Bairs Double

Olivia's 18month docs appointment was today. She's pretty normal.  59/58% height and weight. 3 shots. Barely cried at all, but Luke was there to immediately pray for Jesus to heal her boo boos and that she wouldn't feel bad from the shots. Taylor was hiding behind the desk. 

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Religion is what you have to do, relationship is what you choose to do. -Hillsong NYC Carl Lentz

Religion existed before Jesus came, Jesus came for relationship, to reconcile sinners to his father. That's what Christmas is about. Thank you Jesus for coming to save us.

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Luke and Taylor were outside yesterday playing for hours while Nick and I worked on our dining room project. They came in all excited saying that they were pretending to be good pirates who knew The Lord and they were working together as a team to fight satans army. They had the longest sticks they could find as swords. 

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Olivia digs the easy bake treats. Pretty sure she's eaten 90% of them. 

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(After sitting to reflect on where things went wrong, Luke asks if he can go talk to Taylor in her room, I hear this...)
Luke: I was wrong for pestering you, do you forgive me?
Taylor: Yeah, I was wrong for stabbing you in the back with my wand, do you forgive me?
Luke: Yeah. Ya know Taylor that really hurt. You shouldn't stab me in the back just cause your mad.
Taylor: Well just cuz your king doesn't mean you can go and bust up my castle. That was mean Luke.
Luke: Well you coulda asked nicely instead of stabbing me.
Taylor: Yeah I guess. Can you just play King/Queen nice with me now?
Luke: Yeah, get Olivia a crown too.

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Olivia was playing and had Taylor's doll house bed and she put a little doll in it. Covered it with a blanket, said night night, prayed for her (in her own language)  and then said Amen. 

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Sweetest thing ever... Taylor was sitting on her bed crying because she was being disciplined and Olivia goes into her room and hugs her while whispering and then said Amen and kissed her. She loved Taylor's response so she kept praying over her again and again and again...so I called Nick in to see and Luke came in too and she starting praying over all four of us, from one person to another over and over. #sweetprayerwarrior 

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Since Olivia's been praying in her own language, Luke decided he wanted to teach her to say a simple prayer. I adore the excitement of Luke and Taylor as they watch her learn especially when they teach her. #sweethearts

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Olivia's reading the bible to Taylor. 

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Which is more encouraging for your child to think? For them to think, I can never be used by God like my dad, or if God can use my dad, he can use me! -Paraphrased from Sacred Parenting.

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Taylor made breakfast for herself, Luke and Olivia this morning. Peanut butter toast for her and Olivia and peanut butter bagel for Luke. #gettingbig

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Olivia prayed tonight at dinner: thank you momma, daddy, Luke and sissy. Amen. 
Today at Target as usual she was fist bumping, high fiving and saying HIIIII and BYYYE to everyone but today a sweet older woman caught her attention and Olivia asked her for a hug. She melted this lady's heart and she kept hugging her over and over, then Taylor hugged her too, Luke hid and the lady said she made her day. 

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Send Luke and Taylor off for naps and they come out together with grins begging if they could read their bibles together before they fall asleep. Taylor has slept with her bible for at least a year now and pretends to read it knowing Esther inside and out but now she can pick out lots of books of the bible and she devours reading the action bible along with the audio. 3 times a day she reads it, she goes through the entire bible in a week and just keeps rereading it. She almost always chooses it over anything else for her free time. Luke now started sleeping with his bible. I hope they never lose their love of Gods word. 

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Homeschooling two 5yr olds while potty training a 19 month old=craziness.

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And she is insisting she wants on the big potty lol stinker. ------------------------- The sewer guy came and Olivia literally held a 5 minute conversation with him. She was telling him to come in, see our dog Ali, to come see her sissy and Luke, fist bump, high fives, said thank you and bye bye and a bunch of gibberish in between. The guy was laughing at her saying she's full of herself.  crazy girl. ------------------------- So today for school Olivia colored paper, then ripped it up and threw all the little pieces away. Over and over. All by herself. She kept herself entertained longer than my ideas.  At least today. ---------------------------- Taylor is such a sweetheart. Yesterday she was sick and was vomiting.  I didn't think anyone else was going to get it but this afternoon I started.  Nick and Luke were at hockey so she made her and Olivia pb&js, brought me a trash can, prayed over me, asked Olivia to pray over me, asked if I needed anything, kept making sure I was okay and kept Olivia entertained til Nick got home. #blessed #meltsmyheart  #growingup --------------------------------------- Moments like these make every bit of staying home worth it. Story time we read about Solomon and when the Queen of Sheba visited him, how he became proud and then started building temples for his foreign wives gods and how he went from being so wise to being foolish. This led into the discussion from Luke on how much we need to depend on Jesus to keep from being tricked by the enemy. Which led into detailed discussion of the crucifixion and how much Jesus suffered and how hard it was for God to put his son through that, talking about how amazing gods forgiveness is for us and they brought up the criminal on the cross who believed in him before he died and got to go to heaven. Taylor even talked about Judas and how she thinks he made his heart right with God before he died. They talked about Jesus being the only sacrifice that can save us and what people had done before with sacrificing animals but now, with Jesus, when we believe in him, his sacrifice is once and for all done. Their eyes light up talking about it, Luke literally jumps up and down with excitement and Taylor's eyes sparkle and then Luke says, mama, remember that song, nothing but the blood of Jesus? And then they held my hands and started singing it over and over. What can wash away my sin, nothing but the blood of Jesus, what can make me whole again, nothing but the blood of Jesus...." Of course I start crying, realizing that they just laid the whole gospel out with some serious passion and emotion and I barely had to talk. I frankly couldn't get a word in, between the two. They begged to keep singing together in Luke's room before going to nap. I love these moments because they remind me what's important. Pointing them to their messiah and watching them learn to live it out. ------------------------------------ Taylor: Mama, when you die, can I have these heels? (Wearing my highest heels and a smile) lol --------------------------------------- Prior it was always....when I grow up can I wear our clothes/shoes? And I guess since she feels like that's taking forever now she asking if she can when I die. lol ---------------------------------------