Treston Update

Treston eating his 1st birthday cake.


Treston taking some of his first steps.

God has done a wonderful thing!
He is carrying to completion the good work he started in giving Treston to this family.
Brief recap: Treston came to our home last December as a foster-to-adopt baby. This means his parental rights had not been terminated or relinquished. But New Life was looking for a foster situation that could very well be permanent. God spoke clearly to us that this was His plan, even though we didn't know if we'd have him for a week, or for forever. (There's a big descrepency in those options.) We stepped out in faith, and asked God to give us his heart for the fatherless. Well, loving and bonding with Treston was absolutely effortless! Our whole family was completely taken with him from Day 1. We have been longing to make him fully ours...for the law to catch up with what had already happenned in our hearts...and we've been waiting, waiting, and waiting.
Friday was our day in court. A judge here in Brazos County would finally hear our case and decide what would be best for Treston.
We have been praying and fasting as we approached this day. We have had to give Treston to Him in a way you can't imagine unless you have had the threat of a child being removed from you. It's unthinkable. But God continues to remind me that not one of my children belongs to me. They are His, and He loves them more than I do. We have soaked up the scriptures about how God cares for the fatherless and the orphans. We have been learning to trust Him, and put our hope in no one else! I could share with you countless scriptures that we have clung to...Jeremiah 17:5-8, Phil. 4:6-7, Psalm 10:12-18, Psalm 127:3-5, James 1:27.
Friday came, and we were ready.
I had one of those moments, as Rusty and I were walking up to the courthouse that I knew I would never forget. We were walking, silently, gripping each other's hands. I felt the enormity of this day. Our lives were about to change.
I don't want to reveal too much about Treston's case or his story, but I want you to know that God did a wonderful thing in that courtroom. He moved. In less than 30 minutes, the judge ruled in favor of Treston staying with us.
We walked out of the courtroom, almost speechless, misty-eyed, amazed!
It was done!
All we have to do now is wait for our next court date, and that will be our most joyful adoption day! We will go as a family before the judge and legally change his name with a new birth certificate and all. He will be a full-fledged Bacak, legal and all!
That sounds weird to me...he feels so much the same as my other kids, why doesn't he have our last name yet? God has truly knit our hearts together as mother and son.
I'm here to testify, if you wonder how you could love a child you haven't given birth to like this, YOU CAN! There is nothing in me, not even a speck of my heart that feels differently about him. He is our baby, and God planned him for this family before time began.
Tonight at church, I was so overwhelmed at what He's done!!! We sang "How Great is our God" and He is so great, there is no offering of worship and thanksgiving big enough to express that to Him! I practically ran to the front, kneeled at the altar, and wept, with my hands raised as high as I could get them. Our God is good! He has gone to great lengths to save Treston, and fill a hole in our family we once didn't even know was there. He does not with hold good things from us. He has given us the gift of this little life to point towards Him.
We are praising God and giving him all the glory for this good work!
Please pray for Treston's birthmom, her salvation, healing, and for a potential opportunity for us to minister to her.
I hope to post adoption party pics very soon. We are ready to celebrate this baby who has not yet been celebrated! It is time!!! We will finally get to dedicate him at church. We will finally send out adoption announcements. What a joy!
Praise God for Treston, and for what He has done in his life already! I can't fathom the big plans He must have for his life!

Justus and Red Nail Polish

These two things are not a good combination.
Our little firefighter Justus really does love red, so of course he would want to paint with red nail polish.
And he did.
He painted his face, his head, and mostly his hair.
But that wasn't enough.
He had to paint his brother too!
Treston's head and face were brightly painted as well.
When the little bandit was caught, Erin and I went to scrubbing them.
We scrubbed and scrubbed.
Justus' hair still has red highlights, and Treston's scalp has some large, fading spots of red.
Of course we tried nail polish remover, but have you ever tried to get nail polish off of hair and the scalp? Not easy.
I couldn't write this yesterday. It wasn't funny yet.
Erin and I knew, as we scrubbed our little brown, painted-red people that it would be funny eventually. Just not yet.
Rusty called, and he asked why I sounded frustrated. I explained. He laughed. I told him "it's not funny yet!"
Amanda called, and then she laughed. It still wasn't funny yet!
So much of what Justus does will eventually be funny, but it takes a while.
And I'm puzzled as to why Treston sits still and lets him do these things to him?
Last week, for example...
I walked into the playroom, and saw large marks written on Treston's forehead.
I said "Who wrote on Treston?"
Justus, while holding a pen in his hand, shrugged his shoulders and said "I dunno." (not exactly in those words, but with the intonation implying it.)
This is not a good sign for future mischief ahead.
If Treston is going along for the ride, we are in big trouble.
I think we need to teach him to tattle, soon and often.
Just never a dull moment.
At least the carpet didn't get it. Justus had perfect aim.

1 Peter 2:2-3

"You must crave pure spiritual milk so that you can grow into the fullness of your salvation. Cry out for this nourishment as a baby cries for milk, now that you have had a taste of the Lord's kindness."

We read this verse in the "Living By the Book" class that Rusty is teaching on Sunday nights, and it struck me anew.
I love that the Lord continually uses similies and metaphors that are meaningful to mothers! This one is incredibly meaningful.
For mothers of young children, you know EXACTLY what it's like to have a hungry, crying baby.
I'll describe it for you younger ladies.
Hungry, crying babies are single-minded. They are desperate. They cannot be distracted or moved. Nothing will make the crying stop or soothe them besides MILK! If you are nursing you better get yourself in position and get your clothes off as fast as you can, because that baby needs to EAT! (Also because your milk is dropping because you hear your baby crying, and if you were like me, you are already soaking wet, but that is so off the point.)
A really hungry baby will send you into a frenzy to get them fed and in a hurry. The sound of their cry is so urgent, and even the sweetest, most docile babies will become super demanding when they are hungry! You can try giving them something else...a pacifier, some water, turn on their mobile, walk and bounce and sing, and do tricks on your head...nothing works! You cannot satisfy that baby with anything but the real thing! And that baby is right. He needs milk. Nothing else will do.
And babies who are good feeders will grow right before your eyes! They will literally wake-up looking bigger than when you put them down the night before. Take Treston, who was 6 weeks early. Anybody who has seen him would not guess that in a million years. Why? Because the boy likes to eat! He has been nourished!
Peter is saying here that we should be exactly like that!
We should wake-up starving for His Word each day.
I should not be distracted by a load of laundry that needs to be started, something that needs to be cleaned, lesson plans that need to be looked at, and e-mails not yet returned when I wake-up in the morning.
We should be SINGLE-MINDED. We should be starving for His Word! We should be desperate to grow.
Because a baby who is not growing is a very serious and alarming problem. It should also be serious and alarming if we are not growing in the fullness of our salvation, as Peter puts it.
I wake-up every morning when it's still dark outside because I have an appointment with God. But I want to be sure that I am desperate and as focused a hungry newborn baby. Many times I am not. I want to grow as fast as Treston has! Wouldn't that be amazing? I want to devour His Word like a hungry baby devours his milk when he finally gets it.
Because I have tasted the Lord's kindness, and it is SO GOOD!

Bacak Birthday Cake

Italian Cream Cake with cream cheese icing! This was my wedding cake, and my all-time favorite, tried and true cake to bake. I made this for Emma's birthday last week/ HOPE group, and got some requests for the recipe so here it is. (Pics above) My grandmother says that every good cake has 5 eggs in it. I believe her. She will use 5 eggs and a cup of buttermilk on a regular box cake mix, and it's so much better!
This cream cheese icing is good on anything! I love this stuff!

Italian Cream Cake

1/2 c Crisco
1/2 c margarine
2 c sugar
5 eggs
1 c buttermilk
2 c flour
1 t baking soda
1 t salt

Cream together Crisco and margarine. Then add sugar and eggs, one at a time. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to the other mixture. Bake at 350 for 30 min. in 2 or 3 cake pans. (A little less time for 2 layers.) Make sure you use Crisco and flour on your cake pans, younger girls! I learned this the hard way when I first started baking!

Cream Cheese Icing

8 oz. block cream cheese, softened
1 stick margarine
1 t vanilla
1 box powdered sugar

Mix together in mixer until smooth. This will easily ice a 2 layer cake, but it's stretching it for a three.

Happy Birthday Emma! 7 Things I love about her...

7 years...7 freaking years! Where did they go? I could not possibly have a seven-year-old. And yet this articulate little girl with two front teeth missing is here, and I can hardly believe it!
There's something about your first baby...it's not that you love them any more than the others, it's just that you learned how to love as a parent starting with them. I remember the day I brought her home, and was rocking her in our sweet little yellow glider, nursing her, marveling at her, and crying. Rusty came in and asked me "What's wrong?" and I simply answered, like a blubbering, hormonal new Mom, "I just love her so much!!!"(sob, sob) God taught me so much about love through her. I learned that God's love is unfathomable. I loved her so much instantly, and God's love for her far surpassed that! I couldn't wrap my tiny mind around that. I also learned and appreciated suddenly how much my parents' loved me. Wow! I didn't really get that before Emma's birth.
I watched the video last night of the days before and after Emma's birth with her. We got to take in the moments just after delivery, when she came into the world. Priceless footage. (No, there was no footage of the actual delivery. I didn't scar her for life or anything.) She got to watch the first time Rusty and I crowded around her with tears in our eyes, sleepless, exhausted, in pain (well, I was; not so much Rusty), and completely oblivious to anything but her. She loved hearing about the details of bringing her home. It was great. What a day to celebrate. I came through a 40+ hour labor with her, and yet nothing else mattered. God brought us such a precious gift.
We had no idea who'd she be. I never could have dreamed up this crazy, unique little person. So here's my top 7 things I LOVE about our Emma:

1. She knows more about animals than I do. Seriously. Being her teacher is challenging. She thinks every unit study we take on is unbelievably fascinating. From dinosaurs, to Mayan culture, to presidents. It doesn't matter. She will read every library book I bring home, and then weave all of that into her imaginary world in which she lives. Like this week, we're studying the Mayans. She created her own Mayan costume out of butcher paper and feathers, for fun. She creates her own assignments for her work that are far more fascinating than the ones I come up with. Her creativity and love for learning make her so fun!


2. She is beautiful and talented on a horse. She has been riding for over 2 years now, and it's a sight to behold. She is AT HOME on a horse, and always has been. It's amazing to me.

3. She says "best" all the time, in place of the word but or except...or just whenever.

4. She lives in an imaginary world in which she is always some sort of animal. Always.

5. Her heart belongs to the Lord. She begs for more and more Bible stories. She eats them up, and stores them in her heart and mind. Her prayers are precious and honest. She loves Jesus!

6. Her very best friend is her brother, and she is pleased to have him with her all the time, co-joining their imaginary worlds. She is a super big sister, and adores all babies! She's going to be an awesome Mommy someday!

7. She can climb a tree much higher than is probably safe. She can't resist a good climbing tree. I love that!

I said I'd stop at 7, so I will. But all that to say, we love you Emma! You are unbelievably special, and we cannot wait to see how God grows you into a woman who loves and fears God with her whole heart, and serving Him with her life. You are a blessing to your Dad and me! Happy Birthday!

Ross King's new CD "Perhaps I've Said Too Much"

We just got Ross King's new CD, and I can't wait to wear it out!
But I have to share the one song I've heard from it already called "Home".
It's about adoption, and it is amazing!
I was standing in Heather's kitchen on the "High School Musical 2" Dance-a-thon night with junior high girls. (See Heather's blog for the pics!) The squealing was constant, and very high-pitched. I was in the kitchen helping to serve the pizza and cookies, and Heather warned me to find a quiet place to listen to this song so I could cry my eyes out. I knew the song was great by what she had told me, but feeling quite composed, I stood right there in the kitchen and listened to it, like an IDIOT! The floodgates opened and I could hardly stop them! I think Aaron must have thought I was having some sort of break-down until he heard the song I was listening to, and gave the "oh", understanding nod. As an adoptive Mom, this song says everything I would want to say if I were a gifted songwriter, like Ross.
Go to www.independentbands.com to purchase the CD, or download it from itunes. (Make sure you have "Give Yourself Away" by Robbie Seay while you're there, k?)
This is music worth buying, people!

New and Upcoming Theory About "What Happenned to the Dinosaurs?"

This past week we learned about dinosaurs in our little homeschool. What a fun unit! So the kids learned about extinction, and about the two main theories that exist concerning why the dinosaurs became extinct. I had them come up with their own theory and draw a picture of it, and this is what Jax told me:

What do YOU think might have happenned to the dinosaurs?

I think the pirates shooted at the sun, and the sun came in the water, and the light was burned out. So they had to sleep every time, and they can't breathe, so they DIED, and were stinct. (extinct)

I'm Still Learning...

If you read my post earlier this week about Psalm 19 "May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to you"...I'm still learning about this.
I thought I'd invite you in, just in case you don't have this thing down yet either.
The verse that broke me this week was Ephesians 4:29.

"Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everyhting you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them."

Just before this, in verses 26&27 it says
"And don't sin by letting anger gain control of you. Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a mighty foothold to the Devil."

As if that's not enough, let's add Matthew 5 to it; Jesus' teaching about anger.

21 "You have heard that the law of Moses says, 'Do not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.' 22 But I say, if you are angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the high council. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.

I have never considered myself an angry person. I certainly don't consider myself someone who uses foul or abusive language. So I have never let these verses have their full impact on me.
God spanked me with them this week.
There are times I get so frustrated with my disobedient little one, that I feel angry. I don't throw things. I don't hurt people. I don't cuss, so I should be okay, right?
WRONG. I let that frustration, which turns into anger, come seeping out of me and onto my children, and it's poisonous. My tone is ugly. I say things that are NOT an encouragement to anyone. I throw myself a pity party. (It's NOT a fun party!) I feel utterly exasperated, and all my children know it. And I feel a little justified, because my job is really hard right now with this one! He's exceptionally rebellious! It's ridiculous how much time I'm spending on discipline with him each day for the same offenses over and over again! (That's the pity party...but wait...)
God has been speaking to me...I'm so glad. I loathe this sinful stuff in me.
First, I realized I am a parent who looks nothing like God, as a parent.
I am exceptionally rebellious.
It's ridiculous how many times God has to teach me the same lessons! Same story, a year later, six months later, a week later, 10 minutes later!
I am exasperating!!!

But how does God love me, as my Father?
I read the Psalms, like Psalm 145.
v.8-9
"The Lord is kind and merciful,
slow to get angry, full of unfailing love.
The Lord is good to everyone.
He showers compassion on all his creation."

v.13b
"The Lord is faithful in all he says;
he is gracious in all he does."

The Psalms speak constantly of his unfailing, unwavering love. Faithfulness is his character. Patience is just who He is. He is merciful and compassionate. He loves me without condition. He disciplines me for my good, and because he loves me, not out of exasperation with me.
I kept praying for God to make me more patient with this exasperating child, whom I love with all my heart! God had to change my heart and He's trying to make me a parent more like Him. I'm so far from that right now, but I want to be so bad!
No matter what the situation, how badly we think we've been wronged by someone, or how our rights (that we think we have) have been violated, we cannot let anger gain control over us!
That doesn't have to mean a physical temper tantrum. But it means letting thoughts enter my mind or words come out of my mouth that are NOT good and helpful, and they are NOT an encouragement to anyone. That has to be one of the most convicting verses in the Bible for me! This means EVERYTHING I say should be profitable! Matthew 5 says calling someone an idiot is an act we will be judged for! Letting a wrong-doing take over our thoughts, cause us to start the internal rant, the private argument in your mind, that you always win so eloquently, or making a tiny little jab with someone, even in the most discreet, passive-agressive way, is inviting the Devil in to your life! We have literally sent him an invitation and said "Come on in!" It makes me sick that I do this!
God has so much to teach me still! I want my thoughts, my words, my attitude to always reflect His character, and not my sinfulness.
I want to be a parent like He is.
Praise God that He convicts us of our sin, and we have the opportunity for true repentance, as described in James 4:7-10.

7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, you hypocrites. 9 Let there be tears for the wrong things you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10 When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor.

And Praise God that He is making me more like Him, so I can reflect Him to my children and others in my life, and not just me.

Carissa's Pink Cookies

My sweet Carissa. How we love her. She is with child (Yay!!!!), and feeling pukey, so say a prayer for her and Nick.
But when we were in Padre, she made these cookies, and they were so great! I don't know where she got this recipe, but it's so easy, it must be passed on. You could change this up, too, with different types of cake mix and chips, etc.

Carissa's Pink Cookies:

A box of strawberry cake mix
1/2 cup of oil
2 eggs
about 1/2 of a bag of white chocolate chips (according to your taste)

Mix together the ingredients, and bake at 350 for about 12-14 minutes, until the edges get slightly brown.
We made these for HOPE group last week, so my HOPE groupies can testify to them.
Enjoy!
And if anyone has any cake mix recipes, I love these! Pass them on to me!

Do you think you need a filter?

Here is an article I just wrote for Lily 7. (This is a blog for college-age and young single women. Check out the link here on my blog.)

I used to think that I needed a filter. I thought, when I would say something really stupid, sinful, hateful, ridiculous (you get the picture) that “I really should have filtered that!” I truly believed that I needed a filter between my brain and my mouth. That way, the terrible, insensitive, thoughtless things that would pop into my brain wouldn’t have to come out of my mouth, and it would save me a lot of embarrassment. Haven’t you ever said “Was that out loud?”
Perfect example of one of the million stupid things I’ve said, just for your enjoyment. I pulled into the gym one morning with my million kids, and to my frustration, as I was running late for my class, there were no parking spots up-close. What frustrated me more was that there was some sports car double-parked right in front. Double-parked? Who are these people? Who do they think they are? They deserve two parking spots? So typical of some guy, to think his precious sports car deserves an extra spot instead of my mini-van weighed down with a million little people. So I’m obviously ranting internally, while I unload toddlers, babies, little people, backpacks, water bottles, sippy cups, etc. All the while, furious at some meat-head guy in there, staring at himself in the mirror while he sits on the weight bench in a muscle shirt, loving himself, and his car. So I go in, making the extra long trip through the parking lot, drop my kids off in their fun childcare area, unload sippy cups and backpacks, and head off to my class. But I can’t resist stopping by the desk to complain, since I’m still internally fuming. So I see the cute, skinny girl behind the counter who answers the phone “Gold’s Gym, how may I change your life today?” (vomit). I say “Hey, you probably don’t know who it is, but some IDIOT (because I emphasized that word) has double parked his car right up front, while we Moms have to park further out, and I don’t think that’s right.” (rant continues) The perky, skinny girl looks right at me and says “That’s my car.” She gives some sort of explanation from there that I didn’t hear because I couldn’t believe what an enormous IDIOT I was!!!
The Lord showed me years ago, I don’t need a filter. I need Psalm 19:14. “May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” This means, I can’t think whatever I want, as long as I just let polite and inoffensive things come out of my mouth. It means I need to honor God with not only my words, the way I say those words, and the intentions behind my words, but also with my every thought! Do you remember how Jesus said that if you look lustfully at someone, you have committed adultery with them in your heart? He came to tell religious people that rule keeping is not enough. Your thoughts and heart behind it mean everything. My words and my thoughts are equally sinful and offensive to God. This was a revelation from the Word for me.
Does this overwhelm you? It does me. Then I remember how I can do nothing apart from God. (John 15:5) The fruit of the Holy Spirit in me is good and pleasing, but the fruit of Jenn, in my flesh, is rotten, smelly, and gross. I learned I have to “take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Cor. 10:5 NIV) I have to retrain my mind according to God’s Word, and not what comes naturally to me. (Romans 12) Now, sometimes I just pray Psalm 141:3 for myself. “Take control of what I say, O Lord, and keep my lips sealed.” Sadly, I have a long list of examples and stories like the one above. While they may be entertaining, they do very little for my representation of Christ to the world, or the people suffering the wounds of what has just come out of my mouth.
So God has been teaching me how to honor Him with my words AND my thoughts. That means, even if I have restrained myself from gossiping with my friends about someone or something, thinking those thoughts is equally as sinful. This truly does require a retraining of my mind and heart. I want my words to be a blessing to others, and my thoughts to be a blessing to God. I want to be pleasing to God in all things! Proverbs 13 says “Good people enjoy the positive results of their words…” and Proverbs 15 says “The Godly think before speaking.” I am praying that the Holy Spirit would be the check in me, so that my thoughts and my words would be pleasing to Him.

Outdoor Baths

While it's warm outside, who needs indoor baths?
In the Bacak house, a water hose, a trampoline, and a little baby shampoo will do.
Justus calls this "water jump", and if you've been over lately, he has probably signed this to you, while pulling you toward the backyard. He thinks everyone should water jump with him!
Last week, we had a spontaneous water jump after dinner, and the kids stripped down to their underwear to spray each other with the hose.
Rusty put on his swimming trunks to join in, because he's a good Dad, and even more so, because he's really 12 on the inside.
I was inside doing the Mom thing...washing dishes, smiling and waving from the window. They started to chant "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" So I decided to abandon the kitchen responsibilities and the dignified Mom persona (where you never get your hair wet???) and get wet with them. I was so glad I did! It was way funner(because that's a word!) than sweeping the kitchen floor.
Then we all started to chant "Sage! Sage! Sage!" This was Sage's first week to live with us, so who knows what she was thinking at this point, but we knew she was perfect for this house! She jumped in with us, and let Jax spray her down relentlessly too. So much fun! A trampoline with four kids, three adults, and covered in baby shampoo is fun AND treacherous! I felt so proud that the night did not end in an ER visit and an x-ray! Success!
We have no pictures of the actual trampoline part because we were ALL on it. No photographer was present. Did anyone have "Flash" in college? At Baylor we had a company called Flash, and they were always there. No matter what the event, what time of day...you could have a pow-wow at Wal-Mart at 3am, and you could just call out "Flash!" and they would be there, snapping away at all your cheesy college girl poses. Sometimes I wish Flash lived with us to capture our every precious moment. I'm doing my best to document these things. Any BU grads getting a fun flashback? What did you guys have like this at A&M?
So much fun! Moments like these are memorable. Where's Flash when you need them?

Scripture Memory

I saw this recently on Katy St. John's blog, and then my sweet friend Arlene sent this to me today in an e-mail.
What an adorable video!
But how convicting...yuck.
We grown-ups stink at this.
Rusty is teaching "Living by the Book" at our church on Sunday nights this semester, about Inductive Bible Study, and as part of our class we will be doing scripture memory. I'm very excited! As Rusty pointed out to us, the kids in Awana's are schooling us on this!
My kids are soaking up scripture so fast, and I am not keeping up with them.
And I love to memorize! It's not even hard for me! Why in the world don't I know more?
I have way too much of that "you know that verse...it's around 1st...no maybe 2nd Corinthians...or maybe it's Thessalonians." I'm the queen of partial verse quotations. That's not okay. I rely on my own Bible and journal to find the verses, but can't locate them otherwise. (I know it's next to the pages that my kids colored on, or before the section that's highlighted...do y'all do that too?)
That is sorry.
We are lazy.
We obviously don't love God's Word enough.
I feel like such a hypocrite to my kids, asking them to memorize a new verse each week, when I am not.
So this week Rusty has asked the class to memorize two verses:
Hebrews 4:12 and 2 Timothy 3:16-17. Both GREAT ones! If you're like me, you just need a plan and an accountability partner. So let's get one! I have a husband, so that's built-in accountability.
No more excuses.
When you see me next, ask me to quote my memory verses to you. And ask my husband and kids too. God's Word is too good, too precious, too valuable NOT to!!!!

We're a 3 Loaf/ Week Family

When did this happen?
Seriously, I remember when Rusty and I would buy one loaf of bread a week, and still not finish it. We probably even bought bread every other week. That was when we bought the fancy bread. It had nuts in it, and was sliced thick. It was heart healthy, or something. But then...
You blink.
Black out.
Wake up.
Come to.
And you're a 3 loaf/week family.
3 LOAVES! Hello HEB brand 89 cent wheat bread.
We bought three loaves this week, and still ran out before our shopping day came.
I think Treston ate half of it.
What will it be like when I have three teenage boys in the house?
I forget how many gallons of milk Michelle Smith says they buy in a week.
Milk is more expensive, so atleast we're not guzzling milk like that, although we do buy plenty.
How many loaves of bread do the Brickers go through?
What about the Duggers, that family in AR who have like...27, or something, kids?
How many loaves of bread do they eat in a week?
It's crazy. It probably doesn't help that we have a one-year-old that eats more than the rest of them combined.
So keep in mind, people...children are a blessing!!! But they eat a lot!!! So start saving for your enormous grocery bill. HEB will be getting the majority of your paycheck!
Kiss Kroger and Albertson's goodbye. If you shop there out of convenience or to avoid the insanity that IS HEB, especially at this time of year (students are back and ALL hanging out at HEB with their parents) those days are over. You will peel out into the parking lot to get that "Shopping with a Child" parking spot, (if you park there without a child, Rusty WILL stop you and give you a lecture), pull TWO shopping carts, rather than one, as you shop, and avoid making eye contact with someone as they head toward the aisle you have your eye one, while increasing to super speed to get there first. HIll Country Fair will be your absolute favorite brand name, and your kids will never have to know that brand name diapers exist.
We used to "observe" the frantic, poor parenting going on from the Moms and Dads with baskets overflowing with smooshed groceries and many toddler arms and legs sticking out with sticky hands and faces from free cookies, that only keep them happy for a total of 15 seconds.
We are now THOSE PEOPLE!
Dear Lord, help us to be Christians at HEB!
But with all that said...I wouldn't trade it!
No matter how much bread they eat, and no matter that I'm about to embark on HEB with all of them in tow, it is great!!! Who needs fancy bread? Who needs to check-out in less than 20 minutes? Not us.