This is the life!

I woke up this morning to the smell of bacon (the first batch was burning) but luckily we've yanked all the batteries out of our smoke detectors that the smoke alarms didn't wake us up instead! All our kiddos were in the kitchen making us breakfast in bed! Rachele is our adopted daughter (not by law - by choice =) and she got the ball rolling on this! As I was finishing reading my mans blog this morning (he paid homage to our marriage), the tears were streaming down like mad and here walks in 3 of the most adorable people in the world with breakfast in tow...aaahhhh!

Then they present a basket of goodies to us! Gift cards galore! Good & Plenty and Dutch Bro's coffee bucks for me! Starbucks card and sprinklers for Brent! They know us too well!

So this is how our 17th year has begun...I couldn't be more happy! I am so richly blessed! My coffee cup runneth over!

yes those are mine and B's Macs in the background

Round 2!

I think I'm gonna puke! I mean, blow Holy Chunks...sorry...

This is the day my kids have waited for since the end of June. High School Musical 2 made its debut at 5:00 Pacific Time today! As if 1 wasn't enough. I am ashamed to admit that even I know the words and moves to the first movie.

Even though we are knee deep in a room addition - life as we know it has STOPPED! It's all about Troy Bolton and no one else...Mom who?!! So in the middle of a great scene I keep asking my kids for help - I'm getting a huge kick out of it too! This will be the first of 82 times we will be tortured with this Disney Classic. Oh my- I just peaked at a scene...over actors!

Confession: I know every word to every song from the original Grease! Although I poke fun at my kids, I must admit that was me in the late 70's. I lived and breathed all things Grease! I crushed on Danny Zuko and cried the first time I saw him sing "Stranded At The Drive-In" when Sandi bailed on their date...sniff-sniff... So I know exactly what's going on inside my kiddo's little minds and hearts. To be young again! What a time!

What's your favorite movie and why?

Happy Anniversary!

Friends, this Saturday the 18th, Brent and I will celebrate our 16th Anniversary! I won't get mushy here - but if you're hankering for a warm fuzzy go here.

We have no major plans for Saturday. In fact, we don't have one plan at all to celebrate our big day! But...we get to spend the entire weekend together as a family building Dakota's bedroom, painting the girls' room and just "being". I like that! I love to do things like this.

Each day with Brent (i'm gettin my cheesy on) is awesome! But it's true! We just love to be together and I can't think of anyone else I would rather spend my days with. Then to have the whole family a part of our Anniversary makes me realize all we have accomplished together and how far we've come. Hmmm...sounds like a song =)

How do you all celebrate milestones in your relationships? Wedding anniversaries, dating anniversaries, it's been a month since our 1st kiss anniversary...Anything you can think of! I'd love to know?

Road Trip!

So we're heading back home this morning. My father in law will probably go home in a couple days. We will continue to keep all of you up to date on his progress..AND we are trusting there will indeed be progress!!!

So, although I won't check blog land until after I get home tonight, I have to ask you all a question...How do you deal with long road trips? We have 2 kids 10 & 13, and they do very good actually. But it's me!!! I can't read in the car...I will blow Holy Chunks if I try. If Brent has his ipod I'm usually forced to listen to cheesy 80's rock and ballads! If Kass has her ipod playing I have to listen to the same Paul Wright and Toby Mac songs over and over and over until one wished horrible things on someone else =o Then Kota, he sits directly behind me and insists very 3 minutes I turn around and look at what he's drawing or reading...again, Holy chunks! I love road trips - but just not with these people!

How do you make the best of the road?

Update...

Kimball is out of surgery and is doing good!

Let me first give the Doctor Details... They found massive vasculitis. All major native cells are clogged, this is where all his pain is coming from. But the vessels they harvested 3 years ago during his quintuple by pass, 3 of those have excellent blood flow. So that is fairly good news. The bad news is, they couldn't do anything for him today.

The good news is they do not feel the condition of his heart at this time puts him at risk for another heart attack. The docs will have him on Nitro for his vessels and pain management. They suggested doing another Angiogram down the road. Kimball still has pneumonia, his lungs are still full but not getting worse - that is very good!

We will work on getting him healthy to preach his last sermon at First Baptist on September 30th. He then retires and will move down to Southern Oregon to be with us and the rest of the family. He will likely continue on in ministry. That is his passion - he could never retire from doing the work of the Lord! I guess the Lord has much more work to do through Kimball - for that we are so incredibly grateful; for us personally and for the Kingdom!

We are also grateful to all of you for your prayers and concern! You know how I feel about you all, or "y'all", beings most of you are Southern Gals! I wish I could personally thank each of you for your outpouring of prayer and concern...I love you all!

Psalm 33: 20-22 "We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone." Praise the Lord!

What a day!

Kimball, my father in law, is having surgery first thing in the morning. He should be in recovery by 8:30 a.m. I do not know how soon after I will be able to post - but I will try to asap.

I saw him last on Friday. He looked terrible to be perfectly honest. Very gray and yellow in color - lifeless. Today I walked in his room and he was pink! It was the most beautiful shade of pink I have ever seen! And it was on him!

I think I should share with you all very quickly here why Kimball means so much to me. My real father (whom I refer to as sperm donor - just being honest) left when I was 3. It's a much longer story than that - but for sanities sake that's all I'll say. There were other "father figures" in my childhood that were extremely abusive. I never had a positive male figure in my life. Then all in one year, at age 19, I met the most amazing 3 male figures - The Lord, my husband and my precious Kimball. The Lord is my Father - Brent is the father for my children I always wanted and dreamed of, Kimball is the picture perfect dad I longed for my whole entire life! He is my dad! And no one can tell me any different! He is a man of integrity, class, compassion, respect, godliness, discernment, wisdom, knowledge, gentleness and love. He has always considered me his own and has treated me, from the very beginning, like his special little girl. And I love him as my own dad... Sorry, that wasn't quick...

As Kimball heads in to heart surgery this verse comes to mind. It's actually out of our favorite Psalm....Psalm 73:26 "My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart, he is mine forever."

God is our hope!

Monday, Monday - La-la-la-la-la-la

Did you sing along with my title up there? Mama's & the Papa's...

Anyway...it's actually Sunday night. Brent and I are sitting next to each other in bed, each on our laptops, spending quality time with one another, talking to other people on their blogs. It takes a secure relationship to do this hours on end...

We leave tomorrow for Eugene to be with B's parents. Dad's surgery is scheduled for Tuesday. I will keep you all posted the minute I can, I promise! Thank you all again and again for your prayers, thoughtfulness, concern and kind words.

I was checking my blog tonight to find yet another comment regarding my father in law and became very overwhelmed. Not just "overwhelmed" but "very overwhelmed". I cannot believe the relationships that have been created and built on in such a short time. I have been blogging now for only a month and a half and have found some of the most genuine friendships with some of the most incredible people. You all have blessed me in so many ways. I did not know what to expect when I started blogging - but I do know I didn't see this coming! I am so grateful to have found you all! I truly feel like my life has enriched as I read your blogs, your personal thoughts, your confessions, your wisdom, your thoughts on God and Worship, your view on life. Thank you for sharing - thank you for inviting me in!

Philippians 1:3 - Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God!

Calling All Prayer Warriors!

I am sorry to post that my precious Father-in-Law has come down ill again. The seizure he had a couple weeks ago caused him to come down with pneumonia. In the process of discovering this, doctors have also come to the conclusion that he will need an angiogram/plasty to possibly put stints in his heart to open up his arteries.

All these health problems have been caused, primarily, from lupus. That being said, this makes him a much more special case as his immune system is very low. We do not know how well he will fair through this next procedure. He is expected to have surgery no later than Tuesday. All the family is going up to Eugene to be with him and Lynda, my mom in law.

Kimball, my dad in law, is only 65. He is retiring in 6 weeks. They are moving down here to Southern Oregon to be with the rest of us and the Grandkids. He is planning to minister in any way he can here for as long as the Lord will allow. I pray the Lord will choose to give Kimball many, many more years!

I know you all will be faithful to pray...so thank you ahead of time and Lord Bless You All! I will keep you posted as often as I can...

Much Love to you!

Tagged!

So I get a heads up from Mandy last night that Brent and I are getting a Marriage Tag and she felt strongly to tell us both not to compare answers..."Yes Mom" AND...we didn't! Yay! I haven't read Brent's answers yet but it's on his blog too!

Thanks Mandy - it was lots of fun! You have to check out her answers folks - GREAT stuff!

OK - so, NO, B and I are not comparing answers! This oughta be fun!

1- In 9 days, August 18th, we will be married for 16 years! Makes us sound old but we’re not! We’re both 36 and feel, and hopefully look, a lot younger! We have a 10 yr old son and 13 yr old girl.

2- He asked me to marry him on October 10th 1990. But if I have to be honest here - I actually asked him this…”So when are you gonna ask me to marry you?!” We’d been dating 2 months…SLACKER!

3- Our wedding cost 500 big whopping dollars! His father married us, his brother was his best man, HIS mom was my best woman! I designed my own dress (I can still fit into it - yay!!!) We had 600 people at our wedding, 8 of which we knew. And our pictures will show Brent sporting a Mullet! And I STILL married him!

4- Our song was Steven Curtis Chapmans “I Will Be Here”… I still tear up when I hear that!

5- I love and enjoy being with Brent more than I do anyone else on this planet! I can not think of a better person to spend my time with…”He completes me!” Oh my gosh - that is even funnier to type!!!

6- God could call us to the furthest corner of the world and it would be “home” and “right” simply because Brent would be there!

7- I have no idea what B’s answers will be - but I bet he will be more deep than me…It’s all about brownie points with him! Hee-Hee! But I’m not wasting #7 on that remark…

7a- We very seldom argue or fight. Less than a handful of times. But boy can we have a deep and intense discussion???!!!! We’ll “intensely discuss” anyone to their knees in despair =o

8- 8 already! I became a Christian, literally, days before we started dating. B knew the pit from where I had come from. He knew the life I had lived. He knew “most” things I had done. And yet he saw me as the “New Creation” I was. He showed me, from the very beginning, what it meant to have the character of God…he showed me grace and mercy… I will forever be indebted to my husband for choosing to love the “new me” and never holding the “old me” against me! I love you B!!!!

Birds & Bee's Update

So my little guy called tonight. He said he and dad were having lots of fun fishing and eating junk food...but not eating fish. Brent said the fish would just swim up and stare at them!

But this was my conversation with Kota...

Kota - Oh-uh, yah, we had that "talk" mom.
Me - Oh you did! How did that go? (teeth clenched, beginning to sweat)
Kota - Um, well, ya know it, it really wasn't what I thought.
Me - Oh, really (uncomfortable silence...duh-duh-duh-duh...)
Kota - Yah, um it was kinda awkward...
Me - I understand son... So have you been brushing your teeth????

Cuz I'm A WOMAN!

Ya know why I'm so stinkin' happy today? Brent and our son just left for a 2 day camping trip! Cool in and of itself. But my man is doing something with our son that I ain't doin'. That's right friends, it's Birds & Bee's time! And because I am a woman (hands raised in the air rejoicing my brilliant God) I don't have to have this talk with him!

I thought about my single mama friends and what I'd do if I were also a single mom...HIRE SOMEONE! I've no shame! I highly recommend it in fact.

I had no problem talking to Kass about this - but there's something about me and my little boy...I can't explain it. I would be cracking up the whole time! And I just can't draw all that well. Besides, Kota would be making jokes and would likely walk away with a lot more questions than answers. Brent can command attention much better than I can, and so I pass the baton to him!

So they'll do some fun guy stuff... fishing, f**ting, eating lots of junk, burping, scratching...good bonding-like things. Brent will cleverly sneak the "talk" in there and hope for the best! And they'll come home enlightened - hopefully Kota more than Brent!

Oh The Power!

So one cannot dispute the Power of Prayer or the Power of our Faithful God! My father in law, Kimball, just arrived here in town. My mom-in-law, Lynda, drove down from Eugene today (165 miles) Kimball had to be the passenger for the first time ever. The Doctors took his license away yesterday. I would have loved to be a fly in that car! But did you catch it??? HE'S HERE!!!! Totally amazing! He looks fantastic!

The docs ran a couple CT Scans yesterday and failed to find any clotting in his chest, heart and lungs, or brain. The next step is an MRI. They feel the grand maul seizure could be blamed on one of his many meds or complications from the Lupus. Either way, questions need to be answered and a solution would be wonderful. But having said that...HE'S HERE! I mean really, to what could we possibly attribute his arrival today outside the fact that so many of you are praying for him and God is, yet again, proving Himself to be bigger and badder than I sometimes give Him credit for!

Now, regarding my opening sentence, I must ask my own self a question...Would I be praising God the same right now if the circumstances were different? As God would happen to have it lately in my life, He has been speaking to me very loudly regarding this exact issue - and I have to say my answer is...Absolutely! God is not only faithful, He is just! He is all knowing! His thoughts and ways are higher than ours! I cannot and will not always comprehend His will or orchestration of things. But I do know, that right now- this very moment, is all we're promised! I am sure of this because I'm in this moment. Kimball is here, this moment, this is what we have and know and can count on! I will praise God for this! And only He will get the glory and to Him only it belongs!

We will continue to put our hope in the Lord. We will continue to pray for healing...however, or wherever, God chooses to heal. We trust that His perfect will will continue to unfold...and we wait in expectation...

Thank you for praying for our family! Please continue to do so as you feel lead and know that we are so very grateful!


Here's a face to put with your prayers. This is Kimball and Kota 3 years ago in Maui 3 months after Kimball's quintuple bypass surgery! He's a medical wonder I tell ya!

Please pray...

My father in law, that I mentioned in my Painting and Twila post ,who is retiring from First Baptist just had a major seizure. He was taken by ambulance and is at the hospital now. I will keep you all updated as I get updates. Thank you so much!

What a sight - What a sound!

My daughter and Shell (our, basically, adopted 19 yr old) just walked out to our front porch with guitars in hand. It's after 10 pm, Monday night. The air outside is warm. It's a beautiful summer evening! I am sitting here in the dining room listening to the most beautiful worship music and singing come from underneath the starry sky. There they sit in and under God's enormous and marvelous creation singing to Him a couple love songs! Life doesn't get much sweeter than this!

Shell leaves tomorrow to Indonesia on a missions trip with FCA - Please pray for the lives that will be touched and changed there... And for Shell - she's nervous!

Here's a song Kass, my daughter, and I wrote - "Lead Me On". She wrote the music then we co-wrote the lyrics. She blesses me! Sorry about the wind chimes in the back ground =o

Here she is!

My beautiful little niece has arrived. On July 3rd Ava Mayree entered our world! She is stunning!

Little Elliot loves his sissy and has taken on his big brother role rather easily.... Here he is introducing her to God's word - priceless!

Are you regular?

My son just informed me he heard that people over a "certain" age who eat french fries stay regular. I asked, "what age?" "Ummm, it rhymes with nerdy" Gee thanks dude! Fries anyone?

Hugz Are Still Free

Ahhh...These are the days I cherish! He still holds my hand. Loves to "nuggle". Can't wait for bed time prayers. Is sure to tell me often that he'll never leave me or ever break my heart. He tells me I'm pretty. And when he gets rich he's gonna build me the biggest house ever! He loves to make me laugh. Hugz me in public and reassures me he always will.... I hope so....

The Birds & the Bee's...and Wrestling?

I thought long and hard for 2 minutes on whether or not I should share this. My conclusion...I should!

Ten year old boys just know everything about everything these days! It was one of the funniest moments of my Mommy-Hood life. And scariest. The kids, a family friend and I were watching T.V. when a sexually suggestive commercial came on. I clammed up on behalf of my son, Kota, as I sneaked a glance over at him just in time to catch him sinking into the couch with his face buried in his hands. I giggled and asked if he was ok. "No mom! That's gross! It's sex!" "Well Kota, no, they're just showing a little affection toward each other." Trying to make light of it. But while we're on the topic...I peek over to see the look on my friends face that was screaming "Please don't ask!" I asked anyway..."So Kota, do you know what sex is?" Oh my goodness, I was so not ready for this one! He instantly gave me that HELLOOOOO look and nonchalantly replies..."Yah, it's rubbing and preferred wrestling". Off the chair I go!!! You couldn't have paid my friend or I a million bucks to stop laughing. To add to his disturbing reply, he actually motioned the rubbing! Which, by where his hands were placed, it appears the outside of a womans shoulders are very appealing to boys his age. What have playgrounds turned into! Perplexed by our reaction he chimed in between our outrageous laughter to say, "Dad really needs to talk to me about the birds and the bee's mom." In walks Dad....

I want her crib back!

Where did she go? My little girl? My first born? When did this happen? I must be coming out of the longest blink in history! My daughter, 13 years old, just left for 2 weeks to camp. She's been to camp many times before. But for some reason this time is really getting to me. Maybe because I'm too aware that I'm getting closer to 40 and she's getting closer to High School. Very sobering. I stood on our front porch as she drove off with the Grandparents as I bawled like a lost child in the supermarket. We live on 2 acres and have quite a long driveway. I was waving furiously as they turned on to the road repeating to myself "Please let her see me - Please let her see me." They started around the curve of the road, the car just out of view and my heart sank. Then the most beautiful sound...3 taps on the car horn. Three taps as if to say "I" "Love" "You"... She saw me!

My nephew has something to say...

I have a new baby sister! She came yesterday, July 3rd. She's small, 6lbs 6oz and 18 1/2 inches. My name is Elliot. Sissy doesn't have a name yet!

Update: Sissy got a name tonight...
Ava Mayree!