Everything I ever needed to know about Christmas...

I love Christmastime!  Everyone that knows me knows that too.  I love everything about it.  I love the trees, the lights, the fresh fallen snow, the Christmas treats, the movies (especially the classic ones), the parties, the idea of Santa Claus, St. Nick, and even Peppermint Jingles (our elf on the shelf).  I love the pageants, the concerts.  I love Christmas Eve mass at St. Rose.  I really could go on and on.  Probably most reading this already know, but our wedding was even in December...and it was the most beautiful Christmas wedding ever.  Ok, so I may be a little biased.  : )  I feel silly admitting this, but it really wasn't until this year that I really, I mean really, understood the real meaning of Christmas.

So, we live in this fantastic old house.  And by fantastic I mean that we bought it and a whole slew of problems.  We were unaware of them (and apparently our home inspector was too).  Nice...I know.  The people that lived here prior to us were do it yourselfers that didn't know how to do it yourselfer if ya know what I mean.  Anyway, early in the summer we began a bathroom project that was really supposed to be just us pulling out our downstairs toilet, maybe a small area of sub-floor, cleaning up minimal water damage, and replacing those very few items.  Well, that project came to an abrupt hault basically the day it began when we realized that the toilet leak wasn't contained to an area just around  toilet, but that the water ran along an I-joist (not sure if that's correct construction lingo, but it is to me...so there), all the way to our laundry room (which is the next room over).  Not only that, but the water had been leaking for probably the entire eight years that we lived here because the prior owners literally did not put the wax ring down correctly.  Yes, to answer your question right now, I AM SERIOUS!  We were lucky we didn't fall through our bathroom floor.  It was that bad when we tore it up.  To make matters worse, they didn't install the proper flooring under our ceramic tiles so all of our grout and some tiles were cracking.  So basically, our bathroom was almost a total loss.  We kept our tub.  That's it.  Oh, and our towel bar.  I liked that too.  Lol!  Here's the cruddy thing though...our laundry room had ceramic tile too, and our laundry room connected to a mudroom that had ceramic tile too.  So guess what happened.  We had to rip it all out!  Everything in three rooms!  All gone.  Wanna know the best thing though???  We bought this fantastic new fridge about the same time we started our bathroom in June, and it leaked too.  No, this is not a joke!  The installers didn't install something called a flange (I think), and the water line to the fridge got pinched and it literally leaked water for a week before we knew it (because the water sprayed backwards into a closet behind our fridge).  I realized there was a problem when I stood on tile by that closet and water seeped out of the grout!  Really...I am serious.  It turns out that that water also ran along an I-joist all the way to the back of our house.  That meant that the only room left unaffected by our bathroom remodel was now taken out by our fridge leak.  So, out goes the carpet and all the insulation too.  We were left with an addition that was just about gutted!  Those four rooms, bathroom, laundry room, mudroom, and fireplace room (that's what we call it anyway) were an addition to our original old cozy home.  That's what I meant when I said addition in the sentence before.  Wow!  That was like the longest paragraph ever!

Well, we had to wait from June to November to get this good old construction project a goin' cause that was when our contractor was finally available.  It went fast though, I'm not gonna lie.  It wasn't completely awful living with only one bathroom.  Coulda been worse...I think. I have this thing though...my birthday is November 13 and I really really like to start decorating for Christmas that day.  We did get some Christmas stuff up that day, but I couldn't help but be disappointed.  Because half of our house was destroyed I couldn't put up as many trees as I wanted too.  I couldn't decorate our mantel because it was covered with a big plastic tarp.  I couldn't hang our stockings.  I only put up some of our outdoor lights because we didn't even have a nice exit to our back porch...that's covered with a plastic tarp too.  I couldn't have a Christmas party here because our space is limited.  I really just found myself disappointed because this project really ruined everything I loved about Christmas.  Isn't that the most ridiculous statement you've ever read?!?!?!

What is Christmas about anyway?  Certainly not what I made it out to be.  It's not about anything that I listed that I loved.  Not the cards, the music, the cookies (or Janice's fudge), the lights, the sparkling snow...non of it!  It is only about this little baby that was literally born in basically a hole in the side of a hillside.  That almost brings tears to my eyes to write that.  For so long I've found joy in things that are so unimportant.  Things that I almost obsess over every year, and non of it matters.  How did I, a girl that claims to be "in-Christ", miss that?  Miss where my focus was?  It's certainly easy to do with the way our society plays up the consumerism of Christmas isn't it?

I am thankful.  Thankful for this big old house and it's big old messes that put me in my place.  I am thankful for that baby that was born in a stable, placed in a manger that first CHRISTmas.  Thankful that He is my Savior...our Savior.  Thankful that I finally know that if it was all taken away...all of it...everything that I claimed to love...that it would still be Christmas because of Him.

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.  This will be a sign to you:  You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."  

Luke 2:10-12

It's always been about You.

Eleven ten p.m.  Not usually the most appealing time for a momma of four to be writing a new post, but hey, when inspiration hits you go with it!  Actually, it hit earlier but I had to finish the laundry, make dinner, clean up the mess, get the kiddos ready for bed...you know the drill.  Anyway, I wanted to share with you a sweet moment from my day that got my brain a thinkin', and hopefully your's too.

Today was one of my crazy cleaning days, and by crazy cleaning days I mean like pulling books out of bookshelves just to dust behind them.  (Yes, I know it's really silly of me, but it only happens a couple times a year...I promise.)  On my to-do list was to start weeding through old books that I had collected from my grandma's apartment when she went to the nursing home.  I have had several of her Bibles for years now, and I really felt like it was time to donate them since we already have several of our own versions.  I carefully paged through them just to be certain that I didn't miss anything that she might have had tucked away inside.  Some of them were completely empty, and some of them were full of little keepsakes.  It really amazed me what I found because, honestly, I thought I had already done this once before.  There were sweet little bookmarks, pictures, and even personal notes.  The notes were what touched my heart the most.  They really answered several questions that I had about my own faith journey.

For those of you that didn't know my grandma, let me tell you a little bit about her.  First, she was the sweetest woman I ever knew.  (I know everyone says that about their grandma, but really, she was.)  She always called me Joy Marie.  Most of the time when people address you with your first and middle name, it means you're in trouble!  Not with her.  When she used your full name it was like getting extra love...if that even makes any sense.  She loved me unconditionally.  Even if I messed up really really bad (and I did from time to time) she still hugged me with a great big bear hug and gave me a kiss.  Sometimes I can still feel her lips on my cheek.  My grandma had so much wisdom, but she was never pushy with it.  She knew God, but never never never tried to force her beliefs upon me.  She just always spoke the Truth so I really wanted to share her beliefs.  She was well equipped when it came to Bible knowledge.  She was always ready to answer my questions.  I find it funny that even today, three plus years after her passing, she's still helping to answer my questions.

Do you ever wonder what kind of "church" experience your grandparent's might have had growing up?  Well, I always do.  I wonder things like what hymns they sang, what prayers they offered up, did they just read the Bible, or did they apply it's teachings to what they were dealing with in their lives, was their church experience really different from that which we are experiencing now?  Today my eyes were opened to that past experience.  One of the Bibles that I found was dated 1949, another 1967.

I always wonder what my grandma would think if she were to come to church with me one Sunday.  Would the drums and the electric guitar distract her from worship, or would it help her to fully engage?  Would the hands being raised in worship and the tears streaming down faces be way over the top, or would it be a sign of offering to her?  Would the lack of "tradition" such as memorized prayers or weekly communion or a cross hung in the sanctuary, or the prelude or benediction, or advent wreath or Lenten services be a sign that the traditional church has crumbled away?

Today I found a little piece of paper that was very old and frail, and it read, "Religion is anything mechanical."  I wish there was a date on this paper, but there wasn't.  What a powerful little statement.  Anything mechanical, memorized, done repeatedly without even thinking, that's religion.  Then I found another piece of paper that read, "If a church's main focus isn't the cross then it's just a social gathering."  Believe it or not, I found paper after paper after paper with simple little sentences telling truth after truth after truth.  It almost took my breath away to read all of these.  I even found a note that my grandma had written to herself with tips for witnessing.  One of the lines said to be well equipped, meaning to have studied and memorized scripture.  Her Bibles were falling apart, written on, highlighted, underlined.  There were even napkins tucked away with notes on them.  Now that's how you study!

I feel like all of these findings gave me a concrete answer to my questions.  The modern church may look and sound different.  The people may even be dressed different, but Jesus doesn't care.  He loves us in 2013 just the same way He loved us in 1949 and 1967.  The Bible never changed.  God never changed.  The way to everlasting life never changed, and as long as the church is pointing to the cross as the answer (even if the cross isn't in the sanctuary), Jesus is there.  Plain. And. Simple.  Hey, for all I know my Grandma might be rocking out with us on the weekends, in her new body, in her permanent home, with her Lord and Savior!

One more thing I found tucked away...lyrics to Have Thine Own Way Lord (written in 1902)

Have Thine own way, Lord!  Have Thine own way!

Thou are the Potter, I am the clay.

Mold me and make me after Thy will.

While I am waiting, yielded and still.

And then my mind went straight to Fee's Glory To God Forever (written in 2009)

Take my life and let it be

All for You and for Your glory

Take my life and let it be Yours

Take my life and let it be

All for You and for Your glory

Take my life and let it be Yours

Written 107 years apart, but still asking God to do His will in our lives.  Pretty great, huh?  Wishing you all the most blessed Sunday whether you choose traditional worship or contemporary.  It's all about Jesus anyway...always has been.

Mender of hearts

It's been awhile!  Like four months awhile, but hey, my kiddos keep me busy so I rarely have time to sit down and type for any lengthy amount of time.  I guess today was just a day that was gifted to me for sharing stuff.  Random stuff that maybe to some may seem simple, but to this momma, profound.  My children amaze me every single day.  Sometimes with things I wish they wouldn't amaze me with!

Most of you reading this know our four year old, Noah.  If not, here's a pic of the silly little man.

This is Christmas Eve, and he's saying, "Mom, do you like my tie?"  : )

Noah has always been a busy little boy, but also a boy of few words.  He can talk fine, he just doesn't have as much to say as our other boys did at his age.  Noah has always been the cuddler, kisser, hugger, "I love you Mommy and Daddy", type of kid.  Let me tell you what, he is a deep thinker and his intuition is spot on.  

Last night we were reading a book and Caleb (our very free spirited child) pointed out that one of the characters in the book was fat!  Well, I don't want my kids pointing out every fat person in the world, so I politely told my kiddos that calling someone fat was hurtful and could break their heart.  Well, Caleb immediately threw himself into the corner of the couch and buried his head like an ostrich in the sand (do you get me here).  Did I mention he's mildly dramatic?  (Sarcasm added on mildly please)  He clearly was upset that I told him he could hurt someone's feelings by his choice of words, but Noah sat silent for awhile.  After a few minutes had passed Noah looked at me and said, "If your heart is broken, does Jesus give you a new one?"  Would you know that I always have something to say, but at that moment I really didn't know what to say.  

My husband made his way into the living room (probably wondering what all the commotion was with Caleb), and I shared with him what Noah had asked me.  Without even thinking, my husband said, "Jesus doesn't give you a new heart, but he can help fix your old one."  Even now at this very second I want to sit and marvel at his God given, absolutely right on response to that.  Jesus doesn't give us a new heart, but He is the mender of hearts if we so let Him be.

This whole thing got me thinking about broken hearts...broken people.  Aren't we all, at some point or another in our lives, a walking mess, a hurting person, an empty soul searching this world for something or someone that we can make ourselves feel whole with?  Deep down, we all know that nothing here on this earth will mend the heart or fill the void.  Did it really take the sweet question of a child to remind me that any bitterness or resentment that I hold deep within, that essentially breaks my heart, can just be dropped off at the cross, never to be picked up again, that there is only one mender of hearts, one Savior?  Well...I guess so.

He called a little child and had him stand among them.  And then he said:  "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."  Matthew 18:2-4

Praying today that I may be more humble, more childlike in my faith, that instead of working through hurts on my own, I will allow myself to leave them at the base of the cross.  Praying for friends searching the world for answers they're not gonna find.  Praying for those lost to be found.

It's all Yours

For those of you who are close to us, you know that our lives have been turned upside down quite a bit lately.  If there's one thing I hate, it's a loss of control.

I've always wondered why I am such a control freak.  Anybody else have that problem?  I think so many dramatic events happened to me as a child, and it left me with a feeling of insecurity.  Now as an adult, I feel secure if I am in complete control over everything whether that be an organized house, finances, the health of my children, etc.  I think we all know that we are not the one in control of a lot of things though.

Recently, our daughter started having some random pain in her right knee.  I just thought she maybe tweaked it a little playing rough with her brothers or maybe even jumping on our trampoline.  Little did I know, that first doctors visit would be the start of a roller coaster of events.  Our first appointment found us going to the lab for some blood work  then heading to x-ray for some images of the knee.  Of course, the blood work came back fine, no infection, as did the x-ray, no breaks.  We were told to give Stella ibuprofen, and call with any changes.  Well, as the days went on Stella continued to wake up with pain in her leg, and even the inability to walk at times.  Back to the clinic we went.  More blood tests, this time for lymes disease, and also a trip to an orthopedic doctor.  This new doctor said it definitely wasn't an injury, and she probably had lymes arthritis.  We just had to wait for the test results to come back.  Wouldn't you know after being treated with antibiotics for lymes, Stella's test results came back negative.  No lymes.  Unfortunately during this time, Stella's right knee had become swollen, so we were sent back to the clinic for more x-rays which showed fluid on the knee this time.  Our pediatrician began to wonder, could this be arthritis?

We were still going through the "watch and see" process, when Stella's pain moved from her right knee to her right ankle.  This took her from walking with a limp, to not walking at all.  Let me tell you, it's frightening to see your two year old go from a running, happy, energetic little girl, to a child shrieking in pain and unable to walk at all!  This new problem was a sign to our pediatrician that we desperately needed to see a specialist.  We needed to stop with all the testing, and we needed to move forward with getting a diagnosis from someone who knew more about this than we did.  The time was now!

Of course we were told by our clinic that we would be able to get in to see a specialist that same week, but when I called the UW Childrens's Hospital, the story was a little different.  We couldn't get in until the next week on Wednesday.  That gave us ten days to try and control this little one with ibuprofen alone.  Fear washed over me at that point.  I didn't know how I was going to control my daughter's pain enough, love on my other children enough, take care of myself enough.  Then this feeling of peace overcame everything, and I thought, now's the time to pray.  We have been given ten extra days to pray, and to seek the One who created this precious little being.

Pray was exactly what we did.  Several of us gathered and prayed over Stella, and even though it didn't take away what was happening, it felt good.  It felt to me like I was finally able to pass the control over. It was like a "Jesus, take the wheel" moment.

Last Wednesday we were finally able to go to the UW Children's Hospital.  Unfortunately, we received no answers, and had a really disappointing experience.  We're not stopping there though.  Our pediatrician has been wonderful, and she wants to fight for us.  She was able to get in contact with a rheumatologist from Iowa City who told us exactly what labs to draw here so that we can hopefully get in to see her there.  We had our last lab done yesterday, and hopefully will hear something soon.

All of this has made me think a lot about control.  We all go through tough stuff in our lives, but if you aren't in a relationship with Jesus, who or what do you give the control to?  How do you not feel so so lost without Him and His love that you don't just turn and run to Him?  I'm not going to lie, this whole thing has really tested my relationship with Jesus, but not once has it ever made me question His love for me.  I know He's got it all under control.

Two things stuck out to me today in my Bible readings.  I'll leave you with them...

2 Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

2 Corinthians 12:10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Me and Stella on a good day.  Watching Bucky Badger at the Benton Labor Day parade.

Mini vacation...well, sorta!

If parents of young children take their kids to a fun destination for a couple days is it still called a vacation?  I think maybe it's just a "trip" or "getaway", but it's not really a "vacation" is it?  Everyone who isn't playing "man-to-man" defense with their children anymore is gonna get my drift.  We've been playing "zone" for about 3 1/2 years now, so anywhere we go with our kids is a slight challenge.  Let me explain...

Casey and I have been wanting to take our kids somewhere for a while now, but we've really never done anything but the usual Wisconsin Dells run, Jellystone Park camping, or Henry Vilas Park zoo trip.  I don't really know why, but I think this was the underlying thought, "Can we really take all of our kids on a trip a couple hours away alone?  Yikes!"  Well, this past Friday, we did it!  We left work early, picked up our kids from daycare, and left!  Well, it was supposed to go that smoothly, but when Casey picked up Noah and Stella from daycare, Noah ended up throwing up in our babysitters driveway!  Yes, I am serious!  We weren't about to let that stand in our way though.  We paid for three days in a cabin up north, and darnit, we were going!  We grabbed a big deli bucket, threw it in the van and took off.  C'mon, he looks good enough to go, doesn't he?  He's just squinting trying to make the nausea go away!  : )

 

Stella is ready!

See!  Totally fine!

Well, I decided to drive.  Thank God because Noah decided he was gonna get sick about half way to our cabin, and Casey has much better reflexes than me.  All the puke got in the bucket!  Mess avoided!

The cabin we were staying in was in Warrens, WI.  Let me tell you, I don't know about your GPS, but ours has no idea where that is.  Actually, it could get us to Warrens, but had no idea where our cabin was.  This has nothing to do with anything, but on our way to Warrens, we went through a town called Elroy.  Was there an American Idol contestant from Elroy?  I swore there was, but Casey says "no".  Someone please tell me that I am not imagining this! 

Ok, so we got there...in one piece.  Here are some pictures of us in our cabin.



Caleb and Stella snugglin' by the fireplace.  Yes, I am aware Caleb looks like Kermit The Frog here.





The boys picked me some wildflowers that were growing outside.  How sweet!



Daddy and Noah.  Noah must be feeling better if he can try to make a scary face.



Daddy, don't you know that letting children hang over the rail in the loft is dangerous? 



Our cabin was pretty great!  It had two private bedrooms, and a loft with four beds, a full kitchen with dishes and a dishwasher!  It also had a living room with a fireplace that opened up to the dining room and loft area.  It was just like a house!  Way better than staying in a hotel.  The best part was...these cabins were linked with a hotel so we were able to utilize all their amenities.  The kids liked the waterpark.

 

Probably the best thing about our trip was the air show we got to go see in Camp Douglas.  Of course, our GPS had a hard time getting us there, but we ended up making it.  Betty, as we like to call it, told us to go through a fence.  I am glad we didn't because there were armed people at Camp Douglas.  We had to go through security to even get in the place.  There were cars being stopped and searched too.  Here are some pictures from the air show.

How cool is this one?  It says Wisconsin on the tail!



The trip to Camp Douglas was an unexpected event, and it, by far, was our favorite thing.  We got to see some fly over demonstrations, and one of the pilots names was Chili Dog!  No Goose or Maverick here!  The kids even got to sit in a chopper, and that Wisconsin plane that you saw above, we got to tour that!  We also got some great burgers and hot dogs...yum!

Next, we went to a place called Grandpa Nick's Petting Farm.  I can't say much about Grandpa Nick's except that it was strange.  They had six animals named Butterscotch, and one animal that's name was Duke the Luke.  That's Duke...not Luke.  That's what the tour guide told us anyway.  He was maybe a 13 year old boy.  I think he was just making up animal names as he went along.  I had to try hard not to laugh.  We did see some cool animals though, everything from robo hamsters to llamas...and, yes, they spit!  Oh, our kids got to pet a rooster and feed some pigs.  That was cool!  Here are a few pictures from Grandpa Nick's.  (I really never saw Grandpa Nick, and I am still wondering where he was.)





I forgot to tell you about the hidden treasure trail.  We wanted to do it, but about fifty feet down, Stella got bit by something and flipped out, so we turned around and went back to our cabin.  : )  Here's a picture of the beginning though!  Onward, Noah! 

The little kids were really tired after Grandpa Nick's, so I took them back to the cabin, and Casey took Isaac and Caleb black light mini golfing, and swimming again.  I wanna go black light mini golfing next time.  That sounds cool!

The last thing we got to do at the cabin was make a campfire.  Daddy did a good job too.  The fire stayed lit even after we went inside.  Our poor neighbor campers couldn't even get their fire to stay lit with lighter fluid.  We should've sent Casey over to help them.  Everyone had a fun time making s'mores.  Isaac is a pro smore maker.  I am a pro smore eater!

Well, today brought a whole new set of adventures.  We decided that instead of coming straight home, we would pack everybody up and bring them to La Crosse.  Casey's grandpa is buried there, and we haven't been back since the funeral over five years ago.  So, off we went.  It was only about an hour away from where we were.  We went and saw Grandpa Joanis's old house, and then we took the kids to Chucky Cheese.  I can't believe I am saying this again, but our GPS took us the wrong way...again.  Betty is going in the trash! 

Chucky Cheese was cool.  I haven't been to one of those since it was Showbiz Pizza.  Ya know, with Billy Bob!  Ok, does anyone out there know what I am talking about?  After that, we tried to go to the Mausoleum where Casey's grandpa was buried, but it's closed on the weekends.  I guess we'll have to make another trip during the week sometime.

Homeward bound, and Noah falls asleep.  About thirty minutes into our trip home I say, "Something smells funny."  I even went so far as to roll my window down to make sure the smell was outside the van.  Of course, right after I say that Noah wakes up crying saying, "Have to go to the bathroom.  Waaaaaaaa!"  Oh boy!  We get to the nearest gas station and get Noah out only to find that he's already peed his pants.  Now what?  We have nearly two hours left, and nothing to clean a car seat out with! The only thing I could think of to temporarily cover the seat with was swimming trunks...and it worked just fine.

Now do you understand why I ask the question if a vacation is still a vacation when you bring your little kiddies along with you? 

Vacationing with kids is certainly not easy, but I think one day we will look back at all the chaos and laugh.  Hey, we're making memories.  We may not be world travelers, but that's ok.  Our kids are getting awesome experiences in good old Wisconsin.  Ask them if they had fun.  I bet they'll all have a different story to tell you.  Noah said his favorite part was petting the chickens.  Stella just giggled at it all...

Oh, and one more thing (and my favorite part of the day), somewhere in the country around Bloomington we drove by a place that had a big sign that said "Honk if you love Jesus!"  Because I was driving, I honked a really long honk!  Man, that felt good!  : )

Who are the poor?

Proverbs 19:17 says this, "He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done." 

Poor...Webster's dictionary #1 definition "Destitute of property; wanting of material riches or goods; needy; indigent"  How about #4 "Worthy of pity or sympathy"

How would you define poor? Dirty, useless, lazy, maybe even a specific race _____, you fill in the blank.  Sounds harsh, I know, but if you're honest you've probably used one of these adjectives to describe someone who is poor. 

What happened to me today will forever change the way I think of these people.

My husband is such a rock star.  For an early mother's day gift, he was going to allow me some time to go clothes shopping for some cute summer stuff!  Alone!  All of those mommas out there know how cherished shopping time alone is.  : )  I didn't buy many summer outfits last year because I still felt half pregnant.  Haha!  That's the reality of having a baby.  Sorry, to all of you non-moms out there that think you're gonna have your body back two weeks postpartum.  Hello...reality check!  Anyway, this shopping trip was, according to me, much needed.

I decided that I would start out by going to the Maurices in Platteville.  For those of you who have been there you know that the turn going into that plaza is a pretty busy place!  Well, as I turned that corner I saw a large older gentleman holding a sign that said, "Homeless.  Anything helps."  What!  A homeless man in Platteville!  Are you kidding me!?!?!?!  If I am honest, those were my first thoughts.  I really didn't think there were homeless people there.  Anyway, I tried to turn the corner without making eye contact with him.  After all, I don't owe him anything.  He probably did something to make himself homeless anyway, right?

I pulled into Maurices and parked my car.  Before I opened my door, I had this overwhelming feeling come over me that said, "Why the heck are you still going to go waste your money on clothes you don't really need when there is a homeless man sitting within walking distance of you?"  So, I sat there in my car alone for awhile.  I don't know why, but I decided to drive my car a little closer to the man.  I mean, just because I parked closer to him didn't mean that I needed to get out and help him.  Well, there I was about fifty feet away from this man.  My heart was pounding out of my chest because I knew I needed to do something, but I didn't know what.  All the sudden a song came on the radio by Jeremy Camp.  Ever heard of "Give Me Jesus"?  http://youtu.be/lnfOMvYd1oE  Listen to it! 

That was enough confirmation for me to get out of the car.  At first I thought I should give him the money I was going to spend on clothes, but after hearing that song, I knew all I needed to give him was Jesus.  Well, I got out of that car and walked over to him.  He looked pretty surprised to see someone approaching him.  This is how the conversation went.  Me, "Hey!"  Him, "Hi."  Me, "You know, I don't know if you have a way to get to Dubuque, but if you can find one, there is a shelter for men there.  It's run by a church."  Him, "Ok, thank you."  I smiled and walked away, and as I walked away I heard this "God bless you."  God bless me?  God bless me!?!?!?!  No, not God bless me, God bless him.  He gave me the biggest reality check that I ever could have been given.  Here I am wasting away money on things, things I don't really need just because I feel like it!

Maybe this whole scene feels very simple to you, but it was one of the most impactful things that has happened to me in a long time.  It made me re-evaluate some things about myself.  I don't really see myself as much of a "thing" person, but maybe I am.  Maybe things do make me happy.  Shouldn't Jesus be enough? 

After that, I drove home.  I came home with empty hands, but a full heart.  A lesson learned from someone that I thought would be the last person on earth to teach me one. 

Give me Jesus.

You can have all this world,

Just give me Jesus.

You said what!?!

Ok, 11:07 p.m. and I am still awake.  I should really be in bed, but my mind is running, and when that happens I find it's good to put pen to paper...or whatever you want to call what I am doing.  I guess it's not really pen to paper anymore.  : )

I don't think I've updated you all on our kiddos for awhile, and I must do that because they are changing every single day.  I got some silly pictures of the kids recently that really captured them in their essence...





Noah is saying "cheese" for you.  Can you tell?

 

I think Caleb looks like Popeye in this picture...just sayin'.

Easter Sunday.  Once again, Noah is on strike!



Me and Stella.  She is just the most precious thing ever....ahhhh, love her to death!

Ok, I saved my favorite picture for last.  Me being mauled by my kiddos is an every day occurrence!

I love that all of these pictures come from an album entitled "funnies".  Ok, I guess I will share one more...

I seriously just snorted when I posted this one.  I cannot help but laugh every time I see this.  I'm sure many of you have seen it, but I have to explain more...So, after dinner one night (Subway obviously...the bags are everywhere and there is a piece of sandwich in this picture) Casey left his glasses on the counter.  Not safe with a three year old.  So without our knowledge, Noah grabbed them, put them on, and said in the deepest "dumb" voice he could muster up,"Hi, I'm Casey!"  Oh my were we rolling on the floor laughing!  Ok, here's one more that I wasn't brave enough to post earlier because he's drooling everywhere and looks crazy, but I just have to share it because it makes me laugh...

Yes, this is the kind of house I live in.  Sounds like a Dr. Seuss book, huh? 

Well, now I need to tell you about the little man Noah is becoming.  He is by far the silliest little sneak in our house.  Noah can be very quiet, which is dangerous!  Quiet = bad in this house.  When you don't hear him, it's time to start searching.  You might find him hiding eating chapstick (Burts Bees being his favorite), locked in the bathroom unrolling lots and lots of toilet paper for no known reason, or hiding under a desk eating a popsicle he snuck.  When asked what he's doing he will hide the popsicle, or whatever he has at the time, behind his back and say,"Uhhhh...nofing!"  Yea, right!  Sometimes when you ask him a question he will answer with a snort.  "Noah, what makes you happy?" "Uhhh...(insert snort here)."  Love him to pieces. 

Then there's Caleb, the human sponge.  I didn't know how sarcastic I was until my five year old started repeating things that I've said before...yikes!  I know you are wondering what has been repeated.  I'm cool with sharing too because I'm sure most of you have been in this boat before.  Well, one weekend while I was away my husband called to tell me that Caleb asked him if he could have a piece of "fricken cheese".  Ok, I didn't think fricken was a bad word, but now it is.  : )  Just yesterday Casey farted on me (yes people, it happens in this house) and Caleb looked at him and said, "You freak!"  Freak = bad word now too.  Oh, Caleb.  Mommy is learning right along with you.



Look at this child.  You'd never think anything like that would come out of his mouth.



Then there's Isaac.  Honestly, I don't have much to say about him except he's just a good kid.  Sure he messes up, and sasses back at times, but he's helpful, he loves his little brothers and sister (especially Stella), has a love for music, he does his chores without slacking much, and most importantly he has a love for Jesus.  I am really proud of the kid he's turned out to be and I can't wait to see what's in store for him because I think he could do something really great.  I try to hint that he should go to a Bible college and join a band.  Not sure if he'll buy into that!  Hey, it's worth a shot! 

Last is Stella.  Precious Stella.  It seriously seems like yesterday when she was this little...



Here, she was only known as baby Thompson 4.



Now she's this silly little thing that talks, and has the biggest smile ever.  She says things like "I want more pizza!"  She says "No" really good too.  She's compassionate...when a brother gets a boo boo she says,"What happened?" She gives kisses, and she really likes popsicles.  She calls them pickles, so we're really never sure whether she wants a pickle or a pickle or a pickle.  All which are translated to pickle, popsicle, or cucumber.  Get it?  : ) 

Not to get controversial on you all, but I really have to throw this in there.  There is a Bible verse that says "Don't you see that children are God's best gift?  The fruit of the womb his generous legacy?  I think we have been so blessed with these kiddos, they have taught us so much about love and loving others.  They love us unconditionally, even on our worst days.  I don't know about you, but I really admire the way my kids can love people and show love, even if it's as simple as coloring a picture for someone who's having a bad day.  I wish I could learn to love more like a child.  So, anyway, I believe we were gifted these little ones as are people that adopt children or are foster parents to children even for a short time.  Not a whole lot of gifts are better than that of a child. 

Children are the hands by which we take hold of heaven - Henry Ward Beecher