Updated family pictures

Since most of my Christmas cards are out, I decided to FINALLY update my blog with our family photos.  We used the one at the top of the blog (2nd one on this post) on our Christmas card along with a few pictures of the kids.  I also included a Christmas letter like last year.  I didn't include the letter in all the cards as I know some people will read the blog and can read it here on this post. 

I liked this one below better of Brock and I but the 2nd one below was a better one overall of the whole family.  They were also edited in two different ways...I like them both for different reasons but still really don't know what I am doing! :) In fact the 2nd one on this post was edited by my sister in law because I screwed it up too bad! I'll mention also that these were taking with my camera by a neighbor in the lot behind our house.  You can see our garage in the photo if you look hard enough!

Christmas Letter 2011:

Greetings Friends and Family! 

My Christmas letter last year ended with us praying and asking for better wisdom in parenting and obedient children in 2011.  While neither of those things happened until more recently, my reading material and spare time in 2011 was focused on reading child discipline/parenting books or attending parenting classes/seminars.  All the while we prayed a lot and relied on God’s strength and wisdom in parenting.   I am here again this year to pass onto you our proudest, most hilarious, and/or weakest parenting teaching moments of 2011.

·       (Stating the obvious) On Valentine’s day upon receiving flowers from daddy I asked “Who do you think brought me these flowers?”  Reece said “The mailman!” (Feb)

·       (Learning colors) When going through colors with Brody, I got to green and asked “What’s this color?” and his response was “John Deere” (Feb)

·       (Growing up) Reece was crying about career day at school, saying “I don’t want to be anything when I grow up…I just want to be a little girl” (Feb)

·       (Teaching eternity) On the way home from school as she was staring into the clouds “Mommy, I’m going to go to heaven someday and meet Jesus.  But how do we get there?” (Mar)

·        (Teaching salvation) Me: "Do you know why in that song they say " ‘He conquered the grave’?" Reece: "Because He died on the cross and didn't go to the grave." Me: "Where did he go instead?" Reece: "To JAIL -Hooray!" (Oct)

·       (Teaching figures of speech) After telling Brody I’d love to be in his shoes, he responded with “Okay, mom…my shoes outside.” (April)

·       (Realities of sarcasm) Brody went to bed without brushing his teeth, crying Reece says “If Brody doesn’t brush his teeth, they will all fall out!” (July)

·       (Understanding reality) After seeing a scary white pit bull on the loose in our neighborhood, the kids were scared. I hear Reece say to Brody "If that white dog eats our mom, we won't have a mom anymore and we'll have to go to work with dad.” (Oct)

·        (Facing reality) "Bye, Mom...I'm going to work" Me: "What do you do for work?" Reece: "Build buildings like daddy and visit all my friends like mommy does every day"...BUSTED!! (Oct)

·       (Sharing)  Brody asked Reece for a bite of her lunch. She said no. I said "what have we been learning about and what does the verse say about sharing?" She says "It says 'don't forget to share with others' but it's talking about toys…not food". (Sept)

·       (Proper language) When explaining that we will use the word bottom versus butt (even though so and so is allowed to say butt), Reece says “so we can’t sing that song that says ‘ba, ba, da, ba, da, da?” (country song by Billy Currington – Love Done Gone) (Nov)

·       (A parenting personal favorite) “Mommy, we don’t like spankins cuz those hurt!” Me: “Well, if you don’t like spankings, you better like obeyin!” (Nov)

 We continually pray for parenting wisdom and protection over us and our children.  We daily pray for their salvation, tenderheartedness, and obedience.  Here’s to continued strength and love from above for the next year to come as we rely on God’s help to bring our children up with discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord (Eph 6:4).  We know that no discipline is enjoyable while it is happening-it’s painful for all involved.  But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained by it (Hebrews 12:11).  We look forward to that blessing!  Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and your family! 

In Him, 

The Bauers  

~Brock, Lindsay, Reece (4.5), & Brody (3)