Such a Disappointing Mama

  Yesterday afternoon we spent a couple hours zooming around Roller Towne.  Every session we've been to, there are roller races for age groups.  It's funny how few parents get out there to race but guess who does?  I'm not a great skater by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm not falling all over the place either.  The last couple skate days, I managed to take 2nd place and win the kids a small fountain drink.
  Yesterday, there were some hard core mama's skating for the soft drink.  Out of the 4 of us skating, I came in dead last.  Good effort.  No ego crushed. . . until I skated off the rink and saw Ella's droopy face.
  "What's wrong, Ella?  Did you know I was out there racing?"
  " YES!  You LOST Mama!"  She was so disappointed.  :-)
  So begins the first reality of her mama's humanness!

Color

Abiel and I went clothes shopping on Saturday.  GASP!  As we perused the first store. . . my lovely 13 year old snagged a couple of items to try on.  Black, grey, black and another shade of grey.  Hmmmm.  "Taking after your Mom, eh?  Maybe we need to explore some color today."

Our second stop provided our opportunity to explore color.  Mint green, jade green, bubble gum pink, banana yellow, fire orange, peachy peach, and of course one classy black to top it off.  I was so proud of Abiel.  :-)  Why does it get more and more difficult to branch out of our supposed "style" the older we get?  Argh.  But she did it. . . and so did I, for that matter .. . a little.  ;-)  I guess I could say "a lot" since it may be just as painful for a mom to let their first born daughter branch out as it is for herself!

"I look like a box of pastel paints exploded," she declared as she donned her favorite new outfit for the review of her Papa.  "Mama and I were exploring COLOR today!  What do you think?"

Let's just say, Heath passed with flying colors.  ;-)

I give you permission to appreciate color today.  ENJOY!

They keep me laughing!

My boys are on a "create their own language" kick. Asher almost lost his life . . . twice. . . when he revealed the words for "mom" and "sister" in his new language. Drum roll please . . . .

The word for Mom? Moo
The word for Older sister? Big Head

Enough said! :-)

Most Unique Birthday gifts

Today I celebrated 35 years of life. I received the most unique birthday gifts ever.

From Asher: He came inside, beaming with his hand behind his back. "I have something for you, Mom." I opened my hand and he placed a tiny, black heart sculpted out of tar that he picked off the side of the road! Only from a boy who loves his momma!

From Judah: He was outside and knocked on the window. I looked over and he yelled, "Come see what I have for you!" I looked onto the driveway and saw a huge heart that he had made from peeing! Yes, you read that correctly. Now that takes some talent . . . I'm assuming! All I could do was laugh.

From Abiel and Ella: The girls were a little more traditional with a card and paintings, both of which I loved.

Happy Birthday to me! :-) Every year gets better. (I'm not even afraid of 40 . . . . yet.)

Last Set of Summer Pics

All the cousins on my side at my Dad's. My mom, brothers, and all the cousins at Danny's house, and the four kids at Yellowstone. I wouldn't have any pictures whatsoever if it weren't for Abiel getting her new camera and taking them! Thanks, Abiel!

more pics

This set is in Great Falls, Montana on my dad's farm, riding horses, and at the wonderful Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center there.

More Pics

These pics are in Dayton, Wyoming visiting Great Grandma Moser and Uncle Larry and Aunt Diane.

A few pics from our summer trip

This summer the kids and I embarked on another journey to Montana. We were gone for 3 weeks and on the 4th week, Heath flew to meet us and we drove back through Yellowstone together. We had a wonderful time. Here are a few pics of the journey. This set is of our time in Eastern Montana at Plevna with Great Grandma and Uncle Fred. The bottom pic is the kids at Custers Last Stand near Wyoming.

quote of the day

I'm watching a 4 year old boy every Tues/Thurs morning for a friend. He is a character. After squeezing a stick for a few seconds as hard as he could, Jack said, "Ahhh. I just squeezed out all my strongness!"

Funny Ella

Yesterday the girls and I went on an all day shopping trip! Most of you know that equals dread for me for two reasons. I hate spending money and I HATE shopping! But it needed to be done and Abiel has been looking forward to this for a few weeks. Jesus gave me special grace to enjoy almost every moment of the day. It was miraculous.
But I must admit that in the last store, Costco, I was super tired and ready to be home. Abiel was being a bit of a pest so I turned around and said, "Abiel, PLEASE don't push my buttons right now. I'm really tired."
To which Ella responded, "You have buttons Momma? Real buttons? Where are they? Are they on your back? Turn around so I can see them."
She broke the tension and we ended the day wonderfully!

Life with the Lockes

Life has been good. We finished up school well. I was able to be in a dear friend's wedding at the beginning of June in Texas. The kids and I have spent a fair amount of time at our favorite pool (the Georges!). Prayer meetings are moving and God is amazing! And now we are preparing for a four week trip to Montana.
The kids and I are leaving on the 10th and driving up to Dillon, MT for a few nights. Then on to Great Falls, MT for a few nights with my mom. Then on to Baker, MT for a few nights with my cousin and grandma. Then on to Dayton, WY for two nights with my other grandma. Then on to Great Falls again for a few nights with my dad and then a few nights with a brother. Then Heath will fly up to Great Falls and we'll all drive home spending 4 nights in Yellowstone!
We are all really looking forward to our time there. Please pray for us if you think of it. Though it will be great fun reconnecting with everyone, we will need different graces for each segment of our stays! God is doing amazing things within my immediate family so I'm looking forward to interactions about that with them.
On a personal note, I'm learning so much right now through Mike Bickle's "Omega" series on Revelation and the end times. Also reading "The Rewards of Fasting: Experiencing the Power and Affections of God" by Mike Bickle. Reading through Joyce Meyers book "Battlefield of the Mind" at the recommendation of my mom!! Pretty solid book and it's REALLY helping her find Jesus! Reading through the New Testament and seeing so much "new" stuff that I've missed before! :-) Mostly, my hunger and love for Jesus is increasing and as I read and press in, I simply realize again and again, how desperate I am for more of Him. Jesus answers the hungry cry for more of Him.

Funny Ella: Yesterday morning, I was still lying in bed while Heath was getting Ella cereal at six in the morning! She was instructing him on how mommy does it. Papa responded with, "Well, that's cuz Momma's amazing."
Ella responded with, "Yah, she is amazing." Long pause . . . "Papa, are you amazing?"

Funny Ella

Today Ella was sitting on the counter beside me as I made a salad for dinner (her normal position while I'm making dinner). I could tell she was watching me carefully. She usually says, while I'm cutting vegetables, "Be very careful, Momma," but not today. Instead she said, pensively, "I wonder if I'll be a good salad maker like you when I'm big."
Yes, you will my sweet, determined Ella.

At the dinner table we heard a new word from Ella. I don't think it will be instated into the dictionary anytime soon but it did make us laugh: To Judah, Ella said, "You're not puman." What is puman? Person and Human put together. . . or a man who goes to church and sits in a pew or. . . well, make up your own definitions!

Living with Steam Rollers

I have four steam rollers. Their names are Abiel, Judah, Asher and Elianna! I'm supposed to be the yard manager, but these steam rollers have minds and wills of their own. If I'm not on top of things, before I know what is hitting me (several times a day), I'm flat on my back being run over by four very powerful little machines.
Heath has hit his first busy season at his new job. In January, the work started picking up to consistent movement. By March, it was non-stop movement in his 9 hour day. At that point he said, "I'm not sure how it can get much busier." Well, now we know how it can get "much busier" and they are telling him it isn't even the worst yet!! :-) He's gone by 6:30 and home by 8 or 9. The amazing part of all of this is that he is LOVING his job AND he's doing a wonderful job at it! The reason I share this bit in my steam roller scenario is that Heath's busyness has affected the state of the yard. Typically, Heath gets home by 5:30 and I'm "off" with the kids. He's the referee, jungle gym, bedtime routine patrol, conversationalist. I'm just the housekeeper after 6.
The first couple weeks of his busyness, we made a few adjustments to the schedule in the yard. But the more tired I got, the less I could manage the yard and the more I found myself flat on my back! By Wednesday of this week, I had a minor blow up (maybe the kids would call it major). I realized what was happening and then we had an hour of reinstating the rules of the yard: what gets dealt with and what gets rewarded. The rest of the week has been so much more pleasant! I'm hearing WAY more "Yes, Mom." "Can I help you with that Mom?" and WAY less arguing, disrespect and disobeying.
It's so necessary to have grace in the transitions and to reinstate the rules now and then! Though there was a moment of Mount Mommy Eruption, I am super excited to say the whole process has been quicker than it used to be, more effective and carried out with more peace. Hopefully, we'll be able to maintain order in the yard during this week of spring break. Pray for me!

Quote of the day

Yesterday was a day of sunshine amidst the week of rain. I took Ella and Zoe for a walk and let the boys splash in a very large mud puddle while we were walking. When we got back around to them, they were up to their necks in mud, swim trunks on, and making mud angels in the gigantic mud hole! I took the opportunity to laugh rather than be frustrated!
Ella and I got some towels and went out to watch the show. As we watched, Ella said, "I wish I was a boy so I could play in the mud."
Me: "You can go play in the mud, sweetie."
Ella: "No, I don't want to get dirty!"

Classic!!!

Funny Kids

Today in the car, the kids and I were talking about our favorite words in the English language. Right now, one of my favorite words to say is "pocket." I just like how it sounds! The kids threw out some of their favorite words and then someone said the word, "luscious." Here's where the fun began.

Judah: "Oooh, when I say the word 'luscious' I can taste a juicy, ripe plum."
(Judah added a few more excellent descriptions of this word and how it makes him feel, along with all of us in the car repeating the word 'luscious' several times a second to see how it made us feel.)

Asher a few seconds after Judah: "Luscious doesn't make me taste anything!" (You might need to know that Asher is my food lover. He would eat all day long if I let him, simply for the love of eating! I think he was genuinely distressed that he couldn't taste something simply by saying a word!)

Ella, a few seconds after Asher (luscious still echoing in the background from the other sound testers): "Flushes. When I say the word 'flushes,' it all goes away!"

Enter: Peals of laughter from the three of us who could understand the mix up and then a very upset Ella that we were laughing at her.

Explanation? "We weren't laughing at you, dear. We were just laughing because what you said was exactly right!"

Enjoying Day 8?

Day 8: Hmmmmmmm. I enjoyed my kids whining from the moment they woke up. Nope. I enjoyed my kids not listening to anything I said all day. Nope. I enjoyed my kids forgetting everything they are supposed to do right up until the last second that we are supposed to leave on time. Nope. I enjoyed my kids bickering all day. Nope. I enjoyed my kids begging for cake they decorated yesterday. Nope. Pretty much, I did not enjoy this day or my kids. I still feel really rotten so I'm sure that has something to do with it!

But Heath saved the day! At the dinner table he asked them what they would do with a million dollars. I can truly say, I enjoyed listening to all their answers, some selfish and some very generous. We had some good laughs and now they need to all be sleeping before I find more to not enjoy. UGH.
New mercies every morning! WHEW!

Enjoying Day 7

Day 7: Today we had to do some driving. We use that time to listen to books on tape, good music, silly songs, anything really. Judah checked out the soundtrack to "How to Train Your Dragon" (a movie I LOVE almost as much as he does)! We've been listening to it for over a week and I found the musical themes throughout the CD. Today I had fun teaching the kids how to listen to orchestral music, hearing different instruments in the whole, finding the themes throughout the different compositions. It was so much fun for me because I have loved music my whole life. I loved hearing their excitement when they'd pick out the theme or an instrument. Sharing things I love with my kids (and they love it to) brings me great enjoyment!

Off to bed we ALL go!

Enjoying Day 5 and 6

Day 5: Yesterday, my enjoyment of the kids was spent from bed under a pile of covers while I shivered with 103 degree fever. From my shivering, sweaty place, I could hear sounds of laughter, delight, and only a little arguing while the kids and Heath put together the gingerbread house we had purchased. I love listening to them enjoy something together.

Day 6: Today I enjoyed the family talent show that Heath inspired after dinner. He recorded each of the kids singing or playing their instrument or counting in Mandarin. It was so precious to see them sparkle in the spotlight. I think all my kids have a little performer in them! These moments brought joy to me and I enjoyed each of their talents.

Please pray for us again. I was so discouraged yesterday and today with our second round of sickness. This time it's fever, severe sore throat (but not strep), and sinus pressure. I took Ella to the doctor for ear pain toady and she has an infection. UGH. Really trying to worship through this time of yuck. We appreciate your prayers.

Enjoying!

Day 2 of ENJOYING my family: Success. A few days ago, I was praying about my relationship with Judah in particular. I was asking for more wisdom and in roads. The Lord reminded me of a key he gave me last summer: if I stay connected to Judah's heart, he will be fine. If I don't . . . well, maybe it will be a rockier road (more nuts and marshmallows or something)!
Judah loves one on one time. He comes alive when he has my undivided attention (which doesn't happen so often in our house). Holy Spirit made me know I need to put date nights with Judah on the calendar so that he can see and look forward to our alone time. We do it occasionally but it's always sporadic. Ever since I did that a week ago, he has been a different kid: more responsive, positive, upbeat. Duh. Why am I so slow?
Tonight was date night number 1. Couldn't have gone better! My all time favorite moment was when we sat down across from each other in the booth at In-n-Out. He pulled out his cell phone (an old one of Heath's that isn't connected but the camera still works), jumped in my booth seat, put his arm around my shoulder and took a picture of us together!!! I almost wanted to cry! In that moment, it felt like life couldn't get much better. Thanks Judah. I think we were both filled up tonight.
Hope your day of enjoying people and the beauty in your world was a success as well! Happy enjoying to you.

My funny Kids

When Aesop Backfires!
Today I read Judah the Aesop Fable called "The Camel's Nose." The short of it is a man's camel asks if he can put his nose in the tent at night to keep it warm. The master allows this and a little later the camel asked if he can put his whole head in. The master allows this and eventually, the whole camel is in the tent kicking out the master. I asked my son, who is wonderful and creative but not so stellar in the sharing department, what he thought the point of the story would be. Without thinking for a second he boldly declared, "NEVER SHARE!" Oh dear!

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Funny Asher: "Mom, me and Ella and my friend saw a snake charging at us on the playground the other day."
Me: I couldn't help but laugh at the picture of a snake charging!

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Funny Ella: "Mom, I have a headache."
Me: "Where does your headache hurt?"
Ella: "Right here," pointing to her tummy! :-)