The Lee Family

One Year

2012-02-12T16:27:00.002-06:00

One year ago on February 4 we closed on our house in Iowa!

One year ago on February 6 we arrived in Mississippi...well...almost! We lived in multiple hotels in Mississippi and Tennessee for the next twelve days!

One year ago on February 16 we closed on our house in Mississippi and moved in!

I still can't believe that God blessed us with such a beautiful home! Whenever we come home from being gone a few days you can still smell that new house smell! I love it.

We now have a year's worth of memories of living in the Mid-South. It still doesn't feel completely like home but our house finally feels like home. I have made great progress in the decorating department thanks to the help of my sister while she was here. She helped me paint and finish an idea I started on a wall in my living room. My mom helped me hang curtains in my room and in the boys room. I still have to buy and hang curtains for my living room and Abigail's room. I am thankful it feels like home. I am thankful we haven't had to move for a whole year.

Mark and I have been talking about how much God has blessed us with bringing us here. His job is going well and it seems that he is a great fit for the office here. He has had some great experiences and is being stretched to do things he hasn't done before. We are both thrilled that God brought him to this job and that he is growing and learning in his field.

I can't believe it's been a year...time has flown but most of all it has been a year of blessings and mercy showered down on us from God!

Listening

2012-02-06T17:24:00.000-06:00

In the hustle and bustle of life sometimes I forget to slow down and cherish these moments with my children and really listen to them. Lately I've been trying to do just that. They really are so adorable and say the cutest things. Today we were sitting in the waiting room at the hospital and Abigail was sitting in her stroller and Mark started to go through body parts asking "What's this?" We went through eye, nose, mouth, hair, teeth, ear...then Mark wiggled his fingers and asked Abigail "What's this?" She sat there for a minute giggling and then said "Tickle Monster!" We just about fell on the floor laughing. We were so stunned by her answer that we didn't ever tell her those are fingers so in her two year old mind, wiggling fingers are still "tickle monsters". Abigail has also been singing to her little hearts content and saying verses all the time. It really is a blessing to my heart to hear her talking and singing all the time.

I also love to hear my kids play together. Sometimes it is stressful when they are not playing together well but a lot of times they play together really well and I love to listen to what they are talking about. Last week we were all in the van and my sister was here also and the kids were sitting in the back seat together all talking. My sister started to listen in on their conversation and then brought it to the attention of the rest of us. They were talking about how they needed to be quiet so they could hear what God was telling them. Then they would make up stuff that He was telling them. It was very cute to listen to the things they were talking about.

As I write this my kids are all three upstairs playing very well together. Andrew is playing the keyboard and it's fun to listen in because I can almost see the intensity on his face and he listens to the notes he is playing. Then he loses attention and goes back to playing the prerecorded songs.

I want to take time to stop and listen or else these moments will go by without anyone taking notice...and I want to notice and remember and cherish these little moments in the lives of my children. Life is going by too fast and before I know it all my kids will be in school and then the years will seem to go by even faster.

To you mom's out there that are struggling alongside of me as the busyness of today rushes around us, take a moment to stop and just listen in on your children.

A last visit

2012-02-03T22:06:00.001-06:00

James, Christen, Hannah, and Jer came for one last visit before they leave to go back to Brazil. We are so thankful for these last few moments we've had to be together again before they leave.

We enjoyed some sister time...thanks James for watching the kids so we could go out for lunch one day and do a little shopping! =)

The kids loved having friends to play with

One morning we went to the park to enjoy the beautiful weather God gave us

And had fun sliding!

and swinging

and playing

Uncle James was teasing Josiah and Abigail and acting like he was going to throw them in the lake...they loved it!

and we tried to get a closer look at all the turtles sun bathing on a log in the water but as we approached "quietly" they all jumped back in the water (there is nothing quiet about 5 kids walking through the woods)

We greatly enjoyed these last moments together. We have been so blessed with all the time we have been able to spend with them while they were on furlough. As hard as it is to say goodbye again for another 4 years we again are so thankful for their faithfulness and willingness to follow the call of God and go to this place that is starving spiritually so they can share the Gospel with the lost people of Brazil. God has blessed their ministry there and we are excited to see what He has in store for them as they return. I am thankful for modern technology that helps to bridge the distance and allows us to not just talk on the phone but see each other through Skype. I am so thankful for the time our kids have been able to spend together. When they left in June of 2007 we only had Andrew and Jer was a tiny baby. Now all 6 of our kids know each other well and have good memories of spending time together.

Please pray for James and Christen as they make their final arrangements to return to Brazil next week. Also pray for them as they travel that they will have safety and they will make all their connecting flights.

Happy Birthday, Josiah

2012-01-29T23:05:00.000-06:00

This weekend we celebrated Josiah's 4th birthday! I can't believe he is 4 already. Where do the years go? The celebrations started on Saturday with me making his birthday cake. This year he wanted to be right there even while I was running the mixer. I do believe that the motivation is knowing that he will get to lick a beater.

Around dinner time we headed out to The Incredible Pizza Company to celebrate. We had a great time eating pizza, playing games, and riding rides. It was VERY crowded but we did find a way to enjoy our time together as a family. The kids had a BLAST!!

We had a package arrive from grandparents on Friday in the mail so we've had presents sitting on the counter for 2 days. Saturday morning I wrapped up his present from us and added them to the pile. Josiah never asked one time if he could open his presents BUT Andrew asked about 400 times every day if Josiah could open his presents. It really is amazing how different they are from each other. This morning when we told Josiah he could finally open his presents he got his excited look on his face and could hardly contain his enthusiasm.

After church this morning we ate lunch out since I didn't get lunch into the crock pot before we had to leave for church and when we got home we sang Happy Birthday and finally got to cut into the Monster Truck birthday cake!

I have really enjoyed my adventures in cake making. I've never taken any classes but just watch tutorials online and then do my best to make it look like the picture I find online. Thankfully my kids don't really care what the end results look like but I think the do appreciate that I make them their cakes though far from looking professional. =) This time I decided to venture out and try making my own frosting. In the past I have always just bought frosting but after talking to a couple of ladies at Chick-Fil-A one day while our kids were playing in the play area I decided I should try it. I was very happy with the results and I don't believe I will ever buy store bought frosting again. Wilton's Buttercream frosting tasted great and was much easier to use in decorating.

I always enjoy looking back at my babies on their birthdays to see how much they have grown. Mark and I also enjoy thinking back on things they do as babies. When Josiah was little he would always rub his feet together and flap his arms when he was excited about something. He would also make this adorable squealing sound when he was excited. Still to this day he flaps his hands and squeals when he is super excited about something.

Josiah, you were my most calm baby! Always relaxed and go with the flow attitude. You are still our most calm child and are usually very easy to please and just want to be a part of what everybody else is doing no matter what they are doing.

You have started to memorize a lot of scripture this year and we are so happy that you are showing a love for God and wanting to learn His Word. This past Christmas you memorized Luke 2:6-14 and quoted it at the Christmas Eve service with your brother, sister, and cousins.

You have come a long way with your speech this year. You talk a lot more and are becoming more vocal about your opinions. You are a great helper and are usually the first one who is willing to help with things like cleaning up toys and putting things away where they belong.

You are our precious baby boy and we are so proud of the big boy that you are becoming. We pray for you every day that you will keep wanting to learn more about Jesus and that you will one day accept Him as your Savior. I love your sweet nature and I am so thankful that God has allowed me to be your momma!

We love you sweet boy!

January 2008

January 2009

January 2010

January 2011

January 2012

A New Week

2012-01-16T16:53:00.002-06:00

Last Sunday night after church we had a church dinner so we were there a little later than normal. Once we got in the car and were on our way home Andrew started to complain that his tummy hurt. I figured it was just because he was tired and worn out from all the fun he'd had a church. We walked through the door of the house Andrew cried and whined some more and as I set down the load in my over burdened arms Andrew began to throw up all over the living room floor. Mark picked him up to carry him to the bathroom in case there was more and there was and he threw up all down the hall all the way to the bathroom. The other two were standing in the living room and I was in the kitchen and there was no way to get to Josiah and Abigail without walking through the mess. So I started to make a path and once retrieved them I moved them to my bedroom out of the way. Well that was the beginning of a very long night of cleaning up. Andrew was sick all night and after he proceed to throw up over the edge of the top bunk onto his brother's bed below we decided to make him a little water proof pad on the floor in our room for the night. I kept Andrew home from school Monday and he acted like his normal self all day...fighting, picking on his siblings, playing and wanting to run around. So Tuesday morning I sent him to school. Wednesday night I started to feel a little weak. Thinking I was going to be fine because mom's aren't allowed to get that kind of sickness (because what mom really has time for that and God knows that RIGHT?) So I went to church and was fine until near the end. Finally I looked at Mark and said we need to go home! So we headed out and after a long ride home in which I warned Mark that if I grabbed his arm and said nothing that meant pull over NOW! (Thankfully the arm grabbing was not necessary!) We got home and I headed to the bathroom and that began a very long night for me. Thursday morning Josiah started in and by Thursday night Andrew had a relapse and ended up missing school on Friday as well. We laid low over the weekend. Mark and Abigail never have gotten it and we are praying fervently that they do NOT! It made for a very long week that revolved around a lot of cleaning and MUCH laundry...more laundry than any one person should have to do in a week.

So today is a new day! Praise the Lord for God's promises that "The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” Lamentations 3:22-24. We celebrated a new day, a new week, and everyone feeling better by taking a short trip to the zoo this afternoon. Sometime I think that what we need is just to get out of the house a get a little fresh air. We spent about two hours there and it was very fun to spend this beautiful 68 degree January day out looking at God's beautiful creativity. I don't know if it was the beautiful warm weather or if it was the storm headed in tonight but the animals were very active and fun to watch.

Watching the grizzly bears play with a Christmas tree

Have you ever seen a giraffe get a drink?

Don't you just want to hug that one?

I hope you are enjoying your new day and new week as much as we are!

New Birth

2012-01-08T15:22:00.000-06:00

While getting ready for church this morning.

Andrew: "Mommy, what happens to people who die that aren't saved?"
Me: "They go to hell."
Andrew: "I want to get saved."
Me: "Do you know why we need to get saved?"
Andrew: "So when we die we can go to heaven to be with Jesus."
Me: "Why do we need to be saved to go to heaven?"
Andrew: "Because we sin."
Me: "Do you know what sin is?"
Andrew: "All the bad things we do like disobeying you and God."
Me: "Do you know what we need to do to get saved?"
Andrew: "Tell Jesus I'm sorry for my sins."
Me: "That's right. We also need to tell Him that we know He died on the cross to save us and that we need Him to save us from our sins."
Andrew: "I want to do that."
Me: "Do you want to pray with me or Daddy or both so us?"
Andrew: "Both of you."

Mark was taking a shower at the time this discussion happened so when he got out I told him about our conversation and then Mark sat down with Andrew and showed him some verses in the Bible that talked about all the things I had just talked with Andrew about and then Andrew prayed to accept Christ as his Savior.

We are overjoyed to have this privilege of guiding our children to knowing God and then seeing Andrew come to this conclusion on his own that he needs to be saved. We have talked with him many times about his need for salvation and several times he had acted as though he was really starting to figure it out. Today I think he truly understands his need for a Savior and he is excited to tell people about his decision to follow Christ. This is a huge answer to our prayers that we have prayed everyday from before we even knew we were expecting him. God truly is good and I am so thankful to know that our Andrew has chosen Christ!

Andrew, we continue to pray for you as you grow in your relationship with God. The Heaven's rejoice with us over your salvation. Continue to seek after God and desire to grow in Him!

Today we are rejoicing!

Puzzle

2011-12-22T14:15:00.001-06:00

Every year my family has a tradition that we put together a puzzle. We usually put one together when we are together at my parents house. This year I got out a puzzle and the card table so we could work on one at our house also. It sat there for a few weeks untouched. I finally took the table down and put the puzzle back in the closet because we decided to do a 3D puzzle this year. =)

Our garage

The puzzle finally moved outside

It's not completely done yet but the kids are enjoying the slide. (Check out Abigail's feet in the background...neither one is touching the ground as she excitedly runs around to go up the ladder again so she can go down the slide.)

It has been raining a lot this week so we haven't been able to get out there to finish the project but Mark has the roof put together and just needs to be attached. Then we need to hang the swings and anchor it and it will be complete. Not sure it's going to be finished by Christmas but it's close enough for now. I think our kids love their Christmas present this year. =)

Marathon Day

2011-12-03T17:32:00.001-06:00

Today was Marathon Day! Mark has been training for the last five months to prepare for his second marathon. This time he got to run with our brother-in-law and Christen and I loaded up the kids and drove around to see how many times we could find them. Our first stop was just after mile two and we found a great place to park and eat breakfast while we waited for the race to begin.

After a while the kids got a little cold so we let them hang out in the van to warm up until the race started.

At mile two Mark arrived and I almost missed him but he called out my name and I got a quick picture as he continued on his way. He looks happy and able to start the race strong.

Mile 2...good start to the race

While we waited for Uncle James to run by the kids had a blast rolling and sliding down this giant hill. We stayed here for about an hour because after James came by there was still so much congestion that we had a hard time getting back across the street to where we parked.

But that delay just gave the kids more opportunity to entertain the runners as they came by.

After we finally broke through the crowd we made our way to mile 13.

Mile 13...going strong but a little more focused

The way the route looped through the downtown streets allowed us to see him at mile 15 also.

Mile 15...still doing great!

After we saw James at mile 13 and 15 we made our way to mile 24.5. We knew the spectators would be lacking on this part of the race so we wanted to be sure to be there to give them a last burst of encouragement to give them the push to make it to the end.

Mile 24.5...and he still has a smile

Mile 24.5 Uncle James gives the kids fives on the way by.

Both guys did an awesome job and finished the race strong. Mark's goal was to make it under 3:30 and he finished in 3:16...Great Job, Mark! James' goal was to finish under 4:00 and he finished in 3:52...Great Job, James! We are so proud of you both!

Our Marathon Finishers!

As I watched them race and observed the fatigue they endured it brought me to think about the author of Hebrews talking about running the race with endurance and that the only way to do that is by looking to Jesus who is the founder and perfecter of our faith. Running a marathon is such a great picture to help us to see the commitment, endurance, and training it takes to run well this race of life.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." --Hebrews 12:1-2

I'm so Thankful...

2011-11-16T15:55:00.000-06:00

The older I get the faster the years fly by. My mom and grandpa were just here visiting again and we were talking about how it feels that every year seems to go faster and faster and I asked my grandpa if it continues to feel that way or if at some point it seems to start slowing down again. He told me is still feels like the years just fly by. So I guess every year I will come to November and find myself needing to set aside some time to reflect on the year and what I am thankful for and I will again say..."Where has this year gone? I can't believe how fast it has gone!" But as it is with every other year I come to November and am overwhelmed by the greatness of God. I try to be thankful to God everyday for what He has done but today I will reflect over His grace and mercy He has shown to us this year.

This year God has blessed us with a beautiful home that exceeded anything I could have asked for or imagined. After a very difficult 3 months of Mark living in a hotel in Memphis and me and the kids living in our townhouse in Iowa we finally sold our townhouse and closed on our house in the Memphis area. I never imagined we would be able to buy a brand new house that is this beautiful and we are very thankful for this blessing. God truly does care about every area of our lives!

I am so very thankful for the husband God has blessed me with. I am very proud to call him my husband. This year we celebrated our seven year anniversary. It's a strange feeling because I almost can't remember what life was like before we were married but then in the next breathe I can't believe it's already be seven years. This year Mark has been adjusting to the changes in office location for his job. He has been stretched and challenged and I'm so thankful for how God continues to help him grow in his job. He has also run two 5K races and came in the top three for his age category in both of those races. He is currently in the home stretch of training for his second marathon which he will run on Dec. 3. I am so blessed to be his wife!

Andrew is really growing up! I am so thankful for this five year old who keeps me on my toes. This year Andrew started Kindergarten and he played soccer on a team for our church. He seems to be doing really well in school as he is learning to read and write. He is really enjoying his classmates (as I knew he would being the social butterfly that he is) and he likes his teacher. I am so thankful that we were able to move into an area that is known for having good schools and that he has been blessed with a good teacher.

Andrew is also really starting to show signs of spiritual growth. I am still not for sure that he has made a personal decision to follow Christ but he is showing much interest in God and things pertaining to godliness. Andrew likes all the children's programs at church but his favorite is Pee Wee Patch. I'm not sure why that's his favorite but he is always so excited to go to Patch club. I am thankful for his enthusiasm for the Lord and so blessed to have him as my son.

Josiah has really changed this year. He turned 3 this year and is really becoming his own little boy. He is a delight to have around most of the time and is ALWAYS grinning from ear to ear. Having his big brother go off to school this year brought about a whole new world for Josiah. He is no longer the under dog to Andrew but now the big brother to Abigail. I am so thankful that God gave us this little guy. He is cuddly and loves to give me good night hugs and kisses. If I forget to let him kiss me good night I'm sure to have him running after me telling me I forgot to let him kiss me. He is very smart and quick witted just like his dad. I am so thankful to have this little boy in our family. We are truly blessed.

Sometimes I look at this little girl and can't believe she is my baby. God gave us a huge blessing when He gave us our sweet baby girl. This year Abigail turned 2 and has really grown and changed much. She can talk very well and understands so much. This year at church she is in Master Club and she is learning a new verse every week. Last week I went over all the verses with her and she quoted them all almost word perfect. The verses that she and Josiah have to learn are the same ones as Andrew but Andrew has to know the whole verse and the younger ones just have to say part of it. Well, not Abigail, she knows the WHOLE thing and not just short verses but ones like John 3:16. She also loves to sing and anytime we are in the car she is just singing to her little hearts content. I'm truly blessed to be her mommy!

This year Abigail also broke her collarbone. I am so thankful that it is healed and she is back to life as usual. She did very well with all the tests, x-ray's, and braces. Thank God for His healing.

I was invited to a Bible study this year that has proved to be a great challenge to me. I am so thankful for the things God is revealing in my life this year that I need to work on in order to be a better wife, mom, sister, daughter, friend. God has really been doing a work in my heart and I am greatly enjoying growing closer to Him. I also am thankful for the opportunity I had a few weeks ago to attend a Biblical Womanhood Conference. It was such an encouragement to me and I am so thankful for the opportunity I had to attend.

This year brought the long awaited arrival of my sister and her family back to the States for their first furlough. I am so thankful to see how God is using them in Brazil but the distance is always hard. In June they came home on furlough and we have been eating up every opportunity to spend time with them. I am so thankful for the time we have been able to spend together. God really has allowed us to be together a lot and I cannot express how wonderful that has been.

My whole family, including my grandpa, was able to meet together in Hot Spring, AR for a family reunion. We stayed in a cabin together and greatly enjoyed our time together. This kids have all gotten to know each other very well and thoroughly enjoy running and laughing and playing together. I am so thankful for these 9 months they are back in America so we can get to see them and spend time together as a family. Please pray for them as they are heading back to Brazil in early February to continue their work and ministry.

I am also so thankful for the many visitors we've had since our move to the Mid-South! Among those visitors was one of Mark's sisters and her family and his parents. We are so thankful for the time we were able to spend with them. We got to see several of the sights around Memphis including a trip to the great Mississippi River. I am so thankful they were willing to plan their vacation around coming to see us for a few days so we could spend some time together.

I am most grateful for my salvation! Every time I stop to think about the sacrifice God made of sending His Son and Jesus being willing to leave the throne of Heaven so I could have forgiveness I am overwhelmed with emotion. I am thankful that He loved me so much He was willing to sacrifice His life on a cross suffering great physical, emotional, and spiritual pain so I could spend eternity with Him. It is humbling and I am most grateful!

Again this year as I look back and reflect on the greatness of God I am so thankful that I am His child and He is my Savior!

"I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High." --Psalm 9:1-2

Bible Study

2011-10-27T15:12:00.000-05:00

Since moving to the Mid-South I have found a wonderful women's Bible study to attend. This study began in September and it is the highlight of my week. We are studying a book called Lighten Up! Mastering the Fine Art of Traveling Light by Jean Stockdale. Jean is also the speaker for our large group sessions and she has such a gift for teaching moms! The book is a study of 2 Peter and it has been such a challenge for me.

Today we were looking at 2 Peter 3:1 where Peter is telling the believers to remember. We looked back through the book of 2 Peter and found seven things to remember:

Remember that God is a Holy God (2 Peter 2:9)
Remember God is Gracious (2 Peter 1:10-11)
Remember God's Love Covers Our Sins (2 Peter 1:4)
Remember God is Faithful (2 Peter 1:4, 17, 19)
Remember God is Looking for Maturity, Not Perfection (2 Peter 1:5-9)
Remember God is Able to Rescue the Righteous from Temptation (2 Peter 2:9)
Remember God is Sovereign ( 2 Peter 1:1-2)

As she was speaking today about God rescuing us from temptation she talked about three areas that in her experience of teaching moms are very common for moms. Those three things are guilt, fear, and anger. Can you relate? We need to recognize the source of the thought, refuse the thought, replace the thought with a truth from God's Word, and thank Him for the ability to overcome the temptation.

I was so challenged! I want to be a godly women, seeking after God, and doing what is right so I can be the example to my children and teach them the way to righteousness.

Catching up

2011-10-24T21:26:00.000-05:00

I have been failing at blogging for this whole month. There really is no excuse other than every time I think about posting a blog I don't feel like going to get my camera so I can upload my pictures...so I guess you can call me lazy. =)

So here's what we've been up to this month...

Mark and Andrew mowed the lawn probably for the last time this year.

Andrew had Fall break during the middle of the month. When my family was visiting last time we went to Mud Island while Andrew was in school. He was feeling very left out and had been begging to go. So we packed our lunches, loaded the van, and drove about 45 minutes to get there. We arrive an find out they are closed on Monday's! After tears and more tears and crying and whining I decided that we would go check out the Fire Museum instead. It was basically right across the street from where we would park for Mud Island so it seemed like a good solution. The first building we went in had some really neat old fire engines and equipment. It was a cool place to look around. Then we went through a court yard to another building where they had more stuff to look as well as a play area for the kids. This building was full of loud sirens and emergency type noises that was a little overwhelming at first. (Maybe because we were the only people there...if there had been more kids running around screaming if probably wouldn't have been so overwhelming). So after a little convincing and looking around the boys finally got into having some fun.

About the time I was telling the kids it was time to go Abigail finally started to get a little more comfortable so I let her play a little.

We had a fun time together! Andrew is still disappointed that he hasn't gone to Mud Island but we'll try to get that in sometime when it's NOT a Monday.

Today I turned another year older. Mark took me out to eat for lunch and I got out of cooking for supper also. He brought home a cake after work so over all the day was good. Although when you are a mommy your job never gets put on hold or made an easier just because it's your birthday.

After cake and the kitchen was all cleaned up we had a little snuggle time and read some books. I'm so thankful my kids love to read.

As I was thinking over the last year of my life I realized I had much for which to be thankful. At the top of the list of things...I'm not moving next week! Last year as I celebrated my birthday I was packing up the last of our belongings to move back to Iowa for an unsure amount of time. I am so thankful that my life does not revolve around packing, unpacking, and living out of boxes. God has been good...as always! Sometime in the next month I'll do my traditional Thanksgiving blog so I'll save all the other things I am thankful for to write about then.

Recent Fun

2011-10-01T15:53:00.001-05:00

My family all came to visit in mid-September so we could celebrate my nephew's birthday together. We had a great time together even with 14 people living in our house for a couple of night. While they were here we did a couple of fun outings to make the most of our time together. The first place we went was to Mud Island. I had not yet visited Mud Island but now that I have I think it will be a place we go frequently...especially since it can be done for free.

Mud Island is a park that has a scale model of the lower Mississippi River. It was so fun to read facts about the Mississippi River as the kids had a blast playing in the water. If you are ever in the Memphis area it really is a great place to visit...let us know and we'll join you! =)

We also went to the zoo. We enjoyed a gorgeous day with perfect weather. Right now our zoo has a Birds and Bees exhibit and inside the bird part of it they sell these little sticks with bird seed on it and the birds will come and perch on your stick while you hold it. All the kids loved having the experience of looking at the birds so close.

We were so glad to be able to spend some more quality time together. We are truly cherishing these moments of being together.

September has over all been a busy month. Mark has been very busy with work...long hours and even some Saturday hours. I started attending a Bible study on Thursday morning and am thoroughly enjoying that study. I have also been working for the PTO at Andrew's school and keeping up with Andrew's homework, soccer practice, soccer games, cooking, cleaning, laundry...etc. Andrew has been doing great in school. I have been very impressed with what he is learning and am very proud of how he is doing. He is also enjoying soccer and made his first goal in his soccer game this morning. Josiah has found his ornery streak and keeps himself busy picking on Abigail as much as possible. He has also been fighting a cough this week and was down with a fever for a day. Abigail is a girl...what more can I say? She fights with her brothers and demands her way every moment of the day, screaming at the top of her lungs if someone crosses her in some way she does not approve. But I think we'll keep her anyway! =) She really is growing up very quickly and keeps up with her brothers in every way. She has the greatest facial expresses and you can always tell what is on her mind because it is written plain as day on her face. I am also proud to announce...for the first time in five years we are out of diapers!!! Abigail is doing splendidly well and does not even where a pull up at bed time anymore. She has been dry even at night time for more than a month.

Well...that's the latest on the Lees!

Soccer

2011-09-14T07:44:00.004-05:00

I'm officially a soccer mom! Last night we had our first game and we played against a team that appeared to have had some previous experience so lets just say that our little team of 4 and 5 years olds had a great time. We did get on the board with one point but I lost count of how many goals the other team got. But they all had so much fun and that's the point. =)

Our little team

Andrew got the hang of getting in there and going after the ball

When we got back in the car to head home Andrew said, "Mommy, soccer is so FUN!" I'm glad he is enjoying it and we are looking forward to a fun-filled 2 months.

Race Day

2011-09-06T11:44:00.000-05:00

Monday Mark ran in the Chick-Fil-A 5K. It is always fun to go watch him run in races. This race was down town and they got to run by the Mississippi River for part of it and then ended up in the baseball field for the finish line. The kids and I went to the start line to watch the race begin but since there were over 2,000 runners we didn't find Mark in the crowd. After all the runners and walkers had passed us we made our way about 1/2 mile to the finish line.

By the time we got to the baseball field and found a way to get down close to the finish line Mark was just about to the end but we did get there just in time to yell and scream. =)

Just finished

Being that the race was sponsored by Chick-Fil-A we all got to enjoy free chicken sandwiches after the race. They sure do know how to make a great chicken sandwich!

A friend from church came and ran the race too so we got to fellowship with him also.

We were about to leave and realized they were finally going to announce the winners of the race so we decided to stop by and hear the results. And again...Mark pulls off a medal! (Good thing we stopped!) He got third in his age category. Good job Mark! We are proud of you!

The next scheduled race for Mark will be at the beginning of December when he and our brother-in-law take on the challenge of their second marathon. We are looking forward to going along for that one and looking for them along the way to cheer them on.

What we've been up to

2011-08-19T14:06:00.000-05:00

Playing monsters in the closet

Building block towers (and playing block monsters...we are really into monsters right now)

The homework started this week

Andrew is still loving the school bus...he has two friends he sits with everyday

My Garden

2011-08-18T15:03:00.000-05:00

Before we left on vacation at the end of July my garden was doing very well. Pepper growing, basil growing like crazy, and tomatoes GALORE!!! I was set to not have to buy tomatoes for a long time and be able to use them on and in everything. When I returned home I expected to have a bunch of ripe, red tomatoes ready for the picking. BUT to my dismay I found some very unwanted guests had arrive while I was away...

The horrible horn worms moved in and had themselves a feast. Of about 50 tomatoes on my plants I was able to salvage eight of them. The rest of them were pretty well eaten by these little monsters.

I cut down all my tomato plants, sprayed what remained with some insecticide to kill of thousands of larva that was still laying around on the ground and am hopeful that since I live in the south now that maybe...just maybe I might get a new harvest of just a few more tomatoes.

To my delight there is new growth on the little plant stems that were left over so we will see what happens.

On a happier note the peppers are still growing and they are very yummy and my basil is still growing like crazy. In fact I have made two batches of pesto that has been thoroughly enjoyed by the family (well, really just Mark and I as the kids don't really love it...more for us).

She's Free!

2011-08-10T17:15:00.000-05:00

For two and a half weeks Abigail has faithfully worn her brace complaint free! A few weeks ago Abigail fell out of the wagon and broke her collarbone. The first couple of days she cried only when we picked her up making us think she was just a little sore. Once the swelling went down and the bump on her collarbone was discovered we realized we needed to take her in to the doctor. Unfortunately that was a Friday night and we were leaving the next morning for our family reunion. I called and talked to a nurse Friday night and she told me to take Abigail in on Saturday morning. We arrived at the doctor's office a few minutes before 8:00 a.m. and by 9:00 a.m. we were on our way to the ER since they did not have an x-ray machine at the Dr. office. We got to the ER about 9:30 a.m. and didn't leave until almost 2:00 p.m. with x-ray's to confirm that her collarbone was broken, her arm in a sling (they didn't have a brace small enough for her in the ER), and instructions to go into the orthopedic surgeon on Monday morning. Thankfully our family reunion was not planned in Colorado as it has been in the past but rather only about 3.5 hours away in Hot Springs. So we finally were on our way to our family reunion about 3:00 p.m. on Saturday with plans to return on Monday to have Abigail to the Orthopedic Surgeon. All went well and we made it to the doctor and back to meet up with the rest of the family by lunch on Monday. Praise the Lord for a very quick trip.

So for the last two and a half weeks Abigail has worn her brace and not complained once. I am so thankful for how well she did (it really could have been a miserable time). Today I took her in to be x-rayed again and see if she is healing properly and she came through with flying colors. Her bone is healing and she doesn't have to wear the brace anymore. (We just have to make sure she is careful for the next couple of weeks.) She's FREE!

First days of Kindergarten

2011-08-04T08:38:00.000-05:00

Andrew, today is your first day of Kindergarten. I can't believe how fast time has flown by and that you are already taking this step toward independence. We are so proud of the boy you have became and it is so precious to hear you talking about loving God and wanting to obey Him. You touch my heart when you sing "Obedience is the very best way to show that you believe" when mommy tells you to do something. I felt so blest when we were at our family reunion having one of our evening devotional times and Uncle Albert was talking about how we are to show love by doing things for others and you said "yeah like the man who helped out the man that was beaten up and left of the side of the road to die" (the Good Samaritan). I love to listen to your tender prayers as you pray for your sister's shoulder to heal among other things and we get to hear what is on your little heart. We are so happy that you are desiring to know about God and that your heart is tender toward Him. Keep your tender heart and be a leader to show others how to do things that glorify our God. We love you more everyday and will be holding on a little tighter and a little longer when I hug you.

Ready to go

He didn't want me to walk him in to school which was probably a good thing since there was so much traffic and confusion about where to go anyway. On our way to school I asked him if he remembered his teacher's name and he couldn't really remember so I said "Mrs. Anderson". Just as he stepped out of the van I heard him say "Mrs. Anderson". I guess he was a little nervous too. =)

Yesterday they had a meet the teacher day so i was able to take him to his class to meet his teacher and he got to play with some of his classmates too.

Andrew and Mrs. Anderson

Family Reunion

2011-08-03T09:48:00.000-05:00

For the first time in more than 4 years our family was able to be all together. Actually we have never been ALL together being that 2 of my kids were born after James and Christen left for Brazil. It was such a joy to be able to have this time together. We rented a cabin in Arkansas and greatly enjoyed just being together. Here is some of what we did:

We had a creek running right behind our cabin and it was a perfect spot for the kids to play. The water wasn't too deep so they were able to have lots of fun.

The River Walk

Uncle Albert found a crawdad and was showing it to all the kids...none of them wanted to hold it.

Mining at Old Spooky Mine

The owners of the property we rented put in a mine so the kids could dig for "treasures". They restocked the mine several times during our stay and it was a favorite place for the kids to go dig for treasures.

Digging for treasures

"See what I found"

After they dug in the mine they dumped their buckets into a pan and rinsed it to get rid of all the dirt and their treasures where revealed.

Dumping the bucket into the pan

Mark's Birthday

Mark celebrated his birthday while we were there so we got a cake and he got to open a few presents. It was fun to celebrate with everyone

Boating

One day we went boating and it was a ton of fun. We rented a pontoon boat and even got a tube to pull the kids around on the back. The pontoon boat doesn't go fast enough to throw anyone off the tube which made it perfect for us to take the kids out. They had a blast.

Smore's

We were under a fire ban so we couldn't build a fire to roast our marshmallow...so what would you do? Use the gas grill of course. =)

Garden

Saturday morning the Taylor's needed to head out so they could get to the church they were supposed to be at on Sunday so the rest of us headed to a beautiful garden. It was beautiful but way too hot to be out there. We didn't spend as much time as I wish we could have but everyone was too hot to stay out anymore. What we did get to see what a lot of fun.

We had a great time together and I'm looking forward to being able to be together a couple more times before James and Christen leave again to go back to Brazil in February. We are trying to treasure these times we get to be together.

School Supplies

2011-07-31T22:10:00.000-05:00

My first born starts Kindergarten this week! Part of me can't believe that he is really going off to school, the other part of me thinks...wow I have three kids, one of them should be in school. I took Andrew on a little date to buy school supplies. It was fun to go shopping just the two of us. He was most excited about his orange scissors since orange is his FAVORITE color. After we bought all his school supplies I took him out for lunch at Chick-Fil-A. It was such a fun time to be alone with him preparing him for this next adventure in life. I think it's going to be an emotional week around here as I have many moments dreading this step of letting him go.

Ducks

2011-07-31T15:19:00.000-05:00

The Peabody Hotel in Memphis is famous for their ducks. Every morning at 11:00 the hotel rolls out a red carpet and 5 ducks come down the elevator from their home on the roof to spend the day swimming in the fountain in the lobby. We decided it would be something fun to check out when my sister and her family came for a visit this month. The kids thought it was pretty funny to watch these ducks run off the elevator as fast as they could and sprinted for the pond.

Waiting for the ducks

Watching the ducks swim in the fountain

More duck watching

On top of the hotel where the ducks sleep at night

The Visitors Continue

2011-07-31T14:52:00.000-05:00

The month of July continued our string of visitors. The second week of July another one of my best friends from college came to visit me. We had a wonderful time talking and played Dutch Blitz as much as possible. It was go great to be able to spend some time together encouraging each other. I am so thankful for the wonderful friends God has given me that constantly challenge me.

Bind us Together

2011-07-09T09:25:00.000-05:00

When Mark's family came to visit our niece had just come home from being at camp so often times when we were in the car together with the kids we would find her singing songs from camp. One song she sang a couple of times with Abigail was "Bind us Together". This week Abigail started singing something and after a while of listening I realized it was "Bind us Together". This morning I caught a little on video.

Visitors

2011-06-29T15:42:00.000-05:00

The last week has been a week full of fun...Originally my sister and her family were going to come visit us but we decided that since gas prices are so high and they were planning to come again in July we would just cancel this week's trip and wait until July to see them again. So when one of my wonderful college friends (Alysia) called and asked if she could come for a visit from Wednesday to Saturday I said GREAT!!! I haven't seen her since Andrew was about 3 months old. We had a great visit together. Catching up and spending some wonderful time talking about how God was working in our lives and challenging us. One night we had Rachel (my brother-in-law's sister) who also was in college with us and lives only a short distance away come over so she could get a chance to catch up too. What a wonderful time we had!

Rachel, Me, Alysia

I think my kids enjoyed having her here about as much as I did. They played together for hours and just greatly enjoyed some extra attention.

Well after all my plans were set to have Alysia come for a visit my grandparents called and asked if I was going to be home on Thursday and wanted to know if they could stop through for the day. Well of course I'm not going to turn them down so they came late morning on Thursday and joined the party. They brought the kids some coloring books and crayons and we enjoyed some time together talking and catching up with them.

(Josiah would NOT stand still! I think I have 3 pictures of this pose and two of them his face is covered with his shirt and this one his feet are about 3 inches off the ground.) =)

My cuddle bug

Well, my grandparents were here on Thursday and Alysia left on Saturday morning so we cleaned the house, did laundry, and went grocery shopping in preparation for our next set of visitors...

Mark's sister and her family and his parents arrived Saturday night. So for the last 4 nights and 3 days we've had 12 people living in our house. It was a blast! We had lost of fun while they were here.

We visited the river

Went to the park

Watched a barge pushed by a tug boat go down the river

Took a Paddle Boat ride

Visited the US National Cemetery and Battlefield at Shiloh

Tried out the canons

Tried on Coon Skin hats

Of course Josiah didn't want to be left out

I just had to take this picture because this was the only time the house was quiet...other than when we were all in bed.

Andrew has been very lonely since they left. He has really enjoyed his time with his cousins. We are so thankful for all the people who have come to visit us. If has been so much fun to have family and friends around us and spending time doing fun things together and just enjoying our time together.

Any one else want to come for a visit? =)

Garden Update

2011-06-15T14:00:00.000-05:00

Our little garden is just growing like crazy. We have a ton of tomatoes (I counted 11 on one of our four plants). We also have 1 red pepper and 1 green pepper that are getting pretty big. One of my squash plants has come up and is growing pretty well but hasn't started blooming yet. Of all the herb seeds I planted I think the basil is growing but I haven't been able to identify anything else yet. We had a ton of rain right after I planted so I wonder if some of my seeds washed out so we'll just keep watching to see what happens. BUT...as you can see from the picture below...

WE HAVE OUR FIRST RIPE TOMATO!

Today I let Andrew pick it and tonight we are planning to have tacos so we will all get to enjoy a taste of our first produce.

Josiah wanted his picture taken with the tomato too.

Since Andrew got to pick the tomato, Josiah thought it was only fair if he got to pick one too. Before I was able to stop him he had another one pulled off the plant. So we will let that one set out in the sun for a few days to see if it reddens. I'm sure it will probably be just fine in a couple of days.

Trip to Texas...Welcome Home!

2011-06-14T20:01:00.000-05:00

Monday morning we loaded the van and headed to Texas so we could be at the airport to welcome the Taylor's home for their first furlough. My brother-in-law and both nephew's had never met Abigail. Christen and Hannah met her when they came home to celebrate my parent's 35th wedding anniversary when Abigail was 5 months old.

Welcome home!

There were several people from my parent's church that came to the airport also to welcome them home.

We got to enjoy a week in Texas with them and we had lots of fun together.

Fun at the park

First picture ever of all 6 cousins together

Fun with Papa and Memaw

Mom and daughter lunch (without kids!)
Our traditional Chicken Tortilla Soup from Pappasito's...YUMMY!!!

Fun at the pool

All-American cookout complete with roasting marshmallows

S'mores

Those were some yummy S'mores

We are so happy to have them back on USA soil and we plan to enjoy every moment we are able to spend together.

Party!

2011-05-21T18:22:00.008-05:00

Andrew, today you turned 5! I can't believe how much you have grown. You truly are a blessing to our family. You have such a wonderful helpful spirit and are willing to help out with just about anything I ask. (I was realizing this week how much I am going to miss all your help when you start school.) You loves God and have recently started singing all the time. Yesterday you made up a song about Jesus dying on the cross and being buried and then raising again and going to heaven when He was alive again. It is precious to see your tender heart toward God. We are so thankful that God decided to give us the gift of you. Keep loving Jesus and wanting to do what is right. We love you dearly and are thankful we get to see you growing up to someday be a "Man after God's own heart."

Andrew helping make his birthday cake

The final product

Presents!!! Thanks grandma and grandpa for the water guns!

More presents!

Cake!

Friends

Pool party!!! Thanks Papa Honey and Memaw for the pool!

We had some new friends from our church come over and celebrate with us. It was fun to have some other kids around for the party. They all had a blast and played hard. Hopefully everyone will sleep well tonight.

"Strawbabies"

2011-05-17T16:53:00.002-05:00

No I didn't misspell the title of this blog. Today we went Strawberry picking or as Abigail would say it "strawbabies". We had a very fun day! We started off by heading to a great new park that recently opened. I packed a picnic lunch and we ate at the park. Some friends from our new church joined us and then we spent some time playing at the park. The kids all had a great time playing.

The pickings were slim...not sure if it's due to the weather or that we didn't go the first week they were open but we still had fun anyway. Abigail picked quite a few but all the ones she picked she ate...thankfully they don't mind. =)

The Zoo

2011-05-17T16:46:00.002-05:00

Saturday we went to the zoo. They have a wonderful zoo in Memphis. We were very impressed and will definitely be going back. We spent a good portion of the day there and still didn't get to see everything. Andrew was disappointed that we had to leave but we assured him we'd be back.

They had a very impressive Bear display. I have never been to a zoo that I can remember that has had such a variety of bears.

This chicken was "talking" to the kids and they were making their best efforts to communicate. It was very cute.

This Panda Bear was have his lunch of Bamboo. The kids loved watching him eat.

We had a great time and can't wait to go back.

Summer Fun

2011-05-17T16:37:00.002-05:00

I've been trying to upload pictures for a few days but for some reason I've having trouble with uploading...oh well! This week has been unusually cold but last week was very warm so we broke out the sprinkler...

I not only got the lawn watered but also the kids. =)

They had so much fun running through the water. I think it will be something we do often this summer.

Foundation

2011-05-10T14:40:00.000-05:00

A couple weeks ago the dump trucks of dirt arrived to begin the process of preparing the foundation to build a house next door.

There has much work that has gone into preparing a sturdy foundation. They brought in the dirt and leveled it out, they brought in backhoes to dig out where the pipes and whatever other lines go under a house. The men who knew how to run the lines and put in the pipes came and did their job. Then another piece of equipment showed up to cover up all that stuff. Inspections have been done, pest control has come to pretreat the foundation, the footing were put in and today ...

the concrete trucks pulled in!!!!!!

My kids have been glued to that window watching as truck after truck (I think there were 5 but I may have missed one) comes in and pours it's wet concrete out onto the ground. Of course they began to arrive about 20 minutes before lunch time. I pulled them away long enough to get them to scarf down their sandwiches and then I let them eat the rest of their lunch by the window. (How many times in a little boy's life is he going to get to watch a slab being poured right outside the window of his house?) The boys went an got out their concrete trucks and dump trucks and garbage trucks so they could "work" right along side the men outside. I love watching their enthusiasm and listening to their little boy dreams of someday driving that concrete truck. =)

But as I watched and listened along with my children I started to think about all the preparation that went into preparing a foundation for a house to be built on. How many days and weeks it takes to get it ready and how many times the City Inspector stops by to make sure things are being done correctly. Then I started thinking about all the time it takes to prepare the little lives of my children to go out into the world and be a shining light for our Savior. So often I think my role as mom is mundane as it seems all I ever do is all these little meaningless things all day long everyday. But as I stop and think about it I realize the foundation I am building into the lives of those beautiful children and I hope that someday they will be able to stand strong and not crumble under the weight of the problems of this world. I strive to set a godly example, showing them kindness and love and hoping that in all these "mundane" things in life it will give them a sturdy foundation. I want them to stand firm and not be swayed by the world. My job as their mommy is to show them how to do all these "mundane" tasks in a way that is honoring to God so that when the weight of the world is put upon their shoulders they too will be able to stand up under it and honor God.

So today I was encouraged that even though this house next door will be built in a matter of months and my job of mom will take years, every task completed, every job that is done in a way that pleases the Lord is building a firm, sturdy foundation for my children to stand upon in their future.

God's Protection

2011-04-30T16:45:00.000-05:00

As I watch the news I feel so blessed that God chose to spare us from this week's tragedy of tornadoes. I did a search and we are just over 100 miles from the little town of Smithville, MS that was basically wiped off the map this week. We experience the same storm without the devastation. Praise the Lord!

My heart hurts for the people who have lost loved ones. I want to cry as I listen to stories of people who are sorting through the disaster that was left behind. I wonder why God chose to spare us yet I am most grateful for His protection.

This week has been a little overwhelming as we spent the better part of three days watching the news and hiding out while the tornado sirens blared in our neighborhoods. We have a small closet that is located under the stairs that is the safest place in our house but looking at the destruction in those towns there was no safe place physically, not even a basement. The only safety in the midst of the storm is in the hand of the Creator. I am so grateful for His protection for our family.

We are praying for the people who are dealing first hand with all of this destruction. As they sort through the mess left behind I pray for protection and strength but also that many will turn to our Savior looking for hope. I hope you too will pray that many will come to know Christ because of this tragedy.

Our little garden

2011-04-27T10:39:00.000-05:00

We've been talking about starting a garden and finally got out there and did it. It's not very big but we decided to start small this year and see how it goes then maybe next year we will expand it if all goes well.

The kids helped me plant some seeds and then after they were done they went over to the empty lot next door and continued the fun of digging. That made for several hours of entertainment.

Easter Morning

2011-04-25T16:02:00.000-05:00

I hope you all enjoyed celebrating our Risen Lord! It is truly humbling to think on the great sacrifice that was made on our behalf. I am so humbled by how loving our God is that He would allow His Son to go through such torture for me. Praise the Lord He is RISEN!

This year we decided to do Easter baskets for our kids. They were very excited to get their "buckets" and be able to indulge in nothing but candy. They had candy for breakfast then we forced them to eat a banana in hopes to counteract the refined sugar. Usually there are no arguments with eating fruit at our house but they had already eaten too much candy. Then we went to church and sent them off to Sunday School. =)

Digging into their "buckets"

All dressed up and ready for church

Family Fun

2011-04-18T15:54:00.000-05:00

This weekend ended up being a fun family weekend. Unfortunately I didn't bring my camera along to take any pictures but here's what we did...

Saturday morning Mark decided to run in a 5K he found out about the day before. He did really well (2nd in his age group and 13th overall). The 5K was very family friendly and had all kinds of activities for the kids to do after the race. They got to bounce around and play on 3 inflatable bounce houses, make airplanes, blow bubbles, draw pictures, and sit in a fire truck.

Then Saturday evening we went to a Passion Play and it was AMAZING! I love going to Passion Plays as they always get me thinking again about the significance of the season. Mark has been reading through one of the Gospel accounts of Christ's life on earth and I have been studying a book called "The Incomparable Christ" by J. Oswald Sanders and doing a study with Nancy Leigh DeMoss through Revive Our Hearts so after watching the play we shared some of the things we had been learning and studying about Christ with each other. Isn't it great how you can read and hear the same truths year after year your whole life yet every year you think about things a little differently as God continues to teach you through His Word. I love that the Bible is a living and breathing Book as God continues to teach us new things every day.

Sunday morning we visited another church. We are still in the process of looking for the church that God wants us to serve Him in. There are MANY churches here to choose from yet it seems so hard to find what we are used to. Things are definitely different in the mid-south (that's what they call it around here). =) If you think about it please pray for us to know where God wants us to serve. We are very ready to settle into a church family.

Sunday afternoon after lunch we put the kids to bed for their naps and Mark decided he was going to work on cleaning the grill so I decided to go spend a little time outside also. We have been talking about starting a garden this year but hadn't really done anything about it yet. So I decided I'd go at least start digging up the area we were going to use and ended up making good progress. I got my little plot all dug up, lined it with some bricks and still had a little time so I headed to Lowe's to get some veggies. I came home with tomatoes, red & green peppers, summer squash, zucchini, cilantro, and basil. My garden is pretty small as I wasn't sure how well it would go this year but I am squeezing a lot into my little plot. If all goes well this year then next year I will expand it a little more. The kids are very excited about it and even helped me do some planting today.

This weekend we got a good laugh as we are starting to notice Andrew is picking up on some of the southern drawl. I know it won't be long before all three of our kids are pulling out a great southern accent. I told Mark this weekend that it's funny because I'm starting to get used to hearing people talk with an accent so much so that I don't notice it every time I talk to someone like I did at first.

Well, that's the synopsis of our family fun this weekend. Maybe next time I'll remember the camera.

Mixed Emotions

2011-04-04T17:32:00.000-05:00

I remember as if it was yesterday bringing our little "Tootsie Roll" home from the hospital feeling so overwhelmed at all the new responsibility.

I also remember getting ready to leave the hospital and one of the nurses said "Before you know it you will be sending him off to Kindergarten." To which I replied "Don't say that!!!"

Well...today was Kindergarten registration. I truly CANNOT believe that our little "Tootsie Roll" is heading to Kindergarten in the fall. I know it's still a few months away but it is oh so very close.

Honestly I have very mixed feelings about sending him to school. I love to see that he is growing up and becoming more and more independent. Mark and I are delighted to see his love for God growing more and more. But this new milestone takes him away from me and my ability to form his little mind all day long everyday. I pray that the years of teaching him at home to love the Lord your God will all your heart soul and mind will be enough help him to display that love to others and show them the love of God. Not that my teaching at home ends when he goes to school but it becomes limited. We will continue to pray for and with him everyday. I am so thankful that God has allowed me to be his mommy but I am more thankful that he is God's child and I can know that God is watching over him even when he is away from home.

Holiness vs Conformity

2011-04-01T11:48:00.000-05:00

Sunday night we heard a great message on the holiness of God. God calls believers to be separate from the world and He calls us to be holy because HE is Holy. There are many areas of my life that I know I do not measure up to God's standard of holiness but I am thankful for the shed blood of my Savior that covers my multitude of sins. But the shed blood covering my sin does not give me excuse to sin and not strive on a daily basis to conform more to the image of His Son.

Those thoughts bring me to think about today's Christians. All around me in my circle of friends and churches I find people who claim to be "little Christ's" (Christians) choosing to conform to the patterns of this world. God has called us in Romans 12:1-2 to "to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Are you a "living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God" or are you conforming to the patterns of this world?

Those thoughts bring me to think about social drinking and tattoos. I really want you to think about how Holy is our God. What is the purpose of getting a tattoo? Is it because your friends did it and you think it's cool? Is there any degree of holiness that is displayed with getting a tattoo or are you just conforming to the image of this world? Also regarding social drinking...I know there are arguments out there that Jesus turned water into wine and there are medicinal needs to drinking wine (I've heard them all). But going out with a group of your friends and ordering wine or beer...what is the purpose? Are you ordering it because everyone else is drinking? Have you thought about the affect you could have on your group of friends after they start to notice that you are "set apart" or different and choose to do things a little differently than the rest of the world. Are you choosing to fit in or stand out? God calls us to stand out.

To conclude I will leave you with Paul's urging that the will of God for our lives is sanctification:

Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. -- 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

Happy Birthday

2011-03-28T16:36:00.000-05:00

Today our baby girl turns 2! Happy birthday to our sweet girl! I can't believe you are 2 already. Where does the time go? You have grown so much and are so full of personality and life. We are so thankful that God decided to give you to us as our little "surprise".

Just home from the hospital

1st Birthday

2nd Birthday

At 2 you talk as well as your big brother and you run, jump, and play as hard as possible to keep up with the boys. You are the little mother in the house and boss the boys around as much as possible. You know exactly what you want and when you want it and then you let everyone else know too. Your little personality is blossoming and you can be such a sweet girl. You give great hugs and kisses and I look forward to feeling your little arms wrapped around my neck and a big wet kiss on my cheek each night as I tuck you into bed. I love you my sweet girl and we are so thankful for you.

We pray for you every day that you will grow up to love God and know Him as your Savior. Keep growing and becoming the little girl God wants you to be. I can't wait to see what God has in store for your little life this next year. Happy birthday, we love you!

Wedding Dress Tradition

2011-03-28T16:14:00.000-05:00

I stole this idea from a friend who has done this with her daughter now for 5 years. I think it is such a cute idea and it's a fun way to see how much she had grown in the last year.

Abigail's 1st birthday

Abigail's 2nd birthday

I can't believe how much she has grown

Thanks!

2011-03-18T12:16:00.000-05:00

I am amazed at how many of you have been praying for us regarding our situation with our neighbors. I don't know why I am amazed but I am so thankful for each of you. Several of you have asked if anything has come of it so I want to give you an update.

Over the weekend as I was on my way to the grocery store I saw them out in their yard so I finally figured out what house was theirs. =) Since this whole situation started Mark and I thought it would be a good idea to take something to them to thank them for their help. Last week a friend of mine sent me a starter for Amish Friendship Bread (thanks Alysia) and I decided I would use that as a way to meet more of our neighbors. If you aren't familiar with the Amish Friendship Bread what you do is you get this Ziploc bag of the bread starter and you basically baby it for 10 days. Then on the tenth day you add some stuff to it and measure out starters to give to 3 of your friends. Also on the tenth day you bake some bread from what is left over. I decided to bake some for my family but also to make a couple of mini loafs to give to this couple that had helped us with moving.

So Tuesday evening Mark and I (and our kids) walked down to their house and knocked on the door. At first they didn't answer and we were about to leave but Mark saw that the wife had come to the door. She opened it and I tried to hand her the bread first and told her we just wanted to thank them for their help with our move. She told me I didn't need to do that and backed up and started to close the door. But I persisted a little more and told her that I really wanted to give this to her and she again said no and started to close the door. I then asked her if she was familiar with the Amish Friendship Bread and told her I wanted to give her a starter for that also. She then opened the door a little wider and told me her sister and her used to do that all the time. I handed the starter to her and also gave her the bread I had made for them. With the starter you are supposed to give everyone a copy of the recipe and I had written a note to them tell them we were sorry for any misunderstanding we'd had and told them we hoped we'd be able to be friends. She hugged me and then we left.

We are still praying that God will work out the details according to His plan. I'll be honest and say it was very hard to walk to their home and ring their doorbell to face someone who had offended me but I knew that's what God wanted us to do. I knew we needed to have a good testimony and Mark and I have been praying for a long time that God would place us somewhere that we would be able to be a good witness for Him. If we had just avoided them and never faced them we would have allowed Satan to have the victory. But God is faithful and He gave us the strength to do what He wanted us to do. Who knows....maybe because of this awkward situation God will bring this family to a saving knowledge of Him. There is another couple on our street that has been witnessing to them also so maybe God will use this to draw them to Himself. God has a purpose and a plan and we will continue to pray that God will use us as a shining light for Him.

Thank you all so much for praying for us regarding this situation. It's amazing how powerful prayer is.

As Promised...

2011-03-17T09:16:00.000-05:00

Welcome to our new home

Come on in the front door

To your right you find Abigail's room

To your left you find the boys room (and a bathroom and linen closet)

Enter the living room

And the kitchen

And the dining room (It's all one big room and I LOVE it)

The master bedroom

Master bath

My wonderful new patio furniture sitting on our back patio

I hope you enjoyed your tour of our new home. If you want a better look feel free to come and visit us. We would LOVE to have you!

Our First "Visitors"

2011-03-15T16:16:00.002-05:00

Thursday I got a call from my dad saying he had gotten approval to have Friday and Monday off work and they were coming to see us. We were all so excited to have our first visitors to our new house. The kids couldn't wait for Memaw, Papa Honey, and Great-grandpa to arrive.

Several times a day I would look over at my grandpa sitting in his rocking chair and I would find Josiah curled up in his lap. Andrew eventually caught onto the idea and started fighting for his place there too. These moments are priceless. I love that my kids love their great grandparents and want to spend time with them. Whenever Josiah would come in the room from playing someplace else in the house he would go over and "check in" on grandpa.

Believe it or not Abigail will be 2 at the end of the month. So we decided to kind of celebrate birthdays while my parents were here (my mom just had her birthday a couple weeks ago and my dad's is a couple days after Abigail's). My mom and dad have bought all three of my kids their first Bible for their second birthday. Sunday morning they decided to give Abigail her Bible so she could take it to church with her. She loves carrying around her Bible like her big brothers.

We got a new patio set with a great table and 6 chairs for our new house. Saturday evening Mark and my dad put the table together then Sunday afternoon we got the chairs together. After finishing up with the chairs we tried them out and relaxed in the garage while the kids were playing with the neighbors. It was a gorgeous day and those chairs sure are comfy.

We enjoyed so much having my parents and grandpa to our new house. We wish the time had been longer but are so thankful for the time we had together. We hope others will come for a visit soon too.

Our New Home

2011-03-02T16:16:00.002-06:00

Well, things have been very crazy! I apologize for the lack of pictures and updates. I still don't have any pictures to share. Hopefully I'll get on that soon but I've just been trying really hard to get life somewhat back to "normal".

Two weeks ago today we finally were able to close on our house. We are all very excited and love our new house. It is so wonderful and I have been working hard to get boxes unpacked and things set up. We are getting close as there are only a handful of boxes still laying around and then I get to start decorating. I keep hoping my mom will come for a visit so I can have some help with decorating as it's always so much more fun when you have someone else to bounce your ideas off of. The funny thing is that it's been so long since I've even opened up some of my decoration boxes that I don't even really remember everything I have so it should be a lot of fun.

Well our moving story is quite interesting so I'll share. We were supposed to close on our house on Feb. 8 but they got some snow down here and when it snows in the south apparently EVERYTHING stops. So the electric company didn't get out to run our electric line to the house. So the builder wasn't able to get in and finish what he needed to do on the inside because it was too cold for them to finish painting so they couldn't finish everything else they needed to do. So delay after delay we finally got word that we would be able to have our final walk through on Feb. 15 and closing on Feb. 16. We had decided that we were going to hire some movers to help us unload our truck since we didn't really know anyone in town to ask to help and we knew I wouldn't be able to help Mark with some of the heavy stuff. Plus I didn't have anyone to pass my kids on to so I knew I would need to keep track of them also. So as soon as we found out when our closing was going to be we called our movers and informed them and they said they would be able to be at the house about 2:00 p.m. and they would call about a half hour before to get directions. GREAT!!! Everything is coming together. So at 11:00 a.m. Mark and I (and all three kids) arrived at the lawyer's office to sign all our mountains worth of paperwork. All that came off without a hitch. We are finally homeowners again!

God really blessed us with a HUGE blessing and gave us an unused warehouse to keep our truck through all of this waiting. We were so thankful for that so we didn't have to worry about someone breaking into our truck and stealing everything we owned while it sat for 11 days. So after the closing Mark went to get the truck and I drove through a drive through and got lunch for all of us and then we met up at the house about 1:00. We ate our lunch and then started unloading some of the little things that were last minutes things at the back of the truck. It got to be 2:00 and no movers had called or shown up so I start making phone calls to the office and to the cell phone number I had for the company. No answer! (Oh by the way...I'm sick with some kind of cold and completely exhausted already...in fact I am still struggling with it 2 and a half weeks after I came down with it). I didn't have much of a voice so the next couple of times we tried to call Mark called since it was getting harder for me to talk as the day went on. In the mean time some of our neighbors came over to introduce themselves and asked it we had anyone to help us. We explained the situation to them and they offered to go get some dolly's and help out. We were so thankful. So they come back to help and I helped Mark with a few things and then I got a phone call. While I was dealing with that and trying to figure out what was going on with our nonexistent movers whom we had already paid for and putting Abigail down for a much needed nap (which included finding and setting up the port-a-crib for her to sleep in) our neighbors were helping Mark unload the truck. I finally got to a point where I was ready to go back out and help with the unloading again and as soon as I walked out our neighbors said "well, since your wife isn't helping we aren't going to break our backs to help out anymore." They took their dolly's and went home. WHAT?????? Mark and I just stopped in our tracks and looked at each other in total astonishment and were completely speechless. We didn't know what to say. So we thanked them for their help and Mark and I started working on our own. By this time I'm to the point of utter exhaustion because not only have we just been through everything that we've gone through in the last 3 months but I'm sick with a horrible something and all I want to do is sleep, our movers haven't shown up and I'm angry about that, my kids are hungry and tired (the boys didn't get a nap that day) and we still have half a truck to unload. Mark and I worked for a little longer and then he sent me to find us something to drink. So I went to the gas station to get some water and while I was gone he called a guy he works with and asked if he might be able to come and help us finish unloading the truck. So he did and we are so thankful for his help. We are really thankful for the help we got from our neighbors too because they helped with several of the big items that I would have really struggled with so I'm very thankful for that. I still can't believe they said what they did and left. I'm trying to figure out where exactly they live so I can bake some cookies to take them and thank them for their help just so they know that we love the Lord and are willing to put all that behind us to develop a good relationship with them instead of being angry and bitter. I'm not sure exactly which house they live in as it's down the road a little and maybe even around the corner. Pray with us that we'll be able to be a shining light and testimony through this unfortunate event.

Also please pray that I will get over whatever this sickness is that I have. I am still very weak and get very tired after not doing much. I have been to the doctor and he gave me some medication but it makes me dizzy and light headed so I've stopped taking it. I am also dealing with a cough that won't go away but thankfully it's not waking me up at night anymore so I'm getting good sleep. Today I started to get a bad sinus headache with it all and I'm just very ready to start feeling well again. All this has made moving and settling in very difficult.

Thank you all for all your prayers and support during this time. I really will try to get some pictures up soon also.

Homeless

2011-02-11T13:53:00.002-06:00

Last Friday we loaded up our "big yellow truck" (in the words of my precious children) and closed on our house in Iowa. We spent Friday night with Mark's parents and headed out for Memphis on Saturday morning. We arrived in Memphis on Sunday night with plans to close on our house here on Tuesday and move in. Well....things have changed. We are still living in a hotel and our "big yellow truck" is still loaded with all of our belongings. We found out the electric company had not yet run the electric line to the house. Therefore the builder could not finish the work that needed to be done inside. You see for some reason the cold Iowa temperatures and snow decided to follow us to Memphis. Granted it warmed up a little on the way but if you have ever been in the South when it snows you know that not only do the schools shut down due to the prospect of snow but so does everything else. For example on Wednesday we got a pretty good amount of snow. I think it was around 4-5 inches and I'll even give them the fact that they don't have sufficient snow removal equipment for the city BUT at about 6:45 Wednesday night (there was no church) we finally were going to find something to eat for supper. We drove around the corner to Panera....closed, then we went to Olive Garden....closed, Chick-Fil-A...closed. Finally we drove past a Wendy's that appeared to still be open so we drove in quickly to get in before they closed. They were open but as we walked out the door about 45 minutes later they locked the doors behind us and closed. So if it snows no work gets done.

We got word this morning that the electric company was finally able to get out sometime yesterday to the house and run the line. PRAISE THE LORD!!!! So now we have to wait for the builder to get their last few things completed, lay the sod, and get the final inspection to receive the certificate of occupancy. They are telling us today that worst case it will be Wednesday but we're all pushing to see if we can get in before. (I'm praying for Monday!)

So we continue to be homeless for a few more days. God has really blessed in some ways though. Mark's company has a warehouse they aren't using right now and they allowed us to pull our truck into the warehouse which has relieve a tremendous amount of stress. I can't imagine how little sleep we would be getting if we were constantly worrying about the truck. Also the builder is compensating us for the extra charges we are incurring due to having to keep the truck for longer than we should have needed it. God also provided a wonderful friend who allowed me to go to her house and do laundry yesterday (I only packed enough clothes to make it through Wednesday of this week).

God is still good no matter what difficulties we face. He is faithful and has a reason for even this.

Hopefully we'll get moved in next week and then I'll try to get some pictures posted as soon as we get Internet up and running at the house.

Closing

2011-01-19T14:05:00.004-06:00

It looks like all the details are coming together and the buyers of our house will be able to close on February 4. We are very excited to see things coming together. The only other hurdle to cross is the inspection tomorrow afternoon. Pray they don't find anything that will cause this deal to not go through. God has been so faithful and I'm sure He will continue to work out all the details according to His plan.

We are trying to get details together to be able to close on the house we are buying on February 8. I am very excited about this and will plan to take lots of pictures and post them once we get there. For now this will have to do.

I took this picture just after signing the offer to buy.

Our realtor sent this to me last week.

Update

2011-01-17T15:33:00.002-06:00

Our life continues to be hectic and crazy. Since my last update we have travelled to Texas to celebrate Christmas with my parents and grandpa. We had a wonderful time with them relaxing and being together. I felt especially grateful this year to be able to spend time with my grandpa. This year he moved to Texas to live with my parents so I get the privilege of seeing him much more often. (Several time a year as opposed to once every few years.) After we left there we drove to Memphis to spend a week with Mark. While I was there I was able to find a house that we love but I will give all those details once I know that everything is going to work out. Last week we drove home and Mark turned around 27 hours later and drove back to Memphis so he could be to work on Monday. I spent the week getting paper work in line for an offer on our house. We are so excited that God is selling our house for us without a realtor and only weeks after putting the sign in our yard. We are waiting now for the last few things to come together on this end and then we will be making aggressive strides toward moving to Memphis. Pray with us that the couple who made the offer will be able to get their loan approval and that the inspection will come through as satisfactory. Also pray that it might happen quickly so we can get back together as a family as soon as possible. It just breaks our hearts every time Andrew cries because daddy is leaving us for the week. God is working this out according to His plan and for our good. So in Him we trust.

"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith -- that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breath and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen"

--Ephesians 3:14-21

Christmas

2010-12-28T22:48:00.005-06:00

Christmas morning at our house came a little early. Our plans this year are a little crazy and we wanted our kids to be able to enjoy the gifts we gave them before everything got all hectic and crazy. So Thursday morning was Christmas...

We began our morning with Mark reading the Christmas story to us from Luke 2. This kids were so excited that I'm not sure they were listening but since we've been talking to them about what the true meaning of Christmas is then Andrew was able to answer my questions. Why do we celebrate Christmas? Because it's Jesus' birthday. Why did Jesus leave heaven to come as a baby to live on this earth? To save us from our sins. Why do we need to be saved from our sins? So we can live in heaven with Jesus...Even a 4 year old can understand.

After reading the Christmas story we opened presents

After we got everything opened we put their toys together and they got to play while I made breakfast...

Homemade donuts...yummmm

After breakfast we opened stockings

And I put their new train table together

The next day, Christmas Eve, we got over 7 inches of snow (on top of the 1-2 we already had). It was a beautiful snow and the temperatures were not crazy cold and the winds were calm so what could be do other then go out and play...

The next two days we spent with Mark's family and enjoyed celebrating with everyone on his side of the family. Monday morning we got up bright and early and drove 19 hours (on 3.5 hours of sleep) to my parent's house and we are now enjoying some time with my parents and grandpa.

We have had a great time of being with family and I'm so thankful for the time we have been able to spend with everyone.

I hope you too have enjoyed a wonderful Christmas of not only spending time with family and friends and opening presents but most of all thinking about the true reason we celebrate...the birth of our Savior who has come to earth so He could make the ultimate sacrifice and save us from our sins.

A little confession time and Christmas celebrations

2010-12-15T14:55:00.008-06:00

I have internet again! Sorry I haven't blogged much lately but once we moved to Iowa and started looking into the cost of getting internet without signing a 2 year agreement we decided to not get it. Then I realized that I depend on it way too much with all the necessary things in life to not have it. So I looked around some more and found a great deal with no contracts. My stuff arrived today and we are up and running. Praise the Lord!

I am finally starting to feel a little more in the Christmas mood. I've kind of felt out of it this year with all that is going on in life. I was bitter and angry about our current life circumstances and didn't want to be in the mood for Christmas because frankly I was mad at God. Well, God has been working on my heart (thanks for all of you praying for me) and I've decided that there is no good in being mad at God or bitter about my current life circumstances. The only thing anger and bitterness brings is more anger and bitterness and no problems get solved (just more problems occur). To be honest I had a very hard time writing my last blog about being thankful. I didn't want to be thankful about anything. But I know it was good for me to remind myself of what a great God we do have. After writing that blog I began to think about the fact that I STILL serve the same God (He hasn't changed at all) who met our needs in the final hour time and time again this last year. What makes me think that He isn't going to prove Himself to be good again with this situation? I've started praying again and reading my Bible again and it's amazing that God didn't change but I have started to change. God is good and He is working all things out for my good. I still have my bad days that I cry a lot (Monday and Thursday usually) but things really are getting better. I am starting to think on things that are true instead of allowing Satan to fill my head with lies that God doesn't care about me. I know my God cares and loves me. Why else would He have sent His Son?...

Which bring me to our Christmas celebrations...

Our Christmas celebrations began at Thanksgiving when my kids got to help their ahma (grandma from the mouths of babes) decorate her Christmas tree. They had such a great time but I'm not sure who had more fun...the kids...or...my mom? I know she very much enjoyed helping them decorate her tree.

My mom also bought them their Christmas outfits and since we won't be there on the weekend of Christmas we had them wear them to church the Sunday after Thanksgiving. They look so cute!

This week the kids Christmas present arrived from my sister and her family in Brazil so they got to open it up and begin enjoying it. They got the Little People Nativity set and it has been played with more than any other toy in our house since they opened that box. Thanks Christen it was such a GREAT idea! I love it too!

Andrew was a part of the Sunday School Christmas program at our church this year. He was a shepherd and they sang a couple of songs and did a little poem. He is in the 3's and 4's class and it was adorable. Andrew is on the front row on the far end...the only kids who wanted to wear a hat.

We still have more to come since Christmas hasn't yet arrived. I am so glad that I can say with my mouth and feel in my heart that I'm excited about the things to come. This weekend is our Adult Christmas program which I get to be a part of a small ensemble. We are singing a great song and it is sounding really good. I'm very excited to be able to be a part of the program this year. We also still have our Christmas celebrations with Mark's family and my family and our own little celebration at our house on Christmas morning.

I'm so glad the God loved us so much to send His Son to this earth to pay the sacrifice for our sins. I am more humbled that He sent His Son to be a baby in a poor family and be born in a stable. Thank you Father for Your great sacrifice.

Merry Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T18:47:00.003-06:00

I can't believe that it is November let alone already the end of Thanksgiving Day. Where has this year gone? I know I say that every year about this time but this year it seems very surreal. As always I like to take a few minutes to reflect on the year and remember what God has done for us throughout the last 12 months. As I look back over my notes from the past year I am again reminded of all the blessings that God has given.

1. I am so thankful for my children. Andrew turned 4 this year and is growing like crazy. He is such and intelligent boy who is really growing up into a caring and loving child. He started AWANA this year and loves to learn verses and is asking many great questions about God and salvation. I believe that it won't be long before he realizes his own need for salvation and I look forward to him making that commitment. Josiah turned 2 this year and has really come a long way in his learning. He is growing up to be his own little person. He is such a boy! He loves to cuddle and make car and shooting noises all the time. He is such a delight to be around (most of the time). Abigail turned 1 this year and as I look at her I can't believe that she is already so big. She learned to walk and run and be the little mother to her big brothers. Her vocabulary is really developing and it is so fun to see her learning and growing.

2. I am so thankful for Mark. This year has had many challenges and I am so thankful for a husband who will listen to me talk and cry and get out my emotions. He has been so wonderful and gracious to me this year. I am truly blessed to have a husband who not only loves me and our kids but also loves the Lord. He is such an encourager in everything but especially making sure that we are all growing in our relationships with the Lord. I am so thankful that he cares for us so much.

3. I am so thankful for a God who cares about the little things in our lives. This year I look back on the details surrounding our 2 moves and see so many things God did to work out details that only He could have done. It also amazes me how God has worked out some details about our house to get some needed repairs done as well as getting our new van this year. It is only something that God could orchestrate. He cares so much about all the details in our lives.

4. I am thankful that God still works miracles. Last year in December one of my cousins started to have heart trouble. A few months later the doctors gave him three options that ended with dying and today he has a new heart and kidneys and is gaining strength and enjoying his wife and kids and serving the Lord again. Only God could have done that!

5. I am thankful for extended family. This year I got to go to Ohio and help get things closed up at my grandpa's house so he could move in with my parents. This week I have the privilege of enjoying Thanksgiving with him which I haven't been able to do in years. I also am so thankful that my parents have taken me and the kids in and helped me out as Mark has been working away from home. I am so thankful for their help and love and full of gratitude for their support. I am thankful for Mark's family as they came and helped us with our most recent move. They helped us drive one of our cars back to Iowa as well as helping with unloading and watching the kids for us while we worked.

6. I am so thankful for the Word of God. This year has had many challenges and every time I get discouraged I am brought to the Word of God and find encouragement and strength from the Lord. I am so thankful that God loved us so much to give us His Word.

7. I am so thankful for a mom and sister who are a constant encouragement and loving support to me through the trials I have endured. I am thankful they pray for me on a daily basis and are always there no matter the physical distance that separates us.

8. I am thankful for friends who have helped and encouraged us along the way as well. God has brought just the right person at the right time to encourage in a way that they may never know what a blessing they were to us.

As we come to the end of year make sure you take time to reflect over your past year and give God the praise for what He has done for you.

Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise! Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you. All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name." Selah --Psalm 66:1-4

2010-11-16T14:45:00.003-06:00

Much has happened since my last update. (Some happenings include pictures while other will not.)

I celebrated my 31 birthday. Mark brought home a cake for us to all enjoy, bought me a present, and took me on a date which included a nice dinner (without kids) and bowling. It ended up being a great birthday. I didn't think it was going to be such a nice time because of all that was happening with our life but thanks to my wonderful husband it ended up being very enjoyable.

The kids played in our backyard in Kansas for the last time.

We moved to our house in Iowa and my little monkeys have already found a great climbing tree in our front yard. We also have visited some old friends and the kids are starting to find new friends. We are enjoying the opportunity to reconnect with friends from our church.

Mark and I celebrated our 6 wedding anniversary. Mark's mom came and watched the kids for us and we were able to enjoy dinner, a movie, and shopping together. I can't believe it has already been 6 years.

Andrew informed me that he is going to be a shepherd in the Christmas program and I am singing with a small ensemble for the church Christmas program. We are very happy to be able to just fit right back in to our church family.

Much has changed on the job front for Mark. We are no longer planning to move to Illinois in the spring. His company is trying to decide if they might want him to transfer to their office in Memphis. So for right now Mark is flying to Memphis every Monday morning and flying home every Friday afternoon. They are trying to see if that office might be a good fit for him to work in as they are wanting to grow that office. Once they decide if that is where they want him then we will move there. If it is not where they want him then I'm sure they will give us more information at that time.

The first two weeks Mark was gone I stayed home in Iowa and worked on some projects to get the house back up into good shape. We are starting the process of trying to sell it and we want to get it looking nice to put it on the market. This past weekend Mark and I drove to visit my parents in Texas and Mark will travel from here. Next week he has vacation so we will plan to stay here and enjoy Thanksgiving with my family. Then the next week the kids and I will be with Mark in Tennessee.

This transition time has been hard on all of us. The kids miss their daddy (so do I!!!) and he misses all of us. We are praying that this time will go by quickly and we will all be living back together under one roof very soon. I am very thankful though for the opportunity to spend some time with my family and my mom has been a great help to me with the kids. Hopefully I'll get my camera out and start taking pictures again soon.

We'll try to keep you updated about what happens.

Quick update...or not

2010-10-22T14:08:00.004-05:00

Sorry I haven't blogged much this month. We are moving in a week and I have been busy with packing and all things related to moving. We are making good progress and hopefully we will be able to get everything finished up by the beginning of next week.

Packing to move is such a tricky thing...you still have to survive! =) You can't finish packing the kitchen until you are done cooking, you don't want to be done cooking until as late as possible (who wants to eat out for every meal for several week?). Well actually it doesn't sound all that bad until you do it and then you don't want to eat out again for a couple of months. Also, you can't finish packing the closet (you still need clothes), the bathroom (hopefully you feel the need to shower), and the laundry room (since we are still wearing clean clothes everyday). All that to say that there are many mostly packed places in our house right now with only a few that are totally finished. Next week I will work on disassembling beds and finishing up all the mostly packed rooms. Things are coming along.

The kids have been doing well with all the upheaval. They are surviving with minimal toys and are enjoying lots of time in the back yard. Thankfully it has been nice so they can be out there. They have been very good for the most part these last couple of weeks for which I am very thankful.

It is finally starting to set in that we are actually leaving this place to move away permanently. We haven't met a lot of people here or have very many friends but the ones we do have we have started the process of saying goodbye. This week was supposed to be my last time to go to my Bible study that I have been attending for more than two years. I ended up sick on Monday and Tuesday this week so I didn't get to attend. I was very sad not to get to say goodbye to those dear friends in person. Several have emailed and it has been nice to read their notes. This Sunday will be our last at our church here. I will sing one more time for special music and Sunday night they will have a going away party for us. That will be the last time we will see most of them (some we will see one more time on Wednesday night). There isn't a ton about this town I will miss. Mostly just a few people who have been willing to invest in the lives of our family for our short time here. I will not miss our tiny mall with 6 stores or the fact that we really only have Walmart as a place to shop. I can't wait to shop at a Fareway or Hy-Vee again as I'm greatly missed having a nice grocery store. I can't wait to be able to run to Target to buy baby wipes (instead of driving 60+ miles to the closest Target). But I will miss my newly found friend who moved in next door to me this summer. I will miss our chats on the sidewalk while yelling at our kids to stay away from the street and then later searching for our children in the other person's house. I will miss sharing the Gospel with her but will continue to keep in contact while I pray that someday she might come to know Christ as her personal Savior.

I guess all that to say that maybe it will be a little harder to leave than originally thought. I guess there are some people I will miss (most of which I know I will see again, if not here, in Eternity. And the rest hopefully they too will come to know Christ soon so we can be together for eternity as well).

This may be my last post from Kansas as next week posses to be very busy! Talk to you soon...

Seeds Planted!

2010-10-07T14:59:00.004-05:00

Monday night about 10:00 we heard a knock at our door and Mark went to go answer it. It was my neighbor desperate for someone to watch her son for her in the morning because she had just found out that her babysitter who is pregnant and due sometime in November was in the hospital. I told her I would definitely be able to help her out with whatever she needed but that I was planning to go to my Bible study on Tuesday morning and her son would have to go with me. She agreed and in the morning she brought her son over to our house.

My neighbor called her nanny to see if she was doing better and what the situation was with her and she said she was better and would be able to return to work on Wednesday morning as normal. So in the morning my neighbor knocks on my door again and tells me that her nanny never showed up and she won't answer her phone. Again I take her son and we have a great time playing together.

My kids think it's great to have a friend coming over to play all day for two days in a row. They did really well and had a blast playing.

In the midst of all of this I have been praying since she moved in next door that God would open up an opportunity for me to witness to her. So when all of this happened I started praying harder about it and asking others to pray too. We are having revival meetings at our church starting on Sunday so I invited her to that and was hoping that would open up the door. Yesterday it didn't because with 4 kids running around it gets a little hectic and conversations move around quickly.

Today I have been praying all day that I might get another chance. I also knew I now had at least Mark, my mom, and my sister praying for me too. She got home a little early today and the revival meetings invitation got brought up again (by her) and so I jumped right in with asking about her church background and sharing a little of what I believe. (All the while praying that God would make the kids stop fighting and screaming and tearing things up.) I was able to plant some seeds and talk to her some but I am still praying that I might be able to have even more of a chance. I bought her a Bible today and am anxious for it to arrive so I can give it to her. Please pray that she might come to know the Lord as her Savior.

After she left this morning I decided to have a talk with Andrew about how important it is that he not be a distraction when mommy and daddy are trying to tell someone about Jesus. Andrew asked if everyone gets to go to heaven and I told him no but that we have to tell God that we believe He sent His Son to die for us and pay the price for our sins. I got the opportunity to answer some really great questions he had and he asked if he could pray and ask Jesus to save him. Now I don't know that he really understands everything but I do know that my little boy's heart is soft toward God and we are going to continue to teach him and help him to grow. He does love the Lord. I am so excited that God has brought about all these wonderful happenings in my life this week.

God is great!

Moving on...

2010-09-27T14:53:00.002-05:00

Our 18 to 20 month stay in Kansas (which actually ended up being 26 months) is coming to an end. We finally found out that we are moving at the end of October. I am relieved to know a little more of what the future holds for our family and can finally start making plans for the next step. It has been a long time of waiting to hear what God was going to have in store for us next and I have to admit that I have not always been patient in my waiting. But God is good and continues to work out all the details according to His plan.

We will be temporarily moving back into our house in Iowa. God worked out that detail for us so well as our tenants just moved out a month and a half ago and since we weren't exactly sure what was going to happen with us we decided to just hang on to it and let it sit while we awaited word from Mark's company about what was next. Isn't God good how He works out the timing of things?!?

After an unknown time in Iowa we will be moving to Illinois for the next project that Mark's company has lined up for him to work on. We aren't exactly sure yet when that move will occur but at least we know where and what he will be doing next. I'm sure that in the meantime something else could come up and everything might change but for now we have something to work towards. I am hoping for a little time where things may be able to slow down and we might get a chance to take some much needed family vacation time.

Though we will miss our friends we have made here we are looking forward to being able to rejoin our church family that we have missed so much. I am hoping we will be around long enough to see two of our three kids get to participate in their first Christmas program. I am also looking forward to singing in choir again. Yesterday I got to sit in on choir practice at my brother's church and I realized how much I have missed that area of ministry.

We are so thankful for God's faithfulness in our lives. We are so grateful for the job Mark has and what a great company he works for. We appreciate his company and praise the Lord everyday for the opportunity to work for them. God is good and we can trust in Him! Thanks everyone for all your prayers for us. Continue to pray for us as we go through this next month of transition.

A Train, Caterpillar, and Babies?

2010-09-16T10:50:00.006-05:00

There is a small train that runs behind our zoo and we finally went to check it out. The kids had a blast and we got to ride around the track 4 times. Our tickets we bought for $0.50 each were a coupon for free ice cream cones at McDonald's. I think it was well worth our $4 and eight ice cream cones we get to enjoy!

Andrew found a pet Caterpillar in our bushes right outside our front door. We have watched our new little friend eat and grow over the last couple of weeks. He was always there and we were hoping that we might get to watch him build his cocoon but the ivy that he was so busy munching on didn't have enough leaves and he has moved on to someplace else. I think he might still be in there someplace but we haven't been able to spot him for the last few days.

How many babies do I have? Josiah just figured out how to climb into Abigail's bed. The other day this is what I found...

I guess as long as they don't do it while she's sleeping it's not that big of a deal but we are trying to put a stop to it since I don't think Abigail would like to have a big brother landing on her in the middle of the night. But even so...it's cute!

Cubbies

2010-09-08T16:15:00.004-05:00

We decided to put Andrew in AWANA this year and he is LOVING it! He wants to wear his vest all day (and night). I don't let him sleep in it but you can count on him bringing it to me first thing in the morning. He is doing a great job and loves learning his verses. He is very excited about earning his patches for his vest and you can find him several times through out the days looking through his book. We are so pleased that he is so excited about learning and memorizing God's Word.

Pictures

2010-08-27T14:58:00.005-05:00

I haven't been taking a lot of pictures lately but here's a few I thought you might enjoy...

Abigail sporting her eye protection

Andrew joining in on the fun

Last weekend Mark and I were in our room packing for a spur of the minute trip to Kansas City and when we came out this was what we found in the hallway right outside our door...

The Verdict...

2010-08-24T10:24:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I left about noon and headed out for my hour long trip to visit the allergist. Upon arriving I was immediately taken back to the room (that's never happened to me before, I have ALWAYS had to wait in the waiting room). After doing all the routine stuff with the nurse (and a few extra) I had a nice long discussion with my new allergist. Then he sent in the nurse to start the allergy testing. They started off by testing me for 40 different trees, grasses, molds, dust mites, and roaches. After 15 minutes of waiting for the reaction nothing showed up. So the nurse went and talked with the doctor and then came back with 9 shots that included 2 kinds of ragweed, 5 molds, and 2 kinds of dust mites. After another 15 minute wait for the reaction I found out that I am allergic to 3 molds and both kinds of dust mites. The doctor thinks my theory might be correct about the mold problem in our house and gave me some suggestions of what to do since we don't own it and don't plan on tearing out any walls anytime soon. He also put me on an antihistamine to take every day and I'm already feeling better. I plan on doing several of the things he suggested to see if those help as well. So hopefully the itching, rashes, and tight throat are soon to be a thing of the past.

Thanks for your prayers!

Luck or God?

2010-08-20T16:46:00.002-05:00

I have been having some bad allergic reactions to something. I'm not sure what and it is getting to be more than I can handle. Last week I went to the doctor and he gave me a six day steroid regime and told me to take Benadryl too. So I did as directed and the rash I had went away but my itching never stopped. The rash is returning as well as the intense itching. I also am now have a tightening in my throat that makes eating difficult and the worry of not being able to breath is very real. So I called my doctor today and told the nurse that I wanted to try to get in to see an allergist but knew that I would have to travel to a different town at least 60 to 100 miles away and it's Friday so I knew that wasn't going to happen today. But I need something to keep me out of the ER this weekend. So she told me she would talk to my doctor and make the call to the out of town allergist to get me an appointment and then would call me back. So a couple of hours later she calls to tell me that when she called the allergist they were booked solid until mid-October. While she was on the phone with them trying to explain that I really needed to get in as soon as possible and mid-October was not soon enough they got a call for a cancellation on Monday afternoon. She made the appointment for me and called me back. One of the first things she told me was how lucky I was and that I needed to go out and buy a lottery ticket!

I am not lucky in those terms but rather I have a God who cares so much about me that He works things out so intricately and perfectly in order to care for me. So I am lucky not as the world views it but rather the Lord's Unconditional Care and Kindness to You! My God is so good!

Now to make it through the weekend and hopefully Monday afternoon I will be able to find out what is causing me all these problems.

Weekly Wrap

2010-08-15T17:14:00.003-05:00

It's been awhile again since I've posted a blog. So here's an update of what we've been up to...

EXCESSIVE HEAT ADVISORIES
We haven't been doing much other than hanging out in the house because it has been so hot. The daily temps have been over 100 and the heat indexes have been 110+. Our thermometer in our backyard has read 118-122 most days. That's in the sun but still...too hot to play in our backyard.

IOWA
Our tenants moved out of our house in Iowa so we made a trip up there to check them out and get some things in order. Mark also got to run in a 5K that weekend spent a little time with family.

SICK KIDS
This week we have the privilege of cuddling with our kids a lot (well in between cleaning up the floor and doing laundry). So far Abigail and Andrew have been the worst but Josiah is showing signs that his turn is coming. Hopefully mom and dad don't get it.

Sorry for no pictures as there hasn't been much to pull the camera out for. Just a bunch of crying, cuddling, and cleaning.

Where's the Beef?

2010-08-15T17:06:00.002-05:00

Mark was humoring me for a picture =)

Mark brought home a side of beef this week. I can't say I've ever had that much beef in my house at one time. Last night it took us about 45 minutes to cut this huge 10 pound slab of beef into steaks and fajita meat. Anyone want to join us for a cookout?

We're still alive

2010-07-30T16:18:00.006-05:00

It's been a while since I updated my blog. We travelled the first two weekends of the month then I had to play catch up on life. I think we're making progress.

We are just about to complete week two of potty training and we are being very successful this time. Josiah had been acting very interested in using the potty and had started telling me when he was dirty. Then he started telling me he wanted to "wet" so I gave it a try. After the first two days of many accidents we started to have some success. He is doing very well but far from "trained". Yesterday was the first time he woke up from nap dry so we celebrated that. I feel like I have spent much of the last two weeks sitting in the bathroom and doing laundry. BUT it will all be worth it in the end so we keep on! =)

I just wanted to share of couple of cute pictures of all the kids. They are all growing up so fast. Andrew has really developed recently in his reasoning skills. He is starting to understand why things happen and it's fun to see his little brain working overtime.

Abigail is starting to show some signs of becoming daddy's little girl. Several nights recently she just gets her blankie and goes and cuddles up with daddy. It's very cute. Her vocabulary is growing like crazy as she repeats everything she hears. She is talking about as well as Josiah. I am starting to feel like I have twins. I've always heard people say that girls develop faster then boys but I never imagined my 16 month old would be catching up to my two and a half year old. It's fun to watch them play together. They really are becoming friends (well...most of the time).

This week we celebrated Mark's birthday. We didn't do much but we had cake and went up to Topeka to eat out at Chili's. It was fun to spend time together as a family and celebrate Mark's birthday. I am so thankful for a wonderful husband and daddy for our kids. He is such a hard worker and we really appreciate all he does. I praise the Lord for providing such a great man for me.

Last week we had an unexpected surprise when Mark's parents stopped in on their way down I-35. We had supper together with them and spent some time talking. They came by again in the morning and played with the kids for a while and then hit the road. It was fun to spend a little time together with them.

An Eventful Night

2010-07-15T13:18:00.002-05:00

Last night before we headed to bed we watched the news and saw there was a chance of some storms. So we finally got all settled into bed, the kids were sound asleep and we were on our way to a good night sleep. About 12:45 a.m. we woke up to the storm and Mark got up to go make sure everything was fine. It was so he settled back into bed and we were both back to sleep in no time. UNTIL.....the fire alarms started going off! Our fire alarms are all hard wired so if one goes off they all go off. Well, a couple of years ago our townhouse that we live in now burned and someone even died in the fire so we are even more on guard with that in the back of our minds. So as soon as we heard the alarms Mark and I ran as fast as we could upstairs to get our kids out of bed then we rushed downstairs and all of a sudden I'm reminded that it is pouring down raining outside and there is massive amounts of lightning (not exactly a place to be hanging out while you try to figure out if your house is really on fire). So Mark tells me to grab the keys so I grabbed them and ran for the door. By the time we got all three kids in the van we were all soaked. Mark and I neither one saw any smoke in our run through the house to get the kids though Mark said he did think he might have smelled something but wasn't sure if it was his imagination. So he ran back into the house to grab a cell phone so we could call 911. At this point we weren't sure if there was anything wrong but we did know we needed to make sure that it was safe so we decided to go ahead and call 911 to have them send someone to check it out. We weren't sure if the house had been struck by lightning or if something else was going on. We called and they arrived about 5 minutes later. They checked over the house very thoroughly (inside and out) and then told Mark to come in to talk to them out of the rain. Mark went into the house with them and the alarms are all still blaring. They talked for a few minutes and none of them could figure out how to get the alarms to shut off. So the firemen told us to call our maintenance people and ask them to help us out and they left. We called both numbers we had. One was the office and we knew they weren't going to answer that one (they don't answer it during the day what makes you think they will answer it at 1:30 a.m.) and the other was their emergency number (a cell phone which had been shut off for the night and went directly to voicemail). I was very upset at this point because we now have three very wide awake kids and it is nearing 2:00 a.m. and there is NO way possible we can even have them set foot back in the house with all the alarms still going off. They were scared and not sure of what was going on. So we decided to call our Pastor and his wife and ask them if we could come and crash their house at 2:00 a.m. and of course being the giving people they are welcomed us to come on over. So Mark ran through the house one more time grabbing clothes for all of us and all the stuff he would need for going to work in just four and a half more hours and we closed the door on our still blaring fire alarms and headed over to our Pastor's house. We went in and got the kids settled in and finally got a couple more hours of sleep.

Mark left their house this morning about 6:30 to go see if our house was still standing and what the situation was then called to tell me that it was in fact still there and all of the alarms had stopped except for one that was trying to work but struggling. So Mark pulled out the ladder and proceeded to pull that one alarm off the ceiling and a bunch of water ran out of it. So he pulled the battery out of it and headed to work. After I got up and got the kids dressed and fed I headed back to the house to check things out so I would have first hand information to give our landlords when I called them again this morning. I pulled in the driveway and could hear the alarms blaring out of the house. I ran in and took a look around a little and the one he had pulled the battery out of was still struggling to work (they are hard wired into the house) and all the others were going strong. I pulled out my phone to call the landlord again but still to no avail. I decided that the only other thing I could do is go to their office with all three of my very tired children and sit there until someone decides to help me out. I arrived and didn't have to even get out of the parking lot when the head maintenance guy overheard me say something and came to investigate what the problem was. I gave him the whole story and he said he would send a guy over right away and that he would be over as soon as he took care of one other pressing issued that had come up overnight. I headed home and the maintenance guy was there before me. I let him in the house and showed him which one had water in it and he went and got the tools to disconnect it and as soon as it was disconnected all the other alarms stopped. They did a little more hunting around to find out where the water had come from and replaced my fire alarms and all is well again in the Lee household (except we are all still a little sleep deprived so the kids are EXTRA whiny today). My landlord finally called me back at 9:40 this morning to find out if our problem had been resolved and she told me that she was sorry she had turned her phone off last night but she was tired and really wanted to sleep. We aren't sure we'd ever recommend anyone rent from these people as there has never been good service from them but we are thankful for a place to live and most of all for God's protection and provision for us through the night. Now on to nap time!

Parade & Midnight Madness

2010-07-13T13:51:00.007-05:00

Last weekend we made a trip to Iowa to care for a few things we needed to get done and we got to enjoy a few fun things as well. Saturday morning we met up with one of Mark's sister and her family and were able to watch a parade. It was a ton of fun and after the parade was over we headed back to Mark's sister's house for lunch with the family.

Abigail loved watching all the floats go by and even danced a little when some of them had music.

We were getting a little weary at the end but the kids were still enjoying time outside. (The parade was 2 1/2 hours long.)

After lunch we headed back to Mark's parents house for nap time and when the kids woke up we headed to Ames for Midnight Madness. Mark ran in their 10K and wanted to finish in the top 100 men so he could get a mug. He did very well and finished at 42:54.

Our brother-in-law and one of our nephew's (9 year's old) ran in the 5K and came in under 28 minutes. They did great too. So we all got to enjoy watching them all run. The kids were getting a little tired as it was getting later but they all did great.

This is Mark nearing the finish line...

AND THE MUG!

He made it...he place 89th in the men's division and 100th overall. Good job Mark!

Family Fun

2010-07-07T11:02:00.008-05:00

To celebrate the 4th of July we drove to Dallas and met up with my parents and grandpa to spend the weekend together. It was such a relaxing time. The hotel we stayed in had a great pool which the kids all LOVED!

We hung out in our room playing games, watching TV, and just enjoying each other's company.

On Saturday we went to the Dallas Galleria and walked around for several hours. The kids loved the ice skating rink in the middle of the mall and all the balloons they had around to decorate for the 4th of July.

Sunday we decided to visit Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship where Dr. Tony Evans is the Pastor. We have never attended a mega church before so it was definitely a new experience for us all but I think I could get used to that kind of preaching. He spoke on putting on the Helmet of Salvation from Ephesians 6. It was a very challenging sermon. We wanted to put the kids in the nursery (which I'm really glad we did since it was a 2 hour service) so we had to walk across the street to a separate (huge) building and check our kids in at 4 different locations before they were all in their classes. It took us 20 minutes to go through this process so I'm glad we were early. I'm really glad we went because it was something I had always wanted to experience and we were able to be at a church that taught the Word of God.

We had a wonderful time of being together as a family. I was so thankful too that my grandpa was there as I haven't been able to spend a lot of time with him in many years. What a blessing it is to be together as a family.

ER Visit and X-Rays

2010-06-23T13:50:00.003-05:00

Yesterday afternoon Andrew started to complain that his arm hurt. Well, with Andrew something ALWAYS hurts so I didn't really pay attention. He kind of whined about it during nap time and I just assumed it was his ploy to get out of taking a nap. I made supper and we all ate and when we were finished I was helping him wash his hands. He usually does that by himself so had I not helped him I still wouldn't have noticed. But when I went to get him to turn his hand up to put it under the water he said ouch and wouldn't turn his hand. So I decided I better look into this hurt arm of his. I looked and noticed a little swelling and when I asked him to turn his hand in different directions he wouldn't do it. He was also favoring it a lot and not using it when he was playing. Mark and I decided that it would be best to take him to the emergency room for x-rays just to make sure it wasn't broken or fractured or anything. So after a few phone calls we found a babysitter for Josiah and Abigail and off to the hospital we went. They were pretty quick which made me happy (we were only away from home for about an hour and a half). They took down all the information and ask a bunch of questions about how it happened (which we still have no idea) and then the x-ray machine came in. The lady was great with Andrew and even let him take an x-ray of his doggie. The prognosis is that he sprained his wrist. I wish we knew what happened but I'm not sure Andrew even really knows. We were sent home with instructions to ice it for 2 days and try to keep it elevated. So we are going to be watching lots of cartoons for the next 2 days. Good thing it's blazing hot outside and we don't want to be out there anyway.

Andrew is very proud of his doggie x-ray and wants me to hang it in his room.

Breakfast

2010-06-18T08:38:00.003-05:00

Josiah is getting really good at eating cereal with milk in it and then drinking his milk. He's so cute to watch.

Yesterday the boys were both done eating breakfast and were up and running around. Abigail was still eating. I needed to run to the other room for just a minute. When I came back this is what I found...

Needless to say I am better about remembering to strap her into her seat...especially if I am going to step out of the room for a moment.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-06-16T10:41:00.002-05:00

Touch a Truck

2010-06-14T08:55:00.005-05:00

A few weeks ago we went to an event here in town called Touch a Truck. They brought in a bunch of different trucks (garbage, tow, fire, ambulance, police, school bus, and the art mobile) and let the kids climb in, touch the buttons, explore and ask whatever questions they wanted. The boys had a great time.

Josiah "driving" the fire truck

On the garbage truck the man let the kids work the lever that grabs hold of the garbage can and dumps it into the truck. The boys both thought that was a blast.

He looks like he's taking this job very seriously.

The kids had so much fun getting to explore these trucks and cars. It was a fun experience for them.

Happy 4th Birthday Andrew!

2010-05-21T14:21:00.006-05:00

Today we're celebrating Andrew's 4th birthday. It's been so much fun! We started out the morning with pancakes...yummm!

Daddy came home for lunch and after we were done eating we opened presents...I don't think Andrew could have waited much longer...he has been very excited all morning.

After daddy left to go back to work he played outside with his new favorite toys...the water gun and goggles. He's so funny!

Later tonight (after supper at Pizza Ranch) we will eat our fire truck cake.

We are so thankful for this little blessing (that isn't so little anymore) that God has given us. He is such a tenderhearted, sweet boy who already is developing a heart and a mind for God. We pray every day that he will grow up to love the Lord and we can already see that God is working in his heart. I am so blessed to be able to watch my little boy as he is growing into a man. Andrew, you are such a wonderful boy and we are so very thankful that God has allowed us to be your mommy and daddy. We love you and happy birthday!

More thoughts on A Heart for Home

2010-05-14T18:33:00.003-05:00

Today my friend, The Sneaky Mommy, had some great thoughts about our calling for motherhood. If you too are struggling with some of the same thoughts and emotions as I mentioned in my previous post I hope you will read her post and be encouraged as I was.

A Heart for Home

2010-05-13T10:23:00.003-05:00

Recently I have been challenged regarding my heart for my home. I have caught myself feeling like I deserve more than to be stuck at home with three kids all day by myself doing nothing more than cooking, cleaning, changing diapers, failing at potty training, wiping noses, and all that goes into being a stay at home mom. I even told Mark recently that it would be easier for me if I went and got a job then I don't have to deal with all the day to day messes of cooking and cleaning up after 3 meals, changing multiple diapers all day long, and listening to the whining and fighting that goes on between a 3, 2, and 1 year old. I was asking myself, "When do I get to be Laura, the person I used to be, before kids?" "When do I get to go to the store without someone giving me that look of pity or concern, or whatever that looks means that people give you when you walk into a store with 3 kids 3 and under?" "When can I go shopping without have to tell your kids over and over again to not touch, get over here, if you touch one more thing we are going to leave?"

But then I listening to Nancy Leigh DeMoss and she was interviewing Janet Lynn Salomon about her metamorphosis into a mom and I was deeply challenged that my heart was not in my home the way it needs to be. Janet Lynn said, "Little obscure jobs done with love become the important things. Little things have great power to transform hearts and values." As I thought about that statement I began to realize that all the little things I do, from cooking a meal to changing a diaper, are the things that are going to be used to transform these people that I am caring for on a daily basis. What greater job is there than to be able to mold these children that God has given me into people who will hopefully one day be great men and women of God, who will be the leaders in our churches, homes, and nation? God has given me this very important job of teaching them to love Him and to desire Him so why am I complaining about the wonderful job God has given me?

In the midst of listening to this 3 day series from Nancy Leigh DeMoss my sister sent me "Wise Words for Moms" by Ginger Plowman that is perfect for helping me to better deal with disciplinary issues. I have also pulled out my copy of "Don't Make Me Count to Three" by Ginger Plowman and am rereading it. I am praying daily that God will give me a heart for my home. I want to love and teach my children in a way that is pleasing to the Lord. I don't want to get to their graduation days and regret not spending time with them or loving them the way that I needed to. I want to spend everyday loving them and teaching them to love the Lord with all their hearts, soul, and strength. Please pray with me that God will continue to develop my heart for my home!

Mother's Day Thoughts

2010-05-08T21:07:00.003-05:00

I am singing tomorrow in church and the words of this song struck me as I was thinking about the challenges of being a mother.

Molding a Masterpiece

By: Ron Hamilton

Master Potter why do You labor all day

Giving such effort to rough worthless pieces of clay?

Why such feeling in Your hands? Why such care in every touch?

Why all the struggle? Your creation is nothing but dust.

I'm molding a masterpiece, a work of great beauty.

I'm molding a masterpiece; My labor's not done.

A trophy, a treasure of worth beyond measure-

I'm molding a masterpiece, a masterpiece of love

Loving Jesus, why are the children all here,

Gathered around You and eagerly clinging so near?

Urgent matters clamor loudly, and the children interfere-

Why do You hold them, and so tenderly dry every tear?

Heavenly Father, sometimes I question Your way:

Why do You ask me to mold simple pieces of clay?

Give me eyes to see the future, though it's hidden from my view;

Give me compassion as I'm molding a treasure for You.

Also, some time ago someone gave me this poem and it has been hanging on my refrigerator. Occasionally I stop to read it again to be reminded of why I do what I do.

I took a piece of plastic clay

And gently fashioned it one day;

And as my fingers pressed it still,

It moved and yielded to my will.

I came again whey days were past;

The bit of clay was hard at last.

The form I gave it still it bore,

But I could change that form no more.

I took a piece of living clay

And gently formed it day by day;

And molded with my power and art

A young child's soft and yielding heart.

I came again when days were gone;

It was a man I looked upon.

He still that early impress wore,

And I could change it never more.

Title and author unknown

So why do I do laundry, wipe noses, change diapers, cook, clean, snuggle, read, kiss boo boo's, drive trains, build train tracks, give baths...because I am molding a treasure for HIM!

I am do blessed to be the mommy of these three precious little ones. Someday, all too soon, I will look back and wish for these laundry filled, runny nose, boo boo kissing days to return.

Wordless Wednesday...almost

2010-05-05T15:39:00.005-05:00

Spring program

Zoo

4-H Petting Zoo

Gripping, Grumbling, & Complaining

2010-05-03T14:57:00.002-05:00

On Sunday our pastor preached a message about gripping, complaining, and grumbling and based his sermon on Numbers 11. His focus was on the Israelites and how they would so easily become discontent with the blessings of God. He talked about how they were quick to become discontent with what had and began to lust after what they had in Egypt. I guess they forgot that they were slaves in Egypt?!? He also talked about how God blessed them with manna. It was a gift, a blessing from God. They began to grumble and complain which was a direct attack on God's provision. Then he talked about Moses and how he was so easily discouraged. But really who wouldn't be? But also that the people were wrong in causing such discouragement. Then the Israelites began to complain about not having any meat to eat so what does God do? He gives them quail...and oh that was so good...until they had eaten quail every day for a month. So often what we want from a lustful heart doesn't bring lasting contentment.

Do you complain about what God has given you? Do you listen to the complaints of others thus bringing about your own discouragement? Are you thankful for what God has given you or do you lust after what other have?

As I was thinking about this message I began to see all the areas of my life that I am gripping, grumbling, and complaining about. I am going to begin striving to be more THANKFUL for what God has blessed me with and think less about what I think I deserve. Because ultimately what I really deserve is eternal separation from God but God in His love, mercy, and grace has given me eternal life WITH God. In light of what He has given me what right do I think I have to grip, grumble, or complain about anything?

Lord, help me to be content with all you have given me. I am so thankful for all the blessings and how you have provided for every need that I have. Thank you for Your Word, my family, and all the material things you have given to me so that I might live a comfortable life. Help me to not want more. I am content with going wherever you lead us. Help us to be a light for You in this dark world.

Family Fun

2010-04-20T13:58:00.004-05:00

For the last month and a half our lives have been so busy. Mark has been working long hours, we found out we had to move (and moved), Abigail's birthday, and a trip to Ohio for a funeral. With all the busyness we haven't had much time for family fun. So the weekend after we moved into our new house Mark suggested we go to Topeka and check out their zoo. It was a gorgeous day and I couldn't pass up on an opportunity to get out of Emporia so we loaded the car and headed to Topeka. Once we arrived Andrew couldn't hardly wait to see the animals...until...

...he saw the train across the street. We decided to go see about riding the train and decided to do it first and then go back across the street to the zoo...until...

...we were on the train and saw all the fun things there was to do in the park that the train runs around (for free!). So we decided to let the kids play in the park. They climbed on very large animals that were made of concrete...

...they threw sticks and rocks into the ponds, we looked at flowers, took lots of pictures...

...played on the jungle gym, and spend lots of time swinging...

...I was going to attempt a family picture but Abigail was starting to get fussy and Josiah just wanted to run away so I settled for a much needed picture of us...

We also road on a carousel that is over 100 years old with hand carved horses (sorry the pictures didn't turn out every well).

We ended the day with supper out and a trip to Target for some necessities (we don't have a Target in Emporia so it's a VERY nice treat to be able to walk into a Target store). We had a wonderful time together (even though we never made it to the zoo). I'm so thankful for the beautiful day God blessed us with so we could spend some much needed time together as a family.

Learning to walk!

2010-04-12T17:10:00.004-05:00

Last night I got Abigail to take 3 steps toward me so today I pulled out the camera to get some pictures. She's on the move!

3...2...1...

2010-04-11T21:19:00.003-05:00

As of March 28 (Abigail's birthday) I officially had a 3 year old, 2 year old, and a 1 year old. People ask me on a regular basis how I do it...my answer...I don't know, I just do. I would be lying if I said it wasn't stressful and overwhelming at times but I wouldn't trade any of them in for the sake of my sanity. I am so thankful for the wonderful blessing God has given us.

Andrew -- age 3 (for another month)

Josiah -- age 2 (and 2 months)

Abigail -- age 1

Is God Good?

2010-04-07T15:17:00.003-05:00

YES, YES, YES!!! And here is why...

On March 1 when we went to pay our rent our landlord told us that there was an offer on the house the we were living in but that the offer was really low and they probably weren't going to be able to come to an agreement. The next Friday he called us and told us that they had come to an agreement and the closing was set for April 15. So we had a month and a half to find a place to live. We began our search to yet again move within the city of Emporia. We aren't for sure how much longer we will be living here so that made it even harder. Mark talked to his boss and he said to make sure we find a place that will give us a month to month lease. So we finally found a 4 bedroom town house on the other side of town less than a mile from where Mark works.

For some reason God had set it in our minds that we needed to try to be out by the end of March so we signed our lease and were set to move in last weekend. We contact people from our church to help us. Friday was Good Friday and Mark has that as a holiday so we decided to use Friday as our moving day. I look at the weather forecast early in the week and it showed that Friday morning it wasn't supposed to rain but starting Friday afternoon and all day on Saturday is was supposed to rain. Wednesday Mark's boss sends out an email that everyone has to work on Friday since they are so busy out at the job site. So I had a lady that is wife of one of the guys Mark works with coming over on Thursday to watch my kids for me so I could start making some trips over to the new house to start getting some odds and ends stuff out of the way. While I was loading my van one of our neighbors came over and saw that I was struggling to get some things in our van and in talking to him he arranged for a friend of his to come over later in the afternoon to take a couple of trips of stuff over to the new house...GOD IS GOOD! My friend who is watching the kids arrives and I am on the verge of stress meltdown because now it's supposed to be raining on Friday morning at 9:00 and Mark has to work on Friday and I don't really want to have to move and I don't really love the place we are moving too. So she asks how I'm doing and I cry and tell her all the things that are going wrong. Well, she told me that she would see if her husband (who has a truck) would be willing to come over Thursday night to help us get some of the big stuff moved. Then we don't have to worry about having the help we need to lift big stuff and it won't be raining yet. I said great and left to take my first load over to the house...GOD IS GOOD! After I got there and unloaded the first few things Mark called and told me that the lady watching my kids called her husband and told him everything that was going on and how stressed out I was he then went and talked to one of Mark's bosses and told him what was going on and then his boss went and talked to one of the subcontractors that is working out on the job who is a cleanup crew with a big moving van the size of the largest U-Haul and I don't know what he did but they were at my house by 4:00 p.m. to load all our stuff and move it over to our new house!!! GOD IS GREAT!!! (Laura starts crying and feeling so grateful and overwhelmed by God's greatness) Mark's boss also told him to just come in for a few hours on Friday to get a few things done and then go home. So Mark leaves for work on Friday morning (from our new house) and about 10 minutes later is started raining. I left with the kids to go back over to the old house to get the last few things and I had arranged for some of the ladies in my church to come help me clean. We left about 8:30 a.m. and it was pouring down raining and lightning and thundering. Originally we had set for everyone to arrive at our house on Friday at 8:30 a.m. to help us move in pickup trucks and now all of this has unfolded and it is pouring down raining!

So I must ask again...IS GOD GOOD??? Absolutely!!! He cares so much about every little detail of our lives. He cares about us and even when there seems to be nothing you can do God brings all the details together to bring glory to Himself. I don't know about you but my God is GOOD!

Oh, one other thing...when our landlord came over to give us our deposit back and get the keys he told us that the closing on the house had been moved up a week (that's this week!)...it was God who put it in our minds that we needed to be out last weekend instead of taking until April 15.

Our Beauty

2010-03-30T10:21:00.002-05:00

I have a friend who always takes her daughter's picture in her wedding dress on her birthday. Now her little girl is 4 and it is something that she looks forward to every year. I have always thought it was such a cute idea and have wished I had a little girl to do it with too. Well, God finally blessed us with a girl and she just had her birthday. I forgot to take the picture on her actual birthday but ran across my dress while I was packing today so I pulled it out and put it on Abigail. Hopefully it will be something she looks forward too as she gets older too.

{Hope you don't care that I stole your idea, Mary.}

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

2010-03-28T21:16:00.003-05:00

Today our baby girl turned one. I can't believe a year has past.

We are in the midst of moving...again...and I didn't realize it was coming up so quickly until Wednesday. I decided I better get busy deciding what I was going to do about a cake and celebration.

We began our day as a normal Sunday morning...busy, busy, busy getting ready to go to church. The boys were both VERY excited for Abigail to open her presents. Really I think they wanted to open them for her but we successfully got out the door with only one being opened.

After church we came home and while dinner was finishing up in the oven we let Abigail open the rest of her presents.

Not sure who's more excited

This is fun!

"Daddy, what you got there?"

Then after we ate she got to eat her cake. I wrote her name (in frosting) on the pan right in front of the cake and she was busy eating that while we sang to her. Then she thoroughly enjoyed her first piece of cake.

{Please pardon the mess in the background...we're moving on Friday and my house is completely torn to pieces}

Growing Pains

2010-03-08T16:11:00.002-06:00

The last two years of our lives have been filled with opportunities to grow in our faith. Everything from job loss to moving multiple times to an unexpected baby. Each time God has proven Himself to be good.

Psalm 34:8-10 "Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing."

Again we are encountering another opportunity to grow our faith and to allow God to prove that He is good. We got a call on Friday night that the house we are renting has a sale pending on it. The closing is set for April 15. Please pray with us that God will provide us with a place to live that will be suitable for our family. (This town doesn't have good rental options at all!) Also pray specifically that the new landlord will be willing to rent to us on a month to month lease. Mark's job here in Emporia could be completed anytime between the end of April and September. Since we don't know the time frame it really makes it difficult to find a place to live. We really need wisdom and direction from God. We know He is good and I look forward to seeing how He is going to "do exceedingly, abundantly more than I could ask or imagine"!

Amazed

2010-02-26T15:58:00.002-06:00

I am yet again amazed at how God works out details so perfectly. Sometimes I am brought to tears over how great our God is! Here is our most recent story about God's amazing love:

As I mentioned before I took my brother down to Dallas to meet my mom and pick up a car for him to borrow since he blew the engine on his car on the way down to visit us. As I was pulling back into town I began to hear and terrible crunching sound and after talking to Mark and my dad we figured out it was probably time to replace the struts on our van. For those of you who don't know replacing the struts can be a rather pricey thing. Our van has almost 193,000 miles on it and we have started to have some problems with it in recent months. We were trying to decide what to do about either getting it fixed or looking into the possibility of buying something new (or newer). At church on that Sunday one of the ladies told me that Mark and I needed to plan a date for that week and she would watch our kids. So Monday at lunch I asked Mark what night he wanted to go out and he said tonight. (I didn't want to go out on Monday but wanted to wait to the weekend but decided that it would be fine.) Just as Mark was walking out the door to go back to work he paused and said let's pray about the van situation. Let's ask God to give us wisdom about what to do. So we prayed and Mark left to go back to work. As soon as he left I called the lady in our church and asked her if tonight would work and then proceeded to ask her if she minded watching them for a little longer than it would take for us to go out to eat so we could go do a little car shopping. I explained the situation to her and she said that would be fine but continued on with how her and her husband were actually planning to trade in their van for a new car that night and wanted to know if we would be interested in buying their van for the trade in value they were going to get for their van. WOW!!! Was that an answer to our prayer we just prayed not 15 minutes ago?!? As soon as I got off the phone I called Mark with the offer and he too immediately felt like it was God giving us the answer to our request. We finally have gotten all the details worked out and now we are the owners of a new "used" 2001 Ford Windstar that only has 132,000 miles on it. This is such a HUGE answer to prayer as we really don't want to have two car payments and this van will definitely get us through until we are able to get our car paid off so we can purchase a new van in a couple of years. Praise the Lord!!!

"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." --Ephesians 3:20-21

Prayer Update

2010-02-22T09:18:00.003-06:00

I plead once again for your prayers for my cousin and his wife and family. Yesterday they posted an update on Ben and things are not looking good. The doctor told them there are 3 choices they have at this point.

1. Go home and die

2. Stay in the hospital and get as well as you can then go home and live for a few weeks or months and then die

3. One of his doctors is going to try all sources to get Ben listed for a kidney and heart transplant and if by some slim possibility he does get listed there will be a small chance it will be successful.

Ben said to Meaghan that their kids need a dad so he is going to opt for the transplant option. PLEASE pray for God's will in all of this. Since Ben has been in the hospital Meaghan has had a baby and they have 2 others at home. They do need a daddy but we know that God is in control and His will is perfect even when we may not understand why God allows things to happen. Pray for peace and wisdom for the family.

Potty Training

2010-02-18T14:42:00.004-06:00

Today I bit the bullet and started potty training Josiah. I have been DREADING this day for several months because this is one of my least favorite things to do. Mark and I have been talking about it off and on for a while and we are both tired of spending so much money on diapers. So with no place to go for a few days I decided I'd give it a try.

Josiah has been on the potty several times in previous weeks but always screams as though we are torturing him. So I really wasn't looking forward to that struggle. This morning I decided I would give him an M&M for just sitting on the potty. I let him cry for several minutes and then told him that if he would stop crying I would give him a M&M. He stopped and I rewarded him. I let him up and set my timer and when I put him on again and he didn't even cry. We read books and talked and played some games. Finally it was lunch time and he still had not gone. Mark suggested that we make a big deal when anyone goes potty. So daddy went potty and go a clap and an M&M so of course then Andrew needed to go too so he went and got a big clap and an M&M and about a minute later we hear the music on Josiah's potty start to play (there are sensors in the potty that cause music to play when they get wet) so we knew Josiah was going potty too. We celebrated big and he got him M&M and was all smiles. He has gone 3 times now and is having so much fun he doesn't even want to get off the potty. Hopefully the enthusiasm will continue!

Unexpected trip

2010-02-11T14:47:00.002-06:00

My brother came down for what was supposed to be a short trip to hang out and spend a little time together. He left Kansas City on Sunday night after his Super Bowl party to make the hour and a half trip to Emporia. About 11:45 p.m. he called and said his car had lost power and he was about 20 miles from my house. So I jumped in the car and headed out to rescue him from the side of the interstate. We called a tow truck to get his car off the road since we were supposed to get 5-7 inches of snow that night (of which we got a dusting). And arrived home just before 2:00 a.m. Monday morning he got a call from the repair shop saying that he needed a new engine...ouch! So he started trying to decide what to do and decided that he would sell his car and look for something else but that isn't a decision you want to have to make overnight. My parents have an extra car and offered to let him borrow it until he is able to find something else but the car is in Houston. So I made a few phone calls to find someone who might be willing to watch my boys for me so I could take Albert down to get the car from my parents. My mom found a wonderful friend who was willing to drive up to Dallas with her so we could cut about 5 hours off our trip. Yesterday I dropped Andrew off at school and Albert, Abigail, and I headed for Dallas. We met up with my mom and her friend and had an early supper together and then headed back to Kansas. I arrived home about 11:45 last night and Albert got home about 1:45 this morning.

So his short trip turned into a little more of an unexpected adventure but I am very thankful that I was in a place that I could help him out and we got to spend some quality time together in the car. Plus we got to have dinner with our mom! =)

I am so thankful how God works out details of things. I am thankful for the time I was able to have with my brother. I am also thankful that Abigail was a perfect angel in the car for the entire trip. She didn't cry at all and it was a long day! Praise the Lord!

Please Pray

2010-02-04T16:10:00.002-06:00

I would like to ask everyone to pray for my cousin, Ben Newell. About 2 years ago he had a heart transplant. In December he had to go through open heart surgery to repair 2 valves. One was replaced with a mechanical value. He has had I think 2 more surgeries to repair leaks in the values among other things. Today his wife wrote that he had surgery yesterday to remove blood that had collected around his lungs. Blood had coagulated enough that it could not be drained but it was removed in the OR. They also "scuffed up" the walls of the pocket in which it had collected so they would heal together eliminating that space. He also had bad rhythms this morning and needed the paddles to correct it. Meaghan (Ben's wife) had a conference with the doctor to get a better understanding of what is going on and she said that the short answer is that Ben needs a new heart, maybe new kidneys, and right now he is too sick to get them. They say maybe new kidneys because kidneys are very resilient and can come back after a long time. A functioning (new) heart could do a lot to make his kidneys work.(He is also have dialysis everyday) At this point though the trauma of the transplants would be more then the benefit. Ben is in a tough spot. Besides the big issues they are constantly putting out the fires from the domino effect of systems failing. the fluid collection is because of the leak around his valve, he is having problems with red blood destruction due to the leak which effects his liver and spleen. The kidneys not working cause fluid to build up. Sometimes the treatment of one thing makes another worse. All of these cause him pain, nausea, labored breathing, and keeps him from being able to eat and move which is what he needs to do in order to get better. Please pray that his kidney function will return and that he will be able to eat and breath comfortably so he can be listed for a new heart. All of the things he has gone through have always had very difficult and long recoveries so we are asking God to preform a HUGE miracle. Ben and Meaghan need our prayers and I beg of you to lift them up. Please pray for a miracle.

10 Months

2010-02-03T17:15:00.002-06:00

Andrew at 10 months old

Josiah at 10 months

Abigail at 10 months

Snow play

2010-02-02T13:40:00.003-06:00

This winter we have had a lot more snow than we experienced in our first Kansas winter (much to Andrew's delight!). So once it started to get a little warmer I dressed the kids up nice and toasty warm and let them go outside to play.

Andrew LOVED it!!!

Josiah...not so much...at first

And decided to just watch from inside

BUT...he has grown to love it too as long as Daddy is outside with him.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Josiah!

2010-01-29T19:56:00.005-06:00

I love to look back at pictures on my kids birthday's and am always amazed at how they have changed.

January 2008

January 2009

January 2010

Today we celebrated Josiah's 2nd birthday. We began the day with some pancakes. Josiah is a bread lover so I knew this would be a big hit. He ate three and a half pancakes (I only ate 2).

Abigail has started to enjoy more and more of our food so I decided to let her have some pancakes too. She loved them!

Yesterday Andrew helped me bake Josiah's cake.

Josiah stayed far away while we were using the mixer.

BUT he enjoyed licking the beaters. =)

Daddy brought home balloons and pizza and after we ate we got to dig into the cake. Josiah couldn't wait to get his hands on a pig. He didn't even want to blow out the candles. (Also, he held onto his balloons the entire time we were eating dinner. He loved his balloons.)

After cake we opened his present.

And the boys had fun playing basketball.

We praise the Lord for this precious gift He has entrusted to us to care for and to bring up in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray daily that you will come to a saving knowledge of Christ and that you will desire to follow Him and go wherever He leads you. You are such a precious gift. You are our only baby that likes to cuddle and mommy wishes she had time to sit and hold you all day. You are also such a little giggle box with a beautiful bright smile. I love the way your eyes sparkle when you laugh. You are a delight to have around and I am so thankful that God has given us such a precious gift. We love you dearly, Josiah! Happy birthday!

Cake

2010-01-29T10:26:00.003-06:00

Here's the finished product of Josiah's birthday cake. I'll do more of an update about him later.

Allergic Reaction

2010-01-15T08:50:00.003-06:00

Last week I took Josiah and Abigail in for their well child checkups and went away with antibiotics for all three of my kids because of their coughs. But I do not like giving my kids antibiotics because of the problems that we have in our family with allergic reactions to them.

Yesterday they all finished their last dose of the antibiotic and then I went to get everyone dressed for the day. When I changed Abigail I noticed that she was starting to get a rash all over her stomach and back so I immediately called the doctor. (This is exactly how my allergic reaction started back in the spring so I was well aware of the signs.) When I called my doctor I got an answering machine telling me he is out of the office until Monday and that any messages left may not be answered in a timely fashion. So I called another doctor in the same office to try to get to talk to someone. I talked to the nurse and she assured me that it was not an allergic reaction but that she would talk to the doctor. I insisted that it was but let her say whatever she wanted. So she called me back two an a half hours later (as Abigail's rash is now on her neck and moving rapidly toward her face) and told me that doctor said it was not an allergic reaction and to give her Claritin. The dose that she told me to give her seemed like a lot for a baby who only weighs 15 pounds so in frustration I called my doctor back and was going to leave a message in hopes that my nurse would get back to me before the end of the day. Praise the Lord she answered the phone this time!!! I explained everything to her and she immediately put me on hold to find a doctor who would be willing to get her in that afternoon. So yesterday afternoon I took Abigail in to see the doctor and he told me that she WAS having an allergic reaction to her antibiotic and gave me a much smaller dose of Benadryl and also a steroid to help keep her airway clear. This morning she woke up covered in hives from head to toe and I can tell she isn't feeling well but at least I feel like we have it all under control.

Praise the Lord for working out the details so I could get her in to a doctor that would believe me and know that she was having an allergic reaction! Praise the Lord that I recently went through this myself so I was well aware of the early signs of an allergic reaction!

Now just pray that it will all clear up quickly so she doesn't have to keep taking medication.

2010-01-05T16:56:00.002-06:00

Christmas Celebrations

2009-12-21T13:37:00.003-06:00

We have had lots of fun celebrating Christmas this year. Our goal is to try to instill in our kids that Christmas is not all about trees, decorations, santa, and gifts. We are trying to teach our kids that the reason we celebrate Christmas is because it is Jesus' birthday and He is most important. It is hard when everywhere you go people are talking about santa and presents. But at home we are focusing on the real reason for our celebration...Christ!

Starting on December 1 we began an Advent reading that my sister sent to me. Each day we read a little of the story of Jesus' birth and the next day we add a little more detail. As we add more details we add stickers to our scene on the wall. The boys both look forward to this every night. Andrew enjoys pointing to the appropriate picture as daddy is reading the story.

Much to our delight Andrew was in his first Christmas program this year. He is attending preschool 2 days a week and his school put on a Christmas program. It was wonderful to finally get to be the proud parent sitting in the audience watching my baby sing to his little hearts content. He did a great job and all the little kids looked so nice up there dressed in their Christmas outfits.

Andrew's class also had a Christmas party that we were all invited to attend. It was great fun. His teacher read them the parable of the candy cane.

The kids all got to make their own gingerbread houses. There were 11 preschoolers and 3 adults trying to make gingerbread houses...graham crackers, frosting, and candy...must I say more? =)

It got a little crazy at school so I took a picture of Andrew with his gingerbread house when we got home. I am so glad I took the picture as soon as I got home because after nap time I was busy doing something and wasn't paying close attention to what the boys where doing. By the time I figured out what was going on the gingerbread house was almost gone.

Abigail even got to enjoy some playtime at the Christmas party.

We have also been singing "Away in the Manger" almost every night after our Advent reading. I finally got out the camera and video taped Andrew. Josiah still hasn't really gotten into it yet, maybe next year.

Yesterday (Sunday night) Andrew got to sing "Away in the Manger" at church. I didn't take my camera so I didn't get any pictures of that but he did a great job and all the people thought it was wonderful. After church we had our annual Christmas card exchange and cookie fellowship and we invited everyone to our home this year. It was so nice to finally have the space to invite people into our home. We had a wonderful time but again I forgot to take pictures.

This week will will head to Texas and then to Iowa to be with our families to celebrate the birth of Christ. I am looking forward to carrying on one of my family traditions this year of having my kids act out the Christmas story.

Where, oh, where has my little girl gone?

2009-12-14T14:25:00.005-06:00

Abigail is moving full speed ahead. I can't hardly keep up with her. If she is on the floor you can guarantee that in about a minute she will disappear and have to go in search of her. Often times I find her is some rather funny places.

I have been keeping my wrapping supplies behind my rocking chair to keep it out of the way and not so available to get in to...well, maybe not for Abigail.

Of course when mom pulls out the camera the brothers have to join in on the fun!

On Friday a realtor was going to show the house so I had to get everything picked up for it to be presentable...but that is MUCH easier said than done. So finally after having to clean up too many "extra" messes I put all the kids in Andrew's room to play while I cleaned the rest of the house. I went in to check on them and Abigail was in the corner.

We have a futon set up in the room where all the kids toys are. The boys LOVE to play under the futon. Today I put the boys to bed for naps but Abigail wasn't ready yet. I let her play a little by herself and where did I find her? Under the futon playing with the toys they boys had left behind.

Christmas decorations

2009-12-03T14:29:00.002-06:00

This has been a very exciting and much anticipated week in the Lee household. Andrew has been begging for weeks that we "have Christmas". Ever since we walked into Sears in September and they had their Christmas decorations out Andrew has wanted it to be Christmas. I told him over and over that we had to wait until after Thanksgiving. So last weekend when we told him we were celebrating Thanksgiving he has been very excited about coming home to decorate for Christmas. Andrew was right in the middle of all the decorating and showing Josiah what to do. I just let them have at it and I did a little rearranging after they were done since the bottom of the tree was VERY well decorated. =)

It is going to be a very fun filled month as I will have 6 little hands to keep an eye on to make sure they stay out of the tree. Abigail loves the tree and is very happy to lay under it and pull the ornaments off.

Just a cute picture of my sweet babies!