Sunday, September 13, 2009

31 Ways to Pray for Our Children

This list was put together by Bob Hostetler and I found it very helpful.

31 Ways to Pray for Your Children

1 Salvation "Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory" (Isaiah 45:8, 2 Timothy 2:10).

2 Growth in Grace "I pray that they may 'grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ'" (2 Peter 3:18).

3 Love "Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to 'live a life of love,' through the Spirit who dwells in them" (Ephesians 5:2, Galatians 5:22).

4 Honesty and Integrity " May integrity and honesty be their virtue and their protection" (Psalm 25:21, NLT).

5 Self-Control " Father, help my children not to be like many others around them, but let them be 'alert and self-controlled' in all they do" (1 Thessalonians 5:6)

6 A Love for God's Word " May my children grow to find your Word 'more precious than gold, than much pure gold; [and] sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb'" (Psalm 19:10).

7 Justice " God, help my children to love justice as you do and to 'act justly' in all they do" (Psalm 11:7, Micah 6:8).

8 Mercy " May my children always 'be merciful, as [their] Father is merciful'" (Luke 6:36).

9 Respect (for self, others, authority) " Father, grant that my children may 'show proper respect to everyone,' as your Word commands" (1 Peter 2:17a).

10 Strong, Biblical Self-Esteem " Help my children develop a strong self-esteem that is rooted in the realization that they are 'God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus'" (Ephesians 2:10).

11 Faithfulness "' Let love and faithfulness never leave [my children],' but bind these twin virtues around their necks and write them on the tablet of their hearts" (Proverbs 3:3).

12 Courage "May my children always 'Be strong and courageous' in their character and in their actions" (Deuteronomy 31:6).

13 Purity "'Create in [them] a pure heart, O God,' and let their purity of heart be shown in their actions" (Psalm 51:10).

14 Kindness "Lord, may my children 'always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else'" (1 Thessalonians 5:15).

15 Generosity "Grant that my children may 'be generous and willing to share [and so] lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age'" (1 Timothy 6:18-19).

16 Peace, Peaceability "Father, let my children 'make every effort to do what leads to peace'" (Romans 14:19).

17 Joy " May my children be filled 'with the joy given by the Holy Spirit'" (1 Thessalonians 1:6).

18 Perseverance " Lord, teach my children perseverance in all they do, and help them especially to 'run with perseverance the race marked out for [them]'" (Hebrews 12:1).

19 Humility " God, please cultivate in my children the ability to 'show true humility toward all'" (Titus 3:2).

20 Compassion " Lord, please clothe my children with the virtue of compassion" (Colossians 3:12).

21 Responsibility " Grant that my children may learn responsibility, 'for each one should carry his own load'" (Galatians 6:5).

22 Contentment " Father, teach my children 'the secret of being content in any and every situation. . . . through him who gives [them] strength'" (Philippians 4:12-13).

23 Faith " I pray that faith will find root and grow in my children's hearts, that by faith they may gain what has been promised to them" (Luke 17:5-6, Hebrews 11:1-40).

24 A Servant Heart " God, please help my children develop servant hearts, that they may serve wholeheartedly, 'as to the Lord, and not to men'" (Ephesians 6:7, KJV).

25 Hope " May the God of hope grant that my children may overflow with hope and hopefulness by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).

26 The Willingness and Ability to Work Hard " Teach my children, Lord, to value work and to work hard at everything they do, 'as working for the Lord, not for men'" (Colossians 3:23).

27 A Passion for God " Lord, please instill in my children a soul that "followeth hard after thee," a heart that clings passionately to you (Psalm 63:8, KJV).

28 Self-Discipline " Father, I pray that my children may develop self-discipline, that they may acquire 'a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair'" (Proverbs 1:3).

29 Prayerfulness " Grant, Lord, that my children's lives may be marked by prayerfulness, that they may learn to 'pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests" (Ephesians 6:18).

30 Gratitude " Help my children to live lives that are always 'overflowing with thankfulness,' 'always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ'" (Colossians 2:7, Ephesians 5:20).

31 A Heart for Missions " Lord, please help my children to develop a heart for missions, a desire to see your glory declared among the nations, your marvelous deeds among all peoples" (Psalm 96:3).

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Last forever

Words to melt my heart...
"Mommy, I want you to be my kids mommy"
-Pickle

First Haircut (16 Months old) & a Little Blackmail Bonus

Dan and I love Pookies hair so much that we just let it grow. I planned on letting it grow a bit long, a little surfer or skater style. When we cut Pickles hair the first time it grew back really coarse so I have not wanted to cut Pookies. However, while at the grocery store a woman called our boy a "she". I just could not let that happen, so I relentlessly cut his hair. I did not shave it but kept some of the length so he still has his soft hair. Yet he now looks like a toddler and not a baby. =(

After bath he had a blast running around nakie, as wee ones do. Of course he has a blast playing with his little friend. I realized that I do not let him run around naked nearly enough because it was like he found a long lost friend. I even have video which can be used in the teens years as blackmail. However, considering that I am already posting some of these blackmail pictures, by the time I can use them as blackmail he will not care as he will be used to me showing people. Oh well, reality is I have no plans to blackmail my kids.

Before
After
BeforeAfter

And the fun after the haircut.....


Tuesday, May 19, 2009

The Diego Sway


I am making a huge assumption here that Pookie is hearing the "Go, Diego, Go" theme song in his head when Daddy says Diego because this is the same dance he does when he hears the song.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Innocence

During dinner while Nonna and Papa were visiting, Nonna got up from the table to get something in the kitchen. Pickle lovingly says, "Nonna has a BIG booty". Nobody says anything (I was sick on the couch). Pickle says it again all sweetly (really, he was saying this with love), "Nonna has a BIG booty" but this time he adds, "Nonna eats too much" and again, "Nonna has a BIG booty". Finally I hear laughter. Nonna laughs and says, "yeah, Nonna does have a big booty huh. But you love me even with a big booty." Pickles says, "I love you no matter how big your booty is!".

Lunch Time

Today while Pickle was eating his lunch, his favorite, peanut butter and jelly, I sat and ate slices of smoked cheddar cheese. I asked him if he wanted some cheese & he said he did. He tried a slice and then asked for some more so that he can put them on his PB & J sandwich. I gave his more, he put it on his sammie, he ate it and he liked it. This from a boy who will not eat the dinner I cook. I think I am offended.

Monday, March 2, 2009

Just a Couple of Sweet Photos

Our boys melt my heart. I just cannot put it into words, although all you parents out there know how I feel.
Funny Face
Dunces

Sweet Boy Pookie's 1st Birthday

I know everyone says this, but where did the time go? This year has gone by so darn fast. And what a blessed year it has been. Sweet boy has brought so much love and joy into this home. He is just an incredibly delightful boy. I cannot imagine life without him. In fact today in the car, Pickle asked about one of his friends who is an only child. He asked if he had a brother. I told him no and he said, "Awe". I asked him what he thought about that and he said that he thinks that is sad. I asked him why he thought that and he said, "maybe he (his friend) is angry or sad about not having a brother." That made me feel all warm inside. Pookie has bettered the life of each person in this family and I pray he knows just how special he is and that he is loved immensely!

Pookie's birthday started out with a wee playgroup party, 20 something kids and adults in our cozy living room. Pookie was quite confused with all the commotion but eventually adjusted to all the people in his home and joined in the play. He seems to not enjoy a lot of people around him, his dad says he takes after him, not a social butterfly.

Can you make them leave?

He enjoyed his cupcake cake and was slow to dig into it, but eventually he did.

Waiting patiently for cake, although he had no idea what was going on.


After a long nap he opened presents and totally digged his new 4-wheeler. He also loved a card that he got from friends O1 and O2, it was an Elmo card that just made him giggle and giggle.The beloved Elmo card
After presents Nonna and Papa arrived. Pickle was SO ecstatic but birthday boy was not happy about this. He is still getting to know them and was a little scared about who the strangers in the house were."Who is this guy?"

As a special treat we all went out to dinner, Red Robin.
We had a nice time and the boys had wonderful behavior.So ready for bed!

The birthday day was perfect, however when dad went to wake Pookie up the next day he was in a crib full of vomit. Poor boy had the stomach flu and never made a peep. That's our boy, he LOVES to sleep. He will not even wake to let us know he vomited. Quite scary really.

***WE LOVE YOU SWEET BOY! MAY YOUR SECOND YEAR ON EARTH BE FULL OF AN ABUNDANCE OF JOY, BEAUTY AND LOVE!!***

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Up From Nap



I just had to share this video of sweet boy just waking from nap. 11 months old here, he is just so happy and won't take his favorite Thomas the Train towel out of his mouth. He melts my heart!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

How About We Change the World

As I type this it's breakfast time and each morning the boys get to watch 2 shows. Since teaching Pickle problem-solving skills he knows all about compromise. Lately when I need him to obey and he does not get a choice I have been saying, "I understand how you feel & I hear what you are saying, but this is not a compromise". So, just now after we discussed which show to watch next he tells me:

"This IS a compromise, how about we change the world and watch TWO shows?"

Ummm what? First off you DO get to watch 2 shows.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

The Boy Loves Whistles!!

Pookie is walking now and that has helped his personality flourish even more. His favorite thing to do as of recent is to walk around the circle in our house and blow whistles. We have a few of them and I have even seen him whistle with 2 in his mouth and clap at the same time. So funny!

Child Labor

Oh, what a mother I am. I have gotten fed up cleaning up after my 3 years old that I now make him clean up his own messes if he made a big one. Does that make me a bad mother? Or good one? At least he is learning good cleaning skills.


Saturday, January 10, 2009

Good Friends!
I am thankful for my wonderful friends, although they sometimes encourage me to be sleep deprived. Hope they don't kill me for posting this.


Pickles's 1st Karate class
I know the pictures are not great but the boys are so darn cute!! They all did such a great job following direction. They are such great friends to each other. W.C got a little upset and O1 and Pickle went to comfort him. So sweet!!!
Learning to protect his face.


Sweet Pookie!

He's just so darn cute! January 6th, he took his first steps. Daddy got to see them but I missed it. He did it at Pickle's Karate class. Since then he has been taking steps here and there every day. I cannot believe he is 10 months old already!!!