The best days of all, Daddy Days!!!

This summer has been crazy!  Really, really crazy!  But a couple of weekends ago Daddy decided to take the whole day and take his girls to the coast.  Nothing gets the five girls in this house excited like the idea of spending the whole day with Daddy!

Our first stop was Regatta Park.  I had been here as a little girl, but had forgotten all about it.  This is a really cool place!

This is only about 1/2 of the play structure!

Lydia and Bethany had a blast exploring all of the different things to climb, jump on, slide on etc..

Havilah was a little less than thrilled at not being able to swing the whole time, but still had fun watching her sisters.  "Swing now?"

The rubber bridge cheered her up a little!

The big girls however, never ran out of new things to try!

Finally, Havi got to swing!

Our next stop was the beach!  It was a little windy, but overall a gorgeous day!

"What's the hole for Daddy?"

Havi is the first one planted!

What pretty little flowers!

Lydia LOVED the ocean and would have chased waves all day long!

Bethany however, much preferred to keep her distance!

We went on south to Newport and checked out the wharf.

And of course the sea lions!

And of course, Mo's!

Waiting for food!

Mmmmm! Clam chowder!

Ella enjoyed her crackers!

On our way out of town we had time for one last stop. Salt Water Taffy!!!!!!!

Thank you Daddy for such a wonderful day!!!  It will be remembered for a very long time! We all love you!!!!!

Our Days

Psalm 90: 12~ So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.

I know for myself as a mom, I have the tendency to be swept into two different pitfalls.  I swing from feeling trapped in each day, as if the crying will never stop, the laundry pile will never disappear and the stinky diaper smell will never dissipate to feeling like life is speeding past me with such ferocity that I go into panic mode.  Amazing isn't it, how when we lose focus of what we are called to, life has an uncanny way of falling completely to pieces.  What is our focus?  What are we preparing for every day that we are here on this earth?

Eternity.

How hard headed we are, to be so consumed with our material lives that we completely miss the point of it all.  This world is not our home.  One day, possibly much sooner than we would dream, we will standing before our King.  How ashamed I will be of all of the wasted time I spent feeling discontent, angry, envious, irritable, impatient, grumpy, lazy, unappreciative and many other things that I choose to let into my life on a daily basis.  How clearly I will see how what I look at now as "so important" is nothing.  Absolutely nothing.

So how do I number my days?

For me, first I must realize that not only is every day a gift, but it is also a fleeting opportunity.  If I look at every dish washed, every nose wiped, every sleepless night as merely an intrusion on the plans I have set up for my life, I will completely miss the beauty of the eternal perspective.

When I choose  to see each mundane, tiring or frustrating event that comes my way as an opportunity to give glory to God by working whole-heartedly and and thinking joyfully, I am choosing to cash in on a limited amount of moments I have to say " I know that there is more to this life than living it for my own pleasures."

Life is fleeting.  We were all reminded of that in a very real way once again this week.  Pray for the Lord to teach us to number our days.  Then, the Bible says, we will gain a heart of wisdom.  And that is what we need!  He is the one who knows the number of our days.  And He is the one who knows how we should live them! 

But please no anchovies!

I'm really not a very picky eater.  There are a few things however that I feel very strongly about.  Pizza crust is one of those.  I either love it or I hate really really don't care for it.  Making homemade pizza for me was fraught with disappointment.  As I would chew that pizza fresh from the oven that smelled so good, one thing would be going through my mind.  Cardboard. 

A few weeks ago though, I found a recipe that changed my pizza making days forever!  This recipe is easy, chewy, moist and delicious!  Here's how it goes.

Mix 3 cups warm water with  1 1/2 Tbl. yeast and let sit for a few minutes.  Add 4 tsp. salt and 6 1/2 cups flour.

This next step is one of the most important, so pay good attention!  Remove all rings!!!  Enthusiastically smoosh and squash the dough until it is thoroughly mixed.

It will be sticky!!!

Cover and let rise for 2 hours.

This is what it will look like.

After rising, punch dough down and either use immediately or cover and store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks!  To use refrigerated dough, let rise 20 min. before forming.  This amount of dough makes about 2 pizzas.  Roll dough out on a greased pizza tray or cookie sheet.  Make dough thicker around the edges for a thick and chewy crust or tuck string cheese around the edge for a yummy filled crust!

One of the best things about things about pizza making is that there are multiple jobs that even the smallest willing hands can master with great success!

This pizza was just a classic.  Just a bit of spaghetti sauce spread on the dough, sprinkled with a light covering of mozz. cheese, topped with pepperoni and olives and then finished with more cheese, a bit of parmesan and a dash of Italian seasoning.

Bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes.

Mmmmmm! So good!

Pizza night has been an especially fun part of our week.  We've tried out many different variations and are excited to experiment some more.  Remember to take advantage of these times to have some real family fun and use those tiny willing hands!

No Thanks "Normal"!

When spending time with my girls, one of the comments I hear the most is, " Wow! They actually enjoy being together!".  And they do.  But let me get this straight right now;  THIS IS NOT AN ACCIDENT!!!

I firmly believe that the loving family is one of God's greatest gifts to us.  I also believe that it is being viciously attacked by our enemy.  I believe that it is vitally important that we pray for a wise a discerning heart in all areas of life, but especially as we seek to raise our children.  Remember, "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got".  If we continue to think, act and plan the way things "are always done", how can we expect to get any different results from the world around us.  Divorce, rebellion, estranged relationships are rampant.  What kind of lives are we setting our children up to live?

How do we teach our children to love each other?  Little by little by little by little, every day of each one's life.  Once again, keep careful watch for the "normal" issues that "all children" go through.  Remember, all children are selfish.  But that doesn't mean we cater to their selfishness!  It means we are careful to train it out of them. 

"Normal" issues include things like "The new baby is born so naturally the older sibling is going to go through a rough time", "I have to make sure my kids have time to themselves away from their siblings", "My children will need their own individual friends so they don't feel smothered by their siblings".  This way of thinking is a sure recipe for the classic,  "My siblings drive me crazy!  Why can't they leave me alone!  I'm always stuck with them!".  But isn't that normal?  Absolutely!  Do I want normal? NO THANK YOU!!!

Remember that our children don't come to us spiritually neutral.  They have a sin nature as real as you and me.  And while we don't look at violence, lying and stealing and say, "It's very normal and understandable", why would I say that about a selfish attitude towards their siblings.  So what do we teach them?

These are the things our girls hear multiple times every single day.  "Oh Ella, look at your big sister taking such good care of you!", "Havilah, have your sweet sister help you with your shoes.", "Remember to tell your wonderful sister thank you and give her a big love!", "Look how Ella is smiling at you!  She loves you sooooo much!", "Isn't it so wonderful that God gave you sisters to play with?", "Our girls are our most precious treasures!", "Sisters are the best buddies in the whole world!", "Won't it be fun when Ella gets bigger and you can all play together?", "Aren't you so glad you get to sleep with your sister?".  And they always respond with a resounding "YES!!!!".  And they mean it!  I just went and asked my three older girls who are sitting the couch together, " Do you girls love each other?", and they all yelled "Yes!!!!!".  "How much?" I asked.  Lydia said, "As big as our house" while Bethany and Havilah gave each other a huge hug.

This is not fake.  They really do adore each other.  Every single one.  But we live a very real life.  They do fight.  They do seek their own pleasures rather than thinking of each other.  But we strive to take each situation and not only address the wrong actions, but the selfish heart that is behind it. 

 The Bible tells us to love one another, over and over and over.  It is one of the most important things I am to teach my children.  And the blessings that come from it are limitless.

Don't let the world tell you what is "normal".  As I say over and over, God is good and His ways are good!  When we strive to do things His way, we will have bumpy days.  We will feel incredibly discouraged at times.  We will realize that we have a real enemy.  But we will also experience amazing blessings!  Blessings that will make us wonder why we would ever want to do things the way the world tells us to!  Blessings that will make us marvel even more at how good our God is!