One of those days

We were busy yesterday - washing laundry, cleaning the house, finishing Christmas presents. I knew it was going to be a crazy day. I just didn't know how crazy. The morning was chaotic, but fairly normal. We made Christmas cookies, wrapped presents, vaccuumed the floor, washed clothes - normal stuff. I got the kids fed and down for naps and about 1:00 the doorbell rang. There was a strange man standing on my doorstep with a giant bush in a bag. I was very surprised. I can't think of a single person I know who would send me a giant bush. First of all, my husband would never send me flowers. He buys them while he's at the store sometimes, but SEND them? No way. And second, everyone knows that I kill virtually every plant I touch. So, why send me a giant bush? Well, the guys drives away in his van, and I unwrap my surprise. It's my address, but it says it's in sympathy to someone named Sarah from Allied Insurance. Nice. No one sent ME a giant bush after all. But, what exactly is a person supposed to do with a giant bush that isn't for them? I didn't know. I tried the number on the card and it was disconnected. I tried Allied Insurance, and they didn't know anything. I tried the flower place, and they didn't know either, but they sent the same guy back to pick it up. He brought me a rose for my honesty. So, my husband walks in after work with a VERY puzzled look on his face. "Who sent the rose?" he asked. "Oh, a strange man just showed up at my door and gave it to me," I replied. And, then of course, I had to explain.
Life went back to normal for about 2 hours. And, then Kylie decided to eat a lightbulb. I was working on the computer. Caleb was in the bathroom helping Ethan with his bath, and Kylie was innocently drinking juice. I turn around to check on her and notice she has a lightbulb in her mouth - the thin kind with the pointy end. I screech at her to get it out of her mouth, and then realize she actually bit the end off of the lightbulb! I tried to fish it out of her mouth, but sure enough, she swallowed it. Now, what kind of kid eats lightbulbs is beyond me. I mean, it's not like they taste like candy or anything. Anyway, I called poison control to see if they had to pump her stomach or something, but they said she would probably be alright. At least we didn't have to drag her and Ethan to the emergency room at 8:30 at night - again.
What exactly do days like that mean? Completely random things that I have absolutely no control over happen all at once and make my life nuts. It reminds me how little control I actually have over anything. Good thing God knows what's going on.

So I'm finally writing again. It seems like life around here is crazy all the time with one thing or another. I've been watching the news recently about the shootings in Westroads in Omaha and at the church and Youth with a Mission in Colorado. The violence is so sad and senseless. At least in Colorado, the man targeted people for a specific reason. In Omaha, the killer seemed to choose a location completely randomly and people for no reason at all. Neither of these men knew whose lives they were destroying. They simply felt such hatred for life - even their own - that they were determined to end as much life as possible. I grieve not only for the victims but for the shoooters. How much sorrow, turmoil, and despair led up to that end moment? What did they feel when they realized the pain hadn't ended as they'd thought it would?
As I was pondering these things, I read John 14:27 one day. "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful." Peace. Our world is in desperate need of peace. How many people watched the news this last week and were troubled and fearful? If it can happen in Omaha just an hour away in a store I've shopped in multiple times, why not here in my mall with my kids? If it can happen at a church in Colorado Springs, why not my church on Sunday morning? Realism forces us to accept that our church, our mall, our faces could be plastered all over the news as victims of the latest in senseless crime. We should not be surprised that the world is not peaceful - true peace only comes through Jesus. Jesus said He gives us peace that the world cannot understand. Because it's Christmas, I think of the angels singing to the shepherds on the night of Christ's birth, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whome He is pleased." Luke 2:14 His birth, life, death, and ressurection have given us peace that is beyond human ability to understand or explain. I hope that in spite of the busyness of Christmas and the chaos of the world around us, we will all take the chance to relax in the peace that only Jesus can give.

Wow! It's been a long time since I've written anything on here. Sorry I'm so slow, but life has been kinda crazy. Ethan and Kylie are at Tam and Alan's for a few days, so it's really quiet around here. I've been getting some scrapbooking done, though, which is good cuz I'm way behind! Ethan told Mimi that the reason he was at her house was cuz "mommy doesn't have time to write in her blog". So, I figured I'd better write something!
I'm finally feeling better after about two months of feeling sick. And the kids are over their colds, too. So, we're healthy all around! Yeah! I went to the doctor on Monday, and everything's fine with the baby. Except, he thought I was way too big to be only 14 weeks, so he had me get an ultrasound. Caleb went with me on Tuesday morning to do that, and everything's fine. The baby really is only 14 weeks, and there's only one of 'em in there. I had this crazy dream the night before that we went to the ultrasound and I was pregnant with twin, psycho boys! They were wrestling in my stomach! I totally freaked out, telling Caleb that I could handle twins if they were nice calm children, but that this kids were monsters. Anyway, I think I was a little worried about it... It was comforting to see the baby - that everything's ok. We even got some 3-D pictures which are pretty cool. But, I can't post them cuz we don't have a scanner, and they're just pictures. I guess you'll have to come see me to see them!
Other than that, our lives have been pretty normal. Ethan turned four at the end of July and had a GREAT birthday! We went swimming at the closest thing Lincoln has to a water park, and they let him go down the big slides! He was SO excited! And Kylie's fine. She's been growing a couple more teeth, so she's been kinda cranky about that off and on. And, she's talking like crazy! She loves to yell "Mommy! Mommy!" and then when I say "what?" she blabbers some unintelligible thing that I usually end up just nodding and smiling at. Caleb's been busy at work - and trying to keep up with yard work. It keeps raining here, which is nice, but poor Caleb mows the yard, then it rains, and the grass looks taller than before he mowed it by the next day. The joys of home ownership, I guess!
Well, I should go. My kids will be back home soon. I've missed them the last couple of days. The house is too quiet without them.

This is the day - the week, I guess - that we should've added another member to our family. The baby that we lost is in heaven in Jesus' arms. I am more excited to go to heaven one day, knowing that I will be able to finally meet our precious baby. I kind of envy him, actually, I think. Never knowing pain or tears or sickness or betrayal.... I don't want to make you sad or feel sorry for me by writing this. I just want to know that someone's remembering with me - even if I have to remind you. I have this nagging thought in my brain that my baby is sitting in heaven with all the babies whose mothers have purposely ended their lives thinking that we didn't want him and that nobody remembers him. I'm not sure that fits the Biblical version of heaven at all. But... as Caleb will tell you freely, I have a big imagination.
And, I have another tiny life growing inside of me (which, also according to Caleb, has made me totally, unreasonably emotional and hormonal.) I constantly am reminding myself to totally trust God with this baby, too, because He has a perfect plan for this tiny person just like He did for our other baby.
I have a song for this last year that I'm sure you've all heard MANY times - I have. I couldn't say what I've heard God tell me this last year any better. It's by Tree 63.

"Blessed be Your Name in the land that is plentiful, where Your streams of abundance flow. Blessed be Your Name.
And blessed be Your Name when I'm found in the desert place, though I walk through the wilderness, blessed be Your Name.

Every blessing You pour out I'll turn back to praise.
When the darkness closes in, Lord, still I will say,
Blessed be the Name of the Lord
Blessed be Your Name
Blessed be the Name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious Name

And blessed be Your Name when the sun's shining down on me, when the world's all as it should be, blessed be Your Name.
And blessed be your name on the road marked with suffering, though there's pain in the offering, blessed be Your Name.

Every blessing You pour out I'll turn back to praise.
When the darkness closes in, Lord, still I will say,
Blessed be the Name of the Lord
Blessed be Your Name
Blessed be the Name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious Name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, Blessed be Your Name"

God has the power and authority to give and take away, and I have the choice to respond in trust and praise.
Job responded exactly that way when God took everything away from him. Job 1:21 "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

For those of you who have been wondering, I'm fine now. I don't think I lose it very often as badly as I did the day I wrote last. It was just one of those days. And my amazing husband fixed my stove! So, I didn't get much of a break from cooking. By the way, if anyone has advice on how to untangle bumper pads it would be much appreciated.
Well, the last week has been fairly uneventful, I suppose. I started Ted Dekker's "Black", "Red", and "White" books again. No matter how many times I read those books, I am always impressed. Some of the suspense is lost, but I'm still awed by his picture of God. God wants us to ENJOY life and ENJOY knowing Him. I also read Ecclesiates in my Bible reading this week, and that is the point of that book too. Life is short and unfair for MANY people. How should we respond? Blindly trust that God knows what He's doing even when everything humanly reasonable screams that it doesn't make sense. And then, enjoy whatever it is He has given you while it lasts. The intellectual curiosity in me argues that such a philosophy is only for the uneducated who are unable to reason and search for answers for themselves. But it's what Solomon, one of the wisest (if not THE wisest) people ever, said in the Bible which is God's inspired word. That makes it truth. Regardless of whether or not I understand.

Welcome home?

Well, we're back home from DC! It's nice to be sleeping in my own bed again. But, I miss having my whole family together. We had so much fun! Although I wouldn't have traveled all the way to Washington DC to miss all the historical/ museum stuff, I can honestly say that wasn't my favorite part of the trip. Mt. Vernon was impressive, the Holocaust museum was overwhelming, The monuments were huge, and seeing the real Declaration of Independence was amazing. I'm glad I got to see all those things and more. But, the best part was spending time with my brothers and sisters! I'm so amazed by all of them - I can see very clearly how God has changed us all from selfish little children into adults who live to honor Him. I hope the change is as evident in me.
Getting back home has been hard in several ways. One of the first things I learned as I checked my email on Saturday night is that Dawn Marie (our pastor's daughter) died on Thursday. Maybe I'm just overly emotional - I really didn't know Dawn Marie at all - but I cried most of the way through church on Sunday. Her family was conspicuously absent (there's alot of them). And, it was mother's day. So, George Lockeyer kept saying what an essential job mother's have, and I kept thinking of Dawn Marie's kids and her husband.
On Tuesday, Ethan had the stomach flu. Then yesterday was pretty much the worst day ever. It started out pretty good. I woke up before the kids and actually had a chance to read my Bible, which doesn't happen most mornings. I felt relaxed and ready to handle the day. Then, Kylie woke up crying (which she hardly ever does), and when I went to get her, I found out why. It looked like she had thrown up in the middle of the night and then rolled in it. I know most of you don't want to know the nasty description, so I'll skip it. But, it was bad. I had to take everything off her bed and wash it. And, Kylie got a morning bath! So Kylie was cranky all day 'cuz she didn't feel good. Then, Ethan was hyper because I was rocking Kylie and couldn't pay attention to him like he thought I should. When I went to cook supper, my stove/oven died. Yes, my practically brand new oven won't get hot anymore. I was boiling water for spaghetti, and it just died. I had to cook the spaghetti in my hot pot. And, I have a half baked chocolate cake, if anyone's interested. After supper, I pulled Kylie's bumper pads out of the dryer to put them back on her crib. They're totally ruined. The filling on the inside twisted up into one giant ball in the middle. I don't know what I'm going to do about those. To top it all off, Caleb had to work late last night. Poor Caleb. By the time he got home I was totally losing it, and told him to give the kids a bath and put them to bed, so I could relax. He climbed on the roof with a hose and started cleaning out the gutters. I couldn't really blame him - especially after reading the Proverb about "better to live on the corner of a roof than with a contentious wife" just that morning. Kylie was running around the backyard screaming because she was scared of the noise he was making, and Ethan was yelling "DADDY!!!" at the top of his lungs (at 9:00 at night none the less - the neighbors were probably not happy) everytime Caleb went to the front side of the house where he couldn't see him. They finally went to bed, and I crashed. I watched CSI New York, and was surprisingly comforted because the people there seemed to be having a worse day than me.
Maybe today will be better. I think I could use another vacation, though. I guess I'll get one from cooking at least!

From the lips of a child

Ethan woke up this morning all excited! Saturdays are his favorite day because daddy gets to stay home. Today was even better though because daddy promised him we could go to the Children's Museum. Ethan usually wakes up happy, but this morning he was bouncing off the walls.
We ate breakfast and got all ready to go. Ethan likes to dress himself, so when I got out of the shower, he was already dressed and ready to go. I didn't pay much attention. I was putting my makeup on when Ethan said, "Look, mommy! I got dressed all by myself, and see???" He was pointing to his shorts and short sleeves with great excitement. The thought crossed my mind that Caleb must've told him it was supposed to be warm today, and Ethan must be excited to have a warm day instead of a rainy one. But, then he kept talking. "I prayed to Jesus last night that it would be warm today so daddy and I could play outside. So I put my shorts on!" I applauded him for his intelligence, and he bounced off to play. I just stood there and thought for a minute. That must be what Jesus meant by the faith of a child. Ethan's three. He can't read. He puts absolutely no faith in weather forcasters. He didn't wear shorts 'cuz daddy told him it would be warm enough. But, he did talk to Jesus about it, and he just assumed that Jesus would work it out for him. And then he got dressed. I pray that as he gets bigger and the world gets more confusing and Jesus sometimes doesn't answer the way we thing he should that he will keep this childlike faith in his heart.

Update on Dawn Marie

I want to give those of you who have been praying an update on Dawn Marie (our pastor's daughter with terminal cancer). Pastor Tom was in church yesterday for the first time in three weeks - he actually missed Easter. Dawn Marie has been in the hospital for most of the last 3 weeks. The hospital actually moved her to hospice and pretty much just waited for her to die. Doctor after doctor lined up and told the family there was nothing they could do and that she could not possibly live long. But, she is home with her family now! The doctors can't explain why, but all her numbers in her lab results went up enough that she could go home. She is still very sick, and she has to have a nurse there pretty much all the time. But, she gets to be home with her kids at least. Pastor Tom gave his "Easter Message" yesterday since he didn't get the chance over Easter. He spoke about Ressurection hope. Basically that the reason we have anything left to rely on when all hope is gone as far as the world can see is because we believe in Christ's ressurection. He has already won the victory over death! So, we have hope that even if people we love are taken from this earth, the separation is not forever. I'm amazed that our pastor can get up and preach a message like that when he has to struggle to live it every day. Anyway, keep praying for Dawn Marie, please. The days ahead are still going to be difficult, and I know her family would appreciate your prayers.

I think I missed Easter...

The last few weeks have been crazy! Easter was especially bad. I kept wanting to stop, sit, and reflect on all that Jesus' resurrection means in my life, but I just kept running. We babysat at church Friday night, practiced for choir Saturday morning, spent Saturday afternoon and evening at a wedding in Central City, picked up the kids, and went back to church on Sunday morning to sing. I was EXHAUSTED! I did nothing all day Monday - unless you count sitting on the couch with a book while the kids played as productive. We did have fun with the kids, though. On Sunday afternoon, we hid Easter eggs for the kids to find. They had such fun! This last weekend the kids and I went back to mama and daddy and Tam and Alan's houses. It was fun to see them, and I got alot done. Mama and I made curtains (in other words she sewed, and I ironed). I'm not much of a sewer, I don't think. I could be if I wanted to badly enough, I suppose. It's just so much easier to go to the store and buy what you want already made. Then, I scrapbooked at Tam's on Saturday. I was happy that I got quite a bit done. And we have curtains in our bedrooms now!
I've been thinking alot lately about how to fit all the suffering around us into what I know about God. I think I grew up fairly sheltered from pain, but the older I get, the more suffering seems to pop up all around me. The list is long just of people in our church that I don't even really know. A three year old girl has leukemia. A mother of 3 is dying of cancer. A baby died after living only 17 days of a heart defect. An 8 month old boy has a brain tumor. Those are just a couple. None of these cases seem to make any sense. What could a small child do to deserve the pain and suffering associated with cancer? Why save a 2 year old girl from cancer only to let her die from it in her 30's when she has a 2 year old daugheter of her own who needs her mommy? These and many more questions don't make any sense to me. God's reasoning seems completely unreasonable. A man preached at our church yesterday about Romans 8:28 "For God causes all things to work together for good for those who love him and are called according to His purpose." He basically said that if we love God and are trying fufill His purpose for our lives (which is becoming more like Christ), then He will take even the terrible, heartbreaking things in our lives and use them for the good of His kingdom. That doesn't necessarily make the bad things ok, but it gives us hope that God knows what He's doing. I guess that's what trusting is - believing in the character and omniscience of God even if He doesn't make sense to us. That's why we can have such hope and excitement in looking towards heaven - there will be no more pain and we will see Jesus face to face.

It's spring!...kind of

I love spring! It's my favorite time of year. For one thing, I HATE wearing real shoes, so as soon as it even pretends to be warm, I start wearing my flip-flops. I just have to remember to paint my toenails. I also love to watch everything grow and come back to life. Our grass is all green and we actually have flowers coming up in our flower beds. How they survived the neglect of the last lady living here is beyond me. The other thing that survived her neglect is all the BUGS! They've been freely and happily roaming our house for the past couple of years, and seem to think they should be free to do so now, too. When Caleb woke up this morning, there were "Five Million" ants swarming our kitchen floor. You can't blame them for coming in. Kylie and Ethan drop enough food on the floor to feed more than 5 million ants. No matter how many times I sweep and mop, more crumbs always appear. So we're now in an all out war with ants. And weeds - which survive with no prompting whatsoever. I decided if people were smart, we'd just purposely grow weeds in our yards instead of grass. It doesn't matter if they have water or good dirt. It doesn't matter how many times you spray them. We raked up a bunch of bare spots in our back yard, and planted grass seeds. Guess what grew? That's right. Lots and lots of weeds. The grass is finally starting to grow, but the weeds definitely have a head start.
The other way people can tell it's spring is that my kids are covered in dirt ALL the time. They both LOVE to be outside. Kylie brings me her shoes all the time and asks "Go? Go?" She's still not all the way steady on her feet, so her knees and hands are always covered in dirt. Then, she tries to clean her hands by wiping them on her head. Don't ask me why. The other night we ran out the door to Sam's for some desperately needed groceries. I didn't pay much attention to how my kids looked til we got in the store. Kylie found this other little girl - 16 months old just like her - walking around the store. This little girl looked perfect. First of all, she had HAIR! Enough to put in pigtails. Then, she had perfect clothes on - jeans, a white shirt (that was actully still white!), an adorable pink sweater, and shoes (of course we forgot Kylie's shoes at home). I was complaining to Caleb about how our daughter looked like an orphan child standing on the street corner begging for food. And he said, "Well, that little girl looked just like her mom. Her mom had lots of makeup on and was perfectly dressed, too". I thought, does that mean I look like Kylie?? Scary!
Anyway, so I'm excited it's spring. I've pretty much given up on clean kids or a clean house. Weeds are just a reality in our yard. But, I'm thankful - for a place that my kids can play outside, for a home to call our own (even if alot of work does come with it), and for my garage door opener (which Caleb put up last night).
Totally off subject, as we drove to Sam's that night, we passed a pond - it would probably be called a puddle in New Orleans or Bellingham. Ethan looked out the window, saw it, and gasped "It's the ocean, Mommy!" His voice was full of such wonder, awe, and excitement. That's the beauty of spring.
Now that I've written this, I remember the weather forcast for the rest of the week. After today in the 70's, highs in the 40's and 50's the rest of the week.
Oh well. That's life in Nebraska.

Please pray!

We got an email from our pastor today. His daughter has been battling cancer for the last 6 months or so. She's maybe five or ten years older than me with a husband and three kids. The youngest little girl is only two. Dawn Marie has had chemotherapy, radiation, and has been in the hospital multiple times. The doctors have repeatedly given her little chance of living. The fact that she is alive today is nothing short of a miracle. Both the chemotherapy and the radiation failed. The chemotherapy was the wrong kind, and while they were doing radiation on one cancer, another larger one grew elsewhere. Their last ditch effort was to try a new drug. The doctors did a scan yesterday to see how the cancer was reacting to this new drug, and it has had no effect. The doctor pretty much said there was nothing else he could do, and to go home and pray for a miracle. I just thought I'd ask you guys to pray. Other than God's miraculous and merciful intervention, there is no hope. I don't know Dawn Marie at all - or most of her family. I just feel such a burden for them. She has such little kids who need their mommy. Watching her family deal with crisis upon crisis has been such a lesson in trusting God even in extemely difficult times. Anyway - I just know several prayer warriors who will read this. Please pray for Dawn Marie and her family. This is what her dad (our pastor) wrote: "We are committed to filling that ‘prescription’[asking for a miracle from God], knowing that we are safely protected in the shadow of His wing, that we have a refuge in His strong name, and that His arm is not too short or His hand too weak so as to heal. We have known from the first that only God could spare her life to fulfill her calling as a wife and mother. We simply have medical affirmation today that we are completely dependent upon His mercy and His grace. Please ask boldly for a miracle of physically healing for His own name’s fame and for Dawn-Marie’s joy in dreams fulfilled . And ask for Divine peace, the unexplainable kind that defies circumstances, in the process of waiting on Him."

God's kids

I love having another girl in the family. Kylie is so.... girly! For lack of a better word. I always thought we'd have fun some day shopping for clothes or watching girl movies. But, Kylie is fascinated by girl stuff now. She loves to put anything on her head. I try to keep cute hats up there, since she has pretty much no hair, but she has been known to put Ethan's underwear on her head, too. She also likes to dress up in pretty dresses. We went shopping for summer clothes recently, and she walked around sorting through clothes saying "WOW!" and "Pretty". Then, when we got home, she had fun trying clothes on. She would look down at them and point to a flower or a button and ask "What's that?".

Then, just yesterday we got a package from Rob and Christina (thanks guys!) full of Marti Gras beads. Kylie was in heaven! She must've said "WOW!" 20 times. She's been walking around the house with at least 3 strands of beads around her neck ever since. They're such bright, shiny colors!

She also loves baby dolls. She gives them lovies (rocks them back and forth while hugging them) and feeds them bottles. She's just got these feminine traits so wrapped up in who she is. It's amazing to me to see them so clearly when she's so little!
Now in all fairness, I'd like to say that Kylie is not always so girly. She can eat dirt and bugs, throw rocks, and jump on the couch right along with the boys. And Ethan is fun, too. He LOVES to be tickled! And his curious mind and sensitive heart keep me busy, entertained, and surprised all the time. He also has done his share of not so manly things. He's tried on lots of clothes cuz mommy thought it would be fun. And, he's watched Cinderella and Mary Poppins many times. But, at three, he's much better at running screwdrivers and poking sticks in fires than I will ever be. It's just so exciting to watch these little people be who God made them to be!

Moving

We helped Grandma and Grandpa Burkitt move last weekend. It was a big job. I collect alot of stuff at my house in one year. They've lived in Lincoln for 25 or so. So, there was alot of stuff - sewing stuff, BOOKS, yarn, cookbooks, teddy bears. All the stuff that showcases a person's life. Gifts from family and friends that have no intrinsic value but huge sentimental value because of the love from the giver. For example, grandma has a red teddy bear Micah found in the missionary barrel somewhere and gave her for her birthday. One of her cherished possessions because of the thoughfulness and love of a little boy.
Emptying the house was kind of strange. it's the only place in the world that I visit with any regularity that still links me to my childhood. I have so many memories in that house. I was sad at first to leave it. I thought of it as Home for many years while we moved from one place to another. But, when I thought about it, the memories were more about the people than the place. And, Grandma and Grandpa seem so HAPPY in their new home. I think they'd be happy anywhere as long as they were together. I want that for me and Caleb. To be happy just to be together no matter what craziness surrounds us. What a blessing from God!

What are you creating?

I just finished the book "Sacred Marriage" by Gary Thomas. Close to the end, he wrote something that struck me.
"You were made by God to create. If you don't create in a thoughtful and worshipful manner...you will feel less than human. ... God has given us the privilege and opportunity to place ourselves and our families on a 'glorious pursuit': becoming partakers of the diving nature (see 2 Peter 1:4), reflecting the very image of Jesus Christ."
I had to skip a bunch 'cuz I don't want to type out two of his pages. But, the general point was that we are made in the image of God and part of God is Creator. I realized that maybe that's why I'm drawn to some things. For instance, I love to scrapbook. I love taking pictures and combining them with fun colors and textures to create a page that expresses my feelings about a certain person or event.
On a much bigger scale, the chance to create gives meaning to what I do on a daily basis. My job seems to be fairly thankless most of the time. I make supper everynight, and usually all I hear about it is Ethan saying, "Yuck! I hate peas!" Kylie has never once thanked me for changing her diaper. They expect their house and clothes clean, their food cooked, all their wants and needs met. And, they very rarely if ever say thank you. Maybe they never will. But, I am creating something of worth in God's eyes - even if no one else notices. I'm trying to create a home - a safe place where joy and love abound. I'm trying to create obedient, well-mannered, creative, thoughtful, intelligent children with a love for God and compassion for the people around them. I'm trying to create a safe place for my family to crash when the rest of the world is hurtful and demanding.
Suddenly, the small things that my family can't do without but will never notice seem to be given worth - in God's eyes at least. Every diaper I change or load of laundry I wash gives me a very physical, real-world way to create in my family and home qualities that are important to God.
I even create in myself a willingness to allow God to create me into the person He wants me to be. Then I can be sure that I'm creating things that bring glory to Him.

Here goes!

Hi everyone! We finally got the internet in our new home. YEAH!!!! I'm so excited! I read Christina and Becca's blogs and enjoyed them so much, I decided I wanted one of my own. I've always been kind of a homebody, but as you all know, the other members of my family are more adventuresome. So, here's my attempt to let all of you know what's going on in our family - no matter how far away you live.
So, what's going on? Well, the reason I'm getting a chance to write this is because my kids are at Mimi and Poppy's house for today. I'm going to help Grandma and Grandpa pack some of their stuff for the move to Central City. I wouldn't be any help if I was watching the kids, too. So, Tam has them. I'm sure they're having fun! Ethan loves to go visit people. And Kylie would go anywhere with him. Caleb has to work late tonight with the helicopter guys, so I'm pretty much on my own today - VERY unusual! If it wasn't for helping Grandma, I wouldn't know what to do.
I wish all of you could be here to see Kylie growing! She's walking now! And, she's started trying to talk - although most of it is unintelligible. Her favorite words are "drop" (usually said as she throws food over the edge of her highchair tray), "Daddy" (she never says Mommy, although she has started saying "mamamama" FINALLY!), "uh-oh", and "dee-da-doo" (which means Peekaboo!). I have so much fun watching her learn new things every day!
One of Ethan's favorite thing right now is going to Awana. One of his friends there taught him how to color in the lines, so he's been practicing that. I wish you could've seen him this weekend. Kayla and I told Caleb to be quiet so that we could talk around him, and Ethan thought it was rude. He talked for at least 5 minutes about how you shouldn't interrupt people when they're talking and nobody can tell his daddy to be quiet. It was so Funny! And cute! He was so serious that we were all trying so hard not to laugh - which of course made us laugh even harder.
Anyway, I should go. I have to go grocery shopping so the kids have something to eat when they get back from Tam and Alan's. We're out of everything!