different it felt this time around.  I cried a little in April...but not so much in August.  He had some trouble on his second first day...walking to the same corner he walked to in April as his boycott of going to school...but eventually was peeled from my arms and sat at his table to begin morning work.  I kissed both of his hands and told him to hold onto them for when he missed me...his fists were still tight as I walked out the door.

He is big.  He is ready. I miss him.

Upon pick up, he announced that he has a new friend.  His name is Body. (pronounced like Cody)
He likes sharks too. Thank you, Jesus.

(Will hopefully add pictures of him and his shark backpack (which totally rocks, btw) once I get my computer situation worked out...currently having some issues...but soon.

E says the darndest things...

Wanting to jot down some of the things Eli has been saying lately...
In no particular order, but all pretty adorable.

"When I turn 5, I want to have my party at Chuck E. Cheesus." ('Cheesus' sounds like Jesus.)

Very matter of factly, in response to Kevin telling him he is the coolest dude: "Yeah...that's what the guy in the lunch room tells me everyday."

When asked why he does not eat meat: "Because I think chickens should live."

In the same vein...whenever we drive by Chic-Fil-A he sings the Tim Hawkins song with his added lyrics:
"Chic-Fil-A...I could eat you 7 times a day...BECAUSE YOU KILLED THE CHICKENS!!!"

Sooo many more, but these are the ones that come to mind right now...

He keeps us laughing!

Around the House This Week...

Me and E Date Night

Kevin and Chloe are out on the town at their annual Daddy/Daughter Dance.  They both look forward to it every year.  I am so thankful that they get to have this special time together. Pictures to come.

Since they were going on a date...so were me and E.

I asked him what he would like to do on our date...to which he replied, 'what is a 'date' actually?'
Special time set aside for the two of us to spend time together.
He liked the idea. ;)

So.
Pizza.  Cheese Pizza.
Chips.
A sea life documentary.
And some Ben & Jerry's.

He was excited all day.  Kept asking how long it was until night time.  So. Sweet.
Once Kev and Chloe were on their way, we pushed the couches together to make a 'boat', picked up the pizza and completely pigged out on junk food.

We watched the documentary twice and then played Hot Wheels 2012.
(He loves to add the '2012' part...it must be cool because they added it to Monster Jam.)

We tried all sorts of cars to find the best loop-de-looper.

 Batmobile.  Hands down.

 We made the cars jump monster trucks, other cars...we even tried to get the cars to land in his crocs.
The biggest hit was getting the cars to loop-de-loop into a Tupperware of salt...or 'salt pit' respectively.

It was a good, good night.
Love you, E.
Love being your Mama.

Pintentional Post #6: Writing In Salt

Writing in Salt

Or 'Writing in Snow' if you are Eli.
Because somehow writing in snow is waaay cooler.

If you click on the above link, you will see a very zen like box holding a very official looking letter card.
Below you will see my make-shift-found-around-the-house 'free' version.



If you continue to click down the link trail that is the beauty of Pinterest, you may risk feeling like a terrible mother....at least I did...as that Mom is clearly doing an above-and-beyond-fabulous job of educating her young children.

So hang around here and save yourself the guilt. ;)

My four year old does not enjoy coloring or doodeling or practicing writing with crayons or pencils...

But he was totally into writing with his finger in the 'snow'.

It was sweet to see how successful he felt as he wrote all his letters.  Smile from ear to ear. 

Could. Not. Wait. to show Daddy when he got home.

I actually caught him writing all on his own a couple times too! ;)

Where I Need To Spend More Time...

Right here.

 With this little man...

When Ordinary PBJ Just Won't Cut It...Pintentional Post #4

PBJ needed some pizazz today...
I knew if I was feeling bummed out about the old stand-by...E was probably going to flat out refuse.

So...this is what I came up with:

Only crumbs were left! WIN!

This post was indirectly inspired by Pinterest with all the cute lunch ideas...soooo...
Pintentional??

I think yes!

4 year old stream of thought...

E:"Mommy...I don't like to think about Jesus on the cross. It's gross."
Me: "It is gross.  He was hurt very badly."
E: "What did the bad men stab through His heart?"
(geez on the details Sunday School teacher!!)
"Wow.  They really told you a lot about Him on the cross didn't they?"
"Yeah. What was it that they stabbed Him with?"
 "A sword.  They stabbed Him in His side." (Side note: Daddy has corrected me.  It was a spear.  Not a sword.  Give me a little slack in that my 4 year old just asked me "what the bad men stabbed Jesus in the heart with?" I was in a bit of a shock. Spear.  It was a spear that they stabbed Him with. There.)
"Did He bleed?"
"Yes.  He did. Do you know why He died on the cross?'
"Yes. He died for our sins."
"That's right. We all sin.  We all make mistakes and do the wrong thing sometimes...when we do, it makes our heart feel dirty and heavy.  The dirt and heaviness makes us not be able to be close to His Daddy.  He wants us to be close to His Daddy.  So He died on the cross so we wouldn't have to. Jesus makes our heart clean and light!"
"Mommy? Where are our lungs?"
"Right here.  Inside."
"Well, how does He fit in our lungs?"
"We actually say He is in our hearts."
"Well, how does He fit in our hearts?"
"Good question.  I guess it is more His Spirit that lives in our hearts.  That's is how He talks to us in our hearts and in our minds...through His Spirit."
"So He's dead?"
"No.  He died and then he came back to life!"
"He was dead for 3 YEARS!?"
"haha...no.  He was dead for 3 DAYS."
"So where does He live now?"
"He is in heaven with His Daddy
"That's God....I don't believe Saul when he says we drink Jesus' blood. Blood is gross. Some boys like human blood...but I don't."
"No we do not drink His real blood.  We drink juice to remind us of His blood."
"And the crackers?"
"Those are to remind us of His body."
"I didn't get to eat any crackers."
"We wait to eat the crackers and drink the juice until we tell Jesus we believe He died for us on the cross and that we want Him to live in our hearts."
"Saul doesn't believe me that people drink cow's blood."
"Saul hasn't heard Daddy tell the stories about the people in Africa, has he?"
"No.  I have a new friend.  He has round hair.  He was nice to me.  At the other church there is a boy who is like his big brother...and he is NOT my friend.  He was not nice.  Actually...his hair is more flat on top."
""That's funny.  Did it stand up short on top?"
"Yep."
"They actually call that haircut a 'flat top'."
"That's a funny name.  Flat. Top." (giggle)
"You know the little girls on Lightening McQueen's team??  They say MA-TOOR! HAHA..they are funny."

The conversation trailed off from here.
But...Woah.  There is some heavy stuff going on in that head of yours, E.  What an honor and a privilege to be the one to share these Truths with you.  I love to hear what is on your mind. (Cow's blood, Lightening McQueen and all...reminders that you are, in fact, 4 years old...and alllll boy!) :)

We prayed together after this conversation...that God would continue to pursue your heart.  That you would continue to feel free to ask all the questions you have and that Daddy and I would have wisdom in answering.  Oh, how we want you to know Him!  To know that you are fiercely loved by Him (and us)
That He has made you for His purposes and that in Him is where you will find true life.  May you love Him while you are young and while you are old!!

And I quote...

"Do you know Rudolph means, 'I like your light on' in Spanish?"

This is the stuff E comes up with, out of nowhere, on our way home from getting our Christmas tree.

All bundled up in our matching Christmasie hats and scarves, with hot chocolate packed in a vintage thermos and picnic basket with coordinating wool blanket...taking to the woods...tromping through soft snow as more gently falls on our shoulders and eyelashes...in search of the perfect tree...all the while whistling Christmas carols...

OOOOORRRR....

High tailing it to Home Depot and Lowes after bed time... PJs under sweats...hodge podge of hats and mittens (because it really is cold here...at least to us)...over-working the nice Lowe's guy as we deliberate between which wonky tree we will come home with this year. We went with the fattest and the tallest.  Nice-Lowes-Guy gave it to us for the price of a short and skinny one.  He even handed the bottom part of the trunk that he cut off the tree to E...told him to write the year on it and make it into a tree ornament. (Dude?!?!  Have you been Pinteresting?!?!?)

 I asked.  He had not even heard of it.  What?!?

The Home Depot/Lowes scenario has been our tradition for the past seven years...while I would love for parts of my first description to be true...it could not be farther from it.  It works for now...maybe someday we will live where they have U-cut Christmas trees and I can have it together enough to remember to add some hot water to the hot cocoa mix and pack it along...either way...we are getting ready to have our house smell like Douglas Fir and lights are getting ready to twinkle...

Eventually...we are debating whether or not to unpack our storage unit to retrieve all our Christmas decorations...they are seriously at the very. back. of the unit. 

This is real. life.
Ain't it grand? :)

"Don't You Just Love This Day?"

The sweetest things continue to flow from Eli's mouth these days.
He will crawl into bed with us in the morning, "I love you, Mommy."  "I think you are so special."
After eating break-n-bake cookies: "Thank you so much for these cookies, Mama. I really enjoyed them."

Today has been no different.
We got some flowers yesterday to replace our impatiens that would seriously hold on until Christmas if we would let them.  (They just don't look very Fall-ie, you know?)

Well, Mums were on clearance and pansies were affordable...and since our house is on the market, I thought we should Fall-ify the house. (what? you didn't know our house is on the market...SURPRISE!)

Back to Eli.

After another episode of Umi Zumi we headed outside to plant the flowers.
He was giddy about the gloves that were just his size and could not wait to help.

Throughout the entire process, he is asking questions about soil, roots, stems...
"what are those white ball things in the soil for?" 

In the middle of all the questions he would interject his sweetness:

"I LOVE doing this!"
"This is so great!"
"We should do this every day, all day!"
"Don't you just love this day?"

Oh. My. Heart.

Yes, Eli.  Yes.  I love this day because you are a part of it.  And I just love YOU.

 Sweet Boy in action.

 Boppi and GrandBob, we have a gardener on our hands!!

He will be a happy helper this summer if you have any need of it!

 We did get some water on the flowers too.

Is it just me, or do you see a phantom Great Blue Heron head in the mist there??

Positive Affirmations for Parenting: You win some. You lose some.

Last week I was at Target and saw these spider twinkle lights for sale in the Halloween section.  They were $12. 'Tis not the season for spending $12 on frivolous spider twinkle lights, so I passed them up...feeling a wee bit sad about it, because I thought they would be super fun to string in Eli's room. 

You know, 'cause nothing says 'boy' like spider twinkle lights.

Fast forward to yesterday...it was one of those days that felt like the only way to survive was to load the kids up and wander the aisles of Target.  (do you have those days??)

So I did.

And guess what was on sale??  50% off, for that matter?!?

THE SPIDER TWINKLE LIGHTS!!!

Glory, Hallelujah!

So we sat on the floor and pontificated on which spider twinkle lights were the best and decided on the larger ones with glitter and multiple colors.

Because nothin' says 'boy' more than spider twinkle lights with glitter.

I brought them home and was super excited to hang them.  Kevin had the brilliant idea of stringing them from under Chloe's mattress on the top bunk!  Fabulous idea!

Well...this morning was a bit bumpy (to understate my frustration) as I got a certain precious and strongly opinionated girl ready for school...I was feeling like I was losing.

So, when Eli asked to do something with the spider lights it felt like a 'win' was in my near future.

Off come the blankets!  Off comes the mattress!  Off comes the wood plank that supports the mattress!
And ON go the spider twinkle lights!!! I made a fort with the blankets and even made a secret entrance. 
I was rockin' the Mom thing!

I was seriously chanting positive affirmations in my head,
"you are a cool Mom." 
"you are so. fun." 
I. was. WINNING!

Then Eli attempted to enter the fort through said secret entrance and proceeded to slip through some stinking crack that had escaped my attention, possibly giving himself a shiner.

True. Story.

But for a split second...the positive affirmations were working!

You win some.  You lose some.

2 years ago today...

Please go here to view what may be the cutest video ever.  Hard to believe only 2 years have past...yet he has changed so much.  We have watched it over and over and over again the past couple days.  But only tonight realized it was 2 years ago exactly that I posted it. FUN!

Chloe and I are off for a weekend getaway to celebrate her friend's birthday...
Palm trees, castles and mice might be involved.
The trip is a gift from the Lord.  An absolute gift.

Many, many, many pictures to come!

Turtle

Eli is all into 'squishy animals'.

They are a sticky plastic with little styrofoam balls inside.

The animals feel real-ish and he loves them.

As in... plays in the sink with them (as they are mostly sea creatures for obvious reasons) on a daily basis.

Sometimes more than once a day.

He is particular (surprise) about them. 

They can not have any carpet fuzz or hair on them.

They can not be 'dirty'.

I was out of town this past weekend and found a squishy sea turtle that I knew he would LOVE!

So I brought him home and I was not disappointed.

Meet Turdie.

Yep. That's his name.

Eli named him TURDIE.

The humor of this name is lost on Eli.
Because who actually says turtle "TUR - TLE." (emphasis on the second 't')
No. One.  That's who.
We all say TUR - DLE with the 'd' sound.
So 'Turdie' is a completely logical name for this animal, is it not?
How many times a day do I get to hear, "Mommy?  Where is Turdie?" or "I can't find my Turdie!" or "Look, Mommy! Turdie is floating in the sink!"

A. Lot. I'm telling you!
And each time I feel like a middle-schooler...because I want to giggle and cringe at the word 'turd'.

Side note:  This word is actually on my 'least favorite word' list.  I had a friend in high school that actually wrote it on my car window as a joke...because I disliked it that much....and now I get to use it on a daily basis in reference to a toy turtle.

Funny.  Life. Is. Funny.

I Mean...Who Can Blame Him...Right?

confession...I let him do it a second time for the photo

Well...Actually....

Eli is getting a lot of blog time these days...I figure he is backlogged for all the blogs I wrote about Chloe while he was learning to roll, sit, crawl, walk...you know, important things that I am sure I documented somehow...but not as funny as the stuff 4 year olds come up with.

He gave me a string of bossy  funny comments this morning...all in about 10 minutes.

It started with "Mama, feed me my breakfast" and digressed to wanting me to "stand behind him while he went potty"...and "if one person removes a pull up, the other person has to throw it away."  To which I replied, I am sure you would like for that to be true...HOWEVER... (and, yes.  we are still wearing a pull up at night. stop judging.)

Breakfast was finally eaten and morning routines taken care of...so he plops himself on the couch for an episode of Jake and the Neverland Pirates. (for the record: LOVE this show! both of us.)

"MAMA! Turn on the the TV and get me some apple juice!"

I come around the corner and ask, "Is there anything else I can do for you, Prince Eli?"

"Nooo....well....actually...yes. Get me apple juice and toast."

That's what I like to call totally. wasted. sarcasm.

One Frazzled Mama

I am going to vent a little bit here today...
We have had a couple of rough napping days for the E-man and I am frazzled.

How, Little Man, can you go from "Mommy, you're the shiniest." to "Mom - AAAA. I AMN'T going to sleep with out my Elmo slippers on!!!" in 10 seconds flat?

(okay, I should have let you wear the slippers...I am sorry.  I just knew in t-minus 2 minutes your feet would be sweating buckets with all your 'cushions' (covers) on. But I could have let you learn that lesson for yourself. My bad.)

Also, why is it so stinkin' important that the Nutella be ON TOP of the jelly...and who ever invented that combo for you...and why oh why is it not okay to just flip that little sandwich over...SEE??  See that?? Now the Nutella is just where it is supposed to be.  Magic.

And how do you decide which cars to sleep with on any given day?  And why do you all of a sudden become thirsty after we have said 'sleep tight' even though I offered you something to drink just a few minutes prior??

You are taking your persnickety-ness to a whole new level...and to be honest, your Mama is a bit forlorn in how far to let this thing go...

I get it.
You don't eat meat.  We will not kick that dead horse one more time.  I surrender.
You like your crusts cut off. Oh, fine.
You like your blanket straight down your side for sleeping. But also have specific 'holes' in said blanket that your fingers must stay in. Good enough.
You like your water from the fridge. Nice and cold. Got it.
You like your butter melted. Check.

But this Nutella thing?  It's kinda pushing me over the edge, honestly.

Maybe this is a stage.  Maybe you are needing a sense of control...
But the thing is...I am still in charge.  I know it is hard to be reminded...but it's the truth.
I love you.  I want you to know what you like and don't like.
Those are good qualities.  We just need to figure out how to function better when things are not just exactly the way you want them...or figure out a way to make it more the way you want it without a completely rude meltdown. Mkay?

We will work on this together.  Be forewarned...it probably won't be much fun.

For either of us.

Just Me and E

Eli and I were home alone all day yesterday.
I was determined to have fun with him...you know, stay off the computer, not do housework...
So this is what we did for a lot longer than you might think possible:

 I am sure other Mom's do this all the time, we should do it more often.

I am always surprised by how much fun it is.

And how challenging it can be for a 4 year old.

The stacking has to be some skill he should be working on at this age, right?

This one was almost as tall as him!

This one was as tall as me!!

Seriously wobbly...

We were holding our breath as to not blow it over.

Eli thought it would be funny to have a picture of him picking his nose.

It's funny...really. funny. Right?

Side note:  If you come over to our house for a party and we drink out of red cups...

these aren't the ones you will be drinking out of.

nope.

not a chance.

except for... I am my grandmother's granddaughter and also my mother's daughter...

sooooo...they totally will be the same cups...

but I will have run them through the dishwasher...

promise.

Flying

The other day, Eli asked me to help him tie his blanket around his neck as a cape for the first time. 
He swooped through the house and soon found himself atop the arm of the couch.

I saw him do it and had just enough time to think to myself...

"I probably should not let him do this."

Of course, he then did this.

My first thought was,

"that is AWESOME!" and then again, "I probably shouldn't let him do this."

But I did.  And he did...over and over and over and over.

Finally, out of breath, he came to me and asked,

"Mama. I am thinking about finding something higher than the couch to practice my flying."

To which I replied, "Ummmmm.  I think you should stick with the couch."

He wandered around a bit and then did this.

 Threw himself on the couch, looking all dejected and let out a big sigh.

"I gived up."

Me: "You gived up?? You gived up what?"

Another heavy sigh.

"Flying. I guess I'm not meant to be a flyer."

swoon.

he slays me.