Nutty Treasure

I love raising boys! God teaches me so much through them.

When I emptied the washer out one day this is what I found: 2 acorns and a nut. I knew it could have only come from the pockets of one of my sweet guys.

"Jonah, look what I found in the washing machine."

"Mama! You found my treasure! Thank you so much. I just knew I had lost it!"

"I didn't find it, Jonah, the washing machine did. I just pulled it out after it was cleaned."

"But you rescued it, Mama. It would not have come out without you."

God reminded me this is how He sees us: cleaned off and rescued treasure- even if the world only sees nuts. To the Him, we are the apple of His eye and His love never leaves us behind.

Nuts and Goats

The boys and I went to my uncle's to pick up pecans. He has about 4 very mature trees in his front yard. We nuts had a great time collecting some nuts and feeding Clyde, the pecan eating dog. We were so excited when he announced my cousin's goats just had some kids about 3 days ago " 'round back" and asked if we wanted to go see them. HECK YEAH! We love some goats! Of course, my loving Judah was very persistent in trying to pick up one of the kids and I just knew the Mama was going to buck him. Thankfully, we got out of the gate with no one getting run over by the billies or the nannies!

A Thespian, A Not So Much, An Eater, and a Cheerleader

Cole and Jonah had their Fall Concert a few weeks ago at preschool. Cole was SO into it. He really enjoyed being on stage, singing the songs and of course, the applause afterwards. But Jonah, not so much. He refused to even go up on stage. He sat on his best bud's mom's lap during the show. Judah ate pretzels during the whole time (even though we had eaten dinner beforehand) and Livi was there to cheer everyone on but really, she just wanted to sleep.

Jeffcoat Acre

I have gotten a glimpse of what is it going to take to feed 3 boys- A LOT! These boys of ours wreak havoc on our food budget now and they aren't even teenagers!! CJ and I were excited at the thought of having an acre of land to plant a garden, but now we are planning to do a little homesteading as well. In the spring we are going to get some chickens and goats. Originally it was going to be for fun (because we don't have enough to keep us busy ;) ), but now with the Jeffcoat boys' hearty appetites well underway, it will be more for survival. Here are a few pics of Jonah and me getting our garden ready for planting. Since then, we have decided to expand it a little for spring.

What a Square!

On the way to preschool this morning Cole was kicking Jonah's legs in the back seat. I am trying really hard to not yell at them so much so I turned down the radio and said, "Cole, please stop kicking your brother."
Of course, he continued.

"Cole, Mommy said to stop kicking your brother and I am not asking. If you choose to disobey, you will be disciplined for your disobedience."

He proceeds to tell me all of the reasons he deems it necessary to kick Jonah's feet. Appealing to the "4 year old oldest brother wanting to please Mommy" mentality I said, "It gives Mommy a sad heart when you are mean to your brothers."

"Mommy, I don't have a heart."

"WHAT?!"

"I have a square."

Oh No

As treats, the boys get to choose a dum dum sucker out of the bag. Today we only had 3 left and 2 of them were the same flavor. It was Jonah's turn to choose first, so he chose the different one. Cole and Judah got the leftovers. Cole said, "What flavor is this, Mama?"

"Butterscotch."

"Great (with a sarcastic tone). I get butt-scotch."

I reminded him that at least he got a sucker; and then, yes, I corrected him. :)

Holy No TV!!!

We don't watch regular TV in the Jeffcoat House. If you turn on our huge 61 inch TV, there isn't even local channels playing. We use it for movies we get from Nextflix and video games. Therefore, I find it absolutely hysterical that my boys are completely enamored with superheroes. Neither of them have seen either Batman or Spider-Man; yet, this is how they like to play. Oh, and the primary purpose of the trampoline- as I have been informed- is to "Fly, Mama, we have to fly."

Back in Action!

We have definitely been a little busy in this Jeffcoat house over the last few months! I am beginning to feel like I am getting my faculties together after having Olivia. It has not been as a difficult transition as our last couple of births, but it has certainly seemed to add a lot of extra work. Dressing, feeding, keeping clean after dressed, and getting out the door with 4 children has definitely required some extra planning. Many things have fallen by the wayside; blogging is one. Sigh.
However, I think we are getting back on schedule. Stay tuned...

A Birthday and an Epiphany

Today is my Judah's 2nd birthday! I was getting him dressed this morning and had him on top of the kitchen counter because it's just easier with him that way. In the hustle and bustle of the morning- the other boys running, talking loudly, the TV blaring, me thinking about making CJ's lunch, etc., I looked up and caught a glance of my future: One day soon, my 2 year old will indeed be towering above me as he grows into a man. Wow! Looking into his sweet face (while he is pulling at my hair), my eyes swelled with the tears realizing he is my last little boy I will fasten overalls on and my last little one to teach to aim correctly while using the potty.

I became overwhelmed with a sense of urgency. It wasn't to spoil him or buy him all he wanted in this precious stage of life. It was to make sure I am being the very best mom God has called and equipped me to be. I felt the urgency to equip him to be the man, friend, husband, and father God has planned for him. For us, that looks so differently than how the world portrays it. It actually is anti-world in so many respects. All Jesus loving parents face the same dilemma: How do I teach my kids to be in the world and not of it. Paul wrote about being transformed by renewing our minds in Romans 12 and how conforming should not even be a goal of ours; yet, as parents, we want our kids to "fit in" and to "look the part." We want them to be popular, liked, and invited to all of the parties. But, I don't.

I don't want the "nice" kids. I don't want kids who walk on eggshells around others because they might hurt someone's feelings and not get an invitation. I want my kids to be warriors for truth and to stand up for what God says is right- even if it means not fitting in all of the time. Am I teaching my kids those values? Will my boys love their wives as Jesus loves the church? Will they be men after God's own heart? Or will they be bratty grown ups who pout when life doesn't go their way or they get denied something their flesh wants? That is why parenting is so tough. You won't know until they are grown up and have children of their own to reflect what you passed onto them. And even then you aren't sure.

Happy birthday, Sweet Judah! Mommy clings to you a little tighter because you are my last little boy and, selfishly, my last chance to get it right. I can't wait to see what awesome things our mighty God does with you! He gave me your name before we even knew you were a boy. I pray you will praise Him all the days of your life!!

Revelation

You mean there are 3 of them and they live here too!?

All Clean

Cole had his first trip to the dentist recently (Yes, I said "first"- bad mom!). He has no cavities and I really can't believe it with all of the sweets he enjoys. This is a picture of the hygienist going over all of the tools she uses so he knows what is going on. He did great! I was really proud of the way he listened to her and the dentist and didn't pitch a fit when she started cleaning and poking around in his mouth. I would have taken more pictures, but I felt like the dorky mom snapping the one pic I did take and I didn't want to embarrass him.

All Aboard!

Pops, CJ's dad, came down from Florence, SC (about an hour or so away) Saturday morning for a fun-filled day with the boys. We all went and had breakfast- YUMMO- then Livi and I headed out to do some girl stuff while the boys headed to a train museum another hour away. They all had an absolute blast! They got to look around at some train pictures and paraphernalia; but the highlight was taking an actual train ride. They could hardly contain themselves inside the train. I wasn't there so I can't share any funny things I am sure the boys said, but the expressions on their faces proves what a great time they had.

They got home late in the afternoon and I found it most funny that the only person who wanted- and took- a nap was CJ.

Word-ful Wednesday

Someone has yet to discover she is out of the womb.

(ball courtesy of Judah ;))

Princess Olivia

After returning home from the hospital, taking another trip to the hospital, and settling in back home, we were finally able to get some snaps of our princess.

The princes are absolutely in love with her and have trouble staying out of her face. We are working on kissing her feet.

She, obviously, is not as impressed with us :). Oh well. Stuck with us she is.

Thursday 13

13 Reasons I Married This Man of Mine

1- He makes me laugh so hard- even now after 9 years of marriage.

2- He makes me feel safe.

3- His passion for life, Jesus, and me ;)

4- His wit and sarcasm; some, well, most find this offensive, but I enjoy it.

5- His love of children- even ours. LOL!

6- He is so stinkin' smart- it's disgusting how he can do anything after he reads about it.

7- I knew I could do more for Jesus with him than on my own.

8- All of the adventures we have had: roommates, almost running into a tree in the mountains, deaths of loved ones, fights with people we love, babies, world traveling, rude people who curse us in a foreign language, highs and lows of life- and it's only beginning!

9- He will fight with me- I enjoy a little passionate conversation every now and then :).

10- His boundless energy and creativity.

11- He dreams BIG!

12- He gets up quickly after he falls- and picks me up along the way.

13- He loves me the way I am, but encourages me to be better without ever saying anything.

I love you, CJ. You are my best friend and I am so thankful God gave you to me (You lucky man, you!)!

Happy Anniversary!

Sneak Peek

You can thank Leslie for this one. Don't worry, though, there will be more to come this week. We got our camera!!!!