To Beebee or Not to Beebee?

That is the question that is currently on my mind! Last week, in an effort to get Daniel weaned off the "beebee" (his pacifier), I told him that it needed to stay on his bed. If it wasn't there when he went down for a nap or to bed, I wasn't going to hunt around for it any longer. Sunday through Wednesday nap was great. He left where it belonged. But after his nap on Wednesday he had it in his mouth and refused to put it away. I gave him a warning, but he failed to put it on his bed. When he went to bed that night, there was no beebee. I stuck to my guns and did not look for it. He had chosen the day he was going off the beebee. He only cried for about 90 minutes. He handled it MUCH better than I thought he would. The next few naps and bedtimes he asked for it, but didn't cry and fuss. I soon figured out why. He has taken to sucking his thumb or finger! When I asked him about it his response was, "It's just like my beebee!" UGH!!!!!! Now I am wondering, is it better to let him have the pacifier or let him use his thumb? I am planning on calling both the pediatrician and the dentist to get their takes. I had no idea Daniel would do the thumb thing when we took the beebee away. Unbelievable! So if any of you parents out their who have dealt with this kind of thing have any sage words of wisdom, I could gladly use them!

The Truth and Nothing But the Truth

Each child is unique. My three are as different from one another as chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla ice cream. Each one is great and I enjoy each one for their different God given traits. I often wonder why God waited so long to give us Daniel. There is a six year gap between Sarah and Daniel. But everyday I see his smiling face, I know why.... for laughter! He is our stress reliever! Has been since birth! He loves us unconditionally, and always has something enlightening to say!

We are currently in the throws of potty training. He is so not into it! But we keep trying. Today he was a bit odoriferous. I asked him, "Daniel, are you stinky?" Before he could answer I also added, "And tell me the truth!" His response, "No! And that's not the truth!" I could not help but crack up! Whether his little brain understood just what he said, or he misspoke, I'll never know. It got me thinking about truth. Our world likes to think that you make your own truth. It is my hearts desire to teach my kids and those we work with about THE TRUTH. Clubs will be starting back up September 29th. Please pray for Andy and the others on staff that have the awesome responsibility of teaching the kids about Jesus Christ. Pray that hearts would be softened towards the Word and that we would have a great autumn/ winter session. This time of year usually brings out the largest crowds as most kids/ families know kids that attend these next few months can earn an invitation to the Christmas Party (pre-teens is December 10th). With times getting harder, many families rely on the coming events to help out (Thanksgiving Meal Give-away, Thanksgiving Church Dinner, Kids Club Christmas Parties, etc.). Thanks for praying!

The Sun Returns!

It was a beautiful sunny day, though the temperature was a might bit chillier than previous days. The wind didn't help any either. But to the beach we went!

Daniel and I headed out first and stayed out for about two hours before he decided he'd had enough and wanted to go home. That was fine by me. Matt, Sarah, and Andy stayed out two more hours, boogie boarding and playing in the water which was definitely warmer than the air.

Tonight we also hit Wonderland Pier and rode the rides. Daniel had a blast, but wanted someone to ride the rides with him.

He finally braved the boats by himself as all of were too big to go on with him.

I can't believe it is Wednesday already. Soon we will be packing up and heading home. I wish we could stay another week. I am dreading going home and starting the craziness of life. I will cherish these next three days.

Not All Days Can Be A Beach Day!

Today was not a beach day. We went out for our morning bike ride and came back to get ready for the beach when we saw this outside.Then the storm hit. It was a great storm! I loved sitting on the porch and watching the storm go by.It rained most of the afternoon, so we stayed inside and played Wii, slept, and read. It was a pretty peaceful afternoon. Tonight, Matt, my mom and I went to Target as Krystal Meyers new CD was released today. She is one of Matt's favorite artists and he really wanted to get the CD on release day. He probably won't open it as he will agonize over whether or not he really wants it for about a week. But he has it in hand and for now that is good enough.

The rest of the week is supposed to be great! It's back to the beach tomorrow!

The Beach

We have been having a blast soaking in the sun and playing in the sand and waves. Here are a few pictures to show our fun.The motley crew! Sam was down for Sunday.

Daniel pretending to surf. There were a lot of surfers out after the big storm.

Matt skimboarding.

Sarah is a fish, spending most of her day in the water.

Daddy and Daniel diggin a tunnel for his boat.

Daniel is very much into making sand angels!

Happy 40th Birthday, Andy!

Yup! My husband is now 40! Unbelievable! We headed to Ocean City, New Jersey despite Hanna's attempt to keep us away. We arrived at the house around 3:00 pm and started getting ready for the "surprise" party my mom and I had planned for Andy. We had invited all the staff from Cornerstone, but only the Darrow's were able to attend. My sister and Sam, Aunt Cheryl and Uncle Doug along with my parents celebrated Andy's big day! We ate dinner and enjoyed a Stock's pound cake. It was so much fun talking and visiting while Hanna raged outside. The kids had a great time playing the Wii and after the Darrow's went home the adults had fun with the game system.

I asked Andy how he felt about being 40. His answer, "Not as bad as not making it to 40!" He is a pretty unfazed guy. In his opinion he is only one day older than he was yesterday. Which is technically true, but now when the teens say he's in his 40's, it's true. When we first moved to Philly all the kids thought he was forty because Bill and Joe were in, or close, to their 40's. He was only 25! Now he is hoping the kids will see him as one of the young leaders, like Frank and Jeff who are only in their early 30's. It's funny how 40 doesn't seem that old anymore! I wonder what 50 or 60 will feel like.

We are so excited to finally be on vacation and to relax in the sun and sand. It has been a long summer. Please pray that this would be a time of refreshing and regrouping. Please also pray that we would take full advantage of spending time with our kids and really developing some close ties with them to build on for the future.

We Are Headed to the Beach!

Tomorrow we head out to the beach! For a whole week. I so can't wait! I know Hanna is on her way in, but in truth I love the beach when it is raining. Especially when it is a hurricane. The ocean is that wild green-blue color and the waves are so rough. I love it! I also enjoy it on sunny days, so long as I put a ton of sunscreen on and don't burn!

Well, we made the decision to homeschool Matt as we always have and it seems that God is really testing us in that decision. Monday was horrible, Tuesday was good, Wednesday was horrible, Thursday was good, and today was (still is) horrible. We really do not know what God is doing, but we are trusting that we are doing what He wants us to do and we will learn what we need to learn from this experience. We're still praying and trusting God to help us through this time.