Long Time, No Hear

Well, obviously I have been busy and not blogged in a while. Sorry. This summer has been a crazy, hectic one, but a lot accomplished. Still working full time---I don't get the summers off, but as I told you earlier, June was busy with summer camp, swim lessons and karate every night. July and August have been HOT and DRY!!! My kids have literally been praying for rain (Remember the group with that name, PFR? It just brought back that memory). Anyway, I am obviously spinning and dizzy from the busyiness, but life is good. Max did a week of basketball camp at Upards Bound, a wonderful christian league. They are so good with the kids. It was the first time Max got to learn a sport. He has only done karate so far. He is at the highest group class level in karate and does an extra two hour class once a month called "SWAT team" to learn extra such as juditsu. Sam takes karate also so it is an hour and a half twice a week when I can fit them in back to back. We took a vacation and went to Corpus Christi at the end of July. Kids saw the beach for the first time. It was great. On the way back we went to Lake LBJ in Texas and met my sister and her family and my brother and his wife. Trent's wife, Holly is great. Her uncle has a cabit, more like a compound there with three houses, two boats, four jet skis and four wave runners. Wow. We bought groceries and Trent and Holly cooked for us all. Did I mention Trent is a great cook? He has a cooking blog he used to write. It was great spending time together and I have great memories from it. I am so glad the kids got to spend more time with Holly and Trent. What a blessing. Brook and I turned 43 this month and mom had a birthday also the week after ours so much partying occured. Yay! Went shopping and to lunch with Brook and mom for my birthday. On mom's, us girls took her to see the movie, "The Help". It is wonderful. Mom and I read the book a while back and loved it. School starts up tomorrow morning. We had meet the teacher on Friday. Our school was moved to a new location so is in disarray with painting and repairs occuring at this moment and the street it is on has been under construction also. As if that isn't enough, there are two other schools next to us on the same street. The traffic is awful. I have to travel this street to get to and from work daily and struggle with it. Ugh! But we still have our school (it is a magnet school) so that is a huge blessing, some kids lost their school, including the school building we were moved into.

Can you tell I like run on sentences and paragraphs? Please forgive me. I am in a hurry. Imagine that. But at least I'm writing. This week I was off with kids in between summer camp ending and school starting so took annual leave at work. I did fun projects with kids, painting pictures, treasure boxes, going to park and taking a walk. I also went through all the kid's clothes and toys, my clothes and several drawers to clean out and get rid of stuff to make more room and organize. Got rid of Max's train/leggo table and got him a desk to do school work. He is such a big boy going into third grade and Sam into first grade. Yesterday and today I updated both boy's photo album/scrap books and made a new one for myself. My old one ran out just before I delivered Sam so that was six years ago? I had a lot of work to do going through all the old photos. But now the photos are organized as well! Am I anal or what? I get on a roll and can't stop. In a small house it is a necessity so hey, my OCD tendencies can come in handy at times! Praise God! Hope all is well with everyone else. Maybe the fall and school will bring less chaos and a better routine.

Use Sorrows and Fight the Good Fight

Like I have said before, I love Oswald Chambers devotional, "My Utmost for His Highest". I am reading it for the fourth time. I pull it out every few years and use it again for my yearly devotional. Ahhhhh. Like an old friend who always teaches me new things and keeps me accountable. Anyway, a few this last week have been on sharing in Jesus' sufferings and dealing with difficulties in life. I know, I know, stuff I hate to think about too. But we have to because it does happen...bumper stickers say so, so it has to be true. Just kidding.

We are all aquanted with hardships. But how do we handle them, view them? None of us are aquainted with grief like Jesus. He was innocent and endured. We, we are not so innocent. We are born sinning and sinful and like to justify our behavior. We try our best to overcome and do good, but our best efforts fail and we are frustrated and somehow surprised. Why? We must recognize that sin is a fact. It happens every time we put ourselves before God and others. It will happen, but we still need to fight against it. We need God's help though. We must come to the point where we realize that either God or sin must die in my life. Ouch!

"If sin rules in me, God's life in me will be killed; if God rules in me, sin in me will be killed. There is no possible ultimate but that. The climax of sin is that it crucified Jesus Christ.... It is the only explanation as to why Jeus Christ came and as the explanantion of the grief and sorrow in life." So fight the good fight and fight sin. You can't fight it if you don't see and recognize it in your life.

"My attitude as a saint must be not to ask that sorrows and difficulties be prevented but that I may preserve the self God created me to be through every fire of sorrow." It is in the fire of sorrow that we find ourselves because the sorrow burns up the shallowness in us. It can either make us better or bitter. It eitehr gives me myself or destroys it. We must make a deliberate choice in handling sorrow. Always come to God with it so he can use it. If you hold onto it, it will consume you. God to God and let him fight for you when you cannot.

Seven Little Words

Ok, my new obsession has been an iphone game called "seven little words". I still do "words with friends" and "solitaire" but this new game is soooo addictive. I keep staying up half the night playing it, on top of doing it in my spare time (which is too little with work full time, kid's karate and swim lessons, friend's birthday party, and daily chores like grocery and cleaning,etc.) Like I need more of my time sucked away.....but I can't help it. It is awesome. Try it and you will see....just "seven little words". That's it, my obsession, and what I have been up to lately. So try it...no peer pressure...but try it. Ha! Then you can thank and curse me both. Enjoy!

Lord I Love the Way You Hold Me

I am sooo crazy about this new song and artist. Her name is Jamie Grace and she sings the song with Toby Mac. It is "Hold Me" and here are the lyrics...Read them and let them be a praise song to our Lord. They make me so happy. To do justice you need to google the song and listen to it. The tune and lyrics together transform my mood in an instant to pure happiness!!! Enjoy.


(I love, I love, I love, I love the way you hold me) (I love, I love, I love, I love the way you hold me)

I've had a long day. I just want to relax. Don't have time for my friends, no time to chit-chat. Problems at my job, wondering what to do. I know I should be working, but I'm thinking of you. And just when I feel this crazy world is gonna bring me down, that's when your smile comes around. Ooh, I love the way you hold me. By your side you'll always be. You take each and every day, make it special in some way. I love the way you hold me. In your arms I'll always be. You take each and every day, make it special in some way. I love you more than the words in my brain can express. I can't imagine even loving you less. Lord, I love the way you hold me. (Toby Mac: I love, I love, I love, I love the way you hold me.....)

Summer Break

Sorry its been so long since writing last. Been busy with Max turning eight and then Jason had surgery to have two hernia's in his stomach repaired, then my brother and sister in law, Trent and Holly came into town. Last weekend we painted my bedroom to freshen it up, cleaned all the blinds in the house for the first time ever....gross and whew! Then came all the last week of school stuff to wind down for summer. Thursday was the last day and yesterday Sam went to his church 1 day camp at camp Lophridge so I took Max swimming at a pool we can pay to swim at.
Last night our air conditioning went out so the kids and I went to my mom's and hung out until Jason called to say the a.c. was fixed. I am ready for a real, cool, relaxing rest. Monday the boys start summer camp at Whiteside Park. I hope they have fun. Monday evening also starts swim lessons. Now I just have to figure out how to fit karate and my job into the schedule and things will be great. Oh well. Who ever said summer was relaxing? I guess hoping doesn't make it so.
Just finished reading the Chronicles of Narnia series. I have read a few of them as a kid, but not all and I love them. What are you reading? I still haven't gotten my hot little hands on the book, "Racing in the Rain". I keep meaning to read it but haven't gotten the book. I have been writing again some, working on an old book lately. It goes in spurts.
Sam just won first place in an art contest for the Dog Show. His picture was named "Trick or Dog Treat" and has our dog Maizie carrying a pumpkin candy container in her mouth and Sam dressed up like a bat holding her leash walking at night. It is really cute. He got his first check, $20, for it and the picture of his art was in the dog show book. Sam is still obsessed with drawing and any kind of art or projects. Max is still obsessed with reading and even more so, computer, DS or Wi video games. (Oh and my iphone games too).
Sam has officially finished kindergarten and is now a first grader and Max is a third grader now. Hard to believe. It goes soo fast. I am preparing myself mentally for the big, notorious leap in school work difficulty with the third grade. Hopefully Max will do fine. He does well in school and does his homework for the week all on Monday or Tuesday so is willing to work hard and not put it off. Surely that will be a help.
I hope everyone's summer is starting off with a bang, and not tooo hot yet. I am just grateful at the moment to have airconditioning back on. Aaaaahhhh!

Best Mother's Day Gift Ever!

My second grader, almost eight year old got baptized today. What a Mother's Day gift. The church had a spiritual birthday party with a breakfast this morning for all the kids who had decided to get baptized, then the kids got baptized.

Here Max is, getting ready for his dunking.

Pastor Brian is presiding.

Down Max goes. Washed from head to toe with God's grace and the blood of Jesus in these healing waters. Words can't say how happy I am today. Like I said before, the best Mother's Day ever. Thank you God. Thank you Jesus. Holy Spirit, enter into this child and guide him in your way. Help him grow into the man you created him to be. May he come to know you more and more each day and serve you all of his days. My baby is yours. There is no greater place for him to be than in your hands. May he remember this spiritual birthday for the rest of his life and draw from it his faith and strength.

More Tidbits From My Two Boys

1. My nephew Carson said a profound thing to me the other night. He said that to him, it seemed like April related to God's tears at Jesus' crucifiction and death with all the rain that occurs. But May related to God's joy that his Son was raised back to life again so that the sun shone and flowers bloomed. Wow! Out of the mouths of babes. He is growing up so fast. A profound eleven year old.

2. Last week I was praying with Sam and putting him to bed. (I can't remember if I told this story yet) He prayed and I told him I was so proud of him and he was such a sweet boy with a good heart. I then got up and walked to the door and he all of a sudden said out of the blue, "And mom, I won't ever go to Hooter's." I laughed and said good, why? He said, "Because I respect girls." I laughed again and said good, I'm glad. Several weeks ago we had driven by Hooters on the way home and the boys always say I need to go there because it has a big owl on it and I like owls because of my children's book I wrote. Anyway, I sheepishly said no, I didn't think I should go there. They kept asking why and I had to say that the girls that work there dress skimpily and not modestly and show off too much of their body. The boys wanted to know why they did that and I had to explain that some people like that because they like the attention and think they feel prettier that way, but God tells us to be modest and not show off too much of our body and respect it. Some guys like to see pretty girls dressed that way and think it is pretty but it isn't respectful to women. I didn't think they understood or listened and forgot about it. Well, I guess it sunk in. Hugh, you never know.

3. I prayed with Sam again a few nights ago and he traced his little fingers around the boo boo's on my face (I have been breaking out in pimples a lot lately...ugh!). Anyway, I said that I know, mommy has boo boos and they aren't pretty. Sam said, "But God thinks you're pretty." I said yes! Because he looks at our hearts. Sam looked serious and said, "Even if you have lots of wrinkles, God still thinks you're pretty." I had to laugh and say yes. But then I wondered, does he think I'm that wrinkled? Oh how little he knows. I am only getting started with them and it will only get worse. Out of the mouths of babes again.

4. After I prayed with Max the other night he kissed me and I told him how beautiful my brown eyed boy was. He smiled and said, "You're more beautiful." I disagreed and said he was. Then of course he said, no I was. Then he looked serious and said, "You know, to be humble you have to put others before yourself mom." I guess that was his reason to compliment me. It is their virtue for this month at Sunday school. He keeps talking to me about things and situations that relate to having humility and how to display it. Wow, they are doing a good job at his Sunday school class. Way to go teachers!

5. Well, both the boys tested again for new belts in Karate and Sam has a new Cammo-blue belt and Max has a blue belt. They are getting so big! I will post pictures when I can get Jason to help me.