Prayer for Potty Training

This sounds silly as I sit down to right it-- but we are need of some prayer. Pray that Patrick will take to the potty! He is over 3 and so so so resistant to do it. He knows all the right answers, he has done it, he loves it when he does go in the potty, but he just won't do it. He says he likes to go in his diaper. Oh someone help me! I know I need to back off. He is stubborn and strong willed and this has to be his decision. Anyhow-- any pointers out there? I am desperate!

Family Friday: Snow White Birthday Bash

This edition of Family Friday needs to be a recap of Alyssa's party since I haven't gotten around to doing that yet! For a solid year she has requested a Snow White birthday party. I wasn't sure what that was exactly in her mind. She was very specific that it was to be Snow White, not just a general princess party. So, I thought for awhile and this is what I came up with:
1) kids decorate their own aprons-- I stole that from another party we went to-- with stamps, ribbon and fabric markers
2) kids make their own apple pies-- since that is very "Snow White"
3) dance, play, whatever-- I made a mix of princess music for them on the ipod.

So-- Alyssa had been planning to wear her Snow White dress for the party and I told her that I too would wear my adult Snow White dress (My mom used to wear this for Halloween when she taught preschool, I later used it for a play I was in-- I don't just have a closet full of adult princess clothes, ok) to show my spirit. Well, she received her Enchanted "Giselle" dress that morning and Snow White was done. She totally left me hanging! But we had an awesome party. Those little pies even turned out well.

Quick note-- SVHS 15 year Reunion & Brett's birthday

I am waiting for my dryer cycle to be done, so I figured I would write a quick note. Brett and I just attended our 15 year class reunion from Seneca Valley. It was so fun to hear what fellow Eagles are up to now. Everyone looked great. We had a family event today and all the kids took to each other instantly. It was so cool to watch the 2nd generation. Alyssa made at least 3 new "best friends in the whole world." So funny. And she usually doesn't jump right in like that.

Brett's birthday was also today. I have to say I am so awed and impressed at the man he is and man he continues to become! Happy Birthday, Brett! I am so lucky to be your wife!

oh-- there's the dryer. I will write more on Alyssa's birthday festivities later.
To all you Eagles-- great seeing you, keep in touch (that sounds so yearbooky, but I mean it)

Love,
Steph

Family Friday: Bill and Kid Speed

So-- inspired by other bloggers such as Big Mama
who has a fashion Friday which I l-o-v-e and Vicki Courtney
who has a Flashback Friday, I am instituting Family Friday. I have always had a big interest in genealogy, old family stories, and just a love of my family in general-- as much as they may think-- she's crazy, she gives us such a hard time-- no, really I love you all like crazy! So-- I will try to write each Friday on some aspect of family whether it be past, present, or future.

Today I am starting with William "Bill" Frederick Spell and Keziah "Kid" Spell. I have never met them, they are/were my Grandpa's grandparents. He spent a lot of time with them as his own father left when he was 2 and he and his sisters spent lots of time rotating between living with his mother and their grandparents. The Spells are good keepers of family history. Lots has been recorded within the family. They even have a very cool website that has some great stuff on it: recipes, old songs Kid sang, memories, as well as some well-documented family history. I've read some of it before. I was reading it again when a few things really popped out at me. I had just finished reading Beth Moore's Breaking Free that talked about breaking free from generational sin but also cherishing legacies passed down. So, in short, keeping the best and trashing the worst. Good thing to do, I say! Beth even has you record what you have gained from each side and how to evaluate it for your own life. Now-- that is a list you will never see here! =)

On to the legacy I want to record today. It seems that Bill and Kid were extremely involved in their churches. Bill held many leadership roles and even helped begin the Union Church in Covington , Co. Mississippi. From the recorded family history they not only held leadership positions but they truly loved their Lord.

Here is an inspiring and bold speech made "..the most embarrassing feature found in connection with the Sunday School work was the need of bold, fearless, Christian teachers whose moral and Christian characters were above reproach. Teachers who, regardless of blame or praise, would seek to fashion young immortal souls after the image of Him who said, "Suffer little children to come unto me and forbid them not, for such is the Kingdom of Heaven."

I love this! He was not afraid to take people to task especially in the Biblical teaching of children. Hooray for Bill. I think I have inherited a bit of that getting up on the "soap box"-- ask anyone. But I'd like to think I also stand up for what is right.

Both Kid and Bill were known to have good voices and could sing very well. That certainly didn't get passed down to me, wish it had. But I will take this-- I will praise the Lord with the voice I have!

Here's my favorite part:
Kid was known for having a spicy temperament, and a well stocked cupboard, especially the "tea cake jar".-- Now this I can relate to!

And this:
Granny was a high-spirited young lady, full of fun. It was always told that she rode a horse to "Midway Soldier Station" and danced 'til she wore holes in the bottoms of her shoes.

This may be my favorite by Frazier Vaughn, one of their grandchildren, my Grandpa's cousin:

"After Grandpa died, one of us Vaughn boys would have to go down and sleep at Granny's every night. We would take turns. We would sleep in the little room off the front porch. Uncle Tom and Granny each had a bed in the big room. Granny was really spoiled. If she wanted a drink of water during the night, she would call to us to get it. She wouldn't drink water that was already in the bucket, she wanted fresh water drawn from the well. And we'd get it, too."

Just before I read this, I had been repeatedly asking Brett to get up and get me water, not just tap water, I wanted the filtered water. Oh, man did he get a kick out of this when he read it. I guess I need not be as spoiled as ol' Granny Kid, huh? From now on I will get my own water. (Brett, please don't hold me to this!)

So-- all in all, I am so thankful to the legacy that Bill and Kid impart: to stand up for what is right, praise the Lord and work for His glory, and to love life.

I am guessing that picture of them doesn't do them justice, huh!

Up at the Lake

We just got back from our yearly trek into the woods to visit my aunt and uncle at their lake house in CT. What an awesome retreat. It is just so much more peaceful there. I was extra excited on this trip as I caught my biggest fish ever! I caught a 27 1/2 inch Pike, they have teeth which are very scary!! That is the picture of my uncle holding him and me getting as close to the fish as I saw necessary. Brett caught some big ones too. One of his they kept to cook and eat.

The kids had an absolute blast! They didn't want to leave, even to go to the movies on a rainy day. They are smart, who would want to leave? We camped out one night, only for it to be cut short from a leaky tent. But we slept in there for awhile. The kids thought that was super fun.

My kids seem to have inherited the Martinell "must fish" gene because that is really all they wanted to do. I think my Pop is pretty proud of that. When I was out to lunch with him and his friend Dom, Dom said, "Man you really have gotten all of them fishing" Pop smiled a little smile, actually I have to say, for him, he was beaming.

I got to visit my Gram who is in an Alzheimer's facility. That is always bitter sweet. I love to be near her, hold her hand if I can and talk to her. But she is no longer the Gram she was. She can say little so it is hard to know if she knows or comprehends much at this point. My Pop is so devoted to her and her care. I wonder how much it breaks his heart to leave her there each day. I've never seen a couple so thoroughly devoted to each other than my Gram and Pop. They are such good role models for marriage. They have persevered through much. God bless their endurance!


Love,
Steph