Snow Day

Doh Day



No, not completely. It was a snow day and we did break out the Play-Doh, but it really wasn't played with for very long.

I think the big boys finally hit a point of having a bit much of each other and their LEGOS by mid morning. They needed a short break, as was evident by some sulking on one child's part. After some family group time silliness, Andrew decided to play with the Play-Doh while Josh stayed in their room to play. I thought, "good, this will give them a little break from each other." Of course it didn't last long. Soon, Josh had joined him and they were making all sorts of creations.

It wasn't much longer until the accumulating snow drew them from their work. They decided to go outside and the next time I checked, they were building a snowman. This is the most fabulous snow for packing. Such a rarity for our area!

Soon, Andrew scooted back in and requested hot chocolate. :) In the meantime, Josh and Craig were building an igloo. They used an old "Igloo" lunch ice chest to make bricks. It looks pretty good, except they weren't able to slope it enough to make a roof on it. So....it's really more like a fort, I guess...

It's looking like the snow may be around for awhile, so maybe they will get to play some more. I know Nathan would love to get out and play in it, but he doesn't really have the right kind of footwear for it. Plus, it's pretty deep! I think we got about 6 inches or so.

I'm going to try to enjoy the beauty of it while it lasts.....because I know the mud is coming! Now there's an analogy waiting to happen! I'll just let you use your imagination on this one. :)

Bringing Up Boys

A Few Good Men

Be Devoted in Brotherly Love

It's hard to decide just what to name this post....keep reading and you'll see why.

While the boys were climbing the tree (see post below), Nathan was enjoying the mud below them. The poor little guy hasn't really had much opportunity to play outside, especially recently with our beyond cold snap. He is showing signs of following, quite literally, in his brothers footsteps.

Here he is sitting in the hole they dug in our front yard years ago. Boys!!



Speaking of boys. I've been invited to be a part of a Bible study that I'm really looking forward to and need desperately. We'll be doing the Bringing Up Boys study by Dr. James Dobson. I have listened to the book on tape, but can always use a refresher. I think it will be neat to study in a group setting and I look forward to making some new friends.

I have probably mentioned here before the immense responsibility, yet privileged honor, it is to have boys. Not that it isn't a responsibility or honor to raise daughters, but it's just different.

Boys grow into men. And men are crucial to the health of our churches, families, workplaces and world. They are called by God to be the head of their households. They are created by God to be the stronger vessel. If we (parents) don't do our job to the best of the ability that God gives us, then where does that leave future generations? I really can see that a great deal of the problems in our society today stem from boys not being brought up in loving, Christian homes.

It's crucial that boys be loved to manhood. Our world needs more than a "few good men," but my hope and prayer is that Craig and I are able to produce a "few great men" here in our home, with the help of our amazing Father God.

I had to laugh to myself as I read over the previous paragraph. Maybe I should rename this blog "A Few Good Men." It's fitting for boys with a Marine Daddy. But, I think Romans 12:10 sums up our goal and shall remain our theme......or better yet, how about all of that passage...

Romans 12:

⁹Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. ¹¹Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. ¹²Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ¹³Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

¹⁴Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. ¹⁵Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. ¹⁶Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.^a]">[a] Do not be conceited.

¹⁷Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. ¹⁸If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ¹⁹Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay,"^b]">[b]says the Lord. ²⁰On the contrary:
"If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."^c]">[c] ²¹Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

That's some convicting stuff!!

I Spy...

...with my little eye...



...something...

i

CUTE!



Are these two not the cutest?

At 8 years old and 6 years old, these two are the best of friends. I am reminded nearly daily of how blessed we are that they are so close. And even though (I'll admit) their constant chatter about "crystal sweepers" and "rock monsters" (LEGOs) drives me batty at times, I am grateful.

This series of photos was taken yesterday when I drug them away from their LEGOs momentarily, to enjoy some of the nice, fresh air we've been having. As you can see, they found something to do... :) It wasn't long before they were cooking up some old junk they found on the grill. A few days earlier, they had made a sign for the grill that read "Red Rock Canyon Grill." Boy do I wish they were old enough to grill us up some supper! Some day....

In the meantime, I pray their relationship continues to grow; that they will truly live out the title of this blog and Be Devoted...in Brotherly Love for a lifetime.

Work in Progress

My camera and I are S-L-O-W-L-Y getting to know one another.

While the picture in this post is nothing amazing...



...I thought it was somewhat cool.

You can check out the pics in the sidebar for some of my better photography, so far. I still need to get one of Craig. His looks a little out of place now without the "spotlight" effect. It will be coming soon.

I thought about making a really great analogy between me and my camera, and me and God, and me being a work in progress. (No I'm not saying my camera is God or even a god.) But then, it seemed kind of, not so great of an analogy....

I am indeed a work in progress though. Both in my photography skills and my life.

I am thankful for the One whose progress is at work.

More Practice

Okay, so a new camera hasn't, yet, made me blog more. I'm still trying to get to know my camera better. So far, I've gotten a few good shots, but still need more practice.

Today is looking to be a beautiful day and my plan is to get school finished and then head out to practice "shooting" some more.

So without further ado..... school is calling.....

Happy 2010!

Whew....can you believe it is 2010?

And to think, when I was a kid, we thought for sure we'd be flying around in Jetson's style hovercrafts by now!

Yes, it's true things have changed drastically as time moves on, but in reality, it's not all that different in a lot of ways.

One thing that has changed a lot are cameras! Gone are the days of film and developing. Certainly gone, are the days of......oh crud, I can't think of what they are called. You know, the way they took pictures before film. On plates or whatever it was...those days are gone for sure!

Who doesn't love the age of digital cameras?

I do!

With that said....YES, I finally did get my broken camera replaced. And I couldn't help but go with a little upgrade.

Meet my new friend!

I haven't had a chance to really play with it the way I'd like yet. It's my understanding and belief that to get the best shots you must look for the natural light. There are few places inside our home with good natural light and I've been too big of a wimp to get us out in the cold just to take pictures.

With that said...here are a few debuts. No they aren't the best pictures, or the best edited, but it takes time to get to know a new camera and I do look forward to getting to know my friend well. Hopefully, we'll make a good team someday soon.

This handsome boy just keeps growing and growing. {Does he remind you of anyone?}


This cutie patootie is loving the toothless feel. {Yes, I know he needs a haircut.}


This wide-eyed beautiful baby is always on the move. {I really must learn more about the focusing feature for movers and shakers.}


Hopefully this is the start of a beautiful relationship. I love pictures!