So Long, Christmas

I can’t believe its done!  So much time and energy getting ready for the big day and then its over, just like that!
We did have a great Christmas this year, but I still felt rushed at times to buy, wrap, or just stay organized.  Part of me wants to take the family somewhere in the mountains over the holidays and just hang out together.  Get away from all the commercialism and busyness. 
Anyway, here are some pics from the Kicks family Christmas;

PJ night sponsored by Aunty Mandy

Hannah with her animals

Hot Wheels, of course!

CARS mania (sleeping bag)

And last, but not least, our biscuit tradition on Christmas morning

Merry Christmas

My friend Rusty introduced me to this song and I can’t get it out of my mind.
Click on the title to listen to it: (scroll down to "Behold the Lamb of God" # 

Labor of Love

It was not a silent night
there was blood on the ground
you could hear a woman cry
in the alleyways that night
on the streets of David’s town

And the stable was not clean
and the cobblestones were cold
and little Mary full of grace
with the tears upon her face
Had no mother’s hand to hold

It was a labor of pain
it was a cold sky above
But for the girl on the ground in the dark
with every beat of her beautiful heart
it was a labor of love

Noble Joseph at her side
Callused hands and weary eyes
there were no midwives to be found
In the streets of David’s town
in the middle of the night

so he held her and he prayed
Shafts of moonlight on his face
But the baby in her womb
He was the maker of the moon
He was the Author of the faith
That could make the mountains move

It was a labor of pain
it was a cold sky above
But for the girl on the ground in the dark
with every beat of her beautiful heart
it was a labor of love
for little Mary full of grace
with the tears upon her face
it was a labor of love

A Montage

I have so much to catch up on that this poor entry will have to be the catch-all…so lets see where I shall begin….

At the beginning of November David and I went on a mini-vacation to Chicago.  Mutual friends of ours were getting married and we had not been back to Moody or Chicago since graduation so we thought this a good excuse for a fun, quick visit.

Chicago is still as beautiful as ever!   We walked the streets, ate at some of our favorite places and reminisced like crazy.  We were able to visit Moody, see some dear friends and laugh at how old we felt watching the youngsters walk around campus.  It was a great trip and one I would love to take yearly!

One of our favorite places for popcorn-Garretts!

On To Other News…

My big girl just got glasses-isn’t she a cutie!?

And here’s crazy Jonah racing around the house

Thanksgiving

Here’s Hannah with her Pilgrim hat at her school’s Thanksgiving Assembly;

 

Every year for Thanksgiving we spend the week in St Louis with David’s family.  We had a great time and of course took a day to visit the zoo!

fa la la la laaa, la, la, la!

This year we didn’t seem as rushed to get the decor and tree up for Christmas and yet I still don’t have that "perfect " picture of the kids for the cards that should have gone out already!

OK, so I’m fairly caught up for now-hopefully it won’t be so long between posts again, but you never know…

Note to self...

Steven Curtis Chapman is singing Christmas music in the background, the kids and I just finished putting the sprinkles on the Christmas cookies, and despite my messy house and stuffy nose I am feeling quite sentimental about the holiday.

December is a horribly busy month and I am striving and seeking to keep our little family focused and remembering our dear Jesus in the midst of it all.  When I think of him I am calm and at peace at once.  I have found our Advent wreath and will be blowing off the dust and putting it on the dining room table to help remind us all of the love of our God in sending Jesus.  We will try each night to teach the children the significance of the Scriptures that foretold of His coming, to help them realize that this Story is different than all others.  This isthe Story, the story of how our creator rescued us from our own ugliness and death and adopts us to be beloved children, blessed, loved, cherished.  I want this for them, more than anything, and I constantly need to be reminded of my place, of who I am and of whom I belong.  I forget so often and live as an orphan.

The Miracle of Christmas

A child is born tonight in Bethlehem
His mother holds him close and sings a sweet lullaby
All the world lay sleeping unaware that God himself has
come in the night.

The shepherds tremble as the angels sing
And in their song the voice of God speaks peace to the world
A miracle has happened, God has come and God
has spoken
but the miracle has only just begun.

And the God who spoke is speaking still
And the God who came still comes
And the miracle that happened still happens in the heart
that will believe
And we see(receive) the miracle of Christmas

So come to Bethelehem again and see
The one who's come to rescue us, our Savior and King
Bring your past, the joy, the sorrow, all your hope to
find tomorrow
And hear the words again, fear not and know that
God is near

Believe the miracle of Christmas 

Costumes, fires, and pumpkin guts

Sticking with the theme of “catching up” I had to post a picture of my three cuties this past Halloween.  We did the normal trick-or-treating but then had friends over for a bonfire, marshmallows and more candy.  It was a great time being together!

Oh, and here's what happened when Daddy asked the kids to help him take out the pumpkin guts!

 

Veteran's Day Blog Hijacking

The Iwo Jima War Memorial is one of the most indelible pictures of World War II.  Each and every year this is the day we remember our veterans that served in the military past and present.  Veterans like both of my grandfathers, my father, my brother, and my boss/brother-in-law. 

Last Sunday on our flight home from Chicago I was reading the book “Flags of our Fathers”.  It's a book about the lives of the men that you see in the photo above and the battle they fought on a small dirt mound in the Pacific named Iwo Jima.  As I was reading there was an older gentleman next to me that began rifling thru his wallet.  He nudges me a bit and asks”Like the book?”, I said yes.  He then hands me a photo of him as a young man sitting at the controls of a B-29 bomber.  He was a waist gunner and flew out of Saipan, they would stop on Iwo Jima to refuel on their way to and from bombing runs over Japan.  He was the oldest crewman on the plane at the ripe old age of 23.   6,800 men were killed and 20,000 were wounded in one of the fiercest battles of WWII for what some would call a gas station, but it was the major turning point of the war in the Pacific by allowing B-29's to strike deep into enemy territory and ultimately lead to the end of the war.

The gentleman next to me just turned 89 and was on his way to see his great-grandchildren.  As we talked I thanked him for his service and encouraged them that people of my generation have not and will not forget what all of our veterans have sacrificed and continue to sacrifice to keep our country free.  So thank a veteran this weekend.

–Mr. Simply Sam

Pugfest

I'll have to catch up with all of the major events in my life over the past two weeks in 3 or 4 posts -so hang in there!  I have lots of stories and pics to share…

OK(now this isn't a very major event in our lives but quite unique and blogworthy).  A couple weekends ago we dressed up our Miyagi and went to Pugfest, an annual event to raise money for the organization from which we adopted Miyagi.  Last year they had about 700 pugs(and owners) attend and this year I am sure as many showed up, including our little family. 

So…it wasn't really that much fun, but at least we have been, experienced it and never have to go again.  It really wasn't all Pugfest's fault…our children were crabby, it was very, very crowded with man and beast, plus a little smelly.  The pugs were as cute as can be but I'll have to agree to some extent with David when he said “That was a wasted $15 !”
Now please, take this as my opinion only!  I am sure there are many out there who love Pugfest and look forward to it all year ( kind of like we did in our ignorance).  But for this family, next year we'll make that drive to the mountains instead.

Here are a couple of pics of our favorite Pug and one that we liked at the 'fest.

Ok, ok...

I know its been forever since I posted , but I have been insanely busy and there are of course priorities which must be put in place such as homeschool, cleaning the house, playing with the kiddos, guitar playing…you get the picture!  And the poor blog is of course at the bottom of the list, even though I do enjoy it.

I had great intentions of posting last week on the 17th because it was my hubby's bday, so you'll have to step back in time with me and pretend its the 17th so I can gush about him and show you some pics of us then and now.

The first time I saw my hubby was my second semester at Moody.  I was a music major with a voice emphasis and he was a Bible Theo major with a music minor.  We were both taking voice lessons from the same instructor which meant that we had to sing in front of our class each week.  The day I first noticed him he was singing a song from Elijah and I was sitting in the back of the class holding hands with my boyfriend.  I remember thinking to myself what a great voice he had and my bf at the time even commented on it.

I ended up dating the same guy until school continued in the Fall of '96.  I came back to Moody as a single gal for the first time and didn't know that I had become a target. 

David and I became friends through our choirs.  He was the Chaplain of the Men's Choir and I was the Treasurer of the Women's Choir.  Our choirs were notorious for being together and making many romantic matches over the years.  Over the next few months, he started to make his intentions known towards me and I let my intentions known that I was not interested.  After having been in a serious relationship for two years I was hesitant to become involved with someone so quickly again.

Sidenote:  These pics are huge!  Everytime I try to edit them they get too distorted, prob. because they're  a picture of a picture!

Here's a picture of a bunch of us going iceskating.  We were still just friends at this point, but somehow he was everywhere I went!

By March of the next year he had wooed me and I was head-over-heels for him!!  We became one of those couples that were together as often as possible, but I think most of the campus population was happy for us and our newly found bliss.  We were engaged that summer and spent our last year at Moody balancing friends, choirs, and …oh, yeah, school!  I had my senior voice recital and a Choir trip to Europe to help plan.  He was now president of the Men's Choir and had a Mission's Trip to Morocco to plan.  Oh, and also our wedding!

Here's my love recruiting for Men's choir:

And here is the happy couple at one of our big events of the year:

So there's our little story in a nutshell! 

Thankyou, love, for pursuing me, for loving me and never giving up on me.  Thank you for your wisdom in our lives and in our marriage.  Thank you for being a fantastic husband and father.  Thank you for loving God and making decisions to follow His leading in our lives.  Thank you for “picking ” on me to get my attention.  Thank you for bringing me Starbucks when I don't expect it.  Thank you for loving my family.  Thank you for working so hard to provide for our  little family.  Thank you for coming home as soon as you can from work because you look forward to seeing us.  Thank you for loving me when I'm completeley irrational and unlovable.  Thank you for telling me the truth when I need to hear it and for challenging me to love God more deeply,  Thank you for our great discussions.  Thank you for being my very best friend!  I love just sitting with you and being with you.  Thank you for loving this sinner and for helping me along this path of life.  I love you forever!  Happy 32nd!
love, Sam

A Mid-Summer Fall's Dream

I'm wishing and waiting and wanting it to be Fall!!  It might be according to the calendar but the temperature here in sunny GA is not consistent with the season.  Minus my time in Chicago for college, I have lived in GA my whole life and I still grumble and complain that it is not colder yet.
Despite the unseasonlike weather, our little family jumped in the car a few weekends ago and headed up too the closest “mountain-like” apple orchard and pumpkin farm.  We have a usual place in the mountains that we have been visiting since Hannah was a babe but we are saving that for a (hopefully) cold weekend.
We had a great time together and bought fresh apples, peanuts, peach cider, potatoes, fried apple pies, and of course a great big pumpkin!

                                                               Cutie-pie Jonah   

Sweet Hannah

                             The big boys                                  

*Warning*, Potty Picture!

Well, I can't believe it!  I'm experiencing one of those things I just thought wouldn't happen to me as a parent-my child actually wants to use the potty!  Hannah and Ethan were tough cookies when it came to potty training…I started Hannah at three because Ethan was about to arrive and I didn't want two in diapers and I started Ethan at three because, well I had heard that boys were late starters and was too tired to even try earlier.
And then comes Jonah..the baby of the family in every way so far except for this.  He started asking me to “go potty” about a month ago.  I would take off his diaper and put him on the potty.  He never did anything until last week and just this past Saturday I decided to make it official!  I dug out the “big boy underwear” and he has been wearing them now for three days (minus nights and naps)  He is doing so well and actually takes himself, pulls his own underwear down and wipes every time.  This just can't be!  I'm waiting for some revolt ( which may still happen) but right now I'm in potty bliss and I'm so proud of my little fella!
Here he is in true “boy” style:

LOST

Tonight one of my favorite shows of the season begins, LOST!  I'm waiting anxiously for some of my questions from last season to be answered and yet I know that Lost is notoriously bad for not answering questions but creating more with whole episodes dedicated to character development ( which is one of the reasons I like it so much).

So… tonight I will be waiting to see what happens to our friends as they sit on the dock and watch Michael and Walt speed away.  And why did Jack and Kate give each other that weird look at the very end and why did they let Hurley go?  And what's up with Penny and Desmond?  It seems too easy of an ending that she finds and rescues them all.  I wonder if we're going to end up liking the “others”? 

Oh well, I'm sure we'll find some answers tonight and have to wait (probably until the show is completely over) to answer all the rest!

Today's Quote

I know I'm supposed to be continuing from the last post but I had to throw in a funny one before I forget exactly what was said:

On M,W,F, the boys and i pick up Hannah from school and head home.  Its about a 20-25 minute drive and you can imagine how excited little brothers are to see their big sis.

As each boy is desperately trying to gain Hannah's attention through various means, this is what I hear from the big girl:

forte, allegro con sassiness
    ” Ethan is hitting on me, Jonah is pulling my seat belt!  What next, is a bird going to fly through the window and poop on my head?!!”

God's Hand

this past weekend we had our church's first missions conference.  It was a wonderful time for David and I and I'm sure for many others as well.

You know how you have those pivotal moments in your life where you can always look back to and say ” this is when ______ happened” or “this is when I realized_______”
This weekend was one of those moments for us.  I'll elaborate more in a minute but first I have to give a quick history.  ok, it may not be “quick” but I've been thinking of doing this for awhile so hang in there or scroll down. ( there's something good and healthy about writing out your story-it really helps me to see the amazing ways that God has worked in my life, to bring me to Himself-to show me his great love)

When I was about 17, I was attending a large church and was very involved in my youth group.  At that time a family who were missionaries in Ghana, Africa with Wycliffe Bible Translators came home for an extended stay to let their kids finish high school.  That family, the Leonhards, invited all of the youth over one night to share with us their ministry and a slide show of some of their time in Africa.  I knew as I watched those slides and listened to their story that I could do nothing else in life-that I was going to be a missionary. 
Over the next year and a half about 10 youth from my church raised money and prepared to spend the summer with Teen Missions Int'l, a large missions group based in Merritt Island , FL.

At this point I had been attending GA State Univ. for 2 years and I was 19.  I had changed majors many times but had finally settled on and been accepted into the music ed. program.  I wasn't really excited about being there but thought college the thing to do.

My mission's trip began the summer of '93.  It was an eight week trip beginning in the swamps of Fl.

(This will have to be continued!  I wrote this initial entry on the 21st. and now its the 25th-I am way too busy!)

Boy time

School is going so well for Hannah!  She loves her teacher, her assignments, lunch time, well you get it!  On Tuesday and Thursdays, when we have school at home we have time for nothing else, so I am trying to make extra time for my little guys on M,W, F.  I'm still working on the schedule but here's a fun time Ethan and I had together one afternoon:

 

“A three year old child is a being who gets almost as much fun out of a fifty-six dollar set of swings as it does out of finding a small green worm.” ~Bill Vaughan 

I Remember

My big girl was 2 years old in 2001 and I was pregnant with Ethan.  I was watching GMA that morning which was very unusual for me since kiddie shows were usually on.  As I focused on the reoccuring picture on the screen I realized that something awful had happened.  At the time the press and the rest of the world was not even clued in…people were assuming that the first tower had been hit by accident.  I watched in disbelief as minutes later the second tower was hit and the hard truth set in that we had been attacked.  I'm not someone who knew any of the victims from that sad day but my family mourned and grieved over the profound and tragic loss of so many lives.  

I stumbled upon Project 2996, a movement remembering and honoring the victims of 9/11, and I was given the name of Arlene T. Babakitis.  I didn't know Arlene but when her picture appeared on my screen for the first time, the tragedy of it all hit me again.  And yet how wonderfully supportive we can be to each other once again as we remember and celebrate the lives that were lived.  I found that the best way to do this is to let Arlene's friends and family speak for her and about her.  They keep her memory alive and share her with all.ntative, PoAArt Authority of New York andNew JerAenter, at/in building

Visitors Comments:

Tina Columbine Commenter Email and IP address is in file	11/10/2001 12:46:40 PM
Arlene was well known by my exhusband and his family. She was his family's first “fresh-air kid”. I only met Arlene once, but she made a lasting impression on him and his family. One story Joe Kelsey used to tell me was that she used to aid in his care.
Melissa Pettignano Commenter Email and IP address is in file	07/23/2002 11:56:45 PM
Hello, everyone all over the world, My aunt was the most wonderful person anyone could ever love. I read the other womens e-mail about my aunt and it is true the frist time you meet my aunt she did leave a great frist time impression.There is so much I can say about my aunt but I'll just say it in a shorter way she was fun, loving, kind out going, and that 's just the beginning, she was so much more to her family and friends and for that thats why we love her so much . So please if anyone reads this message and if anyone who knew my aunt has something to say please do , my family and I would love to know , Love always and gos bless.
Melissa Commenter Email and IP address is in file	09/29/2002 7:35:32 PM
hi everyone! WELL i would like to say a few words about arlene babikitz, also my friends aunt. i didnt know her too well but i did know this, i knew that she was a hardworking person, and mom. Melissa[ friends aunt] loved her very much and melissa loved her more than anything, well thats what i think and saw. she was also funny and outgoing, willing to do anything for her family and children. i dont know her that well, but i do know this. she loved life and was a very nice and gentle person. i wish for the best to her children and Melissa, Her mom, Her dad, and Brother. thank you everyone. God Bless America!
Melissa Kowalewski Commenter Email and IP address is in file	09/29/2002 7:47:10 PM
hi everyone out there! i would like to say a few things about Arlene Babikitz. well for one she was a hardworking person, and as parent. i dont know her that well but my friend, that was her aunt and shes been through alot. Melissa loved her aunt and her aunt loved her very much. like i said i dont know her that well but i do know what she was about. she was a kind, loving and gentle person. she enjoyed life and loved everyone and thing. her family has been through alot and so have i cause i have lost someone too. i wish luck and hope for her family! God Bless America!!!
someone Commenter Email and IP address is in file	12/29/2002 6:11:32 PM
god bless.. i love babz
Maria Lenskjold Commenter Email and IP address is in file	02/01/2003 5:16:54 AM
My deepest condolences to the family and friends of Arlene T. Babakitis… She looks and sounds like a wonderfull and warm-hearted woman ! I'm sorry for your loss ! Maria – Denmark
The Berean-Vega Family Commenter Email and IP address is in file	10/29/2003 12:22:55 PM
I did not know Arlene personally but she was the mother of one of my daughter's good friend…Babz. From what I can see Arlene raised a good son, one that misses his mother dearly. Babz if you are reading this even though your mother was taken from you too soon…just know that she is in good hands now. I know that she is smiling down on you, watching over you and protecting you. The best thing that you can do is stay on the right path and make your mother proud. God Bless always! The Berean-Vega Family
Melissa Pettignano Commenter Email and IP address is in file	02/12/2004 2:12:35 PM
Hello everyone .It has now been almost over 3 years now since 9-11 occured. Three years ,3months an ,two weeks to be quite honest.It has been very hard on my family along wit my cuzin babz, & my cuz vinny . Everyday we still say why? an how could of this of been prevented.I still remember that day like it was yesterday just like so many other an trust me it will never be erased from our minds.Never. It gets so hard,but we will be fine, i will be fine,as long as we hav our faith an god on our side everything will be just fine.We miss u aunty an we love u so much. May u rest in peace .ILY<333333 Love: melissa p
Karen Tobia Commenter Email and IP address is in file	03/07/2004 12:47:57 AM
Arlene and I worked together at the WTC for many years. She was hard working, sweet, and devoted to her family. She was very easy going and always took things in stride. My heart goes out to her family. We will never forget.
Joe Verducci Commenter Email and IP address is in file	06/15/2004 9:31:44 PM
Hey all, I just wanted to say I know melissa the niece of Arlene T Babakitis .When she told me that Arlene T Babakitis was her aunt and that she had died I felt terrible, none of those workers deserved what happened to them . All I want to do is wish her and her family lots of love an that she and her family and kevin and vincent have my families blessing. God bless Love always Joe Verducci and family .
Frankie Lorincz Commenter Email and IP address is in file	06/17/2004 8:13:03 AM
Hi my name is Frankie Lorincz and I am a Close Friend Of Melissa Pettignano. I know I never met her aunt and its been over 3 years but I want to wish the pettignano family all of my love and prayers. Even though I never met her aunt has never met me I know how effective this tragedy can hit a loved one who lost a loved one. I was lucky enough to have my grandfather escape from wtc 6 when the first plane hit thanks to gods protection. It was a very unfotunate situation for many many civilians. I want to give my love, prayers, and support for all of the families who were effected by 9/11. We will Never Forget….
sumone Commenter Email and IP address is in file	01/10/2005 8:37:25 PM
rest in peace arlene…im so sorry about your death.. babz is doing fine and hes a graet kid and i love him so much no matter what …<3333
Karen Tobia Commenter Email and IP address is in file	09/18/2005 12:47:56 PM
Thinking of you, Arlene. We miss you.
Melissa P ettignano Commenter Email and IP address is in file	10/27/2005 12:15:02 PM
Hello everyone. It has been now 4 years since 9-11 and so much has happened. I still miss my aunt very much along with the rest of the family. Every since 9-11 it has put alot in perspective and it has been hard , but little by little day by day it does get easier. I sometimes feel her near an I know she is . The biggest place she is in is my heart. Her favorite time is just approaching Christmas and i know she will be watching as we open our gifts and say our prays ,eat so much food an of course our tradtion play bingo for money lolol. Thats the best lol. We are all growing up an so much has changed an happened . Its been great ,but hard. Aunt Arlene if u here this know that we all miss u an love u very very very much and one day will see u up above. Thanks for reading this peace and love. God Bless u all. P.s if anyone else has something u would like to share don't hesitate to write ,we'd love to hear from you's.

We made It!

OK, so I'm the one who made it…just barely!  My girl had a fantastic day at school and I sat at home mourning yet another change in life and had the longest day imaginable.

I'll start at the beginning…I got up around 6:30 in time to get myself showered and dressed, Hannah dressed, made breakfast for everyone, rechecked her backback for required items and snapped those last minute-first-day-of-school photos.  On the way to school we picked up Nana ( my emotional support) and arrived at school in plenty of time for Hannah to unbuckle and say her goodbyes to us all. 

At this point, the children getting out of their cars were being escorted by an adult or older child down the sidewalk and inside the door.  I sighed a big relief glad that my big(little) girl would have someone to walk her in and then rememnbered that 2nd graders walk themselves in…

Nana and I turned around as the car moved itself forward and all we saw was my little cutie with her huge backpack and lunchbox walking all by herself , hobbit-style to the door.  We then looked at each other and started bawling!  I couldn't believe she was walking alone on the first day-I of course was putting all of my feelings from my first school experiences on her.  She later told me that she was fine walking to the door and when she arrived someone was there to take her to her class.  All of that grief for nothing!  I'm telling you, it was a completely emotional day and by the time I picked her up at 2:25 I felt like it should have been 9PM.
   
I've asked and asked what she learned that first day and I am finally hearing tidbits but mostly…”I can't remember”.  She did come home with Genesis 1:1 memorized and lots of homework to do yesterday.  (which, by the way, took us about three hours, another very long day!) 

So, another chapter of our lives has begun.  I'm not crazy about change but I know that this change will benefit her greatly and probably the boys as well since I have more time to spend one-on-one with them.  As of right now she has successfully finished her second day of school and I am thrilled for her!  The countdown to college begins! ( no, just kidding, I can't go there yet!) 

It's Time!

Well, my big girl starts school tomorrow!  We've purchased her school supplies, uniform, and backpack and I still need to make a trip to Wal-Mart today for her socks and folders. 
We had quite an ordeal on Sunday trying on her different uniform combos-everything was uncomfortable and after many tears and whining, I was finally able to take her picture…
    “mommy, do I look like I've been crying?”  “No, baby, you look wonderful!  Let me take your pretty picture, OK?”         (keep scrolling down)

…another little girl getting ready for her first day of school 27 years ago…

My Mom

OK, so this is not going to be the post all about my mom…I'm not ready to take that trip down memory lane, along with the tears, so on and so on…but I did find this cute picture of us together.  My Dad scanned all of our old pictures from South Africa onto a disk and gave us each a copy.  For some reason my Kodak Easyshare program won't consider it a regular file so I actually had to take a picture of the picture on the computer screen, which accounts for the poor quality.  Anyone else want to share some old pics?!
BTW, isn't she beautiful?!

PS, my sweet girl has started her own blog at “Me and Miyagi”.  She loves visitors and comments!

The Wild

My children are a bunch of animals!  No, really, there have been unicorn and puppy sitings daily!
I bought a Dalmation costume for Jonah at the last consignment sale and Hannah and Ethan just had to find their old ones as well.  They were so cute and Hannah was in animal heaven!

  
 “Kids: they dance before they learn there is anything that isn't music.”  ~William Stafford 

Significance

My prayer request yesterday in Bible Study went something like this:  “  I feel like my life is just passing me by.  I wake up in the morning and do the chores and tasks in my day that I need to do, and before I know it the next day has arrived and I start all over again.  Its not that I am swamped, depressed, or even happy or joyful…I'm just living and I'm scared my life is going to pass right by and my children will be grown and D. and I will be old.”  That I will not remember special times because maybe they didn't exist or that I will not have made a difference in people's lives for the sake of Christ, especially my children.

I've been thinking about this and realize that my life is missing its significance.  In our country we are so swamped with thinking that we can make our own destinies, become our own gods, that even us Bible-believing Christians buy into it without really realizing the slow downward spiral.  Our own sinful nature doesn't help either…

So for me, right now, in my life, it comes down to the pure and simple fact that I need to spend more time with my Heavenly Father.  I see Him working in amazing ways around me, in my friends and family and my own life.  When I think about Him I am immediately aware of receiving his favor, and deeply passionate love.  He is where my signifcance lies and without Him I am nothing.  And even more than that, I want to be with Him for Him, because I miss Him.  The whole world can pass away and it can just be Him and I together.  He is what I need and long for .  My life is insignificant without Him, but beautiful, fulfilling and purposed with Him.

So, now I know what I was really needing to pray for yesterday-to spend time with Him above all else, and not because I am living under some self-imposed law but because I desperately love and need Him every day.  I cannot use the excuse of being a busy, tired stay-at-home mom anymore because I do make time for other things I like to do, so… if you don't mind, say a prayer for me because we have lives of distraction and I want to have a life of focus and vision.
                                    

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul's Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven's joys, O bright Heaven's Sun!

Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

Word Cloud

I found this on Jonathon's site and of course couldn't resist!  Here's the link-just follow the directions and you can make your own word cloud:

From their site:

“A word cloud is a visual depiction of content (words) used in a body
of text. The word clouds we use at snapshirts.com are arranged
alphabetically and depict more frequently used words in progressively
larger fonts.

The Authors line uses classic literary and historical texts to make
word clouds. Click on Authors to see what/who we are currently
featuring.

The Custom line uses your own personal website to make word clouds.
For Custom word clouds, our software analyzes your weblog and presents
some of your most frequently used words. You can edit this list as much
or as little as you like, it's completely customizable. If you have a
weblog, click on Custom and give it a try.”

The Big Fish-tank Store

…how we refer to the Bass Pro Shop in our family.  Its amazing how a trip there feels like a mini expedition to the wild! 

Hannah spent the night with Aunty Mandy last Friday so we took the boys out to dinner and then to T.B.F.S. because its one of their favorite places to go.( maybe Daddy's too).  OK, ok…I like it too!

The expedition began at the quadrunners…

and quickly made its way to the boats ( d's favorite place).  And of course we had to end with the gigantic fish tank, which holds unbelievable thrills and excitement for 2, 4, and 32 year olds!

Team Hoyt

My Dad sent me an email telling the story of this amazing father and son.  I won't do it justice in my own words so I'll copy and paste it here.  There is also a link to a video ( can't be supported on homeschoolblogger).  Its beautiful, tragic, humbling, inspiring…

This is long , but worth it and definitely watch the video!
Speaking of Dick Hoyt:

“Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in
marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a
wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and
pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars–all in the same day.

Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back
mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. on a bike. Makes
taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?

And what has Rick done for his father? Not much–except save his life.

This love story began in Winchester, Mass., 43 years ago, when Rick was
strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him brain-damaged
and unable to control his limbs.

`He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life;'' Dick says doctors told
him and his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. “Put him in an
institution.''

But the Hoyts weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes
followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the
engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was
anything to help the boy communicate. “No way,'' Dick says he was told.
`There's nothing going on in his brain.''

“Tell him a joke,'' Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a
lot was going on in his brain.

Rigged up with a computer that allowed him to control the cursor by
touching a switch with the side of his head, Rick was finally able to
communicate. First words? “Go Bruins!'' And after a high school
classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the school  organized a
charity run for him, Rick pecked out, “Dad, I want to do that.''

Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described “porker'' who never ran
more than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he
tried. “Then it was me who was handicapped,'' Dick says. “I was sore
for two weeks.''

That day changed Rick's life. “Dad,'' he typed, “when we were running,
it felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!''

And that sentence changed Dick's life. He became obsessed with giving
Rick that feeling as often as he could.  

Rick was ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon.

“No way,'' Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren't quite a
single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few
years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway, then
they found a way to get into the race officially:  In 1983 they ran
another marathon so fast they made the qualifying time for Boston the
following year.

Then somebody said, “Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?''

How's a guy who never learned to swim and hadn't ridden a bike since he
was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? Still, Dick
tried.

Now they've done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour
Ironmans in Hawaii . It must be a buzzkill to be a 25-year-old stud
getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don't you
think?

Hey, Dick, why not see how you'd do on your own? “No way,'' he says.
Dick does it purely for “the awesome feeling'' he gets seeing Rick with
a cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together.

This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston
Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best
time'? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992–only 35 minutes off the world
record, which, in case you don't keep track of  these things, happens to
be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the
time.

“No question about it,'' Rick types. “My dad is the Father of the
Century.''

And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a
mild heart attack during a race.  Doctors found that one of his arteries
was 95% clogged. “If you hadn't been in such great shape,'' one doctor
told him, “you probably would've died 15 years ago.''

So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other's life.

Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston,
and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass., always
find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and
compete in some backbreaking race every weekend, including this
Father's Day.

That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants
to give him is a gift he can never buy.

`The thing I'd most like,'' Rick types, “is that my dad sit in the
chair and I push him once.''

The Video