Rainy Days and Mondays

Karen Carpenter use to sing a song called "Rainy Days and Mondays." It was about how those things, "always get me down." Well no more - not me. Rainy days and Mondays don't get me down anymore. In fact, I look forward to them. Living in the part of California that I do, it doesn't rain all summer. It does start raining until sometime in the fall and goes off and on through the spring. It gets so dry here in the summer that I long for the rain. Doesn't rain make everything feel so fresh and new and clean? I can't wait for rain. I am praying for rain - isn't that another song?

And Mondays. Who likes Mondays? Well, now that I am a stay-at-home mom and a wife of a minister, I enjoy Mondays. The weekends are always so busy that Mondays are my let down day. A day to get everything refreshed and start a new busy week.

Thank you God for rainy days and Mondays.

Life's a Beach

This picture was taken this weekend while we were visiting our friends, Kim and Lance. I was just thinking that it would be way cool if we lived close to the beach and we could go there all the time. I saw one house that was super cute and it was just a few blocks away. What a life.

Thanks Kim and Lance for all you did this weekend. We love you!

Looking Back At Our Summer Accomplishments

With summer drawing to a close, I have been looking back at some of our accomplishments in the last 3 months.

Our dughter started the summer being too afraid to jump into the pool, even with her swimming vest on. She loved swimming, but she did not like going completely underwater. We tried to force her to do things, but she just screamed through the whole ordeal and was mad at us afterwards. What helped the most was having other kids her age over for a swim party and seeing that other kids would go down the slide, jump in the pool, and go completely underwater and have a great time. Slowly, after the party, she started putting her face in the water. Then she started swimming without her jacket (daddy taught her to swim) and jumping in with her jacket on. After we got home from our big trip, she started jumping in without the jacket and going down the water slide.

Our 3 year old son was also afraid of jumping in the pool. Now he does, while wearing his big floaty swim suit. The biggest accomplishment for him is just in the last week he is finally potty training. He tells us if he has to go. He had 2 accidents this past weekend, but other than that he is doing fabulous. What a long year it has been. I have been trying to train him for a year. He would go if I took him, but wouldn't tell me if he needed to go and would just make a big mess.

My 18 month old son started sleeping through the night just this summer. He is still not a great sleeper, but I am finally getting some sound sleep. Yee-haw! Plus, I finally weaned him from nursing about 6 weeks ago. It took a little bit longer than I had wanted, but it is finally done. ( I may have to blog about my nursing experiences at a later time.) Also, he started the summer hating the pool. Now he likes it. (Don't worry grandma and grandpa, daddy was nearby in this picture. The baby is never out of arm's reach when we are near the pool.) Isn't he a cutie?

I have learned a lesson in all of this - the kids had to be the one to decide that they could do it. I couldn't force them, or when I did force them, it all ended in frustration for everybody. Could all of these things been done a little earlier? Perhaps. Maybe I could have created situations that encouraged them more. Now, with all of these accomplishments behind us, I think, "Those things weren't so bad. Why did I get so frustrated?"

I do know that the kids acted just the way I act sometimes. When I have to learn somthing new, I don't enjoy being forced to do anything. I need to make the decision to change, before change will be even attempted. I think that is how it is at church too. A preacher can preach until he is blue in the face, but until the listener can say, "I need to change my ways", than nothing will get done. I think that can be very disheartening to a pastor of a church. What can pastors do to encourage change?

Our Wedding Anniversary

Yesterday we celebrated our 9 year wedding anniversary(My profile has said that we have been married 9 years for the last 6 months, but it wasn't correct until now. I guess it felt like we had been married longer than 8 years. We have known each other for 13 years - wow! If we would have gotten married when Kirk wanted to get married, we would have celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary. I am glad we waited.) Anyway, Kirk took me to a fancy restaurant. We know the owners of the restaurant, but we can't afford to eat there very often. The only reason that we went there is because we had 2 gift certificates that we had been holding onto since Christmas.
It was so good and the waiters were so classy. They put the napkins on our laps and moved our silverware around for us. They have a wine list - although I don't drink wine, it sounds very classy, don't you think? The whole experience got me to thinking about when I worked as an intern at CIY(summer of '97). I was at a CIY in San Diego and one of the guys took the CIY staff out to a fancy restaurant. While we were there, the director of the conference, who shall remain nameless, asked me what the fanciest restaurant that I had eaten at. He says that I said that it was my prom, where we ate with plastic forks in our high school gym. (Which is true, we did eat in our gym with disposable plates and silverware.) I don't remember telling him about that. A couple of years ago, I saw this director once again at a California CIY (Cal Poly) and he was telling me (in front of someone I went to college with) how he had related the above events to the current CIY interns. I have to tell you I was quite embarrassed. Not that I am embarrassed about my background, but I am sure that I told him that because I was joking around. By that time in my life I had eaten in some classy establishments, but he took me seriously. I think what bothered me the most was that event was the one thing he remembered about me. I could think of a few better things for him to remember me for. Now as I am writing this, I just laugh. What a thing pride is. What a silly thing to be bothered with. There are plenty of other things in life to be bothered with than someone making fun of me. I do have a ton of respect for this man and I will not to let a silly old memory ruin it for me. That being said, the restaurant that I ate at last night is the most classy place that I have eaten at.
Kirk and I had a great time. We talked about the last nine years and we talked about our next nine years, Lord willing. I must say that they keep getting better and better as time goes by.

Friends

We just had an enjoyable visit from one of my Best Friends, Kim Marshall and her husband, Lance. Kim is one of those people in my life who has made me a better person. Plus we have great times together. It was great that they came over and the time went by fast. They introduced a new game to me called, Blokus. It is for ages 5 and up - only four players. If I was describing it, I would say it is a competive puzzle game. You are trying to get all your pieces to fit on a game board, but the other players can block you. If you like to play games, I recommend it.

Sunday, we went to Chuckie Cheese. That was a real treat. I was unsure how the afternoon was going to go, but the kids had a good time playing the games. It was good that we went with friends, because it would have been a lot of work keeping track of 3 kids.

Thanks Kim and Lance for the great weekend.

The Sin of Presumption

So I had another communion devotion to do. My idea came from a sermon that I heard this summer. I discussed the idea with my dad and he came up with part of it. The paragraph in italics is written by him.

As children, we make plans of what we want to do when we are older. As highschoolers, we plan on where we want to go to college or what career path we want to choose. As adults, we continue making plans about career changes, trips, family, where we will use our money. Some of us plan out our days to the last detail. Maybe we need to take a look at our plans again. Is something missing? For many of us, we have planned a day, sometimes a life without any thought of God being involved. And isn’t it easy to accept compliments on a life lived well and isn’t it easy to blame God for the things that don’t go as planned?

Just a few weeks ago, I was sitting in the Burlington Christian Church in Burlington, KS. I was there with my family, aunts, uncles, and cousins, celebrating my grandparents 60^th wedding anniversary. That Sunday, the preacher preached on what he called the sin of presumption, taken from James 4:13-17. “Now listen, you say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money. Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.”

How many of us actually live out our daily lives in reference to what God’s will is? How many of us make plans and include any thought of what God would want us to plan? These verses say that not considering God in our plans is a sin. It is a sin of presumption.

The sin of presumption is that we order our lives without reference to Jesus. Jesus died for us so that we might live for Him. This Lord’s supper that we take reminds us of our responsibility to live for Jesus and to include Him in all of our plans and all of our lives. To do otherwise is the sin of presumption. 2 Corinthians 5:15 says, “And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.”

Lets’s pray,

Dearest Heavenly Father,

It is so easy to boast and brag about our lives, as if we were wholly responsible for the blessings we were given from the work that we did. Father, remind us, that we are a mist, we have no idea how long we are here on earth for. Help us use our times here, wisely, always in reference to Your Will. Today as we take this communion, remind us that we should no longer live for ourselves, but for Your Son Jesus, who died for all and was raised again.

In Jesus Name, Amen

First Day of School

My family has entered into a new chapter in our lives, the "School Years." My oldest started school yesterday. She was fine for awhile, but then after we got to school, she started to cry. I wanted to cry as well. After I left, a friend called and told me she was doing okay. I am so proud of her. She has been with me for as long as she can remember, what did I expect? When we moved to CA, I kept her at home - no daycare, no preschool, and not very many babysitters. She had a moment, but had a great time after that. Now with her gone during the day, I need to focus on my two boys. If you know my two boys, you know that this is important. Keep me in your prayers as I "train up" these 2 boys "in the way they should go."

Homecoming

The sweetness of coming home. We have been home since Thursday morning. We were gone 2 weeks. Isn't it nice to have the comforts of home? We are still going to bed Pacific Time and waking up Central Time, but besides that, we have adjusted nicely. The sweetest part is that we finally got to see daddy on Saturday. We haven't seen him for 17 days. Now that was the sweetest homecoming. The kids were so excited, Daughter and Son #1 couldn't stop giving him hugs and Son #2 just couldn't stop jumping up and down. It was a picture perfect moment that I didn't get a picture of.

And isn't God's love for us so much more than that? When a person that has been lost, comes back to HIM, what a celebration that would be?

P.S. One of the sweetest parts of my homecoming is when I got home, Kirk had scattered all over the house, chocolate kisses with notes declaring his love for me.

The Last Few Days

After the anniversary party in Kansas, my family traveled to Omaha for a few days together before the kids and I flew out. We had the pleasure of meeting my brother Paul's girlfriend, Alyssa.

On Tuesday we went to the zoo. The highlight for Daughter were the flamingos, penguins, polar bears, the "zebra cow", and the Dinosaur movie in the IMAX theatre. Son #1's highlight was the train. The train letting off steam left quite an impression on him. The picture on the left is at one of the waterfalls in The Jungle. The last time we were there, 5 years ago, Kirk, our daughter and I took a picture right there too. Later on Tuesday, Suzi, Tom, and me went out to eat with some college friends, Tim and Betsy Green, while everyone else stayed at the hotel and had McDonald's. Betsy and I had our second to last kids on the same day, and then we had our last children a couple weeks apart. Tim is one of Kirk's good friends and was a groomsmen in our wedding.

On Wednesday, we traveled to Nebraska Christian College, located in Papillion, NE. My whole family attended Nebraska Christian College, but that was when it was located in Norfolk, NE. The college felt like they would have more opportunities for the students if they were closer to Omaha.So in the last year they made the big move. The campus looks good. I wish them the best. I haven't always supported them moving, but now that they have I hope that they just keep moving forward. If I were to ever win millions of dollars, that would be one organization that I would give some of my money to.

Well, after lunching at Red Robin, we shopped at Borders, the book store until it was time to leave for the airport. After checking in, my mom was allowed to come up with us as we waited. Which was a good thing. We had to wait for awhile because the plane was late. It is always bittersweet saying goodbye to my parents, I never know for sure when I will see them again. After we started down the ramp, my struggles began. I couldn't get my big ' rickety stroller to close. Then the whole trip, Son #2 struggled with me to stay on my lap. We spilled the drink the stewardess was trying to hand us. Right towards the end of the very long flight to the Phoenix Airport, Daughter had to go potty. I told Son #1 to stay in his seat, that we would be right back, but we had to come right back because the bathroom was occupied. After it was free, we tried again. The stewardess wouldn't let me stand outside of the door, I had to go in. Just as we were closing the door, Son #1 came running up, so I pulled him inside as well. We were squished in there. The whole time I was saying, "Son #1, no" "Son #2, no." As we were leaving the restroom area, the stewardess says, "You should get the Mother of the Year award." I had no time to respond, because my children were headed down the aisle and I didn't want them to miss our seats. Just when were landing, Son #2 finally fell asleep. It just happened to be the wrong time, because as we got into the Phoenix airport, Son #1 started throwing a fit and I couldn't figure out what gate my plane was suppose to fly out of. The monitor was wrong, so I had to rudely interrupt someone to ask because I was starting to panic. I actually had plenty of time and the gate was close. After a potty break, we got back into line, just in time for Son #1 to throw another fit. I did talk him out of it and we got on the plane with no problems and I had Daughter and Son #1 asleep before we left the runway. Son #2 took a little more time, but was also asleep. What a glorious last hour and a half flight it was. I would like to say all was well when we landed in Sacramento, but it wasn't. Son #1 threw another fit as we got into the airport. Thankfully, I had friends waiting for me to take us home. We walked into our house at 1:30 a.m. It was good to be home.

Thank You Mom and Dad for everything that you did for us on this trip. We had so much fun, thanks for the adventure!

Kansas

The main reason that the kids and I came back to the Mid-west this summer was the fact that my Grandma and Grandpa Huff were celebrating their 60th Wedding Anniversary. I haven't seen them or made it down there in 5 years - My daughter was just 6 weeks old.

It was a little apprehensive for me because I hadn't been back for awhile, but it was great to see everyone and visit. Almost everyone showed up for at least part of the weekend (we were missing one cousin that is stationed over seas). On Saturday we took family pictures. Of course my kids were having issues and I couldn't get them to smile. The Daughter said that she was embarassed because there were so many people there. Son #1 was just grumpy. I even tried bribing them with an ice cream cone and then threatening them. Nothing worked until the last few pictures, I think that Daughter finally smiled. Afterwards she asked me if she could have that ice cream cone. I never clarified that she had to smile for every picture, but I didn't give into her. I told her that she needed to smile in every picture and that she missed out.

Some of the highlights for the kids were going to the city pool that was reserved for our family and great-grandma's fish pond. I think that only 2 or 3 kids ended up falling in the whole weekend, but boy they got messy.

The highlight for me was seeing everyone, especially my brother Tom and his family and my brother Paul. My neice and nephew had grown up so much in one year. That is one thing that makes me sad about living far away, missing a relationship with all my nephews and neices. It was fun to see my kids playing with their cousins, and their Uncles and Aunt.
By this time of the trip, I was getting a little exhausted living out of a suitcase and being a single-parent. The kids, especially Son #1 and Son #2, were having a hard time sleeping and that was wearing on me as well. Besides that, we had a great weekend! In this last picture, Grandma Helen showed Son #1 and Daughter how to put these flowers on their fingers to look like witch's fingers. I guess mom use to do that when she was a girl.

Camp Nebowa

On Tuesday night of my stay at mom and dad's we took a trip to Camp Nebowa in Onawa, IA. They are on the camp board and they had to go to a meeting. This is the place I had my first "boyfriend" and my first kiss (Okay, it wasn't a real kiss on the lips, but it was close). I worked there as a gopher for the cook, Jim Blake, and then as the salad lady for my mother when she was the cook. I made a lot of friends there and have had some great times. Some of my favorite times are playing tricks on the cook or taking moonlit canoe rides with Jamie Cooper, Jason Cooper and Ben Hedger.

On this trip, I got to see Nate Powell, Kelly Turney, and Mr. Cravatt (all from my Nebraska Christian College days). But the most important person that I got to see was Jill (Fiscus) Killian. My roommate from college. She is one of the nicest people that I know. When I called her at the last minute to tell her that I was going to be there, she made a special trip to see me. Even though we don't always stay in close contact, I love her, she is great and it was great to see her cutie kids.Son #1, Son #2, Daughter, and Grandma looking at the beautiful sunset over Blue Lake.

The Trip to the Farm

After going to church with Pat and Duane- Wymore Church of Christ - we ate lunch, packed up, and left. The trip should have taken me around 5 hours, but I got there in 4 hours. I was pushing the speed limit, but I wasn't even going as fast as others around me. I guess I was just anxious to get there and during the last hour of the trip I had Son #1 fussing in the back. You see, I moved his DVD screen in front of Son #2 and he wasn't happy about it. Even though he could see his sister's screen, he was complaining. Besides that, the kids did a great job. The DVD player was a blessing on the long trip, it passed the time for the kids.

It has been a year since we have seen Grandma Helen and Grandpa Tom.










One of the highlights of the farm was riding on "Bucky" the horse swing. That is a new feature on the farm. Another highlight of the trip for the kids was walking Obie the dog with Grandpa. They also loved swimming at the Willoway, my old elementary school. The kids love Grandma's books and Grandma is always willing to read them a story.

We went to see Great-Grandma Doris. She is always a pleasure to see. I also got to see Don Gordon. He was the first pastor that Kirk and I worked with after we graduated. We were at Central Church of Christ in Griswold, IA. Then he became the pastor at my parent's church in Sutherland, IA.

Some of the highlights of the trip for me were: going to my old schools ( I wrote about that the other day), seeing Grandma Doris and Don Gordon, and playing the stash of old records that Mom and Dad still have. What a trip down memory lane. I have one more highlight of my trip in Iowa, but I will save it for next time. We did leave for our Kansas trip after 4 days of being on the farm. It was good to be home.

My Trip to Nebraska

As, I have written before, my three kids and I traveled to the Midwest for a 14 day visit. What a whirl-wind. We landed in Omaha and I was met by my sister-in-law and niece - Pam and Sarah (they live in Omaha and we were going to spend the night with them since we arrived at 12:20 a.m.) and we were also met by my parents. They were going to let me use their mini-van on my trip in Nebraska. They were dorm parents at Camp Nebowa, so it wasn't too long of a trip for them.

I had a good visit at Pam's house. We saw her other daughter, Jessica. Cathy, another sister-in-law, stopped by and her daughter Allison. It was so good to see them. Cathy's husband passed away in May. Kirk went back for the funeral, but I stayed home. It was really touching to see them and talk to them. They are really sweet people and I am so sorry for them. I do know that Doug loved the Lord, so it is very comforting to know that.

We drove to 2 hours to visit my mother-in-law and father-in-law. I think the highlights of that trip for the kids were going to the pool and their County Fair. The highlight for me was being able to see Amy's family and James' family (Kirk's younger sister and brother). The only sibling that I didn't get to see was the oldest, Cindy. We had a good visit, but it only lasted four days and then I was off to my parent's farm in Iowa. I will write more on that tomorrow.
We love you Grandpa Duane and Grandma Pat.
Thanks for all the fun we had.

Whispered Memories

Have you met Rebecca Steele from Sutherland, IA?- South O'Brien Graduate. Well, I met her again briefly. I was placed back in time yesterday. My mother took me to my high school. I walked the halls and I had glimpses of another time that I hardly remember. I heard whispers of past conversations and glimpses of embarrassing moments. I saw my senior picture in the class of '94 picture frame mounted on the wall. Who was that girl? - I hardly remember her. In the 13 years since I have graduated this is just the second time I have been back in those halls. The highschool looks great, they have added on and remodeled. Later that day I walked into where I went to elementary and middle school. It isn't a school any longer. Where the gym used to be there is a swimming pool and where classrooms used to be, they are now apartments. Just walking through the halls took me back to another place and time, it really was quite strange and sad really. It seems like a lifetime ago. It has left me feeling a little melancholy. My memories are mostly happy, but now I am filled with "I wish..." Mainly, "I wish that I studied harder."

Our airplane trip to Omaha was pretty smooth. The two oldest did really well. Son#2 on the other hand made the trip a little rougher. The last hour and a half he finally slept, so I could finally relax. Thank you for your prayers. Besides the trouble with my youngest, everything worked out perfectly. It definately could have been worse. We miss daddy, but we are enjoying family. For some, it has been 1 year since we have seen them. I will post pictures when I get back.

The Lord of the Rings: My Favorite Parts

Recently my husband and I watched, "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" and "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King." If you have read my profile, you would know that these are my favorite movies and books. Most of my female friends are not interested in the movies, but I get caught up in the plot. So in honor of my love for the story, I am going to quote my favorite lines from the three movies. You are welcome to share your favorite lines with me.

The Fellowship of the Ring - In the mines of Moria, Frodo is telling Gandalf that he thinks that someone is following them. They have a conversation about Gollum. Frodo then says, "I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish that none of this had happened." Gandalf replied, "So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world besides evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring, which case you were also meant to have it."

The Two Towers - At the end of the Battle of Helm's Deep - the battle is going badly, Aarogorn and King Theoden decide to ride out and meet their enemy. Kind of like going down in a blaze of glory. Right before they ride out, Theoden says, "Fell deeds awake." I know that it is a short quote, but it gives me chills to hear. They ride out and at that same time Gandalf the White comes with more men, and instead of dying - they are victorious!

The Return of the King - During the Battle at Minas Tirith, the Riders of Rohan are fighting. The Lord of the Ringwraiths sweeps down on his Nazgul and knocks King Theoden and his horse down - immobilizing the king. The Ringwraith tells the Nazgul to feed on the king's flesh - out jumps Eowyn, the king's neice disguised as a soldier, and cuts of the Nazgul's head. The Ringwraith steps down and says, "You fool, no man can kill me, die now." Merry the Hobbit comes to Eowyn's aid and plunges a sword into the Wraith's leg, momentarily destracting him. At that time the soldier takes off his helmet - showing that she is a woman, and says, "I am no man." She plunges her sword into the Wraith's head and he disappears.

I love that in this story, the people that are small, seem unimportant, or their cause seems hopeless are the ones who conquer. They muster their courage and are victorious. Isn't that the story of God. He uses weak people to show His Strength. I hope that will let God use you, by stepping out and doing something that you are uncomfortable with, for His Glory. If you need to be inspired, watch The Lord of the Rings.

I am doing something uncomfortable tomorrow - I am flying back to the Midwest all by myself with my three munchkins. Please keep me in your prayers. The kids might do great, but they might not. We fly out at 5:30 pm and are suppose to get to Omaha at 12:25 am - with a lay over in Las Vegas. Kirk is staying here to take the youth to the Oregon CIY. We won't see each other for 17 days - thats the most we have been apart since being married. But I am excited to see family and friends. I might not blog for awhile, but I will post some pictures of my trip when we get back.

What do you do at 3:00 a.m. and a baby that is wide awake?

Here I am typing with one hand holding my 17th month old. He won't go back to sleep. He woke up around 11:30. I am frustrated, but I don't want him crying and bothering the rest of the family. I have to get up and clean a house in the morning. I am regretting staying up to watch LOTR: Return of the King with my husband tonight. I have some thoughts on that - I will try to post later.

I just got an forward from a cousin - it is memorial video of Ruth Graham. After I watched it, I became very inspired. Of course, everyone is going to say nice things after you die, but it seems like she was an exceptional mother and wife. If you would like me to forward it to you, just let me know.

Hope you got a good night's rest, treasure it.

Fourth of July and A Birthday Party

We celebrated the 4th of July on the 1st and the 2nd. This turned out to be a good thing because Daughter and Son #2 were sick on the 4th. Daughter and I went out and watched our neighborhood illegal fireworks late that night waiting for daddy to come home from working the fireworks booth. When we walked out of our door, the air was thick with smoke from all the fireworks . I can't enjoy the fireworks much - I just think about all the money going up in smoke.

We celebrated the kids' birthdays a little late - a month later. We were busy with VBS and fireworks booth, so it got put off and then postponed. Finally we had it last night and I think that it was a success. I have been getting ready for the party since Monday. Wednesday, I spent the whole day making the kids' cakes and making the food - beans and potato salad. (We also had hamburgers, hotdogs, carrots with ranch, and chips). I didn't want to make things too complicated and afterwards, while we were surveying the distruction, we decided that we should get together with our friends more often. Thank you Mom for praying.

Pictures

Well, I just wanted to post some pictures.

Son #2 getting his hair cut - really for the first time. I have trimmed it up, but never a "all over cut." His hair is so fine that it was hard for Kirk to cut it and he bawled the whole time.

Someone gave Daughter a different bed - they painted flowers and trees on it. So last night, I leave for a coffee date with 2 friends and I get back to find that Kirk made a bunk bed out of the 2 other beds that we already had. He found a spare board in the garage and voila - a bunk bed. We will eventually paint them. The kids love sleeping in the same room together, so we will keep it that way until they are bigger.

Then there is the picture of Son #2 with the ducks. Boy, the kids love those ducks and they chase them all over the back yard. The ducks love having this little pool to keep cool but today they were actually swimming in the big pool.

Someone took a picture of me - which doesn't happen very often. It doesn't matter that I didn't put any makeup on or my hair isn't done, the baby is the cutie anyway.

So back to my coffee date with some of my girlfriends. Avalanche Ranch VBS was exhausting. It took me a few days to recover. Plus, I have had church kids coming over to hang out the last few days, so it is hard for me to let my hair down and relax completely. So Tuesday, I was pulling out my hair - feeling like I was going to go crazy. Kirk noticed it and Wednesday, he took the afternoon off. I went grocery shopping by myself. Then I went out for coffee with these friends. It was a last minute get-to-gether, but it was so wonderful. Kirk did good.

Lifting Weights

If you know my husband and I very well, you would know that we don't work very well together. If we had to compete as husband and wife on one of those game shows - we would probably lose and end up being mad at each other. (Before I go on, I must say that these are all my opinions, not those of my husbands - again we disagree with each other.)

After, almost 9 years of marriage, I am still trying to figure some things out about us. Why we are the way we are and so on. We have a lot of chemistry, sometimes it is great and then other times it is not. The longer that we are together, however, we have mellowed - some. Maybe because I am a female and communicating is very important to me, so I think I start to feel the affects of us not relating as a couple before Kirk does.

My personal opinion is that we need to find a project that we can both do together. This is a difficult task, because the things that Kirk enjoys - I don't necessarily enjoy and vice versa. Well, at the moment we have found it. Kirk and I both need to get into shape. Since I have had 3 babies, my body is not the same as it use to be. Especially after this last baby, I have struggled to get back into my old clothes. I hate having to buy clothes in the next size up, so I am trying to lose the weight. Now Kirk has sympathy weight that he has put on during my pregnancies. So he purchased a weight system and we are lifting weights together in the evenings after the kids have gone to bed. We have stopped watching so much T.V. and we are enjoying being in each other's company. I wasn't so excited about the money spent on this deal, but I am excited that it is working well for us and we have been at it for a couple months.

Of course, just lifting weights isn't going to help you lose your weight. Kirk has started running. He has been running 2 miles a few times every week. I can see that it is making a difference around his waist. Now, I haven't been able to get it together in the running department. I have plenty of excuses that I am sure no one wants to hear about, so I will keep them to myself. Hopefully, I will get it together soon - I would hate it if Kirk lost his weight and I didn't!

Our Life has Become Just "Ducky"

It is a sad day in our household. We had successfully moved our poultry out to the church. The manger scene from our JTB was the perfect place for them and Kirk screened them in. I didn't think anything could get in - but last night something got in and got everything but 4 ducks. I was getting pretty attached to the white turkey, so that made me sad. Another sad part of the story is that we hadn't even got to show them to the kids for VBS. Kirk was going to have the kids see them tonight for VBS, but he could only show them the 4 ducks. We brought them back to our house tonight. Kirk was planning on raising all of the chickens, ducks, and turkeys and then butchering them when they got older, but butchering these ducks just doesn't seem right. Hopefully we will be able to find another solution. I wonder what lesson we are suppose to learn from this whole experience?

I guess today isn't completely sad. Today is my daughter's 5th birthday. 5 years ago, at this time of day, I was in a small hospital in IA and my baby- my first one- was in University Hospital in Omaha, NE. I am so thankful that everything turned out all right. Her favorite present was a Princess electric car that daddy got for her. He has been itching to get her one for several years. This past Saturday was Son #2's 3rd birthday. It was so cute, when we told him that it was his birthday, he said, "For me?" He loved all the Thomas the train stuff he got. He would rather play with that than go swimming.

Vacation Bible School is going well, but it is tiring. I am doing the lesson - and although I love teaching - it is alot of work. The set changes everyday and I have to memorize my lines. I am anxious about tomorrow's lesson because my helper for tomorrow can't be there and he was a big part of the lesson. I can't find anyone else to take his spot - I guess everyone else is too shy to learn lines. What to do?

I don't know why we had to lose all of our chickens and I don't know what to do with my lesson tomorrow, I do know that God is Good! I am thankful that I have my 3 sweet little munchkins and that kids are learng about God at VBS - some kids that might not have heard about him before!

Cherries

On Tuesday, we went with friends and picked cherries at another friend's house. I was determined to bake some cherry pies. I didn't realize how long it was going to take to pit them. I pitted 19 cups of cherries. I cannot believe how stained my hands got. I made a pie right away. (The crust didn't turn out the best, but I am out of practice. Kirk said that he liked it - see- I am training him to say the right thing.) Even though the crust wasn't perfect -wow, it was so good. I am not saying that because I made it -but it ruined cherries out of the can for me. I think I ate almost the whole pie. I could not get enough. I made another pie yesterday (the crust was much better) and I am going to make another today to give to some friends. I also froze enough to make 2 more pies later. Daughter and Son #2 loved eating them. Son#2 just sat on my lap and as I pitted I would give him a half of one. I think that I would have had a full 20 cups if he wouldn't have eaten them all. Son #1 said that he didn't like them because they were "dirty and noisy."("Dirty" because another little boy who was picking cherries with us threw dirt into the cherry bucket. I did clean them, but he was not going to forget it. "Noisy" because when he bit into it, he hit the pit and it made a crunching sound.) What am I going to do with him?

VBS Fundraiser and Pre-registration

Yesterday, we had our VBS Fundraiser and Pre-registration. Our theme this year is Avalanche Ranch. So we served chili, corn bread, corn-on-the-cob, snickerdoodles, and a drink. Plus, we had water gun games, horseshoe tournament, cow patty throw, and a dunk tank. We had a good time and a pretty good turn out. The highlight of the night was Kirk sitting in the dunk tank. Daughter and Son#1 tried to throw to dunk daddy. When they missed the target, Tommy lifted them up and they push the button to dunk Daddy! Son #2 got to dunk Daddy too! Several people gave me money - $50, so I got to dunk him as much as I wanted. I didn't use all my turns, but I hit the target three times.

We did have an accident with Son#1. He was climbing up on the dunk tank, when no one was around. One of the kids hit the target and he fell in. There were adults that saw it happen and ran to get him. I was busy taking money and registering kids for VBS, so I didn't know it happened until it was over. I guess he did a good job treading water, but it did scare him - and everyone else. After a little TLC from mommy, he was up running around playing with the water guns.

Chicks

My husband had to fly back to Nebraska for a funeral. Right before he left, he said, "Rebecca, sometime next week, we are getting some baby chicks." What!? Well, he had this great idea to get some chicks, ducklings, and baby turkeys for our VBS. He got me somewhat set up with everything that I needed before he left. So Monday morning - Memorial Day - they came into our Post Office. I guess they hatched the day before - Sunday and they came from Webster City, Iowa. I am flabergasted how they got mailed to our house on a Sunday and then got to our P.O. on a holiday. But they did.
Now I have about 24 baby chicks in my garage. I am not for sure when the turkeys or ducks are coming. Sadly, one chick didn't live through the shipment, another died that day, and one more is clinging to life after being crushed with the watering can. I am not for sure how it happened, but it did and I feel terrible.
My kids love picking them up and holding them. Daughter never wants to leave them. Son #1 loves them and calls them his best friend. He named one yesterday - Joey. Son #2 just grabs them by whatever - a wing - a head - a foot- and he squeals.
The question that has yet to be answered by my husband - what are we going to be doing with these chicks when VBS is over in a few weeks? I will let you know how that one goes. So long for now from Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.

Garage Sale

Today I had a garage sale. I don't want to be a person who keeps too much stuff. I want to use what I have been given and then let someone else use it. But many of the things I sold on today's garage sale are treasures. Little shirts and shorts and shoes that my babies wore. Toys that my babies played with. Memories that I can't get back because like it or not my babies aren't so much babies anymore. And I could be wrong, but I think that many of the people today will not treasure my things like I did.

I remember when we were getting ready to move to California from Iowa. In Iowa I had collected many things and I had plenty of room to store them. Knowing that we were going to move to a small apartment in California, we had a garage sale. We sold a lot, but many of my treasures, didn't sell. It was hard for me to put some of those things up for sale, but I thought that if someone else could use them, I could be all right with that. It got hectic right before we moved and the garage sale items that didn't sell were going to be taken to the Salvation Army by a friend. Two days before the big day I found all my treasures in the dumpster. My first reaction? To jump in that dumpster and pull them all out. Before I could do that, I had to stop and pray. I knew in my head that all those things were God's things. I did my best to take care of them, but I had to let them go. I didn't have time to deal with them, there was still so much to do.

I would probably be ecstatic right now if we would have sold most of it, or I would have made a huge amount of money. But neither happened. So I am disappointed in the outcome and now I have to figure out what to do with the stack sitting in my garage. I thought more of the baby clothes would go. I had a bunch still practically new. I guess since they are not name brand - or maybe it is easier and nicer just to buy new baby clothes. Now I need to figure out which charity to give them to, but sometimes they are picky with what they will take as well. Won't that be just awful if I have to put my own stuff in the dumpster? Lets hope that it doesn't come to that.

After doing this capital campaign at church, I have been really moved to take care of what we do have and not to have so much. Isn't it easy to just accumulate more and more? My husband and I are coming up with ways that we can do that. I will talk more about that later.
I am going to leave with one last thought - isn't it sad that no matter what you have, it will all end up in the garbage someday? I am so glad that our Heavenly Father gives us the choice. Am I going to be trash or treasure? Jesus is the ONLY way to being treasure.

Mother's Day

I just had a nice Mother's Day. It isn't like it was spectacular, but I don't think that I ever have had a spectacular one. I still remember the Mother's Day when I was pregnant with our first child. One of the girls in the youth group asked my husband what he did for me and he said that I wasn't a mother yet. He said it to get a rise out of the girls - which he did. His problem is that he doesn't like having to do these days. He likes to make me feel special on the days he designates - he doesn't like to be "cut out of the cookie cutter". Besides, I think that he just plain forgets, and he makes some jerky response to cover for it. Then I think that the Mother's Days after I had children also were forgotten, although again, I think he said something to the effect that I wasn't his mother. Not that being the mother of his children wasn't enough, and sometimes I do feel like his mother. Washing his clothes, folding his clothes, putting his clothes away, fixing him meals, serving his meals, washing his dishes, picking up his shoes, etc. Not that I don't want to do those things, I just think that he doesn't realize the time and effort it takes for all those things to get done for him, me and 3 little ones. Like for instance, the times that it takes over an hour to make supper. I get the table set, dish it up on plates, and call everyone to come to the table. Then the kids don't like it. The baby can't sit still and is a mess. The 2 year old is playing with his utensils like they are trains. The 4 year old can't believe that I put onions in it and the husband is in his own little world - perhaps watching Sports Center or Fox News.

Well, I could go on, and I am ranting, so I will stop. I just wanted to say that my very fun, loving, wonderful-in-so-many-ways husband probably doesn't have a clue and he covers by making some jerky comment. I don't expect a lot for Mother's Day or any other day for that matter. I know that we don't have a ton of money, I just would liked to be recognized by the family. (By the way, I have some friends that send me cards and I love them. Girl friends are the best aren't they?) Besides, my own father fell short of recognizing my mother on certain important days as we were growing up. I do remember him making an effort as I got older.

So back to this past Mother's Day. My husband made lunch and supper that day. He spent a good part of Saturday figuring out what he was to make, going grocery shopping, preparing the marinades for it, and finally taking the time to fix it all on Sunday. I really had to do very little. Then afterwards he cleaned up the kitchen. I appreciated what he did and it all was very delicious. For lunch, he grilled Red Snapper, deep fat fried popcorn shrimp, and baked potatoes. For supper, he grilled a t-bone steak, steak kabobs with pineapple and strawberries, and had a twice-baked potato dish. For dessert, he had Strawberry Shortcake. It was really delicious. I hope that this will be a trend with Mother's Day. It beat going out and waiting in line at a restaurant. I hope you all had a nice time on Mother's Day, whether you are a mother or not, it is always fun celebrating people you love who are mothers or who mother you. By the way, I forgot to send my mother and mother-in-law a card - I guess a phone call and an e-card will have to do this year. But Helen and Pat - you both are great mothers and we are blessed to have you. We love you!

Lost Bunny

The other day we couldn't find our bunny. The cage's door was open and the bunny was missing. My daughter was upset, because she loved her bunny and didn't want to believe he was gone. After a few tears, we prayed for the bunny - that he would find a good home with some other bunnies. In my head, I figured he had been a good snack for some neighborhood cat - we have some big cats that walk our fence line. After we got done praying for the bunny, she wanted to drive around looking for him - I convinced her we couldn't, knowing it was a hopeless cause. The funny thing is, I was sad. I knew that she was sad, and it made me sad. All day I kept thinking and praying for that bunny, even though I knew he was a goner. Well, that evening I was looking out my window thinking about that bunny - and there he was. He had found a good hiding place and was keeping cool all day, but I guess hunger drove him out. My Daughter was so excited about the bunny. I am so glad we prayed about it. Even when I thought that bunny was gone and I felt foolish for praying, I glad we did. She had a positive praying experience. Some might think that God didn't answer our prayers, the bunny was safe all along - but we didn't know that. Besides, the bunny could have been a meal for some cat during the course of the day and he wasn't. Does God care about these kind of things? He has to, this day shaped who she is and her relationship with the heavenly Father. I hope that no matter what the situation is, that we will always go to Lord in prayer.

I Can Only Imagine

When I lay my sweet babies down for bedtime, I play a worship CD for them. It is the same every night. The first song on the CD is "I Can Only Imagine." Today in the car, the song came on and I hear my middle child, who is 2 - almost 3, just belting out the words - at least trying to. It melted my heart. I could play any song, and my 2 year old would learn the words through repetition, but to know that he his learning about our Heavenly Father and that someday those words will make it into his heart is such a gift.

Garbage in/Garbage Out is so true and the opposite is true. The good things that we put in, means that good things will come out as well.

As I am writing about this sweet child, he is now sneakily trying to get out of taking his nap. I must now deal with this. Soon these moments will be over, I will try to treasure them.

My daughter

Our daughter got a rabbit on Easter. She was so excited when she won it in a raffle. I on the otherhand was not so excited. Who ends up taking care of pets? The mother. I have never had a rabbit before. Joy is the name our daughter picked for our new pet. He is living very happy in a cage that my husband built. I have been quite proud at the way our daughter has been feeding and watering Joy. This little bunny is growing on me, he is really cute.

Our daughter has also been taking a ballet class at the junior college. I wanted to get her into ballet in a studio, but when I looked into it, I couldn't believe how expensive it was. I decided to try this course at the college to see if she enjoyed it. I must say that again, I have been so proud of her. She listens and tries her best. Many of the other girls run to their parents, but she doesn't, although she looks at me and waves from time to time. I am just proud of that fact, but the teacher and then another parent have told me that she is a good dancer. In my head I said, "of course," but I know that I am biased. Now I have some choices to make - how far do I take this? Do I get her into classes that I don't think we can afford? Do I put her in dance now or wait until she is older - she is almost 5. There are so many different activities that children can get involved in,(soccer, softball, swimming) I don't know if I am ready for it all to begin for me. It feels like I may have to choose a few activities out of many and I don't like that she can't try them all. I was older, maybe 3rd grade before I did softball. I was in 7th grade before I started volleyball and basketball. Maybe I shouldn't get too excited. I just can't believe that my firstborn is going to start kindegarten in the fall and how big she is getting. I just hope that I will be ready for it when it happens.

Our Church's Capital Campaign

My church is trying to pay off our debt by having a capital campaign. It is called "Share the Vision." We had a luncheon and we are going to participate in a 40 days of prayer. They also handed out a book for us to read. It is called "The Treasure Principle" by Randy Alcorn. I haven't got through the whole book, but it is a very good and easy read and I recommend it to you to read.I just wanted to quote a part that I read yesterday from chapter 4.

A PBS television program called "Affluenza" addresses what it calls the "modern -day plague of materialism." The program claims:

+The average American shops six hours a week while spending forty minutes playing with his children.
+By age twenty, we've seen one million commercials.
+Recently, more Americans declared bankruptcy than graduated from college.
+In 90 percent of divorce cases, arguments about money play a prominent role.

What strikes me about this program is that it doesn't argue against materialism on a moral basis but a pragmatic one: Material wealth doesn't make us happy.

Earlier in the chapter it talks about how everything ends up in the land fill. It says, "Sooner or later, everything we own ends up here. Christmas and birthday presents. Cars, boats, and hot tubs. Clothes, stereos, and barbeques. The treasures that children quarreled about, friendships were lost over, honesty was sacrificed for, and marriages broke up over - all end up here. (I recommend taking a family field trip to a junkyard. It's a powerful object lesson.)"

Reading this book has made me real thoughtful about my material possessions.I know that I don't have as much as many, but I also know that I have more than so many in other countries. I want to be a good steward of what God has given me. One last quote from the book that I want to end with is, "Show me your checkbook, your VISA statement, and your receipts, and I will show you where your heart is." The book wants you to realize that you can't save treasures here on earth, but you can save them in heaven.

Please pray for my church family, that their hearts will be touched to change the way they handle money, not so much for the church's sake, but for their sake. Also - I haven't kept caught up on my One Year Bible. I am starting again, skipping to the month of April's selected reading.

No Electricity!

Yesterday, our electricity went out for about 8 hours. (Just our block - I guess there was a faulty transformer). I can handle a few hours with no electricity, but after a while it wore out its welcome. I couldn't do laundry AND I couldn't make a hot supper AND I couldn't use our phone ( I don't have a cell phone.) Plus, I didn't have many candles. I just wasn't prepared for a power outage. After getting some pizza from Round Table and after playing some games of Hide and Seek, we still had a good hour before it was time to get ready for bed. So we decided to go to Walmart to walk around. We couldn't buy anything because we didn't have any extra money in our budget, so we just walked around.

As annoying as it was that we didn't have electricity (I couldn't watch my American Idol - I missed all the perfomances!) It actually was a needed distraction in our life. We wouldn't have done those things if the power had been on. Usually when the family plays Hide and Seek - I don't play. We don't usually go to Walmart as a family - even though we couldn't buy much, it was fun just to be out. AND don't I love not having to make the meal - that was a plus.

That just makes me think about one of my favorite church songs from my childhood - Count Your Blessings. I am truly blessed.

Prayer Request

I have many things that are requiring my attention lately and I am feeling overwhelmed by them. So much so that I keep putting them off and they just need to get done. Besides that, we are going to probably have to move and I am not sure how it is going to work out. Last night, my youngest was not sleeping well - crying no matter what I did. After I got him to sleep, I just laid there thinking of all the things that need to be done and then the fact that I don't know where we would move to if we have to move - the owners of the house that we are renting from have been looking at selling the house. We would love to be able to buy, but we have obstacles in our way - I just don't see how we could. Housing cost in CA is crazy! When we first moved to CA, we lived in an apartment, but it got too crowded. Finding this house to rent, that was in a decent neighborhood with a park and good school close by and in our price range was a great blessing. (it wasn't a beautiful house, but it worked for us.) We have lived here for a year and a half. I am asking for your prayers. Help me get my mind focused to get done what needs to get done and when we have to move out, that we will find what we need. Thank you!

Communion Devotion

*I was suppose to give a communion devotion for church yesterday. About a month before hand I was fretting because I wasn't for sure what to talk about - the angle. Well, I stumbled on a blog called "Silver Bullets" and he had a great message. I asked Tom if I could use his thoughts and I turned it into a great communion meditation. I got a lot of comments on it so I thought I would post it.

Neil Clark Warren, Christian psychologist and founder of eharmony.com, has said that he would like to change the frequency of the marriage vow. He said, “Instead of it being taken once in a lifetime under stressful conditions, I suggest that it needs to be said 2 to 3 times a week for the first 10 years and at least once a week for the rest of marriage. Why? To maintain a steady focus on the promises that form the steel framework of marriage. With this structure in place, it is more likely that commitment will shape the attitudes of the person.”

I think that we all could agree that being married can be hard work. "During stressful times in marriage, wedding vows seem like yesterday’s news, but it is in the repetition of our vows that can renew our commitment."

I am going to suggest to you that our relationship with Christ is much like a marriage and I think we all can agree that this relationship can be hard work at times. Look at it like this, Baptism is like a wedding. It is our statement of trust in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus for our salvation. Participation in the Lord’s Supper is renewing that statement of trust.

I Corinthians 11:26 says, “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.”

"In modern western culture, we have devalued the necessity and power of ritual." Just as in marriage, spouses take their vows lightly and each other for granted, we as Christians can take our baptism lightly and forget the importance of communion. As marriage partners, if we are continually reminded of the vows we took during the good and bad times, that reminder could strengthen our marriage. As Christians when we take part in communion during the good times and the bad times, we strengthen our trust and renew our faith each week in the Lord. Sometimes communion once a week is not too often.

Let us pray. “Heavenly Father, Some of us here today are living the good life and some of us here are struggling. Whether in good times or bad times, ‘We proclaim our Lord’s death until He comes.’ Help us to do that today and everyday. In Jesus name, Amen.”

Mark 1:40-45

Mark 1:40-45 talks about Jesus healing a man who had leprosy. Jesus asked him to not tell anyone, but to instead take an offering. But what did the man do? Of course, he went and told everyone. Why did Jesus do this? Of course He had to have known that this man wasn't going to do what He asked.

I know as a parent that I am always disappointed when my children do something after I have told them not to, especially if it is something that could hurt them. After this healed man told everyone, Jesus had to stop going into a town openly, but He stayed outside in "lonely places." The Bible says that people still came to Him from everywhere.

I just wonder what the consequence is of this man not doing what Jesus asked him. Is that what Jesus didn't want? He didn't want to have to stay in lonely places - He wanted to be able to walk about freely? Is that just a testament to how God works? - to be able to make a negative into a positive. Even though Jesus couldn't walk about openly, He still ministered to people (vs 45.)

I don't know if my questions quite make sense. I just think that God could do anything so what is the point of Jesus telling that man to not tell anybody except to give him a choice to do the right thing or the wrong thing. And that is my conclusion. We can make a decision to do what Jesus tells us to or not. He may not be happy with our choice, and there may be a negative that comes from it, but He can always turn that negative into ways that Glorify Him. Thank Goodness for that.

Manna

So have you thought about how the Israelites had to eat manna and quail for 40 years in the wilderness. That is my understanding - that they ate that for their meals for the majority of their wilderness wandering. Maybe I should remind my husband of that after we have had bologna sandwiches for lunch, 5 days in a row.

Bible Reading

Okay, I got behind on my reading. I was planning on telling you all my excuses, but as much as these excuses may be plausible - they are still excuses. It took me until today to get caught up. The thing about reading the Bible through in a year is that it does not take that long to do the daily reading, but once you start getting behind - it is overwhelming. Thanks for keeping me accountable.