when mark and i were engaged my mom made two rules.
1. we WILL have fun!
2. you WILL get married!
as we approach the madness of the christmas season, mark and i try and abide by two simple rules.
1. we WILL adore Him!
2. we WILL be merry and FUN!
so for us we have found some ways that help us adore Him, and be merry and fun!
1. Limit stress:
Ho-ho-ho, can sometimes be a slippery slope to ho-ho-hellness. when i feel the merry and the fun seeping away, i eliminate the stress and find HIM! i find Him in silence, in carols, in scripture, in the lit christmas tree during the wee hours of the morning or night, and He can even be found in the deliciousness of a peppermint mocha from starbucks ;)
2. Less money spent on things to give to people, instead more money spent on experiences WITH people. in our nine years of marriage, eight of those years have been spent on a ridiculously tight budget. so when push came to shove we would choose to use our money to go be with those we love, rather then spend the money on the ones we love. to me, that's the best gift. honestly, mark and i have never bought each other christmas gifts. trust me, we are not lacking.
this year has the potential to be the best christmas yet. our girls are at a SUPER fun age. last night when we were decorating the christmas tree katie said,"mom, mom, can you feel it? can you feel it? it's coming up inside of me and boiling over... it's, it's CHRISTMAS TIME!!" *squeals of delight followed*
the girls serenaded mark, as he painstakingly hung the lights on the tree. and anderson ran around the tree saying,"booty-full, booty-full" (beautiful. he was referring to the tree, not my rear end ;)! i love that the excitement, anticipation, and shere joy, that wells up in my heart this time of year is overflowing into my little one's hearts.
with "adoring Him" in mind we try and limit the gifts the kids receive. don't get me wrong, i love buying and giving my kids gifts. but early on in our parenthood journey it became very clear, very quickly that our children were going to be persuaded by the powerful monster of materialism. we saw their hearts and desires not being captivated solely by the awe and wonder of our Savior's birth. if mark and i preach to our children that this season is about our Jesus, but fill their hearts up only with things that satisfy them, we feed their selfishness and do a poor job of teaching them self-LESS-ness. one time i heard this mom, that i really respect, talking about how they did christmas in their home. her idea stuck with me, and now we use it. the kids are each giving 3 things; a need, a want, and a book. they still get things in their stocking, and they still receive gifts from their very giving grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, and friends. but from mark and me, they know they will receive these 3 items. it eliminates the, "how many gifts am i going to get this year?" it eliminates me being concerned if "everything is even". and we believe it's a balanced way to share in the fun of gift giving, but it also leaves room for the birth of Jesus, and Jesus Himself, to satisfy their every need and want, and above all else point them to Him during this delightful season.
so SLOW down! it's not even december, and i can feel some of you losing the merry, losing the fun, and losing Him!
~s
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Elton John and a Naked Christmas Tree
Elton John
and our* naked christmas tree
you know what today is don't you? holiday hangover day!! look here for clarification.
any who! we had a fabulous turkey holiday. and now we are switching gears for the next holiday. hence, the naked christmas tree. our* tree will hopefully find some color and life tonight as 10 hands try and spruce her up (buh-dunce).
we had such fun with uncle zach.
and of course we had fun with grandma and grandy! (no pics...how in the world did that happen?)
some kids push babies in a stroller... AJ pushes he trucks in the stroller. such a boy!
some time after anderson got his hair cut, he grew up. and now i have twins.
well folks, this is definitely a random post for me today... but i am feeling totally random. ;)
happy monday,
~s
p.s. i promise we do change anderson's clothes. but he just LOVES spider man.
* our tree was graciously bought for us this year by dave and chris bentz. in return we are going to keep their kids for four days ;) such great friends!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
I'm A Big Boy Now!!
so we *all went to see anderson get his first hair cut
miss kathryn carter did a FABULOUS job!
can you tell he is loved?
he did a super great job!
and he is a super big boy!
i cried. what else is new?
and now he is a big boy!
~s
*uncle zach was missing b/c he was sick.... :(
Monday, November 22, 2010
WHEW! I am so glad that is over!
tons of vomit and other bodily fluids, endless loads of laundry, TV marathon, groans and moans, tears, and a living room turned into a make-shift infirmary. the last time we had the stomach bug was christmas of 2007. it is miserable. i hope it's another 3 years before it rears it's ugly head again.
funny statements were still to be found amongst the misery.
lucy to me, while she was on all fours,"mama, i don't know how to throw up...*insert vomit*!" mark to lucy: "baby, you don't have to know how to throw up...it just happens!"
katie to me: "mama, i threw up and i was calling for you but you didn't hear me, so i just put myself back to bed...!" me to katie: sweetie, i am so sorry... i was up all night with lucy and anderson, and i must have gone comatose!"
3 AM, mark to sara. after having spent four hours cleaning up after lucy and anderson, who were simultaneously throwing up: "this is what memories are made of, babe!"
now that we have this behind us (no pun intended) we are looking forward to a great thanksgiving week with my brother, Zach, Larry, Jere', and cousin Amy. late night games, anderson's first hair cut, bike rides, late night chats, cooking, and hopefully some eating :)
uncle zach and aj
happy monday!
~s
funny statements were still to be found amongst the misery.
lucy to me, while she was on all fours,"mama, i don't know how to throw up...*insert vomit*!" mark to lucy: "baby, you don't have to know how to throw up...it just happens!"
katie to me: "mama, i threw up and i was calling for you but you didn't hear me, so i just put myself back to bed...!" me to katie: sweetie, i am so sorry... i was up all night with lucy and anderson, and i must have gone comatose!"
3 AM, mark to sara. after having spent four hours cleaning up after lucy and anderson, who were simultaneously throwing up: "this is what memories are made of, babe!"
now that we have this behind us (no pun intended) we are looking forward to a great thanksgiving week with my brother, Zach, Larry, Jere', and cousin Amy. late night games, anderson's first hair cut, bike rides, late night chats, cooking, and hopefully some eating :)
happy monday!
~s
Thursday, November 18, 2010
one small step
when i started homeschooling, someone with much experience told me to focus on the basics as i began; reading, writing, and math. this was SUPER freeing for me. when you sit down and look at the intense curriculum we use, it helped me prioritize my school day with katie. the more schooling i do with katie the more i realize what i want her to take away from our time together. i want her to be able to strongly communicate orally and in written form. i also want her to master math. not just be "ok" at it. i think if you are strong, really strong at these two subjects, the world of education is at your finger tips. don't get me wrong I LOVE history. I LOVE science. history was my favorite subject in school. my original plan in life was to become a history teacher (deeply motivated by the HUGE impact my history teacher had on me :)) God had other plans, but it doesn't mean that i still don't eat up history and current events like a mad dog. i mean, i live in a place that is dripping with history around each corner. so right now history is experiential for us. i DO teach science, and katie actually LOVES science, but science is at the bottom of the to-do list for now. obviously, that will change as we continue.
all this to say, writing for katie is extremely painful. creating a new idea is hard for her. we spent hours and tears writing ONE sentence in the first grade. katie can copy ANYTHING. that's why she thrives in dance. katie can verbally communicate any thought, feeling, or experience she has been through. she has been doing it since about the time she turned one. she came that way. but to have to invent a random sentence that she did not experience or copy.... YIKES. julia can create the craziest, funniest, most random stories and sentences in a heart beat. but it's painful for her to focus and follow precise instructions, and verbally communicate her feelings.. katie is just like mark. julia is just like me.
we try very hard to help our kids in their weaknesses. not critique or destroy them, but build them up and encourage them. when julia falls to pieces and her whining is that of a siren, i try (a lot of times i fail) to calmly say, "julia, stop whining and tell me what's going on?" most the time she just continues to have a freak out and it quickly turns into a melt down that requires discipline.... this can be an exhausting cycle.
but, ah, we had a sweet moment of growth this last week regarding both girls.
from scratch, katie had to write a very descriptive poem about fruit, using some similes. we spent time brainstorming, writing our ideas on paper, verbally talking about it, and then she had to write it down. i am SO PROUD of the poem she wrote. i cried. who cries about a fruity poem? :)
An orange is juicy,
just like Lucy.
An orange is yummy,
just like honey.
An orange is bumpy,
and a little lumpy.
It's a good snack,
and it is easy to pack.
T.S. Eliot you better watch out :)
last week jules was in a mood. she began to whine, bully, and peck on me. i got down on her eye level pulled her close so she could feel me breathe, and i said, "julia, you have two choices, you can tell me what's wrong and together you and i can find a solution, or you can walk back to my room and i will show you the solution. what would you like to do?"
she pulled a little bit back, sighed and said, "mom, i just feel totally frustrated and overwhelmed... and i think i am tired." i cried. ah, a direct statement about her feelings. i hugged her. "julia, what can mama do to to help you with these feelings?" she replied, "will you come put me down for a nap? i think i just need to sleep!" more true words could not have been spoken. an hour and half later she came out of her room refreshed and sweet :)
oh, the ending to these kinds of situations do not always end so successfully. i wish they did. but i am VERY grateful when they turn out this way. it gives me hope they both of my sweet girls are learning and growing, DESPITE me.
and just as a glimmer of hope begins to spread.... anderson throws his oatmeal at me in anger this morning... back to the drawing board.
happy thursday,
~s
all this to say, writing for katie is extremely painful. creating a new idea is hard for her. we spent hours and tears writing ONE sentence in the first grade. katie can copy ANYTHING. that's why she thrives in dance. katie can verbally communicate any thought, feeling, or experience she has been through. she has been doing it since about the time she turned one. she came that way. but to have to invent a random sentence that she did not experience or copy.... YIKES. julia can create the craziest, funniest, most random stories and sentences in a heart beat. but it's painful for her to focus and follow precise instructions, and verbally communicate her feelings.. katie is just like mark. julia is just like me.
we try very hard to help our kids in their weaknesses. not critique or destroy them, but build them up and encourage them. when julia falls to pieces and her whining is that of a siren, i try (a lot of times i fail) to calmly say, "julia, stop whining and tell me what's going on?" most the time she just continues to have a freak out and it quickly turns into a melt down that requires discipline.... this can be an exhausting cycle.
but, ah, we had a sweet moment of growth this last week regarding both girls.
from scratch, katie had to write a very descriptive poem about fruit, using some similes. we spent time brainstorming, writing our ideas on paper, verbally talking about it, and then she had to write it down. i am SO PROUD of the poem she wrote. i cried. who cries about a fruity poem? :)
An orange is juicy,
just like Lucy.
An orange is yummy,
just like honey.
An orange is bumpy,
and a little lumpy.
It's a good snack,
and it is easy to pack.
T.S. Eliot you better watch out :)
last week jules was in a mood. she began to whine, bully, and peck on me. i got down on her eye level pulled her close so she could feel me breathe, and i said, "julia, you have two choices, you can tell me what's wrong and together you and i can find a solution, or you can walk back to my room and i will show you the solution. what would you like to do?"
she pulled a little bit back, sighed and said, "mom, i just feel totally frustrated and overwhelmed... and i think i am tired." i cried. ah, a direct statement about her feelings. i hugged her. "julia, what can mama do to to help you with these feelings?" she replied, "will you come put me down for a nap? i think i just need to sleep!" more true words could not have been spoken. an hour and half later she came out of her room refreshed and sweet :)
oh, the ending to these kinds of situations do not always end so successfully. i wish they did. but i am VERY grateful when they turn out this way. it gives me hope they both of my sweet girls are learning and growing, DESPITE me.
and just as a glimmer of hope begins to spread.... anderson throws his oatmeal at me in anger this morning... back to the drawing board.
happy thursday,
~s
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Marriage Part 2 :You Do Not Have What It Takes!
The book of Ephesians was the foundation for the conference. The purpose being, if we do not allow Ephesians chapters 1-3, to be the very focus of our lives, then Ephesians chapters 4-6, (wives submit to your husbands, husbands love your wives as Christ as loved the church. children obey your parents. slaves submit to your masters, etcc) will be impossible and painful.
On the first day Tim Lane spoke about being One with the body of Christ. I am going to take part of his analogy and expand upon it. He paralleled the Christian life with an ocean; vast, unmeasured,.. the ocean full of blessing, hardship, relationship, LIFE. And we the Christian, as a whale. While the whale remains in the ocean of relationship with God and with His body (the church) he will live, and move, and have being. (Acts 17:28) But if the whale beaches himself on the sand because the ocean is hard, painful, hurtful, not what one expected it to be; then he will surely die (not a physical death, but a spiritual death). No justification for isolation will give life to that whale. Only when the whale is being what it was meant to be in the ocean will it thrive and have true life. As married couples, we can not beach ourselves on the sand convincing each other that we have all the gifts we need to meet the others needs. As parents, we can not beach our families on the sand and justify our isolation because we think we have all the gifts to meet the needs of our children. Ephesians 1:18 says, "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,"
What is our hope? What are the riches of His glory? Where is our inheritance found? In the saints. In relationships with others who call on His name. Not in the church building, not in the church programs, not in church traditions, not in the church laws, BUT IN RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SAINTS. Glimpses of eternal heaven are found in our relationships with others. The burden is shared, the joy is found, dances of celebration begin, the relationship with Christ is enhanced and deepened when we entertain angels in our homes (Hebrews 13:2), when our hands and feet are the tools our Savior uses to touch His own. We, renewed and determined, link arms with the saints and actively charge the gates of hell. That is why "church" is important. That's why communion with the saints is important. That's why corporately joining together in song, and the hearing of the word is commanded not suggested. Not to bore us, not to require another "act of goodness" from us. Rather so, that we, (you and me) may experience the fullness of our inheritance in the here and now. He is giving us hope by giving us each other. He is revealing His glory in our relationships. We are partaking in our inheritance when make ourselves vulnerable and willing to risk being in relationship. He is giving us the encouragement and the strength we need to live out our calling here on earth by giving us each other. We, in and of ourselves, do not have what it takes to replicate the blessing from being in relationship with others. We can not replicate it for our spouse and we can not replicate it for our children. WE NEED EACH OTHER!!! We need our Savior, and we need the beauty of true community and relationship in the body of Christ.
C.S. Lewis says is best,
"To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything
and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is... to be vulnerable."
(The Four Loves)
~sTuesday, November 16, 2010
Marriage Part One:The Great Sacrifice
Mark and I attended the CCEF marriage conference over the weekend. Honestly, I am not really ready to put into words our experience. One, because I am afraid my words will not do it justice. Two, I am still letting all that happened penetrate to my core and settle before I speak about it. But don't worry, I have every intention of sharing about this powerful and humbling weekend.
Weekends like this just don't happen. There has to be much planning, budgeting, and sacrifice. All of our friends who typically take care of our kids in our absence were all attending the marriage conference, so we were on the hunt for someone to watch our most precious treasures. Our friend, Jenny Ozborn,came to mind. She has been apart of our lives for a long time. We met at camp in French Camp MS, and our respect and love for her has just continued to grow. She took on a weekend like this 2 years ago when we just had 3 girls and one boy in utero. So, it was a natural choice to at least ask Jenny. Jenny lives in MS as a pediatric oncology/hematology nurse, and basically minored in camp and camp programming :) Who better to care of our kids? Jenny willingly rearranged her schedule, her life, her time, and her budget to come and take care of our kids. S.A.C.R.I.F.I.C.E. Jenny, your sacrifice allowed Mark and me to go experience one of the most special weekends in all of our marriage. You know how grateful we are for you!
My sister asked me yesterday, "Was it worth it?" She, knowing all the time, money, energy, planning, etc that went into it..... I said, " Absolutely, I would do it over and over again," and I plan on it.
It's not easy to carve out time to put our marriages first. Sometimes, especially when kids are in the equation, we justify our lack of action and sacrifice because of them. Let me encourage you, whatever it takes to find your spouse amongst the craziness of this life, DO IT.... you'll never regret it.
Here are some on the pictures of the kids and their super-duper,sugar-free, craft-blasted, spoiled-filled weekend!
Thanks Jenny! All of our love.
~s
Weekends like this just don't happen. There has to be much planning, budgeting, and sacrifice. All of our friends who typically take care of our kids in our absence were all attending the marriage conference, so we were on the hunt for someone to watch our most precious treasures. Our friend, Jenny Ozborn,came to mind. She has been apart of our lives for a long time. We met at camp in French Camp MS, and our respect and love for her has just continued to grow. She took on a weekend like this 2 years ago when we just had 3 girls and one boy in utero. So, it was a natural choice to at least ask Jenny. Jenny lives in MS as a pediatric oncology/hematology nurse, and basically minored in camp and camp programming :) Who better to care of our kids? Jenny willingly rearranged her schedule, her life, her time, and her budget to come and take care of our kids. S.A.C.R.I.F.I.C.E. Jenny, your sacrifice allowed Mark and me to go experience one of the most special weekends in all of our marriage. You know how grateful we are for you!
My sister asked me yesterday, "Was it worth it?" She, knowing all the time, money, energy, planning, etc that went into it..... I said, " Absolutely, I would do it over and over again," and I plan on it.
It's not easy to carve out time to put our marriages first. Sometimes, especially when kids are in the equation, we justify our lack of action and sacrifice because of them. Let me encourage you, whatever it takes to find your spouse amongst the craziness of this life, DO IT.... you'll never regret it.
Here are some on the pictures of the kids and their super-duper,sugar-free, craft-blasted, spoiled-filled weekend!
Thanks Jenny! All of our love.
~s
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
You Might Be A Kansas Redneck If........
you harvested 43 tomatoes (from your 2 tomato plants) on november 6th, and are letting them sun in the west window sill so they can turn,and not get ruined by a frost!
you can take the girl out of kansas, but you can't take kansas out of the girl!
~s
~s
We So Said That
alright, so i decided to combine the "i so said that" and "this is what my kids said" concept and came up with, "We So Said That!"
here are a few that i can remember.
we were praying about my dad's upcoming surgery on his belly button and the girls were taking turns praying for Poppo. Lucy's prayer: " Dear God, thank you for this food (mind you we were not at the dinner table rather getting ready for bed) and thank you for Poppo's belly button! AMEN!"
me to julia: julia, if you continue to scare lucy about her upcoming shots i will request that the doctor also give you a shot while we are there :0! (mother-of-the-year, i know)
~s
literature plug:
The Vaccine Book by Dr. Robert Sears
as per littlejohn, we do not really do anything "normal" around here. since Lucy's birth we have done loads of research about vaccines and have made the decision that we would vaccinate our kids with the combined knowledge of our reading and insight from a trusted doctor who did not have an agenda. The book i listed was SO incredibly helpful and full of medical information and statistics, that were neither fear based nor money driven. we are not anti-vaccine. we just want to be fully be in control of our children's medical beginnings. and for us, that just looks different than the pediatric vaccine schedule.
here are a few that i can remember.
we were praying about my dad's upcoming surgery on his belly button and the girls were taking turns praying for Poppo. Lucy's prayer: " Dear God, thank you for this food (mind you we were not at the dinner table rather getting ready for bed) and thank you for Poppo's belly button! AMEN!"
me to julia: julia, if you continue to scare lucy about her upcoming shots i will request that the doctor also give you a shot while we are there :0! (mother-of-the-year, i know)
~s
literature plug:
The Vaccine Book by Dr. Robert Sears
as per littlejohn, we do not really do anything "normal" around here. since Lucy's birth we have done loads of research about vaccines and have made the decision that we would vaccinate our kids with the combined knowledge of our reading and insight from a trusted doctor who did not have an agenda. The book i listed was SO incredibly helpful and full of medical information and statistics, that were neither fear based nor money driven. we are not anti-vaccine. we just want to be fully be in control of our children's medical beginnings. and for us, that just looks different than the pediatric vaccine schedule.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Pecked Like a Chicken
one of my favorite motherhood quotes is the following, "sometimes being the mother of small children (and large children) is like being pecked by a chicken all day long!"
mom, can you help?
mom, can you read to me?
mom, can you wipe my nose?
mom, can you help me with my math?
no, mom!
yes, mom!
please, mom!
stop, mom!
feed me, bathe me, tie my shoe, button my coat, PECK! PECK! PECK!
sometimes amongst the many requests my response is, "if you need me then you have to come help me do whatever i am doing!"
don't get my wrong, i love reading to the kids, i love coloring with them and playing Uno, but sometimes i have things that need some attention, like cleaning out a pan that has been in the sink for 3 days. :)
yesterday, julia "needed" to be with me... so, she got to clean the pan. actually, she begged and begged to clean it. who am i to refuse her such a request?
hang in their moms!
~s
mom, can you help?
mom, can you read to me?
mom, can you wipe my nose?
mom, can you help me with my math?
no, mom!
yes, mom!
please, mom!
stop, mom!
feed me, bathe me, tie my shoe, button my coat, PECK! PECK! PECK!
sometimes amongst the many requests my response is, "if you need me then you have to come help me do whatever i am doing!"
don't get my wrong, i love reading to the kids, i love coloring with them and playing Uno, but sometimes i have things that need some attention, like cleaning out a pan that has been in the sink for 3 days. :)
yesterday, julia "needed" to be with me... so, she got to clean the pan. actually, she begged and begged to clean it. who am i to refuse her such a request?
hang in their moms!
~s
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Living in the Storm Part III: Thankfulness
I Corinthians 11:23-24
23For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread;
24and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me."
Jesus, mere hours away from suffering some of the cruelest torture humanity has ever invented, and then even more painful; bearing every thought and deed of human sinfulness upon His shoulders, feeling the weight of evil invade and penetrate His perfect heart; ALONE, separated from His Father, gave pause with his best of friends and the worst of enemy to give thanks.
I would have loved to have heard that prayer of thanksgiving. Did He simply give thanks for the bread, wine, and the feast that lie before Him? Did He give thanks to His father for his friends, and his enemy? Knowing all that He knew, did He thank the triune God for the opportunity to suffer, beaten and torn, to reclaim all that were lost? Was it short and sweet or long and passionate? Did he cry? Or was He his voice strong and smooth as I have always imagined it being. Did his friends hear the words he prayed or were they distracted by smells and sight of the feast? Oh, one glorious day I will ask Him what He prayed.
It is not lost on me that on the most difficult night of Jesus' life he stopped and gave thanks. He knew the bloody path that He would soon be walking. He knew all the pain His body would suffer, he created the human body and all of its intricacies. He knew that He was going to have to plunge the depths of hell on that night to save His beloved..... And He gave thanks.
It's November. It's the month of Thanksgiving. And even in this month there are many that are suffering some of the darkest days and nights of their lives. Oh, Christian, you are not alone! The road you walk is not unknown by your God. The pain and agony that threatens to paralyze your joy is not far from the Father's mind. When death is staring you in the face, whether it's physical, emotional, or spiritual death..... pause, just as our Jesus did, and give thanks! The Lamb who was slain is worthy of all praise, glory and honor.
These posts about "living in the storm" are typically dedicated to the journey that I am walking on in regards to my mom's battle with Alzheimer's. Today this post about Thanksgiving is only an option for my heart b/c I am watching my mom and dad dance this dance of angelic thanksgiving and trust during the darkest days of their lives. We are not thankful for the disease and all the things that we are saying goodbye to. No, no, we are thankful for the unending, everlasting, never fading, always present, God who is near to us. We are thankful for each other and the support, laughter, and constant reminder that we are not alone. We are thankful for the 65 years of life my mom has lived. And for every single day that we have with her and with each other! No mom, this is not your eulogy this, this is our dance of thanksgiving to YOU!!
Happy Thanksgiving Month,
~s
23For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread;
24and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me."
Jesus, mere hours away from suffering some of the cruelest torture humanity has ever invented, and then even more painful; bearing every thought and deed of human sinfulness upon His shoulders, feeling the weight of evil invade and penetrate His perfect heart; ALONE, separated from His Father, gave pause with his best of friends and the worst of enemy to give thanks.
I would have loved to have heard that prayer of thanksgiving. Did He simply give thanks for the bread, wine, and the feast that lie before Him? Did He give thanks to His father for his friends, and his enemy? Knowing all that He knew, did He thank the triune God for the opportunity to suffer, beaten and torn, to reclaim all that were lost? Was it short and sweet or long and passionate? Did he cry? Or was He his voice strong and smooth as I have always imagined it being. Did his friends hear the words he prayed or were they distracted by smells and sight of the feast? Oh, one glorious day I will ask Him what He prayed.
It is not lost on me that on the most difficult night of Jesus' life he stopped and gave thanks. He knew the bloody path that He would soon be walking. He knew all the pain His body would suffer, he created the human body and all of its intricacies. He knew that He was going to have to plunge the depths of hell on that night to save His beloved..... And He gave thanks.
It's November. It's the month of Thanksgiving. And even in this month there are many that are suffering some of the darkest days and nights of their lives. Oh, Christian, you are not alone! The road you walk is not unknown by your God. The pain and agony that threatens to paralyze your joy is not far from the Father's mind. When death is staring you in the face, whether it's physical, emotional, or spiritual death..... pause, just as our Jesus did, and give thanks! The Lamb who was slain is worthy of all praise, glory and honor.
These posts about "living in the storm" are typically dedicated to the journey that I am walking on in regards to my mom's battle with Alzheimer's. Today this post about Thanksgiving is only an option for my heart b/c I am watching my mom and dad dance this dance of angelic thanksgiving and trust during the darkest days of their lives. We are not thankful for the disease and all the things that we are saying goodbye to. No, no, we are thankful for the unending, everlasting, never fading, always present, God who is near to us. We are thankful for each other and the support, laughter, and constant reminder that we are not alone. We are thankful for the 65 years of life my mom has lived. And for every single day that we have with her and with each other! No mom, this is not your eulogy this, this is our dance of thanksgiving to YOU!!
Happy Thanksgiving Month,
~s
Saturday, November 6, 2010
the best babysitters in the world!!
remember when mark and i went to boston ?
well, why we were there, our lovely miss lindsey q. (soon to be lindsey o.) took on the four littlejohn peeps. lindsey has been a life saver and an answer to prayer! when we moved here 18 months ago one of my biggest prayer requests was that we would find people who would love our kids the way they had been loved in starkville. starkville is a college town, so you have this unending list of girls who can and want to take care of your kids. now we live 40 plus miles from ANY college and i thought our search would be in vain, WRONG! now we have this group of girls who have willingly come time and time again to take of the kids for mark and me. they are AMAZING!!! so amazing that i leave my children with them for days :) time away from the kids is of the up-most importance to me. b/c i am with them 24/7, i covet the times when i can sneak away and decompress, knowing full well that they are receiving spectacular care!
so back to lindsey: lindsey also has a very creative and artistic eye. so while she fed, clothed, bathed, cuddled, kissed, and kept the house running; she also took pictures of the kids. aren't they so great?
thanks lindsey (and kathryne, amber, steph, *dave & chris) for loving our kids! you will never know how you have blessed our lives and the lives of our children!
~s
well, why we were there, our lovely miss lindsey q. (soon to be lindsey o.) took on the four littlejohn peeps. lindsey has been a life saver and an answer to prayer! when we moved here 18 months ago one of my biggest prayer requests was that we would find people who would love our kids the way they had been loved in starkville. starkville is a college town, so you have this unending list of girls who can and want to take care of your kids. now we live 40 plus miles from ANY college and i thought our search would be in vain, WRONG! now we have this group of girls who have willingly come time and time again to take of the kids for mark and me. they are AMAZING!!! so amazing that i leave my children with them for days :) time away from the kids is of the up-most importance to me. b/c i am with them 24/7, i covet the times when i can sneak away and decompress, knowing full well that they are receiving spectacular care!
so back to lindsey: lindsey also has a very creative and artistic eye. so while she fed, clothed, bathed, cuddled, kissed, and kept the house running; she also took pictures of the kids. aren't they so great?
thanks lindsey (and kathryne, amber, steph, *dave & chris) for loving our kids! you will never know how you have blessed our lives and the lives of our children!
~s
Friday, November 5, 2010
i love cheese!
i really do love cheese.
this past week we were able to observe katie in her acrobatics class (no that is not katie on the mat). she is doing a great job. after class lucy said to katie, "katie, you did a great job somersaulting on the cheese!"
that girl makes life a little bit easier to live!! ;)
happy weekend!
~s
this past week we were able to observe katie in her acrobatics class (no that is not katie on the mat). she is doing a great job. after class lucy said to katie, "katie, you did a great job somersaulting on the cheese!"
that girl makes life a little bit easier to live!! ;)
happy weekend!
~s
Thursday, November 4, 2010
The Purpose Driven Sex Life.
sex is sacred.
sex is important.
i desire in no way to belittle, mock, or remove honor and awe from the power of a sexual relationship. i believe sex is only blessed and overflowing with richness, security, purity, and freedom, when it is shared in the covenant relationship of marriage.
i respect and cherish the marriage bed.
it fascinates me how little people have meaningful conversation about sex. every commercial, tv show, movie, book, etc.. is more than happy to sell sex and to promote a sexual agenda, but no one wants to talk about sex. people are happy to joke about sex, and annihilate any shred of true meaning or weight that it represents, but no one wants to really talk about it. except our very attentive God who speaks about sex A LOT in the Holy scriptures. some think that when you surrender your life to God you have to sacrifice exhilarating, passionate, make-you-sweat, kind of sex. not true. if you get a chance read, 'Song Of Solomon', and you will see just how serious, beautiful, and pro-sex, our God is.
they say most couples fight about two major things; finances and sex. lots of churches and community organizations offer financial assistance, financial counseling, financial peace sunday school classes, but you have to go digging for sex assistance, sex counseling, sexual peace sunday school classes. some people skim over a section about sex in their marriage counseling, but often it is done as quickly as possible to remove any type of uncomfortableness for all involved.
not understanding the importance of a healthy, regular, and intimate sex life for married couples, is a quick, painful, and sure-fire way to lose the road to an abundant married life. *
women think that sex is simply meeting the high demand of their husband. but study after study, shows that sex for a man is so much more emotional then one might ever dream. the status of a man's sexual relationship with his wife effects EVERY AREA OF HIS LIFE. when a wife thinks she is simply saying, "no" to the sexual act, in all reality the only thing the man hears her saying is, "no" to him as a man, a leader, a friend, a companion... in other words he hears, "you are a failure." if a man is convinced he can not even get his own wife to love him, then he will feel defeated in all areas of his life.
it's that serious.
mark and i have been married 109 months. out of those months i have either been pregnant and or breastfeeding for 88 months. we had 14 months together as newly weds before we got pregnant with katie. and trust me our life has not looked the same since. our sexual relationship sure hasn't. that doesn't mean our sexual life is non-existent... obviously, we have four children. it means that in the last 8 years we have had to be VERY intentional in our sex life. pregnancy, babies, postpartum, toddler-hood, shear exhaustion, etc... has a way of zapping every sexy feeling out of a mom and even a dad. none-the-less, we have adamantly tried to continue to woo each other, learn about each other sexually, and keep our marriage bed full of life, laughter, fun and precious connection.
i am also convicted that i often run to the Lord with loads of needs, "please encourage mark at work today, please help katie be confident, please help julia control her temper, please help lucy focus, please help anderson grow into a Godly man," but i hesitate when i bring before the Lord this very deep and personal issue of sex. if we all were to consistently ask the Lord to grow our sex lives, to sustain the intimacy in our marriage, to initiate desire where it is lacking, and glorify Himself in our marriage beds... this world would be a lot more populated!! ;)
happy marriage bedding,
~s
p.s.
*please understand, i realize there are situations where physical and emotional limitations have to be taken into consideration. the lack of intimacy b/c of these circumstances does not mean a couple has an unhappy or unfulfilled relationship.
p.p.s.
literature plug:
intended for pleasure by ed and gaye wheat
sheet music by dr kevin leman
the act of marriage by tim and beverly lahaye
red-hot monogamy by bill and pam farrel
the language of sex dr. gary smalley & ted cunningham
no more headaches: enjoying sex and intimacy in marriage by dr. julianna slattery
sex is important.
i desire in no way to belittle, mock, or remove honor and awe from the power of a sexual relationship. i believe sex is only blessed and overflowing with richness, security, purity, and freedom, when it is shared in the covenant relationship of marriage.
i respect and cherish the marriage bed.
it fascinates me how little people have meaningful conversation about sex. every commercial, tv show, movie, book, etc.. is more than happy to sell sex and to promote a sexual agenda, but no one wants to talk about sex. people are happy to joke about sex, and annihilate any shred of true meaning or weight that it represents, but no one wants to really talk about it. except our very attentive God who speaks about sex A LOT in the Holy scriptures. some think that when you surrender your life to God you have to sacrifice exhilarating, passionate, make-you-sweat, kind of sex. not true. if you get a chance read, 'Song Of Solomon', and you will see just how serious, beautiful, and pro-sex, our God is.
they say most couples fight about two major things; finances and sex. lots of churches and community organizations offer financial assistance, financial counseling, financial peace sunday school classes, but you have to go digging for sex assistance, sex counseling, sexual peace sunday school classes. some people skim over a section about sex in their marriage counseling, but often it is done as quickly as possible to remove any type of uncomfortableness for all involved.
not understanding the importance of a healthy, regular, and intimate sex life for married couples, is a quick, painful, and sure-fire way to lose the road to an abundant married life. *
women think that sex is simply meeting the high demand of their husband. but study after study, shows that sex for a man is so much more emotional then one might ever dream. the status of a man's sexual relationship with his wife effects EVERY AREA OF HIS LIFE. when a wife thinks she is simply saying, "no" to the sexual act, in all reality the only thing the man hears her saying is, "no" to him as a man, a leader, a friend, a companion... in other words he hears, "you are a failure." if a man is convinced he can not even get his own wife to love him, then he will feel defeated in all areas of his life.
it's that serious.
mark and i have been married 109 months. out of those months i have either been pregnant and or breastfeeding for 88 months. we had 14 months together as newly weds before we got pregnant with katie. and trust me our life has not looked the same since. our sexual relationship sure hasn't. that doesn't mean our sexual life is non-existent... obviously, we have four children. it means that in the last 8 years we have had to be VERY intentional in our sex life. pregnancy, babies, postpartum, toddler-hood, shear exhaustion, etc... has a way of zapping every sexy feeling out of a mom and even a dad. none-the-less, we have adamantly tried to continue to woo each other, learn about each other sexually, and keep our marriage bed full of life, laughter, fun and precious connection.
i am also convicted that i often run to the Lord with loads of needs, "please encourage mark at work today, please help katie be confident, please help julia control her temper, please help lucy focus, please help anderson grow into a Godly man," but i hesitate when i bring before the Lord this very deep and personal issue of sex. if we all were to consistently ask the Lord to grow our sex lives, to sustain the intimacy in our marriage, to initiate desire where it is lacking, and glorify Himself in our marriage beds... this world would be a lot more populated!! ;)
happy marriage bedding,
~s
p.s.
*please understand, i realize there are situations where physical and emotional limitations have to be taken into consideration. the lack of intimacy b/c of these circumstances does not mean a couple has an unhappy or unfulfilled relationship.
p.p.s.
literature plug:
intended for pleasure by ed and gaye wheat
sheet music by dr kevin leman
the act of marriage by tim and beverly lahaye
red-hot monogamy by bill and pam farrel
the language of sex dr. gary smalley & ted cunningham
no more headaches: enjoying sex and intimacy in marriage by dr. julianna slattery
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
i want to hold your hand
parking lots are a scary place for me sometimes. i can not hold the hand of all four of my children. so instead, i hold anderson in my arms, katie and julia hold hands, and then i find myself continually saying, "lucy, hold my hand!" but in reality it's me saying, "lucy, come over here so i can clamp down onto your pea sized hand, squeeze your fingers til they turn blue, so you can not jolt away from me!" her holding my hand only lasts as long as her whimsical thought lasts. but me, firmly gripping her hand, motivated by the fact that if i let go she could quickly find danger.
sometimes we desire to commune with our Holy God only as long as our whimsical thoughts will allow us to be focused on Him. but He is passionately dedicated to always being near us, pursuing our pea sized and wild hearts, motivated by the fact that if we are without Him our soul is desperately in danger.
i love Him for never letting me go. i love Him because He WANTS to hold my hand. knowing all that He does about the state of my heart... He wants me. and that is motivating.
~s
sometimes we desire to commune with our Holy God only as long as our whimsical thoughts will allow us to be focused on Him. but He is passionately dedicated to always being near us, pursuing our pea sized and wild hearts, motivated by the fact that if we are without Him our soul is desperately in danger.
i love Him for never letting me go. i love Him because He WANTS to hold my hand. knowing all that He does about the state of my heart... He wants me. and that is motivating.
~s
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
a boat vs. a vote
me to lucy: you need to get your shoes on so daddy and i can go vote!
lucy: we are going on a boat?
me: no, lucy we are going to go vote.
lucy: what is vote?
me: a vote is when we go pick the people that we would like to serve and represent us locally and in DC.
lucy: i want to ride on a boat!
me: lucy, we are NOT going on a "B" oat, we are going to "V" ote.
lucy: silence
30 minutes later we enter the polling place:
lucy: where is the boat?
yes, phoebe buffay resides in our house some days!
GO VOTE!
~s
lucy: we are going on a boat?
me: no, lucy we are going to go vote.
lucy: what is vote?
me: a vote is when we go pick the people that we would like to serve and represent us locally and in DC.
lucy: i want to ride on a boat!
me: lucy, we are NOT going on a "B" oat, we are going to "V" ote.
lucy: silence
30 minutes later we enter the polling place:
lucy: where is the boat?
yes, phoebe buffay resides in our house some days!
GO VOTE!
~s
Monday, November 1, 2010
My Kids Only Eat Dinner on Halloween
"if you want to go trick-or-treating than you better eat a your supper!"
you know you said it.
don't even pretend that you didn't. ;)
our kids ate well and trick-or treated well. VERY little drama for the littlejohns. *sigh* maybe we are growing. little red riding hood and a lady bug joined us for the fun festivities (eleana, elisa, jason and emily chamness too!)
people always claimed that our neighborhood gets 200-400 kids. last night we did. SO, SO, fun walking around with the streets blocked to the public automobiles, and droves of children scampering about for a treat. katie kept saying, "i love this, i love this!!" i knew exactly what she meant. a beautiful star filled sky,on a cool evening, going door to door interacting with people that we might not typically get to interact with; walking, skipping, giggling, the perfect evening for us extroverts!
here is a glimpse:
katie and julia:snow fairies
lucy: butterfly
anderson: spider
both costumes that were purchased were not used. i am sure someday they will be used!
happy holiday hangover day, ( a little history for our new readers. the day after any holiday is acknowledged around here as "holiday hangover". not due to a alcoholic hangover (though i am sure some readers might be experiencing this (*LOUD BANGING NOISE INSERTED HERE*), RATHER, restless, cranky, spoiled, kids who have been off their schedule and are looking to be entertained instead of entertaining themselves. if i were independently wealthy i would hire someone to cover all holiday hangover days....)
~s
you know you said it.
don't even pretend that you didn't. ;)
our kids ate well and trick-or treated well. VERY little drama for the littlejohns. *sigh* maybe we are growing. little red riding hood and a lady bug joined us for the fun festivities (eleana, elisa, jason and emily chamness too!)
people always claimed that our neighborhood gets 200-400 kids. last night we did. SO, SO, fun walking around with the streets blocked to the public automobiles, and droves of children scampering about for a treat. katie kept saying, "i love this, i love this!!" i knew exactly what she meant. a beautiful star filled sky,on a cool evening, going door to door interacting with people that we might not typically get to interact with; walking, skipping, giggling, the perfect evening for us extroverts!
here is a glimpse:
katie and julia:snow fairies
lucy: butterfly
anderson: spider
both costumes that were purchased were not used. i am sure someday they will be used!
happy holiday hangover day, ( a little history for our new readers. the day after any holiday is acknowledged around here as "holiday hangover". not due to a alcoholic hangover (though i am sure some readers might be experiencing this (*LOUD BANGING NOISE INSERTED HERE*), RATHER, restless, cranky, spoiled, kids who have been off their schedule and are looking to be entertained instead of entertaining themselves. if i were independently wealthy i would hire someone to cover all holiday hangover days....)
~s
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