We are family

While eating dinner the other night Caleb said out of the blue, *sigh* "I have the best sisters in the whole world!"  We looked at him questioningly and he replied, "Jessie and Sarah!" *duh*

Then the other day while driving in the van Jessie was able to finish my sentence and stated, "I'm so close to your family!"  To which Caleb replied, "Close to our family?!?!  You are our family!"

Now while these precious girls are not naturally our family members, they are our dear friends and practically our family in many ways.  We are so blessed by them, which is why they consistently make my Thankful Thursday list.  

What's a gup?

...I still don't know, but I do know that Caleb is super excited to be a something-something gup green belt now in Tae Kwan Do...

Just making sure mom is watching...

Jumping up and down, so excited to get his green belt

He's such a ham, there in the middle

Came home after testing for over 3 hours straight, and wanted to teach Jessie and Sarah TKD

Yummy Gummy Gators

For Easter this year I went to Chamberlain's (health food store) in search of some more natural goodies to include in our celebration.  Justus was with me and picked these Strawberry Alligators out...  (I wonder if I can figure out how to cut out veggies in the shape of alligators if he would eat them then...???)

Aren't they cute!  :)  They are gluten free, dairy free, have no artificial flavors, no artificial colors, no artificial citric acid...  Ingredients:  apple extracts thickened, apple pectine, strawberry juice thickened, lemon juice thickened, slightly sprayed with vegetable oil, natural flavor.  (thickened = water reduced)

They weren't a big hit with Caleb, "Mom, did you make these like the fruit roll ups you tried to make?"  (which he wasn't a fan of either...)

But Justus and I devoured these little gator snacks!

Thankful Thursday

1.  That Jesus didn't remain in the grave, but is ALIVE!  (or AWIVE, in Justusese)

2.  My toothbrush...  hey, sometimes its the littlest things that make me smile  :)

3.  My WONDERFUL husband who constantly spoils me!!!!!

4.  That Sarah and Jessie are home!  Missed you girls!  :)

5.  That I don't have to go to the laundromat

6.  Dave Ramsey!!!!

7.  Old chicken bones...  they make the most delicious stock!  I love taking something useless and discarded and making it into something useful!

Cute things Justus has said:

After doing the Resurrection Egg activity from the Christian bookstore, Justus found an empty egg on the ground, opened it and stated excitedly, "Jesus not there, He AWIVE!  (alive)"  So precious!!!

"I go Miss Biba's (Barbara's) class"  that's his preschool teacher.  After several days of spring break he kept begging to go back...  

Thankful Thursday

1.  Our youth group - small in #, but big in heart  :)

2.  Friends who never hesitate to step up to the plate to help out!  Thanks guys!

3.  A hubby that changes diapers!!!  Honey, You ROCK!!!

4.  Dove Dark Chocolates - on sale 2 for 1 at Publix!  :)

5.  That I was able to go to Justus' Easter party at his preschool

6.  Mobile uploading pictures to facebook - so easy even I can do it!

7.  That God established tons of pictures pointing to Christ in the Jewish culture!  Amazing!!!

8.  THAT JESUS SACRIFICED HIS OWN LIFE TO SAVE US!!!!

Funny things Caleb said this week:

"Mom, I love the spiderman 'toosetaste' (toothpaste ;)"

Funny things Justus said this week:

"Swimmin soup" instead of swimming suit  :)

"hit pause, hit pause!"  even in real life when he wants us to wait

found a little fuzzy baby chick in one of his eggs from his class' Easter egg hunt and asked, "where mama chick?"

Flash Frozen Friendship Anyone?

While hanging out with some new friends the other night, our hostess was sharing about some of the people who were formerly involved in her life but who are no longer.  She said, "I'm a firm believer that God brings people into our lives for a time to help us grow, then removes them when He is done..."  I sat there as all of my insides screamed and cried in sorrow...  "NO!!!"  I'm a heart-on-my-sleeve type, so I'm sure she could see my awkward expression as I was trying to look supportive and look like I was listening attentively, while in the midsts of an internal turmoil outbreak...  Now, I intellectually know that what she was saying is very true, but emotionally I hate losing anybody...  EVER!  I want to collect and hoard all of my friends, past and present, and flash freeze them at the height of our friendships...  like flash frozen fruit - picked and frozen at the height of freshness...  I thought of all of the friendships I've lost...  some through very difficult circumstances, some through simply growing apart, some through moving and distance, some seem to just fade away...  and some friendships have just changed...  once inseparable, now just a comment or email here or there...  

I've contemplated, (many an hour in the last several months unfortunately) whether it is better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all...  at times I am grateful for the lessons I've learned, and I know I should be thankful in all situations, but other times it is just hard...  

I don't have an ending for this post except to say to all my former, present, and future friends, I love you all and pray that God's will be done, even if I don't understand it or like it...  

Thankful Thursday

1.  Sunscreen...  I should use it...

2.  Caleb is the BEST big brother in the entire world!  Hands Down!!!

3.  Dinner and games with friends!

4.  My Hubby!  I could never make it as a single mom!!!!!!!  My prayers go out to any of you that are having to raise your kiddos alone!

5.  That my Hubby rocks at Tetris (among other things) which consequently makes him amazing at packing too!  :)

6.  Pools!!!  I could swim allllllll day every day!

7.  Random cute things Justus says such as:

"Tada!  Pole Wollies are here!"  (rolly pollies are here)

"buggle bee" instead of bumble bee

"I wooking at cacoons!"  i'm looking at racoons.