When??

We are still waiting--waiting for that phone call that let's us know we are parents again. It is so hard to wait. I don't like it at all!

Two days ago our phone rang with a long distance number. Our agency is out of state and I thought maybe this was the call. The area code was 615 and it turns out our agency's area code is 651. So close!

Michael called his mom several days ago and Riley always likes to be the first one to say "hello." When Michael told Riley that Grammie didn't pick up. Riley said, "Pick up. Go pick up baby sister at the airport?"

Even at two years old it seems like he is antsy for the call. It is definitely easier waiting this time around in the sense that we can look at our precious boy and know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God's timing is perfect. But, as we are approaching the year mark of our process it is definitely getting harder remembering that this waiting will eventually end.

"Give thanks to the Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful deeds...for He satisfies the longing soul and fills the heart with goodness." Ps. 107:8-9

My Timeout Book

Now that Riley is starting to talk in sentences and really seems to understand most of what we're telling him, we have started trying to spend more time addressing the "heart" issues when he's disciplined. Like most parents, we want him to be obedient and do the things we tell him to but we also want to impact his attitude and to have him be disciplined inwardly as well as his outward behavior.

So, I got this wonderful resource called "Wise Words for Moms" recommended to me by my friend Christy. In this booklet there are common behavior problems listed and questions to talk with your child about relating to the behavior problem, as well as Bible passages that apply to that wrong behavior.

So, yesterday while I was disciplining Riley I decided I would start using this resource. I spent a few minutes talking with Riley about his misbehavior and then I read him a verse out of my Bible that applied. He really seemed to listen to what I was saying. I know that while he is still so young most of what I am saying is going to be lost, but it is good practice for me on the way we want to instruct him as he continues to get older.

Now to the funny part...the point of why I am sharing all of this with you! This morning as I was going through my morning routine Riley came to me carrying my Bible and said "Mommy, here's your timeout book." Oh my, I think we may have a long way to go!! :)

What do you think? Blackmail for the year 2024?

Please join me in praying for Steven Curtis Chapman's family. Pray for peace in the midst of this terrible and unthinkable tragedy. I cannot imagine the horror of losing a child this way.

How can something as small as these:



be SO annoying!?! Last year I bought the same pair for Riley and they were wonderful! He kept them on his feet and when they would get dirty I would either wash them in the sink or with a fresh wipe.

Now in the throes of toddlerhood, Riley has decided that he wants to kick them off every single time we get in the car. To him it is a game. To me it is a waste of my time and extremely irritating.

He has also decided that if he is wearing these shoes outside and gets any type of dirt, sand, grass, etc... in them then they are now "dirty" and he can no longer keep them on his feet. As you can tell by looking at the picture there are numerous holes/openings, so dirt, sand, grass, etc... find their way into the shoes constantly.

I am debating between never leaving the house again and finding some type of shoe that is impossible to remove. This one looks like a possibility:




At least if Riley wore these I would have about 15 minutes to get somewhere before he managed to take them off!

I'm back! After a brief blogging break (okay, after a long blogging break) I am back!

The end of April Michael and I went on a cruise with our friends Richard and Leann. We had a blast! We figured this was as good a time as any to take a cruise because Riley is old enough now to leave for a few days and before we add baby #2 into the mix. We sailed out of Fort Lauderdale on a Thursday and returned Monday. We stopped in Key West and Cozumel. Michael has cruised before but this was a first for me. I really enjoyed it and only got a little dizzy a few times.

Some of the highlights of the trip were the food (someone else cooking and cleaning--wonderful!), driving around Key West in our rented moped, snorkeling in Cozumel, and the entertainment on the ship. We enjoyed playing bingo (okay, now we sound really old!!) and we actually got chosen to play in the Love and Marriage show (like the Newlywed Game) and tied for first place!