The Other View

Drum Roll, Please . . .

2010-12-08T12:06:00.000-08:00

My new blog is FINALLY up and running! You can access it HERE. Or, if you just want the address, it's:

https://charitylynne.wordpress.com/

See you around!!

Coming Soon . . .

2010-11-05T04:03:00.000-07:00

Well, I and my amazing computer skills have managed to completely ruin this blog. So . . . I am in the process of creating an all-new blog - (NOT on Blogspot!) I'm hoping to have it up by December. See you in a month!

They Did Not Love Their Lives

2010-11-03T04:10:00.000-07:00

I've been participating in a study on the book of Revelation these past few months. Over the summer, reading through the book, this passage has both inspired and haunted me. Currently we are studying Revelation 12, where these verses are found, and after reading over them - again and again and again - I simply had to share them with you! You cannot imagine the way God has used these words to impact me personally . . .

10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. 11 "And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. 12 "For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time."

Praise You, Jesus!!!!

Hello, Old Friend

2010-11-02T12:48:00.000-07:00

Somewhere, amid the soccer games, homework, trip to NC, stomach flu, apple pie-making and general busyness of life, I've neglected an old friend. Several, actually. While most of these relationships can be repaired with a simple phone call (which I plan to make shortly), there is one that requires me to sit down and string dozens of words together in some kind of coherent fashion; and over the past few months this daunting demand, I regretfully acknowledge, has resulted in communication that can be called scattered, at best. But the fact is . . . I miss you, dear Blog.

I never saw it coming. I've not had September and October knock the wind out of me - completely kick my hiney is more like it! - the way they have this year. And ironically, during this most busy, stressful time, I fizzled out on 2 of the best stress-relievers I've ever had: running and blogging.

I'm presently re-grouping, re-evaluating and trying to de-clutter our lives. I haven't figured it out yet, that delicate balance between the good and the best; between ministry and family; between what is wonderful and fun, and what is just a little bit too much. When I do figure it out, you'll be the first to know; but I have a suspicion that every human being joins this complicated dance early on, and very few ever really find complete resolution.

So, to my dear friend of nearly 5 years, all I can say is . . . I'll try not to let this happen again. The allure of Facebook and the chaos of life will not diminish my resolve! Already I've begun to spend more time with my Savior - a refreshing cup of water to a dried-up soul! And this mom is on a mission to simplify life, beginning with the holidays. We'll see how that goes . . .

Why I'm Glad We Didn't . . .

2010-10-01T07:45:00.000-07:00

. . . order school pictures!!!!! Although, this expression is pretty true-to-life for the Beef Man . . .

Fastest 54 Minutes of my Life

2010-09-20T12:46:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, September 18, 2010, I completed my first 10K! I've been training for this event since the beginning of July - after a crazy friend of mine talked me into registering for the Wright Patt AFB Marathon 10K in Fairborn. I never thought I'd get up at 4:30 to run 6.2 miles. To tell you the truth, 18 months ago I never thought I'd RUN. Period. But here we were - Janal Livingston (the crazy one), Kati Stephens (the ridiculously fast one), and me, arriving at the AFB at 6:00 am. And it was worth it.

Despite our jittery nerves and complaining bodies, it was a beautiful race. The weather was perfect - about 55 degrees. And since the race began at 7:15, we got to watch the sun come up as we ran. The first 2 miles or so seemed to be all uphill, and I began to wonder if this was such a great idea after all. But after that, the course evened out and actually became enjoyable. I pushed myself a little beyond what was comfortable - my goal was to finish in less than an hour. And I made it!! I had to wait until I got home to check my official results online (there were 1,700 who finished the 10K, and we started with the marathoners, so I didn't cross the start line until 2 minutes after the gun went off), but was pleased to discover my time was 53:53, and that I finished 10th out of about 125 in my age category and 62nd out of nearly 1,000 women.

The only bummer about the day was that Danny and the kiddos couldn't be there. managed to successfully get them up, dressed, fed and ready for soccer practice, which he coached for 2 hours. I am continually blown away by him - he's a wonderful father and husband who I truly don't deserve.

Almost as exciting as running the 10K, was successfully completing a 10.8-mile run 2 weeks ago!! Since the longest distance I ever ran when in track my freshman year of high school was 9 miles, this is officially the longest distance I've gone so far! So . . . now I'm trying to decide whether or not it would be completely insane to run a half marathon on October 30th. Or maybe I'll just wait and run the Wright Patt AFB half next year. In any case, I'm thankful for the ability to glorify Christ in everything, including running - thankful for the ability to run; for good friends who challenge me; and the greatest family EVER, who encourage me. Now . . . I'm going to give myself a few days off from running.

Of Birthdays and Backpacks

2010-09-09T12:21:00.000-07:00

My little Rachel . . . . I simply cannot believe she's eight! This year she has grown in so many ways. She's grown in stature, as evidenced by the fact that suddenly none of her jeans or shoes seemed to fit anymore. She's grown in compassion and empathy for others. She's grown in her love of holding babies (I didn't think that was even possible!). She's grown academically, as she's developed a passion for reading books of all varieties. Last night, she read until the light was turned out, slept with her book, and began reading as soon as she woke up! If anything, we have to get on her case about reading too much. She reminds me of myself as a kid. I wonder if we'll ever ground her from reading, as my parents did me!

The biggest growth in her life this year has been spiritual awareness. This summer she's asked dozens of questions: about Christ, about salvation, about suffering, about heaven - you name it, she's asked it! And a couple of months ago, she took the step of voicing her trust in Christ out loud in a prayer. It is SO wonderful to know that she understands and believes that Jesus died to save her from her sin, rose from the dead, and is sovereign over her life. And so cool to hear her articulate it. Our Shrumshine.

Each year, I appreciate more the responsibility we have to train her in godliness. I find myself torn between the thrill of watching her bloom and grow, and the desire to keep her exactly as she is; continually aware of the bittersweet reality that in a short series of moments, I'll find her grown and ready to fly on her own. *sniff*

And then there's Bop Bop. Mr. Moo began referring to Karis by that title, and somehow it stuck! I love the picture of her in the princess dress on the bike, because it really kind of sums her up: the tomboy princess. She loves everything sparkly and girly, but I've seen her beat on her older brother and sister pretty effectively. She's a little toughie. In some settings, she quiet and almost shy. In others, I can't get her to take a breath between sentences.

This year, she's become quite the little Daddy's girl. She loves to snuggle, and some days informs me that "Today, I'm giving Daddy ALL of my snuggles." At which point I act so sad and dejected that she relents and decides to give me "just a few snuggles." The hardest thing for her about having short hair has been the loss of her pigtails. The reason? Danny loves the piggies and was sad to see them go. She's been heartbroken over this, until a few weeks ago, when she was elated to discover her hair had finally grown back enough to reinstate them.

Her favorite birthday gift was Baby Alive, who she's named Baby Ellie. On the days she goes to Kindergarten, she leaves Mr. Moo with instructions on how to care for Ellie, who turns one about every other day. It's so sweet to see her nurturing side - until she decides it's time to be a tomboy again.

And now for some back-to-school pictures. Rachel is in a new building this year, and Karis started school for the very first time. Thankfully, we had the option to send her every other day, so she attends on Tuesdays, Thursdays and every other Friday. She absolutely LOVES it - her class, her teacher, everything! Rachel is enjoying her class and teachers as well, and adjusting very quickly to the concept of having different teachers for different subjects (3). Zeke . . . well, he has his ups and downs, but I'd say overall he's had a good couple of weeks!

Summer Days

2010-08-16T13:50:00.000-07:00

I know I say this every year, but seriously - summer is OVER already?! With one more week until the pool closes, and 4 days until the Great Darke County Fair, we're trying to milk our few remaining care-free days for all they're worth!

Since I'm past the point of "catching up" on the season's activities, I'll content myself with putting up a few of the highlights . . . and several pics that just make me smile. The first few are from our Camp Forest Springs & Chicago trip the first week in July.

One incident we still shake our heads over. We decided to leave at midnight and drive through the night on our way to WI - about a 12-hour trip. Around 6:00 am, the kiddos had all awakened and, of course, were just DYING of hunger. We stopped at a McDonalds, ate breakfast and put gas in the van. After driving about 30 minutes, I noticed that one of Malachi's shoes was missing. Now, it normally wouldn't have been a big deal, but these particular shoes are the only shoes he's been willing to wear all summer without making a huge fuss about how they hurt his feet - and we had to drive to a Croc outlet (and spend a great deal more than I would usually spend on a pair of kids' shoes) to purchase them.

We realized, after searching the ENTIRE van, that his shoe had probably come off at the gas station. So . . . we turned around and sure enough, there was the shoe, underneath another vehicle. One thing about having kids that has taken me by surprise, is the extent to which we are willing to inconvenience ourselves to retrieve certain life-and-death objects such as special pillows, blankies, stuffed animals / dolls and now shoes.

OK, on to the pics . . . .

The mini farm

We loved walking the wooded paths

Zeke's favorite pastime was going out in the funyak . . . and I didn't complain, since we couldn't have asked for more beautiful weather.

On the way from our apartment to lunch

In Chicago . . . Funny story: right after snapping this photo, an Asian couple who spoke limited English walked up to us and asked if they could take a picture. A little taken off guard, we agreed, thinking they just wanted a pic of some American kids. We watched, however, as first one, then the other, got into the picture and posed with our kiddos! Weird.

Millennium Park: Crown Fountain

Just before we left for CFS, we went to "Flicks on Fifth" downtown, where we watched The Lion King on a huge outdoor screen. That night we remembered why we rarely let Karis dress herself.

Rachel, Zeke and cousin Ellie

Bed Head

Rachel, Karis, cousin Addie, and newest cousin Corina

Karis & Moo with friends at a surprise 30th birthday party

Breast Cancer Awareness 5K in July . . . I was elated to set a new personal record, until I discovered we all made a wrong turn and ran a total of 2.9 miles.

Mr. Moo (or should I say Woody?) at a friend's cowboy/cowgirl-themed birthday party

This is just disturbing.

Mr. Moo is a big boy!! He decided at the end of July that he was ready to do some serious business with the potty - and after about 3 weeks is fully competent (except sometimes at night). He likes to remind me, though, that no matter how big he gets, he's still my baby. I guess I can live with that!

Remembering

2010-08-13T06:44:00.000-07:00

It was a hot, beautiful, gut-wrenching, sacred day. It was a gift from God.

For months my grandmother's health has been in decline. She was born nearly 91 years ago; in fact, she shares Rachel's August 24th birthday (although she swears they got the date wrong on her birth certificate, and her birth date was actually August 23rd!). After a series of minor heart attacks, she was released from the hospital last week, and several days later, her body truly began to shut down.

Danny and I had planned to make a family trip to Wooster to see her next weekend. But with Mom keeping Karis and my sister Hannah's little girl Esther for a couple of days, Hannah and I decided to make the trip yesterday. Danny's parents kept Mr. Moo for the day, so between the 2 of us we only had 4 kiddos - much more manageable for us and easier on Grandma!

From the time we planned the trip, this plea played through my mind on continual repeat: God, please give me one more chance to share your magnificent gospel with her! Just one more chance . . . She's faithfully attended church most of her life; still, I've never been sure where she's stood with Christ, and I confess I haven't been as intentional about talking with her about spiritual things as I wish I'd been.

It was clear from the moment we entered her room that Grandma didn't have much more time. After 91 years, she was tired. A brief time with her before lunch revealed a mind still sharp (in its few waking moments), but a body completely worn out. We went for lunch with our Aunt Sandy and cousin Deb, and then came back to spend some more time with Grandma, intending to leave by 2:30.

Around 2:00, Sandy and Deb left to get some much-needed rest. Hannah took the kiddos out to feed fish & ducks at a nearby pond. And I got to say good-bye.

If I allow myself to dwell on it too much, I cringe, recalling my faltering words. I've since thought of so many things I wanted to say, or should have said, and didn't. She was in and out of a semi-wakeful state, never fully focused, so only God knows how much she heard, how much she was able to process. I quoted Psalm 23 several times, sang to her, and shared again the hope that comes from trusting in the blood of Christ, God's Son, to cover our sins and make us righteous before a holy God - about the everlasting life only He can give! And I prayed with all my heart that somehow, somewhere in her mind it made sense. I know that over the past few years, Hannah and others in our family have had these conversations with her as well, and I have to rest in knowing that she's heard and knows the truth, and hoping she's surrendered to it.

I took the kiddos out when Hannah came back, and she had a chance to say her good-byes. We both knew it was the last time we'd see her alive, which is probably why we ended up staying a couple of hours longer than we'd planned. We could hardly bring ourselves to leave. And then, we received an unexpected gift: she woke up. Completely and fully. Hannah and I, and all of the kiddos, got to give her kisses and hugs, and then she kissed us all and told us she loved us.

Around 1:30 this morning, she died. It took me by surprise - I thought she'd be around for another week, or at least a few days. And I keep thinking what a gift it was, that God put it in our hearts to visit her yesterday. And that we actually got to say good-bye. I pray like crazy that her soul is with Christ . . . and hold to the hope that only God knows the heart.

I have known few people who have worked as hard as my Grandma. Her life was anything but easy. Grandpa, who died of Alzheimer's about 10 years ago, farmed and she spent her days working in a brush factory. They never had an overabundance of money, yet she took us girls shopping for school clothes every year while we were growing up. When I mentioned that I'd like to try making applesauce, she took me right out and bought me the supplies - a strainer, a bowl, and a wooden mallet! Even though I've since learned of much easier and more time-efficient ways to make applesauce, I will continue to use these tools, because I like knowing I'm making it the same way Grandma did for so many years. She made beautiful quilts, by hand. If you asked her for a recipe, she'd laugh. She had a way of throwing a bunch of ingredients together and producing the most delectable dishes. Thanksgiving truly was a feast at her house, as was any other meal we happened to eat there!

And she always made me laugh. We have a store room full of "Grandma Miller-isms" that I think will live on for a long time. She never could sit still for more than 30 seconds. She was always moving, always working, always ready to get on to the next thing. She stuffed us with junk food and let us watch TV. We spent many happy hours exploring the creek behind her and Grandpa's condominium after they sold the farm; and roller-skating up and down their road. During our earlier childhood, we loved playing in the hayloft and visiting the animals. I'll never forget that honest, earthy smell.

And I'll never forget you, Grandma. You are forever a part of our lives and you will be missed.

Choosing Gratitude

2010-07-31T18:50:00.000-07:00

It's been an interesting week. And by interesting, I mean financially stressful.

Several weeks ago, we took our van to the shop to have the air conditioning repaired, which turned out to require much more work than we'd thought. Also, our weed-eater breathed its last.

This week, the lawn mower completely died. And the brakes went out in the van, requiring a brake job and new sensor. Also, I received my second ticket in 4 months for failing to come to a complete stop at a stop sign - in the park, no less.

Needless to say, my attitude regarding all of this has been considerably less than sanctified. I was frustrated with our van and its seemingly constant issues; angry with small-town cops (have they nothing better to do?); fed up with my darling children, who have continued to fight, whine, and argue their way through the week; and discontent with life in general. I was even upset with God: Why all of this all at once? When is He ever going to give me a GOOD day? I found myself thinking, I deserve better than this!

Numerous times throughout the past several days, I heard a still, small voice: Give thanks in all things! but I quickly dismissed it. I didn't want to give thanks. I wanted to be mad.

Today the voice was impossible to ignore. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!. . . be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God (Phil. 4:4,6)

And the truth is, I have much to be thankful for:

a van that generally gets us where we need to go
mechanics who know what they're doing
the money to cover unexpected expenses and still provide for our needs
the fact that the lawnmower broke when Danny was using it and not when I was using it
a lot of "friend time" this week - an unexpected blessing
a husband who works hard at his job and also works hard at home
encouraging brothers and sisters in Christ
a church family I absolutely love
four very un-boring children

And yes, I am even thankful that God loves me enough to humble me at the park by showing me that I am not above the law - even at a stop sign.

It's a choice, you see. I can choose to be angry and bitter and discontent. I can choose to bathe in self-pity. OR I can choose to train my thoughts on the gift of grace and eternal life I've been given, when I deserve eternal condemnation and death. I can choose to repent of my selfish attitude and praise God for the many, many blessings He lavishes on me every day.

And that is exactly what I choose to do, by His grace. God, I thank you that life is sometimes frustrating and hard. I thank you for the daily trials, which serve to show me my need for You. And I thank you that even though I sometimes have a bad day, or a bad week, I always serve a GOOD God.

. . . always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father (Ephesians 5:20)

Confessions from the Road

2010-07-12T11:52:00.000-07:00

I sat down to put together an account, complete with pictures, of our recent trip to Westboro, WI. But as I've thought through the past 9 days, I've realized something: this week has not turned out the way I thought it would. Not even close. And I've a few thoughts I feel compelled to share, more important than pictures and a rundown of the week's activities (although these are sure to follow at some point!)

We spent most of the week in a beautiful wooded, hilly setting. Although it rained the first 2 days, the storm clouds eventually blew over to reveal a brilliant blue sky, studded with fluffy white clouds. The air was crisp and clean; the lake sparkled in the sun; the wooded paths beckoned. In so many ways, it was a wonderful getaway. I got to listen to Danny preach from the Word in 9 sessions (I guess it was more like 6 or 7 - the kiddos didn't always do so well and we missed a few). We spent time with good friends and even got to set off a few fireworks. We swam, climbed a rock wall, went boating, hiked, met new friends, laughed, played games, and had some really great family time. I didn't cook one meal or clean the house for 9 days! It doesn't get much better than that.

But God, in His infinite wisdom, used the week in an entirely different way than I had imagined: He pretty much gave me a spiritual smack down!

Whether or not you have kids, you can imagine that a week spent traveling with them can bring out the best AND the worst - in the whole family. And for the first few days, it definitely brought out the worst. They fought. They whined. They cried. We yelled. We spanked. We cried. It was awful. Do you ever have those times when you wonder: what am I doing wrong, and how on earth do I correct it?? We were at our wits' end.

But God used the week to reveal my need for Him. It was like He held up a giant mirror and showed me the frightfully vivid image of my ungrateful, critical, complaining spirit, especially when it came to the way I responded to Danny and the kiddos. He reminded me that I haven't made time with Him a priority lately, and that this isn't just due to the busyness of daily life. Even in that setting, with all the time in the world, I failed to rise early and spend time with Him in the beauty of the nature all around us. And when I don't spend time with Him, my thoughts and responses are according to the flesh.

So . . . It was a GOOD week, because it made me hungry. Hungry to soak up truth from God's Word. Hungry to spend time at His feet. And hungry to live a life worthy of the calling I've received because of Christ. Hungry for HIM. When He is not my priority, everything gets messed up, and I only end up depriving myself of the greatest possible joy. I focus on myself, instead of on the One whose blood flung my sins to the farthest corners of the universe and clothed me with His righteousness.

I am putting this out there because I came home with a new resolve: to make Christ my first priority. To put Him ahead of my personal agenda, ahead of TV, ahead of running, ahead of other relationships, ahead of the all-too-urgent demands on my time which will always be part of life on this earth. I came home with a resolve to lean on Christ for a heart of gratitude, gentleness, and love. If I try to lean on myself for these things, which has been the case recently, I'm attempting to draw water from an empty cistern. He alone can restore my joy. He alone can provide the promise of hope. He alone can give me the patience to deal with whining, fighting children in a way that doesn't discredit the gospel!!

It's frustrating, but GOOD, to know that God's plan isn't my plan. It's more painful, and it's ultimately better, because the pain and frustration draw me to Him. And that's always a good thing!

Coupla Fun Days

2010-06-22T19:43:00.001-07:00

I just realized it's been a very long time since I've put anything new on here. Rather than try to write about all that's gone into the last few weeks, I'll just put up a few pictures. Oh, who am I kidding? I'll probably end up writing about it all anyway . . .

Zeke, Karis, Malachi and I went to a super-fun fiesta (I kept messing up and calling it a "siesta" - must have been wishful thinking) hosted by Mrs. Roth & Mrs. Riffle's 2nd grade class. The kids painted newspaper sombreros and ponchos, and set up stations all over the room. Several students stood at each station to tell the "visitors" about different aspects of Mexico. Rachel couldn't have been more excited. We danced, ate chips & salsa, and ended the party with a pinata.

She also got to share some of her own research with bro & sis . . .

When school finally ended, we took a long-awaited trip to Carriage Hill metro park near Dayton, with my sister Hannah and her 3 kiddos. In spite of the downpour we drove through on our way there, the day turned out to be a success, mainly because we still got to stop by the penny candy store before we left. They also loved the farm animals and the old-time school house and kitchen, as usual.

That night we headed to our LIFE group cookout, where we spent a great time with friends both old and new, and Rach & Zekers got to climb a tree, which they LOVE to do. It made me sad because it reminded me that our 2 backyard trees had to be cut down last year due to a disease that we've discovered our front yard tree now has. But I'm glad we have friends who are willing to share their trees. :)

Next up . . . The Cincinnati Zoo. Our membership expires the last of July, so we wanted to squeeze in a few more trips before then. I'm including a picture of our picnic lunch, because it cracks me up that this picture pretty well captures each one's personality. I love it.

One of our favorite features of the zoo is the workers who walk around with different animals that the kiddos can touch and ask questions about.

Feeding the giraffes, who unsuccessfully tried to pry the wafer out of Mr. Moo's hand. I think he secretly wanted it for himself.

Polar bear up close and personal. We even got to witness a fight between 2 of them, over a dead fish.

I can't believe we actually got all of them to sit on a fence at the same time.

When we got back to our van, around 4:00, it said the temp was 96. No wonder the kiddos were red-faced and dripping with sweat. We were definitely thankful for the "mist" areas scattered throughout the zoo. It was a very hot, but nice family day.

The Amazing Race

2010-05-31T16:19:00.000-07:00

I woke up at 5:30 this morning, due to uncontrollable butterflies in my stomach! Today is the day I've been "training" for (I use that word very loosely!) for the past couple of months, and although I ran a 5K last summer, it was a much smaller one. With somewhere between 800-900 runners in this morning's race, my only aspiration was to run it at a pace of 9 mins. per mile, which is about the fastest pace I've ever managed to keep up for 3.1 miles.

Of course, not everything went as planned. I had my ipod charged, my playlist all set, with certain songs timed out for each part of the race. I pulled into Welcome Stadium around 8:15 and popped in the ear buds just to make sure everything was working properly . . . . and it wasn't. I couldn't get any volume, no matter what I tried. I started freaking out inside a little - I've never run by myself without music! But, the music thing clearly wasn't happening. I had to move on.

On to the next thing. I went into the stadium and picked up my packet, containing my number and timing chip. After tearing off the bottom portion of my number (which wasn't supposed to be torn off, but looked like it was!), and attaching the chip to my shoe the wrong way, I was about fit to be tied. Fortunately, I found my sister Hannah, and my Dad, who were also running, and things got better after that.

For about the first half mile, I didn't think I was going to make it - I was either going to throw up or my head was going to explode. But after that, I paced myself and thoroughly enjoyed the race, which started on Edwin C Moses Blvd, went alongside the Great Miami River, and ended with a lap around the track at the stadium. The sun was hidden behind clouds most of the time, and there was a nice breeze blowing when we ran next to the river, which helped. The whole thing just felt really good - even the last part! As I entered the stadium, my mom was standing there with Rachel, Zeke & Karis and they were all cheering for me. And just before the finish line I saw Danny and Mr. Moo. It totally made my day and helped me finish with a smile on my face, to see my family there cheering me on. Danny had gotten the kiddos fed and dressed and came down around the time the race began.

The best part is, I was certain I was going to be absolutely humiliated by my time. But I ended up finishing in 25:31, which to some, I know doesn't sound that great, but I was thrilled!!! It was definitely a moment. I would have done a victory dance, but my legs wouldn't cooperate. It turned out, there was something wrong with my timing chip, b/c although I saw what time I came in, it didn't register on the sheets they printed out and put up so you could see your finishing time, and your actual time. (The chip activates when you cross the start line, which takes a little while with that many people, so your actual time is not what shows on the counter when you cross the finish line. I was about 10-15 seconds back)

Afterward, there was a "fun run" for the kiddos - they got to run the length of the infield. Malachi wanted me to hold his hand the whole way, which of course I didn't mind doing. We left and went to Hannah's house for a cookout, where some other family members joined us for the afternoon. Aside from Karis and Esther locking us all out of the house for about an hour, it was a fun day. Now I'm ready to run another 5K!

All in the Family

2010-05-25T12:57:00.000-07:00

OK, enough early-morning rantings from me . . . here are a few highlights from the past couple of months:

Karis is my chief peanut butter sandwich maker. She takes her job very seriously.

Zeke has been working on his writing this year - a real struggle for him. But slowly, we're starting to see some improvement. I was so proud of him for writing 12 thank-you notes after his birthday. He wrote one or two each morning until they were all done.

Malachi's eye continues to bother me much more than it bothers him. Due to a strong kick to the eye, his chalazion drained quite a bit this weekend and I thought we had seen the end of it. But it seems to be growing again, so we're currently trying to decide what, if any, course of action to take. Poor guy. As if he needs one more disfiguring thing on his face.

Yet nothing deters him from being a little clown. Not sure where this look came from . . .

One of the kiddos' favorite things to do is to have a picnic lunch. Sometimes we go for a bike ride afterward - Karis rides the extension on the back and helps me pedal, while Moo loafs in a baby seat in front of me. I think they could live outside and be just fine with it.

There is truly nothing more exciting to Karis than ice cream. OK, maybe getting to paint her fingernails. On this particular afternoon, she was treated to both!

Rachel's new look

ice cream and good friends

Karis and I got to accompany Zeke's class on a field trip to the Greenville City Street Department, where we learned all kinds of interesting things and the kiddos got to sit in some pretty cool back hoes and honk some horns.

I'll end with a few choice tidbits from our own little Kari Bou.

Me: Hey, how about we have a picnic lunch today in our yard?
Karis: Are we gonna use the picnic table?
Me: Well, I thought we'd eat on the wooden platform on the swingset.
Karis: Mom, are you SURE it won't break if you try to go up there?

Karis: Was Great- Grandpa Emch 200 years old?
Me: No, Sweetie. He wasn't even 100 years old.
Karis: How old was he?
Me: I think he was 87
Karis: So . . . he was even older than YOU??

Karis: Mom, you looked like a big ol' log when you were pregnant with me.
Me: How do you know if you weren't born yet?
Karis: Mom, I've SEEN the scrapbooks.

Becoming

2010-05-20T21:24:00.000-07:00

It's 1:00 am, and I can't sleep. Maybe it's the restless thoughts roaming around inside my head that refuse to be quieted. Maybe it's the strong cup of coffee I drank several hours ago. Either way, it's been a full day . . . and my brain and my body just won't shut down for the night.

As we sat down to eat dinner, I received a phone call. Somehow, although what I heard didn't surprise me, I wasn't prepared for the news, or for the rush of tears that immediately followed. oh, Jesus, why must some people suffer so?

A lot of things have been weighing on me lately. And I realized tonight, as I lay in bed unsuccessfully trying to will myself to sleep, that most of it boils down to . . . feeling desperately inadequate.

I've always taken my job as a mother very seriously, but recently I've begun to feel the weight of it - the significance of this staggering responsibility I have to play a key role in 4 young lives. Modeling, and instructing them in, the ways of Christ; teaching them to love and follow Him when I myself fall so woefully short. I see them picking up on attitudes they see in me - repeating words & phrases they hear from me - and it takes my breath away, the amount of influence I have in each of their lives, for good or for evil. I try to be consistent with discipline, to lavish them with love, to demonstrate joy, but sometimes I'm just . . . tired. You don't get to say, "OK, this week you'll have a substitute Mommy - I'm going on vacation." You don't get a break from it, because even when you're most worn out or discouraged, they're watching and learning from you. oh Jesus, this parenting thing is hard!

I also feel inadequate as a wife - particularly as a pastor's wife. How do I encourage my husband, but also help to sharpen him? I want to be there for him, to always have the perfect words roll off my tongue - the exact words he needs to hear to make everything alright. Instead, so often what rolls out of my mouth are words of self-pity or criticism. And how do you make your home a peaceful haven when he comes in the door after work to find Polly Pocket dolls and Little People scattered all over the living room - not to mention the piles of laundry I haven't gotten to yet? Did the Proverbs 31 woman ever have days like this?

All around me is pain. Broken bodies. Broken marriages. Broken hearts. I feel it sweeping over me like some kind of unstoppable current, and I am powerless to do anything to make any of it better.

But that's just it. I am inadequate. HE is not. Jesus Christ, the all-powerful, unchanging, sovereign Lord of all, is able to do everything I cannot. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

And even now, in the wee hours of the morning as I sit here trying to make sense of my feverish thoughts, I hear his still small voice: "Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden (beating your brains out trying to do what only I can do) and I will give you rest . . . take my yoke upon you and learn from me . . . for my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

I hate it when my own weakness and helplessness stare me in the face. But I love that my Savior's strength and peace and perfect love reside within me! And if I have to be faced daily with my own inadequacies in order to appreciate His glorious grace in my life, then I am grateful for those inadequacies (or at least am becoming more so).

Jesus, help me to live a life worthy of the calling I have received. My words will fix nothing. But Your Word brings comfort and hope. My efforts are in vain. But Your grace is sufficient. oh, how I love You!

. . . not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty. (Zechariah 4:6)

. . . And Another One

2010-05-09T15:04:00.000-07:00

It finally arrived: the day Rachel has looked forward to for over a year, with breathless anticipation.

We got up early and drove to Kenneth's in Columbus, so Rachel could have 10 inches of hair chopped off and donated to Locks of Love. Ever since a friend from church donated her locks last year, Rach has had her heart set on this. We knew of a hair salon in Columbus that gives free haircuts to anyone wishing to donate their hair, and since my grandma lives in Columbus, and my Aunt Marcia had flown in from France for 2 weeks and is staying with her, and we have long-time friends who live there, we decided to make a day of it - beginning with the haircut.

Waiting . . .

She didn't appear to be the least bit traumatized by having her 2 long ponytails chopped off.

It was looking really cute and curly, but her stylist said it would be easier to make sure everything was even if she straightened it. You'd have thought I'd just told Rach she could have a candy-themed sleepover. She was that excited.

Transformed . . . after about half a dozen different gels and 20 minutes of styling. I've told her not to expect to look like this every day! What I'm still trying to make sense of is how I saved $20 on the haircut, but managed to spend way more than that on a flat iron and several bottles of product that the stylist convinced me we just can't live without. At least the flat iron was 20% off and came with a lifetime warranty!

We spent a lovely lunch/afternoon with Grandma & Aunt Marcia.

Then we spent a lovely dinner / evening with Dave & Johanna & their munchkins. We got to talking about a trip we took with them and 3 other couples in the pre-kids era. Back then, there were 10 of us, and we took a week-long trip to Sedona, AZ. Now, after adding 14 children to the mix, there are 24 of us, and I guarantee that IF we ever take another trip, it will be somewhere local, with playgrounds and fast food. It's amazing how things can change in 8.5 years.

But of course, I wouldn't trade our munchkins for 20 Sedona-like trips. I'm so incredibly thankful for our four kiddos, and for Danny. Today is the perfect reminder of the gift that they are.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!

It's Official

2010-05-04T08:46:00.000-07:00

No, we're not having another baby. *grin* But I am officially registered for the Lou Cox Memorial 5K to be held at UD on May 31st. To be perfectly honest, I really don't want anyone to know about it, with the exception of my dad and sis, who talked me into running it "with" them (in this case, "with" = "way behind"). I hate committing to this, because it means getting up earlier every morning and running more than once a week. It means actually disciplining myself and working at something . . . ugh.

So . . . I'm broadcasting this on my blog for accountability, I guess. This is a HUGE, and very competitive 5K, so my aspirations include: 1)finishing and 2)not making a fool of myself. They do NOT include 1)winning the $2,000 cash prize or 2)placing in any category AT ALL. If I know that other people know I am doing this, it will help me to stick with the program! I've run 3 out of the last 4 days, and feel great. Let's hope I can keep this up for another month.

If I can give birth four times, I can do this . . . . right??

It's So Short

2010-04-27T17:14:00.001-07:00

At 2:30 this afternoon, we said good-bye to Karis' hair. Well, to most of it, anyway. Thank goodness for sunglasses, which hid my tears from a very excited little girl, who adores her new 'do. I'll admit it - I cried. Then I devoured most of an 8-oz block of Swiss cheese which I had just purchased at Kroger. Most people drown their sorrows in chocolate. I go for cheese - lots and lots of cheese. Which may explain my need to drink so much coffee.

Anyway, I do realize it could have been much worse. But for now, I'm going to let myself be just a little bit sad as I mourn the loss of pigtails and braids, and try to console myself with the thought that it really will grow back.

We're a Mess - I Mean . . . a "Work in Progress"

2010-04-23T10:41:00.000-07:00

It's been a week . . . a week that has felt like a month.

Nearly 8 years of mom-hood has taught me that daily life rarely turns out the way you had planned, or even hoped, it would. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's just that some days (weeks, months) are messier than others. Like this one. And I want to someday look back and remember it all - to keep it close to my heart, and maybe even to laugh about it.

But rather than rambling on about our week, I'll just let you see a few snapshots of it. It wasn't BAD, as much as it was crammed full of little, and big, surprises. And some elements of it were just . . . pretty typical.

First I'll tackle Mr. Moo. I could just say "he's 2", and leave it at that - no explanation needed! But the past couple of weeks he's been especially 2-ish.

His battle-scarred face bears witness to the fact that it is nearly impossible for the little guy to avoid catastrophe 2 days in a row. His mishaps with bikes, teeter-totters, furniture and his own feet (most of which, I just realized, have involved Karis in one way or another), together with the growing red lump that's been camping out under his eye since Christmas, have pretty much kept me on the alert for Childrens Services. I expect them to call or just show up and take him away at any moment.

Fortunately, I was able to get a last-minute appointment with an eye surgeon on Monday, who informed me that the lump is due to a blocked oil duct, needs to come to a head and then drain, and should do so within the next 6 months. I wasn't exactly expecting to receive a diagnosis of "huge year-long eye zit", but hey, at least it's nothing 5 or 6 warm compresses a day can't cure!

By the way, the caption for the picture at the top reads: "Why not to turn your back for a couple of minutes when Malachi is eating tofu pancakes" (I use the word "eating" very loosely.)

On to the next mess . . .

It's almost never a good sign when you get a call from the school nurse, especially when she uses the words, "head injury." It turns out, Rachel had a run-in with a little boy during gym class, fell backwards and hit her head pretty hard on the concrete. Her eye looked more purple each day for about the first four days after the incident - that little boy must have had one hard head! As for Rach, she's thrilled to have one more reason to act pathetic. (Interestingly, her eye really starts to bother her when she's asked to make her bed, clean up her room, or do homework.)

I walked into Kari Bou's room yesterday to find this . . .

Assuming (desperately hoping?) it was doll hair, I went to ask her about it, and found this . . .

Let's hope the hairdresser can work some magic on Tuesday. I didn't take any disciplinary action, because she was devastated enough when she realized she may have to have all of her hair cut short like a boy.

So, Moo is a mess, Rachel is a mess, Karis is a mess, and now even the outside of our house is a mess. At least it matches the inside, I guess! Danny has begun the process of scraping and primering, and hopefully within the next month or so, we'll have the whole thing repainted - and there won't be any debate this time as to whether it's gray or blue! I can't wait.

As for the Beef Man, I've dubbed this "The Week of the Meltdown." I think just about every day this week has involved at least one. But it's all good, because I finally got a decent picture of him and it's been less than one month since his birthday! Last year it took me 6 months - my silly little dude just does not like cameras.

I don't have the room here, or the time, to go into the other "hiccups" that have taken place of late. But I'm thankful for the past couple of weeks. Mostly I'm glad that not every week is the same, and that my kids' personalities are so different, it forces me to study them, to learn what makes each of them tick. It makes me appreciate the love and support I receive from Danny, the time he spends playing with, and teaching, our children. I'm thankful that life is not predictable, because how boring would that be?

Mostly I'm thankful that God is good no matter what, and that His grace is sufficient for any and every hiccup, regardless how large or small.

Good-Bye

2010-04-23T08:57:00.000-07:00

I've shared several other posts on this blog about our family visiting my Grandpa Emch. One week ago today, he exchanged his earthly body for a heavenly one.

We knew this day was immanent. Ever since a major surgery he had last August, his health, and his ability to think clearly, had steadily declined as his body began to shut down. The news of his passing, while not surprising, was still strange. He's been around all of my life. I used to climb up on his lap as a little girl and share ice cream cones with him. He would hold me and tell me how special I was. He took us for motorcycle rides and told us stories about life when he was a boy.

But after hearing so many captivating accounts of his life, I didn't realize how much about my Grandpa I never knew - until my Uncle Daryle shared at his Celebration of Life service on Wednesday. I always knew that Grandpa and Grandma left their church, which was really more like a family, shortly after they married, and that this was prompted by a pursuit of Biblical Truth. Their faith was in Christ alone, not a works-based religion. I knew that they were shunned by friends and family alike afterward and as a result they faced much loneliness. What I didn't know was how much hostility they faced, even to the point that my Grandpa's own parents burned the Theological books he had purchased while he fought in WWII. Still, he pursued the truth.

I knew Grandpa had fought in WWII, as a medic. What I didn't know was that he was sent to the wrong location at first and asked to handle a gun, and because of his convictions he refused, asking to be transferred. He endured hostility and persecution at the hands of fellow soldiers and officers alike, until the situation was finally corrected.

Grandpa was not the perfect husband, father, or grandfather. He had a fierce temper and could be very harsh at times, especially to those he was closest to. But I've gained a new respect for him, and for the legacy he left his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. His life wasn't easy. Despite losing friends, family and a business he'd devoted countless hours and energy to (in a fire back in the '70's), he remained strong. And there is no doubt that He loved his Savior.

I pray that I can pass his strength, and pursuit of truth, on to my own children. I pray that I will be faithful to share with them the way that God worked in the life of their great-grandparents and has continued to work in their parents. And I love that I will someday see him again in heaven. Good-bye Grandpa . . . until we meet again.

3zekiel 6 Years Old

2010-03-27T15:30:00.000-07:00

That is what I wrote, in bold black icing, on his cake board today! Then I realized I had the "E" backwards. So for today we are calling him "Three-zekiel".

Zekers is an odd child. I think that's what endears him to me - we are so much alike! About a month ago, I asked him what kind of theme he'd like for his birthday, to which he promptly replied, "Rock, Paper, Scissors." "Wait a second - you want a Rock Paper Scissors cake?" I sputtered. And that is exactly what he wanted.

After processing through his bizarre request, I finally came up with some ideas for the cake. And that's when he informed me he wanted a Henry and Mudge cake, to go with his favorite book series. And not just ANY Henry & Mudge design - it had to look like the cover of the very first book, complete with title and author's name.

It wasn't until a few days later, when he decided he'd like a giant squid cake, that I made an executive decision, and informed him that I'd be making a great white shark cake (I'd gotten the idea from the Family Fun website.) From now on, the kiddos will be choosing their birthday cakes from there - end of story! As it turned out, he loved his cake, and so did I, as it gave me an excuse to buy Swedish fish to go with the cake.

Since it IS his birthday today, I thought I'd share just a few of the things I love about my 6-year-old:

- He absolutely ADORES any kind of animal. He wants to be a zoo-keeper when he grow up.

- His love for animals is overshadowed only by his love for vanilla ice cream. Just plain old vanilla.

- He has read Happy Birthday Bad Kitty maybe upwards of 100 times - no exaggeration. I realized this is because he is alarmingly similar to the title character.

- He is so good with Karis and Malachi (when he's not annoying them to death). He often reads to them, or shows them how to play video & computer games. He's even trying to teach Karis to read - not too successfully, but it's sweet.

- Whenever I pack him a lunch he likes or make a favorite dinner, he gives me an extra kiss and hug at bedtime. I've earned up to 8 of them some nights.

- One of his favorite foods is carrots. I can't complain about that!

I love you Beef Man. Happy Birthday!!

The Last Few Weeks

2010-03-16T11:16:00.000-07:00

After spending what seemed like most of February on a Level 3 Snow Emergency, we've welcomed the craziness of March! It will be much less long and boring to let pictures do the talking . . .

An unfortunate side effect of growing up with older sisters.

The winter olympics were apparently quite inspiring to some. I really got into the figure skating, snowboarding and skiing. It does get old after a while, though, when every men's event involves head-to-toe spandex, and/or hot pink piping.

Now that Karis' hair is shorter, it's lots more fun in the bath.

Rachel enjoyed practicing for, and taking part in, Sparks-A-Rama, the AWANA games for grades K-2.

I THINK Zekers liked it, too - at least that's what he told me when I asked him. But you wouldn't have thought it to look at him. He's the one hiding behind the trophy.

The kiddos were excited to see one of their favorite babysitters who moved away several years ago . . . .

. . . at the wedding of a sweet friend and her husband, who met in Mali - Rachel & Ibrahim Maiga. Danny had the privilege of marrying the 2 of them, and I had the privilege of keeping the kiddos entertained while he did it!

The next afternoon, we got to spend some time with another favorite past babysitter, Marissa. Karis was heartbroken to wake up from her nap and find her beloved "Mawissa" had gone.

Rachel and Danny had a very special night at the Father-Daughter dance put on by her school that evening. She donned her most princess-y dress, had Mommy put flowers in her hair, counted down the minutes until the event . . . and then spent most of it dancing with her friends. You gotta love second grade!

This past Saturday, we drove to Columbus to visit my grandparents. Grandpa is in a nursing home and Grandma has settled into a nearby community. First we stopped and saw her new place, and then we visited Grandpa for several hours. It was hard to see him so thin and tired, but he seemed to be in pretty good spirits, and he recognized all of us.

Grandma's girl

Afterward, we stopped by to see our dear, long-time friends Dave and Johanna, and their clan, which was increased by one last Monday.

So much chocolate . . . so little time!

One of Those Days

2010-03-08T11:09:00.000-08:00

It started this morning with a 2-hour delay. For once, I had everything ready to go 20 minutes before they were supposed to leave for the bus: lunches, papers, bags, etc. I had this whole morning planned: Karis and Malachi and I were going to hit the ground running as soon as Rachel & Zeke got on the bus. And then the call came - a 2-hour fog delay.

On to plan B. I loaded up the kiddos and we all headed out together. And that's when the fun began. Minutes after leaving the house, I heard sirens behind me. I was pulled over for "failure to come to a complete stop at a stop sign". I honestly thought I HAD come to a complete stop. In fact, I saw the police car coming and took mental inventory of everything - speed (check), seat belt (check), etc. I was not in a hurry (for once). Anyway, even though we always have our registration and insurance cards in the van, I could NOT find the insurance card anywhere. Not only that, I drew a complete blank when he asked me the name of our insurance company! Now, with health insurance I could rattle off names AND phone numbers, but it's been so long since I've had to think about car insurance, I was coming up with nothing. ("No, REALLY, Officer - we have insurance! I just can't find any proof and can't seem to remember the name of the company, but I promise, we have it!") Really convincing.

Citation in hand, I finished the short trip to the dry cleaners, made a couple of other stops, and then stopped at Wal-Mart. The cashier I got must have been new - she scrutinized every coupon and took basically 3 times longer than she needed to scan everything. The last item was a bottle of sparkling wine - which I was purchasing for a recipe I wanted to try this week - vanilla pound cake with sparkling wine glaze. Would you believe she actually carded me?!

At first I was elated. It's been YEARS since I've been carded, which is kind of depressing. So I was overjoyed . . . until I went to pull out my driver's license and realized it was still on the passenger seat with my citation. Since I can't remember the last time I've been carded, OR the last time I've been without my driver's license in my wallet, the odds that both of these would occur on the same day are almost nil. But . . . I've always been one to beat the odds, I guess.

I paid for my groceries (except the wine), went out and loaded up the van, grabbed my license, came back in and finished up. All this was with 4 kiddos in tow, of course. Which is why we ended up being about 3 minutes late for school. And I was so flustered by everything that I realized when we got home that I had forgotten to put drinks in Rach & Zekers' lunches (which we'd bought at Wal-Mart specifically FOR their lunches).

All I can say is, that pound cake had better be exceptionally good!

An Unexpected Gift

2010-03-04T09:29:00.000-08:00

It was 6:30 on Monday evening. Danny had just left for a meeting, after running home and grabbing a quick dinner. And, once again (so I said to myself), here I was, dead on my feet, with two hours of caring for and entertaining 4 kiddos looming before me. I sat on the couch, marinating in self-pity that threatened to grow thicker by the minute.

As I sat there, out of the corner of my eye I noticed a grinning face heading toward me at top speed. Before I knew it, I'd been tackled by the 33-lb. tank I affectionately call "Mr. Moo." He immediately began asking me, in his barely-decipherable vernacular, to play a game with him. I sighed. "What do you want Mommy to do?"

He ran to his room, grabbed his pillow, and showed me that he wanted me to lie down on the pillow and pretend to sleep. He would then be the "alarm clock", screeching to wake me up. We spent a little while falling asleep and waking up, and then he decided it was time for Round 2.

For the next 30 minutes, we played this bizarre game, which involved him being different kinds of animals (interestingly, they ALL made loud growling noises), crawling up onto the couch, and me kicking the animals off the couch by shrieking and pointing at them. He would then wait on the floor while I hid behind the pillow for various amounts of time, before pulling it down and "scaring" him with weird faces and a lot of noise. I have never heard him giggle so hard - we're talking huge, hysterical belly laughs. The kind that, when you hear them, you can't help laughing too.

Eventually, he came over and tackled me again, this time to cover my face with huge drool-y kisses and give out big bear hugs.

While all this was going on, I noticed that Zekers and Karis had snuggled up together on the chair opposite us and were reading a book together, as he tried to work with her on her ABC's. And Rachel, unbeknownst to me at the time, had gone downstairs and cleaned part of the basement, before settling down with her own book. In almost no time at all, it was 8:00 and time to start getting ready for bed, which they did very obediently. I even got an extra hug and kiss from Zekers, for making him a fried egg sandwich for lunch.

Words cannot do justice to the sweetness of that scene. I've always loved my kids, but after Monday, I appreciated and enjoyed them more. So often life becomes a dreary cycle of obligations: making sure everyone's needs are met, fulfilling my responsibilities. Sometimes God has to remind me that there's so much more.

It may not sound like anything that earth-shattering, but to me, this evening was nothing short of a gift from God. In spite of my less-than-sanctified attitude, He opened my eyes to appreciate the good and the fun things in my kiddos - to realize again that they are truly a gift from Him. And in the times since then, when they've had their moments of fighting and whining and basically getting on my last nerve, God has brought that scene to my mind - and permanently etched it on my heart.

I am thankful for unexpected (and undeserved) gifts.

As if that weren't enough . . .

2010-02-15T19:17:00.000-08:00

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable His judgments and unfathomable His ways!
For who has known the mind of the Lord or who became His counselor?
Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again?
For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.
To Him be the glory forever. Amen.
Romans 11:33-36

God is good. He is righteous and just and merciful and generous and compassionate and true and unfathomable and awesome and GOOD.

Helpless. Dead. Wrath's bastard child. Enslaved to lusts of mind and flesh. Flailing about in darkness. Drowning in sin's murky filth. Grasping at the burning misery of self-elevation. Running hard - away from the only One Who could save me from myself. Rushing full-speed toward certain doom.

but

BUT!!!!

But GOD . . .

Rich in mercy. Full of a great and unparalleled LOVE. The author of life. Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End. Giver of every good and perfect gift. Grace personified. Truth eternal. Power unimaginable.

But God, while I was dead in my errant ways, reached down and made me alive together with Christ - by grace, through faith!! O undeserved gift! Christ became human, then became sin, so that in Him I could become righteous. When the perfect and holy God looks at me, He sees - not my sin, but - Christ, the spotless lamb, sacrificed for my wrongdoing. It is through HIS blood, poured out for me, that I stand before God unblemished, pure.

I think I will spend eternity trying to wrap my puny, finite mind around this truth.

I know I will spend eternity trying to say thank you.

As if that weren't enough . . .

He's given me health. He's blessed me with a wonderful best friend and lover and made us one flesh. He's given us four children, who I pray every day will grow to know Him and to love Him with their whole being.

As if that weren't enough . . .

He's overwhelmed us with a Christ-chasing church body; with friends who daily love on and sharpen us; with parents and grandparents who prayed for us and taught us the things we now pray for and teach our children.

As if that weren't enough . . .

He provides all of our needs daily - food, clothing, shelter - and oh, so many things that aren't needs at all, but that we enjoy and take for granted because we've never had to do without them.

I owe Him everything. He owes me nothing. Yet He's given, and continues to give, more than I could ever hope for.

And as if all of this weren't enough . . .

I get to spend all of eternity (it makes me dizzy) worshiping Him. Reveling in the delirious and unending joy that flows from His presence.

What a cost! What a gift! What a love! I want to shout it into the falling snow - to thank Him with a resounding voice . . . and with my life. What does this mean? What great and wonderful avenues for expressing my appreciation lie ahead? I have no idea. But this I do know: I can, and resolve to, begin by honoring Him in the daily moments of my life NOW. To take pleasure in serving Him in whatever way He chooses to use me. And to do it in the strength that He alone can and does supply. Oh how I love Him!

Praise the Lord! Praise God in Hi sanctuary. Praise Him in His mighty expanse.
Praise Him for His mighty deeds. Praise Him for His excellent greatness. . .
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Psalm 150:1,2,6

Shark Rays and Sun Rays!

2010-02-09T12:34:00.000-08:00

As scary as the roads were yesterday, the thought of being cooped up in the house for one more day was even scarier. So, the kiddos and I stuck with our plan to visit Newport Aquarium. We left the house at 7:30, cereal bars and bananas in hand, and made our way down 49, which ended up being a little slick, but not as bad as I'd thought. The crazy thing was the fog. It was so dense, we couldn't see anything to either side of us, and could barely make out the car just ahead. We'd been driving for about 40 minutes, when suddenly, the sun came out, the fog cleared and even the road seemed much drier - all within about 15 seconds. I noticed at the same time that we were just passing the sign that announced the end of Darke County. No joke! The farther south we drove, the more it seemed like a different world than the one we'd just left.

Due to having to drive more slowly, and to some morning traffic on I-75, we arrived about 9:30 and soon after, met up with my sister Sarah and her little girl, Addie, who will be 3 in May. During the months of Jan - Feb, 2 kids get in free ($30 savings) with each adult admission ($22). So I got 2 in free, and Sarah got Addie and one of mine in free. I debated about whether to mess with taking Malachi, but finally decided to take all four and just pay the extra child's admission. It was totally worth it. I have rarely heard him squeal the way he did when I helped him "pet" the "baby sharks". The only bummer was that my mom and sister Hannah weren't able to go this year. I was a bit hesitant to take all four kiddos that far without Grandma there to help out, but they did beautifully. (Except for one head-butt and one running-off episode!)

Well, there was one other bummer. I'd packed lunch for all of us - including a variety of snacks - which spent the day in the fridge without us. I was almost sick to my stomach when I ended up paying a little over $20 for 4 plain hot dogs and 4 small bags of chips - ugh. It was the cheapest option. We're definitely packing lunches (and remembering to take them!) from now on. The weirdest thing was not having ANY snack food for the kiddos - I ALWAYS have snacks handy - it's a matter of survival. But they did just fine - until we were about 30 minutes from home.

Now for the pictures . ..

"Lulu" the penguin came out and got a big hug from Mr. Moo!

They all loved the march of the penguins - seeing and hearing about 3 African penguins named Simon, Paula and Randy. I found out they're changing Paula's name to Kara and adding an Ellen.

There was an AMAZING jellyfish display. Unfortunately, I couldn't get any pictures that did them justice. One new feature in the room was a blue screen with digital "jellyfish" swimming around. When the kids tried to touch them, they disappeared. The screen looks white in the picture, but was a really vivid underwater scene.

Zekers and Karis loved getting to touch horseshoe crabs and starfish.

The best picture I got of the 5 kiddos - whew!

The "Frog Bog" was a fun play area. It even had a version of "Frogger" that you could play by moving your feet over squares on the ground.

Waiting for sharks to swim by . . .

Rachel had great technique. She used 2 fingers, as instructed, and didn't stick her fingers in the water until the shark was directly beneath her. I had to hold Malachi up and stick his hand in the water for him to feel the sharks, so I didn't get any pics of him, but man, did he go crazy. He LOVED the shark tank!

What he did NOT love were the parts of the aquarium where you could look down at sea creatures through large squares of glass in the floor. He refused to walk on them, and it took some persuading to even get him to even touch them. I think he never really believed it was truly a floor, and was convinced he'd end up in the water!

Check out the teeth on this bad boy!

OK, the next several pictures are all "shark rays", a stingray / shark mix. I never would have imagined you could breed those 2 together. These guys are just COOL.

Outside on the plaza - pretty view, but too cold to stay for very long.

We were home by 3:45, and went directly to Wal-Mart for groceries, along with at least half the population of Greenville. What a day!

Snow Day

2010-02-06T15:24:00.001-08:00

Today we . . .

slept in

had blueberry pancakes and eggs over-medium

read books

played in the snow - twice

shoveled the driveway - several times

removed an earring from inside an earlobe - the first minor surgery I've performed

made valentine cards

made brownies and pumpkin roll

made a snowman using 100 cotton balls, buttons, pencils, yarn, and construction paper

played "Guess Who"

played Wii

trashed the house

cleaned up the house

took baths and bundled up in cozy PJs

Today was precious. Thank you, Father, for snow, and for a whole day of family time at home!

Speaking of Joy. . .

2010-01-12T07:58:00.000-08:00

It was Sunday morning. Danny had just left for church, and since the kiddos were all up - they're early risers - I decided I would take them to first service. About 10 minutes later, the chaos began. Malachi hated the outfit I'd gotten out for him; Zeke did nothing but whine: about making his bed, about what we were having for breakfast, about the fact that his socks didn't feel right in his shoes. Karis seemed to be getting her kicks from committing random acts of meanness, which made several of the others cry and sometimes fight back.

When it came time to leave, everything fell apart. NONE of their gloves, it seemed, had a mate. Zeke went into hysterics because he'd only had 30 minutes to eat one breakfast bar and one banana, and hadn't gotten even halfway through either one. I told him he could take them with him and eat them in the van, but he dropped the banana on the garage floor and wouldn't touch it after that - just cried harder. Finally, the last straw: Karis pushed Malachi down the steps leading into the garage, giving him a bloody lip and making him howl - right after I'd finally gotten him to calm down from his fit of anger at being denied a 4th breakfast bar.

It was too much. I reacted in anger, unable (unwilling?) to keep my temper in check any longer. Karis got a spanking, and it was NOT according to the format laid out in Shepherding a Child's Heart. (It wasn't any worse than a normal spanking, but it wasn't accompanied by patient instruction as much as by yelling and lecturing!)

On the drive to church, I wept hot tears. "When does it end?" I sobbed into my scarf. "How much more of this can I take?" I felt like a total failure - as a mother, as a Christian, and as a human being in general. I wanted to drive past the church and just keep on driving. As a pastor's wife, I sometimes struggle with feeling like I don't have the luxury, while at church, of being sad or depressed or angry or just plain worn out. No matter what, I have to put on a smile and make the best of it.

The inner battle raged. The way I saw it, I had 2 options. Either spend all morning at church acting out the way I truly felt - by sulking and avoiding people, or paste a fake smile on my face and act like everything was just peachy.

When I entered the auditorium, I didn't sing for a while - I just soaked it all in, and cried out to Jesus. As is the case every Sunday, the worship, both through the music and the message, centered on the cross: beautiful words, filled with truth and grace and forgiveness and JOY. The true joy that isn't dependent on the kind of morning I've had, or the way I feel about myself. The kind that flows from, and has everything to do with, Christ Himself.

And there it was. When I'm tired or out of sorts on a Sunday morning, my face can light up with a smile springing from a joy that reaches deeper than my frustration. And when I can't even muster a smile, my soul can still be alight with the knowledge of the grace of God, the riches of His mercy, the hope of His resurrection.

Ephesians 5:18-20 says "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; ALWAYS giving THANKS to the Lord for ALL things in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father."

Always and in all things! That means when I have that kind of morning, I can, and should be, giving thanks to God for it. God's gifts aren't limited to the pleasant things in life. The difficult times are gifts, too, because they help make us look more like HIM - they bring us closer to our Savior and make us long for heaven.

So, if I'm truly living in obedience to this passage, and many others like it, I can walk into church after a hellish morning with genuine joy in my heart, because of Christ. And the more joy I have, the more it spills out onto others. And that, I am happy to say, is the real thing!

Holiday Joy

2010-01-09T18:01:00.000-08:00

A little taste of Christmas at the Wright house . . .

Why I Still Stink at Guitar

2009-12-24T09:53:00.000-08:00

I lug my guitar up from the basement, search my notebook for Sunday's songs. I lay them on the sofa, take out my guitar, and begin playing through the first song.

Lord, You're calling me to come
And behold the wondrous cross
To explore the depths of grace
That came to me at such a cost . . .

I notice Malachi crawling onto my guitar case. "You know you're not allowed to be on Mommy's guitar case," I remind him. "Please get down." He does.

Lord, You're calling me to come
And behold the wondrous cross
To explore the depths of grace
That came to me at such a cost . . .

Malachi is at my knee, insistently handing me a different-colored pic. I ignore him as long as humanly possible (about 4 measures) and then take the tye-dyed pic from him. He beams.

Lord, You're calling me to come
And behold the wondrous cross
To explore the depths of grace
That came to me at such a cost . . .

I trade in the tye-dyed pic for the orange one Malachi is trying to give me and decide to move on . . .

Where Your boundless love
Conquered my boundless sin . . .

. . . trade the orange pic for a pink one, as he drops about 4 others into the guitar's sound hole . . . oh well, I'll get them later.

Where Your boundless love
Conquered my boundless sin . . .

Karis: "Mom, will you put the diaper back on my baby doll?"
Me: "I will as soon as I'm done playing through this song, Sweetie."

Where Your boundless love
Conquered my boundless sin, and mercy's arms were opened wide
My heart is filled with a thousand songs, proclaiming the glories . . .

Rachel: "Mom, when will you be done? We NEED you to put this diaper on - we can't do ANYTHING until you do."
Me (getting irritated): "You NEED to wait just a few more minutes until I'm finished with the song."

My heart is filled with a thousand songs . . .

I notice Malachi freaking out and banging on my guitar case. "Malachi, do you want a spanking? Do not climb onto Mommy's guitar case!" He cries harder. I'm in the process of taking him to his room, when Rachel lifts the top of the case, to reveal about 4 toy trucks inside. He squeals in delight, and I try to figure out when on earth he put those things in there. I grab my guitar once again and attempt to play . . .

My heart is filled with a thousand songs . . .

Zeke: MOM!

Proclaiming the glories of Calvary . . .

Zeke: MOM!!

With every breath, Lord, how I long . . .

Zeke: MOM!!!

To sing of Jesus, who died for me . . .

Zeke: MOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!!!

Me (trying to sound patient): What's the emergency??

Zeke: LOOK AT MY SNAKE! I MADE IT OUT OF LEGOS!

Me: Wow, Buddy - that's impressive. OK, go make something else! And remember: indoor voice.

Zeke: OK MOM!!!!

I spot the doll laying on the sofa and decide to go ahead and put on the stinkin' diaper to save myself the trouble later. Besides, I'm beginning to wonder if I will EVER be done practicing this song.

Lord, take me deeper, into the glories . . .

Karis: Mom, will you help me put on her PJs?
Me: Rachel! Will you please put on the doll's PJs?
Rachel: *sigh* OK. I don't know why I always have to do everything around here.

At a loss for words, I decide to go back to the song . . .

Me: Hey, where did all my pics go?
Everyone stands there and stares at me.
Me: Malachi, did you take Mommy's pics?
Malachi: Unna couch.

I feel around under the couch, and sure enough, there they all are. OK, deep breath - let's just get through the song.

Lord, take me deeper, into the glories of Calvary.

Yes! On to verse 2!

Sinners find eternal joy
In the triumph of Your wounds . ..

Zeke: MOM!!!!!!

By our Savior's crimson flow
Holy wrath has been removed . . .

Zeke: MOOOOMMM!!!
Me: What now?
Zeke: I MADE A BIRD PLAYING VIDEO GAMES!!
Me: Wow! Very good! (I could actually kind of see it)

I turn back to my music.

Sinners find eternal joy
In the triumph of Your wounds
By our Savior's crimson flow
Holy wrath has been removed
And Your saints below
Join with . . .

OK, WHAT IS GOING ON?! (The sounds of crying / fighting have grown steadily louder)

Zeke: KARIS JUST KICKED MY BIRD AND BROKE IT ALL IN PIECES!!
Me: Karis, you're finished playing with legos. Now, go sit in the green chair, and no talking! Zekers, why don't you go make something really big, using ALL of the legos!
Zeke (sniffling): OK

And your saints below join with Your saints above
Rejoicing in the risen Lamb
My heart is filled . . .

I hear a piercing screech, followed by sobs and gasps.
Rachel: MOM! Malachi just fell!
I scoop up my crying son and kiss his forehead, which now sports a rapidly growing goose egg.
Rachel: Can I please finish painting my tea set?
Me: We'll be eating lunch as soon as I finish playing through my songs. After that, you may finish painting.
Rachel: OK. When will you be done playing?
Me: I have no idea.

Malachi seems to be OK, so I sit him down with a slice of cheese, which he devours.

My heart is filled with a thousand songs
Proclaiming the glories of Calvary . . .

Zeke: MOOOMMM!!!
Me: What?
Zeke: NOW I MADE A DINOSAUR LEG AND FOOT!!

I look, and sure enough, he's made a ginormous dinosaur leg and foot, using all of the legos. Why, oh why, is he ONLY fast when I actually WANT him to be slow?

"OK, listen up, everyone!" I holler. "DO NOT interrupt Mommy anymore. I need to finish this song!!"
Karis: "Mommy, can I get down?"
Me: No! Not until I'm finished.

My heart is filled with a thousand songs, proclaiming the glories of Calvary
With every breath, Lord, how I long to sing of Jesus, Who died for me . ..

Me: Mr. Moo, I don't need any help playing the guitar, buddy.

Lord, take me deeper, into the . . .

Me: No, I also don't need any more pics.

Lord, take me deeper, into the glories . . .

Malachi: I pooped.

Lord, take me deeper, into the glories

Karis: Mommy, if Zeke is mean to me, does that mean he's going to hell?

Lord, take me deeper, into the glories

Rachel: Can Alli PLEASE come over? I'm bored.

. . . of Calvary

Zeke: MOM! I MADE THE EIFFEL TOWER!

Wright Family 2009 Christmas Letter

2009-12-14T22:04:00.000-08:00

The end of one year, the beginning of another . . .

I've said it before and it's still true: I wish Danny and I could sit down across the table from you, and over mugs of hot coffee (or your beverage of choice) pour out our hearts about the ways we've each seen Christ at work over the past year. But, because of time and/or distance, this poor attempt at a year-end blog update will have to do for now. (Feel free to have a hot cup of coffee with me while you read it!)

Along with millions of others, I gather a few moments here and there to pause and remember what 2009 has held for our family. And to resolve to do better with certain things in 2010. It hasn't been an easy year, in a lot of ways. But it's been a good one. Because God is good - so good He sent His only Son Jesus to be born in an unassuming little stable in Bethlehem, so He could later give His life to "save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). He's offered us eternal life and salvation from our sins! Everything else is just gravy, really.

Speaking of gravy, God has gifted us with a lot of it! Danny and I are so thankful for each other and for our 4 little munchkins. Here is a brief update on their craziness:

Rachel (Shrumshine)
This year Rachel turned 7 and began second grade. She has loved being involved as a Spark in the AWANA program - it keeps her, and us, accountable to memorize Scripture regularly. She also enjoyed playing soccer this spring, with Daddy as her coach. We thought the soccer was a good idea, since everything else in her life is about as girly as it gets. Her great loves are spending time with friends, talking, helping me around the house, BTO Yogurt, talking, reading "Magic Tree House" books, writing in her journal, and talking. If you're ever tempted to ask her what a book is about, trust me - you will save time by actually reading the book! She has a very chatty side, but she can also be very reflective, asking questions that often make me stop and think, or tell her to wait and ask her dad when he gets home! Other words to describe her would be: imaginative, bossy, dramatic, craft queen. Oh, and she also has the best smile ever - so sweet.

Zeke (Beef Man)
Now that he's 5 and in kindergarten, Zekers has begun referring to himself as "Ezekiel", but skeptical Mommy doesn't think it will stick. I have never been around a child who loves school, and riding the bus, so much. He loves doing "centers" with his classmates. He loves to read. And he loves to talk very loudly. His teacher recently informed me that he is the loudest student in his class, by a very wide margin. Zekers is completely transparent: what you see is what you get. His big accomplishment this year was learning to ride his bike. He has also enjoyed being an AWANA Spark. He played soccer with Rachel, and loved it until he discovered (around the 4th game) that it involved running! He is, and always will be, his own little person, operating on his own timetable. He becomes extremely offended (and lets me know it!) when I fix something for dinner that he doesn't care for, but he's also the first one to thank me when I make something he likes. While Rachel is in school and the other 2 are napping, we've spent some fun afternoons together, working on school stuff or playing board games (he always wins).

Karis (Bop Bop)
Karis turned 4 in August, and she's our little split personality. She has a mind of her own and has been on the receiving end of more spankings than all three of her siblings combined. But she's also a super sweet little aspiring mommy. Her favorite things are: playing house, singing, screaming, playing any kind of imaginative game, playing with friends, calling the shots, and going to Broadway Joe's for hot chocolate. When she's with a lot of people, she's pretty quiet, but get her one-on-one, and your ears will ring with her squawky voice, going on and on. Just when we begin to despair that her stubbornness and rebellion will never get any better, she tells us that she can't wait until she gets to heaven, because she won't sin anymore and she wants to see Jesus. She's such a little thing and can't ever seem to keep her pants up, yet she can beat up her older 2 siblings without much effort. What can I say? She keeps us all on our toes. This is Karis' second year to attend AWANA Cubbies - learning Bible verses, seeing puppet shows, doing crafts and learning more about Jesus.

Malachi (Mr. Moo or Wheezer)
At 2, he's a tank, although you wouldn't guess it to look at him. Nearly every day when Danny arrives home from work, he's greeted by a head-butt and attempted tackle from Moo. I guess the youngest of four has to be tough to survive! He's got a fun little personality, and has always been my super snuggler. Every time he gets out of bed, he runs to me for snuggles - too sweet. I've also realized lately that I MIGHT have spoiled him just the tiniest bit, and am doing my best to stop (most of the time). He can be very demanding and has quite a temper. He loves to yell "THANK YOU!", he loves to play with Karis while the other 2 are at school, he loves to pray before meals - for everyone he knows, he loves pizza, and he loves to make his brother and sisters laugh. He started going to "big boy" Sunday School for the first time this fall, and he really likes his class and teachers.

Danny & Charity
This year has brought lots of growth for us, too. In September we spent a wonderful week in North Carolina on our first family vacation. The church has continued to grow, which has brought some unexpected blessings, as well as challenges (but mostly blessings). Our nursery is exploding, as are all the children's classrooms.

Danny feels incredibly blessed to be serving in a job he loves. He has preached through maybe 2 of the toughest books of the Bible: Leviticus and Ecclesiastes. He's been stretched as his ministry has broadened this year to include much more counseling of couples, individuals and even families. He continues to be very involved in fantasy sports, as well - a vital part of life. He has done a wonderful job of leading our home. It brings such joy to my heart to see him wrestling around with the kiddos after work, making them squeal and belly laugh. But he also pours into them spiritually. He's had many meaningful conversations with the older three about things that truly matter. He bought Rachel her first "real" study Bible this summer, which she carries with her everywhere.

I have continued to be a part of 'Grace Moms', a group where younger moms come monthly to spend time together, be challenged in their walk, and be mentored by more seasoned moms. I also enjoy being part of a church worship team once every three weeks. Mostly, I'm thankful to be able to stay home with my children and to love and support Danny. It is a privilege I don't want to take for granted. I am thrilled to report that I ran my first 5K (hopefully not the last!) with some friends in June. My time was not noteworthy enough to put down, but I was proud of myself just for finishing!

This has been an odd year for me, health-wise. From February to September, I had a series of "episodes", involving the most intense pain I've ever experienced, along with many other unpleasant symptoms. For a period of time, they seemed to hit mostly after I ran in the mornings. The worst of these caused me to go unconscious for several hours and spend a few days in the hospital. Many tests were done, all of which came up negative. So . . . we aren't any closer to figuring out the cause of these mysterious episodes, the last of which hit over our vacation; but they seem to have tapered off for now, and I can live with that!

Also, in October I had surgery on my left ear and have regained much of the hearing I'd lost in the past 7 years (due to hormone changes, the dr. says)! It's wonderful to be able to actually follow conversations and not continually ask people to repeat themselves; not so wonderful to realize the full volume of fighting and carryings-on around here! But it has been a true gift from God, for which I am grateful.

The words from Handel's Messiah, taken from Isaiah 53, haunt even as they comfort: Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows . . . he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by His wounds we are healed. What beautiful, beautiful words.

The perfect Son of God, born to die . . . then to defeat the grave by being raised from the dead and seated at God's right hand . . . Immanuel - God with us - born to save us from our sins . . . Jesus.

May this Christmas fill you with wonder and gratitude for undeserved gifts . . . for family . . . for friends . . . for health . . . and for the greatest gift of all: LIFE!

Merry Christmas!

Love, Danny, Charity, Rachel, Zeke, Karis & Malachi

Ah, the Memories

2009-12-05T10:59:00.001-08:00

Today I tackled a dreaded and daunting project: cleaning & reorganizing the filing cabinets. Not my favorite way to spend the morning, but SO great to not to have it taunting me every time I come down to the basement! It's amazing how much junk paperwork a family can accumulate in 5 years. And it's also kind of interesting the things you find - things long forgotten but good for a chuckle.

One such thing was a letter written about 12 years ago, to "the Office of Chesterfield Villiage", and home of the first apartment we occupied as a married couple, in Richmond, VA. It was one of those places that nearly jumps off the cover of the apartment showcasing catalog you're given upon arriving in a new city . . . absolutely sparkling with potential as it beckons hapless renters into its web of deception. The model we walked through was, of course, immaculate in its perfection, and with no reservations, we signed away the next year of our young lives.

So, here is an excerpt from the letter I found, written about 3 months later . . .

To: The Office of Chesterfield Village
Re: Brief description of why we are disappointed with your service

Things we've reported that remain unchanged
* kitchen carpet is still dirty (turns our feet black)
* windows are still filthy

Things wrong with the place when we moved in
* screen door broken
* ceiling cracked and sagging
* several drawers fall out when pulled open
* cupboard under sink bowed, shelf broken (we fixed it)
* kitchen carpet cut too short around refrigerator
* tile old and mildewy (can't get it clean)
* shower doors soap-scum stained (can't get clean)
* one shower door does not stay on runner
* many surfaces have dust balls and /or other small items spray-pained onto them.
* kitchen cabinet above oven has black tar-like substance on it
* bathroom cabinet is warped and bowed
* all cupboards full of bugs
* hallway wall is blistered
* kitchen and bathroom baseboards stained
* bathroom tiles are cracked
* weight room has no pins for weights
* carpet has many stains
* kitchen sink stained
* oven did not work (you fixed this)
* fitness room door lock broken (after 3 weeks of telling us it would be fixed "today", you fixed it)
* fleas in the carpet (you exterminated them, after I asked repeatedly and visited the office)
* kitchen counter loose
* paint coming off in areas (you fixed this)

Other things to consider
* Our door mat was stolen
* other residents' cats are often on our patio
* my wife is having continuous trouble with her sinuses from the dust / mildew in our place
* washing machine regularly fails to clean laundry. It actually stained a load Saturday, and the spin cycle failed to work.
* We sent a letter to GSC on October 8, 1997 . . . On October 14, we received a letter from GSC stating they were sorry and would inform your office. We have never received any response from your office.

I remember it was within days that the office of "Chester the Molester" (as Danny came to call it) informed us we would be released from our contract without the $1,000 penalty (people were leaving like crazy b/c of several shootings which had taken place in one of the parking lots, so they kept raising the penalty), ONLY because of the line item mentioning my allergic reaction to the dust & mildew. We moved into a much cleaner / larger / nicer apartment near the church where Danny was the youth pastor - an apartment where parents would actually allow their youth group aged kids to come and hang out!

This seems like a bit of a random finding; but I believe that in God's ever-perfect timing, He provided this unassuming piece of memorabilia to give me an extra shot of gratitude for the house where we currently live. He took care of us that first year, and has continued to keep us in His care. Thank you Jesus, and thank you Chester the Molester!

Most Wonderful

2009-11-28T17:14:00.000-08:00

I never realized what a kid I am until I had kids of my own, who provided me with a legitimate excuse to get crazy excited this time of year!!

What a fun week it's been! It all began on Wednesday evening, when we bundled up and drove down to Cincinnati for the "Festival of Lights" kick-off at the zoo. We walked past millions of lights; sang songs and read a story with Mrs. Claus; visited 2 live reindeer; rode the train past millions more lights; hugged Frosty, 2 gingerbread men and several elves; watched a couple of rapping tiger heads; and headed home at 9 when the zoo closed. We were hoping to see Santa, but when we arrived at his crib around 8:30, w were told that "Santa has gone back to the north pole." (I think that's code for "Santa is taking a smoking break") On the trip home, Moo and Karis stayed awake for the entire 90 minutes, and I don't think Karis paused for breath between stories.

Thursday we enjoyed the traditional Thanksgiving manicotti with Danny's parents and spent the evening playing "Mexican Train." Danny and the kiddos headed home, while my MIL, FIL and I drove to Toys R Us for the midnight sale - a first (and last) for all of us! I have never seen such craziness - and I'm used to the Black Friday crowds. After waiting in a line which nearly wrapped around the ENTIRE building, and fighting our way through a sea of other seriously messed-up people, I was able to procure some of what I was after for the kiddos, making the whole escapade a roaring success. We called my FIL, who had slept in the truck for the nearly 2 hours we were there, headed back to their house, and fell into bed around 1:45. I somehow don't think he'll be giving me that stack of ads to look through on Thanksgiving Day next year!

I woke back up at 4:15 and headed to 3 other places, where I landed HUGE savings, before driving back home by 8:00am. Woo hoo! My Christmas shopping is officially finished! Also, this day is great for adding to my "gift stash" for birthday parties the kiddos go to for the whole of next year - it allows me to get some really nice things and save some serious cash.

When I got home, we ate breakfast, cleaned up the house and drove out to our favorite Christmas Tree farm, where we had a blast cutting down our tree. Zeke, for some reason, felt it necessary to wear a necktie over his T-shirt for the day, and kept his coat unzipped to show it off, until I got really cold and made him zip it back up.

On our way back home, we did our traditional lunch stop at Red & Ruth's pizza in Palestine. Yum! Last year we made such good time cutting down our tree that we were too early to eat lunch there. I've never seen Danny so disappointed. This year, he made sure we didn't even leave the house until after 10:30 just to be safe!

We came home, spent the afternoon decorating the tree and the house, and watched Elf while eating bowls of cinnamon-sugar popcorn. Really - does it get any better than that??

Today, my sister and her family, and my mom and dad, came over for a turkey dinner. Other than the fact that the stinkin' turkey took about 2 hours longer to cook than my downloaded "turkey cooking time" chart had indicated, the day was a success. I highly recommend turkey brining - delicious! The cousins played, the men watched football, and the women-folk had a chance to talk and snuggle with Ellie, my littlest niece. We took a walk to the park, came home and had turkey sandwiches!

Right now, it's not difficult to think of things to be thankful for. It's nice to spend time with family - both immediate and extended. And it's nice to have holiday traditions. Now, to wrap all those presents . . .

Change Isn't Always a Bad Thing

2009-11-21T06:21:00.000-08:00

When you have kids, a lot of things change. You would think I'd be used to it by now. But, every once in a while, I'm hit with something else that just won't be the way I'd prefer for it to be for a very, very long time.

It occurred to me once again this week, as we began preparing for Christmas . . .

Little pecan tarts, along with other fancy fare, have given way to frosted sugar cookies. We spend much more time now listening to kids' Christmas CDs, watching Frosty the Snowman and singing "Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg" than we did in the pre-kid era. But the single facet of Christmas that's taken the biggest hit is the decorations - specifically the tree.

My ideal tree is decorated with white lights, beautiful bows, and yards and yards of homemade cranberry & popcorn garland. Their ideal tree is decked out with multi-colored lights, mis-matched ornaments, and tinsel, and topped with a star that alternately shines blue and green. And the worst part is, it doesn't AT ALL match the deep jewel-tone colors of our tree skirt!!

Then there is the matter of the fat felt stuffed tree with felt velcro-attaching ornaments that sits in their rooms. And the fiber-optic tree in the basement. And the stuffed white teddy bears with Santa hats that I try unsuccessfully to shove back into the box every year.

So - I can view all of this as the garish replacing the elegant, OR . . . . I can view it as fun replacing pristine . . . for now.

The day will come when our tree will once again shine in its perfection of white lights and color-coordinated bows and cranberry garland. But for now I'm going to wholeheartedly enjoy the shining delight on four little faces as they bask in the glow of colored lights and blinking star. And I'm going to remind myself - and them - that after all, the tree that gives us reason to celebrate Christmas was made of two rough beams of wood, and soaked with the blood of God's own Son, so that we can enjoy eternal perfection with HIM - forever.

I guess with that in mind, I can put up with a few colored lights!

In Progress

2009-11-11T12:31:00.000-08:00

Starting in September, our yard has been going through a bit of a makeover . . .

Phase 1
Old driveway

No driveway

New driveway

Phase 2
It was a sad day. Our 2 backyard trees, which have provided shade for us these past 7 years, had to be put to sleep. One was dead already, and the other would have been completely dead a year or 2 from now. I miss them so much, but it needed to be done. (and it's been a lot less raking this fall!) Plus, my dad was able to haul the wood away to use this winter.

No more trees *sob*. When we had the old driveway broken up, we only repaved it to the garage, so we could seed over the part that cut through our back yard.

Phase 3
Killing the grass with industrial strength weed killer. It took about 2 weeks to die a slow, painful, depressing death.

Phase 4
Tilling & Re-seeding
Danny & his dad spent the better part of an afternoon tearing up the back yard and spreading seed.

Waiting . . .

And then, this week . . . .

Hallelujah! Now all that's left to do is maybe some over-seeding and a fence when spring comes. Thanks be to God, we've had great weather this fall for our grass to come in. Can't wait to use our much larger, fenced-in backyard next spring & summer!

Catching Up

2009-11-07T10:18:00.000-08:00

Life never stops, whether I post about it or not! So . . . now that we're just a few weeks away from Thanksgiving, here are a few random pics from October.

We celebrated Mr. Moo's birthday with a family gathering and Elmo cake. I've definitely gotten my money's worth on my Elmo Wilton cake pan, since I think I've used it for every one of our kiddos for their second birthday. They all seem to go bonkers over Elmo around the time they turn 2, which is fine by me, since this cake is super easy to make.

Our annual day at Brumbaugh's Fruit Farm for Fall Fun Fest. We went with friends who also have four kiddos about the same ages as ours and then had pizza at our place afterward. I gave the kiddos "hot chocolate", which turned out to be cappuccino - wrong cannister! Oops. I don't think any of them slept that night.

Each year, trying to fit our growing number of kiddos on the turkey gets more interesting . . .

OK, this Belle is a little scary!

It was a rather windy day.

Several weekends ago, we had the chance to go with some wonderful, new friends to La Comedia dinner theater to see a production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat. Afterward, I got a picture with Elvis/Pharaoh. He and the guy who played Joseph did an excellent job.

The kiddos have had a blast with the fallen leaves. Mr. Moo loves to "help" rake them up, and then scatter them all over the yard again. My little helper.

This past Wednesday was '80s night at AWANA. Oh, the memories . . .

Now I'm going to enjoy the beautiful fall day. I love this season!

Grandparents Day

2009-10-24T19:10:00.000-07:00

Today was a good day, but also a little sobering.

We took off early this morning to visit my Grandma Miller and my Grandpa & Grandma Emch, who all live in northeast Ohio. The drive takes a little over 3 hours, and what a pretty drive it was! The autumn leaves that lined the highway for at least half of our trip stood out even more brightly than usual against the rainy gray of the sky.

We met Grandma Miller for lunch at 11:30 (she's in an assisted care facility in Wooster), and stayed for about 2 hours. We've found that is the maximum amount of time 4 young children can last in a nursing home! All through lunch I worried that the others in the dining room would be annoyed with the amount of noise the kiddos were making. They were very well-behaved, but definitely NOT quiet. It was so sweet, though, how many of them came over to say hi to us and tell us how delightful it was to have children around. We couldn't get Malachi to turn around and face the table, and then realized that he was busy flirting with several older ladies across the room!

Grandma showed us her new "apartment" and got out her surprisingly large collection of stuffed cows for the kiddos to play with. Even though she has a lot of trouble walking, she took us down several long hallways to see the brightly-colored birds kept in one of the common areas.

We then headed over to Rittman, to the nursing home where my Grandpa Emch is staying. He had surgery to remove cancer in his bladder several months ago, and hasn't been doing great. There's no telling what each day will bring for him, health-wise. We spent another couple of hours with him, my Grandma and my mom, who is helping her pack up for a move to Columbus next month.

At first Karis and Malachi wouldn't go near him. I think the tubes and hospital bed scared them a little. But by the end of the afternoon, Karis warmed up to the point that she actually played a game with him that involved touching his nose and getting her hand "snarfed." And Moo took every opportunity to tell Grandma & Grandpa that he's now 2, and he had an Elmo cake for his birthday, which Mommy made, and Daddy didn't make it because he had to work. Too funny. And Grandpa may have lost some of his health and memory, but he certainly hasn't lost his sense of humor.

I keep mulling over the day, and I can't help thinking that we need to do this kind of thing more often, and not just with our own grandparents. It was amazing to me just how much just seeing a bunch of crazy, snotty kids can brighten the day for so many people. I think it was good for them, too - to learn about encouraging others by saying hi and stopping to chat a little. They did great today. I was so proud of them.

It's difficult to see my grandparents getting older and more weak and frail. It's difficult knowing that this may be the last day we get to spend with them. Of course, this is true for anyone - we don't know how many days are ordained for us to live - but when someone is very old or very sick, this reality is so much more evident. I'm thankful to have my grandparents, and I'm thankful for all of the older saints that God has placed in our lives. It made for a long day, spending over 6 hours in the van and getting home late tonight, but today was precious, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

I Hear You

2009-10-18T15:13:00.000-07:00

Last Monday, I received a prosthetic ear bone. It amazes me what modern technology, and a good surgeon, are capable of. But mostly I see it as a gift from God.

With each pregnancy over the last 7 years, I've lost hearing. After Rachel was born I'd lost about 75% in my right ear and 25% in the left. After some testing, the ENT specialist informed me that due to hormonal changes, one of the three bones in my middle ear had malfunctioned, but could be replaced (via laser surgery) with a small prosthetic bone. So, six years ago, I got my right ear back.

Since then, I've slowly lost the hearing in my left ear, until it was basically useless. So, last Monday I had surgery once again. I was disappointed to have to go under anesthesia this time (apparently I was being "uncooperative" - but as I can't recall any of it, I can't defend myself on that count!), but this week has been somewhat surreal. Life suddenly got LOUDER.

For the past several days it has come and gone - sometimes I can't hear a thing, while other times it feels like everyone is yelling through a megaphone right into my ear. This is "normal", the surgeon says, and could last for several months.

I see this as a gift for a number of reasons. But there's one unexpected gift I hadn't even thought about: the gift of music. I didn't even realize how "fuzzy" sounding everything was on Sunday mornings, just sort of dull and the tones always sounded a little off. But this morning . . . WOW. Amazing. I was able to worship like I haven't for a long time, overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of hearing a room full of people lifting their voices to the Savior; the crystal clear instrumentation; the ebbing and flowing and intermingling of harmonies. It all felt like it was right there inside my head! It sort of reminded me of when I got glasses for the first time, and was blown away to see every leaf on every tree in vivid detail.

I think that tomorrow morning, and many mornings to follow, when the kiddos all wake up yelling and carrying on, I will be tempted not to refer to this as the gift that it is (or when Danny starts to snore and I can no longer roll over onto my "good" ear). But I am so grateful for a God who not only gives me what I need, but lavishes on my so many things that are just . . . gravy. Thank You, Lord, for the gift of this morning.

A Time To Work, and a Time to go on Vacation

2009-10-06T12:31:00.000-07:00

Last week we headed into uncharted territory . . . our first ever family vacation!

Our destination was New Bern, NC, a beautiful, historic city located at the convergence point of 2 different rivers. We were about one hour from the Crystal Coast, 3 hours north of Myrtle Beach and 3 hrs. south of the Outer Banks. On the map, the star marks the location of New Bern, and the narrow strip of land off the coast, marked "Emerald Isle" is where we took several day trips - to the beach, aquarium, and Fort Macon.

To be honest, we had no idea what to expect, and were a bit fearful about how the kiddos would do on the 12-hour drive. At the last minute, we decided to leave on Thursday night around 11, instead of Friday morning as we'd planned. Genius! The kiddos slept OK - not great - but did just fine and were awake for only about 5 hours of the trip. Since they hadn't gotten a ton of sleep, we all crashed on Friday night around 8:00! (Danny had only slept for about an hour, and I'd gotten about 3-4 hours.) It was totally worth it.

Since the weather was somewhat rainy over the weekend, we stayed around our condo, used the pool & workout room, and visited a nearby fossil museum. Despite the nauseatingly evolutionary flavor of the museum, we all enjoyed the displays of huge shark teeth and other fossils discovered along the North Carolina coast. The kiddos particularly enjoyed the dig outside the museum, where we spent several hours and unearthed aver 100 small shark teeth.

I'd packed each of the kiddos their own "activity box", with books, coloring/ drawing supplies, and various other activities. This kept them so occupied, they didn't even end up watching most of the movies we'd brought. Their boxes served us especially well during all the day trips we took.

The hands-on paleontological dig outside the Aurora Fossil Museum

Our first 7 shark teeth! (which the wind blew back into the dig, never to be seen by us again)

We spent one day at Emerald Isle, which felt almost like our own private beach!

We walked to the end of this fishing pier, and saw a shark circling at the end of it. One fisherman told us it was an 8-to 10-footer.

The North Carolina aquarium was absolutely one of the most kid-friendly places we've ever gone. The kiddos got to witness a "live dive" - a diver spoke to them and answered questions from inside the shark / sea turtle tank. They also held a baby sea turtle, fed rainbow trout, "petted" stingrays, and saw hundreds of sea creatures, all from North Carolina's rivers & coast.

Fort Macon - a strategic stronghold taken by the north in the Civil war. The whole thing is underground and from a distance just looks like a mound of grass. It's surrounded on 3 sides by the Atlantic Ocean.

How Mr. Moo seemed to spend a great deal of our trip. Nearly every day he managed to fall into the water. One day he slipped in a giant puddle. Another day he fell into the pond behind our condo and thoroughly soaked himself. He spent a lot of time shirtless.

The "home away from home." Thank goodness for the kitchen! We ate all but 3 or 4 of our meals in, or packed them in the cooler. If not for the kitchen, this trip wouldn't have been possible.

Our accommodations included a fold-out bed, a loft and a king-size bed.

Mr. Moo got the large closet. It may seem like child abuse, but seriously - all 4 of them fought over who got to sleep there! He loved it so much that every day, at least several times, he had to take Danny or me back there to show us his "special room." He was so proud of it.

Fun with perspective. "Bern" is the Swiss word for "bear" (the city was settled by the Swiss & Germans 299 years ago), so there are lots of cool bear carvings throughout the historic district of New Bern. This particular bear was about 12 feet tall.

The "Cow Cafe" - a highlight for the kiddos. Everything was cow themed, including the large play room at the back of the cafe, where we all had homemade ice cream.

We visited the Fireman's Museum one morning and learned that in 1922, 2 huge fires wiped out about 1/3 of new Bern and left hundreds homeless. Our tour guide was VERY excited about the city's history, and we were the only customers that morning, so we got an earful!!

View from the highway, which spanned several miles of river.

The historic Tryon Palace, which reminded us of Colonial Williamsburg on a smaller scale. Everyone was in period dress - the time period prior to the Revoluntionary War.

Just one of many perimeter gardens

I found out an interesting fact: I make applesauce the same way they made it over 200 years ago! Who knew? I guess I need to find some new applesauce technology.

The way Mr. Moo spent most of our day at the palace - in meltdown mode. I thought it was brilliant, though, that they have 2 separate tour guides: one for normal people, and one for families with small children! We got our own personalized, accelerated tour through the palace, and the other guests were actually able to enjoy their tour.

Taken at a park where we ate dinner one evening

Just one of many "historic landmark" houses throughout New Bern. We spent a whole afternoon just walking the city streets.

So, thanks to the good friends who made this trip possible, we enjoyed one of the best weeks we've ever had as a family. But, as nice as it was to spend a week away, we were glad to come back home again (although I think Moo missed his closet). And we can now tell you more than you ever wanted to know about New Bern, North Carolina!

All About Moo

2009-09-24T11:21:00.000-07:00

Next Saturday, our Mr. Moo will celebrate his 2nd birthday. This thought fills me with a strange mixture of emotions. I'm a little sad that my baby is getting so big, in spite of my best efforts to keep this from happening. At the same time, it's been an absolute joy to watch him grow! He's not the same bald, high-maintenance little guy he was a year ago. (Now he has hair!)

I thought I'd jot down a few unique qualities of Mr. Moo . . .

~ To ask for something, he says "Pleeeeeeaaaaase", while rubbing his chest with BOTH hands.

~ He is capable of beating up any and all of his siblings!

~ I've lost count of the number of goose eggs / head injuries he's acquired in the past few months.

~ His mouth is always open.

~ One of his favorite games involves punching me in the arm. I then "punch" him back in the chest, arm or stomach, which makes him laugh hysterically.

~ Speaking of laughs, he's got the happiest, dorkiest, most contagious belly laugh I've ever heard.

~ He does everything 100%, which is what's earned him his other nickname of "Full Throttle."

~ I never knew it was possible for a child to be this messy or just plain disgusting, until Moo came along. He's actually drooled in my mouth while giving me a kiss, and pretty much makes me gag on a daily basis.

~ If you call him anything else, he'll say, "No, I'm Moo." (He does answer to the name "Malachi" as well)

~ He's a clown. There's nothing more motivating to him than getting a laugh. Good luck trying to stop him when that happens!

~ He thinks he can do everything his siblings do - never mind that they're all older. He became enraged at the beginning of the summer, when reality set in and it became obvious he wasn't going to be able to ride a bike without training wheels. He also likes to stand on a stool in front of the potty without his diaper. Nothing ever comes out, but he's proud as punch just the same.

~ Possibly the most endearing quality about Moo: He's a Mama's boy. He gives great bear hugs, and loves to nestle into me.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Moo - I love you!

Spring 2008

Fall 2008

First haircut - August 2009

September 2009

Random Bits of Humor

2009-09-17T12:31:00.000-07:00

On Labor Day, we took a family bike ride. This struck me as funny for a couple of reasons:

1. Rachel and Zekers both rode their own bikes, while Karis rode on the extension behind Danny's bike, and Mr. Moo rode in the child's seat behind me. It's been like this for the past several months, ever since I told the kids that riding bikes would help their legs get stronger for the kiddie tractor pull coming up in September! Now they can't get enough of riding their bikes - it's hard to motivate them, but every once in a while you hit on that perfect thing, and this was it!

2. On that day, apparently, "riding bikes" meant "racing as fast as possible through puddles at the now-empty fairgrounds." You can see the results below. Fortunately, every bit of mud washed out. It's not too difficult to tell which child was shielded by the baby seat . . .

This is Zekers, about five minutes after insisting, "I'm not tired at all, Mom!"

Danny was away speaking at a men's retreat last weekend, so I planned some "special" things for the kiddos and I to do together. We hung out at the park, tried the new frozen yogurt place in town (a big hit!), and to top it all off, I rented The Parent Trap - the original one with Hailey Mills. Rachel has a CD with the song "Let's Get Together" from the movie. She sings it all the time and has wanted to see the movie for months.

Well, she loved The Parent Trap, but what I didn't realize was that there is actually a Parent Trap 2 on the same disc, which she begged for days to watch. So, last night, the night after the movie was due back, we finally relented.

It was AWFUL. Or at least, the few snippets I saw were awful, and poor Danny was forced to watch the whole thing while reading books to Mr. Moo. It had to have been made in the late '70s, and Hailey Mills was now in her 50's, with about the cheesiest plot line, not to mention "acting", I've ever seen. The real entertainment was watching Danny's face!

Then there was the time several days ago when we were driving in the van, listening to Karis sing "Seal, seal, seal without llamas, it is not good to have." After about 10 minutes, we finally figured out that she was attempting to sing a song from one of her Scripture memory CDs, entitled "Zeal Without Knowledge." I think maybe we've taken one too many trips to the zoo!

And here it is . . . the day we've been "training" for all summer: the one, the only - Kiddie Tractor Pull at Jeff & Tammy Dietrich's missionary benefit. All three of the kiddos placed. There were three contestants in each age category. Karis brought home a 2nd place trophy, Rachel third and Zekers placed first. This was HUGE for him, since last year, I think he MIGHT have moved the tractor about 6 inches. All three of them fared better than Danny and I, who were soundly beaten in the cornhole tourney. I just had to laugh, though, at how important those trophies were to them. Now I have to find a place to put the stinkin' things!

Joy and Tears

2009-09-13T17:19:00.000-07:00

The joy is theirs. The tears are mine. What else could it be but the first day of school? I had a particularly difficult time watching Zekers get on the bus and pull away for the first time. I nearly collapsed in a puddle of tears as all the other, more sane, parents were waving happily to their excited children. Fortunately, it was Danny's day off, because I cried off and on all morning and then tried to drown out my sorrow with chocolate.

A very happy, excited Zekers exited the bus around 12:30, so that made me feel a bit better. Rachel and Zekers both have wonderful teachers, which also helps. In fact, although I haven't had a chance to get to know Rachel's teachers much, Zeke's teacher seems to be a perfect fit for him.

And so begins another school year. The summers are nice, but I'm ready to get back into a routine. And I'm consoling myself by planning things with the other 2 that I can't do with four: bike rides, trips to Wal-Mart that involve everyone fitting into the cart; more time to focus on just Malachi and Karis.

So here are the mandatory "first day of school" pics. I thought it was extra sweet that Rachel & Zekers held hands getting on the bus.

Zeke's 1st day of school, Rachel's 4th day of school

Getting on the bus in the morning

Zekers getting off the bus at 12:30

Zekers with his teacher

My Girls

2009-09-11T12:00:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe Rachel is 7 and Karis is 4. As per our yearly tradition, we looked through their scrapbooks, relived the days surrounding their birth and enjoyed once again seeing the many ways they grew - especially the first year. In my personal opinion, each "stage" of their lives has been better, and more fun, than the one before.

So, here are a few ways I've enjoyed watching them grow in the past year:

Rachel

1. She's grown in her love of reading. In Kindergarten, it was a daily struggle to get her to read ANYTHING. Now, she gets up early, runs out to the living room, and simply devours books. Her current favorites are the Boxcar Children and Magic Tree House book series. She reminds me a lot of myself at her age; although I'm hoping she won't need glasses as young as I did!

2. She's grown in her capacity to think critically. It's crazy the questions a 6-7 year old can come up with, and quite honestly, she's stumped me a few times. She asked me several months ago, "If God created everything, does that mean He created sin?" That's when I so cleverly reply, "Go ask your father!" But seriously, we've had some great conversations lately on a plethora of topics. It's wonderful to be able to talk with her on more of an adult level; to see her wrestle with and ask questions about different topics.

3. She's grown in taking initiative. She's started asking to help out more - and actually helping! She offers to do dishes, she makes her bed first thing without being asked, she helps out a LOT with Malachi (and often smothers him almost to death), and she reads to the younger two. It's just the coolest thing to see her growing up and thinking of others.

Kari Bou

1. She's grown in stubbornness. I know this seems like a negative - and trust me, it has been at many times! Honestly, this has been a very rough year for her (and for Danny and me!); but I love that she has a mind of her own, and if by God's grace we can continue to be consistent to "train in godliness", this very quality which has given us such headaches will become a huge asset to her in the future.

2. She's grown in sweetness. As stubborn as she can be, she more than makes up for it with hugs, kisses and snuggles. And she's a born nurturer. All day long, she carries around one or two baby dolls, dresses and undresses them, changes their diapers, puts them to bed, breastfeeds and burps them, and gives me instructions on how to care for them when she's "out." It's too cute.

3. She's grown in her comprehension of sin. If there's one truly positive thing that's come from disciplining her this year, it's that struggling over the same issues nearly every day has shown her a need for Christ. It started out as a way to avoid consequences. Her responses went from "But Mom, I'm just a kid - I can't be good ALL the time", to "Mom, even when I try as hard as I can, I do bad things." She's very aware - more than the others were at this age - that she's a sinner who needs Jesus' help to do the right things. Through some heartbreaking episodes, God has opened the door for both Danny and me to have some really cool conversations with her.

I love you girls so much, and I pray often that you will grow every day in your knowledge of, and love for, Christ. I can't wait to see what this year holds for each of you . . .

Baby Makes 8

2009-09-10T05:45:00.001-07:00

My parents are now the proud grandparents of eight! My sister Hannah and her husband Kenneth just welcomed their third child, a sweet baby girl, into the world around 8:00 on Wednesday morning. She weighed in at 6 lb. 11 oz.

Zeke, Karis and I dropped off Mr. Moo to take a nap at Grandma Wright's house, then drove to Kettering to see our new little niece / cousin. The only bummer was that no kids are allowed in the maternity area unless they are the patients' children, so, with tears of disappointment, Zekers and Kari Bou waited out in the lobby with Uncle Kenneth. Their tears quickly evaporated, though, when they realized he had brought them crackers!

Aunt Hannah was nice enough to bring their little baby cousin right up to the main door of the maternity ward so the kiddos could at least get a look at her in person.

So, even though there was some talk of changing her name, I'll go ahead and say . . . Welcome, Elizabeth (Ellie) Joy!

Best of GDCF 2009

2009-09-07T15:12:00.000-07:00

I've tried to figure out what it is that brings us back, year after year, to the Great Darke County Fair. Is it the crowds? The dust & dirt? The noise? The colorfully-worded T-shirts? The greasy food? Walking until our legs are numb?

After our 8th fair week (can't believe we've lived here that long!!), I still can't really answer that question. All I can say is, we look forward to this week all summer, especially the kiddos! Their absolute favorite thing to do - and what kept us coming back every day but one - was visiting the animals. I believe we may have spent more money on animal food than on funnel cakes. As for Danny and me, like most everyone else attending, it's the sense of community: running into dozens of people you know; catching up with friends you haven't seen in a while; taking some time off from the normal routine and doing something a little different.

In any case, it's always an adventure! (and I still think deep-fried twinkies sound absolutely revolting)

My sister Hannah, her 2 kiddos, and my mom came up one day so the kids could all do rides together. This has become a yearly tradition for us.

In 4 years, we have yet to take a picture where our kids actually appear to be enjoying themselves on the ferris wheel!

One evening, we met a very nice girl who told the kiddos all about her horse, and even let them pet him.

The absolute favorite place was a tent that housed many unusual animals, including pot-belly pigs, emus, and angora goats. Every day, we bought a cup of feed which the kiddos divided among themselves to give to the animals.

Thanks to some friends, Rachel was able to go inside a pen and spend some quality time with several pigs.

Farmer Zeke

The next best thing to Clifford

For the first time, Rachel and Zekers sat in a seat by themselves on the BIG ferris wheel. There were a lot of tears at first, but by the end I think they really liked it. (I couldn't go with them, since I rode in a seat with Karis, and Danny stayed down below with Mr. Moo.)

Mr. Moo LOVED the bumper cars! He went several times with both Danny and me.

After driving his own car one time, Zekers got off and announced, "I'm never driving again!" I'm documenting this so I can remind him of it about 10 years from now.

Afternoon at the Museum

2009-08-28T19:53:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago, Danny and I spent a day at the Creation Museum. We liked it so much, we decided to return - with our three oldest kiddos. It worked out perfectly: since we'd already had a chance to check out every detail of the place, we knew which displays to focus on with the kids and which to move through more quickly.

They loved the dinosaur display; Noah's ark; the planetarium; the botanical gardens and petting zoo; and the fact that we ate lunch in the back of the van before we went in! (There was a picnic area, but we didn't feel like hauling the cooler.)

Something I never knew before: since donkeys, horses, and zebras are all part of the same family, they can breed amongst themselves. Today we saw both a zonkey and a zorse (and Danny wondered aloud why a donkey/horse mix wouldn't be called a "honkey").

So, thanks to some wonderful friends who have been kind enough to share their guest passes with us,
we thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon at the museum, marveling at God's amazing design. Karis did great, but I would definitely recommend taking kids who are at least 5 and up - a lot of it seems especially geared for elementary aged kids & teens.

And a special thanks to Aunt Hannah, Esther and Luke, who took care of Mr. Moo so we wouldn't have his craziness to deal with at the museum!

We're Finally Cool . . . Almost

2009-08-13T18:57:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Danny had the privilege of marrying a young couple at our church. It was a beautiful, fun wedding and reception; our only mistake was attempting, for the first and last time, to bring all four of our munchkins. (Next time we're going to have to make other arrangements for Mr. Moo!) It always brings such joy to see 2 people joined together who honestly desire to honor Christ with their marriage and to watch them grow together.

The bride and groom used my FIL's red convertible to ride away in; then they parked it at our place, so we could return it the following day, and drove their car. So, we did what anyone in our position with class and style would have done: drove it to McDonald's. We crammed Zekers, Karis and Mr. Moo in the back, and Rach, Danny and I sat up front. And did we ever live it up - we drove at least 25 mph to McD's and then around town. Are we cool or what??

So, here is a little glimpse of our night on the town . . .

Big Mac, anyone?

Rach and I had fun with the camera.

Malachi's favorite spot is the driver's seat.

Rainy Days and Sunny Days

2009-08-11T13:36:00.000-07:00

I am absolutely LOVING this summer - cooler temps, and the last few weeks have brought a considerable amount of rain. Of course, rain means soggy kiddos, as they love to run out and "drink" it and splash around in puddles. They are never ready to come back into the house until they are thoroughly soaked. But to see their little uplifted faces, hands raised to the skies and tongues sticking out - it makes me want to run out and soak up some rain myself.

Speaking of rain, we had planned to go to the Columbus Zoo with our good friends Dave & Johanna, whom we've known since our college days, and their munchkins. But a steady downpour forced us instead to stay indoors and actually spend time talking. So, the adults spent time together while the kiddos played. It turned out to be much more fun (for the adults!) than the zoo would have been. And, as usual, we have a picture of all the kids together, and none of the adults. (The kids are a lot cuter!)

Several weeks ago, the kiddos and I also got to spend some time with their grandma and great-grandma. Poor Grandma lost her earring at the park, but other than that, everyone had a good time.

The more comfortable weather has allowed us to spend more time outdoors this summer than we normally do. Zeke learned last week to ride a bike without training wheels, thanks to the $5 bike we found at a garage sale a few weeks ago. I never realized kids' bikes come in three different sizes until about a month ago! So he had one way-too-small bike and one bike that will be perfect in about 2 years. But now, with the right size bike, he zooms around the block like nobody's business.

We've also spent many happy hours at the pool, where both Rachel and Zekers are learning to swim quite well. If you are ever in a pool with Zekers, you've got to ask him to show you his underwater swim. It may be one of the funniest things I've ever seen. How I wish I was brave enough to take the camcorder to the pool.

And finally, Moo is getting old enough to spend time with some of his friends - and having a blast. It's a messy, challenging time, but I just love little boys this age. And they're even more fun as they get older.

Anger Management

2009-08-10T04:23:00.000-07:00

Saturday we drove to Columbus for our annual Emch family reunion (my mom's side). There were 40 people present, if you count the 2 who came in utero, and a good time was had by all. The kids did water balloons in the afternoon, and some of the adults joined in. Mr. Moo spent a deliriously happy hour grabbing one water balloon after another, sticking them in his mouth and chomping down until they burst open - all over him. Good thing we brought a change of clothes!

We left at around 7, and all of the kiddos slept the whole way home and then went straight to bed - except for Zekers, who stayed awake for the 2-hour drive and pretty frequently informed us how bored he was.

A couple of weeks ago, I started reading a book called Heart of Anger by Lou Priolo. I borrowed it from a friend because I was beginning to suspect that one or more of our kiddos had anger issues - and because I was desperate! The more I read, the more I realize I am reading for my own anger issues. Each page is more convicting than the one before; I actually stopped reading for a few days so I could let the information percolate for a while.

This list of 25 things that provoke children to anger was like a sucker punch to the stomach. I had never thought about some of these before, how they can frustrate and provoke a child. It was good to read, though - because it helped me to identify the ungodly ways I respond to my kids, but also gave me hope, because there are some things we're doing right! (by God's grace)
He gave several paragraphs of explanation for each, but I'll just list them out:

1. lack of marital harmony
2. establishing and maintaining a child-centered home
3. modeling sinful anger
4. habitually disciplining while angry
5. scolding
6. inconsistency in discipline
7. having double standards
8. being legalistic
9. not admitting you're wrong and not asking for forgiveness
10. constantly finding fault
11. parents reversing God-given roles
12. not listening to your child's opinion or taking his/her "side of the story" seriously
13. comparing your children to others
14. not making time just to talk
15. not praising / encouraging your child
16. failing to keep your promises
17. chastening in front of others
18. not allowing enough freedom
19. allowing too much freedom
20. mocking your child
21. abusing your child physically
22. ridiculing or name calling
23. unrealistic expectations
24. practicing favoritism
25. child-training with worldly methodologies, inconsistent with God's Word

Five of these items were particularly convicting for me. But now that I've identified some of the problem, I can start asking God to help me turn things around!

He also goes into the "gumnazo principle" - training in godliness. Any kind of training involves lots of practice, and disciplining kids is no different. One of the key elements in training kids to respond in the right way is to have the practice the right way. So, when I hear any of them speaking to each other or to me or Danny in an inappropriate way, I simply ask them to rephrase what they said, (changing tone of voice, body language, and words) and practice saying it the right way!

Things haven't been perfect by any stretch, but I have seen some improvement, and that is encouraging. Danny has even said that after he finishes the incredibly boring books he's currently reading, he might read this one as well.

So if you hear any of our kiddos screaming in public, just know that we're still a work in progress!

Post #300

2009-08-09T12:50:00.001-07:00

We've all heard something to this effect when we were first married: "The number of times you have sex from your third year of marriage on, will never equal the number of times you have sex during the first 2 years." Or, as I was told: "If, during your first 2 years of marriage, you deposit a quarter into a jar each time you have sex, and every year after that you remove a quarter each time you have sex, you'll never empty the jar."

While I don't think marriage has to be this way, I do think blogging tends to be. If I blog for the rest of my life at my current rate, I'll be at least 90 before I have another 300 under my belt. (as opposed to the first 2 years, when I posted about every other day!)

This week, however, I am determined to return to the days of old and put up several updates. I have WAY too many pictures and stories from the last month to post them all, but I am resolved to post at least 2 more times before next Sunday. But I've spent so much time today already uploading pics from my camera, and getting rid of all the red-eye (At what age do kids stop getting red eyes in pictures??); not to mention deleting 4 months' worth of emails . . . that I think I will come back to this another day. I thought technology was supposed to SAVE time!

I Have No Idea What to Title This

2009-07-21T10:31:00.000-07:00

I've decided to kick my own hiney into gear - I'm on post #299 and I'm determined to hit 300 before the month is over . . . even if I have nothing to post about.

Danny and I celebrated our 12th anniversary last Monday. Sunday evening we took off and stayed in a hotel in Cinci for the night, leaving our kiddos with a very brave (maybe a little crazy?) babysitter.

Monday morning we slept in and then went to the Gap Clearance center, where I spent a VERY productive 3 hours. My right shoulder was actually sore the next day from going through racks of clothing! Before you start feeling too sorry for Danny, though, I should tell you that he spent most of that time out in the car reading - and loved every minute!

We grabbed lunch and headed to the Creation Museum. I won't devote a lot of time or space to reviewing it, except to say that we both LOVED it and plan to return sometime in the future with Rachel and Zekers, If you want to read Danny's review, it's here. My favorite parts were the Noah's ark / flood display, the dinosaur display and the planetarium. Also, the botanical gardens and petting farm were pretty cool. We both loved the way the gospel was woven throughout the entire museum - very informative and surprisingly Christ-exalting.

We ended the day with dinner, and then went home to our kiddos. We were both so grateful for the chance to get away - it provided us with some greatly-needed time to talk and be husband and wife, not just mommy and daddy. I have honestly never had a day go by so quickly.

Danny also surprised me with a very unexpected anniversary gift (in addition to the trip!) - an entire case of my favorite beverage, Tazo iced green tea. The only places I've ever seen it are Starbucks and one gas station about 30 minutes away; and we recently found out that it's being discontinued. Can you imagine? So my knight in shining armor ordered enough to last me for a very long time. How does he manage to get me gifts that are so thoughtful and so funny at the same time?

I'm grateful to be married to a man I've shared some of the best and worst moments of my life with, and who, after 12 years, I love and admire more now than ever before - and definitely more than I knew was possible on July 12, 1997!

I know I am so very blessed in every way; sometimes I have a hard time discerning where the line lies between complaining and just being honest. So here's a little bit of what I hope is truly the latter:

I'm really feeling discouraged about our kiddos, and have for some time. The constant bickering and fighting that I expected for maybe the first week or 2 of the summer, has continued throughout the entirety of June and most of July. I hate that they get such pleasure out of one another's pain; I hate the way they talk to each other; and I'm completely stumped as to where to go from here. I guess the really troubling question that keeps plaguing my mind is "What am I doing wrong?" and "Is it reversible?"

I've been praying a lot about this (I tend to pray with clenched teeth, since the days I go before the Lord with all of this, they fight worse than ever!), and He has opened my eyes to the fact that they may just be following behavior they see modeled in ME. Often, I let them get away with delayed obedience, which frustrates me, which causes me to yell, which teaches them (by example) that yelling is an acceptable way to communicate. Yesterday, I began letting them know (by staying calm and taking decisive action!) that they are expected to obey the very first time I ask them to do something; so I know this week is going to be difficult, and involve a lot of vigilance on my part, but I've already begun to see some improvement, especially in Karis.

I guess it's that classic Romans 7 problem at work in my parenting, in addition to every other area of my life: How can I know the right thing to do, and want so badly to do it, and yet fail so miserably? HE must become greater, I must become less . . .

This has all been compounded by my strange health issues of late. The doctor told me 2 weeks ago she has some idea of what it might be, but I need to have blood drawn during an attack to confirm or disprove her theory. As much as I'm not looking forward to it, I just kind of want it to happen so I can get it over with and they can maybe diagnose what's going on. At this point, though, I'm about 10 days overdue for an attack. I've tried everything to induce one, to no avail. Instead, I have about 1-2 days out of every 5 when I feel weak, crampy, lethargic, unmotivated, and generally out of sorts (never thought I'd have PMS this often!) - it's a weird kind of fatigue, where I just want to sleep all day, and the thought of going through the normal tasks of the day is overwhelming. Sometimes I do crash, and can't do a thing until I've slept for at least an hour. Last week, I felt this way, so I went running, thinking it would bring on a full-fledged episode and I could be done with it. But of course, the run did nothing but make me incredibly sore on top of being fatigued. Fortunately, the day after a really bad day is always a really good one, and I am very thankful for that.

I guess that's it for now. I'll keep you posted on the progress of "The Angry Family" . . . .

Of Matrimony, Mud and Mirth

2009-07-07T04:24:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we had the privilege to attend a wedding for a girl who was part of our youth group when we first moved here 7 years ago. She and her then-fiance asked Danny to lay out the gospel for all of the guests after the wedding party exited the auditorium following the ceremony. As per our usual custom, we took Rach and Zekers with us and the younger 2 stayed at home with a sitter; we've learned through trial and error that this generally makes the evening much more enjoyable for all of us! Rachel was absolutely beside herself with excitement; I'd found a dress while on a thrift store excursion a couple of months ago, and this was the first time she had occasion to wear it. With the help of a few safety pins in the back - to decrease the bodice by a few sizes - it fit her very well and it was pretty apparent that she felt like a little princess in it.

Wearing Daddy's coat and shades

Rachel's good friend Jessica was the flower girl.

On July 4th, we headed to Lebanon, near King's Island, for a Shipper family reunion (Danny's Mom's side), held at the newly-rebuilt home of Danny's Uncle John. The old one burned down 2 years ago, about 6 weeks after our last reunion. Seeing his house almost made me want to set ours on fire - it was so cool! (In case our house ever does catch fire and anyone reads this, I'm totally kidding.) The steady rain that fell all afternoon and evening didn't dampen the kiddos' spirits - in fact, they had a ball playing in the rain and mud. Good thing we brought an extra change of clothes for each of them! After we ate, we were treated to a potato gun demonstration by their cousins, Quinn and Ian, and their Uncle John. That was about as close to seeing fireworks as we got this year!

The frosting was very blue!

Finally - a smile!!

Moo's favorite part of the day involved chasing bubbles.

Can you see the family resemblance?

Cousins on the couch

Yesterday Danny had the day off, and we decided on a whim to go to the Cincinnati Zoo. (We initially wanted to make another attempt to see the "Me" zoo, but of course, it's closed not only on Fridays, but also on Mondays.) We ended up purchasing a family membership, since the prices are such that it more than pays for itself after just 2 trips, with a family our size, and is good through the end of July next year. Plus, we get 50% off at a bunch of other zoos nationwide. We packed our own lunch and brought snacks & drinks, so we didn't have to spend anything on food. The kiddos loved it, and Danny and I got a lot of exercise, pushing the stroller up hills and carrying them on our backs and shoulders! (OK, Danny did most of that.) We stayed until after 5, and still didn't see everything - what a great family day. Even Malachi loved it, pointing excitedly at many of the animals. I'm looking forward to going back!

This is what I get for trying to manufacture cuteness. Click on the picture for an even better view and you'll see what I mean!

Water Fun

2009-06-26T10:59:00.000-07:00

Every day this past week has involved water of some kind. We've frequented the city pool a lot more as the days have grown hotter. It's become quite a juggling act, as Rach & Zekers are loving swimming in the "big pool", while Karis and Moo, for the most part, are quite content to play in the kiddie pool. But they all just love going, and I guess the good news is that it wears them out almost as much as it wears me out!

Last Saturday, we went boating at Ceasar's Creek with my sister Hannah and her family. My Mom watched Malachi and Luke, their 2-yr-old little boy, at the house, while the rest of us went to the lake. We spent most of the time tubing and swimming - it was an absolutely perfect day and the water was refreshing . . . or, it would have been if I hadn't had someone hanging on my neck the whole time! We ended the day at Fazoli's; the kiddos were so good we actually got to carry on a conversation at one table while they all sat at another and ate their dinner. Surreal, but very nice!

Sunday, we stopped by my parents' house to drop of homemade Fathers' Day cards for my Dad, and all the cousins played on the Slip 'n Slide. I have to say, we found more dirt and grass in their bathing suits than I would have ever thought possible. But they all had a blast, especially Mr. Moo. Then Monday, we went to the pool again and they ran through the sprinkler all evening. It was nice not having to water my flowers that day!

The last 2 pics don't involve water, but I couldn't resist putting them up anyway. Tuesday morning we all just stayed in our PJs until noon and played together. I was reminded how much my kids make me belly laugh on an almost daily basis. Zekers has decided to try for a Hannah Montana look-alike contest (thanks a lot, Kurstin!), so he spent nearly the entire morning in a wig, shouting into a microphone and dancing around. I just love his randomness and whimsical nature.

In the midst of the busyness of life, days like these are a true gift, and I treasure every one of them.

Firsts

2009-06-16T08:24:00.000-07:00

The past couple of weeks have been riddled with "firsts" for me . . .

I had my first garage sale last Thursday and Friday. Almost 12 years of marriage and clothes/toys/other items from 4 kiddos can create quite a pile-up, and it was getting difficult to navigate through our attic and parts of the basement! Since November, I've been slowly sorting through some of the stuff, and last week every spare minute was spent out in the garage or up in the attic, organizing and pricing. (I went through bins and bins of baby clothes; also, we dumped all of the stuffed animals we've accumulated onto the basement floor - which covered the entire carpeted area - and had the kiddos each pick their 15 favorites to keep, then got rid of the rest. I never imagined I'd see so many tears over "friends" they hadn't seen or thought about in years.) My mom also came with a truckload of stuff to sell. It was going to be the garage sale to end all garage sales.

And then it rained. And rained. And rained. Thursday it pretty much came down all day long - until about 3, an hour before the end of the sale. And I realized how nuts people can be about garage sales, because they came and crowded into our already-full garage all day long in the pouring rain, sometimes 20 at a time, packed in there like sardines. So shockingly, business was good.

Friday was a lot nicer, and Rachel & Zekers got to set up their cookies & lemonade stand. At the end of the day, I was happy with the amount of clothing and larger items we sold. We carted the rest to Goodwill, Biddlestone's and Hastings. This is AFTER giving away dozens of bags of clothes to several friends, AND at our moms group clothing exchange, and selling many more bags' worth at the garage sale. Talk about visible evidence of God's provision! I couldn't help thinking as I bagged everything up that He's given us WAY more than we deserve.

Turns out, we should have waited to get rid of the leftovers, since not one, but TWO people showed up at our door the next day asking about a set of mauve sheets I had for sale. Go figure.

Saturday morning I ran my first 5K. Perfect weather, beautiful scenery (the race was in Celina by the lake) and good friends all made the morning a success. Since we'd never run more than 2 miles prior to the race, I was incredibly nervous, wondering if I could even do it. But it turned out to be much easier than I anticipated. My time wasn't great (29:14), but maybe if I ever get cleared by the doctor to run again, I can get a little faster. At the time, though, I was just excited to actually run all 3.1 miles without any health issues!

If you want to view photos, here is the link. There is a picture of the 7 of us (Sheldon, Isaac, Janal, Amanda, Kati, Isabel and me) on the left sidebar if you scroll down a little, and under that, a link to view individual photos of runners in action.

Saturday evening I finished knitting my first scarf. I'd been wanting to learn how to knit for the past several years, and then several weeks ago, had lunch with a friend who showed me how in about 20 minutes. (Thanks, Kelly!!) I've found that it's a great way to relax at the end of a long day. My bedtime routine over the past several weeks has become: knit for about 15 minutes, then go to bed and read for another 15 or 20 (or 60!) until my eyes refuse to stay open any longer.

This week is VBS at our church - not a first! I have a group of six 3-yr-olds and a teen helper, who is a lifesaver, as some of them like to wander. If you read this, pray that their little hearts are reached this week, that gospel seeds are planted and that they love Jesus more at the end of the week than they did at the beginning.

(The picture to the right doesn't really have anything to do with this post; I just thought I'd throw in a little snapshot of some father-son bonding time.)

Literature and Lambs

2009-06-06T04:13:00.001-07:00

Thursday the kiddos and I spent the day with my best friend from college, Johanna, and her 2 kiddos, Max & Hope. Max is Zeke's age, and Hope was born the day after Malachi. We spent a good part of the day at Carriage Hill in Huber Heights - about an hour drive for her (she lives in Columbus) and 40 minutes for us.

The last time Danny & I and the kiddos went to Carriage Hill, one of the pigs was due to give birth in about a week, so the kiddos were all very excited to see the little piglets. Well, we found out, after searching in vain for her babies, that she was never pregnant! She just kept getting bigger and they all thought she was expecting, until about a week after her due date when they called in the vet. Strange. We did, however, get to see a newborn lamb - unusual for this time of year. And Rachel got to take a few more pictures.

Of course, we ended the day with a trip to the penny candy store. I love that we can get 5 people candy for $1.19. The kiddos love the rare treat of getting to consume large amounts of sugar all at once. We finished out the day at McDonalds, hoping the kiddos would play and we could have a chance to talk for a little while. We should have known better! But overall it was a fun day, and all 4 kiddos completely wore themselves out!

I just finished reading this book. My friend Dee recommended it, so I went to the library, checked it out, and read it in 2 days. It's that good. I got a little less sleep than I needed for a couple of nights, because I could not put it down. Wow. I love Hosseini's writing style and that you cannot read his account without being deeply impacted. Thank you Dee! I'm also getting ready to read his book A Thousand Splendid Suns. Hopefully this one won't be as riveting and I can get some sleep.

2009-06-03T10:38:00.000-07:00

More tests. More waiting. More wondering. More trusting.

For now, that's what it boils down to. I had an appointment with an allergy / athsma specialist today. They didn't do any actual testing (gotta love insurance hassles!), but I spent quite a while with the doctor and came away feeling like the visit wasn't the total waste of time I thought it was going to be. I went to a lab and had about 6-8 vials of blood drawn for a plethora of tests, including thyroid and auto-immune; I should find out the results in a couple of weeks.

She informed me that there are several different kinds of allergies: your basic itching, watering, sneezing kind of allergy; allergies that are like hives under your skin and cause intense itching / rash / swelling -type symptoms; and systemic allergies, which basically affect multiple body systems. She thinks I have the last 2 kinds. And I know I've always had the first kind - with mold, pollen, dust, etc. So I guess this means . . . I'm a walking allergy!

Speaking of walking, it looks like that's what I'll be doing for a while. My last 3 or 4 attacks have hit immediately after going running, and the last one (last Monday) was pretty severe. The doctor thinks the attacks may be induced by my running, especially since I started running about 8 weeks ago, and the new symptoms (swelling, itching, rashing) started up soon after that. She told me I have to stop running, but had compassion when I explained that I've been planning to run a 5K in 10 days, and said I could run up until then but I need to stop after that. The good news is: I have a regimen of pills I can take the day of the race to ward off an attack and still run the whole thing. Normally, if I run a comfortable distance (2 miles or so), I'm fine, but if I push myself a little harder than normal (3 miles), wham! I'm out of commission for the morning.

The most frustrating thing about all of this, is that, even though running has always been on my top ten list of least favorite activities, I've actually begun to enjoy my early morning runs. I've had more energy all day long; I've begun to get in shape - something that hasn't been the case for a very long time! - and it's helped me to be more disciplined in other areas of my life, like my eating (sometimes!). It just feels GOOD to run and sweat and work hard to achieve a goal. If it wasn't for these "health issues", I'd probably start working on a 10K after this race!

I hate that I have no control over these physical limitations. I hate that I can't just grit my teeth and try harder and make it go away. I hate that God won't get on board with my agenda! Ultimately, I know it has to do with pride, and an unwillingness to surrender. The last few days in particular, He has shown me just how small my own "problems" are compared to so many others, and how much I have to be grateful for - and no reason at all to complain. That doesn't make things any less frustrating, but it has driven me to my knees more often. And that's really what it's about: learning, slowly and painfully, to rely on HIS strength.

Psalm 121
I lift up my eyes to the hills-- where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot slip-- he who watches over you will not slumber; 4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord watches over you-- the Lord is your shade at your right hand; 6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord will keep you from all harm-- he will watch over your life; 8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

Grumper

2009-05-31T18:58:00.000-07:00

It always amazes me how different four kids, with the same parents, can be. Zekers has always been sweet, sensitive and cuddly . . . unless you try to take a picture of him. He's good for about 2 shots (which never seem to turn out right); then, he just turns into a grump and absolutely refuses to cooperate.

So, for your viewing enjoyment, here are just a few of many, many attempts to get a decent picture of him at the park on Friday.

After only a few seconds, we realized the "all 4 kids together" shot was not happening that day.

But, to give him some props for good behavior, we did get a couple of OK pics on the bridge. Of course, my bright idea to get him with the pond in the background was destroyed when we saw that someone had decided to drain all the ponds, leaving him standing on a bridge over a bunch of dirt and dead fish.

While at the park, a couple of very nice older gentlemen let the kiddos play with and feed their dogs. It took Malachi a while to grasp the fact that the dog treats were for the dogs and not for him, but after downing a few of them, he finally got it.

Last but not least: a sign we pass often on our way home from Richmond. If you ever find yourself in need of both cheese and fabric, this is the place for you!

Good News!

2009-05-21T05:00:00.000-07:00

Yes!! I'm allergic!! I don't know to what, and right now, I don't care . . .

After meeting with the GI specialist again yesterday, Danny and I both felt like we were absolutely walking on air. I've had a couple more attacks since we saw him on May 1st with even more additional symptoms, and this, together with all of my test results coming back normal, points to an allergic reaction. My histamine levels are typically normal, but during an attack they increase dramatically, causing itching/burning and swelling throughout my body; and may be responsible for the intestinal inflammation and other nasty symptoms I've had since February. The last time I began having an attack, I took an antihistamine, which stopped it in its tracks.

I have an appointment with an allergist on June 3rd, and I'm praying they are able to pinpoint the problem (literally!). Since several of the attacks have hit in the morning, sometimes 12 hours after I've last eaten, I don't think it has anything to do with food, but could be environmental. Who knows - maybe we'll end up having to move into a different house.

So I at least know that I will (if God wills it) be around to watch my kids grow up. And I know that I have a perfectly functioning gall bladder. What more can I ask? :) I feel as though I've been handed a second chance at life. Is it me, or is the sun shining more brightly than usual today??

All in a Day's Work

2009-05-18T11:28:00.000-07:00

We spent Thursday evening with Danny's sister Robyn, her husband John and their boys, Quinn & Ian. The kiddos thought it was just about the greatest thing in the world that they got to take turns riding on Uncle John's scooter.

Rachel and Zeke took a turn, then Karis got to ride. The helmet was a little large, but it worked!

Poor Mr. Moo. It just wasn't happening with the helmet . . .

But that didn't stop him from taking his turn!

More Mr. Moo craziness. He's as strong as a little ox, and we've discovered that he loves to hang on things, including basketball hoops.

I know he looks totally unhappy in both pictures, but honestly, as soon as we get him down he wants to go up again!

Friday was such a perfect day, we took a family trip to Carriage Hill. Our original plan was to go to the "Me Zoo" in Indiana. But as we got ready to take off, Danny checked online for the hours and found out it's CLOSED on Fridays. So . . . on to Plan B. The kiddos loved seeing the pregnant pig, chasing chickens, petting little lambs and especially playing in the old-time schoolhouse / kitchen area. They made us all kinds of interesting meals with the fake food.

Mr. Moo walked around sporting not one vest, but two!

I love this picture of Moo & Danny - matching strides.

Fun on the swing

We let Rachel try her hand at photography.

We ended the day with a family bike ride, which lasted until Danny got a flat tire. But for the first time, Rachel was able to ride her bike and keep up with us. (She kept passing us and got pretty cocky about it until she had a big wipe-out!)

Now we just need to find a day when the Me Zoo is actually open!

Thoughts from a Random Child

2009-05-10T18:48:00.000-07:00

Today I received the following Mother's Day card:

Front (picture of cat, dog, Zeke, Mommy, trees)

Inside

Back

Danny said he didn't know anything about the message on the back until Zeke asked him how to spell "chicken."

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Bits & Pieces

2009-05-01T16:19:00.000-07:00

After seeing the specialist this afternoon, there's not a whole lot to report. He asked a lot of questions and typed away furiously as I talked. Next week, I'll have three different tests done, including a CAT scan and one that involves radioactive fluid. Just call me the "human night light"! The dr. said that most likely the inflammation is not the main problem, but a "side effect" of something else - he thinks it may be my gall bladder, since a lot of the symptoms seem to fit and women my age who have had multiple pregnancies are most at risk for this. There are also a couple of extremely rare conditions he wants to rule out. The results will take a couple of weeks to come back.

For now, I'd rather think about all the incredible deals we found at a couple of thrift stores earlier this morning! Between the roller blades I found for Rach, and the bags of toys from Aunt Robyn, the kiddos are all happily (and quite noisily) playing. You know, I find that I don't mind noise at all, as long as it's happy noise.

Here are a few pictures of some "firsts" for the kiddos:

Rachel's first school performance, Literacy in Motion

Zekers' first soccer game, last Saturday. He and Rachel are on the same team and Danny is coaching again. So far this "season", 2 practices and 2 games have been rained out, but Saturday the weather was just about perfect.

Karis got to attend her second princess party - but the first one she's gone to all by herself without Rachel - for 2 good friends, Hannah & Grace. They played so hard that she informed me on the way home, "Mommy, I'm exhausted."

yada yada yada

2009-04-30T06:29:00.000-07:00

I'll keep this short:

Last night, around 6:30, as we were getting ready to go to LIFE group, I had another attack, surpassed only by the attack that put me in the hospital 4 weeks ago. Besides the pain and "flushing", several new (non-blog-appropriate) symptoms cropped up.

The good news is:

1. My appointment with the GI specialist is scheduled for tomorrow at 1:30 in Beavercreek.
2. I am feeling much better this morning and able to function pretty well.
3. Our family doctor said the new symptoms may have helped him to figure out what's going on. He's going to be talking to the specialist about running some additional tests.

God has been working on me, telling me to swallow my pride and just let you know that I can use your prayers right now. All this stuff scares the kids (especially last night - for the first time it happened while they were awake), and puts a lot of extra stress on Danny (which he won't admit to, but I know it does). And it's not too pleasant for me, either. So if you have a chance today & tomorrow, I would really appreciate your prayers.

Another Day

2009-04-28T10:31:00.000-07:00

It's been one of those days.

I love my children dearly, and wouldn't trade them for the world; but there are days when the idea of hog-tying them together and then just leaving the house for a while seems very appealing!

For the past 2 mornings, they've hit the ground fighting. They know exactly how to push each other's buttons, and at times seem to get endless entertainment from it. Usually we've found that days which start off with a spanking tend to go more smoothly than days which don't. But that was not the case today. While trying to feed them breakfast, do their hair, dress the little ones and get Rachel ready for school, I gave out 3 spankings. And things just got worse from there.

I had about a dozen "quick" errands to run this morning. Ha! Three young children + lots of rain = slow and frustrating shopping. They picked at each other. They whined. They cried. They had to go potty about every 10 minutes. They splashed in puddles and got soaking wet. They cried some more. They took off their shoes and socks in the van while I was driving. Finally we were finished with most of the errands and had only one left - Wal Mart.

Nearly the entire time, Karis defied everything I told her. She ran so far out ahead that she nearly got lost; she and Zekers tried to play hide-and-seek among the paper towels and ended up knocking almost all of them out into the aisle. She lost her flip-flop and neglected to tell me until several minutes later. Most of all, she would not leave Mr. Moo alone. Strapped into his seat, he was helpless to avoid the kicking and smothering she dished out. By the time we got to the check-out, I'd had it. I told her, in no uncertain terms, that if she so much as touched her brother again she was getting a spanking. Which, of course, she did.

As soon as I informed her that a spanking was forthcoming, the floodgates opened. She brushed up against Malachi and looked at me, so I told her she was getting one additional whack. More tears and loud sobbing. It was my turn in the checkout line. The cashier glared at me reproachfully, then proceeded to ignore the abusive mommy and speak only to the poor little girl with the puppy dog eyes. "Are you sad, Sweetheart?" she asked. "You're much too pretty to be sad." (Evidently, only ugly people deserve to be sad.) She continued her sympathetic comments to Karis until she handed me the receipt, at which point the tone of her "Have a nice day" indicated she would much rather have said, "Fall off a cliff."

We headed to the van, where Karis got her spanking (I'm always prepared!). I can't say things have been that much better since, but to quote Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind, "Tomorrow is another day!" (There's another, more well-known quote from the same book/movie that I would like to repeat when they whine to me about how unfair their lives are, but I haven't . . . yet.)

I love how in the midst of the most trying circumstances, God brings little bits of humor to provide bright spots that keep me going. After one spanking this morning, Zekers came out to the living room and gave the following apology: "Karis, I'm sorry for smacking you in the face with the gecko. Will you forgive me? Rachel, I'm sorry for hitting you on the head with Mommy's kneeling pad. Will you forgive me?" And they just went on like it was nothing out of the ordinary to be smacked around by a stuffed gecko or a kneeling pad. . . . and I suppose it wasn't. (The "kneeling pad" was given to everyone who attended the True Woman conference last fall, and I have to confess, although I DO pray, I have never used the pad. The kiddos recently discovered it and love to play with it - mostly as a weapon, apparently.)

Also, there is nothing funnier than hearing Kari Bou, who pronounces her R's like W's, try to say the word "rubber." Since she repeats herself about 15 times, even after her comment is acknowledged, I was in a helpless puddle of laughter after the third time she said, "Mommy, I think this (kneeling) pad is made of rubber," and laughed harder each time she said it, which, of course, inspired her to say it even more.

So here's to laughter, and here's hoping that tomorrow is another (very different) day!

Unbelievable

2009-04-25T17:44:00.001-07:00

Normally, I wouldn't put up 4 pictures of clothing tables. But I'm showing you this because I just could not believe it.

Our moms' group had a clothing exchange today. Whoever wanted to get rid of kids' clothing sizes 0-6, brought it in and set it up on tables, arranged by size. Then we all looked through the clothing and took what we needed. Last year, I brought some girls clothing and ended up going home with a bagful of clothes for Malachi. This year, though, I decided it was high time to give away ALL of the clothing that Karis and Malachi have outgrown.

So Danny and the kiddos and I went to the church last night and spent several hours laying out clothes. And here they are. I could not believe the sheer volume of little outfits that have just been laying around in boxes!

It was so fun to be able to help each other out this way. I'm a total mush bag when it comes to cute outfits my kiddos have worn - each one holds sentimental value for me. So I think it is one of the coolest things seeing little outfits that were hard to part with on other kiddos we know and love. And we have lots more space now! Woo hoo!

Oh, and I did come home with a couple of things for the kiddos: summer PJ's, some cute shirts for Rach, and . . . . a jester hat for Moo, which he must love as much as I do, since he wore it all afternoon, in spite of 80-degree temps. It made me sweat just looking at him. But it's darn cute.

OK, these pictures below are of JUST our clothes . . . and this morning, many more were added by other moms!

Oh, How the Days Go By

2009-04-23T11:28:00.000-07:00

I was just noticing that I used to post a lot more when I first started this blog (which was over 3 years ago . . . weird).

Also noticing that I need to change the above picture, but Rachel's bus is coming. It will have to wait - again!

If I wrote down everything (or even just a small fraction) of what's in my head and on my heart at this moment, I'd be here until the wee hours of tomorrow morning. So I'll just let the pictures tell the story; and each one certainly is a story all its own!

I do feel compelled to share that my heart is overflowing with gratitude. I feel better than I have in a very long time - and I have Christ to thank for that. Of course, I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that for the past 4 weeks I've eliminated coffee from my diet, and cut way back on sugar (among other things) . . . . NOOOoooo! Plus, on warm, sunny days like today, my soul just revels in the beauty of God's creation, saturated with new life!

After a lot of prayer and going back and forth, I finally made an appointment with a GI specialist for May 1st. I've been doing a little research online, and the more I read, the more questions I have about all of this. So I figure I'll go see the doctor once and try to find some answers. "And that's all I have to say about that."

One more thing I want to say: with each day, I am more grateful for the 2 families God has added to our pastoral staff. Recently, Jodi, Isabel and I - and all our kiddos - got to spend some time hanging out, and I realized afterward just what a blessing they are to me. I'm glad God, in His sovereignty, has placed us all together and I'm excited at the prospect of serving with them for a long time to come (if God wills it).

And now presenting . . . some moments from our week:

At our last moms group meeting, we talked about freezing things ahead. So the kiddos and I spent the day making cookies, spooning them out (or rolling them into balls) and freezing them in bags of several dozen each. It was so much fun (especially licking the batter afterward), and now we have dozens of cookies that I can pull out of the freezer and pop into the oven!

I could write pages on this. Last weekend we had our first ever Grace women's retreat. The bummer is - I didn't take my camera!! So I have no photos from the actual retreat, but after I came home, I just had to capture the creative gifts of several women on the planning team. The weekend was a gift from God, and it made me doubly grateful to be part of His family. I left challenged to live more purposefully and to invest my time and energies in that which has eternal value. How incredible is it to get away for 2 absolutely Christ-soaked days?? I'm so thankful that Linda and Diana had the vision and gave so much of their time and energy to help this happen.

The kiddos had some friends over earlier in the week and everyone played dress-up. Funny story: I am not a very crafty person. So, every time they come over, Micah asks to do a craft. (My friend Erin - his mom - is one of the most crafty and creative people I know.) I scramble around, trying to find glue sticks and scraps of colored paper and other supplies and feeling like a total loser because I'm the only mom who doesn't do cool crafts with her kids and their friends. He always asks specifically for popsicle sticks, which I, of course, never have on hand. Well, this time, we happened to make a trip to Wal-Mart right before they came over, and I, determined to turn over a new leaf, loaded up on popsicle sticks and a few other craft items. I had everything sitting out on the table ready to go. "Are you guys ready to do a fun craft?" I asked, bursting with pride at my preparedness and creativity. At which point he wrinkled his nose and said very emphatically, "NO! No crafts today!" So . . . we now have lots of craft supplies. Maybe we'll get them out in the fall!

OK, Mr. Moo is living up to my term of endearment for him: "The Little Tank". His new hobby is tackling his brother - and we're working on teaching him that there is a difference between a hug and a body slam.

Karis received some handed-down sandals from a friend who's a few years older, and I'm half expecting her to request that she be buried with them someday! The second she gets out of bed, she puts them on, and can't wait for this weekend, when she'll finally be allowed to wear them outside.

She also received a pink parasol this week. I'm glad it's finally stopped raining, so I can take a break from constantly trying to explain the difference between a parasol and an umbrella.

A chip off the old block . . .

The kiddos got to spend some time playing with friends - one for each of them.

Moo and Seth pretty much just played around each other. I love this age - so cute and fat and funny.

I love this one of the 2 older boys - although Zekers came out of the tree with his pants pretty much shredded. (Note to self: nylon and bark do not mix!)

Mr. Moo and his "happy eyes." Danny and I also decided that he has "Mater" teeth. (Watch Cars and you'll see what I mean.)

Rooms, Rugs & Resurrection Sunday

2009-04-14T12:06:00.000-07:00

Mr. Moo is officially a big boy! About a week and a half ago, he and Zekers spent their first night in the new bunk beds. It's almost been too easy - Mr. Moo LOVES his bed so much he just snuggles right down and usually sleeps through the night. The only bummer is that he used to sleep until 8 in the morning, and he wakes up at least an hour earlier now - this morning he was up at 6:30. The other kiddos know to look at the clock and stay in bed until 7, but it's next to impossible to get an 18-month-old to follow this concept!

He's pretty darn cute in his "big boy bed", though. Every night, we sneak in to check on him around 10, before we go to bed (I know - we're getting old), and he's usually on top of his covers, feet on his pillow and head at the wrong end of the bed. We turn him around and tuck him back in, and that's where he stays until morning.

So the really exciting thing is that now we get to make the girls' room ultra girly!! Saturday we hit McDonalds for dinner and then bought a pink rug and a comforter for Kari Bou's bed, now that the girls are sharing a bunk.

Here are pictures of the newly-finished "Cars" room Zekers has had his little heart set on:

We got the bunk beds and dresser at IKEA several months ago.

The "accent wall"

Feelin' like big stuff

Both the Good Friday communion and Resurrection Sunday services were very meaningful. I love that so much of the music we sing and all of the messages we hear are so Christ-centered; I was struck by the thought that this day is certainly special and a good time to do some extra reflecting, but really it's just an extension of what we celebrate every Sunday - so cool!

We had lunch with my parents, my sister Sarah and her daughter Addie, and my sister Hannah and her family. The picture above is all the cousins together after their egg hunt. Good grief - where did my little Rachel go?? I can't say it feels like time is flying by, but man, how they've grown this year.

Boring Health Update

2009-04-13T17:01:00.000-07:00

I feel I need to put this down, to document it and to let long-distance friends know what's been going on the past several days, weeks, and months, but I hate talking / writing about this stuff. I can tell you the what - it's the why that's messing with my mind.

I learned long ago (and repeatedly) that the "why" of a thing isn't necessarily going to be revealed. That it's a matter of trusting in God's goodness and faithfulness even (especially?) in the midst of uncertainty. Yet here I am again, having this same truth hammered into me - again. Oh, Jesus, I do trust You; still, there are questions . . .

Thursday morning, February 18th, I had the first of a series of what I can only call "attacks". Gnawing, burning, mind-numbing pain, during which I go into the bathroom, close the door and roll around on the floor, whimpering like a pathetic puppy. It becomes difficult to move. I haul myself to the toilet and alternate sitting on it and leaning over it for the better part of an hour. I actually welcome this because it takes my mind off the pain for a while.

Some attacks (they occur about every 7-10 days) are more vicious than others. About 2 weeks ago, the pain was so severe, I actually prayed that God would knock me out or take me home. About 4 hours later, I found myself in the ER. It was the most painful, humiliating night of my life. I'll spare you the details. I don't know what I would have done without Danny, who sat there all night with me, until the doctor finally came in around 6 AM.

It's been uphill from there. The next day a scope revealed that I had a severely inflamed duodenum (first time I ever even heard the term!), the top part of the small intestine. The doctor felt it was probably caused by the same bacteria that causes bleeding ulcers. I felt so much better, just knowing the what and the why of all this (and being on quite a few different medications!), certain that now I could put it all behind me and get on with my life.

The next week, the biopsy results came back that this was not caused by a bacteria, or any other discernible thing. My mind began spinning with questions. What happens when I'm done with the meds? Will the pain return? Will I have to live the rest of my life without eating Italian food, or having a burger with kechup, or worse still, without drinking coffee?? I'm not kidding, I actually began mourning at the thought of a lifetime without my favorite legal addictive stimulant!

And then the second blow: I had 2 more attacks while on the meds - a pretty severe one Wednesday night, and another, less severe one yesterday morning. The bad ones wipe me out for an entire day, and the not-as-bad ones, for at least half a day. It's just frustrating and humbling to know that I have no control over this. My appetite returned after coming home from the hospital, but fear has been stronger than hunger.

I guess the most difficult element of all this has been the realization that my body is getting older. For heaven's sake, I thought this was supposed to be the "prime of life" - and now I find I'm weakening and wearing out and it may just get worse from here!? Maybe I don't want answers after all!

Danny & I have decided against me seeing a GI specialist unless I have another severe attack. In the meantime, this is forcing me to take one day at a time and depend on God and on other people like never before. It's hard to acknowledge my own weakness and it's hard to need people - but being on the receiving end of cards, meals, help with the kids and concerned phone calls has been a huge blessing in the midst of humbling circumstances. There is much to praise God for.

I may never know the why or the how to prevent this from ever happening again; but what I do know is that I'm grateful for increased health and strength in the last few days. One day at a time . . .

Snippets

2009-04-02T11:40:00.000-07:00

Instead of doing a bunch of different posts, I thought I'd try and cram it all into one!

Bragging Session

For months we've been planning to redecorate the baby room and make it into a room for the boys. We've been slowly accumulating furniture and supplies, and waiting until Malachi turned 18 months (tomorrow!) so he could occupy the bottom bunk. But as I looked over the calendar 3 weeks ago, my heart sank. Not one free weekend - not even one free day of any weekend - until mid-April. We had all this cool stuff just sitting there waiting to be done and no time to do it!

Last Friday I left for a women's retreat near Mansfield, OH with some friends from the church we attended in Columbus, before moving to Greenville. When I returned on Saturday and went into Mr. Moo's room, I couldn't believe my eyes: my wonderful husband had spent the entire time I was gone (including ALL night on Friday/Saturday) painting the room. On the accent wall, which we had decided to paint Dynaco Blue to go with the "Cars" theme Zekers chose, he had painted Lightning and Mater, using a projector and a picture he found online! He actually called an art-teacher-friend from church, found out what he needed, hauled the kids to Hobby Lobby to get supplies, mixed up all the right colors, borrowed a projector from the library (I didn't even know you could DO that!) and went to work almost from the moment I left until the moment I got home.

At first I was a little disappointed - I'd been looking forward to working on this project together and the mural took me a little by surprise. But then I woke up and realized that: 1) there really is no working on any project together with four kiddos running around! and that 2) he'd sped up "opening day" for the new room by probably a couple of weeks at least. Plus, for a guy who claims he doesn't have an artistic gene in his body, I think he did an amazing job!

We put up the border that was supposed to go around the room (I ordered it online and somehow read "5 YARDs" instead of "5 FEET" - big difference), and voila! I count it a success based on Zeke's reaction when he saw it.

April Fool

Uh, that would be me.

I need to document this story simply in the hope that I will go back and read this before April Fool's Day next year and avoid making the same mistake two years running . . .

I'm not usually big on April Fools Day jokes, but while sitting at dinner I was struck with a brilliant idea. I motioned to Danny to call my phone, which he did. I answered it, had a short "conversation", and after hanging up, explained to the kiddos that AWANA would be canceled for the night.

Now this was no ordinary night. The Sparks (Rachel's age group) were having hot wheels races all night, and the Cubbies (Kari Bou and Zekers) were doing a sailboat regatta and big wheel races in the gym. Zekers had been looking forward all week to the ice cream sandwiches they'd been promised for dessert.

Well, when I made my announcement, Rachel's eyes filled with tears. "Why, Mommy?" she wanted to know. "Well," I kindly replied, "Your leaders are just getting tired of AWANA and wanted a little break." As soon as the words left my mouth, the floodgates opened. I was expecting some whining and some attitude, but not the crocodile tears and wails that burst forth from all three of them! Trying frantically to backpedal I yelled, "April Fool!!" to no avail. The tears came harder and faster, the sobs louder. I felt about 2 inches tall. When they finally stopped crying, and I realized that my genius joke was more mean than funny, I resolved never to pull another stunt like that again. . . . at least not for another year.

Bad Mother of the Year Award

So we then proceeded to AWANA. We have LIFE group after dropping off the kiddos, and our 2 babysitters rode with us and helped take the kiddos into the church. Malachi almost ALWAYS stays with Danny in the van, but this time he wanted so badly to come that I got him out and he toddled in, holding hands with one of the girls. We ran the 3 kiddos to their rooms and were heading back out to the van when I realized . . . he wasn't with us anymore. Oh no! We ran back into the church and split up. He wasn't in the auditorium or any of the Sparks rooms. Just then, Susan, the Cubbies leader, came around the corner with him. Apparently, he'd decided he was old enough to be in Cubbies and was busy coloring with the "big kids". At this point I truly wished for a hole to open up underneath me so I could disappear into it. It hasn't happened yet, but I know the day is coming when we'll leave one or more of them at church on a Sunday . . .

Silly and Sweet

This morning was too sweet NOT to photograph. Malachi is definitely ready to sleep in his own bunk bed. He climbs into Zekers' all the time and pretends to sleep (for about 3 seconds). This morning he was running around the house naked, as usual when I try to change his diaper, and crawled into bed with Zeke, who wasn't quite awake yet. Everyone ended up in the same bed after a few minutes - some in PJ's, some half-dressed. They made this jumble of sleepy, laughing little faces that made me smile and grab the camera. I love these moments.

I got brave and let Zekers pick out his own clothes this morning. He was off to a great start - shirt and pants actually almost matched. And then he decided to complete the look with his favorite tie. So this is how we went to Bible study. He put this tie on just after breakfast, and I believe it's still around his neck. Oh, how I love my sweet, silly family!

Z-Dog

2009-03-26T09:49:00.001-07:00

In honor of Zekers' birthday, I've put up a few snapshots to give you a glimpse into the craziness that is our Mr. Beef. Most of them do not have captions because the photos pretty much speak for themselves. . . .

He finally got the webkinz crocodile and tiger he's been salivating over for the past 6 months. He promptly named them "Frocodile" and "Jungle jim".

A Doggone Good Time

2009-03-23T07:08:00.001-07:00

About a year after birth of our fourth child, we decided to do away with "friend" birthday parties until the 5th birthday, and then go every other year from there. I guess Kari Bou and Mr. Moo get the short end of that stick, as both Rach and Zekers got birthday parties at age 4. I really enjoy having their friends over and doing "theme" parties, but 4 each year was seeming like a bit much.

We have been counting down the days until Zekers' 5th birthday (the 27th) for the last 40 days. I have never seen a child so excited about . .. anything! And for the past several months, he's asked to have a sleepover, of all things. I tried to persuade him Chuck E. Cheese's would be much more fun, to no avail. He's had his little heart set on a dog-themed sleepover. And I know it - I'm a total sucker when it comes to my baby boys!

Danny and I used this as an opportunity to instruct Zekers on how to be a good host -making sure everyone was included, sharing his stuff, being grateful for his gifts, etc. He was such a hoot: he insisted on personally coloring everyone a picture of a dog to include with the invitation we printed off; the day before the party he asked if we could clean up the basement in preparation for the party; he helped decorate the cake; and he drove us absolutely NUTS the day of the party, asking about every 20 minutes how much time until the party started.

He had 3 friends over for hot dogs, puppy chow, Scooby treats, and Space Buddies. They ate cake and ice cream out of real dog dishes and had fun running around the house yelling. What a difference between this and Rachel's princess party a few years ago! It was quite the entertaining evening. They "camped out" in the basement, in a tent Danny created out of old bedsheets, and everyone was asleep by 11. Not bad.

At this point, I absolutely must give a shout-out to Danny, who should be nominated for "Husband of the Year." He gave up an evening of watching basketball with a bunch of friends to help me out with a bunch of kiddos. Not only that, he helped all day Friday - running errands, helping with cleaning and laundry and dishes and muchkin control. I call that a good husband and Daddy!

The next morning, Rachel, Karis and I left at 8 and drove to Troy Christian School for her first ever Sparks-O-Rama competition. She's been practicing for weeks with her Sparks team, and had a blast at the actual event. I can't really even describe the different games they participate in - you just have to be there! It's not overly-competitive for this age group (K - 2nd), but their team did end up winning 2nd place (out of 3 teams - they had a group of 4 teams and a group of 3 teams competing against each other), so they were all thrilled.

Afterward, the three of us girls ate lunch at Taco Bell and then, for a special treat, we split a scoop of frozen custard (with sprinkles!) at Culvers. Good times.

Over all, it was an enjoyable weekend - especially the nap I took after we got home from Sparks-O-Rama!

Waiting for the games to begin

The "Sparky Crawl"

Proud as punch

WOO HOO!!

2009-03-18T11:56:00.000-07:00

We are loving these warmer days. Even though our thermostat is set at 65, I've been flinging windows open to let fresh 60-degree (or less!) air in to the house. Yesterday the kiddos and I spent the better part of the day outside. We walked to the library, where we stayed just long enough to check out an armful of books and try to keep Malachi from sabotaging all the computers. We played in the backyard. We ate pb&j outside at the little picnic table. And last night, we officially took our first Wright Family Bike Ride of the season (Malachi is now old enough to sit in the trailer without falling over and getting burns on his neck from the shoulder straps). So . . . bring on the flip-flops!

Danny rigged up this ride for the boys when they went to get Rachel from the bus stop Friday. Genius!

Ready to go!

Malachi enjoys chillin' in the trailer.

He also thinks he's a little older than he actually is! One of his favorite things to do is to hang out on the tricycle or swing in one of the "big kid" swings.

Gettin' some sun

Pure Delight

2009-03-09T06:48:00.001-07:00

Our little kiddos have been a lot of fun lately . . . How did we ever entertain ourselves before they came along??

Rachel and Danny attended their first Daddy-Daughter dance last Sunday - a school fundraiser held at a local banquet hall. When they got back they both had a glow about them: Rachel's was the glow of pure delight at being able to go on a date with her Daddy; Danny's was basically sweat-induced, but he did say he had a lot of fun with Rach.

Malachi enjoys "helping" around the house. He sweeps the kitchen floor, although this isn't as much about eliminating dirt as relocating it. He slam-dunks his dirty diapers into the trash can (after kissing and hugging them for a while). He almost always closes the dishwasher for me - as I'm trying to put dishes into it.

And lately he likes to help put clothes into the dryer. The problem is, it's always the load I've just removed! He puts the clean, dry clothes in at the same time I'm putting wet ones in, and then gets a big self-congratulatory grin on his face. Once he's placed several items into the dryer, he shuts the door and then likes to "talk" to me about his accomplishment. What is there to do but enjoy this moment of complete silliness?

There have been some pretty sweet times lately, when I suddenly realize it's been quiet for several minutes, the reason being that the kiddos are ALL playing nicely together!! I even let Malachi sit on the table for a good 20 minutes (something I'm usually pretty strict about) simply because they were all having such a good time playing with Polly Pocket dolls and NOT fighting!

And I finally found something I love about this time of year: CLEARANCE SALES!!

Memory Lane

2009-03-04T12:00:00.000-08:00

Hooo Boy . . . . This Facebook thing is a riot. Old pictures (from the '80's no less!) popping up everywhere - most not-so-flattering! Anyway, I haven't seen or thought about this picture in YEARS, until a friend from this group posted it in an album. And if you haven't already seen the lovely pic of jr-high-era Danny, be sure to check it out via the link on his blog (Exalting Grace) . . .

(copied from Mick Audette's Facebook album)

My Canticle Divine

2009-03-02T11:09:00.000-08:00

May the Name of the Lord be praised. ( Job 1:21)

God allowed me to sing this hymn over the weekend in an old, old church at the memorial service for a friend's brother. I cannot tell you how these words have impacted me today, as I've sung the first verse over and over; read and re-read the words of the other 14 stanzas online.

I've typed out (well . . . copied and pasted!) the verses which held special meaning for me; maybe they'll lift your heart as well. As I was singing, Psalm 103 came to mind: "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name!" The next 5 chapters as well contain many, many verses of praise, blessing and thanks to the Lord.

(If you like to sing or listen to hymns, this site contains the written words and the background piano music to go with them.)

When morning gilds the skies my heart awaking cries:
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Alike at work and prayer, to Jesus I repair:
May Jesus Christ be praised!

When you begin the day, O never fail to say,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
And at your work rejoice, to sing with heart and voice,
May Jesus Christ be praised!

Does sadness fill my mind? A solace here I find,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Or fades my earthly bliss? My comfort still is this,
May Jesus Christ be praised!

Be this at meals your grace, in every time and place;
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Be this, when day is past, of all your thoughts the last:
May Jesus Christ be praised!

When sleep her balm denies, my silent spirit sighs,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
When evil thoughts molest, with this I shield my breast,
May Jesus Christ be praised!

The night becomes as day when from the heart we say:
May Jesus Christ be praised!
The powers of darkness fear when this sweet chant they hear:
May Jesus Christ be praised!

In Heav’n’s eternal bliss the loveliest strain is this,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Let earth, and sea and sky from depth to height reply,
May Jesus Christ be praised!

Be this, while life is mine, my canticle divine:
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Sing this eternal song through all the ages long:
May Jesus Christ be praised!

Fun Stuff

2009-02-24T10:44:00.001-08:00

Last year I flatly refused to let Rachel participate, but this year I finally caved. Saturday was the GHS "Cheerleading Fun Day", where elementary kids could spend the day at the high school, playing games and learning cheers to be performed during half time of the JV game that night. To my extreme chagrin, the day exceeded Rachel's expectations. She absolutely loved it. And she was pretty cute out there on the gym floor, along with about 90 other little girls, doing her cheering routines, although there was a bit too much hip-swaying for my liking! We did enjoy going to the game and were pleasantly surprised that Mr. Moo made it all the way through 2 quarters and half time before we had to make a fast exit.

On Monday, all four kiddos and I headed down to the Newport Aquarium, where we were joined by my mom, both my sisters and their little ones. They're doing a special promotion during the month of February, and for every adult ticket purchase ($20), 2 kids 12 and under are free. It was well worth the 1.5-hour trip (even with all the gas station pit stops)! We were there from 10 (when they opened) until 3, and all the kiddos did pretty well. Malachi wasn't in the greatest mood, but as long as I kept his mouth stuffed full of cheese and crackers, he did alright.

We saw penguins, alligators, frogs, turtles, sea anemone, sword fish, sting rays, sharks of all sizes, just about every character from Finding Nemo, gigantic star fish, and a fascinating array of underwater life. The only bummer was that my favorite display - the jellyfish - is closed for the next 6 months for renovations. But there is a new play area called the "Frog Bog" - a favorite both for the kids and for their tired moms (grandma)!

Below are a bunch of pictures, which is really just a small sampling of everything we saw . . .

The alligators were a big hit.

I don't want to be anywhere near one of these guys!

Me, Moo, and some kind of large snapping turtle

I loved that the place was so hands-on.

The kids met Paula the Penguin, who, we found out, poops 20 times per day. (nearly as many times as Karis)

Rachel's favorite part was "petting" the small sharks.

Malachi was just beside himself with delight at the little sharks. He even tried to dive in after one of them.

Rachel was a big help with Malachi . . . when she felt like it.

The Amazon tunnel, in my opinion, was one of the coolest parts of the whole experience.

Sting rays are such graceful swimmers - I could have just stood and watched them for a very long time. It looks like they are smiling from the underneath.

Relating with Jonah . . . except I guess he was swallowed by a whale, not a shark.

My view of Mr. Moo for most of the day (this and his rear end waddling toward forbidden exits)

I would love to know what's going through either one of their minds at this moment.

Off to explore another tunnel with Grandma

Six of the Seven cousins

The aquarium is part of a beautiful plaza overlooking the river. The kiddos thought the riverboats were pretty cool. Truth be told, Rachel thought she was pretty cool with her new "Littlest Pet Shop" sunglasses.

We packed our lunches, so we spent a grand total of $20 for all five of us. Not a bad little field trip. It's nice this time of year to have a day like this, and I'm pretty sure we're going to be hearing about different elements of it for the next 2 weeks!