Poopy Humor Courtesy of My 3 Year Olds!

One day recently, Judah needed his diaper changed, so he exclaimed to his Papi (daddy), "I have an okie dokie poopy!"
(He was just informed today that his New Year's resolution is to be potty trained!)



Taking a walk with the kids a few days ago, my son, Tucker, came upon some dog poopy that wasn't cleaned up but rather smeared a bit on the sidewalk. Inspecting it, he declared, "It's a la luna poopy" as it was in the shape of a crescent moon. (To appreciate this funny, you must know that the Spanish word for moon is 'luna'.)

Christmas Funnies

Entering the sanctuary at our church to enjoy a Christmas cantata, my son, Tucker exclaimed, "Mommy, I'm so excited to see the pinata!"



I've been trying to sing Christmas carols to the kids throughout the week to familiarize them with the sounds and words of these cherished songs. A friend and her kids were over to play with us and asked the boys what their favorite Christmas carol was. Their reply: "Row, Row, Row Your Boat".

I'm thinking they might have repressed the Christmas carols I've sung due to the less than melodious voice I have! :)

Having a Little Elfin' Fun

I know this has been around for a while, but I had to do it. ENJOY!! I know I did. :)


http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1301722128

This elfin' greeting brought to you by OfficeMax®.

Jesus

Jesus:
Name of wondrous love, name all other names above,
Unto which must every knee bow in deep humility.

Jesus:
Name decreed of old to the maiden mother told---
Kneeling in her lowly cell---by the angel Gabriel.

Jesus:
Name of priceless worth to the children of the earth
For the promise that it gave, "Jesus shall his people save."

Jesus:
Name of wondrous love, human name of God above;
Pleading only this, we flee, helpless, O our God, to Thee.

As quoted in Preparing for Jesus by Walter Wangerin Jr. (Words William W. How, 19th century)

Clementines

This morning, my son was showing me a scratch on his finger. I was looking at it and wondered aloud if it was a splinter. Tucker said, "No, mom, I think it's a scratch."

Me: "How did you get it?"

Tucker: "I was reaching for the lemon limes."

Me: (Not knowing what he was talking about) "Where were you reaching for these?"

Tucker: "Up on the counter."

Me: "Oh..you mean the clementines, sweetie?"

Tucker: "yeah, lemon limes"

Think of All the Good

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

There have been many times while going through a trial that I have felt like a needy burden to others. Lawrence and I have often found ourselves in need of others' help, particularly since the arrival of our children. At times, I can feel like the neediest among my peer group and wrestle with why that is the case. But, today as my friend, Heather, took my boys for a little while from me for oh, the 100th + time, I was able to get a Godward perspective on it instead of my typical self focused perspective.

I thought of the kindness of God that my boys have so many "2nd momma's" and other places that feel so much like home for them. I saw the kindness of God to give my children so many opportunities to see how other godly homes function, how other godly parents treat their children, reinforcing to them the approach we are aiming to take in raising them to know and love God. I saw the kindness of God in giving them friends who are becoming more like brothers and sisters to them because they end up having to spend so much time with them due to all our "trials" that have created those opportunities.

And, then God kindly began to show me just a glimpse of His good purposes in this most recent affliction: my being put out of commission from back pain for nearly a week. My husband has been on full parent duty and then some. I can choose to give into the temptation to feel guilty about making him bear the full load of our responsibilities as parents or I can choose to believe that God is at work in his life, too...perhaps growing him in empathy for the load I bear as a wife and mother. Perhaps, God is helping Lawrence grow in God dependence vs. self sufficiency.

What about all those folks who have cared for my children or made us a meal? I can feel a sense of indebtedness to them, or I can choose to believe that God is working for their good as well, perhaps growing them in generous giving or self sacrifice for the good of another or maybe just giving them an opportunity to store up one more treasure in Heaven by providing for the needs of a needy family!

Lastly, I have been tempted in the midst of our trials to think I have no evangelistic impact because of how much we seem to be inward focused, sometimes out of necessity, due to the various trials He's taken/taking us through. Again, God graciously reminded me that He is more committed to advancing His kingdom than I am. I can trust that He is working out His perfect plan for His redeemed, the ones that are already and the ones that have yet to be so. I may not often be able to engage in lengthy, spiritual conversations with my neighbors because I'm chasing three kids around or invite folks to church that often because it's hit or miss whether we make it ourselves with how often the kids are sick. I may not be able to frequent a local "third place" because of budget constraints, but I know that God is able to use our circumstances for His glory and to advance His kingdom.

He just may be doing it in a more silent way: by the observations others make of how we are handling our trials...they may see the grace my son receives during his laser treatments or the steady flow of foot traffic through our door lately, people bringing meals and taking our children for us. They see my husband making sacrifices in his career advancement for the sake of caring for his wife and family. This runs so counter to our culture, and I pray is a strong witness for the power of the Gospel in our lives. For truly, it is only the power of God's redeeming love in our lives that allows us to have any impact at all.

I know I do not see all the good that God is doing in my life or in others' lives through trials and suffering simply because I am finite and my mind could not possibly comprehend all the good He is about. But, I am learning to be guided by this scripture found in Proverbs 3:5-7a:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Do not be wise in your own eyes...

If I choose not to be wise in my own eyes, but rather trust in the Lord and lean not on my own understanding of things, I begin to see all (or at least a part) of the good God might be bringing about through my trials and sufferings.

A Judah Funny

We recently got some hand me downs from ever generous sister, and the boys have been sporting "new" shirts for about a week now. Today, Judah had on one of his new shirts and I was complimenting him on it.

Me: Judah, that's a nice shirt you've got on.

Judah: Thanks.

Me: You know Conner (the boys' cousin) gave that to you.

Judah: Yeah, he's a servant.

:)

Muscle Spasm

These four days of waiting for a doctor to see me have felt like forever. Tonight, I was finally seen by my primary care physician. After her examination and looking over my x-ray and MRI, she concluded that I had (or am having) muscle spasms. Admittedly, I was a bit shocked. "Muscle Spasm" doesn't sound as painful as it was/is. Don't get me wrong; I'm very grateful that it is just a muscle spasm and there is a hopeful outcome for me after a bit of time, TLC and physical therapy. I just thought for the amount of pain I was in and am in still that it surely had to be a slipped disc or a tumor or something BIG like that. Little did I know something like a muscle spasm could cause so much pain.

Our family has been so well served this week with dinners every night, our children being cared for by Lawrence's mom and some great friends, cards, calls and emails of encouragement along with your prayers. Thank you so much.

I have to say that while I never would have asked for this pain or anticipated God using something like this to teach me so much, I am grateful for the last week. I was able to see God at work in my life and in others' lives. God used it as just another part of His refining process, making me more like His Son, imparting more of a Godward focus in my life and speech, giving me the gift of a more God-centered perspective on my suffering and the sufferings of others.

I believe I'll have more to write about regarding what God's done in my heart this week and what He revealed to me about Himself, but it is now time for some physical therapy!!

The Fear Destroyer

Lying in bed all week in pain like I've never known in my life has made me confront fear in a way I never have before. I couldn't run from it or excuse it away. I couldn't come up with my own solution that would make the fear diminish. I had to face it. A friend of mine brought dinner and a very encouraging card one night. (Thanks, Danielle) In it was a quote by John Piper that notes the cure for fear. It was both insightful and helpful. Here it is:

In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge. Proverbs 14 :26.

In regards to this verse, the solution to fear is fear. The solution to timidity is fear. The solution to uncertainty is fear. The solution to doubt is fear. How can this be?

Part of the answer is that 'fear of the Lord' means fearing to dishonor the Lord. Which means fearing to distrust the Lord. Which means fearing to fear anything that the Lord has promised to help you overcome. In other words, the fear of the Lord is the great fear destroyer."

I saw the Lord grow me in fear of Him over the last five days. He made me come face to face with my inability to sustain anything. I could not care for myself. I could not care for my children. I was utterly dependent upon Him to look out for me, to provide for me, to protect me. I couldn't make doctors see me any faster than they did. I couldn't determine what my eventual diagnosis would be. But by seeing all I could not do, I saw how much God could do, that He is in control of everything, that He sustains everything. This truth is not a new one. My 3 year olds are being told that God is in control of everything, that He is the Creator and Sustainer. But, this truth becomes embraced on a whole new level when one is forced to come to grips with his/her inability to control anything. Any physical ailment that leaves one bed-ridden will quickly drive that point home.

I am grateful to be out of bed, moving about my home today. I am grateful that I will see a physical therapist today who will, God willing, help me feel better over time and teach me how to take care of my back. While it seems that God will grant me health and youthful vigor once again, I don't want to quickly forget the lessons I learned this week about His rule in my life and over all the earth.

"O Sovereign LORD, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do?" Deuteronomy 3:24

Crippling Fear

I wish I had some sort of update as to what is going on with my back, but unfortunately for now all I can write is that I'm still in pain...nothing compared to where I was on Sunday night, but still not able to function as I need to in order to take care of my husband & children. While we have once again been so well cared for by our family and friends, I have found it incredibly difficult not to be fit to provide for my husband's or children's needs during this time of recovery. Recovering is what we're all hoping is happening while I spend now the 3rd day in bed.

Last night, I was able to look in the mirror for the first time in 2 days and notice that I'm crooked. I don't really know how else to explain it, but it appears if nothing else, something is mis-aligned in my back or hips. I don't know if it's the cause or effect of my back pain over the last week, and I'm having a difficult time getting a doctor to see me.

After helping my husband get things ready for the kids to spend the day at a friend's house today (Thanks, Kathleen!!), we laid down to go to bed. Only, I was assaulted with all kinds of fearful thoughts to the point that I was convinced I was going to die in my sleep if I didn't get to a hospital. Lawrence and I prayed; he tried to sing worship songs to me, but nothing prevailed to bring me peace. I was trying to tell myself truths like God has my days numbered and if I'm going to die tonight, it won't matter if I made it to the hospital or not (I know most reading this are thinking I'm crazy for thinking such things, but at midnight on the 2nd full day of taking narcotics and laying in bed alone, it sounds very plausible.)

I was struggling to discern whether God was imparting some kind of intuition to me to go be seen by a medical doctor right away or if it was an assault from the enemy of my soul trying to keep me from the rest that I desperately need and the peace that God promises to His children who trust in Him. I became so convinced that I was going to die that my husband actually allowed me to call my dear friend, Heather, who also happens to be a Hopkins' nurse. It was nearly midnight when I called, and she was gracious and compassionate nevertheless.

She helped me think a bit more clearly through my symptoms and said that most of what I was experiencing was not acute nor merited emergent care. She graciously suggested that after spending 2 days in bed on narcotics, I was probably a little overly sensitive to any kind of change in my normal bodily functions. She then prayed with me and went back to sleep. I, however, was still in a state of unrest and panic. I pulled out the ring of verses I have from my labor/delivery experience with Bella and began to read all the verses under the "fear/anxiety" category aloud. God also led me to pray aloud, thanking Him for the truths and promises I was reading about in these verses.

I would nod off and wake right back up from evil images that would pop into my mind. I'd begin to read again, pray, nod off, wake up. And, the cycle continued like that for at least an hour or so. Eventually, my exhausted body took over my active mind, and I did fall asleep.

"In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From His temple He heard my voice and my cry to Him reached His ears." Psalm 18:6

ER Visit

Hey folks,

We wanted to request your prayers: Bri developed some acute back pain on Thanksgiving Day which worsened until Sunday when she could barely stand while at the Almengor grandparents for Thanksgiving dinner. I drove her home to nurse Bella and then head to Patient First (not interested in sitting in the ER on a holiday weekend--Chad Young, can I get an amen!). Well after nursing Bella, Bri could not even stand up! So with dragging her into the minivan not an option--I called 911 and the ambulance came and took us to--yes--the ER at Upper Chesapeake. We proceeded to wait in the hallway at UCMC for a half hour on the strecher behind four other ambulance patients--but at least we got in! After us, they rerouted all other ambulances to other hospitals. Seven and-a-half hours and two narcotics and some morphine later, the x-rays showed nothing (good thing!), it wasn't kidney stones (good thing!), but they didn't know what it was (not the best thing). We have an MRI at 2:30 Monday afternoon. My mom is watching the kids since Bri is flat on her back all loopy. Meals are being provided for us (thanks Kathleen!).

Thanks in advance for your prayers!

Lawrence for Briana

Too Much Honey...

We are at Grandma's for Thanksgiving. There are few other places my boys enjoy more. I'm thinking the fact that my mom always has M&M's for the boys might have something to do with that. Tonight after allowing my boys what I felt was a sufficient amount of M&M's, Judah asked if he could have another one.
I replied, "Judah, you've had enough. Remember the Bible says that too much honey will make a man vomit."

Judah: "Mom, I want to be sick."

_________________________________________________________________

Judah is doing rather well post-laser treatment. As is typical, he tug at my heart with various comments before the treatment like, "Can we go home now?" or "I'm ready to go home, Mom" but did not cry until he was put up on the table for the treatment. He was justly rewarded with a chocolate frosted donut afterwards, and mommy helped herself to a donut as well. :)

Asking for Prayer

A bit last minute, but I'm asking for prayer for a laser treatment we have today for Judah. I am splitting up Tucker and Bella between two babysitters, praying that they'll take good naps while I'm at Hopkins with Judah. Also, Judah will have a new area lasered today. We have always done either his face or his trunk/shoulder/upper arm area. Today, we're going to try a different area on his body, and I am anxious about it.

Yesterday, I took Bella for her 9 month check up and assured the boys on the way there that only Bella would be getting shots. I did not expect my pediatrician to offer flu shots for all the kids while we were there. This was providential as I had been trying to figure out when and where to get the flu shots for them otherwise. So, I went with it, crazy lady that I am. Needless to say, the boys were not happy with me. In light of that, putting Judah through a laser treatment today feels cruel on my part.


The boys have been doing a lot of imaginative play lately, which is very fun to witness. One of their roleplays is of a laser treatment. Tucker is always the patient and Judah, the doctor. It's cute on one level, sad on another, probably a bit therapeutic in some way, too. But, Judah says nearly everyday, "Mom, I don't want you to take me for a laser treatment." As much of a trooper as the kid is, he just simply hates laser treatments. I can't say I blame him.

And, I am struggling with a bout of self pity this week, not justifiably (is it ever?), but struggling nonetheless. I am certainly tempted to consider how I am ending my week and feel sorry for myself. If you want to figuratively "smack me in the face" via a corrrective comment, feel free. :) Please don't cater to my self pity, however. That would not be helpful.


So, we'd greatly appreciate your prayers for us today.

Choices

This morning, like every morning, my boys asked me what we were going to have for breakfast. When I replied with, "Pancakes", my one son began to wimper and said, "But I want choices."

Spoken like a true American!

My Little Pumpkins +1

I'm finally able to post some pictures we took of our pumpkin pickin' this year. The boys are way more into the hay ride to the patch than they are in picking just the right pumpkin. They are too bothered by the vines. Here are my 'particular' pumpkins:

The boys' buddy, Rudy, joined us for pumpkin pickin'.

Don't ya think Anne Geddes should get a hold of my girl?!

For Your Listening Pleasure

I hope this link will be especially encouraging to moms of young ones. Often, I miss the message at church on Sunday mornings for various reasons. If you had or have young kids at home, I don't need to explain why. Our church makes messages available online, and there are a whole host of great sites that post their messages online, too, such as John Piper's Desiring God site to name one of my favorites. However, I find that when trying to listen to a message, there is constant interruption. I have to press pause or come back and try to find the spot where I had to stop listening.

So, I've "tuned in" to online radio instead. My husband turned me on to this through a site called, Shoutcast. You can listen to just about any style of music out there. We listen to classical during our dinner time to fool ourselves into thinking we're "those" kind of people...ya know, sophisticated with mannerly children who don't sing silly songs at the table or complain about how much they don't like what you've prepared for them.

During my days lately, I've been tuning into Sovereign Grace Radio, listening to the latest CD put out by father/son duo, Mark and Steve Altrogge, entitled In a Little While. What I appreciate about this CD in particular is that I can catch one of two lines at a time and be instantly encouraged, receive help in renewing my mind and taking my thoughts captive throughout the day. In being able to catch just one or two lines, I find that my thoughts will turn toward the cross and things eternal, and this does my soul good...and in turn, my home and children good as well. SO, tune in. Go to the site linked above and in the right hand corner, underneath the banner you'll see the words, "Sovereign Grace Radio". Click on that and be blessed!

Bible Memorization with Three Year Olds

Our church began a new curriculum two months ago that includes Bible verse memorization for the children. After missing the boat the first month with it, I took up the challenge of teaching my three year olds their memory verse. The nice thing is that you get an entire month to help them learn it. The first and only verse we've memorized so far is John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life."

Today, I told the boys that we would be starting a new verse. Judah replied with, "Is it about cats or dogs?"

Where does he come up with this stuff?

Any Locals Have.....?

I need help putting together the kids' costumes for our church's costume party, Fantasy Kingdom, coming up this Sunday. If you live locally and have any of the following items that you wouldn't mind us borrowing for Sunday, please let me know.

• three pairs of pink gloves (1 pair for an infant and 2 pair for toddlers)
• 2 pink turtle necks (2T-3T)
• empty toilet paper or paper towel rolls

And, if you can guess what we're dressing them up as, I'll give you something! It might not be something you want, but you'll get something! :)

The Tower

My guys are just making me laugh a lot lately... so, hence all the "funnies".
This morning, Tucker was placing all our living room pillows on top of each other. He looked up at me and said, "Babel of Tower". :)

They've been learning about the Tower of Babel in sunday school. I chuckled and graciously said, "That would be the Tower of Babel, Tucker". ;)

"What's Her Name?"

This is the question I hear at least two or three times a day. It could be the woman scanning our groceries at the grocery store, or the lady across the street walking her dogs. It could be the people we see in the picture book we're reading. Today, it was the woman checking out our library books at the drive thru window. As I'm pulling away from the window I hear Judah ask from the back, "Mom, what's her name?"

Me: "I don't know, honey. Maybe when we come next time we can ask her or look at her name tag."

Judah: "Can I give her a name?"
(I usually tell the boys that they may make up a name for the person if there's no way for me to find out or as in the case of random people in a picture book, they don't have an assigned name.)

Me: "Sure Judah, you may give her a name."

Judah: "Can I call her Charlene?"

We know no one named Charlene. There is no video or TV program they watch with a Charlene in it to my knowledge. I have never said the name Charlene....ever. Where he came up with this one, I will never know. But, it made me chuckle at his creativity. Can't wait to hear what he names his children one day!