I don't believe in an indian rain dance, but...

I do believe in my God who loves me enough as His child to send me a rain day! Michael and Caleb's soccer game was cancelled-yay! So I pretty much canceled the rest of my day (being made of sugar and all I might melt if I go out), threw corned beef and cabbage into the crock pot, and popped a DVD in. Is anything going to get accomplished today? Nope, not by the world's standards. But the boys and I will enjoy a day in our pj's (except overachiever Michael who is dressed and ready to conquer the world--slow down there cowboy!), munching on popcorn and enjoying hot chocolate. If Caleb decides to wake up some time today we might get dressed--to go puddle stomping--but shower, definitely not (so now you have a fair warning that if you stop by today I might not be "fresh").

Soccer..so fun!

Michael and Caleb had their first soccer game today--so fun! Okay, so they are definately not olympians-yet. This was evident when they were completely confused by having another team on the field. And by Michael running down the field with his hands in his pocket. Or a hand, since Caleb was holding his other hand. By the fourth period (is that the right terminology for soccer? I'm new.) Michael had figured out that he CAN take charge and kick the ball to his goal. Which is also the point when Evan decided he was on the team too and took off chasing Michael and the soccer ball. Lets just say there were some tears. But over all--so fun!

Kids really do say the darndest things!

So last night we were enjoying a delicious meal with some of our friends, Fred and Mary. The boys were having a great time playing outside with their daughter Melissa and her good friend Monique. Suddenly Michael came running into the house, laughing and wanting to tell me what was happening.

Apparently, Melissa did something that made them all laugh and she snorted when she was laughing, which sent them all into hysterics. What Michael told me though, was that Melissa was so funny, she was making him "crap out". I must admit, this confused me so I asked him to repeat him self.

"I was crapping out, mom" he says again.

Okay, so now I'm confused, so I asked him if he accidently pooped in his pants. Nope, not the case. So I take him into the bathroom and ask him to repeat the whole story again. Which he does, including how Melissa had him "crapping out". Suddenly, it dawns on me.

"Michael," I ask, "Do you mean you were cracking up?" Yep, that's what he meant. Sheesh.

And here is Caleb's spotlight moment last night. As we adults were sitting around the table enjoying eachother's company, Caleb suddenly ran into the house, wanting to sit on Jeff's lap. The next thing we know, he starts laughing and announces, "I farted on you dad!" After which he got off of Jeff's lap and returned to his playtime.

I am so glad Fed and Mary are not the type of people we have to be prim and proper with!

The Camp Out

Smoke fills the air. There are shouts of "I farted!" followed by other declarations and shrieks of laughter. Everywhere I turn I am surrounded by testosterone. Testosterone of little boys ages 5 and under.

It was so simple. I was just giving a mom a break, and hopefully a night out with her husband. Her two boys and my three boys, no problem. Just for fun we'll pitch a pup tent and pretend to camp. 10 boys and a multi-dome tent later in the front yard....

Actually, it was great fun. We all had a blast. We roasted hot dogs. We made s'mores. Andrew and Jesse came to help me out, and all the little boys loved it. The boys went home smelling of smoke and sweat. They were dirty and sticky. And it only went from 6pm -9pm. It was great!



The little "campers" with Andrew and Jesse, the "Camp Counselers"












Caleb loves Andrew!

August Mom of the Month

My pick for August's Mom of the Month is Esther Bautista. She is incredible! She has 3 children: Dana, Seth, and Bethany. Bethany is her special needs childe. I love to watch Esther with Bethany. She is so patient, loving and giving. I recently came across something Erma Bombeck had written about the mother of a special needs child, which I believe is a reflection of Esther.

The Special Mother
by Erma Bombeck

Most women become mothers by accident, some by choice, a few by social
pressures and a couple by habit.

This year nearly 100,000 women will become mothers of handicapped children.Did you ever wonder how mothers of handicapped children are chosen?

Somehow I visualize God hovering over earth selecting his instruments for
propagation with great care and deliberation. As He observes, He instructs
His angels to make notes in a giant ledger.

"Armstrong, Beth; son. Patron saint...give her Gerard. He's used to
profanity."

"Forrest, Marjorie; daughter. Patron saint, Cecelia."

"Rutledge, Carrie; twins. Patron saint, Matthew."

Finally He passes a name to an angel and smiles, "Give her a handicapped
child."

The angel is curious. "Why this one God? She's so happy."

"Exactly," smiles God, "Could I give a handicapped child to a mother who
does not know laughter? That would be cruel."

"But has she patience?" asks the angel.

"I don't want her to have too much patience or she will drown in a sea of
self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wears off, she'll
handle it."

"I watched her today. She has that feeling of self and independence that
is so rare and so necessary in a mother. You see, the child I'm going to
give her has her own world. She has to make her live in her world and
that's not going to be easy."

"But, Lord, I don't think she even believes in you."

God smiles, "No matter, I can fix that. This one is perfect - she has just enough selfishness."

The angel gasps - "selfishness? is that a virtue?"

God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally,
she'll never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child
less than perfect. She doesn't realize it yet, but she is to be envied.
She will never take for granted a 'spoken word'". She will consider a
step" ordinary. When her child says 'Momma' for the first time, she will
be present at a miracle, and will know it!"

"I will permit her to see clearly the things I see...ignorance, cruelty,
prejudice....and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone.
I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life, because she
is doing My work as surely as if she is here by My side".

"And what about her Patron saint?" asks the angel, his pen poised in
mid-air.

God smiles, "A mirror will suffice."

Communication glitch anyone?

Okay, Michael is really loving kindergarten. And he loves "teaching" his brothers what he learns. Today his class was going over nursery rhymes and Michael colored a page of Jack and Jill. All day he has been singing the Jack and Jill nursery rhyme. ALL DAY. Now, here comes the communication glitch. For some reason, Caleb has been hearing: "Jack and Jill went up to hell to catch on fire..." Now, I'm not sure how Caleb has been hearing this. I have been hearing the correct version ALL DAY. And now they are fighting over where Jack and Jill are going and what for. I think there has been a communication glitch...

This week is THE week

This week is THE week. A first for me. My oldest baby is starting school THIS week. He turns five THIS week. He was an incredibly awesome ring bearer in his uncle's wedding THIS week.

My second baby is turning three THIS week. He will begin to lose his older brother four hours a day starting THIS week. He will truly discover life as a big brother himself THIS week.

Our lives begin a new path THIS week. I want to protest. It's too soon! They're my babies! Their births are still fresh in my mind and my heart! I know they have to grow up, but do they have to do it THIS week?

July Mom of the Month

This is always so hard to choose. I know so many amazing moms. But I have to say, for July I am picking Abby Kennedy. She is the mother of three awesome boys--one entering preschool (Josiah), one entering 6th grade (Jesse)and one entering 8th grade (Zach).

Abby supports and encourages her boys in America's favorite past time--Zach was recently named Athlete of the Week, while training them up to be awesome men of God. Jesse and Zach are two of the best worshippers in youth group, stepping up and stepping out in their faith.

Abby is creative and generous. I have watched her use her time and talents repeatedly for the needs of the Church, without ever hearing a complaint. She is an inspiration of loving selflessly.

Words of Wisdom

So one of the books I am currently reading is I Grew Up Little by Patsy Clairmont. She is amazing. She is a former agoraphobic who is now a key speaker for Women of Faith. Anyhow, in one of the chapters of this book she is talking about her first born child and realizing how painful her battle with agoraphobia must have been on his heart. This is what she has to say:
All I ever wanted to give my son was the best, but all I could give him was who I was at that time. I'm so grateful that Jesus is a Redeemer. And that he is able to do what we can't for our children, regardless of their age. Hope is a blessed relief for a mother's broken heart and a child's future welfare.
Oh what a strong, true statement that is! When I first read this statement I had two thoughts. The first was: "That's me!", the second was: "That's my parents!". It is me because I DO want the best for my sons and I can only give them who I am at the time. I'm a different mom for Kindergarten Michael then I was for Baby Michael. I've grown. Some days it seems like a lot, others a little.
And I see that about my parents. I know my parents only want the best for me and my sisters. But growing up, they could only give us they were at the time. For me, they were 16 and 19 years old. Welfare and food stamps while dad went to welding school. I remember times in Bakersfield that we didn't own a car. Dad rode his bike to work and we either walked or rode the bus around town. There was also anger and frustration. There were mistakes made and scars to be had.
But Jesus is our Redeemer. My dad and I have not always had the greatest relationship, but we are closer now then we have ever been in my 26 years of existence. My mom is more approachable then she was just 10 years ago. I can guarantee that Jeff and I are not perfect parents (hope I didn't shock you). Most likely, there will be things Jeff and I do that at least one of our boys will vow not to. But we all have the Redeemer and I have hope...
"As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives..."
Psalm 19:25

Living Life

Okay, I know. It's been a while. But life has been a little bit crazy lately. So I have been blogging in my head (which is probably safest for the sake of editing purposes)and not quite getting it onto this blog. So if your wondering where my mind has been lately or why I might be crazier then normal here we go...

Insomnia
At some point in May, my body decided that sleep is overated and that I need as little to none as possible. Needless to say, this tends to make me a little cranky, confused, forgetfull, etc; Luckily, Jeff has been on vacation so when I hit my wall, if I'm lucky I can take a nap. Which isn't always the case, because often when I try to take the nap I end up feeling restless. Yuck.

Evan's Feet/ A Mother's guilt?
Oh my poor sweet Evan. It's bad enough he can only walk about 4 steps before tripping over air! I had set up my electric kettle to use at our dinning room table for breakfast and he apparently decided that it was the perfect place to take a little stroll. Needless to say he tripped over the cord and the kettle knocked over and poured boiling water on his sweet little feet. This is where the momentary Mother's Guilt comes in. If only...or if only...or...but I don't have time to deal with a Mother's Guilt. If it hadn't been the boiling water it could have just as easily been something else. It's amazing how quickly the enemy plants those cancerous thoughts in your mind. Instead it is thank you Father, it was only his feet.
We know that God has done miraculous healing on his feet! When we had to take him to the burn center in Fresno we were told it would take at least a year to recover and to keep him off of his feet as much as possible (talk apart the parting of the Red Sea--you expect us to keep an active 22 month old, who has active older brothers, off of his feet? PA SHAW!) However, when we took him to the physical therapist on Wednesday, she showed us two tiny spots that were 2nd degree burns and the rest was all 1st degree. She said he should be completely healed in the next 4-6 weekish time frame and she cancelled his Thursday appointment. Total answer to prayer and obviously the work of God!

Painting
Recently (okay, like a month ago-but that can count as recent, right?) I went with Ann to Ava's house (just pretend you know who they are if you don't already) for a craft night and my heart totally was stirred to paint again. It used to be something that I did with my Great-Grandma when she was alive, but I haven't done since I was about 11. The women there really inspired me to be free in my painting. It's a good thing too, because I recently painted again for the first time in 15 years and I am pretty convinced that Grandma Joyce would sneak back into the art room after I left and "fix" my work. So I now kinda have a love/hate relationship with this painting I just completed. It was freeing, and yet not perfect. I can't stand that it's not perfect, but I love the freedom I feel in it. And I think I do love it because it reminds me of my walk with God, which has been so freeing for me, but at the same time not perfect.

Kindergarten Camp
Michael has started going to Kindergarten Camp at his school, which is a 3 week camp that incoming kindergartners can attend to pretty much get the feel of kindergarten. I like to call it "Pretend Kindergarten". It's much easier to handle then thinking of it as real kindergarten. But he absolutely loves it! Now the waking up early, not so much his cup of tea, but once he gets rolling then he is excited to go. One of the helpers let me know that he does get frustrated if he can't do something perfectly and pretty much wants to give up on whatever it is he is doing (hmmm, I have no idea where my preciouse first born would get that trait from!). It reminds me of an interesting story about myself, actually. But you'll have to ask for that story in person.

The Birthday
In just a few weeks Michael and Caleb will be celebrating their birthday! It seems unreal that Michael will already be five and Caleb will be three. Why so quickly? Michael amazes us everyday with his intelligence and thoughtfulness. And Caleb cracks us up all the time! He recently saw the movie Spy Kids and has taken to repeating everything you say! And if you are in a conversation, he will repeat what both people are saying! I feel so blessed that God chose me to be their mother. If God had allowed us to go with our plan, Michael would only be a few months now and Caleb would not even be a thought to us yet. I am so glad that God gave us His plan instead!

June's Mom of the Month

Okay, I know this one was a bit delayed. There is a good reason. It all boils down to what the best way to describe Ann Moore. Fabulous mom of 4 beautiful girls. Creative. Smart. A lot of fun to be around. Encouraging. Honest. A great listener. A teacher. A great small group leader.

What else can I say? Probably a hundred other things(which is why this did not get posted sooner). Ann is incredible and an inspiration. Love you, Ann!

P.S. I do have a picture of Ann, which is currantly on my disfunctional computer (thank you, Evan), so I will post her lovely picture as soon as I can.

A wedding and babies

So, about a month ago we found out that Jeff's younger brother and fiance were having a baby. Then a few weeks later we found out it was two babies. Tonight they asked us to be in their wedding, which has been moved up from sometime next year to August 16, 2008 (yep, in 7 short weeks). I'm feeling a little deja vu with a couple of exceptions.
Rewind to January 2003 and Jeff and I are finding out that we are miscarrying one baby, but still pregnant with another. We kept the wedding date we had already planned and paid for (no sense in trying to hide the obvious). But the process of both events is what brought Jeff and me to God. So now I wonder, where in this process for Jason and Monique, does God stand? Jason has accepted Christ. He did it in our living room. Now I'm praying he will actually seek a relationship with Christ.

Potty Talk

Aaah, potty talk. As in poop. Yep, poop, as in the one thing in my life I know to be a daily guaruntee. The sun might not come out, but the poop sure will. So why am I blogging about poop? Well my wonderful friend, Ann Moore, brought me this great magazine called Wondertime an d wouldn't you just know it, they had an article about kids and poop. Not your typical "How to get your kid to poop in the toilet" kind of article. More of a "Why your kid thinks poop is so funny" kind of an article. Here is an excerpt from the beginning of the article:

"Hey, Daddy, guess what?" my 4 year old said from his car seat one day, a beautiful fall afternoon in New England.
"What, Jack?" I asked over my shoulder.
"You have poop on your head."

Does this conversation sound framiliar to anyone besides myself? I think I have this conversation with my boys a dozen times a day! You want to crack up my boys? Tell them you have a secret then whisper to them that somebody (anybody in the room will do) has pooped. It sends them into a fit of giggles. The same if you say someone is naked. And if someone is naked and pooping? Then you have two of my little guys rolling on the floor in fits of hysteria with the third trying to follow suit.

You might be wondering why I allow my three boys to indulge in "Potty Talk". For one thing, they're boys. They will always be fascinated by gross stuff. My dad is still fascinated by gross stuff. They are naturally wired to think gross=cool, funny,awesome, etc; Secondly, I remember growing up with cousins who had true "potty mouths". Thirdly, if I have to be surrounded by it, it might as well be funny.

That being said, a poop joke for the grown-ups:

Abe, Gus, and Joe, all in their 90's, are in a nursing home, talking. Abe says, "Every morning I wake up at 8 and I stand in front of the toilet. I'm there until 9 o'clock, trying to pee."

"I get up at 7 and I sit on the toilet trying to move my bowels," Gus says. "I'm lucky if I can move them by 10."

"Not me," Joe says. "Every day by 8, I'm crapping like a bear in the woods, and by 9, I'm peeing like a racehorse."

"So what are you complaining about?" Abe asks him.

"Well," Joe says, "I don't get out of bed until 11."

See? Poop is even funny when your in your 90's!

a pouring out of blessings

Have you ever read the Nancy Drew mystery The Secret of Shadow Ranch? In it, the treasure that Nancy and her friends find a treasure box full of heart shaped gold. That is such a great symbol for what God has been doing for me/us. I feel like God has us standing under a waterfall of little gold shaped hearts (i.e; the blessings of my life).

Some of the gold hearts that He has poured out for us:

1) Jeff's job--the fact that he was hired in the first place was a huge blessing, the fact that he was signed on a second time during a budget crisis was ginormous.

2) Free Trip to Magic Mountain--sign me up to chaperon next year! The day was perfect, Jeff and I had the morning to ourselves. After a free lunch at an all-you-can-eat buffet, we enjoyed the rest of the afternoon bonding with a few of his students.

3) Jeff and I enjoyed a free night at the Apple Farm in SLO, with a free dinner for two. That was a room with a king size bed, cable television, and no children. And the dinner? ANYTHING on the menu. It was a great night!

4) Sunday at church, someone approached me about a family trip we've been wanting to take to Disneyland. We finally set a date and have been praying for God to provide the funds. Lo and behold, the person who approached me let me know that they felt God was telling them to match us dollar for dollar for the trip!

5) I have had the privilege of opening my home to about 10 wonderful women every Monday night for a fun small group. And I love it!

Lots of gold hearts, being showered on us! God is so awesome!

Oh the Life on Lincoln Street!

Oh, so many things that have been going on! So many pictures, yet not on a digital so I can't post them yet! Lets see where to begin....

Last Thursday Jeff and I had a free trip to Magic Mountain. Woo Hoo! I love Magic Mountain, but I haven't been able to go in 8 years. Because you know. Life. But we got to go. And did I mention it was FREE? Actually, Jeff was paid to go. Okay, so we were chaperoning a bunch of 8th graders, but it was fine. It actually worked out very nicely for us. The morning was just the two of us going on rides, and after lunch (Mr. Muller, the principal, had arranged an all-you-can-eat buffet for the El Camino students and staff) there were about 4 students who asked if they could go on rides with us. It was really great.

So because of this Magic Mountain trip, I was able to make a connection with one of the girls, Yasmin. She came over to our house on Saturday and we spent the day making cupcakes. She's coming over again this Saturday. I have a feeling she is just the tip of an El Camino iceberg. Actually, having her at our house had me dreaming. It had me dreaming for the kids that are less recognized (it was nothing to do with her personally, it was more on how my brain operates in a wandering way). And I was thinking, all the "A" students get recognized. And all of those weird kids who never miss a day of school in their life. And that's great. But what about those kids who really struggle? What about those ones who have an "F" and really work hard to pull it up to a "C" or even a "D". I'm talking about those kids who genuinely struggle with concepts and applications. Or who lack the necessary support system at home. The ones who have to fight to keep their heads above water.

According to Jeff, he averages about 7 students a quarter that pull their grade up by at least one full grade. So why can't we recognize the hard work they do? So now we are praying about opening our home once a quarter to those students for a special dinner and game night. Wouldn't that be fun? And encouraging?

And to add to life on linconln street...Stanley decided to show up last night (Stanley is the rat who has taken up residence in our garage, and who I niavely thought had moved on with his life). And a beehive is forming under the eave of the roof right above my boys' bedroom. Or at least a honeycomb is now forming. I must say, it does look kind of cool, not that I want to keep it!

Monday Madness

Aaah, the madness of Mondays. I love it. I spend the day cleaning, cooking and worrying. Will everyone feel comfortable? Will the goodies taste good? Will I start the coffee on time? Will I remember how I want to lead the discussions? Will anyone show up? Is my house big enough?

Before I know it, my house is filled with women (somehow we all fit) who are enjoying their beverages and goodies. Sharing lives and feelings and experiences. I love it. All the Monday Madness is worth it.

Wisdom Teeth...What's the Point???

Okay, what the heck is the point of making me go through the painful process of growing teeth that I don't need anyway? Not only are they not necessary for my survival, they actually cause problems. Like I need more problems. Yeah, turns out what I thought was a chip in my tooth was in fact a hole caused by a cavity. The cavity was there because my mouth is almost big enough to house these wise teeth, but not quite. Therefor my toothbrush could not reach an upper wise tooth causing decay. Lovely, lovely. So Dr. Gomez, (my awesome dentist) recommends all the wise teeth come out asap to save myself from unnecessary pain. Because that is what unnecessary teeth do, they cause unnecessary pain.

Luckily for me, Miss Mandi Pettit was willing to babysit me on the Big Day (and she was a great babysitter too!). And lucky me, my God is an awesome God and answered my prayer of no bruising and very minimal swelling! Now, what to do with all that Vicodin...

May's Mom of the Month

Amy Hiser is my May Mom of the Month. She is incredible. And inspiring. Not only will she be beginning to homeschool her oldest, John, but she will be doing so while taking care of her daughter who is about pre-school age and her twin boys. Her twin boys that will be mobile by the time the new school year starts.

I love watching Amy at church with all of her children. Twins in the stroller, John and Gracie following behind her like little duckies. So sweet. Amy also oversees the nursery at church. So not only is she taking care of her babies, but she also makes sure all of our babies are well cared for. And she does this with twins (sorry, but the thought of having to do double-duty of everything myself is overwhelming-I just love watching her! If I ever do happen to have twins I will be hiring here for 9 months of training). Amy organizes and executes successful garage sales, has just had the experience of being a T-ball mom, and is always great about finding mind stimulating activities for her children.

Amy is a wonderful mother, her children will surely rise up and call her blessed!

**oh, the only pictures I have of Amy are on the computer that I can not access anything from, so if you have a great picture of Amy, please feel free to e-mail it to me so I can add it to this post!

Sleep is overrated

Okay, so a portion of this was part of a rambling email that I sent to Cindy L. Why did I send out a rambling email?

Oh, that would be because my body/children/husband does not feel it is necessary for me to sleep for more then 2 hours at time. Apparently that is my limit and I should be very thankful when it is 2 full hours. Now, Jeff is currently asleep in the living room with Michael and Caleb, so his snoring should not prevent any attempts of mine to fall asleep. However, there is the matter of Evan. The second I begin to get into that really good sleep (what is it called-REM or something like that) his little baby sensor will go off and he will immediately wake up, toddle to my room, and make an attempt for play hour (or two). If I'm lucky enough to fall asleep, I am guaranteed he will kick me, poke me, or pull my hair.

There is also the chance that Michael will start yelling in his sleep. Yes, yelling. Talking in is sleep isn't enough. It has to be loud. Loud enough to hear him at any point in this house. Full on conversations too. It's great. Especially when he decides to take a walk also (who knew it was so easy to get down from the top bunk while still fully asleep?) Sometimes it is cute to hear what he says. Or to hear him do a full belly laugh in his sleep. Most of the time, however, is evidence of him being the oldest child. I must say he is a little bit bossy in his sleep and I'm not quite sure where he gets that from ... :)

And Caleb. My dear sweet Caleb. His preference is to climb into bed with us (usually about 2 am), fall asleep and then proceed to roll of the FOOT of the bed. I'm not sure how he does this, especially since he insists on laying with his little head aimed at the foot of the bed. But how am supposed to sleep through that? I usually grab one of his legs just in time and drag him back across the bed.

I thought maybe it was hormonal. My face is more oily then normal. I'm breaking out like a 16 year old girl before homecoming night. I can't sleep. I'm 11 days late. So I took a test, and failed it. Looks like I can chalk up my sleep deprivation to environment. I wonder if I can convince Gabe (Jeff's dad) to watch the boys so I can take at 4 hour nap? Somehow I don't see that happening in the near future (I'd feel too guilty).

So, if it seems like I can not connect the dots, or like I am not very focused in a conversation, it might not be the diabetes. I might just be very, very tired. Is it wrong of me to request my own bedroom with locking door? :)

NO WAY!

Happy Birthday to Me!

I can not believe it. A KitchenAid Mixer. For me. All mine. NO WAY! I am so excited! I can not believe that I got one for my birthday. Seriously, this is something that I did not expect to ever own for like, 25 more years of my life. But I own one now. And it is so beautiful! I'm going to have to repaint my dinning room around my mixer. Because it is so cute. So my wall needs to be cute with it. Thank you so much to my husband, sons, the Moore's, the Pettits, Mom and Dad, and Rachel!

Now the only question is what do I make first? Cookies, cupcakes, muffins or meatloaf? Probably the cookies first since I've been promising my them to my boys. Either way I feel like I am walking in fantasy land. And now Jeff can take a nap when I'm baking, because he doesn't have to be my KitchenAid mixer for me!

My Brave Little Friend

I know we live in a fallen world. I accept that life is not perfect--or even close to it, but it is still so hard to grasp why bad things happen to children. It was hard to be diagnosed with diabetes at 25, but at 5? OH! It makes me want to CUSS--the really bad ones too. My brave little friend, Ian, has been diagnosed with diabetes. WHY? He's going into kindergarten this year. His concerns should consist of: making sense of numbers and words, trying to make his swing go the highest, running away from girls with cooties. He should not have to worry about what his blood sugars are. He shouldn't have to be learning how to give himself injections or how to test himself 5 times a day.

He should get to be like the rest of the kids. The "normal" kids. Trading lunches, eating just the icing off of the cupcakes, diving after candy from the pinatas at birthday parties. It isn't fair and it is a bunch of CRAP! He should NOT have to deal with mood swings that are dictated by the sugars in his body, or memory problems (Nate and Angela, please, please, show him extra grace in those areas) or disruptive sleep and all the other infections your body gets from diabetes. His favorite meal should be Macaroni and Cheese. Not whole wheat linguini with zuccini and tomatoes.

Ian has a hard road ahead of him, and the only ones who can truly understand it are those traveling the same way. Ian is my brave little friend, not for something he did, but for the things he will do.

Duck...Duck...GOOSE!

Okay, so I have to confess that it was sooo much fun playing Duck, Duck, Goose at church, with a bunch of grown ups, to kick off our Summer Small Group meeting. I have not played in years (by the way, I am apparently the only one who knows how to play school yard style--tagging without standing up would have totally qualified on the school yard), and it was just so fun! There were a few crashes, a few burns, almost some dropped pants-what better way is there to see 30 grown adults make fools of themselves? That was my Sunday night. Loved it.

So, Jeff came home from school really early tonight. Yeah! Extra daddy/hubby time! So we told the boys we would play a game with them. What do they pick? You guessed it: Duck, Duck, Goose (hey, you're really smart!). Jeff, Caleb and I sat in a circle (Evan was already in bed-he loves sleep) while Michael started off as the "ducker". Now, when you play DDG with Michael and Caleb, duck and goose are not necessarily the animal of choice. It could be crocodile. Or crocodile head. And you do not get "goosed" unless you are making sure to yell, "Pick me! Pick me!"

Two totally different nights of playing DDG, two totally different styles, and both of them were so much FUN!

The Avila Barn Experience

Avila Barn...so stinking cute. It is such a fun place! I love having family outings there. My boys enjoy the petting zoo and I enjoy the fresh produce and the all of the cute country living kitchen knickknacks and such. They had such cute aprons...that I couldn't buy. I just couldn't find a way to justify spending $22.00 on an apron to Jeff when he was with me the time I got my apron for $4.00 at Ross. Darn it! They were such cute aprons too! And such cute bread boxes! And colanders! And....

Okay, so the other cute thing at Avila Barn was watching my boys feed the animals. Caleb was excited about seeing a donkey, you know, because of Shrek. Evan giggled every time an animal would lick his fingers in their eagerness for the nearly wilted lettuce. And Michael thought everything was "So cool, Mom. Isn't that cool Mom?"

Her children rise up and bless her...

"You're Fiona, Mom." Words that I cherish. Words that one day I will no longer hear. Being called Fiona is the greatest compliment I can receive from my son Caleb. He loves Fiona. In his eyes Princess Fiona (yes, the ogre princess) is more beautiful then Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and all of the other Disney Princesses combined. I absolutely love that the princess Caleb thinks is the most beautiful is the one that isn't your typical fairy tale princess. She doesn't have the perfect figure, grand house, or even the best manners. She doesn't have the sickly-sweet personality--she has a temper! And Caleb sees her as beautiful.

Sometimes he tells me I am Fiona because he thinks I look beautiful, other times it is because of something I am doing that makes him feel safe and loved. There have been times that I have been in the kitchen, wearing my pajamas and suffering from major bed-head. I'll be making his breakfast, and he will tell me then, in all my disarray, that I am Fiona.

Her children rise up and bless her... Proverbs 31:28 (NASB)

April's Mom of the Month

My dear friend Mandi is amazing. She is the proud mommy of Zeke (11 months) and Jeremiah (due late August / early September). Zeke has recently began to crawl, which I am sure is keeping Mandi on her toes!

Mandi is the pastor of Kids For Life, CFL's children's ministry. She is a gracious hostess who continually opens her home to others. Mandi also finds ways to continuously serve others. Just this past Monday, I had the privilege of babysitting Zeke so that Mandi could shampoo the carpets at CFL (did I mention she is pregnant??? I probably wouldn't think to shampoo the carpets myself period. I would pick up the phone and hire someone in an instant!).

This is why Mandi is my personal pick for April's Mom of the Month!

Cupcakes and Couches

Yummy! Tonight was our last small group meeting for our Sunday night small group, so I had another excuse to make Magnolia Bakery cupcakes. With Magnolia Bakery frosting. Yummy! My cupcakes were not frosted with pretty pink frosting though, they were frosted with blue frosting--because I have all boys and no girls. Actually, Caleb would have totally gone with pink frosting. The important thing is they were delicious and they made the house smell so good. Thank you Ann, for introducing me to the Magnolia Bakery cookbook! If I ever get a change to visit New York City I will have to make sure that Magnolia Bakery a required stop.

The other excitement of my day--getting new (used, but new to us) beautiful couches from our friends Scott and Amy. They are beautiful and nice and I am so happy we have them. I feel so blessed! The boys have been absolutely forbidden to come anywhere near them with food, drink, or thoughts of jumping on them. Which is why they immediately grabbed blue frosted cupcakes and headed for the couch. Actually, Michael is really excited about the new couches (he gets that sort of thing from me). This is pretty much how the conversations for the day were:

Michael: Where did our couches go?
Jeff: There in the garage. We're getting new ones.

Michael: That's so cool!

Michael runs next door to have my mother come over and look at our couch less living room.
About 30 minutes later, Scott and Sean arrive with the couch and love seat. Michael is very excited. He runs next door to my mom's house yet again, this time to announce the couches have arrived. Jeff leaves to get a haircut and I continue making blue Magnolia Bakery butter cream frosting. Caleb wakes up from his nap and immediately wants me to hold him.

Caleb: Mom, can you hold me?

Me: In a few minutes, I need to finish this frosting.

Michael: Hey Caleb, want to see something cool? We have new couches!

Caleb looks at the couches and is mildly impressed. Evan wakes up from his nap thoroughly grumpy.

Michael: Hey Evan, want to see something that will make you happy? Mom's making cupcakes and we have new couches!

Feel the burn!

I was weighed the other day. It was for a study I have been in since kindergarten, and it was with one of those high-tech, scientific, guaranteed to be 100% accurate type of scales. WOO HOO! I just have 40 more pounds to go for my target weight! It has been hard, hard work. But knowing how much I weigh now (I really should get myself a scale) inspired me to FEEL THE BURN. So I increased my workout--and I felt the burn! There is something so sickly satisfying about feeling the burn. I relate it to child birth (okay stay with me here), because in both situations there is such a burning sensation and yet you know that a great result is going to come from it. So, tomorrow my calves will feel like they are trying to fall off of my legs, and my abdomen is going to be sore if I laugh, sneeze, breath, etc; and it is going to be great!

Losing weight has felt like such a struggle. I love food. I love carbs. I love ice cream. I hate diabetes. I hate poking myself 5 times a day. I hate giving myself 5 injections a day. I hate that the doctors and nutritionist can not figure out if I am a type 1 or type 2 diabetic. I hate that this disease controls my emotions, my memory, my life. I hate that no less then 6 women have asked me if I am a diabetic bulimic or bulimic diabetic, whatever the Dr. Phil show was on (which shows I know too many women who watch Dr. Phil--someone who has stopped following the cross in favor of $$$). In case you are wondering, a bulimic diabetic is a person who does not take their insulin, because it will force their body to lose weight. That has been a painful accusation. I can't not take my insulin. I will end up back in the hospital with diabetic ketosacidosis. I almost died in April '07 because my body was not producing insulin (or not processing it correctly-my doctor isn't sure which yet). I might as well play Russian Roulette.

Why is it so hard to believe that I am actually working on losing weight? I have lost almost 100 pounds since the birth of Evan in September 2006. It hasn't melted off. I have been feeling the burn!

A Few (or not) of My Favorite Things...

Hmmm, I have had a stressful/emotional night that maybe one day I will blog on, however, tonight is not that night. Tonight I want to think of my favorite things. The things that make me smile, the things that bring bits of sunshine to my life, the things that cheer me up (and I am talking about things, not people). If you are a stranger who has wandered into my world, you might find we have things in common. If you know me, there might be things that surprise you!

So here are a few (or not so few) of my favorite things:

• Target (how can you not love Target? One of my favorite date nights with Jeff includes window shopping at Target, or shopping the clearance racks, depending on the status of our budget)
• Shoes
• Flip-flops--yes, I know this is a shoe, but for me its a whole catagory of its own.
• White dinnerware
• White servingware
• cooking
• seeing my sons covered from head to toe in dirt--I know they are having fun!
• my hutch that used to belong to my Grandma Joyce
• tea cups
• English Breakfast Tea
• POM Pomegranite Peach Passion White Tea ( a new addiction of mine)
• Diet Pepsi ( I will settle for nasty diet coke in times of desperation)
• a good cup of coffee
• no-bake cookies
• helping people plan weddings
• helping people
• scrapbooking
• pedicures
• massages
• crafting
• my one little ivy plant that is somehow thriving (not just surviving)
• the beach
• the park
• a clean kitchen
• flowers
• make-up, perfume and other girly things
• Kitchenaid mixers ( I don't own one yet, but I will)
• kitchen islands (don't have one of those yet either)
• my NASB bible
• Focus on the Family
• country music (Michael also likes country music--to which I have a theory)
• clean bathrooms
• organization
• my organization small group
• punctual people
• hoop earrings
• being warm
• Monterey Bay, CA
• Australia
• candles
• bubble baths (if they take place before 11:30 pm, all the better!)
• books
• sleep
• being married
• being a mom

Okay, this list could really go on and on and on, and as it is about 1:30 in the morning, I should probably stop and try to sleep...

The balancing act of time

I have found that time is a sensitive subject for me. Perhaps this is because so many people feel a need to tell me how to use my time. Maybe it is because I live in a country that runs by the clock and money. Either way time is beginning to drive me crazy! I have people deciding for me hat I am too busy to help with projects (by the way, how do you decide for a person that they are too busy? You don't know that they are too busy unless you ask them. If I am too busy to help, I will let you know), other people deciding that I don't spend enough time cleaning my house (probably true, but I'm busy making memories with my sons), and yet I have other people deciding I spend too much time trying to maintain my house (and I do have to admit that I am a little obsessed right now with getting organized).

I have found the hardest part of time is the balancing act. How do you decide how much time to put into work, play, cleaning house, the kids, your spouse, yourself...

I took time out the other day, and took Michael, Caleb and Evan to the park. I had packed us some pbj's, grapes, and juice and off we went. It was such a fun way to spend our time! We played, we ate, then we played some more! We left only when it got too windy for it to be fun anymore, and it was great! Okay, so I had a monstorous pile of laundry to do (which will not get any smaller anytime soon), a pile of dishes in the sink, not to mention all the weeds that have taken over my little garden. But oh, the precious time that was spent with my sons. There were other women at the park with their children, but they weren't really there for the children. They were busy working out. And their children played alone.