Kids these days!

Friday night we were treated to a special surprise visit by one of our fave babysitters (and our good friend!) Francesca, who was home from college on fall break. We have missed her so much since she left for school right after Kid's Camp in August. In fact, Kid's Camp is one of the last memories my kids have of her. So, it was extra funny to hear Marina's greeting to Francesca Friday night:

Rina: "Hey, do you remember YOU from camp?"

A couple weeks ago, Ryan was speaking to the 2nd and 3rd graders in the Jungle Room. He was telling a story of King David:

Ryan: "Who can raise their hand and tell me who King David was?"
Kid in the 3rd row: "He's the guy who defeated the Giant Pickle!"
(Those of you who are familiar with Veggie Tales will understand why that is hilarious!)

O-Town Smackdown

High hopes. Preparation. Dedication. Perseverance. These adjectives describe the Panther White Lightweights today as they entered round 2 of the playoffs vs. Frankfurt. It was their chance to beat this undefeated team after such a close call earlier in the season.

But, yet again, Frankfurt pulled off a win. The final score was 6-0. And thus ends our 2008 season. But what a great season it has been! As parents, we have literally watched this team grow and develop at a rapid pace right before our eyes. And it has been an amazing thing to witness.

Can't wait til next year.
Meantime, we get a couple weeks off. Then wrestling season begins! Which equals more cheering from the bleachers!

Hide and Seek

Yeah, they are cute alright. But they are also little stinkers! Partners in crime! Their newest antic: hiding silently from Mommy until she goes into panic mode, searching every floor of the house.

It's happened twice now. I'll come downstairs to a silent family room. No kids in sight. The back sliding door is cracked open to allow a breeze. And I'll call for Reese and Marina, receiving no answer. I'll call louder. Nothing. I'll peek outside, check the basement, look back upstairs, EVERYWHERE. And just when I'm ready to call the cops, I hear little giggles behind he couch. In a spot that only little munchkins like them could actually fit into. Relief! Then anger! Then laughs, because they are so adorable, crouching into that small spot. Like two little peas in a pod. Luckily, they haven't figured out any other spots to hide. So now I know to always check there first. Stinkers!

The most unusual trip to Wal-Mart

Those poor secret service men are thinking, "This wasn't part of our job description."

My Confession

I just gotta let something spill here. There's something I need to confess. And it requires that I put down my pride and just say it: I am domestically challenged.

There! Phew! I feel better. I hate to cook. I hate to bake. I hate laundry. But I do them because I have to. Altho I don't do them very well. I cannot seem to make a pancake without burning it. I cannot make a batch of cookies without setting off the smoke alarm. It's to the point where my kids and my husband immediately respond to the beeping smoke alarm with, "Mom's cooking again!"

I cannot keep my house clean, no matter how hard I try! No, I don't wash my kitchen floor once a week. Or even once every 2 weeks, when life is really busy. There's always a load of laundry waiting in the hallway to be folded and put away. And my poor hubby often has to pick thru the dishwasher to find a clean spoon, because I just can't seem to keep up with the repeating circle of using dishes, putting them in the dishwasher, running the wash cycle, and returning the dishes to the drawers. Can't do it.

Maybe when I'm not working full time I will be able to stay on top of things. Maybe. But until then, I'm so grateful for a hubby that understands and never complains. As long as he has something to wear to work and a lunch packed before he heads out and dinner ready when he returns, he's satisfied. Phew! I am just so amazed by women who seem to stay on top of it all. And still have time to bake cookies. ;)

Layer by Layer

God is really working on me.
In other times in my life, He has forgiven, encouraged and inspired me. But this season in my life is one in which He is literally peeling back layers of my heart and bringing me through the uncomfortable task of facing inner frustration and anger that has resulted from day to day scars and hurts.

Anger toward people that have been unfair and hurtful. And even anger toward God, for letting those things happen. And for not always doing things the way I thought He should. I find that I have withheld my heart from Him, after witnessing some of the uglier parts of life. As if I need to protect my innermost from an untamed God.

Yes, He is untamed. In fact, He is wild to the core. Unconventional. And beyond mere human comprehension. Yet, He CAN be trusted. Even when it hurts. Or life doesn't seem fair. Even when my purest of intentions seem to be ignored, as God chooses to implement His own plan in my life. He is still faithful. And He has always been beckoning me to open those last stubborn layers that I've rebelliously locked in place. I've felt that tug. Almost daily. And I've tried to appease it by faithfully attending church, by engrossing our schedule with ministry (which I truly love to be involved in!) and by sending up prayers to God like, "Lord, change me. Make me right with You." But, I haven't actually allowed Him to come closer than arm's length. Until now. No wonder my walk with the Lord has been so frustrating! Until we give Him our all we cannot receive HIS ALL!

I plan to more accurately explain what I mean in the following posts, because there are some amazing snippets of scripture that have hit me hard, like driving a wedge between those layers to reveal the mess beneath. And I want to share them with...well, whoever reads this. (Thank you, Dad, for being my faithful reader!) But, even more important, I want to document my journey. So I never forget what God has done. Meantime, here are a few phrases from my bible study that stand out to me:

"Trust God to bring about His best outcome in life's circumstances."

"Our esteem is wrapped up in our faith that we are established by an Almighty God to accomplish His purposes."

"The anointed life engages daily and normal activities in a supernatural way."

"The Enemy is already defeated and your victory is already guaranteed."

"Faith means we act in accordance with what we know [scripture]."

"One of the most incredible benefits of having God's Spirit is access to the ear of God."

"God can bless our lives profoundly for our pure-hearted plans even when He can't, for kindom reasons, bless our idea."

"Every inch of ground we refuse to take with God, we surrender to the Enemy. Satan has no greater agenda than to talk you and me into believing that God is not good after all."

"We are safe both to bring the heights of our ecstatic joys to God and find company and to bring Him the depths of our ugliest emotions and find healing."

All of these phrases are taken from my current bible study, "Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed: A study of David," by Priscilla Shirer, Beth Moore, and Kay Arthur.

What a relief!

"My confidence rests not in MY faithfulness but in HIS."

Phew! What a relief! I've lived too much of my life feeling beaten down. How the Enemy loves to remind me of my failures. And my lack of faithfulness. And how he loves to play on that discouragement to convince me that it's not worth trying to live holy before my God...after all, I'll only fail again.

Praise God that He is faithful to me even when I am not. Or should I say especially when I am not! No longer will my confidence (or lack thereof) rest in my own level of faithfulness. I will choose to remember that it rests in HIS undying faithfulness.

Wow! How a perspective like that will change a life! Change an outlook! Change every decision, every circumstance, and every moment I spend with Him. This small phrase, taken straight from my current bible study, has impacted me in ways I hadn't prepared for. I'm so glad it did.