Letting go

When he was placed into my arms for the first time, he wiggled right into my heart.  I looked into his sweet, newborn red face and promised.  Promised I would always love him.  Always protect him.  Always take care of him.  Always listen.  Always stand by him.  Always fight for him.  Through his early years I was there when he took his first steps.  When he said his first words.  When he experienced his first scrape.  I comforted him for his first nightmare, his first thunderstorm where he was unsure and the first time he had a spat with a friend. 

When he went off to preschool, I was as cool as a cucumber.  He was ready, I was ready and it was only 4 hours a day, 3 days a week.  But when he boarded the big yellow bus for his first day of Kindergarten, my heart fell and anxiety hit me like a truck.  Will he remember where his class room is?  Will the teacher meet him when he gets off the bus?  What if he gets off on the wrong stop?  Does he know how to button his own pants after using the restroom?  Will he remember to wash his hands?   Will he follow directions and stay in line and not talk in the hallways?  And friends.  What about friends?  At the end of that first day, I couldn't get to him fast enough.  I wanted to scoop him up and hold him in my arms and tell him he never had to go back to that place again.  But my boy was wondering why I was there so early because he wasn't ready to come home!  He chatted my ear off telling me all that had happened.  He knew he was ready and I had to learn to let go.



This year he's in 2nd grade. The anxiety I've had about school has long been gone.  But today he came home and after getting his snack, he turned in the kitchen to look at me.  His eyes said a million words before his trembling voice conveyed he'd had a rough day on the bus.  Tears welled up in his big blue eyes as he told me that two 4th grade boys had been making fun and the bus driver wouldn't let him change seats.  Those 4 steps I took across the kitchen floor might as well have been a mile.  I couldn't get to him fast enough.  I stood there and held him as he cried trying my best to whisper encouraging words of peace and love into his ear.  I wanted to scoop him up and hold him and tell him that he didn't have to go back.  

Less than a minute later, his tears dried and he was back to his snack talking about Wii and Star Wars and recess.  He decided that tomorrow he'll just take a book to read on the bus and ignore those boys.  With a hug and words whispered he was ready to face tomorrow again.

Isn't that what our Heavenly Father does?  He comforts and whispers encouragement when we so desperately need it.  He advocates on our behalf when the world is against us.  When pain or anxiety or fear creep in, He comforts and reminds that no matter what, He is in control and we can let go.  His Words can hug as the Spirit whispers and we can dry it up, ready to face tomorrow again.

This weekend I have an incredible opportunity to attend the 1st annual Influence Conference in Indianapolis.  I will be surrounded by 200 bloggers, authors, entrepreneurs, speakers and designers.  The nerves have begun as this 10 year wallflower steps out into her own.  But each step of the way, God has provided the encouragement needed and confirmed I'm on the right path.  It's time to let go of myself and let Him lead me where only He knows they way. 

Loud

Go:

7:30am it starts.  Getting dressed..... yelling from the crib until the little one joins in the fun.  Breakfast.... whining.  Brushing of the teeth.... an argument ensues.  Waiting for the bus.... endless chatter on the excitement of the day.  And intermittently throughout the day, little snippets of deafening noise.  4pm brings a whole new loud.  Bursting through the door chomping at the bit to spill the events of the day.  The loud crunch, crunch, crunch of the afternoon snack.  TV in the background, supper begins and then starts the 5 o'clock fussy's.  These change a little as the kids grow older, but they are just as noisy as they were at 9 months old...  constant questions about what we are eating for supper.  Complaints on what we don't like.  Bickering on who will set the table and who will pour the drinks.  Sitting and swallowing quickly, we rush around and head out the door to tap lessons, Tae Kwon Do, church.  Then bath, bedtime stories and prayers, and finally lights out.  By 9pm I hit the recliner, wiped out, tired and completely ready for silence.  Which can sometimes be just as deafening.

Stop

Stop on over to Gypsy Mama's blog and join us for 5 Minute Friday, won't you?

Tricks or Treats

We had a wonderful and full Halloween weekend.  On Friday we took the kids to their first haunted house at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis.  David loved it!  Madelyn screamed and cried the entire time, but then after said she had fun.  Hmm...  I'm not so sure.  Molly and I decided to sit this one out.  Good thing I guess.

A Mermaid Princess, Mario and a Parrot

On Saturday we found a Trunk or Treat.  And Sunday was another Trunk or Treat, some pumpkin decorating and we also made Halloween sugar cookies.

Madelyn designed a face and David a Mario

Finally Halloween night, we went out Trick or Treating.  This time, Madelyn wanted to be Strawberry Shortcake.

Molly seemed to catch on quick what all of this was about.  And she was not shy at all.

She was pretty popular with the homeowners and gathered us.... I mean her.... lots of candy!

City escapades

Labor Day weekend deserves some fun.  After lunch Sunday at Chuck E. Cheese's we headed to the city.  Our first stop: Lady Victory.

Lady Victory's sword and her future home...

Lady Victory was unveiled in Indianapolis on September 5th, 1893 atop the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, also known as "The Circle".  She was recently taken down for the first time to be restored and cleaned and is sitting on the Circle until Tuesday morning when she will be hoisted back to her original position.  The 38 foot tall statue attracted quite a crowd!

Molly enjoying the sights and sounds.

The kids sure did have fun exploring the city.  There were doors just at their height with surprises inside.....

 

Mirrors like you would see in a fun house....

This particular one made me look skinny.  Bonus!!

  A petting zoo...

And lots to just take in...

After dinner at Steak n' Shake downtown, we headed to the canal for some more fun.  We rented a bike / car and cruised the canal.  We had more fun!

And the perfect ending to a perfect day?

 

A beautiful sunset of orange, yellow, grey, purple, pink and blue.  God is good!

A Dairy Good Time!

Nothing beats a good Day-cation.  Today's destination: Fair Oaks Farms. 

I have been wanting to go here for years.  It is right off of interstate 65 between Chicago and Indy.  We had driven past it several times, and it just looked so fun!  Believe me, we were not disappointed!  We experienced a 4-D movie all about life on the farm.  We then walked through a forest, a corn field in the harvesting process, and an old time dairy farm.  So fun! 

How appropriate we rode in a bus painted like a dairy cow!

Next we took a bus tour out to the dairy barns.  We saw the HUGE milking carousel.  This resembled a very large merry go round.  There were 72 cows able to be milked at one time.  The cow walks into a stall and someone below cleans the teets then the electric milker is attached.  They are milked as the whole carousel moves in a circle.  It never stops moving, but when the cow returns to the beginning she backs out of her stall and is ushered back to her place in the barn.  It was one of the neatest things I have ever seen.  Fair Oaks is one of the largest dairy farms in the United States.  40 tanker trucks pick up daily producing 250,000 gallons of milk.  Not bad for a day's work.

 

We stopped into the cafe to refuel.  We had a grilled cheese sandwich with cheese made on site.  We also had fresh ice cream.  I had the butter pecan and it was the BEST ice cream I've eaten in a long time.  So creamy.

Molly enjoyed some ice cream too.

The kids then had some play time outside.  There was so much to do!!  Their favorites were the electric tractor.

After playing outside for awhile, we headed into the birthing barn.  When we 1st arrived, 2 mommas were resting easy with babies by their side.  But before too long, a first time momma cow was escorted into the barn.  We had the privilege of watching her bring not one....but 2 babies into the Fair Oaks Family.  That's right!  Twins!

They were born about 20 minutes apart.  The 2nd twin had a little trouble.  She had to have some assistance in getting her out, and the farmer performed C.P.R (including mouth-to-mouth) to get the little calf to breathe.  The whole place cheered when the new little calf began to move and kick.  The mother then spent lots of time cleaning her little calves and encouraging them to get up and move.  The kids really enjoyed seeing the baby calves come into the world.  They befriended an older couple in their early 70's and the 4 of them really got into the whole process.  It was really a great experience!

We had a great day.  We took our time, did everything we wanted, some things even twice and stayed until almost closing.  We all decided that we want to go back and do it all again some time soon.  Day-cation a success!!

4th Festivities

We had a great 4th of July weekend.  We started out celebrating on the 3rd.  Daniel had been hired for a private party to do balloons and also to do a magic show.  Jamie and LeeAnn Berry are huge fans of Daniel's and have seen him perform several times.  They wanted him for their annual 4th of July party and invited his family as well, so the kids and I and also Daniel's Mom and Dad who were in town, tagged along.  They had several bounce houses and games for the kids, hamburgers, hot dogs, and tons of food.  We really didn't know anyone there, but were welcomed and had a great time.  After Daniel's show, we headed over to a local elementary school for a private fireworks show.  This show was better than some town fireworks!  Just amazing.  However, Molly was not impressed.

She spent the whole time watching the display frowning.  She never cried, she didn't fuss.  She just frowned.  I think she was wondering why in the world we were keeping her up past her bed time to watch things blow up in the sky.   :)

The next morning, we headed to the Brownsburg 4th of July parade.

It rained on us a little, but did not ruin the fun.  The kids got tons of candy!!  And despite being up late the night before, Molly was in a pretty good mood.

Especially when she realized candy was involved.

After the parade, Don, RuthAnn, Heidi, Dusty, Rachel and Aaron headed back to our house for a cook out.  Grill master Daniel made some awesome burgers and we sat outside in the back yard and enjoyed the day.  That night, we stayed around home and watched the fireworks in our community and played with sparklers and bottle rockets.  The girls and I also enjoyed watching the Macy's New York City fireworks display on TV.  Good times and great memories made!!

Home Sweet Home

Greeted at the door with a kiss from your wife, a squeal from the 1 year old and 4 feet bounding down the stairs yelling your name.  

There's nothing better!

Truth

Summer.  Swimming pools, mini-vacations, reading programs, swim lessons, the Children's Museum, zoo visits, sleep-overs, fairs, festivals, parks, picnics, get-togethers.

Sometimes I long for the "slow life".  The long quiet walks through the wild flowers down to the pond, the sounds of birds and cicadas, the chase of the firefly at dusk.  Where the TV is never on, the hum of the tractor is in the background, the warm summer breezes waft in through the window carrying with it fragrances of the earth.  Where life is quiet and beautiful and you can hear the still, small Voice of the Almighty.

Amidst the laundry piles and diapers, grocery shopping, meal prep, cleaning, bills, this crazy ridiculous summer schedule, the Voice of Truth muffles and drifts away.  And Satan slithers in to hiss lie after lie.

You are not a good  wife or mother.
You could do more.
You don't do enough.
You are no fun.
No one cares what you write.  It helps no one.
You can't do that, you're ill-equipped.  (serving the homeless)
Your dreams are ridiculous. 
No one believes in you. 
....and on and on and on. Lie after lie.

I fall for them all.  I soak them up.  I allow them to change me, mold me and confine me.

How do you break free from this bondage?

Ephesians 6:10-17 says:

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

I'll be honest.  I sometimes have a hard time relating to this passage.  I don't know the first thing about a Roman soldiers armor.  But after a little research, I found that the belt in the Roman Armor was crucial in the effectiveness of the Soldier.  Without it there would be no place to hang his sword.  Can you imagine running into battle without your weapon?  Paul mentions this piece as the first to take up.  He asks us to wrap His truth around us.

I can do all things through Christ who give me strength. Phil 4:13
I am loved    1John 3:3
I am accepted     Ephesians 1:6
I am a child of God     John 1:12
I am a work in progress begun by God Almighty who is faithful to complete what He’s started….Phil 1:6; 3:20-21
I am chosen of God, holy and dearly loved    Colossians 3:12
I am chosen to bear fruit    John 15:16

My bags could be packed in an instant to move to the "slow life".  But He is not calling me to change my location.  He is calling me to "Be still and know that He is God."
So how do you fight this battle?  Let me know in the comment section.  How do you slow down and stay in tune with God?  How do you battle Satan's lies?  What are some of the Truths you have learned?  If we all share then maybe together we can learn to be wrapped in His Truth!

Lazy Days....

spent...

in love...

Easter fun!

We had such a good weekend!  On Saturday the Easter bunny paid a visit.

The kids question whether or not this is Daddy.  Considering Daddy is never around when the Easter Bunny is, it kind of makes sense right?  But I think they are just not ready to come to that realization because they talk themselves out of it.  I myself think it's pretty hilarious.  Molly is not scared at all.  In fact, she just cuddles and pats and loves the near 8 foot tall rabbit.

On Sunday, Daniel had to work in the morning, so I had to get the kiddos ready for church on my own.  We didn't do too bad on time.  I was even able to snap a picture.

For the first time, Molly was able to have her own hair up in a top knot!  Love it!!  Molly is cutting some teeth and drooling like crazy, so not too many smiles from her.  Here is all of us in our Sunday best!

Daniel was home by one, so we got to spend the rest of the day together.  That evening, we went to Heidi's for Easter family dinner.  The kids got even MORE candy from Me-maw the Easter bunny.  We also had an Easter egg hunt.  On a side note, notice Madelyn's extra curly hair.  With all the rain and humidity, her hair was just full of curls!  I think it's just beautiful.

 

We had a truly great weekend with lots of family fun!   On our way home from Heidi's, Madelyn started to tell us the Easter story.  She began her account at the start of Holy Week with the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and finished with Peter entering the empty tomb to find it empty and the grave clothes folded.  She included so much accurate detail.  I am so thankful for each and every person who teaches Truth to my children.  Children learn by repetition and Daniel and I do our best to teach our children at home as the Bible instructs, but I am so thankful for a Godly church who speaks Truth.  I'm thankful for their Sunday School teachers, Children's worship leaders as well as a good Christian preschool.  May God reward them for the precious work they do each and every week.  They are making a difference in my children's lives.  Praising Him for so many things this Easter!!

Hollywood!

After dinner one evening last week, Daniel took the kids on a little walk.  The older ones rode their bikes, and Molly cruised in her umbrella stroller.  Since it was sunny, we put Molly's sun glasses on.  She loved them and wore them for quite awhile before she learned she could take them off.

Madelyn had to have hers too!

While they were gone, I took the opportunity to go to the back yard to plant some more flowers.  They weren't gone but around the block and the last turn David made, he fell off his bike and it broke into 3 pieces.  I couldn't believe it!  The whole thing just fell apart.  Luckily Daniel was able to get it back together, but by then, they were all done with the walk.  I only got as far as getting the gardening supplies out of the shed.  Oh, well.  There's always next time.

Spring Break!

In desperate need of a mini-vacation, the kids and I took off Saturday and spent the majority of our spring break in Illinois at my parents house.  The weather turned cold and we were not able to enjoy the outside as much as we would like, but we had a good time anyway.  The first night there, we got to enjoy Dad's famous home-made pizza!  Mmmm!

Molly made herself at home quickly playing with the toys Momo and Papa have collected over the years.  Here's Dr. Molly.  By the way, she put this around her neck on her own.  We didn't do this for her.  :)

Day 2: Madelyn, PJ and I headed to the movie theater.  We saw Gnomeo and Juliet.  It was an OK movie.  It really wasn't as funny as I thought it would be.  I definitely will not buy it.  But the movie theater popcorn was good and the company was even better, so it was all worth it!  David did not join us for the movie as expected.  He wasn't feeling too well and had a runny nose and a cough.  Molly also was not feeling well, but finally got some rest with Papa.

Day 3: Dad and I along with the kids headed to Decatur to visit my Dad's brother Gary.  The kids loved chasing the 2 cats around.  David, my brave boy, started the steep climb up the stairs to the attic.  Madelyn reluctantly started to follow.  Uncle Gary teasingly told them to watch out for the boogie man.  They changed their minds and headed back down.  But after a little talking between the two of them and David assuring Madelyn she would be fine, they headed up again and opened the door to the attic.  Funny to me....my Uncle Gary lives in my Grandma's old house and I too remember as a kid the long scary climb up the stairs to the attic.  I joined them upstairs and reminisced what it was like to visit this same house when I was their age.  Such great memories!!  In the afternoon, Mom and I sneaked out to do a little shopping.  Always a must.  This day Molly also started with a runny nose and a fever.  Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep this night.  Good times!

Day 4: David felt much better so he and Papa went on a train hunt.  After burning up about $30 in gas, 2 hours of time that included a Happy Meal, a trip to the park and 2 bathroom breaks, they finally saw a train and chased it 5 miles to Blue Mound.  Success!!  Meanwhile, my sister came over to visit.  Mom, Lori, Madelyn and I visited while Molly took a nap.  Later that evening I went to Taylorville to get my hair done.  A girl I went to high school with now owns her own salon on the square.  It was good to see her and reminisce about old times.  Molly started to feel a little better and slept much better.

We headed home on day 5.  By this time, David was perfectly fine, Molly just had a runny nose and I was starting to feel a little run down.  Sure enough, when I got home I had caught the cold.  And the next day it was Mom's turn.  Luckily whatever this is doesn't last long.  The first day and a half are the worst.  So far, Madelyn and Dad have escaped it.  And Daniel....well, he left for Illinois the day after I got back and will not be back until tomorrow.  So maybe he's escaped it too. 

John 14:27 (NLT)  “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give."


#34-42 of my ONE THOUSAND GIFTS.....of endless grateful love......

Spring buds on the trees

connecting with Mom through Him at that table over coffee and newspapers

fresh sudokus

listening to stories of old - reminiscing by my Daddy

her sitting next to me in the van and then in the movie theater. 

my parents and my children - strengthening and loving

catching up - the way sisters do

HIM pulling me back to HIS love using his words of wisdom and leadership I've so longed to hear.

His Word breathing new life into my soul - truth, love, passion, joy

Life

We have had a fun week!  The warm weather has been a nice welcomed change.  I thought Molly looked so cute in her blue shirt and bow.  Just had to take a picture.  What you can't see here is her first pair of jean capris.  I love this time of year!!

The kids have really enjoyed the play set.  Madelyn can swing this year all by herself without help!

And finally to round out our week before spring break, Madelyn had mis-match day at school to celebrate March Madness.  2 different socks, non-matching clothes....

 

And even mis-matched hair.  She looked adorable!

 

Spring is here!!

And what a better way to usher in spring than a day at the Zoo!  

 

We were able to see some of the new exhibits.  This year they have added bats and a wart hog.

The bats just hung in the corner and slept.  But this warthog just stood at the window and let people take it's picture.  Extremely ugly little thing, but Molly didn't seem to mind.  It was also nice to visit some of our favorites again.  Sharks are always fun.  And since we went later in the afternoon, we saw the Cheetah's and also the elephants pretty close.  Here's Madelyn with some rhinos.

 

 We also got to admire some of the new spring flowers already in bloom.  It was a fun day!!

to Sullivan to Avon

Late Christmas Eve night we headed to Daniel's parents house.  Molly had not taken an afternoon nap, so she instantly crashed in the van late that night.  When we arrived in Sullivan, we set up her bed and put her right next to the Christmas tree.  She cooed and talked and jabbered for at least an hour at the lights.  Such a happy baby when she should be sleeping.

We work up the next morning and Christmas ensued! But not before some horse play. 

Molly with her stocking loot!

Here's Madelyn and Rachel caught with some cookies right before dinner.  I told you she had more cookies this weekend!!

 

After dinner, Heidi and her gang and Peter and Mychele headed off for more Christmas.  We spent the rest of the day relaxing and playing with our new toys.  The next morning we headed off to Pa-paw's church.  Then we came home to some more playing!

I think Molly enjoyed her first Christmas....don't you??

After lunch we packed up and headed back to IN.  This was the first Christmas that we weren't able to collapse the 3rd row in the van because of Molly.  Is this even safe???

And off in our sleigh we flew!!