Wife, Mother, Daughter, Sister, Friend

2010-07-17T14:26:00.000-07:00

Clearly, I am no longer in the habit of blogging regularly, and will try to do better in the future. But for now, here are a couple recent conversations I've had with some of my children.

One day last week I noticed that Annie had a half-full fruit punch drink in the fridge. I also noticed some red puddles on the floor near the fridge. Could have been her, could have been one of the other kids. I called her into the kitchen and asked her about. She said that she did not make the mess so I told her that she could go back to whatever she had been doing. I went around the corner to get some disinfectant wipes from under the bathroom sink, and when I returned to the kitchen, she was down on the floor with some wet paper towels cleaning up the mess.

I smiled. And then began looking at other spots on the floor, I joined her in the cleaning. After a minute she said, "A few weeks ago in Sunday School we had a lesson about how if someone takes your coat you should give them your shirt too. I think it was one of those 'Do to others what you want them to do to you' kind of lessons."

I smiled again and said, "You mean kind of like when someone else makes a mess and you decide to help clean it up?"

She grinned, "Yeah. Something like that."

And this is the conversation that took place in the back seat yesterday when I took Max (almost 5) and Noah (3 1/2) with me to run some errands. It started with them talking about video games and how the characters "die" in the game.

Noah: Well, if you die in real life, BAM, you go straight to live with God.

Max: Yeah, and you get a new body with new eyeballs, and new ears, and a new face, and a new arms and everything.

Noah: And new hair?

Max. Yep. And then you become invisible.

Noah: No, you don't become invisible if you get a new body and new eyeballs and everything.

Max: Yes you do. Because when you die, God comes down and takes your spirit to heaven with him. And God is invisible so if we go live with God we must be invisible too.

My kids are awesome.

After Christmas Traditions

2009-12-28T11:54:00.000-08:00

There are so many fantastic "before Christmas" traditions, but I seldom hear about many "after Christmas" traditions. I wanted to share 3 post-Christmas activities that I remember from my growing up years and things that we try to incorporate in our family.

1. Christmas Card Prayers - Around new year's we would begin doing Christmas Card Prayers after dinner. My mom would pass around the basket of Christmas cards and each of us kids would get to choose one. We would read the card/letter, talk about any pictures or photos, and then my mom would tell us about who it was from. She would share how they knew that person, where they lived, and any other interesting facts. We would then say a prayer for each person or family whose card we read that evening. Sometimes it would take us until Easter to get through the basket but I always enjoyed doing it. I think this tradition may be why the Christmas cards we receive today are so special to me.

2. Share Piles - I grew up with three brothers and now have 4 kids of my own. Several years ago we started being more intentional about "sharing" old toys to make room for the new ones. We talk with the kids about the new toys they received and what a blessing it is to have new things and then we remind them that not everyone has as many toys as they do. We discuss the importance of sharing and then help them select toys to "share" with a local charity. Our goal is to select something similar in size/value for each gift that they received. It doesn't always work out exactly that way, but the exercise of sharing some toys is a healthy one.

3. Saying Thanks - I'm so grateful that my parents emphasized the importance of saying a proper thank you to people. Christmas time is one of the easiest times to practice this lesson because most kids have at least another week before they go back to school! I started having my kids "do" their own thank you notes when they were two years old. A simple way is type a short message in a bubble font and let the kids color it. You can also let toddlers or preschoolers color on a blank piece of paper (folded to make a card) and attach of photo of the child opening their gift or playing with the new toy. With older preschoolers, I often let them decorate the front of the card with stickers or pre-cut fun foam shapes, write a short message of thanks inside and let the child sign his or her name. By around age 5 or 6 kids can use those "fill-in-the-blank" cards that you can purchase from many stationery stores. Middle elementary age (and up!) should be able to come up with at least 2 good sentences for a thank you letter. Watch for sales on cute Christmas stationery that often goes on sale with the Christmas cards! Just a word of caution - keep in mind your child's personality and attention span and don't expect them to write too many thank you's in one sitting!

God bless you this new year as you begin some new After Christmas Traditions!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T12:01:00.000-08:00

To view our Video Christmas Card, click here.

To read our annual family newsletter, click here.

Merry Christmas from Craig, Vickie, Josh, Annie, Max & Noah

I Dish You a Merry Christmas

2009-12-09T21:28:00.000-08:00

I Dish You a Merry Christmas, A Recipe for being "MERRY" - a "Season" for the Reason

M - Make the season Meaningful
1. Choose traditions that will add spice to your Christmas season.
2. Too much of a good spice may spoil the batch.
3. Too little spice may make your season bland.

E - Evaluate each ingredient
1. Does the ingredient add flavor or does it overpower the recipe?
2. Does the ingredient add to the consistency of the recipe?
3. Do family members like the taste?
4. Sometimes family members will acquire a taste.

R - Remember to Kneed in the Savior
1. Do you have the main ingredient?
2. The Savior adds flavor

R - Re-write your Recipe
1. Consider what needs to be omitted.
2. Consider who or what needs to be added
3. Enjoy your new recip

Y - Yield: A Very Filling MERRY Christmas!

Notes from Terri Llamas' talk at Covenant MOPS tonight. Terri is a good friend and I LOVE this analogy of the recipe for our family's Christmas. What does Christmas taste like? Do I have too many ingredients, or is my Christmas missing something? What do you want Christmas to "taste" like for your family?

Please share what "spices" you add that bring out the flavor of the main ingredient!

Horizontal Humanity/Vertical Vicarious Vindication

2009-08-16T21:50:00.000-07:00

Today's text was Luke 18:9-14

9To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'

13"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'

14"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Here are my notes:

I. Preface - Jesus tells a story of 2 men praying; the same action, but each with different motives, different prayers, and different outcomes

II. Pharisee - Considers himself one righteous dude...do I think of myself more highly that I ought? Do I realize how often I sin? Do I consider the sanctity of the sabbath when I plan out my week?

III. Publican - ceremonial unclean and unfit to enter the temple; a snapshot of who Jesus came to save. He saw himself as a sinner in need of a savior. Need to check how we are doing with sin and our view of ourselves? Simply check with Matthew 22:38-39, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

IV. People - "You are more wicked than you ever dared believe, but you are more loved than you ever dared hope." We ARE saved by works - Jesus' works. "When we are looking horizontally, we may never see ourselves in the same boat with other sinners. It is only when we look vertically that we see the utter hopelessness of thinking we are better than others and we realize we are all in the same sinking ship with only one Life-Preserver."

V. Purpose - we must recognize our own sinfulness and accept God's forgiveness of our sins

How simple. How amazing.

Today's sermon by Kevin Nolen, Covenant Presbyterian Church

Crucial Conversations (Colossians Conclusion)

2009-08-09T12:49:00.000-07:00

I knew I was in for a great morning when our pastor opened his sermon by saying that the application for today's passage was TALK! What a great message for me!

Today's passage was Colossians 4:2-18. Paul wraps up his letter to the Colossians by telling them to TALK with God, TALK with the world, and TALK with each other.

God calls us to change the world for Him...three conversations at a time. (Three conversations that work together and happen at the same time!)

Verses 2-4
2Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.

In this passage we are instructed to pray. A question to ponder: Does prayer work? What if talking to God is like talking to my spouse? Do I always get what I want for it to "work"? Maybe the point of talking isn't always to get what I want...

Verses 5-6
5Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

Earn the right to be heard. But, be heard!

Verse 7 through the end are Paul's final greetings, instructions, and affirmations within the church community. They are heartfelt and specific, directed toward individuals living and worshiping in community. The message here: personal relationships with individual people are important.

Thoughts to ponder this week...How much are we talking to God about people and to people about God? Who are you talking to today?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this message and what you've been learning lately!

Message by Jay Hull, Covenant Presbyterian Church

Today's Message

2009-08-02T11:17:00.000-07:00

Today's sermon was from Colossians 3:18-4:1. Instead of dissecting each verse and focusing on cultural controversy, Jay wisely guided us to three main principle's found in the passage.

#1 Down Home Holiness
Holiness is like rain. If it doesn't come down, it's just fog. Holiness is just something for super-spiritual people like nuns or monks. Holy lives are to be lived out in normal surroundings - in our family, personal and work relationships.

#2 Reciprocal but not Symmetrical
God designed human relationships to be reciprocal but not symmetrical. Responsibility and blessing go both ways, but fundemental inequalities have been built in by God to relationships between men & women, parents & children, and employers and employees. The real question is, what are you going to do with your strengths and gifts?

#3 90º to Jesus
The fastest way to Jesus' heart is through other people. What we do for others, we do for Jesus. Who can I bless today to show my love for Jesus?

How about you? What did you learn today?

(These are my sermon notes from today. Pastor Jay Hull, Covenant Presbyterian Church)

I love being a Superhero

2009-07-01T17:30:00.000-07:00

I am a superhero. I have super hearing that allows me to hear a crying child several rooms away, over the noise the house fan and a movie at full volume. I can heal owies with a single kiss, and calm a frightened child by simply holding him in my lap. And now, I'm off to attack a rather large pile of laundry that is slowly trying to take over our house!

The Best Hug of My Life

2009-03-17T21:33:00.000-07:00

It happened at gate C-11 in the Dallas Fort Worth airport. It was last Thursday afternoon, March 12. My grandpa had died that Monday. My grandma, his wife of nearly 68 years, was about to begin a second battle with cancer. I had spent much of the previous 3 days working on a video to celebrate his life, and I was exhausted physically and emotionally.

Thanks to a dear friend I was able to fly as a "non-revenue" passenger. For those unfamiliar with this term, as the official guest of an airline employee I was paying next to nothing...but was flying stand-by with no priority over paying customers. My flight out of Reno was great - plenty of seats...mine was even in first class. But the Dallas airport was FULL. It was the official beginning of spring break and lots of people were flying to or through St. Louis. Too many. I was number 27 on the stand-by list. The problem? None of the next three flights were looking any better and the visitation was already underway. The service was at 10am the next morning. And the video was in my purse.

As I waited hopelessly for my name to move up the list, I had an idea. What if my brother Kevin happened to be flying through Dallas too? I called and his phone was turned off. I called Scott to check his schedule and sure enough, Kevin was going to be on the next flight out of Dallas! I waited a few more minutes and called him again.

This time he answered. "Why are you calling me? I'm on an airplane!"

"I thought you just landed," came my reply.

"Are you at C-11?"

My heart skipped a beat. He was heading my way...

What was probably about 5 minutes - the time it took him to take the tram over from the other terminal - seemed like an eternity. I paced impatiently in front of the screen that listed the stand-by passengers and frequently glanced down the corridor toward the tram.

When our eyes met from across the airport our steps quickened. And then it happened...the best hug of my life. I wasn't alone. My brother was with me and everything was going to be okay.

We walked back to c-11 where my name ended at #5. Closer, but not enough to get on that plane. We had 2 hours until Kevin's plane was leaving so we went to get some lunch. Scott called while were eating to check my status. At one point I passed the phone to Kevin and all he said was, "I got her." He smiled, and hung up.

We decided to save the salad for later and went to check on the flight. I identified myself as a non-revenue passenger and inquired as to my chances for getting on this flight. "None" was the harsh reply. I had a shot at getting on the 9:30pm flight, of course missing the whole visitation. I gave Kevin 2 copies of the video so he could take them for me. Somehow I would still make it before the service, even if I had to rent a car and drive all night. Admittedly, not a great plan B.

A little while later Kevin got up to use the restroom. When he came back, he handed me a boarding pass and said, "We won't get to sit together." What??? How did he get a boarding pass? Why did it say "First Class" on it? As I started to put the pieces together he just looked at me and said, "This was the only way to get you on that plane and I wasn't going to leave this airport without you."

We cried, and hugged, and cried some more. Then we sat together in the back of the plane and shared our salad while some random stranger enjoyed a first class flight to St. Louis. I guess he thought he was lucky. But I'm the one with the first class brother.

What Time Is It?

2009-02-20T22:11:00.000-08:00

Over the years I have often found encouragement in the verses from Ecclesiastes 3. "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven...a time to plant and a time to uproot...a time to weep and a time to laugh." These words have brought me comfort during hard times, as well as many smiles. Usually when I read this poetic section of Scripture I focus on all of the different specifics that are mentioned. It is so easy to find real-life applications for "a time to keep and a time to throw away." If you have a garage like mine you know what I'm talking about!

Recently I was reading these verses and one particular word caught my eye. One little, tiny word changed the way I read these verses. Which word, you ask? The indefinite article "a" that appears in each phrase has captured my attention.

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven." Read it carefully with me. /There is A time for everything. /It does not say, "there is time for everything." As a mom, I am sure you feel the time pressure daily. How can you find the time to cook, clean, do laundry, feed, bathe and dress children, have quality time with each child and your spouse, shuttle kids to and from play dates or preschool, keep up with friends...some days I can hardly find time to go to the bathroom!

There is a time for everything. But the time I have right now, I will never have again. What am I supposed to do with this time? I have learned that I don't HAVE to do everything right now. I need to simply focus on what I am supposed to do right now. I don't have to tear down, build, mourn, dance, scatter stones, gather them, tear and mend all at once. Mothering young children is a wonderful and challenge season. Some things may have to wait for a different "time" in our lives.

All I really need to do is start each day by saying, "What time is it today, Lord?"

Growing Like Jesus in 2009

2009-01-02T22:08:00.000-08:00

I have a favorite Bible verse for this time of year: Luke 2:52. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men. At Christmas we talk a lot about when Jesus was born. Pretty soon it will be Easter and we'll be talking about when Jesus died and rose again. In between we may read about his miracles or his teachings or stories about his disciples. But aside from the story about him teaching in the temple as a young teenager (Great story to read when you're having a bad mommy day...if Mary and Joseph could lose the son of God for a couple days some of my problems start to seem a little smaller!) we don't read much about his childhood. But I love this verse that summarizes his growing up. I love it because it points out four different areas where we can grow too.

Look carefully and think about ways that you - and your children - can grow like Jesus in 2009. The four areas in the verse are intellectual (wisdom), physical (stature), spiritual (favor with God) and social (favor with men). Think of one goal for each of these four areas for yourself and your kids.

Maybe you'd like to take a class, start learning a foreign language or just read a book that doesn't have pictures in it! For your children, an age-appropriate goal might be to learn colors, shapes or the alphabet.

Choose a physical goal that is actually attainable - literally growing in stature doesn't work; believe me - I've tried. A physical goal could be in regard to eating healthier, adding more activity into your lifestyle, or learning a new sport, and similar goals could be made for things you want to work on with your kids.

A spiritual goal could have to do with reading the Bible more often, memorizing certain verses or praying FIRST instead of as a last resort. For our children it may mean taking them to Sunday School, starting them in AWANA, or teaching them to pray out loud by repeating after you.

Social goals for our kids may involve making new friends, practicing sharing or learning manners. For us adults, it may mean being more intentional about practicing hospitality or not gossiping.

Will you take the Luke 2:52 Challenge with me? Pick one goal for each area. Write it down. Tell someone and ask them to check in with you periodically throughout the year. Whether we like it or not, we will get older this year and so will our children. So let's be intentional in our growth for 2009.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2008-12-19T17:49:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! For years we have enjoyed writing an annual newsletter, selecting the "Christmas card photo" and recently added the tradition of the annual video. This year was no exception - but, we have had to switch to an on-line format instead of an actual printed card, letter and the mini dvd. So, above is the family photo. Here are the links to the video (on youtube) and the newsletter (as a pdf file).

Musni Newsletter 2008
Musni Video 2008

Most of our regular columns are back - Josh and Annie's updates on themselves and their little brothers, my month by month year in review, and Craig's (infamous) Top Ten list. The only one missing was the "Was it a rumor?" column from 2006 and 2007. Hopefully we've dispelled all myths about moving to Boise by now...

We truly are enjoying the printed cards we are receiving in the mail as well as all the e-mails and facebook messages. We love hearing from you (so please post any comments!) and wish you all a wonderful Christ-filled Christmas.

God bless,
Vickie

Simple CHRISTMAS Tips

2008-12-09T08:40:00.000-08:00

C-hrist should be the center of Christmas
H-help others however you can this season
R-emember to say thank you
I-nitiate conversations with others about the true meaning of Christmas
S-hop carefully - debt is not good!
T-raditions are important, but it is okay if you don't do every one every year
M-ake or bake gifts for people
A-lways choose "people" over "things"
S-avor the moments!

Thanksgiving Blessings

2008-10-21T23:41:00.000-07:00

What is Thanksgiving all about? I've heard lots of lessons about Pilgrims and Indians over the years but as a mother of preschoolers, that isn't necessarily where I want to put the emphasis when teaching my little ones about Thanksgiving. Say it with me, Thanks-giving. It's about thanks and giving. It's about counting our blessings AND being a blessing. This is something that with some focused effort on our parts, even our toddlers can begin to understand.

How can we teach our kids to say thanks? With really young ones, simply have them repeat kind words of thanks every time an opportunity arises. As their vocabulary grows and kids can create their own sentences, encourage your little ones to come up with their own expressions of thanks. Whether we are leaving Sunday School, a friend's house, or the childcare center at the gym, I nudge my 3 year old toward the teacher or friend and ask him to say something kind before we leave. I don't care if he says "thanks for playing with me" or "thanks for the snack." I just love hearing him express thanks in his own words. Count blessings with your kids. Write them down in a journal, make a blessing scrapbook, or simply thank God for something or someone together each day.

What about the giving part? This is a great time of year to have kids make cards or pictures for special people in their lives as token of their thanks. Brighten the day of your child's teacher or babysitter, grandparent or your neighborhood mailman with a beautiful piece of art! For older preschoolers, you may want to type a thanksgiving message using a "bubble" font and let them color in each letter. Look for opportunities to model generosity. In our household the buzz word is "share" at this age. Whether we are packing a shoe box full of goodies to share with another child, baking cookies to share with a neighbor, or sorting clothes and toys for our "share" pile, young children can be a part of meaningful giving.

This Thanksgiving, I encourage you to help your children to give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18) and teach them by your example that God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 1:9). Count your blessings together and be a blessing to others!

Just Imagine...

2008-09-27T22:28:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite descriptions of God is found in Ephesians 3:20. The apostle Paul describes God as one "who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine." I don't know about you, but I have a pretty good imagination. I can imagine all kinds of nice things. And I've been known to ask for stuff too. I often ponder this verse as I wonder what God has in store for our family next. What is he going to do that I haven't even imagined yet?

I know his plans are good. They are plans for us to prosper, not plans that will harm us (Jeremiah 29:11). So, since I know that, it can be exciting to see what God will do to provide. What job opportunities will he bring? Just how does he plan to pay the mortgage next month?!?

This week I've been thinking about this work a lot. I started a new job on Monday - I am the new office coordinator for Multnomah University's Reno/Tahoe campus, and I LOVE it! I love the job, the people I work with, the school, the students and faculty that I have met so far. I love it. The hours are good and there is enough flexibility that I am not neglecting my family or our business. The pay is decent and I am eligible for half-price tuition!

To full appreciate this story, I should tell you that about 10 years ago I started thinking that I should go back to school some time and get a Masters degree. About 8 years ago I was doing some research and started learning about some of the programs that Multnomah offers. In fact, three years ago, when our family was trying to move out of Reno, I looked at Portland (home to Multnomah's main campus) to see if that was a viable option for our family. None of those doors opened and even after 2 years of trying to move to Idaho, we ended up staying in Reno.

In July, the small Bible college in Reno officially became a satellite campus of Multnomah and in August I saw the president at a church function (our pastor teaches there). On a whim, I sent him my resume and now I am on staff there! I never imagined that Multnomah would come to me the way that it did.

How about you? What do you imagine? What has God done for you that has been immeasurably more than you have asked or imagined?

Stained Glass Windows

2008-09-21T17:17:00.000-07:00

Our church has three beautiful stained glass windows on one wall of the sanctuary. They are square and have an artistic depiction of a rainbow and each also contains a symbol. The one on the left has the Alpha sign and the one on the right the Omega, and the middle one a cross. I've always thought they were pretty, but honestly never paid very much attention until last week.

Last Sunday was Max's first Sunday join us in church for worship before heading to Children's Church with the "big kids." During one of the songs he pointed to a chair near us and said, "Why does that chair have all those colors?" I looked up and saw the light reflecting on the chairs and pointed to the window so he could see the light. As I looked at the light pouring through that stained glass rainbow with the cross I could feel God smiling at us. I just had this sense of how we bless him when we gather together to praise him and learn from his word.

Then my mind flashed back to one night last spring when I drove by the church at night. Usually when we are at church for something in the evening we get there before dark. But one night I drove by when it was already dark outside and all the lights in the sanctuary were on. Those stained glass windows looked so beautiful!

These windows now remind me that on Sunday mornings we gather together and experience God's presence in corporate worship. The light is coming into the church as we are touched by his presence and filled by his spirit. But, the rest of the week we are to reflect his light in a dark world.

Musni Family "Ketchup"

2008-09-21T11:28:00.000-07:00

Much has been happening in the life of our family in recent months so I thought I would post a "ketchup" blog for those who want to catch up with work and life. Here are the summary points:

Since Craig was laid off in February we have both knocked on many doors. He has done a lot of contract work, spent a few months at a couple different companies, and interviewed at others. None of those doors seem to be opening for full-time employment, and for that we are truly thankful.
Our business, Ever After Creations, is picking up and we are branching out and now have EAC Video & Design. We have made a lot of great business contacts, and were recently asked to join the board of Weddings of the West, an association of professionals that we have been a part of for the last few years.
I have been enjoying substitute teaching and volunteering at Josh and Annie's school and will be starting another part-time job tomorrow. Multnomah University has a satellite campus in Reno and I will be working a few nights a week doing office & receptionist duties while evening classes are in session. I am continuing with my current job for the county's Children's Mental Health Consortium since that is only about 15 hours a month.
Last Wednesday was also the first night of our church's new MOPS group. I had so much fun and consider it such a privilege to be a part of such a wonderful organization.
Meanwhile, Josh and Annie are enjoying school (3rd & 2nd grades). They are both in the kids choir at church and Annie is also involved in Girl Scouts, but their favorite things to do are jump on the trampoline and play Wii. Max and Noah just started a music class for preschoolers & toddlers and have a great time learning about sound and rhythm through songs and instruments. They also have fun going to the gym with me or Craig, and Max loves his preschool Sunday School classes.

Please keep in touch and keep us updated on you and yours as well!

10 Things I Love About My Gym

2008-09-20T22:34:00.000-07:00

This isn't really a Top 10 list, just a list of 10 things I love about my gym. They aren't "ranked" in order, merely listed in a logical sequence.

The Arrival:
1. The Parking Garage - Prior to joining St. Mary's Center for Health and Fitness I don't think I had a true appreciation for parking garages. I now love them, or at least this one. There was one week last May when I realized just how much I appreciated the parking garage. In one week we had rain, snow and 90+ temps. It is nice to be shielded from the elements. Besides that, my kids have lots of fun games that they have made up in the parking garage. In addition to counting "buggies" (see earlier post entitled "Counting Buggies") they play the color game (naming the color of each car as we walk by) and I Spy. They also take turns pushing the buttons for the elevator and other such entertaining activities.

2. The Entry Way - I love the fresh flowers in the enter way. Every day we look at them and talk about what color flowers there are this week. And we often stop and smell them because, well, it is important to stop and smell the roses.

3. The Front Desk - The staff is awesome. A typical greeting when we arrive usually goes something like this: "Hi Max! Hi Noah! How are you? It's nice to see you today, Vickie." I'm not kidding. And these are not even the same people that work regularly in the childcare!

Childcare:

4. I love that they have childcare. Think about, where else can you take your children for what works out to about 50 cents an hour per kid? You can't usually entertain them for that, let alone have people take care of them for that! This is way cheaper than preschool...

5. The Staff - The people who care for kids at the gym actually like my kids. They know them. They smile at them. They play with them. They take Max to the potty and give him a sticker after he goes. They notice if we aren't there. My kids like it there.

6. When things don't go so well (this has only happened once) they do have systems in place. I learned what a "Code Alpha" meant, in the middle of a water aerobics class. ("Non-life threatening injury" if you were wondering.) They took care of Max, came and found me (and the mother of the child who bit him) and continued to talk with me about the incident until the situation was resolved. I appreciate that.

The Locker Room:

7. The lockers - I love the little combination locks so I don't have to bring a lock with me. That makes things so easy. I like that they have hooks and shelves and that they are big enough that I can have a separate "spot" for everything like my watch, my keys, my shoes, my water bottle, etc.

8. Clean Towels - I love having stacks of clean towels - often still warm - available. And I love that someone else washes them and folds them.

9. All the "Stuff" - It is actually easier for me to shower at the gym than at home. Yes, this is partly because of the aforementioned childcare, but it is also because just about everything I need is there. In the shower - shampoo, conditioner, body wash. On the counters - hair spray, deodorant (okay, I do bring my own but if ever I didn't have it for some reason it's nice to know there is spray deodorant there if I need it), cotton balls, q-tips, lotion, hair gel and even mouthwash and these cute little cups. Oh, and of course lighted mirrors and plenty of hair dryers (that actually work better than mine at home).

Working Out

10. I bet you were wondering if I ever worked out! I could do a whole separate list about the classes I take, the staff who has helped me, the equipment I like - like the treadmills & bikes with the individual tv screens - or the pools. (Gee, I just realized that I didn't even mention the whirl pool or that saunas when I was talking about the locker room.) But, I was trying to keep it to 10.

Let me know if you want to go to the gym with me some day. Maybe we could even work out while we're there!

Top 10 Things I'm Thankful for this Summer

2008-08-27T14:51:00.000-07:00

10. A great new tutoring client - I started in June working with a very sweet Jr. Higher whose goal is to become fluent in Spanish. I enjoy our time together and am glad she wants to keep working together during the school year.

9. Being involved more at Josh and Annie's school - Yes, it may seem odd that school is on the summer list but we attend a year round school that started July 21. Since Craig has been doing contract work and our business he has been working at home the past couple months. I am really enjoying volunteering in Josh's class on Mondays and Annie's class on Wednesdays. I also got my sub license. Orientation at the district office was this morning and I start subbing tomorrow!

8. Celebrating 12 years of marriage! I thank God every day for giving me such an amazing husband. Not only do we love being married and raising our family together, we like working together! Our summer "date nights" often involve us working weddings together. This summer we have really enjoyed some really beautiful weddings at Lake Tahoe.

7. Good road trips and fun times with family - we have made a couple trips to the Bay Area and to Sacramento this summer and enjoyed the time spent on the road and during our visits. A highlight is our annual get-together and Scott & Debbie's house where just the 19 of us hang out.

6. A visit from Uncle Kevin - My brother Kevin (www.iseenthat.blogspot.com) finished a two-year program for his teaching credential in May and was finally able to come up for a long weekend. We ALL love hanging out with Uncle Kevin...movie in the park, Sparks Marina and our new favorite activity: drinks on the trampoline.

5. The trampoline - some friends gave us a huge trampoline this summer and we all love it. Josh and Annie bounce when they need a break from homework. Craig and I take the little boys out to jump almost every day between lunch and naps. And, thanks to Kevin's inspiration, we've even invited friends over for margaritas on the trampoline.

4. Cancer Relay for Life - I have a whole separate post and a slide show on this but it needed to be on the list. We walked in honor of my grandma (turning 93 in 2 weeks) and Craig's cousin who both went through chemo/radiation within the last year and are now doing well. Praise God! We were thankful the opportunity to be a part of something meaningful and important.

3. CLASS - I spent 3 wonderful and challenging days attending the Christian Leaders Authors and Speaker Services seminar in Livermore. I feel excited, equipped and energized about taking my speaking ministry to the next step.

2. Max is potty-trained! Yes, only one more left in diapers. What a milestone! He turned 3 on August 4 and we gave him his present first thing in the morning - a new potty seat that plays music after each success! He loves his Thomas the Train underwear and carries a fold-up Sesame Street potty seat in a little backpack every time we go somewhere.

1. Watching God provide for us - The past 6 months have been quite a roller coaster for us but we have truly experienced peace amidst the challenges. When we approach a sudden turn, our response is more of a "Oh, I wonder what God is going to do now to take of this!" than a "Oh no, what are we going to do?" And that feels like a good place to be.

Counting "Buggies"

2008-07-16T22:59:00.000-07:00

My older kids recently watched a Herbie movie and have now taken up an activity that my brothers and I practiced in our younger days - counting "buggies" more commonly known as Volkswagon Beetles. It is fun to see how excited they get when they spot one, and I love watching the younger kids copy the older ones and shout "Buggy!" from their car seat or stroller.

This week I realized something interesting. In spite of the fact that I haven't consciously counted Volkswagons in at least 20 years, suddenly I am noticing them again. Twice this week I while I was out without Josh and Annie I counted them and reported the total number and various colors to the children when I returned home. Today I saw 6 just on the way home from the gym. I had never noticed how many there were.

It was then that I began to wonder about how many other things I don't notice. Am I missing important things that I should be noticing? Do I notice when someone is lonely or sad or worried? Do I notice if a neighbor needs something? Do I notice when a friend hasn't been at church lately? Do I notice when my kids need a little extra time or attention from me? Do I notice when someone does something nice for me? Do I notice how God provides for my needs and supplies me with so many "wants" to boot? And, more importantly, what do I do when I notice?

I don't want to get so caught up in the "stuff" of mothering that I don't spend enough time just loving on my kids. I don't want to be too busy to help or too tired to say "Thank you." Maybe we need to look around at the people around us more carefully than the cars on the road. Maybe next time we're out counting buggies we'll start counting blessings.

Relay for Life - American Cancer Society

2008-06-30T22:23:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Craig, Josh, Annie and I walked with my mom in the ACS Relay for Life in Almaden Valley. We walked as a part of a team from South Hills, the church where I was raised. This was such a neat experience for all of us. It felt so good to do something tangible - everyone has been touched by cancer in some way and this gave us a chance to help make a difference.

This spring my 92 year old grandma - Antoinette Petrov - went through 5 weeks of chemo and radiation treatments. Just tonight we learned the good news - they got it all! Craig's cousin Marina also recently went through chemo. We had the opportunity to purchase luminarias in their honor.

Relay is a 24 hour event but we weren't there the whole time (hence the name). We were there for the opening ceremonies and watched the "survivor lap" (survivor shirts are purple, supporters wore white, if you are looking at the pictures in the slideshow to the left) before walking our one hour shift. We returned at night for the luminaria ceremony - complete with a guest speaker and some bag pipe players who did a beautiful rendition of Amazing Grace, and many other great songs - before walking some more. What a beautiful visual - a 1/4 mile track lined with luminarias - each representing someone's mother, father, sister, brother, grandma, grandpa or son or daughter. And then in the bleachers - more, spelling out the word "hope".

Together we can make a difference.

Things I'm Thankful for This Weekend

2008-06-15T22:30:00.000-07:00

1. Antibiotics. I had a terrible case of strep throat...all 6 of us are on antibiotics. I feel so much better than I did a few days ago. I'm also particularly thankful for fruity flavored liquid antibiotics. Getting the kids to take medicine has never been so easy. (As long as I remember to consult the spreadsheet and get the right kid the right dosage at the right time.)

2. Waking up at 8am. This is nothing short of a miracle with 4 kids. Waking up at 8am on Saturday was definitely a highlight of the weekend.

3. Saturday breakfast. I love this tradition that Craig has of making fantastic breakfasts on the weekends. I love that Max calls Dutch pancakes "Pancake Muffin Mans" and that he calls raspberries "tiny grapes" as he picks them out of the fruit sauce.

4. Giggles. So many times this weekend I caught myself just smiling as I watched my kids play together and giggle about all sorts of goofy things. I also found myself trying to stifle my own giggles now and then, like when Max got out of bed and hid in the closet. He had only promised not to climb into bed with Josh or Annie anymore...I hadn't specifically said anything about not going in the closet.

5. Weddings. Even though I didn't go to the shoot this weekend, I'm thankful for the way God provides for us through our business. I thank God for my husband and his love of wedding videography, and the fun we have when we do work together.

6. Macaroni & Cheese. I don't actually like Kraft mac'n'cheese but it's a crowd pleaser and it works for dinner when Craig is gone.

7. Our yard. Our kids had so much fun playing outside this weekend. They made up obstacle courses and pulled each other in the wagon around the front yard. They played in their cardboard box playhouse on the back deck and spent hours in an inflatable pool that they bought themselves at Wal-Mart.

8. My kids. I love watching them play together. Even though there are many tough times, I can see the joy of the "buddy system" every day.

9. Brave friends, peach ice cream & traveling pants. I'm thankful that Sarah and Anna came over Saturday night to watch the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants with me, in spite of the fact that we are all technically getting over strep. And I'm really thankful for Anna's homemade peach ice cream made with fresh-from-the-farmers-market-today peaches.

10. Craig. He's an amazing husband and a fantastic father. Even though we didn't have huge plans, I enjoyed spending Father's Day with him.

A Day in My Life...

2008-05-15T22:22:00.000-07:00

7:20 - drag myself out of bed since 3 kids are already downstairs with Craig; get dressed in workout clothes and pack bag for the gym

8:20 - make sure that Josh and Annie have had breakfast, brushed their teeth, packed their lunches and have their homework in their backpacks and are out the door in time to catch the school bus

play with Max and Noah and feed them breakfast

9:05 - leave for the gym

9:06 - call Craig to ask a quick question and find out the Josh and Annie's school is in lockdown because of a report of a student carrying a gun

9:07 - drive by the school to ease any fears that my imagination has been conjuring up; see that everything looks normal and head to the gym

9:40 - check kids into childcare and head upstairs to ride a bike; poop out after 5 miles, so some abs, and go take a shower.

11:30 - meet a Mary Kay consultant in the Kohl's parking lot to barter some products (found her on craigslist); leave with a couple lipsticks, a cleansing bar and my moisturizer that I traded for products that cost me nothing!

11:40 - head to Wal-Mart; decide against using the backpack/cart routine and put the boys in the double stroller and carry a hand cart; can't find the snacks I wanted for today's meeting...choose something else and get the rest of the items on the list, which now fill my entire hand cart and the whole bottom compartment of the stroller.

12:30 - get home, unload groceries, chat with neighbor who is gardening, feed kids and eat some leftover pizza

1:00 - put Noah down, play with Max on the computer

1:15 - put Max down, start preparing for this afternoon's meeting

1:40 - realize how tired I am and decide to take a short nap before the sitter comes

1:42 - get call from boss with more things to prep for today's meeting

1:43 - call sitter (good friend) and ask her to please get me a Dr Pepper on her way

2:20 - scramble to get out the door on time with everything I need, wave to neighbor who is still gardening

2:45 - arrive at meeting site to set up and realize I'm missing the papers my boss I asked me to bring

2:52 - locate someone in the building kind enough to receive a fax and call sitter

3:00 - 5:15 - long meeting...

5:15 - 5:30 - finish paperwork so I can finally get paid, head home, chat with neighbor who let Annie help her in her gardening

5:45 - greet kids, chat with sitter, try on shoes she brought me, start dinner; realize that dinner won't be done before Annie needs to leave for Girl Scouts so I make her a turkey sandwich

6:05 - Craig comes home - earlier than expected!

6:25 - take Annie to Girl Scouts (wave to neighbor with the beautiful garden)

6:35 - eat dinner with the boys

6:55 - leave for the park (as previously promised, before I knew Craig would be home early)

7:25 - leave the park to get Annie from Girl Scouts (leave Craig and Josh there because they had wandered off looking for frogs and lost track of time), go back to look for Craig and Josh

7:40 - return to house; get in Craig's car and leave for tutoring job

8:00 - 9:30 - work on a translation assignment for a Spanish 8 student

9:37 - pop into the "other" Wal-Mart to look for a particular article of clothing (mission unsuccessful)

10:01 - arrive home; check e-mail, MOPS website, craigslist job postings and Facebook updates; write this blog

10:45 - heading to bed

(Can't wait for tomorrow - minimum day for Josh and Annie, packing for the weekend, driving to San Jose...)

Copy Cats

2008-05-09T15:20:00.000-07:00

I love watching my children play together. It is interesting to see what they do and say and how they interact with each other. I am fascinated as I see my younger kids learning from their older siblings and following their example. Most of them time this is a good thing! It is also eye opening to see my children exhibit traits of mine.

I remember one day when Annie was not even three...She had a purse on her shoulder and a toy phone tucked between her ear and her shoulder. "Bye! I'm going to MOPS!" she called as she marched down the hallway.

Just today I watched as Max (turning 3 in August) climbed up the ladder on the swing set and perched himself proudly at the top of the slide. "Yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah, yeah!" he sang out as he swayed back and forth before sliding down. I didn't have to wonder where he learned that (Josh - age 8). Later, I picked Noah up (18 months) and put him on the platform at the top of the slide. As I reached for his hand so I could help him slide down he said "Oh yeah!" and grinned proudly.

There are other times when I don't laugh at my little copy cats. Sometimes I see selfishness or rudeness or impatience in my children and I cringe knowing that I don't always model characteristics worthy of being imitated. I am reminded of the quote that says that we are ALL examples; some good examples and some bad examples. As I ponder what characteristics I want to pass on to my children I am reminded of Ephesians 5:1, Be imitators of God.

Yes, of course. All I have to do is copy God so my kids can copy me and then copy each other. Copy God? Where do I even try to start? I guess I can start with reading his word. So, for today, I'll start by looking at Ephesians 5:1 and the verses that come before and after it.

Ephesians 4:29 - 5:4

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.

Lord, please help me each day to choose to copy you in these areas.

Shaken, Not Stirred

2008-04-27T21:43:00.000-07:00

On February 29 I received a phone call about 9:30am. It was Craig telling me that he was on his way home from work - with all of his "stuff" and his final pay check. The news of the layoff was a shock and that morning we felt like our world had turned upside down. As the day went on and we prayed, processed and came up with a game plan, we reminded each other than nothing major in the universe had shifted. And if we felt "upside down" after this news, well, amen and thanks for the wake-up call because we weren't right side up anyway.

I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing."
I have set the LORD always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
Psalm 16:2,8

Interestingly enough, that very same day a series of earthquakes began in our area. The epicenter is about 6 miles from our home. While they were mostly small quakes, I estimate that we were noticing 2-4 a week for the first several weeks of the dozens that were being recorded each day.

Thursday afternoon, just minutes after my kids got home from school, we had two pretty big ones close together, along with a few decent aftershocks. Friday afternoon, another big one hit while Annie and I were sitting in our home office, each in front of our computer. But Friday night, we experienced the biggest quake (so far) in recorded Nevada history - a 5.0. I remember the Loma Prieta quake vividly and even though this one was quite the 6.9 from '89 I think this one felt stronger to me because we were so much closer.

Though the mountains be shaken
and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken
nor my covenant of peace be removed,"
says the LORD, who has compassion on you.
Isaiah 54:10

A couple hours after the kids were comforted and back asleep, Craig and I finally were able to fall asleep again. When morning came it was time to survey the damage. A quick glance around our bedroom revealed several things that had fallen off a shelf but only one broken figurine, a picture frame that had fallen and landed on my jewelry armoire but had not shattered, and a dresser with every drawer open but that had not fallen over.

Heading downstairs I surveyed my cookie jar collection. Tigger had bounced off the top shelf of a three-tiered display and landed on several others. A decorative plate in the kitchen lost. A bathroom sink-full of the entire contents of medicine cabinet. Not too bad - no major losses or damage. I opened the office door and looked inside. A few things had fallen off my bookshelf and landed on my desktop or the floor but then I looked over at the kids computer area. One of the shelves from above their desk had landed in the very chair where Annie had been sitting the previous afternoon. Sure, I'm sorry about the figurine from our wedding cake top and my Tigger cookie jar but NONE of my most precious treasures had been harmed.

My soul finds rest in God alone;
my salvation comes from him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. (emphasis mine)
Psalm 62:1-2

Peace in the Night

2008-04-16T09:04:00.000-07:00

Noah, our youngest, isn't really much of a cuddler. Most of the time he's really busy. Don't get me wrong - he doesn't just play independently for hours so I can get lots done. He wants me close by at all times, but not so close that I get in his way when he wants to knock over the kitchen garbage can or sneak in the bathroom and unroll all the toilet paper. Once in a while he will sit in my lap so we can read books together but most times he just wants a quick hug and he's off again.

The other night he woke up during the night and was crying really hard. The cries turned to screams and I went in to his room to check on him. I arrived just in time to see him throw himself down on the bed with a violent shake, just missing the side of the crib. I scooped him up in my arms and whispered in his ear, "I love you." Instantly he was still. He stopped crying and shaking and stared into my eyes. In the near darkness of his room we held each other tightly. Slowly he moved his hand and stroked the sleeve of my pajamas. I leaned over and kissed him gently on the forehead. It was a while until I could put him back in his crib; I didn't want this special moment to end. I stood their holding this precious child, silently thanking God for the privilege of being his mother, until at last he was sound asleep in my arms.

When I finally returned to my bed I stayed awake a while longer, pondering the mysterious power of parental love. My presence, a whispered "I love you" in the night brought peace and comfort to a child who just a moment earlier was screaming and flailing in the dark. How often do I do that with God, I wondered. Do I cry and flail and feel out of control simply because I don't stop and and sit in his arms? Do I rob myself of his peace because with all the noise around me I don't hear his whispered "I love you" in the night?

I may not be tempted to unroll the toilet paper, but I sure am good at messing up relationships. When I allow my busyness to take over, my stress level grows with the chaos around me, and I am quick to lash out at the ones I love. These messes are much harder to clean up than a spilled garbage can. Oh Lord, help me to be still and feel your love. Help me hear your voice in the dark and experience your peace in the night so I can reflect your love to those around me.

Math Games

2008-04-16T08:13:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid I didn't particularly enjoy math but finally in high school something "clicked" in my freshman algebra class. It still isn't my favorite subject but often I am intrigued by numbers and sometimes I find myself playing "math games". Here's my latest...

According to my calculations, I have spent the equivalent of approximately 114 months with a child in diapers. (And I estimate another 12-18 months to go!) This translates to approximately 17, 385 diapers (a rather conservative estimate!) with at least another 1,830 to go. The saddest part - this translates to roughly $3.5K so far!

I'm going to go look for my prize box and potty seat. I've got some boys to train!

Off to CLASS I go!

2008-04-05T22:24:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not going back to school in the traditional sense, but the Lord has laid it on my heart to attend CLASSeminar this August. This is a 3 day conference being held in Livermore, CA that is put on by CLASServices (Christian Leaders Authors and Speaker Services). I am so excited to have the opportunity to take classes, participate in small groups, learn from great speakers and give short talks and be critiqued by professional speakers and other conference attendees. I believe that God has given me a gift in this area and I am anxious to develop it.

Sharing God’s truth with love is not only a holy calling but also a remarkable responsibility. I trust He will provide a way financially for me to go, and I would like to invite you to be a part of this life-changing conference! Will you prayfully consider partnering with me through a financial contribution towards a scholarship that will allow me to attend?

Thankfully, this event is being offered within driving distance and in an area where I know people so I will not have to pay for a hotel. As you feel led to join me in this exciting call, there are two primary ways you can participate in helping me fund the $450 for the conference registration.

If you would like to just make a straight "donation" in ANY amount, your gift would be welcome and appreciated. The reason I used quotation marks is that your gift is not tax-deductible as our family does not officially count as a non-profit! (Smile with me...) I am also working hard selling things on craigslist to earn money to cover the cost so if you have any items you would like to "donate" I will sell them and put the money in my CLASS fund. Please e-mail me for more details or with any questions.

I would really appreciate your prayers as I prepare to attend over the next several months. Pray not just for the finances to come together but that God would begin now preparing my heart, my mind, and my family for this event. Pray that I would grow in knowledge and skill and that more speaking ministry opportunities would come.

The Lord bless you as you pray and give towards equipping the saints for the Kingdom of God! I appreciate your thoughtfulness so much and could not do this without you being a very important part.

Blessings!

Perspective...

2008-03-27T14:48:00.000-07:00

Sometimes (okay, often...) I get embarrassed because my kitchen floor is dirty.
But I was really proud of my kids when they went to church with my mom and politely introduced themselves and shook hands with the pastor.

Sometimes I get frustrated because my laundry is never done and I tend to have piles and baskets that need to be put away.
But my two year old can sing two verses to Jesus loves me.

Sometimes I look at my sink of dirty dishes and I get very overwhelmed.
But then I watch how gentle my seven year-old daughter is with our one year-old and I smile as she teaches him "baby school" lessons.

Sometimes I wonder how the garbage cans and diaper champs always seem to be full even when I think I just emptied them. I feel like my world is so full of dirt and grime.
But then I hear that my eight year old son went - unprompted! - and said thank you to his Sunday School teacher for some candy she brought our family two days earlier.

Sometimes I feel like I never accomplish anything.
But then I look at my family and recognize that I am doing alright with what really matters.

Thank you, Jesus, for giving me some perspective in this season of my life.

The "Key" to Life

2008-01-25T10:08:00.000-08:00

This past summer I took my kids to go spend a week with my grandparents. They still live in the same house they bought when my mom was a baby. I love that house and I love watching my kids play there and making memories of their own. One thing that fascinated my older kids was the keyhole in the door between the kitchen and the family room. They would stand in the kitchen and peer into the family room through the key hole. Once there eyes focused, do you know what they would see? Another door, leading to the back yard.

We were there in July and that month was a month of huge transition for us. Our house had been on the market for almost a year and a half. We thought God was leading us to Boise. He had provided us with a great job opportunity, a house on which we had placed an offer, a church community full of long-time friends, a great school for our children and an OBGYN who I adored and wanted to perform my fourth and final c-section. In spite of all those things, God hadn't brought us the one thing we had been waiting for - a buyer for our house. In May a friend of mine posed this question to me when I mentioned waiting for our miracle offer...Have you ever wondered if it is a miracle that your house hasn't sold yet?

Actually, that thought hadn't occurred to us. But, from then on we started looking at our situation differently. You might say the view of the situation before us was slowing coming in to focus. In June I learned of a job opening at our church that would last 3-6 months and I found a job posting on-line that appeared to suit Craig perfectly. Long story short, we both applied in June, interviewed in July and began our new jobs in August. We also took our house off the market in July - before either one of us had official offers. We "just knew" that things were working out how they were supposed to, albeit differently than what we had expected.

All of a sudden, the room was in focus and we were right where we belonged. We could see the closed door behind us that led to Boise but also we able to recognize many blessings that were a result of going through that process - a reconnection with friends and the emotional preparation we needed for a church change here in Reno, to name a few.

Sixth months later, I find myself peering through another key hole. What is in store for me next now that my job is ending? I'm not really sure, but thankfully God does. I just have to keep looking through it until a door opens and I find myself someplace else. At least this time I can recognize the "key" to life - there is always another door, just remember who holds the key!

A Dream Come True!

2008-01-20T20:47:00.000-08:00

Like many other girls I used to dream about being Cinderella. Little did I know that my dream would come true! Yes, this winter Craig installed a wood stove insert to our fireplace. So now in addition to the dishes, laundry, cleaning and other household chores I also empty the ashes out of the stove, sweep the hearth and start the fire in the morning (and help keep it going for the next 10-16 hours...). Just call me Mommerella or Cindermommy. Ahhhh, a dream come true....

Some Days...

2008-01-20T20:46:00.000-08:00

Some Days…

Some days I miss
sleeping through the night.
Some days I miss
being spontaneous.
Some days I miss
sitting down to a quiet dinner and eating hot food.
Some days I miss
the way it felt to know that the laundry was “done” for a couple of weeks.
Some days I miss
going to the grocery store alone.

Some day I’m sure I’ll miss
cuddling my baby in the wee hours of the morning.
Some day I’m sure I’ll miss
having so many kids activities on the calendar.
Some day I’m sure I’ll miss
the giggles of four little kids around our crowded dinner table along with all the “Can I have more milk?” and “I dropped my napkin again.”
Some day I’m sure I’ll miss
little tiny socks that never seem to have a pair.
Some day I’m sure I’ll miss
having a good excuse to buy Pop-Tarts.

Things I've Learned this December

2007-12-20T12:35:00.000-08:00

Be sure to shovel the sidewalk the very first day that it snows. It just isn't worth it the whole next week...or two...
The old trick about pouring water over a frosted windshield to quickly melt the ice doesn't work when its 24 degrees outside.
If you decide to make candy trains be sure to buy 4 peppermint "wheels" per train instead of just one.
When ordering from e-bay be sure to check the location of the item BEFORE you buy it. If you accidentally buy something from Hong Kong it may not arrive in time for Christmas.
If you're ordering from amazon.com (or any other on-line store for that matter) it isn't enough to simply place the items you want to order in your shopping cart. You have to actually check out and pay before they will send them to you.
On a more serious note, I learned that as long as we do the Christmas tree and the Mickey Mouse toy chest that plays Christmas carols, my kids don't really care what else I set up for Christmas decorations. They didn't even notice that I didn't set up either Christmas village or my nearly 100 piece snowman collection.
It is really cute to hear a two year old sing Happy Birthday dear Jesus all month long.

Craig's Kona Trip Diary (August 15-21)

2007-12-20T10:56:00.000-08:00

Wednesday - fly to San Francisco, met Leo and Grace at the Gate for Kona - had a snack at the terminal food court - fly to Kona (watched Fracture with ANTHONY HOPKINS - SAT NEXT TO OVERLY TALKATIVE TEENAGER (but nice kid) named Jake - bought an overpriced snack box for $5 - Landed in Kona Int'l Airport - deplaned to an outside stairway - met up with Velma and Cassie (Vickie got lei'd) - met up with Teresa.

got our bags and got into Dad's car - off to Wal-Mart for a few groceries and shoes for Vickie (and some sunscreen)

drove to our condo right on the strip - said goodnight to dad and Velma

went to Hooters for dinner and a beer (fish and chips and a cob salad)

Back to our room to sleep - early day tomorrow - 12 hour bus tour of the whole island

Thursday - set alarm for 5:15 to call kids before they went to school...up around 6 AM - life cereal and cinnamon raison bagels, coffee and milk

Bus driver picks us up at Bubba Gumps at 7:30am - we get to sit in the front! Our bus driver's name is Greg Benson from Oahu - really knowledgeable and a nice guy. our first stop is the Kona coffee plantation gift store for coffee samples and macadamia-rum cake (and to shop) - we take too long going potty and are the last ones on the bus

off to a bakery about 30 minutes away - roads are lined with avacado and mango trees - Kona coffee plants everywhere - driver shows us that a coffee bean is actaully the seed inside a fruit - and that 1 in 100 beans isa single, not a pair, and that is considered better coffee - a peaberry - got to try some - no big deal... it's good, but i like sumatra better - the bakery has INSANE dougnuts - we bought two - a guava and a passionfruit-iced one - HOLY COW - best doughtnut ever-around the bakery we see samples of Hawaiian crops - pineapple plants with pineapples on them, sugar cane plants, avacados, mangos.

next stop black sand beach - really cool - and look, there's a giant sea turtle on the lava near the edge of the beach - a little treacherous getting close to him, but we manage to snap a few – there’s a bigger one further down the beach on the sand... he's asleep - our driver warned us to stay at least 10 feet away from the turtles, so we take a few photos at a safe distance.

time to go to the volcano house atop kiluwea - a 35 minute drive - it's exactly noon when we arrive. Along the way Greg is pointing to plants and fruit trees lining the road... we have 45 minutes to grab a quick sandwich in the cafeteria and explore... enough time to see the visitors building and buy a few gifts.

off the caldera on top of the volcano itself, Smells of sulfur and steam fishers are all around, We stop and have around 20 minutes to hike down to the lookout point and snap a few more photos, Smells toxic.

Next stop is a lava tunnel created by quick moving lava during an eruption long ago... its raining, and smells like fresh mountain air - bright flowers and foliage lines the crooked path to the tunnel... gobs of water drop from the ceiling as we make our way through the dark cavern... the sides of the tunnel have square light installed about every 25 yards to help see the otherwise pitch darkness. We dodge cold deep puddles on the muddy path below,.

Back at the bus Greg tells us we have 20 minutes to the next stop and he plays us some Hawaiian music while we take a short snooze. next stop is the orchid farm

Anyone want to buy a $10,000 orchid - on sale for $8000? Big bright orchids everywhere - many with the sweet fragrance you’d expect..some with unexpected smells - chocolate, peach, vanilla – very, very cool... we buy some more gifts.

Next we have a long haul to Hilo - long drive, more Hawaiian music, more history - we get to see the stone Kamehameha lifted and turned over as a test of his virility.
We stop at a gushing waterfall called rainbow falls.,,, monkey pod tress are also everywhere. Vickie has to pee so bad she ignores Greg's advice and uses to public restroom...we eat some crackers at a local craft store and board the bus for parker ranch.

We see a fire along the way burning on the hill... we learn a Hawaiian cowboy is a paniolo ,,, and beef is called a pi pi ,, so what do you call a pi pi on a hill ? Lean beef,,, Greg's bad joke,,, pi pis laying down are ground beef....(groan) - Vickie and I share a chicken plate lunch and sit with cousin Greg talking about home and kids and life.

Back on the bus... time to head back and drop everyone off at their resorts - it's no secret most everyone on our bus is staying at very expensive golf clubs and resorts... nice folks, but rich,

we are the last ones off the bus and Cousin Greg recommends a few spots along the strip,... we tip him and thank him for a great tour... highly recommended.

After a quick shower at the condo, we meet up with Dad and Velma, Pat and Jen and cousin bob at LuLu's for dinner... bob ends up footing the bill and we have a great time visiting. Afterwards we head back to our condo and crash... long day...

Friday - Breakfast in our room...over to lava java for internet access and a spinach wrap. We shop a little along the strip... We head over to the farmer's market and buy more gifts and some papayas and a white pineapple.,,,, BEST PINEAPPLE EVER - had some fruit for lunch, then went swimming in out complex's pool... very nice. - went to the reunion party and ate, drank, visited with everyone... Cousin bob played ukulele while Princee Ann and SUZANNE DID THE HULA - as did Brawney and the other birthday folks... sang happy birthday to Tommy, Tony, Patrick and Rick... ate cake... visited more. Got a ride home in Pat's red convertible mustang. Very cool.

Saturday - Breakfast in our room... dad and pat pick me up and we're off to Waikola for some golf... dad gets the local rate and pat and I only have to pay for club rental... nice!
decent course...nothing fantastic...I play a lousy first 9 holes... dad and pat do much better... I play the front nine much better (after surrendering my fairway woods) nice set of Nike clubs though) - after golf we meet up with the girls at the king shops and have a snack (I ate a fish burrito - some snack) dad had a dipped ice cream and pat a hot dog. The girls shared but had nothing of their own

Dad and Velma take off together while Vickie and I pile into pat and Jen's convertible mustang for the 40 minute trip back to Kona. Vickie and I decide to rent a car for Sunday since we are going to visit Pam and Don's Friend's church in Kona. Pat and Jen drop us at the budget rent a car and we get a sapphire blue Pontiac that is fairly new and drives well. Nice to have a car for a while. Back to the Kona Islander Inn for a shower and rest. pat and Jen pick us up later for dinner at Teresa, Randy and Jeanette's. Although dinner is supposed to start at 7, we don’t get there until 9. Patrick brings roast port loin while randy and Teresa prepped BBQ'd steak and shrimp...there's also steamed broccoli, rice of course, and mushrooms. Later i prep a fruit salad of papaya we brought from farmer's market, and a white pineapple that everyone loves…along with some watermelon. Not much in the way of drinks. Jeanette ekes out a few screwdrivers with what's left of her vodka and then it's diet cokes and water. We visit while a game of spinners materializes at the dinner table... Randy seems to be doing much better and might even move to Reno...that would be a very interesting situation and further confirmation of our staying Reno right now. We leave Teresa’s around 11... another great day and a solid sleep.

Sunday we're up as usual around 8am and have some of the banana - peanut butter bread Vickie bought for me while she was out shopping the previous day. it's okay... but c'mon for $3 it ought to be a little bigger. After I finish my coffee we're off to church... the road is very steep and winding with many churches past along the way, At the top of the hill sits the church where Gary is associate pastor. Nice guy with a friendly face and constant smile. The sanctuary is wall-less with a large rear-projected screen in front for worship lyrics. Although I don't recognize all the songs, the style and feel of the church is very familiar and we are at home. The worship pastor is a thin dark haired island-looking guy with a pleasant moustache smile and baritone voice. After announcements the head teaching pastor calls the kids up to the front for a short kids' lesson on fear and trust... he uses a toy helicopter and a white plastic castle-looking prop and tells us it's a volcano (use your imagination) - He tells us of how he preformed a wedding with four of these helicopters circling the active volcano, and how the one he was on even tipped face first into the bubbling, lava filled caldron to give everyone on board a better view. The kids are dismissed to Sunday School and the pastor continues with his lesson - the sermon is on Fear and he used the story of the disciples being afraid in the boat while Jesus sleeps... he shows us slides of his recent (2004) trip to the holy lands and their boat ride on the actual sea of Galilee. During the sermon he shows a not-so-short movie clip from Joe Versus the Volcano relating his experience of moving to Kona and planting a church to Joe's experience jumping into the Volcano... it worked okay... clip was too long though =) --- next he asked people to share their experience of trusting God in their lives via open mic... a few people shared similar stories of how God had heard their prayers and answered them. Vickie and I both considered sharing, but were content with hearing the locals talk of their experiences. Church ends with a familiar song that i can't remember right now since I'm on a plane a few days later and I'm heading back to SF. Vickie was upset about the seating arrangement (we're not next to each other, but I'm in front of her - But I'll get to that in a little while... back to Sunday.... the head pastor - I wish this guy in front of me would sit still... his seat is all the way back and the laptop is poking my stomach…anyways the head pastor whose name escapes me... Vickie will probably fill this in later - announces it's pastor Gary's birthday (you remember Pam and Don's friend?) he gets up in front of everyone and we sing happy birthday... oh, his wife is really nice too... can't remember her name either. Anyways we get a short tour of the facility... I guess the building we had service in is not the final sanctuary, but the events center... they plan to build another building within 5 years that will be the real sanctuary... can't imagine a better place for church than this building... all you see to the left is coastline and ocean... all you see to the right is tropical plants and flowers.... and there's a pleasant breeze wafting through during the whole service... really nice... anyways Gary shows us the youth area which is a loft above the sanctuary... it has the obligatory foosball (same table as Rod and Ginny's) and air hockey... plus shuffle board to the right... obviously donated, and a TV and video game console... not sure which one-they blow fans on the futons constantly because they have trouble with mold due to moisture. the fans seem to help. The nursery is awesome with hand painted murals of animals and sky and clouds... very nice. We take a photo with Gary and his wife...wait I'll ask Vickie what her name is...Carla is her name... I knew she'd remember - Anyways we drive off looking for someplace to have lunch... we decide to go to a pink building around the corner from our hotel. It's a candy factory and ice cream shop, locally owned by some folks from San Jose... they have been running it for around 15 years... I have the Korean short ribs with rice (duh) and a side salad (the salad actually came first, but I don’t want to erase what I've written) with a papaya, poppy seed dressing that is really good... after dropping a gob of dressing on my shorts, I actually get to enjoy my salad... the place is nice, and it's air conditioned... big plus…although my ribs are a little fatty, they are very tasty and Vickie's mahi mahi fish and ships are pretty good too, We buy some salt water taffy for rod and have just enough room for ice cream.. Vickie has the pineapple sorbet and I have the Ohana nut crunch (kinda like heath bar crunch with macadamia nuts).

The bathrooms are way too hot inside so I pass on going there and we take a few snapshots outside - I was a little bitter that the gal serving the ice cream charged me full price when I really had a half portion, but whatever... Next we head back to our room at the KII to change into our suits - we're off to Hapuna beach... the big "white sand beach" on Kona... it's a good 30 minute drive there, and we're only able to stay about an hour and a half because our car is due back... the place is packed, but we find a parking spot near the back of the lot and hike the short distance to the beach... it's a pretty warm day with full sunshine. Once we claim a spot it's off to the water and crashing waves... the3 surf is a lot rougher than I expected, but Vickie is having a great time. That's a relief. I thought for sure I would be swimming alone. The water is cool and refreshing and very clear… although the distinct salt water on your lips keeps you spitting. There are lots of boogie boarders and body surfers. After about 20 minutes we end up on our towels in the sand, both reading our books…Vickie's reading some book on deliberate parenting and I'm reading a book I bought for Scott years ago called shadow divers. After some time we decide we better head back to Kona to return the car. My dad told me to call him when we get to the rental place so he can come get us... once we return the car and wait a short while, dad and Velma show up. We head back to the KII and shower/change and go out to dinner with Dad and Velma... we go to an L&L by the hotel, but decide it looks too small, so we drive about 15minutes to the one by dad and Velma... when we get there we see the whole Fernandez clan... Tommy, Bob, Princee Ann, Suzanne, everyone...they invite us back to Princee Ann and Scott's place for a visit... we decide to eat at L&L - Dad and I had the garlic ahi, and Vickie got the teriyaki - chicken... I think Velma go the Katsu... I like the meal much more than Vickie but she's a good sport about it. We head over to Princee Ann's and Scott's place and visit for about an hour and a half... after a couple of beers it's time to go... as we're saying our goodbyes, a loud voice boomks across the apartment "GET OUT" - we look to see an irate guy in a baby-blue sleeveless tee shirt hollering for us to leave "I"VE HAD TWO COMPLAINTS ALREADY!!!! THIS IS MY PROPERTY!!! EVERYONE OUT NOW!!! A shame we all left on that note... Rik's wife was calmly explaining to this jerk that it was a family get together and not a drunken frat party, but by then we were already getting into our cars. felt bad for them... the guy could have been more adult about it but chose to be a hump. We say our goodbyes to Dad and Velma... they're off the Oahu the next day for another week of golf and visiting with friends... some of the Fernandez family will be there too. wish we could go =( Vickie and I watch a little food network at the condo before bed... I'm always amazed at how many geckos are scurrying up and down ouir building... they're really cool.

Monday ... our last full day - Vickie was a little disappointed about how the evening turned out... I think she wanted to spend it just us seeing a movie or something... but without a car your kinda stuck... she's okay...just a little bummed... we decide to walk the opposite direction on the strip than we had been (away from ABC and LUL LUs) and towards Kamehameha hotel... lots of little shops and lots of gifts to buy... I found a silver thumb ring and she found a toe ring she always wanted... she almost bought a pants/shirt combo but it didn't quite fit the way she anted...so no sale. I call Patrick to see if they are back from Hilo yet...turned out they didn't spend the night there after all.. so we decided to meet after lunch at our hotel and ride out to captain cooks monument where we will kayak out to the monument (a two mile row) and do some snorkeling. I honestly don't think Vickie will do it... Vickie and I first eat the Big Island Grill (BIG) ... I have a HUGE bowl of saimin which comes with tempura shrimp... it's awesome... Vickie has a papaya stuffed with chicken salad and a bowl of soup...l flourless chocolate cake to go... We drop our cake off at the hotel, change into out suits, and meet Pat and Jen in the lobby for the ride out to the kayak launch site about 30 minutes away... Vickie knows the name of the beach so I'll let her fill that in. After a dizzying windy drive through misty rain forest we arrive at the launch site where we need to rent two kayaks,,, a toothless 30ish woman tells us it's $40 per kayak - a bit spendy but what can you do? You’re there already... anyways Vickie and I life jacket up and literally jump into the boat (it's the only way to get in) and we row out towards the monument two miles away... the ocean is really choppy and it seems like it will take forever... my left thumb is getting sore and i know I'll have a blister, but we sally forth... before long we get to the monument... a weathered make-shift lava-rock docking point with a chained off white monument that looks deceptively similar to the Washington monument. It stands about ten feet tall and is surrounded by corral reef teeming with brightly colored fish... Jen and patrick arrive about 10 minutes later and Jen looks a little green... before long her stomach settles and they gear up to go snorkeling. There are little black crabs scurrying all over the island... kinda freaky and cool at the same time... we snap some photos for a Russian family and they take a few of Vickie and me in front of the monument. You can see tons of life under the water even without a snorkel... but I wanted to see more... soon pat and Jen pass us their gear and to my surprise Vickie accepts it and is off exploring... it's like swimming with all the fish from finding Nemo... tangs, needlefish, anemones all over schools and schools of them... the time is way too short. We have to start heading back because we bought tickets to a luau... we paddle back to the launch point... getting back is much quicker and easier, although Pat and Jen thought we were really moving fast. We made such good time that Vickie and I had a chance to shower off before we had to get back on the car. The toothless girl invited us back to a local luau, but we couldn't go since we were leaving the next day. The ride back was fun as wind whipped through my fuzzy head.... we told Jen and Pat we'd walk over to the royal Kona Inn and meet them after we had cleaned up... After we shower we head over... lots of people in line as the smell of smoked meat and sweet cake fills the air. Pat and Jen arrive before long and we all get really good seats near the stage. Mai Tais are all you can drink... although they are pretty weak. There's a couple at our table from Maryland who are on their second honeymoon in a year (Stan and Natalie) and another couple on their first Vickie seems to hit it off with. We get called to the buffet line as the second table. There's salads, poi, coconut jello, smoked pork, marinated steak, two kinds of chicken, ono fish filets, raw sashimi, rice, bread and coconut or pineapple upside down cake... the food is very good…if you hurry you can get seconds, but we're too preoccupied with the sunset and they consolidate the buffet into one line, then nothing... the shows about to start...we take some last minute sunset photos and watch the show begin... lots of folklore and dance, fire knife dancing, the obligatory hula (Didn't know men hula too) and of course the "let's embarrass the audience" hula with "volunteers" It was a great show. Pat and Jen walk back with us to our condo... but first we stop at the ABC for a ukulele for the kids (special phoned in request)

Ketchup...to "catch you up" on the last few months

2007-12-20T09:43:00.000-08:00

Well, so much for my goal of blogging twice a week! Since I haven't done a single entry since I started my new job August 1st I decided I better do a Ketchup Post. Here are the key events:

In July Craig and I both started interviewing for new jobs. I found a job posting on the marketing page of the Reno craigslist that described him perfectly. After a 3 year stint of commuting to Carson for work we were both really ready to be living and working in the same city. And after 16 moths of having the house on the market we were started to think that God had other plans for us right now that didn't include moving to Boise. I also decided to apply for a newly vacant position at our church leading the children's ministry.
On July 31st I got a phone call from the church telling me that they would like me to start work the next morning.
About a week later Craig got the official offer from CLP (a skilled trade service provider with their headquarters in South Reno) that they would like him to start the end of August. This meant that for the first time in his adult life he would have 2 1/2 consecutive weeks off work!
The timing couldn't have been better because Craig and I went to Kona for a week during that time for a vacation/family reunion. It was our first "real" vacation since our honeymoon and we had a wonderful time. My parents came up and stayed with the kids while we were gone making sure that Noah & Max were well-entertained and Josh & Annie got to dentist appointments and school. For a complete account from the Kona trip look for Craig's Trip Diary in a separate post.
The weekend before going to Kona we held a dedication service for Max and Noah. The service was performed by family friend Reverend Steve Wren and was held in our backyard. Joining us from Boise were very dear friends whom we asked to be godparents for our children - Debbie & Larry Kreidler and Matt & Johanna Dempster.
September brought our last big gigs for the business this season - an out of town wedding and a huge fundraiser for a local foundation. My work was also in full-swing with the start of the new Sunday School year and the after school Kids Club I lead each Wednesday.
If you've known me for any length of time, you know how we love to celebrate Halloween with a family theme that is usually being planned over the course of the whole previous year. (Yes, the kids are already busy planning for Halloween 2008!) This year we had decided to go as a Full House, Kings over Queens with Noah as the Joker. Craig did a beautiful job with the costumes. The only difficulty was that they weren't very comfortable. And when we planned them months before we had no way of knowing that I would be in charge of our church's first Fall Family Festival! It worked out fine with the costumes, and thanks to an incredible committee of volunteers, the Festival was wonderful!
In November Josh and Annie spent a week with my parents while they were off-track from school. While they were gone I tried to find time to work on my Kona album (which I did finish the first week of December!) My parents brought them all the way home to Reno (often we meet them in Sacramento) and stayed for a few days. During that time my dad painted a wall in Josh & Noah's room and we all attended a big (HUGE) Thanksgiving dinner at church that weekend. We are so thankful for our church and our many friends who make up our church family.
Thanksgiving Day we got up early, loaded the car, and started on our way to Boise. Our target arrival time was 3pm for dinner at 5pm with the Kreidlers. Unfortunately, I managed to veer off the road, over-correct, spin us completely around, and take out a reflector post on our way into a ditch full of sage brush. We met a very nice tow-truck driver and a wonderful mechanic who opened his shop up just for us. We also met a not-so-nice police officer and I got my very first ticket...After a 5 hour delay in and around Winnemucca, NV we were back on the road - in our own van - with Craig driving.
The rest of our weekend in Boise was WONDERFUL. It still amazes me how at home we feel in a city where we haven't lived (yet). We stayed with Debbie and Larry's family, spent all day Friday with the Dempsters and all visited with dear friends the Herberts, "Grandma Judie," my former youth leader Becky Lee, a former co-worker & friend of Craig's, and our pastor and friend, Mark Coffin. Much to be thankful for that weekend, but mostly thankful for an uneventful drive home.

Favorite Quotes from "You're Late Again, Lord!"

2007-07-29T13:36:00.000-07:00

As I referenced in an earlier posting, I have been reading a great little book by Karon Phillips Goodman called "You're Late Again, Lord!" I wanted to share with you some favorite quotes since I don't think I could express these ideas any better. Enjoy, be inspired, and buy the book!

So, when your life is at a standstill over what you can't control, and when you're waiting on answers that never seem to come, God says to use that time to work where you are. God says to learn the art of waiting purposefully. Maybe that's what God had in mind all along. Maybe that's why we wait. (p. 11)

He doesn't say wait and hope and sit quietly. He says to mount up, to run, and to walk--these are words that indicate anything but inaction. These words require work. These words come with a purpose. You can fulfill the Lord's purpose for you while you wait and hope. Waht a plan. I told you He was smart. (p. 17)

The time I spent waiting didn’t have to be endless and useless—it could be productive and dynamic. Living according to my Lord’s timetable included my work, too. I could be both prayerful and purposeful. I could “pray without ceasing” while I worked. I could listen and learn. God had prepared for my impatience. He had provided a place for me to grow. He was going to be there while we waited, to help me find what I had lost, and He and I both knew that was a long list. (pp. 28-29)

Even if you think you already know, you will be amazed at what God has to show you. It’s the difference betweeen holding a glass of water and standing in the ocean. (p. 97)

I can’t tell you what plans the Lord has for you, or that you will always understand them immediately, but I can tell you that you can know what to do each day—this day’s work. That’s enough. That’s all you need. (p. 124)

God has promised to help us, not just on Sundays or when we’re ill or when we have life-altering decisions to make, but forever. “Lo, I am with you always,” Jesus said (Matthew 28:20 NKJV). I don’t read any qualifying remarks there, do you? My Bible says “always” and there is no double meaning or outdated definition for that word. (p. 126)

Vickie’s Top 10 Tips for Plane Trips with Children

2007-07-28T22:04:00.000-07:00

10. Bring the Pack’n’Play. I am so glad I decided to bring ours. I love it, and my kids are used to it. It was so easy to just check it through with the baggage.

9. Buy the ice cream in the airport. This is especially important if you have a longer layover. It is worth $2.50 a scoop (I bought everyone a “tiny” instead of a “small”) to reward good behavior for the first leg of the trip and encourage more smiles for the rest of the way.

8. Don’t make your “home base” in the airport while you wait for your next flight at the bottom of the stairs that lead to the Admirals Club. Enough said.

7. Keep baby wipes handy. Even if you’ve only been a parent for 2 days you probably know this one. However, baby wipes have so many other incredible uses like wiping spit-up off your clothes, washing sticky fingers and faces after eating an over-priced airport, but on this trip I learned yet another use for them. You can actually use a baby wipe to erase a work of art off the window shade on a plane.

6. Avoid American Airlines if possible. This is the least kid-friendly airline I’ve ever encountered. Even with 2 babies, 2 car seats and 2 children, they refused to let us pre-board. We were in Group 5 or 6 every time. I was still installing car seats and getting kids situated as they were telling us to prepare for take off. And unless you want to pay $3 for a cookie bring plenty of snacks for the kids. Not even peanuts on this airline. (Oh, and the headphones are $5 each if you don’t bring your own…)

5. Bring a stroller. It is so easy to gate check an umbrella stroller – it is so worth it. In our case I just brought one stroller and the boys took turns. Some airports will also let you go through the handicap security line if you have a stroller. Even if you factor in the extra time it takes to remove the child and collapse the stroller for the x-ray machine chances are it may save you more time by not waiting in line.

4. Be persistent about trying to get your car seat on board. Sometimes it isn’t always financially practical to buy a ticket for a baby since it isn’t required. But let’s face it, most “lap children” are done with your lap before the plane has reached its cruising altitude. If the plane isn’t full try to bring your car seat on board. It will save your back and possibly your sanity. Southwest is great about this. I learned this time however, that it can be more difficult on other airlines (like American)

3. Give older kids a special job. Assign an older child to push the stroller, carry a tote bag or entertain a younger one. It gives them something productive to do and the special responsibility will encourage them to be on their best behavior.

2. Plan ahead & buy large ziplock bags. I filled one for each child with special things to do on the plane. I included things like a card game, a new art notebook & crayons, a favorite paperback book, a skein of yarn for the older kids. Max’s had some Elmo crackers too.

1. Bring Grandma & Grandpa. I couldn’t have survived that many plane rides without them!

Amazing...

2007-07-27T15:37:00.001-07:00

I just returned home from visiting relatives (my mom's side) in St. Louis and thought I'd share my reflections on some of the amazing people in our lives.

1. My Grandparents - My gradma was born in 1915 and my grandpa in 1916. They married in 1941 and they still live in the home they bought when my mom was a baby. Amazing. While we were there my grandma made Josh 3 pair of shorts from some pants that were too long, fixed the straps on two of Annie's sundresses, hemmed a pair of jeans for me and altered a dress for me. Amazing. The morning we were leaving Max snuck outside. My grandpa was the only one who noticed. I wonder how long it would have been until we realized that he wasn't playing with "someone else" in the other room.

2. My Family - I enjoyed visiting with all of the relatives but was amazed by how many aunts and cousins went out of their way to make things easy for us when we arrived. They worked together to get my grandparents' house ready for a week long visit of little people. There were car seats, high chairs (2 plus a booster!), cribs, an air mattress, toys, games, art supplies and more waiting for us. It was amazing how easy it was for 7 people to just "show up" and share 2 bedrooms!

3. My Parents - I could not have gone on this trip without my parents. Literally - the airlines wouldn't let me bring 2 lap children. But seriously, they help me so much I can't even tell you how amazing they are. They even cut their trip short because I couldn't stay any longer. They wanted to stay for 2 weeks but 8 days was really all we could do...My dad even offered to drive us home to Reno the next day and then fly back to San Jose so I wouldn't have to make the trip alone. But he didn't have to - see #4.

4. My Kids - The kids did awesome on the trip. Josh and Annie helped with the boys. Everyone slept where they were told, ate what was served, remembered their manners, cleaned up toys so my grandparents wouldn't fall over anything. They were amazing. And my proudest Mommy Moment - as we were leaving the security check point in the St. Louis airport (Can you imagine what it takes to get through security with 2 kids, 2 babies, 2 car seats, a stroller & 5 carry-on bags?) and a pregnant lady came up and said, "Your kids are so well behaved you give me hope!" Boy, did she make my day. (And boy, was I glad she wasn't on our flight from Austin to San Jose later that day!) And the drive home to Reno the next day was amazing. Not one kid cried, whined or complained the whole way home - not even a baby! We didn't even stop for lunch until Truckee!!!

5. My Parents' Neighbors - My parents' next door neighbors took us to the airport and picked us when we got back. It took both of them to do it because we wouldn't all fit in one vehicle! While we were gone she took my van and had it washed and vacuumed - what an amazing surprise! And later I solved another mystery - the family next door to them noticed a scratch on my bumper when my van was parked in my parents' driveway. Their son came over and buffed it out for me - thanks Jake!

6. My Husband - We missed him so much while we were gone. I'm sorry he couldn't come with us this time but I am so grateful that he understands how important it is to me that our kids know my grandparents and make memories at their house. He went to visit them without me once before and went water skiing with my uncle and cousins. I suspect he'll be the next one from our family to make a trip out there. He's simply amazing.

Noah's Ark

2007-07-09T09:23:00.000-07:00

Everything I need to know, I learned from Noah's Ark ...

ONE: Don't miss the boat.

TWO: Remember that we are all in the same boat!

THREE: Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.

FOUR: Stay fit. When you're 60 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.

FIVE: Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.

SIX: Build your future on high ground.

SEVEN: For safety's sake, travel in pairs.

EIGHT: Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.

NINE: When you're stressed, float awhile.

TEN: Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.

ELEVEN: No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a
rainbow waiting.

(In case you were wondering, NO, I didn't write this. Just one of those e-mails that I really enjoyed. Thanks, Michelle.)

High/Low

2007-06-30T14:19:00.000-07:00

Several years Craig and I rented a movie that was pretty bad - so bad I don't remember much about it, including the name. All I remember is this otherwise totally dysfunctional family played a game that caught my attention. They called it "High/Low". It just consisted of everyone in the family sharing their high point and low point of the day. Even though we don't yet play this regularly as a family, it is something I have always remembered. This past week while I was at my parents' house I watched a Bill Hybels DVD where he shared about a group of people who played this and how it changed their friendships and their lives as they learned to share more deeply. (I don't think this game was started by the bad movie I mentioned first - that was simply the first time I had heard of it.) Anyhow, I thought that since this is the last day of June I would share some of our highs and lows of various this month.

End of School:
highs -
The First Grade Musical Sarah Winnemucca (our kids elementary school) has the most wonderful music teacher (besides Mrs. Earle, of course). I have been so impressed by her since the first time I sat in on one of Annie's music class, but this musical was quite an accomplishment. Over 100 students were in the musical and each child had a solo, a speaking part or played a musical instrument for one of the songs. Amazing.

Kindergarten Graduation It doesn't get much cuter than Kindergarteners singing songs. The only thing cuter was when they called each child by name and shared how they completed the sentence "When I grow up I want to be..." Annie said she wanted to be an artist. But I think my favorite answer was the kid who said she wants to be a teenager.

low-
Poor Annie. She had a wonderful teacher for Kindergarten and on the way home from school on the last day was sharing her feelings with my friend who was driving carpool that day. I wasn't there, but this is how the conversations was conveyed to me: So, Annie, how was school on your last day? Annie: The last day...a new grade, a new classroom, new friends, a new teacher. This is the worst day of my life. I think she is excited about first grade, but it is nice to know how much she enjoyed Kindergarten.

Father's Day Weekend:
highs-
Craig's friend let us use his family's cabin near Lake Tahoe for the weekend. (Thank you, Scott!) Our highs inlcuded pancakes & baon for breakfast, taking the kids to the beach, finding a great, cheap burger joint, shopping at a craft fair, an awesome BBQ and a fun time just being together at the cabin. The kids were overheard saying things like, This is so AWESOME! (Josh) and When can we live in a cabin like this? (Annie) and Can we come every time no one in Scott's family signs up to use this cabin? (Josh) E-mail me if you want the link to the pictures.
low-
I think it would be for Craig - we were up on the beach hanging out with Max and Noah, teaching Max how to dig in the sand, when Annie came running up and said, "The inner tube is floating away - will you go reach it?" If it had been our inner tube it would probably still be in the lake but since we borrowed it from the cabin Daddy saved the day and dove in and swam after it. Lake Tahoe is pretty chilly in June...

Trip to San Jose:
highs-
Mike Kenny's wedding in Hollister It was a beautiful wedding and we especially enjoyed hanging out with college friend Kristen who had flown up from San Diego
Day Camp Josh and Annie had a blast at camp each day. Their fieldtrips included the redwoods, the children's historical museum & park, Monterrey Bay Aquarium, gymnastics and swimming. While they were at Camp I spent my time catching up with friends I hadn't seen in a while (Rebecca & Kristi) and watching some great DVD studies that my parents have - Bill Hybel's, Just Walk Across the Room and John Ortberg's If You Want to Walk on Water You Have to Get Out of the Boat. Great stuff.
lows-
Our travel times were less than perfect due to events in Reno both Saturdays. An interesting tidbit - we crossed the state line right around 11:30pm BOTH ways. Yep, we left Reno late Saturday night after Craig got back from working a wedding and arrived at my parents' house at 4:00am. Then Friday after Day Camp we left at 5:00. It took us 90 minutes to go the first 30 miles. That only included one short "detour" when I pulled over to change Max after he got carsick. Such a fun trip. Did I mention that Craig flew back Monday morning in time to go to work? Thankfully, Kevin and a friend of his (whose mom I happen to know - crazy...) met us for "dinner" at McDonald's in West Sac lasat night about 8:45. It was nice to have a few extra hands for our stop.

Like a Mommy Bird...

2007-06-19T15:16:00.000-07:00

I often have people say things to me like, "I just don't know how you do it with four kids," or "I could never manage with a big family like you do." I don't really know how to reply to comments like that. I'm not Supermom. I just do what I need to do because I am the mom of these kids. Sure, it's hard, but sometimes you just "do" because that is what you were made to do.

This spring we had a bird's nest in our front yard inhabited by a mommy bird. She sat so faithfully on those eggs. I was sure the noise of the kids playing right next to her tree would scare her away. But she just stayed there. No matter how close they went to the tree to look at her she just stayed there. When I saw Craig getting ready to mow the lawn I was sure that would scare her away. I mean, really, wouldn't she just give up and fly away with the noise of that lawn mower right beneath her? Nope. She just stayed there on her eggs because that was what she was made to do.

God has a plan for each of us. Thankfully his plan for me is different than his plan for you. (You're probably thinking the same thing, aren't you?) But I belive he has put somehting special inside each of us mommies - the ability to just "do" what we need to do because we are the mom. Just like the mommy bird had the ability to do her job - sit on those eggs - no matter what distractions or scary noises came along, God will enable us to do our jobs as moms - no matter what distractions or scary cirumstances come our way.

Moving forward on my stationary bike

2007-06-11T09:51:00.000-07:00

Over the years I've heard lots of comparisons drawn between life and treadmills. I don't want to be just moving for the sake of moving and not really going anywhere. I figured this illustration would hold true with stationary exercises bikes as well. And then I got one.

A few months ago I won a free membership to a small ladies gym. But a month after I started working out there it closed up. I thought about joining another gym but our family has what I call "extreme childcare issues" and it just didn't seem practical right now. So I bought a bike. I ride for a half hour or so in the afternoon while my babies are napping. My bike sits on my back deck and I really enjoy the fresh air and the peacefulness of my quiet backyard. But best of all, I can read. No one bothers me when I'm on my bike (at least in theory). I just sit there and pedal - and read. It is my quiet time to read and think. I just finished reading Generation NeXt Parenting by Tricia Goyer, thanks to my time on my bike. (If you were born in the 60's or 70's - Generation X - I highly recommend this book. So great to have someone OF our generation write a book specifically FOR our generation. More than just a parenting book...)

This weekend I started reading You're Late Again, Lord:The Impatient Woman's Guide to God's Timing by Karon Phillips Goodman. (Those of you who know me well are already laughing, aren't you?) The beginning talks about the difference between waiting patiently and waiting purposefully. Waiting on God doesn't mean just sitting still and waiting for him to move. It means to wait with purpose. While I wait I need to do what he wants me to be doing. Leaning on him, growing in him, moving closer to him. Serving him. Using my gifts. He didn't make me to sit still! Duh!!! I can put my hope in the Lord and wait on him. Then I will be able to renew my strength and soar on wings like eagles. I can run and not grow weary and walk and not be faint. I can ride my stationary bike in my backyard and keep moving forward!

My kids say the darndest things!

2007-06-08T09:35:00.000-07:00

Some of these are from a while back but I thought they were worth posting...

Jan. 06 We were sitting at dinner tonight and out of the blue she says, totally seriously, "When can we play Pass the Max? We'll just pass him around the circle and whoever is holding him when he spits up wins!"

2-6-06 I decided to buy Annie a new dress for her birthday. Monday night I took her to the store with me and on the way I told her that I was going to show her her birthday present when we got there. She loved the dress I had picked out! (I'd had my eye on it for weeks...) She wanted to hold the bag in the car and was talking about how she wanted to try it on when she got home to surprise Daddy and Josh. At one point I said, boy, you sure seem excited. Her reply - I'm so excited it's like we're getting pizza for dinner and the whole world was made out of chocolate!

2-13-06 Annie wouldn't get up and went back in there and said, "Are you a sleepy-head today?" She replied, "No, I'm a frozen-head!"

August
I was toasting frozen waffles for breakfast this morning. But, there was some debris in the bottom of the toaster oven and one of the waffles caught on fire. Next thing I knew Josh was out of seat on the floor saying, "Annie - quick! Get low!" To which Annie responded, "Yeah! And don't forget to stop, drop & roll!"

Sept.
My kids came home from church tonight with an especially neat craft. I asked her their teacher was and my daughter replied, "Miss Piggy." I laughed thinking about how they had watched The Great Muppet Caper this afternoon, but I wondered what she meant. After a minute I asked, "Could it have been Miss Peggy?" "Oh, yeah, that's what I meant."

A recent funny conversation:
(walking down the hallway in opposite directions)
Me: I love you.
Josh: I love you.
Me: Really? You do?
Josh: Yep, I do.
Me: Hey, that gives me an idea. Maybe since we love each other you could be my kid and I could be your mom.
Josh: That sounds good.
Me: Okay, but what do moms do?
Josh: Well, they get pregnant, have babies and make rules!

Oct.
10-5 My daughter announced at dinner last night that she is the "Craft Queen" and her brother is the "Snack King."

10-8 The other night we ordered Chinese food for dinner and in the middle of the meal Josh (6) said, "It's a good thing I wasn't born in China." Knowing how much he loved Chinese food, I asked him to explain why he thought that. "I don't know any Chinese," came the reply. "Not a single word!"

10-16 Our family is dressing as Wizard of Oz characters for Halloween this year and my 5 year old daughter is going to be Dorothy. When they scheduled my c-section for the week before Halloween Annie asked if the new baby could be Toto. Well, yesterday
I picked up a basket at Wal-Mart for her to carry. I figured she could use it to put her candy and prizes in and it would go nicely with her costume. She was /so excited /when she saw it because she thought she was going to get to carry the baby around in the basket. After all, she is Dorothy and the baby is going to be Toto. I think she was okay with the candy/prize idea once she got over the initial disappointment...

Nov.
Some recent conversations with Josh, age 6:

Josh: Mom, how many hours are in a day?
Me: Twenty-four.
Josh: How many hours are in a night?
How do you answer that?

Me: Kids, go get your shoes on. We need to go to the grocery store.
Josh: You know, Mom, if we get a cow we'd never need to go buy milk.
Me: Nice idea, Josh. Just go get your shoes on please.

We decided to try rearranging the kids' bedrooms and were moving Josh (6) in with Max (15 months). As I was tucking him in, Josh said, "Mom, what happens if I'm so asleep that I don't hear Max if he cries?" I told him not to worry because I always hear him. Then he said, "Oh yeah, moms are always awake. I just stand by you and your eyes open right up. But dads have to be patted and stuff for a while before they wake up."

12-1
Annie was making her peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch and she was describing each step out loud as she did it. When she noticed I was watching her she looked up at me and said, "I'm just being Rachel Ray!"

I was on the couch feeding the baby and was starting to doze off a little. Annie was next to me so she leaned over and gently stroked my arm and started to sing in her sweetest voice, "Rock a bye grown-up..." I laughed so hard I almost dropped the baby!

I decided to introduce the Advent wreath to my kids this year in hopes of creating a new family tradition. The first Sunday I set the table in the dining room for a special dinner and put the wreath in the middle of the table. After dinner, I started to explain to the kids that each candle represents something different and we'll talk about a different part of the Christmas story each Sunday as we light that candle. Right as I'm talking about what a fun way this will be to help us count down the weeks until Jesus' birthday, Josh interrupts with, "Is this a menorah?" Gotta love public school...

January 2007
Annie: I need some more tennis shoes, Mom.
Me: What happened to your other ones?
Annie: They shrunk!
(Me: Yeah, so did my jeans...)

I took Josh and Annie to get their hair cut over the weekend. While we waiting our turn another family walked in with a little blond girl about Annie's age. Annie turned to me and said, "Can I have my hair golden like hers?" I answered, "No, honey, God picked the color of your hair and we need to keep it that way." Her answer - "But you color your hair, Mommy!" Busted again.

Annie: Can I have a snack, Mom? I'm Spanished!
Me: I think you mean famished, Annie.
Annie: Oh, yeah, famished. What does famished mean?

Josh: Do you want me to eat some of those tater tots right now to make sure they aren't poisoned?

Craig: Please stop - that is so irritating.
Annie: What's irritating mean?
Josh: It's when one ear is frustrated with the other.

March 20, 2007
Max doesn't have a very big vocabulary yet but one of his "words" is "quack quack". He always says it when he sees a duck, but he thinks other animals make that sound too. This morning he was looking at the fish and frogs in our tank and started to say "quack quack." Josh came over and corrected him - "No, Max. That's not a quack quack. That's a glub glub."

Some things I've learned lately...

2007-06-07T12:15:00.001-07:00

Learning the hard way…

When teaching a one year old how to crawl down the stairs be sure that you are behind him.

If you are going to lock your keys in the car, try to do it before you put the baby in the backseat.

Too much of a good thing is possible...especially when you're talking about yogurt and a one year old's tummy.

Letting a Kindergartener push the grocery cart is probably not a good idea...especially if you are near a very large display of Cheez-Whiz.

It is so much easier to pay for a cart full of groceries if you actually bring your purse with you to the store.

Today's Lesson: If you have a few inches of snow on your front windshield and you think it looks light and fluffy enough that you get the bright idea to just turn on the wipers and swish it, be sure to pull both legs into the vehicle and close the door completely before turning the wipers on.

Review of Yesterday's Lesson (lesson revised): Even if you think you are just going to take the kids to school and come straight back take your purse with you. You might get the bright idea to go to the bank which you never went to yesterday because you didn't have your purse then either.

Lesson continued for day 3: Having your purse with you isn't enough if your wallet isn't actually inside.

Don’t believe everything you read on the internet. Putting a chopped up onion on a plate inside your car will not actually remove the smell of vomit. It will just change the smell to seem like the child who got sick had just eaten an onion prior to throwing up.

The "fix it and forget" method for cooking dinner works much better if you remember to actually plug in the crock pot.