1st Camping Trip of the Season

We normally don't do Memorial weekend due to rain, but thought we'd try it......yep, it rained! Lots of wet shoes, wet socks, wet pants up to the knees. But yet time together away from worries and stress.

We got this hike in, in-between showers.


Dic and Cole having some father-son time--
love the trail through the trees.



Zachie decided after a short time to go back and get his bike---
he had a blast bounc'n 'round on the trail.


AAHHH!!
We found them hiding here.



LOVE this picture!
Luke was forever bringing me flowers throughout the weekend.
Look at those dirty little fingers.


This is something new for Phoebe. I'm pretty sure she never got to leave her old house. When we first got her, we would let her out of the car and she would run in all directions...and not come back!

Pretty sure she hadn't even taken car rides and I know she had never been on a leash at 2 years old. She is lov'n life now. She had a great time running and playing with the kids and Smoke.

Isn't she cute?

Stinker!

Luke was in charge of the camera---
me and Phoebes


I know I look REAL happy--
after many pictures!

Heading back after a fun hike. Everyone was very tired...dogs included.

The sign shows our favorite campground--

Beautiful, green scenery everywhere--

fog and mist were with us all weekend.

The entrance to our "happy place".

Look how green the grass is--

that won't last long.

I wanna go back!

Cousin Haley and Zach on our last, stormy night. Good night for hot chocolate and popcorn...and whatever else we could find! The newly- renovated camper got lots of action. I am soooo grateful!

Racing....

My life is running pretty fast-paced right now--just like this song.....makes me feel like I'm on a merry-go-round and can't get my feet down to stop.

I have been taking on way more than I have been capable of in the years passed and if you would have asked me to volunteer (which, believe me, I was) my first reaction would have been to jump on board.....then I would jump ship. I couldn't handle it. My mind was always spinning and I didn't know how to make it stop. I have learned that when my body is healthy, so is my mind. And that's all about nutrition, for one, but also sleep and a little pampering here and there....and then there's the biggest thing---I have God in my life. I always thought I had that, but I didn't really "get it". I know what it feels like now. I stumble...He picks me up. I loose it for a while...He puts me back on track. He gave me so many friends to lean on and share with who believe in Him with all their hearts. What a blessing! And then there is the change in my husband and my kids. We are all in it together and it's amazing how much more smoothly our lives run. We give it all up to God and he truly does take care of everything. So now I know that I have gifts from above and He guides me through it all. The three baseball teams and the stress that creates, giving my time at our church and how overwhelming that can be, my beautiful boys and all of that sassiness (yes, boys have it too ;0). And my husband has such a faith that I didn't know he was capable of. You wouldn't recognize him from two years ago (oh, and there's the 50 lbs lost and longer hair--that can really throw you off !). Life is good....better than it's ever been. I've learned to look at my calendar and take one day at a time, instead of seeing a full week and feel like throwing up. I just couldn't handle more than one thing at a time before, and even then my body was so unhealthy that it wouldn't allow it. I have been a tired, un-energetic person for most of my life I am realizing. And I get a hard time from others who don't understand why we have an early bedtime for our kids and try as hard as we can to keep them from junk food. It makes a HUGE difference in how we perceive life and that beautiful life can just pass us right on by. I wish I knew then what I know now---I wasted so much time being tired and not enjoying what was right in front of me.

So bring on the baseball games, and pictures and practices and concession stand duty. Bring on the trips to-and-from school for so many different reasons. Bring on the community and church volunteering and the preparation for long camping trips. And bring on the mounds of yard work and projects (seriously, though, you can have the cleaning and cooking).

I AM READY!

I can't wait to take the rest of it in and say that I got

"all of THIS accomplished"!!

WANNA RACE?

OH Lord, PLEASE HELP ME!!

We Will never Know........

Today my heart is breaking for friends near and far. These friends have taken such a big, important step in the lives of children they have never met before. They have chosen to do what God is leading them to and yet there are road-blocks. It isn't fair that they are the chosen parents of these babies from across the world and they are "stuck" where they cannot be united. Lots of tears and struggles and money already passed between hands. Their stories have allowed me to feel compassion for people all over the world....to understand their hardships and burdens like it were my own. And it gives me the desire to do what my friends are doing---making these kids a part of their families. These are children who have lost one or both parents, who were born under horrible circumstances and have no one left to care for them, or possibly those who were given up because they knew they were not capable of taking on a child. And we can be judgemental from afar, but we will never know their pain. We will never understand what it's like to care for a child when we are starving ourselves. We will never know. Please pray for my friends from near and from far. These are not the only stories. There are children waiting all over the world for their new families who will care for them. Please pray that their babies will come home to them soon. Please pray that these little ones will feel the embrace of their sweet brothers and sisters in the land of plenty. Because even though America is feeling hard times right now, we will never know what it's like half-way across the world until we experience it for ourselves. We will never know what it's like to walk miles upon miles without shoes to retrieve water that is infected with animal feces. We will never know what it's like to have a disease that cannot be cured. We will never know what it's like to die of starvation. Please pray for these children of Christ who deserve these necessities as much as we do. And pray for their parents who can and will care for them as if they were their own. Pray for them....I beg you with my hurting heart.

My Sweets is Six!!

Lukey had a pirate party......

so many fun things for this theme--we went all out!


The pirate crew--May 2nd is also Dic's Birthday
.....correction from my last post--he is only 42!! Whoops!


These are five of Luke's best friends
--Jevon, Caleb,Trey,Gabbie, and Wilam.



And the whole darn crew
--cousins and all.


Oh yes, and then there is the cake---it was going to be a very easy cake. I got an idea in my head and I really thought it would take less time then my others, but with exhaustion setting in from a couple of very busy weeks, I couldn't handle it when the first "ship" broke in two. Yes, I cried......a lot! And I can usually handle cake disasters, but I drew a blank and all I could do was cry. So I baked yet another cake and the ship became a boat and the pirate crew became a one-man team. I think it turned out okay, just not what I envisioned. But Luke assured me he would love it "no matter how bad it turns out". :0)



I love this sweet baby! Another year has gone by that means that next year he will be in Kindergarten and more importantly in his mind......he will get to be part of Kids Club at daddy's work (we keep trying to tell him he IS ALREADY part of Kids Club, but he has his mind set). Five years seems to be the end of baby-hood, but I don't think the chubby cheeks will ever go away. Yeah! The past year has been a really good/challenging year with this inquisitive, strong-willed, free-spirited little boy. The boy who wants to be called Jesus (he is still saying that when he's an adult he's changing his name--and he really has cried when I tell him that's not the way it works), this child of mine who uses demands and sarcasm in just about every sentence, the little man who loves God like he's seen Him in person. When I was kissing him goodnight, he said,
"Mom this was the best Birthday I've ever had!!
Happy Birthday, my Lukey!!

A couple of short stories from the Lukester:

As we drove in the car this morning he said, "Mom how will I find your house when I'm a grown up?

&

We took his friend, Wilam, to lunch with us today. In the car ride home the boys were talking about Heaven. Luke said, "God is up in the sky". So Wil said, "Yea, and Jesus is down there", which Luke quickly corrected and told him that Jesus is with God in Heaven. Luke added, "Yes, remember how Jesus is dead? He died with nails in His hands and feet." There was a pause and Wil responds, "Well, that's sad". I laughed out loud. Love how they see things.

back to work!!

The boys and I got back from Mitchell Sunday afternoon after sharing the weekend with my brother and his three kiddos, one of them newly turning six. Sadly I didn't get any pictures as my camera was being repaired by Sony after Luke dropped it. I'm hoping to get some of the shots I took with other people's cameras (hint hint). We came back to a clean house (thank you, Dic) and lots to do. Baseball is almost in full swing with lots of meetings and practices coming up. I spent several hours yesterday trying to line everything up for Zach's team (Dic will be head coach--but I obviously will be doing the dirty work) and then trying to coordinate all three boys' schedules. We agreed this will be the busiest two months of the year for our family, but we are going to put our happy faces on and enjoy every minute! :0) On that note, Luke's 6th Birthday and Dic's 43rd Birthday are on Saturday this week. So big plans for a fun pirate party! Arrgg! So now it's time to find all the pirate stuff...how come everything has a place until I'm looking for it...then it's gone! I'll be posting pictures shortly about that! Well......back to work I go!!

new news

Look at this little cutie! This is my new baby niece, Mkenzie (they do NOT want her called Mac for short) and she came a month early, born Thurs. and weighing 5lbs. She is soooo sweeettt! Luke and I got to hold her today and we brought her big brother, Jace (almost 2) home with us to nap while his daddy celebrates with some golf!

We will be taking Jace with us tomorrow on our road trip to Mitchell for nephew, Brendan's, 6th Birthday--so excited to get the heck outta here! Dic has to stay home cause he has an electrical convention that his business is putting on. Good thing, cause we have soo many stink'n animals SOMEONE has to take care of them all. Our new little dog, Phoebe, is real sweet, but she has learned that the world doesn't end at our driveway.....and she's been running off. Did I need another one of "those" dogs? AND our male cat, Oliver, was always welcome in the house....until he showed us what he can do with his spray!!! Oh my gosh--if you've haven't smelled cat spray! So we moved all of his belongings to the garage. It's nice outside now. But then, low and behold.....he sprayed all over Dic's saw and the sheet rock on the wall. Needless to say, Dic is not happy and Oliver is now a .......hmmmm.....a field cat? Maybe he'll take up residency in the barn where our other cat and goats ended up.

The boys hadn't heard anything about baseball, so Dic checked up on the situation. Turns out the reason we haven't heard is because they don't have any coaches. So Dic is most likely coaching Zach's Bantam League team, helping with Cole's Minor League team, and I am coaching Luke's T-ball team. It's going to be a crazy couple of months I'm think'n!! It's hard to ditch baseball for a weekend to go camping with the fam. when you're the coach!

Luke's 6th Birthday is just a week away and we are planning a fun Pirate Party out in the yard (weather pleasssseee stay nice) with some inflatables to pass the time. We are in the process of brainstorming about the cake, sure to be great no matter what.

My new news will soon be old news.

Kids & Creatures.......

As promised.....I have recapped our adventures with our kids and all of our creatures with many photos.

The life of a Chiolis.......awwww bliss!

This was our Easter Musical at church called "Peter Cotton's Tale". It was such a great story and the kids did a great job. A big thanks to our sweet friend, Krisha, who always puts forward soooo much effort to put on a great show. Way to go everyone!

Zach is in the back on the left side with a white/peach-flowered shirt, Luke is on the right side in yellow, and Cole is down low in the orange shirt.

Cole had several speaking lines, and this is when he was singing his solo--I'm a proud mama--tears aflowing....again! (I actually had the part as Peter's mom and helped out with the singing. ;0)



This is our new little dog, Phoebe. Cole has been wanting a small dog for a few years and this opportunity just kinda hit me in the face. She is a Papillion, also known as a "Butterfly Dog" and she is 2 years old. We looked up other names for Butterfly on the net and came up with phoebes mantis, and so we all agreed on Phoebe (Phoebes). Guess what!?! A GIRL dog!!!! First thing I did was buy her a pink collar, pink leach, pink name tag, and a pink sweater! Is this the closest I'm gonna get? :0)

Phoebe and Libby

(the one chick the boys let me name).

Luke & Zachary's ducklings taking a little bath.

Yes, they are ALL in the house.
Our own little indoor farm.

Sweet Lukey and one of the many chicks either brought by E. Bunny or purchased by me and my crazy kids!

Turkeys hanging out with turkeys. :0)

Can't leave the "old" critters out of the fun!

Good 'ole Smoke.

Zachary had to do a creative interpretation of the U.S. map. We baked a cake and frosted it (to perfection upon Zach's request). The mountains were chocolate chips.

Turns out some rotten little scoundrel in Z's class stuck his dirty little finger in and ruined it. He wouldn't fess up, but I told Zach he should ask him if it was yummy! :0)

Order in the House!!

I hope I'm not making any heads spin with the constant background changes!

We had a nice Easter with lots of activity. On Palm Sunday the kids had a musical at church (pictures to come) that was a lot of fun and they worked so hard. And then Easter Sunday we went to church, followed by an Easter egg hunt indoors because of the weather. We had my family over for a ham dinner that afternoon. The boys got a few chicks from the Easter Bunny and then Grandma Sharon and Grandpa George brought them some turkeys and MORE chicks. The next day we went to the feed store to get Luke the one black chick he has been asking for and ended up purchasing 2 ducks and 7 more chicks (more pictures to come). Cole said "Mom, I don't know what happened to you in there!" I don't typically give in when I have my mind set. And I have put my foot down about the duck thing, as they make bigger, wetter messes. I'm not sure what happened either, especially since we just got a new little dog ( and yet more pictures) less than two weeks ago! Yep, I must be crazy! But I do have the kids helping me with the animals--I kinda gave them a break during most of the school year, but decided that if we're going to have all of these creatures I need some help....BIG HELP. And it's so nice in the mornings when they have chores---they seem to jump out of bed moving since they know they have things to do before they leave for school. They sure are more organized! Yeh! Some order in the house!

snow, snow, go away...far, far away.........

This was our second blizzard in two weeks--we had to hire this guy to dig us out. The kids watched in dismay as their snow tunnels were destroyed. We couldn't even pull our cars out of the garage.Then we had this kind of a day (about 78 degrees) where we pulled the shorts out and blew bubbles. Seriously, this is just SD weather....so typical! Sunset from our back porch.
Then this again! This was the third (and hopefully final) blizzard in the 2 week period. I have to say....the boys LOVE it!

Our poor chickens have spent lots of time inside this winter. We do "keep the light on" for them. :0)
Spring-time weather come soon!!

Really? We asked that?

Well, anyone who has visited here knows I am a follower of this exceptional young girl named Katie. She lives in Uganda with many children whom she has taken off the streets or have come to her for a better life. I read and smile! She brings me hope and a light turns on. Read on...............

well since you asked...
I LOVE getting comments on my blog. They are so uplifting an encouraging. It is so nice to know that I am prayed for and prayed with. So thank you for all of your encouraging words regarding potty training and all your prayers for precious Maggie!Pretty much daily Gwen answers comments that are in reality questions. I think its time I answered some of them publicly myself, so that Gwen doesn't have to keep explaining things like my "faith doctrine" to total strangers.Since I am still potty training (currently nap time...) AND I am pretty certain I have Ecoli, I have a bit of free time on my hands :)"What is your faith doctrine?"I think this is a pretty strange question. I KNOW that it is not a question Jesus would have asked anyone before serving or loving or communicating with them. I am also saddened to think that my LOVE FOR JESUS may not be so apparent in my writing that it answers that question automatically. But here it is for those still asking: Jesus wrecked my life. All my life, I had everything this world says is important. In high school I was class president, homecoming queen, top of my class. I dated cute boys and drove a cute car. I had supportive parents who so desired my success that they would pay for me to go to college anywhere my heart desired. BUT, I loved Jesus. Jesus says to Nicodemus that in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, one must be born again. Check. Jesus says to another guy that in order to enter the kingdom of Heaven one must sell everything they have a give it to the poor and then COME, follow Him. Oh... I realized that I had loved and admired and worshipped Jesus without doing what He did. So I quit my life. Originally it was to be temporary, just a year before I went back to normal Brentwood life and college. It wasn't possible. I had seen what life was about and I couldn't pretend I didn't know. So I quit my life again, but for good this time. I quit college, I quit my cute designer and my little yellow convertible, I quit my boyfriend. I no longer have everything that the world says is important. BUT, I have everything that I know is important. I have never been happier, and I have never been closer to the Lover of my Soul and my Savior. JESUS wrecked my life, shattered it to put it back together more beautifully. I am in LOVE with Him. Period."What made you decide to be a missionary? Do you like being a missionary?"I think that missionary is a funny word. I think that if you declare yourself a Christian, you MUST also be a missionary, your mission to live and to love like Christ, to share Christ with others. My walk with the Lord and my life should not seem so unusual that it has to have a special label. I'm just a mom. I just strive to live and to love people like Christ. The people just happen to be brown and poorer than you. It's not a special mission, It's everyone's mission. I do not deserve a title, and if you are going to give me one, I prefer "Lover of Jesus." And yes, I like it."As a young single woman, don't you think living in Africa is dangerous? Are you afraid?"I am more afraid of America. Matthew 10:28 tells us not to fear things that can destroy the body but to fear things that can destroy the soul. I can literally feel my soul suffocating in the safety of Brentwood and all it's numbness, complacency and comfort. Scary.C.S. Lewis puts it this way:"I shall feel rather nervous meeting a lion," said Susan."That you will, dearie, and make no mistake," said Mrs. Beaver, "if there is anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking they're either braver than most or just silly.""Then He isn't safe?" said Lucy."Safe?" said Mr. Beaver; "Who said anything about safe?! Of Course He isn't safe. But He is good. He is the King I tell you."(The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe)
No, I do not always stay safe. He's the King I tell you! We are not called to be safe, we are simply promised that when we are in danger God is right there with us, and there is no better place to be than in His hands. We are supposed to SHUDDER, knees knocking, when we think of our Lord and all He has called us to. So here I am, trembling."Is it responsible to adopt so many children?"Is it responsible to let them starve in the streets?"What are you going to do next/with your home/with your children/with your ministry/in five years/when you are older/ect?"I am not concerned with what I am going to do. I am interested only in what I am becoming. Each day, I am hoping to become more like the One who created me.There is an old Franciscan saying, "Preach the Gospel. And when necessary, use words." So I am going to quit this silly preaching with words and go make dinner for my precious ones. Your questions are welcome.

Posted by auntie katie at 6:31 AM 49 comments
Monday, March 30, 2009

God...U and I dance

I received this email from a friend of mine. Loved It!
Dancing With God When I meditated on the word Guidance, I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word. I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing. When two people try to lead, nothing feels right. The movement doesn't flow with the music, and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky. When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead, both bodies begin to flow with the music. One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back or by pressing Lightly in one direction or another. It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully. The dance takes surrender, willingness, and attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from the other... My eyes drew back to the word Guidance. When I saw "G": I thought of God, followed by "u" and "i". "God, "u" and "i" dance." God, you, and I dance... As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust that I would get guidance about my life. Once again, I became willing to let God lead. My prayer for you today is that God's blessings and mercies are upon you on this day and everyday. May you abide in God, as God abides in you. Dance together with God, trusting God to lead and to guide you through each season of your life.

Beautiful......yes?

HAVE FAITH

Today is turning out to be a day that I can't wait to get through.............

The lack of sleep is beginning to come down on me and some things are mounding up--emotions soon to burst, I think.

Lukey complained of some pain last night and I think I've diagnosed him with a UTI--which I've had and know can be terribly painful if left untreated. With that being said, most people know I will not be running in to the Dr. anytime soon (unless it be my chiropractor :0)), which leaves me to fend for myself in any natural way possible. Soooo... I have the knowledge that cranberry juice cleans out the kidneys and is a good preventative, but as it says on the internet, I'm afraid it won't cure a full-blown infection. Dic ran to get 100% cranberry juice and I administered probiotics (natural antibiotics--which won't kill every good bactreia in the system while trying to get the bad), and also gave him some echinacea. He awoke this morning with a smile and no pain. That problem seems to be conquered (only lots of lost sleep worrying).

THEN......our cat, Oliver, came to us with a hurt paw on Sunday, which I have been using tea tree oil and hydrogen peroxide to disinfect. No worries until it started to smell and we knew it was infected and he began foaming at the mouth (more like bubbly drool). So I called the vet to see when we last updated his rabies vaccs. Oh....hmmm.....really, never got rabies vaccs.? OMG!!! So we begin to worry that he indeed been bitten by a rabid skunk or raccoon, or whatever may be lurking about. I took him to the vet this morning and he has blisters in his mouth that could be causing the drooling. And the cause? Well, could be any of three things: kidney problems (may have lapped up something caustic), celitis ( a fatally infectious disease), and then there's the rabies thing. So we are administering antibiotic (after I refused x-rays and blood-work) twice a day and hoping he gets better. But IF he should "pass away" we have been instructed to bring him in to be tested. And IF he should have rabies our entire family will have to go to the doctor to have the battery of "whatever" done to us to see if any if us has contracted it.

NOTE TO SELF: from now on get all animals properly vaccinated to avoid further complication and worry/stress.

Last VERY BIG weight on my heart today.........

Our lead pastor at our church has resigned as of yesterday. I am just hoping that he knows how much we all love him and will support him through everything. God must have something else in mind for him, and for us, and will strengthen all of us through this pain. The Chiolis family is praying for you and your family and your church, Pastor Eric!!

Have faith.

Tonight I Pray......

Everyone is feeling the pain of the economy right now....some so much more than others. It's a good time to count our blessings that Dic has his job and every day we pray that it stays that way. I was watching 20/20 last night and a devoted teacher of a high school in California decided to interview the students in his classroom to see how they are all affected by the shock-wave going through our country. Unsurprisingly, most of them are right in the middle of it...some just feeling the stress their parents are going through and some are in fear that they will eventually loose their homes, and that time will probably be sooner than later. Their tears were flowing, and of course, so were mine. A boy opened his refrig to show the amount of food left... or lack thereof. He said,with a smile on his face, mind you,"we usually have butter, but not today."
These interviews can be found on You Tube and it was shared with our president. While 20/20 was shooting this show a fax came into the classroom which contained a speech that President Obama had given. He mentioned the students' video and quoted one young lady that inspired him. Their video was titled, "Are You Listening?" ARE we listening? Anyone who isn't either isn't affected...yet, or just isn't paying attention. In President Obama's speech he declared, "I AM Listening!" I don't know what he will do for us, and I don't care what anyone says about him....it's difficult to have faith in someone we know so very little about, but I feel in my heart that he's a good man. Once again, I was overwhelmed with emotion watching this show.
This past couple of weeks the recession has hit our home town a little harder. We were all wondering when it was coming.....well, it's here. The furniture plant right behind our house is closing which will cost some 300 people their jobs (also being one of my husband's good customers), and a computer-building company is closing their doors June 1st, leaving another 300 jobless. This past week hospital employees were told they would get no additional vacation or sick time on top of the fact that the didn't receive their normal pay-raises. So it's hitting home and it's very scary. Again we have soo much to be thankful for. Our kids are healthy and we have a home......our prayers each day are for those who aren't as fortunate. I am relying on God to provide and hopefully everything will come back as quickly as it went away. I can't even imagine what some people are going through. I just want them to know they are in my constant prayers. I pray for them to have faith...to be strong...to count any blessings they may have.

Tonight I pray....for you....for me.....

Tonight I pray.....

My Beautiful Son

We were called in for a conference with Cole's teacher and this is what she showed us---with lots of tears, mind you. :0) My sweet sweet boy and the love in his heart........

by Cole Chiolis 2/19/09-age 10

Sometime I want to meet the Lord Creator of Heaven and of Earth. I think that would be cool because He created the whole world here and He provides everything for us; water, food, clothing, pets, and every thing you think about.

Some day all of us will get to see Him, I hope. In years to come all of us will go to Heaven. After all, He is the Creator of Heaven and of earth. Come on, you have to admit you want to go to Heaven, don't you?

I hope in all my years to come I'll get to see everything I want to see before it's my time to go, and do what I want to do in my life before I have to go. In the beginning of my story I said I want to meet the Lord, but I don't want to meet the devil...the ugly devil. I mean I don't want to meet the devil when I die. I want the Lord to be pleased with who I am--not angry for who I am.

I hope you're taking advise right now, because if you are I'm giving you an important life lesson right now. In your life do what you want to do. Just make the Lord happy, not mad. You have a good life to live....nothing more. Live it right. Make the Lord happy with who you are.

In your life you have a lot to live for--I hope you live it wisely. Make the Lord proud of who you are--not mad of who you are. I sure hope He's proud of me and I hope it's the same for you.

Oh, He's proud of you, Coley. He's proud.

March--a time for giving..........

well, here it is March, Christmas is long gone...and i'm thinking we need to be giving more. people are in need all the time, but this is the typical time we focus on them. it isn't just important to give those who are so desperately in need physically, but also to remember them emotionally and in prayer. and in our homes....where we think we are all so safe--are we taking care of each other? are we taking the time to listen to each other, to embrace one another, to just be present? sometimes i wonder if i were being tested.....how would i rate? it worries me.

sooooo........with much thought i want to make some changes and do things differently. we get stuck in such a rut, especially in the winter when we are stuck indoors so often. we turn to the TV, the computer, the WII games, and loose sight of the importance of being together. i watched an inspiring taping of Oprah yesterday. families were asked to give up the things they could survive without--for just a week. one family was asked to give away the "things" they didn't need. the mom was in tears when she realized how another family desperately needed many of her things that she was basically just storing. i was touched....cause i've been there. we did it this past christmas, giving so much to families in need. they were soo appreciative and we didn't miss a thing.

it's time to get back to basics. our kids are at perfect ages to teach them the value of money, that we as a culture are soo very spoiled and ungrateful, and that we don't have to be this way. we are over-indulged....we are so lucky and yet we always want more. i want more. i'm not an angel. i want us to have nice clothes, and my house furnished and decorated, and to own a nice car. it's hard to let go. so we start with baby steps. we've done it before. not to say that we've ever had lots of money, but we've survived. we can do some things to make a difference.

i'll keep you posted on the brain-storming ideas that we decide on, like; turning off the computer for a week, turning off the TV for a week, and no video games for a week. we've already talked about actually saving some of the money we earn, kids included, and giving some back to God, in whichever way that may be. if any of you has any amazing ideas or things you've tried--let us know. we're up for challenges (of course i'm speaking for all of us right now)--we'll give it a shot!

we are trying to be better at spending time with God and in the word and we can always use your prayers. here's to doing the best that we possibly can as a family.

grateful

they sure are fun and they're the center of my world--but the challenges seem like they bust that peaceful-precious door in every day. i love 'em...... with all my heart......and they make me smile. but each one with his own personality makes me wonder.......makes me ponder......what the heck am i doing as their mom? each one going through his own "thing" at ages 10, 8, and 5. things i've never seen before in the others.....things i hope i never see again. :0) so for now i probably should be reading with lots of prayer. luke with his built-in sarcasm that makes me cringe, the short fuse and attitude from zachary, and weird behaviors that cole is experiencing.

i am so thankful they are healthy......happy......safe.

we ask God each night to take care of those who aren't. zach prayed tonight for a baby sister (not my idea, surprisingly). luke told God how much he appreciates him for taking care of us. and cole cherished the beautiful day He brought our way.

so through it all we have three incredible boys with some little issues--i can deal with that. we are on a journey, that's for sure. we will live it and love as we go.

Lord, please give me strength.....

and always,

~i will be grateful~

~Just Show'n Off My Sweet Boys Again.....how can I not?~

Luke's 5-year-old pict.

Zachary's 8-year-old pict.

Cole's 10-year-old pict.

Lov'n on the MaMa~Valentine's Day~a gift for daddy~

My Funny Valentines

Brotherly Love My cute boys on V-Day!

Breakfast is served! Do they have a cool mom, or what?

We took them to a hockey game for a surprise. It was my first time---FUN!!!!

AWWWWWW!!!!
Spread the love every day! :0)

A Katie Story.....

This was so cute so I had to post it. Some of you may actually go to this blog and read, but for those of you who don't (this is for you), I strongly encourage it. She makes my life look like a piece of cake...makes me sooo grateful for everything I have....makes me thank God for what He is doing in my life...and hers. So here's her latest story. Read on, fine friends...read on.

ok. I was advised not to put this on the blog, so someone will come behind me and take it off if they deem that I was too delirious and didn't know what I was saying. I however feel that it is very good for all the people who daily comment on how awesome I am to know how IMPERFECT and sometimes insanely exhausted I am too!
Let me see. Yesterday was just one of those days that those of you with multiple children will understand even if you dont have double digits. Christine has gone back to school so its just me at home. I am so thankful that school has started which gives me some quiet time in the morning to do the laudry, make lunch, and get a jump start on dinner, so that I can be fairly calm when the chaos ensues later in the afternoon.
Anyway, yesterday, the power had been out for going on 72 hours. Running water was shut off around 2, right about when the kids came home, meaning none of my beautifully filthy children could get a bath. It was one of those days when everyone just seemed a little louder than usual, and no one wanted to listen or acknowledge anything I said. Oh, I forgot to mention... Remeber the seven children that were living her for a while until we found them a mom? Well when she took them, she already had a 2 week trip to Kenya planned, so they are back with me for a bit. The 4 from accross the street that were burnt are also still here... in case you lost count, that is 22 children and one Mommy. It had rained all day, making my firewood wet and impossible to start a fire on (power was still out so the electric stove inside didn't work), it was nearing 8 and dinner wasn't ready, the big girls had gone to get water from a well to wash our feet in (I can't stand when my kids get in clean sheets with dirty feet!), and 20 children were running around my house pretending to be zoo animals. Just close your eyes and laugh with me for a minute. please.
By 8:30 the beans were finally done and we were all sitting in a huge circle on the living room floor (we outgrew our table a loong time ago!). It was pitch black and our last candle had burnt out, so we couldn't see anyone. When I passed out the food and had a plate leftover, I just assumed I had miscounted. And then I started asking Joyce a question. She didn't answer. "Joyce?" No answer. "JOYCE?" No answer. So I got up and went around the circle counting heads. 19. No Joyce. I yelled her name inside and outside, tripping and stumbling through the dark, still with no answer. My mom-self began to panic, I ran to check the bathtub even though I knew there couldn't be water in it. I grabbed my phone to use as a light and ran around the compound. Nothing. Then as Agnes went to check the garage, she tripped and fell. When I went to make sure she was ok, I tripped too, over Joyce's legs. There she was, fast asleep and halfway under the kitchen table. We all fell to the floor in stitches!
That was God's little gift to me yesterday. Not only an opportunity to sit on the floor and CRACK UP with my children, but a little reminder of how much I love and value each of my children individually, even though there are so many of them. A reminder that even on days when they don't listen and make so much noise that I want to pull out all my hair, I wouldn't trade any one of them. He reminded me that when even just one of His 6 billion plus children turn away from Him he is saddened and seeks her out, the Sepheard who left His 99 sheep to find just one, and REJOICED and laughed when He found it. He reminded me of the sorrow He must feel when I stray from Him, don't trust Him, don't ask Him and the way He rejoices when I come back and lay at His feet. He is seeking you. He values and loves all of His children, even though they are too many to count. Ten minutes later, the power came back on.
This morning I woke up at 5 to make breakfast for ALL 22 of them, double checking the circle this time. When I was in the kitchen cooking the eggs, I kept thinking I smelled something rotten, but didn't think too much of it. When the kids left for school I went to investigate. Maybe the trash can? No, I cleaned and bleached that yesterday. Maybe the fridge? No I cleaned that out already too. It smelled like it was coming from behind the stove so I pulled the stove out from the wall. I don't know exactly how to describe this. There was a very large rat who had crawled up inside the back of the stove. All I could see was his very long, thick tail and a clawed foot. I had cooked him; I am assuming days ago, and he was totally rotten. The smell was enough to make me vomit. I put on my electirician hat, opened the back of the stove, threw up, and pulled the decaying rat piece by piece out of my stove. Then I sprayed everything in my whole kitchen with bleach and poured the already made coffee back through the filter, because I'm gonna need it a little stronger today (great trick Suz!!). I am simply sharing this with you so that today as you get ready for whatever work is ahead of you and think of how daunting all you have to do is, you can laugh and rejoice that you do not have a rotting rat in your stove. No, I do not have anything eloquent or wise to say about the rat or what God taught me through it. It was just plain nasty. But I am sitting here laughing about it because I know that God has gift for me today, a lesson for me today, someone's heart for me to change. And if some rotten rats come with that... Bring it on!
Posted by auntie katie at 11:45 PM 8 comments
Sunday, February 8, 2009

~Girls Night~

~ Pictured here: (Left) Karen, Holly, Shaye, Sharon, Sonja, and me~

This was a fun night out with the girls---We went to see "He's Just Not That into You" at the theatre (very cute), and then went out for drinks. I'm counting on more of these.......regularly! :0)