Update on another post

So I thought I'd update you on a post I did awhile ago about adventures when mom was gone. Mark took the kids out and bought stuff to plant flowers. Well, here's the updated picture. Looks like they did good!

Funny Thing My Kid Said to Me This Week

Said to me after Kate had an episode of uncontrollable sneezing...

"Mom, I have the bless yous"

Fun with the phone

I got a new phone this weekend and discovered a camera feature that we had a good time with. This is to make up for my lack of pictures in my previous posts :) The pictures are a little blurry. Still trying to figure things out. But they're still fun!

Family entertainment at it's best!

Love Nemo!

My pretty girls...

Aaarrrrggg. Shiver me something.

Thankful Thursday - The Blegers

This week I want to thank God for our very good friends, Adam and Kristin Bleger. They moved away on Monday and it was even harder than I had anticipated. I knew it wasn't going to be easy but when I actually said goodbye and walked away...well....it really, really wasn't easy. They moved to Fort Collins so Adam can go to medical school at CSU. We are so praying for huge success and money :) for all their future endeavors.

I'm thankful....

...that we were a part of their lives. When they moved here they were dating and started helping out with youth group. We were able to help out in a big way when Adam proposed to Kristin. It was so cool! Then we were able to be a part of their wedding and that was truly an honor. We even got to do their premarital counseling! That was a blast. Then we got to see as their family has grown by adding little Pax. And as they transitioned into the youth pastors. What a privilege it has been for me to be a part of this great family's life. Thank you for allowing us.

...for Kristin. She's an absolutely beautiful person inside and out. She exudes kindness and grace, peace and patience. You should see her with her son. Little man is running around {sweet, sweet little 1 1/2 yr old with lots of energy} and when many moms may become tired or lose their patience, Kristin continues to pour out love and patience. It's obvious she adores her husband and her son and is truly loving them like Christ does. She's a wonderful friend. Loyal, helpful, caring and prayerful. I know that if I ask her to pray for me she will. She's had a few life experiences that have brought much pain, but instead of letting those things control her life she has used the experiences and the wisdom learned from them to really minister to and bless others. She's a treasure of a person and she will be greatly missed by this chica. Oh, and she's got an amazing voice that will definitely be missed on Sunday mornings!

...for Adam. Here's an awesome man of God who put aside his dreams of becoming a Dr, to follow a calling - no matter how short or long. And he did it well. Better than well actually. He did awesome, stupendous, marvelous etc... This guy wholeheartedly loved jr highers and high schoolers and poured his life into making The Well (the youth group) a fun, exciting place to learn about a relationship with Jesus in a meaningful and purposeful way. He went from being a leader to an assistant to the youth pastor and did each with excellence. He challenged students, leaders and his co-workers with his drive, determination and discipline. His life is an example of a follower of Jesus and a man devoted to his family. He is a fun-loving, peaceful, wise man and a true gift to our church.

...for this couple and their ministry. Together they did amazing things. In two short years they took a good ministry and made it awesome. They were able to go off of what Mark and I had started and make it even better. I'm sure that before they left they weren't aware of how many lives they had touched. I pray that they were blessed as student after student prayed wholeheartedly for God's blessing on their future. Their ministry will not end after they leave. Those students were changed by God because of the Blegers and they will continue to change the world.

...for little Pax - the peaceful warrior. He is one of the stinkin' cutest kids. He's got beautiful blond, curly hair. He kinda looks like a California surfer :) He's sweet, fun, smiley and full of energy. I really am going to miss watching him grow up. {you better post lots of pictures Kristin!}

...for Starbucks, Serious Texas, email, text and facebook chats, dinners, early morning coffees, walks, softball, youth group, church staff crazy get togethers, super bowls, birthday parties, bowling, weddings, youth camp, worship team and other random things that I'm sure I've forgotten. All of these were special ways we got to know these awesome people better.

...for God's faithfulness. He has moved people before, always with great results. I have no doubt that the Blegers are following God's voice and because of their obedience they will see and experience great things. I also have no doubt that God is moving the right people to fill the big hole left by them.

Jack and Jill

Come on, I know you've been waiting for a post with this title...almost 9 months actually. Okay so have a laugh.

Go ahead.

Get it out.

I'll wait.

I know, Jack and Jill went up a hill....Funny, funny.

Done now?

I know, why in the world would she name her kid that and set herself for a good laugh...who knows? I like punishment?

I decided to get it over with and just go for it. Are we good now?

Okay so on to the stuff about Jack and Jill {don't start again...}.

Yesterday morning near the end of breakfast the kids and I were sitting at the table. Kale and Kate were finishing up their cereal. I was enjoying my coffee with whipped cream. Jack was starting to wiggle so I pulled him out of his highchair. Mark was loading the dishwasher {good man!}.

I had just set Jack on my lap and turned and looked at Mark to tell him something about a dish he was putting in the dishwasher when I feel a horribly warm, incredibly warm, uncomfortably hot feeling in my lap. Grabby Grabberson (aka Jack, Poopy Pooperson, Squirmy Wormy {Kate's favorite}, Drooly Droolerson, Stinky Stinkerson) had reached over, grabbed my just poured cup of hot! coffee and dumped it in my lap!!!

There was some squealing, some "Come help me! Get this kid before I dump him on the floor", some hopping up and down and some running for the bedroom tearing off my wet clothes {not as sexy as it sounds believe me}. It wasn't the McDonald's incident but it was hot! My coffee maker does not produce lukewarm coffee :) Oh, mama! It took several minutes for my heart to stop racing and realize that, yes, I would survive, and, no, Jack did not mean to scald my lap. He was fine by the way. A little coffee on his socks and pants but there were no tears. Not even from my squeals. Thank goodness.

Note to self ~~ Never let Jack do anything without my eyeballs on him! Totally as exhausting as it sounds....

On another note I have a confession. My bedroom is a .... nightmare! I can't even believe how bad it is right now. It stresses me out to even think about it. Neither Mark or I are in there other than to sleep. It's been a challenge since it's Jack's other bedroom. He takes all of his daytime naps in there so Kale can have access to his toys in his room without waking LB (little Bubba). Then, when LB is awake, he demands our undivided attention. We need to make sure he's not eating something, crawling somewhere, or grabbing someone that would be dangerous. I've tried letting him roam the floors of our bedroom while I'm picking up but because it's so messy, it's a dangerous place.

I suppose I could have Mark watch him while I clean or vice versa but there is so much stuff in there now it's overwhelming. Yuck! I need to go back to my goals and do 15 minutes at a time. Slow and steady and eventually it will get done. I know, I know. I have to say, though, that it is very freeing to let this corner of my world know that my bedroom looks like a tornado went through it. Ahh...freedom....

A few of my favorite things...

I could be super deep and talk about my favorite things that really do matter...like my family and friends....but today I decided to be shallow. Just plain shallow and tell you about a few of my random favorite things. I'd love to be Oprah and have a show about them and give them all away to all my friends but since that is never gonna happen I thought I'd just share!

First off, I love Bath and Body works lotion. My absolute favorite scent is Cherry Blossom. So yummy!I also love Melaleuca's lip chap. I put this stuff on and it lasts forever! And the flavors are awesome.I totally dig my "rocket ship minivan". This baby rocks. This isn't ours but it looks close.Another favorite thing is Walmart salsa. And yes I did really find a picture of it! Chips and salsa - my ultimate comfort food [as of right now].That brings me to my flosser (can you believe that a flosser is one of my favorite things?) I hated flossing, hated flossing!, till I used this. Now it's fine. I know. I'm a nerd. Who cares? :)Coffee! with whipped cream. Another favorite.Multigrain Cheerios. So delicious. Breakfast everyday baby.And for my carbonation addiction....I'll take Coke Zero or Diet Coke. Either one works.I love my Mountain Mama cookbook. My sister Meghan gave it to me a couple years ago (it's her in-laws family cookbook) and it's super yummy! I make things out of it all the time. I tried to find a picture but since it's a family cookbook I had no luck. I did find this cookbook and thought I'd share it since it made me laugh. I have absolutely no desire to cook one single thing from here...It is a real cookbook. In fact if you click here you can see what kind of amazing recipies you can find in here. Oh my golly I can't believe I put that in here...

Anyway, I'll leave you with one last thing. That is, if you weren't too grossed out by the last picture.

I love my Temperpedic pillow (and that's exactly how I look when I sleep...). I take it everywhere with me. It's so wonderful. Now I'm just saving up for when I can get a whole bed that feels like this!
So there ya go. Pictures and comments and all. Too bad I couldn't give away my special cookbook. I know how badly some of you are wanting to try those recipies :) I'd love to hear what some of your favorite things are. You can comment if you'd like or just do a random, shallow, fun blog!

Thankful Thursday

This coming Monday, our good friends, and fellow staff members, Adam and Kristin Bleger, are moving to Fort Collins. This is the second couple from our staff to leave. The first were Seth and Maria Waters over two weeks ago. Another couple, Megan and Benjie Danquah, will be leaving us in July. Because of all the changes I decided to dedicate a few Thursdays to thanking God for our friends and co-workers.

I'll start with the Waters'.

I am thankful...

...that they decided to move to Durango in the first place!

...for their three adorable children. Kate has a sweet friend in Ella. They are kind of like identical twins and then kinda opposite! And those Waters' boys! I called them the bouncers for the nursery. Cutest little twins I've ever seen.

..for Seth's absolutely lovable personality, his enthusiasm for {almost} everything he does, his love for God and yes, his passion, for obeying and laying his life down for Him, and his obvious love and devotion for his family. Seth is an awesome guy.

...for my wonderful friend Maria. She is a treasured friend. One who has been honest, true, and fun. A great mom. A great wife. A great friend. She's kept me in line and allowed me to glean from her wisdom. She has definitely sharpened me as a believer. I trust her completely. We had more fun than should be allowed on our trip to Atlanta. We were crazy! I'm thankful that God brought her into my life at such a perfect time. I am missin' her in San Fran but there's still plenty of smack talk on facebook...thank goodness....I would totally miss our sarcastic harassment!

...for airplanes and vacations. We will definitely be visiting them!

...for God's calling on their lives. I can not wait to see how God uses the Waters to change San Francisco!

...for my friends.

Itty bitty bits and itty bitty pieces

I have some random stories to share about my children.

Jack story:
Saturday, after I'd gotten home from my fabulous vacay, I was sitting at the computer paying bills {nothing like jumping right back into life} and heard him cry. He will usually sleep longer so I kind of ignored it hoping he'd go back to sleep. A couple minutes later he cried again. This time louder and more like he was in pain. So I got up to go check on him. During naps he sleeps in our room in a pack and play. We have one that has a bassinet attachment - meaning that there's a sleeping surface about 8 or so inches from the top. Anyway, I go in the room and find Jack almost on top of the dresser that is next to the pack and play. He had stood up and tried to crawl up onto the dresser to get fun stuff. His legs were still in but if he had rolled a little to the left he would've fallen about 3 feet to the floor. I think his cries were because he was pretty much stuck in this position. Needless to say, we spent the remainder of the afternoon lowering the pack and play as well as his crib. Stinkin' climber!

Kate story:
A while ago Mark and I were playing this little piggy with Kate {you know, this little piggy.... went to market, went home, had roast beef, had none, went weeeee all the way home?}. Then it was her turn. She grabbed Mark's big toe and said "This little piggy went to City Market...." (one of our local grocery stores if you're confused)

Kale story:
Again with the thinker. Kale asked me another question about God and Jesus dying on the cross. He asked me why Jesus died for us. I told him that Jesus died to take away our punishment and so we can live forever in heaven with him {and no we did not have to get into the whole angels singing thing...}. He asked about punishment. My mind was racing to try and figure out how to best explain what Jesus did. So I tried what I thought would make sense. I said, 'It's like when you do something wrong like disobey and you have to go to time out. Time out is a punishment. What if Kate decided that even though you did the wrong thing and had to be punished, she would go into time out for you? Even though she did nothing wrong, she loves you so much she did your punishment for you. Isn't that awesome? That's what Jesus did for us. He took our punishment even though He didn't do anything wrong.' Okay, totally should have seen this coming a mile away....Kale says "I'd be fine if Kate took my punishment." Of course he would.

Ahhhhh.....

That is the sound of my sigh and my relaxation! I never want to forget how wonderful this time has been so of course I must blog!!!

You would've laughed at me packing. I spent the morning and afternoon getting stuff ready at home...slowly...and putting off packing. I don't why I put it off but I did. I guess it just didn't seem like I was really doing this! When I finally packed it was comical. I was digging through my closet in my bathroom (ya know the closet that has cleaning supplies, medicine, toiletries, toilet paper, towels and washrags and other miscellaneous stuff) trying desperately to find all the pampering stuff I have. Over the years I've gotten, or won at baby showers and such, pampering things. The one time use packet stuff. Face masks, foot rubs, manicure and pedicure stuff, bubble bath, relaxing bath salts etc... I have saved them not never knowing when they would be used {seriously? who has time? or a nice whirlpool jacuzzi tub? not I.}. This was the time!!!

I dug around, found them and packed them up. I laughed because my overnight bag was 98% pampering things ( that stuff + books and my iPod) and 2% clothes. Oh so excited!

When I got to The Luxury Day Spa Best Western Inn in Cortez, I decided to be lazy (after all that's what this getaway was all about) and order a pizza. I know, terrible isn't it? A whole pizza to myself? Oh well. I thought it'd be good for two meals at least, so I did it. It was wonderful! Do you know that we don't ever get to order delivery because of where we live? No delivery of any kind? Let me just say that it was probably the best pizza I've had in a while. I didn't make it, go pick it up or even bring it home and cook it. Just ate it. Simple and wonderful.

After dinner I read a bit then decided to take a bath. Oh how wonderful it was. The fluorescent lights weren't too calming (totally forgot candles in my bag of tricks) but it was fine. The tub barely fit me (and I'm a pretty short person) but really I couldn't complain. Way better than my own tub! My tub at home...just sitting in there makes me want to clean my entire bathroom (even it's already clean!). Oh no, I'm happy sitting in a tub that someone else has cleaned and will clean.

I went to bed early. Another amazing thing. Slept in - till almost 9! I had to drag myself up and out so I could catch the free breakfast. I mean the breakfast you actually pay for when you reserve a room but they say it's free. I'm not wasting a "free" meal!

After breakfast I drove around looking for a park. I wasn't having much luck at first so I prayed. And without going into too much detail cause it really wouldn't make much sense, I found a park. Go God! A beautiful park. A park that would make me want to actually move to Cortez (not really but it was pretty awesome). I sat by a pond, watched people, enjoyed the sunshine, laughed at geese and ducks and just thought...and thought...and thought...and thought. Then I walked and thought. That was nice too.

Honestly, the whole time I was gone I had time to think. There was no agenda, no rules, no schedule. Just me and God. It's amazing that when you set aside all distractions you can really focus on yourself and God. Normally I don't like to think and dwell on all my faults and weaknesses so I like to keep distracted. When you're by yourself, in the presence of a holy God, you are humbled. This is one of the things I wrote in my journal:

...when you seek to be in God's presence His holiness can't help but reveal our sin.
His goodness compared to mine,
His grace compared to mine,
His forgiveness compared to mine,
His mercy compared to mine,
His love compared to mine,
His sacrifice compared to mine...
How can He love me like that?
How can I love others like that?

It's incredible to really be able to see where you fall short and then to see and experience God's love and forgiveness. I realized while I was there that so much of my last few months have been spent trying to fix all the problems. I was trying to fix Jill the mom, Jill the wife, Jill the friend, Jill the minister etc... I was exhausted and worn down from that. What I really needed to start on was Jill the child of God. Boy oh boy, working on that trickles down into mom, wife, friend, minister. Amazing how God does that. When I can clearly see Him and focus on His plans for me I can be a better everything else. Not perfect. Just better.

I was challenged, convicted, encouraged, and rested. It really was a wonderful time. Coming home was bittersweet. I missed my family - a lot - and it was more than wonderful to be home and see them again, but I also had an awesome time with God, my best friend.

I prayed while I was there, for all my mom friends. All those amazing women who I know deserve a rest. I prayed that there would be a time in their future when they could get away, relax, be filled and renewed and come back an even better mom and wife. Be sure to tell your husbands that it's very worth their while!

in addition...

I was pleasantly surprised by the response I got from my last post. Whether it was from a comment, an email or a conversation, I apparently struck something. I'm glad. I know that God has definitely been challenging me in this area. I've been having an overwhelming sense to just go for it and my feelings will follow.

As I was talking this over with Mark he gave me yet another perspective. He said that he thinks we sometimes use the word passion when we really mean priority. We will sometimes in conversation say that's not my passion but in reality mean it's not a priority. All interesting thoughts.

Thanks for the comments. Thanks for food for thought. And thanks for the encouragement on homeschooling. How fun for me to get feedback from people!

I will post later today, when I have more time, about my mommy vacation. It was wonderful!

What's your passion?

This is a question that gets asked a lot. At least I've heard it a lot lately. It's been asked in ministry and in leadership. I've thought about it, mulled it over and honestly I have a beef with it.

Just what is your passion? And what's my problem with it?

Well, one definition of passion is:

a strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for anything:
a passion for music.

Mark went to a leadership conference this past week and this question was asked. There were speakers at this conference that are hugely successful in business. And they say that a huge part of it is because they do what they are passionate about. So they challenge others to do what they love because then it won't be a job.

Ok, that part is understandable. It's good to do what you love. It definitely helps. But is that reality? Is that what God is calling us to do? Just do what you are passionate about? Only do what you like? I don't think so.

I'm afraid that people are using that as an excuse to only do what they want to do - in all areas of life (family, job, relationships, church) - and not what they need to do. Are people leaving their families because they've lost their passion? Are they quitting their jobs, or not doing them well because they've lost their passion? Are they struggling with friendships because they've lost their passion? Are they not serving in their churches and communities because they don't have a passion for it?

For example: I love my kids. I love staying home with them. But am I passionate about all that that entails? Am I passionate about laundry? Grocery shopping? Cleaning? Changing diapers? etc... Nope. Can't say that that's my passion. So am I doing the wrong thing? Am I in the wrong "job"? No! I can say that with certainty. There are things that I love to do and there are things that I don't. But if I only do the things I'm passionate about what happens to the rest?

I've heard people say, I liked my job but I'm not passionate about _____ so I quit. What? They may not like cleaning up messes that weren't theirs, or copying, or getting coffee or whatever but if God told you to do that job then you do the whole job and not just the parts you like and use passion as an excuse to skip out on the parts you don't.

We were created with responsibilities as human beings. I believe that God gives us gifts and talents and we can (and are responsible to) use them for His glory. Sometimes that can be confusing I think, when talking about passions. I have a gift of organizing and bringing order but am I passionate about it? Not usually. Will I still do it though to bring God honor? Sure. I think God always uses our gifts and talents. I may be passionate about worship and singing but I'm pretty sure God isn't going to use me as a worship pastor because my talent is not singing. Mark, on the other hand, is a great singer. But does that mean that even though he's good and loves doing it - is passionate about it - that that's what he always gets to do? No. God moved Him from singing for a season and used his other gifts in a needed area. Mark was not passionate about all the new things that he was doing but he was obedient in glorifying God with his gifts. Now God is moving him back into leading worship and using his other creative gifts and Mark is thrilled because God already, long ago, had given him a passion for this. We must be faithful to His leading - He is always faithful to us!

I also think God asks us to do things we don't like doing. Like loving the "unlovable". Serving others. Humbling ourselves. Setting aside our own desires for His. Forgiving the "unforgivable". I don't know many people who say they are passionate about doing these hard things. But I do know people who passionately love God and want to do whatever He asks. Your heart will follow your actions.

I am in a season in my life that is unlike any that I have gone through before. I've been asking myself what my passion is hoping that I will see what God wants me to do. That's where, I think, I'm going wrong and why I'm so frustrated. I realize that in the things that God is wanting me to do I may not "feel" passion. I may not have a strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for it. But I know that I'm going in the right direction.

I am going to be praying for God to give me a passion for what He wants not what I want. Do you see the difference? I've been looking for what I am passionate about instead of asking Him to give me a passion for what He is passionate about. When I am obedient and following His leading I believe He will give me a passion for it.

When I went into Children's Ministry two years ago this went through my mind. I said to God 'I love my kids but I don't have a passion for Children's ministry'. But I did what I knew He was wanting and low and behold He gave me a passion for ministering to all kids. I hear so many people, when asked to volunteer in CM, say that they are not passionate about children. Hooey! Don't serve in CM if God doesn't tell you to but, by golly, if He says do it then watch out! He will give you the passion for kids. I've seen it, experienced it and believe it.

I, at this moment, do not feel passionate about homeschooling. In fact, I'm so nervous about it it makes me want to run and hide under my bed. But, I know that God has directed me this way, SO, I will trust Him and pray for a passion for teaching my kids. I believe He will meet me there and deliver abundantly. I am so excited!

I hope that this makes sense. I just get so frustrated with what I see is a cop-out. When we do what God is leading us to do, then we will see and feel a passion unlike anything we've experienced. Not the other way around. Not, when we find something we like then God will lead us. The question isn't what's your passion but rather what's God's passion and how can you meet Him there?

Watch out!

So I set Jack down the other day near the couch and this is what happened. Watch out! He's on the move and freaking me out!

First attempt.....don't worry. I caught him.



Second attempt....success!

Thankful Thursday

Today I am so very thankful for my Mother's Day present. My awesome man and my wonderful offspring (ok really it was Mark - they just like to take credit) hooked me up with a two nights stay at a local hotel for a little R&R, starting tonight!

At first I was very surprised, then a little sad (I don't dream of being away from my family -- I LOVE being with them) but then.....super excited. The more I've thought about it the more excited I get.

I picture sleeping.
reading.






praying.
worshiping.
taking walks.
drinking coffee.
long hot showers.

{or maybe even a bath!}







all without interruption.
Heavenly!

I will miss being with my family, absolutely, but I am so thankful for my thoughtful husband who is willing to give me some Me-Time. I am so looking forward to being rejuvenated!

Marvelous Mark

Mark is amazing. I think I've bragged many times before about how kind, gentle, patient, creative, funny and loving he is. I have never regretted once marrying this awesome guy. There are so many things I love about him, but I honestly have one thing that I love more than anything else. It's my number one love. It's what will keep us married forever. It's what makes me love him more and more. It's what makes me feel loved, secure and always hopeful. And this quality challenges me daily to do the same for him.

You may think it's His relationship with God. And you'd be partly right. It's because of his love for God and his desire to please Him. But that's not all. You can have a relationship with Christ, and never change, never grow, never learn and as the statistics sadly tell us, sometimes not stay married. The thing that I love most about Mark is that he is willing to change, grow and learn.

I used to think that the key to a successful marriage was commitment. I used to think it was a relationship with God. I used to think it was good communication. And I still think that all of that is definitely a huge part. But I think the key is a commitment to growing. People can stay married forever and be miserable the whole time. Stuck in only one way of doing things. Not caring about the other person and not being willing to grow with them. A marriage goes through season after season after season. And they are all unique and will present different joys, challenges and struggles. If we continue to do things the way we always do during each season then are we really becoming a better spouse? A better friend? A better person? Not really.

I'm different than I was 10 years ago. Hopefully I'm much better. Hopefully I've learned some things. Hopefully I'll keep learning things. The more I learn about myself and the more I learn about Mark, the more I realize that I need to keep growing and changing as our needs grow and change. In the beginning it was easy to love, to spend time together, to laugh. As time has gone by and kids have been added we are learning that these things have to be more intentional in our lives. We still love, spend time together and laugh but it isn't as easy as it was in the beginning. Only because life happens and seasons change. We need to change with it.

My husband has come to me and we've been able to share areas in which we both need to continue to change and grow. And we will work on it because we love each other and are committed to being married forever. It isn't easy but it's so very worth it. Seriously? Who loves to have their shortcomings examined, challenged and pointed out? I sure don't. But I am realizing that you confront in love those you love and that marriage isn't about always being happy but being holy and more like Christ. And I absolutely adore Mark because he is willing to walk this journey with me and change and grow with me and be honest with me. And I will commit to change and grow with him, recognize where I fall very short and accept his love and forgiveness for me.

I am so thankful/grateful for Mark.

Jack's new trick

Jack is learning how to crawl...sort of. He's more into inch-worming it and army-crawling it. I decided to post a video of his technique in case you wanted to teach it in your crawling classes {if you have one} and wanted an example. He's quite good :) Cell phones work nicely as bait!

Firefighter Friday

Last Friday Mark was at a leadership conference at church. The kids and I decided to get out of the house and go visit our favorite firefighter, Mike Krupa. The fire department is doing storytime at the library every 2nd Friday of the month. We decided to go to the first one. It was so fun.

They read the kids stories about firefighters, let them dress up in little firefighting gear and gave them plastic hats to take home. The kids loved it.

Jack trying on the take home hat!

Kale, because he knew Mike, decided that this place was comfortable and acted like it. He jumped from pillow to pillow like a frog and ribbit-ed. It was hard to keep him quite because at the same time I had to feed Jack and keep Kate near me.

*side note* -- I am usually reminded at outings like this that I am not a normal Durango mom. We were at the reading with kids named Cedar (2 actually) and a giant kid who walked up to her mom, lifted her shirt and helped herself to a snack in front of moms, dads and firefighters alike. I'm a fan of breastfeeding but not a fan of the show.... Of course the other Durango moms most likely had things to say about my kids as well. One spit up on the cushion, one almost flipped over while playing frog and her skirt went over her head showing off her princess undies, and one who played frog and asked questions throughout the stories. To each his own I guess.

Anyway, near the end of the storytime Kate tells me that she has to go potty. This is right after I discover that Jack has an uber nasty diaper that is about to explode. Kale is too far in front of me to get his attention without disturbing everyone so I'm begging Kate to hold it for just a couple minutes. She does the potty dance and I pray that Mike reads quickly so we can do a run to the family potty.

Here's our favorite firefighter, Mike, reading Curious George. Kale was quick to point out to everyone that we have that book.

After he's done Mike tells the kids that they get to try on the gear. Kale, of course, wants to be first. I was able to get his attention though, and drag him with me to the bathroom. He was not happy that he wasn't getting to try on his gear but I promised we'd be back in a couple minutes. That worked out well actually. We were the last ones there so the kids had a few minutes to do a photo shoot {phone camera again - sorry}

Here they are getting their gear on.

This nice firefighter was trying to cram Kate's skirt into the pants. I helped a little but we got it in there.

All done! Aren't they cute?

Once last picture with Mikey.

After the library we went to the park and had a picnic lunch. I prefer to do all this with Mark but the kids and I had fun together. It turned out to be a beautiful day.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the awesome moms out there. As a fellow mom, I know how hard you work, how much you get paid, some of the emotions involved and the rewards of the hardest job in the world.

I spoke to a brand new mom this morning at church. She's exhausted, emotional, feels like she knows nothing, frustrated, happy and head-over-heals-in-love with that sweet baby all at the same time. I know exactly how she feels! In fact, I'm a mom of 3 now and I still feel the same way! Some things get easier but reality is that life changes constantly so parenting changes constantly leaving you exhausted, emotional, knowing nothing, frustrated, happy and head-over-heals-in-love with your sweet offspring...daily.

This morning my sweet offspring brought me these lovely cards as we were getting ready for church. This was right before 2 out of the 3 of them threw major fits as we were getting them dressed for church. Mark felt bad but I told him that there's no way I could expect them to be perfect - even on Mother's Day. And really, these cards are pretty stinkin' adorable.

Kales, Kate's and Jack's

Inside of Kale's

Inside of Kate'sInside of Jack's (didn't Mark do a good job?)During Sunday School today, our awesome teachers helped the kids make these...I love them!

They painted the pots and the teachers took pictures and stuck them in the soil. They have a label under their pictures that says 'Garden Angels'. So sweet. I love their faces.

I remember one Mother's Day growing up, my sisters and I got a huge piece of old plywood out of our backyard and colored a giant heart with a unicorn head on it and wrote Happy Mother's Day. Totally cheesy. She didn't hang it up on the wall {go figure} but she did take a picture of it. I'm sure even though it was not great art, it was kid art, her kid art, and she loved it. I totally get it.

My mom is amazing. Mark's mom is amazing. And now that we are parents we understand - even more - just how amazing they are. Happy Mother's Day moms!!

Thankful Thursday

This Thursday I am thankful for...

...good friends. Friends who encourage, love and listen. Friends who'll read my blog and love me anyway :)

...for Kale's mind. Sometimes I'm not sure how I'm going to point it in the right direction but I see it as God's gift to him and us and I'm thankful that he's a thinker.

...for sunshine. I'm glad that it's warming up.

...for books. I'm loving reading and learning.

...nap time. We all need breaks in our day.

...Christian radio. I really love to hear praise music throughout the day.

...do-overs. I am so far from perfect. I'm thankful that I know a God who gives me infinite do-overs because of His love for me.

So serious

This morning Kale got up and was in a pretty good mood. But it went downhill quickly and I'm not sure why. I don't know if he didn't get enough sleep or what. What I do know is that this kid can be so very serious. About adult serious things. Let me explain.

If you know Kale, you know that he's a thinker. He thinks about everything and he asks questions about everything. He'll talk throughout an entire movie. Not because he's being rude or not paying attention but because he wants to know why that person did that, or what is he doing, or who is that guy etc. He just has to know.

As his parents, we try to be honest with our answers (unless we really don't know and it's a silly question that we can make up a funny answer) but not give TMI {too much information}. But I'm serious, this kid asks questions about things that I had no idea he thinks about.

For example, this morning as we were sitting on the floor playing with Jack, Kale says to me,
'Mom, I love Jack. I bet you're so glad you didn't see one of those bad Doctors'
I said, 'What do you mean bad Doctors?'
'The Doctors that Barack Obama talks to about hurting babies.'

Okay let me say this before you freak out. During the election Kale knew that we weren't going to vote for Obama. We didn't bad mouth him, call him stupid or dumb or anything. We just said that we didn't agree with a lot of stuff that Obama wanted to do. We didn't talk to him about abortion, foreign policy, military etc. We just said we disagreed and were going to vote for McCain.

Kale heard the word abortion and wondered what it meant. We just said it was when a bad Dr hurt a baby. We didn't go into any detail about what it really is. But Kale knew that Obama supports this. Now, 7 months later, he's putting it together looking at our baby Jack. I'm telling you this kid thinks!

He also has, in the last couple days, asked about heaven and what it's like. We've just told him that it's the most amazing place he could ever imagine. Kale thought that angels singing all the time would be too loud and he wouldn't like that. It really bothered him to think about all the noise. We had to reassure him that God knows what he likes and doesn't like. It'll be great no matter what.

He also wants to know if everyone in Durango is going to die. Our first response was that he really is too young to be thinking about death. Our second response, however, once we realized that he's going to think about it whether we want him to or not, is that yes everyone will die someday and that's why we want them to know about Jesus. He's asked about people in San Francisco, on Dancing with the Stars (yes, he asked if people on DWTS knew Jesus), his family, his friends, and random people we see. He knows that everyone will die and he wants to know if they know who God is.

I'm dumbfounded at his depth of thinking. I obviously don't know any other 5 year olds as well as I know mine so I don't know what they generally think about. I just can't believe what comes out of his mouth. It makes us have to be super careful about words we use (that he might want a definition for). He asked us in the car the other day what temptation was. How do you explain that to a 5 yr old? I'm sure we did ok but that's what he's like. Random serious questions at random moments.

I'm not sure all of the reasons for his mood changes. Many, I think are due to hunger, lack of sleep, frustration etc. But sometimes I think his mood changes because he's thinking. Thinking of things that are really more than he can understand and that overwhelms him. His mind hasn't developed all the critical thinking skills it needs so he's just overloaded with information.

Believe me when I say that Mark and I do not talk to him like he's an adult. We understand that he's still very young, that he doesn't need to know everything that adults do. We just try to give him the answer to his questions without great detail. He just trys to fill in the blanks himself. Blank-filling, I think, is stressful for him. Poor guy.

I know that God will use all of this deep thinking for huge things. I'm excited to see the person that Kale is and will be. Until then, we'll just keep thinking with him, praying for and encouraging him.

By the way, his thinking and listening skills also got him in trouble. He had picked up Jack and was turning him upside down. This of course freaked me out {dropping him on his head?!!!!} So I sent Kale to time out. Kale spent a bit of time there :) When I let him out he says to me "Mom, sometimes you've just got to calm down." Yeah, back to time out. That little mind...

Is this normal? (with pictures!)

So after I got done with my last post I definitely starting seeing way more things that I would like to know if they are normal. This time I was able to snap a few pictures for proof. {And by the way, I talked to my friend about showering [read last post] and she said that it has only happened like twice and it's when she's super tired and busy and not going to see anyone that day besides her family. So thanks for everyone's concern about her and her showering. I'll let her know :) }

So here we go with some more "normal" things.

Is it normal....

...to be the third child wearing whatever your older sibling had? For example, my son here is wearing a Thank Heaven for Little Girls bib. He looks disturbed about it doesn't he?
...for your five year old to put his entire fist into his mouth and be super proud of it?
...for your daughter to not want to wear pants at all because they feel too tight no matter what size they are so now she is wearing whatever dress she can find even though she may look like she's ready for Easter or a wedding and we're just going to the park? [BTW, here's a pic of her nasty eye which the doc said was probably just some allergic reaction and not pink eye]
...for your neighbor's horse to be grazing on the grass right outside your dining room window - the same neighbor who locked your dog in your garage a couple months ago? (I was seriously considering locking her horse in her garage....) Sorry the pictures aren't so great. They're from my phone. But you get the idea.

...to feel like you've been run over by a truck and think that you might be really sick only to remember that you played softball for the first time in two years and you have a bum knee which might totally explain the all-over achy-ness? That and you're old of course.