Ella's First Tooth

Ella's bottom front right tooth (you can tell I didn't go to dental school) :) has broken through! Yippee!

I'd take a picture of it, but you probably wouldn't be able to tell what it is. No wonder she's been so fussy. I forgot how sharp those little teeth are.

So...there you have it. Hopefully and prayerfully, that's why she ran a fever this morning.

Until tomorrow,
wk

Home Sweet Home

As wonderful as this month of traveling has been, it feels so good to be home! Granted, the grass needs to be mowed, the floors need to be vacuumed and the grocery store needs to be visited. It's okay, though, because I don't have to leave town any time soon!

Jordan and I have been terribly sick this month...upper respiratory infections and bronchitis. Not exactly what I was hoping to deal with while in Red River and Branson.

I have been praying that sweet Ella would not get sick. She was not around Jordan when he was sick and not around me when I was sick. However, this morning her temperature was 100.3. Maybe it's just her teeth trying to come in...I have my fingers crossed. :)

Please pray for Ella.

wk

Pictures

Okay, some of you have asked for updated pictures of my precious children. Here they are:


Jordan helping Daddy and Mr. Danny change the brakes and rotors on Poppy's truck.


Miss Ella Bella drinking her bottle while holding on tight to Piggy, her first true love. :)


She's so big! We still put pillows around her, though.


Jordan's first day at WCS was today. I am finishing out the year for the elementary Spanish teacher who is out on maternity leave and Jordan gets to be a part of the 3 year old class. So handsome!


Ella and Jordan being "siwwy".


Ella- hamming it up, as usual.


Ella trying to get away from brother.

Adios

This will be my last blog for a week. We are heading to Red River tomorrow for a week of skiing. Well...the youth group and sponsors will be skiing. Ella and I will be relaxing in our warm cabin, reading books, playing with Piggy, drinking hot chocolate and eating bon bons. Okay, so we won't be eating bon bons, but we will be cozy and comfy and enjoying a week of naps. :)

Until next Friday.

whitney

Getting ready...

As we are getting ready to head north this weekend, I have found myself totally bombarded with the tasks of getting packed, leaving the house clean and orderly, making sure all the bills are paid, etc.

In this chaos, I have neglected the one thing that, up until a week ago, got me going in the morning and ready for a new day; my quiet time with God.

Two months ago, I had the privilege of going to KSBJ's Girls Day Out. It was such a wonderful blessing. The two co-hosts of the Proverbs 31 Ministry, Lysa TerKeurst and Renee Swope spoke, along with Kate Gosselin of Jon and Kate Plus 8.

In the foyer of the Champion Forest Baptist Church, they had tables set up with books, CDs, DVDs and Bibles. I purchased a Bible called "Sanctuary". It's a women's devotional Bible, and for the first time ever, I have actually looked forward to reading my Bible each day and seeing what the Lord wants to say to me.

As I "get onto myself" for not diving into the Word this past week, I look forward to the peace and serenity of a cabin on the Colorado River, where I can spend renewal time with my God and my Savior.

Recipe of the Week!

Hello, dear friends.

It has been a wonderful day. Today is my 27th birthday, and it's been the best birthday I've had in a while! So, thank you to everyone who helped make it a glorious day.

In honor of our upcoming ski trip to Red River, this week's recipe is:

Peanut Butter Snowballs

Combine the following ingredients until mixed well.

1 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
3 T. softened butter or margarine

Shape into 1 inch balls and place on a waxed paper lined cookie sheet.

Chill for 30 minutes.

While the snowballs are chilling, melt 1 pound white confectioner coating in a double broiler.

Dip snowballs and place on wax paper to harden.

Makes approximately 2 dozen.

Once again...not good for you at all, but oh, so yummy!

This is always a holiday favorite! Mainly Thanksgiving and Christmas, but also wonderful on President's Day, Labor Day, National Pretzel Day... :)

Love and peace,
wk

Jordan's funny-ness

My sweet three year old says the most hilarious things. Below are some of his phrases, prayers, etc.

Jordan- Why wasn't Ethan in Bible class tonight?
Mommy- Well, he has the flu, so he had to stay home.
Jordan- Remember when I had the flu and my bottom was real flaky?
Mommy- Ummm...no, I don't remember that.

Mommy, I want to watch the First Noah's Whale. (The movie's title is really The Very First Noel.)

Mommy, Ella told me she wants to listen to Toby Mac.

Dear God,
Thank you for my big toe.
Thank you for my comforter.
In Jesus Name,
Amen

Body Works Plus Abs

I attended a fitness class this morning called "Body Works Plus Abs". The class targets every major muscle group in a one hour setting. We started with legs, went to arms, eased into working the shoulders and back and ended with abs. I am a bit puzzled as to why it's called "Body Works Plus Abs". Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought my abs are a part of my body. :)

Anywho...I was feeding Miss Ella her lunch today. It was a marvelously tasty concoction of peas, apples and chicken. (I would seriously like to know who the genius was who put certain foods together for babies!) Each time I leaned in to give her a bite of her food, I kept sensing this sour smell. She had spit up a tiny bit before lunch, but it wasn't that. So, I began sniffing everything in our general vicinity. I thought, "Maybe it's my shirt; maybe it's the bowl the food is in; maybe it's her spoon; maybe it's the table." I couldn't find the smell.

Now, when my children are in their booster seats, I love to take advantage of the situation and gently gnaw on their precious feet. As my mouth went to grab her left foot, I suddenly realized where the sour smell was coming from. Good night, nurse! She just had a bath two days ago. And to top it off, the child doesn't even crawl yet. How can the feet of my precious seven month old be so stinky? I am still perplexed. :)

Just keep spinning, just keep spinning...

I just completed my first spin class about an hour ago.

It was 45 minutes of intense "climbing". (There is a lot of spinning jargon I'm doing my best to figure out.) Actually, I was pretty proud of myself!

As we were leaving, Jordan said, "Mommy, why were you exercising?" I said, "I was exercising to help my body and heart stay healthy, so that I can take care of you, Ella and Daddy to the best of my ability."

God calls us to take care of our bodies, because they are His temple, the place where His Holy Spirit finds a home.

Where ever you are today, physically, remember that He has given us our bodies for a purpose, and the more we take care of them, the more appropriately we function.

Whether you have a gym membership or not, take time today to put your body to use. The healthier your heart, the more days you will have on this earth to bring glory to His name!

For His glory,
wk

What a weekend!

First off, we decided to drop the personal trainer. (Thank you, Josh!) So...we will be doing our best to lift weights appropriately without any guidance. Yikes!

Secondly, I played in my first softball games EVER on Friday night. It was a blast, and I even got on base every time. I scored one run and am ready for this Friday night's games.

Thirdly, I am sore as all get out.

Fourthly, the time change has done a number on my body clock.

Fifthly, Pie Town in The Woodlands is AWESOME! If you ever go, try their Chocolate Pecan Pie and Buttermilk Pie. Out of this world.

Sixthly (is that even a word?), I'm so thankful for our sweet middle school life group and all the wonderful adults who host it!

More tomorrow...when I'm more alert. :)

wk

LA, baby!

LA Fitness, that is.

Mom and Dad have been asking me for over a month now what I would like to have for my birthday. I have desired a membership renewal at LA Fitness for a while. We were members four years ago and I exercised faithfully through my pregnancy with Jordan, but we dropped the membership shortly after he was born. I don't know why, but knowing I can go to a gym with countless options appeals to me so much more than going for a walk around the block. :)

I nonchalantly called Josh yesterday to tell him that Mom and Dad were going to help with a few months of my membership and asked him if he was interested in joining along with me. He responded with an absolute, "Yes." Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised! It is always more motivating when one has a work-out partner.

Last night after my first softball practice E-V-E-R and a tasty meal at Sweet Mesquite, we drove over to pick up our membership tags. While we were there, the oh-so-nice personal training manager came over to greet us and ask if we would like to schedule our fitness assessment for tomorrow (which is now today). Because we are idiots, we said, "Sure, that would be fine. How about 10:00?"

I have never experienced a workout with a personal trainer because in my book, a personal trainer is synonymous with suicide. So, we arrived this morning, took the kids into the Kids Club and met with Michael.

The following information is quite personal. You are welcome to laugh right now, but not in front of my face. :)

We began with a questionnaire, followed with a BMI test. (Please keep in mind that I gave birth to Miss Ella Paige seven months ago.) Based on my height, I should have a BMI of 19%. Currently my BMI is 28.5%. I was utterly and totally devastated. To see those numbers on paper almost made me cry. However, the trainer assures me that with their help, I can reach my goal of losing 15 pounds and having a BMI of 19% in just 10-14 short months.

10-14 SHORT MONTHS? I could get pregnant, give birth and celebrate that child's fifth month of life by that time. That's a stinkin' long time, in my world!

Now, rewind with me to the van ride to LA Fitness not even one hour earlier...

Josh- So, are they going to, like, want us to sign up to use a personal trainer?
Whitney- I'm sure they are, babe. Why else would they be doing this?
Josh- Well, we just can't commit to that. With my work schedule and everything, I'm just hoping to make it to the gym three times a week.
Whitney- I know. You just need to tell them that up front, so that we don't have to listen to the whole spill.
Josh- Okay. I'll take care of it.

Now, back at the gym, we are "warming up" on the treadmill while the personal trainer "sets up" our practice workout, so that we can see what a workout with a trainer would be like.

Josh- So, how many times do you think you're going to come each week?
Whitney- I would like to come Monday-Saturday.
Josh- Okay, well, we for sure can come together on Fridays and Saturdays. Maybe on Thursdays, as well.
Whitney- That sounds good.
Josh- So, how many days a week should we work out with a trainer?
Whitney- WHAT?! I thought we weren't going to get a personal trainer.
Josh- Well, it would be really good for us, and I'd really like to use one.
Whitney- Okay, let's just see how much it costs.

To be honest, I thought maybe doing the mini-workout with the trainer would knock some sense into Josh and he would drop the thought.

It didn't.

As a matter of fact, he loved it. I think he mainly loved the fact that I was DY-ING!

So, to make a terribly long story a little shorter, we will now see a trainer once a week for a year. Your prayers are coveted.

One last thing...

Jordan was super pumped about the play area, because there is an indoor playground with a part that looks like a train. When we picked up the kids, we could smell that Jordan had pooped in his underwear. When Josh asked him about it, he said, "Don't worry, Dad. I just pooped in the train."

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why there is NEVER a dull moment in our house. :)

I'm a dork.

Saturday Morning Muffins

Bake at 400 degrees for 12-18 minutes

If you're making it muffin-style, it makes approx. 12.

Thanks, Lauren. :)

Cloth Diapers

When I was pregnant with Ella, I was researched cloth diapers quite extensively. I do my best to "go green" when I can. After 7 months of spending $60 a month on diapers that ultimately end up in a landfill somewhere, we're making the switch. Go ahead...laugh all you want. However, we will now be $60 a month richer after an initial investment of $120. And this $120 investment will last until she's ready for big girl panties. :)

I'll let you know how it goes. www.cottonbabies.com is my new favorite website. You know you want to check it out!

Blessings,
wk

Wednesday

As a minister's wife, our Sundays and Wednesdays are CRAZY! So...I am going to dedicate Wednesday's posts to sharing a favorite recipe.

I think it would be very appropriate to share my Saturday Morning Muffins recipe. I cannot take credit for creating this recipe. I grew up on them. My grandmother first made them when I was in elementary school. She shared the recipe with my mom, and now it is a regular breakfast food in our house. These muffins are not one bit healthy, but they are sure yummy! :)

Saturday Morning Muffins

Mix the following ingredients in a medium bowl:
1.5 c. flour
2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. brown sugar

Mix the following ingredients in a small bowl:
1 beaten egg
1/3 c. milk
1/4 c. syrup (breakfast or maple)
1/2 c. oil (I use vegetable.)
1 t. vanilla

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour the liquid mixture inside. Stir until moistened and well blended. Spoon into a greased or paper lined muffin tin. (You can also make this into bread. Just put the mixture in an 8x8 Pyrex.)

At this point you can do one of two things.

If you have made the muffins, you can either dip the muffins into 1/4 c. melted butter or margarine and then a mixture of 1/4 c. sugar and 1/4 t. cinnamon. Or for the muffins or bread, you can poke holes in the top and pour the butter on top and then sprinkle the sugar/cinnamon mixture on top. If you poke holes and pour, you will end up with super moist muffins or bread. This is my personal preference. :)

These muffins are always better the second day.

Enjoy and let me know if you make them and how they turn out! Feel free to ask any questions if I've made something unclear.

Make it a joyful day!
wk

Oops...

I was looking at Courtney's blog today. Apparently, I was tagged in her post on December 28. Oops! My instructions were to open the fourth picture album on my computer and post the fourth picture. Here it is.



This was a maternity shot of Courtney and James about a month before Leila was born. How ironic!

Poop

Okay, so it was a week ago today that I thought to myself, "Self, since Jordan hasn't taken a nap in about two weeks, I am going to make it my mission to absolutely wear him out."

I had the whole day planned out. We played outside for an hour after breakfast, came inside and learned about our character trait of the week (which was Be Honest), went on a walk that led to some fun in the park, ate lunch, played a little more outside, watched a Praise Baby DVD while looking at books and then laid down for rest time.

Now, normally, Jordan doesn't go to sleep. However, my mostly obedient son always stays on his bed and reads books or plays with puzzles for about an hour and a half.

Unfortunately, that day, I was put in my place. You see...Jordan wasn't the only one participating in all the activities I planned. I was an extremely active participant, as well. So, by 1:30, I was exhausted! I told Jordan that it was rest time. Ella was sleeping, Mommy was going to lie down and he needed to sleep as well. He said okay, and all was well...until an hour later.

At 2:30, I was awakened to an awfully pungent smell. The smell of poop. Oh, how I loathe that smell, especially coming from my 3 year old son. Jordan is half potty trained. He tee-tees in the potty like a champ. However, the idea of pooping in the potty sends him into an absolute tizzy. So, at rest time, we put a diaper on him just in case.

As I was trying my best to awaken from a terribly deep sleep, I decided to call Jordan's name just to make sure I was really smelling that awful smell. Because who knows? Maybe I was just dreaming it. (Yeah, right!)

He answered after I called his name, and I said, "What are you doing?" He said, "Well, I had to poopie, so I came to your room and I put my diaper in the trash can, but I still had poop on my bottom. So, I'm just getting it off with my hand and wiping it in the carpet."

"WHAT?!" It was all I could say.

The blessing of it all is that I have been allowing God to work on my heart. You see, I have a tendency to yell when I'm upset. However, I have made the decision that I do not want my children growing up with a mommy who yells. So, instead of resorting to my normal behavior, I made the decision to breathe, count to ten and then calmly say, "Jordan, I need you to go sit on your potty so that Mommy can clean you and the carpet up." There was no yelling from my mouth, no crying from Jordan and I hope that because of that decision I was able to make one small step towards letting God control my emotions instead of me.

I am doing my best to live up to what the following verse says. Of course, I slip up, but praise God for his mercy and forgiveness.

"Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God's righteousness doesn't grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life." James 1:19-21 (The Message)

For His glory,
wk

Change Your Environment

To some of us, the phrase "Change Your Environment" is nothing but a go-green statement. To others of us, it means more than going green in the physical sense.

This weekend I was blessed to attend SoulLink, an annual Houston area youth rally. To say it was awesome is an understatement! It blew my socks off. I wish you could've been there.

The theme for the weekend was "Climate: Change Your Environment". God works in mysterious ways. This mantra we heard all weekend fits so very appropriately in my life right now. I'm positive it fits into all of our lives. We simply have to choose to let it infiltrate our being.

Jesus came for many reasons. In my opinion, the most important reason was to give us hope for life beyond this physical body...hope to be with Him in Heaven when we die...free us from the old law so that we can embrace the new law. Praise His name for loving us enough to die for us and be raised again!

When He was here, He constantly changed His environment. When He chose to change His environment, He couldn't help but change others' environments.

He calls us to be agents of change. I believe I must choose to love like He loves and live like He lives. Otherwise, what am I doing here?!

I would like to challenge you to a life of change...a life of putting others above yourself...a life of living to please God, rather than others...a life of loving yourself, so that you can love others. He offers grace, peace, mercy, joy and love. Grab hold of it and you'll never want to let go!

For His glory,
wk