Father's Day

As sad as it is, I know that I will never celebrate another Father's Day with my dad on this side of heaven. He's been gone now for almost 14 years and it makes me sad when I realize I've been without him almost as long as I was with him. Does that make sense? I'm sad that my children will never get to go hunting or fishing with him and they'll never see what a wonderful man and father he was to me. I hate that they won't get to experience my love for him firsthand and maybe look forward to their own daughter's respect and admiration one day. I hope that John and I show our children the unconditional love that my parents showed me each and every day. I hope that they see our Heavenly Father through John just as I saw Him through my dad.

Although I don't get to celebrate Father's Day with the man who raised me, I do get to help my children celebrate their father. This year the boys made a present for John at school before it let out and we saved them until this past Sunday. We also planned a fishing trip for him and my brother-in-law so they can have some "man time" next month. Of course, it wouldn't be a true celebration without one of the kiddos spoiling the surprise. I won't go into detail but it started with "mom, you forgot to tell dad...." and ended with John grinning from ear to ear that he knew what his present was a day early:)We spent the day together as a family and enjoyed yummy food and even some ice cream for dessert.

All in all it was a great weekend and I am so thankful for my husband in so many ways. I feel a little guilty that it takes a manmade holiday for me to reflect on those things. I recently read a quote by an author that I love (Ann Vonskamp) and it sums up my thoughts about John perfectly.

"The only man you want to give your life to is the one who makes you hunger for Christ, believe in grace, experience the other-world love of God."

Thank you John Templin for being such a wonderful man, husband and father. We love you so much!

Drop Your Drawers

So I guess it is time to let my three readers (Hi mom)know that I signed up to run my first 5K at the end of next month. I have a few friends running with me: Jaime (my PNP friend from the Springs), Brandy (NNP from work) and Carly our favorite preschool teacher/babysitter AND friend.

I actually couldn't say no when Brandy sent me the information. It is the 2011 Underwearness Drop Your Drawers and Run Wild 5K! (No mom, we don't run in our undies)
I'm just so excited that I've trained for this long which is about a month longer than I've stuck with anything else. I think John is pretty impressed as well because he knows that I don't typically stick with anything for too long (other than eating and sleeping and talking of course)and he bought me a present on Father's Day: the Nike + iPod. It is a nifty little chip that you put in your shoes and it communicates with your phone/iPod to let you know your distance, current pace, total miles, etc.

***Just a side note, if you do own an iPhone and haven't synced it in, say, over 12 months it will take ALL. NIGHT. LONG. I know this because I was so excited to use my new handy dandy shoechipthingy and I had to wait fo-rev-er (you can imagine me saying that like 'Squints' from the movie The Sandlot.) Go ahead, I'll wait...

To be honest, I think John is trying to encourage me since I've lost some weight through this whole running phase (not to be confused with my P90X phase - I got heartburn just typing that). No, John isn't a shallow man who wouldn't love me 10 pounds (OK fine! 15 pounds) heavier, but when John is doing something I like, I encourage him too so I can't really blame him.

***Another side note:Congratulations if you made it past that last paragraph. Pretty confusing I know but my closest two readers understood it:)

Are you wondering if you are one of my closest two now?

Don't be silly.

You know who you are;)

"You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in your presence..." Psalms 16:11

Potty Mouth

Soooo, I've been having a hard time lately. I don't feel well, I've been a single parent for the past few weeks, I have finals coming up and it's NOT EASY coaching 6 year old boys...(insert whiney voice here) Poor John, the past few phone calls have probably been excruciating. I just needed to vent to someone and who better than my husband because he really knows my heart (I hope) and knows that they are just words right? Wife of the year. I decided to research what the Bible has to say about my ranting and rumbling. In a word: bad.

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." Ephesians 4-6

"Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret - it leads only to evil." Psalms 37:8

"You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name." Exodus 20:7 (pretty sure God dangit is included - don't you think?) :/

"I said, 'I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth...'" Psalms 39:1

Yep. That part about the muzzle is really in the Bible. I think I actually screamed Dang!!! when I read it. (followed by the old "sorry God, didn't mean that) Time to break the habit I guess...

An Interview with Finley

Tuesday night JT went to a sleepover for a friend's birthday and left me and Finley all alone. So of course he slept with me Tuesday night and we had a fun little day together on Wednesday. I thought it would be fun to ask him about each picture as I post it... this should be interesting!




ME: Finley what are you doing in this picture?
FINLEY: I'm holding onto my pillow pet.



FINLEY: Drinkin' my gatorade. You remember that right mom? At karate?
On a side note...I love how he still looks like such a baby in this picture. Look at that little face!



FINLEY: I'm playing on a pirate ship.



ME: Did you like steering that pirate ship?
FINLEY: Yes ma'am!! (He pretty much growled that at me because I asked him while he was busy playing with something else... I think the interview may be over.)



FINLEY: laughs uncontrollably... I guess he thinks this is funny.




FINLEY: Swingin'. Mom! Where is my shoe? (don't worry, we left with it:))

So, nothing super exciting. We went to karate, went to the gym, found an awesome park and enjoyed each other's company.

And ate about 20 popsicles but who's counting?


"I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him."
1 Samuel 1:27

"Obnoxious"

I got so tickled watching this video last night. I remember when I took this video and was so proud of Finley for sitting at the table like a big boy. I realized how much happiness these boys bring into my life and I am so thankful for them.

"A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones." Proverbs 15:30

Summer Fun

JT has had a "wiggly tooth" for a looooong time now. And a few days ago, it was literally ripped out while he tried to open his sports bottle with his mouth. He came running up the stairs yelling that he lost his tooth and had blood dripping everywhere and you could tell he didn't know whether to be excited or scared or cry. So he pretty much did all three while his little hand was shaking uncontrollably while holding that precious tooth. Fast forward a few hours and he drew this picture of the tooth fairy coming into his bedroom. He had been waiting for this moment for a while now and the day was finally here. He even asked me, "this isn't a dream right mom? This is for real right?". Sweet boy:) So of course the tooth fairy had to wait until almost midnight to visit him because he was just too excited and couldn't settle down to actually, you know, go to sleep.





Guess all that waiting paid off! That money was burning a hole in his pocket so we went to Target and he bought a little box of legos that entertained him for the rest of the day.



On a completely different note, we found an awesome park this week. Any park where you can take your shoes off and play in a stream is okay in my book, especially on a day as hot as yesterday. I wanted to blog something about a "bubbling brook" or something to that effect (I mean, how neat does that sound? bubbling brook) but I'm obviously not a very eloquent writer so this will have to suffice.



You have to admit it looks like a lot of fun. So much in fact that Finley got brave and decided to join in the fun. I'm actually pretty proud of myself because I know that balancing in that water with all of that sensory input, without a melt down, has got to be some kind of therapy record. Yeah!



This swing was the perfect way to wind down before getting in the car for the long drive home. I wish we had one for our backyard;)



Finley's face? Pure joy.



JT got his fill of the swing too. We will definitely be visiting this park again in the future.

"Tremble, o earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob, who turned the rock into a pool, the hard rock into springs of water." Psalms 114:7-8

Oh Sweet Moses!

So last night I was mean to my kids.... like, yelling at my kids. And today I feel kinda bad. Don't get me wrong; they were acting like crazy kids - hitting each other and being ugly to the dog and disobeying me. The final straw was when they started screaming at each other in the bath tub and I screamed right back at them about not screaming and put them straight to bed. Mother of the year. I have been feeling convicted ever since. I started praying about my anger and proceeded to read my Bible and, honest to goodness, came across this passage. It is when Moses obviously had a hard time saying no to people demanding his time and his father-in-law tells him that what he is doing is no bueno. Here's the kicker:

"Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people's representative before God and bring their disputes to him. Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave."

So, you know, actually show them (action) instead of screaming (just loud words).

If you read the whole story you learn that he also tells Moses to delegate so that only the big things are brought to him and the officials he chooses (men who fear the Lord mind you)take care of the small things. I haven't figured out how to apply that to my kids just yet, but you get where I'm going right?

So today, I am going to try to spend more time talking with my children instead of screaming at them and thank God that he covers me with so much more grace than I deserve.

"...show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave." Exodus 18:19-20.

This and that. That and this.

This isn't really a blog post. Just a drive-by of sorts. I am trying to do a better job of journaling our lives since I've never been a "diary keeper" or baby book updater.. is that a word?

The boys were PERFECT at the wedding yesterday. I was so proud of them! We spent the time between the wedding and the reception (6 hours!) with my sweet friend Jaime and her family. Jaime has been my best friend for as long as I can remember and I'm so excited to be running a 5K with her next month!!! I should probably be a little jealous of her and the fact that she can run at least 4 miles any given day with no problem and JUST HAD A BABY IN FEBRUARY... but I'm not, not really anyway;) I'm so thankful to have such an amazing woman in my life who loves the Lord and isn't afraid to tell me what I NEED to hear, even when it isn't something I WANT to hear. And did I mention she is a friend from Louisiana who just happened to marry a military man and now lives only 1 hour away? Um, score?

In other news, the wedding was beautiful and the reception was a blast. In lieu of a cake, (the groom doesn't like cake... red flag of sorts?) the couple decided to have a chocolate fountain with bananas, strawberries, pretzels and other goodies for dipping. JT and Finley were in chocolate heaven. Their faces were filthy!!! And the best part? The boys slept super late this morning because they were worn slap out. You didn't know that was a phrase did you? Worn slap out. It is. And I use it all the time thankyouverymuch. That's a real word too, just so you know.

The end.

Just for Fun

I know a lot of parents who try to teach their babies to read at 6 months or give their children math scenerios in the car ("if a train leaves the station at...."). John and myself? We do crap like this because it's so much more fun. I found this video last night:

Weekend Wedding

A sweet friend of mine is getting married tomorrow and I will be taking the boys to the wedding by myself since John is out of town. I am excited for her but nervous about my children's behavior. However, it has taken me back to the days before my own wedding and I have been looking for pictures to show the boys so they might understand a little bit more of what we will be experiencing. They still don't get it but it's a start...

"...when I found the one my heart loves I held him and would not let him go"
Song of Songs 3:4

Give Thanks

Sometimes I get frustrated when my children thank God for material things at nighttime prayers - like their transformers or legos... but I have to trust that this is a starting point for a life-long relationship with their Creator and be proud that they are at least thankful for those things right? RIGHT?

Today we are drawing pictures and sending cards to some of our favorite people. I, personally, still love to get a handwritten letter every now and again...

"I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation."
Psalms 118:21

Sing your heart out

My kiddos love to sing - can you tell? Today we will turn the music up and sing our hearts out, because, well, who doesn't like to do that?

"I will sing of the Lord's great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations." Psalm 89:1

Door Hangers

*This picture is from yesterday... After we ran through the sprinklers I decided to go for a run and wouldn't you know the dog was too tired so she hopped in the stroller. There's a reason we call her "lazy" Daisy:)

I thought today would be a good day to let the boys make a small craft. Nothing fancy schmancy or anything, just something they could get creative with and express themselves. I asked them to draw how they feel about God....



J.T. wrote, "win i senc abawt god i senc of the bibl." Translation: When I think about God, I think of the Bible. (He actually says think as "sink" so I guess I"m proud that he uses his phonics correctly!)Then he drew a little picture of him reading his bible. Finley on the other hand drew a pirate or something unrecognizable and promptly forgot about it so I didn't bother to take a picture.


"These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." Deuteronomy 6:6-9

First Day of Summer

School is out.. finally! I can't wait to spend so much time with the boys. Don't get me wrong, I love my two afternoons a week where they are both in school but recently I have felt this overwhelming sadness at how fast they are growing up. Where did the time go? Today we are going to play outside, run through the sprinklers, eat lunch in bathing suits and just enjoy each other's company. We are slowly making our way through the Children's Storybook Bible and the Old Testament and I think there may be something to starting one's day in the Word of God.... which is exactly what we will be doing every day this summer.

"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul." Psalms 143:8