In Retrospect, It's Kinda Funny!

Decorating the Christmas tree has been quite the adventure this year. It all started just before Halloween.

You see, I had this grandiose idea that we could make all of our ornaments this year and have an old-fashioned (except for the lights and the lighted angel on top) Christmas tree. We were going to string popcorn and make all of these wonderful, homemade ornaments. So before Halloween, I started collecting ideas. My mom gave me some really great ones, too. But, I only implemented one of them. She told me how to make these really wonderful string ornaments using crochet thread, balloons, and liquid starch. First of all, I thought crochet thread was yarn. Mom crochets and was a little put-off by my ignorance. Once she set me straight, I went to the store to get the thread, balloons, and starch.

I came home with the thread (not yarn), balloons, and liquid starch, and Ben and I blew up an entire bag of balloons.Thirty balloons. Because I'm overambitious like that. And because I way overestimated my children's ability to do and to remain focused on these ornaments. I think Hayden might have done part of one. Abby might have done an entire one and started a few others, which I finished. I did the rest. All 13 of them.

Once they dried and it was time to pop the balloons and remove them from the thread, I discovered that I didn't effectively communicate to the kids. I told them to hold the balloon near the knot and wrap the thread around the balloon. What I didn't tell them was not to wrap the thread around the knot. Over and over and over. You see, once the balloon is popped, it should just easily come out of the ornament. Only it doesn't work that way if the thread, which was fully soaked in liquid starch and has now dried quite hard, is wrapped tightly around the balloon knot. So I had to cut several ornaments. This left a gaping hole in the ornament. So, those ornaments got thrown away. We were left with a few ornaments.

I just realized that I haven't told you WHY I had this wonderful idea for making ornaments this year. Last year, we celebrated our first Christmas in our house. Previously, we lived in a two-bedroom townhouse. With carpet in every room. Our house has hardwood flooring in the living room and the hallway. The only carpet is in the bedrooms. Why is this a problem, you ask? Because 99% of our ornaments were glass ornaments. That wasn't a problem when we lived in a fuly-carpeted apartment. Even with two kids and a dog. However, when we went to decorate our tree last year, I had just a little bit of foresight and said to Ben, "Don't you think we should go buy some shatter-proof ornaments? Almost all of ours are breakable." Ben said, "No, they'll be fine. The kids just need to learn to leave the tree alone." (The dog didn't make the move to the new house; he lives with my in-laws now due to Hayden's allergies.) From the day that we decorated the Christmas tree until the day we took it down, I swept up at least one broken ornament a day. Thus the need for new ornaments.

Back to this year: We finally got our Christmas tree this past Saturday. We usually get our tree Thanksgiving weekend, but we were a week late this year. There was a tree at the tree farm that we all fell in love with. It was this beautiful blue spruce that had the perfect Christmas tree shape and, according to Abby, "lots of room for loot!" (Guess we need to really hammer home the true reason we celebrate Christmas and that it's better to give than to receive.) When we found out the price of the beautiful blue spruce, we decided that we'd better choose another tree! So we found a wonderful Norway spruce that is just as beautifully shaped as the blue spruce and has "lots of room for loot" because of Ben's trimming job once we got the tree home. Some of the lower branches had to be trimmed so that the tree would actually get into the tree stand; he just got a little carried away. It kind of reminded me of that "I Love Lucy" episode where Lucy kept telling Ricky to trim a little here and a little there... and eventually there was nothing left to the tree! (Okay, so it wasn't quite that bad, but I do think that Ben actually thought for a minute that he would have to go buy another tree.)

Once we had the tree in the stand, it was time to put the lights on the tree. Only we had to go buy lights because ours from last year were no longer safe; Ben had to splice them together to make them work. The tree had been decorated for a couple of weeks when about half of them decided to work intermittently, and there was no way that we were going to take everything off of the tree so we could put new lights on. So the old lights went out with last year's Christmas tree. Saturday afternoon, I went to Walmart to buy lights because we had none. So I bought this box of 400 lights, took them home, and we tested them. They all worked. Got them on the tree, and half of one string (there were two strings total) quit working. Ben found out that it was a connector issue, not a bulb issue, so he took the lights back to Walmart and got some new ones. He had to get four boxes of 100 lights each because they had no more boxes of 400 lights. He tested each string, and only three strings worked. (Figures.) We were optimistic that three strings would be enough to cover the tree. Um, wrong! There was about 18 inches of tree that didn't have any lights. By this time the kids were tired and really, really wanted to decorate the tree, so we let them put a couple of ornaments each on the tree and told them that we'd get one more string of lights after church on Sunday and we'd finish decorating the tree.

Sunday, we went straight to Walmart after church let out (thankfully, we went to the early service) and got our string of lights. We came home, had a quick lunch, and set to decorating the tree. We discovered once we opened up the boxes of ornaments and Christmas decorations that we had this nice, unopened box of FOUR HUNDRED LIGHTS in with our Christmas decorations! It was then that Ben and I remembered that we had gone to Kmart after Christmas last year and bought lights on sale. Because we knew we would need them this year. And because we were saving ourselves some money by doing this.

After getting over the initial disgust of this finding, we started decorating the tree. We found out that we had quite a few unbreakable ornaments after all, and there were a bunch of applesauce ornaments that Abby and I made a few years ago, and then the few string ornaments that survived to be decorated with, and then the two boxes of candy canes. All in all, the decorations on the tree look really pretty this year. I think this is one of my favorite trees in our 11 years of marriage.

Then came Hayden's favorite part: putting the angel on the tree and lighting it. Once we finally got the angel on the tree, we discovered that she didn't work. Talk about frustrating! So Ben and Hayden went off to Walmart to buy another angel for the tree while the girls and I stayed here. Ruth was napping, Abby got on the phone with my mom, and I swept pine needles from the floors. The boys came back with a beautiful angel, and it works! :)

While in the moment, everything seemed to go wrong, I can look back and see the humor in it all. It is definitely a Christmas we won't soon forget!

Next on the agenda is to spend time during the next few weeks teaching and reiterating the whole reason we celebrate Christmas...

Looking Forward to the "New Compassions" Tomorrow

Today actually started out pretty good. Hectic, but good.

Wednesday mornings are always hectic. I'm not sure if it's because I'm not very organized--although I truly do try--or if it's because getting up between 6:00-6:30 to start the day after being up with Ruth once or twice in the night, with the last one being anywhere between 4-5 a.m., is less doable than I'd like to think it is, or what. I've tried quick, easy breakfasts for the kids like oatmeal or cold cereal. Those mornings were truly battle mornings. So I heard about this awesome recipe for breakfast cake from a friend who tried it with her kids. It's great, and the kids eat it without any complaining on their part or begging on my part. When I actually get it prepared the night before and get up at the aforementioned time.

Today was not one of those days. I got up late--6:45, to be exact. Got myself ready, and then it was marathon pace to get the kids out of bed, dressed, fed, lunches packed, teeth and hair brushed, coats on, backpacks together, and everyone out the door so that we could be at co-op by 9:00. We literally like 3 minutes from our co-op site, so you'd think it wouldn't be that big of a deal... but as I said, I am not very organized. It seems that the harder I try to be organized, the more I fail.

Somehow we made it to co-op on time. While we were at co-op, everything was great! Then I found out that Hayden pretty much keeps to himself in his class because aside from two other boys who are his age, the room is full of girls, and most of them are 2 or younger. The two boys his age are bigger than him and they play super rough. (That's putting it mildly.) Large groups intimidate him, and he won't play that rough with other boys... at least, not like they play. Then he told another mom in his class that his ear was hurting, which prompted me to call the pediatrician and schedule an appointment for this afternoon. He had been complaining to me about his ear for the last couple of days, but I figured that if he told another mom who he doesn't really know that well that his ear was hurting, it must have really been hurting.

So we get home from co-op, the kids go to their rooms for naps (Abby, of course, didn't take one, and she's the one who truly needed one the most), and then I got them rushed out the door again so we could make it to the pediatrician's office on time.

The pediatrician looked in his ears and at his throat and listened to him breathe and she found no issues and chalked it all up to allergies. Like his mama, Hayden has allergy issues that carry over into the fall. On the upside of all of this chaos, we found out that Hayden gained two pounds in the last month. That's huge! He finally weighs 29 pounds! For that, I am very thankful. His weight has been a major concern for me.

So we go home and Ben and I decide that tonight would be a good pizza night. Abby had a Book It coupon to redeem at Pizza Hut, so she got to use that and we ordered pizza for everyone else. I had the bright idea that since we were having pizza, why not make it a movie night, too? We ate our dinner in the living room while watching Peter Pan.

Here's where the whole evening went straight down the toilet.

Since Hayden doesn't sit through a movie, I thought that I'd let him listen to my iPod. He informed me that he had pooped his pants. I swear, that boy is trying to set the record for the most consecutive days of pooping in one's pants. That really irritated me. I've been telling him every day for the last week or so to go to the potty instead of going in his pants. I don't know why he's been doing this, but I've got to say that I'm sick of it. Cleaning poop out of cloth diapers was one thing; to clean it out of his underwear on a daily basis is quite another.

I got him cleaned up, into come clean underwear and a pair of shorts since it was almost bedtime, and had just started Ruth's bath water when I heard a loud sound and then heard Abby crying. Hayden had gotten mad at her and thrown his sippy cup at her and hit her in the mouth. That just flew all over me! I couldn't believe he would do such a thing! I got mad at him and swatted his bottom and made him stay in his room until I got Ruthie bathed. Then I put him in the bathtub and talked to him while bathing him, and then Ben put him to bed.

So what started out as a hectic day with a couple of hours that were good ended in an awful evening. I went to my room to nurse Ruthie to sleep and felt like a complete failure. Where did I mess up if my kid is being so mean to his older sister? Why did I have such a short fuse with him? Does he really know that I love him, even though I made sure that I told him that several times before he went to bed? Do my kids think of me as a grumpy, irritated bitch who does nothing but fuss at them, or do they see me as loving and caring? I hope it's the latter, but I'm sure that some days it isn't.

All I know right at this moment is that the Bible says in Lamentations 3:22-23: "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."

Thank God, tomorrow is a new day.

The Best Birthday Ever

On September19, I celebrated 34 years of being alive! Everyone always asks, "What do you want for your birthday? Do you have a list?" The older I get, there are fewer "things" on the list. In the last several years, it's actually been a rather difficult thing to come up with a list--for birthday or Christmas--because the biggest thing that I have wanted has been time spent with my family. Well, this year, that is exactly what my family gave me!

We had been in West Virginia spending a few days with my parents and sister because Ben had work that took him to Charleston. So on my birthday, Ben, the kids, and I all woke up early, had a quick breakfast, and left my parents' house and headed toward Cass, WV. If you're not from West Virginia, you may not know that Cass Scenic Railroad even exists. The town of Cass was built to be a logging town, and the railroad was constructed to transport logs down the mountain to the paper mill in Cass. Today, you can go to Cass to ride one of the original Shay steam locomotives up the mountain.

We told the kids the night before that we were all getting up early so that we could go ride a train. Both of them were excited, but I think Hayden was probably the most excited of everyone in our family! That boy sure does love trains! When we arrived at Cass, the kids and I waited by the train depot while Ben purchased our tickets and boxed lunches. We chose the 4-1/2 hour trip up to Bald Knob, the third highest point in West Virginia. (Spruce Knob is the highest.) The train whistle is quite loud, as you may imagine, and Abby would cover her ears and Hayden would cling on to me. It was actually quite cute! They heard the first blast of the whistle as the train pulled into the depot, and I thought Hayden was going to climb up my leg! After we boarded the train and the train pulled out of the station, we spent a lot of time standing up in the train car, looking at the passing scenery and waving to the few people that we saw along the way.


We stopped at Whitaker Station for a quick lunch and to let the kids stretch their legs a little bit. They were having so much fun on the train ride that it was hard to get them to eat much of their lunches. After getting back on the train and continuing heading up to Bald Knob, Hayden decided that it was nap time and fell asleep in my arms. He was so tired that the train whistle didn't even make him flinch in his sleep! Abby really enjoyed being held by Ben so that she could see the scenery. She's taken an interest in birds recently and tried to spot some birds along the way. She really enjoyed seeing all of the different fall colors that were starting to appear.

Abby and Hayden when the train whistle blew.

Once we arrived at Bald Knob, we went to the lookout point and were all amazed by the breath-taking view! To stand there and take in the majestic view of the mountains and valley below, I couldn't help but be amazed by the beauty of God's craftmanship. This wasn't my first trip to Bald Knob on the train, but I appreciated the beauty of the surroundings so much more this time. As a child, it was easy to get caught up in the fun of the train ride; now that I'm grown, it was nice to spend the time away from cell phones, computers, televisions and other distractions and just enjoy uninterrupted family time with my husband and our two kids. Of course, I loved the train ride; I've always enjoyed going to Cass! But it was even more special this time because it was their first time to go, and we got to experience the beauty of God's creation together.

One of many views from Bald Knob.

As far as I'm concerned, my 34th birthday has been the best one to date! I couldn't have asked for a better gift than time spent with my family.

VACATION!!!

I think that the lesson for our family during the last six months has been thankfulness and realizing that it is so much more than just words--it's an attitude of the heart.

When Ben and I married almost 10 years ago (May 29, 1999), we said that we would take a cruise for our 10th anniversary. Obviously, we had no children at the time, so we couldn't truly picture what life would look like 10 years down the road. So here we are, 2 kids, a dog, and almost 10 years later, and we have taken our trip. It was wonderful! As I stated in the last post, we took a Disney Cruise; with kids, this is absolutely the best way to go! We are both so thankful for the gifts we've been given in Abby and Hayden and really couldn't picture taking a vacation without them, so we chose to go on a 4-night Disney Cruise to the Bahamas.

First of all, we drove from our home in Virginia to Cocoa Beach, FL, in two days. I think we hit all of the welcome centers in the states we drove through, and we have pictures from each one. They were welcome breaks to stretch little and big legs alike, chase bubbles, play with sticks and leaves, pick flowers, climb trees, and even take care of some necessary business. We always stayed at each one longer than we had originally planned... but do you want to know something? There was a lot less grumpiness and there were fewer melt-downs because we did. And I must tell you that it felt absolutely liberating to be free from the constraints of time! For once, we weren't in a rush!

On Sunday, April 26, we drove the short distance from our hotel in Cocoa Beach to Port Canaveral and were truly awed by the sight of the cruise ships in the port. They are huge! I've watched the shows on the Travel Channel that talk about cruise vacations, but until you actually see a cruise ship with your own eyes, it's nearly impossible to grasp just how big a cruise ship really is. Immediately, we found our cruise ship--the Disney Wonder. It was pretty easy to spot... the red stacks with the Mickey Mouse ears on the sides of the stacks really helped. :) Ben dropped the kids and me off at the terminal, we unloaded the luggage, grabbed our carry-ons, and he went to park the van. So off I go, into the Disney Cruise Line terminal with a 4-year-old girl, a 1-year-old boy, and two pieces of carry-on luggage on my shoulders. Once we got through the security checkpoint, I saw that this was not an uncommon sight! The kids even got to stand in line to see Minnie Mouse while we were waiting for Ben to meet up with us. When we were finally all together again, we quickly got our Key to the World cards--one for each person, which unlocks your stateroom door and gives you access on and off the ship at ports of call--and got Abby signed up for children's activities. She had a blast in the Oceaneer's Club!

Once aboard the ship, we were treated like special guests. Your family's name is announced as you enter the ship, and applause is heard all around. We were taken to a restaurant called Beach Blanket Buffet for lunch, and someone was there to help us carry our trays and find a seat as soon as we got through the buffet line. So helpful! After lunch, we deposited our carry-on luggage in our stateroom then went up to Deck 9 for a party. There were characters there dancing and singing and everyone was having such fun... and we were still in the port! When it was time to set sail, we went to the railing on Deck 10 and waved goodbye to the onlookers on land. Hayden loved seeing the water; Abby loved seeing the characters; and Ben and I were amazed that this little dream vacation of ours was finally a reality.

The Bahamas were really fun; we were in port in Nassau for the second day of the trip and went to the Ardastra Gardens and Zoo. The kids thought it was fun to see the flamingo show there; Abby has declared that flamingos are now her favorite animal (I think it's because they're pink) and Hayden still says, "Clap for birdies!" We got to ride a bus in Nassau, and both kids fell in love with busses on the spot. I wonder if it's because they didn't have to sit in their car seats??

The third day was spent at Disney's private Bahamian island, Castaway Cay. Beautiful doesn't even begin to describe this island! I have never seen water so clear or so blue, or sand this white, or such an abundance of perfect seashells. While we were swimming at the family beach, we actually saw a few fish swim past, and you could see all the way to the bottom, no matter how deep the water was. There is even a pirate ship at Castaway Cay... how cool is that? (It's the one from "Pirates of the Caribbean.")

The kids loved spending time on the beach and in the water. Abby found out that it was super fun to get really wet, then roll around on the beach, stand up and triumphantly declare, "I'm dirty!" and then run back into the water and start the process all over again. She was so much fun to watch! While she was doing this, Ben and I were taking turns holding a sleeping Hayden. When it is time for his afternoon nap, nothing else matters! Bless his heart, he tried to stay awake. He even went to sleep holding his own special treasures: two small seashells that he picked up out of the water. Nothing could pry those treasures from his little fist!

As I said at the beginning of this post, the last six months have been a lesson in thankfulness. I am so thankful for my family. God has blessed me with a husband who is a hard and diligent worker, a man who is a fair boss at work and a fun and loving husband and daddy at home; He has blessed us both with two wonderful children. What gifts they are! Abby brings laughter and silliness to any and every situation. Hayden is still young enough and small enough to want and need that loving, cuddling touch from us. I have said from the time he and I came home from the hospital that he is my "slow down and take it easy" baby, and it still holds true. Both kids have precious smiles and beautiful laughter, and we got to see and hear so much of that while on vacation! I am so thankful for the 10 days that we got to spend together. The kids seem to play together better; Abby is a little bit more patient with her brother; we are both more patient with the kids; Hayden seems to be talking a lot more than before we went on vacation; and both Ben and I really appreciate the small things even more. Sure, we were treated like guests of honor while on the cruise, but even at home we have heard a lot more "please" and "thank you" going around the house.

This vacation certainly ranks at the top of our family vacations so far, and we are in no way on a quest to top it any time soon. Maybe next year we'll go camping, and that could very well blow this vacation away. We got to spend uninterrupted time together as a family. We were able to slow down and just enjoy being together... something that we need to do a better job of in our everday family life. But more than that, I am so thankful that God provided for us to take this vacation and that we were able to take in the beauty of His creation in another part of the world. Only God could create water so blue and so clear; only God could create the sun that shines so brightly; only God could create the magnificent flowers and plants that we were able to see during our vacation; and only God could create in us hearts that are eternally thankful and in awe of Him and His creation.

Yes, I loved vacation and would love to take another cruise sometime. I loved watching the kids interact with the different Disney characters. I loved getting away from the everday-ness of life and having the opportunity to reflect on the wonderfulness of my Lord. Who else could create an ocean that vast, or skies so blue?

Above all of that, I am thankful for today. Remember, today is a gift!

Don't wait for vacation to show your family how much you value and appreciate them. Don't wait for a holiday or a birthday to tell someone how much you love them. Walk in thankfulness today... Vacation is a drop in the bucket when compared to the rest of the days of the year. Enjoy today! Laugh today! Make today memorable! Every day can hold the specialness of vacation when you have the right heart attitude. Be thankful!

Choices

This blog post is coming to you from beautiful Savannah, GA! We just took our family vacation and are on our way back home. We drove from our home in VA to Port Canaveral, FL, to embark on our first ever Disney vacation: a Disney cruise! I will blog more about our vacation once we arrive home and I can upload photos.

First, if you have always want to take a Disney vacation but you think your kids are too young for the park, definitely opt for the Disney cruise. Hayden, who probably would not have enjoyed rides at this age, absolutely loved getting to see Mickey Mouse! Mickey Mouse was the whole point of the vacation for him. Abby loved getting to see the other characters and getting their autographs.

During our vacation, we have had both fun times and what my husband has termed the typical "Doyle" vacation. Everything started out smoothly but we have had some major bumps along the way.

Two days into the cruise, Hayden threw up after eating lunch. I didn't get too concerned about it because kids throw up all the time. The next day, however, while at Castaway Cay, he had his first episode of diarrhea. Let's put it this way: we hadn't made it to the family beach yet and had to stop at a little shop on the island to purchase a new pair of swimming trunks for him. This wasn't too alarming for me, but I started to really pay close attention to his actions and mood after this. Could he have a tummy bug, or is he just getting a new tooth that I haven't noticed? The answer became quite clear when we returned to our stateroom and he had another nasty diaper. So, off we went to the ship's doctor. I told him what Hayden's symptoms were and that I thought he just had a tummy bug and needed some Pedialyte or Powerade and a bland diet. The doctor agreed with me and sent us on our way with some Pedialyte popsicles and orders for Hayden to be isolated in our stateroom for the next 48 hours. What?! That was the remainder of the cruise!

I told Ben this and he and Abby chose not to go to the restaurant for dinner that night but instead ate in the stateroom with Hayden and me. Guest Services on the ship sent a DVD player to our room and a list of DVDs that we could choose from so that we could help keep the little guy entertained. Any laundry soiled due to Hayden's upset tummy would be cleaned free of charge by the laundry services. All non-alcoholic drinks ordered through Room Service would be free of charge; in fact, even the snacks we ordered through Room Service that we should have paid for ended up being free of charge! And their housekeeping/Room Host staff even came twice to put clean linens on our bed during the night.

Now, here's the choice: be completely bummed that the rest of the cruise was "ruined" or continue to be thankful for the little--and not so little--things and find ways to still make it special. I must admit that I had a few moments of being bummed. All Hayden wanted to do was see Mickey Mouse, and I thought that he might not get to do that. We were finally able to take him to see the Mouse, and he has not stopped talking about it yet! It was fun, though, to be able to take Abby by myself to see "Hannah Montana: The Movie" on the ship, even though we had already seen it in the theater. We even stole away for a couple of pieces of pizza afterward!

Fast forward to yesterday when we arrived in Savannah. The toilet in our hotel room got clogged, the air conditioner stopped working, and then Hayden threw up in the middle of the floor. I'm sure the maintenance man is ready to see us go! Ben and I really took all of this in stride. The icing on the cake, however, was last night when I had asked Ben to run to the store to pick something up for me. We parked in the hotel's parking garage, and while backing the van out of the parking spot, Ben completely wiped the driver's side mirror off when he side-swiped a support pillar in the garage. Here is where we both failed the choices test. I am sorry to say that we both got angry about this. I think that it was just too much to take in, you know? We had both hit our breaking points with things that had gone "wrong" when this happened.

After sleeping last night, however, we have both seen all of this for what it is: a humorous vacation! The choice is to laugh about it or cry about it, and we have chosen to laugh. I am very thankful that my husband did not get injured when he had the accident with the van; I am also thankful that we have now had more opportunity to walk around the historic district of Savannah and have even had chances to ride the bus here. The kids think it is great fun to ride the bus! I am thankful that Hayden is getting over this tummy bug. And I am thankful for all of the time that we have had to spend together as a family during this past week. The kids have loved seeing their daddy all day, every day.

The lesson here is that every situation has a choice to be made; how you react reflects your level of thankfulness at that moment. And just about every "bad" situation looks funny the next day.

Make the most of your day today! Glorify God with all of your choices, and always express your thankfull to Him. And don't forget to ask yourself the question that the Laughing Cow commercials ask: "Have you laughed today?"

Challenge Update

Okay, so I missed the one week mark with this post... please forgive me!

The kids really, really enjoy having devotional time in the mornings. They don't know it's devotional time--really, how would you explain such a big word to young children? All they know is that Mommy reads to them from her Bible, and they really like to learn from it. Hayden has even gotten to the point where he will ask, "Mommy... Bible?" Just this past week, Abby asked a question at breakfast about why Jesus had to die on the cross. So, taking from everything I learned at ORU while obtaining my undergrad theology degree and the Bible college course I am currently teaching at church, I started to tell her about how people used to receive forgiveness for sin, explained sin, and really tried to give a simple-but-not-confusing answer for my ever-curious 4-year-old daughter. Hayden, understanding that we were talking about Jesus, sat in his high chair and kept saying, "Bible! Bible!" So, after telling him that I was talking about Jesus and telling them things from the Bible and that not really working for him, I opened my Bible and continued to talk. It worked! But then I read to them the account of the crucifixion in Luke 23 and tried to break it down into simpler terms that they both could understand.

The point here is that Abby now has a better understanding of why Jesus had to die on the cross. (She even asked why He didn't just take Himself off of the cross! Wow!) These things also won't be foreign to Hayden because he will grow up being taught straight from the Bible, just like his big sister.

So how did the challenge affect me? It has been nice to have time each day with the television off in order to read the Bible for myself and gain more understanding. Prayer time has increased because of fewer outside distractions. But here is what I hope to gain from this challenge--and what I hope others will gain from the challenge as well: a renewed relationship with the Father. Oh, I'm not saying that I was horribly backslidden or anything like that, but I also know that every Christian's relationship with the Father can be improved upon, mine included. My desire is that when the kids are old enough to read the Bible for themselves, they will do so because they have seen Mommy do it, not because it is something Mommy tells them to do and then doesn't do herself. Even more than that, though, I want my children to know that they can have a personal relationship with the Lord and that He can speak directly to them. I don't want them to just go through the motions, nor do I want to just go through the motions. I want my family to have a genuine relationship with the Lord; I want them to give their all in service to the Lord, in their personal devotional times, in their personal prayer times.

Matthew West has a song entitled "The Motions" that has recently become a favorite in our house. Take a moment and watch the YouTube video linked here and let it challenge you. Ask yourself a few questions: Do I just go through the motions of Christianity, or do still I burn with passion for my Lord and Savior? Do my children know that I have a relationship with the Lord? Do I teach them daily, or do I just tell them to "do as I say, not as I do"? Even if you're not a parent, what does your life say to those who are around you daily, your own circle of influence? These are the things that have challenged me lately; I hope that they will challenge you, as well.

As we enter the week before Easter, take time to remember what Our Lord did for you. Share that with your family and friends. And if you haven't taken the challenge yet, it's not too late! Unplug and let God transform your life and the life of your family. I guarantee you won't regret it!

What will God do with you in 2009?

I've got to admit that I've never been a New Year's resolution kind of person. Never. But this year, I'm taking a little different approach.

In my last post, I mentioned goals. Yes, I do have a few goals for this year. My first goal is to run a race. I have never in my life participated in a race, but that is something that I want to do this year. I actually have a particular race in mind, and as the time for that race approaches I'll give more information about it. Believe it or not, this crazy idea that I--Megan--can run a race came up before Christmas. I go to the gym in the early mornings, before everyone else in our home gets up for the day, and have used that time--especially the travel time to and from the gym--for prayer and fellowship with God. It's the quietest part of my day, the time of day when there is no one else and nothing else to distract me, so I use this time for fellowship with my Father. It was during one of those early morning prayer times that the idea of a race came up. During prayer, the particular race was given to me...when I looked it up on the Internet, I was surprised to find that it is a longer race than I anticipated! Boy, is there ever some work ahead! I don't think I ever ran an entire Field Test at ORU... and this is twice the distance!

Another personal goal is to become more organized in different areas of my life. So, my first step in organization may seem really basic to a lot of others, but it is essential: I need to make a schedule of things to do each day of the week. I'm not talking about preschool field trips and doctor's appointments and hair cuts. I'm talking about household chores. Oh, they get done now, but with a lot of disorganization and stress. I'll get started with the dishes and the dryer will stop, so I'll take the clothes out of the dryer and put another load in to dry, take the dry clothes into the living room to fold them, see that there are toys that need to be picked up and put away, and then remember that the upstairs bathroom garbage needs to be emptied.... when I finally make it back to the kitchen, I see a sink full of lukewarm, soapy water and dirty dishes on the counter and wonder how I ever got that far off track. So, the daily "to do" list is being formed--a realistic list of things that can be done on a given day, not a supermom list of cleaning, laundry, and a gourmet, five-course meal for dinner.

The Lord has really been speaking to me during the last several months about getting the stress out of my life. I want my children to remember their growing up years as a fun time, not a stressful time. We do have a lot of fun--even more so now that some stress has already been eliminated--but there are still the moments of self-induced stress that really could be avoided if there were more organization.

My husband and I have prayed about our children's education and really believe that we are to embark on the grand adventure of home schooling. So, I have spent some time during the last several months exploring options and learning about the laws surrounding home schooling in our state. There is so much more to learn! Our sweet Abby will be five on her birthday in a few months, so Kindergarten is right around the corner. So, I guess you could say that one of our family "goals" is to start the home schooling process. We are excited to take this next step with her!

I don't have goals, per se, set in stone for 2009. But I do seek God daily for His agenda for my day. Some days--like today--it's as simple as sitting at the kitchen table and playing several hands of "Go Fish" with Abby or letting Hayden "help" while I sweep the kitchen floor. Other days, the agenda is to make a phone call or write a note to someone.

What will God do with you in 2009? Have you dared to ask Him?

Before you step away from your computer, I want to invite you to read a college friend's blog on this very thing. Take a look at Glenn's blog post entitled "Why Resolutions Miss the Mark." Let what Glenn shares challenge your thinking. And then take this challenge: Step into your prayer closet and ask God what He wants for you in 2009. Too much for you to start with? Then ask Him what He has on the agenda for you today. Then do your part and follow through with His plan for your day, your week, your month, your year. At the end of 2009, you will be able to look back and see all that God has done with you, in you, and through you because you dared to ask Him what He had planned for you. When we stop putting our own goals and desires first and move God to that number one spot, we will find out that life will be much richer and much more fulfilling than we ever dreamed it could be.

You act just like your Father!!

How many times did you hear that phrase when you were a kid? And how often was it used in a negative way?

Isn't it funny how when you become a parent, you can see the good--and sometimes not-so-good--traits of both you and your spouse in your children? One of the biggest character traits that Ben has passed to our children is his silliness. Anyone who knows Ben casually probably doesn't know just how goofy he can be. He's quite the crack-up! As I have watched our children--especially Abby, mostly because she's older--I have seen how they have picked up on his silliness. I can't begin to count the times I have told Abby, "Oh, you act just like your daddy!" when she has done something totally off-the-wall. Often, I'll catch her pulling silly faces in the mirror while she's washing her hands or when she's supposed to be brushing her teeth! And even Hayden is getting into the funny faces act; he has started making funny faces at himself and laughing at them!

I started thinking about that this morning. How much do I act like my Father--my Heavenly Father? Let's take a look at some of His attributes for a moment and see how they apply to everyday life.

1. God is loving. Throughout both the Old and New Testaments we see God's love for humanity expressed in so many ways. He made covenants with His people (Gen. 9:8-17; Gen. 15); He provided for their every need, even when they complained (Ex. 16-17:7); He gave His people rules for living (Ex. 20:1-17); and He even gave them what they whined for and thought they wanted when they kept asking for a king, even though He knew a king would be bad for them. (The time of the kings began in I Sam. 8.)

2. God is giving. There is no greater example of God's giving nature than what we see in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave..." He gave us His very best!

3. God is forgiving. Example after example of God's forgiving nature is seen throughout the Bible. Do a quick search in a concordance or on a Web site like Bible Gateway and you will see the different verses on God's forgiveness.

Here are a few examples of how these apply to everyday living:

Love: Am I unconditional with my love for others? Do I freely give my love to others, thereby showing them God's love for them? How many times a day do I tell my children and my husband that I love them? How do I show them my love for them? Do I let my friends know that I love them, too?

Giving: How freely do I give of what I have? Do I give to those in need? Do I give the Lord what is rightfully His--my tithe--on a regular basis? Do I give above the tithe? Do I give my best, or do I give what I think I can get by with giving? Do I give cheerfully? Do I give to my children freely, or do I tell them "No" too often?

Forgiving: How easily do I forgive? Do I hold a grudge against others, or do I let it go? If my children do something wrong, am I quick to forgive them or do I hold it over them for a while? Do I forgive my husband easily, or do I make him pay penance of some sort? Am I as quick to forgive my family as I am to forgive others?

As a parent, it is my job to model God to my children. Sometimes, this parent needs a gentle reminder of that very thing. Nothing above is meant to be hard or condemning. Quite the contrary! Everything above is intended to be encouraging and maybe shine some light on an area that might need a little more attention.

Just as my children sometimes act like their daddy, I want to act more like my Heavenly Father.

I hope you acted like your Father today!

A thankful little heart

For quite a while now, we've been asking each other--usually at bedtime now--what three things we are thankful for. Abby loves to do this, so she is usually the first person to ask either Ben or me, then she takes her turn, and then the other one takes a turn. She always asks us what Hayden is thankful for, and Ben usually comes up with three things that Hayden could be thankful for.

Well, last night, I decided to ask our 18-month-old what he was thankful for. It went something like this:

"Hayden, can you tell Mommy something you are thankful for?"
"Ummmm.... Chee-os!" (Cheerios, for those who aren't proficient in toddler.)
"Is there something else you are thankful for?"
"Ummmm.... keys!"
"Is there one more thing you are thankful for, buddy?"
"Ummmm.... binky!" And at that moment, he popped the beloved binky in his mouth. :)

Who said a toddler couldn't be thankful?