There are so many things that I could write about everyday. There are the cute things that the kids do, home school decisions, dietary changes, books, etc. Today is about Miller, his eczema, and going gluten free. After miller was born he had really bad gas, and quite honestly, so did I. Something had to be done. I researched some causes and decided it was due to my diet, and because I was breast feeding, Miller had the same diet. I googled it and it said that dairy, wheat, and eggs were the main culprits. I decided to give it a try. I thought I would starve at first because what else is there to eat?! I made it through and discovered that there are lots of gluten free foods these days. I also discovered that the gas and eczema cleared up quickly. Anytime I would cheat, Miller’s face would break out and I would not be very lady like. :).

Gluten was definitely something that my body could no longer handle properly. On the bright side, I dropped the rest of my baby weight within weeks. (That’s what happens when you can’t snack on pretzels and toast all day long.). Anyway, we are three months in and things are going well. Miller’s face occasionally still breaks out (which now may be due to strawberries) but the gas is gone and he looks much better. I glad that I was able to find the source of our discomfort so quickly and that change was possible.

Being a mother definitely has it’s up and downs, but it is such a wonderful experience. I love my three children so much. Every day I am amazed at what they learn and how sweet they can be. Wilson is growing up so fast and is becoming such a sweet and polite little boy. He surprises me with his “Mommy, can I please…?”. He also amazes me with his growing abilities: He can jump off a three foot wall, climb up a slide, get himself dressed and put on his own shoes. He is 2 1/2 but can do so much. He can also cuddle up in my lap and want me to sleep with him at night. He nuzzles down and hugs me around my neck. I love him!

Faith is such a sweet little girl. Tonight she went to bed with her ballet tights and leotard on. She is always a princess. She also loves quality time with me. Today she was in my lap watching TV while I opened the mail. She looked at me and said, “Hold my hands.” Really this meant, “Quit opening mail and give me attention.” So I did. Then we did puzzles together. She loves quality time. This is why I am going to home school next year. She wants to be home with me and I want to have her at home as long as I can. I don’t know how next year will turn out, but I know that I will be with my daughter and enjoy her company while I can, and while she still wants me. I am hoping to grow our relationship and create a bond that may not exist otherwise. I love her and pray for her constantly. God truly blessed me with a sweet, little girl.

Miller is the cutest baby ever! I just love his squishy little body and his soft cheeks. I kiss his cheeks and neck constantly. I hope that one day he knows how much I kissed him as a baby. I love his bright blue eyes and how he lights up when he sees me smiling at him. He kicks his legs and giggles when I talk to him. There is no love that can match that of a baby to his mother. It amazes me how comfortable and safe he feels with me. It is truly flattering. I love Miller’s sweet, sweet disposition. I prayed that God would give me a sweet baby that would be the peace maker and bring a calm spirit to our family. God delivered!

Each of my children are a gift from God. God told me two years ago that I would have three kids. I had the vision of three kids in the back of my minivan. After Miller was born, I turned around to back out of my parent’s driveway for the first time and I saw my three kids in the back of the van, just as God had shown me. It brought tears to my eyes. I realized right then that God has fulfilled his promise to me: three beautiful children. He gifted me with Faith, Wilson and Miller. They are each so special, smart, talented and loved. I am truly blessed!

We had a great time at the beach this year!  We got to be together for seven straight days.  It was nice to have the extra hands to take care of the kids too.  My parents were very generous with their time, money and love of us.  It was a memorable experience for everyone.  One memory I will always have is my dad playing Cranium.  He was trying to act out the word “bungy jump”.  He would act like he was putting something around his feet and then dive head first into the ground-doing a head stand.  It was quite funny and quite the workout!  Unfortunately for him, it took us almost the full minute to guess what he was doing.  What a good sport.  We hope to have the same house next year.  Another successful beach trip!

Tom and I figured out the secret to keeping them on the beach for longer amounts of time: bring food! They get hungry and want to go in to eat. We brought out food and Tom dug them a big hole to play in. We essentially told them that they had to stay out on the beach and have fun whether they liked it or not! Last year someone gave us the wise tip to bring a real, adult shovel. Brilliant! We could easily dig holes for the kids to play in either dry or filled with water. The water is a little chilly in May so sometimes they are cold, but most of the time they don’t even notice the temperature of the water. Once you get used to it, it feels great. The kids have had a blast today. They slid down the “hill” of sand and ran in the surf. Faith is now big enough to go in up to her knees by herself and run down the beach. Our house has a natural boundary on each side of us: a jetty on one side and a row of rocks about 50 yards down. It is perfect for keeping everyone near us. Now that Faith, Wilson and Gabriel are older they can really enjoy the beach and play. Of course, Doug and I play frisbee each day as well. Steve even had the two little boys on the beach with their golf clubs practicing their swings. Gabriel is going to be a little Tiger Woods someday. He really focuses on the ball and can hit it pretty well. I am very thankful that we have this time together as a family. Faith and I had Mommy-Daughter time today as well for a while. Faith wanted to go up to the pier to have ice cream and play games. It was fun to share that time with her. We won a bunch of tickets and bought candy and a Whoopie cushion. The candy was for Faith and the Whoopie Cushion was for me. LOL! I knew that Wilson would enjoy that. Every kid needs to have a Whoopie Cushion! Especially little boys. It came in handy when Wilson woke up grumpy from his nap….instant happiness and laughter.

Tom and I got a date night last night.  It was nice to go out, relax, and laugh together.  We hadn’t had a date night in a while.  We were all gung-ho at first. Went to a restaurant, sat at the bar and had a cocktail.  Then we went to Bubba’s Love Shack to have a beer and sit in the rocking chairs.  I don’t remember when Tom and I laughed so much together.  While we were sitting there rocking there were fish jumping in the water in front of us.  Tom kept insisting that they were frogs.  We sat and debated whether the jumpers were frogs or fish until Tom said that one of the goats on the island was a horse.  Then I realized that I was arguing with a man who did not even have his glasses on!  It was fish.  We finally asked some guys and they said that the fish were Mullet.  We learned something new.  Then we were off to try a Rum Punch at the shack next door.  Sadly enough, we drank half of it and by 9:00 pm we were having a snack, drinking water, and getting ready to call it quits.  Not the party animals we used to be. 6:00 am comes early these days. Wilson is up before the sun every morning.  Being the morning person that I am, I have the early duty! But napping by 10:00, if I can.  We had fun tonight and am glad that we were able to get away and enjoy each other’s company.

We are at the beach this week with my parents and Doug and Jacqueline and their two kids. We have a house right on the beach and it is perfectly suited for three families. My parents rented the Avery cottage in Garden City, NC. It is a big enough house for six adults and five kids. Never a dull moment. The weather has been perfect! The first day we went out onto the beach four times and the kids took four baths. The second day only once. On Tuesday we tried to go to the Huntington State Park. It was kind of a disappointment. There really isn’t much for kids to do. There is a very short board walk on the salt water side and a longer walk, in the sun, across the brackish water side. We only made it part way down the salt water side and then went to look at the “castle”. It was really only an old stone house with nothing in it. Not much for young kids, but we tried and it got us out of the house. That was really the main objective.

We beached it the next day again and then took the kids to the pier to play games and get ice cream. We found that the pier had a much nicer video game place than the one across the street that we went to last year. The one at the pier was nicer, cleaner and air conditioned. We played a bunch of games that you can win tickets. At one point, Wilson spun the wheel and hit the jackpot! Here is a picture of him with all his tickets. Of course we went to buy prizes with our 200 tickets and all they wanted was gum for 4 tickets and Tootsie Rolls for 2 tickets. They had fun winning them.

I have been reading boolike “The Strong Willed Child” and “How to have a HEART for your child”.  I want to know how to best discipline my children and how to love them and raise them to love God.  Ultimately, if we are godly parents then our children obey God because they obey us.  In the “How to have a HEART for your children” it talks mostly about a woman and her journey through becoming a homeschooling family.  In one of the first chapters she says to give your children “scripture and not sermons”.  That really stuck with me.  I have a tendency to lecture them when they do something wrong.  There is nothing more powerful than God’s Word.  Hebrews 4:12 says that “the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” If God’s Word can do that then it can surely teach my children how to behave and to treat each other. I took this advise and started using the verse “Do not repay evil for evil”.  This applies to the kid that hit back because they were hit first.  This is a big problem among siblings.  I say it to the kids at least twice a week.

Well, this morning I realized that they do understand and have learned what it means.  Wilson was hitting me this morning and I got tired of it.  I finally gave him a little flick to the chest.  He said, “Hey, don’t do that!”.  I said, “Well, don’t hit me.  You don’t like it when I do it to you do you?”  Then he said, “Hey, don’t repay evil for evil!”.  Can you believe that?!?!?!?  My two year old just quoted scripture to me so that I would do the right thing.  Amazing.  I am so glad that scripture really is taking a place in their heart, but a little humbled that he used it to correct me.