A Crazy Party...NOT Thrown by Us!! :)

 

girls just wanna have fun

yes those are daddy's feet styled with hair bands! Girl's gotta design!

Just Like My Daughter?

This afternoon while checking the mail at our post office box my young daughter had a melt down. This one was epic too! While walking across the street, once again--across the street--trying to reach our parked vehicle beside a driver who was trying unsuccessfully to park for the 3rd time, my daughter decides to throw one of those "I WON'T hold your hand! Or Listen! And I will try hard to walk out into traffic" fits. I finally had to grab her bodily and put her into our van, where she promptly tried to fall back out, nearly successfully! Needless to say I was not a happy mother!

After firmly shutting the door and avoiding eye contact with all the elderly people in the parking lot--I don't know about you, but I feel more ashamed of my children's behavior in front of people who are my grandparents ages--I proceeded to lecture my daughter about bad behavior! I could not help saying something I am surprised occurred to me "You look at others who act just like you did with complete disdain!" (I didn't say disdain to my 3yo!). I knew instantly I was my daughter, only more adept at hiding my disapproval of others sinful choices while personally enjoying those same sins.

I am often the kid who throws fits at my father. I hate the way He makes me do what He tells me! I hate the authority He has over my life! I kick and scream and fuss at His direction and I try my hardest to yank my hand out of His! I am a mess! I am my daughter! Good thing God isn't a parent completely like I am--even at my best--He is much better!!

My daughter continued her fit into this afternoon and likely into this evening and she continues to remind me of myself. I don't often like the twists and turns my life takes. I want my own way more than anything else and yet I am bound to obey the one who bought me at a price (who in my more competent moments I am very trusting of). I don't stop there though, when I am feeling particularly obedient I look at my other siblings in the Lord and can't fathom how they could think or feel the things they reveal! "Susie really doesn't love her children as well as she should, I just saw her yell at her son! She really needs to repent and be thankful!" I think often in my head in many forms--thankfully I am reminded more often by Paul; "do not compare yourselves amongst yourselves!" I throw epic fits against the Savior and also have the audacity to snub my nose at others who struggle in identical ways! Amazing! I am my child!

How Not COOL! This reality isn't cool because I am obviously more immature than I would like to believe. More Uncool than that is that I am exactly like my children and I rarely see the similarities. But in another sense it is cool. I am very child like in many ways and I hope because my faithlessness is often characterized by immaturity, my faith will also be childlike and therefore sustainable. Although I am often driven by feelings, I am equally often clinging because I know how young and needy and weak I am, just as my children who haven't learned to care for themselves cling to us as their parents because they don't yet know how to make it alone in the world, while still trying desperately to buck any authority outside of themselves.

I see how the Body of Christ really is as a family  in the ways it is similar to my own household (although obviously my own household is a bigger and more flaming sin mess). God does care for His people as a gracious and amazing father who leads patiently. We really do benefit from the inheritance of our brother Christ who led us well here on earth and who we look up to and try in every way to be like! We do tend to compare amongst ourselves which is wicked and divisive, but we also make up our differences and repent and restore our relationships. I am glad though that in every way the body of Christ is redeemed in ways my family cannot be until my children follow Him alone. I know more now than ever how humble my position is not only before the Lord, but also before my children! Sometimes it makes me laugh that God would make me (such a weak and pathetic sinner) a mother and then I see the lessons I learn and the lenses through which I see my life and I know His thoughts are not my thoughts!

Curayzee Faces!

Crazy Kids!

Are these babies, beautiful or what?! They are to me anyway! Plus they make me smile! I have been thinking for a few weeks that I would really like to do something to remind myself daily how much of an encouragement my five arrows are! One thing I say often to Will is how consitently these little people remind me of His love. Often security doesn't do it (as there is no security apart from the gospel), our curcumstances WILL NOT do it (believe you me!), our feelings CANNOT do it (especially if you are a woman--like me and basically have a hard time-most days-figuring your own emotions out!), but one thing that always consistently reminds me about His love and goodness (apart from the word and my husband and the spirit) are these five nuts! And yes even when they are crazy and looking like train wrecks, when I haven't slept or the house looks like a bomb exploded, they are disobedient and they aren't what I envisioned children to be; they are ALWAYS a blessing and I have a premonition that even if they choose to defy the Lord and live their lives away from the Savior, they will be (even while making us very burdened for their eternity and their life) such a HUGE blessing to us! I don't think my kids can do anything that will make me look at them, and who He has made me by using them, and say anything less than "there is a BLESSING! PROOF of His lovingkindness!" So it has me thinking Tattoos. Something that will daily remind me that He is Great, and Wise and Good, and They are proof daily of that reality! Because, let's face it, I am a very weak vessel, who struggles to remember how great He is in the midst of trials and struggles and burdens of a fallen world! I don't think it is wrong to do a thing to remind yourself how Good something (or in this case Someone!) is. I need the reminding! I truly do! So here's to trying (probably not in the near future, but sometime) to get a tattoo, which I have no idea where to put and I am afraid to get and I don't know what it will look like! But I def think it will happen....right after I get a Kindle fire! :D

You Know You Have Five Crazies....

.....when a shower in the middle of the day (much less the morning) seems like a luxery!

.....when you really (and I mean REALLY) feel thankful for disposable diapers!

.....when staying up late is only a treat because you get some time alone.

......when your children really are the greatest blessing in your life (aside from salvation and my husband)! And you actually can see it as such!

......when you don't even think about yourself most of the day.

.....when doing something for someone else is simply natural and not forced.

....when doing something for someone else is forced....but hey you still have to do it!

...when you can honestly say "what would they do without me?"

.....when you can honestly say "who would I be without them?"

.....when your house is always a mess, but your arms and time are always full!

.....when you cannot even really remember what being without five crazies would be like and the thought of it truly makes you lonely!

....when you watch the duggars to feel less freaky! and to get ideas for organization! :D

....when all the preconcieved notions you had when a parent-to-one or a parent-to-be make you laugh so ard you cannot breath.

...when three children seem easy or two children seem laughable and one child seems almost like you are still on your honeymoon! haha!!

...when six doesn't seem so crazy afterall....don't go freaky on me mom!!

Bad or Good

I always wonder when bad things happen; How can this ever look or be Good?! I am incredulous! How can these horrible things ever really look good or profitable to me? How can death be good? How can cancer be good? How can broken relationships be good? How can suffering ever be good? How can affliction ever be good? How can failure ever be success? I am certain you have many things you could add to this list. But for me I am still learning how bad becomes good! Isn't that funny?! While understanding the root of the gospel is how super bad becomes purely good I have difficultly seeing that in the smaller moments of my life! But I am learning!

Why Coshepherding is So Hard

It's hard to get at my kids hearts almost ALL the time. They would much rather I address their behavior and they don't want to apologize for their motives just the actions. I find my children avoid the truth just as much as kids who never heard. In fact sometimes I think my kids go to extra lengths to avoid the truth, in church my kid will play super hero/villains with their fingers to avoid listening to the sermon. My kid would rather scream at the top of his/her lungs when they are hurt emotionally or physically instead of actually speaking to someone about the truth. My kid would rather ignore me and even go so far as to cover their ears to avoid hearing my words as I speak to them. All these realities I find SOO tough to deal with because my desires for them are so different than their desires for themselves.

Down Memory Lane

Dodio and a snowman, winter 2006-07.

Pie Pie fall 2009.

Dodio, enjoying a slush in cali, summer 2010.

G-man, bath time because of cereal bar blunder, spring 2008.

Uno with his six shooters, 2006

Dodio and Uno fall 2006.

Three amigos, fall 2008.

Dodio and Pie Pie Winter 2008-09.

G-man spring 2008.

My sisters and I with out grandma, our fathers mother at our fathers memorial, summer 2010.

Silas and momma at the botanical gardens in KCMO, 2007 summer.

Prob one of our first family photos august 2004.

Daddy and Pie D, summer 2008.

Daddy and Uno, summer 04.

Kansas City, 2007.

Spring 2003.

Lulu fall 2011.

I don't know about you, but sometimes I enjoy looking through some of our old photos and seeing how different our children are today and yet their personalities are essentially the same! Uno has always been willful and funny, sensative and loving--Dodio has always marched to the beat of a drum only he hears, active and tenatious with a workers heart--G-man is simply enjoyed living, sweet and tender, a joy to watch living his life, always with a hug even at the MOST inopportune times, gentle and reflective--Pie Pie...bossy and snuggly, always happy and laughing in the morning, commanding and independent, resourceful and nurturing. All these different Personalities all together in one curayzee family. Now we have our newest addition and we know a little about her, Lulu loves to be with others, sweet and anxious, smiley and busy, we are waiting to see what else we will learn about her.

My "BIG" Girl and Me

Some days I wonder how a little girl could be any sweeter and more of an encouragement to my heart! I Love her so deeply, especially when I understand why she does the things she does. She will spend a long time trying to wipe herself clean. Make me read the same books over and over to her and then insist on reading it back to me. Care for her babies daily in a very motherly way.  Loves ponies and religiously sleeps with her babies and her "my little pony" from her Auntie Jess. She is simply a HUGE reminder that the Lord is so very gracious to me! We have our spats and honestly she is hard to discipline because she is a toughy, but somehow this little female and I get along in a way I could never have imagined before having a girl! I constantly tell Will "these boys are yours you know, you can never deny them since they are so much like you!" yet I would never have understood the similarties within the gender roles until now. I hope that we are able to sustain this relationship through the years and see it grow and blossom in new and deeper ways, all that lead us more toward the cross. Maybe someday she will remind me more of me (which honestly she does not!) and less of my husband, but honestly he's my favorite person and so I am cool with having our daughter be more like him!

Say What?

Will and I had an impromptu date this afternoon and while sitting down to order our lunches the server took a double take at my tummy and said...

"Oh!" Huge eyes look. "You're pregnant!"

"Yeah..." I avoided eye contact at that moment.

"You're what?" She nods knowingly. "Seven or eight months along?" Waits expectantly while I sneak a glace across the table at my snickering husband.

"No," I answered as casually as possible. "Just six months." Thinking, barely six months! Whew! She looked at me like I had suddenly grown an extra ear or eye. So I felt compelled to stammer. "Ye-eah, I'm just big." I am pretty certain I was red as a beat while Will on the other hand was nearly ready to spit his water all over the table!

So ladies, when you reach the multiple birth mark, remember it's okay to look like a house for months! I do!

Your Turn To Guess....

In about 2 weeks we hope to find out the gender of our next admitee to the crazy house. Now you can cast your own vote for what you think we will be adding to this 3 boys to 1 girl roster. Enjoy!

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

Fifth Time's A Charm?

Or should I say that the fifth time one travels down that pregnancy road, one has offically entered the "No-SANE-Zone"? This time around the block has been much different than the last times--and since Petra's pregnancy got 'extra' coverage I thought this baby needs some attention prior to birth too.

The Good, The Bad, and the Nutty...

• Did I mention that I HATE orange Juice? I mean I really, really don't like it. I don't even like oranges peeled and segmented. Don't know why, I love lemons, limes, clementines, tangalos, grapefruit...but not OJ! And so it has come as quite a shock to be drinking the hated beverage and actually have it help with the acid in my stomach--who knew?!
• For a girl who usually don't show much (yeah I know horrible grammar) before month 4 or 5, it has come as quite a shock at weeks 8-10 to quickly outgrow all of my pants. But there have been some amazing strides in maternity stuff in the last three years or so and Target is AWESOME! If you are preggs and need some way to extend the life of your clothing without breaking your bank, go there and get a belly band! Highly recommend! And if you can't just run over to target, please let me know and I will personally send you one of these gems! You gotta have one!
• Because my belly is already so big for me, my kids rub it like it has magic powers. I cannot wait for the day they can feel the moving, then there will really be a riot in this home.
• My house is a bigger wreck than ever before! Four kids + one sick momma+ dad starting new job= HUGE BOMB WENT OFF! So No I don't handle everything, I frequently barely make it through the day and actually feed everyone! Never fear though, I am ready to feel normal again! Just a matter of months.
• I have two names picked, but I am still not convinced they are the ones--we will see as the time passes what I feel like this name will be. I get to pick this one all by myself this time (with obvious veto power retained by the hubs) so we have a new exerience on our hands, wish me luck! I tried to get help from the kids, but somehow Snowflake just doesn't cut it these days.
• Hip trouble has been a big thing this time and we are only a third of the way through. I think this will be an interesting adventure, to say the least.
• I am not quite ready to post a pregs pic, I will get there soon! When I am back to doing my hair more regularly and not wearing my husbands sweatshirts to be comfortable while I combat the sicknessy reality--I will post some pictures then.

Because, Baby It's Cold Outside!

I need to move back to the Southwest! After growing up in Alaska, Spending the last 10 years in a climate more frigid than California, I think I have frozen enough for one life! Just saying, "It's Cold Outside!

If My Kids Had Kids.....

While having one of our many family discussions, which are really chances for me and Will to peek into the minds of our children for a good laugh (embarrassing our children is just one more service we offer), we began discussing what our boys would name their baby if they had one.

Silas Says he would pick Noah or Mary for names (although his first choice was Harry Potter, especially if he could spell the P in Potter with a lightening bolt--yeah lightening is pretty awesome I guess, he even gave us a picture to prove his point!). Which I must admit aren't that bad, his reasoning is that Noah is a God name and Mary is simply pretty. ;)

Kace says that he would name a girl Snowflake. Why Snowflake, you ask? Well we aren't quite certain, but suffice to say that Kace is an original. A boy would be named Hansel, you can imagine what fairy tale we have read he is a little preoccupied with.

Gresham said he would name a girl Petra, but when I told him we already have a Petra he was a little down cast, but he decided that Pooie would be acceptable. The family at this point became rather preoccupied with nicknames for said Pooie and one can imagine how quickly this conversation got out of hand. I often wonder how I ended up in man-land with only one princess to sustain my cause against grossness (is that a word?)!

I hope you get a smile from our children's attempts to name the babies they will have when they grow up. I know I did, and I will enjoy it much more when they are older and I remind them that their first born should be named Snowflake. Oh, how I will laugh!!!

Things I Shouldn't Love...But Do

I think that some of the things I love are either odd or I just shouldn't LOVE them, but somehow I just cannot stop myself from doing it.

1. a Monte Cristo- So we all know that this is a huge ham and turkey with cheese sandwich soaked in batter and then deep fried and served with this crazy sweet raspberry dipping sauce--something I should absolutely abhor....but alas, I love these sinkin' sandwiches, luckily it's hard to find a place that has them!
2. GiGi--One of my favorite movies (I have even read the book) of all time is a musical (this is probably the point where you start whispering to yourself that I was already going wrong at the word musical) about a young lady whose family are courtesans and they are training her to become one. She gains the attention of the a well known bachelor of the day who pursues her as his "lady love." It all turns out in the end and they get married instead--but for obvious reasons a movie I shouldn't love...but I DO!
3. My son's video games- Okay so you know my very embarrassing little activity...I don't do it very often. But yes I have played, okay more than played, my sons video games and liked it A LOT. I don't pretend to play anything over a 10yo rating, but I enjoy running after things collecting stuff and button jamming. My talents do not exceed that level, but that's okay with me, the old games are too hard for me :), LAME--I know!!
4. Whiney Music- while listening to my personal playlist the other day I suddenly realized that most of the music I like is kinda whiney. I mentioned this to the hubs and he was like "duh!" I was feeling pretty sheepish about liking whiney music, but I have to admit that I really DO!
5. I cannot think of a book I like that I totally shouldn't--I think I have yet to meet that elusive book that pleases this frightening alter ego, but never fear I am certain that book is just waiting to be read by me.

So all comes to light: I am a sucker for deep fried sandwich madness, a night of watching a movie about a professional call girl, while playing lego Indiana Jones, and listening to the some whiney music. Sheesh, this is pathetic!!!

Early Halloween Fun

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Turn off music player on the bottom before playing!

Our Children

(J. R. Miller, "Home-Making" 1882)

Parents! You are fashioning the destinies of immortal souls!

What we want to do with our children, is not merely to control them and keep them in order—but to implant true principles deep in their hearts which shall rule their whole lives; to shape their character from within into Christlike beauty, and to make of them noble men and women, strong for battle of life. They are to be trained rather than governed. Growth of character, not merely good behavior—is the object of all home governing and teaching. Therefore the home influence is far more important than the home laws; and the parents' lives are of more significance than their teachings. Whatever may be done in the way of governing, teaching or training—theories are not half as important as the parents' lives. They may teach the most beautiful things—but if the child does not see these things modeled in the life of the parent—he will not consider them important enough to be adopted in his own life.

www.gracegems.org

Luck of the Draw

During th tour of Missouri Assembly at school today silas won this awesome bike! Who would have thought he would have his name drawn!

Our Year in Review: 2008

This year was full of big moments for our family, I thought I would post a few for our enjoyment!

-We had a baby girl! Yeah Petra's first dirty diaper scared us just a little!

-William turned 30, pretty lame I know.

-Will was called to his first Pastorate

-Silas went to school...that was easy for him but not as easy for me! Daddy doesn't mind either way ;)!

-Will finished Seminary! "HALLELUJAH!! HALLELUJAH! Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hall-ee-llluuu-jah!"

-WILL FINISHED SEMINARY!!! wow that feels good!

-We celebrated five years of marriage.....yes we still have a lot to learn!!

-We got our first lizard(who died so we got another)...not my most favored momentous occasion, but the boys like it!

-We moved into our first actual non-seminary home! Praise God who gives all things and churches for having parsonages!!!

-Oh yeah did I mention that Will finished seminary?! Oh, Okay, just making sure!

And to top off this new year of 2009 we have seen more fully the riches of His grace, the providence of His love, the Wisdom of His Character and the mercy of His Salvation then ever before!

HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!