Mr. Mischievous

A day or so ago we were out as a family doing some fun thing or another. We piled into the car and took off... only to hear Elie squeal in shocked surprise (is that descriptive enough:o). She announced, "I fell back!"
Looking behind us, her feet stuck up in the air and the bottom of the seat faced us. We have a stow-n-go van, so the seats fold down into wells instead of pop out. There are a series of cords to pull to get this done, and if you skip one you can make the seat only fold part way... So you have something like a "backwards" seat.

Jadon - much to our total surprise - figured this out! And at our last stop as we were all piling in had quickly gone behind her and pulled the exact cord needed to pull this prank...


This is a "redo" of what happens! (Please overlook the messy van - we haven't cleaned it out in a while and have been semi living out of it due to all the showings of our home...)


Jadon then explained what he does... "I pull the cord with the number 2 on it and the seat falls back when we move the car forward, and sissy falls!" Of course, with gleeful delight all over his face. (Neither Bryce or I showed him this!!!)


This is my baby boy... a full fledged prankster of his own right! (at the tender age of 4 no less...)

Laughter

To make a brief list of life...

*Downhill battle for paychecks at work
*Need to sell house/move to better job market/make enough money to pay bills (well... find a job with will pay us the money we make in order to pay the bills)
*House on market, strangers sorting through personal items in closets, barn & garage - wondering if the off button in the freezer works (we loose close to $200 in frozen food for the month) - have to keep house spotless at all times.
*Pregnant! (yay!! we're having another boy!) abnormality shows up on ultrasound, supposedly nothing, level 2 genetic ultrasound ordered to confirm it's nothing. 2nd abnormality shows up - could mean nothing, could mean down syndrome or the fatal trisomy 18... not so great! Increased risk of preterm labor confirmed - increase that risk again for 2 abnormalities found in ultrasounds that could mean preterm induction...
*Planning a move/road trip across 10 states while pregnant and 10 weeks from due date... So glad grandparents are going with us!
*Husband get's fired for trying to negotiate as the last of his compensation package was being stripped... unemployment takes close to 3 weeks to start payments - if nothing is contested... we leave in four!

Looking at the list, we are seriously laughing! Dare we ask, "Can it get any harder?" Honestly, so much has been taken out of our hands at this point all we can do is sit back and watch God work.

We laugh as Bryce wanders from room to room not quite sure of why...
We laugh when we have repeated the same conversation twice and didn't realize it until half way through...
We laugh when the kids ask the same question for the 3rd time because we couldn't think of the words to the answer they needed...
We laugh when Bryce hits his head on the sun visor in the car, and then forgets why he wanted it moved...
We laugh when I start a sentence but forget why...
We're laughing at the reason Bryce's boss gave for firing him (it's seriously out there!)...
We're laughing that we're unemployed...
We're laughing because there is so little else we'd rather be doing right now.

We're together, the kids are relatively healthy, we just finished paying this months bills & have food in the fridge, we are being upheld in prayer and encouraged on all sides, through emails, phone calls, and random visits from friend who drop by to give us strawberries and meat and other wonderful gifts... seriously - the walls are crumbling, but the sunlight is coming in!

For anyone who finds themselves in a similar place, whether actually similar in circumstance, or just similar in another way - can we encourage you?

"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." Proverbs 19:21
"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." Proverbs 16:9
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
"With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26
"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27
"It it God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect." Psalm 18:32
"You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light" Psalm 18:28
"The Lord is my strength and my song: He has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise Him, my father's God, and I will exalt Him." Exodus 15:2
"We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield." Psalm 33:20
"For Great is your love, reaching to the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the skies." Psalm 57:10
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." Proverbs 3:5

We've had plenty of evenings full of tears, frustration, impatience, anger, fear and doubt - TONS of struggling with "why?" and where the heck is God right NOW?
One thing we know, and hope to pass on, is that God's big enough for all of that from us - and whether or not we can see clearly or feel fully, He is at work for us right now. If you're here in some similar capacity - know you're not alone!

Our prayer for you is that you'll find that sometimes, laughter is all you've got. It feels pretty darn good too... especially when things just keep getting harder. Whatever you face today - may you be able to laugh!!!

When it Rains it Pours...

...And we can either throw up our hands and dance in it or run for cover!

This week we found out that something which was supposed to be a nothing in the development of our unborn son may very well be a big something... potentially fatal something.

This comes at a time when we are trying to sell our house in a depressed economy, move our family across the country to Washington state, and deal with a volatile work situation.

This week has been filled with tears, anger, frustration, agitation and TONS of laughter. How ironic our lives have been!

As we wait for more tests to reveal more about what might be going on with our son, sort out how to sell a house long distance, pack, fight for a paycheck, plan a cross country road trip with an increased risk pregnancy, sort out fall enrollment details in another state for our older children, and keep the house spotless in the mean time, we have to sit back and wonder where is the peace in this life?

When coffee cups and strawberries become topics of argument, and the phrase "I'm a dork" set off peels of laughter for no reason we've learned to recognize God at work.
Do we think this is happening just because we're being taught a lesson? NO. But one of the things we've seen this week is specific ways God has been at work in us over the last few years; quietly, faithfully, cleaning up bad attitudes and mending open wounds... reconciling conflicting views and softening hard spots.

Right now we have no way of knowing what He's up to, or how things are going to turn out. But we are confident that He's here. Not because we're feeling Him or even seeing Him - but because we're in the midst of this we're seeing the evidence of His presence up to this point.

The day may come very soon when we are going to run for cover and cower in pain or fear and have to be dug out of miry depths... it may start to thunder very soon. But for now, it's only pouring. And we're just getting wet... maybe drenched. For today, though, we're dancing in it. Confident that all He's asked of us is for today. Hopeful that tomorrow the sun will shine instead.

And if not, we'll decide what to do then. Today we're dancing.

Knight in Shining Armor in Training

Driving home from Krispy Kreme doughnuts Elie and Jadon sat in the back of the car playing with balloons. Elie's popped and she started to tear up and cry, begging us to turn around and get another one. By that point we were well on our way home - a 20 minute trip one way, so the answer was no. She cried harder.

Softly we hear, "Elie, you can have my balloon." And Jadon was untangling the ribbon and handing the balloon over to her. She refused, wanting her own back.

Jadon's eyes were big and solemn as he thought about what to do next. His little voice piped up, "I'm going to do something really great!"

He turned to his sister and said, "I'll make you a new balloon!"

He sat and thought and then, "Mom, we just need to find something green, just like this, and then you need to help me write on it, just like this," (pointing to the Krispy Kreme logo on his balloon,) "and then we'll find one of these," he said, fingering the plastic insert that held the air in his balloon. "How would that be Elie?"

Being in somewhat of a snit, Elie shook her head and continued crying. She was set on returning to the store for another balloon.

Jadon's face fell. "Well, then I'll just pop mine too."

With that he began to work the plastic stopper out of his balloon and it quickly deflated. His eyes gleamed with pride as he showed his sister, who actually cracked a smile despite herself. The two of them began another round of games with their newly flat balloons...

In the Quiet Places of the Storms: 8 years of marriage

“After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper…” 1 Kings 19:12

This morning, June 2nd, as I spend time reading Scripture I am struck by how much I have to be thankful for. This is my 8th wedding anniversary, and I find myself deeply in love and entering into a contentment I’ve longed for all my life.
Looking over the last 8 years, we have been busy and run the gamut of struggles than many get to face over a lifetime. From a month before our wedding when my future mother-in-law nearly died from an infection, to contracting mono, a surprise pregnancy to months of disappointment while trying to conceive, to a family member’s death, issues with sex and raising our children, from financial prosperity to unemployment, under employment and debt, to disappointment in life, people and each other, and now being on the verge of our 9th move in eight years of marriage and awaiting the birth of our 3rd baby who may or may not have complications… We have been living the “for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, etc…” part of our vows with intensity.
I think we have fought just about every fight a couple can have. And there have been several times when I’ve been ready to give up and throw in the towel, convinced I didn’t sign up for this when I walked down the isle. We have also had the tremendous highs, when we click and soar together and laughter is spontaneous and life is so easy.
What I feel overwhelmed with gratefulness for this morning isn’t all the good times when we laughed and it was easy to love each other and ourselves, but all these trials, struggles – the earthquakes, fire and storms. I am deeply grateful for these opportunities to see ourselves transparently, to view life honestly and for the growth and maturity we’ve come to because of it all.
When I look back and see the waves of chaos we’ve ridden through together I see how closely God stayed by us and how faithful He’s been to us, especially when we were clueless and unappreciative. I see His quiet whispers, when He didn’t move our mountains for us, but He did teach us to hold hands as we climbed over them together. I see how He’s increasing our understanding of unconditional love, forgiveness and grace, to recognize true peace and to have the stamina for never giving up on what is good or right. He has humbled us and is teaching us about intimacy and just how much we need Him and how much we need each other.

Today, as I reflect on the promises I find in Scripture, and the years we’ve spent together I recognize that all of this good has been possible in my life because of the man I married eight years ago, who came into my life, turned it upside down and has been God’s perfect gift of perfect provision ever since. Today, I am truly content and at peace, thanks to all the storms and struggles – and for that I am deeply grateful and deeply in love.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

“He tends His flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart: He gently leads those that have young.” Isaiah 40:11

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified: do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342808913122551506" />