Let's Get Spiritual

Today, I was driving Luke and his friend Liam home. I was so proud to overhear their conversation.

Luke: Let's buckle in on each side of the car, you on the left, me on the right. And in the middle, let's buckle in Jesus.

Liam: Yes, God will sit there. He is invisible.

Luke: I know, but He is with you wherever you go.

(At this point I am feeling quite proud. All those prayers, all that careful teaching. It is finally paying off. He's getting it!)

The conversation continues

Liam: Jesus is right beside us.

Luke: He loves us.

Liam: He can see anything you do.

Luke: He has a lot of eyes. 22 of them.

Liam: Yeah, you're right.

Luke: Hey, Liam, (long pause) wouldn't it be cool if God is an ALIEN?

Both boys laugh hysterically and punch each other.

I wince and determine I will do more spiritual teaching.

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A Serious Snowball

It's the perfect kind of snow. It packs well but doesn't stick to the street. A little girl and boy can play in it for a long, long time without getting (too) cold. No wind. No slick streets. No school cancellation. And.... it makes huuuuuggge snowballs!!!

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Yo!

Tipped off by Chrissy, (because anyone who knows Luke very well knows that our little boy thinks he's the next big thing in breakdancing), I downloaded the kids' heads in this funky dance. I know you've probably seen the dancing elves... this is the same thing, but with some COOL. Then, I found the rap name generator on myrapname.com (yes, this is a real site), and it created our breakdancers' names. Here we have Lukey Chill, Kami H Jammy Swoop, and E Cakes, a.k.a. Tiny Mix. Nikki W.: I need the low down on these names... are they legit?

Other rappers in our family:
Jammy Tommy T
Sista Dirty Annie H
Slick Judy Sugar
Jimmy J Cool
Phat Kiki Funk
Tasty Baby Hallie Face
Lady Lauren Kool
Maggie S Mystique a.k.a. Easy Kiss
Immortal Scotty Thug
Special CH a.k.a Sista Carolyn Cakes
Ok, I'll stop now.

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A Different and Daring New Look

Hi friends! Thanks for checking on me! Have you ever gone out and bought a new dress for a special occasion and loved it. And then when you got home and tried it on, it really didn't flatter you the way you thought. And by the time the special occasion was upon you, you weren't sure if you liked the dress at all? Well if that hasn't happened to you, then you are definitely not living in my world. It happens to me a lot for some reason... buyer's remorse, questionable taste, or some weird kind of guilt... I don't know what it is. It happens to me in small matters (like this family blog) and big matters (my kitchen granite). But I must say after all the difficulty of getting this new look together, it is bright and different and represents our family pretty well. I thank Jessica at Cuppycake Designs for her time and patience in designing this. God bless her! I will be tweaking it over the weeks to come! Got to figure out how to get that sponge (it looks like butter or cheese too) off of the bottom of my posts!!! Postscript: The sponge is gone!

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Nuggets

Today, Kim and I went to listen to Joe White of Kanakuk camps speak about "Motherhood and the Incredible Worth of a Child." When I worked at Kanakuk 16+ years ago, I worked at the Kamp where Joe was. I watched him work with children on a daily basis, and back then his own four children were still pretty young. I remember Cooper being a towheaded little linebacker. Now, Joe has 8 grandkids and has been fighting two kinds of cancer. He was always an amazing man, but there is no doubt the last 16 years of experiences have transformed him into a tender yet tough, raw yet refined man who stands bullishly on the Word of God. 100+ women listened to him today, most of us in tears. A lot of the time when he spoke, he spoke with his eyes closed. Almost long enough to be awkward... like "Joe, are you there," but you could really see that it was almost as if he were walking with God at that very moment. I want to record some of his words. Like my sister remarked, "I wish I could hear him every week." Yep, it was energizing. Confirmation that even through the grinding days of parenthood when I think to myself "I am the WORST mother in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD", (and I have been thinking that a lot lately) I AM doing something right. And it is precious. Motherhood is precious in God's sight. Here are some of his nuggets:

*Be encouraging, not exasperating.

*Catch your kids in the act of doing something good, and tell them about it.

*Ask more questions than you give advice.

*Ask open ended questions with no strings attached.

*Kids often clam up when they are getting too much advice.

*Be firm, don't be frustrated.

*Don't give em to 3, just give em to 1.

*You will at some point not be popular. In fact, your kids may fire you. But in the end, you will be their best friend. It may take a lot of time, but stay strong in what you are teaching them.

*When you feel that your kids don't like you, remember that God didn't call you to be your kids' friend, He called you to be their parent.

*Follow through, don't be a flip flop.

*Fill the cup gently.

*As much as you can, lay down with your kids at night and just be beside them. Talk a little, but listen the most.

*It seems so small but means so much: take time to ask your kids "how can I pray for you?" If they don't answer, that's ok. But they know you are praying for them.

*If you memorize scripture with your kids, the benefits are immeasurable.

*Don't memorize scripture, treasure it.

*Pick your favorite scripture and let God hug you.

*Psalm 91 is God's Hallmark card to you.

*At the end of every day, hug your child and tell them, "I love you and I'm proud to be your mom." Let that be the last thing they hear before they go to sleep.

*It's all about the relationship. It's not about the straight A's or the clean room or the basketball team. It's about the relationship.

*Lead without fear.

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January Babies

Inspired by Kami, (but not quite as hip as her - maybe too old to pull off a "shout out") I decided to post pictures of our birthday party for Kiki, Hallie and Tom. So glad I had my camera to capture the moment. And here's one more pic posted solely for its adorable quotient. Love the blue shirts on Lauren and Ellie, who don't have birthdays until April and September, respectively.

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The Return of the CAMERA

It is back. I cannot tell you how glad I am to have it home again. I do have to say, though, I learned a few things in the absence of my camera.

1) The value of journaling. In the past, I didn't post unless I had a picture to share. It has been cathartic to just write. Ironic I never have, since I do love writing so, but writing has been nice.

2) In the absence of my camera, I have had to try harder to draw a picture with my words. It has renewed my interest in being a better writer.

3) In thinking about journaling, I looked back at some of the labels and realized that while I have accumulated several posts about our kiddos, a nice amount about Granny, several about ORU and plenty vacation posts, I had not one single post about Tom. Sure, I've mentioned him, but I have yet to share my thankfulness for this man in my life... what a great husband and father is. Maybe it's because deep down I know he's not the sharing type. He'd probably rather have the hair plucked from his chest or try on 5 shades of lipstick than bear his soul to the internet (of all things). But I do feel that a very important character from our lives is rather absent here on our family blog... soon to be titled "Having a Ball," and I want to try to put more emphasis on the man who is really the center of our lives. And since today is his birthday, it really is a perfect day to bring him up. Happy Birthday Tommy!

4) You don't know what got 'til it's gone. Ha! I always enjoyed my camera and valued it as one of my favorite earthly possessions, but I haven't really taken the time to properly learn how to take pictures. I ridiculously thought that if I bought the same camera as my favorite photographer, then I could take pictures like her. Ha! I'm going to have to work harder, read books, maybe take a class with my sister. Practice practice practice taking pictures. You are going to see nicer pictures on this blog.

5) I've always "excused" this blog to myself because it is a way to keep track of my family. It documents our daily activities and helps us remember the days that fly of the calendar. I think I felt guilty spending my time doing something for myself. But, I'm going to OK it. This blog can be for me too! Thus, the new and improved blog look coming soon!

6) Finally, I had improperly diagnosed my camera's problem. I have to retract my earlier statement about the camera (although the timing still seems awfully weird) and say that the problem was a "loose connection." Great that means the plastic pin is still destined to break?!? Here's hoping NOT.

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