December, what?

So its been about 2 months since I lasted posted....how is it possible that it is December already?? But....since my keyboard is acting up, I'm just going post pics. A bunch. Enjoy.

Dinosaur Park

Happy

The boys had fun climbing on the dinosaurs.

Jolee's turn :) She was unsure the first day...the second day they turned the heat up and she wore daddy out going round and round and round...

Hotel in Rapid City....

Yes, I did scream all the way down. It was that cold.

Luke going by himself!

Even the big boy loved it.

Brady enjoying the ride.

Mt. Rushmore!

Wind Cave...no one else was there so our group tour became a private tour! (Same thing happened at Mammoth Site too!)

The beginning of the tour...Luke and Jolee may have been a bit nervous :) It was pretty dark.

Our first motel...Hot Springs

Check out our huge hotel room in Hot Springs!!

Jolee...she said, Momma, Look!

Jolee 19 month photo shoot

This little girl has become quite the handful in recent weeks. There is no place she can't get herself...which has become quite the problem for me! I'm hoping this exploration phase subsides a bit soon. Having said that, she is still so stinkin' cute! Here's a few pics I managed to slow her down for...

She is perfecting some of her "looks." This is the ornery one that says, "Look out, Mom!" She has another mad glare that I have yet to catch on camera..

This was her not cooperating. She gently "threw" herself down and gave me this look. Ha! What she doesn't realize is that the sibling before her (Luke, yes we love him) threw a much meaner fit.

Annual Fall Family Hike!

I absolutely LOVE the fall season up here in the mountains. The aspen trees are gorgeous against the backdrop of the mountains, lakes, and bright blue sky. The only downer is it means that snow will be coming soon :( Since we've been living here we have made it a habit to take a hike in the fall and get some pics of the family. With the beautiful scenery its hard to not come away with a few great shots. Of course, Jolee is at the squirmy worm stage this year, so it was a little more challenging than usual. Our good college friend was out for a visit so it made this year's hike even more memorable. Here's a few pics...

Not the best one, but the look on Jolee's face as she gazes up at her daddy is priceless!

The boys with Mt. Baldy in the background.

College friends last a lifetime :)

Yes, squirmy worm is trying to get down.

Brady likes posing...Luke looks like he is going to throw those rocks at someone!

Enjoying her freedom :)

We brought the backpack carrier, but realized she could walk parts of the trail. This is shortly after we let her down...she is outta here! And not looking back...

Love.

Well, she is sitting still...no smile :(

God does some beautiful things, doesn't He?

A crazy life

So I'm not feeling very creative with my word-smithing at the moment. I'm exhausted. Just purely exhausted. More than I think I may have ever been in my life. 2 weeks ago tomorrow my grandma passed away. I've been in Washington for a week now, with the funeral being last Tuesday. Although we expected grandma's passing for some time, it did not make it any easier to realize she is gone. I am just so thankful that I know where she is...that she is safe and healthy and whole.

Before she passed away, her and my grandpa discussed it and planned to give me her wedding ring. My grandpa followed me to her casket as I said my final goodbye and blew my sweet grandma a kiss. He gave me the precious ring that he had given his love 60 years ago. I was so humbled and so amazed by the two of them. What an amazing gift. Its hard to describe how it makes me feel.

As all funeral days are, it is such a time of sweet sorrow. We gathered as a family for several days and it was so comforting and wonderful to be surrounded by each other in the midst of that sorrow. However two days later we began the day with a new crisis. My dad woke up not feeling well. Mom said he was throwing up and not getting out of bed. We weren't sure what was going on, but were taking it easy at the motel hoping it would pass. I went to check on dad and he said everything was spinning. I asked if he needed anything, then said I would be in my room next door. As soon as I got next door I started realizing his symptoms were very similar to when he had a stroke 5 years ago. I immediately went back to his room, gave him some simple tests and tried to lower his head to increase blood pressure. Mom came back from the store with Zach and we soon knew we had to get him to the hospital. My sister-in-law called 911 and things got crazy from there.

So over the last 4 days we've been in 3 hospitals, his heart stopped twice, lots of waiting, IVs, shots in the stomach, medicine, diabetes diagnosis, a catscan, an MRI, a diagnostic angio, a double occupancy hospital room with a very sick, very noisy, roommate, ....I could go on and on. I think I came the closest I've ever been to having a breakdown yesterday when I needed to go get something from the car for fourth time...its a block and a half away, down a hill that is 6 stories down, and we couldn't find anything open to get dinner at 8pm. Jolee has lived in the carseat or stroller for days and actually done quite well. I am over the big city, downtown life and ready to get back to my little mountain home.

God is faithful and He is leading us through this just as He has with so many other things in my life. Its comforting to know He is in control. We will get through this. We are getting through this.


Dad is doing well. He says he has felt back to normal for about 24 hours. He is scheduled for a few more tests tomorrow and hopefully we will be on our way out by afternoon.

Brady's 6th Birthday!

My firstborn is 6! Its so hard to believe...and so fun. We had a great week leading up to his big day. VBS in the morning, and soccer camp in the afternoon! We had two soccer coaches from England stay with us and the boys loved it. With a little softball and Tball mixed in, it was a busy busy, fun fun, exhausting week! Then to wrap it up on Friday we celebrated Brady's birthday. The entire VBS sang to him, his soccer coaches signed a special ball for him, and we opened presents with Nana and Papa. Unfortunately the pictures I took mysteriously disappeared off of the camera :(

Yesterday we went to the Colorado Railroad Museum for an "official" birthday event. Zach, Mindy, Meg, Kyle, Nana, and Papa joined us for a hot day in Golden. The day started out a bit shaky with a few grumpy, tired kids...and some confusion about our tickets at the gate, but we got in and from there things were looking up :) Once I got past my frustration about the morning we had a pretty good day. The kids enjoyed climbing around the trains. We took 2 train rides on a real steam engine, kept cool in a nice shady spot with fruit and gatorade, and we enjoyed Kung Fu Panda 2 cupcakes to top it off.

Just some pics :)

After Brady's school program...since I never got a Mother's Day pic.

Found Jolee like this...giggling away.

And she was giggling and swinging her feet...stuffed in her toy basket.

This is her favorite spot...I'm usually in the kitchen, and she likes to be right by me. So she plays in this cabinet! Her dress is one my Grandma made when Court and I were little!

My happy girl.

This guy posed for us in our backyard! Awesome...just wished the yard looked as pretty as him!

Sweet baby toes :)

My Mother's Day flowers!

Lovin' this!

Entrenched in the Battle

Lately I've been feeling like we are in the midst of a battle with our kids. They whine, they complain, they cry, they miss each other all day and then fight the entire time they are together, they are unhappy, discontent, unsatisfied, selfish, uncaring, and sometimes downright mean.

Now I debated writing this post because I don't want people to know that about my kids. I want people to believe I have great kids, happy kids, well-behaved kids, considerate kids. (And by the way, they are!...sometimes) I want to be congratulated on my parenting skills by looks of affirmation from strangers as they observe my kids at the park or the grocery store. I mean, am I alone in noticing when someone else's kid is throwing a fit when mine is being a model citizen? I definitely notice when that person's kid is extremely polite and mine is being a rebellious little booger. We may not intentionally compare, but don't we all notice? And don't we feel compassion for the poor mom trying to wrangle her little booger out of the public eye?

As moms we all work so hard to raise our kids to be kind, considerate, loving individuals. Sometimes it feels like we are fighting a losing battle. This morning at "Knit Together" (the knitting group that meets at my home) we listened to Dr. David Jeremiah speak on spiritual warfare. I was reminded that the battle with my kids is not simply a battle of "I'm right" and "they're wrong." It is not simply a battle against flesh and blood (and pigheaded stubborness!). It is also a spiritual battle. Its a battle against a sin nature that is powerful and untamed.

I'm always looking for something to adjust, to change...a new method, schedule, or strategy that will help my kids learn self-control, compassion, and obedience. I'm constantly asking other moms what they do, and asking my parents for their opinions on how I can do my job better. But here is what I was reminded of this morning: some battles can't be won by adjusting a schedule, or committing to a new discipline. Some battles can't be won at all by myself.

Dr. Jeremiah reminded me that if you are a Christian, you are in battle. Period. If you are not living as a soldier, than you are standing on the sidelines...but that doesn't mean that the battle isn't raging on without you.

My kids are a part of this battle. If, as their mom, I am simply trying to control their external behavior and I am ignoring the spiritual fight that is occurring every minute of their lives, than I am standing on the sidelines and allowing them to go into battle alone. I am realizing...more and more so when my kids wake up grouchy and ornery...that this spiritual battle is so much more intense than the outward battle we fight every day.

So when I say, "Good morning Brady!" And he replies with a grumbled, "Morning. Where is my breakfast? Can I play the Wii? Do I have to go to school today? Ohhhhhhh! (thats the whiny ohhhh I'm sure you recognize)" I am going to try to remember that there is sometimes more to fight against than not getting enough sleep, or low blood sugar. And I'm going to do my best to put on the full Armor of God before I go into battle for the day.

Ephesians 6:10-12, 18
(10) Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. (11) Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. (12) 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.
(18) And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

How does this change what I'm doing every day? Well, I'm still going to do what I've been doing...teaching, training, correcting...emphasizing "Children obey your parents in the Lord for this is right!" ...but I'm going to add to it much more prayer and awareness for the spiritual battle my kids face, realizing that choosing what is right comes only after winning a battle against our sin nature. I'm going to realize that only with God's help, no-more than that-I'm going to actively enlist God's help, and not simply rely on my wonderful parenting (ha!), so that they can master that sin nature and become all that God intends them to be.

4 Years

Opening presents.

Obstacle course in the gym for his birthday party.

"A serious picture, Mom? You mean like this?"

Oh yeah. 4. Finally. Been counting down to this for forever!

My "Sunshine and Rain" is 4 today. I've been loving on him all day :) He has been my most difficult, and my most delightful. He can make anyone laugh with joy just by smiling at them. His dimples are magical, his humor uncomparable, his wit uncanny...and we won't talk about the "rain." Not today. Today we are celebrating my favorite little Luke...who just isn't so little anymore. Here's hoping this next year has more Sunshine than Rain! And by the way, I put him down for a rest this afternoon...and had to go back in because he couldn't sleep without his gardening gloves on. You never know what this guy is gonna say or do. Life with Luke is always a crazy ride!