Happy Father's Day

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

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

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

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...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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...

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

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!

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...

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...

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

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. :-)