Little Indian

Here is our little Thanksgiving Indian and her name: "Running Drool"...bearing gifts and proclaiming peace....we shall see. Hmmmm she DOES have her war paint on.
Oh...trade corn and doll for "TP"?
Ok :)

Lil' Gobbler

Hmmmm believe it or not, the turkey weighs about 5 pounds more than Lily!!

Thanksgiving Prayer

There are many things I'm thankful for
not just one or two
My husband, daughters, family, friends-
people that are true

And as I sit here in my home
no danger is in sight
I hear the rain and a steady wind
but neither cause me fright

But far away, a desert land is filled with pain and fear
where children walk with guns in hand
no longer with a tear

Their nights are filled with sounds of pain
of bombings, planes, and screams
no longer is the luxury-to sit and hear the rain

A country that is filled with hate
-because they have no light
and so it is to be their fate
to live with such a plight

Our soldiers too, die day by day
in pursuing a just cause-
To bring a country signs of hope
needs more than our applause

These men and women pledge
to fight and die if that's the cost
-they die in darkness as does the foe
if their souls are lost

Don't close your eyes to the truth
God loves them both the same
Pray for our friends and our foes
that they'd call upon His name

Thanksgiving

Brianna celebrated Thanksgiving at school today, and they were allowed to dress up like pilgrims or Indians. Brianna, of course, wanted to be a Pilgrim so I got her costume...had to make quite a few adjustments, made her a little corn-husk doll, and sent her with a little basket full of harvest goodies for her class mates. The goodies turned out really cute. I took corn husks, and filled them with candy corn and a little piece of chocolate then tied off the ends with green embroidery thread.

A Little Pilgrim surrounded by Indians :) Her class is sooo cute.
I think I had just as much fun as Brianna. I made a little cornhusk doll for Anjolie too...they were so neat. I found instructions on the web...to include the story behind the faceless dolls. I got the corn-husks from the Mexican food section in the commissary. You even use the cornsilk for the hair...I really enjoyed doing them!! Such a cute Thanksgiving treat for a boy or girl...there are instructions for both. I used the left over husks for the treats.

UNDER ATTACK!!

Brian and I started on the outside of our house, trying to make it look more like a house than just a cinder block. So, we bought some flowers and put up the wood trellis to kind of hide the steel doors etc... Do you see anything wrong with my beautiful flowers?

What about NOW?!!!
Here are the culprits who paid with their squishy little lives for the damage they did!!!! I left them out there in a jar as a warning to any other little munchers who might decide to finish off my poor little plants.

They must not have heard about the fate of the mole who ate my plants in Pendleton...every day I would see my flowers one by one be sucked underground. I finally got some arsenic laced grass seed....a couple of weeks later, a mysterious bright green patch of grass appeared right next to a half sucked down flower...must have worked. Don't mess with my plants!!

Another Brian Story

...just released for your enjoyment.

Yes, just a note that Brian does not mind the stories I post about him, as a matter of fact, he rather enjoys them. I always get permission first, and he reads them too. I think he likes the attention. That being said...

When we arrived back in California after our leave this past summer we had quite a bit of luggage. We had eight mostly large suitcases, and four carry-ons. I have no idea how we got everything situated to get on the plane, but I am sure you can imagine: two adults, three small children, carseats, a stroller and trying to get checked in, get our luggage x-rayed, and then parade barefoot through security. It was quite chaotic to say the least.

Anyway, when we landed back in LAX, we arranged for a shuttle to take us to our hotel since we were going to leave the next day for Okinawa. We did not, however anticipate being told we could not check in early. We had arrived around 9am and were told we could not check in until 3pm!! So, we are on the streets of LA with all this luggage...just kidding, they let us put all of our luggage in a storage closet by the check-in desk. But still, here we are with no place to go, and 3 kids who have been up since 4am ET...wandering like morons on the streets looking for someplace to eat lunch (our time). We finally got sick of walking and Brian gets up the nerve to approach a Cab driver who just happens to be sitting in the parking lot shaving....nice right?

Ok, finally, 3pm arrives and we drag ourselves back to hotel just dreaming of laying down and relaxing. It is extremely hot and we are very irritable...as you can imagine. Brian used an ENTIRE hotel luggage cart to heap our stuff onto. I wish I had gotten a picture of this poor thing. The cart literally towered over Brian so that he had to hold it up with both arms and all his weight to support it so that it would not fall over. So, Brian, who is extremely tired, bright red with heat and dripping with sweat...is trying to steer this beast of a thing down the sidewalk to the elevator. We all try to get on the elevator, but the alarm goes off because of all the weight, so I step off with the girls...to Brian's protest as the doors close. I mean, what else could I do? I stand and wait about two minutes, and then press the "up" button so we can meet Brian on the third floor where we are staying. The doors open, and there to my suprise is Brian standing there with that cart towering threateningly over him....he is FUMING. Apparently, the dumb thing had never gone up, so he had just been standing in there trying to get it to move that whole time. You are never going to believe who he is MAD at...yep ME!! I should have stayed on the elevator, and why in the world did I press the stupid elevator button when he is trying to get to the 3rd floor. Seriously, 2 minutes should have been PLENTY of time. He did not know that you have to use your room key to properly operate the elevator, and even then it did not always work right. So, this time I decided I would wait good and long to give him another chance to get situated. I even called my mom while I waited to let her know we had gotten in ok and everything. I push the "up" button again....there, again still standing in there holding his cart of luggage was a furious Brian...I was about to lose it this time. Can you blame me? Call it temporary insanity or something. Brian said this time he finally got the elevator to move, but it only went up to the 2nd floor, and then I must have pushed the button and down it came with him and the luggage instead of continuing on. I apologized quickly so he can't see just how funny I think this is...you just HAD to see him and this Goliath of a cart...straining to hold it up, all red, trying to operate the elevator with one arm while still holding on to this cart...it was funny. Now, I wait again, a REALLY REALLY REALLY long time...I carefully push the button and hold my breath as the doors open. It is empty, and I sigh a breath of relief because he probably would have killed me and stuffed ME on that cart if I had interrupted him again. I discover that I have to use my card, so I do, and up we go....but the elevator stops ...on the 2nd floor. I am expecting other guests waiting to get on...the doors open and ....there stands poor Brian with his huge cart of luggage...looking very pathetic and frustrated... I did not say a word. I am however still wondering why he got off on the second floor? Poor guy was probably so excited he got the elevator to work he got off too soon? I don't don't know.... I quietly helped him get the cart back on the elevator...he did finally make it up to the room, but I was sick from laughing so hard.

Beauty and the beast... and the rugrat?

Here are our three little rascals doing their usual weekend dress-up time. We are battling colds again...Anjolie actually has almost no voice at all. Kinda nice..I mean poor little thing ;)

Marine Corps Ball

Well, another year, another ball. We had a good time though. Some friends of ours watched the girls for us, so this was our first "date" without the girls.

Mundane? or Glorifying God-

-by doing what we were created to do...The Lord has brought me through many a trial, but the hardest thing for me to do is to give glory to God by allowing His power to shine through me in my daily tasks. There is so much of a blessing to be found in cleaning the house and preparing a meal for the beautiful family that God has given me. Only God can give us such joy in such (by world's standards) menial tasks because it is what a mother was created to do. Just as a flower blooms in my garden to the glory of God and to the enjoyment of myself and any passerby, so does the flower out in the middle of nowhere in a desert perhaps. No one was there to see the struggle to live in spite of circumstances, or to see the glorious bloom ...but it bloomed just as vibrantly as it would have in the Queen of England's private garden. It is our example of doing all to the glory of God alone. Sometimes I miss out on this blessing when I do it in my own strength, or for my own goals instead of to God's glory. A creation doing what it was created to do gives glory to God. Why is that so hard for ME to remember?!

Some Christians are called to risk their lives in spreading the gospel in a foreign land, some are hardworking Pastor's wives, and some have gifts for multiple ministries, some are called to be teachers and Doctors and Researchers...they give glory to God in doing what THEY were called to do, but no more than those of us called to stay in our homes caring for our families. The devotion I had yesterday was such an encouragement to me...who as a teenager never dreamed of not having a career. It was in 1Corinthians 10:31 "Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" This was an excerpt from my devotion in My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers ..."The tendency is to look for the marvellous in our experience; we mistake the sense of the heroic for being heroes. It is one thing to go through a crisis grandly, but another thing to go through every day glorifying God when there is no witness, no limelight, no one paying the remotest attention to us. If we do not want [mediaeval] haloes, we want something that will make people say-What a wonderful man of prayer he is! What a pious devoted woman she is! If you are rightly devoted to the Lord Jesus, you have reached the sublime height where no one ever thinks of noticing you, all that is noticed is that the power of God comes through you all the time."..."Our human relationships are the actual conditions in which the ideal life of God is to be exhibited." That was such an eye opener to me, as a mother and wife struggling daily in my God-given place as a home-maker to quietly and consistently give honor and glory to Him in my every day tasks whether anyone notices or not-God does.

Just Airing Dirty Laundry

I came across this joke...can anyone relate?--


I asked my two-year-old to take his dirty clothes and put them into the hamper.
He looked puzzled, and I explained, "You know; it's the place where we put our dirty clothes before they're washed." My son picked up his things, ran into my bedroom, and threw his clothes on the floor...on his dad's side of the bed.

...I laughed because guess whose pile this is on the side of the bed? I really did take this picture TODAY, which is not unlike any other day. Yep....at least it is relatively small today. Brian laughed harder than I did when he read it. Do they EVER change? :) I hope not.

Japanese Garden

Brianna and her Daddy...can't quite see the resemblance ;)wink wink

Japanese Garden in Naha

We got out of the house this past weekend after being sick for so long. This garden was so beautiful...the camera just could not capture it.
Daddy and his girls
This bridge was so adorable
Daddy and Anjolie

Patty-Cake

Patty-cake, baker's girl Bake me a cake as fast as you can... ..... stir it
... taste it...
Wait a minute...that's not it!! Anjolie had a fun time making cake today. I asked what part was her favorite, and she said the "zooming" part...aka blender.

SICK!!

Well, our family has been through the ringer with sickness these past couple of weeks. It started with upper-respiratory infections, then sore throats, now some stomach bug. YUCK!!

None of the past couple of weeks has been funny...so I haven't posted it. Strange how intense headaches and incessant coughing can zap the fun out of you :( Poor little Lily does not sleep well because her chest is so congested, but she is in great spirits. Little Anjolie can't be anywhere for more than about 10 min without having to RUN to the potty...(she does not give me much notice). Just yesterday, I was at the checkout counter and had to apologize to the cashier because I had to get RUN her to the bathroom or we were going to need a "clean-up on aisle 3" blech!! Brianna has been hanging in there, but she too has had horrible coughing and an upset stomach and sore throat. She missed a whole week of school because of it.

Brianna has been doing very well in school, her teacher is very impressed by what a bright child she is, said she enjoys the fact that she is always happy, very respectful, and is VERY knowledgeable concerning the Bible. Praise the Lord!! I know He has a special ministry He is preparing her for. I ask her questions every now and then just to see where she is in her understanding. Her answers are...amazing for a 4 year old...as well as her questions. She talked the other day about why Jesus had an "earthly" (her words) body and how that earthly body had to die for our sins. She talked about how our sins died with His body, but HE rose up from the dead. Last night she asked me why Judas said he was Jesus' friend if he betrayed him. She asked why God allowed sin in the world so that Adam and Eve would have a choice to sin...I explained how we have a choice etc... Some heavy thinking for such a short little life. I am so thankful for her ability to understand and learn the things of the Lord...I know it is because of the amazing work of the Holy Spirit in her life. Praise the Lord He shows me such tremendous evidence of His presence in her life. It is such a blessing to hear Brianna and Anjolie apologize to each other of their own accord (when they don't know I can hear them)for the way they had treated the other. To hear them include me in their prayers...Brianna still prays for the lady who accidently dyed my hair purple :) I pray for wisdom every day in how to feed her hunger for spiritual knowledge...that it will be appropriate and pertinent to her walk. Thank you for all of your prayers for our family as we strive to be a living sacrifice for the Lord's use.

Mowin' the Lawn

Well, I'm about 6mo preggo and poor Brian has been working so much that he has not had any real daylight time to mow the lawn in over 2 weeks!!! Can you believe it? He started to this Saturday, and got maybe 1/8th of it done and ran out of gas. So, the lawn looked even worse. The weeds had sprouted up to my knees. I was so embarassed that when it was time to take Brianna to school, I would peek outside to make sure noone was out there and race out with the kids. Just in case someone thought I did not notice that our lawn needed mowed and wanted to remind me...I did not want to hear about it.

Today, I had just had it. I just asked Brian how the stupid thing worked, I added gas and was prepared to butcher the yard as best I could. Well, he forgot to tell me about "priming" it...and so I wore myself out trying to start the thing. I am out there in my slippers, yes slippers....a pullin and a pullin...lookin around to make sure no one is there to witness then a... pullin and....a pullin...This must have gone on for about 5 min, but it felt like a lot more. Finally, I just left that blasted thing sitting right on my front walk. So...at least it would be like a sign or something to the neighborhood "YES!! She is GOING to mow the lawn!!" I called Brian at work and asked him to PLEASE at least just stop by and show me what was wrong with the mower....yep OMF was the problem (operator malfunction). So, I got the kids down for a nap, and ventured out for another try.

Still in my slippers, I mowed that lawn...to death I think. Yes, over the tree roots and rocks and rills.. that thing dragged me. You see, Brian had to get a self propelled lawn mower (make sure you say that with the proper little jingle to your voice...for effect...). And me, being the newbie at having to mow the lawn, could not seem to get the hang of disengaging the "drive train" as Brian called it. So, when the mower got in this spot by some dirt in a corner of the house, I was trying to pull it backwards to avoid this stump of a bush that we have in the yard. Let me just tell you, I don't know WHAT I was doing, but that mower had a mind of its OWN. I'm pulling and it drags itself over that stump chewin and chewin...it's front wheels drivin' and drivin'.. with such a force it was digging up the dirt, sending it back by the blower, and blowing it all over the place, including me!! How in the world? That's what I'd like to know. Anyway, I finally gritted my teeth and yanked that thing back as hard as I could....I'm angry all over just thinking about it.

So, the lawn is mowed. The lawn mower is still alive, and so am I, thank the Lord...Brian really scolded me when he found out I mowed the lawn in my slippers. At least it is dark now, and he can't see the lawn.

Grace

Grace is what the Lord blessed me with yesterday (our Sunday). Whenever we PCS and get into a new church we can always tell that we are in the right place because we are under constant attack! The devil must be really upset that we are in yet another good church because he worked overtime trying to keep us from going. Brian, who has worked alot of weekends since we have been here, actually had this weekend off...that is until someone messed up and put him on duty when he is on a detachment and supposed to be exempt from duty until this operation is over. Some Lt. called yesterday as we were getting ready for Sunday School and told Brian he had to stand 24hr duty. So we have to drop everything and get him ready to go. The girls and I made it for Church services amazingly. I told one of my friends about "somebody" trying to discourage us. So, then, I am on my way to choir practice, and as I am going out the front gate, one of the cones (due to construction going on) was moved out too far and I hit the curb on one side. I did not think I hit it that hard, but somehow, I blew both left tires!! So, here I am, by myself with 3 small children in the turning lane blocking traffic with not one, but two flat tires.
Here is how the Lord provided: the day before, Brian activated our cell phones, which I had mine with me.
-I was about 100meters from the MP hut, not just out in the middle of Okinawa.
-Couples from church kept stopping on their way and asking what they could do to help, which was such a great testimony for the MPs to see.
-One family took my girls to church while I arranged for towing to come through the MPs.
-I usually do not carry much cash with me at all, but had just gone to the ATM 5 min before.
-I was able to get a cab, and make it to church for choir practice...only 20 min late.
-I was provided a ride home, and a ride for Brianna to school today.
-Since Brian had duty last night, he has a flexible schedule today to take care of getting the tires fixed.
-We have money in our savings to take care of the expenses.
I am expecting even more trials...it just seems to be what I call my "time in the trenches" to grow. And, I am praising the Lord as He helps me to not only "get through it" but to be victorious in it. I truly felt a peace throughout the entire ordeal. Praise the Lord as He molds me and shapes me. Please PRAY that the Lord will continue to have victory in my life.
The Apostle Paul knew what it was to rejoice, even in trial....this is NOTHING compared to his trials, but knowing that he was given strength to rejoice in those huge things gives me confidence that I can rejoice in my small things.

The Last of the Gastropoda

Hello my gentle friendly snail
have you come to bid farewell-
two fallen comrades whose deaths you knew
a dear brother perhaps and sister too!
Oh, the grief that you must bear
to know the fate of such a pair
who as they made their slimey way
suddenly were gooey prey
"Of who!?" you ask, we won't mention names
but of this I know, twas not a game
a clumsy sole (yes, a pun intended)
blindly crunched...that's how it ended

A Make-up Lesson

.....for mommy that is. I had promised Brianna a special make-up and dress-up day, and as excited as Brianna was, she was a little unsure about some of the product I use. The very first thing that I got out was the foundation. Brianna said she wanted me to use it on my face first. I think she was only interested in the pretty pinks and purples of the blush and eyeshadow, but was willing to try this foundation stuff if I did it first. Brianna watched intently as I applied some of the foundation to a sponge first and then, as I started to put it on my face, her eyes got wide and she said, "Mommy! Is that stuff going to turn me all brown too?" ...Well, I guess that means it is time to switch out my summer color huh?

Princess Picnic

Here are my little princesses. We had a great time at our picnic!! The girls really enjoyed dressing up and having a little snack. I could not find any doilies, so I just used some cute scrapbooking paper as little place mats. I let them take their ponies to play with them in the roots of the tree pictured behind them. I think the whole thing cost me barely $10, and that was because I bought the potted flowers to use in my kitchen. So much fun. :) I wish I would have started doing these earlier.
My little Lily...snacky-cake princess. This little thing will eat almost anything!!

Princess Picnic

It was really foggy outside when I took this, but here is little Brianna on her very first day of school at Maranatha Acadamy. I miss her so much when she is gone...can't wait to homeschool!!

Brian has to work late so today is going to be theme picnic day!! I decided to have a princess picnic. I like suprising Brianna when I pick her up and have everything in the car ready to go. I am going to bring a princess dress-up outfit for each of them with beads and stuff. I am going to bring a pretty table cloth...even though we are doing this outside and some "fancy cakes" you know the little white cakes from Little Debbie. I figure I will put those on some pretty paper doilies and we can decorate paper crowns. We shall see!! I will post pictures when we get back and everything.