Sarah Palin = VP? = Mommy!

I know nothing about this woman.... however, if she can manage a family of seven, surely she can be a great VP for this nation (truly, I will do more research before I vote!) :)

Read what my friend, Elizabeth, wrote about Sarah Palin here.

(as a sidenote: no, I'm not crazy into politics.... to be quite honest, I don't know if I'll vote yet- based on the choices given.... however, I do think that this election is quite interesting.... AND that God is STILL ON THE THRONE regardless of the outcome!!!)

The Bills Game

We had a fun night at the Bills game last night (of course, we wish it had been the Colts, but we just felt blessed to be at an NFL pre-season game thanks to the generosity of a family in our church!) Unfortunately, our anticipated 40 minute trip to the stadium ended up taking nearly 2 1/2 hours due to horrible traffic, so we missed some of the fun "family night" activities and kick-off, but it was still fun, nevertheless! My camera's batteries bonked right after we got to the game, and the exposure on my camera inadvertently got messed up, too.... but here are a couple of shots that I was able to grab!

* As a sidenote, to the Buffalonians with little ones: I would be VERY leery of taking kiddos to games. When we arrived to our seats, we VERY quickly realized that some young gentlemen surrounding us were more than willing to teach our kids MANY new words (I don't consider myself to be a "sheltered" person.... however, my jaw LITERALLY dropped at one point. The guy with the "Detroit Lions" jacket on in front of us was just fueling the fire.... yep, it was BAD). Anyway, THANK GOODNESS the game was not sold out, and we were able to move across the aisle and get away from the craziness and NOT teach our little guys any new words last night either! After that point, we really did have a good time! We had heard that those issues weren't as bad on "family night".... I guess that wasn't the case! Lesson learned! :)

I didn't hear about this on NBC....

Persecution at the Olympics.... Bibles confiscated.... yeah, for some reason, that didn't make the prime time coverage on NBC.

Thankful Thursday...

Today, I am thankful....

1) That my parents and l'il sis are coming this weekend (AND are helping us with landscaping! Hoorah!) An extra HUGE bonus is the fact that my nephew is coming along to surprise Aaron.... it's gonna be great!
2) That our family has a HUGE opportunity to get to know our neighbors this weekend. We've decided to host a neighborhood/block party and parade on Monday. Yep, the fliers are out (all 120 of them), the food WILL be purchased, and we're going to meet some new neighbors! If you think about it, please pray for us.... it's a big undertaking, but one that we knew we were supposed to organize. We knew when we moved that God specifically was planting us in this neighborhood, and we want to be intentional about loving our neighbors! Check this out! My hat's off to Scott for totally taking the lead on this one.... it was something that he knew we needed to do.... and we're DOING IT!
3) For antibiotics. Isaac's big toe had an encounter with a scooter (it fell on him in the garage). After two trips to the doctor, we ended up with confirmation that it's not broken, that he will lose his toenail, and that we needed to start antibiotics to prevent infection.
4) For generous people. We are headed to the Bills' game tonight because of the OVERWHELMING generosity of a family in our church. The boys are excited to go, and it will be a fun family night. We feel completely spoiled by these new friends.
5) For the opportunity to be "salt and light" at Aaron's new school. I definitely felt that we've been given "new territory" yesterday as I was in the school; it's cool to think about the new friendships that will be formed!

Have a blessed day!

First impressions...

It was a good morning. We all loaded up in the van to head to kindergarten orientation (after a late night for mommy, labeling school boxes, a "rest and read" bath towel, a paint smock, and crayons!) We met Aaron's kindergarten teacher this morning and based on first impressions, this momma couldn't be more thrilled. She seems to have a great balance including structure and fun.... and I was so blessed to discover that this is her 21st year of teaching.... AND that she is a mom to THREE BOYS. Yep, she's taught A LOT of active little boys before.... and maybe she even has one of those in her home (oh yeah, did I forget to mention that she has a son named Aaron, too?!!) I think we're off to a good start.... Aaron left feeling very excited and can't wait to start next Wednesday.

I had a cool moment today, just thinking how much I have prayed specifically for Aaron's first teacher in public school.... she's the one.... regardless of whether this is a positive or negative experience.... I know that God has heard my prayers and has orchestrated the events of today. She will continue to be in my prayers. My friend, Lisa, once told me that she really learned the meaning of "pray without ceasing" when she sent her kids off to school; I've been getting a taste of that recently!

One of my other favorite moments of the morning.... as we were walking (okay, really.... Aaron was RUNNING) to the kindergarten hallway, Scott looked at Aaron and said, "Buddy, do you know that lots of people are going to know about Jesus because of you?.... and this is a part of that!" It was just a cool, choke-me-up moment. We pray every night that lots of people will know about Jesus because of us.... and Aaron is going to get a new taste of being "salt and light" in the school setting. Pretty cool.... actually, pretty amazing that God uses us daily. It's a privilege....

Also, one other side note: I felt SO MUCH PEACE today about the fact that Aaron is probably the oldest kiddo in his classroom (if you remember back, I think I posted about the fact that he wasn't old enough to start kindergarten last year in Indiana, but we discovered that he would have been old enough in NY). There was a little girl across the table from Aaron today who was a full year younger than Aaron and was really struggling and not feeling excited about kindergarten. Yep, I'm thankful that I had an extra year with my little buddy.... he's ready.... more than ready (now, if this mommy could just get ready for next week.... the mere thought of putting him on the bus that first morning brings tears to my eyes instantly....)

Interesting...

Somehow, I missed this part of the Democratic National Convention. I guess that Donald Miller (the author of Blue Like Jazz) closed the night in prayer. No matter what your political position, it's awesome to hear the name of Jesus spoken.... and to know that our Holy God heard.... a prayer from this arena.



P.S. A really profound conversation has taken place in my living room....

So I said to Scott, "Why is he praying with his eyes open?"
Scott's response, "He's reading the teleprompter."
Oh right, silly me.... what was I thinking? I always read a teleprompter when I pray, too! :)

For more on Donald Miller, check out this interview on the Christianity Today website. My favorite quote from the site:

Q: Why did you choose to accept the invitation?
A: Somebody calls you and asks you to pray, you do.

Huh, good point, Don....

EDITED TO AD: In response to Liza's comment, yes, I pray with my eyes open a lot, too (one of my favorite places to pray is while I'm on the road, driving....) I just asked Scott that question because it felt a little weird as I was watching this clip.... and I was COMPLETELY grinning when I said that the conversation was "profound"....

Just for you, Cathy!

Okay, so my friend Cathy has asked to see pictures of the new colors in our house via email, Facebook, my blog, and Skype. SO.... this one's for you, girl! There wasn't a great way to take the pictures so that you could see the pictures really well, but I tried to take them with a contrasting color (like white) so that you can actually tell!!! We're loving having paint OTHER than flat-white! Hoorah!

Our computer room/office/playroomOur piano room/more formal living areaThis is the color that is in our main living area/tv area/great room/kitchen/hall/stairway.This is our downstairs, half-bath. It's actually a really rich, deep purple.... just a fun splash of color!

Happy Anniversary, Dad and Mom!

Happy 40th Anniversary to my Dad and Mom! You have been a great example to us of love and commmitment.... I value you.... I'm thankful for you.... hope that your day is terrific!

_____


In other news, yesterday was a tough one around here. I realized that we've had a lot of good days in a row.... but yesterday was just a day where obedience was difficult. Sometimes, I think that we can easily see the rewards of obeying God.... sometimes, the water is a little more murky. Yesterday was a murky day. I started the day in a "funk" because my sisters planned a surprise party for my mom and dad with all of our extended family.... and I wasn't there. There have been many family events that we've missed since January, but none like this.... when everyone was there except us. It made my heart hurt. Really hurt (and yes, looking back, I completely wish that I would've just thrown the boys in the van to drive "home" for the day....)

Then, some things happened at church yesterday that were just hard.... nothing huge.... just hard. And yep, it felt like salt in the wound. Honestly, at points, thinking.... "I am not so sure about this obedience thing.... I think I preferred my comfort in Indiana." BUT.... murky waters sometimes lead to refreshing conversations. Scott and I had a great one yesterday afternoon.... it's comforting to be reminded that we are in it together. Comforting to remember that God didn't miss a second of the heartache yesterday. And good to remember promises from the Word like this one:

".... You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed" (Joshua 23:14).

God never promised that there wouldn't be hard and "murky" days in this journey. But He did promise to go before us.... and to always be with us. For today, I'll just keep clinging to that fact, resting at His feet, and KNOWING that our God is faithful to His Word.... He is trustworthy.... He is good.... He is loving. And that is enough....

Good for a laugh....

Stealing from the Sheets family again.... this time, Jess.

I saw this a few months ago but can't remember if I posted it that time around (sorry, I'm an old woman blogger these days, and I'm continuing to lose brain cells by the minute in my 30's!) I laughed again seeing it this time, so I'm sharing it (again, maybe?!!)

God of Wonders....

Just read this on Stevan's blog. Amazing.

Okay, everybody.... deep breath....

So the Indianapolis Colts play the Buffalo Bills tomorrow night.... yes, tomorrow night. What is a displaced Hoosier girl in Buffalo supposed to do?!! I want to pull out Aaron's Colts jersey and send him to church in it.... nah.... probably don't want the pastor's kid to get a shiner at church....

So.... I guess I'm a closet-Colts fan tomorrow.... but as for the rest of the season, I'll be singin' it loud and singin' it proud..... GO COLTS!

EXCEPT..... we were GIVEN tickets to a Bills game on Thursday, and yep, we're going.... it's "family night".... should be fun! I'll cheer for them that night, I guess.... only because they're not playing my "home team"!

(side note: I was shopping a few weeks ago and saw a jersey in the window of a store.... it was blue.... and it said, "Manning- 10". WHAT?!! 10? 10? Are you kidding me.... how could they get Peyton's number wrong?!! Seriously! Oh.... pause.... right.... I'm a New Yorker now.... the Giants won the superbowl.... I get it. The little brother. Big gulp.... I don't think I'm in Indiana anymore....)

Whew, I needed that....

My friend, Jess, linked to two awesome articles today. Loved them both.... thought you sweet mommas of the world might be blessed by them, too. Just go to Jessica's blog and click on the links. What terrific reminders....

Here's just one quote that jumped off the page to me (as said to a mom of preschoolers....)

"If a mom in your season of life looks like she has it all together all the time, something is suffering drastically somewhere."

Ladies, we need to be honest..... and stay honest. Sometimes, I think that we tend to cocoon ourselves away from the world out of fear that we'll be FOUND OUT.

Today, I was FOUND OUT.... and it really wasn't as painful as I thought it might have been. I invited two neighbor boys over to play with Aaron this morning. In spite of the fact that I (LITERALLY) had 5 loads of laundry in my living room, waiting to be folded.... dog hair on my kitchen floor.... the toy box scattered across the entire living room.... pictures covering the couch by the piano, waiting to go back on the walls.... and paint cans in my dining room. AND.... in spite of the fact that by inviting them over, their parents just MIGHT make it past the front door when they came to pick up their little guys. It DID happen.... and I DID survive.... and I was just thankful to be in relationship with my neighbor.... dirty house and all. It's no secret.... I'm not a good housekeeper.... but may it be said of me.... "she may not have had a clean house, but she had a loving heart." I'm working on both.... but if I have to default, I want to LEARN to default to the loving heart....

MORE weekend fun!

We had a great time with Ryan, Tina, Bryce, and Caleb last weekend in New Jersey! What a fun family! On Thursday, our family headed to the Crayola Factory with Tina and her little guys. It was a lot of fun! Then, on Friday, Tina and I were able to get away (in the convertible, no less!) for a pedicure, lunch, and a little shopping! It was AWESOME! The guys went golfing in Saturday morning, too (sorry, no pics of that). We headed back to NY on Saturday and even made a quick stop at Letchworth State Park; we never knew that NY was such a beautiful state!



We love you, Lakin's!

Olympic Hysteria!

I don't know if your family is as crazy about the Olympics as we are here, but even Aaron has gotten into the action. And, of course, what little boy doesn't totally want to be Michael Phelps when he grows up?!! So.... I jumped online and found Phelps' website.... how cool, it included an address to write Michael and POSSIBLY receive an autograph (hey, it's worth a try, eh?!!) Aaron was just thrilled that he could send a letter, and it was a fun activity yesterday afternoon.....

Michael Phelps

PO Box 1734

Olney, MD 20830-1734

We're home....

.... we had a great time.... I'll be posting pictures soon!!!

Love to all!

New Jersey, here we come!

Well, the directions are printed.... the suitcases are NOT YET packed.... but NEW JERSEY, HERE WE COME! We are headed out to see our dear friends, Ryan, Tina, Bryce, and Caleb. We'll be there until Saturday and can't wait for some fun friend time! I will take Aaron for "bus orientation" in the morning at the school, and then, we will head out after lunch.

It will also be very fun to come home on Saturday to a painted living room, kitchen, office/computer room, stairway, and landing! Yippe! In the stage of life that we're currently living in, having someone else do the painting is SUCH A BLESSING!

Have a great couple of days!

More weekend fun!

We had a blast last weekend with my sister, Deb! We are so thankful that she brought the train out to Buffalo to enjoy her last days of summer before she heads back to school! And yes, we miss her already!

Transformation is happening!

Well, a few transformations have started happening here at our house. First.... the moth. Aaron made a little "Bug Hut" at story-time this summer, and when we found a caterpillar, he couldn't wait to watch it turn into a butterfly. We (AKA I!) kept that silly little thing fed for a couple of weeks.... it finally made its cocoon, and a moth FINALLY popped out last night. Aaron was very excited.... this morning when we let the moth go, Aaron said, "Goodbye, little buddy. It's been so nice knowing you!"Yes, that really is the little moth at the bottom of the bug hut. Thankfully, the moth was still alive and DID fly away!

And.... other FUN transformations. We finally picked the colors.... and finally decided on the painters to transform our downstairs into a world of COLOR! Hoorah! We got a really good deal (having compared many estimates!) and feel great about the work that was accomplished today. One room is done.... a few more to go!

Before:
After: (please note... we will eventually get the room put back together and the piano and the couch will NOT stay in the middle of the room!)

P.S. If you ever decide to paint a red or burgundy color, good luck! Whew.... it was hard to decide on a color, but I'm very, very pleased with how it turned out.

Aaron-isms Part 532

So, we were enjoying a wonderful pizza dinner, yet somehow, our conversation turned to "what to do in the event of a fire...." (yes, we've talked to Aaron about this before). So, I was quizzing him about the essentials.... you know, "Stop-drop-and roll".... "Don't play with matches.... EVER".... "Get out and stay out!" So then, I was talking to Aaron about our meeting place outside and said, "If there is ever a fire in our house, you go straight outside to the driveway and never come back inside."

To which Aaron said, "And don't stop and get a snack either?"

Yeah buddy.... go to the neighbors for a snack.... don't go back into the house that is on fire for cheese crackers and a fruit snack!

Larry King reflects....

Check out Larry's video here.... Wow. Check out what the Chapman's assistant had to say on the blog. I think that my favorite quote came from Steven Curtis Chapman to Larry King: "Larry, if Billy Graham is praying for you, I think you're a marked man."

YIPPE!

My beautiful, baby sis is here, and we ALL are happy!!! HOORAH!

Thankful Thursday...

Today, I am thankful....

#1,2,3,4,& 5) That our God is loving, that He is good, that He restores, that He heals, and that He continually answers prayer! This video was an amazing reminder to me of that fact.

Pure silliness....

Tonight was mowing night in the neighborhood (our neighbor and Scott were both hard at work) so after a quick dip in the pool, Isaac decided that he needed to help! Don't ya just love the swimmer-diaper and the backwards helmet?!!


.... AND this is a picture of Isaac with one of Aaron's craft projects on his HEAD! :)

"Faith is...."

".... living with the questions."

I love this family. I could barely breathe at points as I watched this clip with the Chapman's from GMA.

So fun, so easy....

Since I'm not brilliant when it comes to tech stuff, I appreciate it when people make it easy for me! Hope that you enjoy the new look....

Jaw dropping....

This post from another blogger made my jaw drop. This is a momma who is in the hospital due to her unborn baby's heart condition.... and her nurses are dang lucky that she is merciful....

A great reminder that we ALL need to be proactive about our own health care though....

My Washer Runneth Over...

I am an expectations girl. I like to know what to expect. I don't, generally, do very well with surprises (except fun birthday surprises.... or when my husband surprised me with a trip to FLORIDA for my 30th!) One of my top 10 biggest annoyances is when unexpected expenses pop up.... you know the ones.... car repairs, dental repairs..... APPLIANCE REPAIRS!

Yep, I'm currently on hold with the Sears appliance folks.... for the second time in a week, my washer completely ran over and flooded the corner of my basement (no damage.... just a pain!) Come on now, Kenmore! You've done me wrong! My dryer has been leaving burn marks on clothes for about a year, but we've been too cheap to get someone in to look at it (I know, no lectures.... there hasn't been a fire yet.... and I AM getting it fixed!) Again, you've done me wrong, Kenmore!!!

Anyway.... I'm off the phone now.... Wednesday is the official day of the "unexpected expenses" AND HOPEFULLY, the OFFICIAL day that my washer and dryer are officially WORKING again!

Please pardon my post.... I know that these things happen to everyone.... just needed to get it off my chest! HA!

Another weekend full of fun

We had a great weekend with Scott's parents! I think that we should get an award for being the "Most Frequently Photographed Family at The Falls"! It's so cool to live less than 20 minutes away from this amazing masterpiece, and we love taking our visitors! We went on Friday night, and it was a gorgeous night. We were actually hoping to stay for the "lighting" of the Falls and for fireworks, but the mist was HORRIBLE that night.... we were getting drenched and were still a ways away, so no fireworks and lights this time. Maybe at our next visit! I'm thinking that we need to build a line-item into our budget for The Falls parking though!!! :)No, this isn't PhotoShop! It is actually a parrot named Larry sitting on Aaron's shoulder! There was a guy at The Falls with two parrots (Larry and Aaron were there names!) and he was just putting them on people's arms and shoulders.... hoping for a tip, I think! I love this pic!
Tom and Kathy at the American Falls. This picture was taken from the American Overlook.

I love this picture that Tom took of the skyline in Canada because you can actually see how thick the mist was.... and even the water drops. On Saturday night, we decided to take an adventure to Grand Island to attempt to find Beaver Island State Park. We had heard that it was a great place to swim, so we just wanted to see it to decide if we'd want to bring the boys back to swim in the Niagara River sometime. It was a gorgeous night!
All the boys, playing in the river (yes, friends.... this IS the water that leads to Niagara Falls! It kind of freaks me out... but this is miles and miles away from the Falls.... I had to continually remind myself of that fact. Also, that is Canada in the background of the picture!)
This one of Scott and his dad is one of my favorites!
On the way back to the van.... Isaac actually wasn't too excited to leave! A little work on top of all the play! We had a little bit of hail damage to our siding a few weeks ago, so Scott and his Dad replaced the piece.

Are you kidding me?!

Okay.... just a little rant....

So, we were sitting at lunch yesterday and glanced over at the TV. The commentator was talking about the fact that Brett Favre was offered $20 million to NOT play football this year. What?!! $20 million to NOT play?!! Now, I'm not debating sports.... I could care less about whether or not Brett (and his wife, Deanna!!!) decide to dive back into the world of football.... however.... $20 million?!! I was just reminded of the fact that our world and culture are SO skewed.... so backwards.... not that Brett is not making wise decisions himself, I have no idea, but.....

Do you know how many wells could be built in Africa so that people could have clean water instead of die from the water that they are currently drinking for the small amount of $20 million?! Actually.... approximately 6667 WELLS!

Do you know how many months a Compassion child could be sponsored?! 625,000 MONTHS (that's A LOT of Compassion cuties!)

I just don't get it.... $20 million to NOT play football.... when thousands of lives could be saved instead. Seems a little backwards....

But for today, I am just going to keep trying to play my part in the bigger picture, making a difference in my little corner of the world. God, grant me wisdom. Grant me humility. Grant me compassion.

P.S. And Brett, if you're reading.... please take the $20 million.... and then go to rwandacleanwater.com or compassion.com