Proverbs 6:20-23 in Pictures

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As I was reading from the book of Proverbs, the words in chapter 6 verses 20-23 struck me. Maybe more so now since I have 2 sons who are growing up ever so fast and on the brink of manhood - one entering his final year of high school and one entering his first.

I'm a very visual person, and as I read I began to see these verses come to life. It was so peaceful to take a break from the busyness of life to put the words to pictures. I need to do this more often.

 

To my dear sons,

As I am sure you've noticed, being a mom of teens isn't easy for me, but joy fills my heart to overflowing watching you embrace the faith in which you've been trained up and seeing you make an effort to follow the values and principles your dad and I have instilled in you.

I won't lie, though, it can be scary witnessing the struggle in each of you to find your own way in the world. It aches, too, when I feel the slip and fall of yet another apron string. I know you need to form your own thoughts and ideas about life, and I know you need to experience the power, the realness, of this God who made you and who lives in you for yourselves. 

But trying to keep the balance of letting go and reigning in, and knowing when to step in and when to stay out is hard. 

It gets messy on both sides, but my prayer has always been that my love for you and your love for me will cover a multitude of sins. 

It is also my prayer that you both will always remember these wise words from Proverbs 6:20-23. Following God's commands will never lead you astray. If you keep them, bind them, fasten them, and forsake them not; they will guide you, watch over you, and speak to you all the days of your lives.

                                                                              I love you both with all my heart,

                                                                                                  -- Mom

This post may be linked to one or more of the following link-up parties.

Original photos in this post are from pixabay.

Another Teen in the House!

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Then:

Now:

I know parents say this all of the time, but time really does fly. Hard to believe you've gone from a cute, cuddly, comfy-pants-wearin' boy to a handsome, pink-tie-wearin' teenager!

I love that it's so easy to be reminded of you when I'm out and about. Every time I see a Rubik's Cube, root beer, Steelers' stuff, or even mustaches, I think of you. Even when I see all the new Ninja Turtle toys and accessories, it takes me back . . .

Seriously, that picture on the right has to be one of the most memorable. :)

I love you, Lincoln. Happiest of birthdays to you!

TBT: Yes, The Red Hair is From Me

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Because my hair is mostly considered a medium brown with a few highlights brought out by the sun and has been this color (naturally) for quite some time, I am often asked one of two questions about my middle child:

1. "Where does he get his red hair?"

OR

2. "Does his dad have red hair?"

Well, here is the answer: his red hair does indeed come from me!

My, my, I was an unattractive child. Seriously. Wow.

During my childhood, I kind of went back and forth with red, blonde, gold, and then finally brown and oftentimes even a pretty dark brown. Weird.

It looks as if my son will never be a brunette, though, which I find really neat. Makes him a very unique family member to have all of the recessive traits.

Here he is at 18 months, and his hair matches mine pretty closely at 18 months. 

Here he is at 2. His hair is more blonde here, and it stayed pretty blonde for a while. Just thought I'd throw those in. :) His hair seems to pretty much stay in that strawberry blonde range. Here's what it looked like on his 12th birthday if you want to know. ;)

You Might Be A Ginger If

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You might be a ginger if this Julian Smith video applies to you. *wink*

Warning: if you don't find the genres of sarcasm and satire funny or you don't like light-hearted poking fun, please do not press play.



All in fun. ;) My ginger liked the video, anyway.

I was a true ginger for probably less than a year. Then my hair turned into more of a golden blonde and kept getting darker until it was very dark brown. Sunlight still brings out some gingerish highlights, though.

I guess the true ginger trait got passed down to my middle son. He did go through a couple of phases of blonde but has returned to a nice shade of ginger. :)

Only One Tween Year Left

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12 years ago on January 12th, this wonderful boy changed my world! How awesome it is that we get to start off each year by celebrating this kid's life. You are such a blessing to me, Lincoln.

Oh, this crazy kid! He's only got one year left of being a tween! Wondering if he'll be as tall as me by next birthday; he's only got about 4 inches to go. :)

Birthday dinner he picked: Brats and beans. For dessert: Root beer floats, of course! What else would the Rootbeer Fanatic have?

Instead of a gift, he chose to spend 4 hours getting hit by airsoft bullets with a friend. Fun times. ;)

2014, please take your time. My kids are growing up way too fast!

Looking for an Inexpensive Santa Beard?

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Just a quick tip: if you are looking for a Santa beard and don't want to break the bank, my middle son found one at The Dollar Store. :) It has an elastic band for securing to your face, and it fits my son well. He says the mustache "hair" makes his nose itch a little, but what beard wouldn't? All in all, it was a win purchase for some holiday dress-up fun!

The beard could also work for dressing up as an old Hobbit or Gandalf for the upcoming movie, The Desolation of Smaug! Only 2 more days and we will be taking a "field trip" to see it. :D

Boys and Battles

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If you have boys in your home and if your boys are anything like my boys, you can probably relate to the whole "boys and battles" thing. And I'm not talking about sibling rivalry here. (That's a whole other subject!)

I am referring to the fact that with boys (at least mine) every stick seems to miraculously transform into a sword, snap blocks that are supposed to be used for math suddenly turn into guns, large boxes become makeshift hideouts that must be guarded at all times, blankets and pillow cases quickly convert to capes, and anything remotely resembling something in the shape of a square or circle becomes an instant shield. And trees, well, boys couldn't care less that they're beautiful or that they give us oxygen. Trees are towers to hide behind while dodging enemy Nerf bullets. Can any of you moms of little boys relate?

What's funny is now that I have a daughter, I have noticed something a little different in how boys and girls play - Boys' toys battle and girls' toys relate. Not always 100% of the time but just typically speaking. Girls enjoy a good battle every now and then, and boys are known to have conversations, especially if one of those boys happens to be my middle son. Whew, that boy could almost outtalk Anne of Green Gables!

Anyway, with my boys, whether it's Legos, Ninja Turtles, Thomas the Train, Lord of the Rings, army men, Play Doh, cars, or whatever, there's bound to be some sort of battle in there somewhere. When my daughter plays with dolls, ponies, Lego Friends, Barbies, stuffed animals, and Littlest Pet Shop, her toys have conversations and stuff. And it's always so much quieter when she plays. :)

Well, my boys aren't so little anymore, and most of the toys I mentioned don't come out much, maybe Legos every now and then. The battles haven't stopped, though! When they get together with friends, they act out fight scenes. Here's one they recently caught on video. Lincoln was so proud of his death scene in which he bonked his head pretty good - that noise isn't a sound effect. Battle scars are the best, aren't they?!



As long as it's pretend or you're truly saving a damsel in distress, battle on boys, battle on.

One of my favorite photos of Mullin pretending to be Frodo. Love the imaginations of little kids! A Cranky the Crane piece serves as Sting, a Lego tub top is his shield, his pillow case is Frodo's cloak, and the chip clip, well, it's obvious isn't it - an elven brooch. ;)

Do your boys love battles?

From Soda Songs to Soda English Assignments

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Goodness, my middle child just can't seem to get soda off of his brain! First, he was creating all kinds of soda songs, and now he's turning in an English assignment all about soda-flavored candy.

So he had to write an advertisement, and this is what he chose to advertise . . .

Convinced you should go out and buy some? To be honest, I don't really care for Bottle Caps that much. Give me something chocolate-y and I'm good. :)

Tell me, what's your favorite candy?

Super Cool Coke Video

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Alright, so anybody who knows us knows our middle child loves to make songs about SODA! (Not that we let him drink it all of the time.) Well, he's now venturing into the wonderful world of videos.

Y'all, I think I missed my calling in life . . .



I just love it when my kids use their free time to create. :)

Cream Soda Song is Finished!

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In response to my son's soda song challenge, here is his promised new song . . .



I know it must seem like we are soda junkies over here, but just so you know I'm not an unfit mother or anything, we rarely have it in the house, especially since my hubby gave up his Coke-a-day. ;) We buy soda for parties and weekend fun sometimes, and I admit, I probably ran through the McDonald's drive-thru to get a Coke fix too many times this summer. *sigh*

ANYWAY . . .

For the LONGEST time, I didn't even let the kids have any soda except for Sprite when we went out to eat or something. But things change, kids grow up, and parents (well, me) get a little more lax. Once I let up on the caffeinated soda strike, my kids loved trying all the different kinds at fast food restaurants and such. Well, when you put my middle son's love of soda (especially root beer), mixcraft, and craziness together, you get silly soda songs. :D

I sincerely hope you've all enjoyed listening to all the songs about SODA! I do hope we haven't influenced anyone to give in to a totally unhealthy crave.

There's a New Soda Song in the Making . . .

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So, out of all the comments on facebook and my blog for Lincoln's Soda Song Challenge, he had 4 sodas from which to choose that weren't already part of his soda song collection: A&W Cream Soda, Strawberry Fanta, Jones Cola, and Squirt.

He designed an image to announce his choice . . .

 

 

Stay tuned as he will be working on the new song this week. :) I will post it as soon as he releases his new soda hit!

S is for Soda Song Challenge!

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Last week my son, Lincoln, shared a few root beer tips and a root beer song with you all. Well, he's actually created an entire silly soda song collection including: (Scroll down for the challenge.)

Mountain Dew




Coca Cola




Sprite




Dr. Pepper  (Lyrics by Lincoln & music by Cornflakez)



Here's the challenge: Tell us what your favorite soda is and Rootbeer Fanatic will choose one and make a new soda song!

• If your favorite soda is already listed above, then please visit www.soundcloud.com/rootbeer_fanatic and like and share your favorite soda song.
• If your favorite soda is not listed above, then leave a comment telling Rootbeer Fanatic what your favorite soda is. We will announce the new soda song title next Monday, July 28, 2013 which happens to be our first day of school. :)

Have a fantastic week, and enjoy listening to these crazy songs about soda!! Oh, and don't forget to check out all of the other S posts at Ben and Me.

R is for Rootbeer Fanatic's Root Beer Tips

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Um, my middle son really likes root beer in case you didn't notice. ;) Today, he wants to share 4 tips and a song with all of you!

Grab your kids and listen to this fun song created by my son, Lincoln. Stay tuned next week for a Soda Song Challenge in which he will need your help!


Thanks for listening. :)

 Linking up with Ben and Me - Blogging through the alphabet.

The Dangerous Situation

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The Dangerous Situation

 

A poem by:

 

Lincoln 

 

 

Boom! Crash! BOOM!

 

I think I've met my DOOM!

 

A plane just crashed,

 

And my buddy got smashed.

 

Like a man being dangled over a cliff,

 

I start to get sweaty and stiff.

 

I have an empty gun,

 

And I'm not having any fun.

 

This is getting lame.

 

Good thing it's just a video game!

 

Do Hard Things Date #2

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Wow. I can't believe it's been over 2 years since my first Do Hard Things Date with Mullin.

The time really is flying by so fast with these kids of mine. Lincoln turned 11 in January, so it was his turn to read the book, Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris.

He picked Wendy's of all places. Because he just had to have a Frosty. :)

 

On the way to Wendy's we discussed what "rebelution" means and how he felt about the book. He says that doing the everyday "small" hard things is what spoke to him the most.

 

Despite all of his silly faces in every single picture we ever take, he really is so mature for his age. I am so proud of this boy!

 

 

Well, I guess that leaves Shiloh. Just 3 1/2 more years until her Do Hard Things date. :)

Eleven ~ The Calm Before the Storm

Pin It Now! Since I've already experienced one child turning 11 over two years ago, I know to cherish every single minute of my middle son being 11. :)

Still a sweetness, an innocence at this age. No raging hormones holding my son hostage. Still, for the most part, a child's voice. A good age.

I do, on occasion, miss chunky cheeks, chubby feet, and slobbery kisses. So forgive me for posting just a couple of little boy pics. Seems so long ago . . .

 

 

 

Not so little anymore.

 

So, every year my kids get to pick the meal they want to eat on their birthdays. I have to say this is the easiest birthday meal I've ever made. Chicken nuggets and french fries. And, no, they are not homemade. Seriously, I hardly ever buy these, but I obliged for his birthday. ;)

 

And mint chocolate chip ice cream for dessert. Of course he wanted the kind with food coloring. I much prefer Breyer's, but it wasn't my birthday.

And the celebrating continued on Sunday with friends after church. Barro's pizza for lunch, doughnuts for dessert, and an afternoon of playing football.

Again, easiest dessert I have ever had to make. Gone are the days of weeks of preparation to pull off those perfectly themed parties! I guess it's a boy thing because I don't think I could ever outgrow themed parties. :)

Happiest of birthdays to my son who makes me smile, laugh, cry, and bang my head against the wall. I couldn't imagine my life without my Lincoln!

And Let There Be Noise

Pin It Now! Just as I was settling into our peaceful rental home located on a beautiful, tree-lined street in the heart of the Arizona desert, my boys announced they wanted to take up drumming and keyboarding. Yikes!

I am usually a no-tolerance-for-noise kind of mama, but truly it warmed my heart that they were finally taking an interest in music. (I mean, their dad is a worship leader.) I am always so envious of musical families, and I have always thought it would be so neat for all of my children to be talented musically like their daddy. Yes, that leaves me out, but so be it. :)

I am so proud of Lincoln for saving up his own hard-earned money to pay for an electric drum set. And my sensitive ears are forever grateful for the headphones. I do still hear the tapping, but when I hear it, I know he's practicing! He's been watching some DVDs from the library, and he says he's finally mastered the "Barbecue Chicken," whatever that means.

Mullin has mentioned since he was about 5 years old that he'd like to learn how to play the piano. So, 8 years later, he was finally able to purchase a keyboard (with mom and dad's help). I have heard the "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" tune coming from his bedroom so far, and he says he wants to learn "Amazing Grace" next.

Maybe one day they'll be writing and singing their own songs just like their dad, or join the worship team at church. :)

Following in My Footsteps

Pin It Now! Another Metal Mouth in the family!

So, 2 out of 3 kids have inherited my HORRIBLE crooked teeth.  :(  My husband had NO clue when he married me he'd be forking out SO much money on teeth!  Sorry, Babe.

On November 2nd Lincoln entered the wonderful world of wire.  It's CRAZY how much 6 little metal brackets cost.  And this is just the first phase of treatment!
A couple of years ago, big brother endured his first phase of treatment in order to make room for permanent teeth to come in.  At least he didn't have to get 7 permanent teeth pulled like I did in the second grade!  Yikes.

Lincoln joyfully takes out all the hard, sticky Halloween candy he won't be able to eat while wearing braces.  He's being such a great sport about it, but I think he's a little excited about getting because he'd watched Mullin getting the royal treatment at the orthodontist's office.

Dr. Larrabee and staff are amazing.  I have to admit, I am even excited about Lincoln earning Larrabee Loot because Lincoln says he will turn it in for a Starbucks card and treat me to a frappuchino. :D!!!!!!  How sweet is that?!

Since November is "being thankful month" I will end with a few things I am thankful for regarding teeth.

• I am truly thankful my parents, even though money was tight, let me get braces as a teen.  I am almost certain I would have NEVER gotten married had my teeth remained as they were. 

• I am thankful my husband has continued to spend money on my teeth and all their imperfections, or I probably wouldn't have any molars left in my mouth.

• I am thankful that, even though money is tight, God is providing for my kids who need orthodontic care.

• I am thankful that, so far, none of my children have had to get cavities filled.  I think I'd already had about 10 by the time I was 12.

• I am thankful for Thieves.  Best stuff I have ever used in my mouth!  So glad my teeth aren't as sensitive as they used to be since using it.  Glad it kept a cavity from spreading in Lincoln's mouth, and glad it is helping with his unexplainable tartar issue. 

Jelly Joe and the Horrible Crash

Pin It Now! I meant to publish this for Lincoln last year after he wrote it for a school assignment.  So, he was in third grade when he wrote it.  For your reading enjoyment, I present:

Jelly Joe and the Horrible Crash

by: Lincoln

One Saturday morning, Jelly Joe was late to his flight because his belly was so heavy he couldn't run that fast.  He finally made it to the airplane that was going to Hawaii.

The plane was already half way to Hawaii when suddenly, the plane ran out of gas.  Jelly Joe said, "Me jump out of plane."  Then he jumped out of the plane into the middle of the Pacific Ocean.  Jelly Joe didn't sink to the bottom because his big belly helped him float.

He shouted to everyone on the crashing plane, "Jump on my belly!"  So they did.

Everyone bailed on his belly, but it wasn't big enough to hold all of them.  The people on his belly decided to give Jelly Joe all of their food so his belly could grow bigger.  And it did.

They finally made it to Hawaii safely, all except Jelly Joe who exploded from eating too much food.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I've always loved a good story with sacrificial love as the main theme! ;)

1 Year Left in the Single Digits

Pin It Now! Here's what 9 looks like on my middle kid. The face fits him. Oh, yes it does.

He always wants to open presents bright and early since he was born at exactly 6 a.m.. More Halo stuff and Gogos ~ his new craze.

Laser Quest Party!

Pizza and friends ~ and laser wars. What could be better than that?

The Steelers cookie cake requested by Lincoln. Good grief, I had no idea how challenging piping those stars would be. Usually free handing my kids' cakes is no big deal, but those stars --- ahhh!

Happy boys before the battle. I think the two oldest came out the winners both times, Lincoln wasn't too far behind!

Hope you had a blast, son. We were so happy to be able to do a "big" birthday party for you this year. :)