Resurrection Cookies

This is something that we all must do with our kids! What a way to teach our children about the true meaning of Easter. Thanks, Paige!
Note: I chose this specific website link because of the layout, not the "If You're Happy and You Know It" tune. How annoying!

http://my.homewithgod.com/mkcathy/holiday/eastercookies.html

Just in time for Easter

Luke and I have been discussing Jesus' death quite a bit this week. It has to be a difficult concept for a four year old to understand as well as difficult for a Momma to explain.
I teach the Bible Story to the 4 and 5 year olds at Awana, and last week was the story of the crucifixion.
Deep stuff.
Deep stuff for me...
not so deep to Luke.
I mean, what's so hard to understand? God loved us so much that he sent his son, Jesus, to die on the cross so that we could be saved from our sin.
Luke has thought and thought and thought about it this week,
but at the same time, he didn't act confused or worried.
It was what it was...no questions asked.
Yesterday, Luke was sitting at the kitchen table while I was making lunch and he said, "Mommy, I want to go to heaven some day."
I froze.
I turned.
I looked at him.
I walked over to him.
I knelt down and looked him in the eyes.
"What did you say, Luke?"
"I want to go to heaven some day."
I took Luke into the living room, sat him on my lap and right then,
Luke asked Jesus to "come into his heart and live".
I was overwhelmed.
It was never meant to be hard stuff to understand.
It's quite simple, actually.
Luke has it right.
The truth is...
it's not about a certain prayer.
Or a moment.
It's about Luke coming to a point where he truly believes that Jesus died for him.

It is hard for a four year old to understand that someone we cannot see can be "in our hearts" but he compared it to the only thing he knew and understood well...
Bl.ue's Cl.ues
In every episode of the show, Blue and Steve skidoo into a picture...
much like Mary Poppins, Bert, and Jane & Michael Banks once did by "popping" into one of Bert's sidewalk drawings.
So, with all that he could, Luke explained, "Mom! Jesus just skidooed right into my heart!"

What a day. A day I will never forget.

Blogging...the good, the bad and the ugly

I have to admit; I am a horrible blogger. I really do like to blog because I like to write. And, I like the fact that I can look back through blogs of years' past and reminisce. But, there are some things that I do not like about blogging. My biggest pet peeve is downloading pictures. I think a blog with pictures is WAY more interesting than no pictures, but it takes extra time. I always think of tons of cute things to talk to you about, but get lazy in putting it into words. I've been wanting to post this video of Luke for the past week, but I know how long it will take to download it, so I skip it. Am I pathetic or what?
My friends' blogs inspire me. I wish I could be as creative as some, but then that wouldn't be 100% "me". Even now, I read back on what I have wrote and I think, "What a bunch of mumbled-jumbled disjointed phrases! Why would anyone want to read this?"
I've been meaning to change my Valentine's Day background and family CHRISTMAS PICTURE for months now and do something a little more creative. Truth is, it takes time to mess with the layout and having a different picture would actually require me to take another family picture.
I'm beginning to sound a wee bit lazy. And, yes, I'd have to agree with a little bit of that. I am bloggy lazy. I think I'm bloggy lazy because I'm not lazy in any other aspect of my life. Here are just a few of the things that occupy my time:
1. Maintaining a home
2. Preschool with Luke
3. Giving Katelyn snacks
4. Training for a 1/2 marathon
5. Supporting a successful independent business
6. Coaching a summer softball team and scheduling games
7. Playing with kids
8. Practicing the Easter cantata for our church (which you ALL should come. It will be fabulous)
9. Co-chairing Vacation Bible School
and for all of you who can't stand it when lists end with an odd number, this if for you...
10. Blogging on a very part-time basis

Now, I know that I choose all of these things, but at times, I feel like I have no choice. Do you ever feel that way? A lot of the things that I choose I truly love doing (and I can't say that training for a marathon is one of them).

I honestly do not know where I'm going with this blog. No where, probably. I want to do better. I have so many ideas floating around in my head. So, my question for all of you is...what time of day do you blog? How do you fit it in? What do you do about pictures? Isn't it annoying to you?

What a boring post. If you've made it to the end, congratulations! Now you can inspire me, or give me a swift kick in the pants.

Sickies

We have the sickies at our house. Katelyn got a cold last week. It started with a fever on Tuesday night. I took her to the doctor (again) because I thought she might have another ear infection. Apparently, a toddler having a fever and swatting at her ear means that her ears look perfect. Oh well. She continued to get this nasty runny nose and cough. On Sunday, Luke woke up with the cough and by Sunday afternoon, had a fever. It's Wednesday. He was fever-free for most of the day yesterday but woke up in the middle of the night and it had returned. Katelyn is pretty much on the mend with the exception of a little mucus.
This-has-been-terrible. I need out of the house! I need fresh air. I may just open a few windows today to let some clean air in.
And, for all you moms out there, don't you just hate toiling with the decision of whether or not you should take your child to the doctor? Should I? Shouldn't I? Maybe I should? Yep, I'm going to call. No, it's just a virus. Insanity, I tell you!

Luke on "being fit"

Luke: "Mommy? Why am I so skinny?"

Tiffany: "God made you skinny! You were only fat once and that's when you were born!"

Luke: "Mom, I'm not skinny because God made me skinny."

Tiffany: "You're not? Why do you say that?"

Luke: "I'm skinny because I work out."

And to make matters worse...

I cannot believe I used the wrong form of "right" in my last post. That is a pet peeve of mine. Note to self...proof read before you post, not after.

Letters I wish I had the nerve to write

Dear Mr. Cra.igs List Man,
You really had me going.
I was so excited when I got on Crai.igs List
Saturday morning and there it was in all its beauty...
"the" tread mill.
You see, my husband and I have been shopping
for a tread mill for some time.
We realize what we want and we also realize what we can afford,
so when you posted that you were selling your $1000 machine for just $300, I just had to call write away.
Bill and I pulled out of the driveway at 11:10 (just merely 1 hour after you posted...aren't you lucky?) when I called you.
"Hi, Todd? This is Tiffany."
"Hi, Tiffany. Are you on your way over?"
"Yes, right now. We should be there in 15 minutes."
"Great...we will see you then."
Oh, Toddy boy, it would've been lovely if you would've told me then that there was someone else coming to look at it.
So, when we got 2 blocks from your house and the phone rang,
we were rather surprised when you told us that you sold the tread mill.
Today is Monday. Just a few days ago was that fateful day. I thought about apologizing for my rather harsh, non christian-like words I had for you.
But, nah.
I just realized that turning 30 has made me a little more bold, a little more opinionated and a little more like my mother.

(Keep in mind, both instances happened in ONE day...the same day....oh lovely day)

Dear Mr. Fremont Car Salesman,
When we called you from Lincoln and told you we would be driving to Fremont (just an easy hour and fifteen minute drive) to look at the pickup YOU called US about, we were excited at the possibility of driving home that truck.
I guess we were WRONG to assume that you would've called us when you SOLD the truck so that we could have saved time and the miles on our car.
How silly of us.
How silly of us to think that you'd think to yourself,
"Well, just sold that pickup that the guy from Lincoln is driving all the way up to see. I had better call him so he doesn't waste his time."
My husband was a lot nicer to you than I would've been. You see, he has mellowed over the years, I have gone quite opposite.
Your lucky day.

With disrespect,
Tiffany