*Moved*

I forgot to mention that I am no longer posting here at this blog! I have given Eli and Kai their own personal blog over here: www.2pups.blogspot.com

It is going to be written from their point of view instead of mine.

*Moved*

I forgot to mention that I am no longer posting here at this blog! I have given Eli and Kai their own personal blog over here: www.harperpups.blogspot.com

It is going to be written from their point of view instead of mine.

smile

Eli and his cousin Jace.......................cuties!

paintings and songs

So Eli went to the Museum of Art today. I can't say he enjoyed immensly but I can say he endured it quite well. I thought this was of interest today when I asked him to tell me what he saw in this painting. He said, smoke and clouds and fire. That is pretty good, better than what I would have come up with. There were many other paintings that he had some very good insight on too. I think it so interesting to see through his eyes, some of the paintings when I saw them were so serious and dark but when his little voice spoke of what his mind saw they were captivating and intriguing.




The many faces of Eli. While we are sitting in Hard Rock Cafe eating our lunch a song comes on the tv called Celebration by Kool and the Gang and Eli turns towards us and says "Yeah, it is like Celebration Praise the Lord!"..............yes! I love to hear random out of no wear thoughts of God. I just loved it, Rick and I looked at eachother with much joy and we praised Eli and God right then!!!

Spidey Eli and Kai

So I know I said Eli had made a decision on what He wanted to be Dash well a lot has happened since then. He has watched Spiderman 1 and 2, Daredevil, X-Men and the Justice League. So he has gone from all of those about 3 times in one day. Today I took him to Party City and when he saw all the costumes he with out a doubt picked Spiderman. So we bought it and bought Kai one also. They are both going to be Spidermen. He also has decided to do his birthday party in Spiderman theme. He is sooooo excited. Today he wore his costume all over the house, actually he is sleeping in his bed write now in it. And we are not allowed to refer to him as Eli when he has the costume on, he is Spiderman. It is very cute and fun to watch him.

The Runaway Hermit

This is Rocky our hermit crab. He lives in the our bathroom suite. Every morning one of Eli's chores is to bath him and feed him. Well, I decided he might enjoy a day by the pool so I got a whipped cream bowl and put a little water in it and his log and we put him in there on the counter. He looked as though he was enjoying himself so we left him and went about our day. About 2 hours later I thought let me go check on Rocky. Empty. The pool area was empty. I thought what, how could he be gone? Then it occured to me that he had climbed on the log and then fell out. So I got nervous cause the bowl was right on the edge of the counter. I started looking around but didn't see him anywhere. I called Eli in the bathroom and he couldn't believe he had gotten out. We both went on a search for him mumbling our ideas to eachother of where he could be. Then I realized that he must still be on the counter cause if he fell he would have cracked his shell, so I looked up there some more and I look in our basket of shells I see this very odd colored shell sitting in another shell and yep there he is. He had climbed in this basket of shells. Eli said awww he wanted to go home with the other shells.












So now we put him in his pool and put it in a larger bowl with shells around it. He really seems to enjoy that as much as a hermit crab can I guess.

Dash and Baby Jack-Jack

Well Eli decided this morning what he wanted to be for Halloween. I saw a costume in an advertisement of the little boy in the Incredibles and I showed it to him. A grin appeared and a loud "Yeah, I want to be an Incredible!" Last night he ran around the house pretending to run super fast like Dash, I don't know why it didn't occur to me sooner. He is excited. He wants me and daddy to be Elastigirl and Mr. Incredible but.....ummmm I told him probably not. Ha ha. But I thought how cute would it be if Kai was Jack-Jack the baby incredible! So cute, I think.

A simple act of kindness

I thought this was cute. Today while Eli was on his way into church a man that we don't know well was walking vertical to Eli and when he got close to him he patted him on the head gently. I looked at Eli to see if he noticed but he didn't seem to, he just kept walking with out evening glancing up. Then like a second later he said to himself but loud enough so that I could here him..."What a sweet man". I asked him why he thought that and he said, "he just patted me on the head". Awwwww, I thought that was so sweet. When the man patted him on the head I didn't think Eli had thought it to be of any significance. But he did, inside he felt that man touch his head and it immediatly warmed Eli's heart. I wonder how often that happens in my life. That I touch someone and to me it looked like it didn't faze them at all but in actuallity touched them deeply or just enough to make them smile inside. Maybe just a "God bless you" to a gloomy cashier or a "You look beautiful" to a lady at church. They may not act as if what i said affected them much but you never know what they are feeling inside.

Kai is now saying a few words. Of course only me and Rick can understand them but they count all the same. He says thank you, I love you, Bubba, Mamma, Dadda, what is that, and his all time favorite.........ELI. He loves his Eli. He shouts for him if he is not around. He is a precious little monster!

Cute and Silly

Cuteness and just plain Silliness!!

Lego Math and Little blue Bible

This is Eli's Math lessons. It is an interesting way of teaching him how to count, add, subtract, learn his colors, enhance his motor skills and I think help his imagination and patience. Eli knows all his colors but for some reason he gets green and pink confused. He very often will call green pink and pink green. We are not sure why. Maybe that is how he sees them? He has done this for at least a year now. Anyway, he loves to do his math lessons everyday. And when he does his lesson and if he does them well he is allowed to build with the legos. Here is one of his creations.

It was a building with stairs on the side. He was very proud. He is doing so well............he is amazing me with his readiness to learn and his quickness. He is learning to read and can read these words:

See.......mat.......rat.......sat.....me......and he could read any words with r,a,t,s,m, and e in them. He knows all of those sounds and he knows how to sound out a word. Oh, I wanted to post a picture of him and his blue bible to show you how much he loves it. This is at a birthday party or get together in our apartment for his "girlfriend" Breanna. The whole time he carried his bible around and pretended to read it.

These pictures are just some of the fun that Eli and Kai have experienced here in Dallas. The MacDonald's here is or are just huge and frantically exciting for a 5 and 1 year old. Ikea was not so fun until the end when they had a play area for them to romp on. And Joes Crab Shack was a fun and relaxing time for all of us. Rick and I can sit and talk and they can play it up on the play ground. It is so nice here but still even with all these new and exciting things right in our reach like we have always wished for there is something that just doesn't feel quite right. As I tucked Eli into bed tonight I thought about how well he has taken this whole move. It has not seemed to bother him or Kai in the least. From the very beginning they both went to sleep in their room as if they were home in Natchitoches. It has been a true blessing............that I am thankful for. We thought Eli would have a little harder time. Now it is us that is having the hard time or maybe just me. I miss a lot of things about our 1st home. I often miss our fridge with all of my pictures on it and my window seal right above my sink and I knew I would just because I felt like those two things I saw a lot of and they were just for some reason special to me. So, anyway I just wanted to share some pictures of the boys.........all 3 of them. Be blessed.

Class is now in Session

Well, Eli started school last monday officially. I have to say he is enjoying it very much. As of right now we are having class at the table in the dinning area. In about 98 lessons he should beable to read and write, which he is very excited about. He wants to beable to read his little blue bible, he carries it around with him everywhere. Yesterday when we were in "class" we were learning about the sun and he asked me why it didn't fall from the sky like everything else? Good question, huh? How does it stay there? I told him that God does not allow it to fall because he is holding it up (forgetting how literal he takes everything). He looks at me puzzled....."doesn't it burn his hand?" Ha ha, I laughed and explained that God doesn't hold it with his hand he just doesn't let it fall because he is powerful. "God is magical!" he said. Well, yes I guess he is magical. I love when he tells me what is on his mind like that. He makes God so real to me and so "magical and simply radiant". There is nothing like seeing God and His creation through a childs eyes.

Why God Made Little Boys

God made a world out of His dreams,of magic mountains, oceans and streams.Prairies and plains and wooded land,then paused and thought"I need someone to standon top of the mountains, to conquer the sea,explore the plains and climb the trees,someone to start out small and grow sturdy,strong like a tree" and so...He created boys, full of spirit and funto explore and conquer, to romp and runwith dirty faces, banged up chins,with courageous hears and boyish grins.When He had completed the task He'd begun,He'd surely said, "That's a job well done".Author Unknown

Eli's view

Today in class I asked him to draw a picture of what he thought God looked like and what heaven looked like. He was a little weary at first but he said okay and started drawing. When he was done this is the picture he had drawn for me and on the side is his description of the picture.
In case you can't read it it says: "This is God and their house in heaven looking out their windows watching out for the children as they play. And Huzzy lives with God and Jesus in their house. God is in his house cooking food for Huzzy. He is cooking her favorite food."


















God is the top one and the bottom one is Jesus and to the left of Jesus is Huzzy and they are all sitting on their window seals watching out for the children down here. Isn't it interesting to get inside of a childs mind. It is so sweet how his idea of heaven is a house and there are only 3 people up there to him God, Jesus, and his Huzzy and that they are all looking out for him and all the children down here.


Let me also tell you something he said the other day while he was coloring. I was cleaning up the kithcen from lunch and had Jars of Clay on the cd player listening to the song Jesus Blood. I didn't really think that Eli would be listening to it but he was. He was soaking up the words from the song as he sat there. I walked by him just moving along doing my business and he said to me "That is so sad." Completely thrown off course I asked him what was sad and he said "That Jesus had to die" Oh how my heart melted in that moment. I told him yes it is sad that he died and tried to explain why he died. Then after we talked for a little while about Jesus he got up from the table and I could tell that he was in deep thought about all of it and he sat on the floor in the kithen and asked me if I could play the "hasn't failed my yet song again". He sat on the floor for the whole song staring at the floor listening to the words. When it was over he said again "that is sad" and got up and played. It is amazing to me the mind of my 4 year old and how much it is turning and listening with such intentiveness to all the things around him. I am enjoying watching him grow in the physical but much more in his growth of understanding God and Jesus Christ.

Eli's Art

Eli's picture of his family. Can you guess which one is me? Yep, i am the big pink one with the arms. To the left of me is Eli, next to him is Daddy and then of course the little one is baby Kai. I was thrilled when I noticed that all of us have happy smiles on our faces............and a little worried as to why I am the only one who has arms! Ha Ha...............I guess he notices how hard I work all day long. He he he.















Another very beautiful picture by Eli. I love this one, I am not sure as to what it is but I think it is very artistic and inspiring. I wonder what he had in his mind when he was painting this picture. For me I see red blobs and silver designs but for him at the time he probably had very specific and real things in mind. I love it...............I call it "I wonder".

Reflecting on friends

Aaaah what do we do! She said smile.....um....okay......lets show them a Smile!
Silly boys is the name for his pic. Kids are so funny when you ask them to smile for the camera they become somebody possessed with some kind of enlongated neck disease while they cheese it up big time! Well this is it the last pic of the three of them together...Soren (left), Eli (middle), and Caedmon (right). Life is changing rapidly for everyone around here.........it is sad and exciting.......depressing and overwhelming. Soren is our preacher/friends son and Eli is mine and Caedmon is my dearest friends son. He is the youngest and Eli is the oldest. They enjoyed eachothers company tremendously and there will never be a friendship like this again.........Soren and Caedmon are unique young sweetlings and can and never will be replaced. Though we will see them again and hopefully often it is still sad for it will not be like this. There will be no more Friday night BBQ gatherings or meetings at the park no, now it will be long talks over the phone and quick visits here and there. Oh, how I cherish these times that we all had together.

























There is the whole clan of angels......ha ha devious angels. Look at them........so sweet and happy.........or at least for the picture. Usually in these gathering there is usually one little angel screaming. Look at all of them playing together for the last time...........it makes me sad. That room is no longer there.....well the room is but it is no longer Soren and Bradens room. They have a new room.........may I say a much bigger room! Ha ha, I am really going to miss all of these little God given blessings being together. I will miss Eli running in the room saying something like..."Momma, Soren hit me............" or Soren "Eli said Butt.......", Kaylee screaming not just a little scream a shrill heartwrenching very dramatic scream and Dena just rolling her eyes and say "She is okay". Ha Ha. Braden fumbling around the house, Cooper being so gentle and sweet just walking around talking like a foriegner and Caedmon scream and Jess jump up from wherever she is running to the room frantically...........crazy girl. I love ya. What a blessing God gave us all.........2 years of a wonderful friendship centered on Christ. Dena and Allen, Jessica and Jason, BJ and Rena and us..........this circle with its middle being Christ will always hold a very special place in my heart.

These two people came into our lives and many others lives and for us they turned our world around.........thank you. God worked through BJ to turn my husband around.........only BJ could do it I am sure of it and that is why He took him and his family out of China and brought them to little ol Natchitoches. I am forever thankful to BJ and Rena for all of their generous, loving, kind, carring, joyful, moving, inspirational, meek, quite, bold, sarcastic, silly and many other spirits. Just thankful to them for them being themselvs.........I enjoyed being apart of their lives......watching their children grow, watching them and learning from them, benifiting from their friendship and just being in their warm and always inviting home. Thank you God for BJ and Rena.......watch over them now as they are elsewhere in a new chapter in their lives. We love them and pray for them often. Guide their every thought and I ask that you bless this couple with an overwhelming abundance Lord. Fill them up with Your infinite indiscribable peace and joy. In your most Holy and precious name I pray..........amen. Love you guys.

Time

There was a time that seemed to sit still,
where every moment was here forever.
The days were long and full of great fun,
we laughed and played all the days long.
It always felt like just you and me,
no one else mattered.
You were the only one.

Where did the time go?
Here you are...what...2?
Didn't time seem to sit still then,


Why does it feel like we played more then?
Laughed more then?
Ran and jumped around more then?
Sat outside till all ours of the night then?
What has changed so much now?
How come we have such a strict order now?
If we had more fun then?
Those days are over but never forgotten.
You are forever preserved in my mind as the center,
As you once were,
Now, things are different.
Not worse, just different.
Life has changed, you have changed.
In this picture you are 2 and now you are turning 5.
Oh, where did the time go.
Now you have a little brother,
A year and soon he will be 2 and then5 too.
My mind and heart are in mourning for life goes to fast,
And we don't take the time to breath anymore.
Or maybe it is just me,
I need to slow down and take some breaks.
You are most important,
and now so is your brother.
You must now share the center,
But don't worry there is plenty of me to go around.
Life has changed, you have changed and I have changed,
but You know what why does the fun have to change?
Time will sit still and we will laugh and jump around .
Just now we will add some more fun,
He will surely add to our fun and life will sit still again.

My New Blog

Well........I have to say that I am a little nervous about this but it is something that I have wanted to do for awhile now. This blog is easier for me because it is about my children which I could write all day about boldly and proudly and not worry about what people think but my new blog is about me in the most humbling way possible if that is even possible. It is a place for me to put my thoughts, and a place for me to be me. So here it is if you like: http://meditatewithme.blogspot.com/

You really freak me out............

Eli is currently listening to:
Group: Weezer
Album: Make Believe
Song: You Really Freak me Out















City streets at night
Can be so intimidating
I'm not the toughest guy
I gotta keep my eyes open
You came out of nowhere
Man you really freak me out
I'm so afraid of you
And when I lose my cool
I don't know what to do
I know you don't mean no harm
Your just doing your thing
But man you really freak me out
Did I hurt you?
Are you okay?
Can I buy you a drink?
Ohhh what's the world coming to?
You came out of nowhere
Man you really freak me out
I'm so afraid of you
And when I lose my cool
I don't know what to do
I know you don't mean no harm
Your just doing your thing
But man you really freak me out
I'm gonna try to improve my manners (manners)
Everyone, yes everyone, is my frienddd![instrumental]
City streets at night (city streets at night)
City streets at night (city streets at night)
Til the morning light (til the morning light)
City streets at night (city streets at night)
Man you really freak me out
I'm so afraid of you
And when I lose my cool
I don't know what to do
I know you don't mean no harm
You're just doing your thing
But man you really freak me out..[instrumental]



This is Eli's most requested song at the moment. I am not sure what it is about and I know that he doesn't either.......he just likes the rythym of the song and the lyrics are pretty easy. It is really funny here is how it goes.............in the car he will ask to put on the cd that we listened to yesterday which I know is the Weezer song You really freak me out. So I will put it on and adjust my rear view mirror so that I can see him in the back seat. From beginning to end he sits back there singing every word to this song. It is so funny cause I can not hear him and so it looks like he is lip singing................I just crack up, of course he doesn't even know that I am watching him. Today on the way back from his dentist appointment we listened to it 5 times in a row and he sang it 5 times in a row with facial expressions and all. (If you have not heard this song you can go to the Diary of the 80's Truck Driver blog to hear it)

Smile Eli and Kai

This is one of my favorite pictures of Eli and Kai together. They both look so serious with their little precious expressions. This was taken on September 11 2004 for Ricks birthday present. I remember how hard it was to get both of them to cooperate. If Eli was smiling and looking at the camera Kai wouldn't be and if Kai was looking at the camera Eli wouldn't be, it was a lot of work. Kai was a job all in its selft cause to get him to smile I had to make all kinds of funny noises and faces and then when he would crack a little smile I wouldn't beable to get my camera up and ready in time! Anyway, when I was finished taking the roll of film I didn't think I had gotten any good pics but when I got them developed I saw this one and a few others that had turned out good but I just love this one. Evertime I see this picture I can imagine what a future pic of them would look like, maybe they won't be like that. I hope they will smile in their pictures unlike some cool people I know (Jason Maricelli).Anyways, I just wanted to share one of my # 1 pictures of Eli and Kai. Have a blessed day in the Lord..................keli.

Mud Splashin Fun

I love this picture.............can you guess who this could be? Right on........my Eli splashin in the mud puddles!! Everytime it rains he asks to go play in the puddles. Here in our new house we don't get that many puddles like we use to at our apartments. We use to love for it to rain because of the puddles that would be waiting for us after the storm. After pretty much every rain we would put his little boots on and go stomping through the puddles in the road. I remember how he layed in one one time and said he was making a puddle angel..........it was so funny. I have a picture of that some where.........now I am going to have to find it. I can't imagine wanting to go play in the puddles..........now I freak out if I get a single drop of mud on me.......why........................................I really don't know. I am getting uptight in my getting older ages! Anyways, here is somemore pics of Eli (in his underwear like he likes it) splashin away in his yucky but super fun mud puddles in our backyard: