Let it Snow!

We have had so much fun in the snow. Of course Caleb loved it. What 2 (almost 3) year old boy wouldn't? However, Karis loved it too! She was so cute crawling around in it. We bundled her up in her own clothes and then put her big brothers' pants and jacket on her. It seems that she didn't have enough warm stuff of her own. I'm sure I could have found something smaller in the attic, but when you're trying to get outside within a small window of time, who's going to go rummaging through the attic to find something else to wear. Anyway, we were all warm and we all had a ball!

I did not have fun trying to upload pictures to facebook for the last HOUR!!! What is the world has happened that I can't get my pictures on there...anyway, here they are for the world to see:)






































This is how cozy we've been on our snow days! They've been in their pajamas for two days and look closely...Karis is standing up by herself!

Trusting God

"I will instruct you (says the Lord) and guide you along the best pathway for your life; I will advise you and watch your progress." Psalm 32:8, TLB

I'm not even sure how to articulate this post into words other than to say that God's been doing some big work in my life and I'm really excited about it. I think this post is more for me to be able to articulate my thoughts than anything else. Let me start at the beginning.

Before Christmas I started reading the book Praying for Purpose for Women by Katie Brazelton. I felt like I was stuck in a rut and needed to seek God for what in the world I was supposed to be doing. Long story short, I started spending quality, consistant time with God each day and He has rocked my world since then (imagine that:).

The big word that He's given me is TRUST...not faith, but trust. My faith in God's ability to work in my life is fine in terms of provision, health, safety, etc. I never worry about what the present looks like because I know that God has my best interest at heart. What I found was that I was discontent with so many areas of my life. I wanted to live in the country, to stay at home with our kids, to not have so much responsibility at work. I found that I wasn't TRUSTING Him with my future dreams, the things I longed for. These feelings of discontentment and unrest came from a heart that doesn't trust that God has me in the right place all of the time when I'm walking with Him. I am here (location, job, responsibility, etc.) right now because I need to learn some things before I am ready to move forward into the things that I desire to have/do. The first thing on the list of things to learn is how to ask God to help me with the things that I already know how to do. For example, I lead devotions at Building Hope every afternoon. I can't remember the last time that I really petitioned God to show me what to teach and how to teach it. That's just pride...thinking that I've got everything under control and that I can do it on my own. I need to stop working on automatic and start asking the Holy Spirit to give me new fresh ideas in all areas - teaching, parenting, being a wife. The things he wants to teach me will rock my world. I know I just need to ask. It's okay to have dreams, goals, and aspirations, but when they leave me with a feeling of discontentment and unrest, then I am putting them above God and what He is doing in my life. I'm saying that I want more than what God is giving me. It's when I release those dreams to God and let him teach me what He wants me to learn right now, that I will be able to live abundantly in this moment and prepare for what God is waiting to do in my future...my wildest dreams and aspirations!

All Boy and a Sweet Girl!

Caleb went to stay with Mammy and Popper last week for a few days. While he was there, Mammy was working on a sewing project with her friend Betty, and Caleb learned how to "sew." In fact, he spent an hour, sitting still in their laps, trying different stiches and sewing scraps of fabric together. That day he also got to see some bulldozers, backhoes, etc...you know "boy stuff." The next day, Popper asked Caleb what his favorite part of the day before had been. Without hesitation he answered, "sewing!" Oh boy, those are the words that every Daddy is dying to hear his 2 (almost 3) year old boy say:) (Which by the way, when I told Ashley the story he said, "There's nothing wrong with knowing how to sew. Every man should learn." He, however, does not know how to sew, but it was a good response.)



Well, yesterday was a beautiful day...warmish and sunny, but due to the amount of rain we've had since November, our ground is completely saturated and any small amount produces major puddles. This is annoying for us as adults, but it is bliss for a kid. Caleb donned his rain boots, and hit the mud. He had so much fun getting completely filthy. My neighbor and I were talking while we watched him and she said, "Look at him, he is all boy." I agreed and then wondered if she'd say the same thing if she saw him sitting in front of a sewing machine:) Ha! He's such a fun kiddo!











Karis just turned 10 months a few days ago, and I could probably write a whole post about her. She is so much fun! I find myself taking videos of her all the time now. She stood up by herself a few times yesterday, she LOVES balls and anything that has to do with her big brother, she sings "fa la la la la, la la la la" with Caleb and I at breakfast, dances every time she hears music, loves to push her shopping cart, and is an absolute joy to be around all day long! We love her so much and love getting to see her sweet, fun loving personality emerging. She is a joy to our lives!

(This is the dress Caleb was "helping" sew. Isn't it precious!)

Baby Necessities and Rebukes!

While we love buying things for babies, if we are really honest with ourselves, they actually need very little until they get older. For instance, Karis has a lot of toys (granted most of them are hand-me-downs), but she is the most happy with some sort of straight, stick like object in her hand as she crawls around. She'll take Caleb's drumstick, Caleb's block (the long skinny kind), Caleb's wooden hammer, or any such thing and crawl with it, sit up and wave it around, put it in her mouth, talk to it, and then start it all over again. Babies are just not high maintenance when it comes to "stuff." However, there are certain things that are necessities, that have to be bought, and that aren't very cheap. There were three of these items that we needed, so I went to Target after work to pick them up (that's the thing about these "baby necessities." When you need them, YOU NEED THEM! There is no waiting until tomorrow). As I was saying, I had three things on my list.

1. New pacis - where do they go???? I put several in her crib each night so that when she loses one, she's bound to find another one without my help. In the morning, they are gone. Not all of them, but usually at least one is missing. They are not under the crib, not wedged between the bumper and the mattress, not in the slats of the crib, and I'm fairly certain that she hasn't eaten them. Where do they go??? Occasionally, I have SEARCHED in and around the crib, resigned myself to the fact that another one has gone missing, and put her to sleep anyway. When I check the next morning, I'll find one that's been missing for days but not the one that is the most recently missed. Ahhh, it's a mystery and if I'm not careful this is going to turn into a post of its own!

2. Bottle nipples - she has decided out of the blue that she really doesn't like to take bottles anymore. That's lovely Karis, thank you! I've known for a while that she needed to move up a level in nipples so that she had a faster flow, but I've been putting it off. After two days of not taking a bottle for the babysitter, I decided it was time for a new nipple. As a side note, it worked.

3. Breast milk storage bags - there is no explanation...when you're out, you're out. Gotta get more!

So, there I was a Target and the prices were ridiculously high. I mean $5.99 for TWO pacis...they're just going to get lost! I picked up my three things that aren't even fun to buy. I mean, no one can wear them, listen to them, read them, or use them for decorations. What fun are pacis, bottle nipples, and milk bags? No fun at all. I took my items to the register and the total came to $25. Ahhh, in our budget crunch world...that's a significant amount (for something not fun). I kind of sighed and looked at the cashier and said something to the effect of, "It really stinks to HAVE to buy these things and spend this much money on them." (This is where it gets good...don't you just love it when we get knocked off our high horse or our pitty party comes to a dramatic end). The cashier said, "I know. You know I don't know how people who are homeless or don't have any money take care of the things that we have to buy. Think about pads or tampons. Those are expensive and we have to buy them. How are they able to pay for them?" Whoa, I was totally taken off guard, but I responded appropriately and thought about it for a minute. Then she continued, "You know, we (she used the word we, but I think she meant you) should just be thankful that we have babies that we have to buy these things for. I know some women who can't have babies who would be thrilled to buy things like pacis and nipples. We are just so blessed." I was still in the "nodding and agreeing" mode, so I responded with something that was an acceptable response and told her to have a good day.

You may think that she was rude or over stepping her bounds, but as I walked out of the store, it sunk in...God just used the cashier at Target to fix my attitude. I was grumbling and complaining instead of being thankful for what I have. I was seeing the negative instead of the positive. I also learned something from her. Many times I just agree with what people are saying to me, even though I don't agree at all. I think I do it to avoid confrontation or keep from making someone feel uncomfortable. This lady didn't do that at all. She was nice, smiled the whole time, and didn't make it seem like a rebuke, but that's definitely what she was doing and I definitely needed it. So here are my thoughts for the day -

1. I'm fixing my attitude and looking for the blessings in everything. It's not cliche, it's good for us. I'm going to stop complaining...period.

2. I'm going to stop agreeing when I don't really agree...tactfully. Hopefully I can learn from the cashier and do it with love. You never know, it might change someone's attitude:)

Forgiveness

One thing we've been working on lately is Caleb eating his breakfast by himself. I always blend a really good concoction of fruit, avacado, almonds, lettuce, etc. It's what we all eat every morning. He's been eating it since he started eating and loves it. What he does not love is eating it by himself. He'd much rather have someone spoon feed it to him. He's been doing really well, eating almost to the bottom with very little fuss and then having me scrape the bottom to get the rest of it. Well, this morning he woke up hungry and ate a little bit before breakfast. When we sat down at the table to eat, he WOULD NOT eat. I tried to stay in control of my patience. We sang some songs and did all the things that we normally do, but he was not touching his spoon. I tried all kinds of tricks and bribes that normally work with absolutely no luck. Finally, I left the table with Karis and told Caleb that he could come and play with us when he finished his breakfast. This always works...not this morning. Every time I peeked in the kitchen, he was just sitting at the table NOT eating. I was really losing my patience, but yet still managing to keep it toned down for him (no sense in "fighting" about eating). Finally I went and sat down beside him. I'm just going to write out our conversation...remember this is all in a normal tone...I really was keeping my voice under control.

Mommy "I am very disappointed that you didn't eat your breakfast by yourself."
Caleb "Uh-huh."
Mommy, beginning to spoon it into his mouth "You are a big boy now, and you are ready to feed yourself. You do it every morning. This really upsets me a lot."
Caleb "I'm sorry Mommy."
Mommy with a sigh "Caleb, I'm just really too upset to forgive you right now."
Caleb "OK"
A few minutes later
Caleb "I'm sorry Mommy."
Mommy "Caleb, I'm just still really upset and I really can't tell you that I forgive you yet because I don't. You know how to eat your breakfast."
Another minute later
Caleb "Mommy, I'm sorry."
Mommy, scraping out the last bite for him with a big sigh "Caleb, I forgive you. I just want you to eat your breakfast by yourself. OK?"
Caleb "OK Mommy, now can I chew my gum?"
Mommy "Yes, please go chew your gum."

It is a funny story, but while I was not forgiving him, I thought about God and His willingness to forgive us every time. Ah, we disobey, gossip, don't read our Bibles or pray, cause strife, envy others, let our bodies get out of shape (which are God's temple), judge others, and just generally sin. Yet, when the Holy Spirit convicts us and we repent, God doesn't say, "I'm just too upset with you to forgive you right now." He simply forgives. My reason for not forgiving Caleb this morning was that I didn't think he really meant it. He's been into saying "I'm sorry" for a few weeks now. I wanted him to show me that he was sorry (and I needed some time to cool down). Sometimes I "repent" and don't really mean it. Does that mean that God doesn't forgive me? No! His grace is endless and His love surpasses all understanding. It certainly surpassed mine this morning. It's a good thing that I'm just the Mommy and not God! It's also a good thing that I have a good Father to learn from...a patient, kind, understanding, and FORGIVING Father.

Christmas, Cousins, and Chewing Gum

Christmas is always fun, but this one was especially fun! One of my sisters and I both got home on the Sunday before Christmas. Her husband and their six month old daughter were with them. Caleb was so sweet with her. He was much more gentle with her than he is with Karis...Karis tends to get the rough end of the playing.



Their favorite thing to do was to was swinging. Caleb liked it when we pushed him "really higher" and when Ashley spun him in circles.



His favorite thing to do was to push Karis though. He is a great big brother/cousin already! She would laugh hysterically, and he just kept laughing and laughing.





Even Annie got in on the action. She had the best smile while Caleb was pushing her.



GiGi and Grandpa came to see us too. We took a long walk in the woods, and we all had a good 'ole redneck time cleaning ducks, walking the pony, and letting the dogs swim in the back pasture. The dogs really liked their snack of duck wings and later deer legs...yep, I told you redneck!










(There's nothing like learning to chew straw at a young age!)




(Don't know if you can tell, but they are throwing sticks to the dogs in the pond.)

So we went to Mama Bet's house on Christmas Eve. Karis and Annie had fun playing with Aunt Jamie.



Caleb has a special secret with Mama Bet. Everytime he sees her he asks for chewing gum and of course she willinging gives it to him! So for Christmas, she gave him a packet of gum. He was so excited and immediately announced that it was the "best present ever in the whole world!" We laughed so hard, but the reality of it is that we get so wrapped up in "stuff" that we forget that the best present of all is something from the heart.

The best part was our new Christmas Eve tradition and the ensuing Christmas morning. On Christmas Eve we read one of Caleb's books that told the story of Jesus' birth(never mind that I threatened a spanking during the reading of the book because he WOULD NOT sit still). We finally did get him to say that Jesus was the best present, but he still wanted a Santa and a reindeer and an elf and a snowman and presents! After that we left Santa milk, cookies (well a haystack), and a carrot for the reindeer.



He was so cute looking up the chimney for Santa, and of course the adults had fun after the kids were asleep setting up for "Santa."





Christmas morning was great! We woke the kids up at 6:30 to go open presents. This isn't anything new for us "Peebles girls" though. We have always opened our presents while it is still dark outside. There is something magical about the living room being all set up with just the tree lights lighting the room. The look on Caleb's face was priceless. He just stood and stared, then immediately bypassed his "Santa" present (a toolbench) and headed straight for Annie's present. It was obviously much cooler than any old toolbench:) He did finally get around to playing with it and now he loves it! By the way, I did get the best present of all. My hubby and my dad secretly built me the book shelves we've been planning on building. They kept it the best secret...so good in fact that my feelings got hurt! They are awesome and I can't wait to get home and organize everything!







So, now we are at Ashley's parents and finishing up Christmas! I can't wait for the fun times we'll have here! More to come and Merry Christmas!!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

I have to say that I LOVE Christmas, and the great thing is that I'm not alone in this love of the season. I know that most people love it just like I do and that makes it so much FUN!! I definitely can't name one favorite thing about Christmas, but here's a short list of some of the highlights for me...

1. Reading, hearing, talking about the birth of Jesus...God's best gift to us. Just reading Luke and Isaiah 9 warm my heart. When people ask Caleb what he wants for Christmas, I'm trying to get him to say, "I want people to know that Jesus is our best gift from God." He's not buying it though. When I ask him to say it, he says, "Nope, I want a Santa and an elf and a snowman and a reindeer and presents." Oh well...at least I'm trying.



2. Sitting in my living room with the warm glow of lights from the Christmas tree and the mantle. Yes, we use colored lights and tinsel. It just makes me feel so festive. By the way, this was probably the prettiest tree we've ever had...until it unexpectedly wilted last week:(







3. Hanging up my favorite ornaments. They represent so many stories, traditions, and memories. We definitely don't have a tree that would go in a magazine, but I love hanging our old ornaments up beside our new ones each year.


Our "First Christmas" ornament from the first year we were married. That seems like so long ago:)


Caleb's first homemade ornament. He made it at Building Hope's Christmas party and he was such a big boy wanting to make it by himself.


I love how pretty red balls look nestled in the branches of the tree. I had a good time trying out my photography skills:).


This ornament came from my parents' tree. Growing up these were all over our tree along with orange and lime slices. They also had candy garland. These were always my favorites to hang up because they looked so real! Now I have a few candy canes (yellow and green ones) and a few lime slices. It makes me so happy to hang them up each year. Did anyone else have these ornaments when they were young?

4. CHRISTMAS CHINA!!!! I don't need to say anything more. I would have liked to have some greenery around my centerpiece, but with little hands...








5. The excitement of "Santa" and seeing little pieces of that excitement in Caleb. This is the bell from The Polar Express that was left on the couch.



6. Buying gifts for other people and making my own list. I can't lie, it may be better to give than to receive (and I really do LOVE to give), but I have to say that I'm pretty excited about my presents too!

7. Spending time with my family and all that entails...movies, baking, playing games, laughing, cooking, napping, and just having a really good time!

So, with one week left, these are my reasons for LOVING Christmas and I fully intend to relish each one of them in the next 7 days (and for a few days afterwards)!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!