Plan B: What do you do when God doesn't show up the way you thout He would by Pete Wilson book Review

I recently read the book Plan B: What do you do when God doesn’t show up the way you thought He would by Pete Wilson. I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. This book was about having a change in plans in your life either for yourself or someone close to you due to any change in circumstances. The book gives example in the Bible of Plan B situations, how God and people handled various situations then and in our own lives, as well as gives insight into why and how to deal with Plan B situations. It contains discussion questions at the end of the book for each chapter to help think about and process what the author has discussed.

I really enjoyed this book. I like that the author came across as authentic and genuine in telling the stories of his experiences and admitted when he didn’t have all the answers. The book doesn’t just give you an answer to dealing with every Plan B situation, but I don’t think that there can be, it’s not the simple. The advice that was given was backed up biblically. I did not like that the study questions were placed at the end of the book and not at the end of the chapters, as it seems less likely that a person will take the effort to go and read through them and more likely that they will forget they are there if reading the book alone. This book did give me insight and hope for myself and for helping others dealing with Plan B situations and helping to understand that we all have in mind what we want for our lives, but ultimately God knows and is in control.

April 2010: Guardian of the Parks

April has been such a beautiful month in Minnesota. With all the snow melted and the sun shining, "Let's go on a walk" has become one of Parker's daily requests and expectations of activities. I think that Parker's name, meaning Guardian of the Park, is very fitting for him now. We have been to so many parks this month and played and played and played and walked and walked that I really think that he thinks it's his job to check all the parks! We have been outside so much already that I have a tan line where my watch goes! It's so nice to be able to be outside and not be 90 degrees and sweating. A lot of days we pack a lunch to eat, and one day I was thinking it was so hot, and my sunglasses were fogging up on me on our walk. Addison's face and arms were red and I was terrified that I had burned her (I didn't, whew). When we left and we got in the car I checked the temp and it was a whole 69 degrees! I laughed at myself and called my friend in Texas to tell her how silly I am to think 69 is hot when she is already enduring 80 to 90 degree weather. I have to say, I am so glad I am not! It's nice being 70, the sun is warm, warm enough to make me hot and my glasses fog up, and it's cool enough at night (and not dusty) to open the window and let fresh air in. We haven't run our heat or air all month I don't think, at least not much. :)
This month we went to the Oxbow zoo again, they had a program going on about the bear waking up from her hibernation. They hid all her food in her cage and then let her out to search for it. The kids liked it, and it was fun. We didn't have any visitors or go anywhere, but the month still flew by. I can't believe we are moving in 4 months! This year is flying by so fast. Still no idea where we are going by the way.
A big thing to us this month was that Micheal and I got to go on 2 dates! The kids stayed with a girl from church whom they have really taken too. It was wonderful to get out and the kids at least Parker was more than happy to go play with someone new. Addison does well, but she still rather loves her mommy and would prefer to be with her all the time instead.

This is a view of a river we cross on our walks.

I took this picture to show you that they are already running paddle boats in the river. You can rent them and pedal your way up the river and back.

Addison at one of the playgrounds. This is a ship shaped structure.

This is Hayden, she is 2 days younger than Addison. Her mom and I have become good friends and try to get together once a week.

I thought this was a sweet picture of them from behind.

This is Parker's friend Liam. He was also born the same week as Parker, and is Hayden's brother. They are from Arkansas and just moved to Minnesota a couple of months before us. Our kids are seriously days apart. We met at church. It was/is such a God thing that we were connected.

Addison in the playground.

Addison at the zoo. She has figured out how to stand on the foot rest and how to pull herself up to see what she wants to see in the stroller.

Another of her at the zoo.

Parker and Addison on a fine spring day in Minnesota.

And of course we did celebrate Easter this month, Parker has started this sideways head everytime you take his pictures. Funny kid. But still handsome!

We could not get a good picture of them together yet, but we will....literally, if you put Addison down, she walks, it's like one of those wind up toys. They were so beautiful though in their matching outfits. We will have a photo shoot again soon when we can get Addison to stand still!

Parker in April

Parker is amazing! He has had a fantastic month! The first and most exciting thing for us, is that he is potty trained! Yay! I was going to put a more defining picture of this on here, but Micheal said no, so I guess he's worked too long in the prison, and perhaps I agree. You'll just have to believe me when I tell you! We did 3 day potty training method and it amazingly worked right away! We didn't really plan to potty train him this month, we knew we wanted to before he was 3 and my friend and I were discussing this and decided we would both do this method with our kids right now. So, we did it. At first we thought it couldn't work, but we also thought what can it hurt to try, it's 3 days, and we just need to commit. He has done great! (And so has my friend's daughter too!) He even stays dry at night....sometimes.....he is such a deep sleeper, I'm going to have to figure this one out. But, otherwise we have continued on with our daily lives...playing in parks, going to the store, going to story time, church, Bible study.....life goes on and so does Parker in the toilet! yay!

I am potty trained! yay!

Parker also started swimming lessons this month. You'll see the pictures at the last. He has been so excited about them. He has learned how to blow bubbles into the water, jump off the edge, turn around and get back to the gutter, lay on his back (but he still struggles with this, he doesn't like the water in or on his ears, I don't know which), and kicking. They push the ball with their noses and get flung around up and down back and forth in the pool by their parents. It's a bigger class then I would have liked, but it's a start, and at this age, it's not like I expected independent swimming totally! He loves the water though. Addison has to watch from the side, and it about kills her every time. She is dying to get in the water with us.
Parker continues to learn more and more. He LOVES dinosaurs and cars right now. He is always on the look out for them whether we are looking for cards in the store or at movies or shirts...there is bound to be a dino that he will see. Right now he likes the long neck ones, the brontosaurus, but he calls them long necks. It is time for us to get the Land Before Time movies I think! He loves to be outside, and he's really trying to master his hand eye coordination, wanting to try to bat a ball, and loves to play catch. He can ride his tricycle really well this spring, and the playgrounds do not slow him down at all. He has started reading the books to me or Addisy that he has memorized now, and it's so sweet to hear him singing songs we've learned at home or at story time. Parker talks all the time, sometimes I am so glad Micheal came home to listen to him so I can have an ear rest. Parker has really started to enjoy Addison even more and more, helping take care of her, but also helping to make her mad. He likes to take things from her (like her plug or stuffed animal) to make her chase him until she gets so mad she yells and I intervene. He has also had to spend some time in time out for pushing her down and being too rough with her. But, he really is still such a sweet and happy boy. We keep telling him he's a big boy now with the potty training and such. But a funny thing is, is that sometimes he'll see something he wants to do, like skateboard (there's a skate park off one of the trails we walk) and so I told him he could do that when he's bigger. He'll get a drink or wait a minute, and say "I"m bigger now." I think he has Micheal's concept of time, ha ha! Parker and I went on a couple mommy/son dates this month and saw Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and How to Train a Dragon. He did great at both of course. He loved the dragon movie and still talks about the flying dragons. He is really starting to get an imagination and making his toys and such talk when he plays. But sometimes he is so literal...I put a shirt on him that had an alligator playing baseball...the typical little boy shirt. He said, "mama, is this a dragon or a crocodile?" Me: It says Gator baseball, so I think it's an alligator." Him: Alligators don't play baseball, they live in the water." I said you're right, they do live in the water. He is learning so much and thinking about so much too.


Parker wanted me to take a picture of him by his sled one day.....seems out of place to see him in his shorts next to the snow shovel and sled! In April, In Minnesota! Never thought this would happen!

Parker swimming with a noodle all by himself! He can use the current and his kicking to get himself from side to side of the pool width wise!

Addison at swimming lessons. She gets hot in there, but the water is freezing! When all the kids get out to jump in, they are shivering so badly that I sometimes imagine them shaking in like a cartoon.

Parker learning to jump in and grab the noodle...this teaches him to jump in without being caught every time.

Parker and I at his swimming lessons.

Blowing bubbles in the water and kicking across the pool.

One last shot of Parker for the month of April!

Addison in April

Addison is 15 months old now! She is a very busy girl. We haven't taken her for her 15 month well check yet, so I don't have the stats...but I do know she is not quite 20 pounds yet, and her legs are too long for 12 month clothes. And I know her waist is 15 inches! That's a growth of 4 inches! Why do I know this? When she was born my sister and I were amazed at how tiny she seemed. It was amazing how much tinier she seemed than Parker, we measured her waist so we could tell her one day she had an 11 inches waist! Well now, she's too tall for 12 month clothes. But 18 month clothes generally fall off of her after 5 steps of walking....so I measured her waist to get her skirts and pants taken in. Geez, what a problem to have! Addison is doing well health wise by the way. It's a 2 person job most nights to give her her anitbiotic, but we manage. She is busy busy busy. Getting into everything and figuring things out way too fast. She can blow her nose on command now into a kleenex, and even does it on her own if she picks up a kleenex, that's what it's for afterall! She can blow into a nice noisy whistle that showed up at Easter. She can push herself to go down a slide...but doesn't like it if she pushes before you make it to the bottom! Addison loves to cuddle her stuffed animals. She loves the kitchen toys. She loves the kitchen! She is always at my feet in the kitchen, and loves to "help" load the dishwasher. This mostly involves me chasing down the silverware from the the trash or where ever she took it to. She also loves Parker. She wants to be where he is, have what he has, and do what he does. He's not always happy about this and it doesn't always work out how she wants. Addison is finally getting teeth! 8 now to be exact! She's a bit of a grump sometimes with all these teeth, and a little bit slobbery too! Addison's hair is growing bit by bit, it's nothing compared to what Parker had at this age, but we know Addison does EVERYTHING in her time, no one else's. It's long enough that if I don't tie it back the front gets in her eyes, but not long everywhere so it's a tiny ponytail on top. Well, I've been putting bows in her hair since birth so that when she needed them she wouldn't fight me. Well this month she started pulling them out when I put them in and when I told her NO she would start to cry and get big crocodile tears. So, I started putting little elastics in that she couldn't pull out. This worked great! No hair in her eyes, and no bow to pull out. After a couple days I started adding bows. The crying returned, but I was determined. One morning while getting ready, Parker said " Mama, no bow, Addisy cry." So funny, he didn't want to hear it that morning I guess....well it's paid off though, it only lasted a couple weeks and now we can do elastic and bow and they stay in all day long.

Addison in the kitchen with her kitchen toys. If she is standing up, she is on the run, there is no time to stop and pose for a picture, she has playing to do!


Sweet Addison


Addison on the outside, looking in. This picture cracks me up. Sometimes it seems like she's trying to make us laugh.

If Parker can walk to the car himself I can. Addison wants to walk everywhere. Although it's not really a fast mode of transportation. Her light weight makes it way easier for me to carry her. She has started becoming limp and straightening herself into the shape of a snake when you pick her up so that she can slide out of your arms and back onto the ground/floor again.

Cheese! I'm getting to be such a big girl!


I still love to eat! Pasta is one of my favorites! Her teeth are slowing her down a bit though, she doesn't seem much in the mood to eat when they are bothering her. And the only way she lets us see is if we put her upside and make her laugh. Otherwise, fat chance at seeing those pearly whites!