Rub-a-dub-dub

Yee-haw! Seth has finally taken a bath where he has not screamed the entire time!! He started out the same - as soon as he hit the water he started howling. But somehow, Chris finally captured his attention on the toys and bubbles. Seth decided he'd like to chew on a toy, splash a little, and suck on the washcloth. He still has yet to crack a smile in the tub, but at least it was a nice quiet bath!

Making A Difference

This week we got a letter from our sponsored child and an updated picture of her, too. It's always fun to get a new picture and see how much she's grown since the last photo was taken. Our little girl, Maria, lives in the Dominican Republic. We started sponsoring her in 2001 when she was just 3 years old. We have traded letters with her, seen her progress in writing, prayed for her during family devotions, and kept her picture on the refrigerator. We haven't had a chance to yet, but every year, we could be a part of a group to go visit Maria and other sponsored children in the DR. Sponsoring Maria has been a good way to start teaching Jacob and Savannah about being world Christians. It only costs us $32 a month to provide Maria with good meals, education, and the opportunity to learn about Jesus. I put a link to Compassion on the side if you want to find out more...

Tea Cup A Joe

Are you a tea drinker or a coffee drinker? I drink both. I love sweet iced tea, hot tea, green tea, white tea, black tea. All the subtle flavors blending in with a little sugar and cream or lemon...aaahh. Or some cold raspberry or peach tea with mint leaves scattered on the top...yummy! I think the best hot tea I ever had was at a tea room - chocolate raspberry mint. I also love coffee - as long as it has been heavily sugared and creamered. Coffee ice cream (Breyer's) is so refreshing! Recently I've been making my own "frappacino" by taking my coffee and putting it in the blender with a bunch of ice cubes! I'll drink decaf or regular, whatever's on hand at the moment. Chris likes his coffee black - he says that's the "man" way to drink it. I know there's some girls who drink their coffee black, too, so maybe that makes them "tomboys". I look forward to my cup of tea/coffee every evening after the kids go to bed. It's relaxing and fun to drink while I "veg" out watching the news, reading a magazine, or doing a puzzle. And I also look forward to my cup of tea/coffee every morning. It helps me wake up and substitutes for breakfast until after the kids are fed and then I can eat. Then there's the afternoon cup for when I'm working on projects... Ya'll know what I'm talking about! Happy drinking, tea/coffee sisters!

Zoo-prise!

We just took a trip to the zoo. We saw gorillas eat salad, elephants mix mud with water then throw it on top of themselves, howler monkeys howl, snakes twisting around each other, toucans fly back and forth, a baby wallaby jump around, penguins eat fish, a turtle try to climb up a fence, a flamingo run into the audience during a demonstration, and a brave squirrel that came up to the stroller to get one of Seth's crackers! It was a busy day for most of the animals - except the hippo, who according to the info card can stay submerged up to 10 minutes, and he did! The kids loved seeing all the different kinds of life; it was a perfect opportunity to teach them of God's creation. "O Lord, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures (Psalm 104:24)."

Sweet Dreams

I was reminded of why I love being a mom this evening during bedtime. Eli had already been tucked in bed and I was sitting on the edge of his bed nursing Seth. It's thunderstorming outside and Eli starts talking in a quiet voice. "What dat noise, mommy?" That's thunder, sweetheart. God is watering the grass and trees and flowers so they can grow. "Oh, mommy. And the duht is dwinking too, mommy?" Yes, Eli. "I want doe (go) yee (see) it." You can't, Eli. It's night-night time. "Oh, mommy. I wike da moon. Can me hode (hold) da moon?" No sweetheart, it's too far away. But it's pretty to look at, isn't it? "Yeah, mommy. Is dere doo (two) muh-hers (monsters) in my woom?" No, Eli, there's no monsters in here. There's only Eli, and Seth, and mommy. "Oh, mommy. I want doe (go) weep (sleep) now." Okay, Eli. Night-night. I love you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Hi Everyone! This is Chris, Elisabeth's husband, and I'm sneaking onto her blog to say "Happy Birthday!" Will you join me!? Today is her birthday and she turns (CENSORED) today!:) Here's a song just for her in the video above

Numb Chickens At The Table

Dinner observations:
Elijah drinking his soy milk, listening to himself gulp. He says, "There's a chicken in my cup. I say bok bok."
Jacob eating his plain grits with butter. He says, "Can I have some sugar? My grits are numb." Bland, son, not numb.

What Comes From A Hoot-A-Nanny

Once in a while my day doesn't go in the same direction that I thought it was going to go when I get up that morning. When I woke up today, I expected to have a normal day - cleaning a bathroom, doing dishes, cooking food, and playing with the kids. Now, one boo boo, four stitches, and an ER visit later, a verse comes to mind. "Don't brag about tomorrow, since you don't know what the day will bring (Proverbs 27:1)". That verse always pops out at me whenever something bad happens or I hear news of something horrible that has happened. I can't know the turns and twists that will happen in my life, but God does. He's there ahead of me preparing the way, preparing me so that I can handle what life gives me. Jesus says to me, "Your heavenly Father already knows your needs, and He will give you all you need from day to day if you live for Him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern. So don't worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today (Matthew 6:32-34)." Thankfully, Eli is fine now. All the kids were having a little hoot-a-nanny dancing to some "cowboy" music, when Eli fell and hit his forehead on the fireplace hearth. We have the hearth covered with blankets just in case this should happen - so the damage was minimized. Of course I was scared and worried for my son, but underneath the fear there was the knowledge that God is in control. That 's a comforting thing in the midst of panic!

Mommy-itis

Well, now it's the end of the day; time to write about all the wondrous things I daydreamed of while I folded laundry, cooked stir-fry, baked zucchini bread, and potty-trained a 2 year old. Except now my mind is blank. I can't remember for the life of me what I was going to write about - I had a hard time just a minute ago trying to remember what I cooked for supper! My brain does that sometimes. It's called Mommy-itis, I think. When you find the remote control in the pantry, the coffee in the refrigerator, and the baby wipes on the nightstand. You know you've got it bad when you look for the phone book where it's supposed to be and can't find it, and later on your husband lovingly points it out to you right there on the counter. How'd it do that??? It's good to know that my Heavenly Father never forgets where He's put something or where He's going. He is completely trustworthy. Although I may have misplaced the tea bags, I am always safe with Him. "This I declare of the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I am trusting Him...He will shield you with His wings. He will shelter you with His feathers. His faithful promises are your armor and protection (Psalm 91:2&4)".

Grass clippings in my food!

So we are sitting down enjoying a peaceful supper of spaghetti...Seth (9 months) is emitting ear-piercing yelps whenever he catches sight of Daddy's hat on Daddy's head who happens to be sitting directly opposite of him...Elijah (2 years) has inhaled his first plateful and is clamoring for more before I've even lifted my fork...Savannah (4 years) is busy twirling the same forkful of noodles over and over and over because they keep sliding off her fork...and then Jacob (6 years) asks the question that brings a complete pause to the scene, "Do you always have to put mulch in?" Uhhh..."mulch?", I say, desperately thinking through the last conversation to see if I can connect some context to the question. "Yeah, mulch. In the spaghetti." He holds up a "twig" of tarragon. OHHH! Now I am enlightened - 6 year old boys would much rather have non-spiced spaghetti sauce!

Pretty as a Princess

What color is your hair? Mine is dark brown. Recently, I've been finding stray white hairs here and there. Once found, those hairs have about 10 seconds before they're yanked out! Did you know that brunettes can use vinegar to enhance the brown luster of their hair? Yeah, and smell like a pickle for the rest of the day! My hair is also naturally wavy (frizzy). I used to wish it was straight - you know, like the expensive shampoo commercials. Then, after the birth of one of my children, my hormones changed and I got straight hair. Funny thing, I wished I had my waves back. Happily, I had another baby, hormones went crazy, and now I have my waves again. And I'm back to using Frizz Control! Why is it that no matter which way God made us we wish He had made us like someone else? And you know what? That someone else wishes the same thing! Instead of looking in the mirror and seeing the creation of God, we see "imperfections", wishing we could change our hair, eyes, nose, lips, height, moles, weight, talents. Grandma Reta just bought my children T-shirts that say "I know I'm special 'cause God don't make no junk!" That is true! The Bible says, "O Lord,...You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous - and how well I know it! (Psalm 139:13-14)" Revel in the particular beauty and uniqueness that God gave to YOU!

The First Cut

It is a rather daunting task to tackle the first post in my newly created blog. What to say...how to say it...what if I find out I don't have anything to say? What if, as I attempt to put my thoughts, feelings and ideas into mere words on a page, I discover I don't know them myself? The first page, the first words, the first cut of the fabric (to use a quilting example) seems to be the most difficult. But once done, it becomes easier to do the second, then the third. Before long, the hesitation and struggle are long forgotten as the new problem of when and where to pause becomes the issue.
This is the story of me. As a wife, as a mother, as a follower of Jesus, as a person. This is the story of REAL LIFE...