Mutiny

So my kids have decided that they are trying to form a coup. They started doing random acts of craziness such as coloring every surface of our house, no seriously EVERY surface of our house that wasn't moving with sharpie markers. #3 poured half a bag of cat food in the bathroom sink and then ran a bunch of water on it. Today, #2 and #3 pulled out all the drawers on her dresser and stood in them until they tipped the dresser over. There is nothing we can do but laugh.
Oh yeah, and I have the flu. So everything that they do in a normal day just seems so magnified. I am just exhausted.

On the good, no great side of things, Lonnie had a fantastic time in the Guatemala. Truly a life changing event. God is so faithful and it is something that we know all the time, but sometimes a big event comes along and just reminds us all over again in a huge way.

So our kids are crazy, our house is loud, but we are doing really well, God is providing everyday, and it just a joy to continue to learn about Him as we draw close to Him and stronger through Him.

Tomorrow is another day, we will do our best to keep the natives from gettig too restless.

Excitement

So tomorrow Lonnie comes home. I am very excited. After what seemed like 50 phone calls I got some tag team child care lined up. So now I get to go to the airport too. I am really happy about that. He seems to have had a great time. I have talked to him twice on the phone, and received two emails. That is much more than I expected. Tomorrow We will do a once over on the house and then get everything set for him to come home. The kids will be so excited.

So last night I spent my Valentine's night going to my niece's birthday. My mom and I had a great trip down and back. One of those times where the conversation and company are just so rich and comfortable that you want the drive to be even longer. (Hard to believe with 4 kids in the car) Really a good visit with my sister's and her family, over all, a good time.

Valentines and Tears

Ok, so Valentine's Day is never really big in our house, our Anniversary is the 20th, so we just kind of roll it into one. So imagine my surprise when lonnie called last night from Guatemala to tell me Happy Valentine's Day, and I cried. Now I know it probably has something to do with him being there and not here, and me being with all the kids alone (ha) all week, but after i got off the phone with him, I had myself a good old fashioned pity party.

He said all is going well there and things have been just amazing. I can really tell that God has been doing a great work in him and those that are with him. They are scheduled to fly out on Sat, and be home Sat night.



I think it is a very interesting and slightly scary process when you have been praying for God to do something for for such a long time and believing that He will, (We tend to expect thing to go our way and in our time frame) then God does something so drastic as a heart and outlook remodel, and you get kind of scared, because even though you know something was going to change, the old is familiar, and well, the new is not. I know I am rambling, but I am trying tosort out my thoughts.


Basically I miss Lonnie in a very real way. I have managed to fill up my days and most of my evenings so I haven't had to face it. But I miss him. I know it is only a week and it could be much worse, but that is where I am at right now.

Good Parenting

So apparently if I just keep the kids really busy with all kinds of random activities Right up until bedtime, they don't have time to whine or gripe, and I don't have time to yell or lose it. At least that is how we have played it the last few days. They have also decided that the bath tub is a great pool, I can't remember when they have been this clean. They made valentine crafts all evening and baked some cookies, then all of a sudden it was bed time, not a bad night all in all. I did have to sacrifice and let them use some of my craft stuff. That was hard, just biting my tongue and letting them use it, and not the right way. But they had fun, and actually so did I.

I have a date with he biggest loser now, stimulating though it may be, it is one of my favorites.

So far so good

Ok, so things are going pretty well here. I am actually a day ahead!! I know, can you even believe it? Monday is the day I usually clean the kids rooms and vacuum them. I did this last night though, so I woke up this morning and looked into their rooms and thought, "ok, now what do i do all morning?" I am also caught up on all my laundry, which just never happens here, so Lonnie will never believe it happened.

So now I have 2 kids in the bath tub with a half a bottle of bubbles, this is apparently this is just as good as swimming. they couldn't be happier. I just had to cover my whole bathroom with towels first.

I am amazed by the grace of God and the way He has given me the ability to deal with my kids and not feel completely overwhelmed. It is really going fairly well. We are even having a little bit of fun around here.

...

"It's not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena... who, at best know in the end the triumph of great achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly. So that his place will never be with those cold timid souls who know neither victory or defeat."

Theodore Roosevelt

we will try

"Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt, and dance like you do when nobody's watching."

Comfort

We are currently in a situation that requires us to rely on God in a very real and practical way. As we are dependant on Him daily, I am forced to wonder if we are somehow at a disadvantage of sorts being in America, and taking it all for granted. I love my country and I love my life. The issue that is weighing on my heart is that the more aware I become of God in the details of each part of our lives, the more aware of the suffering and depravity around me and around all of us. There is just so much pain and suffering everywhere. My heart breaks for the sick and the dying. My mind can't fathom the widow trying to tell her kids it will be ok when she doesn't
even know herself if it will be or how. My heart weeps for the orphan who is huffing paint fumes because it is cheaper than food. My soul looks at these things and so much more and seems to scream from within me "THIS IS NOT OK, IT IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THIS WAY!!!!!" I am well aware that these are the consequences of a fallen world and the price that is to be paid for sin.
But I believe we are called be Gods hands and feet in these situations. I can not fix it all by myself, nor am I called to. If each member of the church answered the call that God puts on their hearts, we would make a difference.

I have a good friend whose heart bleeds for women's health. Mine does not. She has a desire to travel the world and educate women about their bodies, cleanliness and the like. I do not.
My heart goes to the kids. Hers does not. That is the beauty of living with God and listening to what He has to say to us. If we all felt the same call, so many things would be ignored. But if we work together, change begins.

It was said at church tonight that answering the challenge that God puts before us is not comfortable. It is not safe. But it is right.

Let me tell you, I would rather be right with God than comfortable in my wealth any day.

Alone?

So Lonnie is off to Guatemala with 23 other people. He will be gone for a week. So it is just me, 3 dogs, a cat, some fish, a bird, and 4 kids. All alone. :)
It should prove to be a pretty interesting week. I am really going to try to keep the house in order, you know dishes, laundry, all that, but I sometimes tend to not do so well when he is gone, I just kind of hang out and not do a lot of the work until the day before he comes home. We'll see.

Now what would any logical person do in that situation? Add 3 more kids to the mix of course, and quite obviously with out their parents, so now my house contains: 2-6yr olds, 1-5 yr old,
1-4yr, 1-3yr (4 in 4 days), 1-2 yr, and 1 infant + the zoo mentioned above. What a morning.

So things are going well on the front of "fringe friends" I am really finding that when I am conscious of those around me, I am looking for the face in the crowd that I normally would glaze over, I am having much more interesting conversations, learning new ideas from new people, and generally having a more full day.

Yesterday, as I was in the middle of a 5 hour argument with my cell phone company, I was being perfectly grumpy and kind of enjoying it, Then, leaving the grocery store, I saw one of these great people. I thought of just waving and leaving, because I wanted to be alone with my grumpiness. Instead, I made myself get out of the van and start that conversation. i actually enjoyed a few moments talking to her, learned something, made a connection, and when I got back in the car, I was just that much less grumpy.

I am convinced that there are small pieces of God all around us, if we just look. I think we get so caught up in the big gestures, that we miss the small.

So here I go in search of the small.