When I took over the task of throwing baby showers for all the new mommy's in our church I didn't realize the plethora of ideas that came with it. I'm all about party planning, but now, I can whip out a plan or two in just a few minutes thanks to Pinterest, Punchbowl, and the experience I've had thus far. This John Deere shower was no exception.
I always ask the mommy if she's going with a certain theme for the nursery. I haven't had one similar response. There's so many creative women out there! Cassidy's hubby is a farmer and obviously a John Deere fan, so she decorated little Aleeah's room with John Deere. So that's what I did for her shower as well. It all turned out so cute.
Cassidy and her little "Deere" Aleeah
Colors: Pink, Green, and Yellow
When you walked through the door you saw...
I try to do something new and unique for the guest book. This time I wrote Aleeah a "Deere John Letter" except I wasn't trying to break her heart, here's what I wrote and the guests signed around it:
Deere Aleeah, How precious you are to so many. There's love aplenty. We wish you the best in all you do. We will pray for you in whatever you pursue. Remember to celebrate each day. Don't forget to pray. Give thanks for all your blessings. Let God take all your worries; nothings worth stressing. Delight in God's Word. If you live by it, your focus will not be blurred. In Jesus alone take refuge. His knowledge, His grace, His embrace is HUGE. Love, (all the guests signed it.)
Signed and Framed.
Guest Book table.
I made the little onsie's with puffy paint, here's a close up:
Daddy's "Deere"
"That's how I roll!"
Each table was set up with a table runner (that was John Deere wrapping paper) and vases of wild sunflowers. I made Kyle drive me to a random ditch to pick them and I didn't even make a dent there are so many. They're beautiful.
I love this picture.
Who knew wrapping paper would make such a fantastic table runner?!
The food table was the highlight...
Dirt cake.
Chocolate donuts as "Tractor Tires"
Rice Krispies as "Hay Bales"
Gone Fishin'
Daddy's Corn Dip. (This stuff is highly addicting. I got the recipe from here. She calls it "Irresistible Corn Dip" and she's not kidding. The only thing I added was shredded cheddar cheese. Yum!)
The "John Deere Punch" consisted of sprite, lemonade, pinapple juice and lemon and lime slices.
The set up.
As is tradition when I throw a baby shower, I read a children's story. This time I read the classic, "The Little Red Hen" who finds a grain of corn, but nobody will help her plant it, reap it, take it to the mill, or make the dough. So nobody will help her eat the loaf of bread either. It lead right into the devotions. I told them that I wanted to be careful relating the parable of the sower to "The Little Red Hen" because I doubt the author of "The Little Red Hen" was thinking of the parable of the sower when it was written and I seriously do not think that Jesus had "The Little Red Hen" in mind when he told his story either. But stories and parables have this amazing ability to teach lessons that everyone can understand. Jesus knew parables and stories were a common way of teaching for Jewish Rabbi and "wise men" from the east. In other words, the crowd He was speaking to were familiar with this form of teaching. Jesus told the parable of the sower to the crowd (Matthew 13:3-9) and then explained the meaning to the disciples (Matthew 13:18-23). The seeds are God's Word, the ground is our heart, we can either let it take root, be grounded in it and not be swayed when trials and tribulation come; OR we can hear the word, but let the things of this world become more important; or let sin become what rules our life; or love it at first but when trials and tribulations come we forget it. It's important to not only hear God's Word, but let it take root, study it, live by it, let it change us and mold us into the likeness of God, so that when trials and tribulations do come we are GROUNDED in God's Word, with deep roots, and will not sway. We must (as James says in James 1:22) to "... be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." Just like a Farmer who WORKS hard to produce fruit, or the little red hen who WORKED hard to produce a loaf of bread, we too as Christians need to WORK hard to produce GOOD FRUIT and it starts with God's Word. Do not be like the other farm yard animals who too busy with everything else to want to help and thus missed out on the reward.
The game was guessing baby food "from the farm". There were six different types. The winner received the delightful John Deere cookies (click here to see how I made them).
The labels were taken off and each tub of food was labeled with numbers, there were six: green beans, squash, beef and beef gravy, peas and carrots, and sweet potato and carrots.
The prize.
Mingling, chatting, giggling, and trying to figure out the beef and beef gravy combo (Yuck, everyone guessed it was TUNA!).
Mommy Deere asked specifically for wipes and diapers (smart mom!). So I made her a diaper tractor, click here to see how I did it.
I wish I would've taken a picture (do I say that in every shower I host?!) of the awesome John Deere diaper cake another woman from church made. It was cuuuuute.
She walked away with a ton of stuff. I hope she felt blessed. This shower was originally planned for the month of July, but little Aleeah decided to come a couple months early! Scaring the beejeebes out of mom and dad. Mom spent 5 weeks in solitude with her 4 pound baby, but looking at her now you'd never know. She's a growing, healthy baby girl. Thank the Lord for answered prayers.
Cassidy and Her Little Deere
I have a couple showers coming up, one involving cupcakes and the other giraffe's. I'm super excited about spoiling both of these mommy's as well. The ladies of our church are amazing. The same women attend shower after shower after shower and spoil each mom with a plethora of much needed items. I am forever thankful for them because without the women who are constantly there when these momma's need them, these showers would not be worth my time and effort. Until next time ladies!
I was having this discussion with a mom of four marvelous young men,
Me: "I've been thinking a lot about how imperative it is that Brielle responds to my saying, "NO!" immediately. Lately, she wants to chew on electrical cords plugged into the outlet. There's no way I can go around the house and unplug everything from the wall just because Monster Bean wants to eat it. Due to this new desire of hers, I've been thinking about the importance of "NO!" long term. Like, for example, if my two year old daughter is running into the street and there's a car coming, I want her to respond immediately to my "NO!" I don't want to have to count, or bribe, or watch her "test the waters" because I'm not just saying "NO!" out of selfish ambition, I'm saying it for her own safety! So how do I help her understand that? Is this even possible?"
Mom of 4: "YES! It's called First Time Obedience."
I think I might have overwhelmed her with questions. First time obedience? We continued to have a marvelous discussion about discipline, expectations, and such. She has told me on numerous ocassions that there was no such thing as terrible two's or troubled three's in their home because that behavior was not tolerated. (Inwardly, I'm thinking, "Ha! Yeah, right!") However, her logic made so much sense, "If they hear you calling them terrible or troubled, then how could you expect them to act differently?" It definitely makes sense when I see her with her four teenage boys, I always feel this overwhelming desire to know more. Her knowledge level is FAR above mine in the area of parenting. I was expecting this long drawn out, detailed plan that she followed, but her advice about parenting is so, so simple (not easy), simple! I was shocked, "You mean that's it?" She assured me that it was. I was extremely grateful for this experienced mother's advice who's already had the opportunity to learn from her mistakes and know what works and what doesn't. I trust her advice because ALL of her boys are polite, well behaved, smart, independent, young men who are a joy to be around, in other words, whatever she and her hubby did... WORKED.
When I got home I decided to simply "Google" first time obedience and see what comes up. What I found blew me away. It's obviously controversial (what opinion about parenting isn't?!) but this concept isn't a new one (except to me) and there's A LOT out there for a mom like me who's interested in pursuing the topic. Rather than summing them all up, I thought I'd share a few of the websites I liked and let you explore them as you wish:
I guess you could call me a FTO mom! Until the other day I didn't know there was such a thing. Do you know how amazing it is to have women who share in Biblical truths when it comes to raising a child? I'm so thankful that I'm not alone and that I don't have to "write or re-write the book."
Now, it's your turn. If you are also a FTO parent, PLEASE, please, please tell me what's worked for you! View this post as a FTO Q&A.
[By the way, you can pretty much expect me to share my experiences as a FTO mom. Perhaps I'll call it "First Time Mom Seeking First Time Obedience" or "This Mom's First Time Obedience Journal/Journey" or "Adventures of a First Time Obedience Mom" or .... well, you get the idea.]
She's into everything and it looks like a tornado hit my home whenever she plays. I thought I'd give you a photo tour of the day in my life with my precious monster Bean. Starting with the kitchen.
This is mild compared to the norm.
Ahhhh... this is more like it.
She found a kleenex and decided to rip it apart into a bunch of tiny pieces.
Sometimes furniture is also misplaced. Yes, she did this all by herself as I watched in absolute amazement over my 10 month old's strength.
She walks behind this and got frustrated at the carpet that prevented her from going any further.
This is the bookshelf in her room. She LOVES to take the books off the shelf.
One of her favorite activities is taking items out of tubs, baskets, boxes, and drawers. This is her shoe basket, there were shoes EVERYWHERE. She hit our room next, opened my underwear drawer and scattered them everywhere, but I refrained from taking that photo for the sake of my audience.
Thankfully the stairs are blocked off, otherwise I'd have to show you her mess in the basement as well. Usually, the upstairs has toys scattered throughout every single room: kitchen, dining room, living room, hallway, her room, our room... so what I've shown you here isn't even the half of it. I pick it all up as soon as she goes down for her nap. I've gotten pretty good at it - it only takes a few minutes!
She's awake! "I'm coming over to YOUR house next!" ;)
Now it's time for a snack and that is an extremely messy ordeal.
I don't know how, but she had avocado on her ankles even! (In reality, she should hit the bath 3 or 4 times a day.)
Once she's done eating and she's out of her highchair, it starts all over again! Usually we go outside (she loves the outdoors) and she pulls the grass out of the ground, or throws the sand out of her sandbox, or tries to follow the puppies around (Marley definitely thinks she's a monster!). I'm always finding grass, sand, and dirt in her diaper. Oi.
Here's the thing, I want her to have siblings, but I can't imagine what my house is going to look like with more Monster Lowery's waddling around my house. I'm excited for those adventures too (someday, not soon, but someday). I think I need to make this sign:
A Day in the life with my Monster Bean is filled with little messes like this, but it's all worth it as I watch her grow and her personality develop. She stole my heart and there isn't a better person with which to spend the day, even if she is a monster mess.
In one month I'll be saying, "My 1 year old!" and that seems so weird to me. I think that every mom could agree on this one piece of parenting advice: treasure every single moment, before you know it they're all grown up! I hear that every where I go and I couldn't agree more as I reflect on the last 20 months with my little bean. It seems like yesterday I was announcing my pregnancy and now I'm starting to plan a birthday party!
She's an ornery little booger who's obsessed with the dog's water bowl, a book titled "I Couldn't Love You More" by Matt Hammit and Jason Ingram, bath time, her blanket, and pointing at everything. Wherever we go she points at something and looks at me with wondering eyes. She's also starting to point at things she wants like her sippy cup, Kix cereal, the pictures on the refrigerator, or her blanket.
Speaking of obsessed...
... be careful when you open something (closet, refrigerator, underwear drawer). She is right there to explore.
... and last month she randomly decided to LOVE a pink Minnie Mouse blanket. Whenever she see's it her excitement is obvious as she giggles and crawls to it as quickly as she possibly can. Once she has it in her arms she gives it "aw, aw, aw's" (which is what we call our lovey dovey cuddling), she's starting to say it with me, "Are you giving mommy aw, aw, aw's?" Then she'll lean in close and melt my heart with her hugs and kisses.
Her kisses are SO cute! She makes the smooching sound by smacking her tongue on the roof of her mouth and then sticks her tongue out as you lean in to "give kisses". It's kinda gross and absolutely adorable all at once.
She also randomly decided to start using a pacifier last month. For the first few months of her life she considered them a toy so I just threw them all in her toy basket. Now they're precious items when she goes down for a nap, when we're in the car, or when it's bedtime.
This is actually a pacifier cover that she randomly found and is trying her darndest to suck on it. IT. WAS. HILARIOUS.
She's starting to become more cuddly. I soak it up, because those moments were never very frequent, and now she gives "aw, aw, aw's" as we read a book, or when we're playing. She's a very busy, busy child so I'll cherish those "aw, aw, aw's".
She loves to grab my fingers and "run" to a destination. There is no "walking" and I have a feeling that the moment she figures out that she can take that first step (without holding onto me) I'm going to get my exercise. She's tried taking her first step, but it failed and I think she's a tad nervous to try it again. She does push cars, toys, and chairs around the living room and kitchen as she walks behind them. She looks like she belongs in a "mighty man" competition as she grunts and pushes with all her might. She's a strong little booger.
She's strong, but teeny tiny. She finally grew into a size 2 shoe!
She LOVES to talk on the phone.
Pureed food is suddenly not her thing. If she doesn't want it she'll scrape it off her tongue and YELL. She'd rather pick it up HERSELF and eat. She LOVES corn on the cob, avocado, beans of any sort, chicken, and banana. However, this girl would live off Kix, bread, or graham crackers if I let her.
Oh, and she also LOVES chocolate shakes. A girl after my own heart.
She smacks her lips when she wants something to eat.
Her giggle is contagious.
Quigley is her best friend. They follow each other around the house all day long.
Photo Favs:
Checking out hail for the first time.
She accidently honked the horn in Poppy's truck and she did not like it! This pic is a favorite not only for her expression, but Poppy's as well! Too funny!
My next post about Brielle will be her first birthday! I'm guessing by that time she'll be walking (ahem, running) and keeping me on my toes (not that she doesn't already do that). She reminds me of a little Tigger, bouncing around from here to there, enjoying life, making the smallest things an adventure. Life is never dull in our house between her, crazy Quigley and our Marley Man, but we wouldn't trade it for the world. In the last 20 months this little girl has turned our life upside-down. She has shown us the meaning of love. We feel blessed beyond words and a month from now I'll be reflecting on our year with her... so ta-ta for now!
Yesterday was lefty day. A day to celebrate the 10% of the population who are left-handed. Matt is a lefty and I grew up believing the myth that left handed people are smarter than the average jo. I still believe that. I spent all day yesterday thinking about him and how much I love him, but neglected to tell him, so today's post is all about him.
Isn't he just adorable with his bright red curly hair and chubby cheeks? I see his daughter Alexi all over this picture.
Matt has been my best friend for my entire life. We are only fifteen months apart, so I do not remember life without him in it. We are two peas in a pod.
This was at an awards ceremony for band in high school. I'm assuming we were supposed to be quiet, I can't remember what we were laughing about, but it looks good enough to risk it.
Growing up I dragged him along in every exersion I decided to undertake. I specifically remember this picture of us at church: me holding his hand and literally dragging him to an unknown destination. From the picture you could tell his short stubby little legs were having a hard time keeping up, but you know what? He was wearing a smile. That's how it was for Matt's entire life with three sisters. You have to admire him for his patience, but also because our life is full of wonderful memories. He didn't let "hanging out with three girls" stop his fun. See what I mean? Fun times...
And then there's the times I made him play wedding.
When I got married I forced him to reinact our childhood picture (haha, notice how I made him hold my hand?!).
In all of those goofy games you know what stands out to me now? He never once complained! Life hasn't really changed much since. We are still dragging each other around on little exersions, not as many as in our childhood. In fact, not nearly enough. I miss him.
Both of us are married now, with our spouse being #1 and both of us are busy with jobs and kids, so our life of childhood play has changed significantly. The last time I stayed with his family, however, we did dump the Lego's out to reminisce.
That night, just sitting there building a Lego town was one of the most enjoyable evenings I've had in a long time. Let me tell you why...
Matt is not a man of words. So when he says something you better listen - it's either thought provoking or hilarious. When we build Lego's we don't spend much time talking, just building, enjoying the relaxing silence in an all too busy world.
Matt is a builder. He can come up with the most amazing Lego vehicles including his own design of a logging truck, firetruck, sports cars, and the list could go on forever. The intricate details amaze me still. He's no different with a hammer and nails; and once he gets under the hood of a vehicle he's in heaven.
He was so proud of that truck and all the work he put into it!
Matt is a jack of all trades (just like our dad). He's an electrician, expert logger, a fireman who travels all over the United States to fight fires (right now he's in Utah helping fight the fire there - pray for him!), a carpenter, and he has one heck of a work ethic.
He has a HUGE heart. If he writes you a letter - be prepared to bawl your eyes out. If he loves you, he will do the simplest things to make you feel loved.
Like picking flowers for all my friends when we graduated from college.
Or putting his arms around all three of his sisters...
Or in the way he holds his son...
Or hugs his wife.
His huge heart was evident from the beginning, even in the way he dealt with animals.
You can't not love him the moment you meet him. He's a loyal, trustworthy, "what do you need? I'll do it for you" kind of friend.
His shirts says, "Mothers Love Me" and is that ever the truth.
I don't feel like I have to write a lot to give you an idea of the man he's become, because these pictures speak for themselves. I'm proud to know him and I'm proud to call him my brother. I love him so much and I can rest in this one amazing fact: that Matt and I are siblings for an eternity because we can rest in Jesus' saving grace. I can only imagine the time I'll get to spend with the one's I love once I get there. Quite frankly, I can hardly wait.
Matt... do you think God will let us play Lego's and listen to Jars of Clay when we get to heaven? ;) I hope so...
A mother goes through quite a bit to welcome a baby into the world: first trimester flu, growing pains, contractions, ripping, and the list could seriously go on for a long time; BUT the moment that child is put in a mother's arms all of that is forgotten and she falls head over heals in love. So much in love that she'd die for that baby without a moments hesitation. So much in love that it doesn't matter what that child does, they will always be loved. So much in love that this child will always have a home. So much in love that if a child is sentenced to death for something they did, any parent would gladly take their place so that their child might live. Parents begin to understand the concept of unconditional love once they become responsible for a little life.
I can't help but relate parenthood to the story of the gospel.
Jesus went through so much physical pain in order that His children might live. In fact, he was beaten beyond recognition as a human being. He became sin on our behalf, took the wrath of God (that should've been for our transactions!), defeated Satan and is now sitting in heaven waiting for us to come home. He loves His children so much that He died for us. He loves His children so much that He took our sentence (death) even though we deserved it. He loves His children so much that even if we screw up, He will still welcome us home. Jesus is a living example of unconditional love.
It's so much easier to understand the gospel when I think of my own relationship with my daughter. She is not perfect. She is a sinner. I am mindful of that even as she throws a hissy because I wipe her nose for the umpteenth time today. Jesus is a perfect parent who also knows that I am not perfect. I am a sinner. He is mindful of that even as I throw a hissy because my husband puts a serving dish in the wrong drawer for the umpteenth time this month. I know that my daughter is going to screw up. When she does screw up she will deal with the consequences, our relationship might change a tad, and the trust needs to be rebuilt, but I want her to understand that no matter what, I will always love her and she will always have a place to call home. The same goes for Jesus. He knows we are going to screw up. When His children screw up we will deal with the consequences, our relationship might change a tad, and the trust needs to be rebuilt, but Jesus wants us to understand that no matter what, we will always be loved and we will always have a place to call home. "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)
Does that mean that our children should continue to break the rules? Nope. The consequences will become more severe. Does that mean they will lose our love? Nope. Never. Does that mean the moment our 2 year old, 8 year old, or 15 year old screws up they'll be booted out the door? No!
Does that mean that we, as GOD'S children, should continue to sin? Nope. (Read Romans 6) If we do, be prepared to deal with the severe consequences. "My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights." (Proverbs 3:11-12) Does that mean we will lose God's love? Nope. His love is steadfast, unchanging, patient. (Reread Romans 5:8)
I've been thinking about this a lot lately as I read Milton Vincent's "A Gospel Primer" and over the course of the last two weeks I've been engrossed in the gospel at church, in what I'm reading, and in my conversations with friends. It's amazing how my perspective on life has changed since becoming a parent and studying God's Word. It's also amazing what God has brought into my life, that is transforming me into a better wife, parent, sister, teacher, and friend. I believe God brought Milton Vincent's "A Gospel Primer" into my life (via my pastor's wife) because I tend to forget the power of the gospel and the love God bestowed upon me. When I forget that, I tend to lose patience, become irritable, selfish, and miserable. Vincent explains why it is important to preach the gospel to yourself every day. He said the gospel became his obsession. How it transformed his life blows me away. One of the thirty-one ways preaching the gospel transformed his life was loving others. Vincent says, "I am always willing to show love to others when I am freshly mindful of the love that God has shown me." (p.24) That is a truthful statement when you go to Walmart, stand in line at the grocery store, greet your friends at church, take care of your children at home, and how you love your spouse every day.
Being a mommy changed my perspective on every thing. The gospel has become my life and I can't help but see it in EVERY THING, including my relationship with my daughter.
