March Rewind

Blogging has been forsaken this month on account of sickness and just plain laziness, at least from blogging. Sickness brought about much daily cleaning and laundry, I feel like it never ended, the laundry I mean! The beginning of the month was our annual Pregnancy Center Banquet. It is always fun to get dressed up and support such worthy cause. We also brought out the new blender to make our "green smoothies, " which Justin figured out had spinach in them. The kids really like them and they have become our snack almost everyday!

The proof is on Noah's face!

Aunt Courtney sent Karis and Noah a care package of all kinds of fun stuff. They really enjoyed doing the mosaics, it was truly a joy to watch them work together!

The middle of March brought the stomach bug to our house, with poor Noah having the worst of it. I decided to get him the much wanted "Batcave" to cheer him up. I think Karis had more fun playing with it than he did.

Look at that sad face!

School has been in full swing after our bout with sickness. Noah has become a master "puzzle doer." (as he calls himself). He doesn't need anyone's help, he can do them all by himself. What a change from just a few weeks ago.

"Look Mommy, I did it all!"

This year of teaching Karis to read has been a true joy, after the initial few weeks, she has caught on so quickly. She is reading well and comprehending easily. I am so thankful for that since I had such a hard time learning to read.

Karis doing her reading.

We have also done a few art projects this month. We did a Dr. Seuss fish and an Eric Carlisle inspired butterfly, but my favorite is this one from Karis:

It doesn't get any better than this!

Hope you enjoyed my recap, hopefully April will bring more blogging. It will have to wait until my mom leaves though. She comes next week for four days!

This Makes Me Happy!

It warms my heart to see Karis and Noah so engaged and content reading a book with Justin. It warms my heart to know they are all perfectly content to be with each other, close to each other, holding each other, loving each other.

Daily the Lord reminds me what a precious gift my husband is to me and to our children. He is not only comfortable playing and being with our children, he truly enjoys spending time with them alone, which gives me some time to run errands or spend some extra time with others. The kids love to be with him because he is always more fun than Mommy! They can play with me anytime!

Thank you Justin for pouring your heart and life into me and our children, for desiring to be with them and teach them some things on your own and for giving them security, love, time, discipline, and yourself.

I LOVE YOU!

Friends in Sickness

The last five days in our house have been full of fever, throw up, and other things. All except me have been hit by this virus, so I am just waiting my turn patiently as I take care of them. The boys are now on the mend, thankfully, but I have been so thankful for my "friends in sickness."


1. The handheld shampooer, thanks to my friend Lori for letting me borrow hers. I will have to get my own! (Maybe I should just buy her a new one and keep hers, especially after using it to clean up throw up!).

2. Lots of laundry detergent because the washing machine hasn't stopped going. I had to make some more today after I ran out this morning.

3. My kitchen aide mixer which has whipped up some homemade soft pretzels today. I also just really really LIKE my mixer, I use it all the time!

4. Clorox, clorox wipes, and lysol to disinfect the air, the floors, the tub, the sinks, the toilet, my kids and husband (oh wait, I didn't really use it on them, I wish I could though!).

These last five days have been a testimony of God's patience and gentleness with me, as I have had to be these fruits of the spirit to my family, God has reminded me that He is those fruits and all the rest every minute of everyday with me. I can honestly say that this week, I have been able to find joy and thankfulness serving my family and cleaning up things I would prefer not to, only by His grace!

Sure Sign of Spring: Barefeet!

We had a few weeks of mild weather at the end of February and the kids enjoyed playing outside in their barefeet (which they are not supposed to do, they are supposed to at least keep their crocs on)! Spring is in the air, and we are all excited about getting outside. Today the weather is much cooler, so the barefeet are covered up.

The tree is starting to bud, sure sign of spring.

Blue and pink crocs not on my kids feet!

Barefeet standing on the slide,

kids seeing new leaves on a bush in the backyard,

toes scrunching in the dirt,

and kids digging and playing happily together!

Missing Aunt Courtney

Saturday morning, I found Karis doing this in the living room when I got home from teaching at the Y.


Aunt Courtney was reading a book to her ponies and princesses. Courtney gave the kids a book about how much she loves them which when you turn the page, she reads each page. It is such a wonderful gift for them. Karis said she missed Aunt Courtney and wanted to "let her be the librarian."



It was a very sweet scene to come home to. Aunt Court you are missed here at the Childers' home, and your book is well loved and read by your niece and nephew. Miss you Court! Thanks for all your well planned and thoughtful gifts for us and the kids!

Flowers Anyone?

Even though I really like getting "real" flowers, I thought the kids and I could paint some flowers and then they would last a lot longer! Flowers for all!

Pride Goes Before the Fall

After a few days of no training wheels, Karis learned how to balance and ride her bike! It is always good to cheer our children on and tell them how great they are doing. Here, out of the mouth of MY babe, she speaks God's truth, "Pride comes before the fall!"

Adventure is out there!

Two beautiful days mean two days at the park. Yesterday, the kids and I met some friends and their kids at Noah's ark park. Today, after school, waiting for our artwork to dry, we decided to go to the park with the lake to feed the ducks. Feeding the ducks was fun, but the best part was listening to Noah yell out,"adventure is out there," before he slid down the slide. Fun times!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Surprise from my Sweetheart

My wonderful and handsome husband took me out to dinner on Valentine's Day.

At dinner, he read me his first attempt at a poem:

Glorify the Lord with Me

You are my sweetheart, my only one,

You are a precious gift purchased by the Son.

I love you more now than ever,

I will never stop loving you, no never.

Thank you for your gracious care,

A great wife like you is extremely rare.

My affection for you is deeper than I can write,

When you walk in a room, things get really bright.

Glorify the Lord with me, together let us exalt His name,

May our marriage make much of Jesus and bring Him fame.

After this great surprise came another one: (a box to open, it has been along time since I have gotten jewelry from Justin). HE DID REALLY GOOD!

Thank you sweetheart for your heartfelt attempt at a poem and for my necklace. I will treasure them both and continue to thank our Savior who gave you to me!

Winter Art

After Karis expressed her love of "doing art" like Ms. Lori does, I decided it was time to reach out of my comfort zone and "do some art!" Thanks to some great ideas from some websites from Lori and my other friend Tess, we have been successful at our first attempts. (I have even realized that I like to paint and draw among other things). I defiantly still feel more at home on the a softball field, basketball court, or a workout room, but hey, branching out isn't so bad. (I have no dreams of being an artist, but maybe one day Karis will be). I am thankful for my friends who have encouraged me and spurred me on in this, but mostly I love seeing my little girls eyes light up when she is "creating her masterpiece!"

Without further adieu, here are two of our latest projects:

Our first project was a snowman family portrait. Karis and I did this one.

I am sure you can guess which one is mine, Karis' snowmen are much skinnier than mine!

Next, we did penguin in the snow after studying them. Karis and Noah did these. I had to help Noah a lot, but he really enjoyed the "paint that got all over him!"

From the hand of Karis

LOVE IS...

Rainy days mean....

running and sliding down the hallway with sock feet, with Calvin following close behind and trying to to "bust it" as they come to a STOP!

Karis' Birthday Recap

Karis' birthday fell on a Monday this year, which meant that Justin was home for the entire day because it is his day off. What a treat for Karis. Her one wish for the day was to "stay home all day," (that is the same thing she wanted to do last year, hmm, maybe we go too much?)


We started off the morning with her requested special breakfast, cinnamon rolls, these are homemade courtesy of the PW (Pioneer Woman). Yummy! After breakfast we played and enjoyed being together until we opened presents. We had a special visitor, Ms. Nancy, came and brought Karis her gift.

She was so excited to get her doll, Eva, is her name. She has not stopped "mothering" Eva since she got her!

Karis and Eva

We did go to lunch at Moe's our favorite place to eat, via her request. She got money from her Aunt Courtney, and we asked her if she wanted to go to Target and buy something and she reminded us that we were staying home ALL DAY!

After lunch we did another birthday tradition:

I measured her to see how much she has grown: almost 2 inches since last year!

After dinner of pork chops, broccoli, corn, and salad with feta, our friends the Brooks and Powells came over to celebrate and eat cake with us.

Karis and Eva

Karis decided on a "My Little Pony" cake this year. I decided to just do a regular cake instead of a BIG sheet cake so we wouldn't have so much left over!

Karis blowing out her candles with her friends.

We had a wonderful day sweet Karis, we love you so much!

My Little Bookworms

There is just something about stuffed animals, laundry baskets, blankets, and books that draw my kids attention. I guess the book is better when your body is crammed in a laundry basket filled with stuffed animals and blankets!

Happy Birthday Karis Ann!

Six, as I think that Karis is six, this small three letter word holds a huge chunk of time. Already, I have seen her grow so much, from an infant to a toddler, to a now truly BIG girl. She no longer needs me to help her do things, in fact, one of her favorite things to do is unload the dishwasher! (I do still have to tie her shoes, we are working on that!)

Karis is so much like me, she likes a schedule. She wants me to "tell her about the day" at night before bed so that she will know what to expect the next day. She doesn't like to deviate from our plan, but is ready in to time to make a quick trip to the store. I love watching her interact with Noah. She is patient with him, encourages him in whatever he is doing, and shares "most" of her things with him with a happy heart. In fact, she bought a gift for him for her birthday, what a thoughtful girl!

Karis also enjoys dancing and being silly. Her giggles are contagious even though they are only around us, she is still very shy around other people. She keeps me laughing most of the day, and she is a fantastic helper around the house. I am thankful for that! It is a joy to cook dinner with her especially when she wants to help, she mostly likes to help with the baking, who can blame her!

I have seen you grow in your knowledge of our Savior this year, you are starting to put names to your sins and Mommy's. I am thankful that you enjoy listening to the Bible and memorizing God's Word. I pray that God will continue to open your heart to Him and draw you into His flock.

Karis you are a treasure and blessing to us. I cannot imagine life without your quirky smile, sweet giggles, big hugs, and your presence. I love you more than words can express. I am grateful for these last six years, and I can't wait to see what God has in store for the next six.

Here are a few pictures that sum up this last year:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KARIS ANN!

WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

Bad Dog!

We love our dog, Calvin, but he thinks dog pooh is a perfume! Hope this makes you laugh today. Have a great weekend.