I'm leaving...

... ON A jet plane! Don't know when I'll be back again!! haha. Such great memories of this song. Probably the best was every single one of the seniors singing it on the plane back from the Virgin Islands :) The stewardesses LOVED it! hahaha. so funny ;)

anyway, the point of this post. I'm leaving. On a jet plane. But I DO know when I'll be back again! at the end of summer :) My summer is a little longer now that I'm a big college student! yahoo! Ohio to see the grandparents and aunt, back to sacramento to spend a week with a super great cousin and her family... then off to southern california for two weeks with my favorite cousins!! This summer has been a wild ride~ new friendships, old frienships, good days, better days, yummy food, babies galore, vacation, family, and so much more.

Jesus, thank you for allowing me to have fun. You are to be praised for everything!

Excitement!

I really truly cannot wait to see my Yucca family. I miss you guys.

Mommy Mode :)

This weekend I felt like I had my three very own children! I got to spend two whole days with the sweetest children... loving on them, playing with them, and disciplining when necessary! Oh, Jesus... thank you for creating us.

I wonder how anybody can ever ever deny that Jesus Christ lives. I really do wonder sometimes how the glory and power of God can be so foolishly overlooked.

My heart aches for the lost. The song of their life... is not a pretty sound. It's like clanging symbols and an out-of-tune piano. Choices made just add even more yucky instruments, making the sound loud and obnoxious. There is no hope of a future, of eternal life spent worshipping the Creator. No hope of a starlight symphony.

My heart is hurting tonight. Jesus, save them.

Nanny Notions :)

There are a few things I always do when I babysit....

1)Get to know the kids! It's not going to be any fun if I'm trying to play spaceship wars, and he wants to sit down and fingerpaint.

2)Find ways to make everything fun. "In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You FIND the fun, and... SNAP! The job's a game." I live by this philosophy while I am with children.

3)Have a devotional time. Even with infants. Granted, it looks different with a seven year old than with a baby. But, nonetheless, I always make time for Bible reading, worship through song, and prayer. Of everything else, this is the most important.

4) If I had to think of one of the most important things... it would be take the above and "become" one of them. I put myself in their shoes... and try to think, act, and play just like them... while still maintaining authority! Not only is this more fun for them... it's more fun for me! I have found that there are less disciplinary issues when you are willing to have fun, and let loose ;)

There are SO many more... I could probably write a book :) hahaha... I'll spare you, though! God has been gracious to allow me to learn as much as I have in such a short time.

While girls are more natural to adapt with (I AM a girl... and have girlie interests and loves... so it's easy!), boys can be harder. After watching who I now affectionately refer to as "my boys"... I have come up with tactics, adventures, and ideas on how relating to boys can be just as much fun as girls!

Here's the typical girlie day!
Wake up slowly... casually, daintily eat breakfast while discussing the outfit her doll is going to wear that day.
Dress above doll.
Clean up a small portion of the house for fifteen minutes (age dependant!). When the timer goes off, cleaning ceases :)
Outside time! Swinging, gardening, picking flowers.
Small snack time. Fruit is usually the only option :)
Ride bikes.
Lunch! Healthy, but filling. If they finish it all, a treat is SOMETIMES given. Not all the time, as they would come to expect it.
Afternoon Free Play. These are usually less-stimulating activites. Drawing time, puzzle working... etc.
Devotion time. Singing, praying, reading the Bible.
Rest time. Don't have to be sleeping, but must remain in room with door shut...
Small snack. Crackers, juice :)
show time! I usually only allow one show, as there are much more exciting activites than the TV.
.... "you choose" time. Girlies choose an activity and we do it!
This is the typical day for a little girl I am watching :) Structured, but fun!

THIS, on the other hand... is a BOY day! I think you notice there are quite different ;)
Already awake when I arrive. Immediately walk outside to begin baseball!
Switch from baseball to soccer.
Switch from soccer to frisbee.
Combine all three into a wild NEW sport.
Make pancakes.
Make MORE pancakes, as the 25 I made were not enough.
Play superheroes. I never have powers, they have all the powers... so I must figure out a way to escape the force field I am under!
"Switch Sides" Hmmm... I still have no powers, how did THAT work??
Wii time. Fast action, jumping, giggling, screaming, the works. 30 minutes, if it even keeps his attention that long!
Cuddling time! YA RIGHT... only in my dreams!
More soccer/baseball/frisbee
Bug-Squishing time. This is my favorite activity of the day! (*sarcasm!)... but... I, sad to say, often partake is this boyish pasttime. (refer to nanny notion #4)
Attempted movie time. Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc., The Incredibles, Toy Story, Meet the Robinsons...
More adventure time! Walk, ride bikes, scavenger hunt, hide and seek, etc.
Oh, right. Lunch. Boys have to eat... and so do I to keep up with them! In N Out it is! I know, I'm crazy.
Sweet Spot. Yet again, I know. I'm crazy!
Any other errands that need to be done.
head home... have talk on ride home about the behavior expected when we enter the house. Crazy time was for the morning, afternoon time is chill and calm.
Play with legos. I stress being calm.
Build a "ship" with blankets and chairs. I stress being calm.
Put on soothing music. I stress being calm.
Um... I stress being calm, of course!
Have devo time in the ship we built :)
Room time. By this time, they are almost calmed down, but if there is punishment any time during the day, this is usually where it has to happen :/
Reading time. they choose the book, I read it! OR, they read it to ME! that's my favorite :)
Snack time... fruit!
"You choose" time. Boys are given two or three options, and they are allowed to choose which one we do! (different that the girls, huh?!) Again, these are calm, group activites. Make a card for mom, draw a picture, laundry folding (believe it or not, some of them LOVE this!), puzzle building, etc.


See?! Boys are a crazy, wild ride... but oh so much fun :)

Next time on Nanny Notions... toddler techniques!

Thank you, Jesus.

Today was one whirlwind of a day~ Crazy misunderstanding with a friend that came out of nowhere and was upsetting... fussy baby girl... failed credit card attempt... enjoyable ride out to the middle of nowhere with an old friend... greeted out in the middle of nowhere by tons of people... played legos with an adorable little boy and his sis... drove home exhausted but still willing to sing real loud... stopped for Chinese... entered an empty house... took a shower and wrote furiously fast in the steam on the walls... and here we are :)

I sit here, just marveling at this day. The crazy day that has almost come to a close. I truly felt almost every emotion possible... Anger, joy, relief, sadness, excitement, surprise, guilt, thankfulness, peace, love, fear, anticipation, awe, disappointment, remorse, love... I felt all of these today... and as I was marveling... I began to sing. It's funny (or not so funny... more like divine) how God chooses to place the words of a song in my mouth and heart at just the right time...

"Behold the Man upon a cross, My sin upon His shoulders,
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice, Call out among the scoffers
It was my sin that held Him there, Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life, I know that it is finished"
~How Deep the Father's Love for Us.

I love this song. I love it because it always gets me thinking... thinking that I know I take the cross of Christ for granted... Thinking that I am too callous regarding His love for me. I have always believed in the Lord. I cannot remember a single day of my life that I have not been aware of the fact that God created the world. Man is born a sinner. Sinner needs salvation to reconcile oneself to God. Sinner cannot do this on his own. Sinner needs a Savior. Jesus is that Savior. Jesus bore my sin on the cross, died that I might live. I have always believed these truths. I have also always considered myself a passionate person. Passionate about what God chose to do in my heart, a transformation so ornate and beautiful it can hardly be put into words. But as I sat there, pondering the emotions in my day... I couldn't help but think I can always use more passion for the Creator of the skies, the seas, the land, the trees, the people I am around every single day. Passion of what I have been saved from. Yes, knowing Christ my whole life has "saved" me from various sins. I have never been drunk or high, I don't cuss, I plan to wear a white dress on my wedding day in every way, I will be faithful to my husband, etc..... I am in so many ways a goodie two shoes. The sins we see as "major" in our finite minds- these sins I was saved from committing and have also been saved from the guilt that they carry.
But I think one of the big truths that I have missed lately- is that I wasn't just saved from doing those things- I have been saved and forgiven by the sins I commit daily, hourly, multiple times in a minute. I am a sinner, and I need a Savior. My sin is just as detestable to God's holiness as any other's. The sins of discontentment, fear, pride, worldliness, greed, selfishness, impatience, anger.... The sins that the Savior hung on the cross for, the sins that I need to hate. These sins, I wash over, I disregard, I ignore. I don't hate them enough to realize how big His love is. I don't appreciate the cross the way I need to.
CJ Mahaney struck me when he said this in "The Gospel Centered Life."
"As we watch Jesus pray in agony in Gethsemane, He has every right to turn His tearful eyes toward you and me and shout, "This is your cup. You're responsible for this. It's your sin! You drink it." This cup should rightfully be thrust into my hand and yours. Instead, Jesus freely takes it Himself... so that from the cross He can look down at you and me, whisper our names, and say "I drain this cup for you- for you have lived in defiance of Me, who have hated Me, who have opposed Me. I drink it all... for you." This is what our sin makes necessary. This is what's required by your pride, by your selfishness and my selfishness, by your disobedience and my disobedience. Behold Him... behold His suffering... and recognize His love."
Praying for a deeper hate of my sin, and a greater, more passionate love and appreciation for my Savior!

God, are you writing this down?? :)

I am officially the most excited I have ever been (so far!!) about being a wife and mommy! I have dates picked, names picked, careers chosen, honey nights planned, and even plans for annual vacations!! What could be better?!

In all seriousness, God... You do with me what you will. Wherever You want me to go, I will go... because I know YOUR plans for me are so so perfect!

But hey... there is nothing wrong with a little daydreaming ;)