15

Our second birthday celebration in May is for our oldest. He is now 15. I have to keep reminding myself just how old he is because I just can't believe that that much time has gone by since I had my first child. If only you could slow time down just a bit....

Unfortunately, birthdays, holidays, special days all come whether you are financially ready to celebrate them or not. I am afraid this birthday was a bit of a disappointment as he had big plans for how he wanted to celebrate. He decided that his birthday is on hold for now until we can get to where he wants to be in order to do what he had planned. I am hoping he isn't still waiting when he's 35.

I think it's harder to come to terms with life situations as older children. The younger ones are somewhat oblivious to their parents financial struggles and are more easily pleased with the little things that we can do for them. It is a tough place to be in as a parent because I am completely disappointed myself in what I couldn't do for him. My heart breaks every time a situation comes up like this and I have to tell them I just can't meet their wishes.

On the flip side of that, it is a good life lesson. Life doesn't always go as planned and sometimes we have to adjust and come to terms with that. I'm still learning that myself. It's not a lesson I like to learn. I want to be able to do what I want and it's difficult to not be able to. We have to be very careful that we don't let these disappointments fester inside us and turn into bitterness and hatred, growing our hearts cold.

I know that birthday presents and going out to eat are all superficial things. These things are not what we live for. However, I think it's alight with God to enjoy those things as long as we don't make them our central focus.

The one thing that we are rich in is the love we have for each other. I know to a 15 year old, that isn't what you are concentrating on and it's hard to keep everything in proper perspective. But...it's the truth. Love is what we have to share....the love of Christ in us and the love we have for one another. I hope and pray that someday my kids will all look back on this time and see that shining brighter than all the pain and struggles we endured....that and the giant chocolate chip cookie we had instead of a cake.

I'm Back....

Wonder where I've been?

We moved to the country and apparently, it takes lots and lots of time to settle in, unpack boxes which aren't emptied yet and to find things.

The move went pretty smoothly. We had lots of help from friends and family which were a complete blessing. We are so grateful for the willing hands who stepped in to help us in so many different ways.

The kids seem to be adjusting pretty well and are enjoying getting to know their Uncle Tim much better. Whenever I see him, there is a couple kids following him around. I think it's wonderful that they have this opportunity to enjoy him in a way that isn't quite possible without moving in.

Through Tim's invitation, Brad, has met some people who are responsible in this town for a organization called Young Life. It's an organization that meets with young people in the schools, in the surrounding areas and is able to introduce them to Jesus Christ. Although Brad is already a believer, there are many opportunities for God to use him in this organization. Tim and Brad have both volunteered at the local county fair cleaning up trash, watching the inflatables and whatever else needs to be done and are donating their time/pay towards kids being able to attend a camp that is sponsored by Young Life.

I am amazed already at how God has taken this opportunity of us moving in with my mother in law and is opening doors for our family. Although not an ideal situation in my mind, God knows the plans He has for us and can only work if we are willing to walk the path that God has chosen for us no matter how uncomfortable it may be. It is hard to get our eyes off of what is seen and on to what is unseen.

All I can see around me is quite depressing with all the losses we have endured these past few years. I have to ask myself, if my faith in God is real, why do I not trust that He has what's best for me in His plan and in His will. I think somewhere in my heart, I base God's love on whether I'm in a comfortable situation or not. God never promised that this life would be easy nor did He promise that I would get all the things that I would want. He is after what is eternal and if that means I must endure some tough situations that help build my character and refine my relationship with Him, then that is what is going to happen.

I can fight it which I will tell you I have. I've felt, at times, like I've wrestled with God. It's my will against His will. God gives us the gift of free will but if you are truly a believer, your hearts desire will be that your will is in alignment with God's will. He has allowed me to flail, run and throw my temper tantrum and now He's giving me the opportunity to really embrace what He has for me here. I see a glimpse of it and for me, it's going to be extremely hard. However, I know that He promises to give me what I need to accomplish what He has set before me. He has also promised to give me courage and strength which I desperately need daily.

Happy 14

We recently celebrated our first child's birthday. He's fourteen now. So much growing he has done in the past year. It's amazing how many changes a teenager goes through emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually in just a short period of time. No wonder they have moments of turmoil.

Brad is a brilliant, sensitive, and compassionate young man. At fourteen, he's making firm decisions for himself, is processing life with a more mature attitude and is such an encouragement to his family as we struggle through this journey we are on currently. We also have the honor of seeing the gentle side of his nature, of seeing him work out his own relationship with God and to make goals for himself for his future.

One of the neatest aspects of our family unit is that even though our children have moments they scrap with each other, the relationships they have with each other goes beyond friendship. Brad's siblings really look up to him and respect him for who he is. They enjoy wrestling with him, sitting on his lap, following him around till he can no longer stand it. Brad is their go-to guy.

We are so very proud of him, of who he has become and look forward to watching the rest unfold as he grows and changes.

We celebrated this very special occasion with the cake of his choice, an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen. He had lunch with Grandma and requested hamburgers for dinner which he grilled himself. He did a fabulous job and is in high demand from heretofore to be our grilling man.

Happy Birthday, Brad!

Easter 2009

The kids love Easter time. They love coloring eggs. They love the anticipation of the loot (candy). Along with the candy, we make sure they know why Easter is a very special time to celebrate. Not only did Christ offer us the most precious Easter present, Salvation, but He also showed us through that how much He loves us. What could possibly be more of an example of that love than to die for my sinfulness.

One of the most exciting things that we are celebrating this year is that through Christ's blood God has offered each of us the gift of salvation which my five year old has accepted this very Easter. It is amazing to me to watch each of my children give their hearts to God in acceptance of His precious gift. It is the most precious aspect of me being parent who has been entrusted with these children to raise to love the Lord. When they finally come to the point of understanding and they give their hearts fully to God, I am so proud of them and the choice they've made. I continue to pray that each will make this relationship between them and God their very own throughout their lives.

It is amazing to me to watch how God has taken this relationship with our oldest and has lead him through a series of events just this past year to make it real to him. I pray that new understanding continues to grow and flourish as he lives his life and develops that relationship with Christ.

This year I found this cool Easter egg glitter pack for the kids to dye their eggs. I think Grace and I ended up doing all the glitter part. It took a little longer than some the kids were willing to wait for. So they put their order in for what color of glitter paper they wanted on their egg. Grace and I sat there and finished all the eggs up. Brad didn't want to participate this year which was sad for me. I do acknowledge that perhaps at some point, a teen may consider egg dying lame. Ah, time. It flies before your very eyes. At least, I have one last picture of him from last year which he reminds me that I 'forced' him into. Poor kid!

In Aaron and Ryan's little Easter bag, I got these really cool looking eggs that are suppose to hatch and grow a duck or a chick. Unfortunately, I didn't read the directions on the back which said that it takes about 72 hours. Aaron's hatched into this slimy duck in about 48 hours but only because I dropped it before placing it in the water, therefore, pre-cracking it. Ryan's, on the otherhand, is still in the water trying it's very best to hatch. I think we are going to have to help it along. I must admit that they were more patient with it than I anticipated.

I am so very excited that Spring is here and with it, the reminder that Jesus is ALIVE!

A Trip To The Fire Station

Yesterday was field trip day here at our house. A field trip was planned to visit a fire station and away we went.


Brad, our 13 year old, wasn't really interested in this trip as he swore they just talk for a bit and then you get to watch Teletubbies. I just shook my head and told him that this was our school for today but if he wanted to stay home and work on his school work, he could. He chose to go. Now that I am thinking about it, I remember a few years back (maybe 6 or 7 years ago) when we went to a fire station open house, I think I do remember that being played on their TV in the living quarters so now it all makes sense.

I realize that as he gets older, the less that he is going to be interested in but he helps me with crowd control so I hope he will willingly go with us. Besides, he is just an all around great kid who I enjoy spending time with. I was glad he was there with us yesterday not just because I love to hear him laugh but because Aaron attempted one of his disappearing Houdini tricks and Brad was there to save the day.


The Fire chief and his men did a great job showing the kids the fire trucks, the jaws of life, all the gadgets, levers and hoses on the trucks. They couldn't show us the living quarters as it was under renovation but the guys did go upstairs so they could show the kids how they come downstairs when they get a call. The men sliding down the fire pole was priceless.


One of the guys put on his gear including the oxygen tank and mask to show the kids what they look like when they are in their suit. It can look scary to a youngster so I was glad they showed them that. One of the things that tickled me so was that they were giving the kids fire safety tips and one of the things they told them was to never hide but to go over to a window and make as much noise as they can. Then they had them practice. Here was their opportunity to scream, jump, and make all kinds of crazy noises but do you think they did? No, nope, no way! It was hilarious. They gave them a second chance and that attempt was a little better. I know my kids alone could have hit a much higher noise level. I've seen it and heard it! I know it's there. I guess they were saving it for me for later in the day. I'm glad they were thinking of me and just wanted to give me something special later. I am loved.







After the tour was over, they passed out plastic fire hats and coloring books to all the kids. All I can say is that I am glad there was a place to write their names on it as they are scattered all across the house.

The Time Has Come

The dreaded moment has finally arrived.

Not only is he 13, but now, he is not just a hair taller than me but a whole entire inch!

This is going to create an interesting scenario. For many years, I've been looking down at this little boy and been able to scold from my 'motherly' height. How do you shake your finger at someone who you now look up to? Just asking.

Happy 13

We recently celebrated Brad's 13th birthday. Ack! I'm a mother of a teenager. I knew it would happen one day but now that it's finally here staring at me in the face, it's a scary thing. Not only that but having a 13 year old and a 2 year old all at the same time, it's craziness. I'm always up for an adventure and I guess this would definitely be considered one.

Brad, Grandma and I went to Coney Island for dinner which is his most favorite restaurant other than somewhere where they have a buffet. Probably because there isn't a long line, you get lots of food (it's all about the food) for pretty cheap prices. We then headed over to the Coldstone Creamery for some delicious ice cream.

I also made him a Boston Cream Cake which he absolutely loves. How can you go wrong with pudding and chocolate ganache.

Brad is truly an amazing young person. His heart, his sensitivity to honoring God makes me so proud of him. One of his biggest fans is his little sister, Kara. She adores Brad. It's neat seeing those two playing together or snuggling on the couch.

Happy 13th, Brad. We pray that this year will be full of happy times and that it brings you closer to God. We love you, son!

Celebrations

We celebrated Kara's 2nd birthday this week. Boy, I can't believe how much she's grown. She loves to talk and she loves to 'go'. Bob always takes the birthday kid out for breakfast. Since she doesn't sit still and most certainly won't make it through a breakfast, he took her out for 'Timbits'. (thanks for the great idea, Lisa!) She loved it! She was so happy to go with Daddy and was so happy to sit in her car seat and eat her cup of donut holes.

We had some family over for the celebration too! She was running around kissing and hugging everyone. She's so precious when she's not screaming, no..no...no.

In the middle of our little party, I happened to glance out the window and saw an ambulance right in front of our house. When I opened the front door, I saw a little old man laying on the ground behind our car. Fortunately, the neighbor's across the street had seen him fall, got him a pillow and a blanket and called 911. He ended up being alright, thank goodness.

It was a bit unsettling that all that was happening in our front yard and we didn't have a clue. There is this older couple that lives down a bit from us, that keeps up on everyone. Not in a nosy sense but in a sincerely caring way for people. They are always out there during the winter, shoveling everyone's driveway, doing what they can for the neighbors. We are really blessed to have them in our neighborhood. They jumped right in and were going to check on him and make sure his family got called. That is the kind of neighbor we want to be.

The neighbor lady came back around later that evening to let us know that the little old man was doing ok and that they had gotten a hold of his family. She thanked me for what I did, for being out there with them. I thought to myself, I really didn't do anything but lend a listening ear and a kind word to him. But I also thought that it was neat that she came back to give us a report and to, in a way, encourage people by thanking them for what they did do. As the lady was leaving, Kara called out to her for a hug. Of course, she got one. Who could resist? However, my thought was why would she want to hug an unfamiliar person and be all cute with her but won't go in her Sunday school class without a screaming meltdown. Another question that goes down in the unsolved mysteries along with, 'why on earth are there wasps'.....again a mystery to me.

Brad told me he was already to go out there and put his new CPR skills into practice but realized the ambulance was already there so maybe he's catch it next time around. So I, being the teacher and mother, decided to quiz him a bit to see if he remembered what to do from his class. He told me that he was to ask him if he needed some help. Then, he proceeded to tell me he needed to turn the man on his side. I quickly let him know that you only turn someone on their side if they happened to be unconscious...which he was not. I think, perhaps, we need a second course on CPR.....maybe a daily DVD.....

CPR Class

Last week, the two older kids had a CPR class. I thought that would be a great idea since they are getting to the age that I am able to use them for babysitting the younger ones. This whole concept of leaving them alone was a new change for me. I can't believe that they are already that old. Then, I'll have conversation with them and it's very evident that they are. They have minds of their own! I've known this since they were younger than two but when one has half an inch before I'll be needing to start looking up to talk to him, that change is staring you in the face.

There was a lady in our homeschool group that use to have her license in CPR training but has let it lapse. She was willing to give the class but the kids aren't certified. Really, I just wanted them to have the information and the knowledge to know what to do should something awful happen when I'm not there.

She was great with the kids. They enjoyed her class and it was very interactive which was wonderful for a hand's on learning experience. Mrs. Cathy was a great sport at being one of the victim's. Her son worked with her and we all had some fun watching it!

The kids learned so many things and I am relieved that they are familiar with what to do. I was concerned about Grace to begin with. She freaks out everytime something happens. Her way of dealing with it is to run in her bedroom and hide. Not a good way to deal with an emergency situation.

A few years ago, we had a few traumatic things happen like my husband getting bit by the neighbors dog with lots of blood, then Aaron who was eight months old (at the time) fall down the stairs hitting his head on the GFCI again with lots of blood, and our three year old (at the time) eating what he thought was candy when it really was some of my mother's medicine. Hopefully, with some extra assurance on what to do in those situations, I'm hopeful they will be able to apply what they learned.

The kids had fun rolling each other on the floor so they wouldn't choke should the victim throw up, they were shown how to create a sling for a broken arm, given instruction on how to never pull an embedded object out of someone, choking and all about snake venom.

When the class was over, I was informed that if Grace was my help in time of need, I'm a gonner.....should I be worried????