toddler no more...

He's almost 3! Can't hardly believe it! It seems like yesterday when he was born. So much has happened this past year (E lost someone very special and dear to him and also had to get used to having someone extra around...Sissy). He has become a kid. Not a 2 year old toddler anymore, but a 3 year old boy. He is still that constant ray of sunshine in our lives and every once in a while seems to really enjoy himself testing us as parents. About 90% of the time I can do anything with him or take him anywhere and he is a complete angel! He loves music (extremely loud music)...loves to dance and STILL loves cars. I would have to say his favorite person is Daddy. Every evening before bedtime he ends up crying saying he misses him. He doesn't give Daddy attitude...doesn't argue with Daddy (dang-it...why me?!?!) and I can tell worships the ground Daddy walks on. Maybe that's why when Daddy told him he wanted some pictures of him in his hard hat...he was eager to please. His vocab is full force and growing (sometimes not a good thing...but I guess the only ones to blame for that are the adults in the house :) 

Of course the Momma of this 3 year old boy doesn't have the best words to describe him. He is OUT OF THIS WORLD! My love for him is OUT OF THIS WORLD! HE TAKES MY BREATH AWAY!!!

Just had to show what Daddy was letting G do while I took pics of E...HER OWN THING!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY OUR PRECIOUS BOY...WE LOVE YOU!!!

hangin homies...

We are home probably 95% of the time. With both the kids and I sick these past two weeks...we have for sure been home bound. Even though we probably wouldn't have went anywhere anyways...it's different when you don't have the option of getting out. Besides...the kids keep me so busy during the day...I don't really have the time to think about what else I could be doing or where I could be going. Planning on getting out of the house this week to get some party supplies. 

Anyways, thought I would just show some pics of the kiddos just hangin around.

Silly Pirate Easy...glued to the TV

G chillin with Daddy

We hang out pretty much every day all day long in our pj's

G loves to rock...she thought she was such a big girl because Mommy let her sit up here all by herself

ok...time to get down

E loves to take care of his Sissy. He's been saying a lot lately that he wants a little brother...not sure if that's going to happen...need to pray LONG and HARD!!!

there is nothing more precious in my eyes...

We've been talking...

...about the big party and it's coming up pretty fast. Can't believe he will be three!!! I have honestly tried, but nothing I have come up with has been good enough. He is dead set on having ANOTHER Cars party. I will admit...it's getting a little tiny bit...um old...but I will do ANYTHING for my angel! 

Easton loves getting to see the toys that Daddy used to play with when he was little. This day was exciting for me...seeing him play with something different was...refreshing! I just had to snap some pics of him with Daddy's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Raphael and Michelangelo).

love this beautiful face...

I have to use my imagination to get him to drink his milk...and it always has to be chocolate!

there's those famous lips...

I seriously don't think this little man could get any sweeter...

Putting together some ideas for E's room. Right now it's a mixture of baseball and cars...but I would love to do an old car theme for him...maybe then he would sleep in there (ha ha ha!..we'll see).

Acceptance...

...one of my biggest battles here recently. Sometimes it's so hard to just accept things the way they are...to accept people the way they are. There are always things going on in our lives that we just need to accept...pray about and move on. God's acceptance of us is unconditional...and the most amazing thing to me is there are no if's. God will accept me if I believe the right things, if I behave a certain way, if I say my prayers, if I do good deeds. God loves and accepts us...PERIOD. He first loves us...before we say or do anything.

I believe that most relationships we have as humans has way too many "I'll love and accept you if's"...if you  love and accept me fist...if you meet my needs...if you do your part...if you meet me half way...if you have the same opinion I do...and the list goes on. God's love and acceptance is always BEFORE any love we show him. 

(Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God - Romans 15:1-7)

Too often instead of allowing the Spirit to transform us into the image of Christ...we try to fix people or shape people into the image we think they should be. The motive behind our acceptance of people must not be so that we can convert them to our way of thinking, believing or behaving. There's nothing wrong with wanting the best for others, but we have to learn to just accept people with all their hang-ups...and trust God to work in their lives. 

God's acceptance is liberating...we no longer have to hide our faults or defend or deny our failures. There is no need to try to rationalize or justify ourselves. We don't have to earn our way with God so there is no need to worry about our mistakes. Of course something even more liberating is the fact that once you ask for forgiveness for whatever mistake it is you have made...he forgives you... UNCONDITIONALLY! If we would all love and accept each other they way God loves and accepts us...WOW!...would life be a lot easier.

When you know of God's acceptance and then are able to accept yourself you are less likely to put on a front or play a role. None of us want to be a fake or a phony, but we fear honest self-communication and self-revelation...especially if we think we will be condemned or rejected. All of us receive these messages of condemnation from time to time and we find ways to protect ourselves. But if the truth of God's acceptance can descend from our minds to our hearts and take root there and grow...it will eventually smother out our fears and anxieties. 

God is greater than our hearts. God's love and acceptance is greater. We have to trust that. This is what Jesus means when he says that we have to become like little children or we will never enter the kingdom of God. When we truly know God's love and acceptance in our hearts, we should accept others. In fact, this is the responsibility that comes with God's acceptance. The gift of acceptance is a gift that keeps on giving...we give as has been given to us. The more we share this gift...the more we carry this gift to others...the more the Spirit pours out God's love into our hearts. 

I don't know about you...but I will take all of God's love I can get. Thank you Jesus for the love that brought you here on earth to die for our sins...that we might know and experience the true gift of love and acceptance.