The Bright Spots

It seems as though life is like a grain harvest. Now, at the risk of sounding a little Forrest Gump here, I realize that this sounds like a typical parent lecture that drones on and on along a winding path ending abruptly with some important life lesson which probably was better explained in one short sentence, but hang with me here.

I digress....a grain harvest. It takes a lot of work to bring in all of the events, or grain, in ones life. Sometimes it is poor weather, other times you are forced to bring in the hay early due to external conditions. And the grain is not even usable when first cut. You then have to process it, take the useful parts from the trash, and store it for when it is needed. Then, you get to decide if it is more valuable when used for your own purposes or when it is sold to others for a profit.

It seems lately that there has been a great need to glean out the good, toss aside the bad, focus on the bright spots, learn and cherish what I gain the most from, and pass along some of the rest to others around me (oh the joy that it would be to have all the time in the world to write a book that would gain us money and pass along ideas to others....maybe that is a retirement job). I feel like there is a harvesting season in my near future. Those are exciting because of what you glean, it is just hard to look forward to all the work. I keep reminding myself to focus on the bright spots, enjoy the process, and wait for the payoff.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ~Philippians 4:8

I Wish I Was a Little Bit Taller....

He is so much his father's son. So here is a tribute to Father's Day.

Mom, I'm Sorry for Hiding Things Around the House...

I now realize how much our little scavenger hunts cost. Between Megan hiding Flinstone vitamins everywhere (and I mean everywhere....I am sure someone now owns a used piece of furniture or two that have molding Freds all stuck in it. Did she ever manage to get one down?) to us making a "secret stash" of Hershey's kisses at Grandma's house and everything in between, I now understand how messy these games tend to be.

Jonathan decided somewhere along the course of the weekend to take up the tradition. I discovered this on a day that I had just enought time to get ready and bake a loaf of banana bread before I added two more kids to my madness for the morning. Jonathan has become facinated with the stove. So, instead of putting one of his picnic-style plastic plates where it actually goes, he opted to stash it away in the oven. How unfortunate it is that I didn't check the oven BEFORE I preheated it for the bread.

It seems that the plates are microwave and dishwasher safe, but not "preheat to 350 degrees" safe. When I opened the oven to put in the loaf of bread (you know, so I could have the rare chance to eat a warm breakfast), there greeted me a puddle of now puke-green plastic decorated with strings of plate remnants dangling from both grill shelves. We immediately turned off the oven, but it was too late. Nathan managed to scrape the plastic from the bottom of the oven and clean a grill off (cutting the cooled plastic was a HUGE job). Needless to say, it took most of the day to recover from the hide-and-go-seek game.

I am so sorry that we hid things everywhere. I have learned my lesson. And, in the future, I promise to always check the oven before I turn it on.

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. ~Matthew 7:7-8

Who Are the People in Your Neighborhood?

Has your day ever felt like a rerun episode of Sesame Street? All morning we ran through things like, "Open....close.....open......close." I just heard Grover in the back of my head. "One of these things is not like the other..." I know that you are running all of the songs in the back of your head, too. I had to finally turn on some grown-up music when I pulled out the, "one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten...(in a whisper) eleven, twelve!"

Oh, Mom. I am so sorry that you had to endure countless hours of things like the "Follow that Bird" soundtrack, Sesame Street, the Little Thinker, and books on tape that did that awful xylophone thing to signal a page turn. How did you not pull your hair out?

Yet, in the midst of the mundane, it is so fun watching my two little ones discover their little worlds. Even when that includes Going on a Bear Hunt for the twentieth time and a countless round of "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes!" it is worth it to watch them learn.

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. ~I Thessalonians 5:16-18

Hesitation

I am almost hesitant to put up a post, because I am so pleased that the pictures finally got posted. I don't want them to move down on the page.

Quick Update...Naomi started crawling yesterday. She didn't really realize what she'd done. Then she got frustrated that she couldn't do it again. She then wanted to inch around on her head with her feet flat on the floor. Today, she's wanted to learn how to walk all day. What happened to my peaceful little baby?

The garden is in sad shape. I hope that we can revive some of it. Between the snow, cool weather, and hail-ridden thunderstorms, it has endured a lot.

That's about all the news. I need to shove off and take advantage of nap time.

As soon as I pray, you answer me; you encourage me by giving me strength. Psalm 138:3 NLT

Honoring Heros & Conquering Fears

I am about to post some new pictures, but I had a great story to pass along in the meantime....

Nathan and I were sitting with the kids in Burger King earlier this afternoon. It was a pretty regular trip for us into town and the natives were restless for lunch. After an agonizing few minutes of ordering our food from the finest a low unemployment economy has to offer, we finally sat down to our food. Halfway through our meal, a strange occurrence for Parker, CO happened-- two Army soldiers walked into the establishment in desert fatigues.

The man and woman stuck out against the crowd and drew many stares from the patrons. They ended up sitting in the booth right behind me (obviously as frazzled as I was from trying to get our order right with the girl behind the counter). My children seemed unfazed, not knowing the gravity of the lifestyle these two lead. However, there was a couple of families coming out of the play place. A woman held the hand of her two daughters, and one of them slowed her pace as they asked the pair in amazement, "Are you SOLDIERS?" The man politely answered, "Why, yes we are." The girl's eyes filled with awe as a smile crossed her face.

Her mother quickly added a quiet, "thank you" to the soldiers as she hurried her kids off to the car. But the whole scene was so beautiful. It reminded me that my own generation has not forgotten the importance of honoring those who serve their country. I was so humbled at the picture, but I was so filled with pride that these soldiers were honored in such a small and meaningful way.

Jonathan finished with his chicken nuggets and ambled onto the playground. This is always a discouraging time, because the inner workings of the confusing slides always cause great anxiety for him. But today, he decided, was different. For the first time he dared to take a step of faith and battle his fear head-on. He climbed up into the fort and ran his little heart off in delight. He not only tackled a big mountain, but he also remembered to take his time enjoying the reward. I was well-pleased with his small step out into the abyss we call independence.

What a day to celebrate the little things that happen along the way!

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." Ephesians 6:12-13