Best Gift Ever

So I have been wanting this little machine called the Silhouette SD for a little while now and my awesome hubby said if I found it for $200 he would let me get it for an early Christmas, Birthday gift (hopefully he forgets that part). So I scored a deal thru another blog and also got my mom to go in with me on it so it only cost us each about $100 with some awesome product.

I have been messing around with it and although it seems daunting at times - it has been a blast. It will come it super handy as we are only doing home-made or used gifts on my side of the family this year. What a better way to use my new little machine??

So my mom came over and helped me craft the other day while my two munchkins took an extra long nap - which never happens when Frama comes over. I guess we wore them out.

Here is a little sneak peak at what she can do. I think she needs a name though - D will probably be able to come up with one - He is talented at that!

Granted this is just a little bit of what this girl can do. Can't show you too much or you might see your Christmas present or something!

My helpers

So a while back I found a bigger step stool at IKEA. It has been the one of the greatest $5 I have ever spent except I probably need 2 of them now. Well Ells just has to improvise to get in on all the action in the kitchen. So she now takes off in a dead sprint to the bathroom to get a smaller stool just to be like big bro. They are both the greatest helpers in the kitchen. Shadd gets all the ingredients and even cracks the eggs all by himself.

Dutch Fans 4 Life

So each year - we head to Pella to take in a Dutch football game. Since D played and we got hooked. In fact, we usually listen to the game on the radio. Sounds crazy uh? Well thanks to an app on d's phone we don't have to spend the afternoon in the car half backed out of the garage to get it to come in. Now it just blares throughout the house from his phone in his pocket.

We don't know many players but we know the traditions and thats what makes it fun. We get some popcorn, pack lots of snacks and hope for the best as kickoff is right during nap time.

Well this year we went over early to take some pictures with the kids. A good friend of ours took them and I am anxiously awaiting. We grabbed some lunch and Ells actually made it through the entire game and it was a great one. She was quite delirious toward the end and fell asleep in the parking lot (and its nothing like the ISU or Iowa games).

Here are some pics for the day - forgot my camera so we had to rely on the phone.

Plus a little video of Shadd singing the fight song! Thanks to his daddy he has known it since he could talk. Live, eat and breathe it, right! As they are all downstairs watching the JETS play on tv while I make some cookies for the game!

Just leaving the parking lot - only 3 hours later than normal for naps. 

We ditched the tights after photos

Always has to do what Daddy does

Playing Together

So my two little ones actually think its fun to play together. Since we are trying to sell our house - we took a lot of toys to grandma's for storage so it is amazing what these two come up with together. Typically it has something to do with rolling balls down the stairs, chasing one another, or just plain squirreling around.

Here is a couple of pics I caught of them a couple of days ago...

I just get a little worried when I can't here or see them!

Carroll's Pumpkin Patch

So our good friends have this amazing farm in Grinnell and we got to tag along this year. We had a blast. Nothing like some good ole country fun - plus getting to play with all our friends. Both Shadd & Ells picked out a pie pumpkin to take home and got some great information on how pumpkins are raised. It was awesome!

Big girl - big words

So Ells has been chatting away for a little bit but lately she is knocking my socks off with some of the phrases she has been spouting out. Last night in the tub she said, "lean back" (a phrase we always use to get her to tip her head back). And today I heard, "right back" as she headed upstairs to grab something as well as "what's that?" right after her big bro asked the question. 

She is only 17 months but she is a talker! 

Here are a few pictures from our date day the other week. Big bro went to Grandma's house and Ells and I spent some quality time together. She enjoyed every moment of her alone time which I don't blame her, I would too. As soon as Shaddy came home he was chasing after her, roaring like a lion. Sounds like fun to a little girl - No. In fact, she spent much of that afternoon stuck to my legs begging me to save her from him. 

Oh but you should have seen her the day he was gone. She was an angel. We got dressed up, went shopping, got some make-up done (Ells too) and she even got some one on one time with Daddy. 

Yeah for jeggings

Always a dare devil

Never too young

So the other night on our way home we were talking about God's gorgeous creation as we viewed the setting sun and the shining moon and stars and the changing leaves. So I just started to ask Shadd who created the sun and the moon, etc. He answered each time with, "God". Then we got started on the creations of the heavens. And he started to ask some fun questions like...What is heaven like? Who will be there?

So I got to share the gospel with him again. I got to paint the amazing picture of Jesus coming in the clouds to get us and take us up to heaven with Him. Of course, he wondered if Jesus would use an elevator (which I thought was rather creative).

Once again I had just another teachable moment amongst many. And isn't that how it works for us as parents to teach our children. We just have small moments where we get to share Jesus and demonstrate God's love to them and that is exactly what we are called to do.

In Deutronomy chapter 11 it states...
¹⁸ “So commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. ¹⁹ Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. ²⁰ Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, ²¹ so that as long as the sky remains above the earth, you and your children may flourish in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors.

So that is exactly what I (as well as you) are called to do in teaching our children God's word and its truths. My mom always told me that there's no magical formula to get your kids to love the Lord - you just  have to use everything they say and point them back to the Lord and what His word says. It is so true. Its amazing the conversations you'll have and Shadd's only 3 so I can only imagine where our conversations in the future will take us.

Oh the power of God's word. Never ceases to amaze me. Useful for everything!