Jillyshelly: Proverbially Speaking

Don has tried to make the boys promise to stay two years old forever.  Obviously, this is not working.  Our babies are growing up faster than we can clean up one of their messes.  In an effort to spend quality time loving them and intentionally “raising them up right,” Don has started having daddy outings with the boys.  Well, he’s started it with Justice and trying to find 1-2 hour activities he and Eli can enjoy together.  Abbi is going to have to wait for some alone time with daddy… she currently refuses the bottle which means she stays with me all the time

Since J LOVES building things, Don has been taking him to Lowes and Home Depot for the free kid workshops.  Eli loves animals so Don will likely take him to a local farm or petting zoo when the weather cools off a bit.  Eli also likes planes and helicopters more than J, so Don might take him to the Air Force museum or local airport to check them out.  We’re open to ideas for Eli activities if you have any to share!

I think it’s great for the kids to get some alone time with daddy and we’ll likely add mommy day outings in the future.  For now they get enough alone time with me throughout the week since their nap schedules are a bit staggered.  J and I are doing an hour of preschool together each day which has provided some fun quality time for us.  I also try to give the boys a chance to run errands with me alone.  It is amazing how different the dynamics change between us and our kids when one or two of them is taken out of the mix… it’s a nice change, but my favorite dynamic is when the five of us are eating dinner together or having Family Night.

Both J and Eli shower Abigail with daily words of adoration. Staying true to their personality differences, their sweet talk is completely different from one another. Examples:

Eli to Abbi: “How you doing, baby? You boot-e-fool.”

J to Abbi: “I did not like you when you in mommy’s tummy, Abigail. I missed you. I love you. We get to keep you and grow you up and buy you girl toys. I’m going to get you a princess bike!”
Yes, I have a 2 year old Joey from Friends and a 3 year old… I don’t even know how you’d classify his sweet talk other than genuinely precious.

I love both of those boys and I hope their sister realizes they love her immensely. *Heart swelling*

In case you came here looking for something “deep” to read, I will direct you to people who have some good spiritual insights you may want to chew on.  In case you came here looking for some cute pics of my kids, scroll below!   Suppression Isn’t Transformation by Daniel C. Wilson, Confusion by Elisabeth Elliot and Prayer by Don Dudley.

Elijah (left) Abigail (right)

Some people claim Abigail looks Elijah.  What do you think?  I’m looking for a pic of Justice to compare her with next.

If you’re interested, purchase a $50 GAP gift certificate for a $25 here.

We like this video.

We’re currently borrowing it from the library, but hope to purchase it sometime soon.  There aren’t many kids videos I actually want in my home forever.  There are some videos, like Barney videos, that I actually prohibit from entering my home… not because I think they’re spiritually or educationally bad, but because Barney drives me nutty… and a mom’s gotta protect her sanity!

I received Peter Leithart’s biography on Jane Austen free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their book review blogger program.  The opinions I express are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

I recommend this biography to most Jane Austen enthusiasts, especially those that have studied her books as well as read them.  Some critics of this book complain that Leithart introduces too many of Jane’s friends and relatives to the reader and thus makes it confusing to follow and understand.  This might be true for the Austen novice, but I argue that the introduction of all these “characters” highlight how Austen’s own casts were developed in her stories.  She knew many interesting people who helped her mind form the many interesting characters in her novels.

I found it fun and enlightening that the author included samples of Jane’s own written letters as well as some from her relatives.  I appreciate that Leithart did not sensationalize Austen’s Christianity or her romances to create a more interesting biography, as some biographers have done in the past.

I give this book a 4 out 5 stars since it is not the best introduction to Austen’s life and writings, but it does seem to present her life honestly.

I have been processing my restlessness with the Lord and the Hubby the past few days. It seems my tendency to turn to the internet has stemmed from that. I am bored… not with my mom gig or wife gig… but with my serving gig & it seems I forgot to search for answers through the Holy Spirit, and chose Google instead. Duh. Anyway, Hubby and I have been making missional/evangelical goals & I am so excited. Action, action, we want action – JES-US! Action, Lord, Action! Whenever I’m restless like this, I generally find it’s because I’m not serving others and spreading the Good News of Christ. Pray for me that I truly repent. Thanks!

There are days when we find it hard to get out of our jammies (well, Eli finds it hard every day).  Here is a pic of my bams (well, the boys) lounging around in their jams.