Oh my! Oh me! Look who's THREE!

Valerie had a bit of difficulty trying to figure out how to hold up three fingers...

...but she finally got it!

Friday, May 11th (the real day) started with donuts and a couple of presents.

Then we spent a couple of hour playing at Jabbers.

(Our first time and all three of the girls, plus Riley, LOVED it!)

We grabbed our first snow cones of the season before heading over to the park to let Valerie try out her new scooter.

We discovered that even three year olds can't afford to miss a nap!  She conked out on the couch while I made dinner that night.

Day 2 - The PRINCESS PARTY

Valerie and Annie (Susie's little girl) have back-to-back birthdays so we've combined the celebration for a couple of years now.  This one was a royal to-do!  Check out that cake.  Susie has a very creative friend who designed this one for us.

We had a perfectly gorgeous day for a party!  The kids always enjoy a good hunt, so we let them loose in the back yard to look for cut-outs of castles, wands, crowns, etc.

And then it was time for crafts....with lots of glitter and glitz!  (Where's Riley-boy?!)

I had to include this picture of how my darling little princess insisted on wearing her shoes...wrong feet and wrong toe slats.  Makes my back shiver....but she prefers it that way!

Then it was time for cake and presents!!!

I can't believe that my baby is THREE!  Now, it's time to plan another party for two more special little girls.  We're going with a VERY different theme for this one.  Come back in June to check it out.

For My Daughters

My precious little baby girls ~
The first time I saw you
I gazed in awestruck wonder
At your perfect frame so new.
Your little limbs, your sweet, soft skin,
And the beating of your heart
Were formed by God's perfect design.
You are HIS work of art!

My dear, trusting young daughters ~
Each day brings something new.
New words, new thoughts, new feelings,
Are being formed in you.
My greatest joy and calling
Is to guide you on your way.
Your simple faith amazes me.
God's grace is on display.

My courageous little ladies ~
You're more independent now.
You want to try things on your own
Which, of course, I must allow.
Along the way you'll meet success
And many times you'll fail.
But hold on to God's sovereign hand.
He will make you prevail.

My talented young beauties ~
Your gifts will be unique.
But no matter where your talents lie
I pray HIS fame you'll seek.
Use your art, your wit, your music
To enrich the lives of others.
But use them more than anything
To adore your Heavenly Father.

My virtuous sisters in the faith ~
Is what I pray you'll be.
That we may share God's gift of grace
Through all eternity.
I pray you'll love your husbands well
And train your little ones
To love, and serve, and pray, and give
Until our rest is won.

Through all the years God gives us here
Whether they be few or many.
And whether we may just scrape by
Or be supplied with plenty.
My soul's greatest satisfaction ~
More precious than any other ~
Is to know you are a child of God
And be entrusted as your MOTHER!

Val Val Lately

While preparing for bed a few nights ago (notice the princess nightgown) ...

Mom: Valerie, are you my princess?
Val:  (in a growly voice) No!  I is a very bad girl!  See me?

Why I Go to Church

It is Saturday night.  My Sunday school lesson for the 4 and 5 year old class is planned.  The girls' dresses are laid out.  My purse and Bible are near the door.  My alarm clock is set.

But,WHY!?!?

About a year ago I wrote a post about why I enjoy going to our evening church services.  I'm going to backtrack just a little bit today and tell you now why I go to church at all.  (This is probably more for me than for you.)  Marc and I have sadly begun to realize lately how many people who were "raised in the church" now don't want to go.  It has come up in many different circles: among Marc's co-workers, through Facebook comments, among family, during youth staff meetings, and in conversations with several friends.   WHY?!  As we've talked to these people, we have had to really evaluate why we choose to go.  Every church has problems.  Every believer is guilty of being a hypocrite.  American "Churchianity" is certainly not what Jesus had in mind when he commissioned the apostles to go and make disciples.  Our traditions...lingo...programs...can often detract from the real message of the gospel.  So, why do we go?!  Here is the list that we came up with:

1.  It is a command of God.  In Hebrews that we are told not to give up meeting together...and all the more as we see the day of Jesus' return approaching!

2.  We are vital parts of a body, living stones in a temple, branches on a Vine, sheep in a flock, and members of the household/family of God.  All these metaphors are straight from the Bible and they describe how interdependent each believer is among the whole community of Christians.

3.  Regular Bible teaching is foundational to our spiritual growth.  Books, blogs and sermon pod casts are great - but they don't allow you to ask questions and have follow up discussion with the author/speaker.

4.  God wants us to declare His praise to other people and with other people through singing, prayer and verbal testimonies. 

5.  It provides an opportunity for us to learn from more mature Christians.  Marc and I particularly love our interaction with  the older/wiser people that go to MFBC.  They pray for us, invite us over for meals, love on our girls.

6.  It is a place where our spiritual gifts can be put to the best use.  These gifts were given to us, not for our own benefit, but for the benefit of our brothers and sisters in Christ.  We sin when we're not using them to build up the body of Christ.
 
7.  Going to church keeps us accountable.  Many of our closest personal friends go to church with us.  We enjoy spending time with them outside of "church hours."  They see how we get along in our marriage, how we treat our kids, what movies/TV shows we like to watch, how we spend our money and free time.

8.  We go to church to be encouraged, and to encourage other believers.  There is nothing like hearing that someone was praying for you during the week or hearing about how God is at work in someone else's life to build us up and motivate us to keep going.

9.  It is good for our children.  We do our best to read Bible stories, memorize verses and songs, and teach our children good moral values at home, but we are so grateful for the many teachers that our girls have in Sunday school, AWANA, VBS, etc.  Yes, they may wander away from the Lord as they grow older...but what is planted in their hearts right now CANNOT BE ERASED!

10.  We go to church to participate in the biblical practices of baptism, giving, the Lord's Supper, discipline, and Christian fellowship.  These are public, corporate events that cannot happen outside of a church community.

We will probably think of many more reasons to go to church, but those are enough to keep us faithful to our local congregation of believers.  Church is not a club!  (Remember this convicting video?!)  Unfortunately, many people in America today go to church with a consumer mentality.  Will I like the worships style?  Does the pastor's way of preaching speak to me?  Are there good programs for my kids?  Are the people there nice?  Etc.  It's not about that.  It's not about us.  It's about HIM and the glory He receives when His children are obedient to Him and loving toward one anther.  This is our greatest JOY!

If you have some time to listen to sermons this week, I recommend this one by John MacArthur on the importance of our personal involvement in a local church, and this one by Francis Chan about being a real Christian.  (His horse manure/feather duster illustration is particularly convicting!)

And - if you can add a reason to our list, please leave a comment.

A fun trip to the dentist (WHAT?!)

I find it rather ironic that I follow up a post about our trip to a candy store with a post about our visit to the dentist.  But this one was actually - can I really say it? - fun.  Missy has been working for a dental office in Boise for several months now, so we decided it was time to schedule the girls for some appointments.  Valerie would have preffered to help Missy at the front desk, but she eventally let the dentist look at her crooked little teeth as well.

 I have never had a good experience with a dentist, so just seeing these tools makes me break out in hives.  Thankfully, the girls do not share my fear and dread of dental work.  They enjoyed their cleanings and don't need to go back for another six months.  WOOHOO!  As soon as we got home, this is the scene that I saw in the playroom:

Today in home school we covered:

Modern History

Counting

Colors

Predicting/Critical Thinking

Patterning

Weights and Measures

Foreign Language: Italian

Money

The 5 Senses

... at Powell's Sweet Shoppe!

(Gotta love home school field trips.)

We learned the history of the game of CandyLand.  We counted 31 flavors of Jelly Bellies.  After making a variety of predictions, we learned that red (Very Cherry) is the most popular color of Jelly Belly.  We made patterns with the colorful sugar in our pucker packs.  We used the scales and registers behind the chocolate counter.  We leaned the word "Gelato!"   And we thoroughly enjoyed the sights, smells and tastes of this wonderful little shop.

Family Night...a kid's eye view!

Yes, we're still alive.  Blog posts have been few and far between this year, but that's only because we've been too busy with other things.  I realize that I have some serious catching up to do, but I just had to start here tonight.  You see, I pulled out our old point and shoot camera this week and found some hilarious pictures that were taken by one of my girls during a recent Thursday evening Cook family get together.  This is what "Family Night" looks like from her vantage point:

 

This last shot will clue you in as to who was behind the camera on this particular night.  Who can resist a self portrait, right?!

And, in case you're wondering where Annie Jane is in all of these photos, she is hidden away in the play room surrounded by piles of Polly Pocket dolls and accessories.  For sure!