Joyful Recommendations

As I have been seeking to fulfill my role as a wife, mother, daughter, and friend with joy, I have come across some things that have really proved helpful in my humble opinion! So, for the next few weeks or so, I will be passing those things on to you - simply as recommendations, and of course, it's just my opinion!

Today's recommendation to increase your joy as a parent is...


This is a CD with Bible verses set to music. The one that is currently sticking my head is "Trust in the Lord....with all your heart....lean not on your...own understaaaaaaaanding..."

I purchased this CD for Anna and I to listen to as background music when we're playing or house cleaning or preparing dinner. It became an instant favorite in our household and I can't wait to buy the other volumes!

Daryl found the CD in the car the other day after I had been out without Anna and I caught him singing one of the songs the other day in his office without the CD which should clue you in that we love it as adults, too! It is fun and catchy, and very beneficial to our souls! It really helps us to meditate on God's Word and is so encouraging! I have been reminded of God's attributes, encouraged in His promises, and convicted in regards to priorities and obedience.

The cheapest new ones I found were at Christian Book Distributors (http://www.christianbook.com/).

Hopefully someday soon someone will package all the volumes in one at one great price! Until then, we'll buy her one at a time. We think it's worth the investment to get God's Word into her heart (and ours) in as many ways as possible - and this way is so fun!

Psalm 19:7-14

7 The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.

8 The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.

9 The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure
and altogether righteous.

10 They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.

11 By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.

12 Who can discern his errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.

13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then will I be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.

14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Here are the verses/songs...

Happy joyful noise making!!!!!!! :)

Great Expectations

Growing up my greatest dream was to be someones wife (or better put - to be the love of some fantastic man's life; be preferred above others to one man; be romanced, pursued, you get the point) and then to be a mother. I can remember as a little girl wanting triplets - all girls with shiny, wavy hair that bounced and swayed as they happily skipped behind me. I of course had no idea what parenting entailed, and now if you told me I was having triplets I am sure I would immediately fall on my knees and tell God that He of course would have to give me the grace to survive that - I mean how do you nurse three babies in the same day????

Anyways, motherhood has been very awesome in many ways. I love talking and laughing with Anna in the mornings when we are all alone. I love reading books to her and watching her startled face when I move her too suddenly or make a loud noise. I love her confused face when she sits in her bouncer seat on the counter and "helps" me make dinner. I love dancing and singing worship songs to her and I love kissing her. However, to my shame I must confess that sometimes I get discontent with my life at current.

When I think of summer I think of hiking, camping, eating fabulous meals on the deck, walking around the lake with Daryl, being able to up and go whenever, vacations, parties, putt putt golf, scrapbooking, etc. This summer is different. Camping wouldn't be up Anna's ally, hiking is often difficult to squeeze in between feedings, and scrapbooking - yeah, right! Whenever we go out I have to think about when I'll need to be home to feed Anna, if I have enough diapers, and what the plan will be if she freaks out in public.

I knew motherhood would be semi-difficult, but I didn't ever think somedays I would miss days pre-children. I would never trade being a mother, but somedays I confess that I look at Daryl playing video games and in my head I want to throw books at him and say "YOU TAKE CARE OF HER!" I go upstairs and vent that I spend all day serving him and Anna and it's just not fair - why didn't God give him the milk or make him responsible for managing the interior of our home? Other times I'll be talking to a friend about how she and her husband just "duh duh duh duh duh all weekend" and I wish I could have a weekend like that.

Titus 2:3-5 says, "Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, busy at home, kind and submissive to their own husbands, so that the word of God may not be maligned." My role is to love my husband and my daughter and to serve them - dirty dishes and all.

While I was reading in Philippians the other day this verse struck me anew...

"Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world." (vs. 14-15)

The word grumbling there means "thought, doubt, argument or dispute." The word questioning: "complaint, grumbling, whisper, private talk." WOW.

The Holy Spirit was so gracious to convict me! I had slipped into grumbling and questioning, doubting and disputing, and privately talking against the awesome role that God has in His goodness and sovereingty given to ME.

I have the privilege of being Anna's mother. I have the joy of being Daryl's wife. I am to delight in them, to be busy making my home wonderful and comfortable and appealing to them, and to be kind to them always - even in the midst of vacationless summers, spit up and mounds of laundry.

May God always be so generous to convict me when I forget the goodness of the role that He has chosen to bless me with and may I continue to abide in Him and in His strength to fulfill my calling with joy and vigor.

"I can do all things through Him who gives me strenght." Philippians 4:13.

Father's Day

So it was Daryl's first Father's Day! Yay!

Aren't they good looking???

We got to celebrate with the four generations - my grandparents, parents, us and now Anna! It was so fun! 

I have been so blessed to have such great "father's" in my life. My dad was and is awesome! He has always been so present and active in my life. He is a great support and just fun to be around.Then there is my hubby! He is so great with Anna and is going to make her such a confident and secure girl because he loves her so well and because he loves her mama so well! Since she has been born I have never once had to restock the diapers, the wipes warmer is always full, and somehow the laundry always gets done! :) What a great guy?

And finally there is our heavenly father, without whom I wouldn't have such good fathers in my life! I am so thankful that He has chosen to describe Himself to us as a father to help me understand Him better and that He gave me such a good father to further help me understand Him and now that He has given Anna such a good father to help her understand Him! I love them all!

Big News!!!

We have some big news in the Reynolds household...

Anna has slept through the night 3 nights in a row now! We love it! So does she. Check out our cool video of her smiling and such...It gets much clearer around 40 seconds, so you may want to skip the beginning! I hadn't turned the swing off yet :)

Reynolds Look-alike Meter

So I put in a more recent photo since she's aged so much in the past 2 weeks :) and the results changed.  We'll have to do this often :)

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Free genealogy - Pedigree

For those of you who need a humorous story, here's one:

Today I struggled to get Anna in a cute little cowgirl costume for a costume party we were attending at a friends.  The power went out once I started to get myself ready so I packed Anna up and went to leave with a wet head.  

Of course the garage door wouldn't open without power, so I woke up Daryl and he did it manually.  We got on our way (now going to be late), and then hit traffic on Tyrone Avery bc everything was backed up due to the construction on the interstate ramp towards Cheat Lake.  Anna started crying, but thankfully finally fell asleep.

We showed up 24 minutes late and there were no cars in the driveway.  I quickly realized it was Tuesday and not Wednesday.  At least Anna was getting a good nap.

I turned back to go home and hit the garage door button and heard a loud noise.  Daryl came out and said, "uh-oh."  He had locked the garage door so it couldn't open manually to bad guys :) and that meant that when I hit the power button the lock held the door mostly down and it broke the brace that lifts it up.  So now we can't get in and out of the garage.  We'll be sharing a car until it gets fixed...and all for a trip I didn't need to make.

The saga continues when I left Anna to nap in her car seat bc moving her sometimes wakes her.  When I finally woke her to eat she had this explosive bm and I felt warmth on my own belly.  I lifted her up to find her costume covered in poo on the front :)  Lovely.

So there you have it...another day in the life of the Reynold's :)  Who knew motherhood could be so funny?

Reynolds Look-alike Meter

Thanks, Ashley!  This was fun!  We have a hybrid - so they say!

What do you think?

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celeb - Collage - Morph