Anderson Park

After we dropped the girls off at String Project rehearsal this evening, Caeden and I took a meal to some friends.  Then we had nowhere we had to be for almost an hour, so we decided to go to the park. It was such a lovely day!

You could say Caeden was a little excited!

It's an honor

Sylvia and Isabella are such sweet friends.  They constantly encourage one another.

The girls wanted their photo taken here, because they remembered me taking one here 3 years ago.

(April 9, 2010)

 This afternoon we attended a very special banquet the local VFW and Ladies' Auxiliary Post hosted to honor students from local schools who entered their writing contest.  Sylvia was the 1st place winner for her class.  Her teacher, Mrs. Meyer, and the elementary principal, Mr. Jamerson attended to present awards to our 4th graders. 

Here is Sylvia's winning essay.  She a wonderful prize packet containing a poppy, a brochure about our U.S. flag, some candies and trinkets, and twenty dollars.  We are proud of her efforts and especially her appreciation of our country's veterans and soldiers!

Mr. Jamerson, 2nd place winner Calli, Sylvia, and Mrs. Meyer

This week, the rear brakes on Jeremy's car went out, and some other things needed repaired.  His car is approaching 250,000 miles, so we know we will have to get something else soon.  We visited the Toyota dealership this afternoon to check out the Prius. Jeremy even took a test drive.

We had Ashley with us, and all the kids enjoyed checking out the awesome new cars!

No new car today, but we learned a lot.

Friday, phones, funny faces, flowers, and friends

I enjoyed a quiet day at home today, trying to do some cleaning and organizing.  As I pulled a box out from under the desk in the den, I found all my old cell phones!  (Yes, I know, I need to donate them to people who can use them.  I have two envelopes in the box with them for just that purpose.)  I just thought it was funny to see them all lined up with my current phone.  (And even that [an iPhone 4s] is considered "outdated.")  Each one of them seemed super cool at the time. 

SOMEone used my phone to call Daddy and ask him to get Little Caesar's pizza, and I found these on my phone after...

The Japanese Cherry Tree bloomed in our south side yard today.  Many times we've taken Annah's picture with this tree.  ( - 2006 - 2007 - 2008 - 2012 - )

Sylvia's sweet friend Isabella is here for a sleepover tonight.  They are even cute with mustaches!

The truth comes out

The last part of the "Your Body, God's Plan" workshop was today.  Sylvia was  in a much better state of mind (even cheery) about going, probably because she knew Sherry Sherwood was the speaker.

Sylvia asked if Annah could go with us.  For a second, I was torn... I had actually wanted Annah to go to this portion of the program again, now that she is 2 years older than the first time she went through it.  But, I didn't want Sylvia to feel like Annah was stepping in on time that Sylvia might have felt should be for just her and me.  I also knew that if Annah came, the risk of me having to answer certain questions about my own past would be greater.  That has made me nervous for the past 13 years!  However, I've been praying about that for 13 years, and more specifically recently, and God has been revealing that the time is drawing closer for some kind of ministry related to my story.  So, I knew I had to be open and prepared.

Sherry's presentation was wonderful.  She is always a joy to hear from, and presents difficult subjects in such a loving way.  Today, she gave a "gift" beautifully wrapped in gold to her daughter Brooke to represent the gift of purity that God gave her.  Brooke's goal was to cross the room and get to the wall on the opposite side, which represented her wedding day, and still have that beautiful gift untarnished, unopened, and ready to give to her husband.  About a dozen girls volunteered to come forward to hold signs representing the noise and distractions of the world (tv, music, friends, jokes, lies, media, etcetera) that can be obstacles to reaching that goal.  Sherry talked about how each of those things can have a negative impact and can push away from the goal.  Then, she went back through each of the items and talked about how girls can make choices and use each of those same things as a tool to help her reach the goal of being able to give her husband the beautiful gift of her purity, saved for him on their wedding day.  I loved that it was presented with encouragement, not just a list of rules and things not to do.  It really showed the girls that their all of their decisions are important.

After Sherry's presentation, the girls were able to submit written questions and the presenters answered them.  The girls were also given a special Commitment to Purity card that they could choose to sign.  They were encouraged not to sign it just because their moms were staring at them, but to really consider the commitment and pray about their decision.  Both Annah and Sylvia signed their cards, and I watched with tears.

When we got into the car, we had our own question/answer time.  The girls and I keep pillow journals (Don't remember where I got that idea, but this explains it.), and Sylvia had written 11 questions for me over the week and had brought them in her journal.  The girls were both asking about Jesus' birth, and were confused as to how it was part of God's plan if Mary and Joseph weren't married.  It was a neat opportunity to explain that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and that Mary was still a virgin even after Jesus' birth.  They were so amazed, and it was beautiful to see that piece of understanding at the same time mixed with still not being able to comprehend how awesome God's plan really is!

After a few more questions, Annah flat out asked, "Mom did you and Daddy wait, or were you pregnant for your wedding, because I figured it out and I was born just a few months after."

There it was--the question I have been dreading and praying about for 13 years, 1 month, 1 week, and 6 days.

God, how do I explain to my daughter that she was conceived in sin and in love??  How will she and her siblings process this with their childlike minds?  How do I explain that even though our sin was turned into blessing, God still expects everyone to keep their purity for marriage?? I have prayed so many prayers that God would give me just the right words for this...

And, so at that moment, I cried.  (Thankfully, my children are used to this!)  And I told the truth.  No, we didn't wait.  We sinned.

BUT, in the face of an unexpected, unwanted pregnancy we repented and turned back to God, and because of that He blessed us more than we could have ever imagined by making us parents!  Today, I looked into my precious daughter's eyes, and told her first that she was one of THE VERY BEST things ever to happen in my life, and I am so thankful for her!  And, today, she had a little bit deeper understanding of how huge that statement is!  Because of Annah, God changed my heart, increased my capacity for love, and I learned that I wanted more children!  And He blessed us with THREE!!!

The girls and I talked about all kinds of things, and the discussion continued with Jeremy after we got home.

I told them how I never thought I wanted to be a mother.  I thought I did not like children at all, and had never really liked being around them.  I knew nothing about caring for children, let alone being a mother.  I cried myself to sleep nearly every night of my pregnancy because I was so afraid of being a mother.

I told them that, even though I didn't think I wanted a baby at the time, we knew the only choice that was right was to have the baby and accept the responsibility of becoming parents.  The other choices [and the consequences of them] were unthinkable to us.  And even though we weren't walking with Jesus like we knew we should have been at that time, we still knew we had to accept the outcome of our sin and do the right thing in God's eyes from then on.  We knew what God wanted us to do next, and even though we were scared, turning back to God gave us strength.  We knew enough to know trusting God from there on out was the best plan.  And we have been so blessed!

I told the girls about how their daddy was so strong and brave when I was weak and scared and totally overcome by shame.  From the second our lives changed, he made the right choices, comforted and encouraged me, supported me.  He told me it would be okay.  He let me cry on him.  He drove me home and was the one who told my parents the news when I didn't have the heart to break theirs.  He loved me the entire time.  He made incredibly difficult decisions to benefit our family.  He has continually led our family toward God.

I told them how God completely changed my heart after Annah was born, and showed me what a miracle children are. Learning to love a child, has definitely helped me understand how God loves me so immensely and unconditionally.

I told them that we expect them to do better than we did.  That still feels almost hypocritical, and so hard to explain.  But, God does expect them to keep their purity for marriage, so we have to tell them.  

I told them of the hypocrisy and guilt we have carried, the shame and sorrow over our actions and failure to obey God completely.  Even though God has forgiven us and forgotten the sin to the bottom of the ocean floor, it will always be a part of our story.  Guilt will always try to sneak back up on me.  But, we have already had the opportunity to share parts of our story with others, and we have encouraged others in similar situations.  God is the Master of using imperfect people to bring glory to himself!

So, it was a difficult day, but blessed because God was with us and helping us.  There will be many more conversations, I'm sure--and I hope!  But, after taking this difficult step today, it feels good to be completely honest with Annah and Sylvia.  It also opens more doors for the Lord to use our story to minister to others without having to worry about parts of it "getting back to" the girls.  He is growing us all, praise His name!

"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NIV

Stalling!

This morning at Prayer Service, Celia asked Caeden and Sammy to help her demonstrate some wrestling moves.  As they remained in their stances for a really long time, Celia said, "This is some really good wrestling, huh?" and Sammy called "Stalling!" on them.  

She pointed out that you can't just say you're a wrestler and just stand there and not fight the fight!  Same thing for Christians...We need to continue moving in our relationship with Jesus--not just accept His salvation and then stand there saying we are a christian and we are "good to go."  

We need to daily be in the presence of God, constantly being in prayer, being in the Word, moving and growing!

"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." - Hebrews 4:12

District Quiz Day

Today was a big day, and it was great!  

We did get up extra early to leave home by 6am!  The kids weren't awake enough to eat before we left, so Daddy treated everyone to McDonald's breakfast after we'd been on the road a while.  The kids all went back to sleep for a while in the car.  We had a long trip, and saw snow on the ground in some places, and lots of water in lots of places.  When we crossed the Illinois river we couldn't even tell where the banks were supposed to be...It was just water everywhere!

We arrived in Rockford about an hour and a half early, so we went to McDonald's (not to eat again!) to sit and study a bit.

The kids were well prepared, but did express that they were a bit nervous.  They really, really wanted to qualify for the World Quiz.  

We found their seats in the sanctuary, and they squeezed into their front row spots.  Right off the bat, Caeden missed the second question.  From across the sanctuary where I was keeping score of two other rows, I saw him start to get upset and I mouthed to him, "It's OK!"  He pulled himself together and kept on.

Both girls had a perfect first round.  Caeden, I think, missed a couple.

We have grown to love all the NWIL Quizzing families, and have so enjoyed getting to know them over the past 3 years the kids have been Quizzing.

We always love getting to see our B1st friends at quiz meets too!  It's hard to believe this is Annah's and Emma's last quiz!  They were babies when they met, and now almost teenagers!  So thankful for their friendship!

I think all 3 of our kiddos had a perfect 2nd round.
In the 3rd round, there was one particularly tricky question missed by even the kids who consistently get every question correct.  I even checked my Bible app, because I wondered if the question was correct.  It was, and our 3 kids all missed it.  Just one of those super tricky ones.

This quiz was kind of stressful for me, as I was needed to score two rows.  This pretty much kept me from watching my own kiddos at all.  Jeremy was on camera duty.  

We had a fun time visiting, chatting, and worshipping while waiting for all the scores to be calculated.

All 3 kids were in the top 10 for the day--Caeden 5th, Sylvia 3rd, and Annah 1st place.

These are the top 10 Quizzers for our NWIL District for the entire season --Caeden 5th, Sylvia 3rd, and Annah was the Top Quizzer for the Year!

Our 3 were so excited to be among those who qualified to participate in the World Quiz during the Nazarene General Assembly this June.  This is where all of the leaders in the Nazarene church worldwide meet, and it happens once every 4 years.  It will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them to quiz among thousands of other kids from across the world!  So exciting!!

The kids also received trophies for memorizing all 20 of the memory verses for the season.  This is one of our very favorite parts about quizzing, storing these important scriptures in our hearts forever!

These are the verses they learned this year:
Acts 5:32, Acts 4:12, Hebrews 13:16, James 1:12, Psalm 119:130, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 12:2, Acts 10:34-35, James 5:16b, Ephesians 4:2-3, Acts 2:38, Acts 22:15, Romans 8:31, Acts 1:8, Acts 20:24, Exodus 4:12, 2 Corinthians 1:10b, Acts 4:20, Hebrews 10:23, Acts 20:28,

After the quiz, we met the Buffey family at Beefaroo, a local diner.  

There were mirrored ceilings.  I put my phone on the table and took a picture of the mirror, so this is a photo of me and Jeremy eating lunch.

Everyone had a yummy milkshake too!

Today was our friend Reece's birthday.  Since we didn't get to see him, we made a li'l message for him on our way home...

Rain Day Studying

Last night, after we had tucked the kids in bed, I received an automated call from the school district office saying that school would be canceled for today.  The flooding is so bad in Colfax that the water and sewer systems cannot function well enough to have hundreds of children at school.  So, we have not a snow day, but a RAIN day!  I don't think the kids think it's quite as fun, since they can't go out and play in the sloppy wet muddy yard, but they were glad to sleep in and have the whole day off.    I had gone up last night and told the girls to turn their alarm off, so they slept in.  I didn't tell Caeden, because I wake him up for school.  So, he slept in too.  When he got up, he decided to make pancakes, all by himself. He did it, and they were yummy!  Yes, he made a big mess, but he felt really good about being able to do it all by himself!

After breakfast, we sat down to study and prepare for the Quiz tomorrow.  We've been working hard to learn the details of the book of Acts since September.  It has definitely been the most difficult book the kids have studied in Quizzing, and that includes Exodus, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1st and 2nd Samuel, and Matthew.  

Quizzing has been great for all of us.  We've all learned so much through studying God's word this way.  If there is a downside, I would have to say that with the kids realizing they are really good at the quizzing part, they put a lot of pressure on themselves not to miss questions.  That has made it a bit stressful to study, because they get very disappointed in themselves if they miss any questions.  It's kind of a double edged sword, because that causes them to study hard and really learn God's word.  But, I want them to love God's word and not to feel forced into studying it.  Anyway, sometimes it can be a little tough to spend a whole day off school studying instead of playing.  So we try to come up with ways to make it a little more fun and to relax while we learn...

When it rains in the flatlands...

When it rains in the flatlands of central Illinois, it's not always a good thing.  For weeks we have been pumping extra water out of our basement.  Today, with 6 pumps running in our basement, the water is still coming in faster than it's going out.  Not good.

The school even released all the students at 1:30 today because Colfax is flooding and the water system there can't keep up with hundreds of kids.  Also the river is rising there, and several roads are blocked off now because water is

Sylvia's Cabin

Sylvia has been studying American pioneers in social studies class, and last week had an assignment to create a log cabin diorama.  I thought she was going to build it at home and need lots of helpm but today she brought it home already completed and graded, and was so proud of it.  She did it completely by herself at school.  She collected items at home and on the playground and got 100% on her project.

She used some quilt squares for the rug and wall covering, made a pitchfork out of toothpicks, a pot out of foil...lots of cute details.  I'm just amazed at the way she doesn't expect any help from us and loves to do all her homework and projects completely on her own, pushing herself to always do her best.

Read, read, read

This is one of the things that happened at our house tonight, along with...

 ...pumping water out of the basement...a few piano and voice lessons...making and eating supper...practicing instruments...studying Acts for Quizzing...making Mickey Mouse crafts...playing with friends...telling stories about what happened at school today...starting a new book together at bedtime...feeling so blessed to be together...

Daddy makes time

This afternoon was pretty hectic.  Our septic line was clogged all weekend, and the plumbers arrived at 3:30 today, right when the kids were getting home from school.  Jeremy arrived a while later to take over trying to explain our septic/plumbing problems to the plumbers, and I took the girls to rehearsal and went to small group.  I nearly forgot to pick the girls up; I was so into our group discussion about Jesus and how we are obeying His leading to bless others each week.  The girls were standing outside in the rain waiting for me for about 10 minutes, probably!  Bad mommy.

This is how we found the guys when we got home, though.  Good daddy.  He had taken Caeden to supper while running plumbing-related errands, treated him to a milkshake, and was making time to play a game with him when I know he had a hundred other things on his to-do list running through his mind.  I'm often in awe of the way Jeremy is consciously present with our kids, making sure they know he values them.  

"As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him." - Psalm 103:13

Struggling with God's Plan

Sometimes, a girl needs some ice cream to get her mind off things.

The time has come for my dear, sweet Sylvie girl to learn about "the facts of life," poor girl.  

At our public school, this is taught at the beginning of 5th grade. A local church has a wonderful seminar each Spring which presents this information from a distinctly christian perspective, and I wanted Sylvia to get to experience this seminar (which includes God's plan) before getting the information (which does not include God's plan) at school next Fall.  So, I sat down with her a few nights ago with a wonderful book and started to explain some things.  She did not take it well, and doesn't want to think about such things.  

Today we attended the first session of the "Your Body, God's Plan" seminar, and she did not like it one bit.  As we talked some more in the car after the seminar, she continued to struggle with not wanting anything to do with this part of God's plan.  (Boy, was I relieved to tell her that what she is learning about is not part of God's plan for her right now!!)  

We decided that ice cream was needed immediately to get her mind off the subject for a while.  She chose a strawberry cheesecake treat that was just the right thing.

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth." - Psalm 139:13-15

Look like a fool

This weekend, Jeremy is helping a friend move a few hours away.  She has already gone to her new home, so hired Jeremy and her brother to pick up her moving truck, load it, drive it to her new home, and unload it.  Jeremy really has a great talent for helping people move.  He had a job in college loading semis, which when combined with the fact that he is strong and knows the proper way to lift and move heavy or awkward items, he has realized a gift for helping people move.  

So, while he was away today, the kids and I studied a lot for their Quiz next weekend.  Then, this evening, we went to the April Fools Supper Club at church.  Annah made Luscious Lime Angel Squares completely by herself, after having made them with Gram a few weeks ago.  They were yummy, and I was so proud of her for making them all by herself! With a lot of folks being at District Assembly, the crowd was small at supper, but we had fun and made some new friends too!  Caeden enjoyed the "foolish" costumes, and our kids table won the game of charades too. 

Some Spring

I don't know why weather patterns continue to surprise me.  In the midwest, where I've lived all my life, the seasons don't stay neatly in 3-month blocks of Winter = December through February, Spring = March through May, Summer = June through August, and Fall = September through November.  It's never all nice and neat like that.  The best two seasons (Spring and Fall, in my opinion) usually seem to whiz by in about 3 weeks time, while the most extreme and torturous parts of summer and winter try to drag out for 5 months each.  

This year, so far, it seemed it took an extra long time for winter to arrive.  December was so mild, with very little snow even through January and most of February.  Then we had snow over "spring" break in March.  But, really, that's about the norm when I think about it.  

We've had a few lovely days in a row though, since it's turned April.  Our daffodils we worried would freeze over the last few weeks opened up this morning and pleased the kids as we walked out the door for school.  Such a cheery sign of Spring!

This evening, another sign of Spring--Caeden started baseball practice.  He is incredibly excited to be in the "minor" league this year, which means kid-pitch, traveling and playing against other towns/schools, a number on his uniform (along with other "necessary" athletic gear), and 3 practices or games a week! 

(Don't tell Daddy that we girls snuck some of his ice cream while he took Caeden to practice tonight!)

Downward facing dog

It was Vision Sunday again at PoC today.  God used my wonderfully talented husband to bring humor to our service and help explain the 8 Overarching Principles of Spiritual Vitality.  Jeremy and Kim play so well off each other and are so good at improv.  They were hilarious and helped bring a fresh perspective as we considered what the 8 principles mean, and the fact that they are not a list of rules.

(It should be noted that the 7th principle is that "Fun is relevant!")  

In the photo above, Jeremy and Kim are demonstrating what they think the 8th principle (EMPHASIS ON DAILY PRESENCE WITH GOD AND HEALTHY PRESENCE WITH OTHERS) means...Maybe some yoga and meditation will help them connect with God's presence?  Seems they were a bit confused about a few of these principles, so Angela and Pastor Todd helped explain them better...

I love that we are a church that knows that fun is relevant!

Aida

This evening, I took the kids to see our high school's production of Aida.  Strangely enough, I'd never seen the show on stage, and knew very little about it.  (I knew it was by Elton John, and that Heather Headley had created the title role on Broadway, but beyond that I was a total Aida newbie.)  

I have to say that it was well done.  Definitely the best production I've seen at RHS, and it makes me so happy to see the progress of the music department each year.  I loved that they had 33 kids involved and were able to have a chorus for the first time.  And, there was no cringe-causing singing!  The 5 leads (2 seniors, 2 juniors, and a very talented freshman) all did very well with their singing, which I was so glad to hear/see!  

The girls really enjoyed the show, and Caeden was antsy as usual.  It is a complicated story line, so he was pretty lost throughout.  But, it was a fun show, and I'm proud of all the kids involved.

from the jug

Oh yes, I have a boy in the house...

...although, I do have to give him credit...This isn't a regular thing.  He noticed it was almost empty, and he asked before he did it.  

Light Rainbows

The kids were off school today as well, and we enjoyed a day playing at home.  At one point this morning, Caeden went upstairs to his room.  I heard him say, "Whoa!!  Mommy you HAVE to come up here!!!"  After some convincing that he had in his room the best light rainbows ever, I took my camera up to get a picture of him with them.  He had some CD's sitting out on his dresser, and the morning sun hit them just right as it went by his windows on the south side of our house.  I have to admit, they were really bright!

It's always so cool when the kids get excited about the details of God's creation.  They call these times "God smiles."  Makes me smile, for sure!