Pics to go with the "Super Fun" Blog!

Super Fun Weekend...Fun Week ahead!

Have you ever had a friend that you just knew God designed just for you? Well, I have two. I got to spend some time with both this weekend and "fun" does not even scratch the surface of what we had this past weekend.
My college roomdog, Cari, came to visit and we are the kind of friends who pick up where we left off the last time. It's been a while, so it took us all 3 days to catch up. We went to the Riverwalk and ate, talked, laughed, walked and walked and walked up stairs and down stairs and then back up againg...(she's cracking up laughing at this right now, everyone else will just have to move on!) Then we went to the Alamo on Friday morning. We have had the most beautiful weather here lately and Friday was no exception. Cari had never been to the Alamo so I thought it would be a great idea to experience it with 3 children in tow...my tow and I invited my other friend Magan and her son. So we went to the Alamo and walked around, the kids favorite part is the canons...of course. Anyway, we had a wonderful time. Then we walked about 5 blocks to the McDonalds downtown...no playground.:( The kids were pretty ok considering there was no playground. As soon as we got there Abby had to go potty...of course...and so I picked her up and ran to the bathroom...it's locked! You have to have a token to open it! So I ran to get a token, ran back to the bathroom and ended up drying Abby's pants with the hand dryer...oh well. We had a great time!
Then on Friday night we went out with Magan and her husband to the Cheesecake Factory for Magan's birthday. We had a BLAST! Who knew so much laughing could occur at one table at one time. Then we went bowling! Again...SO MUCH FUN. Of course we are all terrible at bowling...(despite some of us who took bowling in college.) Anyway, we had a fabulous time and I am so thankful for friends who love and care about me and I also thank God for laughter.
Check my myspace for some pics of our fun time.

So the fun week ahead...of course it's Halloween! We set up for our Fall Festival yesterday and the kids tried out all the games. They are going to be "pros" on Wednesday and I am sure the are going to bring home way too much candy. Oh well it will be fun. I am excited to experience this with them. They are all at such a fun age I know that Wednesday will be super fun!

Kids Say the Darndest Things!

These are some of the things that Caleb says on a REGULAR basis. Yes, these truly are "isms" that occur daily in our speech around our house. Some of them are understandable from a 3 year old...some come from out of nowhere! Of course is I could record Caleb saying all of these phrases it would be much funnier....hope you enjoy

Caleb - HIPPEN-BO-POT-TOTOMOUS = hippopotomous
Caleb - LASTER DAY = yesterday
Caleb - DOO-AY = chocolate milk
Caleb - DE POOTER = computer
Caleb - FERNASTICS = gymnastics
Caleb - MATCH TO MATCH = meaning two things are the same color
Caleb - EGGO DE EGGO = Go Diego (a children's tv show...FYI)
Caleb - JAMP -O-LEEN = trampoline
Caleb - FER-= NANA = banana
Caleb - HAIR PLANE PORT = airport
Caleb - AN-A-FLINT = elephant
Caleb - FOOT ELBOW = heel
Caleb - LEG ELBOW = knee
Caleb - ARM ELBOW = elbow

Well that's all for now. Hopefully more later!

Hans Bronson's Gold Medal Mission!

So tonight was our children's musical! It was Jacob's debut tonight and he had a solo! The funniest part was that Paul played the part of Hans Bronson, an olympic athlete from Finland. So, of course, Paul had a Finnish-ish accent the whole musical. It was really funny. Jacob was doing really good the whole time before his solo. Then his song came up, he promptly walked to the microphone and waited his turn. When his turn came the microphone next to him (not the one he was singing into) fell and he looked over at it and then Paul came to try and fix it and distracted him again...so in light of all that...he did so good! It was so sweet to hear my son sing. "Blue is the color of the sea. Whose water can baptize one like me. And in that water grave, we show the world we're saved, to walk in newness and believe." So sweet!
In case you didn't know, I was one of the directors for the musical and so of course I had to be there every waking moment for practice, decoration, and directing. That would have been just fine...if my daughter had not woken up at 3am this morning with a 100.9 fever! That's right, I'm the director, Paul is Hans, and Abby is sick. I stayed home from church this morning to try and nurse her through whatever was ailing her and about halfway through Sunday school, my phone rings and it is my friend Magan (the other director). She tells me she is walking over to my house (we live next door to the church) because her son has a fever. Oh great. Now both directors have sick children...what are we going to do! Thankfully one of our nursery workers said that she would watch the sick ones in a separate room than the others.
So Satan really tried to do a number on me today. No victory for him though. The show went on. The kids did a fabulous job and the gospel was spoken through 50 precious children through song, motions and speaking! Thank you Jesus that you use children and negative circumstances to bring about your Good News!

Love...

So lately I have been really convicted about the word "love". I am sure that God was preparing me for the conversation I had tonight with my five year old. More on that in a minute...
So Love...Specifically what God has been causing me to notice is the enormous amount of times I use the word. For example..."I love ice cream, I love to jump on the trampoline, I love my kids, I love Jesus." All of these are comments that I might make in a single day, but seriously...do I love ice cream? I know I love Jesus and my children and my husband but why am I using the same word to describe a bowl of frozen treat that is only going to make me NOT love my butt tomorrow? Does that make sense? I think the word is totally over used. It's sad really that I did not realize this before. The definition of love is: (according to dictionary.com

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
love /lʌv/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[luhv] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation noun, verb, loved, lov·ing.
–noun
1.a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.
2.a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.
3.sexual passion or desire.
4.a person toward whom love is felt; beloved person; sweetheart.
5.(used in direct address as a term of endearment, affection, or the like): Would you like to see a movie, love?
6.a love affair; an intensely amorous incident; amour.
7.sexual intercourse; copulation.
8.(initial capital letter) a personification of sexual affection, as Eros or Cupid.
9.affectionate concern for the well-being of others: the love of one's neighbor.
10.strong predilection, enthusiasm, or liking for anything: her love of books.
11.the object or thing so liked: The theater was her great love.
12.the benevolent affection of God for His creatures, or the reverent affection due from them to God.
13.Chiefly Tennis. a score of zero; nothing.
14.a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter L. –verb (used with object)
15.to have love or affection for: All her pupils love her.
16.to have a profoundly tender, passionate affection for (another person).
17.to have a strong liking for; take great pleasure in: to love music.
18.to need or require; benefit greatly from: Plants love sunlight.
19.to embrace and kiss (someone), as a lover.
20.to have sexual intercourse with. –verb (used without object)
21.to have love or affection for another person; be in love. —Verb phrase
22.love up, to hug and cuddle: She loves him up every chance she gets. —Idioms
23.for love,
a.out of affection or liking; for pleasure.
b.without compensation; gratuitously: He took care of the poor for love.
24.for the love of, in consideration of; for the sake of: For the love of mercy, stop that noise.
25.in love, infused with or feeling deep affection or passion: a youth always in love.
26.in love with, feeling deep affection or passion for (a person, idea, occupation, etc.); enamored of: in love with the girl next door; in love with one's work.
27.make love,
a.to embrace and kiss as lovers.
b.to engage in sexual activity.
28.no love lost, dislike; animosity: There was no love lost between the two brothers.

So each of my statements are described at some point in this lengthy definition, but is that really what Jesus meant? Did He mean for their to be 28 definitions of love? Or was it intended to be just for Him, but in our finite English language we decided to lump it all together? I I know there are the 3 different kinds of love in the Bible. I get all that, but where is the power of the word?
So that brings me to my conversation with my 5 year old tonight. At the dinner table, he asked me how to spell "Jordan's" name. Jordan is a girl he goes to school with. I asked why and he said he wanted to write her name and his name together in a heart. Of course I followed with, "Why do you want to do that?" He said, "Because she is my friend." Interesting. As the conversation went on we talked about love and what it really means, who it should be for (at 5 YEARS OLD for goodness sake!) After much talking we (Paul and I) came to the conclusion that he was good friends with Jordan and wanted to tell her that she was his good friend. The only word he knew to use was "love". Which makes me think I use the word too loosely.
God was preparing me for this tonight. I thank God that He LOVES me. I know that I LOVE Him with all my heart, as well as my children and my husband. I do not LOVE ice cream. Thank you God for the many lessons you have taught me.

A Silly Survey

L A S T
1. Friend you saw: Paul
2. Talked to on the phone: Paul
3. Text: None today
4. IM: None

T O D A Y
1. Wearing: Jeans and a t-shirt earlier, now pj pants and a t-shirt
2. Better than yesterday?: better, I got to go shopping

T O M O R R O W
1. Is: Saturday
2. Got any plans: Probably mowing the yard...Whoo Hoo.
3. Dislikes about tomorrow: not yet

F A V O R I T E
1. Number: 1934857023897104639-34980599213470956923704995692839251293589023858230947
2. Color: blue, pink, brown
3. Season(s): Fall and winter

C U R R E N T L Y
1. Missing someone: not right now
2. Mood: fine
3. Wanting it to be: colder so I can wear a sweatshirt

Q U E S T I O N S / A N S W E R S
Q: First thing you did this morning? Wake up, then woke up Jacob for school
Q: Do you have anything bothering you? Nope
Q: What's annoying you right now? Nothing at the moment
Q: Do you support long distance relationships? Don't care, I'm married
Q: Is there a person who is on your mind right now? Sure
Q: Do you think that person is thinking of you too? Probably
Q: Where is the last place you went? Target
Q: Do you like your mom or dad? Of course
Q: Do you smile? Alot
Q: Do you wish upon stars? I do to teach my children the song
Q: Are you a friendly person? Yes
Q: What were you doing at 9 last night? Watching Grey's Anatomy on DVR
Q: When is the last time you saw your parents? It's been a few weeks
Q: When was the last time you cried? Last week I think
Q: Do you get angry easily? Depends, sometimes
Q: What were you thinking about before you went to sleep? Tomorrows schedule
Q: What song are you listening to right now? I'm not listening to a song, I'm watching 24 reruns
Q: Rate life as of right now 1-10: 9 1/2, I figure life can't be perfect, but it's close

S A D S E C T I O N
01. Have you ever really cried your heart out? Sure
02. Have you ever cried yourself to sleep? Sure

dishes, I took out the trash, baths, Paul is gone, Ratatouille, coffee, trampoline etc...in no particular order

My title may be a little much for you but I hope to sort it out for you. I should start with the fact that Paul left today for a short trip to Midland to play the drums for his friend Chad at a thing called Fields of Faith....anyway. Since Paul is gone, all of his normal responsibilities fall on me...i.e. the dishes and the trash. I do not do trash. Can I say it again...I do not do trash.....I did the trash today. Before Paul left it wasn't necessary, after dinner it was. I just stood there looking at it, thinking to myself, I have to take out the trash. So I lifted it out of the can and tied it up and took it only as far as out the door. Is that really taking it "out"? Anyway, I thought of Paul in that moment and missed him. The other thing that Paul does daily, are the dishes. I don't like the dishes either. I cook, he cleans. Of course knowing that I had to the dishes, I cooked in as few pots as possible. Which brings me to Ratatouille...more on that in a minute. So back to the dishes. As I stood at the sink rinsing and loading the dishes, again, I missed Paul.
Back to Ratatouille. Ever since we saw the movie, Caleb has wanted to eat Ratatouille. Of course before the movie I had never even heard of it, much less did I know how to make it. So after looking around for a while, forgetting about it, Caleb reminding me he wants to eat it, and looking again, I finally found a Rachael Ray recipe for Ratatouille Veggie Toss and I served it over whole wheat pasta. Being an avid scrapbooker, I took pictures of the food cooking and of a "professionally" plated Ratatouille and of course, my kids enjoying it. Caleb was so happy to finally eat Ratatouille he didn't even notice that he was eating zucchini and tomatoes. That was a fun experience for us and I missed Paul as we sat down to dinner and sang a song of thanks to God for our Ratatouille.
After dinner we went outside for a little bit. The weather has been beautiful here! We jumped on the trampoline, got all sweaty and that led us to the other thing Paul does daily...bathtime. Paul sees fun, I see 3 dirty kids, then "mud" in the bathroom, soaking wet floor and to much splashing. Tonight we had fun. I'm not really looking forward to the next few minutes...bed time. It will be hard with out daddy. We'll pray for him.
After the kiddos go to sleep I think I will make some coffee and watch some tv before going to bed myself. Paul (very lovingly and thoughtfully) prepared 3 filters and premeasured the coffee for me... He makes me coffee every morning and so he wanted to "make" me coffee for each day he would be gone. Sooooo, I miss him again. He'll be home soon.
Thank you Jesus, for such a loving husband and wonderful children who adapt from daddy style to mommy style flawlessly.

Kids Sick...Kids Well

So last weekend Caleb's "best dude" (aka best friend, Clay) got Croup. He was miserable for a couple of days. Like most "best dudes" Caleb and Clay share most everything...including Croup. On Tuesday afternoon I find Jacob with a fever, after school. Then later after dinner I find Caleb with a high fever and of course Jacob is getting worse. So far Abby is fine. Tuesday night rolls around and the boys begin their seal impressions, only they aren't pretending to be seals, they are coughing. They sound horrible and I brace myself for a long night...I know I will be accompanied in bed by more than just Paul. So everyone goes to sleep for the first time. About 12:30, seals barking from down the hall, more medicine, boys join us in the bed. Boys back to their own beds, 4:30am more seals barking, more medicine, more company in bed. So far my back is killing me for the way I am having to sleep to make room for my two sick babies. Of course I am tired and morning is approaching fast. My only consolation is that obviously Jacob can't go to school, so I get to sleep in...7:30, more seals barking. My poor boys looked absolutely pitiful. Their eyes were sleepy, their faces were red with fever, and they were sick. Abby? Still fine. So Wednesday at 10:00am I take the boys to the doctor, find out they shared Croup with Clay and each other, and most likely Abby. Get medicine, get a "sick toy"...you know...a toy for your kids because you feel sad for them that they are sick and you know it will make them feel better. Wenesday night, I again brace for a long night because I still have a duet of barking seals. Hot steamy bath, medicine, sleep, barking, bed sharing and switcheroo, more medicine, more barking, more bed sharing and switcheroo, finally morning. Thursday. Abby still fine, boys better but not good enough to go to school or "fernastics" (That's what Caleb calls Gymnastics) We spend all day doing a delicate dance of medicine, trying to stay quiet and still and resting but not sleeping too much so we can sleep at night. Finally the end of the tunnel! Abby is STILL fine! Boys are much better ready to face Friday head on! Thursday night, sleep! Everyone. All night. In their own beds. Yeah! Friday morning all is back to normal with the boys. Abby...coughing. Not nearly as bad as the boys. I give her the end of the medicine and she is already much better than this morning. Now, all asleep in their own beds, we'll see.
Thank you God for modern medicine. Thank you God for the beautiful day today that we could finally enjoy. Thank you God for well kids!

To all the readers out there...

If you are a blogger, then you will probably relate to what I am writing about tonight. If not then please disregard. Several of you have told me that you read my blog and enjoy it! Please comment me! I would love to read about what you like, or dislike for that matter, about my blog. Its so easy, just click on comments, type a comment and then, instead of trying to figure out how to sign in, just click anonymous and put your name in the body of the comment...unless of course you want to remain anonymous! For those of you who know how to leave a comment, please don't feel patronized. I am simply making it simple for all of the "commenting virgins" out there. So let me know! Thanks. More later.