We love watching your family!!

WOW! What a great compliment!!! A mom in her minivan yelled out to me that they love watching us go by! (apparently they've seen us many times!)

It's become a habit for me to take the kids out almost every day or every OTHER day - depending on the weather and what we have on our schedule. We enjoy getting out and being active... ok... let me rephrase this...

I am fat.

I need to lose weight.

I am a mean mother making my marvelous magnificent children come along with me. I do not have a husband to stay home with the children so I can go out and exercise. I have 3 children. What do I do? I bribe them.

"Hey guys!! Wanna go ride our bikes to a park?"

"YEAH!!!!"

Great!! They are excited and ready to go!!! :) We get our gear together and ready to go in about 10 minutes... I am on my roller blades and I push Elijah in the jogging stroller complete with a suspension system that I picked up at a yard sale last year for only $35. It's such a sweet stroller and I'm so thankful that I got it. I almost didn't because I thought I was going to be impulsive.

We ride 4 miles to a park that is near Pollen Farms. I told the kids that if we ride 1.5 miles farther, we will end up at another park. It is their choice. They always choose to go to the other park.

So... that makes 11 miles!! :)

Today, we went swimming at my mom's condo for about 2 hours... then we biked/bladed to the miniature golf course... I got the kids ice cream... and a bottle of water for me. :) Go mom!!

So... since the beginning of May... I have lost 19lbs!!!

GO ME! I am driven! I have a vision!! I look and see slender ladies and I tell myself... that will be ME!!

God.

It is amazing to have such a great God.

I was really upset because my plug for my implant to plug into the walkman broke!!! BROKE!!! I could not listen to my worship CDs as I roller blade!! I was so bummed. I couldn't believe that happened!!

I whined to God... and He didn't give me cheese.

HOWEVER, He taught me about His creation. I enjoyed hearing the sounds of the birds as they conversed with each other... seeing the squirrel... the smell of freshly cut grass...

... watching out for uneven sidewalks so I don't land flat on my face again ...

falling in love with my Creator...

singing Amazing Love...

{sigh}

Life is good.

Elijah's Memorial Day

Elijah definitely knows how to have a memorial day!! :)


Yep. That's him in the ambulance.

One sunny day, I decided that it was a beautiful day for biking. However, the weather man decided to ruin it by informing me of potential thunderstorms coming... (and it never came)... so I decided to play it safe and since I was in the area... I would take the kids to the Greene where they can frolic in the fountain like calves let from the stall... (their apartment) so my three children ran in and out of the fountain gleefully.

However, Elijah decided that he wanted a goody bag that Nathan and Ellie got. The Greene offers complimentary towel service for children that were playing in the fountain. Along with the towel, the kids got goody bags, except Elijah.

I, stupidly wrapped the towel around Elijah, and sent him on his way with Nathan to get his bag. Within a few minutes... I heard a piercing scream... and felt bad for the parent of that child... not knowing that child... was MY child...

Elijah came back to me... with a huge huge huge HUGE bump on his head.

the security people came... and they called Medics... I thought they meant the first aid people... not the MEDICS... as in EMS... AMBULANCE...

a siren... LOUD... LOUDER... in my embarrassment... it was coming for us!! to rescue us!!

All the gorgeous men jumped out with their biceps toting their equipment. For the record, there was a lady in training, (she's in the pic with Elijah)...

they strongly advised me to take him to the ER because it was a head injury and such a small child. Elijah wasn't responding or answering any questions. He was staring off into space... in a daze...

We were in and out quickly. I was given specifics to look for... phew... he's back to himself.

This morning, when he woke up... he told me... "I no go shool." :)

THIS annoys ME!

When I am out and about... people stare at my ears.

So... I have two things hanging off my ears... one is not THAT noticeable... the newer one... IS VERY noticeable... but can people just get a "duh" moment and realize that it's just something to do with hearing?? What's the point of looking at me...??? What are they going to gain from that??? UGH.

ANOTHER thing... DON'T SIGN TO ME. PERIOD.

I was at Kroger's... checking out... and they ran up my raspberries for $4.99 instead of 2 for $5. So... I asked them to correct that... well she showed off her sign of 'O' and 'K'... should I clap for her?? I mean, I don't care that you know your ABC's in sign language...

I definitely don't go up to Hispanics and start rattling off in Spanish to them because I noticed their color or mannerism.

Books... Confirmation... Bible... Notepad...

Don't you love it when your heart is bursting forth with scriptures and it edifies you?? It's amazing how we read the Bible... and it becomes apart of you! I have spent almost 2 years in a Bible college... I could have graduated... if ONLY... I stayed there and finished the last 2 quarters... I had such a burning desire to get out... and to tend to my little brother... he needed a way to get back to NC... so I left Bible school... and took him... and got back involved with my ex. Stupid mistake... I know... so don't remind me...

Anyways... what's amazing is that I am able to remember so many verses in my times of distress. God is incredible - He is so wonderful to me. No, I don't like going through this time in my life... but I do enjoy drawing closer to Him... because I know that He will never let me go. He will never reject me.

Because I've had different snippets of scripture on my heart... I just didn't know where they were found in the Bible... I knew one was from JOB... but where were the others??

So... I looked at my bookshelf... and was drawn to this one book... "IN HIS FACE" by Bob Sorge. I had an extra copy but I mailed it to my whimsy jar buddy. I am hoping that the book will bless her as well.

Job 1:21 "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."

Proverbs 18:10 "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe."

Hosea 7:14 "They did not cry out to Me with hteir heart when they wailed on their beds."

I thought that verse was interesting... He was offended... if we don't coming crying to Him. Did you know that through all of Job's wrestlings, questions, anger, self-pity, and indignation -

JOB KEPT HIS FACE TOWARD GOD. That's what I want to do...

Psalm 84:5-6 "Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pigrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a spring; the rain also overs it with pools."

I am definitely going through the Valley of Baca!! It is a desert valley and 'Baca' means "weeping" --> that is me!!

Psalm 84:7 "They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion."

This is my favorite Psalm - I had it quoted in my yearbook from Bible college, (I think I did! :)

Psalm 27:4 "One thing I have desired of the Lord, that I will seek; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple."

Isaiah 40:31 "But those that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength"

Isaiah 30:18 "Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; and therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all those who wait for Him."

Isaiah 49:23 "For they shall not be ashamed who wait for Me."

Isaiah 41:9-10 "You are my servant, I have chosen you and have not cast you away: Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Isn't that verse awesome?!

I feel so much better now... because I know that if my God is for me... WHO can stand against me?? He is so much stronger than I am... I'd be a stupid fool if I tried to do this on my own.

I love my kids!

I am blessed! Even though everything around me is falling apart... I have Jesus. I have my 3 beautiful kids! I am one heck of a blessed woman that is clinging to my precious Savior, Lover of my soul. He is so wonderful to me. No words could express my love for my Jesus. Though all the things around me... yikes... is crumbling down... I will rise up and say that I will bless the name of the Lord!! Every blessing He pours out... oh how I will turn that back to praise!

My eyes are lifted up to Him and seeing Him so highly exalted - whom shall I fear? He is my provider! He will carry me through this. Ironically, I told David, that I know that God will carry us through this, not knowing that it meant the separation, the ending of an engagement. But God is literally carrying me through this.

I think I have the best kids! No offense.

Sure... they drive me crazy...

I love how Elijah jumps into my arms when he comes home from school and he loves to snuggle with me... cheek to cheek. My heart explodes into all these little fuzz balls circulating my system with the blood.

We wrestled on the floor and laughed. I love the sound of his laughter. What if I never got that cochlear implant?

I love how Nathan is so tender for the Lord. He wrote an awesome "story" on powerpoint. He didn't want to do spelling... he rather write!! (SOMETHING I NEVER THOUGHT I'D HEAR COME OUT OF HIS MOUTH!!!)

It was awesome! I'll have to post it here if I can learn how to.

Ellie is such an artist. She really loves drawing and writes me these little notes about her love for me. :)

So... I have three kids speaking to me out of three love languages...

1. touch
2. acts of service
3. words of affirmation

I got awesome kids!

Bike Ride Reflections

In my previous blog, I mentioned the exhaustion of the 12 mile bike ride with the kids. It felt great and I was very proud of my kids for being able to do that!!

Elijah rides behind me and it was funny... on the way back he was getting bored... so he kept lifting my shirt to blow raspberries! I was afraid we were going to fall because it tickles! He would giggle and laugh in such a boyish mischievous laugh. :)

The kids love riding to a park and playing for awhile and riding back home... or to the van... and when we get home... they are exhausted!! They go to bed easily without a fight! :) Nathan no longer sneaks Sonlight books into his room to read by the 3 watt night light.

I have changed who I am as a mother.

I am no longer the mean mother anymore.

I am investing much more time into my kids and being active with them. I have them involved in chores and we do them together as a team. We eat together (as usual) but it is more meaningful as we are coming together to do things.

We go out and do free entertainment... riding bikes... to a park... free.

We have our evening tea - and talk about our day. I would read to them a story or from the Bible... and then we'll pray together.

After all that... I send them off to bed at 7:30... and they can read... pray... think... whatever they want... on their beds... until 8:30. This solves the problem of Nathan staying up late to read... and then he becomes such a grumpy crab in the next day.

I love life as a mother.

The best job you could ever ask for.