For the Boys

Last post I shared about my goal of being thankful for all things Trinity. This post I am goal-setting for the boys.
BLAKE: Blake is six and a half. His biggest problems are over-reacting and whining. How do I teach him to respect me without threats, etc.? Guilt trips and straight up anger do not seem to touch this one. (not that those are great parenting options but lets be real) You punish him and he will "punish" you with more of the same behavior he got in trouble for. He rarely accepts discipline. This one frankly "hurts my feelings" regularly. Gosh that sounds immature. A son knows how to get away with things. I think that my goal for Blake this year will be HONOR. Honoring others above himself. Taking himself out of the center of the universe. Difficult for a six year old? of course! Achievable? I'd  like to find out. It seems to me that a deeper understanding and appreciation of honoring others before ourselves would halt the two biggest problems listed above. I hope to come up with actual activities and discussions to help him realize what a big world it is and how far a little care and respect can take him. Expand his little mind beyond his moment by moment mentality because children are capable of thinking and feeling so deeply. Most importantly we will be learning how Jesus is the key to being able to let go of our desires and to treat others like Jesus showed us to. Some of the results I hope to see in in this year of training about honor will be:
Accepting Discipline
Taking a Moment to Choose Humility
No Excuses or Fibs
Less Contrary Talk

ISAAC: Here's the thing. Isaac is two. My goals for him at this point are the normal toddler goals. Get him talking more, potty trained, and moved into a big boy bed. These things alone are plainly good enough for the entire year! I will say I am so pleased that he has wonderful lessons to introduce him to his family's faith through church and community bible study. I want to mindfully incorporate song time with Isaac to reinforce those principles.

These are the goals for the boys this year.

New Year, New Me

Being in Christ I am new every moment. Yay! I just noticed that the last post of December was my 300th post since opening this blog. Amazing. The blog has been neglected lately. Why? I wish I could tell you. Not really sure except that the days just keep going by and I have pulled away a little; just been involved in my own world, but I think it's time for a good share. Many of you have read my posts that discuss parenting and the current triumphs and battles I face daily as a mother. In the New Year I committed to setting goals for each of my children specific to their needs at this time in their life. I haven't actually done it for the boys but a light bulb went off for Trin and I the other day. We have been struggling as mother and daughter. There is a lack of respect shown from her that I have seen building throughout her childhood so far. It is her nature to need the absolute last word which is usually her final sassy comeback of many such. The other day I actually told my husband that I couldn't think of anything nice to say about her. He was a little upset by that and I was coming from an emotionally defeated place but in that moment I really felt it was true. Yes she has an attitude problem, but it struck me that I had to take my share of the responsibility for my feelings about her, and thank God they are JUST feelings. I've decided that 2014 is the year of cultivating thankfulness for my daughter Trinity. Using the method laid out by Ann Voskamp in her 1,000 Gifts book, I am making special note of all the things I am thankful for about her. I KNOW that this will change my attitude towards her as we progress through the year. Driving home after dropping her off at gymnastics the other day, I prayed to the Lord, thanking Him for her strong emotions (the top of my list of frustrations). I acknowledged that I need wisdom to guide her into maturity and not suppress these feelings but teach her how to use them in a healthy way.  They could be the generating force of an incredibly strong young woman, with deep conviction, and full-hear-ted faith in Christ. Today my prayer is that I will enjoy her goofy nature. You know when a person tries ten times a day to be funny and you just don't think it's funny it might not be their fault every time. So it was "Lord. help me to appreciate the humor you have given my daughter, not to go to that eye-roll but to give the smile that reassures. . " You get the idea. I am so thankful for my study in Hebrews which has opened my eyes to the defeatist spirit I have been struggling with. I needed to put a finger on that feeling and now I will be looking for it and ready to cling to the courage and hope the Lord offers. Faith is truly lived in loving one another. I look forward to discovering what the Lord would have me work on for my sons' behalf. 

These photos were taken at trinity's orthodotic evaluation. Being in the emotional place that I was at the time I thought they would do nicely for the mug shots she will certainly receive should she continue on her current path of behavior. Oh my goodness it's too much! =)

Trinity as I see her when not ruled by my feelings. Happy, Silly, Brilliant, Joyful, Caring and a million other things that I haven't yet recognized and look forward to realizing. 

Psalm 127:3 "Behold, Children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward"

Christmas 2013

 Christmas is not actually done yet as we need to celebrate with the Diviney family, but I want to get some pictures up anyway. We enjoyed Christmas with my mother-in-law and hers on Monday before Christmas. Then we headed to mom and dads' for five days. Really we are so used to the six hour drive it goes by like nothing. Today (our trip home) Trinity got the snow she prayed for in the morning and it was a beautiful drive into Spokane. The next four hours everything was covered in frost, even the metal fencing looked white and the trees were spectacular. Many Washington locals know that as you cross the state right about in the middle, the farmers have put big light "signs" in various Christmas shapes on the ends of their gigantic rolling circle sprinkler systems. These displays have been up since I was a child and are still maintained and lit up each year. There are children's characters like Barney and Clifford and traditional ones like a dove, and nativity, and finally fun ones. . .rockets, race-cars, snowball fights, etc. The kids and I were shouting out what they were the minute we could make them out, a fun game for all of us. We had a wonderful time with all of our family so far.
 I only made one batch of cookies but I did make Jeremy a cheesecake since mom ended up with so much extra cream-cheese. We had our usual brunch of chilli relleno, cheesy hashbrowns, and cinnamon rolls. Mimosas were added this year instead of the plain champagne we usually have. Even I could drink to that. There were game nights, and we all watched The Big Year, which in case you haven't seen it, you should. Or maybe it's just a Miller thing. The kids got their sledding in, although it was runner blades only this year as not much snow but the perfect ice instead. I even got Trin to go down the big hill with me. I actually had to go sideways and bail on a friends driveway (that wouldn't have been there when I was a kid!) because we got going way too fast and wouldn't be able to stop at the bottom of the hill and we didn't have a spotter for cars. It reminded me or our sledding when I was younger. Man, we did crazy stuff as kids. No helmets, no protective gear, just four or five teenagers layered on a runner sled (with the top kid barely able to reach their fingertips to the sled base for balance and the bottom kid miraculously not crushed from the rest of them)  careening straight down a third of a mile hill. Even better if it was in the dark on a moonlit night. We. Were. Awesome.
 Home again now with the usual mass unpacking but first, pictures!

Diviney Family Christmas - part 1

slinky!

 iphone eraser, thanks zoey and hailee

 excited much?

 what's in here?

 peace, yo our shirts match

funky music robot necklace

not pictured "mr. mike", cousin William, grandma, auntie angie, auntie amber

btw Trudy's Almond Rocha is now expected at the Miller Christmas. Oh yeah.

Christmas Eve - Just Us

here is a funny video of their reaction to the Xbox 1

Christmas Day - in no particular order!

 Matching Dresses

 Granda and his girls

Shel and Philip

 Uncle Brian and Nancy Jane

 the Nee' Nee'

 yay! Sophia for Sophia!

 I managed to make Ben look chubby!

 what's this?

 Apparently in December when mom watched Isaac and he was sick he was very happy to play with this frog pillow at the store so that was his present. I love to hear of good bonding times. =)

pretty sweater for a pretty girl

 love this picture of the four girls

 typical face I get now when I ask for a picture

 she's too much. My beautiful girl

 similar smile

 rocket!

 hmmm?

socks

 
 cutie

okay so she wasn't super excited about the Katniss Barbie but her mother is more excited to play dolls with her now! and I DID get her a princess dress for it. . .

 
 LAVA LAMP

me and brother