This and that...

*Jordan's playing football.  I don't like football.  In fact, it reminds me of everything I hated about high school. But it's growing on me just a little.  I do think it's a little intense for 7 year olds.  Earlier in the week at practice I was chasing Violet around and trying to watch Jordan at the same time.  And those mean old coaches were yelling at our boys.  I was sitting out there for hours sweating and getting eaten alive by mosquitos and listening to men yell at my son.  And I was thinking, "What the heck are we doing out here??".  But that son of mine loves it, and that makes me happy.  

Shaun has an interview tomorrow.  A "vocal interview".  He's joining a choir for homeschooled kids and the director needs to hear him first.  I guess they're serious about their singing.  I'm so excited about this and so glad I found out about it.  The director asked me if his voice has changed yet.  I told her that it was currently in the process and Shaun's range depends on what day it is.  Ha ha!  Gotta love boys.  

And little Violet learned how to take her diaper off by herself.  She goes quietly into a corner, strips down, and then just goes on about her business until someone notices.  Maybe she'll potty train early.  I can dream, can't I?

The boys were fighting over who's turn it was to sweep the floor today.  Even I couldn't remember and I was so tired of hearing them argue that I just told them to do it together.  It was quiet for about 1.2 seconds before I heard Jordan's voice pipe up with, "You can sweep.  I will do the dust-panning".  Dust-panning.  Heh.  

On how we found our church.

The other day the topic over at Kelly's Korner was churches.  Not only churches, but finding a church home.  I didn't participate in that discussion, but it made me think about my church home and how we wound up there.  So I thought I'd write about it!

Okay, so I was one of those kids who was "raised in church".  I was blessed with not only parents who love the Lord but with God-loving grandparents as well.  On both sides!  I think I can count the number of times I missed church as a child on one hand.  Ha!  If I didn't go to our church, we were at another one for a revival or because we were visiting my grandmother's church. Seriously.  Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night.  Not to mention Spring and Summer Revival and any other revival our pastor preached at because usually the choir sang.  We were there!  Unless we were sick, and that had to be proven.  My mom could spot a fake sickness a mile away when it came to having to miss church.

And let me tell you something... I'm doing the same thing to my kids!

I was "saved" when I was a kid.  I don't really remember exactly how old I was.  I rebelled during my teen years and didn't fully rededicate my life to God until after I was married and Shaun was a few years old.  

I'm not proud of the life I lived.  A few weeks ago I was talking to a friend I used to work with back then.  She said something I will never forget.  She was my friend before we turned back to God and we stayed pretty close while we worked together even though our opinions were sometimes different.  She called me out of the blue the other day just to talk.  Ironically, we were at Forward.  She asked if Chris was still playing music at church and my answer was, "Of course!".  She went on to say how she remembered when he was called into the ministry all those years ago and that once we turned, we never looked back.  

Now, we aren't perfect by any means.  AT ALL. And honestly, most of the time our Christian walk has a lot to be desired.  We try, but we're human.  When my friend said that to me, I almost cried.  

I'm kind of off topic.  

After we rededicated our lives to the Lord we began "really" attending the church I grew up in.  We got involved but Chris and I both began to feel as if God was leading us somewhere else.  We fought it for awhile.  We went to a really good church with a great pastor who wasn't afraid to preach the Word of God.  Plus, it was really the only church I'd ever known.  Plus my family went there too and could help me with my hyper-active little sweetheart during the services.  PLUS, I'm an introvert.  The idea of showing up at a church where we didn't know anyone scared the crap out of me.  Back then I would rather have eaten my own hair than meet new people. Have you ever looked for a new church?  The moment before you walk through a new church's doors for the first time has to be one of the most nerve-wracking experiences in the world.

Around this time another friend of mine from work invited me to her church.  It was a smallish Baptist church a lot like the one we were currently at but they were going through some changes with their music ministry and such.  So we went.  And we loved it, even though it was 30 minutes away and our "old" church was literally right down the street from our house.  That was an adjustment, let me tell you.  

We threw ourselves into that church.  We joined the choir.  I volunteered for Childrens Church and AWANA.  We taught VBS.  We met wonderful friends and really grew our faith under the teaching at that church. I can't stress enough how good it was for us to be there.  It was good for us to find our way and be "by ourselves" at church, so to speak.  Kind of hard to explain.  

We were at this church for a few years before we felt that God was moving us somewhere else.  Again.  Auughgh!  This was hard.  We loved "our" church and our friends.  For the first time we had a church family and a support system.  We didn't even have a clue where we were supposed to be going, just that perhaps our time there had come to a close.  

So we began visiting other churches.  First we went back to the church we had come from for awhile, just because we didn't know where to go.  While I didn't know exactly where we were supposed to go, I just knew that it had to be a Baptist church that preached the truth from the Bible.  A good children's program was important and a kickin' music ministry would be a major plus.  We visited a few places that just didn't feel "right".  We had two boys by this time and it was always so stressful to get everyone ready, so I really wanted to find a church close to home.  The one place in Gainesville where I had no interest at all in visiting was Free Chapel.  

A friend of Chris' from work had invited us several times.  Chris wanted to give it a try but I was adamant.  I did NOT want to go there for these important reasons that I had heard all of my life:  They handled snakes and I was afraid of snakes.  They made everyone there fall out and speak in tongues.  Members had to turn in their bank statements and tax forms so that the church could be sure to get all of their tithe money.  And if you got caught not tithing, you got kicked out.  You also had to pay for your parking space. I hated mega churches, (even though I had never been to one). And besides, we were Baptist people!  

One Sunday we had decided to visit our old church.  We were on the way when I realized that we were late because the service started at 10:30 instead of 11:00.  At that moment Chris' phone rang.  It was his friend from work calling to invite us to Free Chapel.  "Oh, fine!  Whatever you want to do.  At least we will get to hear some good music.  Let's just go so he'll quit asking us!  And I'm not giving them any money!"

So we went.  

Now remember, I had never been to a big church before.  I was used to arriving at church 10 minutes before service, dropping the kids off, and then enjoying church.  We pulled into the madhouse of a parking lot at Free Chapel.  I honestly felt as if I was at a Braves Game or something.  Cops were directing traffic and shuttle busses full of people were driving back and fourth all over the place.  It took for-ev-er to even get into the building.  And then we didn't know where to go.  We looked for our friend but he was running late.  So I was forced to make contact with one of the ushers.  He directed us down the stairs to the children's ministry along with about a million other people.  

I was so overwhelmed!  

I really wanted to go running back to the car!

But then I saw a familiar face.  Shaun's soccer coach from when he was 4.  He and his wife took us under their wings and showed us what to do.  We had to fill out forms.  Something else new.  It seemed to take forever and all I could think about was that by the time we got back upstairs the music was going to be over and that's the only reason I wanted to be there in the first place.  We finally got the kids dropped off and met up with Chris' friend.  He led us into the auditorium.  I saw Pastor Jentezen Franklin on the stage.  I recognized him from the billboards around town advertising the Forward conference.  He was singing "The Old Rugged Cross".  As the ushers found us seats up in the balcony and we began to climb (and climb and climb) to our seats I was grumbling to myself, "Hmmph.  If I wanted to hear this song again I could've just stayed at our old church".  

And then we found our seats and the sermon began.  I enjoyed myself.  No one asked for my bank statement or threw a snake at me.  No one even spoke in tongues.  At the end of the service I realized something.  We were home.  

Yes, it was different and it took some getting used to.  That was over six years ago.  We are still there.  Our kids are growing up under Godly leadership and being taught the true Word of God.  We love it there as much as we did all those years ago.  Chris even has a job there, so really, our church is our life! Most of our close friends are people from church.  Some of them have truly become our family.  We have a niche.  We have our people.  When something goes wrong (or even when something goes right) our "people" are first in line to pray with us, bring us food, watch our kids, or anything else we need.  And vice versa.  I really can't imagine doing life without our church or our church family.

To my Christian friends out there who don't have a church to call home, I say this: 

Try to find one!

It really is so important to find a place to worship.  We all need to be hearing from the Lord on a regular basis, and we also need fellowship and friendships with other believers. 

One other thing I've learned on this journey is to not get too caught up with labels.  When we began looking for a church I only wanted to visit Baptist churches.  I never, ever thought I would go to a Pentecostal church.  Or Non-Denominational.  Whatever we are!  There's no doubt in my mind that God wanted my family at Free Chapel.  He had plans for us and we would have missed out if I had stuck to my guns and not visited that Sunday.  Yes, its big and sometimes loud and crowded and not at all what we were used to, but our relationship with Jesus is more important than all of that.  When we began to focus on Him and get involved, our big huge church became really small.  Big or small.  Baptist, Methodist, whatever.  Find a church who's members love the Lord and will challenge you in your walk with Him.  

You'll be so glad you did!

That Royal Baby

I've been kind of obsessed with Will, Kate, and the Royal Baby lately.  I don't think I've been this excited about the birth of a baby since last summer.  ;)

I was practically giddy this past Monday when I heard the news that Duchess Kate was in labor.  I was glued to Fox News.  So were a lot of my friends, apparently.  

I love the way the birth was announced... "Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a son at 4:24 p.m."  How royal sounding is that?!  I burst out of my bedroom and announced "It's a prince.  We have a prince!"  Okay, I realize that "we" don't have a prince.  I'm an American citizen and proud of it.  I was just so excited!  My family was less than impressed with the news and I found myself looking at three sets of rolling eyeballs.  

The next day I was busy doing laundry at my sisters- our washing machine died- and shortly after I went home she sent me a text:  "News update:  less than 30 minutes til we see the new prince!"  Once again, I parked it in front of the tv and waited.  And waited.  And then finally they appeared!  I cried a little bit... they just looked so happy.  And Kate looked beautiful.  And I LOVED the way Prince William carried the car seat to the car and drove his own car away from the hospital.  

Sigh.

Jordan was watching with me, but he wasn't impressed.  He took a look and said, "That's it?!".

Of course we got all excited the next day when the new prince's name was announced.  George Alexander Louis, in case you missed it.  Or rather, His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge.  Sigh again.

Later on that day I discovered a "Royal Name Generator" on Facebook.  My royal name is Duchess Aquarius the Allusive.  Of course I had to find royal names for all of us:

Chris:  King Arturo the Ever-Moving
Shaun:  Grand Emperor Simon the Ever-Moving
Jordan:  Emperor Simon the Ever-Moving
and Violet:  Grand Dame Wanda the Allusive

I must admit that I smiled when I saw that my three guys' were "Ever-Moving".  How fitting!

It's been an exciting week in the news!

Camp

We dropped Shaun off at camp yesterday.  It's weird, not having him here.  Too quiet.  Not really quiet.  We still have two kids here, after all, but quieter.  

Drop off yesterday was quick and painless.  Mostly.  Several of his friends were there and more were on there way.  We turned in paperwork, met his counselor, and watched as they walked to the dorms.  

Then we left.  And I didn't cry.  I think Chris knew that keeping me busy was the key.  So we booked the park for Violet's birthday party next month and went to Wal-Mart.  Then we hit happy hour at Sonic.  I only cried one tear, when I stopped to think about everything.  

I know, it's silly.

Jordan had football practice last night so we didn't get home until late but today was quiet!  Jordan missed his brother.  Kept saying he was bored.  Violet slept a lot.  I tried to clean and get things done but I couldn't stop myself from thinking about my oldest baby.  Thankfully, I made plans with my friend Kelli to get our boys together at the park.  On the way to the park it started raining so we just went to Kelli's house instead.  Our three boys played and Violet toddled around.  And Chris texted and asked if I'd heard from Shaun... the answer was no.  He wasn't allowed to take his cell phone and I knew he'd be mortified if I called him.  I joked to Chris that I was just a few minutes from the camp and that I was thinking about doing a drive-by.  I was only halfway joking, but Chris told me not to be a stalker.  

The youngest kids and I had dinner with Monica tonight.  It was around 9 when I got home and everyone kept asking me if I'd heard from Shaun so I gave in and texted the director to check on him.  She replied that he was having a blast and loving every minute.  I'm so glad!  So glad he's having fun and that he has the opportunity to go to camp and be independent. Letting go is hard, though!  Next time I pray I'm not one big ball of emotions.  

Tomorrow we'll go up for talent nigh and then Sunday I'll pick him up and bring him home after church.  It'll be good to have that little booger back!

The Tooth

Last Tuesday we stopped by Granny's house after Jordan was finished with football camp. Chris and I were inside visiting with her and the boys were outside playing a rousing game of "grass hockey".  What's that, you're wondering?  It's a game born from the minds of my children involving a baseball and a few golf clubs.  And that's all I know.  

So, the adults were inside talking and trying to keep Granny's new dog Coco safe from Violet.  She likes to pull his ears.  All of a sudden we heard screams.  Terrified screams and crying.  Jordan came running into the house with bloody hands covering his mouth.  I couldn't even look.  Chris and Granny began to investigate the injury and I went to question Shaun, who was skulking around in the hallway.  I asked what happened and he said, with tear filled eyes, "I accidentally hit him in the mouth with my golf club".

Ouch!  

Thankfully, there wasn't much damage, just a loose tooth.  We decided to call the dentist in the morning since Jordan has some "teeth issues" and because the tooth wasn't loose at all before the accident.  We went in the next day for an exam and some x-rays.  Our dentist, the fabulous Dr. "Ryan" Vaughn told Jordan that he had two weeks to wiggle that tooth and get it out or it would have to be pulled.  

So all this time, he's been wiggling.  And wiggling.  The tooth became looser and looser and yesterday was hanging on by a thread.  Ew.  I hate loose teeth! 

Tonight Chris decided it was time to take matters into his own hands.  He told Jordan he wanted to see how loose it was... and then he pulled it out!

Thank goodness there was no blood.  That's how loose it was!  Jordan was so surprised.  He didn't know if he should laugh or cry.  So he did a little of both.  While he was in the bathroom admiring his new smile I whispered to Chris, "I hope you have some cash on you.  The Tooth Fairy has to come tonight, thanks to you, hot shot."  He had forgotten about that part and we never, ever, have any cash but thankfully my sister did.  And thankfully she lives next door.  We all went up so Jordan could show off his newly snaggled smile and I could borrow some cash.  

Showing off his new smile.  Congratulations, Jordan!

Wednesday Night Supper Club

Wednesday Night Supper Club met last night.  We finally made it to a meeting... we've been busy before church the past few weeks and we'd been missing our friends!  

The kids

and us moms

love us some Stevi B's before church.

As my friend Melissa says, "We're not perfect, but we love each other!"

So thankful for this group!

Slide, Slide, Slippity Slide

This past Sunday the youth group at church made 2 gigantic slip and slides on the lawn.  Shaun and his friends had TONS of fun.  What a great, cheap, idea!  My friend Michelle is a great photographer and snapped these shots for me.  

This event was for middle and high schoolers, but as you can see Chris and Jordan had some fun, too.

At the end of the afternoon my three guys were wet and muddy from head to toe.  Great day!

15

Bloom:  Finding Beauty in the Unexpected- A Memoir by:  Kelle Hampton

Okay, well.  Let me begin by saying that Kelle Hampton isn't my favorite blogger, but a lot of people enjoy her blog and if you'd like to check it out you can click here.     

I can't remember how I came across her blog, but I've been following her off and on for a few years.  I do love her photography.  She's got skills!

Bloom was written after Kelle's second child, Nella, was born with Down syndrome.  I, for obvious reasons, have a soft spot in my heart for special needs moms so I reserved a copy of the book from the library.  I finished it in two days.  I couldn't put it down.  

It was the best book I've read in a really, really long time.  

I love the honesty of this book.  While I don't have a child with Down syndrome, I do have a child with Cerebral palsy so I can kind of relate to how Kelle was blindsided at Nella's birth.  I loved how real this book is.  Kelle's raw honesty was so refreshing to me.  

Some of the thoughts that ran through my head after Shaun was born... I was ashamed to have thought them and had never admitted them to anyone.  What a relief to read this book and know that I wasn't the only mother out there who had had those thoughts.  I could practically hear special needs moms all over the world breathing sighs of relief and murmuring, Wow.  I can't believe she actually wrote that down... but I'm so glad she did!

I laughed and cried while reading this book, many times during the same paragraph.  And did I mention that it also contains pictures?  Lots and lots of pictures!  

Bottom line:  great book that can bring healing and comfort to all those "special mamas" out there and a wonderful celebration of a beautiful little girl.  

Double Digits, Continued

I decided that Violet's "10 Month" post didn't really do her justice.  She's grown so much and hit so many milestones over the past few months and I don't always have time to write about them all.  So here goes:

She can walk!  Violet started walking about a month ago, the first week of June, when she was nine months old.  She'd been flirting with the idea for about a month or so, cruising around the couch or anything else she could get her hands on.  She would let go, but really, every time her brothers would see her do this they would get so excited and freak her out.  And down she'd go.  On her big night, she and I were in the kitchen.  I was loading up the dishwasher.  She loves to sneak and get into the dishwasher when I'm not looking and that's just what she did that night.  I got her out of there, closed the door, and walked across the kitchen.  And she followed me for a few steps!  Of course, the boys and I were ecstatic.  We called Daddy at work and told him the news and he was ecstatic, too.  It took her a few weeks, but now she's a pro at walking.  

And, she's talking. Some of her words:  

Dada

Mama

Bye

Hey

Bite
Mike-this just happened today.  We were at lunch after church at our favorite pizza place and Chris called out Hey, Mike! to the owner. And Violet followed suit.  Adorable. I thin she has a few more words, but I'm pulling a brain fart at the moment.  

She weighs around 16-17 pounds.  She's slowly outgrowing all of her 9 month clothes.  I actually packed away most of her "baby clothes" yesterday to make room for her "big girl" clothes.  I cried a lot while I did this.  

She gives kisses.  This is pretty much the most adorable thing I've ever seen.

She's learned how to click her tongue. 

She wears a size 3 diaper.

Her little personality is coming out!  She loves to be the center of attention and shows off her skills a lot so everyone will oooh and aaahhh over her.  She's also a little drama queen.  When things don't go her way she's been known to throw herself on the ground and cry.  We are trying to teach her the concept of "no".  Surprisingly it's going pretty well.  She acts as if she wants to please us, which I'm pretty sure will change as she gets older.  Ha!

Favorite foods... she's such a good eater!  She eats whatever we put in front of her most of the time.  She really loves her leafy greens. Spinach, broccoli, cauliflower are favorites.  I have to sneak peas in, but she'll eat them if I put them in a bite with something else.  She also LOVES soup beans and spaghetti.  The old stand by, mac and cheese, is also a pleaser.  Milk and raw cheese, however, are not pleasers and hurt her stomach so we're avoiding them until she turns a year old.  We are praying that this issue solves itself when we investigate it again.  

Her favorite toy is "Violet", pictured in the previous post.  She literally plays with her all day, every day.  The dog Violet is programmed to say the real Violet's name and sing songs about her and the real Violet is so amused by this.  She laughs and laughs.  Thank you to Mama Susie for the wonderful Christmas gift!

Sleep.  This is still a struggle.  We haven't had a full nights sleep in months.  I think it's the teething.  Or maybe a growth spurt.  Violet goes to sleep between 8 and 9 by herself in her crib and wakes up at 1 like clockwork.  And then again at 3 or 4.  And she wants a bottle each time. I make sure she's full before bed and I can't keep her up later because she's so ready for bed by 9.  I'm open to any suggestions!  Naps are a bit better.  She will go to sleep by herself in her crib around 9 in the morning and then again after lunch.  She doesn't nap for as long as I remember the boys napping...she will rarely nap for more than 30-45 minutes.

Teeth. She has 4!  The front bottoms were first, followed buy the front tops.  She looks so different with teeth!  We're also big fans of the amber teething necklace.  But that's worthy of it's own post!

I still can't believe our girl's 10 months old!  We are planning her fist birthday party already and can't get over how time is flying.

Double Digits

Sweet baby Violet.  

How can you be 10 months old already?

We love you, beautiful girl!

Oh, what a day!

Today was... weird.  Although there's only about 8 more minutes left of today, Wednesday, and by the time I click PUBLISH, it will be Thursday.

Anyway.

 A friend of mine stated earlier tonight that she felt like she was walking in a fog all day. I feel the same way.  Probably because of all the rain.  We took Chris to work this morning and when we came back home my house key was missing from my key chain.  

?!?!

Don't know why, don't know how- but it was definitely not where it needed to be when I was ready to unlock the door.  In the pouring rain.  I wanted to cry.  Shaun had an appointment in the afternoon and we needed showers and acceptable clothing! I couldn't even call Chris because I had kept his phone today so that I could use the GPS.  I miss my phone!  I pulled the car super close to the kitchen window so that Jordan could try to get in.  Never mind that I was 90 percent sure that the window was locked...I was desperate.  Only Jordan couldn't reach the window.  Ha ha ha!  He was standing on the hood of our Explorer in the pouring rain, yelling at me to "make the car turn a little".  I tried to explain that I couldn't make the car turn or it would "turn" into our house!  Shaun offered to try but I was afraid he would put a dent in the car. The highlight of my day was watching my 13 year old stop around the yard yelling, "This sucks!  This sucks!".  And he says I'm dramatic!

Suddenly I remembered that I had taken Chris' keys with me yesterday when I walked up to visit my sister.  I prayed so hard as I dug through my diaper bag... and found the keys!     

We went inside and went on with our day.  We were just about to begin getting dressed for the appointment and church when my sister called to tell me that our dogs were up at my Granny's house on her front porch.  Sigh.  We have two dogs.  One is a wanderer.  She wandered to my Granny's house once and Granny fed her a hamburger.  No wonder she trots up the road to Granny's every chance she gets.  I piled everyone in the car and we drove up to Granny's and the boys herded their wet, smelly dogs into my car.  Ew, ew!  They needed another shower after that!

We got dressed and left for Shaun's appointment.  The boys became famished on the way so I went through the drive through at Chick fil a.  By this time the rain was coming down in sheets and I was getting uneasy.  I hate driving in rain!  We left CFA and I was stopped at a red light, minding my own business when I felt someone starting at me.  I glanced over at the vehicle beside us and found myself staring into the eyes of Creepy MckCreeperson.  I quickly looked away, but he kept staring.  I decided I must know him from somewhere... why else would he be staring that way?  I took another quick peek and he winked at me.  I had never seen this man before in my life and let me tell you... this was the longest red light in the history of the world!  

The light finally changed and I sped off, in spite of the rain.  Thank goodness he didn't follow us on the express way.  I'm not sure what I would have done!

Thankfully, the weirdness subsided then and everything else about the night was relatively normal.  

Going to bed now. 

14

The Sanctuary by:  Ted Dekker

I'm a HUGE Ted Dekker fan.  Remember when I met him last year?  I blogged about it here in case you're interested.  

I usually fly through his books, but it took me six whole weeks to finish this one.  The Sanctuary is the sequel to The Priest's Graveyard, which I read last summer and absolutely loved.  I think I read it in a week.  But then, I was pregnant and had a lot more time to read.  I'd been excited to read more about Danny and Renee for a while, but it took me a while to get into it.  I had to renew it twice from the library and then I had to push myself to finish it yesterday so that I could turn it in without a late fee.  

I generally don't read a lot of Christian fiction because I find most of it to be cheesy and unrealistic.  And Amish.  There are a lot of Christian fiction books about the Amish.  Dekker's are edgy.  Dark.  Most of  his novels remind me of Dean Koontz books minus the sex and foul language.  This one was a little too dark.  Even for me.  Great story, just not my favorite read.  This wasn't a book that I couldn't put down and I probably won't read it again.