When my girl’s birthdays roll around, we like to do something fun for their school treat. In trying to find a clever “something” for Piper’s birthday last week, I reminded her of  these treats and she was all over it!

Needless to say … they were a hit and still super yummy!

Now to find another clever “something” for Hunter’s birthday coming up next week …

Any suggestions for a fun treat?

Last week I posted over at the MODsquad blog about my first date with Piper. I’d like to encourage you to hop over, take a look and be inspired to take your own t’ween challenge!

This was her classroom treat …

And these were her birthday invites!

Both items were inspired from things I saw on Pinterest here and here {links to original source}. But of course, I enlisted the help of my fav designer {who happens to be on maternity leave, so be sure to check in on her blog for info on when she’s back in the designing game!}.

I love when something I do from Pinterest actually works for me, cuz, um, I’ve had my share of Pinterest-fails!

How ’bout you? Are you “pin-collector?” Do you try the things you pin? Do they work for you? Have you had any major fails?

Overall, I’m woman enough to admit that I’m thoroughly addicted! Have a great weekend y’all!

She’s moody.

She’s emotional.

She’s quarrelsome.

Her big heart has turned a bit too selfish for my liking.

She’s fussy about her hair. And the clothes she wears.

She quietly asks if I think she’s pretty.

She’s ten next week.

She’s my Piper and,

She’s right b’tween.

Join me at the MODsquad today as I share a resource to help us be intentional and stay accountable as we walk down ‘tween-ager lane …

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And this feature just may have put a little spark in my heart to get Hunter’s party {yes, from last April!} up on the blog!

They put together little skits, threw in some random singing, screaming, eyeballing {you’ll see}, swinging, itching, and a little fighting shoving.  The highlights are Piper’s crazy intertwined throughout, and Wynter’s commitment to her song while dodging pushing Piper on the swing, amidst Piper’s crazy.  I also did quite enjoy Wynter’s big finish!

Little Hunt makes a couple of appearances, but is mostly being bossed directed by her demanding older sisters.

Note: You may need to watch it twice for full effect.  And I’m thinking 3D glasses would’ve been handy for those scary moments Piper almost takes out the computer with her feet.

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Piper’s heart has been heavy since we’ve moved.  Not all the time.  But it’ll surface from time to time and we’ll pray, talk, and do our best to work through it.  She came home from church a few weeks ago with a prayer request so dear to her heart.  It moved me to tears.  She made two copies and I keep one in my Bible so I can help her to pray over her need.

She’s also taken to writing on her hand a daily reminder that God has a plan for her life.

Last week something came up that troubled Piper and I asked her if she’d like to pray about it.  I don’t know if words can adequately describe what I saw … her big, brown, sad eyes immediately flickered with joy and came to life as she said “yes,” she’d like to pray with me.

It fills me with absolute joy to know my girls believe in the power of prayer.

Taylor will often text me asking for prayer for one thing or another that’s on her heart.

As I’ve said many times … sometimes I feel like I’m failing in having “great big teaching moments” with them, only to realize it’s in these precious quiet times … requests for prayer or something as simple as playing Christian music through the house … that I’m reminded again and again … relationship deepens with everyday walk, everyday talk … an everyday way of life.

Taylor said to me recently that one thing she loves is that I play the music I do through the house.

And Piper told me recently that she likes to lay out a blanket on her bedroom floor and lay there to rest because she can hear the music coming into her room from the kitchen below her and it makes her happy.

Taylor also said something recently that stopped me in my tracks … the words buried deep into my heart.  Taylor has been faced with some very difficult life struggles {putting it lightly}, yet because of a relationship with her Savior, yet because at her core she knows what grace and forgiveness look like … she said to me {regarding her circumstance}, “You know, in a way I’m kind of glad it happened … because it’s brought me closer to God.”

Her heart is pure.  God has shown up and wrapped Himself around her … in ways I’ll never understand.  It’s taken me 38ish years to get here and she sees Him at 16!?!

Because most people are looking at our situation through the world’s eyes … they don’t believe or understand how she could be looking at her situation through eternal eyes.  I suppose, though, that’s not for me to try to understand.

And then I have my little 5 yo … we were in the middle of devotion recently and it was pressed upon my heart to ask Hunter if she’d like to invite Jesus to live inside of her.  I explained what it meant and she said yes … she would like to invite Jesus to live inside of her.  And as she repeated the words back to me, it was the sweetest, most precious prayer a mom could ever hear!  Her sisters were there, ready with the high-fives, while sweet tears welled in my eyes.

Yes … ours is an eternal perspective.  A perspective that makes me one happy mommy!  But more importantly … our Father must be one happy Daddy!

One of the oddities in NC {well for us anyway, coming from “up nort”} is that swim team starts in the middle of May!  And they take this hard core serious down here!  The meet lasted nearly four hours!  And we even left before it was finished as it was well past bedtime!

The girls displaying which heat and stroke they’ll be doing … are ya lovin’ Wynter’s face on this one?

The club has been sending desperate sounding emails asking for parent volunteers.  We missed the prior weeks meets because the girls were in camps all day … so I was feeling a bit guilty we hadn’t been there and that I hadn’t volunteered.  So sure, what the heck! tired-mama-fresh-from-the-horse-show raises her hand to volunteer.  My job was to time the heats in lane four.  But no worries, half way through I’d be relieved with a second set of volunteers.

Unbeknownst to me … half way meant TWO hours!  I innocently asked another timer how long the meets typically last, and when she replied “four hours,” I was pretty sure I hadn’t heard her right.  Or maybe she didn’t hear the question right.

I was wrong.

The meets starts in the blazing heat of day … and see, down here it actually gets hotter later in the day.  So yeah.  I’m a big ol’ ball of sweat, standing on already worn out feet, timing races.  And … the girls weren’t even in my lane!  I missed their first heat completely.  But figured when relief came, I would see their second and third heats.

But yeah.  That relief?  It never came.  Not for my lane anyway.  How big of a tease is that?  Everyone else is getting relieved and I’m standing there with feet that have fallen asleep.  Literally.  They do that when you have MS and it’s acting up.  :(

Anyhoo … by the second half, I got a little bolder and asked my compadres to cover me while I watched the girls heats and snapped some photos.

This is Wynter diving in for the breaststroke … smooooth.

And this is Piper flailing diving in … um, not so smooooth. ;)  I think my favorite part of the photo though, is Wynter {to the left of Piper} with arms crossed looking at her like she’s nuts.

And this is Wynter struggling with her butterfly … um, definitely not smooth.  And be sure to watch the quick video too {I was able to get that a few weeks ago during a timed trial}.

And then maniac Piper. The first image is from her breaststroke {where she beat her fastest time, ahem}. And the second two were her butterfly … where she forgot goggles. And took a breather to wipe her eyes mid-lane.

Yep!  Them’s my girls!  Not concerned with technique or time or … well, goggles.  They have fun, they’re in the water, they’re together, they get slushies … what else is there?

Have yourselves a great weekend y’all!

{p.s.  it seems like just yesterday that i tweeted this pic!}

In light of my recent single mommy post, I wanted to share some further thoughts …

First … I’ve been so blessed to have found an incredible group of women to join in with Good Morning Girls.  We’re currently reading Sally Clarkson’s Ministry of Motherhood and studying Scripture referenced throughout the book.  I am so incredibly thankful to have these godly women {Stacey, Amy, and Stef} holding me accountable to be in the Word each day.  The bits of wisdom, truth, and perspective they breathe into me on a daily basis is something that I will forever be grateful for.

Second … I truly can not express to you how highly I recommend this book!  I could write a book about what I’m taking away from it … but I think you’d be better off just purchasing Sally’s words instead! :)

The premise of the book is that, as mother’s, we are discipling our children.  Just as Jesus ministered and discipled His followers, we are ministering and discipling our followers … our children.

There are so many … too many pieces of wisdom in this book … and I’m not even half way done with it!  A few things I want to share with you though …

“Like Jesus, we are to draw our own children to a life apart from the rest of the crowd.”

“If I want {my children} to be open to my messages, I need to be willing to serve them -
to voluntarily give up my rights and my time to meet their felt needs – just as Jesus
was willing to give for his disciples.”

“Jesus’ example of servant leadership sets him apart from so many historical religious leaders.”

“I realize my love and service to {my children} must come before any of my great words,
my teaching and training.”

“Jesus showed us the power of a different kind of leadership.”

“It was because of Jesus’ total life commitment to {his disciples}, their friendship with them, and his
willingness to give to them – his time, his wisdom, his practical help, even cutting short
his precious prayer time to rescue them from predicaments such as a tossing boat – that
they were able to respond in return, giving their whole lives to him.”

“Passing on the gift of grace to our children requires a commitment – and yes, a sacrifice
– of time, love and heart service.”

“The grace they show to others will largely come from parents who learned it first
from our own servant King.”

The most poignant part of the book {so far} is the image this paints, but as you read it … read it from the heart of a weary, wornout, tired mama:

“The night before Jesus was to be crucified, his heart and mind must have been filled
with weariness and exhaustion at the thought of what he would soon endure.
The sins of the whole world – throughout all of history! – were about to be placed
upon his back as he laid down his life to pay the penalty for all of us …”

“Yet it is at this point that we see him making a beautiful gesture
of love and service toward his disciples.”

John 13:1, 3-5 tells how, knowing what was to come … He got up from the
dinner table and began to wash the disciples feet.  He must’ve been worn,
weary, tired … and He knew no rest was in His future.  But yet in His weariest time,
“Jesus {chose to spend} his last night on earth with his disciples in
service to them.  How powerful their memories of that night
must have been – the King of the whole universe touching and rubbing
their dusty feet and gently drying them with a towel.
Their Lord and Master breaking the loaf of bread
and serving each of them for the celebrated feast of the Passover.”

This tender example of discipleship and service pushes me forward when I am tired … when I am worn and weary.  I’m thankful … forever thankful … that He’s shown us how to disciple and minister to our most precious followers … our children.

My prayer is that I will never forget the sacrifices, service and love that He’s shown … so I can in turn instill that same discipleship model to my followers … and them to their future followers.