Tribute #2- Life With Maggie

To know Maggie well is to love her. There are so many thoughts (usually accompanied by a smile or a laugh) when I think about my only daughter. Tom and I use to daydream about a little girl named Maggie so long ago. How would she look? How would she act? Well nothing in our imagination could have prepared us for the real things. Miss Maggie Lynn Archer (a.k.a Mags, Magsy girl, Magster, Baby Girl, Sister Bear, Mag Pie) born March 21st, 2005 came and suddenly our hearts would beat a little faster. After all, that is what excitement does to a person. And trust me you never know what excitement is just around the corner with Magsy.

Maggie started speaking before she turned one. At one 1/2 she could put thoughts into sentences fragmented as they were. She has always been a year ahead in many ways. She is funny, smart, and gives the best hugs and kisses. She has a way of making Tom and me putty in her hands when she turns on the sweet side of herself. Yes, she is dainty in appearance but very robust in personality. When you hang with Maggie, fun (and sometimes danger) is never far behind. She looks like me but acts like Tommy. The only thing that concerns me about this is that Tom has done many daring things (bungy jumped, cliff diving, ejection seat, anything high and dangerous he loves, and he still wants to sky dive....not in my life time I say). That will not "fly" with me for my baby girl if she decides to inherit this part of her father as well.

Like I said earlier, my head can dance with thoughts of Maggie....

She makes up songs.

She makes up words.

She makes up songs with her made up words.

She talks loud.

She whispers loud.

She is loud.

She loves hard.

She plays hard.

She laughs hard.

She sleeps well.

Maggie possesses so many qualities that I admire. She is so many things that I'm not, but wish I were: fun, spontaneous, fearless, brave, charming, carefree....

When she was a baby I would lay her down every night and whisper in her ear "The King is enthralled by you beauty; honor Him for He is your Lord." Psalm 45:11. I want my Maggie girl to know that beauty is in the eye of the Beholder....her Creator, her Lord. Beauty that last comes from a heart that honors God. That is what I will tell her for as long and as often as she will listen.

To know Maggie is to love Maggie and I do in a million and one ways!!!

XOXOXOXOXO, Baby Girl!

The next to last picture is Tom and Mags going on their first daddy-daughter date.

Happy Thanksgiving!

This year began my diligent effort to create a love for Thanksgiving and what meaning it carries. My efforts are paying off for when we go someplace that has a Christmas tree up, they'll say "don't they know its not Christmas yet". Thats right my chicks. We still have Thanksgiving to celebrate! I'm just keepin it real...keepin it real! And here are my children being "real" goofy with their Turkey craft and their Thankful tree!!

Happy Thanksgiving all! See ya at 5a.m at Wal-Mart. Don't snag all the deals, Dana.

Tribute #1: Wilson Collis

....And so the tributes begin...with Wilson Collis Archer (a.k.a Wil, W.C. ,
Willie Boy, Wil Bub). He is our first born, a typical first born too. He is cautious, reserved, eager to please. He likes rules to be followed that is unless he wants to win. He was what is classified as an easy baby. This makes for a happy momma. Ask Wil what he wants for Christmas and he'll say "all things sports". This makes for a happy dad. Speaking of which. I have never known a boy to bond with his daddy so fast!! There is suppose to be that first 18 months of a boy's life where his world revolves around mommy and then mommy has to let go so that the bonding process between boy and dad can transpire. There was never that transition for Wil. Daddy had his heart from birth. My hypothetical opinion is that daddy got to change the first diaper....I dunno.

One word comes to mind for those who know Wilson best-BASKETBALL. This makes for a VERY happy daddy. The boy loves it. I'm not exaggerating when I say from birth until about 4 years old, the only toy that occupied Wil's time was a ball (many kinds). Whether he was shooting it, hitting it,

throwing it, walking with it, or sitting on it. Now at 5 years old, he has only one other pastime. It is puzzles. He can work circles around me with a puzzle.

The cutest thing with Wil right now is that he is taken by the girls. He is drawn to em' like a moth to a flame!! He chases them around the gym on Mondays. The funny thing is that they chase him back. Let me just say he is seriously committed too. I have even seen him step in with a protective reflex and defend them. I was quite impressed. What a blessed girl who finds the hand of my son. At least momma sees it that way.



Wil, my son. He was the beginning for me. The beginning of a whole new chapter in my life. This chapter lies at the root of a deeper walk with God. The chapter of Wil purposed me to live better and love deeper!!

My prayer for Wilson is that he will be a man after God's own heart, that he will find the road in which God has his race marked out specifically for him. I want him to love people and glorify God by living and doing all that God has set for him to do.

Back In The Game

Here is my introduction, if you will, to the up and coming tributes I will be giving to our beautiful, wonderful, precious, reflections of the Kingdom: Wilson Collis, Maggie Lynn, and Trey Thomas.
Let me share how I come to the idea of blogging tributes to my kids. Over the past month I have been in what I like to call the "parenting pit". This is a place where I turn into a momma that even I can't tolerate- impatient, demanding, distracted, and selfish. Usually I fall into this pit when I become preoccupied with me, myself, and I. It becomes about my agenda, my to-do list, my expectations, my need, and my wants. I have come to recognize this pit. As I am falling I hear a familiar voice spouting out orders, correcting behavior like a resounding gong, and losing my cool over a misplaced library book. Just before I hit the bottom I realize what has happened and I weep over it! I weep because there has never ever ever been a greater passion and love in my heart than being a mom and a keeper of our home. And when we stumble in our calling [and we will, it can be discouraging.
As I blog these words, I am once again in reaching distance of the solid ground and I can taste the freedom of God's grace.
God handed me 2 things:
#1- An attitude adjustment
#2- And a new perspective
What I learned:
1. Only by the grace of God can I be a momma that shines a light for Jesus for my kids to see.
2. The expectations I placed on Wil and Maggie are not reasonable.
3. Distraction had led me to lose my focus.
4. The line became blurred between what my responsibility as a mom is and what is out of my control. How do you spell this? P-R-I-D-E.

What Am I To Do About It (in random order)
1. Love on my kids.
2. Bible time is the only school that is absolutely mandatory.
3. Play pretend with Mags
4. Shoot hoops with Wil
5. Lots of peek-a-boo, Itsy, Bitsy Spider, and funny faces with Trey
6. Pray
7. Spend time with the LORD.
8. Watch my tone
9. Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven (it starts here)

Alright then. I am Momma. Hear me roar!!!
This roaring is fueled by God's grace of course.

So in honor of God's merciful fresh start I will give tribute to the three greatest attempts I have to leave a lasting legacy for the glory of God.
I'm back in the game.

Jelly Toast Anyone?

Here I have one more example of daddy being the one who comes in with his bag of tricks and sprinkles salt (or cinnamon) on the mundane with some whipped cream on top. How many husbands out there feed their kids the forbidden foods for dinner when momma is not home or in my case, when momma is not looking. Forbidden foods include: a chocolate candybar , Trix cereal (I swore as a mom that my kids would never eat those boxes of sugar they so ingeniously package in the kid-friendly boxes and have the audacity to call cereal. This turned into a rejected expectation. Why? Ask my husband what his favorite cereal is and how he delights in giving it to our kids.), and my favorite Jelly Toast. This food name was coined by Rachel Moix to describe what her fun daddy of a husband feeds her kids while she is away. I love how us moms can relate so well to one another.

Mondays are rush, rush, rush and oh so tiring. I know these pictures look like breakfast, but this is din-din time at the Archers. Yes I gave my kids cereal for their evening meal BUT, BUT it was Special K. I gave them a piece of toast (NOT jelly toast) and put just enough cinnamon on it so that I wouldn't have to lie when they asked if I had or not. Without warning, I heard Tom say "now that is cinnamon toast". Their little bit of hardly there cinnamon was now I can't see the toast for the cinnamon. Before I can utter my objections, he is squirting whipped cream on it while he is rewarded with giggles of approval.

I tried to act mortified, but deep down I was thanking God for Tommy and his ability to make not only our kids lives but my life a whole lot "sweeter"!

Wil's Pick

It was Wilson's pick tonight for Family Night. "You never know what I'm gonna pick?" says Wil. And Yet Tom and I know exactly what he is dying to do. He has been dreaming all week of Wii, roasted marshmallows, Micah, Maddie, Uncle Mike, and Sissy. As soon as we walked in the door he was talking trash to Uncle Mike, "I'm gonna beat ya!". Wil just about hyperventilated when he found out they had Dodge ball on the Wii.
Wil was introduced to Dodge ball at church. I believe Christopher Moix ushered the game in in the preschool room. We were at Co-op (Monday school) and Wil pegged a sweet boy in the head with the ball during a friendly game. When I asked where he learned that he said "Abbie's daddy". It totally cracked me up [not that he threw the ball at the boy but the "Abbie's daddy part]. Boys will be boys.
So tonight Wil played endlessly with the Wii. The boy can play some Wii now. Micah was awesome with Maggie. She wrote up a cool little invitation to a tea party in her room. They dressed up and had tea and grapes with Maddie. Tom and I just sat back and enjoyed watching our kids be kids. We also got to watch a little NBA on Uncle Mike and Sissy's 52 inch flat screen. That was a bonus for us.
Wil had a great family night. "You never know what I'm gonna pick for my next family night?" was Wilson's last words as we got in the van to leave.

Got Scissors?

I think its time for Trey's first haircut. What do ya think? No really I delight in putting hairbows in his hair just to see Tommy give me the look.

In Beth Moore's Words...

This is Beth Moore's post from her blog. Not mine. I just copied and pasted it [ I hope this is legal within the blogosphere]. Beth's words just resonated with my spirit.

To my beloved Sisters who I esteem so highly and consistently find to be part of the solution to our problems in the Church rather than the cause,Please join me in praying for our President-elect Barack Obama, his wife Michelle, and his precious daughters, Sasha and Malia. Go with me before the Throne of our sovereign God and ask Him to grant wisdom from above to President-elect Obama and the indwelling presence and power of Jesus Christ. In the words of the Apostle Paul, "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone - for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior..." Please also join me in the active and deliberate pursuit of unity and purity in the Body of Christ at this historical time in our country. I implore you in Jesus Name to have zero tolerance for prejudice whether it is regarding party-affiliation, color (whether you are Black, White, or Brown), economics or the like. Disagreement is not sin. Prejudice is. Satan has plotted events and planted attitudes that, should he be successful, will result in havoc. We must not stand for his schemes or cooperate in a single way. We would severely displease God and invite untold chastisement upon Christ's Church in our nation. Speak clearly to your children and graciously but emphatically draw a line in your work places and social circles regarding your stand against prejudice of any kind. "Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, 'Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.'" (Matthew 12:25) A united house stands. A divided house falls. The devil has much to gain. But he also has much to lose.We are the Body of Jesus Christ and we have an opportunity to show His character. This is our watch. We stand for what is right not from our feet but from our knees. I humble myself before you and make these pleas under such bold direction of God that I could not resist it nor disobey it. He made it a fire in my bones.I love and esteem you so much. Shoulder to shoulder, Dear Siestas. Let's leave not one inch for the enemy to come between us.
Posted by Beth at 6:42 AM

God's Word = Peace

This morning as I spent time in prayer over this historical day, God was as always faithful to encouraged me.
LORD,
You are the King that is above every nation. As concerns fill our mind during this time, let it not take the place of You. Thank you for Your Word that gives me peace.

Psalm 24:7-10
Open up, ancient gates!
open up ancient doors,
and let the King of glory enter.
Who is the King of glory?
The LORD, strong and mighty;
the LORD, invincible in battle.
Open up, ancient gates!
open up, ancient doors,
and let the king of glory enter.
Who is the King of glory?
The LORD of Heaven's Armies-
He is the King of Glory.
*Don't we sing a worship song based on this verse? Ahhhhh to worship Him in Spirit and Truth.

This passage is lengthy, but the way it uplifted my heart....I had to share it!!

I Timothy 6:12-16
Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life which God has called you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses. And I charge you before God, who gives life to all, and before Christ Jesus, who gave a good testimony before Pontius Pilate, that you obey this command without wavering. Then no one can find fault with you from now until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. For at just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God. the King of all kings and Lord of all lords. He alone can never die, and He lives in light so brilliant that no human can approach Him. No human eye has ever seen Him, nor ever will. All honor and power to Him forever! Amen.

Hearing this promise, tells me that I can be fearless whatever this life brings. Every knee will bow before Him from Obama to McCain to Hannah Montana.

All Hallow's Eve

Handy Manny & Wonder Woman (Does Wonder Woman look familiar to anyone)

This is only the second year in which I didn't side favorably on denouncing Halloween. As a Christian I felt as though somehow I was dishonoring God. This was just ignorance on my part. Ignorance because I wasn't viewing it from a historical perspective. But last year Tom had me listen to a program explaining the actual meaning behind Halloween (Google The Bible Answer Man if you are interested in knowing the meaning of Halloween. Halloween Day's program was fittingly on this subject). The bottom line for me was that it was used by Christians as a strategic opportunity to get the gospel out to pagans. So this year momma was much more hands on. We had a good time even though Maggie started us off on a sour note. She got sick and it looked as though all hope was gone of having a merry ole time trick or treating. But amazingly enough she didn't toss her cookies again. And by the end of the night we could hear our kids teeth rotting and we knew this was a successful Halloween.

All dressed up and no candy to show for it!
It took the whole household to get even this picture.
Batman suits him much better don't you think.