These pictures are a few months old, but they are fantastic, so I had to share.

Dwight Schrute Wisdom

"I am not a hero. I am a mere defender of the office. You know who's a real hero? Hiro, from Heroes. That's a hero... Also, Bono."
Heroes started last night. I am worried I will be let down because I love that show oh so much...Also, The Office.

Love on the Down Low

Here is a tidbit from the book Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell. He is an amazing writer and I recommend everything he has written or said in a sermon. You can find his teachings under Mars Hill (the name of his church) at iTunes in podcast form for free.

I thought this passage was inspiring. I felt challenged to find what I can be doing in my own area and neighborhood and church.

I am learning that the church is at its best when it is underground, subversive, and counter cultural. It is the quiet, humble, stealth acts that change things. I was just talking to a woman named Michelle who decided to move into the roughest neighborhood in our city to try to help people get out of the cycle of poverty and despair. She was telling me about the kids she is tutoring and the families they come from and how great the needs are. Some other women in our church heard about Michelle and asked her for lists of what exactly the families in her neighborhood need. (One of the families wrote on their list "heat".) They then circulated the lists until they found people who could meet every one of the needs. It's like an underground mom-mafia network. Michelle told me at last count they had helped 430 families, and they are making plans to expand their network.


What can you be doing? Maybe you can't move to the ghetto, but surely there is something you can be doing to love on your neighbor.

Ideas:

Spend your fast food money on the homeless guy with a sign.
Find a church that does outreaches of this type, and get involved.
Start a clothing closet at your church for families in need.
Start a food pantry at your church.
Take your family to the local shelters and serve a meal once a month, a week, or as Part of your Sunday Sabbath.
Buy a case of water and hand out bottles to anyone you come in contact with. Who couldn't use a drink?
If you go to Hillside, pray and get involved in the ministries already in progress.
Pray for God to reveal people in your area that need help, then help them.
If you know a single mom, dad, or kids who are home alone often, do something to help- make dinner and bring it over, invite the kids over to just be, bring some fall decorations (or whichever season you are in), buy an extra coffee for a neighbor, buy bulk and give a food basket with your extras, send your kids over to pull weeds when they are naughty (your kids not the neighbors), etc.
Volunteer anywhere there is a need (neighbors, neighborhood schools, cleanup projects, community centers, church, shelter, Crisis Pregnancy Center, and on and on!)

What do you do already? Or what have you done in the past that may give someone a new idea of how to love others?

CHEEEESE!! This is my Sam Fisher. My little bitty baby. Isn't he seriously soooo cute?!

We Heart Guitar Hero!!!

Hopefully you can see how fantastic Eli's outfit is. This is what he put on for his Guitar Hero set the other night. He cracks me right up! Okay, well it isn't just him; we all have our own little rocker wardrobes. Mine mostly consists of my rocker hair fringe, the girls hike up their skirts just enough to stand in a rockstar stance, and The Man wears his regular clothes, but is the best player in our house, so when he finishes rocking out, he slicks back his hair or kicks the air, or throws up rockstar signs. I love it. We are usually his groupies while he plays.

S.O.S!!

I walked in to my little son yelling, "HELP!" He was apparently not in the mood to eat these. Sigh. They are gold fish crackers- you know the ones, baked and not fried.

Blackeyes (not to be confused with black guys) and Bedtime

Both apparently very exciting. Layla Grace was playing at the neighbors when the little boy introduced her to GI Joe (GO JOE!). He also introduced her to a favorite childhood game: war with dolls (I mean figurines @@). They lined up their people and he told her where to stand. He should have told her where to look, because when he launched the bomb that was a rock, she mostly watched it hit her in the eye. Poor kid. He was grounded for the week! I told his mom that wasn't necessary, and that we mostly cracked up. She was beside herself. She is a good mom :)

And aren't bedtime just the most humorous. I mean, sure we are in a hurry to be free from all the shortness, but I just love tucking my kids in every night. Everyone has their own little ritual. Eli pretends to be a statue or sneaks Sam into his bed and tries in vain to keep from giggling. We have a knack for finding his butt cheeks through the cover and grab on for dear life. OR The Man takes to severely whacking him with a light saber. Sounds painful, but he misses perfectly every time. It always freaks Eli out!

Layla and Addison hide under their covers hoping no one will notice them. We pretend to be outraged at their disobedience and slam doors. The Man and I call to one another to get the spanking spoon, which always gets them giggling. And, by the time we finally pull back the blanket, their hair is so curly cue from the heavy breathing. They squeal as only little girls can, and then insist we wrap them up like a taco (layla) and a taquito (Addie).

Sam Fisher is my favorite because he wants a lullaby. We sing Rock-a-Bye Baby which he refers to as the baby song or I sing the Hebrew alphabet. Eli usually chimes in for a second round of the alphabet, then pretends to fall asleep midway through.


Izzy, doesn't realize it, but the whole time I am next to her bed, she is holding on to me. :) Sometimes The Man will throw her in her bed, but she is so knobby these days, she tends to gt hurt. Now he just pretends to jump on her, which freaks her out and makes me laugh. We recently decorated her room, and one wall is completely chalk board. So, I spent my time writing rotten things about her, and threatening her with punishments if she gets out of bed to change them.

Regularly we feel like doctors making the rounds, but I love it. I love how much my husband gets involved, too.