Sloansburg

Just A Moment

2012-02-12T17:08:00.000-07:00

Sometimes an insignificant moment can be just so precious. Sometimes it calls you even when you lived the whole day busy and distracted. Like when you've cleaned the toilets and read the stories and picked the blocks up and swept all the play-doh off the kitchen floor and you finally find a quiet moment to slip away and put your yoga pants on, only for the baby to follow you.

And you sigh with exasperation over how you never.have.one.single.second for your self.

And then it hits you.

How his long lashes curl just so. And the way he sweetly says, "De's boots?" over and over all while hanging onto his beloved Tinker Toy. How he teeters back and forth when he tries to lift his leg high enough to get it into his daddy's boot.

And you think, how could I not have seen him today? How could I have almost gone this whole day through and not stopped to breathe in his smell, and kiss his sweet, sticky fingers, and tickle his sides while he squeals in delight?

It's like you're seeing him for the very first time even though you've seen him all day long.

And the overwhelming love that comes with it could just about pierce you straight through.

28 Weeks and EVERYONE Needs a Grandma Joyce!

2012-02-06T21:17:00.000-07:00

Tonight, while I was downloading pictures off my camera, I came across this photo. It was taken two days before Christmas. It's our DRIVEWAY and those tracks are from a TRACTOR. As in, the only vehicle big enough to get in and out of our road until the plow came. And to think that living in Albuquerque we rarely got but a few inches! We still have snow left from this storm and what's no longer snow is now mud. And for those who don't know about mountain mud, I think it takes the cake on just about every kind of mess there is. And it claims every pair of shoes that a family of five can own. Where is the Pinterest board for that little problemo, I ask you?!

Truly, my reason for downloading pictures though was not to blog about our eight week old snow or my mud woes but to update my mom on a belly pic. So here ya go mom! TWENTY EIGHT WEEKS. Looks mighty familiar and boy-ish, donchathink?!

And last but not least, can I just say that everyone needs a Grandma Joyce. Not only is she the Mickey Mouse pancake extraordinaire but she just loves up each and every one of her kids, grandkids, and great grandkids to the core. This last week, she even came and spent the entire Tuesday with us hemming, and ironing, and hanging my new curtains for me. All while she insisted that I put my leg up with a bag of ice.

I'm telling you, everyone needs a Grandma Joyce.

Words Like Honeycomb

2012-01-23T20:38:00.000-07:00

Today amidst the waiting chores, the clatter of breakfast dishes, the chug of the washing machine, and the growing grocery list, my boy spoke straight to my heart.

"Don't worry Momma, I will take care of you."

How his love humbles me.

His momma gone all weekend for a little R&R, finds herself frazzled and a tad bit overwhelmed come Monday morning.

His remedy? Compassion, love and grace.

Oh, that I would remember the sweet words of my boy.

When the tears threaten and emotions run high over lost trinkets or misplaced treasures, to remember compassion instead of frustration.

When anger overtakes and crossed arms come up like a road block, to remember love instead of impatience.

When 9:00 am has already seen a day's worth of correction, to remember grace instead of condemnation.

Lord, help me to remember.

Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body. Proverbs 16:24

A Special Post: Ethiopia Edition-UPDATE!

2012-01-15T15:06:00.000-07:00

How to even say thank you? Where does one begin? Words can hardly express my gratitude for your selfless giving, your encouraging words, your stories of similar roads being walked, your prayers whispered out on behalf of the sweet expecting parents. Thanks to you {TO YOU!} Chris and Amanda were able to file their adoption application and pay for the $350 fee along with putting aside another $240 towards their $1650 home-study fee. How our hearts are rejoicing that they are just a few steps closer to finding their precious one! And to think that 90% of the donations were from people they have never met. Amazing! All praise be to God!

While I imagine I'll be updating here and there regarding their adoption pursuit, should you desire more regular updates, make sure you check out their website or like them on Facebook Along with their story and resources for those interested in adoption, they have also done an excellent job listing out all of their expenses, ways you can support them, and any other info that they feel like passing along! And should you find yourself cruising around their site one day, encourage the parents to be and leave them a comment! I'm sure they'd love to "meet" all of these people who have been so graciously loving on them through blog-land.

Blessings to each and every one of you!

A Special Post: Ethiopia Edition

2012-01-10T20:49:00.000-07:00

They come every week, faithful on Thursdays to allow us one quiet evening together. Our boys wait anxiously, counting down the minutes after their naps, eager to see what that evening will bring. Nerf guns? Wrestling? A movie and popcorn?

How our boys love Thursday night.

Date night.

It's hard to know who is blessed more by their coming, us parents, weary with the day, and beyond grateful for a quiet dinner to ourselves OR our children, who are exuberant over their willingness to tirelessly build forts or watch Toy Story just one.more.time. Either way, how all of our hearts are grateful for our dear Auntie Manda and Uncle Wris and their desire to give. To bless us for no other reason than because they love us. And to do it in such a way, that lets you know that they expect nothing in return.

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Last Thursday evening, after boys were long tucked in and Jer and I returned from our evening away, Chris and Amanda sat us down with an oh-so-familiar gleam in their eyes. Soon came news that they were expecting...from Ethiopia! A baby? A young child? A boy? A girl?

Makes no matter to them.

They have no expectation.

Only a desire.

To love one of the least. And to mimic, in a tiny way, their own adoption into the family of God.

{I'm telling you, how they bless!}

They tell us how they've prayed. How they know this is God's will. How they vacillate between sheer joy and absolute fear.

We tell them that this is what it is to be expecting.

Hearts are full and joy abounds. They are paper-pregnant.

But wouldn't you know that good things and sincere hearts and brave efforts don't always come free? In fact, this thing, as noble and loving and true as it is, actually costs quite a bit. More than a car, or a wedding, or even a down payment on a house. Turns out, bringing home a baby from Ethiopia costs just around what some single income families make in a year.

One whole year.

Seems daunting to most but not them. Believer's in the most high God. Followers of His commandments. They know that the Lord will provide for this endeavor that He has called them to. But they also know they must work as diligently as the ant, preparing for winter. So they have started planning. And preparing. And humbly imploring the help of those that love and know them.

And that is where I come in. My heart, resonating with their love-love for Him, for us, for this child timezones away-cannot help but want to bless them in return. To return the favor that they have so graciously shown me over these last few years and make some small dent in helping to bring home this child that the Lord has intended to make their two become three.

And in searching for a way to do this, I have finally settled on this one small thing.

Appeal to you.

Some of you I know and some of you I may not but I will still ask you to consider helping my sweet sis and bro-in-law carry out what the Lord has set before them.

It may not be much, to use this tiny platform, this small plot that I have staked out in this giant blogdom, but every little bit helps, right?

So I beseech you now, sweet reader. How else might you otherwise spend $20 this week? This month? This year? What small sacrifice can you make to help bring this child home to loving parents and a forever family?

No amount is fruitless and every drop is a drop in their large bucket. In fact, should the 44 of you who follow this blog consider donating $20 a piece it would bring in nearly HALF of what they need to start their home-study and apply for a child. Imagine the possibilities...

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So should your heart be stirred to financially help Chris and Amanda bring home their baby, please click on the button

to make your donation. And please, oh please, now matter what you decide-pray for them? Oh, and might you also consider sharing this post? Facebook, email, just pass it on. It only takes a moment and it could tremendously change the life of their sweet African babe who is waiting.

And should you make a donation {of any sort} won't you consider leaving me a comment? It would be my privilege to write you a note of personal thanks as well as to offer up thanks to the Father for your generous heart.

Thanking you in advance for your grace and love!

BIG!

2012-01-07T16:10:00.000-07:00

Thanks to some new boxer-briefs from his Mimi, our little man now prefers his "big undies" to the regular old "little" ones. Every time I catch sight of him pant-less, I just can't help but grin. Wasn't it just yesterday that I was changing size newborn Pampers and now we're on to stinky feet and drawers like his daddy. Sigh.

In other big boy news, the Ju-Monster has spent on full week sleeping in his crib without the side rail! This came about after several nights of announcing that it was time for bed and Judah would mad-dash for the boys' beds where Ben would hopefully ask if they could, "keep him." While we explained that Ju wasn't ready for a real bed just quite yet, we promised B&A that if he could successfully stay in his rail-less crib for one month, he could move to their room {never believing for a second that he would stay in his bed!}. Guess we were wrong, huh?! *FACEPALM*

And how's this for BIG?! About two months ago, I jacked my knee up during our move. While, I have been icing and elevating as much as possible with three kiddos underfoot, it has just not been getting better. Well, after a trip to the orthopedic this last week, he concluded I needed an MRI to see if I tore my meniscus. Unfortunately, after a long but enlightening conversation with the radiologist regarding the safety of #4 during an MRI, we have chosen to hold off until after the baby is born. Which means that the Shrek knee stays for the next 4+ months. It is incredibly painful but I think it might be even worse to look at. What do you think?

Not to be out done, though, my belly is still bigger. Here it is in all of it's 24 weeks of glory. Consider the jammies and toothpaste splotches on the mirror an extra bonus.

Sha-zam. Nothing like starting off the New Year with all things BIG!

S.L.E.D.

2012-01-04T07:44:00.000-07:00

Christmas

2012-01-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

So the days have been counted, our manger has been laid full, birthday candles blown out, and the gifts all given and received. Another Christmas, come and gone.

And while it's my hope that the sweetness of time with family, feasts fit for a king, and gifts given with with much thought and care may linger on in the coming weeks, it is my prayer that the magnitude of Our Lord become Flesh will resonate with our hearts in this coming year.

"For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form," Colossians 2:9

Christmas Fun

2011-12-20T21:42:00.000-07:00

Our Jesse Tree-Day 21

2011-12-20T21:06:00.000-07:00

⁵ In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah,of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. ⁶And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. ⁷But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years. ⁸Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, ⁹according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. ¹⁰And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. ¹¹And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. ¹²And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. ¹³But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. ¹⁴And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, ¹⁵for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. ¹⁶And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, ¹⁷and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared." ¹⁸And Zechariah said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years." ¹⁹And the angel answered him, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. ²⁰And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time." ²¹And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. ²²And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute. ²³And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.²⁴After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, ²⁵"Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people."

To read more about our Jesse Tree, click here!
To see day 2's ornament and scripture, click here!
To see day 3's ornament and scripture, click here!
To see day 4's ornament and scripture, click here!
To see day 5's ornament and scripture, click here!
To see day 6's ornament and scripture, click here!
To see day 7's ornament and scripture, click here!
To see day 8's ornament and scripture, click here!
To see day 9's ornament and scripture, click here!
To see day 10's ornament and scripture, click here!
To see day 11's ornament and scripture, click here!
To see day 12's ornament and scripture, click here!
To see day 13's ornament and scripture, click here!
To see day 14's ornament and scripture, click here!
To see day 15's ornament and scripture, click here!
To see day 16's ornament and scripture, click here!
To see day 17's ornament and scripture, click here!
To see day 18's ornament and scripture, click here!
To see day 19's ornament and scripture, click here!
To see day 20's ornament and scripture, click here!

Jesse Tree-Day 20

2011-12-19T20:56:00.000-07:00

¹ I will stand at my watch
and station myself on the ramparts;
I will look to see what he will say to me,
and what answer I am to give to this complaint.

¹⁶ I heard and my heart pounded,
   my lips quivered at the sound;
decay crept into my bones,
   and my legs trembled.
Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity
   to come on the nation invading us.
¹⁷ Though the fig tree does not bud
   and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
   and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
   and no cattle in the stalls,
¹⁸ yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
   I will be joyful in God my Savior.

¹⁹ The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to tread on the heights.

For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.

Waiting

2011-12-19T13:52:00.000-07:00

"For the grace of God has appeared for the salvation of all men, training us to renounce irreligion and worldly passions, and to live sober, upright, and godly lives in this world, awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds." Titus 2:11–13

Our Jesse Tree-Day 19

2011-12-18T17:50:00.000-07:00

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¹⁰Then Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to go to Mordecai and say, ¹¹"All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law—to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days." ¹²And they told Mordecai what Esther had said. ¹³Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, "Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. ¹⁴For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" ¹⁵Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, ¹⁶"Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish." ¹⁷Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.

Our Jesse Tree-Day 18

2011-12-18T17:44:00.000-07:00

²But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
   who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
   one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
   from ancient days.
³ Therefore he shall give them up until the time
   when she who is in labor has given birth;
then the rest of his brothers shall return
   to the people of Israel.
⁴ And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD,
   in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.
And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great
   to the ends of the earth.
⁵ And he shall be their peace.

When the Assyrian comes into our land

and treads in our palaces,
then we will raise against him seven shepherds
and eight princes of men;

Our Jesse Tree-Day 17

2011-12-16T17:27:00.002-07:00

Jonah Goes to Nineveh

¹Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, ²"Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you." ³So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth. ⁴Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" ⁵ And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.

The People of Nineveh Repent

⁶The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. ⁷And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, "By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, ⁸but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. ⁹ Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish." ¹⁰When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

¹But it displeased Jonah exceedingly,and he was angry. ²And he prayed to the LORD and said, "O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. ³ Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live." ⁴And the LORD said, "Do you do well to be angry?"

¹¹And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?"

Our Jesse Tree-Day 16

2011-12-15T12:01:00.000-07:00

¹There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
   and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
²And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him,
   the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
   the Spirit of counsel and might,
   the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
³And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
   or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
⁴but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
   and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
   and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
⁵Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
   and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

⁶ The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
   and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;
   and a little child shall lead them.
⁷The cow and the bear shall graze;
   their young shall lie down together;
   and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
⁸The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,
   and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den.
⁹ They shall not hurt or destroy
   in all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD
   as the waters cover the sea.

Our Jesse Tree-Day 15

2011-12-14T11:48:00.000-07:00

¹⁷When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, "Is it you, you troubler of Israel?" ¹⁸And he answered, "I have not troubled Israel, but you have, and your father’s house, because you have abandoned the commandments of the LORD and followed the Baals. ¹⁹Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me at Mount Carmel, and the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table."

The Prophets of Baal Defeated

²⁰So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel. ²¹And Elijah came near to all the people and said, "How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him." And the people did not answer him a word. ²²Then Elijah said to the people, "I, even I only, am left a prophet of the LORD, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men. ²³Let two bulls be given to us, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood and put no fire to it. ²⁴And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the LORD, and the God who answers by fire, he is God." And all the people answered, "It is well spoken." ²⁵Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many, and call upon the name of your god, but put no fire to it." ²⁶And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, "O Baal, answer us!" But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. ²⁷And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, "Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened." ²⁸And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. ²⁹And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention. ³⁰Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come near to me." And all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that had been thrown down. ³¹Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD came, saying, "Israel shall be your name," ³²and with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD. And he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two seahsof seed. ³³ And he put the wood in order and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, "Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood." ³⁴And he said, "Do it a second time." And they did it a second time. And he said, "Do it a third time." And they did it a third time. ³⁵And the water ran around the altar and filled the trench also with water. ³⁶And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. ³⁷Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back." ³⁸ Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. ³⁹And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, "The LORD, he is God; the LORD, he is God."

Our Jesse Tree-Day 14

2011-12-13T19:21:00.001-07:00

²The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined.

⁶ For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be uponhis shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.⁷Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

Our Jesse Tree-Day 13

2011-12-12T18:57:00.000-07:00

¹Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, "Behold, we are your bone and flesh. ²In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the LORD said to you, 'You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.'" ³So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel. ⁴David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. ⁵At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.

To read more about our Jesse Tree, click here!

To see day 2's ornament and scripture, click here!
To see day 3's ornament and scripture, click here!
To see day 4's ornament and scripture, click here!
To see day 5's ornament and scripture, click here!
To see day 6's ornament and scripture, click here!
To see day 7's ornament and scripture, click here!
To see day 8's ornament and scripture, click here!
To see day 9's ornament and scripture, click here!
To see day 10's ornament and scripture, click here!
To see day 11's ornament and scripture, click here!
To see day 12's ornament and scripture, click here!

Our Jesse Tree-Day 12

2011-12-11T11:37:00.000-07:00

¹The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons." ²And Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me." And the LORD said, "Take a heifer with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.' ³And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you." ⁴Samuel did what the LORD commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, "Do you come peaceably?" ⁵And he said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice." And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.⁶When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD’s anointed is before him." ⁷But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart." ⁸Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one." ⁹Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one." ¹⁰And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen these." ¹¹Then Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your sons here?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest,but behold, he is keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here." ¹²And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the LORD said, "Arise, anoint him, for this is he." ¹³Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.

Our Jesse Tree-Day 11

2011-12-10T11:21:00.002-07:00

¹And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, "Go, view the land, especially Jericho." And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there. ²And it was told to the king of Jericho, "Behold, men of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land." ³Then the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, "Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land." ⁴But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, "True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. ⁵And when the gate was about to be closed at dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them." ⁶But she had brought them up to the roof and hid them with the stalks of flax that she had laid in order on the roof. ⁷So the men pursued after them on the way to the Jordan as far as the fords. And the gate was shut as soon as the pursuers had gone out. ⁸Before the menlay down, she came up to them on the roof ⁹and said to the men, "I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. ¹⁰For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to¹¹And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the LORD your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. ¹²Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father’s house, and give me a sure sign ¹³that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death." ¹⁴And the men said to her, "Our life for yours even to death! If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the LORD gives us the land we will deal kindly and faithfully with you." ¹⁵Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the city wall, so that she lived in the wall. ¹⁶And she said to them, "Go into the hills, or the pursuers will encounter you, and hide there three days until the pursuers have returned. Then afterward you may go your way." ¹⁷The men said to her, "We will be guiltless with respect to this oath of yours that you have made us swear. ¹⁸ Behold, when we come into the land, you shall tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and you shall gather into your house your father and mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household. ¹⁹Then if anyone goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be guiltless. But if a hand is laid on anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head. ²⁰But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be guiltless with respect to your oath that you have made us swear." ²¹And she said, "According to your words, so be it." Then she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.

Our Jesse Tree-Day 10

2011-12-09T10:58:00.004-07:00

^{Ruth 1}

¹In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. ²The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. ³But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. ⁴These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, ⁵and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband. ⁶Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the LORD had visited his people and given them food. ⁷So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. ⁸But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. ⁹The LORD grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!" Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. ¹⁰And they said to her, "No, we will return with you to your people." ¹¹But Naomi said, "Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? ¹²Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons, ¹³would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the LORD has gone out against me." ¹⁴Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. ¹⁵And she said, "See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law." ¹⁶But Ruth said, "Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. ¹⁷Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the LORD do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you." ¹⁸ And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.¹⁹So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. And when they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them. And the women said, "Is this Naomi?" ²⁰She said to them, "Do not call me Naomi;call me Mara,for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. ²¹ I went away full, and the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the LORD has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me ²²So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabite her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.

Ruth 2

¹Now Naomi had a relative of her husband’s, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. ²And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, "Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor." And she said to her, "Go, my daughter." ³So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech.

Matthew 1:5

⁵and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse,

Matthew 1:16

¹⁶and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.

Our Jesse Tree-Day 9

2011-12-08T17:09:00.001-07:00

¹And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, "Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the rules that I speak in your hearing today, and you shall learn them and be careful to do them. ² The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. ³ Not with our fathers did the LORD make this covenant, but with us, who are all of us here alive today. ⁴The LORD spoke with you face to face at the mountain, out of the midst of the fire, ⁵ you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up into the mountain. He said: ⁶ "'I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.⁷"'You shall have no other gods before me. ⁸"'You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. ⁹You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ¹⁰but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. ¹¹"'You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.¹²"'Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. ¹³Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁴but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. ¹⁵ You shall remember that you were a slavein the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.¹⁶"'Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. ¹⁷ "'You shall not murder.¹⁸ "'And you shall not commit adultery. ¹⁹"'And you shall not steal. ²⁰"'And you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.²¹"'And you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. And you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.'²²"These words the LORD spoke to all your assembly at the mountain out of the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and he added no more. And he wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.

Nineteen and a Half Weeks

2011-12-07T12:19:00.001-07:00

This week snow has fallen. And fallen. And fallen. In fact, we had a huge snowstorm this weekend that started Friday and didn't let up until Tuesday morning. Overall, I think we got about 2 feet, with about 18 inches of it coming Monday after Jer left for the airport, of course!! While it was absolutely beautiful, I jumped ship to my in-laws Monday afternoon once they opened the highway up in fear of being snowed in for the next two days with the 3 kids, 3 and under, and 19 1/2 weeks pregnant. Let's just say that the elements inside where scarier than the elements outside.

Speaking of 19 1/2 weeks, here's the state of my rounding belly, as of this morning. It's in the bathroom but that's the only place in the whole house where a mirror is hung on the wall. Am I only one with commitment issues when it comes deciding where to hang things up in a new place? It drives Jeremy crazy but I just don't have a clue where to begin. Anyway, it's nice to finally be past the frumpy stage and into the rounding out stage.

Last, I just wanted to share this cute little baby hat that I crocheted. As I've recently taught myself how to crochet, close to my heart are quick to finish projects like this, mostly because I like the satisfaction of a completed product, but also because they're not usually very complicated. Of the few things I have done, this by far has been my favorite. Completed with much hope, I might add...

But 3 doses of common sense tell me that I better not make the flower permanent :)

Our Jesse Tree-Day 8

2011-12-07T06:05:00.001-07:00

³¹Then they took Joseph’s robe and slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. ³²And they sent the robe of many colors and brought it to their father and said, "This we have found; please identify whether it is your son’s robe or not." ³³And he identified it and said, "It is my son’s robe. A fierce animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces."

Our Jesse Tree-Day 7

2011-12-06T07:22:00.001-07:00

¹⁰Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. ¹¹And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. ¹²And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladderset up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! ¹³And behold, the LORD stood above itand said, "I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. ¹⁴Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. ¹⁵Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." ¹⁶Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it." ¹⁷And he was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven." ¹⁸So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. ¹⁹He called the name of that place Bethel,but the name of the city was Luz at the first. ²⁰Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, ²¹ so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God, ²²and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you."

Our Jesse Tree-Day 6

2011-12-05T06:12:00.004-07:00

¹After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here am I." ²He said, "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you." ³So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. ⁴On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. ⁵Then Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; I and the boywill go over there and worship and come again to you." ⁶And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. ⁷And Isaac said to his father Abraham, "My father!" And he said, "Here am I, my son." He said, "Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" ⁸Abraham said, "God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." So they went both of them together.

⁹When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. ¹⁰Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. ¹¹But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here am I." ¹²He said, "Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me." ¹³And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. ¹⁴So Abraham called the name of that place, "The LORD will provide";as it is said to this day, "On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided."

First Snow

2011-12-04T19:09:00.000-07:00

You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you have made summer and winter. Psalm 74:17

Our Jesse Tree-Day 5

2011-12-04T14:34:00.000-07:00

¹The LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had promised. ²And Sarah at the time of which God had spoken to him. ³Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac. ⁴And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. ⁵ Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. ⁶And Sarah said, "God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me." ⁷And she said, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.

To read more about our Jesse Tree, click here!
To see day 2's ornament and scripture, click here!
To see day 3's ornament and scripture, click here!
To see day 4's ornament and scripture, click here!

Our Jesse Tree-Day 4

2011-12-04T14:26:00.000-07:00

¹Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. ² And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." ⁴So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. ⁵And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, ⁶Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oakof Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. ⁷Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

To read more about our Jesse Tree, click here!
To see day 2's ornament and scripture, click here!
To see day 3's ornament and scripture, click here!

Our Jesse Tree-Day 3

2011-12-02T17:25:00.000-07:00

¹Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?" ²And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, ³but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'" ⁴ But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. ⁵For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." ⁶So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise,she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. ⁷ Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. ⁸And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the coolof the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. ⁹But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?"¹⁰And he said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself." ¹¹He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" ¹²The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate." ¹³Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."

¹⁴The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.¹⁵I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspringand her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." ¹⁶To the woman he said, "I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be foryour husband, and he shall rule over you." ¹⁷And to Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;¹⁸thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.¹⁹By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return." ²⁰The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.²¹And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.

To read more about our Jesse Tree, click here!
To see day 2's ornament and scripture, click here!

Our Jesse Tree-Day 2

2011-12-01T10:22:00.000-07:00

²⁴And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds." And it was so. ²⁵And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.²⁶Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." ²⁷So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.²⁸And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth." ²⁹And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. ³⁰And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so. ³¹ And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

To read more about what this ornament is about, click here!

Celebrating Christ At Christmas

2011-11-30T16:01:00.001-07:00

We five sit round the coffee table, legs tucked under and excitement buzzing. The Advent wreath burns slow, dim, with only it's first week's candle lit. Their daddy strums the guitar and the words of Away in a Manger flow out easy and fall down on the three littles, eyes wide with wonder.

"Sing another one?" our second born whispers. "Jesus Loves Me, Daddy?"

The house is still except for our four quiet voices filling the living room and I can't help but offer up thanks to The Giver.

We read the words that have long given hope to generations before us.

"A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit." Isaiah 11:1

Words that told of His coming. Words that lended to the Christ-Child being made flesh and dwelling among us. Words that would come to define the meaning of Christmas, itself.

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Last night, our family began our second year of celebrating Advent and adorning our Jesse Tree. It's our slow and purposeful attempt to teach our children, and often, remind ourselves that Christmas cannot be bought, baked, wrapped up, handmade, or given. It can only be found in the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Every evening, Lord willing, until the night of His birth, we will gather, house quiet and lights dim to light the wreath, read aloud the Scriptures that foretold of His coming, worship our Lord, and celebrate the true meaning of this glorious season.

Is it a little crazy with three wiggly bodies eager to open the box, hang the ornament,and blow out the candle? Yes.

It is sometimes rushed, full to the brim with corrections and admonishments to hurry and finish? Of course.

But above the craziness, and the shush-es, and the re-reading of missed verses, is it also our humble attempt at showing our Children that Christ is our treasure? Without a doubt.

And our family would like to invite you to join us.

Even though our trek through the Old Testament and Gospels has already started, it's not too late for you to join in. Ann, over at A Holy Experience, has once again made her Jesse Tree Family Devotional {including printable ornaments} free to download. No cost, no donation, no gimmick. Just free, that your family might make the journey to manger this Christmas.

Won't you consider it?

In the event that this year has found you overwhelmed with responsibilities, children who don't sleep through the night, or just wanting to see more of what the Jesse Tree is all about, please consider checking back each day as I hope to post a picture of our ornament and the corresponding scripture {just like the one below} that you might follow along with us.

May God be Glorified as we anticipate the birth of Our Savior!

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

Tree Things

2011-11-28T15:03:00.000-07:00

In Bear Country,

Christmas excitement was mounting.

The waiting was down

To ten hours and counting.

The holly was hung.

The presents were bought.

A magnificant Christmas

Salmon was caught.

And now it was time

For the most fun of all-

Getting the tree!

A tree full and fat,

Straight, green, and tall,

With oodles of needles

And crannies and nooks

For the bears to hang

Their tree things by hooks.

"The tree things!" cried Pop

With the jolliest shout.

"Our wonderful tree things!

Let's get them out!"

-The Berenstain Bears Christmas Tree-

Stan and Jan Berenstain

Changing the "To-Do"

2011-11-23T15:14:00.001-07:00

For this task oriented mama, the day before Thanksgiving threatens to bring with it a day knee deep in the kitchen. My family gathering contributions of mashed potatoes, cheesecake topped with cherries, pecan pie and of course our Thanksgiving morning tradition of Bubble Bread all call for equal amounts of undivided attention and time. Lots and lots of time. This year, however, a request from the oldest to do a craft had my heart in tune with a different song. My to-do list, albeit still there, changed based on the needs for the moment-something I am still daily {and often painfully}learning to do. What a rich reward, though, to feed more than just their bellies this Thanksgiving.

Once Again...

2011-11-21T11:58:00.002-07:00

Once again, life for us has been moving at warp speed. This last week found us with our daddy home for a week's vacation {!!}, finally finishing the unpacking {Glory! Hallelujah!}, three sick boys and one on antibiotics, a check up for Baby #4, killing our first mouse, and our long anticipated surprise 30th anniversary party for my in-laws coming to fruition. And while my camera never made it off the shelf, what I do have is a couple of Abe's hilarious one liners that he's been firing off as off late.

Last night, with the noise level rising to just beyond pleasant, Abe proclaims: "It smells like chaos in here!"

This was right after he fed us some story about a song he learned at church. When Jer asked him who taught it to him, he said rather matter of factly, "No one at church. It was my son, when he was a little boy."

He's our own little live-in comedian and doesn't even know it :)

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In other news, we close on our new house this afternoon. For those of you unaware of our situation, I'll give you the quick rundown-we moved out of our house {which we hadn't sold at the time} into a house that we hadn't bought {and still haven't!}.

Here's why-as a result of the foreclosure on our new home, the law requires that the house remain unoccupied for 30 days after a contract is written for it's sale. Well the bank neglected to communicate this to us until just a few short days before we were set to close on our old house, thereby leaving us "homeless" for a month. Considering the circumstance, the bank had total mercy on us and decided to let us occupy the new house anyway until the closing. FOR FREE. {How's that for customer service?!} So we have essentially been living rent free for a few weeks but yet praying the deal still goes through because , well, we LIVE here. Thankfully, today is the day and everyone involved can relax as of three o'clock this afternoon!

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Last but not least, I will leave you with a quick belly shot, as it is developing quite nicely these days Here it is in all it's 17 week glory...

Settling In...Kinda

2011-11-12T09:05:00.001-07:00

It's early and as the sun comes up for the seventh day in our new house, I still can't believe we live here and that this is what we see when we look out of the front door. I also cannot believe that it has snowed, twice, since we've moved in, either.

Can I also just say, that as an Albuquerque native for 29 years, it is so crazy that the sun in Sandia Park doesn't come up over the Sandias! {Don't even get me started on how the mountains are in the west now too} I'd also like to note that as soon as it goes down, it's pretty much dark-thirty up here too. Yowza. Now THAT is taking some getting used to. Especially when you're sitting in the car that your husband just turned off so he could run around to the back of the house {aka the corner in the movie where if someone goes around it they don't come back} to open the garage door from inside because their are no garage door openers and pretty much every scary movie you've EVER watched or heard about is running on fast forward through your brain, specifically the one where the hook goes scratch, scratch, scratch on the roof of the car. Areyawithme? Nothing a $100 bucks in flood lights from Lowe's couldn't resolve, though Our drive lights up like the airport now when you pull up. Hallelujah!

Our short week in our new house has also found me doing a short stint in bed {48 hours of resting and hydrating-doc's orders!} two sick kiddos and Jer traveling for work. Which is just a "busier" way of saying our garage still looks like this...

We have managed to unpack the essentials, though. You know, like the coffee pot and of course, the chocolate milk! But our goal is to try and tackle our big mess in the upcoming week and at least make some sense out of it. Jer took a week's vacation this coming week, so hopefully by next Saturday, we'll be parked in the garage. And as for those of you who have asked for pictures of the house, I hope to get those up in the next day or two, which more realistically probably means next week :) You're always welcome to come check it out in person, though. Ahem, momanddebbie.

Don't Forget the Chocolate Milk

2011-11-08T07:52:00.000-07:00

Abe, upon waking up in the new house: "Mommy? Does this new house have chocolate milk in it?"

We're in but still unpacking the ~~chocolate milk~~ essentials. Hoping to be back with a post soon!

Taste and See

2011-11-01T15:35:00.001-06:00

"O taste and see that the LORD is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him"

Psalm 34:8

Recipe inspiration found here!

Soda

2011-10-27T10:59:00.000-06:00

We're walking down the cracker and fruit snack aisle at Target and out of left field, Abe starts going berserk.

{A} "Momma! Momma! Look! Look! It's soda! Can we get soda? Please? Please? Please?"

{M} Completely unaware of what in the world he is talking about because 1.They've never had soda & 2. We're most definitely were not in the soda aisle, I continue to push forward.

{A} This time leaning practically out of the cart, "MOMMA! MOMMA! SODA!! SODA!! SODA!!"

{M} Now completely mortified that my child is screaming profusely for Coke in the middle of the store, I begin to look around to see what in the world could be causing this reaction. Finally exasperated, I ask Abe just WHAT he is talking about.

{A} Pointing sweetly and with a look of complete satisfaction that he can now properly address his desire, Abe directs my attention to the shelf second off the ground and to Soda, himself.

Hilarious.

One Thousand Gifts

2011-10-24T08:52:00.000-06:00

Why don't I do this more often? Put the chores aside. Put my agenda aside. Put my desire for easy aside. And just say yes.

Yes to the walk.

Yes to the pine-cones in the bottom of the stroller.

Yes to the day uninterrupted by facebook or dishes or another load of laundry.

Yes to paint. Even if they want to use the non-washable gold one because it's, "just so pretty momma."

Yes to my boys.

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My growing gift list
My three boys and their zeal for crafts
October walks through the neighborhood
Washable paint
The baby quiet in the stroller
Excitement over pine-cones
A hanging reminder of what is truly important
Sweet encouragements from brother to brother
Several hours of free fun
Eyes to see the fall beauty around us
Time together
Our daddy home, just as I'm losing steam
That all of creation speaks of it's Creator

These Days

2011-10-20T16:12:00.000-06:00

These days, my boys favorite drink to ask for is "memon-ade." It gets me every single time because I fear it's the last of their littleness.

These days, you'll find us in the appliance section in stores all across town. Our washer and dryer, as well as the fridge are staying with the old house. As much fun as NEW is, now that our initial price comparison has begun, I'm missing how the others were FREE. Ouch! Why are appliances sooooo expensive?!

These days, Judah is pretty bagel and cream cheese obsessed. Who am I kidding, so am I.

These days, Ben loves to play soccer or toss a ball or go for a walk. He calls all of them "these games." He really love it if their daddy or I will play, too.

These days, the big boys ask every.single.day. if the baby is coming out.

These days, Jer's busy, busy with work. It recently taken him to Massachusetts and Canada and next will be Texas and Florida. While I'm thankful for the business, I'm even more thankful that him needing to travel for work is just for a season.

These days, I long to sew, bake, and read. The reality is, not long after the boys go to bed, I pass out on the couch.

These day, my big boys ask approximately 967 questions a day. It's insane. It's especially harsh when I'm trying to make a left turn. I often find myself trying to turn down the radio only to realize that it's not even on. All the noise is coming completely from the backseat.

These days, Jeremy has been making me a fire in our fireplace every night that we can, even though our lows are only in the 40's and 50's. Our new house has a gas fireplace and we are both sad that we won't have the crackle of a real fire to heat us through the winter.

These days, Ben and Abe are oh-so-very curious about the differences in the people we come across during our day. "Is that person a boy or a girl?", "What happened to that guy's nose?", "Why is that man feeding that lady in the funny chair {wheelchair}?"and the like have made for many a awkward conversations with the usually overhearing parties.

These days, you'll most likely find my husband starting a load of laundry and folding the clean clothes in the dryer before he goes to work. Who would have thought that something so simple could help our day go a little smoother.

These days, Judah is cutting his eye-teeth and 2 year molars. He's not exactly been a peach.

These days, my house smells like apple spice. It makes me think of my mom's house every time I walk in. Her's always smells so good.

These days are good.

These days are grace filled.

These days are flying by.

No Waste Apples-N-Cinnamon Oatmeal

2011-10-14T15:23:00.000-06:00

If you're kids are anything like mine then they can probably come close to eating an apple for a snack...but usually there's just.enough.left.over that it seems wasteful to throw it.

Does this look familiar?

Besides being brown, the fact that it's been pawed by their grubby little fingers for most of the morning and that it's probably rolled around on the floor a few times too, makes it hard to pass off to any of the other family members {aka Dad}. So what's a mom to do? Enter homemade apples and cinnamon oatmeal.

My kids LOVE it.

The half eaten-brownish apples get eaten.

Dad can save his iron stomach for another day.

Everybody wins.

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No Waste Apples-N-Cinnamon Oatmeal

First, start with a heaping cup of oats {old fashioned or quick-cook, no matter as long as it's not instant!}

Next, add one cup of milk. Stir and microwave according to the directions on your oats. Ours cook for 3 1/2 minutes.

While your oatmeal is cooking, rinse your apples and cut away the brown or bruised parts.

Dice remaining apples into appropriate size bites for your tots.

Now's here's my favorite part! Take the steaming oatmeal from the microwave and crack an egg right over the top. Yup, I said egg. It's added protein and it makes the oatmeal creammmy! Your kids {or you} will never know the difference!

Now add your diced apples.

And then the brown sugar and cinnamon! Mix and serve right away. It'll be a new breakfast fav, I promise.

What are some of your favorite tricks for adding nutrition and/or avoiding waste in your house?

On Buying and Selling Our House, Pt. 2

2011-10-10T06:12:00.001-06:00

Despite my sudden change of heart, I kept mostly quiet about my hesitations and things still continued with the listing of our house. Friday morning at 12:00am, our house officially went on the market and by Saturday morning, we had already received several calls from realtors wanting to come see it during the weekend. In the meantime, Jeremy had submitted all of the paperwork for a loan on the new house. So along with listing our house, we also heard back late that Friday that we were fully approved and could move forward with making an offer on the new house. It was all sort of surreal, really. The very things that had us scratching our heads just a few weeks earlier were slowly coming to fruition:

Getting the house ready to list-check.
Listing the house-check.
Getting approved for the loan-check.
Making an offer-on the table.

So with the help of our realtor, Hadley, we went ahead and drew up the papers for our offer. We submitted it late Friday afternoon knowing that we would not hear back from the bank, who was presiding over the short sale, until Tuesday.

Over the weekend, four different people came to look at the house. We were optimistic but not overly hopeful. Hadley had forewarned us that the average length of a house on the market in our neighborhood is sixty-five days. So we resolved to be patient and accommodating figuring that a lot more people would have to pass through our house before we could expect an offer.

Tuesday rolled around with yet another showing, this time though, was different. We had found out that the potential buyer was still at our house thirty minutes past the window of when they were supposed to be there. Very good news, in our opinion. To add to our conclusion, when Hadley called their realtor late that afternoon, he expressed great interest on behalf of his client and all but said to expect an offer. Things seemed promising. We had submitted an offer on the new house-one we felt the bank would gladly accept-and it seemed like the house might have sold. Now it was just time to wait to hear back for sure.

Late Tuesday evening, Hadley called with some unsettling news. The realtor for the new house had called him back and told him that they received another offer on Friday. The bank had countered and the people had not responded to the counter but for what reason, she wouldn't reveal. Whether or not it was because they were only interested in the house if it was a screaming deal or if it was because they were trying to scrounge up a few thousand dollars more before they could accept, would be left unsaid. What we did know; however, is that if we wanted to still have a shot at the house, we would have to submit a new offer and for higher than our original offer and higher than the bank's counter price. Our offer would also have to be non-contingent {which was totally not in our plan!} because, unbeknown to us, the house was going into foreclosure the following Saturday. Offers submitted later than Thursday at five in the evening would no longer be considered and the house would be essentially lost. Now this is an inconvenience when you're looking to buy a house and the one you find in the process ends up selling or falling through BUT when you're selling your house ONLY for the purpose of buying one specific house, it's a little more intense. Here we were, expecting an offer on our house and we're not even sure if the very house that motivated us to move will even be available to buy anymore. We had a an important decision to come to, make an offer regardless of the fact that our house hadn't sold and hope that we sold it in time for closing or let the house go.

The decision was mostly an easy one for us. After a few phones calls with some of the men that Jer holds in high esteem, a notable absence of any "talking donkey's" and much prayer, we felt led to submit an a non-contingent offer. We submitted early Wednesday morning and by lunch the bank had accepted. The house was ours-in a worldly sense-by a hair. But we knew differently. This came as no surprise to the Lord, who had ordained these events before the foundations of the earth. We had just been waiting for His will to be revealed us.

So here we were, new house in contract but waiting and praying for our house to sell and all the while wondering what the Lord had in store with the way these events had unfolded. Wednesday night, Hadley called our hopeful buyer's realtor again. This time he didn't sound so elated and rather communicated that his client's were no longer serious about making an offer. We were disappointed but with several showings on the horizon, we continued to be hopeful that the Lord would bring the right person.

I woke up Thursday a little {lot} put out by what the day had in store for me. A call late Wednesday night had told me to please be out of the house from 10-2 so a realtor could bring their clients. Four hours?! Really?? If a four hour window was needed, I knew that the people were looking at several houses that day and that we'd just be one more among them. Nevertheless, I packed up, bad mood and all, and headed out for the day. After our four hours out of the house, we returned exhausted at a quarter after two. I barely had time to put my kids in bed, rinse some dirty diapers, and put my purse away when the door bell rang. When I opened the door, I found the realtor from earlier that day standing on our step. She apologized for the inconvenience but asked if her client's {who were waiting in the car} could come in for just one more look. Apparently they had narrowed it down to three houses and wanted to walk ours again. I agreed, provided I could leave my napping babes, and slipped out the kitchen door to give them a little breathing room. I think they were in the house for seven minutes. It's hard to say for sure but it was fast.

As soon as they came out, I knew that they had their answer. Anyone who's been married for more than ten seconds would know that a debating married couple requires a bit more than seven minutes to make a decision on something as important as buying a house. They either knew it was THE house or they knew that it wasn't. I, on the other hand, had no idea which way they were leaning. Nevertheless, I offered to answer any questions they might have-after all, it's not often that the owner and potential buyer get to meet. Then I poured out our love story over how we found our house and how it was the very house that Jeremy grew up in. I shared with them how we've poured our money, our time, and our dreams into making it what it is today. I told them how we love it. How we've grown our family here but that our family is the very thing that is leading us in a different direction. Then I shook their hands and walked into the house.

As soon as they left, I immediately called Jeremy at work. We talked about how she probably loved the kitchen and the garden, and how he would have definitely loved the garage. We also agreed that it would be a total blessing if they did buy the house because there was such a sense of peace in knowing who would be moving in and loving our little house with the pistachio green garage door.

We decided to go to Wendy's for dinner that night and there in the car, amongst hungry kids and fast food bags, we got the call that they had made an offer on the house. It was less than what we were asking but more than what we needed. And at that point it was completely and with a doubt 100% definitive that the sweet house in the mountains is where the Lord wanted us to be.

Foo-Man-Choo-Ju

2011-10-05T08:33:00.000-06:00

On Buying and Selling Our House, Pt. 1

2011-10-04T08:45:00.000-06:00

{Forgive the run-on's, typo's, and the massacre that is my comma usage. It's been a loooooong couple of weeks around here. If I don't put this up-it may never happen :) }

One month ago, on a rainy Saturday, Jeremy greeted my sleepy self with a cup of coffee and a picture on his laptop. The photo happened to be of a house. A house that he had been watching over the last eight months. Turns out, it had just come down in price. Again. Apparently it had done that quite a few times over the last year and half that it was on the market. And now, at it's absolute lowest and in short sale, it had his attention. He asked what I thought, and I casually agreed to the niceness of the pictures and then casually brushed it off-mostly because he's always looking for a deal. It's kinda in his DNA. He would not be thwarted, however, asking if we could take a drive to go see it. Immediately thinking of the drizzly weather and our day's lack of plans, I agreed. We hopped into the car, hit the Golden Pride drive thru and started off for a look.

A short drive later, we exited the interstate and began to make our way on the road to the house. When we pulled up the drive, turned off the car and got out, we were immediately in awe. The quiet beauty that surrounded the house, the mountain breeze and cloudy sky that leaded itself towards fall, and our scattering children who were anxious to climb hills and explore in the trees all reinforced the fact that the house was out of the city. We did a bit of poking around and craning of necks up against dirty windows, but really how much looking can you really do through partially closed blinds and no Realtor to let you in. We resolved that we would come back-just to take a look-but really that's all it would be. A look.

We spent the next week talking about the house, looking at the pictures on the internet and generally scratching our heads. We honestly had no idea how to even go about pursuing info about the house, let alone trying to buy it. I hoped for the best case scenario, that the house would be an absolute wreck. That we would hate it and this pipe dream could finally be put to rest. After all, this could never really happen, right? But the following Saturday when we went back, this time with Jer's record partner who also happens to be a Realtor, we found that it was not a wreck. In fact, it was just like the pictures. I may or may not have even jumped up and down a little when we walked in the front door. After a quick walk through, our love for the home was only reinforced, as it turned out to be almost an exact replica of the floorplans we had come up with a few years ago, when we were considered buying and building in Placitas.

The car ride home was one of epic proportions. Me, totally overwhelmed in the backseat, with all of the reasons "why we shouldn't." The boys, crying in their carseats, about not wanting to leave our house and wondering where all their would toys go. Jer, in the front seat, talking numbers with Hadley. Sweet Anna, crammed between the carseats probably texting someone about the madness. It was crazy to the max. Finally when we got back to the house, the kids went down for naps and Jer and I had some time alone to really chat, although our conversation was only something like this, "How? How do you do this? How?" The thought of all of the different obstacles involved in trying to buy the house seemed impossible. Getting our house ready to list. Listing our house. Selling our house for enough to make the transaction happen. Getting approved for a new loan. Putting an offer on the new house. Acceptance of the offer. Appraisals. Inspections. Closings. And all of that and you're not even moved?! Really, HOW do people do this?? Nevertheless, our strong pull towards the house and the fact that we didn't have anything really telling us that this was not the Lord's will for us, led us to decide that we would handle this just as we do everything in our lives at this point. We would be prayerful and just do the next thing.

The next week is one that I will never forget. Jeremy and I spent every free moment either packing or repairing all of the things that needed to be done to our house but that we never made time to do. We had our carpets cleaned, and the glass on the back door replaced. We even had baseboards put in the Master bath-something we've lived without for NINE YEARS. Our house was looking pretty sweet and when Hadley came to take pictures the Thursday before we listed it, I lost it. The reality of what we were actually doing had finally hit me. Everything that Jer and I had poured out in to this home was going to be for someone else to live in and enjoy. The bathtub and shower that we tiled ourselves, would no longer bathe our babies but someone else. Our fireplace, where the boys helped build winter fires would now keep some other family warm. The kitchen remodel that we survived through, would just be another remodeled kitchen to the next person. All of our work and effort would still stand but we were leaving it. For another house, yes, but one that we would be starting over on. All of the sudden, I wasn't so sure about our decision. I wasn't so sure that I really wanted to move. I wasn't sure that I was ready to close this chapter of our lives. So I began to pray that the Lord would just close the door, and quickly at that.

Hello, Goodbye

2011-10-01T09:11:00.000-06:00

Hello, new house!

Goodbye, old!

Amazing what a mere six days can hold, huh?

Hoping to be back soon with the story on how we saw the hand of the Lord working so definitively in our lives this week. Absolutely amazing.

"The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps." Proverbs 16:9

Lots-O-Change

2011-09-24T15:38:00.000-06:00

Meet #4, due to arrive somewhere in the neighborhood of April 29th.

He or she looks great, has a strong little heartbeat, and is letting up a bit on the making me sick thing.

And provided the Lord wills, this little one might even have a nursery instead of a Master closet to sleep in :) Our house went on the market yesterday!

AND...we made an offer.

On a sweet little spot in the mountains that we hope we'll soon call home!

A Quick Update

2011-09-19T09:12:00.000-06:00

Just as we were hoping that September would be a less busy month for us, we have found ourselves crazier than ever! And coupled with the fact that morning {all day, really} sickness has arrived and it makes for some interesting days and nights around here. So needless to say, blog updating has been pretty low on the to-do list. All things considered, we're doing alright though. By the grace of God, I have been able to function during the day, with most of my laid-out-sick moments coming in the evening when Jeremy is home. He has been so gracious in helping me and even taking over with dinner and the kids most nights only to find me passed out by 8:30 when we finally get some time alone. While I still don't go to the doctor until Wednesday, my calculations have me at about 8 1/2 weeks and so I'm hoping that a few more weeks and this will be behind us.

The big boys are just growing like weeds and asking about 1.4 million questions a day. Mostly they want to know if the baby is coming out today. But things like what do different animals eat, comes in a pretty close second. While I did buy preschool curriculum for them this year, we have yet to start. Our weather has still just been much too nice to keep them cooped up inside. Plus I'm no longer ignorant to how long some of those winter and sick at home days can be :) I'm sure we'll have plenty of opportunity for our short lessons in just a few months!

September also marked for our boys graduation from the nursery to the Adventurer's program on Wednesday nights {taught by their great grandma Joyce}! They absolutely LOVE it and she's pretty smitten with having them in class, as well. They also moved up on Sunday morning to their first Sunday School class with another favorite, Mrs. McBroom. She raised three boys, herself, and tells me all the time how they remind her of when her boys were young. The tears in her eyes when she talks about it, often remind me to slow down and cherish these crazy days.

As for our Judah man, well he's a nut! He's the hardest he's been in his 21 short months and that's all I will say about that! He is still the cuddliest of them all and has a special affinity for his momma. I truly am wondering how things are gonna go with him and his new sibling. He has a really hard time sharing my lap and attention. He does love babies though and is rather smitten with his baby cousin, Lucca, so that gives me hope : ) He's also FINALLY done with the bottle, about two months now. It's glorious and our milk consumption has gone down by about two gallons a week. He's still not speaking much, which is different because the boys had so many words by now but I think it's just because he doesn't need to talk. He gets everything he wants, as it is. Stinker.

So that's a brief rundown of what we've got going on lately. No pictures, no witty stories, no fun crafts. It's just a glimpse of our life, as it's happening.

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As a side note, here's a song I have been listening to on repeat these days. Hope it encourages you, as it has me.

Happy Monday, friends.

These Two...

2011-09-08T15:45:00.000-06:00

...are one...

...and the same.

And Just Like That

2011-08-30T16:56:00.000-06:00

And just like that, as quickly as the two lines turned blue, the Lord is changing me. Encouraging me, once again, to lay down my fears, to lay down my anxieties, to lay down my selfishness, to lay down the idolization of order and control and a sparkling clean house.

To rest.

In Him.

The tears come, and my husband smiles, and then, in a bathroom that needs washing as much as the people standing in it, the Lord speaks to my heart those words that soothe like balm, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Am I, myself, ready? Absolutely not. Am I on my own, able? In no way. But one thing is sure. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. He is ready. He is able. And He is sufficient.

Lord, help me to rest in You.

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Should our Father will, we are anticipating welcoming baby #4 come late Spring. We hope you'll join us in giving thanks to the One who gives, as well as, the One who strengthens us for all that He wills.

"...Blessed be the name of the Lord." Job 1:21

The View From Here

2011-08-25T09:19:00.000-06:00

Because

2011-08-23T15:07:00.002-06:00

Because nothing brings out a smile on a toddler steeped in the post-nap grumpies quite like saying, "Wanna decorate the cake with sprinkles?!"

Just Judah

2011-08-17T15:27:00.000-06:00

Twenty months and the naughtiest of them all.

Lover of milk. Preferably in a bottle.

THE reason for the lock on the snack cabinet.

Always covered in whatever he's eating.

Saying "Hi!" is kinda his thing.

Proficient climber of anything and everything in the house-crib included.

Grunter and yeller {and does it with gusto, I might add}.

Sits down when he knows a spankin' is coming his way.

Professional waver.

T.V. turner-off-er.

Cup stacker.

Flower picker.

Total water dog-the toilet's his fav!

Biggest blue's.

Dancin' fool.

Weighs just two pounds less than his oldest brother.

Longest sleeper in the house.

Giver of the tightest hugs and the wettest kisses.

Stealer of our hearts.

Just Judah.

Weekends Are For...

2011-08-14T21:00:00.000-06:00

racing your brother in the rain.

How We Say PRESEASON!

2011-08-13T20:31:00.000-06:00

Nine Years of I DO

2011-08-03T17:16:00.000-06:00

Today strikes nine years since our two became one. Nine years since our boy-girl selves waited at opposites ends of the isle, love struck and optimistic about the future. Nine years since we made a Covenant before our Lord and then set up in a tiny apartment in a sketchy part of town. Nine years since we declared, overcome by sheer passion and the wonder of it all, that we'd never let the flame that we thought was love, grow dim. Nine years.

It's not a lot, nine years, especially compared to those who have been wed a lifetime. It's definitely not worthy of celebration by the world's standard. It has no claim on pearls, silver, or gold and for certain there are no slots notched out for it at the local card store. But how this 9th anniversary resonates with me more than any of the others, simply because I now understand that the sheer passion and wonder of it all is not enough. Love must be done.

Love is in the purposeful touch even when the kids run rampant below and dinner threatens to burn. It's running to a drug store in the middle of the night for cough drops or massaging a tight neck after a hard days work. It's completely stopping what you are doing to get something off a high shelf. It's really listening to the other person, even if that person is talking about records :) It's smiling more , saying, "thank you" more, and giving more. It's leaving a note tucked between the sandwich and the chips or an "I Love You" phone call, despite the fact that work is swamped. It's bearing each others burdens. Simply, it is done.

Claiming to love is not enough.

Passion is not enough.

Love must be done.

"...let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth." 1 John 3: 18

So I thank you, my sweet husband, that every day of these last nine years, in quiet, self-sacrificing actions, your words have given way to deeds. Coffee brewed, steaming in cup, as my not so peachy self stumbles down the hallway. Taking me and waiting with me each time I have to go to the ER with a migraine. Bathing the boys every night so I can have a few minutes of quiet "milking the cows." You have compassion for where I hurt, concern for what troubles me, and grace for when I fail. And it's been in all these deeds that your "I do" has taught me that love really is all about the do.

Happy Anniversary, Darling. I love you so much.

Back Again

2011-08-01T23:01:00.000-06:00

I have to admit, this post has had me pondering for most of the day. A coffee cup and a half deep this morning and I thought I'd be up to the task. Fail. "Don't worry, naptime is just around the corner," I told myself. Fail. And now here it is, 9:27, and I am still fumbling for how to start and what to write. So I think for the sake of getting a blog posted, I will just write. {Because who couldn't use a little more unedited run-on sentences in their life?!} Just stick with me people, there will be pictures!

Anyway, July was busy, busy and HOT! Coupled with the heat was also the fact that we had our longest run without rain in ten years. Seriously, it was hot! So, the boys and I spent most of our time at our local splash park or at Target or Wendy's {where the air conditioning flows like milk and honey!}. And while our summer camping plans were dashed due to fire restrictions and closed state parks, we still managed to find lots of outdoor time and plenty of things to climb.

Despite the lack of rain, state wide fires, and the raging heat, for some reason Jer still thought fireworks would still be a good choice. As would letting Uncle D help the big boys set off Roman Candles. Ay-yay-yay, I will never understand boys and their love for fire. But that sense of awe and look of amazement over the "grand finale." Priceless.

And as for those of you with littles, check our this tremendously brilliant idea for protecting tiny fingers from sparkler burns. Poke the sparkler through a large plastic cup and light! My neighbor told me about it and I thought I would pass on the burn-free love.

As for things non-fire related, I will move on to one of the sweetest days of our summer, an afternoon of blackberry and apricot picking.

A couple weeks ago, the boys and I met up with our sweet friends, Ben and Zek, and their momma, Sally, and mowed through a friend's backyard, if you can even call an acre of FREE FRUIT a backyard. Oh the joy! We picked and ate and ate as much as we picked. And fed the kids whatever we had on hand, just so we could keep picking.

I'm not sure how much we ended up with collectively but I managed to make 15 pints of jam with my stash. {Recipe here} And for those of you who have done it, then you know what a labor of love it is. But man, what a thrill when you hear those lids pop! Yes, I am expressing my excitement over canned goods. No, I am not 97. Moving on...

Some people read People. Some people watch reality t.v. I browse Pinterest. Warning: It's more addicting than Trader Joe's White Cheddar Popcorn. I saw a clothespin bag tutorial on there and had to make it. Along with 9,643 other things. Oh, the inspiration. Check it out!

Last, I will leave you with my sweet A.B.Ham, as his brother likes to call him, and his pal, Char, at Music and Movement at our local library. And I promise to be back. Back with updates. Back with the happenings. Back with life. These little men are growing by the day. Until then...

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Taking A Break

2011-07-06T20:59:00.001-06:00

Inspired by this recent post, I am taking a bit of a blogging break. Nothing serious! All's well, it's just that my evenings have been captivated by books and jazz, time in the hammock, friends on the patio, a wee bit of sewing, and just an overall season of quiet on the writing front. See you in August!

What Summertime is REALLY About...

2011-06-23T21:51:00.000-06:00

If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. (Colossians 3:1-2)

Every season is God’s season. But summer has its special power.

Jesus Christ is refreshing, but flight from him into Christless leisure makes the soul parched. At first it may feel like freedom and fun to skimp on prayer, and neglect the Word. But then we pay: shallowness, powerlessness, vulnerability to sin, preoccupation with trifles, superficial relationships, and a frightening loss of interest in worship and the things of the Spirit.

Don’t let summer make your soul shrivel. God made summer as a foretaste of heaven, not a substitute. If the mailman brings you a love letter from your fiancé, don’t fall in love with the mailman. That’s what summer is: God’s messenger with a sun-soaked, tree-green, flower-blooming, lake-glistening letter of love to show us what he is planning for us in the age to come—“things which eye has notseen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered into the heart of man, God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). Don’t fall in love with the video preview, and find yourself unable to love the coming reality.

Jesus Christ is the refreshing center of summer. He is preeminent in all things (Colossians 1:18), including vacations and picnics and softball and long walks and cookouts. He invites us in the summer: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). This is serious summer refreshment.

Do we want it? That is the question. Christ gives himself to us in proportion to how much we want his refreshment. “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 11:12). One of the reasons to give the Lord special attention in the summer is to say to him “We want all your refreshment. We really want it.”

Peter’s word to us about this is: “Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19). Repentance is not just turning away from sin, but also turning toward the Lord with hearts open and expectant and submissive.

What sort of summer mindset is this? It is the mindset of Colossians 3:1-2, "If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth."

In the summer the earth is very much with us. And it is God’s earth! But it is all prelude to the real drama of heaven. It is a foretaste of the real banquet. It is a video preview of the reality of what the eternal summer will be like when “the city has no need of sun or moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb” (Revelation 21:23). So, you see, the summer sun is a mere pointer to the sun that will be: the glory of God. Summer is for seeing and showing that. Will we have eyes to see? Do you want to have eyes to see? Lord, let us see the Light beyond the campfire.

-John Piper

Originally published in A Godward Life (Multnomah, 1997).
Setting Our Minds on Things Above in Summer
Thoughts on Colossians 3:1-2

Buzz, Buzz, Buzz....Cuts

2011-06-21T09:25:00.001-06:00

ANSWER: 1. Abe 2. Ben 3. Judah :)

Summer cuts are in full swing around here which is great for drying off after each of our 23 impromptu water play activities each day. Not so great for telling who's who just off the cuff anymore.

Think you can tell who's who?

Chama Fun

2011-06-15T08:20:00.000-06:00

Throwing rocks into the lake

Staying up wayyyy too late

Marshmallows for a bedtime snack

Exploring trails while on horseback

Dinner on our favorite deck

Time for another mountain trek

Sneakin' up on some drinkin' Elk

Sure! Have another cup of chocolate milk!

Falling asleep in Nana's arms

And Grandpa bought you Lucky Charms!

Trips to town for Lowes and the train

Ben driving the burb' up Buckman lane

We love our Chama time, yes we do!

Even if the boys treat all six acres as their personal loo!

And even though apples, the barn and rides are a ball

We love our Grandpa and Nana time most of all.

Missing Chama {and YOU GUYS!} already!

Keepin' It Real

2011-06-10T22:59:00.001-06:00

1. I stayed in bed until 8:10 and justified it with the fact that I could hear B&A playing in the playroom and all the doors were locked. Then when I got up, I drank two 3 cups of coffee while all of the boys watched Micky Mouse Club until I couldn't stand the chorus of, "Hot dog! Hot dog! Hot diggity dog!" one.more.time.

2. While still on the floor after changing Ju's diaper, I dusted the entertainment center with a {clean} baby wipe. I was quite pleased with the results.

3. I took my children to two different grocery stores. I bribed them with chicken nuggets and popsicles if they behaved. They totally did.

4. I had a 44oz sweet tea for lunch.

5. I thanked the Lord that His mercies are new every morning and that our daddy will be home tomorrow.

6. That's all.

Happy weekend! I'll be catching up on a thing or two {or seventeen!} around here! See you next week after the dust clears :)

One Thousand Gifts

2011-06-06T21:18:00.000-06:00

Pistachios

Water play every single day

Watermelon before 7:00 am

Cowboy boots with jammies

Just cause bouquets

Inviting a friend to lunch

The baby covered in his first peanut butter and jelly.

Summer haircuts

The husband reading of Transforming Grace

Burgers on the grill and corn boiling on the stove

T.V.-less nights

The smell of cut grass blowing in through an open window

Meeting neighbors

The first cobbler of the summer

Brother play

A hatched Robin's egg in the grass

Clean sheets

Celebrating our Nana's 89th

Grace. Marvelous, wondrous, amazing Grace.

Self Titled

2011-06-01T21:53:00.000-06:00

Imagination

Overflowing with grandeur

Pours out "Snail on Skates"

The Big Boy Room

2011-05-30T21:34:00.000-06:00

While Jer and I were away, my mom and aunt were faithful in their promise to paint The Deuce's room {MY HEROES!}. This was no small feat, by the way, because they did it in the evenings AFTER they took care of all.three.boys.during.the.day. And did my laundry. And watered my garden. And, and, and...can you say, Advil?! And since they handled all of the dirty work, we thought it only fair that they get to paint it the way they wanted to and let them surprise us with it. Our only requests were no red on the walls {think angry bulls} and that they take it from a nursery to a big boy room. I'd say they hit a homerun, don't you think?

BEFORE {as in before they were born}

AFTER

They also hung the star that we picked up from Hobby Lobby a while back. I love how it lines up with the break in the colors on the wall.

Their creative juices extended beyond just paint, though. Fabric swatches from the boys quilts now cover the switch plates and outlets, as well as their dresser knobs. A star lamp that I picked up at Target, also adds a sweet touch and a flip easy switch for tiny fingers to turn on.

A slight impulse buy was this shotgun thing{?! }from the 66% off isle at Hobby lobby. I have no idea what it was meant for but I hot glue gunned the wooden "No Cowgirls Allowed" sign to where it was missing a part and hung the boys coats on it. It's the perfect size for independent boys who like to do things for themselves.

Another room favorite is this little wooden horse I snagged up for a few bucks. He sits amidst our books and the boys think he's awfully silly because as they put it, "Horses don't sit!"

Also worth mentioning are these toddler sheet sets that include a fitted top sheet! How great of an idea is that?! The elastic keeps them on the bed no matter how many double barrel rolls your tot turns in the night. I seriously wish they made them in a King.

My absolute favorite part of their room, though, are the rain gutter books shelves that Jer put up this weekend. The idea came as a suggestion from a friend and I cannot get over them! They are the perfect height and add such a fun display of their current favorites in the book department. We even put their horse pillows below them in hope of encouraging a quiet reading nook for the mornings they wake up too early. Which is pretty much every morning but who's keeping track?!

As for those of you who might be wondering where the skull wound up, well, he's on the wall giving the evil eye to anyone who threatens to get out of bed without permission. Abe seriously thinks he's a bank and wants to know why he can't put his "monies" in the eye holes.

Now to just carve out enough time to get their quilts finished and a few more finishing touches and we're in business! Thanks for all of your links and suggestions! And an extra big thank you to my mom and Aunt Ooby-Dooby! I'll never paint without you guys again ; )

Brothers.

2011-05-25T07:51:00.000-06:00

Dear Benjamin,

2011-05-23T16:29:00.001-06:00

Lately, you've been needing less of a nap than your sleep loving brothers, so we've been spending a great majority of each afternoon together in the front yard.

I have to say the time alone with you, my son, my firstborn and bearer of your late grandfather's name, has been nothing short of a sweet blessing and has left me in awe of how much you are growing and maturing.

Sometimes we talk about the neighbors walking by or a barking dog up the street and sometimes we just water alongside one another in solitude. It really doesn't matter to you. You are content, so long as you are near your momma.

I wish I could express to you how much these afternoons mean to me, sun shining on your face, lashes illuminated as you laugh at a butterfly or chase after the kitty. How I wish I could make you understand what unadulterated joy it brings me to watch you watching a honey bee move from flower to flower or the look on your face when you set the hose down and the cold water catches your shoeless feet.

How I'm thankful that these nap sacrificed days are helping me to get to know you that much better, to spend time exploring what interests just you, or to just slow down and take in life with no agenda.

After all, one can't exactly enjoy an apple while watching ants crawl by with an agenda, as you so aptly remind me when I try to get a little yard work done on the side.

You are a treasure, entrusted to me by the Lord. And as much as I may not want to say it, I must. Thank you for not napping, my precious, precious boy.

Momma loves you.

-------------------------------

My Growing Gift List

Time with the firstborn

Apples, crisp and cold

Sun kissed eyelashes

Laughter from my boy

Grass on bare feet

Sunlight through tree branches

Ants in a line

Shuggles {a.k.a. shovels} and digging with the boy

Living seamlessly, choring and teaching and weaving in the graces of God

Water flowing cool and clear

Front yard play-dates with the neighbors until the daddies get home

Wonder in the mundane
Momma love

Life With Littles

2011-05-18T20:09:00.000-06:00

Dressed

2011-05-11T09:16:00.001-06:00

This morning, this boy of mine surprised me by getting himself ready. Although a bit backwards in the northern regions, he was mighty pleased that he got his shoes to "point in," as we call it.

Clever boy.

One Thousand Gifts

2011-05-09T08:05:00.000-06:00

Along with standing by a long time sister-friend in her wedding and precious time away with my husband, our recent trip back east also found my heart delighting in seeing the infamous Cherry Blossoms that debut only at the onset of spring. Blush adorned park edges, carpets made of fallen pink blossoms, and their captivating sweet scent only further stoked my exhilaration to be a part of their winter-fed unfurling. How their pastel petals beckoned to be gazed upon!

Make no mistake though, more than just the Cherry's were in bloom! Hydrangea clustered in bridal white bouquets...

...and tulips pushed up wherever ground found sun.

How this earth is alive and proclaims of The Creator!

And while my eye might have been lured by the whimsical Cherry's, the classic tulips, or even the dramatic Dogwood's...

...my heart was in tune with this blossom bare lily.

For the lily reminded me to give thanks.

My ongoing {be it ever so slow} list of 1000 Eucharisteo!
Time away
Comfortable beds away from home
Making new friends
I do's
Tears in the eyes of the groom
Dancing, dancing, dancing
Time with cousins
Crab boils
The excitement of a new place
Flowers that remind
Coming home

Antibiotics

A daddy who checks in continually even when he's thousands of miles away

Cuddling a sick wee one when the rest of the house is quiet

Fever that breaks

Steamy bathroom relief for coughs

A brother who willingly helps and a sister who came despite our sick ward

Advice from my mom

Dr.'s who reassure

Popsicles in the waiting room brought by a empathetic nurse

Sleepovers while daddy is gone

Restored health

Restful sleep

Listerine Anyone?!

2011-05-03T09:36:00.001-06:00

So it's no secret that my boy likes to collect items but what's not so obvious is that he also likes to put things where they belong. This has been a relatively harmless hobby of his until a couple of nights ago.

Last Thursday, I fumbled around in the kitchen trying to get dinner on the table amidst a sea of noisy children and chairs scooting across the tile floor. Dinner was late and I was frazzled and in a hasty move, I flung open the cabinet drawer and grabbed the first utensil my hand could grab; a pair of tongs. I then preceded to serve up mounds of pasta and green beans. We all sat and ate and the chaos subsided once the little bellies were full and had headed off to bathe away the day. It was only at this point, however, as I was left to clean up the mess that I realized what I has used to serve up dinner.

In an oh-so-helpful state, Abe had generously taken my diaper pail tongs and placed them where they "go," in my cooking utensil drawer.

It's just a non-stop party around here these days.

Squirrel X-ing

2011-04-26T21:15:00.000-06:00

I always knew that my little squirrel was a bit of a nut!

But what I didn't know...

was that my little squirrel has been keeping a nut HUT!

Some of the more peculiar treasures that we pulled out of there {not including the disposable razor that he had pulled out of the trash}: empty dirt pods from the garden, a bungee cord, my gardening seeds, a new toothbrush and a Tylenol syringe.

I'm not entirely sure but I think I might prefer fort building to this.

One Thousand Gifts

2011-04-11T08:04:00.000-06:00

51-60 of my 1000 gifts {Link Edition}
51. Taking Words with you
52. Resurrection Sunday resources for toddlers
53. Grace Gems
54. {in}courage me
55. Hill of Calvary Tutorial
56. Resurrection Rolls
57. Of First Importance
58 Resurrection Eggs
59. Glorious Baking Inspiration
60. Easter Devotional

May you be as encouraged and inspired as I have by these links!