What I'm Reading...

Forgotten God by Francis Chan

I love having a good book to read along with my daily Bible Study.  I've only finished the Introduction, but I already know that this book is going to challenge, convict, and teach me so much about The Holy Spirit.  I am so excited to read more.

Great Read...

It's been a hectic summer and other than my daily Bible study, I've had little time for reading.  Now that our routines are starting to get into place, I have much more time to dedicate to reading.  I finally wrapped up The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer and I want to share a few things from the book...

A.W Tozer on the goodness of God:

The greatness of God rouses fear within us, but His goodness encourages us not to be afraid of Him.  To fear and not be afraid--that is the paradox of faith.

Tozer ends each chapter with a quote, poem, or hymn.  Here is a wonderful hymn by Charles Wesley:

Arise, my soul, arise;
Shake off thy guilty fears;
The bleeding Sacrifice
In my behalf appears:
Before the throne my Surety stands,
My name is written on His Hands.

My God is reconciled;
His pardoning voice I hear;
He owns me for His child;
I can no longer fear:
With confidence I now draw nigh,
And "Father, Abba, Father," cry.

Check out Indelible Grace sing this beautiful hymn:



Now that I have my piano, I've been playing a lot of the great hymns of the faith.  Here is a link to a wonderful hymnbook with demos and downloadable sheet music: http://www.igracemusic.com/hymnbook/home.html

18 month check-up

Edy had her 18 month check-up (a little late) on Thursday. Here's a little update...

 She loved playing in the waiting room!

Fortunately, we are all caught up on shots, so other than a little finger prick to check for anemia there wasn't any major drama.

Stats:

Weight-26 lbs:  66 percentile

Height-33 in:  73 percentile

Edy is a talker and the doctor and nurses were very pleased with her speech development so far.  As a momma, you never get tired of hearing nice things about your kid!

She was asked to point to ONE body part, but made sure the doctor heard her say at least nine!

Click HERE to check out Ava Grace's 18 month check-up.

What's Under My Bed...

...lot of bins filled with lots of clothes

It's true, I have been saving certain clothes along the way for Edy to hopeful wear SOMEDAY!

Unfortunately, the girls were born at totally different times of the year and a lot of the clothes don't coordinate with the current size and/or season that Edy needs.  But, there is quite a bit that we can make work.

The best part are all of the shoes and coats that were saved.  That will be a big money saver!

The crazy side of me is a little disappointed that AG doesn't have matching outfits to go with the stuff that Edy can wear, but I might be able to come up with some cute coordinating looks! *even better*

This is just another fabulous perk to having awesome little girlies!

I pulled out an old nightgown of AG's for Edy.  She was SO excited to have a princess nightgown to match her big sister's.

I also came across the old squeaker shoes we loved so much. *sarcasm*  Remember those?  AG got a new pair for Christmas, but they were a little too big.  Thankfully, they fit perfectly now! JOY! *again...sarcasm*  Here is a video of the girls getting acquainted with their new kicks!

Just in case you are wondering, those darn squeakers are very easily removed!

Sunshine Party

Ava Grace is FOUR! 

(just in case you didn't get the memo)  

This year, we had a quiet little celebration at home.  We've kinda had a little tradition going which entails a bigger "friend party" every other year.  So it was nice to enjoy AG's birthday without the stresses of planning a party.

BUT...........AG had some plans on her own.  Take a look at her birthday celebration requirements:

• sunshine cake (the sun must have sunglasses and a smiley face)
• musical chairs
• face painting
• she gets to help with decorations

Whew!  It was tough, but we accomplished everything on her list!

 *cheap decorations*

 *sunshine cake complete with sunglasses and smiley face*  CHECK!

 more cheap decor

*AG helped me make the "Happy Birthday" sign*  CHECK!

She got an iPod touch (refurbished) and iHome as her present. A while back, I did some research and determined that the iPod was the best hand-held game/educational device for the money.  The games are inexpensive, lots of educational stuff, she can listen to her music, HeyTell all of her relatives, have FaceTime with me via my iPhone4, and so much more.

Thank you, Family, for going in on this.  She loves it!

 Rosie was happy having cake.

 We have already been coming up with ground rules!!! HA....No, seriously.

My parents came down for the day.  With them, they brought my piano--more on it (and its history) later.

 *face-painting* CHECK!

What a good daddy!

*Oh, and by the way, we played one round of musical chairs.  It was kinda lame with four people and she lost interest.*  But it still deserves a CHECK!

I think Ava Grace's self-proclaimed "Sunshine Party" was a huge success!  If she is this involved in her 4th bday, no telling what's to come!  Guess she's Type-A just like her momma.

You're Four!

I interviewed Miss Ava Grace in honor of her fourth birthday. . .

ME:  What's your favorite color?

AG:  Yellow

She has consistently answered "yellow"  for two years now.

ME:  What's your favorite movie?

AG:  Rio

She just saw this movie last weekend. I guess that it's fresh on her memory.

ME:  What is your favorite book?

AG:  The Cat in the Hat

That's news to me! 

ME:  What is you favorite TV show?

AG:  My favorite TV show is Dora the Explorer.

ME:  What is your favorite story?

AG:  Bible story

Um...that's pretty vague.

ME:  What is your favorite toy?

AG:  My favorite toy is Cinderella's Castle 

Shocker!

ME:  What do you want to be when you grow up?

AG:  I wanna be a Mommy

Aww...be still my heart.

ME:  What is your favorite drink?

AG:  I love strawberry milk even though I've never tried it!

This kid is hysterical.

ME:  Who is your best friend?

AG:  Edy is my best friend, but all of my friends are my best friends!

That's really sweet.

ME:  What is your favorite food?

AG:  My favorite food is hamburgers.

Yeah right...I don't believe you!

ME:  What is your favorite restaurant?

AG:  Um, my favorite restaurant....I love Jalapeno Tree.

She ain't lying.

ME:  What is your favorite holiday?

AG:  My favorite holiday is Christmas.

Boy, are we going to have fun! 

Happy Birthday, Peanut!  Mommy and Daddy love you VERY much!

Happy Birthday, Ava Grace!

That's right!  My sweet Ava Grace turned 4 today.  Here's a little walk down memory lane. . .

Happy Birthday, Sweet Girl!

Ava and Edy-isms

I have been keeping track of all the hilarity that my girls have come up with over the last couple of weeks.  Here's what I've logged:
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Ava Grace loves milk and juice.  Her favorite treat is a big ole cup of cold liquid...just not water.  Since she was a toddler we have been giving her half juice and half water in her sippy cup.  We've never offered it any other way, but we've never made a big deal about it either.  The other day, this is what she requested:

AG to Graham:  Dad, can I have some juicy water!

We cracked up when hearing that--it sounds so gross.  Poor kid, she's not so easily fooled.
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AG's dinner prayer:

Dear Lord, 
Thank  you for our food.  Thank you for Mommy, Daddy, Edy, and Ava Grace.  Thanks for Pops, Na, Gaga, and Tat.  I pray that they come to know you at a young age and live for you all of their days.  I love you, Lord.  Thank you for loving me.  Amen.
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Edy has a new favorite song, "Where is Thumpkin?".  I have tried and tried to get her on camera singing it because it is so stinkin' cute.  I'll keep trying to capture it.
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The other day, I got pulled over for going just a teeny bit over the speed limit.  When the officer got to my car, he was greeted by my sweet Ava Grace.

AG to officer:  Hi, my name is Ava Grace.  What's your name?
(The officer tells her his name.)
AG to me:  Mommy, you were going too fast and this is going to cost you a lot of money.

Thankfully, I was given a warning.  I think that was partly thanks to my bubbly little girl.
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The other day, I caught myself saying this to AG:

Ava Grace, if you don't obey then you will lose your toboggans for a week.

That's something I never thought I would say.
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Yesterday morning, I went to get Edy out of bed.  She greeted me with, "Hey Baby".
I love that little stinker!
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Today, I gave AG a hug and said, "I love you, Sweetheart."  She replied, "That was such a sweet thing to say, Mommy."
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I wanted to show how different my girls' plates were at dinner last night.

 AG's plate
 She was dipping her spaghetti noodles in ranch dressing.

 Edy's plate

My girls have completely different eating habits!
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That's about all I can recall for now.  For more Ava and Edy-isms, click HERE.

WHY?

Edy has discovered the power of "why?".  She says it all of the time.  I. kid. you. not.  What was funny two days ago is now so annoying.  Earlier today, I teased her to make this video.  Check it out:

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My Favorite {cleaning} Things

While I was cleaning, I got to thinking about all of those "favorite things" posts that bloggers do.  They always grab my attention because I love learning about products, specifically ones that are tried and true.

It's no secret that I love efficiency and things that make my life a little bit easier.  Don't we all?  

*drum roll please* 

Here are my favorite cleaning items (I know y'all are on the edge of your seats):

 Libman mop

best. mop. ever.  

I've tried others and I always come back to my trusty Libman.

 Swiffer Dusters

These guys are so much better than a feather duster.  I think you can use them without spraying Pledge on them, but I don't trust them that much! *By the way, the commercials get on my nerves.* 

 Disinfecting Redi Wipes

I like these better than Lysol or Clorox wipes because they are soft (more like a rag) and cheaper.  For me, they just down-right clean better.

 Pine-Sol  Lavender Clean Scent

If I could insert a scratch and sniff here, I would.  

I used to be a "strictly Pine-Sol" kinda girl until I was introduced to the ocean breeze scent a couple of years back.  But, a few weeks ago, I got a wild hair and tried the new lavender scent.  I know, I'm gutsy!  I can't stress enough how clean this makes my house feel and how wonderful it smells.  I have actually had a few guests compliment the smell of my house.  Thank you, Pine-Sol!

Old English Furniture Polish

This stuff is definitely tried and true.  I use it about once a month after dusting.

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser

They're magic for sure!  They take off soap scum, crayon, tough stains, etc., with little effort.  I'm in love.

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Although I use a few other cleaning items, those are my faves.  One day, I'll give my girls some cleaning tips and they can help out.  Already, they both love to use the Swiffer Duster, but I always go behind them and do it again.  Is that bad?

What products get your house so fresh and so clean, clean?  I would love to know.