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Happy Birthday to our baby boy who turns 3 today!!!

lunch lady land

I read this blog post a couple weeks ago. This woman cooked 46 meals in one day and froze them all so she wouldn't have to cook for a loooong time. Seeing as how our lives are insanely busy, I LOVED this idea! So, Saturday I cooked all. day. long. I didn't make 46 meals, but I made enough food that I wouldn't have to cook dinner for the next few weeks! I also made a whole bunch of twice baked potatoes.


It was so nice having dinner ready in about 5 mintues today! Definitely will be doing this again.

This was me on Saturday ...

"it was a triumph, my dear"

"It was a triumph, my dear!"

That famous line from A Christmas Carol usually only comes out of Chris' mouth when I've made something he realllly likes. Here lately, I've been hearing it quite a bit! So, I thought I would share some of the recipes with you!

I made Curry Chicken for the second time tonight and it was another hit! Why should you make it, you ask? It's as easy as they come to make. It's a crock pot recipe! And it is a delicious Indian meal you can make at home. LOVE!

Oh, and it's by Pioneer Woman! The picture is by her too :-)


We've had these Fajita Style Quesadillas this week too. Yu-mmy!



Chicken Rollatini Stuffed with Zucchini and Mozzarella . Sounds fancy. Looks fancy. Tastes fancy. Easy to make. Need I say anymore?



Last but not least, LETTUCE WRAPS!!!



These little babies are de-licious! You can make them in a hurry and you can feel like you're eating healthy because it's wrapped in lettuce :-) Yum..Yum..Yum

momma's baby

Please ignore my giant sneeze in the middle of the video and poor little buddy's sniffling. Oh, and Chris' cough...

out of the mouth of Lincoln boy

Tonight I looked in the mirror and I said, "Oh Lincoln...I'm a mess."

He replied, "Your hairs?"

Yes son, my hair(s). Thanks :-)

can't think of an excuse that blogworld will accept for why i haven't blogged since september

*Lincoln was the cutest sock monkey ever for Halloween :-)


*Lincoln is a Puggle! Our church offers a children's Bible club called Awana. Lincoln started this year, and loves it.


* I graduated from the LPN program. I'm a nurse! I'm still in school finishing the RN program.

*We've taken a lot of naps since September too :-)


And...Lincoln became a Jedi Master.

pie pops

Last night, Lincoln and I made pie pops! He LOVED them! I blogged the recipe and how to make them a long time ago---here's the link! http://hersandhisblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/once-you-pop-fun-dont-stop.html

Hope you guys are enjoying this fall weather as much as we are!

oh my...

Just for the record--I did not teach him those shoulder dance moves. Jesus take the wheel...

{prayer}

Our friends Beth and Josh gave us this list of 31 Biblical Virtues to Pray for Your Children. We put it up on our fridge and have been praying these things for Lincoln every day. We have found it helpful and thought you might too... You can find this list at www.ReviveOurHearts.com

31 Biblical Virtues to Pray for Your Children

1. Salvation—"Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory." (Isa. 45:8; 2 Tim. 2:10)

2. Growth in Grace—"I pray that my children may grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (2 Pet. 3:18)

3. Love—"Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to live a life of love, through the Spirit who dwells in them." (Gal. 5:25; Eph. 5:2)

4. Honesty and Integrity—"May integrity and honesty be their virtue
and their protection." (Ps. 25:21)

5. Self-Control—"Father, help my children not to be like many others around them, but let them be alert and self-controlled in all they do."
(1 Thess. 5:6)

6. Love for God's Word—"May my children grow to find Your Word more precious than much pure gold and sweeter than honey from the comb." (Ps. 19:10)

7. Justice—"God, help my children to love justice as You do and act justly in all they do." (Ps. 11:7; Mic. 6:8)

8. Mercy—"May my children always be merciful, just as their Father is merciful." (Luke 6:36)

9. Respect (for self, others, and authority)—"Father, grant that my children may show proper respect to everyone, as Your Word commands."
(1 Pet. 2:17)

10. Biblical Self-Esteem—"Help my children develop a strong self-esteem that is rooted in the realization that they are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus." (Eph. 2:10)

11. Faithfulness—"Let love and faithfulness never leave my children, but bind these twin virtues around their necks and write them on the tablet of their hearts." (Prov. 3:3)

12. Courage—"May my children always be strong and courageous in their character and in their actions." (Deut. 31:6)

13. Purity—"Create in them a pure heart, O God, and let that purity of heart be shown in their actions." (Ps. 51:10)

14. Kindness—"Lord, may my children always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else." (1 Thess. 5:15)

15. Generosity—"Grant that my children may be generous and willing to share, and so lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age." (1 Tim. 6:18-19)

16. Peace-Loving—"Father, let my children make every effort to do what leads to peace." (Rom. 14:19)

17. Joy—"May my children be filled with the joy given by the Holy Spirit."
(1 Thess. 1:6)

18. Perseverance—"Lord, teach my children perseverance in all they do, and help them especially to run with perseverance the race marked out for them." (Heb. 12:1)

19. Humility—"God, please cultivate in my children the ability to show true humility toward all." (Titus 3:2)

20. Compassion—"Lord, please clothe my children with the virtue of compassion." (Col. 3:12)

21. Responsibility—"Grant that my children may learn responsibility, for each one should carry his own load." (Gal. 6:5)

22. Contentment—"Father, teach my children the secret of being content in any and every situation, through Him who gives them strength." (Phil. 4:12-13)

23. Faith—"I pray that faith will find root and grow in my children's hearts, that by faith they may gain what has been promised to them." (Luke 17:5-6; Heb. 11:1-40)

24. A Servant's Heart—"God, please help my children develop servant's hearts, that they may serve wholeheartedly, as if they were serving the Lord, not men." (Eph. 6:7)

25. Hope—"May the God of hope grant that my children may overflow with hope and hopefulness by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Rom. 15:13)

26. Willingness and Ability to Work—"Teach my children, Lord, to value work and to work at it with all their heart, as working for the Lord and not for men." (Col. 3:23)

27. Passion for God—"Lord, please instill in my children a soul that 'followeth hard after thee,' one that clings passionately to You." (Ps. 63:8)

28. Self-Discipline—"Father, I pray that my children may acquire a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair."
(Prov. 1:3)

29. Prayerfulness—"Grant, Lord, that my children's lives may be marked by prayerfulness, that they may learn to pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers." (1 Thess. 5:17)

30. Gratitude—"Help my children to live lives that are always overflowing with thankfulness and always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Eph. 5:20; Col. 2:7)

31. A Heart for Missions—"Lord, please help my children to develop a desire to see Your glory declared among the nations, Your marvelous deeds among the peoples." (Ps. 96:3)

lincoln at the park

Lincoln's favorite thing to do right now (besides playing with his cars) is going on the trails at the Charlestown State Park. Chris took these precious photos of Lincoln posing after our hike. I was the crazy mom jumping around and impersonating Mater to make him smile :-)

burp boy

It doesn't happen too often, but sometimes when Lincoln is laughing real hard ... he burps. I don't know if it's because he's swallowing a bunch of air while he's laughing or what, but I do know it is the cutest, funniest, sweetest thing ever! Chris got it on video not too long ago and I couldn't resist sharing. This video also captures how Lincoln likes to give us hugs and kisses 24-7. Literally. I love it!

cars on the brain

Lincoln is obsessed with cars right now. It's usually the first word that comes out of his mouth when he wakes up and the thing he sleeps with when he goes to bed. He takes his cars in the bath tub, in the car, to Mimi's house, to Target....everywhere!!! He plays with them the entire day and it's so cute!



Another toy Lincoln is becoming more and more fond of is his microphone! I walked into Lincoln's room tonight and he was standing on his bed, singing "Sing a Song" from Sesame Street at the top of his lungs into his microphone. When I went to take a picture he jumped off the bed and ran out of the room screaming :-) Love that boy...

feeling saucy

I was going through old pics on our camera and I found this jewel :-)

Lincoln LOVES spaghetti dinner!

hellloooo

Hello blogworld! Here's a quick update of what's been going on at the Birke house (I promise I will do better). Sorry in advance for the cell phone pictures...


Lincoln is ALL boy. He has left Elmo in the dust and has moved onto cars. It saddens me deeply. The first night Lincoln requested to sleep with his cars instead of Elmo, Cookie, and Ernie...I just about cried. He's getting so big! He's wearing size 4 clothes and he is only 2 years old. I need him to slow down for my emotions sake! Lincoln is the silliest, funniest, sweetest boy ever.



Rufus got a haircut! He was at an all time low. Let's just put it this way----I conned Chris into dropping off Rufus off at the snobby dog salon because he looked that bad. But not before contemplating dropping him off myself and telling them that Rufus was a stray dog I found on the side of the road.



I had the best birthday ever. I know I say this every year, but this year it really was! Chris, my parents, family, and friends made it so special. I had an unexpected surprise from my nursing school friends. They brought me cookies to school and my sweet friend Joanna surprised me with a quilt and pillow she MADE! This picture doesn't do it justice...it's beautiful! She's currently making Lincoln a quilt made out of some of his baby clothes. I will post pics when it's done!



Lincoln LOVES the outdoors. He could spend every second of every day outside. Here's the sweet boy at the park :-)



This picture cracks me up!!! Chris and his dad have been working hard staining our basement floors. And from the pic you can tell the fumes have been horrendous. The floor looks great though! I am sooo lucky to have such a hard working handy husband :-)



This is Lincoln at Walmart the other day. He was bored so he used a banana as a cell phone. He talked and talked and talked! He is so funny! His imagination is getting more wild every day.



Lincoln is a drink snob. It's hard to say whether he got that from his momma or his daddy but let me tell you...the boy loves his organic chocolate milk from Starbucks.



Anyhoo---that's all for now! I'm off to watch the Andy Griffith Show with my honey. It's our favorite show right now...we also like to refer to it as our anti-anxiety drug. Try it some time. It works wonders! Night!

lincoln's birthday party!!!

We celebrated Lincoln's birthday the weekend after his birthday. There was Sesame Street everywhere and Lincoln LOVED it! He would randomly point and scream "ELMO!!!" every few seconds :) It was a great day. Be sure to watch the video of Lincoln blowing out his birthday candles ... he is sooo precious!



Lincoln on his new tricycle....the face he's making here cracks us up!