rain*RAIN

So, this morning I just had to blog. I am finishing up my "believing god" bible study that I started some 3 years ago (hehe) and I re-read the story of Moses and Joshua. Joshua was moses' right hand man. Beth Moore was describing the tent of meeting, (which I sometimes wish we could physically see a cloud over a tent to know that it's GOD we are hearing from instead of our own limited minds, but I digress...) Anywho, the tent of meeting was where Moses would go to speak with GOD. However, Exodus 33:7 says, "anyone inquiring of the LORD would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp.". However, what we see happen is way different. What is recorded next is that everyone watched Moses from AFAR when he would approach the tent. Isn't that what we do?!?! We look at the Beth Moore's and the Jon Weece's and the Creflo Dollar's of this day and age and WATCH them draw near the glory of GOD? Why do we settle for a secondhand relationship?!?! Seriously?!?!

So, at that point, I laid my bible down and just started praying. We have a friend that is going through some tough times right now, so I started by just praising God that I know he is working in and through that situation and that we had NOT put him in a box - even in this HUGE deal... then I just started telling God that I didn't want to any longer just stand on the side lines watching, that I was ready... and I had closed my eyes and I heard this sweet sound... for some reason, I asked Jason this morning what the weather looked like today (and I was even in the garage and could see for myself?!?) His reply was, "well, it looks like rain." DUH! I don't know why it mattered to me today - we don't have any outdoor activities planned. So, back to the sound... what I heard was a slow hum, and when I opened my eyes, I looked out that it was just slow DRENCHING rain, followed by a very loud thunder. And immediately it was symbolic to ME, specifically to ME at that time. I have been slowly being poured in to and this morning was like THUNDER to me. Let's no longer settle for being secondhand. Let's make the effort, let's do this for REAL! AMEN?!?!?!

drop*by

drop by visitors...
LOVE THEM!

a friend was inspired by having a cup of tea with a dear friend and decided to get out the "real" china during their visit. so, she got out her wedding registry china and they savored a wonderful cup of tea together. her story, and the fact that we were revamping the kitchen and ran across our china (still in the packaging, i might add) inspired me to get two cups and saucers out. so, here they are. sitting next to the coffee pot anticipating the next drop by so that we can actually use them!

after i sat them out - i got a little teary. don't know why really... well, seems like i am a lot teary lately. just living, you know how it is...

so, i got to thinking... i imagined God just waiting for us - having a fancy teacup and saucer just waiting for some time for us to sit down and visit. i've got that lump in my throat just typing it. see, i have these "things" that keep sneaking back in to my daily habits. things like being SHORT tempered with my kids, speaking to my husband in ways that i would NEVER speak to any of you, allowing my mind to focus on things that DO NOT MATTER.

so, here's the thing...

it goes back to ME.

and not being able to do IT by myself...

only HE can.

so, if i would, each morning, just sit down for a cup of tea with the One that made me... i know that my actions would change, that even my first reactions would be Godly.

now, why do we keep thinking WE can do it??? enjoy some tea/coffee time today, friends!

*sun*

yes, hello, SUN!

i think my mood has been altered by the LACK of sun that we have had. so, despite the fact that i am a little overwhelmed with the amount of work on my plate all of a sudden, despite the fact that my half bath downstairs smells LESS than desirable (something to do with a 3 year old having trouble aiming :o) and if anyone has a cure for this BESIDES ripping up the toilet and STARTING over, i would be much obliged), and despite the fact that i have NOT planned for dinner tonight... i think the boys and i are going to try to catch us some fish this afternoon after school. holey jeans and sweathshirt, here we come...

the thing is - that i have realized, that the busier my life becomes, the less quality time i am spending with my kids. yes, i am a stay at home mom, HOWEVER, that doesn't mean that i am the best at maximizing the time that we have. it DOES mean that i sometimes take it for granted and just squander it away... and that truly STINKS. so, i'm going to be intentional today to fill my kids up this afternoon with NOTHING but fun and love. if the weather is nice where you are, i invite you to do the same. the laundry will wait, those texts can wait, that email can wait, so will those dirty dishes. i promise!!!

you.must.use

For all of you out there that let your kids help out in the kitchen...

this.is.a.must.have.

AND, the cupcakes that you make look a bit like a bakery!!! well, that may be exaggerating it a bit, but you get the picture. the flavor i got was vanilla, but they also had a chocolate flavor as well. You can pile it up as HIGH as you want to. So stinkin' fun!

on another note, my sis is having FRESH milk delivered to her door - in colorado that is - for those of you who live in KY, have you heard of a place that does this? i would LOVE to have milk delivered here :-). who doesn't like a package outside the door? much less every week???

YARDsale :-)

Sitting here, watching the daddy duck walk back and forth on the driveway, awaiting those die hard garage sale shoppers come and check out the goods we have in the garage for sale. It's a rainy, rainy day here, but it's so fun to sit here and just talk to those coming in...

A friend came over late last night to bring some goods and something that she said has been ringing in my mind. We've all heard it before...

"one person's trash is another's treasure"

Which is so true, so true...

Two things: one, it made me think about what I treasure... Lately I have noticed how much I hold on to "things" - like nostalgic things - doesn't matter if it's in the attic, I know that it's there if I need it. But why? I don't really know - I just know that I have been letting go of "things" lately - and it is freeing.

Two, isn't that quote kind of like God sees us? Even when we think we have trashed a relationship in our life, when we messed up in that area AGAIN, when we fail to overcome, don't we sometimes feel like trash? What about when you feel that you aren't "good enough" for that one person to invest in, you don't have anything to offer because really, what is so special about you? But you know what? God sees us and treats us as a treasure!!! Because HE is in us, we are valuable!!! 2 Corinthians 4:7 says, But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

We are never NOT ENOUGH for Him to LOVE US unconditionally. Isn't that so nice to know? Ok, better get back to the garage sale on a rainy day... Enjoy your Friday! :-)

god's hand...

sometimes kids say the *sweetest* things...

like a few nights ago, riley and i were doing the good night ritual (which is usually reserved only for daddy), and he was giving me descriptions of how much he loved each of us in the family...

so, i thought, ah-ha, i'm going to one up him and so i said, quite proud of myself, "riley, i love you to infinity and beyond." i turned to him and smiled so big...

then, he said...

"well, mom, I love you all the way to GOD's hand."

enough said... that was a god wink that i wasn't expecting, but oh, how i will think of it over and over and over again. to have the faith like a child...

*TEXT*ing

Well, sadly enough we had to have the air conditioner guy come over and do a freon check on the AC. Happens every year - of course on the hottest day of the spring! Anyway, he was this nice man from Zimbabwe - and had the neatest accent... So, I admit, I was making conversation just to hear him talk!!! ha!

However, he said something that has stuck with me. He had asked me a question and in order to answer that question, I needed to talk to Jason. I knew he was in a meeting, but I tried him anyway. Voicemail. So, I said, "Well, let me try and text him, sometimes he is able to check those even in his meetings." Lovely accent man replied, "Oh, man, why is everyone texting so much? I guess, though, in this situation, it really is beneficial... however, you know what makes me so sad?

It's when people text and drive. Seriously? Is anything that important that they can't wait? Putting their life in danger is one thing, but putting MINE in danger for a silly text is another."

How true is that??? I remember promising my mom that I would NOT text and drive and I have kept that promise - HOWEVER, I admit that I do sometimes start texting at a stop light before I even come to a complete stop. Now, really. Is it that important?

SERIOUSLY?

*aNEWday*

Howdy all blog readers - all two of you :-). I have been very lazy at blogging for a few reasons, 1. my computer and blogspot seem to have a problem getting along and 2. it has been so long since i posted that it was overwhelming to try and capture it all...

So, I'm going to give a quick update and go from there!!!

Riley is still enjoying kindergarten - we have our spring carnival on friday and he is super excited about it. As are Jason and I - we get to work at the popcorn machine. We seriously think that is FUN!

Reed is doing well too - sleeping without a diaper is his biggest achievement right now. He is still mimicking everything his big brother does - which is so stinkin' cute to us, but a little bit annoying to Riley!

Jason is now working on a jobsite in Pheonix, Arizona and has started his schedule of traveling every two weeks. Last week was quite an adjustment back to that type of lifestyle but I'm sure we will get it down pat. We are THANKFUL, so THANKFUL for this job - regardless of it being far from home.

I am still working with Giggles and Co, but trying to do as little of work as possible - ha! - just trying to figure out if we should continue with it or be done with it. We shall see!!! However, I did start reading again (ok, for those of you who know me well, just sit down and take deep breaths...ha! I just finished an amazing book by Beth Moore called, So Long Insecurity, and WOW, such a good read - even if you don't battle much with insecurity (however, beware, I don't think ANY of us are insecureless, even if you THINK you are). One of the scriptures that she asks us to memorize I wanted to share with you...

Proverbs 31: She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.

The thing is that we have this REGARDLESS - it's just hard to remember it on a daily basis and CHOOSE to BELIEVE it... You know how a few posts ago I talked about LOVE and how I was really being worked on in that area - well, now, I am searching to understand what it means to TRULY BELIEVE - and in this journey, I had a cool picture today of what I think it means to be abiding in Christ...

Hang with me here - We have an old TV in our garage and it usually stays on some sports channel, but today, for some reason, it was off. I was helping Reed get in the car and I glanced over at the TV and saw my reflection unexpectedly... well, I have been trying to get some extra weight off and I haven't been glancing at myself in the mirror lately because to be honest, I didn't want to see how that little love handle looked clinging to my knit shirt... but, out of the blue, I saw my reflection for what i truly was. Immediately, I thought, Melanie, how often do I really take the time to look at my relationship with God - I mean really look. It's so much easier to not even take the time to care than it is to look and see what needs to change, especially those silly priorities that seem to just get all out of whack. God wants us to look in the mirror and allow HIM to show us what parts need to be pruned away or tweaked a bit - but we can only do that if we know who He is. And to know Him, means to talk to him, means to read his Word, means to study more of Jesus' character here on earth, means figuring out what "loving on the poor" means for you (so in essence, abiding!). So, for me, being able to really take what Beth is teaching me to heart - I have to start by BELIEVING that what God says is truth - and in order to do that, I first have to KNOW him... so, gals, let's fall in love with Him all over again!!!

oh, and by the way, i was disappointed to STILL see that love handle in the mirror...:-)

tell me how YOU are doing!

*happy*birthday*deedee*

today is a sweet day for me - today is the day that my sister was born, oh, some 25 or so years ago :o). it's an even more special day for me knowing that she is someone that i truly love and am so grateful for!



Thank you sister, for...

*loving me unconditionally

*challenging me spiritually

*showing me states i have never seen (:o)

*hugging on my kids

*providing me with 4 sweet nieces

*including me in your life

i never want to take you for granted. i love you dearly!!!

howdy::sept09

hey all!

by request of my sista - i am blogging! it has been since the first day of kindergarten, so i guess it is only fair to update you on the status of the uhls home!

first of all - riley is doing GREAT in school. his teacher has been quite the blessing to us - and evidently she feels the same about our sweet riley. he came home yesterday with a note attached to him that said "i read a book today all my myself." now, that is progress! he is asking constantly how to spell words and just tonight - he asked if i could use my tracking finger while we were reading before bed. precious! it is still hard for mommy though. i would rather school be every other day for just two hours or so. not saying that next year might hold something different for us, but for now and for this year, our little boy is happy and therefore mom is happy. our prayers are being answered and we trust that god led us to this decision for a reason. we are enjoying seeing this story unfold!

reed is doing well too. he is enjoying his time with mommy - well, i think he is! he doesn't ask for riley much - other than when we are going to go and pick him up. he just knows he's at school. his sentences are progressing and he sounds so big! we are even entertaining the idea of a big boy bed. notice i said entertaining!!! :-) that crib is such a nice place to have a time=out, since the stairs don't seem to work for this little one. the bed is nice except, as kristina saw today (sorry you had to witness that!) he gets so upset that he tinkles in the bed. oh gosh, never thought i would have type the word tinkle... is that even spelled right??? reed's new phrases are...
::can i, can i???
::oh mom, it is so very cold (or so very hot) or so very *whatever*
::mom, can i play tennis?

he is totally cute - and totally mischievous at the same time. love his HEART!
*how do you like the leg warmers? he didn't want to give up these too small pjs, so we cut them off and he likes wearing them - without the leggings - as underwear. just in case you were wondering*



jason's job in california is drawing to a slow close. he has been there more the past two months that in the last six (well, it just feels that way, i'm sure it's not reality) - just being honest!!! so we are praying about where he will be next and praying for one that isn't quite as stressful - oh YES LORD! :o)



that's about all that is going on here - it's been rainy, but not too cold. definitely fall weather-ish - and actually, we have enjoyed the rain. it has been cozy on the days that we needed coziness. i've been discovering more and more that GOD is good, girls, GOD is good. a friend of mine challenged me to get up and get in the word for 30 days straight and it would make a difference in my life and OH, MY, she was so right. i have been kind of hermit-ish, well i feel that way at least, but what i did was i dove in to studying the different kinds of loves - eros (groovy kind of love), philos (common interest love, friends, sisterly love) and the best of all, agape (the god kind of love). what i have been so tenderly hearing is that i can easily muster up the common interest love, but it's the agape love - the unconditional love - that i have a hard time with. and so, i tried to figure out why this was and was drawing a blank. i have always felt loved by my family and my friends. that ah-ha moment was that it's that "I" have to be taken out of the equation. agape isn't the kind of love that i can muster up - it's got to be oozing out of me b/c jesus is IN me.

I CANNOT DO IT.

as hard as i try...

I CANNOT DO IT.

my motives have to be truly from HIM - and the only way to get there is to be with HIM daily and to be in the WORD daily. this kind of love is the supernatural outcome of being filled with the spirit (rom 5:5; gal 5:22)

i want to ooze with the agape kind of love.

i KNOW that god has been working on me tenderly over the last few months about how to do this with my boys - well, specifically the main boy. why is it that when the hustle and bustle of life comes that we forget to talk to our best friends - and when we do, we end up saying not so nice things? well, perhaps it's just me - but perhaps not. so i am working on being NOT a nag - and more of a safe, uplifting place for my man.

but now i am feeling a little nudge on how to love god's somebody (the ones that may not be easy to love). give it up melanie that it will be work to invest in someone new - give it up melanie that you will become weary and it will be hard to love on someone not so loveable - just give it up...

i'm beginning to understand how to do this kind of love with my family - now, LORD, make it spread to ALL AREAS of my life. give up what I think and let God do the thinking for me.

i will end with a tweet i rec'd today (yes, i joined twitter, but i'm not really sure why. i still don't "get" it but am sure loving getting updates from KLOVE!)

Words are wonderful, but when you walk in love, your commitment must contain much more than just words. (1 John 3:18)

see, even tweets can be used for encouragement!!! let me know what is going on with each of you all - what are you learning? what is going on in your worlds??? do we need another list of questions to get the ball rolling??? :o)

hugs to you all!
mel

K/1*here*we*come

well, guys, we made it through the first day of kindergarten. now, it wasn't pretty - well, as far as my part goes, but we did make it through...



i will tell you that i had a lot of lessons today - a lot of thinking time. i am glad that riley is willing, able, and ready to go to school. some kids close to our family just don't have school as an option this semester - and continually today the lord just kept telling me to be thankful in this day, so that is what i have done. so, not really for you all, but for me, i am putting my thoughts down so that when i look back i can remember, vividly, the pictures that were painted for me this day...

i am thankful we live in a country where schools are abundant and where parents can be actively involved in their children's schooling.

i am thankful that riley is healthy and we can send him to school.

i am thankful that riley is going to be able to be a blessing to others - lord knows he is such a blessing to us...

i am thankful that riley is excited about learning and was able to try and read a book to me - even after just one day...

i am thankful that i can have some time to pour in to our little reed.

i am thankful that riley's teacher is a christian and that we have already discussed our faith - and we are complete strangers.

i am thankful that a friend told me about mom's in touch and i am going to be able to try to charter a group at our elementary school to pray for the school and the people therein.

i am thankful for a husband that has encouraged me to stay at home with our children.

i am thankful for our neighbor, mr. jim, who came and sat with reed while i took riley to school and walked him in on his first day.

i am thankful for my peeps that continually checked on me today - b/c you know what an emotional case i was!

i am thankful for a dear friend that emailed me to share that my mom had given her words of wisdom when her first child went off to school for the first time...

i am thankful that the lord has chosen us to raise two boys to love him.

i am thankful that god is spurring me on to make a fresh start - just as riley is having a new chapter open in his little world.

i am thankful for a god that has listened to me all day - calling on him for reassurance that we have done the right thing!

AMEN!!!

happyBIRTHDAYS!!!

So, I'm a little late in posting that our little boys have both celebrated a birthday!!! Riley is now 5 and Reed just turned 2 (yes, Muri, that is 2 and not 3! hehe!)

Man, how time sure does fly!

Riley is still attending preschool at the little church down the way (which so reminds me of nursery school at the Baptist church where we grew up!). He still "enjoys" it most of the time - but would rather stay at home most days. We just started t-ball again for the spring and he is enjoying that so much! We can surely see a difference between this year and last year - the attention span is a little bit longer! :-) He LOVES being outside and going on adventures looking for bugs, ducks, frogs, really anything but snakes... we caught 2 the other day and he told me today that he didn't really like them that much! However... to know our Riley is to know that he LOVES Star Wars. We are always "pretending" to be one of the characters and we make up stories that go along with the chosen characters. Normally I am Queen Amadala, he is the "young" Anniken that needs to be trained, and Reed is either C3P0 or R2D2. However, he does also like to be an Ewok; thus what I was greeted with one night after coming home from the Clinic... priceless!!!




His birthday present from us this year was Star Wars sheets and man, you would have thought they were GOLD. He loves them! Our Rilester is the sweetest thing - he comes out with some of the sweetest comments to us, especially at bedtime. It is like he winds down and just tells you what's on his mind. We are so thankful for him and for his sweet spirit! Here is is surrounded by his birthday balloons!



And here is with his cake...



and here he is asleep, the day after birthday festivities - how peaceful!!!



Reed is in to all kinds of things now -- just the other day he asked what we were going to do today! He imitates anything you ask him to say - and is now listening SO MUCH better. So, on trips to stores he at least doesn't DART away when you are walking in. Phew, mom's, remember that first day when it clicked with the child to actually LISTEN!!! Now, don't get me wrong, it is not always, but I at least know that he CAN do it! HA! His personality is awesome - he is such a ham! He loves to flirt - loves to chase - loves to smile - and loves his blankets (yes, all THREE of them!) We are so blessed to have him in our family and I dare I go so far to say that Riley feels that way too. Yesterday Riley said, "Reed, I love you." And afterwards.... "Hey mom, I think that is the first time I have said that to Reed." Yep, takes a little longer with the guys!!! Here is a sweet picture of our 2 year old. He takes some good pictures on our steps!!! :-)



Eating his birthday cupcakes that were in the formation of a 2!


The traditional "jersey" onesie that the boys wear on their birthday!


And just a blast from the past picture... that seems so very long ago!!!



We got a FUN package from Idaho for the boy's birthdays and I wanted to share the pictures!!! The theme was artsy things - the package was AWESOME, including three different pain ts, markers, paper, a dry erase board, etc. It was so fun to open. Thank you girlies!!!



Check out the cards to Riley - soooo sweet!


We are soooo glad that the girlies are going to be a quick ONE flight away... long weekends HERE WE COME! Today Reed asked if we could go and see SaraKate and Riley chimed in and said, "Yeah, I miss them, let's just go!!!" Ready DD?

happy*BIRTHDAY*dd!

as some of you know, my sister celebrated her birthday yesterday!!! it seems that as we get older, the hype around birthdays dwindles and it just feels like another day... at least the last few birthdays of mine have seemed to just pass by... no trips to mcdonalds for a birthday cake - no going to the skating rink and skating until your hair is wet. not that we WANT that type of celebration, but it's just not the same!

so, i'd like to fill you in on what it's like to have a sister that you dearly love! from the get go i can remember just being in awe of my sister. seriously. if you have ever seen pictures of us when we were young you would know why. she was the prettiest thing you have ever seen! her hair was this beautiful blonde color and mom would curl it sometimes (with sponge curlers that you had to sleep in!) and it would look just perfect. i can remember begging her over and over again if i could just come and sleep in her room on the FLOOR! (now, why would i want to do that when i had a perfectly good bed in my own bedroom???) she was just that cool to me - OH, remember the fun tea parties on the back porch on Meadowlawn? That was fun - was it ok to just wear underwear outside then?

i can remember sharing clothes - and in all we didn't have that many fights about them! i remember styling our hair (especially our BANGS) in that bathroom on Greenwood Drive every morning before school. i remember how we came up with the cool idea to lace a ribbon in the knee hole of one of our favorite pairs of jeans - and of course the ribbon would match our outfit!!! i remember going to numerous basketball games and never once (well, once, when i was sick with strep) did i NOT want to be there. she was good, i tell you, good!!! i remember saying goodbye when she went to college and being so sad because she wasn't going to be around anymore and i knew things would change...

well, little did she know that baby sister was going to follow her to college!!! ha! you know, now that i think about it, i bet that wasn't so cool - to have me follow her there. never ONCE did she show me or tell me that it was silly for me to do that. she welcomed me and even talked me in to rushing the same sorority. all this even while she was still on campus. now, how many sisters do you know, 2 years apart, that would welcome that??? well, she did...

and to this day, there is no one that i would rather have for a next door neighbor. she does love me (and now my kids) unconditionally. she is the sister that all girls would like to have. she loves largely and lately, she has become more "cool" as she strives to be the mom, wife, daughter, sister, friend that god wants her to be. we were raised in church and we do have a solid biblical background; however, there comes a time when you learn to truly listen to god. that ladies, is what it is all about.

so, sister of mine... i love you dearly... and i am so glad that you were born... in our family... first.

ps. that picture is not of us, but it's pretty cute, eh?

Hey guys! I just had to post because two of the boys, Jason and Riley, are at at Monster Truck tractor show and I just think it's funny! Jason just sent me this picture!!!



Doesn't that just make you laugh??? I love it!

While I'm here - we had such a GREAT time in Idaho with DD and the girls. My boys were so SPOILED - over and over and over again. They just LOVE their cousins so very much :-). We took lots of pictures and I posted them on facebook - sure wish there was an easy way to import them here. Well, for all I know, there is an easy way, but I just don't know how to do it. If you do, please leave and note and tell me how!!!

Here are a few...



Reed enjoying stickers on his face!



Sara Kate doing the same! :-)



Sara Kate posing in one of the dresses DD and I used to wear - oh yea, we were stylin'!



Sara Kate and Reed longing to get outside in the snow!!!



Anna B and Riley cuddling in the comfy rocking chair!



The clan watching Tinkerbell, was it??? Oh, and check out that Leigha... for those of you that haven't seen her, she is knock out gorgeous - and her sweet presence is the best. Now, I'm sure she shows some attitude at times, but man, she is such a good buddy to have!!!



And we will end the pictures on a sweet one - we found them this way in the back living room. Riley was "reading" Sara Kate a book!!! Priceless!



I also wanted to ask you all to pray for a sweet family in our life group. The mother of one of our members has been through the treatment for ovarian cancer recently - had a clean bill of health and was trucking right along... until around Christmas. She was having trouble with her bowels and was admitted to the hospital. While there, they removed a large section of her colon and her omentum. Both came back from pathology as cancerous. The doctors have asked her to concentrate on just getting better from the surgery and that they would talk treatment plans after that. So, that is what they have been doing. Yesterday, however, she began getting very nauseous and she started throwing up. She is now at the ER and they are going to admit her because they could not determine what was causing the nauseousness. So, please lift up Lannie in your prayers - she is facing an uphill battle and is very discouraged and wondering if she will ever feel normal again. I KNOW that you all prayed for Ruth while she was in Austria, so I'm asking the same for Lannie. Thanks to you prayer warriors. It sure does make a difference!

Hello all! As most of you know we are in IDAHO! :-) We are having a good time - and we do have some nice snow! We haven't played much in it because the wind is so cold! I promised to post some video of Reed and Sara Kate because their interactions are so sweet. So... here is a clip!

Well, as hard as I tried, I could not get the video to work... so here are a few pictures!

hellooooo!

hello all! it has been quite a bit since i posted last!!! i've been busy reading my sister's blog though - if you haven't read it... do! it's so good! she has been listing all the things that she and her family are thankful for - beginning with the letter A and going through the alphabet! pretty stinkin cool! Click to the left over there and sit down for a spell to read!!!

we have been doing well. jason is still working on that job in sacramento - man, it's a doozie. that's all i want to say about that. riley is enjoying school - his favorite part of the day is playing outside. what else??? :-) reed is growing like a weed and soooo trying to put a complete sentence together. he talks and talks and talks and looks at you like you should understand what he is saying. if i don't understand, i look at riley and he seems to always have the correct interpretation. can someone explain that to me??? :-) priceless!!!

wanted to share a few pictures... the first is a sweet, sweet picture that we took of the boys walking down to the creek. we are longing for a warm enough day to go on an adventure!!!



uncle steve - do you recognize that jersey? it's one you bought for riley when he was reed's age! precious!

this other picture is of riley's FIRST drawing of a stick person. he is just now ENJOYING to sit down and color/write/draw. before he just wanted to cut, cut, cut!!! this was a drawing of his cousin, anna brooke. sorry anna b, you never got it b/c he colored it with a very dark sharpee and you couldn't see the drawing anymore :-(. i was so sad!



that's about it from here. we had a good thanksgiving and we have so very much to be thankful for. i don't know about you all, but we are being bombarded in every direction about how americans (most of us) are so focused on material things. is there a reason that i have about 20 pairs of shoes in my closet? why do the boys have so many toys that we just don't know where to put them all? it's a bit ridiculous, so, we're going to be re-evaluating the way we do things - even a small change would make my heart feel so much better. i pray that god is tugging on your heart - there are so many out there that need a little bit of jesus and perhaps if we aren't trapped by our "things" we could be a better voice...

love you guys!

many[many]thanks!

Our sweet friend Ruth made it safely back from Austria and had such a marvelous, marvelous time. Thank you so much for remembering her and praying for her. The stories that she has had a chance to tell have been so, so sweet and have made me think a lot about what God has been talking to me and our family about... so, I thought I would share two of her favorite stories. Ruth, please correct me if I misrepresent anything!!!

Story [#1] - They had a lot of "share" time on the trip - as there were people from all over the world there at Haus Edelweiss. One lady told them of a time last year at the school where she walked passed a room where a man was singing a hymn as loud as he could. I don't think it was odd that he was singing as they were about to being a worship time, but that he was all alone and singing at the top of his lungs, for awhile, did make the lady a little curious, and perhaps a little embarrassed for him. UNTIL, later that day she had the chance to talk to him and he explained that it was the FIRST time in his entire life that he could actually sing out loud to his Maker because in his country he would be prosecuted for doing so. MAN!!! Do we have it easy here or what? That just give me chills and HOW SWEET to hear a man singing directly to God - I wish I could have heard that. Don't you know God was saying - a joyful noise - THAT is what I'm talking about!!!

Story [#2] - Two foreign ladies (I cannot for the life of me remember what country they were from but I do know that Christianity was FAR from taught there) were on a very long train ride (I think they were traveling a couple countries away) and they happen to pick up a Bible and started to read it. They read and read and read and felt convicted that this Jesus was the real thing. They talked about it and realized that they knew NO ONE that was a Christ follower and therefore didn't know of anyone to talk to about "this Jesus". So, they decided to pray that God would provide that for them in their destination city. A few days passed and God spoke to one of the ladies in a dream and mentioned a street name and a number... Sure enough, they went there and guess what? It was a Christian church at that address. HOWEVER, the even cooler part was that this church, because of prosecution, CHANGED THEIR ADDRESS EVERY DAY!!! How cool is our God???

To be honest, I have never felt like I was called for Mission work - never felt led to go to a third world country. However, in order to be able to have a realistic view of how "good" we have it here - and to be able to hear worship songs sung in another's native tongue - and to hear how God is moving mightily in the places where his Name is never spoken - and to be able to teach my children about it - it just may need to happen at some point. I sometimes forget the BIGNESS of God - He is speaking to people in EVERY tribe and in EVERY tongue - not just to the people within my circle of influence. I'm so grateful for that...

*austria*

Hello all! Just wanted to ask you for your prayers for our sweet friend, Ruth. She is currently on a mission trip in Austria. She has made it safely there and is on a team that is helping educate ministers that are coming from very far distances to have this opportunity. Just thought more praying for a successful trip for all involved would be great! They will be there until November 9th. Thank you!

aboutTHEboys...

i'll start with something you think CAN'T be true!!!

check this picture out... jason had to leave unexpectedly for CA early this morning and he left us a note that said...
"the glass finally fell out, be sure to show riles". curious??? well, look!!!



yes, that is a piece of glass that came out of my husband's arm. he's been concerned about the place for a few weeks now, well, really it was just bugging him b/c he knew after a few days what was going on. you see, 20 (and that is NO exaggeration) years ago he was in a wreck with three other people and this was a piece of glass that is just NOW making it's way out of his body. have you ever heard of such a thing??? that thing was BIG too!!!

today has been one of those days that i really sat back and took a deep, deep breath. the boys and i went to the park - just the three of us - for more than 2 hours. it probably wasn't as exciting for them b/c there weren't any kids there, but it was so something that i needed. i took time to sit and listen to them, enjoy chasing them, talk to them about the sky and the trees, and the wind and why it had to be sooo cold (it wasn't really that cold). but it's rare that we are totally alone at the park - and it was kind of nice!

so, on that note - i wanted to share some pictures of those kiddos!

this one was reed climbing up the stairs making some weird, weird faces!!! here is one of the cute ones!



this one is riley at the pumpkin patch a few weeks ago. he LOVES going there! doesn't he look so big???



and to top it all off - i found my new fall/winter shoes that you can buy here.



I think they are so, so cute, so if you don't - well, don't burst my bubble at least for a week! ps. dd, check out the name of them! :-)

i sure hope you all are enjoying this fall weather. i so enjoy it!!!
ps. yes, that is a christmas song playing as the #1. i heard it the other day on the christian radio station and i've been thinking about it ever since. it's powerful!

HEY!

Ok girls... have a few things for you right away...

1. does the music on the blog annoy you?
2. are you frustrated at the election comments, the non truths, the confusion? man, oh man!
3. you that have boys... is it natural to want to play with GUNS all the time??? FOR THE LOVE!
4. do you still love to get snail mail?

this is the reason i ask this question... man, we have had a GREAT time looking at this box OVER and OVER again. thank you DD and girls for such a fun box!!!


i also wanted to tell you (Mary Beth and DeeDee specifically) about my weekend. To make a long story short, Mary Beth and DeeDee introduced me to this blog...



(OK, for some reason I can't see the link... so if that's the case for you then go to the links on the right and it's Angie Smith's Blog.)

If you have not had the chance to read it, please do. It will take you awhile to get caught up, but this woman is amazing and even more so because she has a story to tell that is focused on giving God the glory - no matter what the situation. You see, this woman explained to 250+ ladies we need to realize that God is able to calm the storm (Matt 8:23 -27) regardless of if He does. We need to trust Him more than we want to be saved from the storm that we have going on in our lives right now. And girls, the storm that she is referring to for her life is no drizzle. It is a harsh storm of losing a sweet child shortly after welcoming her in to this world. She told of her ups and downs and her conversations with God in order to try and "figure" this out... to come to the realization that the silence has brought her to His voice. Isn't that what we all want - to be able to talk to Him about all things, to remember to call out to Him first, to not have the need to discuss it with anyone else. Just me and God figuring this thing out. I am so not there...

We also had the priviledge of listening to two other phenominal ladies speak. One who was in the care of Hospice and is now traveling to mission trips to spread the gospel!!! I don't know of anyone else that has this kind of testimony! The other, a woman who has trusted God to take her on a journey with Him that she had no plans of going on. On Saturday the theme seemed to be CHOSE JOY - it is a choice you know. And chose joy before you go through ANY more trials - that way, the choice is already made - you just have to keep to it (so much easier said that done, eh???). Also, we focused on the word "but" in scripture... There are so many times where there was something icky going on and it is followed by... BUT GOD. Man, does that sound familiar to you Muri? I think you know firsthand what that means! So, ladies - whatever is going on in your world right now - such as...

man, my hormones are getting the best of me and i can't seem to hold it all together, but God...
* is faithful
* is my strength
* is all knowing
* can give me peace
* can calm my mind
* is ever present
* is the God who can heal
* knows the BIG picture
* (DD - fill in my blanks here b/c I don't know if I will get it right...) can rescue me IN the storm, can rescue me FROM the storm, or can rescue me THROUGH the storm. and whichever way he choses is the way that is ordained by HIM!

the list could go on and on and on... thank you mary beth and DD for encouraging me to get there - it was such a great weekend!!!

okay, going to get back to living now :-). hehe! i so appreciate your comments and OH YEA - i guess i need to check out the calorie content on the candy corn b/c i am LOVING the apple flavored ones that a friend found at wal-mart. have you all tasted them??? man, oh, man!!!

one last thing...
questions i am currently getting from my son as i type...
* mom, were you and daddy kids or grown ups before i was born? ha!
* mom, before i was born, what did you call daddy???
my response - well, either "j" or "honey".
riley's response: mom, but you eat honey - you can't eat daddy.

priceless!

have a great day all!