My little bro Aaron is a Border Patrol agent for the Rangeley area here in Maine. My cousin Jodi is a Supervisor for the Border Patrol in the Houlton area; and my older brother, Clay, will also be an agent in Houlton in just a few months. This little ditty is for them. I almost peed my pants.
One of THOSE days....
Today has not gone as planned.
This was the big day that Jesse was going to get his super cool remote controlled car for being completely potty trained. It's been sitting up on the window sill in the bathroom for weeks, and he's been waiting.....
Well, today I had to go into work, and Kev is super busy, so I thought this would work out great. Whip out the prize before I leave and then the boys would be completely occupied for HOURS while Mommy was off to work, and then Daddy could get done what he needs to do, as well.
Hmn. Not so much.
Right before I leave, we discover that the car is a dud. Doesn't work at all, and Jesse is completely devastated. Awesome. Then, I get a call while I'm AT work and Kevy tells me that the boys were downstairs playing in the basement....you know, since the car wasn't working at all.....and they decided to give every single one of their stuffed animals "baths" in the basement where it has flooded. THEN, they proceeded to bring each and every soaking wet with muddy basement water stuffed animal up into my (freshly scrubbed because company is coming) living room to let them have their naps.
Awesome.
Good thing it's just my little bro coming to dinner.
Welcome to my life, Aaron......
This was the big day that Jesse was going to get his super cool remote controlled car for being completely potty trained. It's been sitting up on the window sill in the bathroom for weeks, and he's been waiting.....
Well, today I had to go into work, and Kev is super busy, so I thought this would work out great. Whip out the prize before I leave and then the boys would be completely occupied for HOURS while Mommy was off to work, and then Daddy could get done what he needs to do, as well.
Hmn. Not so much.
Right before I leave, we discover that the car is a dud. Doesn't work at all, and Jesse is completely devastated. Awesome. Then, I get a call while I'm AT work and Kevy tells me that the boys were downstairs playing in the basement....you know, since the car wasn't working at all.....and they decided to give every single one of their stuffed animals "baths" in the basement where it has flooded. THEN, they proceeded to bring each and every soaking wet with muddy basement water stuffed animal up into my (freshly scrubbed because company is coming) living room to let them have their naps.
Awesome.
Good thing it's just my little bro coming to dinner.
Welcome to my life, Aaron......
A Child's Top Ten.....
I came across this article this morning. An interesting and encouraging read. It was written by Erin Kurt, who has her B.Ed and spent 16 years as a teacher and nanny around the world. Now, she applies her expertise as a parenting expert.
"What do you think matters most to your children? You driving them to lessons and practices, or is it the smile and hug you greet them with after school? If you guessed the latter, you are correct.
Sixteen years of teaching and giving the same assignment every Mother’s Day has led me to the exact same conclusion. You see, every Mother’s Day I would ask my students to give me advice on being a mother. They were to think about things their mother or guardian did for or with them that made them feel happy or loved.
Year after year, in every country I taught, and in every type of demographic, the students were saying the same things and had the same message: It’s the small things that their mothers did that meant the most and that they remembered.
Many moms today feel as if they are not good mothers unless they are racing around, shuttling their children from lessons, to practices and back to lessons again. I’ve had mothers tell me that they want to give their children every opportunity they did not have. While this thinking might bring the mother some comfort, it really does not do the same for their child who is potentially feeling overextended, stressed and tired.
After speaking endlessly about this topic with my students, it became clear to me that children today are involved in too many activities and are in turn becoming less in touch with themselves and their families. In addition, my students told me they really wished for more time to “just play”. Of course many of them enjoy their extra curricular activities, but it is not necessary they said to be allowed to do everything. What they enjoyed most, and what made their hearts happiest was when their mothers did simple things for or with them.
Here is a list of the top ten things students around the world said they remembered and loved most about their mothers.
1. Come into my bedroom at night, tuck me in and sing me a song. Also tell me stories about when you were little.
2. Give me hugs and kisses and sit and talk with me privately.
3. Spend quality time just with me, not with my brothers and sisters around.
4. Give me nutritious food so I can grow up healthy.
5. At dinner talk about what we could do together on the weekend.
6. At night talk to me about about anything; love, school, family etc.
7. Let me play outside a lot.
8. Cuddle under a blanket and watch our favorite TV show together.
9. Discipline me. It makes me feel like you care.
10. Leave special messages in my desk or lunch bag.
Children are incredibly wise and tend to see the world more simply than we do. Perhaps it is time we start taking their advice. Maybe we would all feel a little less stressed and be satisfied with the fact that doing little things really is… good enough."
"What do you think matters most to your children? You driving them to lessons and practices, or is it the smile and hug you greet them with after school? If you guessed the latter, you are correct.
Sixteen years of teaching and giving the same assignment every Mother’s Day has led me to the exact same conclusion. You see, every Mother’s Day I would ask my students to give me advice on being a mother. They were to think about things their mother or guardian did for or with them that made them feel happy or loved.
Year after year, in every country I taught, and in every type of demographic, the students were saying the same things and had the same message: It’s the small things that their mothers did that meant the most and that they remembered.
Many moms today feel as if they are not good mothers unless they are racing around, shuttling their children from lessons, to practices and back to lessons again. I’ve had mothers tell me that they want to give their children every opportunity they did not have. While this thinking might bring the mother some comfort, it really does not do the same for their child who is potentially feeling overextended, stressed and tired.
After speaking endlessly about this topic with my students, it became clear to me that children today are involved in too many activities and are in turn becoming less in touch with themselves and their families. In addition, my students told me they really wished for more time to “just play”. Of course many of them enjoy their extra curricular activities, but it is not necessary they said to be allowed to do everything. What they enjoyed most, and what made their hearts happiest was when their mothers did simple things for or with them.
Here is a list of the top ten things students around the world said they remembered and loved most about their mothers.
1. Come into my bedroom at night, tuck me in and sing me a song. Also tell me stories about when you were little.
2. Give me hugs and kisses and sit and talk with me privately.
3. Spend quality time just with me, not with my brothers and sisters around.
4. Give me nutritious food so I can grow up healthy.
5. At dinner talk about what we could do together on the weekend.
6. At night talk to me about about anything; love, school, family etc.
7. Let me play outside a lot.
8. Cuddle under a blanket and watch our favorite TV show together.
9. Discipline me. It makes me feel like you care.
10. Leave special messages in my desk or lunch bag.
Children are incredibly wise and tend to see the world more simply than we do. Perhaps it is time we start taking their advice. Maybe we would all feel a little less stressed and be satisfied with the fact that doing little things really is… good enough."
I'm A Wanderer!
Well, I am home from my week-end away without my babes. It was quite glorious to be away for a week-end and equally glorious to be home again with my men. In true Kevy form, I came home to quite the spotless house because he knew that would mean far more to me than a dozen roses or other such fluff. My love language is hard core "Acts of Service," and hearing both the dishwasher and the washing machine whirring as I walked through the door screamed "LOVE" from the rooftop! I'm weird like that. And he knows it. That's why I love him so.....
I got 75 pages of scrapping accomplished - 55 completely finished, journaling and all - with 20 more done ALL but the journaling. That's my goal as soon as I get done here. We'll see how that goes. That was my goal during yesterday's nap, too, and I got about 3 sentences written before the hoodlums awoke from their slumberings. That's why I do this once a year. I usually don't touch an album from the time I leave one scrapbook retreat until the time I go to the next one. At least little Rancey Pants has 75 pages of love recorded for him. It may be ALL he gets. We shall see....
In other news - I am now breaking out in poison ivy here and there, and Jesse's continues to spread. His little face has cleared up, and he no longer looks like a monster, but he now has it on the palm of his hand, his legs, and even his little bum. Poor thing. I think we're cursed. Not sure how we're going to handle this issue, but everything I've read says that you are really only able to "manage" poison ivy - never fully eradicate it. That's awesome. But, I have heard of a shot that you can get every year to make you immune. I'm totally looking into that....and asking for a double dose.
It's a yucky rainy day in these here parts, today. I don't mind one every once in awhile - it's kind of cozy. And we have nowhere to be tonight, and nothing to do, so I think we shall all make cookies together! It's that kind of a day....
I got 75 pages of scrapping accomplished - 55 completely finished, journaling and all - with 20 more done ALL but the journaling. That's my goal as soon as I get done here. We'll see how that goes. That was my goal during yesterday's nap, too, and I got about 3 sentences written before the hoodlums awoke from their slumberings. That's why I do this once a year. I usually don't touch an album from the time I leave one scrapbook retreat until the time I go to the next one. At least little Rancey Pants has 75 pages of love recorded for him. It may be ALL he gets. We shall see....
In other news - I am now breaking out in poison ivy here and there, and Jesse's continues to spread. His little face has cleared up, and he no longer looks like a monster, but he now has it on the palm of his hand, his legs, and even his little bum. Poor thing. I think we're cursed. Not sure how we're going to handle this issue, but everything I've read says that you are really only able to "manage" poison ivy - never fully eradicate it. That's awesome. But, I have heard of a shot that you can get every year to make you immune. I'm totally looking into that....and asking for a double dose.
It's a yucky rainy day in these here parts, today. I don't mind one every once in awhile - it's kind of cozy. And we have nowhere to be tonight, and nothing to do, so I think we shall all make cookies together! It's that kind of a day....
Tidbits....
WELL, I am kicking it for the weekend with a couple of friends to go scrap-a-di-doo-dah-ing SANS KIDLETS!!! Holy heavens - I am quite excited. I have never left one of my babies for this long at this age, but Ransom is in great hands with Daddy-O, and he takes a bottle just fine. I go once a year to one of these little retreats, and whatever scrapbooking gets done during those three days is what gets done in my year. I have not touched a picture since this time last year. So, I'm excited to put Ransom on the map! I have always said that I will do for all of my kids what I did for my first....each successive child will have just as many pages in his album as my first baby, so this weekend will be the attempt to keep my word to Rancey-Pants.
Although, I have ALL boys, and I'm quite sure that NONE of them will give a flying flip about scrapbooks that their Mommy made when they're older, but this at least appeases my conscience of any guilt.....in this area of their lives at least.
In other news, I am leaving Ransom with a horrible bum rash....not sure what's going on there, Jesse with poison ivy all over one side of his face....still not sure where he got it....we think it's maybe where we're building a tree fort. AWESOME. And Kaden with a bit of a cold. Good times. But Kevy is a rockin good sport about these things, so I am off like a flash!
One other really really cool thing that happened during the week - and this should really be a separate post of its own - is that Kaden accepted Christ as His Savior on Wednesday night. It was so special, and I want to remember the details forever.
We had been to some friends' house for supper and over the course of our dinner conversation my friend told us of a mutual acquaintance that we both knew who had suddenly passed away. Comments like: "He was so young," and "What a shock," and "We're so surprised," were thrown around while we were talking about him. Unbeknownst to us, Kaden was taking all of this in and processing it in his little mind. And after tucking him in for the night and praying with him, he came out of his room, tears streaming down his face, telling us that he's been thinking about when Mommy and Daddy are going to die.
In that moment, I knew that this was going to be the time that he accepted the Lord into his life. We talk about it all the time, he's memorized verses and told his AWANA leaders "how to get to Heaven," and it's been drilled into him each week in Sunday school, so we've known that he KNEW the truth. We have just never wanted to push the issue or force him to "pray the prayer" - we've wanted him to really understand and to maybe even initiate with us when he knew and when he was ready.
So, anyway...it was just a really sweet and tender time. Very special. In typical Kaden fashion, he was quiet and subdued, but we both feel that it was genuine and that he fully understood. It's been neat to see him continue to process through in conversations that have followed since then. And it's been so cool to see him starting to make his faith his own. What a privilege to guide these little hearts. What a responsibility!
May the Lord always find us faithful.......
Although, I have ALL boys, and I'm quite sure that NONE of them will give a flying flip about scrapbooks that their Mommy made when they're older, but this at least appeases my conscience of any guilt.....in this area of their lives at least.
In other news, I am leaving Ransom with a horrible bum rash....not sure what's going on there, Jesse with poison ivy all over one side of his face....still not sure where he got it....we think it's maybe where we're building a tree fort. AWESOME. And Kaden with a bit of a cold. Good times. But Kevy is a rockin good sport about these things, so I am off like a flash!
One other really really cool thing that happened during the week - and this should really be a separate post of its own - is that Kaden accepted Christ as His Savior on Wednesday night. It was so special, and I want to remember the details forever.
We had been to some friends' house for supper and over the course of our dinner conversation my friend told us of a mutual acquaintance that we both knew who had suddenly passed away. Comments like: "He was so young," and "What a shock," and "We're so surprised," were thrown around while we were talking about him. Unbeknownst to us, Kaden was taking all of this in and processing it in his little mind. And after tucking him in for the night and praying with him, he came out of his room, tears streaming down his face, telling us that he's been thinking about when Mommy and Daddy are going to die.
In that moment, I knew that this was going to be the time that he accepted the Lord into his life. We talk about it all the time, he's memorized verses and told his AWANA leaders "how to get to Heaven," and it's been drilled into him each week in Sunday school, so we've known that he KNEW the truth. We have just never wanted to push the issue or force him to "pray the prayer" - we've wanted him to really understand and to maybe even initiate with us when he knew and when he was ready.
So, anyway...it was just a really sweet and tender time. Very special. In typical Kaden fashion, he was quiet and subdued, but we both feel that it was genuine and that he fully understood. It's been neat to see him continue to process through in conversations that have followed since then. And it's been so cool to see him starting to make his faith his own. What a privilege to guide these little hearts. What a responsibility!
May the Lord always find us faithful.......
Conversations
Overheard by the boys today:
Kaden: Jesse - where did you just wipe your nose?
Jesse: On the towel.
Kaden: But, WHERE did you wipe your nose?
Jesse: On the TOWEL!
Kaden: Jesse - WHERE did you wipe your nose?
Jesse: On the towel. That's the deal. I'm not using any more words!
Kaden: Jesse - where did you just wipe your nose?
Jesse: On the towel.
Kaden: But, WHERE did you wipe your nose?
Jesse: On the TOWEL!
Kaden: Jesse - WHERE did you wipe your nose?
Jesse: On the towel. That's the deal. I'm not using any more words!
Far Away......
Kev and I love this music video by Lecrae. We get teary every time we watch it. It's raw and it's real. So good.
Spring Approacheth
And this means:
Our first feeble attempt at gardening in which I have absolutely no doubt that we shall kill every thing we try to grow. But, I am determined to teach my city boys that plants do indeed come from the ground and not the store.....
Many a backyard tromp to try and find a few of last year's nests.....
Keens!!!! Oh how I love my keens...perfect for walking, puddle hopping, and chillaxing. Also great for funky tan lines and horribly smelly feet......
Oh SO many a backyard hotdog, pudgy pie, and marshmallow roast and fun little fires at ANY time of the day. ALL of my boys are pyros.....(is that how you spell that? You know what I mean - they like to play with fire...the kind that's hot.....)
Many, many, many fun swing rides on this old tree.....for all three of the boys actually, until we set up a tire for the big boys.....
And quite possibly...chicky-doos..... if I can convice hubby that this would be FUN!!! Don't you think? Another little adventure of sorts.....along with a little goat perhaps......
Our first feeble attempt at gardening in which I have absolutely no doubt that we shall kill every thing we try to grow. But, I am determined to teach my city boys that plants do indeed come from the ground and not the store.....
Many a backyard tromp to try and find a few of last year's nests.....
Keens!!!! Oh how I love my keens...perfect for walking, puddle hopping, and chillaxing. Also great for funky tan lines and horribly smelly feet......
Oh SO many a backyard hotdog, pudgy pie, and marshmallow roast and fun little fires at ANY time of the day. ALL of my boys are pyros.....(is that how you spell that? You know what I mean - they like to play with fire...the kind that's hot.....)
Many, many, many fun swing rides on this old tree.....for all three of the boys actually, until we set up a tire for the big boys.....
And quite possibly...chicky-doos..... if I can convice hubby that this would be FUN!!! Don't you think? Another little adventure of sorts.....along with a little goat perhaps......
A Nine Day Drought......
My hubby is heading back home to his little family today after being gone for NINE DAYS. Whew! It's felt like a month in more ways than one. We are not overly fond of being away from each other or of splitting the family up too often, and other than taking our youth group kids to Africa almost five years ago, this is the longest that we have ever been apart.
Not a fan of it.
After having been on my own for these several days with three crazies and all of them sick at one time or another throughout this entire time, my respect level for single mothers has jumped to a new level. I have always had great respect for Moms who do this on their own - I have just never had to do it myself to be able to fully and wholly appreciate these amazing women. And for goodness sake, it wasn't even two full weeks, but I'm thinking of a handful of ladies right now who I am going to make something special for "just because" they are doing this on their own. Kudos to you girls. There's a special place reserved for you in Heaven! Whew!
Overall though, it's been a pretty good couple of weeks. I am quite positive that I would never have received the "Mother of the Year Award" during this time, but we've done some fun things, I've tried to keep sickness at bay, the boys haven't killed each other, they've still eaten somewhat nutritiously, and I've managed some decent quality time with each one.
We kicked it up to my parents house for half of the time, and this was my saving grace and sanity! Time up in the wide open spaces is so good for ALL of us. We went 4-wheeling as often as we could, I successfully flipped both boys off into a mud patch on our way to some snow!, we had hot dog roasts in Grampy's little cabin outside, we planted seedlings just for fun, Grampy had all kinds of projects to keep little hands busy, Grammy had special tea parties, and we got to see our favorite cousins. It was good.
And so today, we eagerly await the return of Daddy - the stability and heart of our home. We're going to make a welcome home banner, the kids are going to make him a bunny cake - "because Daddy loves bunnnies" - (who knew)?, and if life cooperates, I'm going to try and whip up a special supper.
I appreciate time apart because it makes me that much more thankful for all of the little and big things that Kev does for us - things that I don't ever worry about, like: building fires to keep us warm, keeping my car gassed up and tires blown up, tag teaming getting ready for the day, tag teaming sickness in the night, protection if someone tries to break in! - I received specific instructions on what to do should that have happened!, help with packing, loading, and unloading the car for trips, dealing with our current mouse problem, fixing things that break, and just the lightheartedness, stability, and fun that he brings to our home. Again - huge respect for all of the single moms....
Hurry home, my Love! Welcome to the funny farm!
We have missed you!!!!
Not a fan of it.
After having been on my own for these several days with three crazies and all of them sick at one time or another throughout this entire time, my respect level for single mothers has jumped to a new level. I have always had great respect for Moms who do this on their own - I have just never had to do it myself to be able to fully and wholly appreciate these amazing women. And for goodness sake, it wasn't even two full weeks, but I'm thinking of a handful of ladies right now who I am going to make something special for "just because" they are doing this on their own. Kudos to you girls. There's a special place reserved for you in Heaven! Whew!
Overall though, it's been a pretty good couple of weeks. I am quite positive that I would never have received the "Mother of the Year Award" during this time, but we've done some fun things, I've tried to keep sickness at bay, the boys haven't killed each other, they've still eaten somewhat nutritiously, and I've managed some decent quality time with each one.
We kicked it up to my parents house for half of the time, and this was my saving grace and sanity! Time up in the wide open spaces is so good for ALL of us. We went 4-wheeling as often as we could, I successfully flipped both boys off into a mud patch on our way to some snow!, we had hot dog roasts in Grampy's little cabin outside, we planted seedlings just for fun, Grampy had all kinds of projects to keep little hands busy, Grammy had special tea parties, and we got to see our favorite cousins. It was good.
And so today, we eagerly await the return of Daddy - the stability and heart of our home. We're going to make a welcome home banner, the kids are going to make him a bunny cake - "because Daddy loves bunnnies" - (who knew)?, and if life cooperates, I'm going to try and whip up a special supper.
I appreciate time apart because it makes me that much more thankful for all of the little and big things that Kev does for us - things that I don't ever worry about, like: building fires to keep us warm, keeping my car gassed up and tires blown up, tag teaming getting ready for the day, tag teaming sickness in the night, protection if someone tries to break in! - I received specific instructions on what to do should that have happened!, help with packing, loading, and unloading the car for trips, dealing with our current mouse problem, fixing things that break, and just the lightheartedness, stability, and fun that he brings to our home. Again - huge respect for all of the single moms....
Hurry home, my Love! Welcome to the funny farm!
We have missed you!!!!
In Other News.....
Somehow, we are once again infected with the plague over here. Well, really just another nasty, snotty, coughing, sneezing cold, but it feels like the plague when two of my three littles are under the weather. And it literally just came upon us in an instant. So quickly in fact, that Kev and I thought Jesse must have had an allergic reaction to something. We were driving home from Sunday morning church and one minute he was fine, and the next we wondered if he was hacking up a lung!
Last night was joyous - up multiple times to wipe noses, soothe tears, administer medicine, soothe the oldest who kept getting woke up by his brother's hacking, setting up the vaporizer, refilling it in the middle of the night, wiping more tears, wash, rinse, repeat.
I'm on my second pot of coffee and it's not even 8:00a.m. yet.
Methinks p.j.'s, Planet Earth, many stories, fresh squeezed orange juice, naps for ALL, and no other agenda for the day will get us through. I don't mind. It's nice to be able to check out of life for a bit, and not have to be anywhere or do anything except BE with the boys.
Here's to a third pot 'o joe.......
Last night was joyous - up multiple times to wipe noses, soothe tears, administer medicine, soothe the oldest who kept getting woke up by his brother's hacking, setting up the vaporizer, refilling it in the middle of the night, wiping more tears, wash, rinse, repeat.
I'm on my second pot of coffee and it's not even 8:00a.m. yet.
Methinks p.j.'s, Planet Earth, many stories, fresh squeezed orange juice, naps for ALL, and no other agenda for the day will get us through. I don't mind. It's nice to be able to check out of life for a bit, and not have to be anywhere or do anything except BE with the boys.
Here's to a third pot 'o joe.......
Feeling Thankful
We just got news today of a little two year old boy who fell down a flight of stairs and passed away. It totally blew me away when I heard this. My heart aches for the mother of that little boy. Falling down stairs is a very common occurance in our home - an often daily happening around here. It was probably a crazy, freak accident, but it just really reminded me of how much I take EVERYTHING for granted around here! We really have no idea when we will breathe our last breath. And I forget the fact that God tells us in His Word that He has His guardian angels watching over us. I wonder how often they have delivered my family from some sort of serious peril? It scares me to think about how often one of my kids could have gotten seriously hurt or injured in these past six years. And really, other than Jesse burning his hands as a baby, we have come out completely unscatched other than a handful of bumps and bruises. How thankful I am for the health and safety of my little family.
Psalm 91:11 ~ "For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways....."
Thank you, Jesus....
Psalm 91:11 ~ "For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways....."
Thank you, Jesus....
HOME
Well, we are back home again from our little rendezvous away as a family.
Can't say that it was the most restful time away with all FIVE of us sleeping in the same room. In fact, now that I think about it, I haven't slept that bad in a long time, but it was fun! At least we had our own bed. Kaden and Jesse shared one for the first time. Ransom actually did the best of all of the boys...I set his Moses basket inside the bathtub, brought a little C.D. player from home, and shut him in the bathroom for the night! Didn't hear a peep from him until morning. :0) Kaden, on the other hand, talked in his sleep - LOUDLY - for most of the night (poor Jesse, if this is what he has to try and sleep through most nights), and the Jester was the flip floppinest child I have ever seen in my life! He was all over the bed and practically on top of Kaden all night long (poor Kaden...good thing they have bunkbeds at home)! Plus, Jesse was stuffy and kind of congested, so he kept crying out in the night when he couldn't breathe through his nose.
It was really quite glorious.
And other than Jesse falling off the ladder into the pool (why am I not surprised?), and Kaden spilling orange juice and piping hot coffee all over me in bed this morning, we had tons of fun! And it was nice to just get away for a bit. It actually felt like a pretty long time because we left first thing Friday morning and didn't get home until late this evening. We spread it out pretty good. We ate at some fun places, swam in the pool three different times, snuggled in bed and watched some t.v., did a little shopping, and just enjoyed being together. Kev even snuck away and brought us back some icecream in the night while the boys were sleeping. We hid the evidence before they woke up!
Anyway, we are home. The kids were all down for the night by 6:00 - they were fried, Kev is currently crashed out on the couch, and I am waiting for my bread to finish cooking so that we can have something to eat in the morning....and then I am off to join them. We're all pooped.
Whew! Vacations are exhausting! :0)
Can't say that it was the most restful time away with all FIVE of us sleeping in the same room. In fact, now that I think about it, I haven't slept that bad in a long time, but it was fun! At least we had our own bed. Kaden and Jesse shared one for the first time. Ransom actually did the best of all of the boys...I set his Moses basket inside the bathtub, brought a little C.D. player from home, and shut him in the bathroom for the night! Didn't hear a peep from him until morning. :0) Kaden, on the other hand, talked in his sleep - LOUDLY - for most of the night (poor Jesse, if this is what he has to try and sleep through most nights), and the Jester was the flip floppinest child I have ever seen in my life! He was all over the bed and practically on top of Kaden all night long (poor Kaden...good thing they have bunkbeds at home)! Plus, Jesse was stuffy and kind of congested, so he kept crying out in the night when he couldn't breathe through his nose.
It was really quite glorious.
And other than Jesse falling off the ladder into the pool (why am I not surprised?), and Kaden spilling orange juice and piping hot coffee all over me in bed this morning, we had tons of fun! And it was nice to just get away for a bit. It actually felt like a pretty long time because we left first thing Friday morning and didn't get home until late this evening. We spread it out pretty good. We ate at some fun places, swam in the pool three different times, snuggled in bed and watched some t.v., did a little shopping, and just enjoyed being together. Kev even snuck away and brought us back some icecream in the night while the boys were sleeping. We hid the evidence before they woke up!
Anyway, we are home. The kids were all down for the night by 6:00 - they were fried, Kev is currently crashed out on the couch, and I am waiting for my bread to finish cooking so that we can have something to eat in the morning....and then I am off to join them. We're all pooped.
Whew! Vacations are exhausting! :0)
Checking Out
After two weeks of REALLY busy days, we have spontaneously decided to check out for a few days. As soon as we wake up in the morning, we are all headed to Porland for a night. No big agenda other than:
* completely uninterrupted quality time with our boys
* lots of swimming in the pool
* ALL of us snuggling in bed, staying up late, and watching T.V.
* eating out with a lovely gift card that someone gave us for Christmas
....and coming back home a little more connected and a little more in love with each other.
* completely uninterrupted quality time with our boys
* lots of swimming in the pool
* ALL of us snuggling in bed, staying up late, and watching T.V.
* eating out with a lovely gift card that someone gave us for Christmas
....and coming back home a little more connected and a little more in love with each other.
This Month
Somehow, in these past few weeks, wee little Ransom turned four months old! Not sure how this happened, and not sure how much I like my little baby growing up right before my eyes, but it's happening. He's happily sleeping in his very own room these days, and most of the time he is able to sleep through his brothers' shenanigans. He is sleeping through the night - 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. consistently. One of his naps is really great during the day, and one is not so hot.....usually the one where his two big bros are sleeping. But, that's okay because it gives us a little bit of alone time where he is not being mauled by the Jester! He remains our happy, relaxed little guy for which I am so grateful and delighted! He is really just a joy, and it feels like he's always been with us. Can't imagine life without him.
Jesse has taken several rather large tumbles lately....ones where I had a brief moment of panic thinking: "Okay. This is it. Here's our first rush to the ER." But, each time he has come out surprisingly unscathed. He's nuts. Just in the past week, we have made some rather large strides potty wise. Still an occasional accident, but many more successes than not - with the #2 issue almost always going where it should....as opposed to on ME. This is very exciting.
We have had lots of ministry opportunities this month. It's been a REALLY busy month, but a very enjoyable one, as well. We are currently taking all of our deacons and their wives through Clarion, and we are really having fun with that. (Hopefully, they are too)! I had a chance to speak at a ladies Valentine's Brunch which was a little nerve-racking, but a good opportunity, as well. And just yesterday, Mom, a friend, and I gave a special, little tea party to the Junior High girls at my church and spoke on the topic of purity and saving themselves for their future husbands. That was SO much fun - and a really special experience to do it WITH my mother. We had a REALLY good time.
I also was able to have a lovely, long overdue, somewhat spontaneous visit with a dear friend one evening, Kev and I had a glorious Valentine's Day date, Mom and Dad came down to spend a night, had a lovely breakfast out with my sister cuz, and we have mice in our house. That about sums it up for this month.....
Happy Late Valentine's Day!
Jesse has taken several rather large tumbles lately....ones where I had a brief moment of panic thinking: "Okay. This is it. Here's our first rush to the ER." But, each time he has come out surprisingly unscathed. He's nuts. Just in the past week, we have made some rather large strides potty wise. Still an occasional accident, but many more successes than not - with the #2 issue almost always going where it should....as opposed to on ME. This is very exciting.
We have had lots of ministry opportunities this month. It's been a REALLY busy month, but a very enjoyable one, as well. We are currently taking all of our deacons and their wives through Clarion, and we are really having fun with that. (Hopefully, they are too)! I had a chance to speak at a ladies Valentine's Brunch which was a little nerve-racking, but a good opportunity, as well. And just yesterday, Mom, a friend, and I gave a special, little tea party to the Junior High girls at my church and spoke on the topic of purity and saving themselves for their future husbands. That was SO much fun - and a really special experience to do it WITH my mother. We had a REALLY good time.
I also was able to have a lovely, long overdue, somewhat spontaneous visit with a dear friend one evening, Kev and I had a glorious Valentine's Day date, Mom and Dad came down to spend a night, had a lovely breakfast out with my sister cuz, and we have mice in our house. That about sums it up for this month.....
Happy Late Valentine's Day!
On Passion & Desire!!!
Ooooh la laaaaaa!
No, it's not really going to be THAT kind of a post. Sorry. :0)
A local church - Kev's church that he grew up in, actually - has asked me to be the speaker at their women's Valentine's Day brunch this Saturday. I was excited for the invite, because I have always loved this event; and even though we no longer attend there, I was going to happily invite myself along, so now I don't have to!
However, I'm feeling very nervous about what to share. I love people and I surely am not shy, but I have never loved speaking in front of others where everyone is just staring at me and waiting....for some tidbit of wisdom or knowledge....or something.......A majority of these women are older than I with far more life experience in EVERYTHING, and everyone else is in the same stage of life as me, so I'm a little stumped at what I am going to impart to these ladies.
So, I've been praying a lot about this and talking with Kev a lot about this, and I think I'm just going to share a little bit about why I love this crazy ministry that we're pursuing. We're all living in a story, and God has a unique part for all of us to play in this story of life. But, so often we get caught up in the mundane of all that needs to be done, that we forget....everything. We forget the big picture, we forget the part that we're supposed to be playing, we forget and lose our identity. We forget what God is calling us to do....
Or at least I do....
So, I'm going to talk a little bit about discovering and re-discovering our God given passions and desires and try to remember and relearn the value that God has placed on MY life. I want to talk a little bit about what God is calling each one of us to do and to be be. I think it's so easy for us as women - especially - to not be able to see this. One of my favorite verses from Psalms (I can't remember the reference) says something along the lines of: "You who seek the Lord, let your hearts REVIVE!" Satan comes hard after our desires to shut them down. To make us just want to "exist" and nothing more. But, God wants so much more for us!
It's all about the heart. If you shut down the heart, you shut down love. Then, you're not invested in relationships, you're not living in your calling, and you're not trusting in the Lord for each day and for the part He wants for us to play. When we are living in our calling - not our JOB - our job is just our assignment - but when we are doing what God has called us to do and to be, we bring that whereever we go....to our homes and our families, to our churches, to our jobs, etc.
I love this quote:
"Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes YOU come ALIVE. Then, go and do that. Because, what the world needs is people who are ALIVE!"
.....So yeah. Something along those lines, me thinks.......
But way less rambly. OR maybe not. I do tend to ramble......
Lord, give us all grace!!!!!
No, it's not really going to be THAT kind of a post. Sorry. :0)
A local church - Kev's church that he grew up in, actually - has asked me to be the speaker at their women's Valentine's Day brunch this Saturday. I was excited for the invite, because I have always loved this event; and even though we no longer attend there, I was going to happily invite myself along, so now I don't have to!
However, I'm feeling very nervous about what to share. I love people and I surely am not shy, but I have never loved speaking in front of others where everyone is just staring at me and waiting....for some tidbit of wisdom or knowledge....or something.......A majority of these women are older than I with far more life experience in EVERYTHING, and everyone else is in the same stage of life as me, so I'm a little stumped at what I am going to impart to these ladies.
So, I've been praying a lot about this and talking with Kev a lot about this, and I think I'm just going to share a little bit about why I love this crazy ministry that we're pursuing. We're all living in a story, and God has a unique part for all of us to play in this story of life. But, so often we get caught up in the mundane of all that needs to be done, that we forget....everything. We forget the big picture, we forget the part that we're supposed to be playing, we forget and lose our identity. We forget what God is calling us to do....
Or at least I do....
So, I'm going to talk a little bit about discovering and re-discovering our God given passions and desires and try to remember and relearn the value that God has placed on MY life. I want to talk a little bit about what God is calling each one of us to do and to be be. I think it's so easy for us as women - especially - to not be able to see this. One of my favorite verses from Psalms (I can't remember the reference) says something along the lines of: "You who seek the Lord, let your hearts REVIVE!" Satan comes hard after our desires to shut them down. To make us just want to "exist" and nothing more. But, God wants so much more for us!
It's all about the heart. If you shut down the heart, you shut down love. Then, you're not invested in relationships, you're not living in your calling, and you're not trusting in the Lord for each day and for the part He wants for us to play. When we are living in our calling - not our JOB - our job is just our assignment - but when we are doing what God has called us to do and to be, we bring that whereever we go....to our homes and our families, to our churches, to our jobs, etc.
I love this quote:
"Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes YOU come ALIVE. Then, go and do that. Because, what the world needs is people who are ALIVE!"
.....So yeah. Something along those lines, me thinks.......
But way less rambly. OR maybe not. I do tend to ramble......
Lord, give us all grace!!!!!
I Am Not Dead......
I'm here. Rotting at posting, as usual......
Life is getting a little ca-razy, but it's really the way we like it. Except for the wee, small fact that I have not seen a blessed friend in ages, and am feeling quite out of the loop on people's lives....
This must be remedied soon.
We just got back from being up in "The County" (Kev always mocks me when I call it that) for about 4 days. Kev spoke at my old home church both Sunday morning and evening, so we made a long week-end out of the trip. It was very nice. Always awesome to get home to see my family, my cousins, and re-connect with my home church family. And it's always awesome to get to share our ministry with people.
This week we're doing our very first kick-off with all of our deacons and wives, so that should be really cool. Our "boss" (and Kev's mentor) is coming up from Philly to help us with the first night and just to spend a little time with us up in God's Country, as well. Exciting times.
So, we'll see what comes of everything. We're so close to being able to run with everything - our leadership and team development training with churches and teams and missionaries and marriages and whoever! A few more intense months of support raising and hopefully we'll really be able to start doing what we've been chomping at the bit to do for about a year now. Scary and exciting.
For the past five years, I've never really known what my life is going to look like from one year to another. And this is no different. But, this journey of faith has made me grow and trust in ways that I have never had to do before, and I can even say that it's been fun!! I'm learning to hold things loosely, to listen to God's still small voice, to take risks and step out of my comfort zone, to be okay with the unknown, and to just walk one step at a time - trusting Him for guidance to see the next step. It's good.
Pray for us this week!
Life is getting a little ca-razy, but it's really the way we like it. Except for the wee, small fact that I have not seen a blessed friend in ages, and am feeling quite out of the loop on people's lives....
This must be remedied soon.
We just got back from being up in "The County" (Kev always mocks me when I call it that) for about 4 days. Kev spoke at my old home church both Sunday morning and evening, so we made a long week-end out of the trip. It was very nice. Always awesome to get home to see my family, my cousins, and re-connect with my home church family. And it's always awesome to get to share our ministry with people.
This week we're doing our very first kick-off with all of our deacons and wives, so that should be really cool. Our "boss" (and Kev's mentor) is coming up from Philly to help us with the first night and just to spend a little time with us up in God's Country, as well. Exciting times.
So, we'll see what comes of everything. We're so close to being able to run with everything - our leadership and team development training with churches and teams and missionaries and marriages and whoever! A few more intense months of support raising and hopefully we'll really be able to start doing what we've been chomping at the bit to do for about a year now. Scary and exciting.
For the past five years, I've never really known what my life is going to look like from one year to another. And this is no different. But, this journey of faith has made me grow and trust in ways that I have never had to do before, and I can even say that it's been fun!! I'm learning to hold things loosely, to listen to God's still small voice, to take risks and step out of my comfort zone, to be okay with the unknown, and to just walk one step at a time - trusting Him for guidance to see the next step. It's good.
Pray for us this week!
Right Now
It has been a cozy week-end in the Booker household.
As I type, ALL of the boys are downstairs sitting around the stove in their camp chairs cleaning their guns while Ransom looks on. The boys' guns are obviously toys, but Daddy is already teaching them how to clean, what not to shoot, that HIS is NOT a toy etc. etc. It's fun to watch.
Ransom slept for the very first night in his own crib in his own room last night. He has stayed in our room the longest of all of my boys. I mainly kept him up with us, because in this house he will be on a completely different floor than us which is not really my favorite; but even more than that, the big boys' room is right through a paper thin wall, and they wake up at the crack 'o dawn. So, realistically, now he will probably start waking up an hour earlier than he did upstairs, but then we'll all just adjust to the new rhythm and routine. He's on a pretty good schedule now and does fairly well even on the days that I work and Sundays, at church. He truly is our easiest and most mellow baby, hands DOWN.
In the competetive Booker household, our newest game of choice is this silly thing called "Bop It Extreme." It's a reaction game where you have to do what it says - either hit it, twist it, spin it, or flick it, and it's completely addictive. All of us love it - even Jesse. When we first got it, we were only able to get a high score of 10 or 15. Then one day, Kaden was on a roll and killed us all with a high score of 35! Then I got the high score of 62. And that's when the competition became fierce. Kev played until he walked away with 85....on the SAME DAY. He wouldn't even let me revel in my victory for ONE day. So, last night after supper, we had a Booker Bop It competition. And yours truly has walked away with the victory at a high score of 93. That's right.......
On a MUCH more important note, we are currently at 73% with our support raising. Pretty amazing. God is just really affirming to us that this is what we are supposed to be doing. Starting next week, we are taking our deacons and their wives through the training, so it will be a fairly intensive two weeks for us - but so much fun! And it will be cool to be working with so many teams - both the pastor and his deacons, and also each man and his wife.
Okay. I guess that's all for now. Ransom and I have a baby shower to throw for a friend at church, so we must be off. It's boy #2 for this lady, so I'm having a boy themed shower with older women in the church who have only boys sharing stories, a fun poopy diaper game - which I hope doesn't offend the more genteel of the ladies, a sentimental book to read, and some DELISH food to eat! Good times!
Happy week-end, All! Stay warm......
As I type, ALL of the boys are downstairs sitting around the stove in their camp chairs cleaning their guns while Ransom looks on. The boys' guns are obviously toys, but Daddy is already teaching them how to clean, what not to shoot, that HIS is NOT a toy etc. etc. It's fun to watch.
Ransom slept for the very first night in his own crib in his own room last night. He has stayed in our room the longest of all of my boys. I mainly kept him up with us, because in this house he will be on a completely different floor than us which is not really my favorite; but even more than that, the big boys' room is right through a paper thin wall, and they wake up at the crack 'o dawn. So, realistically, now he will probably start waking up an hour earlier than he did upstairs, but then we'll all just adjust to the new rhythm and routine. He's on a pretty good schedule now and does fairly well even on the days that I work and Sundays, at church. He truly is our easiest and most mellow baby, hands DOWN.
In the competetive Booker household, our newest game of choice is this silly thing called "Bop It Extreme." It's a reaction game where you have to do what it says - either hit it, twist it, spin it, or flick it, and it's completely addictive. All of us love it - even Jesse. When we first got it, we were only able to get a high score of 10 or 15. Then one day, Kaden was on a roll and killed us all with a high score of 35! Then I got the high score of 62. And that's when the competition became fierce. Kev played until he walked away with 85....on the SAME DAY. He wouldn't even let me revel in my victory for ONE day. So, last night after supper, we had a Booker Bop It competition. And yours truly has walked away with the victory at a high score of 93. That's right.......
On a MUCH more important note, we are currently at 73% with our support raising. Pretty amazing. God is just really affirming to us that this is what we are supposed to be doing. Starting next week, we are taking our deacons and their wives through the training, so it will be a fairly intensive two weeks for us - but so much fun! And it will be cool to be working with so many teams - both the pastor and his deacons, and also each man and his wife.
Okay. I guess that's all for now. Ransom and I have a baby shower to throw for a friend at church, so we must be off. It's boy #2 for this lady, so I'm having a boy themed shower with older women in the church who have only boys sharing stories, a fun poopy diaper game - which I hope doesn't offend the more genteel of the ladies, a sentimental book to read, and some DELISH food to eat! Good times!
Happy week-end, All! Stay warm......
On Staying in Love.......
Hands down, my absolute MOST favorite blog that I read is found here. Every single time I read her, I am quieted, stilled, refocused, and more in love with my Savior, my life, and my family. She's good.
Here's a snippet of what she wrote about a few days ago:
Fall in Love in Four Minutes A Day
It only takes four minutes a day to move into a deeper heart place. It only takes four minutes a day to connect in soul intimacy; to breathe in oxygen for the other half of my heart. Don’t and I too begin to suffocate, the death heave. I wish someone had told me in the beginning.
Four Fixations
Four times a day think on love. When I leave the marriage bed, leave the front door, when I return to front door, return to marriage bed. These are the four critical archways of time in our day. Touch or whisper a sweet nothing when passing through these gate points, and we walk into hours of closeness. Forever love fixates like fresh love.
Four Embraces
Four times a day, wrap up in husband. Embrace fully and hold each other’s eyes. That’s all. Repeat four times daily. The one flesh breathes best when the skin pores are close; connected.
Four Affirmations
Four times during the day, thank him. For working faithfully to provide, for hanging up his towel, for putting gas in the van, for making this heart skip a wild beat. Look for the ways to thank him and watch how he moves closer.
So good. so SO good.
Here's a snippet of what she wrote about a few days ago:
Fall in Love in Four Minutes A Day
It only takes four minutes a day to move into a deeper heart place. It only takes four minutes a day to connect in soul intimacy; to breathe in oxygen for the other half of my heart. Don’t and I too begin to suffocate, the death heave. I wish someone had told me in the beginning.
Four Fixations
Four times a day think on love. When I leave the marriage bed, leave the front door, when I return to front door, return to marriage bed. These are the four critical archways of time in our day. Touch or whisper a sweet nothing when passing through these gate points, and we walk into hours of closeness. Forever love fixates like fresh love.
Four Embraces
Four times a day, wrap up in husband. Embrace fully and hold each other’s eyes. That’s all. Repeat four times daily. The one flesh breathes best when the skin pores are close; connected.
Four Affirmations
Four times during the day, thank him. For working faithfully to provide, for hanging up his towel, for putting gas in the van, for making this heart skip a wild beat. Look for the ways to thank him and watch how he moves closer.
So good. so SO good.
The Week-end is Upon Us!
It has been a lovely week-end, besides the fact that Jesse woke up with a yucky cold on Friday. Hence, he and I and the wee one are staying home from church this morning and chillaxing. Can't seem to win - Jesse was bummed he had to stay home with Mommy; he wanted Daddy, and Kaden was bummed that he had to go to church with Daddy; he wanted Mommy. Ah well.......
Other than the snotting and coughing, though, it's been my kind of a week-end. A good balance of play and getting stuff accomplished. Because Sunday is our biggest work day, Friday is our family day - our true day off, and Saturday is more like an errand/get things done day - with our family still together. Sunday, we run around like chickens with our heads cut off and are typically home for only about 3 hours the entire day......
On Friday, we decided to kick it to Portland for the day. Both Kev and I are able to "play" much better when we're AWAY. Not sure why that really is, except the we don't see all of the projects and work staring us in the face. It's been awhile since we did a full blown day trip, so this was really fun. We ate at the Macaroni Grill, the boys played at Cabella's, I checked out the Christmas Tree Shoppe, and we even walked the mall for a bit. We haven't been to the mall for ages. So, that was a really fun day. We had no agenda, we just did whatever we felt like doing.
And then yesterday, we stayed around the house and puttered. I was able to catch up on mountains of laundry, I moved all of Ransom's 0-3 month stuff downstairs and brought up all of his 3-6 month stuff; (Hard to believe he's already out of that age bracket of clothing. Kind of sad), and I was just able to check off a bunch of little things on my lists that I've been wanting to tackle.
Kev and the boys made a fire in the firepit outside and we had hotdogs and hamburgers over the open fire, the kids played outside for a long time, we watched some home videos, and we made smores in the toaster oven when we came inside! It was just a really nice day. And now today, it's kind of a surprise relaxing day for me. I'm bummed that Jesse's not on the top of his game, but it's been cozy with just me and the two littles this morning.
Here's to another week!
Have a wonderful remainder of your weekend, friends!
Other than the snotting and coughing, though, it's been my kind of a week-end. A good balance of play and getting stuff accomplished. Because Sunday is our biggest work day, Friday is our family day - our true day off, and Saturday is more like an errand/get things done day - with our family still together. Sunday, we run around like chickens with our heads cut off and are typically home for only about 3 hours the entire day......
On Friday, we decided to kick it to Portland for the day. Both Kev and I are able to "play" much better when we're AWAY. Not sure why that really is, except the we don't see all of the projects and work staring us in the face. It's been awhile since we did a full blown day trip, so this was really fun. We ate at the Macaroni Grill, the boys played at Cabella's, I checked out the Christmas Tree Shoppe, and we even walked the mall for a bit. We haven't been to the mall for ages. So, that was a really fun day. We had no agenda, we just did whatever we felt like doing.
And then yesterday, we stayed around the house and puttered. I was able to catch up on mountains of laundry, I moved all of Ransom's 0-3 month stuff downstairs and brought up all of his 3-6 month stuff; (Hard to believe he's already out of that age bracket of clothing. Kind of sad), and I was just able to check off a bunch of little things on my lists that I've been wanting to tackle.
Kev and the boys made a fire in the firepit outside and we had hotdogs and hamburgers over the open fire, the kids played outside for a long time, we watched some home videos, and we made smores in the toaster oven when we came inside! It was just a really nice day. And now today, it's kind of a surprise relaxing day for me. I'm bummed that Jesse's not on the top of his game, but it's been cozy with just me and the two littles this morning.
Here's to another week!
Have a wonderful remainder of your weekend, friends!
Ransom's Room
Well, except for a couple of pics that the boy's painted for their baby brother, Ransom's nursery is just about completed. Lest you forgot what his room looked like when we first moved in, here's a little reminder:
Mmmm. I'm really going to miss those colors. Not.
And here it is now.
Very simple.
Today is very overcast and snowy, and I by no means am a camera expert, so these pics don't show how bright and cozy this room normally is. It gets the most sun and has the best views of any room in the house. The walls are a really light lineny coffee color. Very soft and peaceful.
At some point, I may throw a little rug down on the floor and put a rocking chair in there for the two of us, but for now, it's simple and cozy.
Ransom approves.
Mmmm. I'm really going to miss those colors. Not.
And here it is now.
Very simple.
Today is very overcast and snowy, and I by no means am a camera expert, so these pics don't show how bright and cozy this room normally is. It gets the most sun and has the best views of any room in the house. The walls are a really light lineny coffee color. Very soft and peaceful.
At some point, I may throw a little rug down on the floor and put a rocking chair in there for the two of us, but for now, it's simple and cozy.
Ransom approves.
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