Wouldn't it be nice...

I found out today that my boys like the Beach Boys. So, I spent part of the day with them on YouTube, listening to Beach Boys songs, with their favorite being, "Wouldn't It Be Nice". We even went as far as putting their "Greatest Hits" on hold from the library.

I think we've been busy?

I've been a bad blogger, I know. We've been busy. I'm just trying to think of with what. Last weekend was Easter weekend and my parents came to visit and celebrate the boy's birthdays. They each got Easter baskets with books and candy and Andrew made me play the 'hide the Easter eggs' game all week long.

Marc and I are also starting pre-marital counseling with one of our young couples from our Wednesday night Bible Study. So, we have been meeting with them and preparing for that. Pray for us... 'cause other than being married for almost 8 years ourselves, we have no experience in counseling another couple. And of course, we had our Bible Study on Wednesday.

We packed up on Friday (after spending the morning at the Burger King playland with my boys and Noah - because we found out the gym was closed after the boys were all excited about it) and headed down for our first fishing weekend of the season. Although, because of the weather, there was no fishing. But since a Cabela's run was made... it still counts. Of course, they had a great time! Oh my - Andrew was sad to come home, but they both crashed hard in the car. And here's the miracle... they both slept well, both nights! They got up stinking early, but I'll take it.

We just got back this evening. Marc played ball tonight and I am just getting some work done while the boys are sleeping.

This week is also looking to be pretty busy - again with counseling and the Bible Study (more the prep work than the actual meetings), and preparing for AJ's birthday on Sunday, along with the usual business of the week. Have a great one and I'll try to be a better blogger.

Weird - Part II

So - check out this link. I've neer seen it before, but it looks somewhat like a TV directory website. Anyway, I clicked it and got this...

It somehow linked back to this post from a little while ago. Hmmm....

Happy Easter.

Savior.
He can move the mountains.
My God is Mighty to save,
He is Mighty to save!

Forever.
Author of salvation.
He rose and conquered the grave,
Jesus conquered the grave!

Clean as a skrieking whistle...

So this morning, Marc and I are working around the house, Andrew is playing in the main room and AJ is downstairs in the playroom... or so we thought.

Marc is vacuuming, but over the noise we hear AJ give a little short cry. I head downstairs to check on him. Not seeing him, I come back up in time to hear him start screaming. I race upstairs - give the standard audible gasp when I see AJ that causes Marc to drop the vacuum and come running. AJ had found our foaming soap dispenser. His entire face was covered in white foam. He looked like a snowman. The poor kid's eyes were squeezed shut and he was hysterical!

I grab him and immediately stick him in the shower, clothes and all and start spraying him down, not waiting for the water to warm up. Poor kid... soap in the eyes and a cold shower. By now, Marc is up and helping hold our screaming AJ while I continue to spray his face.

We finally get the soap out of his eyes and mouth and the rest of him washed down. He was tramatized for while needing lots of snuggles and he had little red eyes for a while, but he is doing much better now.

Busy Day

It started out early with Noah coming over bright and early. It was a really late night last night with the last of the college/career leaving at almost midnight. So, I was dragging a bit. We eventually got going, got all three boys fed and dressed, and they got to watch SuperWhy (our new favorite TV show). Then we headed out. I stopped and got a coffee and we ran a quick errand before hitting the library for play time. At noon, we left and hit the pharmacy, then picked up an el cheapo pizza to take to Noah's house.

We had lunch and visited with my friend Kari and their new baby and came home for nap time... including me. Granted, I only got about 20 minutes and Andrew didn't sleep at all, but the rest was needed. As soon as AJ woke up, we hit Aldi's and Meijer and then dropped off a few groceries at another friend's home who also just had a new baby. We made it home to eat rotisserie chicken and potato wedges (cheater dinner from the deli). Phew...

I still have a boatload of groceries to put away and dinner to clean up. Plus, I have one stinky little boy running around here. So I should be off...

Oh, by the way... the last of the March babies were born today.

Four Year Old Initiation

Daddy has put off Andrew's requests to play video games with him in the past by telling him that he can play when he turns four. Well, today was the day. Below are pictures of how Andrew usually plays with Daddy.

But today, Andrew got a lesson on the buttons and got to actually play and control the game himself. It was a very exciting moment.

Side Note 1: the game of choice is Tricky (a snowboarding game) for Playstation II.

Side Note 2: The boys aren't the only gamers... I am currently trying to eBay items to earn money for a DDR game. I think it would be a blast and I think the boys would love it! (plus it would be a good workout.

A few God Stops

1. On Monday, Marc had to travel to the other side of the state. And while there, the car wouldn't start. We just put more money into the car than I care to recall, but stranded 2.5 hours from home, he called AAA. Meanwhile, Marc called his "car man" and he guessed it probably was an expensive fix (fuel pump - since the car was swimming a in puddle of gas). AAA sent a tow truck and recommended the big name car shop. It would probably take a full day to fix, Marc would have to rent a car to come home and head back on Tuesday to pick up the car again.

The tow truck driver showed up and told Marc that in no way should he go where AAA suggested, but he had a place for him. Marc agreed and was taken to a mom/pop type place that wasn't busy at all. They got Marc right in, it ended up being a broken clip, cost $30, and he was on his way home in an hour. Praise God.

2. We are leading the college/career Bible Study in our home on Wednesday nights. As of 4pm yesterday, due to many issues, we still had nothing planned for our Bible Study at 7pm that night. We were sweating it a bit. Marc called his brother and right away he suggested this short video study (out of the thousands of things he could have suggested). And we happened to own that video, but hadn't watched it in years and would have never even thought about it on our own. Then Marc called his dad and his dad happened to have a corresponding Bible Study to go along with it that he could e-mail us. So, literally, Marc and I are reviewing and pulling things together even as people are showing up at our home last night. Even though God waited until the 11th hour to reveal to us what he wanted up to study, I believe he had it planned all along.

God is good and faithful. Continue to pray for us and this Wednesday night group. Marc and I love it and are really enjoying the group, but it is truly stretching us. We feel unqualified and inadequate and now we are struggling to come up with what to study (we thought the church was going to provide a weekly study to correspond with the sermon, but we were mistaken).

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

II Corinthians 12:9-10

Andrew-isms

Whenever referring to something in the past - could be yesterday or years ago, Andrew calls it "a couple awhile ago".

Me: "Andrew, when did you go fishing with daddy?"
Andrew: "A couple awhile ago".

Andrew, like his mommy, loves his back rubbed. However, his "back" refers to his clothed back and his "underback" refers to his bare back. So he will snuggle up next to me, lift up the back of his shirt and ask me to rub his underback.

And here is my big little man writing his very own name on the back of an envelope.

By the way, if anyone knows a good way to teach a youngster how to properly hold a pen/pencil, I could use some help. I don't hold it the correct way myself, so I am really struggling to teach him this.

Snippits...

Tub Time! (a favorite part of their day)

This was taken the evening of Andrew's birthday. Must have been a good day.

A little video of my boys outside. Nothing too exciting, just life as usual here in the Dykstra home. PS: When AJ yells at Andrew he is saying, "Get up!"