From the Garden updated!

More from the Strong-willed child is coming but I just wanted to say that I've updated my "From the Garden" section. Enjoy the sneak peak at our small family gardens this year. I think I'll post a new recipe, too. Check out the "From the Kitchen" section to find out what it is! yummmmm....

The Strong-Willed Child notes: Chapter 1

I've spoken with several mommas out there that would love to read the super-helpful book by Dr. James Dobson entitled, "The Strong-Willed Child" but they just don't have the time! I borrowed the book from a friend of mine (Debbie from the ultrasound bus!) and have taken a few notes. I'll go chapter by chapter for easy reference.

All quotations are from the book. I claim no insight of my own. Just the facts, ma'am.
Copyright 1978 by James Dobson

Chapter One: The Wild and Wooly Will

"Just as surely as a dog will occasionally challenge the authority of his leaders, a little child is inclined to do the same thing, only more so."

"Adult leadership is rarely accepted unchallenged by the next generation; it must be 'tested' and found worthy of allegiance by the youngsters who are asked to yield and submit to its direction."

"[The] respect for strength and courage also makes children want to know how 'tough' their leaders are."

"The ultimate paradox of childhood is that boys and girls want to be led by their parents, but insist that their mothers and fathers earn the right to lead them."

" Treat your child with sincere love and dignity, but require him to follow your leadership. Choose carefully the matters which are worthy of confrontation, then accept his challenge on those issues and win decisively. Reward every positive, cooperative gesture he makes by offering your attention, affection, and verbal praise. Then take two aspirin and call me in the morning." 

"It would appear that the strong-willed child may possess more character and have greater potential for a productive life than his compliant counterpart. However, the realization of that potential may depend on a firm but loving early home environment. Thus, I repeat my admonition: begin shaping the will of that child while he is in toddlerhood. (Notice that I did not say crush the will, or destroy it, or snuff it out.)"

Cities4Life

Sooooo totally didn't mean to skip March but times have been crazy busy. I've been almost wearing myself out doing life: family, church, traveling, building a business, getting ready for my craft/yard sale, AND growing another baby! A nap sounds really nice right now, but I MUST blog! :) Here are some cute pictures of Michael and John going on a joy-ride on the lawnmower. He's outside AND with Daddy, so John is a happy little boy. 

 Yesterday, I had my 2nd and last ultrasound done at this really amazing place: My friend Debbie and I were volunteering our baby-bellies to help train nurses to use the sonogram equipment so that they could go out and offer free ultrasounds to pregnant ladies considering abortions. My ultrasound was done in their portable ultrasound RV that they park in the parking lots of abortion clinics in the Charlotte area. They are saving lives and people are being brought into a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and the great love He has for them and their unborn child. It was a neat experience. 

Here are some pictures to give you a better idea of what it looked like:

"Buckle up Ladies!"

Debbie's sweet daughter, Eleanor. Debbie in the background with the nurses.

yeah, I'm a blogger. Take our picture! :) 

The ministry that provides this life-saving service is called Cities4Life. (www.cities4life.org)

"Cities4Life is not simply an event or a ministry; it is a culture. We exist to create a culture of Life in every city where the death of unborn children exists. We seek to transform the culture of death brought about by the abortion industry, to a culture of LIFE in our cities as we work to mobilize the body of Christ to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. This is accomplished by uniting and supporting grassroots, Gospel-centered ministries dedicated to proclaiming the Truth of Jesus Christ, exposing the deeds of darkness and providing tangible support to abortion-minded mothers at local abortion clinics. 

So the question is... what can you do? PROCLAIM. PROVIDE. PRAY."

-Cities4Life brochure.

I encourage all of you reading this to first and foremost, stop what you're doing, and pray for revival in America. The hearts of the mothers and the fathers need to be turned to their children again. 

"Behold I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse." Malachi 4:5,6

Secondly, while you're praying, ask God what He would have you do to stand with Him and His Church for the lives of the innocent children that are killed every day in our nation. 

We need a heart-change and then we need to MOVE where the Spirit leads. 

Give us Your love, Father, and the boldness to live it out!

If you have any questions about Cities4Life, you can contact Jenny Starnes at--- jenny@jeremiahscall.org

Giving Love & Receiving Grace

This might be a long one- I've got a lot to say. The last few weeks have been really good. Challenging but good. Father God has been faithfully speaking a lot of good stuff to me lately. Thus, I'm writing this post so as to share and so I don't forget it! :) The first revelation in this string of revelations came on a morning where I was barely functioning. So tired. A little bit at my wits end. And ya know, when your mind is out of the way because it's not quite there, God's voice is able to come in a lot clearer! Get my own thoughts out of the way so His thoughts can come right on in.

A Day in the Park

So Today is beautiful! John and I headed out to Rockwell Park after his morning nap! We had a little picnic with sandwiches. Of course, I mostly held his sandwich and milk while he and I ran around. Rockwell Park is cool. It has lots of play things. Perfect for kids of all ages. It even has a really cool pirate ship. Where was the first place he went? The pile of sand. He was totally disinterested in the play area at first. He played in the sand and went running off to explore the wide open places. But then he realized that there were cool stuff to climb on. And so he did. He only did a few crazy stunts. He was climbing one thing and decided to come back down and he kinda missed the last step and did a somersault. He was totally fine. He even made a few friends, of course! Along with his sandwich, his lunch consisted of sand, dirt, and sticks. He took a huge handful of sand and popped it in his mouth. It was pretty sick. He should have a good clean colon out of the deal though. All in all, it was a perfect afternoon. He is napping soundly now and I'm about to join him. Oh and baby #2 is doing good! We got to see him/her last Friday. My due date is September 6th. That's about all I know for now. :) Blessings, friends!!

Love those toofers!

John loves dirt.

mmmm Almond butter and jelly sandwich

Becoming apParent

The last four days have moved in slow motion. This new pregnancy is interesting. For those of you with more than one offspring, you will understand: I'm forgetting about it and yet at the same time, it has still absolutely changed everything. I guess I have more going on in my personal life this go around to be so engrossed in looking at pregnancy websites and all that. Plus, I've been there done that. But there is still a "wow" factor. This go around, I will be giving birth at a birthing center in SC. I'm very excited :)

Drum Roll Please...

That's right, folks. John is going to be a BIG BROTHER! Apparently, a year is enough time to forget how laborious labor can be, so I'm ready to do it again. :) I'm probably about a month along. We are not the kind of people to wait forever before we tell people. We found out on New Year's Day (wow... that was just yesterday... seems like so much has happened since then...) and we are thrilled! I'm glad that they will be so close in age. They'll be best friends. They'll be able to relate to each other. I'll have 2 kiddos under 2. Whew. You can start praying for me now :)

Merry Christmas!

Hope everyone had a great holiday season. This year me and Michael stayed home and had our very own Christmas morning! We had John's presents set out on the floor so he could find them easier. I put away all his other toys so he wouldn't be tempted to just grab his favorite ball and do his normal thing. He was so cute. Michael helped him open his presents and then we opened ours. We had a sweet morning despite me feeling a little sick. I was coughing a lot and my eyes were hurting really bad. Thankfully, God healed my eye later that morning! :) Michael made Cranberry-Orange muffins from scratch! They were so delicious. John took an almost 3 hour nap that morning and then we headed out to church (a little late due to the long nap) where we celebrated our Savior and King, the Son of God who came to us in the unlikely form as a humble baby.

Christmas Day I was so grateful for my life. So many of my friends were going through some very hard times. I spent most of my day praying for them and thanking God or what I had been given. I am so blessed to have my healthy and super-spunky child, and a sweet husband who loves me despite all my issues. 

After church, we spent the rest of the day with Michael's parents and sister, Hannah. I am also so blessed to have them as in-laws! They are so fun and I really enjoy spending time with them. I got to Skype with my family later that evening. It was a complete and satisfying Christmas :)

Roseman family tradition: Hannukah Game Championship!

Tonight is the last night of Hannukah and I am down 5-2! This means war!

Winners:

2008 Michael

2009 Me and Michael tied

2010 Me!! 

(He might've let me win since I was hugely pregnant)

2011 yet to be decided... it's not looking positive for me.

John and Michael sitting on the couch watching Despicable Me. Michael got it this Christmas from my sister and her hubby. Had to capture this moment: John is sitting on Michael's shoulders while gnawing on his teething toy. I love these guys! I just noticed this morning that we have another tooth that has cut its way through! Up to 5 teeth now!

"What do I do with this thing?"

Cranberry-Orange Muffins with Orange Glaze. I posted the recipe on the "From the Kitchen" page. Enjoy!

May everyone have a safe and Happy New Year! Our days of watching the ball drop are over for a little while. 

Sleep is kinda more important :)

Happy 1st Birthday, John Isaac!

Homemade Cupcakes & Cream Cheese Icing (Michael made the icing)

Why can't I touch the candle??

He hated his hat and bib!

John loves chocolate :) I sneaked some chocolate chips in them

"Mr. One-derful"

An attempted family picture post-cupcake. He was sugar-high and just wanted to walk around outside forever. So getting him still to take a picture wasn't going to happen. We tried.

fatness and the end of the story

 Have you ever read a book where you feel yourself getting anxious? You're on the edge of your seat. I tend to play with my hair and scratch my head nervously. And here's the kicker- You know the end of the story! You've read the book before or you've seen the movie. Why is it then that we are so anxious? I suppose it's just because we are caught up in the story. And that's a good thing. It's fun- I enjoy a good book. This was me, about a week ago as I finished reading Lord of the Rings. It was my first time reading it but of course, like most people, I had seen the movies too many times to count. I knew the ending. Frodo lives to tell the tale. Sam marries his sweetheart. Aragorn is crowned King. But I was so engrossed in the story, honestly stressed out as Frodo and Sam climbed the last steps to Mount Doom. I knew the ending but I was anxious. My Heavenly Father whispered...