trees and stuff

Since I don't have Instagram and Facebook on my phone anymore, these blog posts are pretty long. So feel free to read them in sections.

A few people are mad that I've cut them off cold turkey from my Instagram stories so here's a couple to assure you that nothing has changed...

This is a blurry pic but too cute not to post. I may have taken it while driving, eyes on the road of course. He's got his beebee and his fruck. Yeah he's pretty close to dropping f bombs all day when looking for it. Especially because he says it like... "Ffffffffruck!"

The best part about eating a giant Target pretzel is this part of course.

Addie took this. I'm not fully committed to the smile. I always plan on immediately deleting any pictures taken by the kids because they are always most unflattering but I like my expression. It's so my face all day. 

Addie's first selfie with the neighbor.

We have a master in fitness living down the street who works out in his garage and inspires our girls to become stronger...

Winter said, "Mom take a picture of me cooking." So I did. I'm not sure when she became tall enough to cook without using a chair but it happened fast.

The girls frequently go upstairs to play and come back down in costumes. 

"Super Elsa." Super power: freezing people who are being mean to her.

"Tinky Belly"

"The Queen." I'm not sure what she's the queen of...

"Miss Hawaii." 

These two laugh so much that sometimes I get frustrated because they are impossible to calm down when they get in one of their silly sister moods. But even though it rattles my nerves a little because sometimes the crazy is just too much, I secretly love it.

Twitch is getting pretty old. I think he's turning 14 in June. He's getting to the point where, if Angus hugs him, he makes old man sounds. But like human ones. Kind of like an 80 year old smoker cough.

Saturday we went on an adventure. Not really. We just went to Pasadena. But it was just the girls. Dan was down with the man cold so I left Angus with him and took the girls to Kidspace. They had a blast. They were little balls of happiness for hours. They were by far the oldest kids there. Most of the little ones were toddlers, too little to even know where they were. But my girls are so goofy and so not too cool for school they didn't even notice nor care that the place was geared toward 3-5 year olds.

We played at a park after lunch and I bought popsicles from a guy with a little ice cream cart with a bell for the first time. I've been feeling very generous lately (probably stems from mom guilt) so I bought them popsicles from the ice cream truck at the park yesterday too. Addie yelled up at the man after he handed her her popsicle, "I LIKE YOU!" so he gave her a lollipop for the road. Angus insisted on the minion popsicle which of course he refused to eat because he hates anything cold. He enjoyed seeing me eat it though.

Then they wanted to go swimming since it was so hot out. But the pool was ice cold.

I just started potty training my fourth child. The pros are: I've done this 3 times before. I have hardwood floors that are totally okay with being peed on and clean up wonderfully. Angus is very particular and likes to clean stuff and he's 2.5 years old so he should be relatively easy to potty train. 

Cons: Potty training blows. I hate potty training. I hate pee. 

Pray for me.

Have you checked out the Google photos app? It's pretty awesome for those of us who have stupid older iphones that hold like 5 photos and then get full. I have to delete my photos all the time and it's annoying to have to download them onto my computer before deleting them from my phone first. The google photos app allows me to keep them all on my phone and I don't have to download them onto the computer. (I still have to delete them from my camera but they are on the app forever) The pictures are automatically transferred to the app. It's been most helpful. And I like the filters. I feel like they are better than the iphone camera app. Instagram still wins for best filters though.

Things that made me feel like a good mom this week. There are always very few so always worth mentioning the times that I was rockin it.

1. Buying valentines a month early - flashback to last year when we went to Target on feb 13 and there were about 2 choices.

2. Remembering to bring an extra change of clothes and towel to Kidspace. Most parents there were on their first kid. But they have a stream that you are allowed to play in. I felt bad for the moms that let their kids play in it and told them not to get wet. Good luck with that one sweeties. 

3. I made dinner that everyone liked. And it only took me 20 minutes. Not too many complaints and it was all from Trader Joe’s including the "bag o salad" as Dan lines to call it. And Dan didn’t hate it that I know of. He’s come a long way from the man that would rarely accept anything from a can, bag or freezer as an acceptable dinner. 

On the menu: from the freezer - teriyaki chicken, veggie potstickers, Mexican corn (spicy). 

From the box - rice pilaf (made in the rice cooker). 

And from the bag - butter leaf lettuce with tomatoes, cucumbers and avocado. Sounds delish right?! Everyone ate a ton. But it could be because we ate late and everyone was starving. But it made me happy even so.

So, I was in Bakersfield last January and bought a bunch of children's' Christmas books that were 75% off because it was January. It was a used book store which made them about a quarter each. Then I saw this awesome idea on Pinterest where you wrap 25 Christmas books and your kids open one each night leading up to Christmas and you read them to your children. I was totally on board last year. I even wrapped about 10 books to give myself a head start. That's the trouble with Pinterest. It makes everything sound so much easier than it is. I forgot that in December I walk around in a stressed out fog and barely have enough energy to say goodnight to my kids, let alone read to them.

Of course I didn't follow through with it BUT a couple weeks into December I found those 10 wrapped books and thought, well I guess we can read a few of them... seeing as it's mid December and all. It probably won't kill me. One night we read a cute little story about an elf. The next night, Winter unwrapped another book and actually commented that it looked boring, but Mya said we should read it anyway.

The cover and title, 'My Christmas Collection, Three Favorite Stories' had me assuming I would be reading about Santa or reindeer or snowmen. I was surprised when it was actually was about Jesus. My eyes filled with tears as I read it. it was such an amazing story with an amazing message. So, I had to share. I was just going to mention that you should read it. But when someone says I should read something, I roll my eyes. So I thought I would make it super easy for you and type it out. It's okay I love typing. It's therapeutic. Also a good reason to blog. You may have already heard the story...

And of course it took me a month to actually write about it. So, pretend it's Christmas Eve while you read. Even though the story would be good any time of year.

The Legend of the Three Trees

Life burst into the world on the third day of Creation. From under the water, God brought forth the earth. Peeking up through the earth's soil, green plants waved like millions of tiny flags. Grasses, bushes, and trees grew into every size and shape.

The trees towered above all. There were pine trees and poplar, olive and oak, willow and walnut. Each held its own seeds and fruits.

Their seeds and fruits scattered as animals carried them from the trees. In a green valley, a fox dropped an olive pit. From that pit, a new olive tree with beautiful wood began to grow.

Along a rocky shoreline, a stork dropped an acorn into a deep crack. From that acorn, a great oak tree began to grow.

High on a mountainside, a clumsy goat knocked a log into a tree. The crash sent pine cones and their seeds spinning to the ground. From one of those seeds, a new pine tree began to grow.

Each of the trees had great dreams of what it would become. The olive tree hoped that its beautiful wood could become a treasure chest. Decorated with sparkling jewels, it would hold the greatest treasure in the world. The oak hoped to become a mighty ship. Strong and proud, it would carry kings and queens across the waters.

The tall, majestic pine hoped that its towering branches would remind people of the glory of God's creation. It dreamed that it would always stay on the mountain and point people to God.

Many years passed. The trees' dreams had not come true. The olive tree had become a simple manger for feeding animals. The mighty oak's wood was made into a little fishing boat. And the great pine fell in a storm and lay in a heap of old lumber But God had His own plan for each of the trees.

One night, shepherds keeping watch over their flock saw an angel. A great light shone all around. The angel told them not to be afraid, for their Savior had been born in Bethlehem. Just as the angel had said, the shepherds found the baby lying in a manger.

The olive tree had not become a treasure chest, but now, as a manger it held the greatest treasure of all time - God's only Son, Jesus.

The infant Jesus grew into a man and traveled to the very lake that held the oak fishing boat. One day, the little boat carried Jesus into the lake with the fishermen. Suddenly, a great storm swept over the lake. The oak boat struggled with all of its strength so it would not sink. "Quiet! Be still," Jesus said. The storm stopped. The oak boat felt Jesus' power. The boat had never carried a king of this world. But now it carried the King of Kings!

One day, soldiers came for the forgotten pine. From the pine's trunk, they made a cross and they placed Jesus on it. Under a blackening sky, the pine cross swayed as the soldiers raised it. The cross did not know if it could bear the weight of the man upon it. But it did.

That day, Jesus died on the cross to take away the sins of all who believe in Him. And ever since, the cross points people to God as a symbol of His great love for us.

Sometimes, the dreams that we have for ourselves are much smaller than the dreams that God has for us. The three trees' dreams came true, just not in the way they imagined. And so it is with each of us. For if we follow God's path, we will travel far beyond even our greatest dreams.