:) Fun Times

Brianna and Anjolie had a fun making pizza and cookies with one of her neighbor friends...:)

While you wait :)

Who Should Paint You: Pablo Picasso

Your an expressive soul who shows many emotions, with many subtleties Only a master painter could represent your glorious contradictions

What Artist Should Paint Your Portrait?

ooooookay.

Catch Up...

...with you soon!! :) We were hogging some time with Brian since he graduated...WITH HONORS I might add :)...I will post soon

Cute

Your Linguistic Profile:

70% General American English

15% Yankee

10% Dixie

0% Midwestern

0% Upper Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

Some Random Thoughts

Brianna is relishing the time with her friends this summer. In my opinion...a little too much ;) . I like for my girls to play together as much as possible and not that I don't want any outside friends, but they are slim pickin's in these here parts ;) She is only 5, and YES I believe she should be sheltered as much as is humanly possible (from the world's way) and then of course with prayer as well the Lord hedges our children about. Of course, we teach Brianna that when she is tempted, it is only her faith and belief in the Lord that will help her make obedient choices...as mommy and daddy will not always be there, but when we are present we will, with the Lord's guidance, shield her from any sinful influence we possibly can. Is she overprotected? Not over enough in my opinion...how can kids be today? Will she make wrong choices, fall into temptation, make dreadful mistakes, absolutely, but with the Lord's help, and her knowledge of scripture she will see what a loving, forgiving heavenly Father she has and will run to repentance and want to obey Him all the more. We are striving to be consistent and faithful in training our kids Biblically how to love the Lord and follow Him wherever He leads...is there ANYTHING more important than this? What a task we have laid before us...it would be impossible, even in our 110 % best efforts, to raise Godly children if we did not have the Lord's blessing in our work. Having the right motives is even a challenge that can greatly affect whether or not the Lord blesses!! How can I expect the Lord to bless an effort that is motivated by self glory? I can't...my motives must stay in check (and what a challenge this is). I find myself wishing they would obey just so they won't ANNOY me...uhhh that is definitely not a right motive *sigh* Sometimes I am so busy falling down that I hardly realize when I am standing up...God is so faithful and good to bless our efforts when they are in obedience to Him and I am so thankful for His chastisement and forgiveness upon my repentance when I do have wrong motives. Well, those are just my random thoughts today :)

Please Pray

...for a dear friend's husband. He is in the hospital right now, and I don't have details, but it could affect his career as a Marine. Please pray for them. He is one of our heroes...having served two tours in Iraq. This is a very trying time for this family . Thank you so much!

A Midsummer Night

...in the clouds. Okinawa has some beautiful sunsets.

TaDaaaa!

Before
Afta
If I had not posted my "to-do" I definitely would not have made it a priority...so thank you!! It worked!

What a NIGHT!!

Sooo Ayden actually woke up for only two feedings last night, but the girls all made up for it. Anjolie was up three times...one bad dream, one thirsty, one potty. Lily lost her "paci" and then at 3 am decided she was finished with the sleeping business...*sigh* I AM EXHAUSTED!! I am so glad that Brian graduates on TUESDAY from the Staff Acadamy ...maybe he'd like to share some of these sleep interruptions with me ;)...gonna go drudge up some coffee I guess LOL

Old Fashion Christian Radio

Thank you to Michael M. McFadden who allowed the link to the http://www.oldchristianradio.com/ that allows the music you are hearing. Thank you to Tori who helped me with the code!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY !

It's a HERO BAG! Ta-DAAA!;)
Today is my MIL's (mother in love) Birthday!! Happy Birthday :)
Ok, this is my version of the "Hero Bag" It is monogrammed, and the lining is made of part of Brian's cammies. Like I said before, it has many flaws as I am by no means great at sewing yet and I had to make my own pattern (excuses, excuses). I saw a lady at church that had one she bought online..I thought of my MIL instantly. One of my friends here helped me with the measurements...I wish it were better, but it is filled with love ok? :) Anyway, it is soon on its way to Brian's mom. In her honor, here are just 10 of the many things we love about her.


WE LOVE...
1. Her hugs
2. Her thoughtfulness
3. Her delicious BBQ and "Better than potato" salad
4. Her love for her grandchildren
5. The faithful prayers she lifts up for us
6. Her knack for decorating!
7. Her appreciation for beauty-such as in the Mojave Desert
8. Her love for a good card game (we love to play with them when we visit)
9. Her loyalty
10. She is a great listener
11. I love...How she raised a son that I am head over heels in love with oops that's 11- one to grow on I guess :) Happy Birthday Mom Yost, we love you very much

A Wittle Quizzle

Ok, a quizzle, (as I recently learned) is where you take a word (that I will give you) and use it in a sentence to describe or tell something about yourself.

The word is Leaves . The rule- you can't start the sentence with "I". Here's mine:

Jumping into a pile of freshly raked leaves was one of my favorite things to do as a child.

What's your quizzle? Just pick a word and some random rule that you want to use to spark some creativity.

Baby Boy

Little Ayden

4 months old *sigh* :)

Bitterness

Something I find myself struggling with today unfortunately
I read this at Mom of 9's place you can read the whole thing HERE So many encouraging things I have read today!

Deuteronomy 29: 18 "Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood;"

"Gall is a bitter, greenish fluid secreted by the liver and stored in the gallbladder. It is something that is bitter or distasteful a bitter feeling. Wormwood is a strong smelling plant that yields a bitter tasting dark green oil. It also means any bitter, unpleasant or mortifying experience. The root of bitterness and the root that beareth gall and wormwood are connected. In Acts 8:23 Peter told Simon the Sorcerer that he was in the gall of bitterness.
The problem with bitterness is that instead of hurting the one whom you are bitter against, you are the one that suffers, Bitterness will literally make you sick in body, not only in spirit. Perhaps the experience that has made us so very bitter is one that God allowed in our life to make us tender. God cannot plant in hard, dry ground. Some folks never get over a bitter experience. Lamentations 3:19 "Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall." They relive it over and over in their minds instead of letting the Lord give them peace and being broken.

If you find yourself bitter and wallowing in your misery, read Lamentations 3:19-26. Jeremiah says, " Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him."

O.S.A.S.

"Happy Mama" has an excellent post supporting our belief of once saved always saved. So many have agonized over this issue...you can read it
HERE

From "To-Do" To "Ta-Daa!"

Ok...this has been on my "to-do" list for ...an embarrassingly loooong time. So, I will use this as an accountability..*sigh*. Take a look at the awful shame ;) of what I have put off for the past 10 months we have been here in this house. On SATURDAY- it WILL be posted on my "Ta-Daa!" list :) Now don't be tooo shocked. And, of course, there are lots more things...baby steps. Do you have a To-Do list you want to post and then make it a "Ta-Daa" ? It can even be a scrap-book page or a clean sink :) We can encourage one another to accomplish our "to-do's"! BTW, I finished my MIL's gift! :) I will "Ta-Daaa" it on her birthday- (July 27th). It has many flaws and is a bit quirky (just like me)being the first one I have ever made, but it is made with lots of love.

Proverbs 24:16

"For a just [man] falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief."
The righteous man, whose ruin was expected, recovers himself. He falls seven times into trouble, but, by the blessing of God upon his wisdom and integrity, he rises again, sees through his troubles and sees better times after them. The just man falls, sometimes falls seven times perhaps, into sin, sins of infirmity, through the surprise of temptation; but he rises again by repentance, finds mercy with God, and regains his peace. (2.) The wicked man, who expected to see his ruin and to help it forward, is undone. He falls into mischief; his sins and his troubles are his utter destruction. -
BLB

What a wonderful truth to those of us who are Saved!! With the Lord, we may stumble and stumble, but He will see us through our every trouble when we CHOOSE to forsake our sin (take off the old) and put on the new...
Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Col 3:10 And have put on the new [man], which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

Won't it be wonderful when we get rid of this old flesh and are made COMPLETELY NEW?! That old sinful nature will be GONE!!! (like a freight train Dad ;) )Hallelujah!!! But for now, it is a moment by moment choice to choose whether we will walk the Lord's paths or the paths of our old sinful nature. Every day I must choose to be submissive.....and boy does my flesh HURT :( But, as the old hymn says...IT WILL BE WORTH IT ALL WHEN WE SEE JESUS. I live for His smile on me...for that moment to hear those words
"... Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord"- Matt. 25:23
No trial will be too great, no mountain too high if we concentrate on that day...IT IS COMING!!! Love to my family and dear friends...have a blessed blessed day :)

Around the House

Just a simple lunch -Peanutbutter and Jelly never looked so good ;) The girls enjoyed some time with friends and their new puppy (the friend's puppy not ours). Brian and I enjoyed each other's company on this beautiful Saturday filled with some mandatory relaxation time :)



That is where we spent this weekend :) And, it was relaxing... Later that evening, the power went out, so we took the kids for some ice-cream since it was so hot. By the time they were finished, the power was back on...:) Hope you all had a great weekend!

*Sob*

I'm not a nerd!!! And I so wannabe ;)

What a Blessing

Our lawn...looked just awful. Because of all the rain and everything it really really needs to be mowed every week. Well, this past weekend it did not get done and I was having some friends over in the morning...and here I have this overgrown grass!! It would not have looked so bad except, everyone else mowed their lawn this week which made ours stand out.... It was really stressing me out as I am worried about our testimony and well, I was just embarrassed of it ok :)! I was going to do it myself, but Brian told me that the mower needed oil and that would mean I would have to find out what kind of oil, drag the kids in the store to get it ...blah blah..you know. Anyway, I really just quickly prayed about it...I thought well, my hands are kind of tied about it...so "Lord, please let there be a way to get this lawn mowed" Do you know that Brian called about an hour later and said he was going to come home for a few hours!! Apparently their schedule for school got glitchy today and he was all caught up on his assignments so he was going to come home...and yes, he would love to get the lawn mowed. So, I weed whacked and he mowed...and it was an enjoyable few hours...even if spent doing yard work. Amen! What a blessing and tremendous affirmation that the Lord cares about the little things that stress us :)

By The Waters of Marah

Once again I find myself with an overwhelmed feeling. At times I feel the Lord's leading...and other times just a quietness. I feel alone and isolated sometimes- like no one could possibly understand what I am going through. My comfort is truly in the Lord alone and His work in my life. He is teaching me to be faithful and content and it is very hard at times. The times we feel most discouraged and alone are the times where we need to be alert and wait for a work that is going to be done in our life. We can either embrace that work or wrestle with God over it and leave injured, as Jacob did(Gen. 32) -that we might be made to cling to our Lord. The children of Israel were, for a time encamped by the waters of Marah (bitterness)...remember how Moses was shown (Exodus 15) a tree by the Lord and he threw it in and that made it sweet? Here they were in the wilderness wandering and while in Elim, the Bible tells us there were 12 wells of water and 70 Palm trees,- a place of refreshment found...though by bitter waters. Our trials, are for a season...but even in our trials He provides a place of rest.

Another Soul Saved!

:) I love visitation...it always brightens my day. Please pray for a man named Arnold- he is catholic, and he allowed me to share the gospel with him today and he accepted Christ! The end must be near...all these hearts have been prepared, and they are just waiting for the question. Praise the Lord...all glory and honor goes to Him!! I will turn off the comments on this post because only the Lord should hear the praise.

Kid Video

The Mystery of the "nails" someone left in the yard...they were sunflower seed shells ;)
Video Hosting - Upload Video - Video SharingMommy gets a little nuts with Daddy gone
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ONE OF THOSE DAYS..

... where you just want to throw in the towel and call it a day. I don't even know where to begin with this day. Maybe it started in the weee hours of the morning with Lily running a fever, or perhaps it was Ayden who just needed to nurse all night...but somewhere, the evil one had a hay-day testing our family today! I went to a homeschooler's meeting this morning which was incredibly encouraging and wonderful, so the fact that today was filled with attack should not be a surprise since homeschooling is just begging for attack anyway. But, I could tell Anjolie was having more trouble than usual controlling her emotions...a storm was brewing! Then right after the homeschooling meeting, I had another appointment which I knew was going to push her overboard since it was running over her nap time, but there was no way I could break it. Anjolie behaved terribly, Lily cried the entire 2 hours...Ayden cried for some of it, and Brianna did not cry, but pouted! It looked and felt a lot worse than it sounds. I was so heartbroken...and I know that is how God must feel when we are trained and taught then tested and stumble. I am so discouraged because, the worst part was...no excuses...I ranted and raved at them once we were in the car about how awful they behaved. I was so wrapped up in my disappointment that I forgot about my whole purpose in training them. Training them up to love and serve the Lord with love and grace. I totally failed today because I was relying on myself instead of God...oh wait...I was planning on going to visitation tonight since I missed Tuesday...grr...I was blindsided (or should that be blindsighted) again!

Little Naughties

This morning, 3 little naughty girls pulled out some baby blankets (2 of them made by Gi-Gi) and were pretending to be babies in Ayden's pack-n-play :)




Sorry for the fuzzy picture, but it is sooo humid that as soon as I take my camera out...it starts to fog up!! Anyway, Anjolie went a little crazy with the sidewalk chalk in this. She had colored almost my entire front entryway and her legs were completely colored....and part of her face. She did not like the fact that I wanted a picture of the mess ;) I was not as amused then as I am now. She came in the house like nothing was wrong...sunglasses and all...COVERED in HOTPINK chalk...LOL.

Lest We Forget :)

We all need encouragement...this encouraged me today as I slept in and got a late start on my chores. The bigger picture is that I have neglected to follow my schedule...which in turn leaves me grumpy and I tend to take it out on my children.
"Remember that suffering caused by sin does not mean God has not forgiven us. Though we fall and are down for a moment, God picks us up again and prevents us from being utterly destroyed." Debi Pryde's SECRETS OF A HAPPY HEART
1John 8-9 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Are you discouraged because you have stumbled yet again today- perhaps in the very same area? Don't be resigned to just sit in it and count the day as ruined. MOVE FORWARD. He wants to fill you RIGHT NOW! :)

Oh! My TOES

I can't believe they still look good after being at the beach and everything....but here they are!

Typhoon passes

..by as a Cat 1 typhoon. Honestly, it was not at all impressive...a good thing. In the states, where the houses are not built for the strong gusts it would be a big deal, but imagine a cinder block (pretty much literally)...that is what we live in. I thought I would be able to get some interesting pictures, but they are just kind of typical looking :) Sorry. There is another typhoon in the making though. We are all on lockdown still...which means we can't leave our houses or anything. It should be over soon though!

Saved, SURE, but Did they CUT THE CORD?

... to the world that is...Ray Stedman, in his excellent study of Exodus : "Here is the reason why many professions of Christian faith never materialize into anything. There are people who are willing to sit under the Passover blood, who are willing to receive Jesus Christ as Savior, but they are not willing to walk through the waters of the Red Sea. They never take that step which burns their bridges cuts them off from the world. In their mind and thinking they are still back in Egypt. They will not move forward through the Red Sea, and until that happens they are still under the bondage and control of Egypt.

Notice, in chapter fifteen, that it was only as Israel came through the Sea that they began to sing. The first thing they did when they walked through on the other side was to break into song. There had been no songs in Egypt. That was a place of bondage, of heartache. of misery, and of unremitting toil and danger. But when they came into the wilderness and onto the far shore of the Red Sea, they broke into song. Real deliverance brings a song. Have you a song of deliverance?" What a neat picture huh?
taken from this excellent study source:

Blue Letter Bible Institute

PLEASE read this...it is excellent especially near the end...very very encouraging!

Typhoon Ewi. Pic

"The typhoon had a very distinct and clear spiral structure in this image, hinting at its intensity. Most of the islands of the area, including Yap, are hidden under the clouds, though the Philippines are visible well to the storm’s west. Sustained winds in the storm system were estimated to be around 200 kilometers per hour (125 miles per hour) around the time the image was captured, according to the University of Hawaii’s Tropical Storm Information Center. "
NASA image by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards

Little Man :)

Happy
or Sad

He looks like his Dad :) Does the outfit look familiar Karen? :)

"Trunk FOUND!"

We have seen some strange bugs and animals and things, but this would have topped it all, if it were true ;) We were walking at a local park in the woods (very jungle looking), and Brianna, who had ran ahead and around a corner suddenly came back around with wide eyes and exclaimed, "MOMMY, I found an Elephant's TRUNK!" I followed the little adventurer and saw a large,long curved branch that had fallen on the ground... that did indeed look just like an elephant's trunk. LOL Kid's lose teeth...I guess in her mind an elephant could lose its trunk :)

Typhoon Ewiniar!!

Wunderground

The typhoon is going to hit us head on - we are the little bitty island directly under the circle of the typhoon on Saturday (your Friday) :) And, Brian has duty on Friday so he won't be home to help me secure everything outside, and will probably be on lockdown for the weekend because of the storm! ...*ahem* I am having a little bit of a stinky attitude right now :)

I FORGOT

...to share what happened at my Ladies' Visitation last Tuesday! God is so amazing...how quickly I forget :) You see, usually everyone shows up for the Thursday night visitation, but I can't always make that...especially with Brian being away...and the kids already exhausted from a late Wed. night. So, I go to visitation every Tuesday to get it in. Well, alot of times there are not enough of us to be able to have one to stay behind to watch the kids and 2 to go...ok, yes only 2 of us faithfully go because the others go on Thursday. Anyway...(I am drawing this out..sorry!) a lady who had never been able to go before- had a day off work and showed up so I could go with her...and one stayed behind with our kids. We started door-knocking out in town. Most people, as usual, were either not home, or not answering, but finally someone answered. And,.....GUESS WHAT?!! I asked that hard hard question even after the young man said he had a church. I assured him I was not trying to get him to switch churches or anything like that...I just wanted to ask him one important question... "Just one last thing...if I could ask...are you sure if you died today, of where you would spend eternity?" He answered that he honestly did not know...so, he let me show him from my Bible how he could be sure! He then agreed that he needed to accept Christ as his Savior and prayed with me!! THEN!! No, it did not stop there!! We went next door...(I should say I floated -I was so elated). This lady...even with a kid tugging on her, said she wanted to know how she could be sure she would spend eternity in heaven!! SHE ACCEPTED CHRIST TOO!!! It was a simple, but direct question..."If you were to die today, are you sure of where you would spend eternity...could I take a few minutes to show you from the Bible how you can be sure.." It is all in HIS hands from there...AMAZING GRACE!! God makes it so obvious that all the heart preparation is HIM...ALL we have to do is ASK and then the LORD leads...He really does!! WOOHOO...just got excited about it all over again!!

To the dear dear friend I had the blessing of leading only 2 years ago...I pray for you often - I praise the Lord for your tender heart and the blessing you are. Love you dear sister in Christ!

Brianna's Project

Well, Brianna earned some ric-rac on her apron by learning the back-stitch and "sewing" herself a little purse. I just pre-punched some holes on some felt, and I gave her an Embroidery needle with some yarn. She did a great job!

Slip-n-Slide

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Well, HOWDY!

I know, long time no post ;0 Well, let's just say I can barely catch my breath-we have been so busy! Brian had 4 whole days off for the 4th of July weekend which was such a blessing. I was incredibly worn out by the end of last week and, the help with the kids was sure appreciated.

So, let's catch up. Friday: One of my friends took me to a place called Cocok to get a pedicure. It was so wonderful! It took 2 hours, and most of that was a wonderful foot and leg massage. Then they do some beautiful artwork on your toes! Saturday: We went to a Japanese pool out in town. Sunday: Church. Monday: We played with the kids and their slip n slide and got some cleaning done. Tuesday: We went to a popular diving site called Maeda Point for a beach-side picnic with a bunch of friends from church. We had never been there before, and it is definitely hidden. We had to park down in a sugar cane paddy (???) and trek down this path...should have brought my machete (riiiight). I was so worried about a Habu snake getting us. Once we were actually on the secluded beach, it was wonderful. The ocean was like bath water! It is a beautiful snorkling spot! I can't wait to get some gear! Wednesday: Brian went back to school, and I had church Thursday: We had a sewing class all morning. I am trying to make something for my MIL (mother in love) whose birthday is on the 27th :) HOPEFULLY it will come out ok!! PHEW!!! NOW (it is still Thursday) we are preparing for a Typhoon that is due to hit this weekend. So, I had to make the dreaded trip with all the kids to the commissary (which was a MADHOUSE) to get some essentials. Apparently the base we are on loses power quite a bit, and the storm renders the water non-potable so we have to have plenty of water for everyone. And, wow, that does not "read" as hectic as it felt. I guess excluding all the packing and loading of the kids makes it sound pretty easy :) I will post again soon!!

Do You Ever...

Do you ever just stop and think about what is going on in your life in the very present? I mean just for a second, hit pause on your life...kind of like the special affect used in movies and commercials where everything is stopped mid-motion, but the actor is free to look and walk around. Imagine that, on a large scale, where you could see your children's lives, your spouse, your friends, -loved ones. As I hit pause, for just a moment, I see my husband probably almost asleep at the Staff Academy- now I think about the dreams I had of him being my knight in shining armor, I remember times where I should have encouraged and instead criticized- I write a note to myself, "treat and speak of my husband as my knight in shining armor- love him pray for him...always always lift him up and not tear him down". Next, I am in my children's bedrooms and, as I look at their angelic sleeping faces, I remember all the fun things I imagined we would do, how I promised never to yell in anger again, how I forgot to look at the picture one of them had drawn for me because I was too busy, how I have shushed them because I wanted to hear or read the news...in my mind's eye I can see their disappointed little faces as they quietly turn away and find something to do because mommy is just not interested. I remember tears that had gone undried, promises not yet kept- note to self, "list and prioritize my goals for my children, schedule the activities I want to share with them, make eye contact and listen". I think of people in ministries who I have been too busy to thank and encourage along the way- I imagine them as they probably stay up late cutting out pictures and studying lessons for the 3 year old's Sunday School class. How I, without a thought or care just toss the papers in the trash sometimes -I make a note to at least notice and appreciate the efforts of my fellow brethren. The truth is- I don't let people know enough that I appreciate them, that I notice when they are hurting, that I am praying for them, that there is so much more I would like to do to be a blessing to them...
The truth is- when I examine a "paused" past argument, I don't see love on my face, I see selfish desires and pride. I see a spouse who longs to be admired and respected.
The truth is- when I look at some of my motives for training my children -it is for self glory and not God's
The truth is-there is nothing good unless it has God written ALL OVER IT. I will never be a successful wife and mother unless God is at the reigns. My life will be filled with regret unless I allow HIM to direct my paths.
I wonder, if, when I release that pause button that I will make it a priority to heed my mental notes, or will I continue to put it off until...it wouldn't make a difference.

Thank you!

Do you know how amazing it is to receive a box filled with such wonderful things from someone you have never met in person?! I was so blessed! Thank you Miss Karen for your love and thoughtfulness. The children could not wait to get it home and tear it open! Ayden wore one of his little outfits this morning! I will get a picture when he wakes up :)

Little Mommy Blessings

I was pleasantly surprised the other morning to wake up to a busy busy little HIT (homemaker in training), Brianna, who had quietly gotten up before me, had pulled the laundry out of the dryer and was folding it. She had tidied up the livingroom, put toys away, and she was sooo cheerful! (hmm she must have read my post about the morning olympics) I was so surprised, that all I could do was hug and kiss her! She is going to be a wonderful wife and mother Lord willing.

The motive behind it, I believe, stemmed from a new little idea I have....I bought the girls some plain little aprons to cover their dresses and promised them that with each new task they learn, I will sew a frill on it. Well, we started to attend a sewing class for moms and daughters at church, and the girls wear their little aprons to class. So, I sewed on a ruffle after their first class..as you can see in the picture. I also have buttons and ric-rac and some other ideas as incentive for them to learn homemaking skills. So, each sewing class, they get to wear an apron that grows more and more beautiful...like their skills! Going a little over-board, I thought about having t-shirts made for them with the caption "I'm a HIT with my Mom!" I would love for my girls to see homemaking in the true beautiful light that it is: it is a beauty and blessing to keep the home. And, I feel blessed to be the one to teach them, as I had never in the past been a very good homemaker...I am learning too!

I feel like I am enjoying this too much ;) I don't know what in the world to do with Ayden!!

The Kids

We are doing ok. I am still feeling very sad about my Grandma...I will miss her so much on my trips home. I thought I would post some recent pictures of the kids for my parents...I love you guys!! Something funny Anjolie did recently: Anjolie asked if she could pray for her pinky that she hurt while we were at the table eating lunch..."Dear Jesus, thank you for my pinky, please bless it to our bodies, in Jesus name Amen" ;)

A Minute With Ayden

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Ayden is 3mo now :)

And...I cried..

I just got off the phone with my mom and she told me the news.... my dear Grandma passed away today. Though unexpected, I felt the Lord had prepared my heart to receive the news. Now, as I look through pictures, such as the one above which was taken almost 5 years ago, my heart is breaking. I am grateful for my tears and to be able to express my sorrow because if I couldn't, I think my heart would just burst. It is so hard to be away from my family during this. I don't even have anything else to say right now except that I am curled up in prayer at Jesus' feet asking for the flood gates of peace to be opened and poured out on my mom and dad during this...they were very very close to her and would visit her every other weekend. Not to mention they are in the middle of a very difficult move. Please please pray for them because this was unexpected...I so wish I could be there. One of the hardest things about military life...I can't be there for my family when I want to be.

The Beauty

Every morning I wake up and I forget to stop to think about the beauty of my life. I concentrate on the noise, on how I have to get breakfast ready and the fact that soon after breakfast I will have to immediately vaccum so that the little armies of ants don't attack in full force. Then, it is the race against the girls...can I indeed get the dishes to the sink before complete mayhem breaks out in my living room where Anjolie, dives like an olympic athlete (who has been disqualified for questionable hyperactivity) from couch to couch, determined to be quicker, more accurate in hitting the same cushion with just the right force to send my blankets topsy turvey. Brianna, who is not quite as talented in the sport of couch diving would much rather endeavor in the popular 5 year old grace of : look at me, talk to me, listen to me... me me me me- right now right now right now....*ahem* and not necessarily in that order mind you, she is not picky as long as the main focus is -her-. Then, there is the Lilymonster, named in the beginning, out of affection and love for her NON monster like ways, but with the arrival of the 18th month of life...we have seemed to name her more accurately than we had originally planned ;) Not that she so much acts in monsterous ways, but in the amount and skill of tearing up, Lily, by far outranks her older siblings. Not only is she quick, she is creative! Who would have thought that dipping toilet paper in toilet water and rubbing on her own little baby head with it would tickle her in such a way that you would think there was a clown somehow involved.... Yes, and did I mention that she eats books? Perhaps I was too ashamed to admit it before, but the child eats almost anything, I know, because I change her diaper. What a piggy bank she is! Well, not quite, but she has a beach front in her belly, let me tell you, because I have seen some evidence of erosion. They are going to start charging us to go to the ocean because she takes so much with her. So, each morning she races me to empty the bookshelf, the video cabinet, and the craft drawer. I follow those chubby little legs around swattin' and pinchin' them trying to get her interested in something else, but alas, I fail as she is more interested in the sport of tearing up the house. When they each get tired of their morning sport practice (which can only be fit in while mommy cleans up or prepares breakfast), we settle down for our prayer and devotion most every morning. Their little faces so happy and shining because they get to spend time with me. Even Lily, in her highchair enjoys the time. Little voices talking about God and singing their little made up songs about how they love Him. Random questions about why the moon changes and how did God make the buildings ;) Other than an occasional little spat between Brianna and Anjolie about whose foot touched who, the time together is beautiful. I get to see them in a different light..I get to see a little bit of their natural love and curiosity for the things of the Lord. My heart begins to ache due to my lack of patience and understanding for my little ones and I promise myself that each morning as I prepare for the day, I will not focus on the childish nuisance of my morning, but I will be thankful and praise the Lord for the beauty of the lives of my children. What a blessing they are.

Please Excuse the Interruption...

...as I adjust my schedule :) Brian leaves for the Staff Acadamy today and things have been a little hectic. He will only be home on the weekends until August. :( So, I am having to completely adjust my schedule and be a better steward of my time if I am going to be a successful wife and mother. I have a Home Mangagement Notebook which has become very idle and outdated over the past year with the move, new baby etc so with the inspiration found on some other sites...I am redoing mine so that it will be more detailed. I am so tired of stopping short when I see the cost of being a virtuous woman who tends to every matter. So, the Lord is doing a little housekeeping in my heart on this area right now. Love to you my friends and family, and thank you for your patience during this little hiccup. I will leave you with a couple of recent funny things Anjolie said:

When I was finished giving Lily a bath, I told Anjolie I needed to get Lily out and she said "Why? She's not going to shrink!"

Ayden would not "cooh" for Anjolie the other day, so Anjolie was frustrated and said "Well, he talked too fast and now, he's all out of talk!"

My Song Today

" Stand up! stand up for Jesus!

The strife will not be long;

This day the noise of battle,

The next the victor's song:
To him that overcometh,

A crown of life shall be;

He with the King of glory

Shall reign eternally."

What Do YOU Do?

Ok, this will be my last post today :) I think I am already over my 25 min posting limit ;) I was just curious. What all does your daily devotion time involve? Do you do your Bible reading and devotion at the same time? Do you study at that time? I know it is not the same for you every day, but if you could have a perfect set aside time with the Lord every day, what time would it be, where would it be, what would you do? I am asking because I need to do some reaaranging in my daily schedule (which has turned into a non-schedule) because of my adjusting to little Ayden who is almost 3 months and awake more. I would like to have some inspiration for a time that can be very special with the Lord and works with my 4 little ones. I already know I am going to have to beat my early bird out of bed...she gets up as early as 6am sometimes! Thank you!!!!

One of Those Days

It is one of those days where my little Anjolie, bless her heart, just won't bend her will! I have tearfully corrected and corrected her. Part of the dilemma is that we got home late last night from visitation and my little early bird decided that she still needed to be my alarm clock. So, even though I know she is tired and having trouble obeying, I still have to correct her. I put her down for an early nap and I am hoping that will refresh her.

The trouble today also shows me that I have not been consistent with expecting first time obedience..she has been waiting to hear the warning tone in my voice, and she then pushes it a step further. So, I reviewed with her again what I expect, and that is for her to follow her 2 rules: Obey (immediatelyand cheerfuly) and Respect her parents. And, because I love her, she will be "corrected" every time she breaks these two rules. I know that once her will becomes one with the Lord's, she will be "on fire" for Him...so there is that. In the meantime, I could use some prayer :) I love being a mommy, it is so incredibly rewarding when we do it God's way...I just need to keep reminding myself of the second half of that- God's way.

Oh, a praise! Anjolie is not ready yet, but she asked my husband how to get saved. She has all the "head" knowledge...but not the "understanding". For instance, she could tell someone what they need to believe and pray to be saved, but she does not have the true understanding as she is only 3 . We know that the fear of the Lord is beginning of wisdom..so we will continue to pray to that end for our dear little Anjolie.

A Touch of CHAOS

..in the Flylady sense of the word ;)

-trying to bake 6 boxes of brownies (I'm super hungry ;) )
-the house seems to be undoing everything I DO today...with the help of Lily of course
-Anjolie is having a "tantrums solve everything" day
-1 spilled can of unattended soda
-3 messy diapers (so far in the last 5 hours)*edited to say I smell Lily!! that makes 4!!
-2 vaccum required messes so far
-mommy doesn't have any food we like today ;)
-1 PB sandwich found squished between the couch and the end table (I found it before the ants did PTL)
-Everything I can do, they can tear up better....

OOOhhhh! Head smacking moment. Must be VISITATION NIGHT!!!
Yeah...hindrances are out in FULL FORCE today. (BTW that is what the brownies are for) So...judging by my day...we will have some receptive hearts tonight Lord willing!! :)

The DaVinci Code

Not that the Catholics agree with this, because they don't, but what if we wrote something about the Pope which said he had a secret affair with Monica Lewinsky and was secretly plotting to kill our president. Would it be received as well as this is? Would people rush to see the movie and read the book? Why do people think they can write fiction about a LIVING, ALL POWERFUL GOD? Ok, say the book were even about *John F Kennedy*...one of the most beloved presidents...people would be outraged that someone would want to smear the name of such a wonderful man...and to die such a senseless death....puuuhlease! Jesus Christ, our God become man for us -DID NOTHING! But, He is written about as if he is some deceased criminal at best...truth be known, anyone who would write about Him in such a way, DOES NOT TRULY BELIEVE. ANY untruth about our risen SAVIOR is putrid and heinous, and YES we SHOULD TAKE IT PERSONALLY. Oh,...I'm sorry, should I NOT say anything so as not to "peak" someone's interest and they might want to run see that TRASH? People will do what they want to do regardless, and will justify themselves to death for it...at least that's what I do, let's be honest. Our reaction to this outrage should equal that outrage we would feel if it were written about our own spouse (worse really). WE ARE THE BRIDE OF CHRIST (those of us who are saved). Would we stand for some pathetic resemblance of our husband to be splattered on a wide screen using his name and doing awful things...then excusing it by saying "oh, well, it is just fiction...who cares that people are watching LIES about my husband" Yeah, who cares that God has REDEEMED souls, who cares that this may cause people to question the DEITY of Christ...is NOTHING sacred?! Do you really think there is ANYTHING God honoring about watching or reading such falseness? Can't we see they are paving the way for "THE LIE"? Be honest, would you sit and watch it with your risen Savior by your side? Ok, (just got convicted) honestly,... would I watch half the things I watch if HE were sitting with me...would I treat my loved ones the way I do sometimes if HE were standing in plain view...with the holes in His hands, His feet, His side, would I stand before Him and say "it's too hard to obey, to read Your Word..." Of course I know He IS there, but I don't always BELIEVE IT. What we read and watch contributes to what we believe, and what we believe controls how we act...ouch. Wow, the Lord sure showed me some things...I did not plan on ending my rant with something that applied to me..;) (why would I want to do that? :) )amazing how God works. But what it all boils down to is why do we feed our minds things that influence our beliefs in such a negative way? Again, WHAT WE BELIEVE CONTROLS THE WAY WE ACT...what we believe is influenced by what we read, hear, and watch. Pondering upon that could reveal tremendous truths about ourselves. ...gonna go pray with my tail between my legs *sigh*
*edited to say "uh duh" I had Robert ;)

About the Picnic

Brian teaches the young couple's Sunday school class, and we decided to have a picnic to get to know everyone since most of us have only been on the island for less than a year due to recent rotations. Anyway, we reserved a pavilion with a BBQ, a jumper for the kids etc. It rained all last week, and even when we started setting up the picnic it started to rain again! We prayed and prayed that we would have the Lord's blessing on this function, and when it started to rain and Brian could not get the coals going (no one was there yet) we started to think maybe the Lord's will was to postpone the picnic ;) So, we prayed that the rain just move "around" us....do you know that is exactly what it did!! The wind changed direction and the rain clouds moved around us!! The sun even came out for the entire picnic as you can see in the pictures!! It was just beautiful, and as we packed to leave...it started raining again :) God is so good!
(Brian took this picture the weekend before last...it is the east China Sea)

She says "Hi Pop-pop"

little stinker would not say anything else, but she did say that :) Are you proud Pop-pop?

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Picnic at Torii Beach

Ok...

Does the fact that I am posting this at 11:22pm give a clue as to what kind of day I had today? Well, Ayden is sick..poor little guy so he is not sleeping well at all. I have him across my lap right now, and that seems to be working for the moment. But, the big news for the day is that our toilet overflowed and flowed and flowed and flowed...until it had succeeded in touching every single room in the house except the laundry room. Luckily it was "clean" water, but Brian about flipped his lid. He had been up since 3am because of qualifying on the pistol range...so I sent him out to "relax" ;) While I crawled around cleaning up the mess, I remembered how upset I was that this house did not come with wall to wall carpet, and do you know how happy I am now that it doesn't?! With the humidity, I never would have been able to dry it out and it would have molded (like everything else does). Kind of a funny praise, but it truly was to me. Anyway, it was a very trying day with the kids and the "flood". And now I am up with a sick little baby. S Please pray for me as I have ladies' visitation in the morning. BTW, we had a great picnic this weekend for our Sunday School class. I will post pictures soon!!

Weather Underground

Well, if you are ever curious as to what time it is here on Okinawa, what the temp and weather are, I have a "sticker" in my footer...scroll to the bottom and check it out! :)

KID STUFF

Anjolie woke me up this morning because she wanted to give me a piece of candy. I tried not to be grouchy and smiled as I sleepily let her put the candy in my mouth. As I chewed, she watched me intently (to see if I was enjoying it I guess) then cheerfully said "yeah, it was on the floor.... but it still tastes good!!" *ahem* greeeaaat.

Yesterday Brianna and I were playing "opposites", and we would take turns saying a word and giving the opposite to it. I asked Brianna what the opposite of OLD was , and she thought for a moment and cheerfuly replied HEALTHY!! On the second try at a correct answer: ALIVE...LOL...guess I'm in trouble!!

Blog Bog

Ok, for 2 days now I have been stuck in the blog bog to "escape" my daily routine...so, I am not going to post for 2 days to "unstick" my bottom from this CHAIR!! I have already repented of my waste of time *sigh* if it's not one thing it is another. So, I am allowing myself to check email, but only if standing...I am not allowed to sit at this desk for 2 days, and to check the news...while standing. And, after the 2 days are up, I am going to set the timer to allow for 25min of blog time. I am telling you so you can hold me accountable when you see mile long posts (like the one below which allowed for my kids to destroy the living room) and numerous responses to your blogs.....pray for me :) Oh, and somehow during the chaos one of my kids (ANJOLIE) caught some disgusting bug in her babydolls sippy cup and put it in the fridge...*sigh* I THOUGHT there was supposed to be a difference between boys and girls...oh well, I guess it WAS in a babydoll cup...see, here I go again!!! Bye for now!!!

Haditha RANT

For a more balanced view...

http://hotair.com/archives/vent/2006/05/31/haditha/

If it turns out that the killing was revenge, they deserve the worst, but if it was due to fog of war which no one can understand unless they have been in combat action- then it needs to be explained. I am so sick of the media spouting out rumors and incomplete pictures of this war. Please remember these are 18,19,20 year old kids who have been well trained in everything except how to react in a 100% rational way to a completely horrific inhuman occurance. A BOMB went off and blew up their vehicle...ok how many Americans have ever heard a bomb go off...ok now imagine it going off just a few feet from you. I was a Marine myself (94-98) and I had absolutely no war experience...I was trained, but never had to "go"; I would never presume to say I know or understand what these guys are going through.
I have detonated bombs (mines) and thrown grenades in a training environment and the percussion of it is nothing you can be prepared for. I cannot imagine the horror they are going through...especially when the enemy is USING the children and women to scout and gain intelligence for them. At times, they use them as human sheilds and shoot from behind them. In secured cities, children will come out and count the patrols so they can run tell insurgents. The people, at times, will purposely allow military to step on or run over an explosive device without warning them. It is almost impossible to tell who the enemy is over there, most of the time. The media also fails to mention the Iraqi people who are so thankful for the military presence and for the liberation of their country. They hug and kiss and cry and cheer for our troops, and they are thankful for the work the military are doing...why is this RARELY if ever in the news......So, back to the bomb (IED improvised explosive device), it goes off, kills one guy and another guy, it blows his eyes from their sockets and crushes and breaks many of his bones to include his back and perforates his eardrums. The other guys were probably momentarily blinded, definitely deaf from the noise but left with a ringing in their ears, and...they were still receiving fire. So now, they need to react to the death of a buddy who was blown to pieces, another who looked as if he was going to die and get him airlifted out, count who was left, find out where the fire was coming from, and secure the area all in a matter of minutes from almost being blown to bits, they were confused (the explosion would throw their equilibrium off)...that is just to name a few things about the "fog of war". Imagine your ears ringing and trying to determine who was shooting at you and your unit who you must protect at all costs.... Remember, the terrorists know about our media and our affection for women and children...they have none..so they are using it and our ignorant media to paint a sordid picture of what we are trying to accomplish over there. Are mistakes made? Absolutely. Do some of our guys lose their sanity in all this...most definitely. To react rationaly would mean to collapse in complete horror over what they have seen and had to do--that is not an option, so they have to be desensitized in order to get the job done. There is no training for what these insurgents are doing...it completely blows their minds that they would use women and children... we could not fathom the experience. How dare the media focus on everything but the valiant service of 99% of our troops whose lives are on the line...these are sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, they are part of us. None of them goes out to commit heinous war crimes - the terrorists DO! Let the military report the bad news when it happens...AFTER their investigation. The media needs to focus on keeping America behind its troops before we end up with a situation like post Vietnam. THEY are commiting heinous crimes against our troops by not getting the WHOLE story and reporting it accurately all for what...RATINGS. The media needs to leave the investigation to the military believe me, they are harder on their troops than any other judicial systems. If they want news, look at the HEROs and tell their stories.

Touched my Heart

I saw this on a fellow blogger's site...it just choked me up. Remember to pray for our troops.

Need a Lift?

http://blueletterbible.org/morneve/05/0531am.html

Word Cloud

Snapshirts.com will compile words from your current blog page into a word cloud! This is mine. Thank you "Thimble Thoughts" for such a neat idea!

Grandma

This is my Grandma with Brianna and Anjolie last summer before we left for Japan. We miss you and love you Grandma!! And Anjolie says thank you so much for her card and money :)

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