For This Child I Prayed...

My little girl is 13! I can’t believe it. These years have gone by so fast. I can still see her cute little crinkle nose smile when she was four. I remember how she loved to play dress up and do my hair. I loved to watch her sing and dance and play with her brothers. She is growing up now and my heart is overflowing. She is a beautiful, wonderful, kind, compassionate, strong, giving person. She is the daughter I prayed for. God has blessed me beyond measure through her. She continually amazes me with her perseverance and courage.

Several years ago I read *Lisa*Welchel’s (from Facts of Life) website and she posted what she did for her daughter’s 13th B-day. It was a special Spa day complete with a verse for everything they would do. I thought it was such a great idea. I have been planning this for Hannah for over 5 years. So Friday night my sweet girl and I packed up and went to a hotel.
And this is how we spent our weekend...I gave her one note at a time with the scripture and a message from me. It was truly a special time.

Spa Day – “ When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a ‘woman’, I put away childish things.” 1 Corinthians 13:11

Massage – “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6

Skirt & Shirt – “And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves…For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do.” 1 Timothy 2:9,10


Manicure – “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart.” Psalm 24:3,4

Pedicure – “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” John 13:14

Facial – “For if you just listen and don’t obey, it is like looking at your face in a mirror but doing nothing to improve your appearance. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you keep looking steadily into God’s perfect law—the law that sets you free—and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.” James 1:23-25


Necklace – “My ‘daughter’, hear the instruction of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother; for they will be a graceful ornament on your head, and chains about your neck.” Proverbs 1:8,9

Mother/Daughter Frame – “For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him.” 1 Samuel 1:27
I have wanted a daughter for as long as I can remember. I hope you enjoyed this day. I’m so glad we have the friendship that we do. I don’t take that for granted. I hope you will always feel like you can talk to me about anything. I love spending time with you. You are so precious to me. I love you, my beautiful teenage daughter.

Her Children Arise and Call Her Blessed

This post is dedicated to the most important woman I have ever known; my mom. I adore my mom. She is what I want to be. She has always been the perfect balance of love and discipline. I read parenting books that say you shouldn’t be your child’s ‘friend’ you need to be their parent. But my mom was both while I was growing up. I wish I knew exactly how she did it. I love her and respect her. She taught me how to cook, clean, and do laundry. But most of all she taught me about love and grace. She taught me how to serve my husband and my children. I can remember so many times she denied herself to give to us. She is my hero! Happy Mother’s Day, mommy, I love you!

Weekend Gone Wonderful

We had a wonderful weekend. T has to travel for his job and is gone most weekends now. So this past weekend we packed up and went with him. We picked the kids up after school and headed north. We arrived at our hotel around 5:00 and T had to head to his first appointment. The kids and I stayed at the hotel while he was gone. I took the kids to the pool and they had a great time while I read. When T got back we went out to eat and then we went to a local store to buy lots of snacks for us for the next day. T left again the next morning came back for a swim with the kids left again that afternoon until late that night. The kids and I just stayed in the room and watched movies, played games, and ate. I loved the time I was able to spend with them uninterrupted. Sunday after we checked out we went to eat and then T dropped us off at a movie while he had another appointment. After the movie we walked to a frozen custard place and had a shake while we played this game that I carry in my purse. We started home around 4:30 and got in around 11:00. It was a great trip. The kids had fun, T loved the company and having someone else to drive part way and I was able to just enjoy the time with my family without distraction. The only sad thing was that our oldest wasn't able to go due to baseball and band commitments. He stayed with his grandparents over the weekend, but it sounds like he had a good time too.

Me a meme?

I have never done a meme so I thought I would try this one from Alana.

I will start with meme #2 because I need to think about #1 some more and I will post it another day.

The book I am currently reading is this book. I am loving it and have learned so much about the world of teenagers. I highly recommend it before your kids hit the teenage years. Anyway, the meme is to turn to page 123, find the 5th sentence and list the next 3 sentences. It's a little interesting because I will start in the middle of quote from a teen girl (in brown) and go into what the authors say. Here goes... " 'But I just kept thinking how sad that she couldn't talk to her own mom...that she didn't have that kind of relationship where she could get both understanding and a better solution that was more in line with the family's morals.' With all the challenges and temptations our kids face, it's important that they believe we are safe and clued-in listeners who can be trusted to handle anything they tell us. Thankfully, the kids provided lots of great examples of what makes them feel we are listening, beginning with the revelation that we mentioned earlier." I haven't read this chapter yet, but I tried to skim it over to find the revelation she is talking about and I think it is trying to listen to their feelings and not freak out. Let me tell ya, this is a challenge for me because I am a freaker outer!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Like Son, Like Mother

I'm so thankful for God's grace and my kids grace too. I planned a Game night for the kids at our church last night and my Spicy guy was very testy, to put it mildly, all night. It's always harder to deal with him during those times because I am in charge and have to keep all the other kids entertained, yet I want to deal with his behavior. I had to have him sit out a few times. He gets very disrespectful when he is mad, which makes the consequences even worse. I told my husband this morning what happened. Later I heard him talking to Spicy guy and asking him if he would have treated his teacher at school that way ( something I have also asked him before). Of course he said, "No" and so Tod asked him, "who is more important, your mom or your teacher?" He said, "Mom." So Tod told him he shouldn't be talking to me and treating me that way. As I was thinking about that later it hit me that I wouldn't talk to other kids as impatient or frustrated as I do him. I am much more self-controlled with others. And so is he. Enter God's grace!!!! I know there is the fact that his discipline is my responsibility and he needs to continue to learn self-control, but so do I.