Summertime Fun.

The glorious summer days of Thailand are upon us, and this year we made a new addition to our family: a pool!

Although this pool is only a week old, the sand pit, bikes, and balls are almost a distant memory. Within minutes of Paul waking up, he is quick to mention water in the hopes of immediately going swimming. :-)

Of course the kids have spent hours playing and splashing around in the water. For the most part they really do play well together even though the picture above makes it look like Ellie is giving Paul a thump on the head!

Appreciation.

I appreciate many things: iced coffee, fresh produce, a clean floor, time to read a book, and more. But lately I've been appreciating my kids. (It is a tad ironic that I'm writing about my kids as I sit at a coffee shop, taking a quick breather by myself. Did I mention I appreciate irony?!) 

The last week or so we've been in the thick of potty training. Paul has caught on to the concept of going #1, but is still (ahem) very clueless about going #2. Several messes later, and we're scratching our heads hopelessly all the while praying for some break through. Ellie has been very hesitant about the potty, so the party was real this morning as we hooted and cheered her on. Let me tell you, chocolate chips are worthy of going potty! As we've pushed through this week, I thought about how my kids are growing up... learning new skills... developing into the little people God intends them to be. I have the joy of watching them grow and encouraging them to keep growing.

But as I've been cheering them on, I've also had a verse running through my mind  that has been convicting:

Proverbs 29:15 - "... a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame."

The other day one of my children needed correction and to be honest, I didn't want to take the time to deal with it. But this verse came to the forefront of my mind and I realized leaving my child to do their own thing would bring shame. 

A while ago a friend and I were texting about child training and she said, "You can't let [my child] win.  [My child] is giving you ready made opportunities to teach [my child] to obey.  The sting of correction has to be worse than the pleasure of [my child's] disobedience in order for it to work.  By God's grace you can and later when [my child] is older you'll be glad you fought these battles now."

That conversation was months ago, but I've referenced it often as I try to teach and train my children. None of us are perfect, and some days I feel like a big failure and mess. But then when I see my children grow in an area they've struggled to obey in, I'm encouraged to keep pressing on and not give up. Too much is at stake!

My Little Helper.

I'm visualizing breakfast in bed in a few years! This little guy certainly loves to help cook and bake. :-) I love when he pulls the chair out to the kitchen and pushes it right up to the counter or sink. He gets right in there and stirs with all his might or splashes water everywhere. ;-) What precious times to spend with my son.

Family Day.

I think it's safe to say we are finally adjusted to Thailand time again! What a blessing the long airplane ride and jet lag are both behind us, hopefully for a good while! God definitely gives grace for those trying times and it's so good to be home.

We've enjoyed "setting up shop" again and jumping back into life in the tropics. Before the return of language study, we decided to take a family day and headed for the great outdoors! There's a gorgeous lake about 15 minutes away, so we wandered over there on Friday and enjoyed biking, walking, and eating lunch by the lake.

{a clear, cool day at the lake with a mountain backdrop}

{love these two blessings}

{my blue-eyed girl}

{Paul is happy to run barefoot again}

{flowers in our neighborhood showcase God's creativity}

Since we are still in cool season, I've taken Paul on plenty of bike rides. There's something exhilarating about feeling the wind hit my face and from the little giggles coming from behind me, I'm pretty sure Paul is enjoying it too! 

Two Years.

My little man is a big boy today as he turns two years old! I know every parent says this, but honestly - where DOES the time go?? The days are long and the years are short. Just the other day I was watching Paul play and realized that my time to impact him, teach him, and train him is swiftly passing. I want to make every moment count!!

* Paul fills my days with laughter, joy and is seriously good at keeping me on my knees in prayer. :-)

*Our son definitely inherited my clumsy genes. Almost every day brings a new injury, fall, or ouchie. But he usually jumps back up and continues on with the next adventure!

*One of my favorite things to do with Paul is to take him on my walks. He sits in his stroller so quietly, but every now and then he pops his head out to catch a glimpse of something that captured his attention.

*We have quite the determined young man on our hands! Whether it is figuring out a lock and key set or sweeping the floor with all his might, Paul is diligent to finish what he has started. Sometimes that gets him into trouble. :-)

*I've been blessed by Paul's willingness to help. He loves to pick things up, put away the dishes (thankfully we have plastic plates!), and wipe the floor. 

*Paul is a mommy's boy.... unless Daddy is in the vincinity and then it's more like, "out of the way, Mommy. Daddy please!!"

Happy birthday, buddy!

In One Week.

We went from being a family of three...

... To a family of four!

Ellie made her grand entrance on Monday morning and we're completely smitten with her! Big brother is very curious about Ellie and has even given her a few "gifts" in her pack-n-play. :-) 

When she was born, my doctor was giving Nat the update (he wasn't allowed in the OR for my scheduled c-section) and very matter of factly included the statement that Ellie was fat compared to Thai babies. In our opinion, 7 lbs. 3 oz. doesn't justify the term but I suppose that's what happens when the norm is a 6 lb. baby!

My Poor, Neglected Blog...

Umm, where did summer go? Seriously. It was just here!  I suppose with today being the official start to fall that I should get off my summer slump of not blogging and resume this little place I call home. :-) So let's see... a quick recap!

Nat, Paul, and I took some cousins to a nearby amusement park in early August. While I did manage to write about it here (yay!), I failed to add a picture.  Here ya go:

Paul and I on one of the (few!) rides he could ride.  Just wait 'til he is older... he'll be zooming all over the park then. :-)

We also celebrated Paul's birthday in early August with a grand birthday party... balloon animals and face painting included! Between Nat's immediate family and mine, we had 15 kiddos running around.  It sure got confusing because the kids on Nat's side are siblings while the kids on my side are nephews and nieces, so we were forever saying, "Go to Uncle Nat, I mean... Nat!" or ".... Anne, I mean Auntie Anne!" But we had lots of fun. :-) 

His party was a little early since my in-laws were up from Texas at the beginning of August.  Hey, we figured this was the only birthday party for Paul we'll actually have family at since most of his birthdays will probably be celebrated in Thailand.

Paul's gift was his first set of car keys! Too bad the car didn't come with it! ;-)

Then we celebrated Paul's birthday on his real day by taking him to a local burger place.  Too bad the kid doesn't have any teeth so he could enjoy a burger! ;-) For the record, the burgers at the Creamery are amazing... seriously, they are so yummy. Although the name of Nat's burger was "The Heart Attack" so that should also tell you how good for you they are!

We did take Paul to a local yogurt place for dessert and he devoured an entire bowl of yogurt and blueberries... mmm!  Happy birthday little guy!

So the next plan on our agenda is head to Texas to visit with my in-laws before starting the drive back through the South. I am very excited to be adding three new states to my list of states I've been too. Once this trip is over, I'll only have ten more States to visit... like Hawaii and California. :-) But we'll save that for the next round of deputation/furlough.

 There's my little update and since we're hitting the road soon, I'm sure you'll hear from me a little more often now.... I tend to be a better blogger when I'm traveling or living in a different country! ;-)

Big Boy!

A reader from England sent me this shirt when Paul was born and he's finally big enough to fit into it!

It says, "I love Mummy." :-)

And he just spit up all over the shirt so I'm glad I got the picture beforehand. :-)

Thanks Joycelin-Anne!