My sweet boy

This morning I made Michael some hot chocolate for breakfast. I took these pics of him because he looked so sweet and so cute sitting at the table. He was just SO pleased with his beverage and sat with such contentment as he drank it. After a few sips, he looked up at me and said "DEEEEEEEEE LICIOUS!"



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Prayer time

This family needs prayer.
These are the young girls I referred to in an earlier post. They are the only children of these sweet parents. The funerals for the girls is today. If you think of them, please pray for this mom and dad. They are not grieving without hope as their daughters knew Jesus, but I know that their hearts are broken. They are good friends of friends of mine.

My India

Recently I've heard of many different people going on missions trip to different places.... Africa, India, Mexico.  I'm so proud of my friends and even of the people whom I don't know who obey God's call and go where He wants them too.  I am happy to hear about the changes that they undergo and the ways that their hearts are transformed by the time spent.  But, I have to be honest- I've also been somewhat envious.  I haven't been called to Africa or to India.  And if the call came in, I would probably have to clean up some cat barf before I was able to answer it, and then the machine would have picked up and I would have lost the call.  (Actually, I was talking to a friend on Saturday who is going to Kenya this summer and I confessed how homesick I would be if I was to go that far from home.)  And then today happened... 3 miles from my house... at Safeway... in my "neck of the woods".  A young girl about 20 years old, unshowered and hungry, sitting on  the curb with a sign asking for a miracle. For a split second I was going to drive by, and then I realized that my "India" was staring me in the face... and so we stopped.  And tonight prayed for a girl that needs so much more than I could ever given her.  And I believe that my heart is being transformed.  Praise you, Jesus, for opening my eyes to see You and my heart to hear that you could change me right here at home, Lord.  You know me so well and you met me right where You knew that I would see You today. You know how homesick I get.  You know that India is too far away for me right now.  Thank you for bringing it to me.  I pray that Your work will not be wasted on me.  

SuperSunday

We went to 2 churches on Sunday - our church and the Lutheran church where Meredith goes to preschool. She had a singing engagement there today with the rest of the preschool kids. She was so happy and excited that Marky and Maddie were going to be able to watch her sing. The last time, they weren't able to. This was a special thing today. After church, we had a very nice long afternoon just being together as a family. It seems like we don't have tons of times like this and I just wanted to squeeze every bit of joy out of it. The girls played the Wii and then cars with Michael; we watched some home videos of a few of our vacations. That was wonderful!!! We decided to take a walk to the park and ended up cutting it short because it was getting very cold. Maddie was prompted by the home movies to get a haircut; she was so excited to get it done. She thought it was pretty handy to just walk downstairs and sit right down in the chair. She hung her sweater and her hat on the hooks that I have in the salon and announced "I can hang those there because tonight I'm a client!" So, she got a new hairdo - her spirits have been soaring ever since! The day was a beautiful one!!

Pain

Today I heard of 2 different stories of pain and suffering  At this moment, a set of parents is waiting in the ICU as one of their daughters fights to stay alive.  Earlier today, these parents said goodbye to their other daughter when she went to be with Jesus in heaven.  The 2 sisters were in a car accident.  The other story was from a mama telling of her baby boy, stillborn at 36 weeks.  Neither of these families are near and dear to me, they are just stories I encountered today. But the pain is so real to the storytellers, and they are suffering.  I am struggling tonight with these stories of pain.  This morning I read from Psalm 91:1-2 - "Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.  This I declare of the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God and I am trusting Him."  I still believe in what I read,  even though I wouldn't have a clue how to explain my belief to these hurting souls.  It is an unanswerable question, the one of "why do bad things happen to good people".  Someone much wiser than me would have to tackle that one.  The only thing I can offer is to humbly admit that"I don't know why", and also bravely proclaim "God loves you".  I put all of my trust in this.  I don't know what else there is.  Because my acquaintance to these stories is new and from a distant there is nothing more that I can do other than offer  prayers for them.  I believe that God is listening and He loves these people.  For my own burdened heart I will follow 

1 Peter 5:7 and "give all of my worries and cares to God, for He cares about what happens to me."

 

Growing

Here are some brand new photos of Tilly and her little ones. They have certainly grown.  I don't know how much longer they will be apart of our lives.  Eviction is around the corner,  I'm afraid.  I've really enjoyed it all but its starting to border on questionable having her SO near and dear to us.  Yesterday, she brought a rat "home" to feed her babies.  My goodness... my kids complain about MEATLOAF!  I could handle the squirrel and the rabbit.  But rats... mmmm... I just don't know.  

Artist

Meredith is taking a Kindermusik class, and the theme of her class is "Cities".  Each week she has a project that she is to complete that has to do with "Cities".  This week she was supposed to build a place that she regularly goes to.  All of the kiddos will put their places together, forming a city. So, she decided to make her preschool  -  "Little Lambs Preschool".  She was so excited to use her artistic skills.  Projects like this are right up Meredith's alley. She has the enthusiasm of 20 kids when it comes to something like this. All I did was provide her with the shoe box and she did the rest.  Because her preschool class is really small (4 girls total and her teacher) there are even "people" in her school shoe box. She was oozing with creativity and practically glowing with pride.  It will be fun to see her present it to Miss Susan tomorrow.  

What little boys are made of...

This evening, my sweet little boy MOONED his sister!!!  Pulled his drawers down, sang "Nah nah nah nah nah", and MOONED Meredith.  I could not believe it.  At first Meredith was shocked and then she started laughing.  I tried to keep a straight face to let him know that this could not become normal behavior and that his mama would not be very happy if she ever saw him do it again.  Does THIS look like a little boy who would ever do such a thing??? Where in the WORLD did he learn this behavior???  Must be from his Uncle Adam!!! ***SMILE***

Party Time!!

Last night at my house was a PARTY!!! Friends, food, clothes and wine - what more could a girl ask for??? NOTHING comes to mind!!! One of my friends is a CAbi consultant and so I hosted a party for her last night. I loved having my friends over and just having girl time. It was a blast. It was fun to see some beautiful clothes and especially to try them on. Sometimes I wonder what it feels like to have a $140 jacket on this bod!! I am so grateful to my friends who came to the party - they are what makes life well, livable. Let's give a high five to GIRLFRIENDS everywhere!!!

Dilemma

Poor, poor Molly.  She is just not coping very well with our furry tenants in the backyard. Nothing is normal for her.  I feel bad for her and I'm not sure what to do for her. Can  you make a doggy go potty??  She's so afraid of Tilly (aka mama fox) that she won't go outside in the backyard.  I even tried to get her to go in the front yard today and go potty.  Mmmmmmm... I'm at a  loss... What to do...

Fox Update

It has been raining for the past couple of days, so we haven't seen the fox babies since Wednesday.  They are snugged up, hopefully out of the moisture, under the deck.  I've heard them squirming around under there, but I think they are worried about getting their fur messed up if they come out and get drenched. That is if they are girl foxes :).  Tilly (aka Mama fox) came out this morning.  She had something nasty, yet nourishing, in her mama-mouth. SHE is drenched, completely soaked.  She looks cold and even more bedraggled than usual.  But, her instinct is to feed her little ones and so she braves the rain and keeps hunting for food.  It's a little sad to watch her wet self, and yet I feel happy for the babies that they have such a committed mama.  Some mamas don't care as much for their babies and they die; I've done just a little bit of research about foxes since they have taken over our world.  I found out that the usual scenario is that the daddy fox hangs around and helps out with the little ones,  and he is the one who actually does the hunting of the food for them.  But this daddy isn't around, and so instinctively the mama fox is taking over.  I'm so proud of her.  I've learned a lot from her, watching her habits and her ways.  At the beginning of the week, we had a sunny day and I was outside sitting on a chair reading.  I had been there for about 20 minutes when Tilly came into the yard and did her usual scoping out the backyard and around the deck, making sure there wasn't any danger.  She saw me but wasn't bothered by me.  Then she sat down in the middle of the yard and called her kids out to her.  They nursed and played... less than 10 feet from me.  I just sat there and watched them.  It was fascinating.  Even more interesting than the John Grisham book that I was reading. If I moved or shifted, she was definitely aware of me, and once in a while would tell the babies to go back to their den, but for the most part she just kept a keen eye on me.   Tilly is focused on her pups safety, provides for them, plays with them, and is always aware of what's going on.  Now THERE is a lesson in motherhood!!  In a way I will be sad when they leave our backyard.  Our doggy and kitty will not be sad one bit - this experience has NOT been as fun for them; it's put a definite kink in their lives.  They just don't get what we are so over-the-top about.  But, we sure ARE... over-the-top.  At least I am!!

Rain, rain, don't go away...

SOOOOOOO cute!!!

The gym

This afternoon, I went to the gym for a workout.  Afterwards, I decided to try something I haven't ever done there before,  - sit in the sauna.  As I was laying down on the bench a young guy came in.  We were sitting there for about 5 minutes when he said, "Can I ask you a question?"  I said "Sure". Keep in mind that I am laying down on the bench so he can't see my 36 year old, tired mama face.  So, he says, "What part of a guy do you think is the most attractive".  Speaking off of the top of my head (aka open mouth insert foot)I said, "His brain - being committed."  He stuttered after I answered and said,"Well I was kind of talking about like, his physical body, but yeah, that's a great answer." I am such a DORK!!!!  Now I have a GEEK GIRL sign flashing above my head.  I tried to back track and say, "Oh yeah, I mean, I really like it when a guy has great arms."  My dork factor had already been more than apparent and the guy mumbled something that sounded  like "Sure, whatever".  I asked him how old he was, and he said,"24", and then he asked for the same information... I said,"Oh I have a few years on you, as well as a several kids and a hubby." Then I tried to give that as an excuse for my real, although "nerdy to a 24 year old" answer.  Need I say that I ran out of the sauna rather quickly??????   

On another note, I was on the treadmill and a 20-something guy got on the treadmill next to me with enough"Drakkar Noir" sprayed on his young body to take me back to 1988.  It is SO incredible what a certain scent can do to your brain .  I was immediately transported back to my teen years when certain boys basically bathed in this oh-so-common-yet-delicious cologne.  It made me smile... The dude on the treadmill probably thinks I was thinking that he has a nice brain... or arms. Whatever!! :) He sure smelled nice!!! 

Holidays

Last night, when I tucked Meredith into bed, she asked me... "Is it Halloween or Valentines Day tomorrow?" I said... "Well, tomorrow isn't a holiday." And she said... "But I LIKE holidays!"

I think that she takes after her Grandma Oman who celebrates EVERY holiday to the HILT. I suppose there are worse things!!! Leave it to Meredith to want to have every day be a holiday.

Sacrifice

So, last night I went to Target at about 9:00 because I hadn't made it there all day long. Because it is just across the street now (can someone give a CHEER for THAT???) I sort of feel like it is just too easy to put off my shopping until later. Well, last night, we were out of major important things. 1.) Coffee 2.) Toilet paper and 3.)Diet Pepsi. As I enter my favorite store, I am determined to shop like my darling husband and stick to my list... only my list... I bought the coffee, happy that my morning will be better than the 2 previous ones without it. (Can you believe that I went 2 days without getting to the store for such an important item??) Then, I found the TP aisle and bought the softest, largest rolls... that actually were on "sale". Still something like $.80 a roll, but when you like soft, you like soft. The final item on the list was my Diet Pepsi. I love it so. And here's where the sacrifice came in. I bought Diet Dr. Pepper instead. I don't like it that much. I will drink it, but it doesn't have the emotionally soothing power of Diet Pepsi. BUT... it was $2.30 for a 12 pack as opposed to the $4.99 that the Diet Pepsi was!!!!! That's even cheaper than a happy bottom!!! So... now I can say that I have sacrificed because of the recession and that I have paid attention to my spending and that I have sincerely made frugal purchases. Now, we'll see how long it takes me to drink my 12 pack...

Spilling my guts...sort of...

Isaiah 51:15
"For I am the Lord, your God, who stirs up the sea, causing its waves to roar. My name is the Lord Almight. And I have put My words in your mouth and hidden you safely within My hand. I set all the stars in space and established the earth. I am the One who says to Israel, 'You are Mine' ".

I haven't ever formally spoken about what God has done in my life over the past 8 years since my divorce. I haven't felt ready to talk about the journey I went on and am still on... until now. I was asked to speak at a MOPS group a couple of months ago. This is a group that has some people who are really struggling and hurting. I thought that they needed to hear someone talk about hope and about how He helps His children, and loves them through hard times. Then God said to me (well, sort of, you know how He does it...) "Yup, it's time for you to tell our story." And then He gave me this verse about Him putting His words into my mouth. So, now I HAVE to do it. Really it is the story about God, He just going to use me in it... tonight. So, if anyone wants to pray for me, that God would use His words coming from my lips, I would greatly appreciate it. I want to "be a mirror that brightly reflects the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within me, I would become more and more like Him and reflect His glory even more." (2 Cor. 3:18)

Easter weekend

We had a very nice Easter celebration. It started out with a cold Saturday morning Easter egg hunt at church. Our church did a wonderful job of putting on an egg hunt. It was very organized and fun for the kids. If it hadn't been so cold, it would have been perfect. Saturday afternoon was spent grocery shopping, shoe shopping and cleaning the house. Patrick and I went out on DATE on Saturday night! It was so much fun to be together. Our sweet babysitter Sarah and her brother Seth took the kids roller skating while we were gone. How fun is that??!! I don't think the kids even cared that we were home when we arrived because they were having so much fun. The second that Seth walked in, Michael asked him to go upstairs and play cars. Seth is about 12 I think, and so sweet to play with Michael. Sunday morning, I had to be at church pretty early to practice the music for the services. Everyone's clothes were laid out so the kids could get ready easily at home without me. The Easter bunny came... (on a side note, we have seen many bunnies in the back yard nourishing our sweet foxes. It is sort of a strange thing to watch a little bunny get torn to shreds in front of your eyes. Mmmmm....) Back to the story... Church was a wonderful time; it was so nice to have all of us together. I don't think Michael has ever looked cuter than when I saw him the first time in his tractor vest. Because Daddy got him ready, I didn't have to listen to the protests to "cute clothes" that morning when he had to get dressed. I can imagine it though. After church, we had a wonderful lunch with our friends the Sealanders as well as my parents. It was a great time of celebrating and fellowshipping. Great food, good conversation and happy kids. What more could a mama ask for? It was a very nice Easter and the entire day my heart was so thankful for all that God has done for me. I am so blessed.

Persnikkity

Maddie was the Greek goddess Persephone for her Greek presentation. Daddy has been calling her "Persnikkity" instead of Persephone. Makes me laugh every time he says it. Daddys are good for that! She did a wonderful job. She was very poised while she was reading her paragraph, and she was really prepared. The best in the class... naturally. Marky, Maddie and I designed her costume together, and that was fun to do. It was cute to see them put their heads together to accomplish their idea. Of course, Marky is an experienced Greek goddess as she did this 2 years ago when SHE was a 2nd grader... and don't think for a second that she didn't offer her expertise. Smile......

Happy Easter!

Jesus is RISEN! He is risen INDEED!

All over the place...

I've watched 2 movies in the past few days. I do that when Patrick is out of town. He's not much for movie watching, so his absence gives me a chance to catch up on my list of the movies that I want to watch. One of the movies was "Seven Pounds" and the other one was "Yes Man." I didn't really like the first one, but I loved the second. Jim Carrey is in "Yes Man"; ( and he looks like Patrick a little bit I think); Zoey Daschenel (sp?) is in it too. They are both so funny and I needed a laugh after watching "Seven Pounds". THAT movie was HEAVY!!! I'm glad that I watched it because I wondered what the hype about it was all about, but it wasn't a favorite.

The weather here today was so nice. I love all of the tulips that are peeking their heads up out of the ground. I can't wait to cut a few and bring them inside. They are so expensive to buy at the store but there is nothing better than a vase of tulips as a centerpiece. A friend of mine told me a tip last night... if you put a penny in the water that you put the tulips in the stems will stay firm and straight. What do you know!! I haven't tried it yet, but I trust my friend!!!

I haven't gotten the girls anything new to wear for Easter. Mmmm... I wonder if I will be able to. Maybe Saturday we will have a chance to get to the store. I got Michael the cutest outfit ever; not that he will care or even want to wear it. He is really into his jammies lately. The other day I got some clothes out for him and he started to whine and cry and said "But I don't want to wear cute clothes." Like father, like son I guess!!!

Michael has a new favorite food - green olives. Crazy, huh!! He LOVES black olives, but over the past week he has decided that he likes green ones too. Tonight I wasn't going to get the olives out, and he stood at the fridge and asked me over and over to get them out. I kept saying no, and he said, "But mommy! It's olive day today". Too funny!!!

Marky got to go to Denver on Monday for a field trip to the capital. She was so excited for her field trip. She starting planning out what she was going to wear on the trip the Friday before. Like mother like daughter, hmmmmm...

Maddie has another presentation on Friday. She is studying Greek mythology and she had to research a greek goddess (her assigned subject is Persephone), write a paper on her, and then pretend to be her (in costume) while she reads her paper. My goodness.... the paper is written and the costume is made. She just has to practice it now. I don't think that I did anything quite this in depth until about 7th grade... I'm just saying...

Meredith's favorite outfit these days is a cheerleader costume. I don't know why. I mentioned to her that we were going to try to go get Easter dressess and she told me that she wanted to "be a cheerleader for Easter". I tried to explain to her that we weren't getting a costume, that you didn't play dress up for Easter, that you just dressed up... we were just looking for a pretty dress... she didn't get it and kept insisting that it was a costume that we needed to get for the holiday. We'll see how that ends up!

I'm so thankful for my sweet kiddos. They make my life interesting and happy.

So, that's that... all of it... for now.

Post-Partum something...

If anyone, woman or beast, was going to experience any sort of post-partum trauma, it might be Tilly.  This afternoon, she had ALL 6 baby foxes nursing at one time.  I felt bad for her. Here is photographic proof of her dismay.  She really needs some time at the spa or something to rejuvenate her.  She's looking pretty bad.  At least Mr. Fox isn't around right now to pester her.  For that she can be very thankful.    

Fox News

Tilly has taken over our backyard.  She has 6 kits!!!  At first we thought there were 4, but last night the other 2 emerged and they all play in the back yard AND up on the deck.  One of the babies came right up next to the sliding glass door.  IT WAS CRAZY!!!!  Marky wants to feed them because the mama fox looks hungry. Haggard is more like it.  Here are a few pictures.  We don't need any TV since we spend lots of time watching the foxes.  Molly and Miley are feeling a little under appreciated.