Ben Singing

The Kids for Christ Choir led worship at the 8:30 service this morning. They did a great job and it was so fun to watch them.

CJ Birthday

We celebrated Caleb's birthday on Friday with my parents. Caleb had the funniest reaction to the cake and singing and candles I have ever seen.

Basketball

Ben had a great season doing upwards basketball. He had a blast and seemed to learn alot. Here is an accumulation of the video's I took at his games. I never really got him doing anything too exciting (his brothers distracted me from that a bit)

CT's first Sunday Sermon

Meg and CT were in town for the weekend which was great to see them. The campus pastor called my Dad mid day on Saturday and informed him that the guy that was suppose to preach on Sunday had the stomach flu. Dad instantly thought CT can do this :) So it was off to sermon prep for CT. In case you want to see his sermon here it is:

Ben's Show

Ben had a little performance at school today. They called it an informance because they were in their music room. It was super cute. I taped most of it but if you are dying to watch the whole thing you can. It will be on the local stations on March 7 and 9th at 10:00 am as well as 5:00 pm. So you can come over and watch them on our DVR.

Rock Climbing

We took the boys up to REI today to try out the rock wall. It is something that they have been wanting to do for awhile now but we never seem to have enough time. The waited "patiently" for their turn and then got all suited up.

Ben went first as Jake posed for some pic's

Ben had a few moments of uncertainty but he really did quite well considering his typical apprehensions about new things.



He made it all the way to the bell. Way to go monkey boy I knew you had it in you.
Next it was Jake's turn. He was certain that he could make it to the top since he got his muscles from God and Daddy.




Jake didn't quite get the coordination of placing his feet stretching up and finding a place for his hands. If he was a bit taller and a bit more coordinated I am sure he could have made it. Maybe next time he will make it a bit further. Poor Jake cried when we told him it was time to come down. He wanted so badly to make it all the way up.

Surprise Adventure

Josh, being the amazing husband that he is, realized that to help ward off some of my depression issues, i need a change of pace during January though April while he is working so much. He is insistent that I take a break and do something different and fun during the months of February, March and April.

For February, Josh rented us a hotel room at the sterling inn that has a water park attached. It is only about 15 minutes away from our house but it was so nice to get away for a night and spend some fun time with my big boys.

Caleb stayed with my parents since it would have been a little difficult for me to handle all three of the boys in a pool by myself (and not as much fun for the big boys). Anyway, it was worth every penny.

I didn't tell the boys what were were doing before hand. Thursday morning I told them if they had extra good behavior there would be a surprise for them over the weekend.

Friday morning I told Ben had an a fun appointment and I would be picking him up at 2:30 from school. (all he missed was a movie which is pretty much all I thought he would miss)

When they got in the car I had a list of clues for Ben to read.

1. The clues just in case you didn't hear (1. You won’t sleep in your bed, 2. Caleb is on his own adventure. 3. you won't stay dry 4. You will have to have something on your eyes 5. It is something mommy does for work 6. It is somewhere you have never been 7. You may make a splash 8. Your arms maybe tired 9. You won’t need a coat or hat to keep you warm 10. The word park is in the name)

They didn't quite get what we were doing but the excitement did grow.


Right before this picture was taken Ben told me that this was the best day of his life!!
(I was not able to take many pictures because I was in the water most of the time and I didn't want to bring the camera down to the pool and risk water on it).

The first night someone had told Ben he was not tall enough for the slide. I knew that he was tall enough as well as a strong enough swimmer (thanks Goldfish Swim school) to go down the slide. He had a momentary freak out when he learned he was not allowed to wear his goggles down the slide but after he conquered his fear I couldn't keep him away.

We had a great time swimming and getting away. The boys had a blast and want to go back already. It will definitely be something we do again.

As much as it doesn't seem like a break it was nice to be out of the house and somewhere fun. I am pretty sure that I will have to plan something in April for just Josh and I :)

Valentines Day

Valentines Day fell on a Monday this year which means Josh is at work. The boys and I had a great day together however. (Josh also spoiled me the Friday before with a great date night). I was happy to be able to spend some time with my three little men. I was trying to teach them how to treat a lady but I am pretty sure all the sugar they had during the day made those things fly through their brain pretty fast.

Anyway, we had a heart shaped pancake candlelight dinner for four to try and increase our sugar intake a bit. It was a great date and I wouldn't trade a second of it.



Jacob had to decorate a treat bag for his party on Tuesday. I tried to figure out something he could do but would still look cute. I gave him a bunch of pieces of red, white and pink paper to cut as he wished. I cut out the letters in his name as well as the hearts to make the elephant. Jake glued on the papers he cute, glued the elephant together and stuck the letters of his name on the bag. I think it turned out super cute.



In other notes, I asked the boys who there valentines were:

Ben: Hannah
Mom: why Hannah Ben?
Ben: Because she is cute and people pick on her sometimes so I wanted to be nice to her.
Mom: oh that is nice of you Ben, Jacob who is your valentine?
Jacob: you are mom
Mom: that's so nice Jake
Ben: I thought of that but then I remembered you were already married
Jake: mom you are the cutest.

Oh, how I love my boys!!

Another Party

As always we had a million birthday parties for Jacob. His last one featured Chocolate cake which he loves. He sang happy birthday to himself and then somehow got more cake/frosting on himself rather than in his mouth I think.

Sparks verses 2011

Ben has completed another sparks book. He has said all of the verses in this years book already. This means he is onto the review. Just in case you were wondering the following are all the verses that Ben learned this year.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

S is for Savior

1 John 4:14

The Father has sent his son to be the Savior of the world.

P is for Power

Psalm 147:5

Great is our Lord and mighty in power

A is for According to the Scriptures

1 Corinthians 15:3

Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures

R is for Raised

1 Corinthians 15:4

That He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the scriptures.

K is for Keep

James 2:10

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

S is for Saved

Acts 16:31

Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.

John 20:31

These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God.

Psalm 118:1

Give thanks to the LORD for He is good.

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

New Testament Books

Matthew

Mark

Luke

John

Acts

Romans

1 Corinthians

2 Corinthians

Galatians

Ephesians

Philippians

Colossians

1 Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians

1 Timothy

2 Timothy

Titus

Philemon

Hebrews

James

1 Peter

2 Peter

1 John

2 John

3 John

Jude

Revelation

Deuteronomy 6:5

Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Psalm 96:2

Sing to the LORD, praise His name; proclaim His salvation day after day.

Jeremiah 32:27

I am the LORD, the God of all mankind is anything too hard for Me?

Leviticus 19:2

Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.

Proverbs 20:11

Even a child is known by his actions; by weather his conduct is pure and right.

Psalm 23:1-6

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quite waters.

He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

1 Peter 5:7

Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.

Mark 16:15

He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.”

1 Peter 1:25

But the word of the Lord stands forever

1 Thessalonians 5:17-18

Pray continually

Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus

Colossians 3:23

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.

Old Testament Books

Genesis

Exodus

Leviticus

Numbers

Deuteronomy

Joshua

Judges

Ruth

1 Samuel

2 Samuel

1 Kings

2 Kings

1 Chronicles

2 Chronicles

Ezra

Nehemiah

Esther

Job

Psalms

Proverbs

Ecclesiastes

Song of Solomon

Isaiah

Jeremiah

Lamentations

Ezekiel

Daniel

Hosea

Joel

Amos

Obadiah

Jonah

Micah

Nahum

Habakkuk

Zephaniah

Haggai

Zechariah

Malachi

John 1:1-3

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He was with God in the beginning.

Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.

Ephesians 4:32

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Philippians 2:14

Do everything without complaining or arguing.

Jacob is 4

Sweet Jacob turned 4 yesterday. He is a sweet, loving, funny, affectionate, cuddly, sensitive, loving, adorable 4 year old boy. I am so thankful that God gave him to us. He bring such joy to our days and a complete new perspective on life for me. I am not sure how he is already 4. I would love to stop time right now and have him stay just the way he is but I know God has big things in store for him so Ii guess I will have to let him grow up.

His day was filled with excitement and lots of sugar! Pretty sure he is still coming off the sugar high today.

We have a tradition to decorate the door of the birthday kids room. Here is a (sideways) picture of Jacob's door when he woke up. I decided to get really creative and sew circles and elephants together to make streamers. They looked pretty cute. Ben made a sign for the door.

After he woke up (way too early) Josh took him out for Donuts for an early morning breakfast. Josh also saved a present for him to open in the morning that he was pretty excited about.

It was then off to school, Since it was his birthday Jake brought in elephant shaped rice krispy treats. (I made a ton and sent some with Ben to celebrate his 1/2 birthday as well). Jake was pretty excited that he got to spend his day with lots of friends.

While Jake was at school I got a little birthday cake for him to have on his real birthday as well as decorated downstairs.

He requested Wendy's for lunch and I am pretty sure all he ate was the frosty.

After all the sugar we spent the afternoon playing games and working on his sticker book.

I had to work in the evening and obviously Josh was busy so Karen took the boys to Chuckie Cheese where they had lots of fun and pizza and more cake. If I was four I think that I would gladly have a Day like Jacob had yesterday.

Prayer Journals

So, I am never really one who is big on New Years resolutions (sorry Dad). I just feel like I am setting myself up for failure. (I did achieve last years resolution however). Anyway, I would like to be much more intentional about my prayer life this year. I was inspired/copied this blog to create prayer journals this year. She/I got the motivation for the cute/cheap journals from this blog. And here they are :)There is a journal for Josh/our marriage, Ben, Jake and Caleb

I divided them into categories (well plan to I just made them tonight)

Here are the categories I think that I will use (still praying over that part). A lot of the sections are directly from Stormy Omartian's books the power of a praying wife and the power of a praying parent.

So here are the sections I will use for the you and me journal

About 1/3 will be devoted to specific areas of our marriage the could use improvement (we are pretty much perfect but there is always room right?)

Another 1/3 will be devoted to God sized prayers (the stuff that seems impossible to change)

The final 1/3 will be devoted to each of the following categories, a few pages for each area, I can then write notes, verses, specific things for each category as they arise throughout the year. The areas are: Work, Finances, Affection, Sexuality, Temptations, Mind, Fears, Purpose, Choices, Health, Protection, Trials, Integrity, Reputation, Priorities, Relationships, Fatherhood, Attitude, Marriage, Walk, Talk, Repentance, Deliverance, Obedience, Self-Image, Faith, Future,

Each of the kids will also have a journal

1/3 of their journals will be devoted to a spiritual inventory, goals for Child each month.

1/3 Character qualities my kids have and those I would like to see grow in them with scripture to back them up

The final 1/3 will be devoted to each of the following categories: Releasing (Ben,Jake,Caleb) in God’s hands, Securing protection from harm, Feeling Loved and Accepted, Establishing and eternal future, Honoring parents and resisting rebellion, Maintaining Good family relationship, Attractive Godly friends and role models, Developing a hunger for the things of God, Being the person God created, Following truth, rejecting lies, Instilling a desire to learn, Identifying God, given gifts and talents, Leaning to speak truth, Staying attracted to holiness and purity, Enjoying freedom from fear, Living free of un-forgiveness, (Ben, Jacob, Caleb) future wife, Walking in repentance, Seeking wisdom and discernment, Growing in faith (establishing a true relationship with Jesus Christ),

So, that is what I have for now. I think that these will help me be more purposefully in my prayer life. I am also thinking about creating another journal to fill with just specific praises/adoration towards God

Basketball 1-22-11

Ben had his first Upwards basketball game on Saturday. He had a great time playing although he had no idea what he was doing. Hopefully he will understand what he should do by the next game. Ben is #11.

Change of Name

The Band has decided to change their name. They will now, from this point forward, be called the Nasteritos! (is that better Todd, we could also go with nasteronies)

Also in my 2010 review I realized that in September I stated that Jacob was starting Kindergarten. I realize he is incredibly smart but, the reality of it is, he started preschool. Sorry for the misunderstanding :)

2010 in review

January

Jake had a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy late January. That kind of took up most of the month. He was kind of a bad patient but the goal was for him to sleep better. I am still in debate that happened as a result.

February

Sweet little Jacob turned 3. What an amazing little boy he is. We had (as usually) lots of celebrations.

Ben had a very fun kindergarten valentines day party

We had lots and lots of snow which resulted in a snow day or two.

March

We had a beautiful sunny day early in the month so we headed to the park with the boys. They were so happy to be outside after all the days of being cooped up in the house.

Ben fell and split his chin causing him to get his first set of stitches.

Ben lost his first tooth. The tooth fairy was very good to him.

Jake had lot of fun at a sports class he took through the city of Troy.

Caleb and I had a fun trip to Alabama with my Mom and Dad to see Meg and CT.

Ben and Jake had their first horseback riding experience.

Caleb turned 1. He was all over the cake thing J

April

We started off the month celebrating the most amazing day in the Christian life, Easter.

We took Jacob to the elephant zoo over spring break. It was a great trip!

Caleb learned to walk

Both Dad and Karen celebrated their 60^th birthdays.

We had a fun surprise party for Dad.

Jacob finally got potty trained!!!

May

I didn’t blog much in may although I know there was a lot that happened.

Anyway, Ben had a fun run that had to be inside because of the weather but the kids had fun.

There was a fun awards night for sparks. So proud of Ben and all the verses he learned.

Oh, I also had a birthday J

The kindergartners had a little performance called the spring fling.

June

June started out with a concert from Ben’s choir at Church

Ben took a tennis class through the city of Troy. He learned a lot during that class.

Ben finished Kindergarten. There was lots of fun and parties the last week of school.

We had another round of horseback riding. So fun and SO cute.

We got to be involved in one of our favorite weeks of the year. KKDC (Kreative Kids Day Camp) at church. It was an amazing week as always.

July

July started off with our usually fireworks display at Lincoln hills. The kids all enjoyed them this year!!

We had a fun family day spent outside having fun with the kids.

August

We spent the hot days of summer outside or in a pool as much as we could (especially since we didn’t have Air Conditioning for most of the summer)

Ben learned so goofy new tricks (becoming spider man on the walls in our living room)

Another one of our favorite weeks of summer happened, On Goal Soccer. It was a blast for all of us and Ben learned so much both soccer wise as well as spiritually.

Ben finished up his baseball season.

Ben also turned 6

At the end of the month Ben had his Tonsils and Adenoids out and Caleb had tubes put in. Ben’s recovery was MUCH better than Jacob’s was.

September

Labor day weekend was spent golfing J Ben had so much fun playing an actual round of golf with his Dad.

Ben started first Grade and LOVED every second of it

Jake also started kindergarten and like Ben loved it!

October

We had a trip to Westview orchards with Jacob’s preschool class. It was a beautiful day so we took advantage of it and enjoyed the time outside.

Halloween was once again a blast in our cute neighborhood although it was quite cold this year.

November

We were able to head to Indiana for Uncle Dan’s election. We had so much fun and Ben was surprised to learn that he did in fact have cousins J The process brought back a ton of memories from when we were kids.

We celebrated Thanksgiving with the Coats this year. It was fun although we had a bit of the stomach flu around the house. It was nice to be able to spend some time with Meg and CT.

December

December was filled with celebrations of Jesus’ birth. It was an amazing month.

We had a great year, I am looking forward to see what God has in store for our family in 2011. I am so comforted to know that God has a great plan for each of our lives. So thankful to be a follower of Jesus Christ!!