The year of thirty..

So I haven't done much ( I have typed this post twice!) But, The Man and I were able to steal away for a birthday date. I got my nose pierced :)!! YAY! We started our date by driving in the same car. Those of you who have a vehicle large enough to seat your entire family should consider this a huge blessing. Someday, we may too. Anyway, we went to a cute little boutique called Fondue and The Man picked out a great little red rhinestone for me. I love it. He took pictures. We finished our date with dinner at In and Out and the new movie Deja Vu. I rather enjoyed it. And God loves me enough to make the chatty three year old seated directly behind my left ear fall fast asleep.


This is me getting prepped

I even got one of those cool little purple placement dots.

And this is the final me. I look a little like Addison who insists on laying her face on the camera while she says cheese. It's the best I can do for a self portrait.

Fire Man In the Making

Mike got a letter regarding the testing and interview he went through a few weeks ago. He ranked 67 out of 103. Not exactly what he was hoping for, but considering there were 97 people who failed before they even got to the interview portion of the test, he did very well. Please continue to pray for him and God's will for the fire dep. We know this is where God has called him, we are just waiting and taking baby steps where God continues to nudge. He is still enrolled at the fire academy at TMCC and doing really well. Thanks for the prayers. We are all so proud of him.

hash browns everywhere, but not a drop to drink

My neighbor (13) stopped by the other day. She played with Addie and the other kids, then helped us get started on Christmas sewing projects, and ended her time her by throwing up on me, my carpet, my couch, REALLY ALL OVER MY COUCH,my wall, the sewing projects, my sewing machine...name it! And to top it off, her parents were at work with no intentions of coming home so I was left to clean up everything. YAY! The only thing that made it more especially super special was the fact that she apparently ate hash browns for breakfast... a lot of them. ew. Now, two days late, we are still smothering our couch in deodorizers trying to rid our cushions of her complimentary aroma. Nothing is working and my mom said I am not allowed to ask the family to pay to clean our couch.

I love techonology (in my best singing voice)

Make photo slide shows at onetruemedia.com

Okay so I am trying this out. If it doesn't work, we will chock it up to the fact that I really do love you more than technology. (Ode to Napoleon)

I can't resist

AND this is Eli dressed up like Sandra Dee. HE IS POSING!! He HAD to know I would use this someday?!

Halloween!

Pics of the fam.



Sam was wearing pumpkin jammies. He, clearly, was happy about the whole thing!

Elijah was Jeff Gordon.

Addison has to be the most serious Cheer Bear ever!


Isabelle and Layla were Rydell High cheerleaders.


I made their poodle skirts with big RH appliques on them.

Why I like Mike #11

Most of you know my hunny has been slaving away every other weekend at TMCC Fire Academy. Well, Friday he took the physical part of his four day interview that could possibly get him hired for several different agencies in the area. HE PASSED! He is still exhausted and sore, but he passed. He said it was so hard, but he kept going becuase he couldn't stand the idea of coming home and telling Eli he had failed. :) That is the greatest thing I have ever heard.

Oh YAH!!

Okay, third class down. I got another A. I was actually scared about this one. This was the first class where My team and I had to write a 15 page paper. Yikes. That still sounds like a lot. Off to do homework.

Daddy's gone a-huntin'

Mike took the kids out hiking. Well, he wanted to take them fishing, but none of them were in the mood so I suggested hiking. For a man who bleeds fish, that wasn't a good suggestion. oops. He is a good daddy though. He took them hiking after they fished for a bit. They each caught a "walter" (a big fish) and went looking for antlers. I am new to this whole outdoor life, but don't the deer need those antlers? Strange. Even stranger, my husband said he got a tag to hunt a swan and he wants to eat it for Thanksgiving dinner. :/

quote from this article. Milk Campaign Hits 200th Moustache

Milk is not a sexy drink. Despite its fun, Freudian calling-card (the milk moustache), moo juice simply doesn't have the social cachet of coffee or bottled water.
Maybe it's a matter of bad public relations. Maybe it's because milk strives for immortality by turning into cheese after a few months in the fridge. Or maybe it's simply because milk is a maternal lactating secretion, something that's hardly, um, titillating.

What's this picture saying?

So I ran across some really great pictures that I feel need commentaries. Feel free to add your own. This one says to me, "Liar. He is such a liar. The mammas can always tell. Silly boy."

is there a term for sermon lifting? well, i am doing it.

So my brother..you know the one our Pastor spooned with ( great story, really, but for another time) gave a speech at his church in Vegas. I think of it regularly, mostly because I felt God calling me to share it with our congregation and I ignored him... :/ I know, I am a slacker. Whatever. I have asked for forgiveness for being a loser and God was willing to let it go because he is cool like that. ANYHOO. Here is what he said:
Predetors hunt their pray in the same way the devil tries to pick us off: he looks for the loners, the rebels, Dotty. (okay I added that last part in myself). As a congregation we are a herd, gaggle, murder- you choose the animal grouping of your liking. When we are scattered or operating on our own, (ie not attending church, not tithing, not praying for our church and leaders, etc.) we are living like those animals hanging out down at the watering hole on our own. After his short analogy he had everyone look around and notice the loners in the back of the church and the wanderers. He pointed out the seats left open between families (gaps in the herd). Then he made everyone get up out of their seats and everyone had to fill in the center seats in the sanctuary. He even had them face outwardly a bit. "Mess with that," he said, mostly to the devil. It is much more powerful to witness a church of 1000 or so on Sunday morning cramming into a defensive circle in the middle of the sanctuary, but you get the idea. This is definitely where God is calling our church. We may not be up to a 1000 members, but the Bible is clear that numbers aren't necesary. If one of us can put a 1000 to flight. Then two of us can send a legion fleeing. Pray, even if you can't make it on Sunday night. Pray with your family before you tuck them in. Then choose to be part of the pack and pray for God's intercession. PS this is not an invitation for ANY of our worship teams to begin singing this song. PLEASE!!

Daddy's boy

If my husband weren't so great I would be frightened by how much my son wants to be like him. He copies everything. A week or so ago, Mike stubbed his toe on the baby's bouncy seat and thought he broke it. All is well, but the rest of the week Elijah limped and threatened the girls if they got near his "broken toe." Moms have it hard. We have a lot of molding, reaffirming, complimenting and more to do with our kiddos. But you daddies....you are the ones who make the biggest difference. Don't blow it. (That is the encouraging word of the day from shontell lol)

This would have been me. Well, maybe my hair would be a little fro-ee-er, but I would have had no problem blending nicely with the 60s: flowers, bra burnings, Woodstock. And my husband, he would have been right next to me tunic wearing, cigarette smokin', fingers forever in the peace position. Only I would have been Joan Baez before she was Joan Baez. I heard a song on the radio today on my way home from my friend No(dot dot)el's house called "I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker." I can't begin to say how many times I have literally said some of the very same phrases from this song.
Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair
In 77 and 69 revolution was in the air
I was born too late into a world that doesn't care
Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair
I have always said I was born too late. Funny how God works, but dh and I have always said we should have been born twenty-ish years earlier. We would have made the best hippies ever!

TWO IN A ROW

GIMME AN A!! i just finished class number two (Baby steps onto the bus. Baby steps onto the bus. "Bob, do you think you could hurry, we have a baby schedule to keep?" I know that Wing.) I just completed Humanities 100. A crazy class on the humanities ranging from prehistoric man through Islamic/ Christian eras.This picture is of the Dome of the Rock: thought ot be the site Abraham almost sacrificed Isaac. Sometime in the Middle Ages, Islam created this shrine. It really is an amazing piece of architecture. Very interesting stuff. I got an A and to celebrate, I am going to take a shower!

irritated

I am not overly sure why I am annoyed at life today. Anyone have that feeling ever? And to top it off, the only thing I can think of to do is schoolwork...which I am no longer doing on Sundays. When is Sunday over? Does the Sabbath end at sundown like the rest of those Jewish days? I am stressing about my work. Does that mean I shouold have raised my hand during question time at church today? ::sigh::

::sniff, sniff::

My baby isn't my baby any more. How sad.

Udderly Useless (I know how to spell the real word!)

So, today I practiced obvserving the Sabbath. In keeping with the movement about church and the message I agree God is speaking to our church I spent the morning with my family at church and opted to give up a few tasks I feel don't line up with ceasing. And, now that my day is done, I feel useless. I don't feel like I accomplished near enough, which I suppose is the point and the message Pastor Lou was trying to convey this morning. We are NOT loved according to our production level. So, today I was just loved. I loved my kids, cleaned a little house, watched movies, read my book, loved my kids some more, shared funny stories about my kids to my hubby once he got home from school, ate some popcorn, made dinner, looked at pictures of Sam's birth I just received from my SIL (thank you auntie mel)and invited my friend to join me for pilates tomorrow night. Okay, so I take it back. I was productive. I love it when God starts talking to me about something, and then it shows up in a sermon. It reminds me I am in the church family I am supposed to be in. But I don't so much like it when I keep hearing the same sermon over and over from various pastors or in my Bible reading. That just makes it clear that I really am not being the listener I am supposed to be :/ Baby steps into the elevator.

touchy touchy

I think it is amazing that people are content to go through everyday life without acknowledging God in anyway and then become offended when a 5 year old points out his thoughts on their beliefs. The other day, my son was talking to another of his buddies (6yrs.) and says "Kayla's parents don't believe in God." This in itself isnt bad, but when Kayla is standing right behind them and tears home screaming and crying, you know there are going to be issues.(for the record, this all happened on The Man's shift) KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. Apparently Kayla's mom had been bullying my son into confessing and he was fine with sharing his opinion with her. NIICE. He plainly stated that she doesn't believe in God. Wow. That didn't sit so well with her. She was ooh so angry and let my husband have the ole cat-fight-caplooey. Now, for any of you who actually know my husband you are wondering if he punched her in the neck when she got in his face, but you can lay your fears to rest. He was holding Sam in one hand and a bottle in the other. Her neck is fine. And my son had to apologize for voicing his opinion and mostly for trying to hide the fact that an irrate woman was standing in our lawn waiting to speak to his father. All is good...ish. She threatened to "not be so nice next time." Mike said "hey, okay." in his most smart allec voice. I am so glad our family has been able to stir things up in the name of God. @@

Just a wreck

This picture captures the very essence of my mood. I like the kind of people that surprise me by actually doing what they are supposed to do when they say they are going to do it. I am all for leniency, I am no where near a first born...well, I sleep next to one and unless osmosis is real, I am unaffected by his anal stick to the rules mentality. I recognize life gets in the way more than we care to admit, but don't you think there should come a time when you realize you are dragging others down with you and you gracefully pull your self away rather than waiting to crawl out from under the pile of others once you have knocked them down? HONESTLY! Know your limits. AAAAnd on another note...My name is pot, and you weeere Kettle? sigh I have issues. I know. I just needed to vent that and I feel better now. Thanks for being a pal. You really are a super listener