Happy Thanksgiving.

Anabella made this at school today. She is thankful for her Mommy and Daddy.

Jet brought this home from school today too. His sweet little foot is a tiny turkey. Too Precious!

And lastly, Will made this at school a couple of weeks ago. First of all, I am so impressed with his penmanship and that he is so close to spelling 'feast' correctly - all on his own.

However, what really pulls at my heart strings is what this picture represents. It's an intricate look inside our family and what Will's idea of "feast" looks like. Please notice what's on the table: Pumpkin Pie, Turkey (still intact with feathers and feet), Rolls and Mashed Potatoes. Take a close look at what is under the table, this is the part that brings me so much joy - From Right to Left - Zeke, Spike, Loti and Lexi all waiting patiently for a feast of their own. I'm not exactly sure why this piece of art brings a tear to my eye - but it does. 

Thank you Jesus for 3 Beautiful, Healthy, Loving, Kind, Sweet, Smart and Amazing Children that I can call my own.

Happy Thanksgiving Friends and Family!!!

Confident of His Goodness,

Lela

A lesson in love...

I'm sure most of you have heard the term, "love language'. But you may not know exactly what it means. So if you don't mind, I'll take a minute and explain.

Understanding love language is HUGE in having a functional family. I think that a lot of controversy and miscommunication would be avoided if everyone in each family understood what "love" meant to each person in that family.

So here goes... Love Language 101.

We'll start by getting a little personal. My love language is WORDS OF AFFIRMATION. What does that mean? I love compliments. I don't just want to hear them, I need to hear them. I want to hear those three little words, "I love you." Tell me why you love me, tell me why you think I'm a good mom, tell me that you think I'm beautiful. And at the same time, if you yell at me or criticize me - It leaves me broken.

Next on the List, PHYSICAL TOUCH. This language belongs to my little Jet man. He loves giving hugs and kisses. He's 40lbs, but he still longs to be carried. He's quick to grab a hand when you're walking with him. He'll come up to me and just put his hand in my lap. One thing to remember with this language is that "spanking" can be devastating. So that is something that we try not to do with Jet. And withholding physical touch from your spouse can leave them feeling lonely and unloved.  And on a side note, Jared also speaks this language.

QUALITY TIME is up next. This one goes to Will. He is constantly asking us to play with him. He doesn't care what we do; watch a movie, play a game, play cars, go outside, whatever - doesn't matter to him as long as he's with you. He loves to just sit and talk. And if he thinks you're distracted, he's quick to add, "you're ignoring me." And that really hurts him.

RECEIVING GIFTS is number 4. I don't think that anyone in my immediate family falls into this category. This particular love language says that person loves the kindness and thoughtfulness behind gifts. They aren't materialistic because the gifts don't need to grand. They simply enjoy that they were remembered and thought of. So, if this is your child or spouse - don't forget a birthday or anniversary because that would crush them.

And lastly we have, ACTS OF SERVICE. This person likes to hear, "Let me do that for you." If you're a child you feel loved when mom goes and gets a drink for you or picks up your room. If you're a wife nothing says I love you more than running the vacuum. Or if you're a husband, you know you're loved when your wife has dinner ready for you when you get home. Please, please, please don't make your significant other feel like you're adding to their work load if they speak this language. And always be very willing to lend a helping hand.

So what language are you?

You may have noticed that I didn't add Anabella to this list - she's too young to tell at this point. If I had to guess - I'd say she's receiving gifts.

One thing that needs to be emphasized is that in order to feel loved, people need to speak to you in your language. On that same note, in order to make those around you feel loved, you need to speak their language. And quite frankly, nothing could be more foreign and it takes conscious effort to make that happen.

I'm quick to tell Jared I love him and to tell my children how important they are and how beautiful I think they are - because that's my language. It flows easily out of me. It's not natural for me to give a rub on the back or to give Will my undivided attention when I have 100 million other things that I need to do. I struggle with speaking other languages. However, I know that in order for my family to know deep down how much I love and adore them - I have to communicate that to them through their own language.

To discover your love language go here:
http://www.5lovelanguages.com/assessments/love/

Confident of His Goodness,
Lela

Two Word Wednesday

Creative Play

In My Next 30 Years...

Wow... I turned 30 yesterday. Crazy.

It's really weird to think that I'm 30. I am entering a new era - turning a page.

The first 30 years were focused on me. I had a lot of milestones - like all people my age. My first tooth, my first day of school, my first best friend, my first date, graduating high school and college, going to my first prom, having my first baby, buying my first home and the list goes on and on.

But my next 30 years - I'll be reliving all of those things through my three beautiful children. Life becomes all about the people around me and really has little to do with me.

There are so many "firsts" in those first 30 years. At life group a couple of weeks ago we had to think of the last time we did something for the first time - all I could come up with using Resolve Spot Cleaner for the first time. Ha! It's true though.

I'm so grateful for my first 30 years and I am looking forward to my next 30 years. As Tim Mcgraw would say,

I think I’ll take a moment, celebrate my age

The ending of an era and the turning of a page
Now it’s time to focus in on where I go from here
Lord have mercy on my next thirty years.

 

I think I should mention that I take every opportunity in life to celebrate. So, when my birthday comes along I'm up for celebrating for at least a week. And since this one is a big milestone, I make even make it 2 weeks - just for funzies. 

This was my first birthday dinner, it was on Saturday night. We ordered out Dinks and Jared surprised me with a cake and ice cream. Will made up a scavenger hunt for me that led me to a book that he made me. It was a very long book filled with pictures and a heart on every page. On my actual birthday my kids gave me a pair of heart ear rings. Will was very specific that he wanted to find me a pair of ear rings that had hearts on them. Makes me heart melt. :)

On Monday my parents, whom I adore, came over and watched my kids so Jared and I could go out. They brought my kids McDonalds, and a beautiful bouquet of flowers for me and a Spa Package Gift Card to Gails. I am sooooo excited about that! 3.5 hours of pampering... Heaven. Thank you Mom and Dad.

Jared and I went to Chili's, Hobby Lobby and Starbucks. Today my gift from Jared arrived - a pair of Tom's shoes. I love them and will wear them everyday, Thank you Jared! I still have 2 more birthday dinners and a birthday breakfast with a close friend. So here's to at least one more week of celebrating!!!

Confident of His Goodness,
Lela

Claiming Joy.

Not that it needs said again - but losing Loti has been devastating. I know it sounds weird because he was a dog. But, he was an intricate part of our family. The Monday that we took Loti to the vet I started crying and  I cried until last Saturday - so almost 2 weeks. The tears just kept falling. I apologized to Jared - because I couldn't imagine living with someone that just kept crying day after day. To put it simply - I was broken hearted. I needed to reclaim Joy in my life - so what adds joy to any house.... a puppy.

I did A LOT of soul searching before adding another member to this family. Am I trying to replace Loti? Is it fair to Lexi? Have I lost my mind? Would Loti's feelings be hurt? I talked to Will about it because he and I cried together a lot during that 2 week time. He thought getting a puppy was a good idea. I asked him if thought Loti would care or be sad. He said with 100% certainty, "Loti is with Jesus and Jesus will tell him that we still love him." My heart smiled.

We made the trip to Blackwell, Oklahoma on Saturday and Will picked this little black pug out. His name is, Spike Lee III. Loti's Pug Dad was named Spike and this little guy's Pug Dad name was also Spike. (Coincidence or Devine Design, that is the question.) And Lee is of course after my dad - Love you Dad. :)

Lexi is adjusting nicely and enjoys have pug company, most of the time. He really is a good puppy and everybody has smiled and laughed a lot more since adding him in the mix. Zeke is even enjoying having him around. Anabella loves mothering him and has gone "Lenny" a few times. We have to watch her closely when she's with him. But other than that, he has been a blessing and has restored Joy in this lady's heart. Thank you for that Spike Lee III.

 And, Happy Belated Halloween.

Confident of His Goodness,
Lela