Mischievous Brother

Ever wonder what happens when you leave your clothes on the floor, a permanent marker in your room and your door wide open for your little brother to sneak in when you aren't looking?

Front:

Back:

Cameron was none too happy. Can't say I blame him really. But maybe this will teach him a lesson - pick up your things! And maybe use the lock Mom and Dad bought you for your door. It also taught me a lesson - put all things worth creating damage away from the reach of a michievous four year old.

BTW, he didn't do this on my watch. He was in his Daddy's care! In Jason's defense, Colton was super sick and on the couch near asleep when I left. At some point he had a sudden burst of energy to do this. Thank the good Lord his energy ran out before he wanted to decorate anything else in the house. Needless to say he sat in timeout and went to bed early. All this when you're sick! I'm not sure who to comfort? Poor Daddy? Poor Cameron? or Poor Colton? Good thing Courtnie and I were at dance!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Rain, rain, go away. I'm tired of drying my diapers this way!

Just kidding. Kinda. I like rain, I really do. But I like sunshine just a tad more. And I really like to dry my diapers outside. I know the rain is good and I even pray for rain at times. But after many, many, many days of rain, I'd like to see some sunshine. The kids and I have contemplated building an ark just in case we need it in the coming days but just when we think of doing that something more fun comes to mind - like running wild in the house, throwing things, climbing things, or anything else that helps release the built up energy. Any fun indoor ideas Moms? We're running out of ideas!!

Dallas Museum of Art

Our first trip to the Dallas Museum of Art wasn't all that great, memorable yes, but fun, no. Of course because of the horrible experience they gave us more free passes. Imagine, you dont like a place and their apologetic attempt is to give you more free passes, in case you want to torture yourself again. Well, we went again! No way was I going to let a free outing pass me by. So a couple of us got together and took the kids and just went and stayed in the kids area. I was shocked at how content the kids were in this one room, one room. There were other things to do and we spent two hours in that very same room and we all received groans from the kids when it was time to go. Thank you Anna, Jaimie and Stephanie for joining us! And thank you Jaimie for making it a date for Colton and Jillian. It's very special to see the two of them so close.

Metallica Concert

I am officially no longer a Metallica virgin! Can you see my excitement??? Jason surprised me last night by taking me to dinner and then to see Metallica LIVE. I was beyond thrilled! I've been wanting to see them for years but something has always prevented me from being able to attend - being too young (per my Daddy), being pregnant or having a newborn. But the time finally came for me to experience the gift of music, presented by Metallica. Oh it was such sweet music to my ears.

When I found out and shared the news with my closest friends, they laughed. No really, they laughed. Hard. At me! Apparently, it's difficult for people to see me have such an appreciation for Metallica's music. I can't see how they can't love them just as equally! Have you ever heard their music before? It's incredible! Even my children love their music. I digress. Back to my friends... they insisted that I wear all black - black lipstick, black eyeshadow, dye my hair black, black nail polish, all black leather clothes. I'm serious friends, these were their suggestions! I opted for my normal apparel - jeans, flip flops and a Metallica shirt. How could I have gotten any cuter?! I know you were all teasing me though =)

When we got there I was not surprised really. There were the crazies who looked like they live in their vans and go from one crazy rock concert to another. There were people who definitely got all dressed for the occasion and those like me - just a hard-core fan who dresses normally wanting to experience a favorite band live. Just a sneak peak, this is the guy in front of me. LOL. I made Jason switch seats with me because even standing I wasn't able to see above or around his mohawk. Yes, I did take a picture of some strange guys hair just to blog about it. I say if you actually have this kind of hairdo, you're looking to make a blog or two. The level of immaturity at a heavy metal concert varied greatly which made for some incredible people watching! A few things I don't understand:

• Mosh pits - I just can't see the fun in running and jumping into each other. It's quite interesting to observe these from afar because as the night goes on, few people like to have someone else slammed into their backside and all this does is cause fights to break out. But aside from that? I have no interest in jumping into someone or having someone else slam themselves into me.
• Body-surfing - Not sure where the fun lies here either. So random people, lots of people, who you don't know are holding you above their heads and passing you around. Their hands are touching all over your body. Nasty hands. Hands you have no idea where they've been. And all the while, they are attempting to "surf" you onto the stage. Do they really think they are going to make it past the five feet space difference from the crowd to the stage and pass the multiple three hundred pound bodyguards? Really?
• Head-banging - Why oh why would someone want to bang their head so hard and/or circle it so quickly? Does this impress the artists? Because all I can think of is the headache, the whiplash and the tangled hair I'd have to brush out. No thank you.

I also want to shout out an apology. Mark it down, save the page, I am apologizing to my father. I'm very sorry Daddy for begging you and begging you to let me go to a Metallica concert. I understand a little more now why your response was, "Not only 'no', but HELL NO!" when I asked you as a teenager. Thank you for saving my life by not letting me go. I don't think I'd have made it out as the same person all those years ago. The bands singing before Metallica were quite scary and I wasn't too crazy hearing them drop the f-bomb so many times. That really wasn't necessary.

Now it's time to explain the passion I have for Metallica and why. I went through a dark period during a few of my teenage years and this group somehow became my solace. The lyrics spoke to me and kept me grounded enough to keep moving ahead. During those dark years I was not very happy, I didn't enjoy life or people, I was looking to walk down the wrong path, wanting to be in trouble and in general just not caring for too much of anything. And the few things I did care for, I shouldn't have been. Believe it or not, Metallica's music calms my nerves.

As I stood their last night soaking in the fact that I had finally made it to their concert, I was reminded of all the things I had gone through, of all the mistakes I had made, and how I somehow made it back to the right path. Some of you watched me walk through this stage in life and prayed continuously, thank you. Some of you may have wondered about those years but never quite knew what to think of me or the line I was walking or pushing, totally understandable. There are even some of who had no idea and find it hard to picture someone other than who I am today. Because of these trying times, I have a deep, personal appreciation for Metallica. They were there with me, keeping me moving and giving me something to live for. Who knew people actually lived to get in their car, roll the windows down and turn the radio up?! They became my constant escape.

Now onto some happier things... pictures!
I had a little teenage moment here. I wanted a picture of the two of us but I couldn't quite find it in me to ask my neighbor to take it for me. He was smashed before we even got to our seats, so it was up to me to get the job done. I tried the newest picture-taking method of doing it yourself several different times using several different angles and hoping that at least one is usable. That's hard work! I was having the hardest time trying to get ONE picture with our heads in the photo. That was the best I could do. But give a girl some credit - it was dark and very few people their liked the flash of lights, or lights in general.

Here is the picture Jason got of me in my new most favorite ever t-shirt. I think I might frame it and put it above my bed to remind me that I finally got to see the best band ever live in concert!

And just a couple of cool pics of Metallica and a video.

Their opening song. I thought of Cameron the ENTIRE night and how much he would have loved seeing Metallica. But alas, he has to wait! I know few people will appreciate the video, but it's my blog and I want to watch it often =)

**working on this video**

And I took this video to show Cameron what a concert was like. This was their opening song. I had recorded their song "One" and accidentally deleted it. That just might be the absolute stupidest thing I have EVER done!

Thank you Jason for the incredible gift. It was definitely an experience and an amazing time!! I can officially mark this to-do off my Bucket List =)

Canning Creations

A friend and I have gotten together twice now to can some things - hot sauce, applesauce, jalapenos and pickles. It has been alot of fun and very yummy! My family prefers the homemade pickles and hot sauce versus store-bought. (Did you see me pat my own back?) Today was the second day and we canned a ton of things today! Here is a pictures of all I have at my house. Anna kept the other half of the pickles and a couple jars of applesauce and a jar of hot sauce. It's really easy and fun, if you don't mind the smell of vinegar and it's lingering odor in your house =)

Do Not Worry

Tonight's sermon was titled: "Do Not Worry"

I must admit, I chuckled a little bit when I read the title. If you know me, at all, you know I worry. Alot. I finally saw my doctor about 5 months ago for this very problem. In the few months leading up to that appointment, I had convinced myself that I had ovarian cancer, skin cancer, colon cancer and a brain tumor. But wait! I didn't have them all at the same time, just when I saw a new "spot" on my back, or a headache came on at the same time it did the day before, or when my trip to the bathroom wasn't as normal or when my period was continuing for the third week in a row. I would literally sit up in bed from a deep sleep and be in instant tears because at that moment I was dying and my husband and kids would be left without me. Pretty bad, I know. And this was just ONE example (of many) I shared with my doctor.

But maybe all I needed was a sermon on "worry". The English word "worry" comes from German and means "to strangle". And isn't this exactly what worrying compulsively feels like? I can honestly say it does, it gets a good grip on your thoughts and it just takes over making it hard to breathe and live normally. Worrying starts with a rational concern but is also a natural enemy to faith and skews reality. With this, we need to:

REGAIN PERSPECTIVE - When we worry about things, this simply means we've forgotten what Jesus can do. We need to remember the provider and that He provides for those very things we are anxious about. The antidote for worry is faith. Faith is not a blind leap, a hope or a wish. Faith is an anchor to reason founded in reality. You may not know where you're going, but you know God. There lies the proof. Remember your provider and step-out in faith.

REPENT FROM WORRY - Worrying is a sin and another form of idolatry. Makes sense! If we are worrying, we aren't fully relying on God which is a sin. And the very things that consume our thoughts and feed those worrying thoughts becomes idols.

RECLAIM YOUR PURPOSE - Seek first His kingdom and He will provide what we need next. This does not mean He will provide what we want most, but what we need. We need to pursue God completely. God is bigger!

Matthew 6:25-34
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not your life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do now sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you worry can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?" For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

How often do we hide behind our clothes? Or do we use our clothes as a tool to climb the ladder of social status? We use clothing to hide our brokenness, depravity, sin and shame. Think about it - it's why clothes were invented. Thus, clothes today are merely fig leaves. We need to forget the brand names, forget about who is wearing what and what store they were bought from and just be thankful for the clothes we have, for everything we have. We need to be more comfortable with what we have and how we look rather than worrying about what we don't have. We need to quit worrying about food - we aren't living in times of famine but need to make wise choices in the things we choose to eat. We need to put aside worrying and step-out in faith and fully rely on God to walk us through trials.

I've decided tonight to add to my little sayings to people "O you of little faith". I hope my children appreciate this as much as they hear "God loves a cheerful giver!"

"Aim at heaven and you get earth thrown at you. Aim at earth and you get neither." - C.S. Lewis

Thai Buddhist Wedding

Jason is the best man for an upcoming wedding and the bride's family is from Thailand. Although she is does not practice Thai and is a Christian, she went ahead with the family culture and had a Thai wedding. (Their formal wedding will be held next weekend.) Today was the big day for the Thai Buddhist wedding and honestly, I was eager to attend. I find learning other cultures to be interesting, if for the only reason to understand and learn more about other beliefs. We get their and they immediately take Jason back, because he is the best man, and tell him he needs to change shirts. Now Jason had NO IDEA he would have any role in this wedding and was completely taken aback by this. They wanted him to change pants as well but Jason wasn't having that. The biggest shirt size they had was a medium and his two color choices were the one he chose and gold - good pick babe! I had no idea he was even changing until I saw him walk in with the wedding party so you can imagine the surprised look on my face and the utter embarrassment on his. He did well I must say. He tried to move his arms a few times to no avail and succumbed to the fact that he had to sit still and breath easily.

I found the Monks to be quite interesting. Did you know they cannot eat past Noon? It's tradition for the bride and groom to feed the Monks their lunch and during their chanting I found it humorous to see them peak to watch their food being prepared in their bowls. No lie - they were hungry and anxiously waiting to see what would be served. And boy did they grub when it was time. I can't say I don't blame them since they don't get to eat again until the following morning.

Another thing I found interesting was the constant chatter among the guests. No lie! They talked amongst themselves, their relatives, spoke out to dictate what needed to be done/said next (the guests, Monks and other people helping with the service), cellphones rang without a care, people got up and down from their seats and came in and out of the room. It took about the first hour of the service for me to get used to all this and the music playing in the background and the chanting of the Monks for my ADD to slow down. It was very overwhelming I must say.

I feel very blessed to have experienced this wedding. I kinda wished we had brought Cameron along for the experience since it's not likely everyone gets a chance to have a hands-on up-close advantage of learning another culture like this. But pictures and stories will have to do for the kids.

Here is a picture of Jason in his handsome shirt =) I tried to get the gold Buddha statue and the starving Monks in the background. I do think it would be nice to just wrap a cloth around me and call myself dressed for the day! I do think it would be mighty comfortable!!

Relearning Forgiveness

Isn't it funny how often (okay, so every time for me!) you hear a sermon and it hits so close to home, almost like it was crafted just for me? Tonight's sermon was about forgiveness and it was spoken in a very different manner than I've ever heard. I was thinking that because forgiveness needs to be done on a daily basis and used in every aspect of life, I really should blog my thoughts so I can look back and remind myself WHY I'm called to love and pray for my enemies.

Matthew: 5:43-47
"You have heard that it was said, "Love your neighbor and hate your enemy." But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?

I heard this again tonight and realized we all greet the people we love and we all love those who love us back. What would make me stand out further as a loving Christian? I've always kept my distance from those who, for whatever reason, do not like me or don't know me or our personalities just aren't agreeable. But really it isn't making me any different than they are. I'm CALLED to love even my enemies. I don't have to like them, but I should love them and even more pray for them. And at the very least, I'm called at act like I like them and even greet them. So if you know me, this is very hard for me to do. I have the hardest time walking up to people, even those that I know and adore, and just striking up a conversation or even giving a simple hello. I don't know why this is but I get truly anxious when I do this but am so proud when I muster up the courage do accomplish this simple task.

Romans 12:17-21
Do not repay evil with evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing so, you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

I'm not reminding myself of this verse because I have a vindictive nature but because I need to let things go with the attitude of truly "forgetting". I often times remind people of why they've hurt me and why I choose to keep myself away from them. I need to just turn the other cheek and continue to do good to them. As it was said tonight: if they want your shirt, give them your shirt and your shoes; if someone wants me to do something for them, go the extra mile and do something more. And why would I do this? The answer to this is to break the cycle of evil, to turn bitterness into blessing and to be a shining light unto others. I also love to know that people will be repaid for their sins and hurtful words and actions towards other by God himself. Again, not that I want sinners (including myself) to have to pay for their sins but the truth is, we need to. How else do we overcome our sins, improve our lives and become more Christ-like? We do this by recognizing our sins, making the necessary changes in our lives and suffering the consequences for our actions.

Psalm: 4:4
In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.

Proverbs: 29:11
A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.

I totally love these verses! I'm certain I've never heard this first verse before or maybe I have and it never sunk in fully. But how true is it to walk away when you're angry and just be silent and listen? I've learned to do just this over the years but it's comforting to know that this is what is expected of us when we've reached the point of becoming angry. And, admittedly so, I do forget this at times but I have to remember to stop in the midst of anger and listen.

I walked away tonight with a completely different perspective on my attitude towards my enemies and even those I love who have offended me at one time or another. I need to love them or even pretend to like them. I need to forgive them and continue to do good to/for them. I need to raise my tolerance level and accept people for who they are no matter how crazy, how disrespectful, how rude and ignorant, or how down-right annoying people can be. In doing so, I will be more accepting and it would make it easier to love my enemies.

I learned tonight that I need to ALWAYS be the bigger person and this includes continuing on in life with a smile on my face when I've been hurt or belittled, to keep walking forward and not look back when wrong has been done to me and my family. I've learned (and will continue to learn) how to turn the other cheek and not let someones hurtful words and actions consume me. I know who I am and I know my intentions as does God. I need to stand out above the others and be someone different.

With all this said, we recited the Lord's Prayer at the end, which is so lovely to hear and speak:
"Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever. Amen."

Skate Park

I admit, I'm not the most excited or into the details party planner. Cameron's birthday this year slipped up on me faster than ever so we decided to get the boys together for an impromptu get-together. We took them to the skate park where they had tons of fun! I literally heard more groans when it was time to leave than ever before, and we had been there for almost 2 hours!! And once again, Mom was out there ON THE SKATE PARK ITSELF taking pictures =) And let me tell you every boy out there wanted their picture taken on such and such ramp. They wanted their jumps and wipeouts photographed.

Colton's Playing Soccer

We've held Colton back from sports because he just never really seemed ready. He's quite the clingy child (not that I mind at all, I've held him since birth and even now you just might see him on my hip) and very hesitant with people he doesn't know (again, this is a blessing). We thought that maybe with the Fall being a slower season in our household we would give soccer a shot. Our full attention can be on him including his brother and sister who are always dragging their little brother to their events. I was nervous for him and Jason was REALLY anxious about how the night would play out. My friends.... he did so great! He asked Jason to come with him on the field and Daddy agreed to stay on the sidelines at which time I thought Colton would run back to him and grab a leg. This wasn't the case! He smiled at his beloved Daddy and walked towards the coach and other players. He talked to the coaches, talked to the kids, smiled and laughed, kicked and ran. He had the best time! At every water break he ran over their towards us and gave a round of high-fives. I do confess, I cried. I sat right there in the bleachers and cried behind my sunglasses. I even looked around to see if any other Mommy's were beaming and crying like I was. They weren't but that didn't stop me. I watched him that entire time with my cheeks hurting while grinning from ear to ear. That boy melted my heart. It is so amazing to see your children learn the world around them and come full circle from clinging to your side with the intention of never letting go to them stepping away with a smile on their face and proud of their accomplishments. I know I give Colton a hard time (but hey, he gives ME a hard time so it's well-deserved) but that kid is truly a great kid. Behind every ounce of orneriness is a piece of my heart that's so in love with him. Ok, so now that you know how PROUD I am of him, here are some pictures I just couldn't resist. And yes, I was on the field with my camera... oops. I just couldn't help myself! The last picture is of the team praying after practice.