Sharin' some pics......

Just some current pics of the kids...

Jordyn and her dear friend, Maggie. She looked so lovely for prom. Her hair was just beautiful--Heather at Signature really did a great job. This hair-do took over 1 1/2 hours and 80 bobby pins! I'll get one of those posted soon!

My little man Israel. Where in the heck did my baby go and who is this young man??

Mr. Isaiah. Oh yes, it is quite apparent why the ladies love him...lol.

And our joy giver Elijah. This is a boy who is going somewhere...so get outta his way...lol!!

Daily blessings. They are daily blessings and while I know that I can't live my life for them or know how their lives are going to turn out....I am so thrilled to be their mom and to have a significant role in the development of their character, their goals and life!

Week 2

Yay!! 6lbs. today :) I am so geeked about this---Jordyn lost another 5. We took 1st place this week. This is great motivation to keep moving forward. I keep telling her that when we're spending that money on new clothes we'll so appreciate that we didn't give up. So everyday we're just going to keep focusing and moving forward!! Just wanted to share!!

Had a good day off today. Went for my walk....caught up on a lot of laundry....gave the kitchen a really good cleaning....made dessert for our dinner party tonight and a tator tot casserole for the kids. The Children's Ministry deacons and pastors got together==I was invited by the host as well. It was a fun time. Prolly ate wayyyyyyyyyyy more calories than I should have, so I'll have to make sure that I walk an extra lap around the river tomorrow...lol. Dinner was sooo good. Robin made this wonderful cranberry pork==so yummy! I'll have to try and get the recipe.

Yesterday Edie and I went to Crosstrainers Academy in Milwaukee. I've been there before (you may have read my past blogs when I spoke there for a chapel time in December) but Edie had never. I love it there. We were talking with the principal, my friend Jan, about some partnering we might be able to do. Our summer overnight camp, Kids Kamp, needs to mission to support...but I want to have Cross Trainers as our mission for the K-1 program at Elmbrook. In the past our supported missionary was a family with children that were the K-1 age. They moved back to Elmbrook from the mission field over a year ago and a new mission was never chosen. I would love to have Cross Trainers for a lot of reasons, but the main one is because of the relationship that might be built between children that are the same ages but from different worlds. So many differences, but a lot of similarities as well. My head is swimming with the ideas. I have visions of what it could be....now we just need to let God form what it really will become. I think some easy beginning points would be: 1)weekly offering which the school would have discretion to use as they needed, 2) pen pals, 3) prayer partners.

While I generalize to some extent in this next paragraph---please know that I am speaking from my heart. I don't want there to be another generation of white kids from the suburbs that have never met, befriended, interacted with, shared life with a person of a different race. I think of when I was growing up in Oconomowoc. There was virtually no diversity. Just a handful of kids in the entire school district. Most of my friends didn't even know I was Mexican. I was good friends with the only two black girls in the middle school. In high school I kissed my first young man who was black---Derek Vanderpool...lol. We met at a St. John's Academy dance. I remember two of the friends that I was there with asked me why did I pick a "black" guy to dance with? I said, "I don't know...he's cute!" They were like totally amazed that I thought a "black" guy was better looking than the other guys there. Then my freshman year==I was amazed at the number of my friends who had never had a black friend...or interacted with a black person. Forget that===we don't need to go back that far===I have friends NOW that have never had another minority friend. How does that even happen? That is amazing to me. I am not in judgement. It's just so far from my life that I don't even know how it occurs. That brings me back to why I think something needs to be done to bridge that racial divide. If you grow up in an environment where everyone is like you. Similar backgrounds, similar financial situations, similar family backgrounds...you might tend to stay with what you are comfortable with when you become an adult. It's why I can tell some people are ackward around Marlon or me and the kids....they don't know how to behave because it is so foreign. It goes both ways. Young kids often haven't picked up prejudices yet. Even if they have...once they start to play together==differences fade away. I envision Elmbrook K1 kids seeing their friends at Cross Trainers as more than just a cause to help. But as friends to share life with. I envision the kids at Cross Trainers sharing and giving of themselves to the Elmbrook kids---offering the talents and gifts that they have to the table. It'll be exciting to see where God takes this. I am blessed to be a part of it.

Well, it's almost 1 am! Yikes--where does the time go??? Off to bed. Everyone will be up and out of the house early tomorrow so I am going to get snuggly and sleep in!! Yahoo!! :)

Where did the week go?

I can't believe it's Thursday night already? Where in the heck did the week go? Monday seems like a million years ago.

I got to have coffee with my friend Renee on Wed. morning===it was so nice to just hang out and chat, even if we were interrupted a ton of times. I think from now on we will definately NOT meet at Elmbrook....lol.

Clubhouse Kids went well on Tuesday. I love those kids. It's such an awesome age group.

Ok--I am getting reallllllllllllllyyyyyyyyyyy sleepy all of a sudden...lol. So I am gonna hit the hay and post more tomorrow!! Nite!

On our way.....

Four lbs!! I lost four lbs for our first weigh in :) I am satisfied with that. While there's a part of me that wishes I had lost more...I also want to be realistic about maintaining a steady loss for the entire 12 weeks. If I can lose 2-3 lbs. a week that will be awesome! Jordyn did really well too. We'll just keep truckin'!

Yep.....still here!!

Hey my friends :) and all who randomly happen upon my blog.... I've been here, just kind of a mind racing time and I always find it difficult to post when there's 4 million thoughts in my head...lol. Today I feel rested and content and so I thought I'd better get a post up!

Singing this weekend in church. I love worship through singing. It just fills me so full of the spirit that I sometimes feel like I might explode! This weekend we are singing two songs that I just really love.

Take My Life

Take my life and let it beConsecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee;
Take my voice and let me sing,
Always, only for my King.

Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee;
Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in endless praise;
Take my intellect and use
Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.

Take my will and make it Thine,
It shall be no longer mine;
Take my heart, it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store;
Take myself and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee.

I think part of why I love it so much is that it's such a clear reminder that I need Him. That just because I am a Christian doesn't mean that I don't need to actively allow Him to enter my life and take it over. When I am in control I do dumb stuff. Simple as that. I get angry over silly things, I take things personally that I shouldn't, I find myself almost looking for trouble. Believe me, if you look for trouble you will find it! When I consume myself with Him....His will....His plan for me...obedient to His ways....my path/life is on a whole different level.

The other song is

Beautiful Savior

All my days I will sing this song of gladness
Give my praise to the fountain of delights
For in my helplessness, you hear my cry
And waves of mercy poured down on my life

(chorus) Beautiful Savior, wonderful counselor
Clothed in majesty, Lord of history
You're the way, the truth and the life
Star of the morning, glorious in holiness
You're the risen one, heaven's champion
And you reign, you reign over all

I will trust in the cross of my Redeemer
I will sing of the LAMB that never fails
Of sins forgiven, of conscience cleansed
Of death defeated and life without end
(chorus)

I long to be where the praise is never ending
Yearn to DWELL where the glory never fades
Where countless worshippers will sing one song
And cries of mercy pour out on the land
(chorus)

This song. Oh there is such glory in singing to our Lord and feeling His power cover you. That you spontaneously weep as you are singing because you can sense His presence and love, mercy and compassion that He has for you. When I struggle, when I falter, when I make a decision out of flesh rather than spririt....this song always gets my heart right back on track.

The last verse brings me to a conversation I had with one of my co-workers. I shared with her (and then found out that she feels the same) that I do long for Heaven. While I certainly don't dwell in depression as I once did....or wish my life was over....I do eagerly seek Heaven and anticipate how glorious it will be. The thought just makes me smile. The rapture could come tomorrow and I'd be okay. Imagine, the body of Christ will be ultimately united with our God for all of eternity----singing glorious melodies----worshipping Him non-stop...it gives me Godbumps.

So anyway---that's what I got today. No play by play of our activities, no catch up as I sometimes do. Just some inspiring lyrics that make my heart sing.

Have a good nite!!

Gotta get to bed...

Feel like posting, but my mind is full of 10 million things...lol...so I guess I'll have to try tomorrow. Work is wonderful but Tuesday and Wednesdays are longgggggggggggg days. Tomorrow I have a ton of stuff to get done and then Friday I have off. It's Grandparents day at the boy's school and I'm volunteering there and then this is my worship weekend at church....so it's probably going to be until next week Friday before I really get a day to rest or relax.

So please pray that I don't get ahead of myself and that I just take each day at a time. It's so easy for me to fall into the trap of feeling overwhelmed and running myself down to zero. If I don't stress about things that I don't have control over that will be best.

Thanks.

Just thoughts....

What a beautiful weekend wasn't it? It was so easy to have a little pep in my step, smile for no reason at all, find myself singing... People on the street/in the stores seemed happier, cashiers were more patient, the kids were more at ease since they'd had time to be outside...The warmth we'd all been craving had finally come!!

It got me thinking. Just a week ago, when it was so dark and gloomy....how lost and sad and hopeless it seemed. Frustration set in easily...people were irritated...so easy to look at the glass half empty.

How often do we treat our walk with Christ the same way? When things are going well...sunny and bright...we feel so loved by God. We thank Him for blessing us....we praise His wonderful kindness...we step lightly and share openly how amazing He is. But in the darker days? In those storms that come, we call out to Him asking why he's abandoned us...we feel lonely and lost...we just want to curl up and not face the day.

He is always there. He NEVER will leave you. When you call out to Him, He listens. He has only our best interest in mind. Think of a person in your life that you love. He loves you 1 million times more than you love that person!! I know that my views might sometimes seem too simple...but really it is that simple. God is no less there in dark times than he is in bright. He does not change. He does not leave us.

We change. We lose focus. We wander from Him.

Bath yourself in prayer. Surround yourself with people who can speak the truth into your life, people who live a life striving after God, people who will love you when you feel lovable---but even better, on the days when you don't feel lovable. Stay in the word. Fill your heart and mind with God's word so that you can stand on it's truth. Get your selfish ego out of the way to allow Him to do his work and take care of you.

Thinking about His goodness makes me smile. Smiling makes me think about a new day. A new day makes me think I'd better get to sleep!!

Nite all!!

Last night our 5th kid was over. He's that big Baby Huey in the back :) This is a kid with a big heart. This is a kid who has not had the easiest life. This is a kid who for whatever reason...let's girls get away with MURDER!! He is 18 years old and I told him he's lucky he was, because his girl was getting so jazzy with him on the phone I almost snatched it out of his hand and hung it up! lol. We had a really good talk once he got off. I reminded him that he's a nice looking young man, he has a job (actually two), he's very sweet and accommodating, he's kind of shy around girls (even though he acts like he isn't)....he is prime material for someone to run all over. I used myself as an example because it's how I used to treat men/boys. I was all about getting my way and getting them to do what I wanted. It made me feel good and was funny to me when I would treat them like dirt and they'd still keep running back. I used to joke and tease with my friends about the control that I had over them. I was too immature to understand how short I was selling myself, how disrespectful that was and they were too whipped to realize how I was affecting their manhood. It's one thing to make a decision to compromise or give in...it's another to do it because you're afraid of what will happen if you don't or you're afraid that she'll leave you if you don't.
I wanted him to understand this and I ended up talking with the other boys about this to...that being a strong man, not letting a woman manipulate you, not allowing yourself to run after a girl is a good thing. You command respect when your word means something. Will there be bossy, whiny girls who don't like this and will leave you? Definitely. Will you be left with an emotionally healthy, classy woman who doesn't try to run you and is confident enough to have a strong man on her side? Definitely. I want my boys, all of them, to grow up being secure in who they are, not chasing after a girl, not bending over backwards so that she is always happy-she is always getting her way, not giving in when it's not the right thing to do. Don't get it twisted, I'm not saying them I want them to be bullies or chauvinist pigs...they need to have respect for women and treat them with care, but they can't care more about them than they do themselves.
Anyway....this brings me to a whole long conversation I had with my friend Brandon and some other friends from work the other day...but Jordyn and I are about to head around the river for our walk...so that will have to wait!!

Peace out :)

God's Special Gift for Me Today

My God is so amazing!! This is something that I know. But if I'm honest, there are days I forget how AWESOME He is. Today He gave me a gift. I praise the Lord for being a God who is not too busy to meet me right where I am at and give me such a gift.

I have a special friend Jessica. We met several years ago and I must admit I have always felt we were kindred spirits. I have a lot of aquaintences and many friends, but there are really very few people who I feel are kindred spirits in my life. Amy is one. And Jessica is another. After some changes in ministry, church...we don't have opportunity to connect on a regular basis. After the chaos that is both of our lives...we can't make the effort to connect. Lately I have been running into her at church. She homeschools her children and they spend time at church. We normally make very small talk, are usually both in the middle of doing something or quickly heading off to our next destination.
Today Marlon and I stopped in the mission cafe' and I saw Jessica sitting with her kids in a booth. Marlon had to sit and make some phone calls...and I headed over to make the normal small talk with Jessica. But for some reason, I sat down in the booth next to her and we TALKED. What ensued was a conversation between the two of us that we probably could not have with anyone else. We suffer from the same medical diagnosis, our marriages have gone through many of the same things, we can be real and honest about our problems and struggles in a way we probably can't with ANYONE else and we understand each other in a way that very, very few others could. It was my gift. And hers. A gift of renewed friendship and accountability. A gift in that it was a reminder that I am not alone and it was her first experience in knowing that she is not alone. A gift in reconnecing with my sweet, sister in Christ. I think of all of the times in the last few weeks that I could have stopped to have this conversation. But it wouldn't have been the same. It needed to happen just today, in the way it did. I am so grateful. I am so humbled that He would love me so much that He would give me this gift.

I thank you Lord. I pray right now for Jessica. I lift up to you ALL of her burdens, ALL of her hurt. I pray that you would take it all away even if just for tonight. I pray that she runs only to you for comfort and finds you to be more than enough.

In your name, Amen.