1st Basket Ball Game

Kaitlyn had her first basketball game tonight. It was a bit surreal. I remember when I was out there cheering for the Jr. High basketball team and it seems like it was just yesterday! How can my baby girl be so old! She did such a great job and I was so so very proud of her!

There are three sixth grade girls on the squad. These girls are her good friends!
Emily, Cali Jo & Kait

She kept her smile on her face!
In the video below Kait is the one in the front on the white line on the right.

In the pyramid, she is in the middle and ends with her hands in a low V.

Happy Halloween 2008!

Happy Halloween to all! Hope it was a safe one. It was a perfect day here! The weather was great! The kids enjoyed the night and ended up with entirely to much candy!

Here are a few pics...

Drew is going through an "outter space" phase.

He wants to be an astronaut when he grows up.

I made his costume and got some tips online.

He took 1st place at the costume contest here in town.

Khloe was not going to dress up this year.

She thought it would be fun to hand out candy with Grandma Penny.

Then she heard about these two...

and thought that they needed some supervision!

Cat in the Hat keeping Thing One and Thing Two in line!

My Sins Are Washed Away

On Sunday, September 14th Kaitlyn was baptized at our church. Kaitlyn had given her life to Christ several years ago. It is a sweet, sweet testimony to hear. She tells of a night when she prayed Jesus into her heart as she looked up into a sky full of stars from her bedroom window.
On this Sunday she took the next step of obedience and was baptized. When asked why she came to be baptized she responded, "I want to be baptized to show God and my church family that I am serious about my relationship with him.”

Praise God! It is a very precious moment when you see your child walking in obedience to the Lord. I am very proud of Kaitlyn for her mature decision. I hope that it is a day that she will always remember.

Great Devotion

I love this devotion. Don't we all do this??

October 2, 2008Good Mom, Bad Mom, Good MomLysa TerKeurst"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalm 73:26 (NIV)

Devotion:Good Mom? Bad Mom? Good Mom? Bad Mom?

Do you ever feel as though you are the ping-pong ball in a heated match bouncing constantly between feeling like a good mom to a bad mom? One minute I have a great discussion where my child finally gets it... GOOD MOM!

The next I get an e-mail from a teacher that lists the three parents who have yet to turn in that permission slip and I am on the list for all the world to see... BAD MOM!

I calmly handle the stresses of the morning routine... GOOD MOM!

But then during the afternoon homework session, my child's irresponsibility over a last minute project just about sends me over the edge. I find my neck muscles tensing and my voice rising... BAD MOM!

I make sure they pack something healthy for lunch... GOOD MOM!

The schedule falls apart in the late afternoon and I wind up feeding them sugar cereal for dinner... BAD MOM!

Sometimes I feel like that ping-pong ball mom bouncing from feeling good to bad. Yesterday morning I sat down at the kitchen table after getting everyone where they needed to be and cried. Sometimes having kids is the greatest thing that has ever happened in my life. Other days I feel like the task of parenting little people is driving me to the brink of craziness.

Just the other day I was processing some recent family things with my friend, Renee, over the phone. Suddenly a strange theme seemed to arise. I just started laughing. I told Renee that so many of my days seemed to tell the same kind of story... I was on the verge of a breakdown and then I spent time with Jesus and He made things better. Renee quipped back to me, "Well, isn't that where most of us live every day?"

Not that we are on the edge of a breakdown, but we live in a place of utter dependence on God. I know as a mom, I live in constant need of His love, encouragement, wisdom, perspective, strength, patience, and grace. Anything I do right as a mom is because of my constant dialogs with God. Anything I do wrong as a mom is because of trying to do things in my own strength and slap wearing myself out. That's where grace steps in. And I need lots of grace. God's grace steps in and says, “Lysa, you are doing better than you think. Stop bouncing from feeling good to bad to good to bad. In the good times, rejoice and thank me. In the not so good times, call out to me quickly." And suddenly it occurred to me; with God I'm never a bad mom. I might be having a bad moment... or two... or seventeen. But a few bad moments do not define me as a bad mom. God's grace is there to cover me. Teach me. And even in the middle of a bad moment, interrupt me, redirect me, and change me. Forgiveness is there. Love is there. A second chance is there.

You are a good mom my friend even if, like me, you’ve had a few bad moments... you is the exact mom God knew your children needed. Let's live in that truth today.

Dear Lord, being a mom is a great privilege but one that can be so challenging at times. Teach me how to lean on You with every action and every reaction. And when I mess up, please help me to not define myself by my mommy failures. Help me to only be defined by Your love that assures me and Your grace that covers me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Related Resources:Visit Lysa TerKeurst’s blog for a list of Scriptures every mom should have.

Love Notes in Lunchboxes and Other Ideas to Color Your Child’s Day by Linda Gilden

The Bathtub is Overflowing but I Feel Drained by Lysa TerKeurst

Application Steps: Find a verse today that could help redirect an angry or frustrated response with your kids. There are some good ones listed below in the power verses. Or you can search out one that specifically applies to your unique struggles. When you feel your temper about to flare, have this verse handy and quote it out loud. In that moment ask God to give you a wiser response than your natural feelings.

Reflections: Do you ever struggle with being defined by your mistakes rather than by the truth of God? Spend some time in prayer today asking God to give you His loving perspective of how He sees you. Rest in his lavish love. If you need to ask for forgiveness for some of your actions, do this and then let these things go.

Power Verses: Proverbs 15:1, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (NIV) James 1:5-6, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”

Summer vacation 2008

We had planned to take a trip out west to the Yellowstone area. That plan did not work out this summer. Our back up plan was to head north and visit some friends and do some camping. The forcast called for rain rain and more rain. At the very last minute, a realtor friend of ours offered up his condo in Florida for us to use for the week! Yahhhhhoooooo! Sun and sand here we come!

Daddy & Khloe enjoying the ocean.
What beautiful water and what beautiful girls!
Many a sand castle was built this week.
Daddy pointing out the jellyfish. There were lots! Eeek!
Here is a pic of one.
Building again.

Drew with his bucket.
Khloe with her village of sand castles.
Constructing a sand turtle.
Here is the finished project.

Hanging out at the beach.
All of us out to dinner at a local place.
This is my favorite picture from the trip.
Such a beautiful girl
My three lovlies.

Mommy & her girls
Posing at the beach
Say CHEEEZEEE!
The beach was "Sugar Sand Beach"
The girls in front of an Oliander bush. We have one at our house.

I LOVE the ocean! It is my favorite place to be. We had a wonderful time.

Drew is 7!

Happy Birthday to Drew!

I cannot believe my baby boy is 7!

Time flies ladies and gentlemen, hold on tight.

Drew loves Wall-e

These are just some random pictures of my little Moochie Head.

He caught his first fish fishing with Daddy at church camp!

Riding lessons

Kaitlyn & Khloe have been taking riding lessons this summer.
Khloe is advancing very quickly and is already up to trotting.

This makes mom very nervous.
Kait was thrown from a horse a few years ago at girls scout camp, so she is a bit more timid.
I'm proud of both of them for doing such a great job.

Take me out to the ballgame!

Can you tell that I'm trying to catch up my blog?? Here are a few great shots of the kids at a Peoria Chief's game this summer. My boss treated us all to a night out at the ballgame.

Yummy cotton candy
What beautiful girls
Kait & Drew

Kait is 11!

This post is long overdue! Kait turned 11 on June 3rd. For her party, she chose to take three of her closest friends for a weekend celebration in Branson, MO. We had a great time! This is an awesome group of girls!

Here we are at dinner one night.

Cali, Kait, Emily & Abby

We rented a boat and spent a day on Table Rock Lake tubing!
Here are the girls testing out the waters!
We made homemade pizza one night.

It was a great weekend with lots of fun!