Have Fun!

In his prayer time, my husband felt like the Lord was asking him to spend time in the Word every morning and to pray for direction (get a word) for himself and our family each day. He has been doing this on a consistent basis and it has been awesome to watch the hand of God moving in our family. As the spiritual head in our family he has encouraged me to do the same thing. So yesterday I was sitting on the couch, spending some time with the Lord, when Adalie came down. We read our Bibles together and then I told her that we should both get a word for the day. Her word was, "Have fun." After our devotion time was over, I told her that it was time to start school. She looked at me with confusion in her eyes and declared, "But mom, the word God gave me was, 'Have Fun!'

Oh, the preciousness of little children. It was awesome how God used Adalie's word as a tool for teaching. Right then and there we had an opportunity to talk to her about our attitudes and how we can choose to have fun in all we do, even in school. By the end of the day, she agreed that we Had Fun!!

What Did You Eat?

My Zoie woke up this morning acting as if she had eaten an entire chocolate cake in the night. As we were all cuddling on the bed, excited to have daddy home, she was jumping and falling, laughing and giggling, and making the most interesting facial expressions. At one point she jumped up and exclaimed for all to hear, "I have to go pee pee!" She then jumped off the bed and ran to the bathroom. Which she returned from quite rapidly, not having gone potty, jumped back on the bed, and with her arms raised in victory, as if she had just won a race, declared, "Let's Eat!"

p.s. The effects of the "chocolate cake" did wear off by late morning, but it was sure fun to watch while it lasted. :)

Soccer Joy

Yesterday was the last day of soccer. What a fun season it was! We had an awesome coach that loved the kids, and the Lord. The girls had a blast! And Seth and I fell more in love with our babes as we watched them overcome frustrations, get back up when they were knocked down, and smile all the while they were out on the field. Coach Pete gave everyone a certificate at the end of the game and wrote comments that I believe sum up the way the girls played in a wonderful way!

"Adalie plays soccer like a tiger--just when the other team thinks they're safe, she pounces. She's definitely not afraid to attack the ball." Boy, did she ever! Adalie scored three goals during this season and always gave it 100%. She made her daddy proud and we were all screaming from the sidelines to cheer on our girl. She did great!

"Kylia has one of the best attitudes of any kid I've ever coached. She hustles and makes the game more fun for everyone." Kylia's attitude was so sweet. She would be skipping down the field, smile radiant on her face, so thrilled to be alive. Every once in a while she would stop and strike a pose, or wave a happy wave.

Who knew soccer could be so fun?

God Answers Prayers!!

The rain was pouring down as we were loading the car for the girl's soccer game.

The girls were bundled, the umbrellas packed, and grandma and grandpa were prepared. We were mentally gearing up for a wet, cold game. During the drive to the field Seth began a prayer that turned into a chant. It went something like this,

"Dear Lord,

Stop the rain,

For the game,

In Jesus name, Amen."

The girls and I repeated each line after daddy all the way to the field. Can you guess what happened? Not only did God stop the rain, He also brought out the sunshine!

After the game ended, the rain slowly began again. Then it hit me! God had answered our prayers! And He had answered them mightily! We were dry and we were happy!

What a little prayer, but God cared. He heard, He cared, and He answered! And if God hears the little ones, you know He must be listening to the big ones!! I left the field feeling the presence of the Lord so strongly around me.

He is always listening! Oh, thank you Jesus!

11 Years and No Regrets!

Eleven years ago, on October 10th, Seth and I became Mr. and Mrs. He proposed just three months prior and it was a whirlwind until the day we walked down the aisle. Our wedding was a blast. I still remember it with a smile on my face. And the "kiss" was unforgettable. We had practiced for those three months to get it just so, and then when the day came, I was uncertain whether or not we would follow through. But when our pastor said, "You may kiss the bride," Seth took me in his arms and dipped me low, kissing me all the way back up. Our photographer was able to get four pictures of that one kiss! It was pretty amazing.

So yesterday we remembered. We have eleven years (twelve-and-a-half if you count dating) of wonderful, crazy, sweet, precious, silly, and romantic memories. It was good to look back and see how blessed our life has been. I love being married! I love my husband! And I am excited for what the next eleven years will hold. (And then the eleven after that, and the eleven after that, and the eleven after that . . .)

Oh My Hair!!

Zoie, at the age of three, still rocks herself to sleep. She rocks in the middle of the night and she rocks early in the morning. Sometimes she rocks with a blanket over her head and at other times a stuffed animal. She loves to rock and it brings her comfort, but every morning the result is the same, a beautifully, wadded mass of tangled hair. There are mornings when this doesn't matter because we have the time to untangle the mess, but there are other mornings, when after struggling with it for 10 minutes I've had to leave her home with daddy because there is no more time to untangle.

I often wonder when, or if, this rocking will end. Will the rats be tamed? Will the sadness on this face ever turn to a smile as we brush through silky, smooth hair each morning? I guess this question is yet to be answered. So for today, we will head back to the bathroom, squirt the mass, brush, cry, and then brush some more. And when it's all said and done, we will have beautiful hair in bobbles, ponies, or braids, and a little girl with a smile on her face!

Yum, Yum, Yummy!!

Today the girls and I made something we have never made before. They were round little morsels of goodness, that for some reason always seemed a bit daunting to try. But today, the craving was there, the ingredients on hand, and a burst of courage to tackle a new recipe was within my grasp. So, I took the courage, with much help from my children, and together we made our first ever batch of doughnuts!! With three little helpers the flour was measured, the sugar stirred, and the rest of the ingredients added. Then we kneaded a bit, patted the dough, and cut out 12 doughnuts. Now came the daunting part, the oil! Without a deep fryer or electric skillet it was a challenge to know exactly when the oil reached 375 degrees. So we tested a bit, adjusted a bit, and with just a little dough wasted (or burnt to a crisp), we were ready to cook our doughnuts. Guess what? It worked! They cooked to a golden brown and were yum, yum, yummy! We all had one, (and a few holes), and with a desire for more, we knew that this recipe was a success!

Doing the Fair Differently

Going to the fair can be quite the adventure, and quite the expense. There's parking fees, and entrance fees, tickets for rides and food to be eaten, and so much stuff to buy. We did not have all the money it would take to go to the fair this year and so we had decided that we would not be going, but then we were given FREE TICKETS!! Now we had a choice to make. Do we go, with the chance of still spending a small fortune, OR, do we do things differently? We chose differently. So to start, we packed a sack lunch. ($30.00 saved!) Then we parked and took the shuttle. ($10.00 saved!!) Then of course we had the free tickets. ($29.00 saved!!!) We chose not to do any rides. ($100.00 saved, give or take.) And do you know what we realized? It is so much fun to watch jugglers and acrobatic dogs, draft horses and chickens, 3-D movies about brains and performers playing instruments made from garbage cans, to dream about jacuzzis and some day owning our own horse, and doing it all as a family. Plus, to top it all off, the girls didn't get over-stimulated by the rides (which means tired and fussy) and therefore enjoyed the eight hours we spent there. (Priceless!)

p.s. We did get one treat, an elephant ear, my favorite!!

When I Grow Up

Driving to soccer today Seth and I were listening to our girls talk. This is how their conversation went. (Prepare yourself, the following responses are not typical, and may be a bit silly.)

Adalie: I want to be an artist and a cooker when I grow up. (Daddy later corrected her and let her know that a cooker is called a chef.)

Kylia: I want to be a worker when I grow up. I want to build houses.

Zoie: I want to be a toaster man when I grow up!

Oh, what a joy it is to listen to your children dream about their lives. Keep dreaming girlies! What a joy you are.

Relaxation

There are three things that to me say "Relaxing", a fire crackling and glowing, piano music gently playing, and dining with those I love. All three of these were found this last weekend when our family journeyed up to Mt. Rainier. What an amazing day! When we first arrived we hiked on a path that led us to a view of a very impressive glacier. The girls found a hole in a rock, we ate huckleberries growing freely along the path, and enjoyed the sights and sounds of nature. Once the loop was complete we headed up to the lodge. Paradise Lodge!! Wow! The atmosphere was wonderful! Fire places on both sides of the cozy lobby, a pianist quietly playing, couches and tables for intimate gatherings, the upper floor open to the lower with tables and chairs for playing games, reading, or talking quietly with your love. Perfect!

Dinner was delightful. The food was amazing and the molten chocolate cake melted in my mouth. As I sat there, savoring my dessert, it was as if the Lord was washing over me with His Spirit of peace and relaxation. It was a wonderful time!

Happy Birthday Grandma Marty! Thank you for letting us share together in your special day! We love you!