round three

out of options

he joined

so much changed

with just one signature

so proud of him

trying to make it

trying to be better

finding his own way

the first round

brought a son

born while he was

half a world away

the second time

i can't imagine

the pain of knowing

how much he would grow

now round three

and so much sadness

not sure the origin

but so sorry it is that way

in my mind

he'll always be

that little monkey boy

that i love

please Lord protect him

on this

his round three

clear the evil from his path

and help him to be safe

remind him of our love

and of your love

be with those he loves

regardless of the situation

use this time for your glory

in a way that would seem

impossible

thank you Lord

for my cousin

amen.

resurfacing...

This is always a busy season for us. For all families, I guess. I can hardly believe that it's been a month since I last posted. I've lurked around and thought about things to post but never made it here. Now, there's so much to write about, I'm overwhelmed. Here's a list of the things that have happened around here in the past 30 days...

*I have a new sister!! My brother-in-law got married a few weeks ago. All four of us were in the wedding. It was beautiful. I'll devote a whole post to it soon - I promise!

*There was a surprise party/reception/open house for my cousin that just got back from serving in Iraq. I got to hug on him and hold that new baby of his. That baby looks just like him! It sure was good to see him. He moved back to the base with wife and baby in tow today. Prayers for them would be appreciated.

*My daughter started 6th grade - and with that, came an amazing obsession with the phone.

*My son started pre-school. He loves it! I'm getting used to the idea. I can't believe he's ready for this. It's only 3 mornings a week but my heart says it's so much more than that.

*Both kids started their soccer seasons. This is my son's first time playing soccer. Those little ones are adorable. And when did my daughter learn to kick like that? I'll post some pictures soon.

*I started attending a Bible study/book study group. I've learned a lot. Most of all, I am enjoying the fellowship with other like-minded Christians. I'll post some of the amazing things happening soon. (Seems like I have a lot to post "soon"!)

*My mother-in-law's work schedule was changed so my work schedule is changing. She was the one to watch my son while I worked two days a week. Now, I'll be home every day except one. On that day, I'll go to my study group and then to work for the afternoon. A blessing for sure but it was chaotic there for a minute!

*The evaluation for our pastor had to be done and since I'm head of that committee at church, guess who had to spearhead that? It was well, um, interesting, and hopefully we are on track now. Kinda stressful for little ole me there for a bit.

*I feel so bad that I just now found out that I was given an award A MONTH AGO! Bev at Scratchin' the Surface so nicely awarded me this Nice Matters Award:
She is so sweet and I always love to see what she's up to. If you haven't had the chance to visit her, stop by! Thanks Bev! It's funny that I got this award because we've taught our kids that Jesus wants us to be nice. And they make sure to remind us when we need it! :)

Whew! I think that catches us up. As you can tell, I have lots to post about but I didn't want to go on and on and on and on in one post. So, I'll be back - and it won't take me a whole month this time!

finally!

HE'S HOME!!!!

Thank you, Lord, for bringing my cousin home safely from Iraq. Thank you for the look on his face when he met his little son for the very first time. Bless his time with his wife. Amen.

another call

(c)Freefoto.com

I got a call from my cousin that's deployed in Iraq. This is my second call from him. He sounds so tired every time. He said they just returned from mission that lasted a day and a half. He was going to try to get some rest. I ask for your continued prayer. He said that when they first got there (in January), there was a lot of shooting. It had settled down some but he said it is back to being hairy (his word) again. And they are all so very tired. He said that everyone seems to be doing well except for one guy who is having problems at home. That guy keeps flipping out. I absolutely cannot imagine the stress of being there. Or the stress of trying to deal with missing someone who makes up part of your home. I feel it and I did not have day to day contact with my cousin before he deployed.

There's a baby shower being planned for his pregnant wife and I intend to go. Not only as a representative of his side of the family but because I am so excited about this baby. No, it probably wasn't good timing, and no, I don't think either him or his wife would have chosen for her to go through this alone (with her parents but not him). But that's just the way it goes in these situations. I know that he is beyond excited and can't wait to come home and be with them.

dear Father
i'm just drawn to You
in light of this boy
and his growing family

i worry
and i know that
i can accomplish nothing
with this fear

i turn him over to you
his wife and unborn child too

keep him safe
under your loving care

grow that baby
healthy and strong

restore his wife
to sustain her child
and give her strength
when she is tired
hope when she is down
peace when she is afraid

You know where he is always
go before him
and clear the evil from his path
be the protection he needs

thank You for caring about
that one boy among many
half a world away

amen.

weekend in review

First things, first. What in the world am I still doing up at 12:51 AM? I do not know! All I know is that I will be one bleary-eyed woman tomorrow. I hope I don't put the Cars movie DVD in the toaster, thinking it's the cinnamon waffle. Or worse, the cinnamon waffle in the DVD player.

ANYWAY, here is my weekend in review snippets...

GOOD MORNING, ANDREA!
Bright and early on Saturday morning, the phone rang. I climbed through my unconsciousness and jumped up to feel for the phone. I really can't see for the first five minutes I'm awake. And I just wanted to noise to stop, seeing as how the 3 year old in our house is normally the Saturday alarm clock. By jolly, he was still asleep and it was daylight and all. Stopping the noise so he stayed asleep was imperative. But I digress...

Guess who was on the phone?! You'll never guess! My cousin, J, that's deployed in Iraq! And no, his name isn't J, as in Jay - I'm just protecting the innocent (and not-so-innocent) here. He sounded so, well, grown up and so, I don't know, responsible. In my mind, he's still this little 8 year old monkey boy. He said he was tired but that they had been given 3 days R & R. He had access to a computer and satellite phone so he was making the best of it. Did you know Iraq is 8 hours ahead of us? I was barely putting my feet on the floor for the day and he was headed to evening "chow". He told me where he was in Iraq and all I can say is pray, people, pray. He said he's seen more mud than sand. I told him to enjoy it because by the time this is over, he'll probably never look at sand the same again. He also shared some stories of his time there, and it just hit me that he is in so much danger. I mean, I knew that already but it just started to sink in. A phone call was wonderful because for that brief moment in time, you know that he's safe. You know just where he is, and he's alive, well, and safe. Tonight, who knows where he is. I just continually pray that the good Lord holds J in the palm of His hand. What else can I do, ya know? So, I'll be getting a little package together for him in the next few days. If anyone knows of things that would be good to send, please comment and let me know. I've seen the list on the military website but any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks!

NO DOG LEFT BEHIND
Saturday late morning/early afternoon, we spent at my mom's house. She had quite a bit of tree damage from the recent ice storms. My husband got to use a power tool (even if it was only electric), I got to play on my mom's blog, and little man got to play outside. So, once all the tree limbs were cut up, we carried them to the curb to be taken away by the shrub/tree limb fairies tomorrow. As little man helped me collect some limbs from the back yard, the neighbor's dog was going nuts. He asked me why the dog was barking so much. I said he was curious about what we were doing. So, we take a load to the curb and come back to the back yard. Bless his little heart if he didn't go right to the edge of the yard and yell at the top of his lungs,

"WE'RE AT GRANDMA ______'S AND WE'RE PICKING UP STICKS SO WE DON'T TRIP ON THEM!"

When he first started yelling, I swung around to see what in the world he was doing. Then, I asked,

"Were you talking to the dog?"

"Yes." (Like we tell dogs our going-ons all the time; no big deal, Mom. Very inclusive, my son.)

FICKLE FRIENDS
For a few months now, my son has had an imaginary friend. This friend morphs to fit the situation. He's been a mommy (yes, HE has been a mommy), he's worked at daddy's work, he's been big, he's been little, he's slept on every piece of furniture we own. Oh, by the way, his name is Husey (WHO-see). Well, it was, until today. Husey is gone. We now have Coolpeak-a. There was talk that Husey changed his name to Coolpeak-a and is now a girl. But that would mean my son's friend is a gender changing 3 year old who is brillant because at 3 he works at an office. So, I'm thinking maybe this is a NEW friend. I'd like to request prayer for Coolpeak-a though. She's in the hospital with a refection. Which is funny, because our pastor is in the hospital with an infection too. By the way, pray for our pastor please. She is a double transplant recipient and small infections, like the sinus one she had, sometimes take off and wreak havoc on her body. She should be okay but still...

WEDDING BELLS ARE RINGING
If you remember (or if you don't), I did a post when my brother-in-law got engaged. My whole immediate family is in the wedding. Today, the bridesmaids, the mothers of the bride and groom, and the bride's aunt went wedding dress and bridesmaid dress shopping. She found THE dress, ya'll. (Yeah, I said ya'll.) And it was a good deal. The wedding angels were watching over us today. Now, if we could just get the bridesmaid dresses to come in extra long, we'd be set. And since when did bridesmaid dresses cost as much as the wedding dress?! $165! I was blown out of the water. Well, no decisions yet on that. But what a relief to have the most important dress picked out, paid for, and in hand! :)

Now it is 1:27 AM and I am truly crazy for still being awake. But I had to get this down while it was fresh in my mind and while two little boys, who shall, as always, remain nameless were not making me lose my ever-lasting mind! But, come to think of it, I think it's already gone. On that note, good night everyone. Take care of yourself and each other.