still here...

So, it's been so long, I was afraid I'd forgotten how to log in... I've got so many pictures to update... Christmas, snow, etc...
Wanted to jot down a few things the boys have said lately that made me smile...

We are in a love/hate stage... they love each other to pieces, yet cannot be around one another 5 minutes without some type of disagreement... over a toy, whether Jayce needs to help Gabe or he can "do it myself" or sometimes just a real difference in opinion...For example..
Gabe said he wanted me to take him to the zoo to see the dinosaurs... Jayce said "Gabe, they do not live at the zoo, silly..." Gabe: "uh huh they do Jayce!"
Jayce: "Gabe, the dinosaurs all live in heaven now..."

They are growing all the sudden so much and I cannot tell you how many times people look at me in shock like "when did they get so big?" I ask myself the same question. I went to clean out Gabe's closet today after months of procrastination... knowing that this time, putting away the jon jons was not going to be as easy... With Jayce, I could simply move them over to Gabe's closet and still look at them on my other sweet boy... Now, sadly, I'm bagging them up for the attic or consignment sales...very sad :(... I looked at his closet full of big boy button downs and khakis and thought to myself how in the world did this happen so fast? His crib is finally stored away as we made the transition a few months ago to his big boy bed (which he's done amazingly well with)! And it's time to transition his room to a "big boy room." Wow... but I tell him every day, he will always be my baby and he says "uh huh, I'm yours and daddy's baby big boy!" Along with my sadness though, I feel very content with out little family of 4... A few months back, I asked the Lord to please change Jay's heart if it was his will for us to have more (as Jay was not interested) or to change mine... but most likely I thought he'd want to change Jay's :)... Well, to my surprise, he has not changed Jay's and has actually changed mine to being quite content as we are now... If the Lord surprises us later, I know that I'd feel differently but for now, I'm thinking this is as he wants us!

Gabe is actually obsessed with turning 4 and asks about every day "am I four yet?"
I must say though that I am enjoying the freedom that comes along with the older years... and I've decided the Lord works it out for the school years to begin just as nap time ends... that way mommy still gets a break :)

OH, Jayce got his first call from a girl about a month ago... what in the world? 5K? She also gave him a Valentine that said "I've got my eye on you!" Granted she's adorable and I love her but still, he's 5... really? A phone call?

Anyhow, that's a quick random update for now... I'll post pics soon, I have Jay's old computer and am trying to figure out the best way to post them on here :)

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?

Don't be too impressed, it has actually been 2 days of staying in bed with flu type stuff and a fever that prompted me to realize I could at least be productive enough to update our blog picture! I loved this one of Jayce tickling Gabe's feet because it SO captures them at this age and how much fun they have with each other!

And, yes, time to catch up... I love the fall... The boys and I did the Florence County Fair for their good buddy Wallace's bday, we met their buddies Landon, Owen and Ian. We had a fantastic time! As nasty as the fair is, I LOVE it, love the smell of elephant ears and funnel cakes, and most of all to watch their faces when they taste that first bite of cotton candy! This year, they got to ride together, which was super for mommy, who does not much like rides or the way I feel afterwards! Glad Gabe could help me out this year!

Also, are pics of Gabe's first field trip to McLeod Farms. We visited a pumpkin patch and he got to pick out his very own pumpkin, as well as sample their homeade peach ice cream! We had a great time! I LOVE field trips!

and Gabe wants to go too :)

We were singing one of Gabe's and my all time favorites, "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine!" Last verse, "Let it shine till Jesus comes, I'm gonna let it shine..." Gabe said, "Mommy, WHERE IS JESUS?" I said well, he is in Heaven. Gabe said, "Well, I wanna go see him tomorrow..." I said, "Well, he is really high up in the sky and you can't really just go on your own..." He said, I can climb up there ALL BY MYSELF!

How do I get to Heaven mommy?

So, for a 5 1/2 year old, Jayce has always been very intrigued with and in tune to the things of God. We have always talked about God together but only in the past few weeks has he really begun to ask me questions specifically about Heaven and how he can go.
The first conversation started after he was at church and we have this Christian Magician Mark who goes to our church and is kind of famous with the kids around town for doing bday parties and stuff... well, he had visited them on Sunday and did a trick with a deck of cards where he held out the King and kept getting rid of all the others (this is how Jayce explained it at least) and then he asked "Who is the King?" Jayce said the King was Jesus and that all the other Kings are false gods. He went on to say that all the people who believe in these false gods are not going to Heaven but to hell. Sounds harsh, but I confirmed that yes this is true. Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven (I am THE way, THE truth and THE light, no man cometh to the Father but through me...John 14:6)
Over the course of a few days, Jayce went on to ask me repeatedly if he was going to Heaven and about numerous other friends and family members and their status. I explained to him that God would cover with his grace any child who was not of age to understand how to make a choice about Jesus Christ. As for all the others, I said that only God really knew their hearts. I said of course that I hope so, and yes they will if they are saved.
He asked me what it means to be saved and how he could know for sure he was going? I explained to him that first he needs to realize that he is a sinner and did he know what that meant (for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God...Romans 3:23). He said "Yes, like when I do bad stuff....mommy, do you sin? does daddy?" "Yes, Jayce, we both sin, everyone does... Jesus is the only person who never sinned." I went on to explain that because we are so sinful, we deserve to go to hell. But the good thing is that when choose to be saved, we do not have to pay for our sin by spending an eternity in hell, but we our sins were payed for by Jesus' death on the cross, his blood covers our sins (But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us...Romans 5:8). When we are saved, we get to spend eternity with Jesus Christ in Heaven. I explained that once we tell God we are sorry for our sins (That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved...Romans 10:9) and we want him to be our Savior, and come into our hearts and stay there that He will (For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved...Romans 10:13). And THEN, we can know for sure that we can go to Heaven. "Well mommy, so we don't deserve to go to Heaven?" "No baby, we don't, we deserve to go to Hell because our sins separate us from God but we can go to Heaven because of His sacrifice on the cross for us." "Well mommy, so Heaven is like a gift God gives us?" "Yes, I think you got it, it is a gift!" (...but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ out Lord...Romans 6:23)

"Dear Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and I do wrong things. I am sorry for my sin. I want to accept the gift you gave us by dying on the cross for my sins. I want you to come into my heart and I want to give my life to you." So mommy, (BIG SMILE)... "Jesus is in my heart now?" Yes baby, HUGE SMILE, Jesus is in your heart! "Well mommy, can Jesus be lots of places at once? Like in Heaven, and in my heart, and around the whole world?" "Yes, only Jesus can be all those places."

Now THIS is a moment I had to record asap so as never to forget all the precious details! THIS as I told Jayce, is what I've prayed for since he was a tiny tiny baby... as he said "even when I was as small as a worm?" Yes, even then!

Some may say Jayce is too young to truly understand this. I do not believe so. I know that for now, he may not be the most mature Christian in the world, but the seeds are planted and his Christian journey has begun. It is my hope and prayer that the seeds planted in his heart will remain throughout life no matter where he goes. I pray they will not only remain, but grow and grow into a life that shows his love for Jesus ("Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.")

First Day of School

Ok, so Gabe has started 3K half day... remember he did NO mother's morning out! So this is big! I am glad I've waited a few weeks to write just because I might have sounded like I was in a deep depression the first few.... or maybe just one.. it's actually really nice now. I do miss him alot BUT, I am loving having some quiet time in the mornings to work, run errands ALONE, clean out closets that have needed to be cleaned out for 3 years... and just kind of catch my breath after the last 3 years! And, I am SO ready to see them when I do get them! Jayce is in a full day now, which I DO NOT like... I really would love to have him with us from noon on, but that's not an option for 5K.. I miss my other little buddy at lunch but it is nice to have some 1:1 time with Gabe too!

It does help that Gabe LOVES school, he told me "mommy I love my school." His first words to Jay when he sat down at his table for orientation were "Daddy, the girls are so pretty here." I KNOW Jay had to have been just like him as a 3 year old...

Jayce is loving school too although he won't admit it... I just know because he would have TOLD Me if he did not like it, he told me that so much last year! He used to dread going and he seems to look forward to it now. He is making a + s! I am SO excited! Jayce has always been very real world smart but has not cared much for his school work... it's like something has clicked this year and he's really getting it, and he's so proud of himself, it makes me happy! He has had a green card every day for behavior except for one day of yellow for too much talking. We took away tv for the day and have not had a problem since, he loves his Backyardigans. So, we are off to a great start! Hope it continues ! Starting Upward football now so will have some cute pics to post soon I'm sure!

PS The little girl in the pics is Hallie... Jayce LOVES Hallie... don't be mad at me Jayce if you read this years down the road... he is very defensive about it... but he gets this look when he talks about her, he grins so big, gets really shy, and denies everything... but he loves to chase her at recess... and today told me he was her "guard" at recess, walking back and forth in front of her to make sure she didn't get away!

911

So, how embarrassing it was Saturday that I had a little fender bender... actually I hit a legally parked stationary car in the TJ Maxx parking lot... simply because I was paying absolutely no attention at all... The most embarrassing part however was that I had to call the police to come do a report and Jay brought the boys up there to meet me and talk to the police... Well, see, we are always telling Gabe that if he takes his straps off in his car seat we will take him to the police... So, the first thing he says when he sees me is "Mommy, is that police man gonna take you to jail? Well, I won't let him!" I explained that no, I just had an accident and he wouldn't take me to jail for that... I kind of thought he was over it and then today, during a prayer he wanted to pray for his teacher... it went like this "Dear Jesus, Thank you for Mrs. Thompson, please help her feel better, and I pray for 911, that they won't take my mommy to jail and that she won't get in another wreck, in Jesus name I pray amen." So, I have scarred him for life I think!

However,the other reason I am writing this is I am so impressed with his prayer ! Not only did he pray for Mrs. Thompson to feel better, he started with thankfulness for her! That is how God wants us to come to him, with praise and thanks for who He is and all He has done for us. The lessons learned from a 3 year old are truly priceless.

umbrella

Boys are doing great, school is going awesome! I will post pics as soon as I download them from my camera but wanted to write this story down real quick while I remember! Today, Gabe and I were in the garage preparing for our yard sale... He was playing with an umbrella and was saying "help mommy, they're after me..." loves to play that game... then he switched to "Mommy, I'll come help you... they're coming, I'll protect you under my umbrella..." he ran over and put it over my head. I said, thank you Gabe for protecting me. He continued with his role play and said "I am Jesus, I'll protect you." I thought, how amazing is it that my 3 year old just described so beautifully the love of Jesus. He will protect us from whatever storms we have in life under the umbrella of His love and grace.