On This Memorial Day...

...please take the time to honor those who have lost their lives while fighting for freedom, freedom that we take for granted almost every day. so, take a moment to say a little prayer for the families who have lost loved ones in the military, because to them, Memorial Day is about so much more than a day off work/school and an excuse to grill out. appreciation and thanks goes a long way.

my litte on memorial day :)

Proverbs 3:5-6

today is a turning point in our life. a new adventure is on the horizon. new challenges await us and a new way of life is just around the corner. today my hubby joined the army. i'm nervous, excited, proud, and ready, all at the same time. we can't wait to see where God takes us on this journey and we are ready for the challenges we will face. we know that God will be with us and hold our hand every step of the way.

Deuteronomy 31:8 "And the LORD, He is the one who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed."

I am so blessed to be a mother to such a wonderful daughter!

living by faith

lots going on in our little world these days...potty training, new adventures possibly on the horizon, a possible new job opportunity in the works...this means lots of praying... starting yesterday. i seem to have hit another point in my life where i'm getting very emotional and allowing my emotions to take control rather than submitting to God, and allowing Him to have control. not good. well...since i can't rewind, i have taken a moment to just stop and re-evaluate the situations at hand. i have to look at all this realistically. i tell myself this on a daily basis, the world isn't daisies and sunshine all the time, so i have to do whatever i can to bring out the sunshine, even in the midst of the thunderstorms. which means prayer...lots and lots of prayer. not to mention, i must fully submit to the Lord's will for my life. even if that means going down a road i don't think i am strong enough to handle. because in the end, i always come to the same realization...i am not strong enough to do anything...it is He who is in me, that gives me strength. so really, if we are going down a road that is God led, then i will have the strength to deal, through Him. it's so simple and yet, i always have to take the long road...you would think i would have learned my lesson by now. now i feel so silly for getting worked up over something that was obviously a lesson in submission and patience for me. i have to keep my hope and faith in the fact that the Lord is good! with that, i can now take a deep breath and open up my heart to the peace that comes with trusting God.

"Rejoice in the Lord, ALWAYS. Again, I will say REJOICE!" Philippians 4:4

operation potty training...a go!

i am pleased to say that operation potty training is going very well. we are going on day 3 in big girl princess panties and no accidents! she's doing really well. i've noticed lots of positivity and encouragement work way better than bribes most of the time. not all the time though....bribes seem to be the only way to get her to go #2 on the potty. we'll have to work on that. i've also noticed that little games like, 'who's going to pee pee first?!' or 'pee pee before i'm done singing this song!' work really well. it gets her in that fun/game type attitude so she's excited about going pee pee. any kind of distraction has worked really well too, coloring, singing, reading, etc. she seems most excited when we get excited. little things like "awesome! you went pee pee!" or "we are sooo proud of you! you're getting so big!" or "that makes mommy and daddy so happy when you go pee pee in the potty!". praise and encouragement have worked better for our daughter than any trick we've tried so far. it makes her happy to know she's making mommy and daddy happy. it's an awesome feeling! i really could see her being completely out of diapers in about 2 weeks. i'll be sure to update.

conquering potty training

after much frustration and for lack of a better term, just being lazy...we are finally full force on this whole potty training adventure. we've dusted off the rarely used mini pink potty, and we've taken out the big girl panties she's had for about a year now. i'm getting excited! our goal is to have our daughter potty trained by her 3rd birthday, which is June 3rd. we're hoping to have her potty trained before that, but if all doesn't go as smoothly as we hope it will, that's our max goal. we've tried the random potty thing and it didn't work. we've tried bribes, but that only seems to work every now and then. so i've decided, today, i'm taking the hands on approach. i'm stuck to her side, telling her to try to pee pee every 30 min. or so. i've found random things to make it fun, like setting my phone to sound an alarm for every 30 min. so she knows when it's time to try on the potty. i also stuck a cheerio or two in her potty and told her she needed to pee pee on them. i know that one is a little weird, but hey, she thought it was fun and it worked. there are also books and coloring pads near her potty to give her an activity to do while on the potty. we began operation potty training around 8 this morning and she has only had one accident all day, which incidentally was my fault for tickling her when she had been holding it for a while. so no more tickling. no bribes today. just fun and consistency. so far, it's worked pretty well. but i think what makes this so much easier on both of us, is letting go of my selfishness. today is not about what i have to get done, it's about helping my daughter conquer potty training. i'll be sure to post updates on her progress and post any tricks i may come across to make potty training a little easier. pray for the rest of the day to go as well as the first half!

i couldn't resist...

i know, i know, i did it again...i entered my child in another magazine cover contest. one day i will get tired of doing this. today is not that day. i can't resist, she's too cute not to show off. so, if you want to see her entry photos, here's the link:
http://www.parents.com/photos/photo-contests-1/2010-parents-cover-contest/1752700033/?photoId=1749600119