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.)
7 comments:
He DOES!!! He absolutely DOES!!! Well, school has it's advantages and disadvantages...Rachel did not get in on all this fun stuff it looks like.
SOOO glad you are doing better and anxious to hear what the Doc says.
let me know when you are ready to give coffee another try :) i'll be there!
are you still improving each day or have there been setbacks? i continue to pray for you - and now will also be praying for the dr. who treats you.
as always, i loved seeing the pictures of your expressive kids. the cookie project sounded fun!
I'm a "loser mom" too; ask my kids or their friends how often we've done crafts at our house.
LADIES!!! How easily we allow the enemy to whisper negativity in our ears and, believing it, we say it aloud, giving even more credence to his lies! (He came to steal, destroy, and kill!) You are NOT losers, just because you aren't a Christian version of Martha Stewert!! You are lovely, godly women who are nurturing your children, with or without popsicle sticks, and that makes you a WINNER!! Please do not use another friend or other woman as your measure of comparison! If I compared myself as a mom to you guys, well,...I won't go there.
You forgot your camera for the retreat? I thought it was glued to your hand !
I hear that Moo says "Duck" now. Marilyn and I were hoping his first word would be GRANDMA!
Marilyn~Thank you for your encouragement. Though I think Charity and I are both referring to ourselves as "losers" in this area more as a joke, it is true that sometimes we can look at other women who have a certain gift, and think, "Why didn't God give ME that gift?"
If I truly thought arts and crafts had a role in my children's salvation, it would deeply concern me that they are severely lacking training there. However, I KNOW that's not true, and I know Charity does too; and I suspect that's why we feel free to jest about it. :)
All I can hear in my head is little Marta from "Sound of Music" tugging on Julie Andrews dress and saying "I'm going to be 6 on Tuesday, and I'd like a pink parasol". Oh, and I also speculated about how many minutes that adorable parasol would remain in tact at my house. What IS the difference btw. a parasol and an umbrella? I am not sure I could answer that!
So, so glad to hear you are feeling better, Charity!
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