I love having boys

My son is has entered the crazy, grabbing, hollering, messy (MESSY), hungry 100 percent boy stage...and I am so ready for it. I'm ready to have crazy, running all over the house days when he is few months older. Even getting in the car is so humorous: Ernie is slipping down my hip, my diaper bag has fallen to my elbow, and im still trying to hold it all as i attempt to get the dog into his crate. I think: i look so funny, and this is all totally what i dreamed about doing since i was a little girl.
I love the wrestling matches we have when he would rather suck his toes and bring his feet to his face than get his diaper changed. I love when I'm trying to feed him his rice cereal but he's busy wiping it on his face and clothes. I love when he gets up from nap time and he laughs and wants to pet his dogs. I love that he has recently started to "eat" my face and I pretend he's a mom eating monster and he thinks it's so funny. All this comes from the sweet kindness of God.

5 months

Belly

I loved carrying this boy.

2:30 yesterday

Wake up from naptime joy. And perfect spit bubble.

Slow Cooked Apple Butter

Did your heart explode with joy when you read the title of this post? Mine did when I saw it online. Mine finished cooking when I woke up. And waking up to this Apple butter is like waking up in a cinnamon apple orchard, the smell is incredible.
This recipe is so easy, as long as you have a little extra time to peel the apples. I used Gala, but any apple will do, except maybe gold or green...though I've never tried those! I think Gala or Honey Crisp (my favorite!) would be the best apples to use.
Put it in your crockpot this afternoon and eat it tomorrow on toast. (or a peanut butter sandwich)

Apple Butter

• Apples- enough to fill your slow cooker 3/4 up (I used about 6 medium apples)
• 1 Cup Agave Nectar (or honey)
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves (not whole)
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• dash of salt
• 3/4 Cup water

After peeling, coring and slicing your apples, fill your crockpot until it’s 3/4 full. Add all the rest of your ingredients and stir until well coated. Cover and cook on LOW overnight. I cooked mine for 15 hours, about 1:30pm to 4:30am (there's obviously a baby in the house for me to be up and getting it out). Mash it all up and spread it on toast. Must be refrigerated.

It's even better when it's cold out of the refrigerator I think. Anyway, this reminds me of my grandmas apple butter that I used to eat growing up.
You should make this. Think about the smell of the cinnamon orchard that could be spreading through your home!

recipe idea came from:  http://www.skiptomylou.org/2012/09/22/crock-pot-apple-butter-guest-post/

Doing Your Husband Good and Not Harm

"Remember, we're on the same team."

That's what my husband Ernie says to remind me that in our marriage we should always be for each other, thinking of the other, and seeking the other's good. Because sometimes I forget that, then it's as if Ernie and I are on different teams and things turn into a battle, and in battle you are only looking for how you can win and what will most benefit you. The worst part is when it's a battle, the other side is the enemy. Ugly.

Some friends and I are memorizing Proverbs 31:10-31. The last few days I have been thinking about verses 11-12:

"The heart of her husband trusts in her,

and he will have no lack of gain.

She does him good, and not harm,

all the days of her life."

This catches my attention so much when I come across it, like I need it to be my alarm clock so that it's the first thing I hear every morning, so that I can remember that I'm not going into battle today, I'm looking to serve my husband today.

I thought through for a bit what it means to be bringing harm to your husband, and any husband who is a believer in Christ I think could tell you these are true. It's bringing harm to my husband when:

-I tear him down in front of other people, or talk about his weaknesses for fun.

-I dismiss his correction or I dismiss any kind of guidance in a conversation from him.

-I use words like "always" or "never". ie: "you always get mad" is communicating that Ernie is mad at me 24/7, "always" non stop. Which is never true. So he's left feeling like he's failing around the clock. It's not good to make the leader feel like such a failure.

-Putting the opinions of my friends or family above his.

-Assuming there's just things I already know about, so I don't need to necessarily take to heart if Ernie wants to guide me through like household things, details about the baby, ways I could grow in being hospitable, just things I see as 'woman stuff'.

-Feeling like I always have to correct him, especially in front of people.

-Using hateful words.


Just reading those feels draining, so I can only imagine trying to lead a wife or family and having those things beating me to a pulp spiritually. It will spiritually take a toll on them, it's worse than physically punching them in the face. If I'm doing that all the time, I'm killing him.That's why it's harmful.

Now, for a breath of fresh air (finally). Here's some ways I can be doing my husband good:

-Pray for my heart to have joy when he comes home from work. To be showing thankfulness that he's home with us and he's worked hard for us.

-Doing what I can to make our home a place of rest and encouragement for him.

-Listening to (even looking for) his guidance and leadership in our decisions and conversations.

-Taking to heart and reflecting on any correction he has for me, remembering God uses him to teach me things. Not seeing this as a way my husband is out to get me.

-Look for what he needs prayer for specifically and pray throughout your day for him.


I think when we are practically looking for ways to be "doing our husbands good and not harm", we are setting up an environment for our husbands to grow in their walk with the Lord. And our husbands have a sweet trust in us as their wives, because they know we desire for their good.

So, what are ways you can do your husband good and not harm?

Baby Visits Great Grandma

We went on a trip to my old stomping grounds so the baby could visit his great grandma. My grandma is a huge joy in my life, as she has experienced great loss before and her faith in the Lord encourages me as we walk through our loss of Haddon. Just yesterday I found the note she wrote me of encouragment when I was first pregnant with Haddon, and the note she wrote us after he died is on our refrigerator: "happy with Jesus, life unending, could not ask for more." 

So, of course she was anxious to meet our second little boy! That kid did awesome on the plane. Both flights when we were getting off we had moms say "There was a baby here behind me??" or "He didn't make a peep." Of course when he had a major poop it was interesting trying to change him on my lap. At one point I handed the baby to Ernie so I could take a little nap, and when I woke up I told him how I felt so much better. He looked at me and was like, "You were asleep for like two minutes." haha, I guess any shut eye these days is like super fuel.

I forgot to mention, this trip started at three in the morning.  Yeah, we are those people who, if it saves us money, we buy the 6am flight. We were defiitely zombies when we woke up. It was just wake up, feed the baby,  down some coffee and fall into the car. But we made it! 

The coolest thing was Ernie Brooks rolling over for the first time, in front of family!!

He LOVED his great grandma

4 months

I can hardly believe all the changes this month. He's such a different boy than 1 month ago.

Baby Ernie:

Is 16.8 lbs and 26 inches long.

He's belly laughing.

Is sitting up in a bumbo, playing with toys on the tray.

Reaching for toys when you place them in front of him.

Sitting in a bouncer, he especially loves being in it in the kitchen with me.

He's mimicking us when we make noises like raspberries.

Chomping on his hands is his favorite past time.

He's squealing louder than ever. And laughing about it.

He had his first airplane ride and did great.

He's laying on his belly with his head up so much better.

Oh, and HE'S ROLLING OVER. He rolled over for the first time on our trip!

Crickets

I suppose in the cricket world there is a sign on our home, visible only to them, blinking and flashing "be fruitful and multiply here!"
I'm serious. I hear them everywhere, they leap out at you in the hall, I see the dogs chasing them around the carpet. Of course my dogs choose to catch some but leave them on the floor.

There's an Alfred Hitchcock eerieness coming from our garage as they creak creak creak.

I'm a clean person. I have no filth to offer them. Please pick a different home.

WINTER hurry up!

Jesus Reached Down Into Death

Visiting big brother's grave for the first time

Tonight baby Ernie and I read about Jesus raising Jairus's daughter from the dead in Luke 8 in his Jesus Storybook Bible, we absolutely love that book. So there was Ernie, drowsy and on my lap and I'm reading along. Then I came across the part where Jesus comes to his daughter, when no one believed Jesus was going to wake her from the dead.

"Jesus walked into the little girl's bedroom. And there, lying in the corner, in the shadows, was the still little figure. Jesus sat on the bed and took her pale hand."

I began to cry as I remembered Haddon's still little figure when there was no longer any life in him just like this little girl. I still continued reading, this was a good story.

"Honey," he said, "it's time to get up." And he reached down into death and gently brought the little girl back to life.
 The little girl woke up, rubbed her eyes as if she'd just had a good night's sleep, and leapt out of bed...
Jesus was making the sad things come untrue. He was mending God's broken world."

I told Ernie that one day, we don't know when, Jesus will reach down into death, into the very grave we visited of his brother, and raise him back to life as if he had had a good night's sleep. With his mighty hand, he will make this sad part of our family come untrue.