What Chick-fil-A taught me...

I long to sink my teeth into a chicken sandwich from Chick-fil-A...specifically, a #1 combo with Coke, value-sized with Chick-fil-A sauce and a brownie. Mmmmm. I once ate at Chick-fil-A for breakfast, lunch, and dinner all in the same day. That might have even happened twice :o). I can eat just about everything on their menu (and I know many things have been added in the last 2 years I haven't had it!). Chick-fil-A makes me happy. Clearly. That's where I want to eat my first meal when I come home next summer. I might even request it being brought to the airport :o). Enough gushing on my hunger. Some friends' parents recently came to visit and brought them a ton of stuff. One particular thing that they brought and gave to Caden was a book from a Chick-fil-a kid's meal. Aw, kid's meals. I'd eat one of those too :o). Yeah, so the book...Caden loves it. He wants us to read it to him daily. It's about a bird who is having a bad day and his bear friend tries to cheer him up. At first, I thought it was silly. But it actually speaks so loudly to my heart that I often think about it's message throughout the day. Britton always says my glass is half-full, which really is true. I'm a cynic and often too down on life as I complain about most things. Sometimes I struggle to see the positive in things and instead see what's wrong with the situation and life in general. It may sound silly, but I'm a lot like 'Bird' in this book as he reminds me that whether or not I have a bad day is really all up to me.

"Happy Fields"

 

 "I'm blue," said Bird,

"and it's time you all heard,

what a terrible day that I've had!"

 

"My nest is all crumpled,

My feathers are rumpled,

and my mood is decidedly bad."

 

"Hold on there," said Bear,

"we all offered to share,

our laughter and friendship with you."

 

"We've all had a bad day,

when things don't go our way,

and everyone knows this is true."

 

"You must think of the good things,

and spread your proud bird wings

and soar to the clouds in the sky!"

 

"And you'll soon find your stride

as you swoop and you glide.

There's a glow in your heart

when you fly!"

 

"It's so simple," said Bird,

"and to think that I've stirred up

such trouble when now that I see,"

 

"there's much joy to be found

in the world all around,

and it's really just all up to me!"

At home

We love having fun out in our city, but we also love being at home. We have some crazy things happen around here, but it always keeps us laughing.

Grady now has 4 teeth and loves grinding them together. Ugh. I hate that sound. During our language study in the day, he often sits in a chair while he gets many snacks. Here he's enjoying a puff. Oh, and he can no longer sit in his walker because he can crawl out!

a shot of his new top teeth

 

Caden wanted to get in Grady's bed one night. He didn't stay there long! Amazing how big he is now. I measured him the other day and he is 39.2 inches. He's less than 2 feet from my height!!

I love this shot. Caden seems to have dropped his nap, although the last few days he's started napping again (PTL!!). He still has to have rest time, so as long as he's quiet in his room for a while, we don't care how he's playing. I walked in the other day and laughed at his organization. He would prefer to organize the books than read them. Haha! What 2 year old does this?!

 I love this photo. I especially love how it shows Grady's teeth. These are 'life is good' shirts that my mom recently sent.

 Ha. This is funny. The picture in the picture is Caden at 9 months. Grady is 10 months as he's looking. I can't believe how much they look alike! My house helper seriously thought the picture was Grady.

 We love having people in our home, so we don't have to take the kids out. Makes life easier. These friends love playing with the kids and vice versa.

 Fun times.

Oh man. So, Britton recently hurt his foot playing basketball and it's continued to be sore. Our house helper was convinced she could fix it, so she brought her own homemade medicine, complete with alcohol to rub on his foot. At least he didn't have to drink anything! He claims his foot is feeling a 'little' better. 

 

Also, another funny story. You've seen several posts on the random things Grady likes to cuddle with, like a bowling pin. He recently cuddled with Caden's tube of toothpaste while I nursed him, then when I went to check on him the other night he was cuddled up with this lemonade bottle. The only thing I could figure was Caden threw it in there, and when I laid Grady down he snuggled up with it. Funny kid.

These are some of my most favorite videos! They are of Grady and I playing 'chase,' the kids enamored by their daddy's juggling skills, Grady throwing a ball, the kids having fun in the bathtub, and our friend playing with them. I hope you have as much fun as I do when watching them!



Saturdays

Saturdays. Love them. It's a day when we try to relax but also have a lot of fun. Generally, the kids are super antsy in the morning forcing us to get out and do something. Here's hoping for a day when they will want to sleep in and be lazy on a Saturday morning! Nevertheless, we find ourselves out and about and enjoy some family time. Here's how we've spent some of our Saturdays.

The Arcade. Caden loves the arcade. Here lately he just likes watching other people play and especially when people do dance dance revolution. I can tell he wishes he could do that too. Britton and I both had our go at bball, so Caden naturally wanted a turn. He could barely get the ball over the barrier, but he still had fun.

I had fun on the motorcycles with my boys.

Whenever we go to our favorite mall, we usually eat at the KFC there. Oh, I long for the day when I can eat at Chick-fil-A again as much as I eat at KFC now. Anyway, this particular day Caden loved his new friend :o)

We also enjoyed a day taking some of our friends' kids to the science museum. Caden loved holding this little boy's hand everywhere they went. They are over 3 years apart, but you'd never know it.



 Grady found a friend too. Come to find out, this little girl was born the day after Grady! Crazy.

 This was a giant monkey swing. Kinda weird but fun.

 They both love Grady so much.

 Caden especially loved this climbing wall. He ran out of wall.

 Hehe. Love this.

 We also try to have some fun at home. The dear friend that lived in this apartment before us had what she called 'water day.' She left their hose here, so we tried recreating it. We only had Caden's old tub, but that just wasn't going to cut it. I love the smile that Caden is 'cracking' here :o)

 Our friends came over and they shared their new pool with us. Now, we're talking.

 They also enjoyed spraying each other. Grady was terrified of the kids' pool, so he enjoyed being in his own space being an on-looker...much like his mama.

 He was a happy camper.

 These are 2 short videos. The first one is of Caden getting water poured on him. Watch Grady because he gets really upset when the water pours everywhere but quickly is fine. The second one is of this crazy tunnel at the science museum that really messed with my equilibrium.

 

Fun in our City

We have a lot to do in our city, and we are constantly finding new places and enjoying the old. These are pretty random but all over our city.

We have a market within a short walk of our neighborhood literally called "The Bird and Flower Market." There also happens to be many dogs for sale there too. I loved seeing this pup not only because of it's poofy hair but also because if you look closely you'll see the #1 with an American flag that says USA on it. Loved her clothing choice. 

 Gotta love weddings here. Weddings are super low key and way more cheap than in the states. It's not nearly as big a ceremony, and the couple stands at the door to receive blessings from the public. A very short ceremony is usually held at a hotel. I particularly loved (*note sarcasm*) this bride's dress. I do actually love her shoes, but the dress is a bit much. Oh, and no one ever buys their own dress. They always rent one. Wonder how many have rented this one?!

 This is inside our supermarket. Oh yeah, get your live chicken, right here! Everyone always takes our photos of us like it's no big deal, so I decided I would unashamedly take a photo of this guy and his chickens. Bad idea. He started yelling at me in English, "How do you do?!" He kept yelling this across the store until I was out of sight even after I had responded. So annoying.

 In our city, you never ever leave home without an umbrella. Since our city is the city with precious sunlight, everyone knows it could rain at any point. The kicker is that even when it's super sunny and beautiful outside they still use their umbrellas because they are afraid of their skin getting even darker. Man, I bask in the sun when it's out and love their dark skin. When people admire my white, pale skin, I quickly respond by saying I like their skin. They laugh and say there's no way I would like their ugly skin. I then explain Americans' love for sunbathing. It's all quite funny and strange when ya think about it. I guess we all want what we don't have. I love all their sparkley umbrellas.

 We recently found a new play place really close to our home. If you're not wearing your own socks, they make you wear some slippers. I particularly love the color on Britton ;o)

 Caden and  I went back to this same play place by ourselves for some mommy-son time. With Grady practically attached to me, we have to take some specific time just the 2 of us, so he doesn't just see me just as Grady's mommy but as his too!

 Caden has become quite the climber. There's also a fire pole that he loves sliding/falling down.

 In our old neighborhood, there was a pool right outside our apartment. We actually never went there. We have a friend there that invited us to come one day, so Caden just hung out in the kiddie pool and thoroughly enjoyed himself.

 He also really enjoyed splashing the other kids. I love his farmer's tan!

 And they liked forming a train behind him; he wasn't a fan of that.

 This shows what is not in our city. We got 4 huge boxes of stuff from friends and family in Britton's hometown. We were so incredibly blessed to get so much food we haven't seen in almost 2 years!

 This was only 2 of the boxes.

One of our favorite things to do is take strolls in our little neighborhood. There are no cars in our gated area, so we are more comfortable with letting Caden run around...and he needs to run around! Because people are only allowed to have one child here, the children are generally very spoiled. I particularly love this little car, complete with a remote control for the parent. As my mom says, it's a toy for the kid and the parent!

We went to our favorite amusement park and let the kids play inside a tent on a rainy day. When the foreign kids sat down, all the local children (*read parents) took the opportunity to take photos with the foreign kids. I love that Caden is trying really hard to do a peace sign...not quite, buddy, but still cute!

We went to Pizza Hut one day to celebrate one of our local friend's birthdays. He turned 5!

 And this is our beautiful city at night. It can be beautiful when it wants to be!

Now, who wants to come for a visit?

2 cents

I wanted to share my thoughts from my last refocus day. It's my 2 cents on life because that's about all it's worth! I learn the more and more I read books and the more and more I think about my opinion and outlooks that they pale in comparison to the Word. Sometimes the Word baffles my mind and leaves me asking many questions; other times it simply speaks to my heart in the most comforting way without looking very hard. I really don't know how people live without Christ. And I don't mean living without knowing Him in a 'heard-of-him' kind of way. I mean I don't know how people live without His active hand in their lives because of sin or because of complete rejection of Him. I've tried it. I've tried holding onto my sin so hard, because let's face it, sin feels good. It is fulfilling, yet it always leaves us empty. The only thing that brings complete satisfaction and fulfillment is entirely resting in Him...putting all of your trust in Him knowing that He is in control of your life when you are so out of control. Man, that's my life motto. I feel like I go through so many times when I need to take a hard look at my journey of growing in righteousness (becoming more like Christ). He never fails to show me exactly where I'm putting my joy instead of in Him. Maybe you can relate to some of these feelings. This is kind of a bunch of random thoughts according to where the Lord led me in Scripture that day.

I often find myself desiring laziness more than desiring the Word. I want to be left alone and unchallenged and yet still be favored by God. I want life to be easy and yet relate to people's struggles. I want to love people as God does, but I often hate them. I want something I am not working toward. So, I pr-y for refinement--that the Lord would transform my heart into His likeness. That I would allow the Holy Spirit to work through me like electricity running through a light bulb.

Do I have the fruit of the Spirit?
-LOVE-I often hate these people
-JOY-sustained from other sources
-PEACE-I have peace and trust in the Lord but often confuse contentment with peace
-PATIENCE-the Lord is constantly refining me in this area in the midst of another culture; I am often angry when things don't go my way
-KINDNESS-I have a tolerating kind of kindness that shows on my face but is not in my heart
-GOODNESS-I do many good things for my namesake, not for the Lord
-FAITHFULNESS-I have stuck with the faith through many hard times. The Lord has given me grace to push through
-GENTLENESS-Because of a lack of patience and kindness, I am harsh and condescending
-SELF-CONTROL-I often give in to a desire to be lazy instead of being disciplined in the Lord

My light bulb is flickering at best. Lord, please let your Holy Spirit run through me and make me a bright light.

"Consider what God has done: Who can straighten what he has made crooked? When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future."-Ecclesiastes 7:13-14

In the book of Ruth, we find such a beautiful picture of Ruth getting a 2nd chance at life. She was in a destitute land left without a husband and children, yet Boaz 'bought' her and took her in giving her a family that led to the Savior of the world and the ultimate kinsman-redeemer. What a beautiful picture not only for the redemption of our kids but also for us as the Lord became our kinsman-redeemer, claiming his ownership of us and not leaving us alone. He is a good kinsman-redeemer loving us faithfully and filling us with His blessings.

I love this Psalm:

¹You, God, are my God,
    earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
    my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
    where there is no water.

² I have seen you in the sanctuary
    and beheld your power and your glory.
³ Because your love is better than life,
    my lips will glorify you.
⁴ I will praise you as long as I live,
    and in your name I will lift up my hands.
⁵ I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
    with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

⁶ On my bed I remember you;
    I think of you through the watches of the night.
⁷ Because you are my help,
    I sing in the shadow of your wings.
⁸ I cling to you;
    your right hand upholds me.

⁹ Those who want to kill me will be destroyed;
    they will go down to the depths of the earth.
¹⁰ They will be given over to the sword
    and become food for jackals.

¹¹ But the king will rejoice in God;
    all who swear by God will glory in him,
    while the mouths of liars will be silenced.

~Psalm 63

 

Refinement is never easy, but it's outcome is always fulfilling. I think it's best described through the words of Ginny Owen in her song, 'If You Want Me To' (it's a really beautiful song; you should search it):

 

The pathway is broken
And the signs are unclear
And I don't know the reason why You brought me here
But just because You love me the way that You do
I'm gonna walk through the valley
If You want me to

No I'm not who I was
When I took my first step
And I'm clinging to the promise You're not through with me yet
So if all of these trials bring me closer to You
Then I will walk through the fire
If You want me to

It may not be the way I would have chosen
When You lead me through a world that's not my home
But You never said it would be easy
You only said I'll never go alone

So when the whole world turns against me
And I'm all by myself
And I can't hear You answer my cries for help
I'll remember the sufferin' Your love put You through
And I will walk through the darkness
If You want me to

'Cause when I cross over Jordan, I'm gonna sing, gonna shout
Gonna look into your eyes and see you never let me down
So take me on the pathway that leads me home to you
And I will walk through the valley if you want me to

Yes, I will walk through the valley if you want me to

Cutest kids on the block...

...at least that's what they tell me. Really. I recently had someone tell me, "Oh, foreign kids are cuter than ours." How sad! I mean I think my kids are cute--darn cute--but not that cute! You can read a fun post about being a foreigner by clicking here. Regardless of others' strange opinions, my kids remain cute, and I love watching them grow. I love the new thing I added on the side bar of our blog that says 'I'm thankful for piles of laundry because it means my blessings are nearby.' That's so true. I've told Britton that instead of complaining about the endless loads of laundry that I want to be thankful for them. There will come a day when they are grown up and out of the house, and I will look at Britton and say, 'I wish I had more laundry to do because that would mean they're here!' Enough babbling...onto the kids...(these photos are from the last 2 months)

See what I mean? Cute!

This is beyond cute. This is adorable. I love my new phone...well, specifically the camera in my new phone.

 Is it just me or does he look a lot older than 2 1/2?!

 even cute sipping water

 sportin' daddy's glasses that pretty much fit his face perfectly

 once again Grady always finds a way to make us laugh; first he couldn't live without his little baby gloves. Now, he can't live without a bowling pin. Nothing like snuggling up next to your very own bowling pin.

 Just the sweetest little face

 This was a month ago. He's moving so much now that I don't sit for more than 10-15 minutes at a time. Just precious.

 What do ya do when your parents study all day and all you have is a pink walker? Get creative. I enjoyed watching all the ways Grady found to play with the walker.

Peek-a-boo. He looks like he has underwear on his head. Ha. 

 Hahahaha! This is my favorite. He looks like a serious principal about to expel a kid and that happens to be sitting in a pink chair with his shirt off. Hehe. Poor baby was really sick here, but it doesn't stop him from being cute and hilarious!

Here's 2 sets of videos. The first set are shorter videos of the boys playing sweet together, Grady talking, and flipping Caden over (I first did this move with him at his first birthday almost 2 years ago! He still loves it, and now Grady loves it too).

This set of videos is a little longer, so it'll be for those committed grandparent types that just want to see every movement of our kids! It includes Caden and Grady playing bumper cars, Caden putting a puzzle together (love that he puts it together starting with the borders and corners), and Grady having fun in Caden's room while Caden is gone :o)