Fun with cousins

My brother, his wife and their kids came down from New York last night. They came to meet Patricia. They're spending the weekend at my dad's, so we didn't actually see them until this morning. Bright and early we all met at a nearby park to enjoy an Easter egg hunt.

Here is my son, Seth, waiting patiently for the call to begin:

I guess it's more like an egg gathering, as opposed to an egg hunt. As you can see, there wasn't much hunting going on:

Fabio (my brother) having fun:

Tabitha with her cousins: Willik is behind her and Phoenix is the silly guy in orange:

My rainbow

I know I'm a bit biased, but I think my Princess Patty looks fabulous in every color she wears...

Windy days

I had a really bad morning with the kids. I think it's been hard for me to be in with them all day, every day by myself. After I apologized to them we made a trip to Walmart. We bought a few things including a couple of $1 pinwheels. It was fun to see the kids play with them as they had never seen one before. It happens to be a nice windy day, which makes them all the more enjoyable. I love watching them learn, even if it is a small thing such as how wind can make the pinwheel spin.

Wise Complaints

There is a church in Kansas City, MO which started a campaign in an effort to stop complaining. The idea is to wear the purple bracelet, pictured on your left, for 21 days. During that time you're not supposed to complain at all. If you catch yourself complaining switch the bracelet to the other arm and start over. It takes three weeks to establish a new habit and this could be counted as a beneficial one. I ordered my free bracelet today. It takes about a month to get here, more or less. I love trying new things, so this is right up my alley. I'm hoping to see a significant difference in my attitude and that my example will have a positive impact on my kiddos.

My other big news is that I spotted my fourth grey hair today. For years I had just one. The other three seem to have appeared within the last couple of months. I'm kind of excited. I like how gray hair looks. I'm glad I don't have hundreds of them yet. That day will come and I'm sure I'll be ready for it then. Does this me I'm slowly gaining wisdom???? :D

Obedience is the very best way to show that you believe

Tabitha has frustrated me so much lately with her disobedience. Some days she is such a princess. She doesn't resist and does what you ask her to do. However, she knows how to put up a fight over little things.

Yesterday she was trying to wipe my mouth and I told her "no" three times and pushed her hand away. She reached over again and wiped it. She got into trouble and started crying. She said, "but I did it gently." Then it dawned on me. She doesn't know that disobedience in itself is wrong. She knows that lying and hitting are wrong. In her mind there's nothing sinful about touching her sister's face or turning on the t.v. even if mommy said not to do it. I took this opportunity to explain to her that disobedience is sin. She seems to have understood. There hasn't been any earth shattering changes in her behavior, but I have seen some improvement.

Unfortunately I think this is one of those "learning on the job" incidents that Tabitha had to suffer for. She would've gotten in trouble far less over the past year if I had just told her this simple truth. Now I have to examine my own life and see where I am failing in obedience.

Choose your habits wisely

Some of you know brother Craig Shakarji. He spoke on Daniel chapter 6 yesterday. One thing that he noted was that Daniel was in his 80's or 90's when this incident occurred. Can you imagine?

I want to mention one verse that he spoke on. Verse 10 says, "Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days." It was Daniel's habit to pray three times a day. Craig explained a habit as being something that is easier to do, then to not do. It was easier for Daniel to pray then for him to skip prayer. Some habits can be our down fall, but some can push us in the right direction. Some habits many of us have, which are beneficial, such as giving thanks before meals and going to the meeting every Sunday.

I would really like to get to the point where reading the Bible is done at a certain time daily. Right now I read whenever I find the time during the day, which usually ends up being at night when I am tired. It would be so nice when it's easier to read in the morning then to skip reading.

...Even as Christ also hath loved the church

I wrote about myself, my kids and now its time for my dear hubby. He makes me feel so loved and secure. I'll write about just a few ways he makes me feel loved.

When we first got married he had a pretty good paying job, but that wasn't good enough for Enoch. He wanted to provide well for his family. Within 2 years he more than doubled his income by learning more programming languages. I know we were the inspiration for his hard work and that is touching.

I'm not one to buy new things for myself, so Enoch showers me with nice gifts on occasion, like a new coat, an expensive dress, a stylish purse. For Christmas this year he knew that I really wanted a freezer, so he was happy to get me one with his bonus check. That was too practical of a gift for him, so he also bought me a beautiful amythest necklace.

No matter how I look or what I do to myself, Enoch tells me I'm beautiful. As a matter of fact he tells me I'm the most beautiful woman in the whole world. The funny part is, I think that in his eyes, I really am. He only has eyes for me. How could I not feel loved?

Yesterday he did something extra special for me. We've been keeping all of the kids away from outside activities until Patricia is 2-months-old to prevent her from getting sick again (she spent 2 days in the hospital when she was three-weeks-old due to a cold). So, I haven't been to the meeting in over 6 weeks. Yesterday, after Enoch was all dressed and ready to go, he realized that I needed a break. He watched the kids, including Patricia, and let me go to the meeting. I felt refreshed and encouraged. I love my tall, dark and handsome prince.