Meet the Monkeys

 This is Blue Monkey

 This is Yellow Monkey

 And Pink Monkey

 You can't tell that Jackson is in his Monkey PJ's also, but he is and they all looked so cute I HAD to get pictures tonight.

I love you little monkeys.  All three of you.  So very much.  Even when you act like wild crazy monkeys.  Even when I am not feeling well...:) You steal my heart over and over and over again.

*ville Cd Release Party

This would be the cutest little *ville mascot/fan ever! You can't really tell in any of the pictures, but she's wearing the *ville shirt as a dress, with a purple belt, tied up on the arms (because they were down to her wrists) and sporting first ever pig tails in the hair. She knows she's cute, too!

This is our oldest son, Taylor Michael. His littlest sister is his favorite and she loves "tay-tay" too!

This weekend was *ville's Cd Release Party and it was great. There were over 70 people in attendance. The boys (Chris Doe and Taylor) were amazing I think all had a good time.

My mom and dad drove up to support the boys and help me with Charleigh. Is she not adorable!?

Here is some of the crowd...

The boys again...Sunrise over Kansas!

www.villeband.com 

You really should check them out. I obviously a little biased, but I am a pretty convinced they'll make it quite far...and that you will like them.  Have a listen...

Wow

After the *ville CD Release Show, Charleigh was ready to go home with Nonna and Papaw and go to bed. This was her first night in pigtails. This is the aftermath of pigtails.

Oh wow. I just have laughs, no words. But I do love you with all of my heart Charleigh Tatum

Pictures Galore...

Enid Moto Photo Pictures Summer 2010

2010 Scottish Games

Last year we went to the Scottish Games in Tulsa.  We went again this year.  Here are some fun pics! It was SO blazing hot we were drenched in sweat from head to toe, but the kids loved it.

Jeff and Jackson in their matching kilts.  Jackson had to have been the cutest little Scot there! LOVED it. 

They have games for the kids and this year they were much more able to actually participate in them. Creighton struggled a little, but completed every task except the sack race. I don't think she understood what was expected and thus she face planted several times and gave up.  Can't say I blame you baby! 

 Here they are after they finished their little Scot games for kids. HOT!

 These pics are all out of order, but oh well (*I am trying to get used to the new format of blogging and loading pics from our new Mac).

 Charleigh had a blast in the Bjorn. I wore her for a little bit and then traded with Jeff so my back wouldn't DIE like last time.

 This was from the 3 legged race. Rae didn't love the idea of being tied down to her brother, but they did complete the race. :) And look how cute they look doing it!

This was a few hours after we'd arrived and we were READY to go.  You can't tell because I am wearing black, but my shirt was wring-worthy. This was me at the end of the day. Creighton "couldn't" walk anymore and so I had been carrying her in the front only carrier on the back. It actually worked out ok. It didn't hurt my back nearly as bad to carry her on my back as it did to carry Charleigh in it on the front, go figure? But Charleigh wouldn't let anyone else carry her to the car, so I looked quite like the pack mule! :)

Everyone crashed in the car before we made it 5 miles. That was nice. We drove around for a little bit.  Then we needed to get a few things at Target before we had dinner at the Steele's. Thankfully both the boys took off their kilts so we didn't stand out...ahhaha....as if that's possible. :)

I sure love these 4 people more than words can say!

Officially Official (Again!)

Charleigh's birth certificate came in recently which makes her even more officially a Berg! She has our name and that is just very fun to see.  Documented!

Today I went to the Social Security Admin. and it was crazy. There were no seats so many people were in there! One lady had an anxiety attack while in there and that was just bizarre. Thankfully it wasn't long after that they FINALLY called me back.

Her SSN should arrive in 7-10 days and then she'll be USA official and we can finally report her on our taxes :)  Yeah! Hooray!

We love you so much Charleigh Tatum Berg

Hey There, Princess!

I ran across this blog post and thought it was worthy of sharing.  It's great insight (to me)
Hey There, Princess!

My family and I just returned from a five day vacation to Disneyworld. It was amazing. There was great food, fun rides, entertaining shows and clean bathrooms (I found this one to be the most impressive!). It was a place that is self-described as “magical,” and they strive to impress and astound you at every turn. Nightly fireworks shows, electric light parades, and street vendors offering every possible confection, beverage and snack you could imagine. We had an absolute blast. There was really only one thing that gave me pause in this whirlwind of fun: The entitlement and worldliness that was not-so-subtly being pressed upon my children, especially my daughter.

There is apparently a policy for all Disney employees (they’re actually called Cast Members) that when they see a young girl, they are to stop what they’re doing, make eye contact, and address her as “princess.” All day every day, my Katherine was being treated by everyone in the park as though she were the most important thing. Greetings of “Hey there, Princess!” and, “Right this way, princess!” were commonplace. This of course made her feel great, and it was sweet to see so much attention being given to the enjoyment of their guests. Superficially, I really liked it. It felt good that we were getting treated so well, and that everything was so well taken care of. But when I stopped and really processed the reality of the philosophy that was being taught, it gave me great concern. They were teaching her (and the rest of us) that it’s all about us. Our desires, our comforts, our happiness, our enjoyment, and our peace of mind — it is these things that are paramount. We are the center of the universe. While that may be fun and it certainly feeds our selfish desires, it flies in the face of the reality that we find in Scripture:

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.(James 4:1-7)

This struggle is not only found at Disneyworld. If we look we will find that it is everywhere in our modern American society. Almost every meal we get our kids that isn’t home-cooked comes with a toy. Many places to eat or shop have playgrounds. The grocery store has candy and toys at every checkout lane. These things are screaming to us and our children that keeping them entertained is top priority.

The way I war against this in my family is that I try to initiate conversations with my children about these things as often as possible, and as close to the moment of temptation as possible. So when my kids beg and plead for a toy in the grocery store, I take a minute or two to remind them that this is something they want for themselves, and is ultimately a selfish desire. God provides us with all that we need, and he is faithful to provide us the fulfillment that we seek in these earthly things. It might go something like this:

“Daddy, can we pleeeeeeeease get one of these light-up pens?”

“No, we’re not getting a light-up pen.”

Both of their faces turn sullen. They feel like they should be able to get what they want, but they know not to argue or complain about my decision. So I continue:

“Kids, we have to remember that the Lord will provide for your needs. What you want isn’t always what you need – in fact, it usually isn’t. Sometimes we think that something new and fun will make us happy or give us joy. The truth is, if we get those light-up pens, they will only make you happy for a few minutes, or maybe a few hours. Then you’ll be right back to wanting something else. Only Jesus can give you the joy that your heart is looking for. We have to remember that we cannot try to find our joy in things that were created, but instead we must look for it in the one who created all things. I love you both, and I understand that you want the light-up pen. We’re not getting one today, so please take this chance to let the Holy Spirit give you self-control and peace about this.”

That speech takes a minute or so and that isn’t always convenient in a grocery store line. But putting these moments of entitlement in the light of truth is always worth our time as parents. The alternative is to simply say”‘no,” and let the kids try to work out the truth for themselves. I can assure you that the truth my kids come up with by themselves will be distorted and prideful.

Am I the fun police? Am I anti-Disney? Certainly not. I hope my family can return to Disneyworld someday and see the things we missed this time around. Sometimes in the grocery store I do get them the light-up pen. What I am advocating here is that we as parents are mindful of these things and speak to our children about them. There’s nothing inherently wrong with dressing up and being treated like a princess for a day. There’s nothing inherently wrong with a Happy Meal (except perhaps for the fat content). There is nothing inherently wrong with getting a toy from the store every once in a while. It is when we allow our children to believe that they, rather than Christ, are at the center of things that we cross the line into disobedience to the Lord’s call on us as parents. We are to raise our children in the knowledge and instruction of the Lord. This is a weighty task and we cannot take it lightly. We must engage our children with the truth of what the Scriptures teach – we need a Savior, and God has sent His Son.

So go to Disney if you have the desire and the means. Get your kid a toy at the grocery store on occasion. When you do, don’t leave out the most important part: Jesus. He is at the center, He is paramount, andHe is what is most valuable. I pray that we, parents, would be found faithful to teach our children these things so that Disney, toys and Happy Meals are seen for what they are: short-lived entertainments and momentary distractions. While we can rejoice that God has blessed people with the gifts to create these things, they should not be the source of our desires or where we find meaning – our desires and our meaning are only to be found in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Funny Boy!

Occasionally (rarely) Jackson has "homework" to do.  Yesterday I didn't end up checking his bag till later in the evening on his way to bed. I noticed he had an assignment to cut out circles from a magazine. It wasn't due till Thursday, but I figured, oh well, let's do it.

So we sit down and begin looking for circles.  He finds a picture of a man on a bike and wants to cut out the wheels for his circle.  He starts and then says matter-of-factly, "Mom this looks like Daddy" pointing to the man ON the bike.  I busted a gut laughing so hard because the man on the bike was LEBRON JAMES!  Lebron James on bike

I was seriously not able to control my laughter, which I felt bad for because of course I didn't want Jackson to think I was laughing at him (just at his ridiculous comparison)

Jeff continued to ask him why he thought he looked like him.  Finally he said because he had a helmet like Jeff does when he rides his bike....which makes it not funny, but at least I know my kid isn't totally blind :)

Creighton Teal

(she went on a daddy date to Pei Wei)

For the past 3.5 years Creighton and I have butted heads from the time she woke up till she went to sleep at night.  A strange thing recently took place: Jackson is out of the house for 7 hours a day at school.  She's a different kid. I have always loved her with every fiber of my being, it was the liking that sometimes was lacking. But I just can't get enough of her right now. She's like my best friend and vice versa.  I really have enjoyed having her home with me, which, to be honest, I was somewhat dreading heading into August.  She is just so strong willed and stubborn and high energy. She has proved me so wrong. It's been a blast (most moments) and I feel like I am getting to know her, and love her and like her all the more with every passing day.

(she really enjoys dressing herself, and has NO fashion sense (or care) at all)

She's so special. God created in her such passion and drive.  She'll change the world one day for sure...and I'll be right there by her side as she does.

 (this was her first day of Preschool this year, with her fave friend Marly)

I am so so so very thankful for these past 3 weeks. It's been a breath of fresh air.  I think she's so competitively driven, like someone else I know well, that she was so busy competing for my attention that she wasn't being herself.  She's pretty fun one-on-one...and yes, Charleigh is still here and we play well with her too!  She's a great big sister to her, just a wee bit rough still.  But she's learning. She just loves her to pieces...sometimes literally!

God is good. I feel like someone was praying specifically for this and I just wanted you to know that God answered in a huge way!  So thanks from the bottom of my heart.