Interview

If you would like to read the interview that Lucille from the Poppies blog did, just click here

Lu made the button for Ana and is also the reason that we found Reece's Rainbow. I'm so glad that God used her to lead us to our little girl.

There are many other families over there on her blog if you click on the drop down menu that says Reece's Rainbow, then Meet the families. Or you can click on the words "Meet the..." at the bottom of our interview post and it will take you to all of her posts about other Reece's Rainbow families.

Some Like To...

Some like to bounce ELECTRICALLY...

Some just like to run free...

Others prefer crawling with glee.

No matter the preference, you'll happily see....

These children are playful, completely, all three.



...in fact, they all like their methods so much that I have not a single photo with the three of them in it.

Curly and Cousin

Curly loves her little cousin. She doesn't get to see her much, so when she is around we make sure to attempt a visit. Here they are on the back porch at my mom's house.

They sure are cute!

Prayer for Gramps

Please be in prayer for Gramps. I got word last night that he was working on a project at a friend's house and had an incident with a saw. He is now lacking his index finger and half of the middle finger on his left hand. The middle finger might have been "fixable" for lack of a better word, but the index finger is gone.

Please be in prayer for our Gramps with recovery and also dealing with a new way of functioning.


We love you Gramps! Curly told me, "It's okay Mama, somebody will fix it." =)

Meet the Family: Neesh

Meet Neesh. She is the second daughter of my Dad and his second wife. She has the same mom and dad as She she.

Neesh is 20 years old and goes to school at BYU Idaho. She is an achiever, that's what she lives for. She is also very silly and particularly obsessive about being neat.

When Neesh was a little girl, she was the silliest thing I ever did meet. That girl would have me rolling in no time. She was just so random and unpredictable, it was crazy. She was crazy. Now that she has grown up a little and some of that has matured out of her, I find that I miss it. Why do children have to grow up anyway? Can't they just stay blissful and young forever?


I remember one time when we were all supposed to be going to sleep late at night. She and Brody were making up some tremendous story about a crazy king of some sort and a newspaper. It was the simplest, most stupid story you've ever heard, but they couldn't get more than one word out at a time because they were laughing so hard. I didn't even understand the story, but couldn't help but have a massive case of the giggles because of their laughter. Those two were extra funny when placed withing half a mile of one another.

When Dad and their mother divorced, I didn't get to see her as much for a long time. She she lived with Dad, but Neesh lived with her mom. There were quite a few years where I rarely saw her at all, and then "poof", she was all grown up. I missed all the in between years.


Neesh ran track in High School. I got to go to one or two of her meets and watch her run, she did very well. Her last season she was running on a leg that she shouldn't have been...I'm not sure how that all turned out, but I am pretty sure it was fractured. She is very driven and placed herself in the spotlight by being good at things in life. She was the sporty girl in the family and the only one that did all of school in public school (on Dad's side).


I don't get to talk to Neesh very often now either, but she seems to be doing well. She was home for a little while when she had a break from school and I saw her a few times, like at Curly's birthday party.

Apparently her new obsessions are Zac Effron and wanting to be a skater girl...but who knows, that's just life according to Facebook.

Alive and Well

I just wanted to make sure you know that these two super cuties are still well and good. Playing and giggling all the day long.

And that I haven't put the camera down either. I just haven't had time to download pictures or blog, since during nap and bedtime is when I get any and all things related to adoption done. That takes more than a small chunk of time right now.

So, while the kids are playing I thought I would take a second to give you some unedited pictures (now you know what really comes out of my camera...) and let you know that, while Mommy might not be as fun as Dad with teeth made of Kix, we are still having fun over here.

Update

It seems that posts might be sparse for the next couple of weeks. As I write this I am going to warn you that there might be mistakes, I don't want to take the time to proof read everything right now.

Things are going very quickly so far with our adoption process. We have had a lot to do and are getting a lot done. I am hoping that things continue this route. As of right now, tomorrow we have a visit for our home study to begin. We had three things he wanted completed as of tomorrow night, but we actually have most of what he needs for the whole process done. Thank you Lord for the timing of Handsome's vacation! That worked out well, even if it wasn't a "vacation".

Our funding has been coming in just when we need it. We have ways of borrowing if need be for ALL of the funds, but we really feel that God is wanting to provide for us and bring Himself glory through this process. Already He has provided $3500 for us, and we just started last week!!! I know He is faithful to provide and I have no worries about how the finances will work out. (To not keep the truth from you, I was having a small bit of worry about that early last week as I saw all the growing costs that we would need right away, but after asking a few special people for prayer, those feelings were gone.)

We have created a blog just for Ana's adoption process, anadoption.blogspot.com so go and check that out. You can donate there if you would like to. I have a few really neat raffles that are in the works too. For each $5 donation you will be entered. I think we will have three prizes for each raffle (one large and two smaller things), that way your chances are better of winning. If you donate before that, I will add you to the raffle when it starts =).

Most updates on Ana's process will most likely be on that blog from now on, so be sure to follow there if you want updates on her process. That way people that we don't know as well can follow our adoption only if they would like to.

As of right now, we are only $300 or so away from our next step. Please be in prayer for that to come in so we can get started with that part. Our Lord has been amazing so far, and I know that He will continue. No matter who He works through!

Thank you for your prayers and support family and friends. We love you all, even those that we have not met in person!

Also, just a fun little thing to let you know about name meanings that Vicky found out: Anastasia means resurrection or "she who shall rise up again". That's so fitting for our Ana, and I thought it was special.

What Happens When Daddy is in Charge...

When Mommy leaves to go to MOPS and Curly is left home with Daddy and Smiles, this is what happens...



Yep. You might want to stay away during those times. When Daddy is in charge things get a little crazy.

Oh, and in case you wondered- those are Kix.

Laundry Chronicles: Recycle (The Bad Kind)

Just an update before we embark on the Laundry Chronicles that I wrote late last week to lighten things up a bit...we are getting a lot done right now and I feel very productive. We got our passports started today and hope that they will take less then the ten weeks they estimate. The lady who did our paperwork today told us that it is about a six week wait right now. I will try to keep you updated on the process, but don't have a lot of time for writing just yet. Handsome is on vacation this week, so we are trying to get as much done as we can.

...Now back to your irregularly scheduled program...

I have come to find that most of the Laundry Chronicles are related to my husband. Why is this so? It's something to think about Handsome...

This amazing and wonderful guy has usually got a nice huge row of white T-shirts hanging in the closet. He wears them under his work shirts everyday and then also under some of his daily shirts as well. After quite some time they wear out. You know, due to that crusty area under the arms. (Am I going to get in trouble for that one? I just might.)

Lets rephrase that. I have a friend who's husband...

Anyway, when they get to the point of no return, it's time to retire them. There is nothing to be done, they are given no last words or final meals. They are just toast. If any of you have some secret life saving treatment that the government is trying to keep from us in order that we might purchase more T-shirts and thus pay more taxes and also support lobbiest companies like Hanes and Fruit of the Loom, well please let me know. As of this point I am being taken advantage of and believing this conspiracy.

So, this husband of mine my friend has lots of T-shirts in his closet and has a handy little way of getting rid of them. He will grab them off of the hanger and find that they are no longer good for wearing. It is requested that he take them to the garbage or something so that they are taken care of at that point and no longer part of the routine. Is that what happens though? Eh...not so much.

Said man takes shirt from hanger. Man sees that aforementioned shirt has unmentionable crust in undisclosed location. Man takes shirt and throws it in the pile in the closet. Unfortunately for his wife, this pile is full of dirty clothing. Other dirty clothing. Dirty good clothing that can be worn again and again post washing.

Can you see the problem one might encounter?

By the time wife realizes that husband is cycling this shirt through over and over...that she is washing and re-washing a shirt that he intends to throw away anyway...

Yeah. You can see where this woman finds frustration. You would think that since he is an efficiency expert he wouldn't want to waste his time either. You know, since he has to find out that the shirt is unusable over and over and over again.

Expecting...

I have so much to share and I don't even know where to start. As you may have noticed, I have been a bit cryptic about some of the things that are going on in our family and changes that are coming. I haven't shared with you yet because there has not been enough solid detail to share yet. As of today, some major changes have come and so I am going to tell you where we are as of right now.

A few weeks back in April I began to feel that we had two little girls that were going to be part of our family. My first thought was that this would be through the normal means of pregnancy and I was having a hard time with that for a lot of reasons, but because of all the work that God has been doing in my life, it was easy to say- Your will is all I want Lord.

Later I was called to prayer for "my girls" a couple of times. It was through this prayer time that I realized that we might actually be getting a call to adopt, not just be growing our family the good old fashioned way. One day on my way to MOPS I was overcome with emotion for them, praying for protection and speedy process. I did not know when they were to come and even if they had been born yet, all I knew was that God was placing them on my heart for protection and preserved innocence.

A couple of Sundays ago I got home from church and was going to check on Stellan before my quiet time, but really felt the Lord convict me and ask me to have time with Him first. He is to be most important and so I obeyed Him. As I was reading my Bible, I was directed to prayer more quickly than usual and so I stopped reading and prayed. My goal was just to be quiet before Him, to let Him speak and just listen. At one point I was guided to pray for "my girls" in a very strong way. I prayed that they would be brought to us quickly and that they would not have to be without their family any longer than absolutely necessary.

After this prayer time ended I went and checked on Stellan. I wanted to see how he was doing, so I went on right after my quiet time was done. This post was full of lots of things, but the one that was meant for me was about her 10 millionth hit and the lady who had proof of being the 10 millionth hitter...if that's what you would call her. She is very passionate about a ministry called Reece's Rainbow. It's a ministry that helps connect children with Down Syndrome from other countries with families in the US, UK, and Canada. After reading about all the things that happens with these children and the fact that at four they are transferred to an institution where 85% of them die within a year, my heart was called to action.

Isn't God's timing amazing? Isn't it awesome how He starts preparing you before He shows you where sometimes?!

The only girl sisters that I could find were in the "Other Angels" category. They were twins that are six years old and have other special needs dealing with seizures. We inquired about them, but were told that there was a family in the process of trying to adopt them. They were two of the few that did not have pictures on the site. I looked through the other children and there were so many that I felt for and wanted to help, but God gave me clear vision that two girls were our goal.

There were a couple that I really felt were extra special and wanted to pray for. Some were out of pity for the poor children and how hard life must be for them. There is one little girl that stood out to me from the first time that I saw her, but we didn't consider her because she didn't have a sister. Her name is Anastasia. I didn't feel strongly about her out of pity, but just because she touched my heart and made me smile. Every time I saw her I thought, I wish that she had a sister..."but I know that God will give me a love even stronger for the ones that He has for me."

Fast forward through some things and e-mails with an amazing lady at Reece's Rainbow to 4:3o this morning. I woke with a strong urge to pray. It was with panic and at first I wondered if there was seriously someone outside my home that was going to try and break in or something. I didn't know why I needed to pray, just knew that I needed to. This happens sometimes and I have learned that if I pray for guidance in my prayer the Lord will guide me to the area that needs prayer by giving peace as I work through praying down a "list" of sorts. I prayed for protection around our home. Peace. I prayed for the children that slept in their bedrooms. Peace. I prayed for Chalupa and things that have worried me about his health (he is in perfect health say his docs by the way, that's just my thing). Peace.

I arrived at "our girls". Urgency ensued. I stayed in prayer for them and my little spiritually in tune baby woke from his sleep and began to cry. I went in and nursed him and prayed with him. (That may not mean anything to any of you, but it was special for me. I love that prayer bond that we have. His sister is the one who is most likely to wake in the night, not him.) We prayed again for quick moving and that God would guide us to them- give faces and help us start the process. Finally by the time we were done with his feeding I had reached peace. I decided to go out and send an e-mail to Andrea, the lady that I have been e-mailing at RR. First I went on the site to see if there were any new kids that might fit for us. The first children that I saw were Tonya and Anastasia who are at the same orphanage and could be adopted together. When I saw her face I heard clearly, "Meet your child."


I thought for sure this meant that Tonya would be our second girl. After all, this would be the logical choice for our other girl and they were already asking that they be considered for pairing. I didn't feel that bond with Tonya, but I felt like that would come because the Lord would provide it. As I prayed throughout the day, I just kept feeling different about her, I didn't feel like she was my child. That paired with some concerns from Andrea about two older girls and Tonya having a harder time with adjustment because she is "very high functioning", I knew that she wasn't our other girl. I knew that Anastasia was though. I knew enough that when Andrea e-mailed me telling me that the two sisters that we had looked at before had fallen through and were an option (though she still thought that younger kids would be our best bet), I agreed with her right away. I told her that I was so sure about Ana that I would be ready to start with her, even if we didn't have the sister.

We decided to pray about it and still are, but as more prayer is lifted up, I am more and more sure. Things keep happening so quickly in such a way that I cannot deny the hand of God in this process one bit. There are still unsure moments about certain things, like who is the other girl and did I hear wrong about her? I still feel like there is another little girl that is supposed to be part of our family too.

I haven't mentioned Handsome in this at all. It's somewhat hard to explain his feelings because he is so quiet and is not very expressive about the whole thing. I will tell you this though, I know that he is on board for the ride. I found out that the day after I talked to him (late at night that Sunday that I first saw RR after a long night of closing at work) he had already told his boss about time off that he would possibly be needing. I thought that he was still deciding because he had said, "Okay." (I was hoping to get a response that was stronger than that...perhaps with some emotion and excitement, or maybe some concerns. Not just, "Okay.") There are other little things that tell me he is more "okay" with it than what his words express. Though I wish at times like these that he might be a little more clearly readable for goodness sake!

So, what now? We are going to be putting in our application for her and will have to put money toward a Promise Trust, and some other fees. At the very start, before we can use any help from grants and assistance programs, we have to pay for a few things that will range from $1225 - $3500. Let's be clear here, this is going to be expensive and we do not have cash floating around. But God has called and God will provide. We are certain of that.

After our home study is approved then we can apply for grants and use other things that come in. I am sure we will need to do some fund raising. Target is an awesome company to work for because of so many reasons, and adoption is not outside of that. They will reimburse $5,000 per child after the child is placed in our home. (Total cost is estimated at $24,000 for one child and it is not that much more to adopt the second in the same orphanage.) There are tax credits that we will hopefully qualify for. Reece's Rainbow is a ministry set up for the purpose of building funds to make this more possible, so there is help from there too.

Would you be in prayer for us? Would you please be in prayer for our little Anastasia? Andrea wrote in an e-mail today, "You take your time, there is no one else strongly considering her right now, although she does have a growing number of prayer warriors. One of the most important things is to be sure you are financially prepared for an adoption of this cost, that if you aren't able to to fund raise the whole amount, that you have a source for the funds. (Eastern European) adoptions typically take no more than 6-7 months, so you don't have 2 years to come up with the money. Nastya is facing imminent institutionalization, so we will do all we can to hold her at the baby house, but it's really up to God."


Please pray for Ana that she would be able to stay in the baby house until we can bring her home. She is already past her fourth birthday, so it could happen at any time. (The institution is NOT a good place for her to be.) Please pray for quick paperwork and also for financial provision. If you feel led to help us with this you can click here and donate to Anastasia specifically. We do not have a family account yet because we have not arrived at that point just yet. I will post a link to that when we get it up, hopefully by the end of the week.

If you do feel led to help us, my request is this- please give half of what you are willing to help with to another child or family on this site. I don't ever want to think only of our family and forget all these special children. I do not wish to be selfish and only trust God to provide for our family through our friends and people who "know" us. I know that times are tough and every little bit helps. Don't feel like splitting $5 for us and $5 for another child will be unneeded. All support is wonderful.

All that said, the most important thing you can do for us is truly prayer. Our Father has more than enough to provide for whatever costs we may encounter and our faith in that is strong. He might use some of you. He might use none of you. Listen to His voice and join us in prayer for all these little children. How special each of them are!

...You might even hear a call to bring your own special child home...

Ode to Mom

Thank you for...

• late night chats when all you wanted to do was sleep
• sharing your bed and letting me speak about your rear in my dream land
• pizza and movie nights with Little Caesars small pizza's and Blockbuster
• sharing your clothes when they always came back in less than nice condition
• surprises from the store for your big girl babysitter
• giving me a love for all things old fashioned
• sharing the gift of Anne of Green Gables
• letting all my friends come home with me and loving them as your own
• taking aforementioned friends to Safeway all dressed in crazy clothes with stuff all over our faces and full of silly beans...and not even showing that you were extremely embarassed
  
• cleaning up after me more often than you should have
• giving me the gift of being a big sister to many so that I didn't have as much trouble becoming a Mommy
• campfires in the yard under the trees
• teaching me to work for things
• protecting me from feelings of entitlement
• supporting me in my faith
• letting me grow up, even though it was hard
• sharing your chocolate drawer with me (before we knew it was my poison)
• forcing me to get my first job at the skating rink- I loved that job
• sacrificing as a single mother
• banana bread
• giving me an appreciation for those that are older than I am
• loving my children and helping me on days that I need it
• always taking the stinky diapers when we are with you
• being there for me when I had a hard time bringing Smiles into this world
• giving me at least one adult conversation to start the day...even when you were working
• the gift of meat =)
• being there any time I needed to call you in the middle of the night when I was alone and afraid
  
• not telling anyone about that one time...at the grocery store...
• being flexible with holidays
• playing chicken foot even when you hate it (sometimes)
• frah la zah
• supporting our upcoming ventures so much
• sharing your lemon limeade, that was awesome
• and you know, birthing me and all
• faithfully reading all of my blogs and making me feel like I am interesting (cause you aren't partial at all)
  

Thank you for all these things and more. I love you Mom.

Meet the Family: The Viking

The Viking is the next brother in line. He belongs to my mother and is her third child. He stands alone in his father (only child at his dad's house), so he has some qualities that differ from some of the rest of us.

The Viking is named such due to a few things. First of all, this young lad has had a six pack as long as I could remember. His abs were strapping from birth- I'm not joking! (Okay, I am.) When he was around the age of six...I may or may not have made him show all my friends. (I will not fully admit to all sins. Just enough sharing so that I am not lying.) Second, he is kinda tough. Or so he likes you to think anyway. He is a scruffy, quick-witted, beer drinking, goes his own way because he wants to guy.


But at the same time, he is a tender hearted, child loving, extremely generous, musically talented, dictionary-like, chicken lover. He likes to keep you guessing I suppose.

When The Viking was a baby, he was very easy going and happy. He and Brody spent lots of time together when they were little and were very close. Don't assume that means there was no fighting, it just means they spent a lot of time together and loved having one another around. He liked Lego's, video games, climbing trees (but not quite the same way that Brody did), getting dirty...you know, all stuff little boys like.


As he got older, he shifted his likes a little. He is still all boy. Or I am required to call him man now? I am the big sister and this is my blog, so he is still boy to me. No matter how old he gets. He is insanely talented at playing the guitar. His dad is a musician, so it's in the genes. He plays every type of music that you can think of on the guitar, both acoustic and electric. I am not just saying he is talented because he is my brother either. He really is!

He learned to read very young and has always carried around a large vocabulary. His reading level was far beyond his grade level and he often got bored in school. I also think I recall a time he got in trouble in Kindergarten for correcting his teacher. I think perhaps he might have been a kid that would have benefited from homeschooling.

(This picture is just for kicks. It fits with nothing.)

When we were all little, we would finish our candy or snacks first (Brody and I) and The Viking would always share his. He didn't care about the fact that both of us had just eaten the exact same portion as what he'd received. He always shared everything and still does, at least as far as I know. Sadly I don't get to see him as much as I would like to.

For a couple of years when we were younger, right before Mom and Chalupa moved in together, we had chickens. The Viking loved the chickens. Truth be told I love them too and would really really like to have some. Unfortunately we cannot have them right now. Our HOA carries a steel whip. No joke, they are harsh. (That and the fact that we already have enough reasons that our neighbors hate us...like our weeds.) Back to the point, this lucky Viking gets to have some chickens at his girlfriend's house. Her parents like to live amongst the bird. We have purchased some of their eggs in the past, which totally grossed Handsome out. He is eggist and thinks they should all be clean white eggs like you find at the grocery store. All the same size.


The Viking loves my kids, kids in general really. Curly took a couple years to warm up to him because she can be that way sometimes, but Smiles liked him right away. That's just how the two personalities vary anyway. She is a very shy little girl most of the time. It doesn't help that he has a scruffy little beard and long hair. Facial hair freaks my girl out big time! It was really neat a couple of months back when he and Curly jumped on the trampoline at my Mom's house. She was much more excited to see him that time.


So, don't let the appearance fool you. This boy might have long hair and tattoos. He might like you to think he is rough around the edges, but he really isn't. He is an affectionate and generous young man who wants you to have to get to know him before you get the benefit of his strong points.

Aren't you lucky! You got to meet him right here in the comfort of your own home!


I also wanted to mention, due to rather reality based posts recently, I promise to give you some laundry chronicles next week at some point. I have one waiting in the wings, you just have to wait and see what day. I figure that might lighten things up a bit.

Curly Says...

Whilst eating Cheerios at the table today a shriek of excitement is expelled from this adorable monster with curls.

"It's like a O Mama!"

"Yes dear. It's like an O." says Mommy as she smiles from ear to ear. Who knew!? =)

We have a busy morning, but tonight I will share a Meet the family on The Viking. He is an interesting young man for sure. If you would like to write a post about your family members one by one, I would love to read about them. It's fun to get to know the people who make up our lives. Share away and then comment so that we can all come and read about your family!

Creative Parenting: By Mom

Today we have a guest post from Mom. Oh how I love creative parenting =). Enjoy...

Yesterday was a very interesting day for my youngest son. The events of the day actually started last week on Wednesday when “Roonie” (a nickname since toddler hood) got up and got ready for school. Just before it was time to leave to go to school, he tells me he’d like to take a personal day, ie. stay home when he’s not sick.

I have been known to allow this from time to time once or twice a year if one of my kids is overstressed or something. In Roonie’s case though he had already had his day this year and he failed to make up his work. I made a mental note to myself that he wasn’t getting another personal day till summer break. I told him no.

His response to this unacceptable answer was to become more insistent and argue with me, at which point I warned him that this approach was not going to get him anywhere he wanted to be. My son then, as he has been known to do on rare occasions, seemed to become hyper-focused on getting his way…allowing himself to slip into “risk all” mode of attack. (Interjection from big sis "Pure ME"- she isn't stretching the truth here folks, if nothing else she is being nice and keeping how much of a stinker he can be from you. We love him anyway.) Foul words were spoken. “Who do you think you’re messing with? You boy- in-man-sized-clothes!” I think to myself, but what I say is…

”Congratulations! You are now grounded for one week. And no video games either!”
I thought that would be the end of it. But my ever determined child held back a gasp, lifted his chin, ever so slightly, and came back with…

“So what?” Waiting to see my reaction.

“Get in the car. You are going to school. This conversation is over!”

Then, my precious baby, my mostly easygoing son, well behaved and usually reasonable, (Hysterical laughs from this end of the computer...maybe even a snort or two, but who's keeping track...) gambled the biggest long-shot in all his fourteen years…

“Why should I? You stay home every day and do nothing but sit around!” As soon as the words escaped his mouth, I saw the most infinitesimal grimace, just a tiny little change around his eyes that let me know of his awareness that he’d crossed a line. He’d bet it all and come up short. He waited for a terrible reaction from me…

I picked up my keys. I opened the door. I stared hard into his eyes, challenging him to resist. He grabbed his backpack and hurried to the car, never uttering another word. I silently dropped him off at school. Plotting my revenge…

Fast forward 6 days. I inform Roonie Tuesday night that he will be taking a personal day tomorrow. “Set your alarm for 5:45 am You will be doing everything I do on a typical Wednesday. You’ll get to see just how much sitting around I do. You will start by making Dad coffee and a lunch in time for him to take it to work at 6:15." After mild protest and the explanation that his grounding only ended when all my tasks for tomorrow were finished (by him) he accepted his fate and went to bed with his alarm set for 5:45.

Roonie’s “personal day” went as follows:

5:45 meet Mom in kitchen to make coffee, a peanut butter banana sandwich, and leftover fajitas for Dad’s lunch. Then he had free time for about 1 hour. He went back to sleep.

7:30 We drive his sister to school to simulate the trip we take driving him to school every day. His sister’s school is just a few blocks away and she usually walks, but today she is treated to the ride that Roonie gets every day with few exceptions.

7:45 Roonie now eats his breakfast and unloads the dishwasher, loads the dirty breakfast dishes into the dishwasher, then cleans off the kitchen counters and wipes them with a clean cloth. Then he makes Mom and Dad’s bed, grabs the dirty laundry and starts a load. He gets the clean towels out of the dryer and folds them and puts them away. He has the bathroom rugs to wash and he gets them out of both bathrooms and sets them aside to wash when the first load is done. He then cleans the bathrooms (we do this daily) and picks up the hamper and wastebaskets and sets them on the toilet so they will be off the floor. He sweeps all the bare floors, about 800 square feet of them. (I have a professional dust mop for this, it‘s a daily chore because of our golden retriever ) Then he mops them all, (A job I do once a week on Wed..) and replaces the wastebaskets and hamper. Then he vacuumed.

10:15 Roonie comes up for air. I let him take his shower and have a little free time.

11:15 We discuss what Roonie is going to cook for dinner and he decides spaghetti is something he can tackle. He goes through the cabinets to see what we need from the store and makes a list of the things we need not only for dinner, but to replace whatever we are out of. He only whines a little about going to the grocery store. (He hates to go there) He only whines a little about folding the second load of laundry. (I whine about this sometimes too, Ugh!) He puts the rugs into the washer. And we leave for the store.

12:00 We have a list so our trip is pretty quick. I let Roonie find the aisles and the products he needs. He does everything but drive the car, and pay.

12: 45 We arrive at my oldest daughter’s home to exchange a few items. (That's ME!) Roonie waits patiently while I play with my grandchildren and visit with his sister. He likes to go to her house and enjoys observing the children not watching the children. I read Curly a story and tuck her in for naptime and we head for home.

2:00 He puts the rugs in the dryer. He puts the groceries away and gets some free time till we pick up his sister, who stayed after school to work on a project. She could have walked home if it wasn’t pouring down buckets of rain. I’m often on call like this.

5:00 Roonie starts dinner and sets the table. He stays in the kitchen so he can keep a eye on the food while it cooks.

6:00 Dad gets home just in time for dinner and Roonie has prepared spaghetti with meat sauce, green salad and crusty bread. Yum! Good job Roonie! Then he cleans up and puts away the leftovers and loads the dishwasher, washes the counters off again. Dad asks if he enjoyed his day and he said “school is easier.” followed by “Can I be ungrounded now?” He is usually just this wordy. (Actually, it's usually less. He doesn't talk much...)

I hope he has learned something from walking in my shoes. I actually enjoyed spending time with him and he had a pretty good attitude about the whole thing. Maybe because he knew he had it coming! If he ever really did think I sit around all day, I hope I have changed his mind.

Apparently I have a complex and can't actually let someone have full control of my blog for the day. Control freak? We judge by progress, not by the current state.

Retraction

I'd like to retract yesterday's later post.

It's not because there is anything wrong with it. It's good to study God's word and wonder what He meant, and to ask Him what He meant. Pondering these things is fine.

My issue with what I brought up is this- it's not the point. And oh how easy it is to get caught up in the things that are not the point! It's so easy to get excited and interested in the things that we don't understand, the supernatural things that only God can do. That's part of what should be drawing people to the faith that we have. If we are living our lives in the way that we claim then this will be obvious.

That means we will have His love for others, and most importantly a supernatural love for HIM. I don't know about you, but it is hard to figure out how to love God. I just can't do it. There is nothing lacking in how wonderful He is and amazing and worthy of so much more than the love of mere me, that isn't my issue. It's that He is SO far beyond me that I have always had a hard time really believing that He loves me and wants my love. Obedience is not an issue, at least not the desire to obey. (I can't always obey due to my...you know...being human and all.)

That's part of the awesomeness that God has been doing in my life right now. He has stepped in and begun to help me love HIM more. To understand that He loves me. And to find balance in that, because sometimes I think it's hard to balance knowing that He loves me so much but at the same time having the reverence for Him that He deserves too. Now that is supernatural. I teeter back and forth way too much and it's like I am bobbling in this little path carved by a jolly little stream. I hit both sides all the time, but the barrier is there and keeps me in check so that I don't go way too far off to the side.

Praise be to Him for that. Doesn't that in itself show His love?

So, my point is this. It's okay to wonder and think, but it's not my job to understand the things of God all the way. There are things that should make me look at my life and wonder what needs to be changed. There are many other cool things that God reveals to us. BUT- why do I always want more? It's like, He reveals...but then I take that in a little and want to move on. I can't help it because God is so exciting to learn about, His ways are so different! But I don't even have close to a grasp on the first steps before I want to move on. I just want to take in so much. That might be part of why He only gives us what we have. Why He keeps secret things just for Himself. I'm okay with that, I just have to remember that.

So the important things are to love Him above all else. That means more than anything on this earth...and anyone. And don't get all weird about that. If we are doing that right then we will end up loving our family and even beyond more than we ever could without loving Him most. Yes, I want to love Christ more than I love my husband. Yep, want to love Him more than my kids. Am I there yet... I have to be honest with you and say we are still in process there. But I desire it. That's a step in the right direction.

Next at the top is to love the rest of the world. That one is harder. Isn't it great that we have the Spirit of God though! Seriously! Because if I can't love God, who is perfect and amazing and wonderful, who is so great to me and loves me...well, then how could I love the rest of you? And how could you love imperfect, sometimes grumpy, often in the wrong even when I don't know it (...or sometimes even do) me? That's not normal folks. That takes someone special.

...AND WE HAVE HIM RIGHT IN OUR BODIES!

I'm Confused, Are You?

I'm a little confused. Lets read the last chapter of James together, okay? Okay.

It says starting with verse 13 here:

Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is any one happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain and the earth produced its crops.

My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

Okay. That's a lot, but it's all truth. It's all the word of God. There are some things that I am wondering about, wondering how we miss so much. (I am not trying to be mean by the way.) I am no expert, there is just a question here. And you know what my current feelings are about experts anyway? Well, they might have gone to school to learn about these things, and yes in many ways they do understand in their heads further than my learning has brought me, but let us also remember that those of us who have chosen to follow Christ have His Spirit within our being. Does he not know more than any scholar ever could dream of knowing? Okay then. So when He speaks to my heart I have no fear of speaking about it anymore because I know that He lives in me. He will bring clarity and keep my path straight because I am seeking Him. I am seeking His truth, not just what fits my desires.

Okay, you will have to be patient with this girl. There is far too much going on all over the place and I can't help it. I am brimming with so much that I cannot keep straight in my speech and I'm surprised it all comes out somewhere near coherent.

There are so many huge things there, but I guess that's what scripture is and why God makes certain parts stick out to us at certain points. Like the fact that Elijah was a man just like us...we just won't go there cause there is too much. My confusion lies in the first paragraph. Pray when you are in trouble. Got it. Praise when you are happy. Got it. Then it gets to this part about sickness. Go read that again real quick.

Call on the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up.

Um, so am I reading that wrong? Because it seems to me that we should have a lot more healing in the church if this is true. It doesn't say, if their sickness is small enough...if it's just a cold or something. Which, by the way, I am not sure that many of us really go to God for healing with those things either. It doesn't give ifs there. It just says that the Lord will heal them. So that leads me to believe that perhaps our prayers are not prayed with faith. And I will be honest, my prayers lack faith a lot of times. Faith isn't something you can conjure up either. It's something GIVEN by the grace of God in my opinion. So are we praying for faith? And when He gives us situations to build up our faith, are we listening? Seriously, there is so much stuff that really doesn't match up when I read the New Testament.

I don't know. Maybe I am really confused and I don't get the context or the original language or something. I am willing and ready to be wrong. Please tell me where my confusion lies and I will listen and pray about it. I am serious about that. I am learning so much right now and I want to know truth. I want nothing to hold me back from living in all that God has called me to. And if none of you have the answer and I am still wrong none the less, then I know that God will clarify in this soul. I just want to speak the things that I am wondering about because perhaps you wonder the same things too. Perhaps you feel like in so many ways we are missing the awesome stuff that Jesus had planned for us. Perhaps you agree that our fears and worries are living in the wrong places and that we really should not have them at all. The things that hold us back should have no power over a follower of the risen Lord. Why are we fumbling like we are in darkness when we have been filled with the light of men?

Just my little question. I know that this may not mean much to many of you because you might be far past the place where I am right now, but I know that there are others living in this unfulfilled Christian life. I don't want any of us to live there anymore! I want us to all live the in the full blessing of Christ and be filled with His LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, GOODNESS, KINDNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, AND SELF CONTROL. This is what is seen more abundantly in our lives as evidence that the Spirit is in control of us.

I know at least that to be true.

Fill me more each day Jesus. Fill me with your love.

I Want to Shout it Out!

It's sure is something how God can bring drastic change in short time. I gave Him all and He has already changed so much. And please don't take that to mean that I am saying I am awesome and have become perfect. To clarify, I have been making the effort to give in to Him right away when He tells me even the little things. I am only doing the things He is making me aware of, and that's all I can do.

Can I tell you something? I have had this stuck in my head since the moment I heard it. I was listening to a sermon by Francis Chan, the guy who wrote the book Crazy Love (which I am only two chapters into by the way). Anyway, I was listening to this sermon online and he said something that just clicked and stuck. He said something to the effect of- "Don't get all pompous and arrogant about doing good things that God asked you to do. You are never sacrificing with God because God gives back 10 fold and you can never out give God." Clarification again, not a prosperity message by ANY means.

You are never sacrificing with God. Wow. How true that is. When I listen to Him and what He asks of me, when I let Him lead I am the most happy and fulfilled that I have ever been. And I wonder, all those things He says in His word about joy and peace and all that stuff that was often here and there, are those meaning when I am following Him- letting Him guide my every move? I don't know, but it seems to me that all those things that I have read and heard in the old Hymns are making more sense than they ever have in my life. Everything has new meaning. How did I miss all of this!?

I have never lacked fear and worry so much in my life. I have always been one to worry and think things through to the tiniest details. I have always wanted to know the details. BUT now, I am okay with not knowing anything past this step that I am on because I know that He will guide me with each step as it comes and provide for those steps as I reach them. I feel CRAZY inside. I understand wanting to shout from the roof tops about Jesus. For the first time. Sure I would talk about Him because I was supposed to and because I wanted to honor Him, but this is different. Now that I get it I am so filled with excitement that I just wish that everyone understood what it's all about. I wish everyone understood what giving Him control is like!

And ask my husband, when I talk about it, there is passion. I get a little worked up.

Is this going to go away? I know that the newness will wear off, but I pray that my heart will always be filled with this passion for Him. My deepest prayer is that He would keep it there, please don't let me fall back into who I was before Lord.

I am just bursting at the seams with HIM! It's a wild ride folks and I pray that you will open your heart and listen to even the little things that He speaks to you so that He can be working in you in this same way. (That is those of you that aren't already there. I know I am not alone.)

So, I was out pulling weeds in the yard. Something I do about once a year 'cause I like to give my neighbors all reason to dislike us. I was doing that with my Zune playing with some "church music". It was different this time. I despise pulling weeds, but this was different. I was spending time in worship inside of God's creation. It was beautiful. I was out there until dark...and I actually enjoyed it. I never enjoy it. But this is one thing that God changed for me. He has given me that joy that is there in all that I do. Right now my mind is ever filled with Him too. And let me tell you, that is NOT by my doing. That has got to be by the Spirit of God because I have tried to change these things on my own before. Nothing.

I know. All over the place. That's just where I am right now...all over the place! =)

Does Anyone Else Hear Jaws Music?

Because I hear Jaws music playing. Duh Nuh....Duh Nuh....Duh Nuh....

Sister gets bubble gun for her birthday and is playing, splashing in the grass. (Okay, not really splashing, but for the sake of the story she is splashing.)

Little brother "shark" hears and SMELLS the playful fun and decides to go for it! He throws himself backward in a fit of excitement, ready to go after his prey.

First he circles her...

then finds his way around the the front.

I wanna play too sister! Let me have some of those bubbles in my mouth, they look tasty.

Could you get any closer Smiles?!?

I guess he could...


And here is the best part- big sister says if you come after my bubbles you are going to become part of my playing. The result of the above photo...

is that which is shown below.

And this is what happens after Mom sees that you are blowing bubbles directly on your brother's head, whether he enjoys it or not...

You attempt to do it from far away, but are far less successful.

*photos not taken today, we do not live in a small bubble of sunshine that keeps us sunny when the rest of our county is dreary with rain

...and this is not the only outfit Smiles owns. I promise! It just seems this is the one he wears when we have surprise nice days.

Where Am I?

As I sit trying to think of what I can say to all of you, trying to decide if I want to just post some fun pictures of the kids, or to share something deep...knowing that if I decide to attempt to share what is filling my heart I won't be able to give you a clear picture...I am frozen.

There is something new, something different. My mind does not think the same as it did before, my heart is somewhere totally different. And to say to you that I am changed means nothing. It's not something to be shared, just something to be observed.

But at the same time, if I am to speak to you as who I am, and not just someone trying to give you the person that you knew would be injustice. It would not be honest, nor would it make me feel like I am right with God. He who changes wants me to be clear about those changes. Without Him my mind and heart would be right where they were two weeks ago, or two years ago...and farther back really.

It's just that everything seems so trivial. And I feel so spoiled and ungrateful. How can I live daily life not changed? How can we go about being so fruitless? Why are we acting as if we are filled with the Spirit of GOD, yet not being changed? How is it that I could think I understood the magnitude of God and who He is, know that His Spirit fills me, and not be changed? I don't get it. I was living it, but I don't get it.

How can I talk like I even have the smallest right to feel unjustly treated? How can we talk about things so trivial as entertainment and shopping when that is so far from what matters? How can we say that we don't have money to help the poor or we don't know where to give it, and then in the same breath be planning for vacations or eating meals that cost more than some children, even in our own country, have spent on a weeks worth of groceries? What is wrong with us!?

And then we justify our behavior to each other and act as though it is normal and right. We have the money, we have the time. We just choose to spend it elsewhere- on ourselves. And if you want to sit and justify yourself and keep on living for you and your family then I will not judge you for it. I would not praise you for it, but that's your decision. But I know that in my heart I cannot sit here any longer and ignore the fact that God's Spirit is inside this body feeling grieved by my actions. I cannot allow Him to be frustrated with me anymore, patiently waiting for me to change and put my words into action.

And I don't get it. I am not claiming that I am not guilty, on the contrary. But how can we be filled with such a Holy being and NOT be changed? How can I decide to turn from my old ways and follow Christ, letting Him tell me where to go and what to do, but then sit in my house and be so selfish? My life has been about me. That is a contradiction of what I claim. I claim that I am a follower of Christ, yet I haven't been following at all. Sure, I have let Him lead in a couple of areas when He speaks loud enough that I can't deny it. But I haven't been asking. I haven't been seeking Him in all that I do.

I live in such abundance. Yet I feel so justified in feeling deprived sometimes. I lack feelings of contentment with what I have by looking forward to what God will bring into my life in the future. How can this be?

And I know that I will still fail, but isn't it different when I am with Him and fail? When I am trying to live what He wants and fall short? Because I am not capable of not falling short. That's who I am and why Christ chose to die for me.

And how is it that I have never tried to understand how unfathomable God really is? Why and how could I lack reverence for Him in such the way that I did? How can I speak His words as I read them and not be touched? How can I be so...I don't even have a word for it...?

Last night as I sat in my small group and they were going over John 4 and asking the normal questions, I just had to stop. Things kept going around me, but I was lost in this world inside my head thinking, "These are the words of Christ. These are words spoken by GOD on this Earth. How can we speak them with such ease and carelessness? Where is the reverence for His words?" And we were studying His words. There was nothing wrong with how these words were being spoken. But I felt such lack of understanding of the magnitude of that.

And I think that part of it is that I don't stop to attempt to wrap my mind around how huge, great, marvelous, amazing God is. I can NEVER grasp it, it's just not possible. And since I knew that I didn't even try. But it's important to take time to try in vain to understand those things, because without that we will lack the feelings that should cause us to fall on our face before Him. We lack reverence. We are flippant with His name. We speak of Him with such casualty, and sometimes we toss Him around with less respect than we would our human friends.

Is it useless to share this with you? It just might be. And if someone thought for one second about their own life through reading my thoughts, well it wouldn't be credit to me. Because my words are feeble and still failing to God. BUT- He loves me anyway, and He takes pleasure in the fact that I am at least trying to please Him. (And I am not saying that writing this is my attempt at pleasing Him. I am talking about the rest of my life.)

Thank you Lord that when I ask you to bring justice to my lacking areas, my casual understanding of You, you convict and bring change. You clarify and deepen. You are mindful of me when I compare to you far less than if I were to have feelings toward a flea that equated my children. It is beyond my understanding and all I can do is express my gratitude. My gratitude which is still not as grateful as it should be toward you. Not even close.