Updates...

Totally Boy
Elliot lately for his baths has a little tradition that he started on his own. When I set him in the tub, he won't sit right down. I always wait as long as possible to put him in hoping he will pee in his diaper before I take it off, but lately he WAITS until he is in the tub, he will stand on the side and look at me... and pee! It's quite funny actually and now I just expect it!

Bailey

Well, I told her yesterday that we were going to Chuck E Cheeses once Matt got home. She was so excited (if you are totally lost on where this story is going let me catch you up quick... I am struggling with a lying 6 year old, petty little lies, but very annoying lies... here was Amanda's solution (per her boss I think) Funny story actually. My boss had his child go thru a lying phase a while back. He was a bit younger than Bailey if I remember right so you may need to change the method a little if you choose to do this. It is kind of cruel though - LOL. He told his son to get ready to go to that restaurant that used to be in the Grandville Mall - the one with the two sides and the arcade. He got all ready and then the dad told him to get in the car and he would be there in a minute. Basically the kid sat in the car for about 20 minutes all buckled in when he finally came back in the house to check where Dad was. Then Dad explained to him that he lied and that they weren't going to that place after all. So kind of the whole "bite and I'll bite you" type of punishment - but then he explained WHY it is not nice to lie - even small lies b/c it may end up hurting someone's feelings or stuff like that. ) So, back on track. I heard her go tell Landon that her and mom were going to do something together, b/c she doesn't get to spend time with just mom ever (that one went straight to the heart and I felt terrible) so Matt got home and Bailey got on shoes and coat and headed straight out to the car. I explained to Matt what was going on so he would be aware when she came back in looking for me. It only took her about 5 minutes to get sick of waiting (imagine that, I wait for her ALL THE TIME). I told her that we really weren't going and she fell down on the floor crying! (another pain, straight to the heart) I explained the lesson to her and I think I may have gotten through to her. I noticed last night her typical lies were absent from our nightly routine! I did promise her too that if she quit lying (for a while at least) I really would take just her to Chuck E Cheeses, so I'm not that terrible!

Matt
Matt is almost done coaching football (thankfully), but really basketball starts in just two short months so it will be short lived, we will enjoy a break though. He has to have surgury to repair a broken hand (from over a year and a half ago) not next Thursday, but the next one. After the surgury he will have a cast for a while and then physical therapy too. It will be interesting to see what our insurance will cover.

Landon
He's almost done with football too, not sure how excited he is about that though! But with it getting colder it will be a blessing. He is really doing well at school too. It sounds like he is having a lot of fun, and with MEAP testing going right now there isn't much if any homework. Gotta love that!

Me
Well, as usual, nothing really to update here. I'm still just a mom and trying to embrace that job more. I'm quite confident that this is where God wants me, but everywhere I look everyone around me has jobs in some form or another and I'm kinda jealous, although I can't imagine leaving Elliot. So, I'm trying to get past the wole "inadaquacy" thing and just embrace this place! Next week I get to start a photography class which I'm excited about! I'm excited to learn more and be able to apply it!

ETA: After posting this I hopped over to the Nitty Gritty blog (link on right) and look what I read...
God is not calling any of us to be superheroes. I think He wants us to recognize our weaknesses sometimes. I have felt Him showing me that He wants me to just be my best and to respond to the things that come my way- not by doing it all on my own but- by handing my fears, my worries and my inabilities to Him. He is showing me that I am nothing on my own...but that is the very place I find the greatest sense of peace and accomplishment. By recognizing it is God in me- God through me, I see that I CAN be my best me and that doesn't mean my life will be perfect, but that it will be lined up according to His purpose and design.

I feel like that was written for me!

This weekend we have Landon's second to last football game at noon then we will head to my grandpas to start cleaning and pitching and sorting etc. Sounds fun huh??? Sunday may be another day of cleaning adn pitching and sorting, depending how far we get on Saturday. I really need to get back to Woodland one of these days, I've planned this trip multiple times, but have yet to make it! Maybe next week if I get a day off!