Even if...

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T16:44:00.002-04:00

Just so you wouldn't think I've completely gone off the blogosphere...here's a shout out to all you dad's out there. Hope you have a great daddy day!

Grammy Meeker

2011-05-04T17:03:00.003-04:00

My close friend from high school, Brooke's, grandmother passed away this week. She was an incredible lady and lived to the ripe age of 102. I remember lots of visits to see Grammy in the years that I too, lived in Bloomington. She would tell us how she used to work for ISU and she used a mimeograph to type things. She played piano from memory after she couldn't see the music anymore...and she was GOOD! She was a spunky lady who lived in her own house until just a few years ago. The good news is that she knows Jesus and her body is renewed in heaven with Him now. Brooke was incredibly close to her. Please keep her and her family in your prayers this week. Much thanks!

Easter festivities

2011-04-28T09:10:00.010-04:00

Our neighborhood does an Easter Egg hunt every year. Usually it falls when Dave and I are on spring retreat, and Dave's parents are watching the kids...so they have ended up taking them the last two years. This year, I was actually around for it, but Dave's parents came up for the day, and got to enjoy it too. :-)

Our own little Easter egg hunt at home after church:

The Easter egg hunt that the kids had with their friends. So fun.

Callie turns 3

2011-04-28T09:03:00.004-04:00

OK...call it a roll, but I finally just uploaded my camera to my computer.

Although this is almost a month late, Callie turned 3 on April 3rd. She had a tangled, themed birthday party. I realized that I have very few pictures from that day, so I may need some help from the grandparents to fill in some spaces. However, here are a few of the pics that I DO have. My little girl is growing up (sigh).

Some help from her cousin, Katie.

You asked for it...

2011-04-28T08:29:00.003-04:00

Someone, ahem, I won't name names, has mentioned that I haven't blogged in awhile. :-) It's true. Often I look at the blog and an idea perculates, but either I don't REALLY have the time to expound...or I'm just being lazy.

Even now, I don't have one singular topic to fill an entire post...so you may have the randomness that is floating through my brain...

Weeds- We've successfully weeded the dandelions out of our yard. It has been a major feat, and Dave has taken it quite personally. He has spent the better part of the last week leaned over our yard, popping dandelions out. He comes in each day with a 5 gallon bucket full, feeling vindicated...until the next day when more pop up. The kids and I helped one day, and it is actually quite gratifying. Think of it like popping a zit, without the scarring and redness afterward. I loved ridding the grass of those pesky weeds so that the good stuff can actually grow. It's funny how you can draw so many spiritual parallels to gardening. This was one of those times. It made me ponder what weeds I needed to pluck in my own life, so that the healthy grass could grow.

Gardening- To stay on the theme, we planted some seeds the other day in a "starter kit". This is actually our first experience with this, and already we are seeing the seedlings pop up. It's a neat science experiment for the kids. We have lots of different kinds of flowers and I can't wait until they are blooming in our garden. You may draw your own spiritual paralells here.

P90X- More like P40G for me. I "like" to do the cardio with Dave (mostly Kenpo, CardioX, and Core). After doing Core, I basically can't more for about 4 days. When I say "like", I mean I like the results when I do it consistently. I'm trying to do it 2-3 times a week. That feels a reasonable goal for me. Meanwhile, after two kids...jumping jacks are still not my friends.

Sunshine- I'm SO over the rain. Too much of it makes me grumpy and surly. The fact that the sun is actually shining as I write this, brings me much joy. Unfortunately, it's supposed to rain more today. Grr. A thunderstorm, I like. Incessant rain, I do not.

The Royal Wedding- Um, so NOT over it. I will SO be one of the millions of viewers tuned into watch the wedding of Will and Kate. Yes, I even watched the Lifetime movie. It was terribly made, but I at least caught up on a little of the back story, if it can be believed (I'm not THAT obsessed). I like to think of it as I'm watching a piece of history in the making.

My kids-They're hilarious these days. I love listening to their stories and how they are becoming little big people. I swear Noah is 4 going on 25. It's hard to believe that he turns 5 in a few weeks. Callie still loves playing pretend. She gets this really high-pitched voice when she is in character. It's so cute to listen to.

I will try to do better at keeping this puppy posted...but comments to let me know you're there would probably encourage me to know that someone actually still reads this. :-)

Thanks Tiffany for kicking my butt into gear. :-)

Feeling Springy

2011-03-24T13:38:00.003-04:00

Dave's brother and sister-in-law came for a visit this week, along with their two adorable kids (who are close in age to our two monkeys). It was a great visit and the weather sure cooperated with us. We spent most of the day outside yesterday. We played, the boys fished, caught frogs and a turtle even, grilled out, and just relaxed. We had such a good time. The kids all did well sharing (for the most part) and got along pretty well with each other too. Now, they're headed back and we're bummed that they had to go. I added some pics below of some of our fun.

Mike and Laura...aren't they cute? :-)

The brothers taking the kids for a paddleboat ride.

I think this is the first turtle we've actually caught. We've seen a few in the pond before though.

Noah and Daddy with their first frog of the season. Dave caught it on his very first hit. They're still moving a little slower this time of year. :-)

Bathroom update

2011-03-12T09:46:00.004-05:00

Before

After

I'm in project mode. Big time. I was looking at our bathroom to see what ways I can update it without spending a lot of money (aka new vanity, toilet, bathtub). So, for $30...or $2 out of pocket after using our menards rebates, and a little bit of time, we have a more modern looking bathroom. All I did was paint the cabinets and added some new pulls. I love it and so does Dave. Cheap elegance. :-)

Kid pics

2011-03-12T09:34:00.007-05:00

Balloon animals!

I still love catching pics of them sleeping. They're so peaceful and adorable.

Dave is doing P90X. He was taking before pictures...Noah also wanted to take before pictures. :-)

Prayer

2011-02-27T14:02:00.003-05:00

This morning Tony talked on prayer. It was a really good sermon. His text was Matthew 6:5-15. As he was talking I was encouraged to pick up my own prayer life. What would it look like to pray fervently? To have my own prayer closet where I can cry out to God? With kids, this can sometimes be complex, but I think that after they go to bed, I can choose to spend more time praying instead of watching tv. Hold me accountable on this, will you?

A lot of people responded for prayer this morning. It was wonderful to see God moving in so many ways. Afterwards, my friend Kristin came up and mentioned that during worship she felt a really strong urge to pray for me. So, she did. It started out so simple, but by the end I was a puddle on the floor with tears and snot all over the place. It was one of those times where you know that the Holy Spirit was in charge and we were just submitting. She prayed for me as leader of prayer team and basically God used her to charge me back up and to give fresh vision. It was also so humbling to be reminded that God has big plans for our church. You don't need to know all the details of what happened...and quite honestly...the most important part for me was just willingly submitting my heart to God. It felt SO good. When we were done, I felt an incredible amount of weight lifted off my shoulders and just immeasurable relief.

I kept thinking over and over. This is why we do this. This is why we listen to the Holy Spirit. Because I didn't really know that I needed prayer...but Kristin was listening to the holy spirit and what resulted was an incredibly encouraging, God driven time, that I really DID need. God knows best. I just love that He allows us to partner with Him in the process.

Callie playing house

2011-02-14T07:30:00.003-05:00

I caught Callie playing in her room yesterday and just had to catch it on video. She is so imaginative and hilarious when she's playing. I like the last part too where she is counting some ponytail holders that had fallen on the floor...40, five-ty, 16, etc. Love this kid.

Forsaken

2011-02-10T13:36:00.002-05:00

I've been thinking a lot recently about the word "forsaken". When I was prepping lifegroup this last week, the verses we read were about Jesus being forsaken and dying on a cross. As Christians, we have the tendency to throw that word around pretty freely. Jesus was forsaken on a cross and died to save us from our sins. But the truth was, I honestly didn't know what being forsaken truly meant. True, I guessed it was bad, but when I read Matthew 27: 45-54 again...I got it a little more.

Mirriam Webster defines forsake as "to renounce or turn away entirely". So, when Jesus was dying a humiliating, horrible, excruciatingly painful death on a cross with people on the ground mocking him and jeering at him, the worst of it was that God had to turn away. Jesus cries out, "My God, my God why have you forsaken me?" -Matthew 27:46. I can't imagine the pain that God must have felt to not jump in and save his son. To want to so badly, but know that to do so would doom the rest of us forever.

God had to forsake Jesus so that we might have a chance of life. Had he stepped in and saved Jesus, our lives would be forfeit and the justice we rightly deserve would be done.

This whole thought process has been really churning in me about the intensity that God loves us. I've been a christian for a number of years and sometimes I get numb to the very essence of what I believe.

Reading these verses again and letting them soak in...seeing all that God and Jesus, by his death, did to save me and you overwhelms me. I no longer feel numb. The price Jesus paid is not lost on me...and because of that...I freely accept what God has offered: redemption, freedom, mercy, forgiveness.

laa-dee-daa

2011-01-07T18:45:00.002-05:00

So, it's been a great week here. Kicking it off with our anniversary was definitely a positive. Dave's worked odd hours this week (and has fielded phone calls from the vet school almost every night in the middle of the night). However, tomorrow is his last day. He traded working Tuesday for Sunday (which he now gets off). He's being super secretive because he is taking us on a mini-vacation...somewhere. :-) I truly don't have the foggiest idea where we are going, and I admit...I'm OK with that. It's fun to be surprised. I promise to blog about it next week and tell you all about it, after I know. :-)

Until then, I'm enjoying some cuddle time with the kids, bath, then bed for them...rest time for me.

Seven years!

2011-01-04T20:11:00.005-05:00

Yesterday marked seven years of being married to my wonderful husband. It was actually a lot of fun yesterday to think back about the day we got married. Taking pictures, the ceremony, the reception. I also thought back to some of our most memorable dates...the top ones include a picnic at the state park, taking me to see Phantom of the Opera (A total surprise and I had REALLY wanted to see it!), and last years get away weekend. Yes, I have a good man.

The funny thing about our anniversary is that SOMETHING always goes wrong...every year, without fail. One year we were in Chicago and Dave's parents had booked a hotel room for us using their points (we were poor and they were generous). When we got to the hotel, the hotel had booked us for the following night..and the hotel was BOOKED for that night. We ended up having to drive home to his parents house. Another year, as we were pulling out of the driveway, Dave accidentaly side-swiped our babysitters car. We felt so horrible about it, that we ended up not going out that evening and Dave spent the rest of the night fixing the damage. Other years have been more minor, but something generally happens to try and thwart our plans. We joke about it now.

This year was no exception. Our babysitters forgot to come and we couldn't get a hold of them. So, after an hour of waiting, we called our friends Kurt and Karissa (whom we love and who love our kids) and literally Karissa was at our house ten minutes later with Kurt (coming from work) right behind her. They stayed with the kids all night so that Dave and I could have our anniverary night. Seriously, I love our church and the community that we belong to. I love doing life with these people.

Dave and I had to alter our plans slightly, but we still went down to Indy, ate at the Castleton grill, and then went shopping. It was so nice to just be with him.

Below is my anniversary present.

My husband did AMAZING. It's so beautiful...the picture doesn't even show it justice. I LOVE it. It's my new favorite piece of jewelry...mostly because it came from him.

Suffice it to say, the evening was wonderful. For me, it was nice to get away from the house and yes, even the kids, for a little bit. I had to remember that I am more than a mom. We had such a good time talking on the way down and back and throughout the whole evening.

Because of that, I was able to really enjoy the kids today. I wasn't feeling run-down or empty. I could really embrace and enjoy the time I had with them. We were all better for it.

I married a great man seven years ago. He keeps me safe, is steady when I am weak, pushes me when I need to be pushed, loves me for me, is incredibly wise, and is a wonderful father. I'm incredibly in love with him.

Bring on year eight!

Look what you've done for me

2010-12-31T07:24:00.002-05:00

The other day I was finishing up the book of John. For some reason, the very last verse really struck me. John ends the book by saying, "Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written"- John 21:25

I sat and pondered that for a moment. Then I began to mentally list the things that God has done for me alone:

-Pulled me out of despair with my parents divorce
-When I gave my life to him in 8th great I felt freedom and great joy.
-In all 3 high schools that I attended, he brought Godly people into my life to encourage me.
-Provided a Godly husband who continues to strengthen and encourage me.
-Despite circumstances, I have always had a mother figure in my life to look up to
-I have two beautiful healthy children.
-I have a wonderful community around me who loves me as I am, but also spurs me on.
-In my toughest moments, I have felt the power of God come over me and bring me peace.
-He paved the way for Dave and I to buy this house. (If you ever want to hear the story...we'll be happy to tell you)
-

More recently... (which is somehow easier to remember)
-He healed my hip while at summer conference
-He has broken off sin and things that I have been struggling with for many years.
-He has raised up Godly women to spur me on
-He has strengthened Dave and my marriage
-He uses others to speak words of encouragement just for me. Twice in the last month I have had people not know the exact circumstances of what I was going through and because God laid it on their heart, they were able to pray EXACTLY what I needed.

I've also witnessed him heal:
-a knee
-a foot
-backs
-marriages
-headaches
and those are just what I remember

In the life of our church:
-I've seen countless people's lives transformed by God's redeeming power.
-People have been healed from hurts that have haunted them for years.
--He has brought hundreds of people to our doorstep.
-Our first Sunday we had 50 people! I remember standing at the back of the church, knowing that something Holy was indeed happening...because we didn't know any of them. God brought them.

This list is SO partial. It's early, but if I COULD remember everything, I know that my own story could write a book.

What has God done for you?

Oh Karen...

2010-12-30T13:49:00.002-05:00

First let me say that I love my husband who graciously understands my deep enjoyment of reading novels by Karen Kingsbury. He asked me today if I was hanging out with my best friend Karen. :-) Yes, yes I was.

I just finished reading "Unlocked" (thanks Mom Y!)...and I was not disappointed. I would often run out of the bedroom while I was reading, hug Dave, and exclaim "I love Jesus!". For those concerned, yes I realize this is a fictional book...but with most of Karen's books she believes in God's miraculous power and scripts it so well in her books. Sometimes, I feel my prayers are weak..."Lord, let your will be done..." It feels easier than to pour my heart into earnest prayer for an outcome. Granted, God, in His infinite wisdom understands situations far better than I do...and He knows that sometimes we are meant to face challenges and trials in order to grow. Sometimes, it's just not the right time. But yet, I get challenged often to pray bolder prayers. "He answered their prayers, because they trusted him" (1 Chronicles 5:20) The mom in this book prayed for her son for FIFTEEN years. God is faithful. He loves us.

I guess it was a reminder to keep praying specifically and boldly...and with faith.

If you've never read Karen...you should. :-)

Christmas Recap

2010-12-30T07:43:00.007-05:00

So MUCH has happened in the last few weeks. I have tried blogging numerous times. There have been so many topics flirting through my mind...usually while I am in bed and too tired to get up and write.

For instance, on Dec. 10, I slipped on some ice while carrying Callie and a muffin pan. We went down FLAT. Callie, thankfully was OK...but I ended up going into the ER with Dave's mom because my hip kept catching and I was in a LOT of pain. The most vivid memory I have of that time is when they asked me to put on a gown to take x-rays, I panicked, thinking, "I wonder what underwear I'm wearing...I hope it doesn't have holes..." After that, it was vicadin-land for me and I was feeling pretty great about most things. Nothing was broken...just bruised. It happened on a Friday night and by Sunday afternoon, I was feeling MUCH better. That weekend we had Christmas at the Irwins. Aside from me being sort of out of it, we had a great visit. It was great to see that side of the family. Dave had to work, so Dad Y. drove us up there (thankfully since I was still on vicadin).

The following weekend was Christmas at my mom's. On our way there, we got a flat tire...had to head back into Lafayette to get it changed...while on our way, someone kindly flagged us down while we were driving to let us know that we had no brake lights. Poor Dave...it was a LONG day. We waited for the new tire for a few hours, then had to fix the brake lights (Thankfully, the tire was covered and the brake light problem was an easy/cheap fix). When all was said and done we had to post-pone Christmas at my mom's until Sunday.

Thankfully, after those two fiascos, Christmas, itself, was a little less eventful. I love that Noah knows that Christmas is special because it is Jesus' birthday. We made cupcakes for Jesus on Friday night and then went to our Christmas eve service. On Christmas morning, we read the Christmas story, prayed and then the kids got to open their presents. Afterwards, we went to Dave's parents house for Christmas again. It was a very nice and relaxing day.

We still have one more Christmas with my dad's family and that will be this Saturday. Meanwhile, things here are settling back into routine. Rooms are put back together...Christmas decorations came down yesterday. The kids are still all about their new toys, so play time has been peaceful. We've been to the Children's Museum and saw the zoo lights. Spiritually, it's been a really good month for me to reflect on the year, and how I'm doing in my relationship with Jesus. God's been bringing up a lot of things, and I'm hopeful that some of it will be dealt with in the new year.

Happy New Year everyone!

Snow much fun!

2010-12-07T10:37:00.007-05:00

Dave and the kids braved the cold on Saturday and played out in the snow. They had A LOT of fun. Noah was over the moon about having enough snow to make a snowman.

Daddy took the sled down...and got a little silly. Then Chester ran by and sprayed snow all over him. :-)

Hope you all are staying warm and enjoying the winter weather. I know that we are. :-)

Tis the season...

2010-12-02T17:11:00.006-05:00

Holiday cards are next on my to do list. And you know me...I can't pass up a good deal. :-) Shutterfly is doing a promo for 50 free greeting cards if we mention them on their blog. Can do. :-)

They actually have really neat cards. To be honest, I really like their styles...These are a few of my favorites...but there are a lot of cute ones. If you're looking for christmas cards, you can click on this link.
The above one is my current favorite...however, for all those who are going to be receiving one, the verdict is still out. :-)

So, be sure to check out their website. They also have calendars. A certain someone might be getting her yearly calendar from shutterfly. One never knows.

Wherever you are at in the holiday season, enjoy it. Wishing you a safe and wonderful holiday season!

That was fast...

2010-11-27T21:48:00.003-05:00

So, apparently some bug has hit our house. Dave and I have both had sore throats the past few days. The kids both have ear infections. We're a delightful mess. On Thursday night I didn't get as much sleep as I should have (My sis-in-law and I braved the lines for Black Friday and did some shopping). However, being a mom...you don't really make up that much sleep. I napped yesterday with the kids. Then we put up all the Christmas decorations and that kept me busy until about 10pm. I went to bed and literally COUGHED for 2 hours. I was tired and miserable, but couldn't sleep. GRRR! So, I got up at Midnight and swigged some of Noah's Delsym and then went back to bed. Finally sleeping soundly until both kids got up at 6:45am. However, I was still not doing well. My throat still hurt, and I was unbelievably tired and worn out.

When Dave got up at 11 (he worked last night), I promptly went back to bed. When I woke up, Callie was still sleeping and Dave had opened my door because Noah was watching a movie on tv. I also woke up with the most pounding headache I have had in years. Honestly, I don't get headaches all that often...but this one made me dizzy and nauseaus. I could barely move. I tried calling one of my friends to pray for me because the prospect of dealing with the kids all day today feeling this miserable was so daunting. She wasn't there, so then I just laid in bed and cried out to Jesus. And I mean I cried. I asked Him to help me make it through the day and to take the pain away. I no sooner finished that prayer, then my phone rang. My dear friend, whom I have not seen in forever, called to see if we were still on for our playdate today. She asked if I was OK, and I was honest with her and told her that I was not feeling so hot. She literally piled her two kids in the car and was at my house in 15 minutes. She sent me back to bed and then proceeded to care for the kids while I rested longer with a cold pack on my head. After ANOTHER nap (and the cold pack did wonders!) I felt ready to rejoin the living.

As I was laying in bed I kept thinking how THANKFUL I was for her. It's funny because I know that God was the one behind our friendship. I met her 2 and a half years ago at Borics. She was in with her son, who ended up playing with Noah. She was admiring Callie who was only 2 weeks old. We got to chatting. After we left, I felt the strongest urging to go back and give her my number in case she ever wanted to do a playdate. When I gave it to her, I was praying she wouldn't think I was crazy. Lo and behold she emailed me and we have been friends since. Her son is really close in age with Noah and they play together well. It's nice to talk through parenting issues. She does a great job with her kids and it's always nice to hang out with other parents who are doing a good job so that you can glean new ideas.

Bottom line, God completely answered my prayers for help by sending Jamie my way today. He knows our needs and He is faithful.

Thank you Jesus and thank you Jamie.

A good day

2010-11-24T12:02:00.003-05:00

Dave took Noah to preschool (Noah's preferred chauffer anyway). Callie and I cuddled. Read my bible in peace. Finished my book. Cuddled with Dave while he was watching the news. Worked out. Am on my way to shower because we are going as a family to see "Rapunzel hair" as Callie calls it (Tangled to everyone else). I'm so excited for a fun family day. :-)

What?! She posted?!

2010-11-17T20:11:00.004-05:00

Sorry to all who still read the blog for not writing in quite some time. It's for a host of reasons. I've thought of writing numerous times, but just haven't been super motivated or know what to say. You can also blame the two new authors in my life: Catherine Palmer and Susan May Warren. I've rented most of their books from the library and when the kids go down...well, then I tend to be reading.

But here's the skinny on what has been happening here:

-Noah STILL loves preschool. We met with his teacher last week and he is doing great! I absolutely adore his teacher. The good news is that Callie will get her next year. Noah is always coming home with neat projects and telling us all about his friends there.

-I had tendonitis in my left wrist and had to wear a brace for awhile. Not overly exciting...an old violin injury. :-) Does that count as a sport? Well, it's probably because I played violin for a number of years and it flared up again. It's feeling much better now.

-We re-roofed our house this weekend. That was a major undertaking. THANK YOU to Paul, Dede, Mike, Laura, and a few guys from church who helped us do it. We couldn't have done it without you. It's a different color, which I am still adjusting too, but I think it looks nice. It's definitely a MAJOR improvement and there shouldn't be any leaks this winter. :-)

-Tony has been doing a series on Song of Songs. It has been GREAT. He has been giving all the married couples "homework" each week (make out with your spouse, talk about "foxes" that can hinder your intimate life/marriage, the men were supposed to find out from their wives what romance means to them and then do something about it, learn to be selfless with your spouse). It's been incredibly good for Dave and I. We've had lots of really good talks about the sermons and us and are finding new ways to show love to one another.

Life keeps going. Isn't that the way of it? I will try to do better at posting more often. Maybe I just needed to break the proverbial ice again. :-)

For Mindy

2010-11-02T09:23:00.003-04:00

Our friend Mindy is doing a one year stint with Back 2 Back ministries in Mexico. We miss her. :-) The kids sent her a little video note.

Jesus Loves me

2010-10-10T21:13:00.002-04:00

Absolute first video footage using my new camera. :-)

Ring bearer and flower girl

2010-10-10T14:29:00.003-04:00

The kids had the honor of being the ring bearer and flower girl at our friend's Kurt and Karissa's wedding. As you can see...they did great. Callie was completely in her element. She loved every aspect. Noah did great wearing a monkey suit the entire day without much complaint. I was so proud of both of them!

What a week

2010-10-09T07:36:00.006-04:00

This has been a most eventful week:

There have been 3 new babies born to friends this week.
I celebrated my 28th birthday
Friends of ours are getting married today
And a great man has passed from this world.

Dave's grandpa passed away last night. Although it was very much expected for quite awhile, the fact that it has actually happened feels hard. Grandpa Yenerich was 89 and has lived an incredible life. He would have been married to his wife (who passed two years ago) for 66 years this past Thursday. I remember looking at them and thinking...this is what it looks like to be commited. It was so clear that he loved her and that she loved him. They were married a LIFETIME. Grandpa, although having health problems for some time and a serious heart surgery, was water skiing the next year...and every year since, even attempting last year. I have a great respect for that, since I, have yet to successfully water ski.

He was a really good man. He was always laid back when I knew him. Going with the flow and always seemed to be pretty content. He will surely be missed.

Goodbye Grandpa. We love you.

Callie dancing

2010-10-07T19:37:00.001-04:00

We were driving and listening to random stations when this song came on. Dave started doing the swing move where you put your finger in the air and twirl it around. Callie got really into doing it too.

A Very Happy Birthday, Indeed

2010-10-06T10:37:00.003-04:00

Yesterday marked my 28th year of life. Dave let me sleep in, which was wonderful. I woke up to two very excited children yelling, "Surprise! Happy Birthday!" and a wonderful husband making pancakes. Noah was pretty insistant that I open my presents right away. Besides the beautiful pink gerbera daisies and the cookie cake, there were two presents wrapped in princess paper. The first one was from the kiddos. They had wrapped one of Noah's beanie baby bears and had given it me as a "gift". Incredibly sweet, although I think Noah has already re-acquired it. The second present was "the" present that Dave and Noah had been scouting for on their "boy trips" recently. Dave got me the video camera that I had been eyeing for some time now! I LOVE it! We've already taken some fun video of the kids and I can't wait to record more memories! Being the smart man that he is, he had it already charged up and in a carrying case for me...ready to go.

For lunch, Dave watched SIX children while my friend Sarah and I went out for our very first lunch without children (we've known each other for well over 4 years). We had a great time enjoying adult conversation with minimal disturbances. Dave actually had a great time too. He raked leaves and the kids jumped in them. He was a great sport for taking them all on so Sarah and I could have a nice lunch out.

After the kids were in bed for nap, we cuddled and watched the House that we DVR'd. I got many wonderful phone calls yesterday and well, you've gotta love the facebook love. Seriously, it's social networking at it's finest. :-)

Kristin P. stopped by on her way home from teaching and said hi. It was really nice to see her, even for a few minutes.

We had lifegroup last night. Our group surprised me with a birthday cake. It was incredibly sweet and mildly embarassing since the bulk of the group have children my age...but they were great sports and made me feel very loved.

The best part of the day is that I now get to share my birthday with Kyle Conrad Moore, who was born to my longtime, dear friend Brooke, and her husband Conrad, last night. Congratulations you two! I want to see pictures very soon!

It was all-in-all, a WONDERFUL birthday. Thanks to all who called and wrote to help make my birthday very special.

Breaking Free

2010-09-27T22:19:00.004-04:00

About two years ago, I was at a women's conference in Carbondale with some other women from church. While we were there, I got a very vivid image of a woman, arms wide open, praising Jesus...with a pile of junk and baggage at her feet. The words I got were "Breaking Free". I really felt strongly that this was for the women of our church. I was so excited. How could we get the women on board? A women's conference? Yes! In my naivete, I felt sure this was the way to go. Well, sometimes I get ahead of God just a little bit. Because that wasn't what happened.

Yet, that vision has stuck with me strongly over the past two years. In the last two years, I've had the opportunity to pray with countless women for this very thing. Breaking off of baggage: sins, lies, abuse, self-image, unforgiveness, etc. I've watched God work and seen women free from the stuff that has plagued them for years, sometimes decades.

Tonight, we were praying for a woman for this very thing. After God had indeed freed her from the things satan had been attacking her with...the picture of her walking in a field, towards Jesus, with piles of her brokeness left behind came to me. I thought "Yes, God. I get it now. You are doing it. THANK YOU!"

Thank you God for loving us so much that you never want us to stay in our brokeness. Your heart is for us to be free. Free to love you. Free to be the woman that you have made us to be. Free. In your freedom, I will live. Thank you seems really inadequate, but...Thank You Jesus. I love you too.

Callie's new bike

2010-09-23T19:08:00.003-04:00

So, Dave has a weakness for two-year-old blondes with brown eyes that smile up at him and say "Daddy!" with a big grin on their faces. I tease him that he's a total sucker where Callie is concerned. Case in point: Check out Callie's new big girl bike. We were riding bikes the other day and Callie was riding Noah's really well. Dave decided that she needed to have a big girl bike and was super excited about the Daddy/Callie time in going to pick one out. Dave picked it out so that it HAD to have the baby seat on the back. He was SO excited to be able to get this for her. Mu husband can be pretty stinkin cute. However, we had to order it because Walmart didn't have this particular model in the store. The bike came in today. So, when Dave came home from his conference, he put it together right away. Callie, in her highest voice, said, "Is that MY bike?!"

We spent the rest of the afternoon trying out her new bike (on the hottest day of the week)

Let's just say that Callie thinks her daddy's pretty great.

The best sermon I never heard...

2010-09-20T12:51:00.002-04:00

Perhaps one of the most memorable sermons in my life is a sermon that I never heard first-hand. Yet, it's had an incredible impact on my life.

In college, my roommate at the time visited a church (that is now a part of our current network of churches, cool huh?). Let me just say that Sara, my roommate, has an uncanny ability to remember things...and an amazing ability to relate details. So, she came home from this particular church one Sunday (I had gone to a different church at the time) and mentioned how much she really enjoyed the sermon.

Me, being not so great with details, am trying to recall exactly how it went down as she retold the sermon to us...

The gist of the story was based on a passage in Luke about Jesus calming the storm. When read, the easiest conclusion to come to is, "That's amazing! Jesus calmed the storm!". However, the part that Jeff Miller, the pastor, picked out was that the disciples were in the boat with Jesus. They had seen the miraculous things Jesus had been doing over the last few months. They had seen him perform miracles, heal the sick, raise the dead. Jesus was in the boat! Yet, they still panicked, they still didn't believe, they still tried doing everything in vain to stop the boat from sinking. The point he was trying to make was "Jesus was in the boat." Why do we worry, when Jesus is with us?

Anyway, for some reason, this became really popular when it got retold multiple times to girls on our floor. One of our friends even drew us a picture of a boat that proclaimed, "Jesus is in the boat" that we hung on the back of our door at 711 Hamilton (woot! woot!). It became a helpful reminder when we got bogged down and discouraged, "Jesus is in the boat."

Every time I read that passage of scripture, I am reminded that Jesus is in the boat, and I don't need to worry or fear, for He is with me.

Boiler Up!

2010-09-20T12:42:00.005-04:00

Dave and I had the opportunity to go to our very first Purdue game this last weekend. Yep, after 4 years, we made it. :-) The tickets were given to us by a lady whose dog Dave treated. She works for the John Purdue club, and was so thankful to Dave that she offered him Purdue tickets. Our seats were AMAZING!

We were right on the 40 yard line, midway up in the nicer stadium seats. If we wanted, we could have been in the air conditioned lobby just above where our seats were. We have been supremely spoiled when it comes to attending sporting events.

Even better, it was a wonderful memory. Dave and I were able to sit and take it all in with no cares for a good three hours. The Boilers won, which was just nice. It was a wonderful date day and I loved spending some good quality time with Dave. Speaking of which, I have an incredibly PATIENT husband. In the last seven years, I have probably asked hundreds of questions about the game of football. I now, thankfully, have at least a basic understanding of how the game is played, but now it's all the technical questions, which he still answered with great patience. Yeah, I got a good one. I know.

Hello clear pond

2010-09-14T08:43:00.003-04:00

If you didn't know...our pond has had a green cover on it for the last two years (look up duck weed and water meal). The homeowners around the pond finally got organized this year and bought the chemicals to treat it. I'm happy to say, the pond looks beautiful again. I can actually see the reflection of the trees in the water. I love sitting out there in the evenings and just watching the trees and the pond. I am so thankful that this is where we are right now.

Noah's first day

2010-09-10T11:46:00.006-04:00

Noah started his first day of preschool last Wednesday. He LOVES it, and I am so happy for him.

Here he is hanging up his bookbag for the first time.

My big 4 year old. I love him so much.

Proud Momma Moment

2010-09-03T19:23:00.004-04:00

We had Noah's open house for preschool this morning. I think he's really going to like it, although he was a bit shy when meeting the teacher (he loved all the different toys he could play with). Callie went along too. She also loved it. There were babies and dress up. She was very content. While she was playing, I noticed that another girl was playing with a doll that Callie had previously been playing with. I went over and helped Callie find another baby to play with. I stood up and the girl with Callie's previous baby grabbed the doll out of Callie's hands. Poor Callie just started crying. I started to intervene and then the girl's mom came. She made the girl give the doll back to Callie and said, "We're going through the terrible twos". I could relate, and certainly didn't hold it against her. We've had our share of moments too. All was well again and the kids were playing nicely. After another ten minutes, I told my kiddos that it was time to go. I asked Callie to put her baby down so that we could go. She picked it up, looked around the room, located the girl who had previously taken the doll from her, walked up to her, and handed her the doll, saying, "Here you go". I just stood there watching it play out in front of me. The mom was a bit taken aback at first and then said how sweet Callie was. I was so proud of Callie for showing love to this little girl, even when the little girl hadn't shown kindness to her.

We walked out and I said, "You showed Jesus' love to that little girl. I'm so proud of you." Callie just said, "Yeah."

For all the tough moments in parenting, it's moments like this where I say, "Yep, it's all worth it."

Heather Smith Photo Shoot- Fun at the zoo :-)

2010-08-29T18:06:00.014-04:00

Given that Callie was crabby for most of the day, she got some pretty good shots. Good thing she can work well with what she's got. Thanks Heather!!

Encouragement

2010-08-27T23:37:00.005-04:00

It was another great night of fellowship here for me. I think it's one of the things that the Lord has allowed me to have with Dave's schedule being what it is. I love hanging out with other women, getting to know them, and praying for them. Tonight, a bunch of girls came over for a movie night. It was a lot of fun. We watched "To Save a Life"...I had already seen it, but really enjoyed it a second time. Afterwards, we sat around talking for awhile. I was telling them the story of how God healed my hip at summer conference. One of the other girls mentioned that her hip was bothering her. We ended up asking to pray for her. The moments that followed were pretty amazing for me. First of all, the other girls gathered around her without prompting and prayed incredible, heart-felt, God-driven prayers. Secondly, I felt like I was learning again how to pray in that moment. There is something to be said for listening to other's pray, and also in receiving prayer. We all pray differently, but it's nice to hear the way others pray too. I LOVED listening to these girls pray, the different styles, the things that came out. It is so clear that God is essential in their lives...and they get it at such a young age. Chalk it up to one of those clear Holy Spirit moments where you just take notice of what's happening around you. I'm glad the girls came over to hang out...if you're out there reading this...you are ALWAYS welcome anytime. Just invite yourself over. Oh, and my friend's hip wasn't bothering her after we prayed. I pray that God continues to heal her in that area...and encourage her faith too.

Thank you Jesus for allowing me moments like this...to encourage me and to grow me too.

Welcome back Kristin

2010-08-26T22:33:00.003-04:00

My friend Kristin is back in town after a summer of being at home. I'll say it...I missed her terribly. She's back at school now, and I got to hang out with her tonight. It was SOOO nice to catch up on life and talk about real things (not over the phone in the midst of needy children or other random events). Welcome back Kristin! See you next week. :-) (It's nice that I can say that now)

Rejoice in the Lord

2010-08-25T08:33:00.003-04:00

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Phillipians 4:4-7

I have noticed, for some time now, that I am a complainer. Give me something to gripe or worry about, and I'm on it. Yet, it's not the way that I WANT to be. There is a woman in my lifegroup who is so filled with joy. Her circumstances have not been easy, yet she sees God through it all. Every time I look at her, I see God's sweet joy on her face. I want to hang out with her just to soak up some of that joy. I was thinking about it this morning as I was doing my quiet time. The verses above stuck out to me in many ways.

I love that he repeats "Rejoice!" twice...that usually means it's a big deal. Paul is writing this letter in jail. There is not much to rejoice about in jail, but Paul has the knowledge of knowing Jesus. His heart is at peace even though his circumstances seem dim. Life for me is surprisingly dull compared to Paul, yet sometimes I catch my heart in the woes me stage. (I'm incredibly talented at it, mind you...ask my husband). The part that I need to remember in the good and the bad is to rejoice, because I have Jesus. The other part that stuck out with me was the in everything, by prayer and petition, with THANKSGIVING, present your requests to God. I have read this verse a hundred times, and that part never jumped out at me before today. Rejoice and be thankful...I'd like to get on board with that.

Lord, thank you for always shining a light on the areas that I am weak...not to condemn, but to guide. Help me to rejoice in all my circumstances and to be THANKFUL always for ALL that you do for me. I love you Lord.

Heart for Prayer

2010-08-21T20:08:00.005-04:00

I love praying for Callie. She has the heart of a pray-er. She loves giving prayer and she loves getting it. Each night I sit on the couch with the kids. We read out of their devotional book and then we pray for each other. Callie always says, "Pray me!" with a big grin on her face. Just recently, I have started to have her open her hands out in a receiving gesture and close her eyes. Since I started this a few days ago, I've really felt a difference in our prayer times. I have really noticed the Holy Spirit present when we are praying. Her eyelashes always seem to flutter and she has this look of content concentration as I'm praying. It's amazing and humbling to watch. I love that the God of the universe loves my baby girl so much that He longs for her to be in community with Him at such a young age. I love that her heart responds to Him. I pray that it is always so.

Callie's Muscles

2010-08-21T08:53:00.002-04:00

Callie is hilarious when she shows us her muscles.

Noah's Dance

2010-08-21T08:49:00.002-04:00

My son defines interesting dance moves. We cleaned the carpets one day and moved out all the furniture. We then had a dance party in the open space while the carpet was drying. The kids had a blast...and I enjoyed it too. :-)

My morning

2010-08-11T14:46:00.004-04:00

You can tell by the picture...it was a good morning. Our friends came over to play this morning and somehow the dress up came out. The picture above is the result. They had so much fun. We love Tony and Sarah and their precious kiddos. Often Sarah and I dream about what God's plan is for our kids. I look at this picture and smile. We don't know yet, but it will be exciting when we look back at this picture in 20 years and see all that God has done.

Thank you Jesus for these amazing kids and the plans that you have for their life. Thank you for entrusting them to us. Help us to raise them well. We love you Lord.

My sweet girl

2010-08-11T09:04:00.000-04:00

Buzz and Woody

2010-08-09T14:46:00.001-04:00

Noah and his good friend Andy together. They're pretty stinkin cute.

Space Bags

2010-08-04T17:07:00.002-04:00

So, Dave and I decided to try out space bags to see what all the fuss was about. Although it's not pretty...it's pretty amazing.

Here's what you see above:

2 sleeping bags
1 queen size comforter
3 sets of queen sized sheets
6 pillows
1 queen size blanket
1 queen size down-alternative comforter
1 queen size blanket
1 twin size blanket

all on the top shelf of my linen closet.

Don't leave your drinks out at the Yenerich house...

2010-08-04T17:02:00.001-04:00

A good day

2010-08-04T08:04:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, Dave let me sleep in until 8 (yes, that is sleeping in). It was wonderful. Then he took Noah to our friends house for the day. Dave helped put in his laminate floors and kept Noah with him. Noah had a blast tormen...I mean playing with their kitten...although he has a long scratch running down his face from sometime during the day.

Callie and I had a very relaxing, and very quiet day. It was great. I had a really nice quiet time. There was a storm in the morning, and I love summer storms. It was so nice just to sit and watch it without having to be anywhere at that moment. We went to the mall for a little while. I returned a pair of shoes and we just browsed. Afterwards, we went home, had a nice lunch and then she took a 3 hour nap. I finished cleaning the house (hallelujah!) and then our friend Sarah B. came over. I felt like I had accomplished a lot, but also rested a lot.

It was a very peaceful day.

Noah the fish

2010-07-27T18:00:00.002-04:00

So, I decided to take some video proof of Noah's excitement with the rings. Unfortunately, I ran out of memory space (oops...should really take off some pictures) and it shut down right as he was really getting into it. Still, it definitely gives you a feel for his love of swimming.

Our little fish

2010-07-22T15:47:00.005-04:00

Noah started swim lessons this week and he LOVES them. Fortunately, he is in a class with one of his closest friends, so that has helped him overcome any shyness he might have had. He has no problem putting his head under water. He is a wiggly fish, so eager to have turns and attempt what's being tried. At the end of each session, they get to dive for rings (the pool is only 2-3ft deep). Noah goes nuts and LOVES to get as many rings as he can. I'm so glad that he loves swimming.

Israelite

2010-07-13T16:53:00.002-04:00

Heaven help me...please. I am being such an Israelite. I realized as I was whinyi...ahem...I mean talking to my mother-in-law today that I am very complainy lately.

We are tight this month because there is a gap between Dave's last paycheck from the AEC and the first from Purdue. It's fine...we've been budgeting and tightening the purse strings to brace for it. Yet, we've had some hiccups along the way.

Through some interesting circumstances, we had to pay off the remainder of Callie's arm bill in one lump sum. Gulp. Yet, God was faithful and there was almost the exact amount of money extra in Dave's last check from the AEC. Phew...thanks God.

Our oven broke last night. It was going to cost about $200 to fix. Ugh. I was depressed all day about it...not to mention it was not going to get fixed until Friday. I truly believe that God gave Dave the inspiration and the ability. He began looking at it, called some people, found the part, and fixed it all today. (The actual fixing of the igniter switch took all of ten minutes...with Noah's help) The cost was far less than the original estimate. Thank you Jesus.

In the midst of my funk and while I was vacuuming and whining to God about this not being the right time (as if there is ever a RIGHT time for your oven to go out), I realized, I am being an Israelite. I was so busy whining that I wasn't seeing God's provision that was right in front of me.

Instead of being thankful for what God has already done, I've been whining about wanting more. I'm ashamed to even admit to some of my whiny thoughts lately. Ugh. I realized how poor my attitude has been. It's as if the manna is sitting right in front of me, but I'm too busy whining that it's not a steak to even realize the miracle that it really is and to be thankful for all the things that God has given me. Freedom from my sins, an amazing family, a great church body, good friendships, a great house to live in, two vehicles to drive. We are richly blessed.

I have a feeling this time period for us is intended to make us more reliant on God and to trust Him with our finances. As much as I would love to say that I have submitted to this graciously, I feel instead I have been kicking and screaming. I know how much I don't like it when my kids do it, and I'm sure it's equally (if not more) repugnant for a grown woman to have a temper tantrum about not getting her way. I'm so glad God is merciful and gracious when He deals with us.

Lord, forgive me for my poor attitude and for not seeing your mercies and provision for what they are. Please change my heart and teach me to be content in you. Thank you for loving us even when we act ridiculous.

Stand Firm

2010-07-03T21:20:00.003-04:00

These two words seem to be jumping out all over the bible for me lately. Tonight I was just reading in 2 Thessalonians and in verse 15 it says, "So then, brothers, stand firm and hold onto the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter." In my head, I picture a bunch of leaders who are going about their lives, telling others about Jesus, having lifegroups, praying for others and as they keep at it...satan creeps in and they begin to second guess themselves, start feeling isolated, begin to feel discouraged. I like how Paul says, "Stand Firm" in the word. Always go back to the basic teachings of the gospel. How refreshing it is to read God's word.

Lately, I've been dealing with a spiritual "funk" let's call it. I was definitely feeling some major opposition and it got to the point where I was feeling really confused, isolated, and discouraged. After talking to Tony, our pastor, and getting some very healing prayer, I feel like I am free from a lot of the "junk" that was following me around as well as free to really, truly read God's word in peace.

In doing so, I've been hit multiple times with this idea of "standing firm".

Moses telling the Israelites: "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring today" -Exodus 14:13

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love. -1 Corinthians 16:13-14

Referring to a believer in Christ named Epaphras, "He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured."- Colossians 4:12

Resist him (the devil), standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. - 2 Peter 5:9

I'm so encouraged as I read these verses. Jesus knew what we would face on this earth and the trials that we would bear...and yet we are still called to stand firm. That's my desire...to be able to stand firm, no matter what.

The picture I get is of our feet anchored to a rock with waves crashing over us...yet we remain standing...unshaken. I'm so glad that Jesus is the rock so that we CAN stand strong.

Lord, help me to continue to stand firm in you...to not be shaken or moved. I love you Jesus.

Referee

2010-07-03T20:51:00.002-04:00

Today I have refereed:

Noah against the cats
Buzz against Marmaduke
Chester against the cats
Noah AND Chester against the cats
Noah against Callie
Callie against Noah
The cats against the tadpole
The cats against Chester
Chester against the geese

I'm calling it-I'm officially off duty.

Healing

2010-06-26T16:32:00.002-04:00

OK, so this was at the last session, but I am so excited by it I wanted to get it down.

At the end of the session on the prodigal son, there was a call for anyone who wanted prayer for healing to come forward.

Some of you may not know that I have suffered from sciatica (or something like it) in my left hip since being pregnant with Noah. I had it with Callie too, but it still lingers and has gotten worse over the last year. I often have full leg pain or knee pain as it adjusts to my hip being out of whack.

I was especially hurting this last week. I tried getting into the chiropractor, but didn't schedule it in time before we left. So, when they called for healing, I decided to respond.

I went up there and just held my hands out. There were hundreds of people that responded. Generally when I pray, I usually say, "Lord, I know that you can heal. Help my unbelief". However, since we had just finished talking about God's intense love for us, I, for some reason, prayed, "Father, I believe you love me enough to heal me." Right about then, the pastor prayed corporately, "Lord, heal them". I'm not kidding. There was an instant sensation in my leg. I began to rotate it and felt no pain. My knee didn't hurt. Astounded, and probably a bit dumbfounded, I kept moving it around, looking around me, looking down. I thought, "was I just healed that quickly?". Sure enough, without even someone laying their hand on me to pray, I felt immediate relief. It was incredible.

The whole drive home I felt incredible relief. Often, when my hip is out, I notice that the left side sits higher than the right when I am sitting. For the last 24 hours, I have noticed both sides equal on the seat. Last night, I laid in bed awed that I had no pain. It was amazing!

Thank you Jesus!

2nd installment

2010-06-26T13:53:00.002-04:00

So, by the title...if you haven't read the first installment...start there.

During the afternoon on Wednesday, Dave had an overseer's meeting to attend. Because he sits on the board, I was invited to attend the wives of the overseer's lunch. The beauty of this is while the men are being taught, the women's lunch is a time of commmunity and socializing. Before you criticize...the majority of these women are pastor's wives and they often don't get the same opportunities as their husbands to fellowship with others (many are mom's of young children). This lunch allowed them to talk, connect, share stories, and meet new people. Frankly, I just enjoyed being along for the ride. I was able to reconnect with my friend Laura. Dave and I stayed with her and her husband while we were in Seattle. It's amazing what sharing space with others can do in terms of building community. Now, it's so enjoyable to reconnect with her and hear about all that's happened since we were there in November.

Afterwards we went back to the hotel and sat in the pool/hot tub with some of our other friends, Frank and Sheena. There were a lot of people that we knew staying at our same hotel. It felt like a really fun party.

The evening session was wonderful too (OK just get used to the fact that I thought all the sessions were pretty good).

I was really wanting to go up for prayer, but the calls that night were pretty specific and didn't exactly apply to me. I sat back there just praying. Dave laid his hand on my back and began to pray for me. Wow, was he right on. He spoke words of encouragement and vision. God had given him the ability to speak into things that I hadn't even told him. It was so powerful and so significant that it ended up being him that prayed for me. It was so reassuring and so life-building for our marriage too. Good stuff happens when you seek Jesus together.

Summer Conference- 1st installment

2010-06-26T13:39:00.003-04:00

So, we are back from summer conference...and amazing doesn't even begin to describe it. God was so gracious and so generous. So much happened, so to be fair and give it all justice, I am going to be recounting it in multiple installments.

Truthfully, God really began working in Dave and I Monday night. We had a really good, connecting conversation that allowed a lot of walls to break down and probably opened us both to the point where we could actually receive well at conference. We got down there Tuesday night, but the conference didn't start until Wednesday morning. It was so nice to just have an evening to ourselves. We went to the pool, relaxed and just rested. It had been awhile since that had really last happened. I'm figuring this out- rest and a break equals better parents. Behaviors had been flaring up at home and it felt like constant correction, which was putting us at the edge, and honestly, I think we all just needed a break (I know this because after we came home there was a major difference--in all of us)

Wednesday morning the topic was "Father Knows Us". He referenced Psalm 139. Here are the big take home points for me:

- God knows us completely. And in knowing us this well (with all of our sins, brokeness, and junk), He still wants to be with us.

Psalm 139:14- I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
-How many times do we worship God for how He made us? Too often we are so critical of ourselves, or features of ourselves...Yet, God made us with great care and design and we are made in his image. What would it be like to choose to praise God for how He formed me, without exception?

Summer Conference = Manna

2010-06-20T17:19:00.004-04:00

Summer Conference is coming up. We leave on Tuesday...and I can't wait. It's where our network of churches all gather together, worship God, listen to awesome teachings, get really good prayer, and have great fellowship. At this moment in my life, it feels like manna.

The month leading up to this has been, well, interesting. God has been stirring up a lot within me. Currently, I feel spiritually messy,to put it delicately. It's as if a can of worms has been opened up, but even though the lid's on temporarily...the worms are still eeking out all over. Yep, that about sums it up. However, I have confidence that because God is bringing it up now, hopefully He will bring healing and restoration in the next week. I look forward to a break from the regular duties of life to really focus and get rejuvinated by Jesus.

Lately, I feel like I am barely getting by. Usually, with a break, and some spiritual breakthroughs, I feel restored and am a better mom/wife/leader/person for it.

So, this next week, I am unashamedly asking for prayers for:

-God's power to come and break into my life and break off the junk that has been plaguing me. That I might be restored and feel God's freedom in all areas of my life. That there would be a reason for the afflictions I have felt this last month, if nothing more than to experience God's glory as He heals.

-For Dave and I, and the opportunity to strengthen our marriage, by first seeking Jesus, but also for the time that we will have together. My prayer is that we would walk away changed...for the better.

-For safe travel

-For our kids to be safe while we are away. And...that they are good for grandma. :-)

For those of you who are going to Conference...I can't wait to see you there! It's going to be AMAZING. To everyone else, please keep us all in your prayers this next week.

Hauling

2010-06-16T15:46:00.002-04:00

Dave had a lot of hauling to do this morning. A friend of ours came over with her kiddos this morning and Dave is their favorite toy. He's a good sport...and a great dad.

Don't they all look like they could be related??

Tinkerbell-locked and loaded

2010-06-15T22:36:00.002-04:00

I declare it: Callie is officially potty trained

2010-06-11T18:50:00.002-04:00

I mean really...she's been going all on her own now for 2 days with no accidents. I'm sure we'll have an accident here and there, but I'm calling it. She's potty trained. :-) I might eat my words in a few days, but we'll bask in the beauty of the moment now. It's funny, to potty train, we put her little potty in the living room...so that when we were sitting for 20 minutes at a time, she could be around others. Today, I switched it back to the bathroom. I asked Callie if she needed to go potty. She ran into the bathroom, then I watched as she carried the potty out to the living room, sat on it, did her thing. After we had flushed her pee-pees and put the potty back together, I watched as she picked up the potty and then put it back into the bathroom. At least she was being neat.

Both kids have bad fevers today. After peeking at their throats, which were both red and spotty, we took them into the doctor. Although she agreed that their throats were red, the strep-test came back negative. So, they just have the funk. We've been watching a lot of movies, reading, and cuddling the last two days. I enjoy cuddling with them, even if they are little furnaces on 90 degree days.

Tonight is Dave's last night working and then he has the weekend with us. Although with two sick kids, it will be a mild weekend.

OK, Callie just pooped in the potty on her own. Nature calls. Gotta run.

Fever

2010-06-11T07:42:00.003-04:00

So Callie was indeed a rockstar yesterday going pee pee in the potty multiple times more last night. Even right before bed. She just went and did it. No accidents at all yesterday. Now we just need to see how she does out in public.

Noah's fever was pretty bad last night. He was really lethargic and went to bed early, but I was then up with him for almost the rest of the night. His fever spiked at 4am to 105. I gave him some more medicine and thankfully by 5am, the fever broke. This morning, he popped out of bed like a daisy and has been non-stop talking. Me? Not so much. My body had finally gotten two hours of decent sleep and was excited about the process. I didn't care that Mr. Sun was up. :-) However, up we are, and going.

Callie seems to be running a little fever this morning. Only about 99. So, I guess we'll see what the rest of the day brings. Hopefully more pees in the potty if nothing else.

Potty Training

2010-06-10T19:58:00.002-04:00

So, we are on day three of potty training Callie. She has had NO accidents today and has even said, "I need to go pee pee" and runs to the potty and does her business. HOORAY! We are still putting a pull-up on her for nap and bedtime. But come on, it's only day three. I am so proud of her. She is so proud of herself. She gets up and jumps around and yells, "I go potty!" What a big girl she is becoming. Hopefully, the trend continues, especially as we start adding events into the mix soon.

In other news, Noah has been running a fever all day. Earlier, he told me his teeth hurt. Now he says his teeth and his throat hurt. He's so out of it, I actually put him to bed early and he didn't put up a fuss. He's been lounging around cuddling with me all day today. Poor kid. We might have to take him to get him checked tomorrow if this keeps up.

Swagger Wagon

2010-06-09T18:53:00.001-04:00

This is for all of you who make fun of us mini-van drivers. :-)

Blink

2010-06-09T18:45:00.000-04:00

I like this song...a lot.

Updates in a nutshell

2010-06-08T13:04:00.002-04:00

So this will be a less than creative post, but I'm sure I'm due for a general update:

Callie- I'm attempting potty training again. It's been difficult because we need to be home for a few days in order for it to work...to this point, that's not really been happening. Hopefully, we can make some progress this week. She went a little bit this morning, but although we cheered for her, she was less than impressed. She loves singing and sings and dances all the time.

Noah-Is enjoying the summer and playing in his little pool. His tadpole has little legs now, which is neat to watch. His favorite activity right now is tormenting...ahem..I mean playing with Buzz.

Speaking of Buzz, he is doing great. His foot has healed to the point that there is just a little scab on it. He has his "boot" off and the e-collar is off as of yesterday. He is a free kitty. Looking at how well he is doing, I'm so glad that he wasn't put down and that Dave put the effort into him. He's adjusting to life here well and is definitely holding his own. Now that he has his cone off, I have a hard time telling the two cats apart.

OK, told you that was quick, and less than creative. But, I REALLY should be cleaning the bathrooms right now...so on that note...Peace out.

New Job

2010-06-01T14:03:00.004-04:00

So, most of you know by now that the emergency clinic where Dave works is closing July 1st. I've been a little mum on how things have gone for us in the job search process, mostly because for a long time there wasn't much to tell. Dave exhausted his resources, sent out resumes, made phone calls, explored different avenues. About a month and a half ago, Purdue, who is buying out the emergency clinic posted an opening for an emergency vet to operate the new facility. One of the main requirements was that they had to be an emergency veterinarian for at least 3 years (whew...Dave qualified). Dave applied and we waited a while before we heard a response. In the beginning of May, Purdue called wanting to interview Dave. Unfortunately, they couldn't get it scheduled until May 24 (mainly because they had to work around 7 different peoples schedules). The interview would last all day (9-4) and he would meet with a new person each half hour. They ranged from criticalists, head of the program, head technician, etc. At the end, of the day, ANYONE could come in and ask him questions.

That was last Monday. Needless to say, he was exhausted at the end of it. However, he felt confident that he represented himself well and said what he wanted to say. That was Monday. Wednesday, 2 days later, at 7:30 in the evening, he gets offered the position. :-)

I'm glad that he took the weekend to make the decision. We traveled this weekend to Illinois to visit Dave's grandmother (mom's mom) who turned 90 and his grandfather (dad's dad) who is not doing so well. The whole way up there we talked and processed it out.

He will work Wed/Thu/Fri from 4pm-Midnight and Sat/Sun from 2pm-10. Thankfully, he get's every third weekend off, which definitely helps.

We talked, we prayed, we sought the counsel of our trusted friends, and this morning he officially accepted the position.

For what it's worth, I am very proud of him. He will be overseeing and teaching interns at the Purdue vet school on his shifts. Something that I think that he is quite able and really good at anyway. He's a man of integrity who works hard, yet understands the importance of family. Who knows what God's plans are for the future? For now, we are following these steps and praying that God continues to show us the way.

Thank you God for providing a good job for Dave. We pray that he would be used by you in ways that we can't even understand yet. I pray that it would be a really smooth transition and that he would find this job to be very enjoyable. Thank you for always providing for our needs.

Hey Jude, Welcome to the world

2010-06-01T12:53:00.002-04:00

Our good friends Tony and Sarah had their 4th baby on Friday. An adorable little boy named Jude Edgar. He weighed in at 9lbs 2 oz, and is doing well. Congrats Tony and Sarah! Welcome Jude!

Welcome Micah

2010-05-26T08:54:00.001-04:00

A shout out to our friends David and Christy who just welcomed their 3rd child, Micah Robert on Monday. Congratulations guys and get some rest...you know...sometime. :-)

Meet Buzz

2010-05-21T11:35:00.003-04:00

You mean Marmaduke right? No, I mean Buzz. Meet the possible newest addition to our family.

On Tuesday, while Dave is working, I get a call from Dave. It goes like this:

Dave: (no hello) I love you honey.
Me: Uh, I love you too. What did you do?
Dave: Nothing
Me: What did you buy?
Dave: Nothing
Me: Are you in the hospital? Are you OK?!
Dave: No, and I'm fine.
Me: Um, why don't you tell me what's going on?

He proceeded to tell me about a seven month old kitten that had come into the clinic. He had seen it a few weeks ago for a cut on the pad of it's foot. On Tuesday it had come back in with a severe infection on that foot. So bad that it actually had the potential to kill the cat if not treated. The owner didn't have the time to take it to the vet everyday to have the bandage changed and treated. She had planned to put him down. Dave asked if she would surrender the cat to him and he would try to save it. He kept it at the clinic for the 3 days that he worked. If the cat wasn't going to make it, he didn't want to get the kids hopes up. I'm not sure if it was Dave's technician, Sheri, or himself who came up with the name Buzz, but that's what they started calling him.

Well, yesterday, little Buzz came "home" and is now sitting in a cage in our room. I helped Dave change his bandage the first morning. Dave told me to expect him to scream because it hurt. I scruffed him and the little guy just purred and purred. He then proceeded to curl up and snuggle into my lap. Fine. I think he's a bit cute...and sweet too. The darn cat is winning me over. My best laid plans to remaing strong and unyielding to Noah having a "little kitty to go with his big kitty and a little doggy to go with his big doggy" are unraveling. At least this one I feel like we are genuinely saving...and he IS really a sweet kitten.

It remains to be seen if he'll get along with Marmaduke. They haven't had much interaction yet. Marmaduke HATES other cats with a passion. He does more than hiss usually...it's a strange alien-like growl that emits from him and frankly sounds like something is dying. So far, we haven't witnessed that yet with Buzz, so maybe there's hope.

Little Buzz lost some points from me last night because he meoweled from 4:30-5:30 almost straight, keeping both Dave and I up that whole time.

Noah is in heaven. The other day, he wanted to watch cartoons in our room so he could be near the cat. I went in to check on him. He was sitting on the bench near Buzz's cage. He said, "I'm cuddling with the cat in his cage". He was trying to keep him company. Too cute. I think I'm losing this battle...and I'm not sure that I particularly mind. Gulp.

Noah singing Jesus loves me

2010-05-20T16:13:00.001-04:00

Noah's ready for his "close up"

2010-05-20T16:11:00.002-04:00

We were playing around today and Noah sang this for me...with a major close up to video camera. Silly kid.

The lyrics he's singing are:

"You are stronger. You are stronger. Sin is broken. You have saved me. It is written, Christ is risen. Jesus, you are Lord of all!"

Last day of Preschool

2010-05-20T15:59:00.002-04:00

Today was Noah's last day of preschool. To celebrate, his class took a field trip to Columbian Park. It was actually really nice. I got to talk to some of the mom's that I have seen every Tuesday and Thursday, but have never really "talked" too. These are just two pics of the day. Why is that my son's best smiles only come out when he is holding a frog, tadpole, or in this case a worm?

Happy 4th Birthday Noah!

2010-05-17T13:23:00.004-04:00

Noah turned 4 on Friday. Where on earth did those years go? He's getting so big and really developing his own personality now. He talks a mile a minute and has more energy than the energizer bunny. He loves his daddy and frogs, and sometimes his sister. I've caught him singing, "You are stronger, You are stronger. Sin is broken. You have saved me. It is written Christ is risen. Jesus you are Lord of all." Melts my heart everytime I hear his little boy voice singing it. We love you Noah bean.

I'm missing his 1st birthday pic...it was on our other computer. The one below is from his 2nd birthday.

His 3rd birthday pic is also on the other computer...

Here he is at 4 years old. My big boy.

More frogs :-)

2010-05-10T16:56:00.002-04:00

Dave caught Noah a frog today...AND a tadole. Noah is in little boy heaven. He's so excited. Here's the release of the frog.

Callie plays peekaboo

2010-05-10T16:53:00.002-04:00

My amazing kids

2010-05-10T13:53:00.005-04:00

I love my kids. The other week, I was walking along and I just had this strange sense of deja-vu. I'm a mom. I'm a mom of two great kids. How on earth are they 4 and 2 already?! Wasn't it just yesterday Dave and I got married? These years seem to be going by very fast. Yet, they have been amazing years. I have loved rocking and nursing little babies. Cuddling their sweet snuggling bodies. I have loved watching them smile and giggle. I have loved watching them take their first steps, say their first words. I love snuggling with my "big" kids. I love watching them discover new things. I love praying for them and watching them pray for each other. It's been an amazing journey so far. Certainly not without it's challenges, but the rewards, for me anyway, are incredible. I love being a mom. These kiddos are mine, and I'm so thankful for that fact. When I look at the above pictures, I know, without a doubt, that I am deeply and richly blessed.

Yeah Toast!- for you Sara

2010-05-08T13:19:00.004-04:00

Dave and I randomly started singing this the other day and it brought back some hilarious memories of college. My roommate, and super close friend, Sara introduced me to this delightful ditty. It's completely random, and dumb, but we found it to be hilarious. When we were knee deep in lesson plans, one of us would start singing this, and then it was all over for us. This one's for you Sara:

YEAH TOAST!

Too much birthday???

2010-05-06T21:56:00.001-04:00

Frog Days of Spring

2010-05-04T10:11:00.006-04:00

Our friend Kurt came over and took Noah frog hunting. Here are some pics of their catch:

My favorite of Kristin attempting to hold the frog:

Thanks Kurt for being "the best frog catcher ever!"

My men

2010-04-26T19:32:00.000-04:00

Let your light shine

2010-04-26T07:48:00.006-04:00

I think God's trying to get my attention. We sang Mighty to Save at church yesterday. If you're not familiar with it, it talks about God's power to save...how He can move mountains, save us from our sins, give us hope. There is one part in there that I was really moved by yesterday:

Shine your light and let the whole world see,
We're singing for the glory of the risen King...Jesus

I thought about that a little bit. Am I shining my light so that others can see? Truthfully, I feel like my light might be flickering a little bit. I still feel confident that Dave will get a job, even though right now the options seem a little bleak. However, on a daily basis...my pursuing Jesus feels a little less than par. We studied Mary and Martha last week in our lifegroup. Martha invites Jesus to her home and then becomes the seemingly ideal hostess...trying to make everything "perfect" for his visit. She is working herself to the bone. Yet, she, even in her good intentions, misses the point. Jesus just wanted her to spend time with him, like Mary chose. We talked about whether you were a Mary or Martha. At first, I thought I identified with Mary. When we have large crowds of people over, I love spending time with them, talking with them, etc. Yet, when it comes to my savior, why is it that I am more of a Martha? My entire day can go by, and I am "busy"-cleaning, taking care of children, even trying my best to get caught up on church duties...yet all that busyness often detracts me from just sitting and making time with Jesus. Why do I do that? When I write it down, it seems really silly, but that's been my reality.

Because of that, my light has begun to flicker. Yet, every time I open the word, I feel like it's a drink of water to someone who is parched. It feels so refreshing. This morning, I read about Treasures in Jars of Clay.

The verse I read said: "For God who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ"- 1 Corinthians 4:6

Again, struck with the idea of God's light shining within us. I continued reading and it talked about how this power is from God and not from us. That even though we are hard pressed, we will not be crushed. The very end part got me too: "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." Tony talked about this yesterday in his sermon. How we are to fix our eyes on Jesus. Jesus is the center.

So, if you haven't noticed, I think God is trying to get my attention: and He is succeeding. I want my light to shine and I want my eyes fixed on Jesus.

Lord, forgive me when I have been apathetic. Forgive me for putting so many other things before you. You are so much more worthy Jesus.

Garage sale prayers

2010-04-23T12:27:00.009-04:00

OK, I'll say it. I have prayed about finding specific things at garage sales this summer. Before you laugh, let me tell you...God has certainly been faithful.

I've been looking for bedding for Callie's "big girl" room for awhile. She's happy in her toddler bed, so I wasn't too worried about it. We happened upon this one garage sale and I found the PERFECT bedding for her room. I couldn't believe it.

Last year, I looked everywhere for an outdoor playhouse for the kids. This year, I have been scanning craigslist like mad. I had a lot of almost hits, but nothing came through. I was feeling a bit discouraged and so I prayed that I would be able to find an affordable playhouse for the kids so that they could play with it this summer. Lo and behold, that weekend, there was a garage sale in my neighborhood that was advertising a playhouse. The kids and I decided to walk by the house the night before and they already had it set up. I asked if my kids could play in it to see if they liked it. Well, they did. They let me "buy" it then, even though I wouldn't have cash until the morning. Apparently, the next morning, before the garage sale had even started, someone asked them to buy the house, but they said that it was already sold. We definitely felt God's hand on that. And, the kids play in it everyday.

I also prayed for a picnic table (in the above prayer). We found this the same weekend we found the playhouse. In almost brand-new condition. The kids now eat on it for every meal. They love it...and I love it, because it's less clean up in the kitchen. :-)

Finally, when Dave and I were just starting out, Kohl's had this awesome dog/cat bathroom stuff: shower curtain, accessories, etc. We wanted to have it so badly, since Dave was a vet. However, we didn't have kids at that point, and we didn't have the extra money. By the time we did, it was gone. So, for years now, I've kept my eye out for dog/cat shower stuff, in hopes to do the kids bathroom with it. Especially since my kids are such animal lovers. Well, I think it may have been just this last week that I actually remember praying about maybe finding it at a garage sale. The prayer was simple, "I realize this is a long shot Lord, but I would really like to be able to find this dog/cat shower curtain" So, this morning, we hit some neighborhood garage sales. I just happened to glance down...and there it was. It is actually the EXACT one that I had prayed for...years after it had ever been in the store. It came with the shower curtain, the hooks, 2 hand towels, two washcloths, a dog bathmat, and two framed pics. Basically, I just redid the kid's bathroom for not that much money. Score! Coincidence? I don't think so.

Thank you Lord for providing for us in all things, but even for the specific things. We feel your provision and blessing in our lives.

What's in your backyard??

2010-04-15T11:45:00.003-04:00

We took the paddleboat out this morning and had quite an experience. We found 21 frogs and 2 turtles. It was so fun to go "frog hunting". Above are a few of the better pictures of some of our finds. Too fun.

Sweet Birthday Girl

2010-04-07T22:06:00.011-04:00

A few pics of Callie's Birthday:

Happy 2nd Birhtday Callie!

2010-04-03T09:50:00.011-04:00

My little girls turns 2 today. I just decided to look back a bit to the last two years. Our dear sweet girl had to wear boys clothing when she was first born because we thought she was an "Owen". Coming out a girl was a wonderful surprise. We love having our Callie.

At 4 months, she was in the hospital for 15 days with a staph infection in her neck. She was such a trooper!

Turning One

At the end of Nov, she fell off a chair and broke her arm. Poor girl. Though, she really rocked her pink cast.

Happy 2nd birthday Callie girl!

I LOVE garage sales

2010-04-02T13:55:00.003-04:00

I hit the find of the summer thus far (OK, it just began, but I really got lucky). I've been looking for a twin bedspread for Callie for awhile. I haven't found anything that I've really liked. I stumbled upon this Pottery Barn quilt, with sham, and bedskirt for a steal at this garage sale...and fell in love. Even better, I took it home and it PERFECTLY matches Callie's new paint color! YES!!!

I HEART it!

Now, just to find an outdoor playhouse...we'll see what the summer holds.

OK, I'll say it...my kids are pretty stinkin cute.

2010-04-01T07:57:00.010-04:00

We took advantage of the beautiful day yesterday and got their kids in their Easter gear for some pictures. It was actually a lot of fun. I got to use my photo shop a bit and touch them up, which was also fun. :-)

Noah

2010-03-30T18:27:00.002-04:00

I asked Noah what he wanted to be when he grew up. His response:

"Nothing. I just want to be with you and daddy."

Women's Retreat

2010-03-28T20:48:00.005-04:00

This past weekend, I was able to go to a women's retreat with some awesome ladies. After last week, it felt like a breath of fresh air. It was so good to connect with some of the other ladies that I have met in our network. I got some good prayer, had good chats with the ladies, and learned some good principles about God's sovereignty and being unafraid.

I came back feeling totally refreshed and ready to face the week. If only Dave had had the same opportunity. He had to work on Saturday.

A shout out to Heather and Kristin who I know will probably read this. It was a great weekend wasn't it?? Leave some love ladies.

Have a great night!

Hope

2010-03-25T10:41:00.001-04:00

Dave woke up this morning feeling much better. Thank you Jesus!! I'm going to pray that it continues throughout the day.

Digging Deep

2010-03-25T08:52:00.004-04:00

When our GPS was stolen, I was crying to my friend Sarah. It felt like another kick in the gut. She encouraged me by saying that I had faith when Dave lost his job. She reminded me that when this happened, I had to fight for my faith. And I did. I had to dig deep, but I still have faith in God's plan. It seems we're still fighting.

Dave has basically been sick since this weekend. Stress has a way of wrecking havoc on Dave's body, and I would consider the news on Thursday, and working 40 hours in 3 days significant stressors. He's been miserable the last few days. Last night was the worst. He was up most of the night. About 4am, he finally decided to go to the ER, the pain was so bad. I was frantically praying that God would just heal him. About 30 minutes after he had left, he called me. He was sitting outside the ER, and he felt better. The car ride seemed to have helped him. He rested outside the ER for a little while to make sure, and then drove home. He is still sleeping, thankfully. I am fervently praying that God heals his body. He can't keep going like this.

Because he's on call this week, he found out that he has to work overnight tonight for another doctor. Besides the fact that he is still not feeling well, it poses other problems for us as well. I leave for a woman's conference tomorrow morning at 5:30am and he doesn't get off work until 8. We'll figure it out, but it's yet another thing to consider.

Lord, I'm digging deep. I still trust you have a plan for us. Please heal and restore Dave's body. I know that you have a plan for our life. We love you.

Sarah reminded me of these verses the other day:

We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5:2b-5

Life changing

2010-03-22T16:49:00.004-04:00

Where to start? I've learned a lot about faith and hope this week. On Thursday, we had a great family day. We helped our friends pack their house, went home and mulched our front yard. It looks beautiful. Afterwards we ran some errands. Dave had a doctors meeting that night. It was supposed to be about a specific case that had gone awry. It apparently wasn't.

We found out that the Animal Emergency Clinic is closing. Either July 1st, or whenever two doctors leave. It was a major blow mostly because we didn't see it coming at all. We processed it on our drive home (I had dropped him off since we were already running errands). As shell-shocked as I felt, I also felt immediate assurance that God would provide for our needs. That He would provide the right job for Dave, and not just any job, and that it would be OK.

If you know anything about me, you know that I'm a recovering worrier. So, for me to feel this way is a little uncharacteristic. The last few months, my faith has felt a bit helter-skelter. It's been there, but has felt foggy. Having this happen, it felt like everything realigned and became clear again. I have this saying written in my bible, "Never doubt in the dark what you have seen in the light". I trust that God will take care of all our needs. We'll be OK.

I haven't been at liberty to blog about this until Dave told the technicians at their meeting last night. Now, Dave is updating his resume and going to make some calls. He's willing to explore all his options. Things are still very unknown at this point.

To top it off, Dave came home this morning from work and found our van door cracked open. Someone had stolen our GPS. Super. It's partially my fault. We usually leave the van in the garage, but our garage has a lot of stuff in it for our garage sale, so the van has been sitting out. I usually lock the doors, but last night I was carrying in bags of groceries and library books and my hands were full. I must have forgotten to come back out and lock it. Still, I feel violated and icky that someone was rooting around in our van. Ugh. Weirder still, although I generally am not bothered when Dave is at work overnight, (mostly because we have Chester) last night I had a hard time falling asleep because I was thinking someone would break in to the house. I had to rethink if I had locked all the doors...and I had, just not apparently the van door.

When I was writing the first part of this last night, I was completely filled with hope. The GPS being stolen this morning knocked me down a little bit. Yet, as I continue to rally this morning, I am still hopeful that God's plan is bigger than my own. I still trust Him. Even when I don't understand.

Thank you God for never leaving or forsaking us. We are trusting you with our situation and pray that you would lead us in these next steps. We love you Lord.

Heard around the house

2010-03-21T13:26:00.001-04:00

Callie just woke up from a nap and walks into where Noah is:

Noah: Hi Callie! Hi princess!

Kid updates

2010-03-14T20:46:00.003-04:00

Callie- POOPED IN THE POTTY! We have been loosely potty training Callie the last few days. When we are home, she is running around in underwear and we are setting her on the potty. Tonight she let me know when she had to poop, so we sat her on the potty...and well, I'm sure you can imagine the rest...it was successful. We were so excited. Dancing around, clapping. She just looked at us, like we were a little strange. :-)

Her new phrase is, "My do it". We're apparently very independent now.

Noah- Well, let's say that Noah's behavior seems to be in direct correlation to the weather. :-) February was brutal. March has been significantly better. I mean phenomenal. He's been so good. Listening, following directions, minimal to no fits. We've been playing outside as much as we can, and I think that helps all our moods immensely. The last few days it's been raining...making today a little harder, but not too bad. He's quite creative. He made a "machine" today out of chairs and kept crawling over it multiple times like he was on a conveyer belt. It kept him busy for about 45 minutes. It was fantastic. I love seeing Noah's smile and even watching his silly antics. He's a fun kid.

It's been nice though...I've had really great cuddle time with both of them this week. Callie fell asleep on me the other day. That hasn't happened in so long...I cherished the moment. Noah and I stayed up and cuddled together watching a movie last night just the two of us. It was incredibly sweet. I won't get these moment's forever, so I'm definitely treasuring them now.

Your love never fails

2010-03-12T18:47:00.003-05:00

Last weekend, we had our Spring leaders retreat at Ross camp. It was amazing on so many levels. Not to mention, the weather was AMAZING!

A few highlights:

* Dinner on Friday night: A mother of highschoolers, an actual highschool student, and myself all had an amazing chat about parenting different ages. It was such an interesting conversation...and at one point I just thought, this is really cool. Thanks God.

* I got some REALLY good prayer from my dear friend during the first worship set. She's one of those who seems to always know when to pray for me and I'm so thankful for her. My words seem really cheap to explain what it means to me. I just sat there SOBBING as she was praying over me. One of those great holy spirit moments where you don't care what's going on around you, you just want to keep experiencing God's presence.

* The stars were so beautiful where we were staying. Honestly, God really outdoes himself sometimes...they were stunning.

* I had a great time connecting with friends that I don't get to see all that often, and make some new ones as well.

* On Saturday afternoon, the weather was beautiful! A few of us just laid out in the sun, basking in the wonders of it. It feels so good to be able to be outdoors again.

* I felt refreshed. We had a full 24 hours away from the kids. It was so needed to just be able to be refueled, get some solid prayer, get some rest...so that we could come back better parents. Thanks Dad and Kat for watching them while we were gone!

* They played this song this weekend...and I LOVE it. It's called Your Love Never Fails by Jesus Culture.

Lyrics:
Your Love Never Fails

Nothing can separate
Even if I ran away
Your love never fails

I know I still make mistakes
But You have new mercies for me everyday
Your love never fails

Chorus:
You stay the same through the ages
Your love never changes
There maybe pain in the night but joy comes in the morning

And when the oceans rage
I don't have to be afraid
Because I know that You love me
Your love never fails

Verse 2:
The wind is strong and the water's deep
But I'm not alone in these open seas
Cause Your love never fails

The chasm is far too wide
I never thought I'd reach the other side
But Your love never fails

Bridge:
You make all things work together for my good

So, I haven't had much time to jot down my thoughts from the weekend. I feel that these don't really give the weekend justice, but they are at least the highlights. And, listen to the song...it's amazing.

Projects

2010-03-02T10:50:00.007-05:00

So, last week I randomly decided to paint Callie's room. I love the finished product. Dave finished the entry way and it looks great. Here's a few pics...

old color/trim

New color/trim

The entry way- I LOVE IT!!

Noah-Preschool

2010-02-26T08:01:00.002-05:00

Noah goes to preschool on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Tuesday was apparently a bad listening day for Noah and the other kiddos. His teacher reminded them all to have "listening ears" for Thursday. So, we went home and talked about it with Noah. Then on Thursday morning, we reminded him again (Dave and he even turned on their listening ears before leaving for preschool). So, when I went to pick Noah up Thursday, I asked his teacher how they did.

She responded, "Well, it went better. At one point though, Noah was getting a little rambunctious. I reminded him about his listening ears. He responded, 'I took them off!'"

Yep, that's my kid.

Noahism

2010-02-19T12:58:00.002-05:00

In the car:

Noah: Callie, you're hilarious. That's hilarious. Mommy, what does hilarious mean??

He makes me smile.

Finding God in the details

2010-02-18T21:31:00.002-05:00

The last two days have certainly been memorable. Yesterday we traveled to see my grandma (the only living grandparent I have left). I love her to pieces. She originated here from Poland, having traveled through Ellis island many years ago. It's a cool legacy. Anyway, she hasn't been doing too well. She has had high blood pressure, and recently fell tearing some cartilage in her knee. She really wanted to see us, but didn't want to us to make the trip just for her since she wouldn't be able to do lunch (If you know anything about the Polish heritage...they just want to feed you all the time. :-) No joke. One time we were there before kids. It was Dave, my sister, and myself. She served a huge lasagna, a beef entree, and a HEAPING bowl of chicken fingers. For 4 people. She kept telling us, "Eat! Eat!". I love her.) Anyway, it was a good visit. She was really happy to see us and the kids, but I could tell it was really hard for her not to serve us food. The kids were really well behaved and it was a WONDERFUL visit. I realize that my grandma will not be around forever, and so these moments are really precious to me.

For lunch, we ventured into the city for Giordano's pizza. Dave loves Chicago style pizza, so when in Rome...

After that, we stopped by IKEA for my new bookcase. I heart it. I have way too many books. Perhaps its an addiction. I love reading.

So, backing up a bit. I've been in a spiritual wilderness for about a month now (hence no really deep posts lately). It's been difficult and I've just felt disconnected from God. As frustrating as that is, I KNOW that at the other end of this, God is so faithful. I know that I will see things more clearly, have more joy, and a deeper faith and compassion. I'm excited for that part...the interim is what's difficult. Anyway, I decided to spend my morning REALLY praying hard about the issue. It was really incredible. I continued reading through Acts and finished it. It's an incredible book and I found myself completely captivated while I was reading it. The passion that these men had for Jesus is so compelling. Paul's faith was so strong. He went to Jerusalem even though his deepest friends had warned him not to, for fear he would die from persecution. He went anyway, because he wanted Jerusalem to know about Jesus. Interestingly enough, although he was persecuted there and imprisoned...he didn't die there. He went on to Rome through a series of events...telling his testimony everywhere he went. How amazing. Literally, these men could have been killed for believing in Jesus. To believe in Jesus, and live the way they did, is so compelling. It's awe inspiring to me.

I had Dave pray over me this afternoon, and I feel that I am experiencing some freedom...hallelujah. I hope that I am coming out of this pit.

Here's my cool story:

Tonight I randomly decided to take the kids to the mall. Nothing unusual there, a warm place to let them play. As I was walking, Noah was dragging a piece of paper on the ground. A woman, who was mall walking, commented something about him being a boy. I laughed and agreed. I then asked, "Does it get easier?" (We've had a lot of behavioral issues lately) I'm not kidding. Our conversation lasted an hour. She ended up coming into the play area with me and sitting with me as we talked about life, parenting, and everything in between. It was one of those moments, where I felt the Holy spirit just hovering. I knew that God had orchestrated this moment. She has two sons who are both in their 30's and she talked about her struggles as a parent. Her brokenness over her son who is in prison. At one point, Callie, who had decided to like her (She has a knack for finding the "grandma" types and capitalizing on it) came over and brought her some books to read. Then, as this woman was reading her the book, Callie laid her head on her arm and wanted to cuddle. Watching my daughter, in her innocence, love on this woman was incredible. The woman was so touched. After Callie went back to play, she said, "I'm so glad that I stopped. You have no idea how badly I just needed a hug tonight." She ended up walking back to the other side of the mall with us. It was one of those moments where it felt almost surreal. You don't just have random hour long conversations in the mall with strangers. God was definitely at work. For me, talking to her, made me have more perspective as a parent. These times, although they feel hard, are going to go by SO fast. I will be looking back at them and wondering where the time has gone. Noah is going to be FOUR in May already. Time is moving. I felt like my love and joy for them grew even deeper tonight, if possible. Watching them play and laugh, as I am talking to this woman who had already raised hers, made me value my time with them so much more.

God IS in the details.

Callie Dora

2010-02-15T21:42:00.002-05:00

Dave and Busters in pictures

2010-02-15T21:31:00.007-05:00

We had dinner and entertainment. This guy was doing magic tricks. He included the birthday boy in one of his tricks. Fun!

Sarah with her 1000 tickets!