"Oh what a beautiful morning..."

Oh what a beautiful day...



I've got a beautiful feeling....


E...........V..............E..........R.........Y..........T...........H...........I..........N..........G..........S........


Goooooin' myyyyyy waaayyyy :)


We do this EVERY morning. For real. And I just can't bring myself to let natural consequences have their way with her. I mean, can't you just hear that conversation? " Oh Dr. Fox, she hates to brush her teeth so, you know, we don't make her. I figure she'll learn her lesson when her teeth rot out of her head." Remember this? I'm on thin ice with them already!
















And it appears that I am the proud grandmother of 3 newly hatched plastic bunnies. And I really need to get over myself and use "auto" on my camera. These blurry faces are starting to freak me out.

I wasn't going to post tonight...

but when the mood strikes, I suppose I should take advantage of it :)


After church, i was sitting in the van with the girls waiting for aaron to come meet us. (Aaron later told me that he was trying to call me so he could say, "I'm in the van...where are you and the girls." Which for sure would have made me have an anxiety attack thinking I might be mistaken as a car thief. BUT, my phone was dead so he didn't get to play his little joke. See what I have to put up with?! JUST KIDDING! LOVE HIM!)

Anyway, we were sitting in the van and I decided to talk to the girls about what they learned in bible class and maybe reinforce what they learned or talk some more about it. So I say, "What did you girls talk about in class today?"

Ainsley: "I can't remember."
Abbey: "I don't want to talk to you about it."
Alivia: "Snack."

So glad I asked. :)


Also, of note, my cousin Kim, is doing a 30 day photo challenge and I think it looks like fun. So, I'm gonna give it a try. Although, I must say, the first photo is a self portrait...not looking forward to that one. Now, this is the place where I would direct you to Kim's blog by typing "go here" to see Kim's super cute blog and the word "here" would light up and do a dance and you could click on it. But I do not have the first idea as to how one would make that work. Sooo, if you want to check our her blog, look over there -------------------> and click on Wallace Family.

Have a good Monday everyone!

Sometimes you just gotta roll with the punches...

Day 4 of things not going the way i thought they would is mercifully coming to a close. Let me just give you a little run down...

Wednesday: Decided I needed a manicure. And by manicure I mean the free kind...done by yours truly. So, I took the fingernail polish off of my fingernails and then got distracted.

Thursday: I trimmed the fingernails on my right hand while standing in Aaron's office and then had to leave to go pick up the girls from preschool.

Friday: Friday began a two day mission to get some work finished on the house. We worked ALL day. And went to lowes about 345 times. And somehow we managed to take two steps backwards.
Friday night I made dinner...spaghetti and asparagus. Not thinking I could handle the tears when Abbey saw something unfamiliar on her plate, I straight up bribed the kids. THIS, I might add, worked like a charm. I told them if they ate their asparagus, I would take them to get ice cream. They totally fell for it. Ainsley even actually liked it.



I think it was at this point that I stole one of grampa's sayings and told the girls the asparagus would put hair on their chests. Then Aaron raised his shirt and said, "See?" The girls were impressed. I won't go into too many details but the conversation ended with Alivia saying, "See, I have two niffles (nipples)." Quality.

So then i take the girls to Braums for their ice cream and for the life of me I can not order 2 single dips of vanilla in cups. It came out "2 dips of vanilla in a cup." I knew that wasn't right, so I start trying to explain what I really mean and the best thing I can come up with is "Ok, that sounded like 1 thing".....(at this point, i just stared helplessly at the drive thru speaker begging her to read my mind).............................Finally, she says, "Oh, you mean 2 single dips in a cup." Me, "YES! YES! THANK YOU! THAT is what i meant."

Saturday: Day 2 of working on the house. But first, I trimmed the nails on my left hand. Manicure complete. That only took 3 days. Also, the girls wanted me to curl their hair. Which I did. And I also took pictures.



Oh, and did I mention, I was trying to learn how to use my camera in the "oh so professional" manual mode? I don't think I need to tell you how that's going. But in case your not sure, I recommend asking Smurfette or the girl without a face.

After 34 more trips to lowes, we where ready to start working on the house again. But not before I got some lunch from Braums. That's right. I went back for more. Here's how it went down this time.

Me:" I'll have a number 12 with a chocolate shake and a medium strawberry freeze."

Drive thru lady: "Ok, a number 12 with a Dr. Pepper and a chocolate shake. And do you want any sausage with that?" (fyi: number 12 is chicken strips...in hind sight she probably said "sauces", but you know what they say about hind sight)

Me: "....ummmmmmmm.....no......."

Finally, made it back home with a number 12, a dr. pepper and a medium strawberry freeze. Then we spent the rest of our day working on the house. If you walked in my house right now, you would think that the result of two days of work was 1 roman shade being hung in the kitchen. That's right friends...It looks like it took us two days to put 4 screws in the wall.

So, I think that just about sums it up! In spite of all the hiccups, we've had a great couple of days getting to spend time together. Looking forward to more of the same tomorrow :)

I got new stuff...

...new computer, new photoshop, new camera. Now, before I sound ungrateful, I'm not :) I'm so so blessed to be able to have these new things. BUT, all my new things overwhelming me! I need to learn how to use them all and I was just getting really good at using my old stuff. And I have been thinking for a few days that I need to post about my super exciting life. with pictures. Which means having it out with my new camera and new computer. People, I do not have the brain power for that. I don't even know where they are on this computer. Hang on...I'm going to see if I can find something...


Well, how about that. If you're bored, you should totally zoom in on my face. It will make you laugh. Just in case my outfit didn't. I was doing an "under dog".

Here are a few more pics of the last couple of months...Ainsley lost tooth number two.

Aaron took the girls to a father/daughter banquet.
This would be the beginning of the glitter explosion i referred to in an earlier post.

We have been really busy, but having a great time :) Over spring break we went to durant and spent time with my family, my beautiful cousin got married so we got to spend some fun time with more family, we planted a garden, and I've started working out with Jillian Michaels. Which could explain my lack of enthusiasm for blogging, figuring our my new camera and computer, and anything else that requires an ounce of energy. She is kicking the crap out of me. I WILL NOT be posting pictures of that. Although, now that I think about it, a home video of me doing a workout video, would probably be hysterical enough to go viral and make me rich. Hmmm....

I think it may finally be happening...

Potty training that is. With Ainsley and Abbey I started at about 18 months because I was sure they were showing the signs of being ready. I then proceeded to potty train for the next year. After making the same mistake twice, I PROMISED myself and any one who would listen that the day Alivia walked up to the toilet, did her business, and walked away clean, THAT would be the day I would start potty training. In fact, back in August, I had to fill out a form for her preschool. The question said "Describe where you are on potty training." I wrote, "Avoiding it like the plague."

And she has had zero interest in the potty until the last few days. All of a sudden she wants to use the potty. We will see. After 5 years, I may not be buying diapers for much longer. That is just crazy.

Also, I posted a while back on our guest bathroom. I had plans to paint it pink. I tried it. I didn't like it. It was reading more like Barbie's dream house. Not really what I had in mind. I'm a little disappointed cause I wanted something kind of crazy. So I have a new plan that is in progress. It's not so much crazy but very pretty and I love it. I'll post pictures when its done :)

We will be spending most of spring break in Norman/Durant seeing my family. YAY!!! AND, I should have a new computer waiting for me when we get back which means PICTURES! YAY!! Not sure if I will be posting over spring break, so I hope everyone has a great week :)

Audrey :)

Ascetic - a person who abstains from the normal pleasures of life...

I put that definition up there because when aaron asked me to read this passage i'm going to share with you, "the ascetic" was the title and I had no idea what it meant. Not off to a good start. So, I put it up there just in case anyone else didn't know :)

First, let us consider the ascetic movement, God's "no" in Jesus. Jesus' words are brief and stark: If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me (8:34). The ascetic life deals with life on the road with Jesus to his death.

Two verbs leap up from the sentence and pounce on us: deny yourself and take up your cross. Renunciation and death. It feels like an assault, an attack. We recoil.

But then we notice that these two negatives are bracketed by the positive verb, "follow," first as an infinitive, then as an imperative. "If anyone wants to follow" opens the sentence; "you follow me" concludes it. Jesus is going someplace; he invites us to come along. There is no hostility in that. It sounds, in fact, quite glorious. So glorious, in fact, that the great verb "follow: sheds glory on the negative verbs that call for renunciation and death.

There is always a strong ascetic element in salvation. Following Jesus means not following the death-procrastinating, death-denying practices of a culture that by obsessively pursuing life under the aegis of idols and ideologies ends up with a life that is so constricted and diminished that it is hardly worthy of the name.

Grammatically, the negative, our capacity to say "no", is one of the most impressive features of our language. The negative is our access to freedom. Only humans can say "no." Animals can't say "no." Animals do what instinct dictates or what training embeds in them. "No" is a freedom word. I don't have to do what either my glands or my culture tells me to do. The judicious, well-placed "no" frees us from careening down many a blind alley, from bushwacking through many a rough detour, frees us from debilitating distractions and seductive sacrilege. The art of saying "no" sets us free to follow Jesus.

If we adhere carefully to St. Mark's test, we will never associate the ascetic with the life-denying. Ascetic practice sweeps out the clutter of the god-pretentious self, making ample space for access to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; it embraces and prepares for a kind of death that the culture knows nothing about, making room for the dance of resurrection. Whenever we are around someone who is doing this well, we notice the lightness of step, the nimbleness of spirit, the quickness to laughter. H.C.G. Moule wrote that these dominical negatives "may have to carve deep lines in heart and life; but the chisel need never deface the brightness of the material."

From Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places by Eugene H. Peterson

I don't know about you but I want to be someone who has a "lightness of step, nimbleness of spirit, and quickness to laughter." For the next 40 days, I'm saying "no" to staying up late. Seems simple and inconsequential but let me tell you where God wants to work in this. He wants to give me the freedom to give my spirit a break from the crap that comes on tv after 10. He wants to give me the freedom to give my body the rest that it needs. He wants to give me the freedom to be at my best for my family when I wake up in the morning. And most importantly to grow my relationship with Him.

What about you? Is there something you have been saying "yes" to that is enslaving you? Give it up friend and enjoy the freedom that God has for you :)

I think I just offered an invitation. So, on that note, I'll wrap this up :) I'm just so glad that we serve a God who wants the best for us. Grateful that even when His people feebly attempt to sacrifice, He turns it around and blesses us. Amazing.

If you buy your maple syrup at the store...

STOP IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!! I am here to tell you that once you make my Mema's maple syrup you will never go back to store bought. Never. Nev-ver. Here it is...

2 cups sugar

1 cup water

1/2 tsp maple flavoring

Put it in a sauce pan on high and take it off as soon as it boils. And consider your life changed.

Our family of 5 can usually take that whole amount down when we have pancakes. If you have left over or just want to have some on hand you can store it in rubbermaid thingy with a lid.

Soo good and sooo easy.

And I can't leave without one story about Ainsley today. She just keeps supplying me with good material. I was getting her ready for bed tonight and I told her as soon as she got ready she could read a book in bed. She looks at me with wide eyes, grabs my cheeks, and says "MY ONLY ESCAPE!" Apparently it is a tortured life she leads.

And finally, get your boots out cause I'm considering a post on Lent and it's gonna be deep. Well, deep for me. Considering I'm usually on the verge of falling into the proverbial gutter.

Alright, now go make some syrup :)

I PROMISE we talk about things besides reproduction...

but, while we are on that subject, I have to share with you Ainsley's take on how you know the sex of a baby.

We were saying our prayer tonight before the girls went to bed. We had asked what they wanted to pray for. We do that because we have found that if we don't, they tend to thank God for everything in sight, twice, in an attempt to stay up late.

So, Aaron mentioned that some friends of ours are expecting a baby and that we should pray for them. We started discussing if it was a boy or a girl. Aaron talked about how they do an ultrasound to determine the sex. Ainsley asked "Well, how do they know if its a boy or a girl?" For some reason, I decided this was a good time to establish what distinguishes boys from girls so I said, "Well, Ainsley, how do we know that you are a girl?"

She replies, "Well.....I have long hair.....and I've already popped out."

OK, yes, but God also made boys and girls different and we proceed to talk about different body parts (ifyouknowwhatimeanandithinkyoudo). To which she replies, "well that's clever."

Side comment from Aaron: Yes it is!

-------------

Also, I went to wal-mart tonight to get a few things and as I was racing past the toiletries section, some loud talking caught my attention. I glanced over just in time to see a guy grab a can of spray deodorant off of the shelf, turn to walk away with his wife, take the lid off of the deodorant, raise up his shirt, and apply the deodorant leaving a massive right guard fog in his wake. Really? That couldn't have waited until you got to the car? On the other hand, if I cared that little about what other people thought about me, I would probably have a whole lot less stress in my life :) Maybe I'll try that next time I'm in Walmart.

Don't take the early years for granted...

Chapter 1

For a lot of reasons really. But the reason I'm thinking of tonight is that small window of time when they are oblivious to the world around them. When they are about 0-3 you can get away with things like buying their birthday/christmas presents while they are with you. Or even better, you can eat/drink in front of them with out having to either a)share or b)buy EVERYONE something to eat or c)say I'm the mom and i need this to survive and then listen to everyone cry. And best of all, they don't ask why that person has to drive a cart around walmart when you are 6 inches away from said person.

Aaron and I were reminded last night that we definitely have two children who have surpassed this blessed stage. We were on our way home from church when it happened. We pulled up to a stop light and were stopped behind another van. The instant I saw the movie playing inside their van, I knew we were in trouble. I was just thinking, maybe they won't see it, when Ainsley goes, "HEY! They have a tv in their car!!!!!"

Aaron and I glance at each other. I mutter, "The dream is dead."

Ainsley says, "Can WE get a tv in OUR car?!!"

Well, at this point we both proceeded to hem and haw about money, and maybe our next car, and something about driving this van until alivia is 95. It really was a fine display of parenting.

Fortunately, she has not outgrown taking our word for it, so the discussion was pretty much over. That was a close one.

Chapter 2

(These things really have nothing to do with each other (besides all involving ainsley) but I had three different stories I needed to tell and I needed a transition. Bear with me here.)

So, chapter 2. Today we were on our way home from school when Ainsley says, "Mom, you know how some people have their chins and lips pierced? Well, like, I have a friend in my class at school who has her chin pierced but that will just be our secret. Ok?"

Hold. The. Phone. Then I did what any good mother would do and I assaulted her with questions. Where have you seen this? Who do you know that has one? Who is your friend? Did you see the hole? I think she was telling you a story. And why are we keeping this a secret?! Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against a good piercing...AS LONG AS YOU AREN'T IN KINDERGARTEN! forevermore.

Chapter 3

You will all be glad to know that I may have coming one step closer to solving the age old mystery of why Ainsley does not want to get married.

After her bath tonight, she was standing in the kitchen, naked, pushing the vacuum cleaner around when she said, "Mom, I don't want kids."

Me: "What?"

Ainsley: "I don't want kids, I don't want to get married, I don't want to go to the hospital."

After connecting the dots of marriage = kids=hospital, I said, "Oh, Ains, You can get married and not have kids."

Unconvinced, she goes on to tell me something about the movie "UP" and how apparently all of her decisions about married life and children up to this point are being based on this movie. Again, I attempt to convince her that marriage doesn't have to equal kids and before I know it I have said the word "birth control" to my 5 year old. Lord help me.

Something I said must have clicked because she ended the conversation with "Well, I DO want to have ONE kid, and then I can boss them around."

So glad I helped her change her mind about that :)

Four by Four and What I did today...

I was tagged by my Siasta in this four by four game. I don't really know if anyone reads this besides family, so if you read this on my blog...consider yourself tagged :)

4 places I go:

Walmart

Church

Walmart

My pediatricians office

4 smells I like:

freshly mowed grass

icy hot...totally takes me back to highschool sports (aka the glory days)

campfire

my parents house

4 shows I like:

House

The bachelor/bachelorette

Modern Family

Greys

4 recommendations:

hhhhmmmmmm.....

spend the $$$$$ on good sheets

paint it whatever color YOU want

do a beth moore bible study

read the book Hearing God by Dallas Willard

Now that you have been enlightened ...on to the 'what I did today" part of this post.

So, our life insurance expired (as does my drivers license this month. can you say pain in the rear?) Anywho, life insurance. Expired. We got new stuff. And by "we", we all know that I mean Aaron, got us knew life insurance and of course we had to go get labs done so they could make sure we weren't about to kick it. So, I go to this appointment today and I had to leave a urine sample...

We head to the bathroom so I can pee in a cup.

She proceeds to come into the bathroom with me ( which I'm sure she is required to do). Not like in the stall but def right outside it. She tells me she just needs a little bit and do I think I can do it?

Me: "Oh yeah."

I go in the stall and we wait. and wait. and wait. I would have paid a cricket to chirp. I could not squeeze out a drop.

Of course it only gets more awkward the longer it takes so of course i feel the need to break the silence and speak to this person I've known for a total of 5 minutes and I say

"I didn't think I would have this much trouble"

She says "Do you want me to turn the water on? Sometimes that helps."

I agree that that might help and then i start praying to God that he will help me out here. He did and it was just enough people. And of course I felt the need share my success with my new friend. "It's working!"

I really hope she gets paid alot to do her job.