Shots from soccer game #2

Ethan's team Lil' Surge played a double header on Saturday. Here's some shots from the early morning game against Camryn's team.

Ethan scored the first goal!

Ethan and his buddy Cam.

Stomach bugs and good little boys

Good news! That little stomach bug is over and done with - in a mere 36 hours! I am not sure if it was the massive amounts of probiotics I consumed, or just my incredible immune system (that's a laugh, isn't it?), but I am so thankful to feel normal again.

The timing is always off for these kinds of things, isn't it? We never seem to get sick when life is slow and we were planning to stay home anyway. Oh wait! That's because life is never that slow! Ha, what was I thinking?

Regardless, it was a busy time for Dave, and so there was no calling hubby home to take care of this sick momma.

But I have to brag on my kiddos for just a bit. When I was at my worst on Wednesday afternoon and evening, they handled it so well! They played in their rooms together for hours until Dave made it home, never once giving me a minute of trouble. No arguing, no fighting, no repetitive ball throwing against the wall until I felt like loosing my mind. I was amazed, and oh, so thankful for small mercies.

The picture above is from a different day, but they did a lot of reading together, from what I overheard from my bed.

At one point I heard Ethan tell Simon, "Hey, brother, let's go get a snack in the kitchen. Come with me, brother." And they headed into the kitchen to eat a cheese stick together.

Meanwhile, I was hugging the toilet. :(

They took care of themselves for 5 hours without any help from me. And the house was still in really good shape when Dave got home. Aren't they the best?!

To me, it is just a reassurance that they are learning something here at home. I have to admit, sometimes I wonder! I find myself venting here about the hard days more often than the good ones, and I really shouldn't do that. It isn't an accurate picture of life around here. Not that Wednesday was a particularly good day for me, but seriously, my boys could not have been better behaved. It made me realize that our training is somehow paying off, even now while they are young, and there is no way we can quit now!

Because some days I feel like quitting. Okay, there, I said it. Don't be shocked. My husband hears it all the time. Don't worry though - he won't let me quit. :)

I thought of Proverbs 29:17 today,

"Correct your son, and he will give you rest; Yes, he will give delight to your soul."

and Hebrews 12:11,

"Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."

It is not for nothing! We serve the Lord when we train little ones at home for Him. And work for Him yields fruit, in His time. This is so humbling to me because I regularly feel like the most impatient momma out there. I have one bad day, and I am just sure I have failed completely! (I am so dramatic, aren't I?) But on Wednesday I was reminded to continue on, to be faithful in what the Lord has asked of me. Because it does matter. Because it has an effect.

Because the Lord is working in our family - in His time. Isn't that reassuring?

Hall Bath Remodel

The hall bathroom is nearly done! Hopefully these pictures will do it justice. I was trying not to use my flash, so I had to edit them quite a bit. Yuck...I still need to put some effort into learning photography, don't I???!

By the way, I still need to paint the frame of the mirror I am hanging above the vanity, buy some hardware for the cabinet, and buy a vent cover. But technically, it is done!



Oh, and I need to choose a shower curtain. I am just not sure??? Help me out please. :) Surely the rest of you are more decisive than I am!

My first option is a blue silk panel with embroidery on it. It matches the walls well. This is Ethan's favorite, by the way. :)


I would iron it if it ends up staying, by the way. :)

The next option is a blue, tan, and chocolate stripe curtain. It is a Nautica pattern, which I like a lot. But does it go? Hmmm....not sure.


My original plan was a white curtain. This one from Target is quilted, which I love. Is it too plain?

So tell me what you think. Be honest! Should I just keep looking? I do have an opinion, but I think it will be fun to hear what you think!

I know the majority of you reading won't comment, so I'm including a poll for ya. Nice and anonymous.

Which shower curtain would YOU choose?
	silk with embroidered flowers
	white quilted
	nautica stripe
	something totally different
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Home again

We had a wonderful time at camp. Our boys were the only little kids there, since it was a high school/college age crowd, so they got tons of attention from everyone. It was very sweet - Ethan sat with someone other than us every meal and every chapel time. And he didn't know a soul there when we arrived. What a little socialite!

The speaker for the weekend was Robert Fitzgerald from St. Louis. Dave and I enjoyed meeting him and his wife Barbara- they have 4 sons, and just in our casual conversation, they shared so much good parenting advice. It was helpful for us to hear what they thought they would change if they could do it all over again, and what they thought was important for raising godly young men. We were really blessed by meeting them and spending time with them.

Because I don't know about the rest of you, but I LONG for the advice of those who have walked this path.


The Lord has given us this huge task of raising the next generation. Sometimes I am so overwhelmed by the enormity of it! There are plenty of days I am just sure that motherhood was designed to make me feel like a complete failure. :) How do I look past the nitty gritty of today's work at home and trust the Lord to do His work in my children's lives? It was inspiring to see the godly young people at this conference, to listen to seasoned parents, and to visualize what we are aiming towards.

Robert spoke on the "man of God" from 1st and 2nd Timothy, and went through the books in an exhortational way, encouraging us all to live for the Lord with everything we are. "...that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:17) which of course refers to being in the Word - there is no way around it, is there? We need to be reading, studying, meditating, memorizing the Word of God. We have no power against sin without it, and we are useless in the church if we're neglecting it.

We got home late Sunday night, and so far this week has been less than desirable. I was tired and cranky for the last couple of days (I assumed from the long weekend), and the kids were up to their ears in mischief. And as of this afternoon, I have a fever and the pukies. Instead of doing what I was planning on, I ended up laying in bed all afternoon. I was supposed to lead the women's Bible study tonight, go to a VBS meeting, go to MOPS tomorrow, and have the evangelistic study over here tomorrow night. Now what, Lord? He has been changing the plans on me a lot recently. I know I can trust Him, but I still wonder sometimes.

Off to Turkey Hill

We're headed here this weekend so Dave can direct volleyball conference. Ethan is beyond excited. He loves camp, and his enthusiasm reminds me of how I felt every year before camp. In fact, this is the same campgrounds my parents took us every year since I was two.

This morning I overheard Ethan telling Simon, "On the first day of camp, I am going to climb a mountain."

"On the second day of camp, I am going to walk in the woods and see all the scary animals."

"On the third day of camp, I am going to shovel rocks into my bucket."

"On the fourth day of camp..."

Someday tell that kid we are only staying for the weekend! He would live at camp if he could. :)

Ethan's first soccer game

He has been talking about this for almost a year now, and the day finally came! It has been interesting to me how early my boys have been interested in sports. I doubt I was asking to play soccer when I was only 3 (I'm sure I had my head in a book, even then!), but Ethan has been begging since his 3rd birthday.

It was so cold on Saturday morning, and windy too. I love E's expression in this one; he was definitely not impressed with having to wear shorts in 40 degree weather.




I felt sorry for my frozen soccer player and let him wear my sweatshirt. It looked like a dress on him!

In the 4th quarter he got to play goalie, and he was very excited about this! He stopped 3 goals, I think, and then got to kick the ball back in each time. Forgive the horrible photos - I have to figure out how to take moving pics.



And so it begins, the life of a boy. :)

Rock Chalk!!!!!!!

The Jayhawks just won the national championship!!!!!! Go Hawks! We let E stay up for the whole game tonight (this may or may not have been a mistake on my part :), because we had a feeling there was going to be some history in the making. I wonder if he will remember this night when he is older. Probably just the screeching coming from Aunt Kim's side of the room. Ha! We love to tease her, but it really is fun to watch the game with her! :)

My little men wanted to wear KU stuff tonight - they were so proud of how they looked. Simon learned to say *Jayhawk* last week, just in time for the big game.
Asher enjoyed the cupcakes Aunt Kim brought - he even did a little finger painting. Here he is, predicting KU as number 1!!!!





We had quite the group over tonight. So fun! We're not sure we can sleep tonight!

Things to be thankful for today:

• I picked a paint color for the bathroom. Okay, Dave picked a paint color, after I went back and forth a million times between color or beige, color or beige. Dave picked color...for me (he hates beige). It's called Rhino by Behr, and it's pretty similar to the color of our drapes in our bedroom. Grey blue. Anyway, it was just one of those days where I couldn't make a decision to save my life, and of course I needed to slap some paint up on the wall before they grouted the tile surround. Which was happening around lunch time. So that was kinda crazy.
• But the boys were sweet angels and played together so nicely the whole time I was painting. I was very impressed and made a point of telling them so. Sometimes I feel like all I do all day is dole out correction, so it was so fun to see how their little faces lit up at the praise.
  
• It was warm enough to open the windows today and air the place out. It felt so good to feel a breeze!
• Simon had a fever this morning, but not since his dose of Ibuprofen at lunch. So I hoping he is on the mend. We will stay at home a little longer though, just to make sure.
• For lunch I made myself: a serving of leftover Southern Italian Pasta with a white wine sauce and a salad topped with walnuts, strawberries, and blue cheese crumbles with a raspberry vinaigrette. And the boys had mac 'n' cheese. :)
  
• We took a walk as a family this evening, just in our neighborhood, since we had to stay home from church. We were out for about 30 minutes, and Simon ran the whole way! Every once in awhile, Dave would ask him if he wanted to ride on his shoulders, and Si would shake his head and say, "No, I walk!" Pretty impressive for a brand new 2 year old!
• Ethan is learning to love showers, and I am so happy about it. We've been without a tub for a week and a half, and so the boys have had to take showers instead. This has been a bit of a battle, not fun at all. But tonight Ethan requested a shower, even when I wasn't going to have him take one. And he stayed in there awhile! He just looks so big to me, coming out of the shower. :)
• So that is it...it was a good day. Lots of things to appreciate and be thankful for! Hope yours was a good one too!
  

Encouragement for sick boys...and mama too

A package arrived today from a very dear friend of mine. I guess I really should say that she's a friend to all of us though - the boys love her as much as I do. And how could they not, when she sends a get-well basket like this one?!



She is so sweet, isn't she?

The boys helped me open it. Simon kept saying, "Wow! Wow!....oh, wow!" It was pretty cute. I didn't take a picture of him, because he is still quite sick...and looks it. Poor boy, he is not quite his usual, happy self today.

Ethan seems to be on the mend though, and he is looking forward to soccer practice tonight. The first time he's left the house in over a week!


Along with the basket of yummy goodies, was a sweet, uplifting note. Kelly is always good about writing notes of encouragement to me, and I love that about her! Thanks, dearie! We love you!

"Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all." 1 Thessalonians 5:14

Bath update

So painting the hall bath didn't happen this weekend. Surprise, surprise, we are sick again! :) Dave has had a high fever since Thursday, and the boys are still sick too. We are a pathetic group, aren't we? Just how many times have we been sick this winter? Too many to count!

And to think that Dave used to pride himself on the immune system he gained by growing up on a farm and regularly ingesting dirt. He used to tell me this all the time. In all seriousness. :) I don't think he's really taken a sick day in his seven years with this company until this winter, so that tells you something.

But seriously, it is getting old, having nothing to report but our series of aches and pains. This week - an entire 4 days spent in bed. Sigh. Anyone else tired of my whining yet? Ha! I am tired of it! I have noticed myself thinking things like, "What is going on? Why is this happening to us?" and wondering if it is a spiritual battle or just a trial the Lord is bringing us through. It sounds ridiculous, and typing it out, I am seriously inclined to delete this whole post. I should keep my woes to myself.

But I am posting this. I want to be able to look back and remember how the Lord brought us through this time. That is the purpose of this little blog, after all. To make a conscious effort to see the goodness of the Lord in our little family's life. Because in and of the flesh, my tendency is towards despair, to be honest. Even over little things, like multiple viral illnesses back to back. Ha! My husband knows this about me, and always encourages me to reflect on each day and choose to trust. He is so wise, isn't he?

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5,6

"A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." Proverbs 16:9

"But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold." Job

"A man's steps are of the Lord; how then can a man understand his own way?" Proverbs 20:24

I have been meditating on these verses, reminding myself of the truth of them, that the Lord really is in control, and that He cares.

I thought these paragraphs by Elizabeth Elliott were especially good,

When trouble comes, we are tempted to think we are being punished or that God has forgotten us. He never forgets. He keeps faith--that is He keeps his promises, is faithful to his word, even when it appears that we are forsaken.

Joseph suffered one disaster after another. When, because of the vicious lie of a rejected woman he was put in prison, the Lord was with him there, keeping faith (Gn 39:21). Perhaps Joseph wondered why Almighty God could not have prevented the woman's triumphing over him--or prevented his ever having been victimized by his brothers in the first place and thus being at this woman's mercy. But we are given the complete picture which Joseph did not have while he was in prison--the amazing purpose of God for his chosen people, Jacob and all his family, who because of Joseph's long-drawn-out sufferings, were saved. God keeps faith--He has a perfect blueprint, and He is building according to its specifications.

So this is where I am. So, so tired of all the illness, but reminding myself of the truth of God's Word. We have not been forsaken by the Lord - in fact, He is proving Himself so near. Just as He did with Joseph.

"But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy..." Genesis 39:21

Love that. He is with us too, and showing me mercy, after mercy. And thankfully His faithfulness is not dependant on my faith...

Oh, and I know that as soon as summer comes, I will completely forget this long winter and how endless it has seemed. The days on end without leaving the house. But I want to remember. Because as frustrating and exhausting as it has been, the Lord has met my spiritual and emotional needs every day. His Word has never let me down. I have had faithful friends remind me of the truth and point me to the Lord just when I have needed it. And my husband never gets discouraged. At least I don't think he does. Our house could burn down, and he would find something positive about the situation. It's a good thing I married him, don't you think? :)

Ha! Hopefully I should have more pics of the tile job in the next few days. Yay! Something worth posting about!

Hall Bath Remodel

I forgot to take before pictures, but you remember that hall bath, don't you? Cracked tub, dated 70's wood vanity with rotted wood and a door hanging off, cracked marble countertop. To our credit, when we moved in (of course, that was 5 years ago), we stripped all the purple butterfly wallpaper, painted the walls a neutral shade, and put in a new lighting fixture and towel bars (which we are keeping). I think everything else is going though. :)

Since this is what is going on in my life right now, I'll share some of the work in progress. I was able to sneak a couple pics during the crew's lunch break.


The tub is in! Granted, this is just a regular, ol' tub, but to me, it is beautiful! No cracks means no leaks, and that is a good thing.


As you can see, they have drywalled the tub surround, and have started mud and taping it. As I type this, I can hear the cement board being installed on the floor for tile. Yeah, it's really loud around here, and of course it happens to be nap time too. :)

Oh, so the contractor told Dave today that he would be done with the dry wall this week, so if we want to, we could paint this weekend. Paint????!!! What color am I painting this bathroom?! I have just been thinking about tile and countertops for the last couple weeks.

Funny little sick boy

If you were in my kitchen this morning, this is what you might have overheard:

Ethan: "Mom, my coughs make my throat sound like it's tooting."

Fevers

Little update here. The boys are sick again, yes, again. Ethan woke up at 3 am last night with 103 fever, and of course that ended up with him puking. He always pukes when his temperature spikes, even when he was a tiny baby. That kid has the weakest stomach.

Thankfully he's old enough now to tell us when he needs to throw up, and he almost always makes it to the bathroom in time. Last night was a good night. Afterwards (and some Ibuprofen later) we made a little bed on our floor with his sleeping bag, and we all slept until 9 am. Even Dave. Oops!

Si is sick now too, and while I'm tempted to be a little down about yet another round of illness, I have to admit, it made for a nice day of cuddling on the couch. We read several books, and the boys watched way too many movies. Oh well, summer is coming, right?

So we spent another day at home, despite the fact that we have a crew here demo'ing our hall bath all this week. My plan was to be gone during all of this, you know, run errands and go to the park and the zoo, that kind of stuff, but oh well. The Lord knew that this was coming, and we are resting in Him.

On an encouraging note though, this afternoon a sweet lady from church called to ask if she could bring dessert for tomorrow night's Bible study. She didn't have any clue that I had sick kids, but she just felt like offering to do it. It was such a sweet reminder to me that the Lord always meets my every need, even the little things. Isn't He good?!

Easter at the farm

We joined some friends and went to the Passion Play at a local church this weekend. We were even able to sit on the front row! The boys were enthralled. It was such a neat way to start our Easter weekend.

My favorite Ethan quote of the night was, "Mom, I wish Jesus had a sword so He could fight all those bad men off!"

He was so concerned. I love his little heart, taking it all in.

...........

We went out to the farm for lunch after church on Sunday. Chris, Toni and kids made it too!

The boys were already hyped up on sugar before we got there, and it only got worse as the day progressed.

Grandma made jelly bean cupcakes for the kiddos.

Simon immediately face planted in his cupcake to try to eat the jelly beans right off it. :)

Look who showed up!

Kristi brought over her 4 year old son Garrett, and he and Ethan became fast friends. "Mom," he says to me, "It's so exciting - I have a new cousin!"

The kids are out the door for the big Easter egg hunt...

The older cousins picked some tricky hiding places for those eggs!

Sweet Grace...

Melissa, Will and Brittany...

And now we're going to sleep off all that sugar... happy Resurrection Day!

Look who finally gets to come to date night!

The kid side of date night, that is. :) Miles has been going on *dates* with mom and dad for almost 9 months now, but no longer! I think he enjoyed himself, which we were glad to see.

Goodwill Find

Spring always puts me in the mood to create, whether it's just homemade cards, scrapbook pages (okay, I haven't done that in awhile!), organized drawers....or bigger things, like painting or recovering thrifted furniture. You will not find me trekking through snow to get to the Goodwill, but first sign of warmer temps, I am there.

We went in yesterday and found this cute little bench.


I love it so much. What do you think? Black legs and a new seat cover? What kind of fabric should I use? Solid or print? I am thinking it will be perfect for my basement entry way, under the coat hooks.

The boys love it too.


Now they're just getting silly.

Fort building and other thoughts

Wooden race cars from Grandma R. Oh what fun!

Spring is in the air around here, and I'm in the mood to blog again too. Why can't I be more prolific when it's too cold to leave my house??? There is just something about the promise of spring that inspires me.

To write....and to clean. To organize, to purge half my house. :) And to play too. Although right now, the boys are happily building a fort all on their own in the backyard. I can hear them giggling together, and it makes me so thankful that they have each other.

So I have a moment of quiet here in the kitchen. Dinner is in the oven, fresh bread is on the counter. Life is good.

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