Eggs!

On Sunday we decorated Easter eggs with our boy.  He was extremely excited!

 

Of course the blue one had to be very close to him and continuously stirred.

 We stripped him of his church clothes, placed him in a too-small, unbuttoned onesie, and...made him wait.  The eggs were slow (actually it was Mom).

He passed the time by balancing spoons on the edges of the glassware.

 Once the eggs were ready, I told him he could just use his fingers to (gently) dump the eggs in, but Daddy had other ideas - ideas that involved using that wimpy, too flimsy egg-lifter that comes in every egg-dyeing kit.  They aren't made for two-year-olds.

In this picture, they're still tackling the flimsy egg-lifter but, by the end, both of them had blue/green fingers.  Yes, fingers work best sometimes.

Unfortunately, Brian wasn't too thrilled because he had a Lent service to attend just after our egg-dyeing adventure.

While dyeing, Brian and I were getting serious about baby girl names.  He decided to go to his computer to google Scandinavian names.  Well, the very responsible mother that I am, I soon found myself on the couch next to him...yes, we left our son alone at the table for a few minutes.

Here's what we came back to:

Aidan dumped every color into the empty egg bowl.  He then took the colored eggs back out of the carton and recolored them in the mixture he'd created.

Oh, he was just so proud.

And, no, we still haven't come up with a girl name that we can agree on.

Happy Easter!

Quilting Update

I'm still quilting!  Although I don't have much time to do it at home, I meet with my church ladies once a week.  My favorite parts are chatting and being out on the farm.  So fun.

I made this little tablerunner for Brian's grandma.  She turns 80 next week.

I think it's one of my favorites so far.

Mary helped me plan out a Chevron quilt (Pinterest inspired) for Baby Girl.  I just need to confirm nursery colors...such a huge decision!  Pink for sure!  Maybe with gray or turquoise.  Pottery Barn Kids came in the mail today so I'm going to peruse that for some ideas this afternoon.

23

Moms Need the Gospel

Reader beware:  I was just dusting and going off on a tangent in my mind against the law-based "gospel".  I heard it again this morning at MOPS and walked away more discouraged than encouraged.

Why?

Because I was told that in order to be a really good and Godly mom I must:

1. Get three piggy banks for each child (one for savings, one for church, and one for missions)

2. Stay-at-home

3. Homeschool if there isn't a Christian school in the area

Etc. etc. etc.

UGH.

The speaker gave us an idea-filled "to-do" list, patted us on the back, and sent us on our way.  I left thinking:  I do and will fail as a mom.  I may not homeschool (oh, please no, LORD).  And it is very likely that I will not want three piggy banks per child cluttering up my house (although I do want to instill in my children a love for giving to the Church and teach them the skill of saving).

I love parenting ideas.  I love gleaning from the wisdom of older, more Godly women.  However, when the gospel of Jesus Christ is left out of the equation, you're left with feelings of despair.

What should the speaker have told us today in addition to all of her good ideas?

That we won't always be able to incorporate her ideas or, if we do, they might not all work.  It has to be the Holy Spirit working in the hearts of us and our children, drawing us to Christ.  

And we will miss opportunities with our children - we may be impatient with them, forget to show tender love, neglect to pray for them or, heaven-forbid, place them in a public school. ;)  But we can take heart -  God's grace is sufficient.

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

II Corinthians 12:9

So look today to the cross.  It's there where Christ died, purchased forgiveness for our sins, and granted us the power to grow in godliness.  We won't be perfect mothers or remember to incorporate every good piece of advice into our mothering - but Christ has promised to help us when we're weak, providing us grace to love our children.  He will do it - He will provide it all.  Rest in what He has done for you on the cross, and trust Him in all of your parenting.

Duties of Parents (Part II)

I'm loving J.C. Ryle's Duties of Parents.  

 

4. Train with this thought continually before your eyes - that the soul of your child is the first thing to be considered.

The eternal souls of our children should be of greatest interest to us!  We must teach them that the chief end of their lives is the salvation of their souls.  "In every step you take about them, in every plan, and scheme, and arrangement that concerns them, do not leave out that mighty question, "How will this affect their souls?"  Ryle also mentions that training children this way will seem strange to the world - but he who has trained his children for heaven will be called wise in the end.

5. Train your child to knowledge of the Bible.

Only the Holy Spirit can cause our children to delight in God's Word, but we can acquaint them with it.  Ryle writes that children who are well-grounded in the Word tend not to waver or be carried about by the winds of various doctrines.  All other books must take second place in our homes and memorization of the Bible chief priority - even over catechism (Ps. 138:2).  Three things to note about Bible reading according to Ryle: read it all, read it reverently, and read it regularly.  Instruct them of sin, Jesus (& redemption), and the work of the Holy Spirit.

I was convicted after reading this one that my focus has been on the catechism with Aidan and not on Scripture.  So we began with Genesis 1:1 last week.  I was impressed and thankful for how readily and easily he memorized it.  Those young minds are truly like sponges.

6. Train them to a habit of prayer.

Ryle says three main things about prayer:

Prayer is the life-breath of true religion.

Prayer is the one great secret of spiritual prosperity.

Prayer is the mightiest engine God has placed in our hands.

He says that if we truly love our children, we will train them to a habit of prayer.  Show them how.  Encourage them.  Remind them when they slack.  We must help our children develop a healthy, regular prayer life.

Children's Museum

We recently visited the Children's Museum in St. Paul. 

It was an absolute joy watching Aidan's face light up with delight as we entered each new arena.  He couldn't believe that he was allowed to run without boundaries and touch anything and everything that pleased him.

The first room we visited was Habitot; Aidan ran and ran and ran.  It was difficult to get him to leave this area because he thought it was all over - he soon realized that each time he left an area, the next one was even more exciting!

Dora the Explorer was on display.  Although Aidan knows nothing about her, he enjoyed exploring all the spacey exhibits.

 

 EarthWorld was a favorite.  Aidan loved pretending to be an ant as he crawled through all the small, dark places.  He made sure Daddy wasn't far behind, though.

 I'll catch you, Daddy.

Peek!

Children have the opportunity to be "rock stars" on this stage; they can even watch themselves perform.  My dancer & rock star loved being the star of the show.

 First he busted moves with the guitar (like Daddy).

 Then with the mop (like Mommy).

And lastly, with the school flag.

I wish these pictures captured just how quickly those hips were swinging.  It was hilarious.

In the art room, Aidan painted a picture for Uncle Andy since we were celebrating his birthday.

Does this Picasso wear a smock?  No way.  At least not without a fight.

Lastly we raced boats, played with water hydraulics, and bubbles.  He had so much fun.

Thankfully my friend, Jac, suggested that I bring a dry shirt for my little explorer.  I was so glad I took her advice - it prevented Aidan from having a complete meltdown at the end.

The Children's Museum was just perfect - I so wish we had something like this closer to our home.  It is the perfect place to go on a cold, winter day.

Guess what I did hear that we're getting!?  STARBUCKS!  I am beyond thrilled.  Yay, Mason City!  Now I won't have to drive two hours for a half-caf caramel latte.  Yum.  May I ask for a Chipotle, Children's Museum and Barnes & Noble next?