Off to World Quiz

Monday morning Isaiah left with Jonathon & Harrison Dysart to travel to the World Quiz in Mt. Vernon, Ohio.  These boys have studied and competed over this past year and earned the right to go to this quiz event with teams from all over the world.  Sunday night we got together, the Dysart family and our family, to pray over these young men.  It was a sweet time for me, just to reflect on their hearts - how they love God's Word and how ultimately my prayer is not that they'll necessarily quiz beautifully (although that would be awesome), but that God will work in their hearts in the service project they'll be doing, that they'll start each morning seeking His face in the Word before any competition and that win or lose - they'll do their best because they want to be used by Him.

I know it was difficult for Jake to not be going with them, but he is with them in spirit and in prayers.  I would appreciate your prayers as well for them this week. 

"Hope" is the Thing with Feathers

"Hope" is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul

And sings the tune without the words

And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;

And sore must be the storm

That could abash the little bird

That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land

And on the strangest sea,

Yet never, in extremity,

It asked a crumb of me.

by Emily Dickinson

I wear a ring that says the word HOPE on it.  My sister got it for me when Ted and I got back together after being seperated for over a year.  My story, my life, who I am all is wrapped up in that little word and what it means to hope in God!

Multitude Mondays

799. Weldon boys...they are quiet and easy going...they just fit right into our crazy family. They enjoyed playing baseball, watching Facing the Giants and Nacho Libre, going to a double header to watch Jake play Moose baseball, looking at me with amazement when I let out a "did you hear that?" burp, giggling at us...and they all slept in until 8:30 a.m.!

800. fat, chubby fingers offering up beauty to make me smile....God gives it as a gift, little eyes spy it and pluck it as a gift, vase holds it for all to enjoy in the quiet

801. slowing to watch a mom and 2 fawns cross the road....only to be added by a buck w/ velvet horns and another doe
802.  unexpected visit from out-of-town friends, visit that was too short to catch up on everything, the friend she is - faithful, chooses to make time to reconnect whenever she's in state,  her strong hugs!

803.  quiet time in 1 Peter this morning...reading God's Word is like a balm to my troubled spirit...wanting that for my children...
804.  Ted's ability to stay calm and loving as a parent, when all I want to do is knock some sense into my kid

805. toothless friends...memories of all the other milestones they've shared
806.  10 years of friendships...weekly gatherings...playing together....doing school together...

807.  safety....thankful for how the Lord looks out for us... Saturday night a violent wind blew thru our woods and we all heard the loud cracking, fearfully searching out windows to see where a tree was falling...it missed our home and just missed my new dogwood that we haven't planted yet!

808.  cousins and giggles in Aunt Cheryl's pool

809.  first toothless attempt to eat corn on the cob

810.  fathers and families...the two go hand in hand...Ted and I are so blessed by the fathers God has given us

811.  playing games....teaching Up and Down the River, playing cardgame Golf and kids playing Laddergolf, catch, and pool

811.  this has been a season of seeing the value in my husband and the kind of father he is to our children...I couldn't be more thankful!

Multitude Mondays

I know it's not a Monday and I know I've been quiet here lately.  Baseball, school, and just being a family have taken over.  Each day I think of things I want to blog/journal about, but it's a matter of finding the time.  It haunts me when I cannot find the time to post because this is one way I can give testimony to the work of God in my life.  Posting the multitude of things I'm thankful for just builds and builds, even if I don't have time to post it weekly.  So you'll have to bear thru this long gratitude list.  Edgar Guest explains it better than I in The Weaver.

The patter of rain on the roof, The glint of the sun on the rose;
Of life, these the warp and the woof, The weaving that everyone knows.
Now grief with its consequent tear, Now joy with its luminous smile;
The days are the threads of the year-- Is what I am weaving worth while?

What pattern have I on my loom? Shall my bit of tapestry please?
Am I working with gray threads of gloom? Is there faith in the figures I seize?
When my fingers are lifeless and cold, And the threads I no longer can weave
Shall there be there for men to behold One sign of the things I believe?

God sends me the gray days and rare, The threads from his bountiful skein,
And many, as sunshine, are fair. And some are as dark as the rain.
And I think as I toil to express My life through the days slipping by,
Shall my tapestry prove a success? What sort of weaver am I?

Am I making the most of the red And the bright strands of luminous gold?
Or blotting them out with the thread By which all men's failure is told?
Am I picturing life as despair, As a thing men shall shudder to see,
Or weaving a bit that is fair That shall stand as the record of me?

776.  celebrating 14 years spent with Jacob Meier (Dad taking day off from work so we can go out to eat for lunch, plan trip to Guitar Center, have cheesecake and cake batter icecream after baseball)....I am so proud of the young man he is growing into...he makes me laugh, he makes me cry, each day is a gift with him

777. iced coffees from Speedway
778. twizzlers and sunflower seeds at baseball games
779.  silly children who make me smile

780. the freeing feeling of loading up a trailer of stuff we don't need anymore and letting Grandma Sinnaeve work her sales "magic", so we don't have to bring anything back home

781.  Madeline's softball debut

782. boys who can mow the lawn and the smell of fresh cut grass
783. cool basement to retreat to on hot days and to sleep in on hot nights
784. witnessing the new birth of Denise & Jeff Weldon on May 30th - all I could think of was how the angels and God in heaven were rejoicing!

785.  summer hair cuts (Jake actually had a deadline of May 31st to have his hair cut shorter - this resulted in a late night haircut on Memorial Day, with an emergency trip to the barber in Mason for a cut-correction preceded by an argument from Jake that he wasn't going to go in a barber shop!) (Nate pictured on next line)

786. the pain and joy of loosing your two front teeth - the first front tooth was knocked out by Maddie in the pool, then the 2nd top tooth was knocked out by Maddie in a pillow fight...are we seeing a theme here?

787. listening to the lisping words of my youngest because he has no front teeth
788. beautiful performances by Jake & Madeline at their piano recital and the family who comes to support them...Jake's piece was How Great is Our God and during his playing, I felt the Holy Spirit so strongly and could feel God's pleasure as He listened to Jake

789. drum teacher who is so encouraging to Isaiah
790. friends and family who help us in getting 4 children where they need to go for games on one night
791. baseball....how can I not be thankful for it? Even though this season has been tougher than any and I recognize things I would change adamantly in future years, I love watching my boys and my girl play ball!
792. baseball caps with scripture written inside to remind and encourage the reader that God is the prize, not a hit, not an awesome pitching outing, not the end score.  Isaiah chose Deuteronomy 29:11, Ben chose Psalm 27:3, and Jake couldn't narrow his down so he squeezed in:  Hebrews 12:2, James 1:22, 1 Peter 1:15, James 3:5, Galations 2:20, Colossians 3:23, James 1:12, Proverbs 3:6, Psalm 37:5, Psalm 22:7, Romans 8:38-39, Psalm 27:11, Philippians 3:8, Proverbs 8:9

793.  holding hands with Ben in the car

794.   trying to sneak downstairs and let Ted put kids to bed, but my middle child seeks me out and says, "You're not getting away!" as he approaches with arms outstretched for a goodnight hug....thank you Lord for his affection

795.  time with husband at home, unable to do much but just "be" with us, due to back pain flareup

796.  the hummingbird nest outside our bedroom window...sitting on the roof, trying to hold super-still with camera poised to get a shot of the mom on the nest.  It is so amazing!  It is so small that I never would have spied it.  I tell my kids they are witnessing something at their young age, that I haven't witnessed for 42 years!  God's creativity is humbling!

797.   watching a coyote cross in front of us on the way to baseball Wednesday night - amazing as well
798.   Godly friends and sister who encourage me, sit and chill with me

Heavy Metal

This morning, bright and early, my oldest boys and I set out on the adventure of....living with braces.  This adventure has required us to leave behind a dentist and hygentist we love (Dr. Faber and Gail), in order to join a dental plan that greatly reduced our out-of-pocket expenses.  Even though I appreciate the reduced cost for us, I must admit I've complied with dragging feet and fear (due to painful experiences in the dental office as a kid).  What started it all was the alarming information that because Jake grinds his teeth at night and his bite is off, he is wearing through the outer enamel of his teeth and causing irriversable damage.  So we decided, why just do one kid - here, do Isaiah as well!

Like a nerd, I took my camera.  My poor kids will be in counseling someday because of it I'm sure.  (by the looks of Isaiah, it could be any day)

While one tech worked on putting in Jake's "rein rings", another began immediately gluing on the metal brackets. 

I think Jake's nerves are getting to him here....his random laughter makes me smile.  (Could his nerves be affected by my questions about when will the painful part begin?)

Say goodbye to your pretty plain teeth!!  Dry the teeth, apply the glue, stick on the bracket, line them up, then add heat.  (Jake said the glue tasted like eating a dandelion.)

Time to install the wire, then the fun part......

Choosing your color!!!!  This has been the biggest topic of conversation around here.  I jokingly pointed to the pink and said, "That's the color you want, isn't it Jake?"  But the joke was one me - he responded, "Hmmmm.....I think I'll go with the pink."  The tech seemed slightly shocked and questioned him at least two more times, "Are you sure?"  (don't ask me why the condom looking things are in there - I was too embarrassed to ask the tech)

In the end, the pink looked cool and it matches his coloring.  I liked it!

Of course, Isaiah took the reserved approach and went silver to match his brackets.

Then a little tutorial on how to floss with braces....it'll be interesting to time that job tonight!

They look so cute!  They go back in a month or so to add on the bottom braces.  Scary dentist or not - it is worth it!  (That being said, I should go call and schedule my check up.)