Double the treasure

Noah had a good idea when he buried his treasure on that hill.

I had forgotten that someone else had already dug for treasure there before him.

Christian said he was hiding from me.

Then he went back to work.

I remember asking him what he was doing.

"I digging fo' gowd, mommy!"

"Did you find any?"

"Nope, just wocks!"

I want to write these memories down before they get muddy. Right now, I am so thankful for the clarity of certain days and special moments!

You know what? There is an even greater treasure than what Noah or Christian found on those days. There is an even greater treasure than these memories and photos that God has blessed me with.

This treasure is available to anyone and everyone. To receive it, one only has to confess that they are a sinner, turn from their sins (repent), believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and make Christ the Lord of their lives.

The greatest treasure is salvation through Jesus Christ!

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. ~Matthew 6:20-21

Do you have everlasting treasure? Where does your heart lie?

Task for another day

I am trying to rid the guest bedroom of clutter. It's hard when it is also my craft room and the room where stuff goes when we don't know what to do with it.

I uncovered this from beneath a pile of picture frames and empty plastic Easter eggs.

I opened it...

Pajama bin.

And then I quickly put the lid back on.

It's a task that I'll tackle another day. I'm just not up for it right now.

WW - Daddy P.E.

P.E. is kicked up a notch when David is home.

(that thing is used to pick up golf balls. too bad it doesn't shoot them!)

(color is wonky when camera is on full auto. bleh.)

Treasure Hunt

Noah finished his independent work early today-- math, language arts, handwriting, map skills. He had been waiting f-o-r-e-v-e-r for Austin to finish his math.

Since waiting is SO hard, he asked if there was anything fun that he could do.

Y'know, video games, computer, movies, anything?

The good mommy in me said "NO. Just finding something to do... anything! Go outside, go ride your bike, bury some treasure, whatever... Just go!"

And boy, did he ever!

Look! It's a treasure map! For ME! And drawn with a CHOCOLATE scented marker!

*sniff* He loves me with the details.

He said that if I find the treasure, I can keep it. SO LET'S GO!

Map-- check. Shovel-- check.

He was very thoughtful to walk me through the (not-so-detailed) map.

He expertly knew the way and even carried my shovel for me.

Uh-oh. Obstacles on the bridge!

(I wonder if he originally intended it to be for Austin.)

Creepy bugs and a brick won't force me to turn around!

Down the slide and a trek to the stick in the ground. Turn right.

That's looks like the perfect place for an X to mark the spot!

It's just not treasure if you don't have to dig it up.

He's clever to realize that there are certain laws governing the hunting of treasure.

Even more proof of his cleverness (and perhaps slight OCD from his mommy)-- treasure safely nestled in a ziploc baggy! Yay!

Crayons, two pennies, a peppermint and more garbled marbles.

As great a treasure as that is, it doesn't shine a light to THIS treasure.

I love him so much it hurts. I like that kind of hurt.

F-R-I-D-A-Y

+ So David started the Shred with me tonight. It kicked our collective bootays. I will admit that it was slightly easier this time around, although push-ups were still very hard for me to do. I think it has something to do with my double-jointed elbows?

+ Do you want to see the baby blanket I made for Lucy?

I just love these prints from Fresh-Squeezed Fabrics!

+ Nikowa commented that Lele and Lulu sounded cute together. I would definitely agree! MUCH better than Marmar and Mumu could ever be. Can you imagine? And how about Coco and Cucu? (Which is better than Coco and Cuckoo!)

+ Darcy asked for backyard pics. I feel pretty bad that she is in the Ice Age while we had lots of warm sunshine!

I even wore flip-flops today! The temp was 77 shortly before the sun started setting.

What's the weather like at your house? Wanna linky up with us?

+ When I think of sweating and warm weather, my mind goes to my friend Amy in Peru. If y'all are looking for a good blog read or want to take a peek into the life of a missionary family, I highly recommend visiting her at A Pilgrim's Project. One of the many things I like about Amy is her obvious affection for her husband. If you visit a while, you'll see what I'm talking about. My boys would be embarrassed just thinking about all that smooching! :)

+ I was so excited to see these cute little dolls from my friend Josephine's shop.

If you are looking for a unique gift that is handmade with love, I encourage you to stop by her online store to see her creations. Josephine can make matching aprons and bonnets in sizes for little girls and mommy too!

Josephine's husband Elgin was killed by a drunk driver on Mother's Day 2008. I can only imagine the struggles she must face every day. She loved him with all her heart! Every purchase you make will be a tremendous help to Josephine and her daughters. (And will make some little girl very happy-- those dolls are CUTE!!!)

+ What's going on at your house? Anything fun?

Jillian scares me.

I have mentioned before my plans to exercise. Today, hard to zip clothing and the upcoming Blissdom Conference have spurned me into action!

I unwrapped the DVD, dusted off the old 3lb hand weights, and pushed play.

Let's pause and reflect on that profound statement for just a moment.

Still pausing...

Okay then.

I am glad that Jillian couldn't see me for real. I was pathetic, y'all! I just couldn't hang with her 20 minute workout, often finding myself sitting down for just a second, trying to give my arms and legs a little break from that "good" burning feeling.

You know it's a rough workout when you are looking forward to the ab part because that means you can lie down for a while!

[Hi, Jillian. Sorry I couldn't join you during this portion of the workout. I just couldn't get up and get going like Anita and Natalie. I realize I could never be your BFF. And I'm okay with that.]

***

Austin and Noah dared to walk in at one point to say "Jumping Jacks? That doesn't look very hard!"

My witty reply? "Yeah, you try doing jumping jacks 15 minutes into this workout!"

Woot! What a zinger. Apparently exercise drains the power from my brain and reroutes it to my muscles.

And that is why I have a hard time exercising. *bada ching*

***

My post-workout lunch consisted of chicken fried steak, cream gravy and potatoes. I hope it didn't cancel out any benefits I gained from exercising.

Yikes, Jillian would NOT be happy! But really, what is she going to do? Kick my butt more than she already did today? My arms and legs are like Jello.

I know Emily has done the 30 day Shred before... Has anyone else? Did you see positive results?

Just in case I decide to throw the towel in, can any of you recommend another workout DVD that won't bore me? I can be such a quitter sometimes. But don't worry, Jillian. I'll be joining you again tomorrow.

I think.

Lucy Grey

I have baby on the brain.

Not just any baby, but this one.

My newest niece Lucy Grey!

She loves me.

But not as much as I love her.

I love her so much, I shared her. :)

Now there is only one sibling that is not a mommy yet, although she is a super-dee-duper aunt! Lord willing, it won't be long until she joins our ranks. (No pressure, Bobo!)

Hey y'all, wouldn't it be fun if we were all prego at the same time? I wonder if Coco will have any more babies? I bet my mom would go crazy trying to figure out the logistics of visiting and making miyuk gook!

(No, I'm not prego... yet.)

Lucy's middle name is Grey. I can picture her writing out her name when she is older. Wouldn't it look lovely in cursive all loopy with the y's?

Her current nickname is Lulu.

Her mommy Leah's nickname is Lele.

Doesn't Lele look AMAZING? Hard to believe she gave birth just a few days before!

We always knew Jason and Lele would be fabulous parents. They are naturals (even if they are slightly nervous about baby poop and spitup).

We thought that Lulu would look more like Lele.

Right now, she looks a lot like her daddy-- they even have matching hair!

I can't wait until March when we'll all get together again!

*disclaimer: this post was written at 1am after a weekend of waking up every 2 hours to change a precious baby's diaper, have her mommy feed her, and then settling her back to sleep. i can already tell that some of what i'm saying is rambly and non-sensical and more akin to my normal writing than i would like to admit. :)

Step right up

Noah ran up to me and begged, "Come see this, mommy!"

I followed him into his room where my eyes beheld this imaginative vision.

Do you see a junky table or an afternoon of fun and games?

Knock down these...

With three shots from this...

And you might be lucky enough to win any one of these fabulous prizes!

Closer inspection will show that these are garbled marbles.

Next on the prize list...

Cards, a spinning top (that lights up!), and two racecars (slightly used).

If you happen to have mad shooting skillz like Noah, you have a shot at winning the GRAND PRIZE!

(The variety astounds me.)

I know you are wondering just how much all of this fun will cost you! What price must you pay to experience the excitement?!

I think it's a small price to pay. :)

And he assures me that "it is not a scam or a rip-off, mommy."

Would this face lie to you?

All the pennies he collects will go towards our church's penny drive. Austin and Noah have been saving up since the night of their defeat at the hands of the girls last year (the horror!).

So step right up!

Isn't he so fun AND sweet?

Much like his mother. *snort*