The Moon and I

We went to Sonic last night after church with Pappy, Gammy, Uncle, Lacey, Ivy, Steven and Trinity. We had fun, as always!




Have I mentioned lately how blessed I am?
1. I'm saved!!
2. I have my health
3. My children are healthy and that is a HUGE blessing
4. I have so many friends that support and love me and my babes
5. I have my family
6. I have a good job (although the Lord knows that I'd MUCH rather be home with the kids)
7. The Lord loves me

That last point is what I've been struggling with. To FULLY realize that God LOVES me and will NEVER forsake me. No matter how many others may walk out of my life or let me down, God will not. The Lord and I have had many conversations about this and if there's one thing that I'm trying to get through my brain is that I don't have to be insecure about God's love. I make mistakes, I struggle, I get down, I say things that I shouldn't sometimes, I talk too much most of the time when I should be listening and the list goes on. But in spite of that (and BECAUSE of it), God LOVES me.
Last night after we left Sonic, the kids had konked out in their carseats and I was just praying and thanking God for what He's been showing me lately. I noticed how big and bright the moon was and watched (I was still watching the road mind you) as it went back behind some clouds. I would have thought it to get darker at that point. But it didn't.
Try to imagine this in your mind: The big bright moon shining down for all to see, the only light in the black sky at this time of day. But then the clouds that are gathering beside the moon overshadow and block it from view. While it seems that it would hide all the light, the moon actually lights up the outline of the clouds and sends out little rays of light. What should have been darkness with no light shining through, wasn't, because the brightness of the moon wasn't lessened by the darkness that overshadowed it.
I'm not sure I can explain what I'm trying to say and tie all this in together but I'm going to attempt it.
The brightness of the moon doesn't change just because dark clouds go in front of it. In the same sense, God doesn't change just because there are situations that would try to block our view of Him.

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

Our situations seem dark, lonely, bitter and impossible to get through at times. But God hasn't changed and neither has His power to move mightily in those situations. Trials in our lives press in on us and try so hard to block our view of God's power and God's LOVE so that we get discouraged. But God ALWAYS has ways of letting in those little rays of His light and His love right in the middle of our time of need. Though the situation may be dark, it may be hard, it may be downright UNFAIR.....God always lights up that darkness with His light, reminding us that He's there and He cares!

Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God:

God is showing this ol' gal a few things, guys. Hope this helped somebody else too.

I hope everyone has a great Memorial weekend! Any plans? I have several plans for the weekend so be prepared for picture overload on Tuesday. :)

Supper at Reno's

Last night we went to Reno's with our friends Laura and Jenn and Laura's little boy, Landin. It was a blast! Jenn's birthday was a few weeks ago but we just got our schedules together this week to take her out to eat.

Kari and Landin are the same age but I must say that Kari is quite a bit more.....outgoing than he is. It's pretty funny. As soon as we got there she was all up in his face asking him to sit by her and did he want to color with her and about 103 other questions right off the bat. He just looked at her like "what planet did you come from?" This was the only picture I could get of them together:


Of course, when the waitress came to take our order Kari says (in her most grown up voice) "Well....I want mac and cheese, please!" They have honey butter rolls that are to die for there and I kinda blew my diet. It was totally worth it though!! (by the way, have I mentioned that I've lost 26 pounds?)
Laura is expecting her second child, Macee, in September! We're so excited and I can't wait until Jenn starts her family too. We were all laughing last night because our table was the only one with kids in the whole restaurant. We were very obviously the loudest too. Between Kari saying "Hey, Landin, sit by me!" and Malachi yelling for another bite of chicken and of course all 3 of us talking every breath (imagine that)....it was kinda chaotic! But what fun it will be when we add a few more kids to the scene.

Thanks, girlies for a fun evening!! Love y'all!

I set my camera on Laura's car to take this picture so it's kinda bad but it's the only one of us all together minus Landin. :)

Boring Weekend Bliss

We went to visit Memaw Friday after I got off work. We had such a boring weekend playing and relaxing that there really isn't much to say about it! I got a two hour nap with Malachi Saturday afternoon and that's pretty much the news of the weekend. :)
Pappy and Gammy got Kari a prize. She's in love with it and it's what she's been wanting so that she can be like Pappy.




Since I seem to be suffering from Blogger's Block today I'll just post a few pictures. That's going to be a lot more interesting than what I could find to ramble about. :)

Princess Kari at the Dentist

I've been psyching Kari up for a few weeks about the dentist hoping that she would be so excited that she would forget to be scared. It worked!!! She was so excited to see "Dr. Jeth" (Dr. Jeff)


and all the pretty ladies that work there that are so nice to her. This dentist office is the neatest place. They have a computer room for the kids to play in while they wait, all the walls are painted with an underwater theme and the chairs that they lay on to get their teeth cleaned are placed underneath TV's for the kids to watch while they're getting worked on. Of course, since we don't own a TV Kari could care less about that but it's probably neat for other kids.



The dental hygienist that Kari had this time was WONDERFUL!!! Kari loved her and so did I. Since Kari was the last patient, all the hygienists were sitting around talking to her and, of course, she turned on the charm and talked their legs off. She certainly doesn't get her motormouth from her mother. I mean, come on, you never know I'm around. :)
By the time she had told them what the toothbrush did, what the "sloss teeth" (floss) was for and how many prizes she needed out of the treasure chest she had them ALL hooked. There were approximately 8 people in the room talking to Little Miss Princess and she really was so cute sitting there.




Before we left she sang Amazing Grace, I Saw The Light and Twinkle Twinkle for them. I love this kid. :)

Will Wal-Mart Trips Ever Be Normal Again?

Last night after Fazoli's(99 cent kid's meals), Kari asked me to take her to Wal-Mart to "look awound." Thinking that since I didn't actually need anything from Wal-mart that it would be a nice treat for me and the kids to be able to stay in the toy department for the whole time and not have to worry about grocery shopping. Ha. Think again.

I decided to enter Wal-Mart through the lawn and garden door so I could glance through the flowers on our way in. After about 5 minutes of that I knew the kids were getting restless so we went on to the toys and I let both kids out of the buggy. Bad idea. Malachi had every Barbie doll on the shelves in the floor within 1.3 seconds and Kari was sprawled out in the floor with a Barbie laptop in front of her, a big pink bouncy ball beside her and various Princess paraphernalia on the other side. This lady was shopping for Barbie dolls beside us and Kari decided to engage in conversation with her. Within 2 minutes we knew her name, the correct spelling of her name, what she was doing at Wal-Mart and pretty much her life history. I mean, really.
Malachi would knock stuff off the shelves and just throw his head back and laugh.....it really was funny despite the fact that I had to reorganize all their shelves in each aisle. The night shift employees will probably thank me for that. :)


After we had enough of the toys, we walked back to the flowers for another attempt at choosing a few hanging baskets. We passed an elderly man pushing a buggy and this is the conversation that ensued between him and Kari:

Kari:What's you name? My name's Kawi.
Man: Tim.
Kari: I spell my name k-a-r-i n-o-e. How do you spell yours?
Man: T-i-m.
Kari: Nice to meet you, Tim. What you doin?
Man: Just loafing while I wait on my medicine.
Kari: *Giggle* Oh. Tim. Tim Loafin'. *more giggles*
Man: Well, it was nice to meet you, Kari. Hope you have a good evening.
Kari: Hope you have a good evenin' too, Tim Loafin'.


This child doesn't meet strangers it seems. Malachi was getting restless at this point so we moved on to look at the swimming pools. Malachi chose that moment to start squealing in an attempt to bust the eardrums of everyone within a 5 mile radius. I am not kidding when I say this next statement. The employee that was tending to the flowers turns around and starts staring at Malachi WITH HIS MOUTH WIDE OPEN. As if to say "Is it possible that there are ONE YEAR OLDS that actually act like that?"
If that wasn't bad enough, Kari figures she could clear the water between Malachi and the flower waterer and attempts to strike up a conversation with him.
Just let me say it. ARGH!!!
Needless to say, I didn't get ANY flowers, promptly paid for diapers and Kari's big pink bouncy ball and got outta there!!

Does anyone ever have these experiences besides me? I'd like to hear some of them. I sometimes feel that I'm the only one who has either a. a horrifying experience b. an embarrassing experience c. a hilarious experience or d. an I-will-never-take-these-kids-anywhere-again experience. Usually I can laugh at all of the said experiences at some point but there have been times when I've got in my vehicle and cried. But those have been rare, thank the Lord!

So, what's your most memorable Wal-Mart experience? For those of you that read my blog, I LOVE LOVE LOVE reading your thoughts and comments about my posts. You've been slacking. :)

When Your Hut's on Fire/Homemade Food

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements, and to store his few possessions. One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, 'God! How could you do this to me?'

Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island! It had come to rescue him! 'How did you know I was here?' asked the weary man of his rescuers. 'We saw your smoke signal,' they replied.

The Moral of This Story: It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of our pain and suffering. Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground. It just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.

I don't think I can add anything to this story. I read it in an email this morning and I needed it! I have a special request today: please pray for me and my children. There are some issues that we could be facing in the near future that make me really uncomfortable to say the least. In my post about Moses and Jochebed, I mentioned placing my children in God's hands. I'm truly trying to do that but it's the HARDEST thing I have ever faced. Even with everything I've gone through in this past year.....this is the hardest. Please pray that God would give me peace and assurance in the midst of this storm.


In other news, I have a question for all the mothers following this blog. I grew up in a home where my mother fixed homemade food for EVERY meal. I don't ever recall her buying those Banquet boxes where you pop the Salisbury steaks in the oven and then just fix the trimmings. I don't ever recall her substituting real mashed potatoes with Bob Evans mashed potatoes that you can buy at Wal-Mart. She NEVER fixed pancakes that were from a Bisquick box. Up until the time I became a single parent I hadn't either that I recall.
As a single parent though....I've discovered lots of options for dinner. I've discovered Tyson honey bbq chicken strips, Bob Evans mashed potatoes that are absolutely as close to homemade as you can get, Tyson roasted chicken and fajita chicken strips, and thanks to Taryn, I've discovered Tony Roma's BBQ ribs.

It pains me to actually tell this because I wouldn't want people to think I'm, ya know, normal??? I'm not sure where the mind set came from that everything HAS to be homemade. I prefer it and I'm sure most people do. But at the same time, is it a bad thing to serve your children food items that aren't homemade as long as it's healthy and well-rounded? I was only a stay at home mom for 6 months, when Kari was 6 months old to when she turned 1 year. That's when we were in Texas which is a whole "nother" story. ANYWAY, everything I made was homemade right down to the yeast rolls and mac and cheese. I can fix some GOOD GOOD food and I know I can. I was taught by the best! But do I have time now? No. Do I want to sacrifice my precious time with my kids in the evenings to cook and have to clean up the mess which can take a total of 2-3 hours depending on how messy and creative I get? Nope. Will I go home tonight and fix something quick and tasty for me and the kids and then spend the rest of the evening playing instead of washing dishes? Yep. So my question is.....am I the only one that thinks homemade is great but almost impossible to do these days?

Moving on: house work. Anybody who has known me for a while knows that I have always been fanatical about my house. It had to be cleaned, straightened, organized, vacuumed, mopped, laundry washed and ironed...fast forward to post-kids.


I'm not sure that I'm gonna mop any more frequently than once a month or every two months because EVERY SINGLE time I mop spaghetti gets dumped, apple juice get spilled everywhere or maybe even pancake syrup gets mysteriously spilled in a trail across the kitchen floor. OR orange pop gets knocked over and leaves a sticky residue on the floor no matter how thorough I am when cleaning it up.

I'm trying so hard to become less bothered when my house doesn't get cleaned when it's supposed to. I'm trying hard to push it to the back of my priorities and my mind when the kids' toys have become my carpet and I can't find time to clean them up.


Because what matters is that I'm spending quality time with Kari


and Malachi.


What matters is that I'm taking time to pray and read the Bible with them daily. What matters is that I'm being the best mommy I can be to my children that God has blessed me with and training them up in the ways of the Lord.
I have a lot to learn. Lord, bear with me. :)

Put Your Kids in the Basket

After getting some emails from a few people yesterday after I posted about stinkiness, I've decided to write about another "thought." Me and the Lord are working on some things right now so these posts are as much for my benefit as anyone else. I need to drill these concepts into my head and into my heart. Maybe if I blog about it, talk about and pray about it, eventually I'll get it. So while I'm working through some of this stuff I hope it helps you all too.

The kids and I spent the night with Pappy and Gammy last Friday night. My mother in law and I got up early Saturday morning and were talking about various issues in our lives. I mentioned how much easier it is to put ourselves in God's hands than to trust Him with our children and put them in His hands and leave them there. We talked for probably a good hour and I really poured my heart out to her. There are situations that may show up in the near future that in order for me to make it through them, I have to be willing to trust God with my children no matter what.
Fast forward to Sunday morning at church. I asked my father in law after church if he had listened in on our conversation Saturday morning. EVERY SINGLE BLESSED THING we talked about, he covered in his Mother's Day message Sunday morning. Seriously. Funny thing is that he wasn't even home Saturday when we talked and Gammy hadn't talked to him about it. How's that for the Lord answering some questions?

He referred to the story of Moses and his mother, Jochebed in Exodus chapter 2. The Pharaoh ordered that "every son that is born ye shall cast into the river." Jochebed hid her son for 3 months but then she could no longer hide him. At that point she laid her son in an ark of bulrushes and placed it in the RIVER. The river that held dangerous species like LIZARDS, snakes, crocodiles, alligators.....what kind of mother could do that? One who feared her son being thrown into the river by the evil Pharaoh with no chance at all to survive. She chose rather to place him in the river and trust God to watch over him. You know the story: when Pharaoh's daughter found the baby, Moses' sister asked her if she would like to have a Hebrew woman nurse him for her. Pharaoh's daughter accepted and Jochebed received her son back in her arms to nurture him until time to take him to the palace. During this time (the Bible doesn't say how long) Jochebed could instill in Moses the ways of God and plant that seed deep in his heart.
Can you imagine the pain Jochebed faced? Knowing that she gave her child up once to save him from death and then faced another departure when he moved to the palace with Pharaoh's daughter. How would Moses be raised? What kind of idol worship and sin would he be exposed to? Would he remember the things she had taught him and remain steadfast to the one true God? Or would he go the ways of the Egyptians and turn his back on God?
Hebrews 11:24-25 says this about the decision that Moses made:
By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;
Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

Wow! What a great job Jochebed did teaching Moses in that precious little span of time she had with him. She taught him the ways of the Lord and Moses didn't forget it when faced with making the choice between everything the world had to offer at his fingertips or suffering the afflictions of the people of God.

So.....makes me wonder about myself. What am I doing with the little span of time God has blessed me with? Will I sit and worry about what MIGHT happen or what evils my kids may be faced with? Or will I use this time to dedicate myself and my prayers to instilling the ways of God in my children? I can say that I'm scared of this or I'm scared that this will happen and what if, what if, what if until I've worried myself sick (literally) or I can choose to place my children in the basket. Place them in the hands of an able, trustworthy God that loves them more than I do.

Think about that: God loves our children MORE than we could ever love them. God didn't order us to worry and fret and try to find ways to work out every little detail of our children's lives. He simply asks us to take the time that He's given to us as parents and make it count. Teach them, pray with them, read the Bible with them, live the life in front of them....
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

:)

Beyond Stinking

Here's a few new things about the kids:
1. Malachi climbed up into my lap Monday and gave me the sweetest little kiss EVER. When I smiled at him he smiled back and did it again. He's so precious. This is the first time he's given mommy a kiss willingly! LOL.

2. My daughter is so afraid of deer now that she's afraid to be anywhere else but inside our house when it's dark. Seriously. She looked out the door last night while we were visiting with Uncle and Lacey and started crying and telling me to take her home "cuz it is dawk." I know it's not funny because obviously the child is traumatized by the deer hitting our van. But what IS funny is the whole time we were walking to the van last night she kept saying "I hate them ol' deahs." "Jesus will keep them ol' deahs back from hitting our van." "Them ol' deahs broke you headlight, mommy." It's pitiful that she's scared of the "deahs" but it's so funny to hear her talk about them. She asks me at least 3-100 times on the way to work or anywhere if we're gonna hit a deer. Bless her heart. She needs prayer. :)

Now for the stinky stuff. This could get lengthy, so hang on. I'm not very good with words so I hope you can understand this and it actually helps someone.

John 11:39 ...Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.

This is the story about Lazarus, of course. The Lord didn't show up until he had been dead FOUR days. His sister was like "Uh, Jesus, he stinks now. It's been four days. You're a tad late."
In talking to my friend, Tonya, she said something that made me put my thinking cap on. She said "I know that the Lord always shows up on time even when it seems that He is 4 days late. But right now this certain situation is beyond stinking..."
But then Tonya said something else: "I just have a promise to HOLD ON and it's enough to get me through the day and God knows EXACTLY where I am even when I can't feel Him."
Wowzers. To know that our situation is so desperate, so hurtful, so IN NEED of the Lord to move....yet to have God wait. Why does He wait? It's not for us to ask. It's only for us to trust Him. Why does He not reveal His plans to us? We have to learn to believe that He'll somehow work the whole situation for our good.
Back to Martha.
John 11:40 Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?
Then He says something else:
John 11:42 (this is Jesus talking to his heavenly Father) And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.

Jesus waited 4 whole days AFTER Lazarus was dead to even come to Martha and Mary and the rest. Surely they must have wondered, why didn't you come BEFORE we had to see him die?
Then Jesus tells Martha that it's for the glory of God.
THEN....Jesus says it's for the benefit of those that stand by watching.

For those of us that have been going through something for a while this should be an encouragement. Hang on because the Lord knows what He's doing. If we wait, trust and believe then we'll see the glory of God work in our situation. But not only will we see it, those around us will see it. The unbelievers, the family and friends that look at the hopelessness of the situation....they will see God move in a mighty way.

If you're in a worse than stinky situation, take courage!!! God holds us, the problem and the answer in the palm of His hand.
Here's a few lyrics from a new song I heard. It was such an encouragement and I want to share a few phrases:

Do you wonder why you have to
Feel the things that hurt you
If there's a God who loves you
Where is He now

Maybe there are things you can't see
And all those things are happening
To bring a better ending
Someday somehow you'll see

Would you dare to believe
That you still have a reason to sing
Cause the pain that you've been feeling
It can't compare to the joy that's coming
So hold on you gotta wait for the light
Press on and just fight the good fight
Cause the pain that you've been feeling
It's just the dark before the morning

:)

Hula Dancing and Pineapple-Kabobs

As you can tell from my post title, I'm getting ready to go to Hawaii!!
Okay, so I'm just kidding. But it's a very nice thought.
Friday night the kids and I went with David, Karen, Chris and Lacey to Cracker Barrel to eat.




Afterwards we were sitting outside in the rocking chairs enjoying the weather when my sister in law decided to teach Kari how to hula dance in order to prepare for Saturday. Very funny stuff.

So anyway, Saturday my mother in law was the guest speaker at a mother daughter banquet in Louisville and they had a Hawaiian theme. It was a lot of fun! My mother in law is such a good speaker and did an awesome job. She said some good things about me so I was happy!! LOL. They had these pineapple-kabob-thingies that were sticking out of whole pineapples. It was so pretty and they looked delicious. I have tried to make myself like pineapple and other various kinds of fruit but I can't do it!! So I didn't eat any but I'm sure they were good.
The kids had a blast too. Kari, Malachi and Trinity were so cute. I still think Malachi has a crush on Trinity although her daddy denies it!! (just kidding, Steven!)




I had a very happy Mother's Day and I hope everyone else did too! Kari sang a Mother's Day song in Sunday school and it was the cutest thing EVER!



I'm going to be a little sappy here. I sooo appreciate my mother and my mother in law. I've watched them both through the years and their walk with God inspires me. I've watched my mom go through some pretty rough stuff but her faith in God never wavered. The best piece of advice my mom ever gave me was this: God is faithful and God is good. That's it. She said no matter what we go through, no matter how unfair life is, no matter the circumstances....God is faithful and God is good. If you chew on that a while, it will register what it really means.
I've watched my mother in law over the past year very closely as she's faced things she never thought she'd have to face. She's proven faithful to God and has been a blessing to me. I don't know what I would do without her. I love both of you so much and I thank God for you!!!
I have TONS of pictures but it's taking too long to load them so you might get them over the course of the week!! :)

Why?

I have just one question/thought for the day.

Why is it that when I'm at work, the time creeps by like a seven year itch? But when I'm at home we fix supper and then it's bedtime all in like, 30 minutes?
Example: I use half of my lunch break (which is an hour) to walk. That little span of time felt like it was hours today instead of a mere 30 minutes. But when I go home after work today, my few precious hours with the kiddos will fly by.

To that I say "ARGH!" (This is my current favorite emotion. I like the way it looks when I type it)

Has anyone else noticed this creeping by/flying by time thingy? Has anyone else thought at least once this week that you feel like your kids are growing up so fast and you don't have enough time to cherish every minute?
Can I say it one more time? ARGH!

Malachi's Checkup

Malachi had to have a check up yesterday with the dreaded immunizations!! Ugh. At least it was only one shot this time. The last time he had a check up, he had to have two shots and I'M NOT EVEN KIDDING.....the child didn't even flinch. I promise. He just laid there and looked at me like "okay, mom, can we go eat now?"
This time he did cry but he was fine after like 10 seconds. He did start running a fever around 9:00 and it lasted all night. It was cooling down when I dropped him off at Gammy's. Bless his heart (and mine), he didn't sleep well last night.

I really like Malachi's doctor.


Dr. Miller is a stickler that's for sure but he's very informative and actually takes time with us at each visit to listen to concerns or whatever and you don't get that with most doctors. Dana, the nurse, is awesome too!!



She was Kari's nurse and now she's Malachi's too. I love these people and they've been through a lot with my kids: Malachi's surgery and 2nd degree burns in January, Kari's broken collar bone in February, my nervousness around needles (which is so much better now), I could go on and on. They have truly became friends to me as well as most of the staff at that doctor's office. Am I just weird or what? It's like everywhere I go I make these friends that become like family to me. They watch my kids grow and they care about what's going on in my life, they cry with me, they laugh with me, they encourage me. How blessed can one person be? Despite the fact that a stinkin' lizard almost scared the life out of me and a deer beautified my already beautiful vehicle (ha ha! I really am thankful for my van, just trying to be funny) and my vacation was a near-disaster....I am so blessed, friends.
And for some odd reason, I am so emotional today. On Klove this morning they interviewed this 90 year old woman that got invited to a prom by her great-grandson. The whole time they interviewed her, I cried. It was so sweet. I cried after I dropped my kids off too because Kari cried this morning saying she wanted to stay at home and play.

So, moving on, I have all these new songs that I'm hearing on Klove and they are so so good. I used to hate klove because their songs were too beaty and weird to be called Christian music. But their music has changed over the past two years or so and I'm in love with these new songs:
1. Beautiful Beautiful by Francesca Battistelli...OMW! LOVE THIS SONG.
2. Love Has Come by Mark Shultz...This is a song that you can just get in a good mood listening to because it's about the hope of heaven.
3. Hold Us Together by Matt Maher...I've never liked anything by him before. But this song.....I turn the volume up and sing loud!!!
4. There Is A Way by New World Son...my daughter can sing this one. Love love to hear her sing it. She has this nasal way of saying "there is a way" that cracks me up.
5. On & On by Chasen...I'll admit that after I heard them sing live on the morning show that I don't like this song as much but it's still such a good one. They didn't quite cut it live like they did on the recorded version.
6. Something Beautiful by NEEDTOBREATHE...I didn't like this song until my sister in law showed me her rendition of it. LOL.
7. Safe by Phil Wickham
8. Follow You by Leeland and Brandon Heath...this is a song about going around the earth to spread the gospel and God's love. Makes you think.

Does anyone else listen to Klove? I know my sister in law, Lacey, does. We compare songs we've heard quite often. One that I just don't love and it's really popular right now is Power Of Your Love by Lincoln Brewster. It's got this music that makes me think of some kind of swing/polka dance or something. Do you all get that same impression or am I just strange?

Ummm...I'm not sure why I have such a weird post today. Sometimes I sit around and think of things that I want to write down and until I had this blog, I didn't have anybody to share it with. So I guess it's all pouring out of my brain now. I hope you all can keep up with my randomness and weirdness. :)

Vacation Recap

First of all, I can't believe I'm BACK AT WORK already! Geez.

Okay, so first lesson learned on our trip to Florida: we're flying next time. No more road trips for us until my kids are teenagers.
Next lesson learned: well, flying takes care of that lesson too. Actually flying would have taken care of several issues we encountered on our trip.

Thanks to my aunt and uncle for allowing us to come stay with them. They are the sweetest people and did all they could to make our vacation wonderful!! I love them and miss them already.

So after Kari had the stomach virus the first two days of our trip and then I had the virus the next two days, we actually had a great time. We went swimming in the AWESOME pool and had a blast. We didn't really go anywhere else because after everybody got over being sick we didn't feel like doing anything but being lazy in the pool. We did go to the beach on Tuesday but it was so crowded there wasn't even a place to sit. We stayed for a while and got some good pictures but that's about it. Good thing I don't LOVE the beach.
Fast forward to Friday afternoon. Time to head back to Kentucky which made none of us happy!!! I went outside to the van to start loading luggage and decided to organize the front part of the van first so we wouldn't be squishy and have stuff everywhere which drives me nuts when I'm traveling.
ANYWAY, I started to the back seat and what was perched on the edge of Malachi's car seat staring at me? A stinkin' lizard. You all may or may not know that I'm absolutely terrified of anything reptile-ish. Snakes, lizards, alligators, crocodiles....they give me the willies. So I screamed to the top of my lungs and my mom and sister came running to see if I had passed out or something (because I had a little passing out spell while I was sick). When I told them it was a lizard they grabbed the broom and a shoe box to try to get the thing out. Now, please understand that we're in the middle of this big ritzy Beverly Hills-type community where people drive Mercedes' and BMW's and Hummers and the occasional Porsche and are retired at age 45. So picture all of our luggage being thrown out of the van into the driveway, my mom armed with a broom digging into the van and my sister with a shoe box trying to catch the lizard that my mom pokes out!! Hilarious, people!! Right in the middle of this madness, I notice Malachi is sitting in the driveway laughing and playing with a 7-up can. As I make my way over to him I realize that he's grabbed a can of 7-up and busted it on the concrete and was enjoying the nice little spray that was coming from it. ARGHGHGH!!!
But, friends, the madness didn't stop in Florida. We had a little run-in with a deer on the way home. The kids and I were having a peaceful drive home around midnight Saturday night. Malachi was asleep, Kari was about half asleep and I was enjoying the peace and quiet and looking forward to my bed. I saw the little menace beside the road and tried to slow down. The devil took off running full force and hit me in the driver's side door. I screamed which, of course, set Kari off. I'm pretty sure Malachi didn't budge. I turned around to see if any van parts were laying around. Kari started crying and saying "Mommy, I want to go home!! I am so tired and sleepy and I want to go to bed!" Bless her heart. She'd had enough. I was too scared to get out and look at my van so I traveled the last 10 minutes to our house and then looked. The side parking light thingy was dangling from some wires and my driver's side door was dented in. Kari kept asking if that deer was outside and was that deer gonna hit our van again....the poor child is traumatized.

We're home.
We're in one piece.
We're thankful that we have a running vehicle and that our home is still standing and not flooded. :)



I have to include this in here. Here are a few funny things we heard while on this trip:

"Mommy, pull over so I can squat!" This meant Kari was about to pee BAD.

"If I wasn't gonna hit it, but I was gonna hit it, then I would have hit it." This was said by my mother during a storm late at night while she was driving. She was very tired, obviously. I think my sister and I laughed at that for a good 15 minutes.

"I'm stuck!" This one has to be explained in person. It's absolutely hilarious.

Angel, as you can tell you don't have much to be jealous of!! LOL. Aside from staying at that beautiful house and taking advantage of that awesome pool, that is. :)