Growing on the Farm: Frosty Who?

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! And so the sprint to the New Year begins.

We've noticed something about Trevin lately. He is fully aware that he is a farm kid. We didn't have to tell him, or reinforce our lifestyle. He fully embraced it and thrives in it. For example, one of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions is to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade while making food for the day. This was the first year that Trevin was really able to join in on the tradition and I was excited to see his reaction. It wasn't quite what I was expecting. The first float that Trevin saw was Sesame Street. I tried to make a big deal of it, "Look how tall it is! Oh my, it's Big Bird!" And then this is what Trevin said, "Look a trailer!" Sure enough, the float was being pulled on a trailer. I mean this thing was 2 stories high, ridiculously colorful, and totally geared towards kiddos. And he was overcome with joy to see the trailer on TV.

Then the other day Ashton was showing Trevin a magazine and he didn't want to look at it so she said, "But it's Christian Bale on the front!" Trevin says, "Feed bale to cows." It's been fun to hear his unique thoughts come to life. His mind is always farming.

One of our Christmas traditions is the Parade of Lights in Sutton. It's a great way to get excited about the season, and to motivate me to get prepared.

Hayrack rides, cookies, apple cider, lights, hot chocolate, stocking caps, warm hearts.

This cookie was almost as big as his face. He had no problem with it.

Another one of our favorite Christmas traditions is the Behold the Lamb of God concert put on by Andrew Peterson. This was the 5th year James and I had gone and it honestly gets better every year. So good.

It was Ashton's first time! She was thrilled and couldn't stop smiling.

We go Christmas caroling every year, and it turns out we don't know the words to Frosty the Snowman. I was especially embarrassed because I played Frosty in the school play years ago. There's probably a reason I've blocked out that song from my memory...

And Christmas shopping with my boy! Can you tell we're in the Christmas spirit? Lots to do!

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I don't usually write much for advice; a lot of times I don't feel worthy to give anyone else advice because I don't have much figured out. But there's been something I've figured out this year and it's been life changing. 2014 has been the best year for me and setting a morning routine. I've finally found a positive start that really points me in the right direction and gives purpose to a small part of our day. It all started on February 11, my birthday. I meet with a "Moms" group at church once a month for fellowship and growth, and on that particular day a sweet gal, by the name of Charyse Harvey, spoke to us and referred to the book called, Together: Growing Appetites for God (http://www.amazon.com/Together-Growing-Appetites-True-Woman/dp/0802404480). It's the story about a mom of 3, 4 and under, (if I remember correctly, I haven't actually read the book). She had this growing question in her mind. "How can you pass a love for God's Word along to your children if you struggle with it yourself?" That question hit me like a ton of bricks. In reality, I think that was the same question that I had been wrestling with for months, but hadn't put my concern into words. For years, I've had this on-again-off-again relationship with my Bible and I was afraid that my lack of routine would influence Trevin, or worse yet, I wouldn't be a living display of the impact God's Word should have on your life.

The author decided she was going to read through the Bible, one chapter a day, with her kids. That was her plan. It was a simple plan, but not necessarily an easy plan. I was totally convicted and decided that I needed a simple plan, just like her. So we began on February 12, reading straight through the Bible, starting with Genesis 1 and hopefully ending with "Amen" in Revelations before he graduates... I decided that breakfast would be the best time to fit this into our daily routine. Here's how we do it. When Trevin wakes up, I make him breakfast and sit at the table with him, bible opened. As he eats, I read. This generally works well because he's less likely to interrupt and more likely to sit still. The first couple days were challenging. He was a crazy 20-month-old boy, when this began, who barely ate because he was so busy. As you'd expect we had many delays for fits and strange outbursts of giggling/crying/whining/singing/screaming/babbling.. But we pushed through. And after that first week, he expected it in our routine.

The first several weeks and even months went really well and we stayed consistent and diligent. But before you think this is too perfect, I'll assure you that there are days where he literally screams "NO BIBLE!" or cuts me off mid-sentence to say, "All done reading." But all I had to tell myself in my mind is that he needs to see this as a priority. This is first. Not toys, not movies, not work. And you know what? It's paying off. It's making an impact. Because if I'm feeling lazy and would rather skip our reading for the day, he reminds me that it's "time to read Bible." He holds ME accountable now. Some days I finish the chapter and I close the book and he looks at me and says, "Read more!" It's on those days that I realize the hours we've spent over the past year have absolutely made a difference. This summer I failed a lot of days to make reading a priority, but was so determined to jump back in without regretting the days we missed. Believe it or not, we started the book of 1 Samuel today and I'm thrilled with what we've accomplished.

Some of you might be thinking that this is "great and all" but it's all going over his head. It's too much for him to understand. Maybe you're right, but I trust that God will use it in his precious little 2-year-old heart. Even if he doesn't understand a single bit of what I've read these past few months, I'll be glad that he's learned the Bible is so important to us. And as he gets older, more will be revealed to him and he'll ask questions and be able to experience God's heart with every chapter.
After we finish reading each day, Trevin goes to play with the toys he's missed all night long, and I pour a cup of coffee (Yeah, I started coffee this month... what about it?) and make up some breakfast of my own. While he plays I sit down and read through a short devotional with my breakfast. After the first couple months, I felt like I still needed my own quiet time. My own study. When I got my new phone, I learned about an app called "She Reads Truth". It's been a great tool for my personal devotion time and I'd highly suggest it. This is how we do mornings. I learned that once I stopped making excuses for myself, I was able to start my morning out with purpose. I hope this is an encouragement to someone, because this was an area that I desperately needed encouragement and I've seen first-hand how God has used it each day. Psalm 143:8 "Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life."

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We play a lot these days...

And he's taken to this ugly baby doll that he found at my mom's house. On this particular day he read to the baby for a 1/2 hour. He is hinting. James is hinting. You are hinting. And I'm plugging my ears and singing, "la la la la!" One kid is so many.

And this little lady has been around a lot recently to help fill the baby fever.

Mitch and Nicole made the move to Aurora, so we had several bonding days during the move while they were in between houses.

And we made runzas for the freezer. I think we ended up with 54 runzas and 4 bags of filling. Not too shabby for a couple of gals who don't cook.

This sweet family was my last family session. I've been in a bible study with McKenzie for the past 8 weeks and it's been nice getting to know her and her littles. They snagged the last awesome day of fall, and we had a great shoot to show for it.