Shutterfly Rocks!

I can't believe that Christmas is literally just around the corner! We put our tree up and all the decorations on November 13 just because I had the "itch". (I think come December 26th, I'll be so ready to take it all down!)  Then I started thinking about Christmas cards...

The picture I'm going to use this year is from a hayride we took this fall. It's hard to get 3 kids all looking at the camera at once, but this one is a good one - I think the only one from ALL of 2010! I also plan on using this picture and buying some other shutterfly gifts for the family such as t-shirt, coffee mug and maybe a mousepad...

A friend told me of a great deal through Shutterfly where I could blog about them and get 50 free Christmas cards! I love shutterfly and have used them for photo books and other gifts such as the ever famous Papa t-shirt with the grandkids' picture on them...:) Since I had not ordered my cards yet, I J-U-M-P-E-D at the chance to get FREE cards, especially since I was probably going to order from them anyway!!!  Yea!  So, all I have to do to get 50 free Christmas cards is post a blog about it.  Not hard to do, thank you Shutterfly!

My Favorite's from Shutterfly are their Holiday Cards! You can check them out here: http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards or just click on "Holiday Cards" above.

I also print a holiday calendar every year from Shutterfly. You can check those out here: http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars/desk-calendars or just click "calendar" above.

Almost done...

As I approach the last few days of nursing I'm actually a little emotional about it. I can't believe that I spent almost 3 years of my life "attached" to my boys in this way.

It was a REALLY rough start...first with not even knowing for sure if I could (my grandma couldn't and my mom didn't)...but REALLY wanting to, then not having the best start, but I was very determined and stuck through it even in VERY hard circumstances.

Josiah and Malachi both were difficult starting out and I spent almost the first 2 months in actual pain...but pushed through...then my SO EASY third child made it seem like a piece of cake (either I finally got it figured out, or he was just much better at adjusting to it). This along with him not getting teeth until 11 months old made it really easy to continue nursing him.

Now as he approaches his first birthday, has started to get teeth, and he REALLY enjoys Vitamin D Milk, my time of nursing is ending...and it's hitting me harder than I thought. This is it, the last one... In one sense I'm excited to be done, have myself to mysef again....to be on "this side of the fence" does feel good...knowing that we're heading to the next stage of parenting...

Can it even be that it's a harder stage?
With the many sleepless nights and painful feedings behind me and the difficult times of mothering it is to have babies, I think of how God has brought me through and changed my life with these kids...just imagine what He has in store for this next stage...

Boldness...

"If you actively engage yourself in every message you hear or read, you will never hear or read an ineffective message". I just love Beth. She's been challenging me daily as I've picked up (again) this devotional book called "Beth Moore Jesus - 90 days with the one and only". I started it in July but without much vigor....I've now started it again with a whole new attitude and I'm thouroughly enjoying it! She's encouraging me to be bolder - I just have to quote her again: "Shake our assmeblies, Lord God, and fill us with Your Holy Spirit, that we might both speak and receive Your message with boldness"! (Acts 4:29-31)

It's so easy to be "bold" with our kids...things like when the rain is coming down hard, "see how mighty and powerful God is", or to just stop with them and pray in any and every instance...even the small stuff like when Malachi's pillow pal got a boo boo! I pray that I can take this bold approach in my adult conversations - to speak of God's greatness in my every day words and to be able to stop and pray at any given moment about any and every thing! (And to let my kids see me do this so they too will continue it as they grow up!)