(k)not again...

Wilson working on his weekly book report... His book gets sent home Tuesday with the book report worksheet and is due back on Thursday. It has been a big chunk of work each week...and this week... his book is 63 pages long!!!! I know, right? He didn't seem to mind, and actually summarizing a longer story might be a tad bit easier...
Why is Walker so thrilled to be playing with his remote control dump truck and his binoculars at the same time???
Well, that would be because they are tied together in a knot. EVERYTHING is more fun when it is tied together... (I am pretty sure this might be the boys' motto right now; last week my flexible measuring tape was tied to a basket handle)

P.S.

we went to Red Robin, then PetCo, then LifeWay on our date night. And yes, it was fun!

P.P.S.

just to clarify - our church hires workers for all of the regularly scheduled childcare times (services, parent's night out, mother's morning out) from a local childcare company. the parents fill-in as volunteers during weekend services... its definitely a BIG church perk.

date night!

We (I) made Wilson take a picture before our date last night...Our church offers parents' night out once a month in exchange for one hour of volunteer time in the children's department (as well as once-a-week-mother's-morning-out!). Talk about a blessing!!

Can you see Brad's shirt? It says "MY WIFE IS HOT"

{sidenote: Brad sent me a link to that shirt while he was at work a few weeks ago... I think he said, "50% of the price of this shirt goes to Samaritan's Purse, should I buy it?" I laughed and said, "YES! but you would never wear it!" Needless to say, I was surprised when he put it on Friday!}

I felt like I needed to look good to go out with him wearing that shirt ;) Thankfully, he was pleased with the result of my efforts!

We had a great time, the kids had a great time; everyone's happy!

what are you doing Saturday night?

Help Haiti February 27th - HelpHaitiLive.com from Compassion International on Vimeo.

it's about blogging time you get back to blogging...

here are the boys... climbing all over our swingset... which looks a bit gigantic in our new backyard. we have a rule "friends cannot play on the swingset." (it seems like they could bump their head on the fence when they are swinging.) I am not sure how long it will be staying here...the boys do love it though...
We had a lovely-weather weekend, so one day (like I can remember which) the boys all got their game on... "Crush it, Lutz!"
I thought this would make a good postcard to encourage people that are getting over a hard time... maybe a relationship that has ended or a job loss or a long, hard, winter: etc... with this caption...

"Some rebounds are longer than others."

(not sure why but that just makes me chuckle, maybe its the dork in me??)
Littlest Lutz was practicing his fantastic follow-through. While Koka kept score.
Daddy coached some shooting pointers to the Big Man.
And assisted the Little Man in his own dunk.

I may have (or may not have, you never know), yelled out a few old-school cheers from back in the day. Just to get the guys fired up! ;)

some dorks are dorkier than other dorks...

Brad said that my Valentine's post "inspired" him to do some tattoo work on Walker... he makes a pretty cute cat...he even gave him some mean-looking-knuckles. (I may be going out on a limb here, because I don't usually feel comfortable predicting the future; but I think its safe to say that Brad and I probably won't ever become tattoo artists...at least not the kind that get paid... just the dorky kind)
Here's a picture of Wilson on his new bed. He told us (about 4 times) that he slept r-e-a-l-l-y well last night! You can tell he kinda likes it ;)
And I updated the wreath for Spring. I love busting out my glue gun! I had snowflakes in January and some hearts for February and decided there is NO way I can keep up with the new-wreath-every-couple-of-weeks-pace. So these cheery little blossoms should get us through the next couple of months... (p.s. all scrap fabric, and buttons that I have had for years = free update).

lazy Valentine's Day...

thanks to the big snow, our church was cancelled all weekend. so the boys and I had a very lazy day today while Daddy was at work. We did rearrange Wilson's room a little to get ready for his bed {finally!!... poor kid has been sleeping on the sleeper-sofa for months}. After rearranging together, the boys did some rearranging of their own...
and created a super hiding place! They giggled and giggled under that bed!
We also squeezed in some time for the Olympics and Nascar. We couldn't hang to the end of the race though... did it ever end? This morning I showed the boys the video of Apolo Ohno's final last night. Half way through it Walker said, "Which one is Daddy?" Wilson and I laughed and told him that Daddy wasn't in the race... About a lap to go - when it was getting really intense - Walker yelled, "I hope Daddy wins!" Oh that boy makes me laugh!

oh, and I just had to show you my roses. First, I got dark chocolates from Fabiano's earlier in the week and then Brad braved the snow on Friday to go retrieve my roses because FedEx wasn't going to deliver them!
Sadly, I knocked this one off of its stem when I was removing "2-3 outer petals that were left on for protection during delivery." Earlier in the day while lazing around on the couch, Wilson and I gave ourselves tattoos... I am nothing, if not dorky. Brad is a lucky, lucky man.

I was completely surprised by the Valentine's gifts. Brad is so sneaky sometimes! I often wonder why on earth God decided to bless me with such a wonderful man. We were a little bummed that he had to work today, but thankfully he will be home with us tomorrow...

Here's hoping for an equally lazy President's Day!

sometimes waiting is worth it...

and the snow began to fall lightly around 10 am or so...
Wilson watched out the window for awhile... (so did Muskoka, but she moved when I went to take her picture, such a diva)
We went for a little walk in the snow. It was wet, heavy snow and rather pretty.
After the walk and brief stint at the playground across the street; we came home. Walker played happily in the back yard for a bit while I made some hot cocoa. Brad tried to snap this picture of Walker making a snow angel...
And here is the picture outside our front door at about 4:45pm. The snow is supposed to simmer down in the next hour or so, and will probably be all gone by tomorrow afternoon.

The Waiting Place...

...for people just waiting.

Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting. - Dr. Suess

Today we are waiting for the snow to snow. You can see this morning the ground is bare...but school has been cancelled so we are hopeful! Daddy is home sleeping, and Pillsbury Orange Sweet Rolls are in the oven... its a good day for waiting...and perhaps for reading "Oh the Places You'll Go."

little things

Koka got her hair cut...
because both the boys were wearing red, and the groomer gave Mussy red bows and a bandana; I thought we should have a picture. Brad took these. I love the bottom one =)
and finally, FINALLY, I got up the nerve to take some treats to one of our neighbors! I added a little note with my name and "Wilson's Mom" along with our phone number. They have a daughter in Wilson's class.

I've mentioned how much the tragedy in Haiti has been heavy in my heart. I have been going round and round with God about what my role here in GA has to do with what is happening there... and elsewhere (such as Africa) for that matter. I've been nearly overwhelmed with the sense that we are wealthy in this scenario. We -in America- are wealthy. And I believe God is still going to be working this out in my heart, in my mind, and in my soul. But meanwhile, He kept prodding me to love my neighbor. I kept fighting Him on it. For various reasons, but they were all just disobedience deep down. And while a plate of monster cookies didn't solve the world's problems, walking down the block did remind me that sometimes I just have to do the little things first. He is faithful and I trust Him to lead me well.

"And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
Mark 12:30-31

for inquiring minds...

Sunday Best

...I've gotten the question about church a number of times, so I thought I would give y'all an update all at once. We are still going to "The Big Church," which you can check out by clicking *here.* You might remember that we first decided to try it out because it had a Saturday evening service which works well for us on the weekends when Brad works on Sunday. I think we are settling in there pretty well.

After a couple weeks at "The Big Church" I was really ornery about going there again. Sort of pouting-on-the-inside. I had my eyes focused on a couple things that didn't sit well with me...running off a little list in my head... And as clear as can be, I heard, "don't be so self-centered." God and I had a little more in-depth conversation about that concept. But it basically ended with me understanding that this place might be it, and I might just miss it if I didn't open my eyes! Thank you, Lord, for your still small voice that can break through my pouting!

The boys really like their classes. Walker LOVES the pre-school worship time. He came out yesterday singing "where? down in my heart. where? down in my hear where? down in my heart. where? down in my heart..t... (on repeat, as is his style)." And after trying a couple, we are pretty happy with the Bible study group we go to on Sunday mornings. Its a topical study and right now the focus is parenting. The teacher is heavy on the dad being the leader in the family, and let me tell you, that is some refreshing teaching! The guys are doing a little men's weekend too. Low-cost, short-time-commitment, no frills, learning more about being men of valor. I am so thankful that we found a place for Brad to be with men that love the Lord. It is an answer to prayer, a gift beyond measure.

You can see Walker gives it a thumbs up...

I still very much feel like we are "new," but I am excited to see what God has in store for our family here.

age appropriate articulation!

(here is Wilson on his first day back to TALK class in the fall of 2007...)


Yesterday made it official...Wilson no longer needs speech intervention!!

We knew it was coming, they almost signed him out of speech this fall while we were still in Lawton. The pathologist there decided to continue with therapy because he was sometimes leaving off the ending "s" sound in words. When we did his IEP here, we knew he would be re-tested and it was unlikely that he would continue in speech. He has come such a long way!

***it all started just over three years ago***

At first, we really just thought Wilson's speech was cute. We repeated some of the words he would say, exactly the way he said it, because it was so adorable. (Maybe even teased him a little, and yes, I feel bad about it, Sandy!) He was our first-born, I am pretty sure I thought he would 'just grow out of it.' Remember if someone asked him his name, it sounded like "Wilton?" when he would answer. It wasn't until he started playing with other kids his age, that it became a little more obvious that there was a problem. I remember one boy telling Wilson, "you need to talk better!" That got my attention- and also, I may have wanted to smack that kid - We began to be more aware about how frustrated Wilson would get when trying to tell us something and we couldn't understand him. Sometimes he would even use gestures to act out what he was trying to say...

Our neighbor told us about the TALK (Teaching Articulation and Language to Kids) program at LPS, and after some testing, it was obvious that he would benefit from the early intervention. I am so grateful that Lawton had the TALK program so he got to start speech when he was just 3 years old. I am certain that it gave him more confidence when he started kindergarten. We have been blessed to work with excellent speech pathologists all along the way, as well as wonderful classroom teachers that were actively reinforcing what he was learning in his speech therapy sessions.

We are so proud of our big guy! And so thankful that the resources he needed were easily attainable. What a blessing! God provides for the details in our lives.

a few of the cuties...

...it has been awhile since I posted some pictures of the cuties, so here you go. Enjoy.

ok, seriously, that big dog does NOT sleep on our bed. I raced Walker into our room the other day at naptime, and Muskoka launched right on the bed with us. I had to tuck her in, and take a little picture. (The boys giggled and giggled just now when I uploaded it.)
Wilson and I did a little Valentine-crafting-after-school yesterday. Well, until his friend came and asked if he could go to the park... Luckily I snapped a picture of him with the valentine card that he made for Daddy and I at school before the doorbell rang...
Walker got back in touch with his inner-artist...
...while Wilson finished up his book report today.

and that, my friends, is the extent of the excitement round these parts. And to be honest, I think that is just about perfect!!!

while snuggling this morning...

...Wilson, Walker, and I shared one couch cushion. All curled up in a little family ball.

Wilson broke the silence and said "Let's watch some TV."
I asked, "the news?" (that is usually the only thing that is on in the morning, if the TV is on...)
Walker whispered, "No, watch the Old House."

so, we have successfully won another over to our dorky-PBS-ways. Gotta love a boy that likes This Old House!

...we ended up just turning on Daddy's playlist and snuggled a few more minutes before breakfast.

...processing...

...ever since we started budgeting, we rely mainly on cash. If you've seen my wallet, you've seen my envelopes. We don't use credit cards, and we only use our debit cards for gas. And since Brad is home, I hardly ever have to get gas. He keeps me squared away. And I am out of practice when it comes to swiping cards! This makes for some awkward moments when I use my Visa gift card that I got for Christmas. I know there is money on it, I am just so clumsy when using it! The thing says "DEBIT CARD" right on the front, but of course, there isn't a pin number, so I have to use it as a "CREDIT CARD." I've used it numerous times since Christmas, and yet I am still so uncertain. I mumble to the cashier in a higher-pitch-than-normal about it being a gift card. Sometimes I add a really strange giggle at the end of my mumbling. The cashier always looks unimpressed when she nods back at me. I hold the card to the machine and inevitably she has to tell me to "No, turn it the other way." Then after I swipe it I have to wait for

...processing...

...which starts me wondering if I did it right. I second-guess myself a bit and wonder if I shouldn't just get some cash out of one of my envelopes and sort it all out later; but then I would miss out on using the gift. I try to make eye-contact with the clerk to see if she can reassure me any. Its only a few seconds, but I am so relieved when its approved. And it has been each time, without any problems, but I bet the same nervous smile will reappear, while I twist my wedding band and wait the next time for

...processing...

Right now, I feel like my heart is in the processing mode. I am beginning to see clearly the ways God has prepared my heart for this time... maybe the deposits on my gift card. A verse* that He gave me to anchor my life, my husband returning safely from deployment, a lovely summer, a Bible study on the book of James, a farewell to good friends, reading two great books - Sacred Marriage and Crazy Love, a new home, a new year full of hopeful wishes... the list is longer, these are just the highlights of how He has been moving in my heart. He has been faithfully challenging me, and filling me up. And finally, I feel like my heart's gift card was swiped when the earthquake hit Haiti. And here I am

...processing...

I don't have answers as I awkwardly wait. I have shed tears for people I don't know, and mourned for children I'll never hold. I squirm, wondering if I should just figure something out, so I can avoid this awkward waiting. Perhaps I can just run with my own idea and sort it out later. But my heart knows I will miss out. In the scheme of things, I know its only a few seconds, a brief moment in time. I know the One that I am waiting for; He has proved time and again that He is faithful. So I will wait. Awkwardly, perhaps, but whole-heartedly too.

*Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12

not for the faint of heart...

seriously. if that is not a black widow, then I don't know what is...

this beast is right outside our patio door as I type. Thankfully I was able to muster up the strength to knock it off the siding and trap it under a jar. Barbie was fortunate enough to be the one on the other end of the phone walking me through the process. And sadly, I think it was after she turned up the volume on her phone (because I normally have such a dainty phone voice).

I texted my hero, and he will take care of the situation when he arrives home. I just didn't have it in me to try and crush that thing.

another finished project...

remember I painted these last week? here's the finished project in our bedroom... (I have the K-mart Thanksgiving day sale to thank for the new bedding, and the little bedside lamps were from steinmart with some Christmas money) 1 Corinthians 13:8a... love never fails.

another angle... you can see a glimpse of the super-bright-turquoise on the edge of the first one... it took me a couple coats, and finally a mix to get the right shade... I adore it.

here is how they looked in our last master bedroom... (similar theme - 1 Corinthians 13 was the backdrop).

love never fails. A simple truth that we sometimes neglect. I thought we could use a reminder right up there on the wall. Of course, our love fails. But God's love doesn't. I fail often. But God doesn't. Ever. What a reassuring confidence boost.

auction for Haiti...

my friend Amy wrote a BEAUTIFUL post about Haiti and is also offering one of her creations for auction. All proceeds to go to Heartline Ministry.

at the very least, read her post.

if you can, bid on her lovely jewelry creation...

click *here*

family cook-out

We christened our fire-pit yesterday. I wish I would've had Brad take a picture of me breaking the champagne bottle on the side of it. Oh well. Here is the man building the fire, while the faithful beast surveys the perimeter...

the boys practiced their basketball skills for awhile...

and after hot-dogs they roasted some marshmallows - naturally.

Thanks, Mom & Dad for the thoughtful gift, I am sure we will spend many hours around it in the weeks & months to come!

one project done.

so remember our artwork display at our old house? We don't have an open wall in our dining room here, so I felt they needed to be dressed up a bit for our living room (you know, since we are such formal people?!) here's a reminder of the before... last week, I painted the frames a darker shade of brown... I decided I wanted to do magnetic frames. I did a little online research to figure out how to do it. (How I adore all these insanely crafty bloggers that share their tips!) I had to track down some metal and you see I recycled some of our boxes from the move. I had to buy some metal snips, and I used my handy TomBoy Tools gloves to protect my hands (although somehow Santa gave me two right hands, so I wore one backwards, because I am just that dorky, and I really didn't want to cut my hand). Oh, and a sharpie to trace around the pre-cut cardboard...

I already had the fabric on hand... and tada!!! (P.S. I haven't decided yet what I am going to do with the oval frame... but I did know that I wanted to include it, I got it from my grandma this summer... possibly another family silhouette???)

You know Brad's been working 24 hour shifts... so I do my project work on the nights that he is working. It helps keep me sane. And probably him too, so he's not having to step around the project-in-process-all-over-the-living-room-floor {or dining room table - depending on the project}.

Also, the project work provides a good process for me. I know I am not the only one that is constantly thinking about all the things happening in Haiti. God and I just chat through it while I am working. I try to be quiet so I can hear His Spirit reassure me that He has not changed. That He is working in this. I believe Him.

I have another project that I hope to show you tomorrow.

2010

So I guess its about time I tell you my New Year's Resolution... except I am not really a resolution-maker. Last year, I made a good one and stuck to it... "to kiss my husband more than the year before." Easy to do when he was deployed 4 months longer in the prior year =)



2009 was a pretty great year for our family. And a really difficult year for many of our family members and friends. I trust that God will do great things in this year ahead for those that have been patiently waiting for His hand to move in their circumstances. I pray that as they continue to watch for Him, that their hearts will be filled with confidence and hope in the One that has great plans. I know He is good, and I know He never fails.



As for me, personally, I ended 2009 with a lot of contentment. We are settled into a new home and new town. Our family is healthy (with the exception of that pesky-strep virus). I am confident of God's faithfulness in our lives, and certain of His promises. And surely contentment is a good thing; but not a destination. In this peaceful place of contentment, I've been seeking God for direction. I've been wondering what God has in store. So many questions of where to plug in... (I was going to list the areas I am considering, but these are just private ponderings for the time being...)

Recently He has led me to a crazy journey through 1 Chronicles... really, a strange place I thought. And perhaps I was even a little disappointed when I began reading there a week or so ago. But His lessons have been rich and spot-on. One particular event in Chronicles centered on David bringing the Ark back to Jerusalem. He asked many people about their opinion, and everyone agreed that, "Yes, it should be done!" So joyfully, they began transporting the Ark. They did it quickly and with excitement, once, when it was slipping a man reached out and touched it to keep it from falling. That man's name was Uzza and when he touched the Ark he broke the law. Therefore, he died. David was angry with God about this. And left the Ark with another family for awhile (I Chronicles 13). The problem was David had a really good idea and jumped on it. But he did it quickly and his own way, rather than asking God how or when... and a man died.

I am waiting to see where God wants me to jump in... if he wants me to jump in at all. And while I am waiting, I will still be doing the daily things I am commanded to do. And hopefully, doing them a little bit better everyday. I will begin researching some of the necessary information for pursuing some of the above ideas (that I decided not to list), but I won't be gathering opinions from anyone but God and my husband. And I will wait. He has good plans for me, but I need to listen for them.



We sang this song Thursday at PWOC. I don't think I've ever heard it before, it blessed my heart and filled my eyes with tears. I hope you can find a quiet moment to listen to it. And that it will bless you as well...

haiti...

it's hard to wrap your head around it.

and harder yet when your heart gets involved.

I don't have any wise words, or even coherent reflections tonight. All I can say is that when I start thinking about it, watching the news or reading online; I become queasy. I feel guilty that the poorest nation in our hemisphere never really weighed on my heart until today. I feel sorrow for those that are walking through the devastation. I keep praying, but its more or less just a quiet heart before God, because I don't even know where to begin asking... He knows though.

I told Walker about the earthquake at lunch, he said, "God will take care of them, just like when the bad guy came." I tried to explain that there wasn't a bad guy... he doesn't quite understand. Can I blame him? I don't quite understand either. At least He knows God will take care of them.

Keep praying.

Man, I Feel Like a Reader*

here is a picture of Walker's treasured "Leaf Book" that he got from Santa. I think he said something like, "this is exactly what I wanted!" As he was showing me his Leaf Book when I took this picture, he explained that there were leaves in the front so he can put leaves in this book (and I quote), "If I want worms, then I can get a worm book." WHAT???? I did a little painting today... trying these canvases out for a third time... will post a picture of them in their new home when they are finished.

and I repainted the artwork frames... just a darker brown. we are so risky with our color choices! I'll post a picture of these when they are all done too... you can see how Muskoka kept herself busy while I was painting...

Walker mostly watched me paint or narrated my painting efforts. He did take a break to 'read' some books. He was so cute digging through the basket that I had to snap his picture.

and here is a video of Wilson practicing his first book report... Real sentences and everything. How is my baby old enough for a book report already????

*The title of this post is actually from Literacy night at Wilson's school. The choir sang the song "Man, I Feel Like a Reader" to the tune of... "Man, I Feel Like a Woman" It was humorous to say the least...

p.s. did I ever tell you that Wilson's school kicks off every. single. morning. with this song? Wow. Those teachers had better drink their coffee before the bell rings. I think it's kinda fun!