"Will you read me a book?"

Anderson asks me to read him books a lot. He really doesn't like the ones with lots of words, though. If the pages take too long he loses focus (gets that from his daddy, haha). So picture books are his favorite, especially ones with tractors, cars, construction equipment...basically anything with wheels! Here is a video of us reading about "diggers":

And now I can ask Anagrace to read me books! I love hearing her read! I can almost see her rolling her eyes or hear her let out a little sigh when I ask her because I do it so frequently. It is such a joy to see her learning. As she reads and sounds out words, you can just see her brain working. And as they say on Reading Rainbow, "but you don't have to take my word for it"...

Quick Update...

The bank accepted our offer, and we expect to close by the 1st of April!

I'll definitely give more information about our new house and how it came to be later, but now I better get to packing!

Waiting...

We are still waiting to hear from the bank about purchasing the foreclosure house. We both have a good feeling about it. But, the waiting just sucks.

Today at church, one of the worship pastors, Wade Joye, spoke about his struggles with waiting on God to fulfill His promise to heal his daughter. She and her twin sister were born 3 months premature. At one point the doctors suggested taking her off of life support. They said that she would never be "normal" in the sense that she would probably have multiple disabilities. Almost 2 years later they have seen so many miracles in the life of their baby girl, she truly is a walking talking miracle. She just recently started to walk with braces. Wade and his wife, Ferris, believe that one day she will be completely healed. They just have to wait to see the final result...which could take years. But they have faith and they believe that God has promised this to them. That is the kind of faith you can admire. (You can check out more about the girls' story here)

I was reminded at church of something Pastor Steven once said....not his exact words, but something like this:

In between the PROMISE and the PAYOFF is the PROCESS. And the process is the POINT!

It is in the process of waiting that God grows your faith.

I contemplated whether or not to put it in writing, out there for all of bloggy-world to read, that Justin and I are believing in faith that we will get that house. Nowit is not as monemental an act of faith as the Joyes believing in the physical healing of their child. But, it is a big change in our life and a step towards the future of our family. My hesitation in posting our "promise" was the thought of "what if we don't get the house, then I'll look like a fool". But, I said earlier that Justin and I have a good feeling...we think it's the feeling that we will get the house, but if not we have peace in knowing that God has a plan for us. And His plan is the best plan.

"For I know the plans I have for you," say the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

A Valentine's Day to Remember...

...and, no, it is not because of some super romantic scheme or gift that Justin thought up. He is not that guy. Reliable, hardworking, supportive, caring, funny, charming, but not romantic. Remember this post from Valentine's Day 2 years ago?
Well, it looks like once again we may be making a major purchase around V-day. This time it isn't a vehicle...it's a house. The Prevette family may be moving! We have talked about the desire of having a larger house. The kids outnumber us now and they seem to be taking over every inch of this house. We had a plan in mind to move in the next 2 years or so. The kids are still small enough that we aren't too cramped, but with time that will become an issue. But, one day I was surfing the web and came across a house in our area, just a few miles away, that was in foreclosure and would soon be sold at a public auction. It all happened so fast....We went to the open house last weekend. The house met all the criteria we were wanting in a new house, including a fenced in yard, playroom, garage, and plenty of space. We went through the process of filling out paperwork and getting pre-approved, and then today we bid on it and won! The bidding process was pretty intense. The only thing between us and a new house is the fact that our bid did not meet the bank's reserve price. The bank could (hopefully) decide to take the loss and accept our offer, they could decline or they could counter-offer. Only time will tell.

Big Guy...Funny Guy

Anderson is a funny guy, just naturally, without even trying to be. He makes me laugh daily, usually several times. Here are a just a few examples:

He insists on being called "Big Guy". Justin gave him that nickname and it seems to just fill him with pride to be called by it. Well, we visited the store last week and the greeter said hello to the boys who were both seated in the shopping cart. "What are your names?" she asked. "I'm Big Guy and this is Little Guy" Anderson introduced himself and Ashton.

Another one of his favorite phrases is "I heard that!" which he shouts randomly.

We are trying to teach him to say "Yes sir" and "Yes ma'am". His "yes sir" sounds more like "yeh sure". Makes me laugh everytime.

As I was changing shirts, he asked "What are those?" I answered that they were to feed babies. He replied "I can do that?". I am not sure what exactly he was asking...Did I used to nurse from you, Can I nurse babies oneday or Can I nurse you now...but no matter which one he really meant the answer was "NO".

And his response to almost every "NO" answer is "Aw Maaaaan".

Here is a picture of our Big Guy, Funny Guy...sometimes just looking at him makes me laugh.

Pictures and Lessons Learned on our Field Trip

We recently went on a "field trip" with some of our homeschooling friends. We had a great time riding the Lightrail or as the boys called it, the choo-choo train, to Uptown to visit the library and have lunch. They were excited and rambunctous until more people started filing in and they found themselves sitting next to strangers. My friend Erin sat up front with the "big kids" and Mandy and I sat with the little ones in their strollers on the platform below. Here are some pictures of our excursion and a few lessons (inadvertantly) learned:

Social Studies-students made observations of public transportation (as overheard by Ms. Erin):

"There are more brown-skinned people on here than light-skinned people"

"That sign says "NO SMOKING" but that guy has a cigarette in his mouth, see that guy, I think he's gonna smoke, but it says "NO SMOKING" on that sign, see it?"

Health -dental hygiene (a discussion between 2 students):

1st student: That guy has a gold tooth

2nd student: What?

1st student: (a little louder) I said that guy over there has a gold tooth.

2nd student: Huh?

1st student: (louder)See that guy over there, he doesn't have many teeth, but he's got a gold one.

Teacher: SHHH!

Math -the value of money:

After the train ride, the children had a quick snack at the Burger King in the Transit Center (a.k.a Bus Station) with Erin and Mandy, while I went to get my change for the lightrail tickets from the ticket counter. The automated ticket station I bought my tickets from prior to departure was apparently out of change. Of course, that minor setback gave another opportunity for learning. After their snack the children needed to go to the restroom. We realized that there was a lock on the door that required a quarter to use the facilities. Indeed a quarter is worth 25 cents, but it is worth so much more to a little girl at the bus station who really needs to potty!

Art:

There is so much beautiful architecture to admire downtown, as well as lovely pictures and paintings. This was my favorite, though:

Physical Education: Teachers and students got there fair share of physical exercise by walking around downtown. (A few lessons on traffic safety were required.)

And this little guy, gave me some extra exercise chasing him around the library. He ran off about 3 times.

WHAT A TRIP!!!

Happy Birthday to Me!

I turned 31 this past Tuesday. It really is hard for me to believe. So much has changed so fast.

10 years ago on my birthday, still in college, recently engaged, I celebrated turning 21...a milestone. I'm sure I stayed up way too late and didn't feel so great the next day, but honestly I don't remember.

So many real milestones have occured since then. I got married. I gave birth to 3 precious children. I have found purpose. I have lived and loved and learned so much!

I celebrated my birthday with a group of wonderful friends on the night of my birthday. We shared laughter, tears, inside jokes, and insights into the Bible. I stayed up way too late, and was so tired the next day. But it will be a night I remember.