Texas 2012 Day 1

I'm going to post the trip pictures in separate posts so there aren't as many per post, or else it could get pretty long. :D

Babycakes ran right out and loaded himself into the van. He knew we were leaving for some place and didn't want to be left behind.

Ready to go. I did forget to take one of these the morning we left NM. I was so excited that we were getting out on time that I didn't even think about it. If you are looking for the teenager, I'll have some stealth photos later. He thinks he's Amish or something. ;D

While I hate leavingThe IE for a flat place like Texas, I wasn't sorry that this was our last traffic jam for a week.

After unloading at the hotel in Flagstaff, the kids went swimming.

I didn't get much in between because when we finished breakfast at McDonald's in the pass, I realized we had left Braniac's/Babycakes' suitcase behind so we had to stop by Target on the way to buy more clothes, etc. :/ While it was shorter than returning home for the bag, it still put us behind so I pretty much just pushed it the rest of the way. I did learn something useful. I can make it all the way from home to Flagstaff on one tank of gas. Which means I can make it all the way from AZ to NM on one...etc. Will definitely be making fewer stops from now on. :)

What Love Can Do

She's a racist. She's an uneducated redneck. She never turned me away from sin and toward God, was not a Godly example. She was prone to gossip. She hated whom she hated unyieldingly.

So, why do I pack up my five children and drive half-way across the country alone (sans anyone to share the driving) to see my grandmother?  Because she loved me. In fact, for the majority of my life she was the *only* one who loved me.

She's not all bad, she never acted out her racism, she was diligent in her work, she has a sweet nature, she really didn't hate many people, and, shoot, she tolerated my grandfather, and me at my worst. And it's very easy for me to overlook her faults, because I know she loves me. She loved me in the way I needed to be loved. She didn't love me the way she wanted to, she didn't love me so I would love her in return. She just loved.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, people know when we love them. If the love of a woman who was not really Godly in most ways that we would consider Godliness can engender the level of devotion I have for my grandmother, how much better can the love of those who are loving others in Christ?

Many times I meet Christians who are afraid to say anything about their faith to others...I've even been that Christian. When asked why, we will inevitably reply that we aren't perfect. We are afraid that the mistakes we make, any of them, will make our witness for Christ ineffective. But, honestly, there is only one thing that will turn people off our message fast, and that is if we do not love them.

In all honesty, real people are not looking for perfection in Christians. They are, if they are looking for anything, looking for Christ's love reflected in us. When you talk to them you'll hear they've had enough of the hypocrites who pretend to have it all together, either in obedience or knowledge. They're tired of being judged when they mess up. They are tired of being preached at when they are suffering.

But if we love them, and they know it, and they *will* know it, it will not be a big deal to them when we mess up. Sure there will be some who throw it in your face, but if we are real, honest, and loving, they will be few and far between. By loving others, by showing them we genuinely care about their "lot in life," we will create natural openings to share the Gospel.

I've been watching it, in our family. If it weren't for the love of certain Christians, we would have walked away from the church this year, and probably eventually God. Our family would have continued its downward spiral, and Lord only knows where we'd be today. But in just a short time, God graciously brought loving, Godly, people into our lives, and that has made all the difference.

I will have more to write on this as the full implication of this love works itself out in our lives. And more to say on what exactly this love is (it's more than loving others as we want to be loved, far more), and how it has radically changed our lives.

For now, I need to finish packing, and get some shopping done, so we'll be ready to leave for Texas in the morning...to share some love with the woman was the first to show me what love is.

Boy Mom Blog Hop 2012

(Click on link above for information about the BlogHop.)

Well, to say I'm a mom of boys would be to describe me in a nutshell. I have my own basketball team. :D (Although, I was shooting for a baseball team.) But we do not have a typical boy family here. Sure we have an occasional child who expresses interest in a sport, but that usually wanes and, as you know if you've been here before, ballet becomes all. And to think it all started with a simple need for some physical therapy for our second son, aka Thing 1.

So, for nearly 8 years, ballet has been our life. It's been interesting, definitely not what I pictured when I asked God to give me all boys. But God doesn't give amiss. I am the perfect mom for boys who desire to dance. That's because I couldn't really care less what convention demands. I'm the kind of woman who would have been among the first to wear pants in public simply because "convention" is often, well, let's say misguided...just to be nice. ;D It seems weird, but I do think He made me for exactly this job of raising a bunch of boys who transcend the norm and do what their hearts lead them to instead of what our society wants to force them to do by stereotype. But I'll stop there or I'll get on my soapbox and y'all will get an earful. ;)

So a bit, briefly, about each of my boys, outside ballet.

The Teenager--Nearly 16, when did I get so old? He's had his share of trials in his life, but by God's grace to us as a family he is coming out the other side a more Godly young man for it.

Thing 1--10.5--Classic introvert, closet genius, photographic memory. Won every. Single. Last. Thing there was to win in AWANA T&T his first year, last year. :)

Thing 2--8.5--Beautiful, heart-felt desire to serve God. Decided when he was barely six that he wanted to be a missionary, and not just any missionary but a bible smuggler. His heart breaks that there are people in the world who have no access to God's Word.

Braniac--5--Not-so-closet genius. He's got a radio in his head. (His words.) He's certain he's going to be the lead singer and the drummer of Newsboys when he grows up.

Babycakes--3--Our extra-special gift from God. Keeps us humble. A child who wasn't "wanted," who is less than perfect, but one that reminds us that God's plans are so much greater than our own.

I suppose, though, that the most important thing to know about us is that we are a family learning to serve God together in every area of our lives. My hope and prayer is that some day each of my children will stand out as a strong witness for Christ. It won't surprise me when it happens because I have seen God work in our family in such a mighty way this year, taking us from, well, near death is about the best description I can give, to new life. If He can perform that miracle, He is certainly powerful enough to strengthen my children and give them an unnatural boldness to serve Him.

Summer Camp & Some VBS

This year The Teenager & Thing 1 went to their first summer camps. Hume Lake & Forest Home respectively.  From the looks of the videos the camps posted, it looked like great fun combined with very good teaching.

While The Teenager didn't make the cut in the video for Hume, he was in two pictures, here & here. In the first picture he is the boy on the left.

Hopefully this picture will help you pick out Thing 1 from the above Forest Home video. He's the one in white, around 2:50? I think.

I was surprised that there was no change from the money I sent along, but not surprised that he'd made sure to buy some things for his brothers. :)

All in all, a great week for everyone, even for us here at home. What a blessing to be able to send the boys away to camps and know they will hear the Gospel and be encouraged to live out their walk with Christ in everything they do. Now we look forward to Father Son camp at Hume. This year Thing 1 will be tagging along. He's really thrilled to have this opportunity. I think we're going to go ahead and register for NY Family Camp as well. Kirk Cameron is the speaker this year and I just don't think we're going to get in at the last minute like we did last year. :D

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Alright, now for the VBS pictures. I picked them up this morning at church. You know, people think I'm nuts for getting up at 5, even on Sunday (though today it was 4), but it was sure worth having to be at church by 8:30 coz we got dibs on the pictures. :)

That's Thing 1 standing on the right. His teacher is in the back. She's such a sweet person. I met her on the prayer walks before Easter. I hope Thing 2 gets her next year...hmmm, but I like her. ;)

Thing 2, second from left, reciting his verse on the last day.

Braniac in his famous Chris hat. :)

All Over

That was about the best title I could come up with. It pretty much sums up this day on so many different levels. :D

Braniac's school physical is all over.  An unpleasant shot, and the discovery that he's on the short side...surprise. He better start growing or he's going GF too. ;D

After the appointment we went to wait at church for Thing 1 to return from camp. There didn't seem to be much point to go home, besides, they are *always* early.  Hmmm, wasn't the only time I was wrong today.

Summer Camp is all over...for Thing 1 at least. The Teenager returns home tomorrow night. Click on the above picture to see T1 waving out the window. He's so sweet. :)

Returned home to find this lovely box on the stoop. My wait for our first order is all over. Ah, I do so love it when the curriculum starts to arrive.

German 1

Did I mention I have a teenager? He believes he's been given the gift of celibacy (thank You, God) so I got him the book on the left. Just in case he turns out not to be as "gifted" as he thought, I bought him the book on the right. ;D

Preliminary review of the 4 Year Planner is "It's Awesome!!" I think it's going to be very helpful. I'll write more about it later.

See this.  This was the true inspiration for the title of this blog. Please note, for future reference, that this was in the box from Christianbook.com.

When I took out the box on the left I thought "Oh, crud! I ordered the wrong thing again." I guess it's just the generic Electives box for AOP. *whew* for at least a second.

Later some friends from ballet came over and the kids swam and the grups yacked. ;)

When my dh brought up the mail there was a box with it.

Golly, this looks awfully familiar. Doesn't it? 

Yep, that's what I thought. See, I think I entered a contest and won this. But I forgot about entering, then when I found out I won, I thought it was only coffee. At least I think that's what happened. Still trying to clear it up. I was thinking of returning the one I purchased but, now that I think about it, maybe I'll just keep it on the book shelf. You know...just in case...I, um, lose the other? 

This is the first article inside the Well Planned Day planner. Yeah. I might need that.