I hear Jesus

When Christopher was about 4 1/2 years old, he was playing with my stethoscope.  I helped him place it so he could hear his heartbeat.  I asked him, "Do you hear your heart beating?".  He shook his head yes with a smile.  Then, he looked up at me very suddenly with wide eyes and whispered "oh, momma, I think I hear Jesus in there!"

Safari Punch

1 envelope cherry flavored koolaid
1 envelope orange flavored koolaid
1 envelope tropical punch flavored koolaid
2 3/4 cup sugar
1 gallon water

Mix all until dissolved.

Serves 18

Goin Fishin Chex Mix

4 Tbsp butter, melted
4 1/2 cups any type of chex cereal
1 cup tiny pretzel fish shaped crackers
1 cup bite size cheese crackers
1/2 package (1 oz size) Ranch dressing and seasoning mix
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

In bowl, stir together butter, cereal and crackers until evenly coated.  Stir in dressing mix and cheese and until evenly coated.  Microwave on high for 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute.  Spread on waxed paper and cool about 15 minutes.  Store in airtight container.

Serves 12

Big Changes!!

Big changes in our house...We have worked really hard, we have prayed really hard...and now, I can quit my job and stay home to take care of my family full time.

God has truly blessed us for this to be able to happen right now. I've been wanting to do this for quite some time, but we had to pay off a few bills first. So, we did that. Then, John had to get comfortable with the idea. And he's there now. He occasionally has a bout of anxiety, but, I would imagine, that's normal.

It will be a pretty big change. We won't have the money to "play" as much as we did before. Don't get me wrong, we won't be poverty stricken...John has a great job that pays him well enough that we can pay our bills with ease and have a little extra. But we will have to be careful about what we spend our "extra" on.

Several people have told me that they are surprised I am quitting because I worked so hard during nursing school. I know they are just nicely trying to say, "You were crazy (really crazy) during school trying to make an A, why are you giving it up?" Well, I have a desire in my heart to be at home for my kids after school and cook my family dinner every night. I want to have dinner on the table when John gets home at 5:30 (I really should've been a wife and mother in the 1950s). I want to take my kids to school every day and pick them up. I want to drive them around to their activities (within reason, Katie!!). I want to do laundry! Yes, I said it. I want to scrub my kitchen floors with a toothbrush (see, I'm still crazy!). I want to actually be able to focus on my kids and John when they walk in the door. I truly want to know how their day was and I want to be able to hear them when they tell me. I don't want to be distracted by something else I need to take care of at work tomorrow or thinking I only have this many hours before I need to get to bed and I've got all these things to do.

I want my house to be a haven when John and the kids get home. I don't want them to dread coming home because it's chaos and I'm stressed (and you know, if Momma ain't happy, nobody's happy). And right now, I feel like that's what it is. I am not balancing work and home. I don't know how single parents do it. When John is traveling and I'm a single parent, physically and emotionally, it's more than I can take. And I know he'll be home at the end of the week. And I don't have to worry about money. Even if he's traveling, I still get his paycheck. Wow, single parents....you have my respect!

God has placed this desire on my heart. I haven't always had it. I have peace about this situation. And I KNOW that's from God, cause I'm a worrier through and through.

I am hoping to have a flex position at the hospital that allows me to work maybe one day a week. This way, I won't lose my skills as a nurse. I really like being a nurse. I love being able to make a difference in people's lives and enjoy the medical side of it also. It will also give us a little bit of play money (that makes John feel a little better). But, I can work when it's convenient for my family. And it'll get me out of the house occasionally.

Hope everyone has a merry Christmas! And remember Jesus. He is the reason for all the goodness in our lives and he gives the BEST gifts!

Christopher's first day of school

This one will be much shorter than Katie's. Christopher doesn't share quite as freely. His first day was "good". We couldn't get more out of him than that. We had to ask VERY specific questions and still got just one word answers. He is growing into a little man and already communicating like one.

A few things God highlighted for me about Christopher this summer was if it is on TV, he remembers it, but if we have a face to face conversation, he may not only not remember what it was about, but he may not even remember it happening. He likes to read, but doesn't want to admit it, and they have to be the right books. The 39 Clues...really good according to Christopher, I haven't read them yet. He actually was counting down the days until the next book in the series came out. He is growing up, and most of the time, he will do his chores without complaining or being told! He is very compassionate and loves animals. He is still a momma's boy :) ! And even though he is still a momma's boy, every day I can see what a huge influence John has on him. I see him looking to John to see how to react in certain situations and if John isn't with us, he will talk about what daddy would do if he was here (and he is almost always right!). We still see him as a baby and he shocks us sometimes with little nuggets of information that he has learned that make us see him for the big boy he is. For example, one day he was telling us about Pocahantes and who she married and how the Disney movie was wrong. And last year, he flipped out because John rented the movie "The Golden Compass". He was very upset, almost on the verge of tears, and he stood up to John and asked him why he would rent that movie cause the person who wrote it didn't believe in God...and he didn't want to watch it because of that. He was very respectful when he was talking to John about it too.

I only got to meet one of the two teachers that he has. She was very very sweet. Katie was a little upset that he didn't get the teacher she had for 4th grade because "he was the best teacher ever". But as I was praying for Christopher and his 4th grade teachers (before we knew who they were), God showed me that the teacher Katie had was not the teacher for Christopher. He was a great teacher, but God had someone else in mind for my baby. God also has shown me that this is going to be a year of growth for Christopher. Now, I don't know if it will be growth out of triumph or tragedy (hoping for triumph), but I really feel like God is telling me that Christopher will be asking more questions and understanding more about God and his relationship with Him. I'm praying I have the right answers when those questions are directed at me.

Even though, he wouldn't give me very many details...I know he had a good day and already likes 4th grade.

Katie's first day of school

Sometimes, I don't remember to pray for things until I'm knee deep in it. This year, however, I started praying for the kids teachers about a month before school started. It was kind of hard to know what to pray for, but God began showing me things in my kids that helped direct my prayers. For example, Katie is very organized (see below) and loves to read. She loves to learn, she doesn't just do her homework to get it done, she wants to understand it and get it right because she understands it. She also wants to be treated like an adult, she wants respect and responsibility and will work to obtain both. She can be quite impatient, intolerant of drama (except her own- which actually is very little) and believes that if you say you are going to do something you should do it and do it in a timely manner and if you don't, she has difficulty seeing the circumstances that prevented you from doing it that way. She often sees things in black and white, fact or fiction - she doesn't like gray areas. She believes that if someone tells you something in confidence it should stay that way. She does not like to be first, or last, or worst of all, LATE. Of course, I knew these things about her already, but God seemed to highlight them for me this summer. That helped me pray for teachers that would help her grow in her areas of weakness and also use her strengths in a positive way. And because I know so many teachers personally, I always prayed for their life outside the school too. We all know that our personal life affects the job we do, no matter what job it is.

Katie had a great first day of junior high (8th grade). According to her, it was an "amazingly wonderful amazing" first day. She likes all of her teachers so far. There was only one she was unsure of before the school year started. She had heard some scary things about her. But Katie said she is very happy with her and the way she organizes her class and the work they have to do. And if you really know Katie, you can win her over with superior organizational tactics.

Every year since 4th grade, we hear some scary things about one of the teachers that she gets. But they have ALWAYS turned out to be her favorite teachers overall. I've never told her what people say about those teachers. I don't want her opinion of them to be influenced by others and their experiences. That's not fair to her or the teacher. But she's growing up now (sniffle sniffle) and she has her own social circles and I can't always filter the details she gets. So this year she heard with her own ears (or her own eyes, cause I'm sure the conversation was via text) about a few other people's issues and their opinions regarding this teacher. It made her pretty anxious about it. But God is good and He turned that into a teachable moment. We talked about peer pressure and how letting her friend's opinions influence the way she thought about a person was peer pressure too. And I told her about all the teacher's she has had that were "horrible" according to someone else, but they were her favorites. I think that really helped her get it.

I had a truck full of girls last night cause I was driving the youth from the wood to the fort (hee hee that's funny). I got to listen to them all talk about their day and the things they liked or didn't. And this is what they said was the best thing about junior high "You get to sit wherever you want at lunch and when you are done you get to get up and go outside" (that was said in a voice filled with amazement). They all talked about how they had so much more freedom now (apart from the lunchroom they couldn't give me any examples, it was just a "feeling" they said). We have talked about now, that when you are given more freedom, along with that comes more responsibility. They may not realize what that means yet, but the seed has been planted.

Thank you God for a beautiful start to the junior high experience, for me and Katie!

Valuables

Last night, I had the kids write 5 things they consider valuable. Here are Christopher's answers:
1. a glass vase
2. a glass cup
3. a lamp
4. a glass cross
5. my pokemon cards
6. my D.S.
(He took a while to answer these)

Then, I had them turn over the paper and write 5 things they think God considers valuable. Here are Christopher's answers:
(first, he asked if he could put more than 5 and whizzed straight through these in no time)
1. My heart
2. My soul
3. Love
4. Joy
5. Peace
6. Patience
7. Kindness
8. Goodness
9. Faithfulness
10. Gentleness
11. Self control

How awesome is that! Other than telling him to write 5 things....I didn't give him any instructions at all.

Crafts

I was talking with someone at work today about Old Timers Day and all the crafts there and it reminded me of something Katie said when she was about 3. I picked her up from preschool and asked about her day and what they did. She said "We worked on the letter G and we did arts and crap" (translation: arts and crafts). How cute!

Cinco de Mayo

Have you ever been so frustrated with your kids you didn't know what to do? And then they do something that just warms your heart? Well, that happened with Katie today. It was little, but it made me so happy.

It's Cinco de Mayo! What a great excuse to go out and eat mexican, right! Well, that was our plan for the evening. We would pick up the kids, eat mexican and then John and I had to go to home group. I called the kids to let them know to be ready. They were excited. You'd think we never eat out. A few minutes later, Katie called me to ask which restaurant we were going to (we only have 2 to choose from down here). When I told her, she said "That's what I figured. You usually get cold when we go there, do you need me to bring you a jacket?"

That's it. So small, but it made my heart just swell. It was huge for me.

Teenagers

I have has a house full of teenage girls right now. Sounds scary, right?? Well, it's not so much scary as deafening. I hear ear piercing shrills and giggles, "Like" and "Ohmygoshguesswhat" (yes, that is one word) are used every few seconds. They are having a water gun fight right now - in the house! - and I am ignoring it to the best of my ability. A few more of these creatures are going to be arriving soon. I can't even imagine what will transpire once they all get here.

I love all these girls. I am so thankful God has put them in my daughter's life. I know these girls' parents. They are all Christians. They have very similar values to John and I. I feel very sure that they will assist in guiding my child to make the right decisions when she is around them. I know that if my child does something and they know about it, they will address it with her and/or call me about it.

Fortunately, none of them are boy crazy yet. They have minor crushes, but for the most part they all still think boys are gross. (And they are!) The girls are all active in church and youth groups. They go to SWAT (Students with a Testimony) and FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) together. They visit each other's churches when they spend the night with one another. Sometimes, when they are hanging out talking, I will listen in on them (of course they don't know this) just to hear how sweet their conversations are. They will talk about normal girl stuff, but sometimes they are having real conversations about Jesus. It is such a blessing to hear! They aren't ashamed to talk about Him or ask questions if they don't understand. They are excited to invite people to go to FCA and SWAT with them. I hope they continue to be this excited and keep their boldness.

Science Projects

I don't understand why teachers assign science projects to young kids. Do they really think these kids do the projects themselves? Christopher had one due this last week. Uggghhh! I was not excited about this AT ALL. The assigned topic was the solar system. But, as much as I dreaded it, it actually turned out to be a real blessing. Let me explain....

At least a few days a week, when John and I arrive home, we find the kinds vegging out in front of the TV and their chores have not been done, their homework may or may not have been done. This makes us very grumpy to say the least. (And, I have to say, my kids don't have a lot of chores. Typically their daily chores are to feed and water the dog, do the dishes, and do their homework.)

However, this week, we came home to both of the kids at the kitchen table working on this project TOGETHER! PEACEFULLY! And they would work on it most of the evening. The TV wasn't on almost all week. It was so nice. There were times I would stand where they couldn't see me, but I could hear them and listen to them having these intelligent conversations about the solar system and discussing the best options for the layout of this project. No one was being bossy or dominant. It was such a blessing to see this part of my kids. I got to see Katie being patient with Christopher (that hasn't happened since he was about 3!). Christopher was seeking Katie's advice and then didn't accuse her of being bossy when she gave it!

So, teachers, bring on more projects!

Let It Be

I can just "be" when I'm on the beach. This is my sweet spot. The place where I can discard worries, anxiety, busyness. Soaking up the sun, watching my kids play in the sand, chasing fish and crabs, leaving our footprints in the sand......One of my favorite memories from a vacation at the beach was last year. The sun was setting, Christopher and I were out on the beach alone watching it. The sunset was so beautiful and I told Christopher "Did you know that God knew we were going to be out here on the beach tonight and he sent us this beautiful sunset - just for us? He made this just for you and me." He said "Really? He did? Huh, well that was nice."