The Bussis Stop

We did it, we made it to our last weekly picture! I can't believe it! Anna turns one on Monday! And what a sweet precious girl she is turning into. I'll do a special blog for her birthday so I won't get into much here.

So this picture brings back memories of last Sunday :)

We're going to go a little bit on a rabbit trail here. So this afternoon I sat down at my computer with the intention of starting this blog (didn't get around to it till tonight of course :)) and I turned on Pandora on my phone and the first song that started playing was "If We're Honest" by Francesca Battistelli. I like this song, it has a really pretty melody. But the words really struck me this afternoon:

Truth is harder than a lie
The dark seems safer than the light
And everyone has a heart that loves to hide
I'm a mess and so are you
We've built walls nobody can get through
Yeah, it may be hard, but the best thing we could ever do, ever do

Bring your brokenness, and I'll bring mine
'Cause love can heal what hurt divides
And mercy's waiting on the other side
If we're honest
If we're honest

And so I feel like I need to be honest. Last Sunday morning was a very hard morning for me. I was broken, but it was good. It started off really good actually. Steve was still in California so I was on my own to get everyone ready for church and I had to be there early to practice with the Sunday school, and I did it, I got us all there just after 9:00! I was pretty proud of myself (do you know what they say about pride? :)). I had to play for the offertory, but that is when David and Jonathan go to Children's Church downstairs so I figured they didn't need anyone to sit by them (if I'm playing for the service someone sits with them). So before I went up to the piano I reminded them that when I started playing they needed to go to Children's Church. So I went up to the piano and played for the offertory. As I got to the end of the song out of the corner of my eye I could see David still sitting in the bench (we were in the 2nd row). I thought "That's weird, he didn't go to Children's Church), but oh well, no biggie, he just stays in church. I found out later there was quite the drama going on while I was playing because Jonathan did want to go to Children's church and was very upset that David was not going with him so he was trying to drag David which wasn't working and finally the lady sitting behind them who happened to be teaching it that day picked up Jonathan and took him with her. :) So I go down to the bench when I'm done playing and ask David why he didn't go and he said he didn't want to. I said that's fine. And it was... until half way through the sermon when David decided he now wanted to go to Children's Church. I told him he couldn't go anymore, and he didn't like that answer, so he took off out of the bench down the middle isle. So I took off out of the bench on the outside isle to cut him off at the back, unfortunately at the back he saw me and took off back down the middle isle, got to the 2nd row, and just turned around and looked at me in the back and of course ignored me when I pointed my finger for him to come by me. So I went down the middle isle so that Micah would block him in on the outside of the isle and I'd block him from the middle isle. It worked and I put him on my lap and got a workout trying to hold him down as he fought to get off my lap and out the bench again. I finally pinched him to get him to stop (okay seriously, what good did I think that would do?!) which of course made him cry, very loudly. So out the bench we went with me carrying him under one arm. Thankfully there is a door right in the front there that I quickly went out of with him. At this point he did not want to go to Children's Church and he didn't want to go back in church. I really just wanted to go home but poor Micah was sitting in the bench all by himself so that wouldn't work. I finally got David calmed down enough that we went back in church. And then for some reason I was able to pay attention to the sermon and started hearing about what it takes to be a disciple of Jesus. And I started feeling horrible. Because the first thing was to be reading your Bible. And I'll be honest, I don't read my Bible very often. We read a children's Bible at dinner every night, but otherwise I'm not very faithful at reading it. I have a hard time getting my Bible study done in time. And I use the excuse that at this time in my life I'm just really busy with my kids. I still have fellowship with God, I talk to Him, I go to church, I love listening to Christian music and for me that really is a time where I connect with God, but I'm not very good at taking the time to sit down and read my Bible. And I'd been okay with that, thinking that when life isn't so crazy busy, when our kids are in school, I'll have more time spend in the Bible. So I was getting kind of mad at the pastor (who wasn't Steve :)) because how could he make me feel so horrible?! But then I thought about the fact that that very morning I had gotten up at 6:15 to do my workout since I hadn't been able to do it the day before. So how come it is so important to me to do my workout but not to read my Bible? And then another part of being a disciple is being a mentor/role model, and after what had just happened with David I was feeling like anything but a role model. And then it was time to sing after the sermon and we were singing the song "Here I am Lord" and I tried to sing, but I couldn't, because I felt so broken. So I stood there in the second row holding David who was crying because he was just not himself (I'm convinced he missed Steve because he was off until we picked Steve up the next day and then the kid didn't shut up the whole rest of the day, he just kept telling Steve anything and everything :)), crying, and not just a few tears, constant tears streaming down my face, not able to sing, trying with everything in me not to completely break down. It wasn't much better after church, I went out that front door so I didn't have to turn and look at everyone behind me, grabbed Jonathan from children's church, went to the nursery to get Anna where someone tried to help me and I just burst into tears again as David was crying in the corner, so I handed Anna off to this kind lady, grabbed David and we went straight home. :) And I cried some more. :)

So why do I share this. Well, I feel like I need to show you that I do not have it all together. :) I'm not a perfect pastor's wife. I have failings and shortcomings too. It was a hard day but a good day because for one thing, I was surrounded with love by people from our church (I had many sweet texts of encouragement and one lady even came over that afternoon to watch the kids so I could have an hour by myself which I spent in my newly painted office doing my Bible study) and two, I realized that I needed to make more of an effort to be in the Word and honestly, it has been such a great week. My Bible study is doing an awesome study on I Corinthians and I've learned so much this week and am so thankful to the pastor for being willing to point out my shortcomings (not directly to me but I felt like it was for me).

So, all that to say that Sunday morning was rough, so Sunday night I decided we just needed to stay home and the boys and I made Monkey bread

They had watched The Pioneer Woman with me the day before and she had made it so they said they wanted to make it, so we did. And then we decided to make pudding, which of course you need whip cream for, so we made some whip cream. And then Micah said what's really good with chocolate pudding is brownie chunks, so we made brownies. :) Baking is very therapeutic for me, so it was a great night.

This is what Anna did while we made all our food.

And I ended the night with cuddles from this stinker :).

We cut out Anna's morning bottle (she's down to just one before bed) so now she usually gets a smoothie first thing which she's a fan of

We had to go to Lowe's, they didn't mind (Anna was the keeper of my list :) and not sure why David though he needed to wear his sunglasses inside)

Playing in the snow (like a monkey of course)

This has become Anna's favorite spot in the house. She's very protective of it

I though she looked like she was holding court here :)

Micah got to have his friend (our neighbor) come play for part of the day on Friday and they decided they needed tiger masks :)

Some serious Hungry Hippo going on here

More fun in the snow

Steve was pretty proud of the tunnel he dug

Me and my girl!

I can't believe this precious little girl turns 1 next week!! Oh she brings such joy to our family! I mean seriously, look at that face, how could that not bring a smile to your face? :) She's doing really well with her bottles being cut out. She is now down to just one (as of today), her last bottle before bed at night. I bought one more can of formula today, here's hoping it's the last one!! Still no interest in walking. Still no new teeth. She continues to be a good table food eater, this week she got to try broccoli, smoothies, a cookie and pudding for the first time, she was fans of all of them. I have some baby food still in my cupboards that I'll give her, but I don't think I'll buy any new stuff. She also just takes one nap now (unless she falls asleep in the car while we're running errands). She's just growing up!

Last Saturday we had a little birthday party for Micah. Our neighbors were suppose to come over but they ended up with sick kids, so it was just our family. Micah got to pick the menu (Mac N Cheese and Taquitos :)) and then he got to open some presents from us and Steve's parents

We gave him a basketball game for his room that can also turn into a football/baseball/soccer game

He picked a car cake.

On Sunday (his actual birthday) we were invited for lunch at the home of members of our congregation. It was their daughter's birthday that day too and they were so sweet to include Micah in on the celebration and got a cake for both of them.

Our church family makes us feel so loved!

After lunch the boys go to ride their little snowmobile. Micah even got to drive it all by himself! (He told us on the way home that it was the best birthday! Almost made me cry as I was feeling bad that he didn't have any family around to help celebrate his birthday, but God still blessed him with the best day!)

The twins got to ride along with one of the girls. They also got to go sledding on a big hill (but Mommy didn't want to go out in the cold and I couldn't see the hill from a window, hence no pictures of it :))

Anna makes it very hard to read to the boys. She constantly wants to be included, but then immediately wants down, or hits the book, or screams :)

Micah with his birthday crown from school

She is such a STINKER!!

And not sorry at all! I finally got some locks for this cupboard and another one like it (they hold all my baking stuff and she was constantly getting it all out, getting cornstarch all over the place, trying to drink the vinegar bottles, etc.). Oh was she mad when she discovered she could no longer get in those cupboards :)

Micah got this fun gift from my sister. Steve and I were pretty excited about it too :)

Okay, just to show you how big Montana potatoes are, this big bowl of mashed potatoes is 3 potatoes!! It lasted us 2 meals!!

Micah was pretty excited about this spider hot wheels car he got for his birthday

He got this craft from Steve's parents. If you're looking for a cool gift for a young kid, these are so cool! It's stickers you put on it to make the picture and it looks so cool in the window! It's by Melissa and Doug

Trying out a juice box, she was a fan (an notice the hair :))

She was quiet so I went to check on her and found her in the footrest (got there herself). Unfortunately she hasn't figured out how to get herself out of the footrest so that cute face quickly turns into a frown and a cry when she's stuck :)

And again, the hair! She loves these apple sauces, they are so handy!

Doing weights with Mommy :)

Steve went to a conference in California this weekend (I know, can you believe he went to California without us?!). After we dropped him off at the airport we had to stop at the store and then I had to decide if I felt like going home and making us all lunch or just stopping at the sandwich shop owned by a member of our church... we stopped for lunch :). It was so fun, the twins talked nonstop the whole time (and it's a small space so everyone got to hear our conversation :)).

Anna enjoyed it as well. We discovered she's a fan of pickles, she ate the whole thing!

I received my winnings for my last TERRAFit challenge and I used some of it to get new bedding for our bedroom. I love it!! Of course now I want to paint the walls to match a little better :)

Again, such a STINKER!!

I also got a duvet cover to put over my old bedspread to go in the office, which inspired me to have the office painted (I'm a horrible painter so thankfully there's a lady from church willing to paint and I in turn do some baking for her :)). So here is the before

And after (I love it!!)

Before

After

Before

After

The office/guest room is now my favorite place in the house!!

This little girl loves her doll house, it's so cute!

The boys thought it was pretty fun having the office chair in the kitchen while the office was being painted. I can't believe they never ran over anyone's toes!

David said "Mom look, I'm a turtle!" :)

Saturday night I took the kids to Pizza Hut for dinner (Micah had a certificate for a free personal pizza for reading 20 minutes a day/5 days a week for a month, really at this age Mom and Dad deserve a certificate too since they have to do all the reading :)). The Pizza Hut was really just a take out restaurant with a few tables in it you could sit and eat at, so there was no high chair, so Anna got to stand in the corner of the bench next to Mommy :). She actually did really well.