An Unexpected Blessing

Monday evening around 5:30, Robb called me and said that a friend had extra tickets to the "Casting Crowns" concert, set to start in 90 minutes. We quickly changed clothes, made arrangements for the kids, loaded up the baby, and headed out. We arrived a little late only to find that it was a "guy's night out" (Robb had missed that slight point in the conversation with his friend). But I think God had other plans; He wanted me to be there. The guys were gracious and it was a very worshipful evening. Every song they sang touched my heart. They really know how to write songs that speak to where "the rubber hits the road", so to speak, about a real walk of faith. One song that seems to remind me of myself is entitled "Somewhere in the Middle". It talks about our walk with God and how we are not always the person we long to be, with the faith we want to have. Contradictions... and then the song ends by saying that God sees us where we are in our walk and loves us anyway. That's not to say that we shouldn't be striving to be more Christ-like, but we do need to remember that we are not the ones holding onto God, but rather, He is holding onto us. Somewhere between my heart and my hands Somewhere between my faith and my plans Somewhere between the safety of the boat and the crashing waves Somewhere between a whisper and a roar Somewhere between the altar and the door Somewhere between contented peace and always wanting more Somewhere in the middle you’ll find me Fearless warriors in a picket fence Reckless abandon wrapped in common sense Deep water faith in the shallow end and we are caught in the middle With eyes wide open to the differences, The God we want and the God who is But will we trade our dreams for His or are we caught in the middle Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control Lord, I feel you in this place and I know you’re by my side Loving me even on these nights when I’m caught in the middle.

Random Pictures

We took a family trip to the dentist this week...all the kids did really well. (Thanks, Sheila, for the recommendation!) And the only real issue we have between the four kids is an extraction of a baby tooth from our sweet girl's mouth and some sealants to apply.

Tucker loved all the attention he received, as well as the prize box at the end of the visit!

Preston still has no teeth and continues to be a happy, healthy baby.

Drew is such a wonderful big brother and loves to spend time with Preston. Here he is reading to him.
We have been able to go on the Greenbelt in Boise bike riding twice in the last couple of weeks with friends. We all loved it! These fall days are my favorite!
Robb and I took a little "date" with only the 2 younger boys while the older three were playing with friends (it always feels like a date when we don't have 5 kids with us!). Robb took me to the driving range/chipping green and I got to practice "my swing". It is so peaceful and quiet ...I could do it every day! Tucker got to try with his little clubs as well.
This tractor has been around for a long time and through 3 boys. The tires are plastic and have holes in them, but this continues to be a favorite toy!
Here are the older kids on the tire swing Robb made for them. School is out for the day and everyone is all smiles!

Happenings in our Lives...

Here is a little update on what has been going on around here. We have busy, but enjoying what life brings our way. A few highlights of the past couple of weeks are:

• The kids are doing very well doing school at home. Our kindergartner (Jayce) brings much enthusiam for learning and has helped set an energetic atmosphere. Tucker does very well playing alone, and Baby Preston spends much of his day sleeping. When he is awake, he spends much of his time smiling! The co-op that we go to on Thursdays is so very fun for the kids (and for me). This is where we go with other Idaho Virtual Academy students and have our Science, Art and Music for the week. The picture above is our kids on the first day of co-op.
  

Our house is still for sale and we are waiting patiently for God's timing. It was actually shown twice today while we were gone to co-op...very unusual since we had only shown it 3 times before that. We have been tossing around the idea of renting for awhile with a company called "Design Home Tending". This would allow us to live in a very large, beautiful home while spending very little in rent. The deal is this: the home would be for sale and we would move in with our furnishings and decorations. We would have to be willing to move when it sells and also be willing to show it when realtors call. With 5 kids? That's what we are trying to decide!

God has blessed us with a renter for our 2nd living quarters (on our property). The young girl doesn't care if it is not long-term and wants to rent even though we may have to show it (and she may have to move out when we move). She is a girl we know and plans to move in Saturday!

Lauren is doing so well in her violin! It seems that she has just grown musically by leaps and bounds this year! Yesterday at lessons, her teacher said that she got tears in her eyes listening to Lauren play. Her tone is beautiful and you can tell that she just loves it! This is her 5th year of taking lessons and we always wondered if this day would come.

We are getting a new brother-in-law in November!!! We are so excited that Kathy (Robb's sister that lost her husband 7 years ago) has found new love! We are very excited to meet Paul and welcome him into the family!

Robb and I have stepped down as leaders of our small group at our church and Robb is now going to be a "coach" of several small group leaders. This will enable our group to stretch and grow and will also help expand this ministry of the church.

That's about all for us...I love hearing about your lives when I get the chance to!

Blessings on your days!!!

Montana trip slideshow

These pictures are from our wonderful time together. There is nothing like having cousins and grandparents to play with all day for 6 days! Great memories!
Enjoy!

Life's Interruptions

Some days I feel as if I really don't accomplish much. As I have been trying to school the kids at home for the last 2 weeks, it seems that, in spite of my good intentions, my lists, and my aim at being a woman of discipline, there is never quite enough completed at the end of the day. I have been thinking a lot about this and realizing and trying to accept that "life" happens in the midst of busy days. Then just yesterday, I was reading an article by Gloria Gaither that my mom had loaned me and it really spoke to me. She wrote on the subject of interruptions in our lives and what our perspectives should be. One of her statements is:

"I am coming to believe that God's will for my life is the interruptions".

Wow! That hit me hard...here I have been trying to avoid roadblocks to "progress". She went on to show that so many of Jesus' special moments and miracles here on earth were what we would consider interruptions:

• the water to wine
• the leper and blind men
• the man brought thru the roof by his friends
• the woman with the disease who touched Him
• the children who came to sit on His lap

Planning and visualizing and organizing is all well and good, but my earnest prayer is that I am never so busy that I miss the opportunities and adventures that will come when I am open to them. After all, what else am I really here for?

I would love to hear your thoughts on this and how you have learned to embrace with joy God's alternate plan.

By the way, this is a picture of our smallest "interruption". We are so thankful for him!

(And I do have pictures to post of our time in Montana and will do so soon. )

Montana Trip - Preview

Well, we have been home for almost a week, but have not had time to blog, due to an icky bug we brought home with us. We truly enjoyed our week there...some of the highlights of our time together were:

• nana and gramps, brothers and sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles


• babies!!!


• horses


• four-wheelers


• kids' camp


• smoky mountains due to fires ....and the days that were not so smoky


• late night visits


• a great game of dominoes (thanks, Tom, for the great music and entertainment!)


• enjoying old family pictures and movies


• great food


• a visit to the park with toddlers


• a candlelit 40th anniversary dinner


• 2 baby dedications


• a buddy for everyone to play with!


• Andy Griffith shows that the kids loved watching


• out-to-lunch and Candy Land game with Nana


• catching up and reconnecting

I have many pictures to choose from to put on our blog. We all thank God for a wonderful time together and new memories made. As Jayce put it, "Our family rocks!" :)

We can't wait until the next time together ( and we so hope to be able to see Krystal, Jeff and kiddos soon! We love you guys!) .

Days like this I want to remember...

Not all days as a mother are happy, peaceful days - many, but not all! There are some days that I am not satisfied with the way my children have interacted or the way that I have responded. There are some days when one or more children are sick and we have crying in the home. There are some days that I would like to forget ever happened and am so excited to start over the next day!
This wonderful day in McCall. Idaho was not one of them! Robb had a deck to look at and bid, and so we all piled into the car and rode with him. It was so enjoyable to get away, even for a day. We have been camping twice this year, but always with groups of people, so it was nice to just enjoy each other's company. The first part of the day was smoky due to many fires in Idaho and Drew's asthma was bothering him, but by the time we got to the lake with our buckets and shovels, the sky had cleared and it was beautiful!
We were able to rent a little canoe for a couple of hours and we all enjoyed it! Lauren was a bit nervous, even though she is a great swimmer and is in the water a lot. But when her and I got to go out for a while, she really loved it and has asked her dad to try to find one at the thrift store. :) The lake was pristine and so beautiful and peaceful.

The kids and Robb enjoyed building sand castles and Tuck spent a lot of time burying my feet in the sand!
There are no pictures of Preston as he was sleeping most of the time. He has turned into a very happy baby and we are loving having another baby around here!


I think God gives us these days as a time to reflect and appreciate all we have. I certainly did that today, and somehow I think I will remember this day for a very long time.

"Every good and perfect gift comes from above..." James 1:17