Torrential Rain and Sweet Prayers

For all of my faboulous readers...(ha ha) I think I have two followers and love them both dearly...anyway.....for all of my fabulous readers who don't live in DFW you missed quite the storm this week. On Wednesday one of my best friends came over to watch my boys as Adam and I met with our realtor. My oldest boy proceded to scream at her from his naptime bed because she refused to give into his fit and go pick up his blanket......finally he was so tired he fell asleep. Now please know he is about to start kindergarten and we are working on getting rid of the nap but friends don't make friends endure either boy without a nap...and yet the nap was the worst part for her.....storm #1....she survived and I think we are still friends!
Storm #2...meeting with the realtor...We have been trying to sell our house since December to no avail! We are overpriced and we know it and the housing market has dropped which would help when we get ready to buy but not sell! Our realtors are friends of ours and have been really great but today was tough! Basically we need to be prepared to have $20,000 to get out of this house and into the new one. Now I don't know about you but I don't have that sitting somewhere. So what to do now???? Rob a bank???? probably a bad idea..... Sell my first born??? at times tempting..... Let our house foreclose? that integrity thing gets me everytime... Any other ideas??? Looks like we may have to stay put. I love my house but HATE the new three story apartements that loom in back yard and cast shadows across it all afternoon (they are really that close). I also hate that it takes 911 an hour to come to my house AFTER they call me back when I leave a message on their 911 answering machine!!!! So much for help in an emergency! Please keep us in your prayers... we are trying to make the right, godly decision and we believe that going into debt to pay off debt is just not smart! I just need to win the lottery that I don't play!
Storm #3...the real thing...so I get home to my wonderfully compassionate friend and we share yucky stories together, begin making corn dogs for dinner (a dinner of champions, I know) and make plans for white cake with thick chocolate frosting (how else do you deal with such awful news?). Then the sky turned black and the clouds began to move like crazy... The news forecaster had shear (spelling?) markers everywhere. The neighbors had shingles standing striaght up on their house, trees were splitting fences were falling, I wasn't taking any chances. My friend took the boys to the walk in closet while I got pillows. I put the dogs in the bathroom and grabbed the pan of cooked corn dogs, ketchup, mustard, four cups and the pitcher of tea and took them to the closet where we had a corn dog picnic and waited for the storm to pass. Then for the rest of that night and all morning the next day the rain poured down and the thunder and lightning were relentless! I was thinking about Noah in the bible and how awful that must have been when my good friend called and said "I am so glad God did not call me to be Noah! I don't think I could have been obedient to Him." I agree wholeheartedly!!!!
So I hope these storms of life shall pass... I hope to gain clarity and peace in what to do about our house and the safety I want it to bring to my family.
Finally, I love to listen to my kids pray...... My youngest thanks God everynight for his mommy, and daddy. Sometimes he even throws in his brother. My oldest has begun praying more specifically for people that he knows are sick or need safe travel. During the storms he was praying God would make the thunder, lightning, and rain go away. But a few nights ago as he finshed praying he finished with this..."and God do people like superman, spiderman, and the transformers help you with all their work? I know they are good helpers and could really help you...amen!"

Crazy Connections

My oldest son will be 5 next week. Last week we were driving down the road and we drove past a neighborhood waterpark and of course he asked if we could go. I told him no, that it was still far too cold to go to waterpark. He got quiet for a few minutes and then responded, "Mom, do you know I have God in my heart?" I was shocked... I said "What do you mean?" He said, Well when I was at the water park I went all the way under the water." And so I am thinking where is he going with this??? Next he says, "But really mom! He thumps in there, so next time you drink that coke in church...I think I'll need some." Then it all comes clear to me and I am cracking up! So I said to him, "I think you are going to need to be little order before you are able to have some of that 'coke in church".
You see we have been in a church plant until this last year and all of our baptisms happened in backyard pools or waterparks. Then when we switched churches last summer we had a baptism service at the waterpark. Each time we talk about what that means. Then, at Christmas Eve service my oldest sat in "big church" with me and we took the Lord's Supper. (which he couldn't have and he was NOT happy about that) SO after church he had asked a lot of questions and I had answered them as best I could. So now he has put it all together. He understands the steps he has to take but doesn't quite get why we do them. I think that next time I take the Lord's Supper it will be hard to not giggle though as I drink my "coke".

I am thankful...
I am thankful that my oldest is learning and putting things together. After celebrating Easter all day we climbed onto one of the boys beds and began to pray. My youngest thanked God for Easter and the eggs and the bunny. My oldest's prayer was so simple. "Thank you God for my mommy, daddy, and brother. And thank you that Jesus came and died and went to live with the devil and then came back three days later." I am not sure where the went to live with the devil for three days part came from (we still have a few things to work out...) but he IS getting it! For Him church is becoming more than just a place to see his friends and he is asking us the questions he needs to so he can get it all together. Being a mom is so great! Just when I think Go has made a mistake trusting these sweet little boys in my care of me to mess up-we have these kind of conversations! I am SO thankful for His reassurance!

Easter!!!

Today we colored Easter eggs with our two little boys. They were in awe as the eggs turned colors. They kept putting them in and taking them out. Their fingers were so many different colors. At times this excitement led to much frustration for Adam and I as the dye would spill, or eggs were dropped. But all in all, it was a great time! I love their excitement over such a little thing!
Easter is one of my favorite holidays! It is a time when we get to celebrate without the awkwardness of opening presents while everyone watches and just hoping your expressions really show how much you appreciate something or someone. It is a time when there isn't the pressure of what to do, or who to invite, or what you should say in your cards. I love that I get to focus on my family at this time of year and there aren't expectations. But most of all, I love what this holiday means....
Christmas is nice because I get to celebrate my Savior, Jesus', birth. Yet, to me Easter is even better. Because Easter is about making Jesus my Savior. Before he sacrificed His life, after living it blamelessly, he was just another man. Many people say a good man, a man who did great things. Some people called his great things miracles, some called them coincidences. But when He was killed and put in a sealed and guarded tomb; yet, somehow managed to come back to life and live back on the Earth for 40 days before he ascended to heaven- that made Him extraordinary and divine. You see many people worship great men, Muhammad, Buddha, etc. And I must admit they were great men, but they weren't set apart like Christ was. They didn't die and come back to prove that they were who they said they were. And they didn't get beaten, and mocked and ridiculed and still forgive as they gave up their lives for people who didn't know that they needed him.
So tomorrow, as I celebrate Easter, I will be forever grateful. Because even when I didn't know I needed Him, He gave His life up for me. Even when I try to do things on my own, he stands by me and helps me anyway. Even when I don't understand why things are the way they are, or when I question Him, he remains forever patient with me. Because He is who he says He is, because He loves even when I am unlovable, because He made a way for me when I didn't deserve it- I will live for HIM!
Happy Easter everyone! I hope that this day means as much to you as it does to me.

TLA

I just returned from a three day trip to Houston. I was there for the Texas Library Conference. I am always amazed to talk to librarians from across the state. I feel refreshed and ready to go!!!
First, I want to post the Texas 2x2 list. These are books that are chosen by a panel of librarians that are the best books published from 2008 for 2 year old through second graders. For those of you who have children in this age group these are some great books to check out!
A Visitor For Bear by Bonny Becker, The Littlest Llama by Jane Browning Buxton, Quinito, Day and Night, Quinito, Dia y Noche by Ina Cumpiano, On the Farm by David Elliott, Ten Little FINGERS and Ten Little TOES by Mem Fox, How to Heal a Broken Wing by Bob Graham, Chicken Said, “Cluck!” by Judyann Ackerman Grant, What’s Up Duck? A Book of Opposites by Tad Hills, Uh-oh! by Rachel Isadora, Sort it Out! by Barbara Mariconda, Let’s Eat! ! A comer! by Pat Mora, Baseball Hour by Carol Nevius, Jack Wants a Snack by Pat Schories, No Babysitters Allowed by Amber Stewart, Roadwork by Sally Sutton, What Can You Do With a Rebozo? by Carmen Tafolla, Grumpy Cat by Britta Teckentrup, The Doghouse by Jan Thomas, Duck Soup by Jackie Urbanovic, and 10 Things I Can Do to Help My World by Melanie Walsh.
You can go to this website http://www.txla.org/groups/crt/2x2intro.htm for more information or activities to do with your child. There are some really great books on the list this year!
Finally, while at TLA I got to meet several authors which is always fun. My favorite quote of the week came form one of the authors' presentations. Jeanne DuPrau, the author of City of Ember, said something that really sums up many of the children's authors. I am not going to put it into quotes because I was writing while she talk and I don't want to miss quote! She said something like:
I don't write books for children because I like children, although I do like some children just like I like some adults, I write because I love to write.
To me this was so funny because there are many children's authors who love to write books for this age but are not fond of children, don't know how to speak to them, or are just flat out terrified at the idea of having to entertain a group of children.... Let this be a warning to you....if ever you take your child to meet an author be ready for anything! Of course there are MANY children's authors who write because they LOVE children and they are fabulous with them. :) I personally, loved Jeanne Duprau's Ember's series and thought she really was a good speaker. I was thankful for her honesty and how genuine she really was.

Giving in....

So I have decided that I am going to transform this blog... I have always been terrible and journaling and so I have been reluctant to blog.... I mean who cares what I am thinking or what I have to say about life. But after increasing pressure I am giving in. I have this blog because I needed it for my children's literature class. I intend to still post book reviews some because I am also being pressured about that but I am also going to add information about our family on here. So here goes....
This week was crazy. We had some friends get married this past weekend and Adam got to perform the ceremony! It was such a proud moment for me!! Then C got pink eye and my dear mother got to take him to the doctor since we were busy with the wedding. So the week gets going and N trips on his shoes and falls on the floor and hits his elbow and forearm. He says it hurts and won't move it- this is not surprising since he is my little drama king. So we decide to give it a day or two. He goes to school the next day and falls on it AGAIN!!! This time it swells up and he appears to have lost his elbow. Or as N says "My bone fell out!" So we get to go get X-rays which are still confusing because they say he might have a crack but they aren't sure give it a few days and see if the swelling goes down and he can move it.... As of today, Saturday. he can move it but when he bumps it he still has to give a little bit of a dramatic presentation! THEN on Friday, the school calls me to tell me that N has pinkeye now.... thank goodness the week is over. I hope next week is much better!

Sports Illustrated Kids: SIKIDS.com

Huey, John. (Editor-in-Chief) April 2008. Sports Illustrated Kids. Time Inc. New York, NY. SIKIDS.com

This magazine is a perfect addition to a young sports fan’s reading repertoire. Each issue comes with a color poster pull out, sports trading cards, sports pro interviews, and pictures. Many sports are included in each magazine. In the April 2008 issue sports that are covered include horse racing, hockey, gymnastics, baseball, basketball, and rock climbing. Boys and girls sports are both represented making this a magazine that any young sports fan will enjoy. All ads that are included are appropriate for young readers. The website SIKIDS.com is interactive and a fun addition to the magazine subscription. Many poll results, funny photo captions, and magazine comments that are submitted online are published in the magazine. The funny photo caption section is funny even for those who are not sports fans. A still picture of a sports figure in action is placed online and readers write creative captions. I found the comments to be extremely entertaining. I also enjoyed the section “What’s the Call” where the reader reads about a situation and decides what the official’s decision should be. Later in the magazine the answers are revealed so readers can check their officiating skills. This subscription is a “must have” in any children’s library.

THE TOP OF THE WORLD

Jenkins, Steve. 1999. The Top of the World: Climbing Mount Everest. Houghton Mifflin Company. New York, New York. ISBN 0395942187

This book gives fact about Mount Everest, statistics about the climbers that have set records, shows the gear needed to make a climb like Everest, and explains the thrills and dangers of climbing the tallest mountain on Earth. This non fiction book is fascinating for anyone who has ever thought about what it would be like to climb to the top of a mountain, especially Mount Everest. The pictures in this book are essential and are made of paper collage. Many of the pictures are diagrams of the mountain to help readers understand the distance that the text is referring to.