I so need to update my 1000 gifts list here!!! I've still been counting . . . not as much as I should or need to. . . but I've been counting, I just haven't taken the time to update here. i will soon! It's such an encouragement to me.

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Last night, I got some rare alone time with Alaiyah.

Rare, not only because of the two other little people who call me Mommy, but also because I'm not intentional about taking the time.

I'm much more often trying to get things done so that when all the kids are in the bed, I can chill!

She came in from BSF and I sat with her while she ate. I'm embarrassed to think how rare that truly is. It was so much fun!!! The child is hilarious. She said one funny thing after another. And so much more than that, I could tell SHE LOVED IT!!!!

As love tanks go, hers was full last night!! She had private time with her mommy. She even mentioned it several times today. It really meant a lot to her.





She's growing in her faith and watching God continually answer her prayers. And unlike me, she seems to always notice that He does. I love that!

Yesterday she was about to meet the training hand of (scary music ) HER FATHER. I ran to her rescue. Literally! Alonzo jokingly replayed the way I jumped off the couch!

Hee Hee!

There was a slight misunderstanding and I just wanted to make sure it was all clear.

Lo and behold, as Alonzo and I talked, Alaiyah~I learned at our late dinner date~was in the bathroom searching her heart to confess her wrong and praying that God would spare her :) She said when her Daddy walked in the bathroom with a smile on his face "her heart bursted with joy" (her words)

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I laughed so hard.

She lauged too, but was so serious!!!

She was glad to have been spared a spanking and remembered that God had answered her prayer.

She was a little dismayed that he didn't answer her prayer to get all her math facts right the next day, but she is a little prayer warrior in training after all. :)

That little late night date opened my eyes to all I will miss of my sweet girl, and my other two little people, if I just herd them together and try to get through the day. It made me want to make the time to truly know each of them individually.




I make no mistake about it~~it will take much time.

but isn't it worth it?

Alonzo was talking with a young mom @ our church meeting Sunday night. They were obviously talking about the challenges of being a stay at home mom. He asked me if I struggled with that.

Well.........

that wasn't the best day to be on display! I had had a rough time of it that day and was just not emotionally all there.

I said I was convinced that this is where the Lord wants me.

I am.

I just think sometimes I need a bigger vision for what I'm doing. Something to spur me on on the hard days.


Colossians 1:29 For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.

I was really clinging to this verse the next day for strength to keep on keeping on. Because of the conversation the night before I asked the Lord..."for what purpose do I labor" . . . "Why do I really do all this?"

His response TO BUILD MY KINGDOM!!!!!!!!!!!

This is my part in building the kingdom of GOD!!!!!!!!!!!

Loving this husband, raising these little people, keeping this house, loving these neighbors is my part in building the kingdom of OUR CREATOR, My Savior, KING OF ALL KINGS!!!!!!

This kingdom that shall have NO END!

Let's think . . . diapers will end, days of rearing children will end, endless to do lists will end, sorrow, pain, suffering, hard days will end . . .

but this Kingdom, for which I labor and, therfore, my work in this kingdom . . . WILL. NEVER. END.

So I labor on! With His divine power that MIGHTILY works within me!






In Gratitude,
Antoinette

Oh Ayden!!

Ayden climbed on the couch with me today and brought me an arm full of books. To my surprise she then began to "read" them to me!!!! It was soooo cute! At times it was more like a musical because she'd break out into songs! Very random songs! And sing them with all her might and then go back to the story at hand! LOL

You could tell which ones were her favorites because she actually remembered some of the words of those books. She is the only child I've had that wants me to read the same books over and over and over again!

She read Forest Friends ($1 Target book LOL), Kitty, Kitty (another $1 Target book :), Neeghborhood Animals (Baby Einstein), Muppet Babies I Want to Do That...,
Goodnight Baby by Cheryl Hudson, and Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown.

Making this list, I saw that few of these are the books i would normally choose to read. They are board books. Many of them we've had since Alaiyah was a baby. She loves them, though and it was so cute to have her "read" them.

Her favorite book is Hey Wake Up!! by Sandra Boynton. It is soooo cute to hear her say (or yell would be a better discription), "Goodmorning sun!! Happy Morning Everyone!!!" We read this book EVERYDAY!!!! I don't know were it is right now and that's the only reason she didn't read it today!!!

After awhile she grew tired of reading and asked me to read. Slowly, one by one, my other children ended up on the couch listening to board books!!

I love to read!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so glad my children love it too!!!!

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Ayden only wants to wear skirts or dresses!!!

She actually cried the other day when I put her on shorts! She is my girly girl!! She puts on her church shoes and wears them around the house all day!!

For her birthday we got her a gift for everyday of her birthday week. Well, I think she likes the idea. She's already making requests for her next birthday. Today she brought me Alaiyah's cute little pink Mary Jane shoes and said I want some of these for my birthday...some little ones!!!

As I type this she is looking @ me with that serious face of hers asking if I will buy her a bike!!!

We were in Wal-Mart the other day and she said, "Mommy I don't have a bike!" (as if that was news to me) "I can ride that one! I can!" I let her try because i was sure her little legs wouldn't reach the peddles!!!

Boo hoo hoo!!!

They did. and she rode the bike up and down the isle as if she'd been doing it forever!!





Waaahhhhhhhhh!!

Where is the time going? She's really grown!!!





Thank you Lord for my sweet babies!!!

Books Galore

I went to the library today and as I was leaving I saw the sale of a lifetime!!

Books 3/25cents! That's right people, 3 children's books for only 25 cents. So, ofcourse, I wanted to just roll the entire cart out to my car and give them that ten dollars :)

Alas, I didn't have my checkbook so I scrownged (is that a word) around for every penny I could find. I looked for every book with a brown person on it and anything that looked remotely interesting. I walked away with 27 books for $2.50.

These were great books that my children will love for years. They are going to grow up thinking that the African-American culture is the norm. I love it!

When I walked in the door. I said (in the most excited voice that I could muster) Guess What I Found!!!!! Everybody, ofcourse, said WHAT!!! I pointed to all of the books on the table and said that I'd gotten ALLLL of these books for only $2.50...even YOU could afford these, I said!!

They were so excited. We looked through every book. I pulled out all of the little ones with little brown boys on them and gave them to Zo (it was about 8 Wow!) and all of the little brown girls and gave them to Alaiyah and 3 little brown baby books for Ayden.

(In case you're wondering! Their is a limited supply of books with little brown children on them at the library. We love all cultures and want to expose our children to them. I want them to grow up reading and learning about all different kinds of people. To be able to purchase so many books with people of color on them was a rare treat!!!)

I was surprised at how much everyone loved having their OWN books. I'd never really given anyone their own books. I just bought books. Ayden kept saying, That's my book! Read MY book! It was precious.

I thought of Beth Moore's "Feather's from My Nest" and how she said when you love God you don't have to work Him into every conversation. Your love for Him will just spill out.

My love for books and reading gives me a perfect example of how that looks. I don't have to work up a love and excitement for books. I LOVE THEM!!! and my babies are naturally catching that same love.

Lord help me to love you in a way that's obvious to all! Let my love for you just ooze out of me, so that I can't help but share with others my love and excitement for you!!

They Grow Up So Fast

Ok I know Easter is long gone, but we know I'm a little slow at the blogging thing. I'm not going to let that stop me though.

I was nearly in tears Easter morning because all of my children had on their new church shoes...even Ayden.

(yes we could have removed price tags prior to taking the picure LOL)

She was so proud of them and her pretty dress. She kept looking at her feet.





I love it that they are all growing up. They play so well together and the Lord is really giving me grace to enjoy them.