Is there any area of your life where you've wandered from God? The clue is a lack of peace. Anxiety that "looks to Egypt" rather than God for help. If there is any such area of anxiety in your life, confess it. Return to God, rest in him, and trust him alone to take care of your problem. Quietness and confidence in him is the answer. Rest in God today as you wait for him to act, rather than running off in your own strength to "Egypt." —Diane Eble, author of Abundant Gifts: A Daybook of Grace-Filled Devotions (via my dear friend Jenny Peters - thanks Jenny!)

Valentine's Day!

What a crazy, fun day! I set the alarm, woke up at 5:00 to pack Robert a special lunch and then make him a nice big breakfast complete with heart pancakes. Since I was up so early and the boys were still asleep, I hit the treadmill and got my workout done. Robert and I were able to catch a few quiet moments together while we ate breakfast and sipped on some fresh coffee... something we haven't done in a long time. He loved his present, a new iPod. (He took me on a surprise date including lunch, a photo gallery tour and dessert on Thursday - it was awesome!) What he soon discovered was that I had downloaded all the songs from a mixed tape he made 16 years ago when we first met. I remember getting the tape in the mail and listening to it every night as I lay in bed, wondering what he was doing back home in Reedley. Ah, young love is so exciting. We laughed and talked about all the corny love songs that he recorded on the tape and enjoyed letting our minds wander back to those first months of our relationship. Ok, back to reality Ezra was up... the first to open his Valentine present. A mini mailbox that I decorated and filled with goodies like toothbrushes, bubbles, crayons, bouncy balls... they also got Valentine books and their favorite - balloons.

The day progressed as usual... a visit from cousin Bella, exchanging Valentine treats, playing out in the yard, then lunch with special jello hearts for a treat. After a peaceful long nap (that includes me!) we made Valentine's for Daddy... glue, conversation heart candies, paper hearts, crayons, stickers, and a fun heart butterfly (thanks to my neighbor Lisa for the template!) - it was fun, but oh so messy! Now on to the next task - dinner. I had a special dinner menu planned, Robert's favorite: "Julie's chicken" rice pilaf, and salad. I started making dinner and everything went chaotic. Jonah was crying, Ezra was grabbing eggs off the counter, they were spilling bubbles on the floor, then slipping and falling in the bubbles... Ezra decided to pee-pee in the toilet (which is currently in our dining room during our potty training phase). Right after he pee's Jonah picks up the toilet and pee starts flying all over the place... the chicken is burning and oh dang it I forgot to dip it in the bread crumbs first, Ezra is repeating over and over "candy" since he went pee-pee, and now Jonah is crying because I yelled at him to put the toilet down. AHHHHH! I start putting out fires one at a time and order the boys to their rooms... mama needs a moment to get things back on track. They cooperate, but not without shedding some tears... I feel guilty. Here it is Valentine's Day and I am screaming at them to go to their rooms! I regain composure and continue on with dinner... and my savior appears - daddy is home! I say, I just need 10 minutes to myself. I'm sorry, but I am gonna loose it... he replies, "ok, I'm sorry your having a hard time" kisses me on the forhead, and takes the boys to their rooms to read some books. This folks, is what love is all about. So I leave you today on Valentine's Day with some photos of our day and one of my favorite verses,

Now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is LOVE.
1 Corinthians 13:13.

Ezra's heart butterfly

Jonah coloring a Valentine for daddy... don't mind the runny nose - poor guy has been sick.

Making Valentine's for daddy!

Heart jello jigglers with fruit!

Breakfast!

Jonah and his balloon - he pretty much held onto it all day!

Ezra opening his mailbox while Daddy blows him some bubbles.

Back of mailbox

Front of mailbox

Theme of the month!

I found this inspirational blog Katherine Marie Photography through a fellow online scrapping mama and was so amazed at the beautiful photogrpahy and fun creative ideas that I decided to give it a try with my boys! Instead of doing a theme a week, I am attempting to do a theme a month. For January our theme was SNOW. It involved fun activities such as making marshmallow snowmen, cotton ball crafts, whip cream finger painting, a few trips to the snow and more! Here is a collection of photographs... and although it does take time to get everything organized; it has been really fun for all of us. I enjoy searching the web for new activities, healthy fun snacks, crafts, movies, etc. all related to our theme of the month. It makes our days more exciting, and gives us something to look forward to especially when the rain keeps us inside. Check out Katherine's blog (click on her name above) to see her incredibly inspiring work, and check back here at Betancourt Bunch to see our upcoming themes. For February we are working on hearts, the color red, and LOVE... in honor of Valentine's Day.

The finishing touches on our homemade pizza!

Jonah making his snowman pizza


The snowmen pizza's!

Cottonball snowmen - they love using glue!

Are we having fun yet?

Snowman grilled cheese sandwhich that I cut out and the boys helped decorate.

The activity suggested using shaving cream, but knowing my boys, I opted for whipcream since I knew it would end up in their mouths! And yep, I was right!

Fingerpainting with whip cream made snowmen

YUMMMMM

Ezra and his marshmallow man!

Sledding - first trip to the snow!

A hike to the Big Tree's with daddy!

week in review

I have decided the title for my Sunday postings will be "week in review." A quick blog post with pictures showing our daily life, and a little something inspirational.

Made his first basket! Yes!

A creative activity the boys came up with on a rainy day!

Bubbles with "ta-ta!"

Country boys!

Saying bye-bye to the pee-pee!

Jesus answered him "what I am doing, you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand." John 13:7 (thank you to my friend Edie!)

Project Life

I have had so much fun putting together my Project Life album this weekend.
http://www.beckyhiggins.com/projectlife/#
In honor of this project I will make my Sunday blog posts a collection of photos from my Project Life picture of the day (POTD). Here are a few of my favorite POTD's from this past week, oh and I verse I just had to share. It really speaks to me today... enjoy and have a blessed week!

Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Phil 4:6-7

Looking ahead... looking forward

For me, as a habitual planner I love having things to look forward to. Things to plan and prepare for... gives me the motivation I need to get out of bed and live my life to the fullest. So here is a list of things I am looking forward to doing this year.
Reading a book (yep, just one!)
Learn to sew
Take a cake decorating class
Turn my aspirations of running into reality - run the Disneyland 1/2 marathon
Complete Project Life - http://www.beckyhiggins.com/projectlife/#
Scrapbooking
Date nights with my hubby (even if it's in the living room!)
Build a savings account
Work on strengthening my faith
Enjoy fun creative learning opportunities with my boys
Go on a family vacation
Go camping (Yosemite would be great!)
Loose this "baby" weight
Build a summer garden for me and the boys
Go on a summer hike
Improve my photography skills (i.e. learn about lighting!)
Have fun with friends...
most importantly, continue loving my 3 boys - Robert, Ezra and Jonah
and last - TO RELAX, let the little things go and enjoy this beautiful life I have been blessed with!
What's on your list?

Exactly where I want to be...

My dear sweet Ezra... today he would not go down for his nap. He has always struggled with sleep. I have been trying to get him to lay down by himself for naps, but haven't much success. So after an hour or more of him getting out of bed, playing, changing clothes, asking for water, etc. I decided screw it... I will lay down with him and get him to sleep. I tuck him in (for the millionth time!) lay down, and turn my head to try and limit the interaction. Ya know, cause thats what the books tell you to do! Ha! Instead, he gets close to me, leans over and say with his sweet yet serious voice. "Mom." Really, it warms my heart. There was a time not that long ago in the midst of PPD that it would frustrate me into a bit of rage while I threatened and yelled at him that he better get in bed! Now, I am happy to report that I was able to roll over and say, "what baby?" and he reaches towards me to give me a kiss. A moment I could have lost if I would have let my anger and frustration get the best of me. He layed his head down and relaxed his body and soon was soundly asleep. I lay there thinking... this is exactly where I want to be. This is my purpose. Really it is. Sure it would be nice to get dressed for work, interact with adults, have a lunch break to myself - even pee by myself, have a little more money in the bank... but none of it really matters. Being home with my boys is such an awesome gift. I really appreciate the fact that Robert supports me in this and has been willing to make all the sacrifices that it has taken for me to stay home. We won't be going on any grand vacations, or buying a new car, or wearing the best clothes - heck at this point the Sunday paper, cable and a home phone have even become luxuries we have chosen to live without. In the end... I really don't care about those things. I am proud that I have chosen this life. I know that being a mom is my purpose in life... and really I am ok with that. I have struggled for years trying to decide what I want to do when I grow up - well, the reason I can't decide is because I just don't have a passion for anything besides motherhood. Like most things in life there are good parts and bad parts... motherhood has been the most challenging experience in my life, but I am happy to report that even those struggles I have started to appreciate. Why? Because it is all apart of the process. This is what I wanted. The late night feedings, the bickering, the messy eating... I should be so lucky to have these "challenges." There are women in this world that would give anything to experience these challenges... they pray night after to night to have these experiences. I have been blessed with two beautiful, at times out of control boys and I love every minute of it. Honest I do... even when I am complaining, as that too is part of the "process!" For today, I have learned to relax, listen to my children, while also listening to my heart... instead of always fighting it, I am embracing it. Again, this is exactly where I want to be, and it feels great.