I knew I had another one ...

Last night I dreamed that my neighbor (her name is Kate too) got a bear as a pet and wanted to keep it. The problem was we were on the road with a ... wait for it ... a traveling softball team. That's right. We were semi-pro or something ... not really. I don't know where the softball thing came from.

Anyway, she had it in a cage and was trying to hide it from people, but we had to feed it quite regularly to keep it quiet. It wasn't working out so well because we were supposed to be with the team, but were sneaking off to grocery stores to find food and things for the bear.

We got caught a few times. The one time police were involved. That was scary, and I started to think to myself, "Why am I helping her hide this animal when I don't want a bear. I don't think she should have a bear (because it's only going to get big and eat her!), and it's just not really conducive to our situation of traveling with this team, not to mention her husband was with us. It's husbands' jobs to do crazy things like that for their wives!"

Soon after I started thinking that, the coach and assistant who kept busting us and reporting us decided she could keep it and we wouldn't have to keep sneaking around after all. Go figure.

I'm exhausted ...

Dreams

Ugh. The dreams I have had lately have been so vivid and frustrating and funny all at the same time. No wonder I am so tired lately.

A few examples ...

I met Tim McGraw and his wife, but I couldn't remember her name! I was their hostess for some event and even though I was trying to avoid saying her name I couldn't. She finally corrected me and told me that wasn't her name. Not only that, my dear friend Kerry LOVES Tim McGraw (and I mean LOVE). So, Tim was very cool and was fine with the fact that I was trying to call Kerry on my cell so she could talk to him (yeah because I'm a nice friend like that). So, while Tim was cool and seemed to appreciate all I was doing for them, his wife Faith (I now remember her name) wasn't so fond of me. I can't say I blame her.

I also dreamed that we lived in a duplex (a connected double house) next to friends of ours we know through the school. Thankfully her husband in my dream was not the same husband in real life. Her husband in real life is very nice. The one in my dream, not so much. He kept going in and taking my kids out of their beds after I would put them to bed! He would take them over to his yard and let them play! A little creepy and very much annoying, especially since he denied it when I confronted him. I did confront him too. I woke myself up because I was a little loud about it. I couldn't get the words out either. Do you ever have those dreams where you want to yell at someone, but you can't get your voice loud enough or get the words just right? I hate that. I woke myself up twice trying to yell at him to keep his paws off my kids. I was really creeped out, and his wife refused to believe me. It went on and on and on. I knew we were going to have to move.

This is just a sample of my dreams lately. My nights have been full of activity and not any of it productive, mostly frustrating and the kind where you wake up wondering if it really happened or if you just dreamed it. Thankfully, so far they have just been dreams.

Yikes.

Not So Smart ...

I totally missed a baby shower that I could have gone to that I thought I couldn't go to, but I could have. Argh.

Thanksgiving is throwing me off this year. It's usually this weekend so when I got the invite to the baby shower I thought we would be away. I still planned to RSVP and send a gift with someone else I knew who was going though.

Well, the invite was a handmade one, really cute, and apparently Elijah loved it too because I found him carrying it around a few times. Well, out of sight, out of mind, until I was cleaning Madelyn's room on Friday. What do I find? The invite. I thought, "Oh, I missed the RSVP date, but I'll still try to get a gift for the shower."

Well, yesterday I saw that Stephanie (who the shower was for) posted on FB that she had a great time at the shower, etc. WHAT??? I could not believe it. Did I have plans yesterday? No. Could I have made it to the shower? Yes. All I did was grocery shop yesterday! Ugh. Stephanie doesn't live nearby so it's not the kind of thing where I can just drop in and say hi with a gift sometime.

Such a bummer. But, you know who was happy? Dan. Why? Because he read my blog the other night. So, what does he say, "I guess I'm not the only forgetful one in the house now am I?"

Ugh.

Flashback

Elijah is very much into locking doors now. So, I'll go upstairs to see what he is doing and he'll be in his room with the door locked. Thankfully, when we moved in we replaced all of the door knobs and so we have keys to unlock the doors. It is very annoying though.





So, lately when I take Daisy out or run to get the mail I have been making sure to unlock the main door just in case Elijah decides to close it behind me. This has caused me to have this flashback ...





When Madelyn was around a year old she locked me out of the house. I had gone out back with Liezl, our miniature schnauzer we had at the time. I heard the main door close behind me and got that sinking feeling in my stomach because I realized my little child was now closed inside of my house. I had no way of getting to her.





Our house in MD was a ranch so our windows were close to the ground. I was always very careful to keep them locked. So, now that I was locked out I was regretting being so on top of things. None of our neighbors had a key, and the best part is I was in my pjs. The pjs I had on were not warm fuzzy full coverage pjs. No. They were the little shorts, clingy shirt type pjs because it was warm out (thankfully!). And, you guessed it, no bra. So, the idea of going to a neighbors house in that attire was not appealing, especially the family next door who homeschooled and had young boys.





What was I to do? I remembered for some reason that the front living room window might be unlocked. We had a bench on our back deck so I carried that to the front of the house, set it under our living room window, and praise the good Lord above that it was unlocked. It was a little tricky climbing in, what with the fact that I am vertically challenged and was wearing the short pj shorts, but I did it.





Madelyn, in the meantime, had just continued playing on the floor like she had been and just sort of looked at me curiously as I awkwardly fell through the font window onto our couch. I knew under that front window was the best place for the couch.

How could this sweet little face do such a thing to her mama?

Little Huggers

We had story time this morning.

When Madelyn went to story time she would sit there quietly enjoying the story. She saw no need to participate in the songs and dances they did. She would sit them out.

Elijah, well, he's different. We are usually just a minute or so late even though we live the closest, but this morning he decided to use the potty right as we should be walking out the door. Anyway, when he gets to the rug he will usually announce that he's there and then sit on the cloud with the number 3 on it. Why? Because he is 3! He announced that the first few times as well.

Then he talks his way through the rest of story time. Today was about getting sticky and taking bubble baths. When they were pretending to wash he told Miss Barb she wasn't washing she was "rubbing her tummy!"

Okay, but the best part is when a little girl named Meadow comes over and sits down next to Elijah. Remember this is while Miss Barb is reading a book to the children. Meadow sits down, looks at Elijah and says, "Hi!" Elijah smiles and says, "Hi." Reaches over, puts his arm around her, then pulls her in and kisses her on the cheek!

"HEY!" yells Meadow and then she marches right back over to where her mom is.

A minute later Meadow came back. The same thing happens. He kisses her and then she heads back over to mom.

A minute later, again. Three times before she stops going to Elijah and goes to another little girl.

It was so funny! Her mom and I were cracking up silently watching all of this play out.

He's a little hugger though. If you see Elijah, chances are he will want to hug you. That's why Jessica tries to hug him every time she sees him because as she says, "He just seems like he wants one." And, he does :o)

Life With Dan

I wouldn't change it for the world.




I love my husband. He truly is my best friend and makes me laugh regularly. He's the best. He is so loving, giving, caring, gentle, funny, strong, logical, and forgetful. Very forgetful.






He has come a long way though. He has really made an effort to figure out ways to remember things like when I call him at work and ask him to pick something up on his way home. He will write a sticky note and put it on his steering wheel. So, now it's just a matter of remembering the sticky note. There have been many times when he has pulled into the driveway only to realize he forgot to do something and drove back to do it. Remembering things is just not one of his strongsuits.






He is so smart though. Ask him the Gettysburg Address and he can give you all the details, maybe even word for word. He knows names of Senators, Presidents, even our state leaders. He knows the Bible, theology, philosophy, and sports, even though he doesn't really follow sports.






He is just one smart man. I can read an article and two minutes later try to tell Dan about it. I'll have already forgotten the names of the people. I'll get the basic premise, but the details are hard to remember for me. Not Dan. He is smart as a whip!







Keeping track of his wallet is another story. Even our extended family knows how he is with this. He is not the typical man who carries his wallet in his back pocket. He'll put it all kinds of places.







There have been a few times when we went away that he forgot some important things like his bag, the whole bag. He left it on our bed. We had to go shopping for clothes for him because we were going to a baptism where he needed to wear something other than athletic pants and sneakers. He forgot his suit once when we were going to a wedding, another last minute shopping spree. He went to DC overnight and forgot his wallet. Just yesterday he packed to go away and he told me last night he packed tan pants, but brought the wrong sports jacket with him so he has no coat or anything while he's there. Not to mention I had to take an important piece of clothing to him that I found lying on the bed after he left.






Last week I was waiting for something from his school's secretary. I kept asking Dan throughout the week, but he didn't know anything about it. Finally, after a week I asked the secretary. Turns out she gave them to Dan a week before. She set it on his desk and he put it in his bag and had no recollection of anything. There was one time he gave me a bridal shower invite 3 months after the shower. Someone gave it to him at school and it never got to me.



He'll clean out his bag and we'll find money or gift cards that people have given to him as gifts that he forgot about.



You just have to laugh. It is pretty funny. He is the perfect example of an absent-minded professor. He is brilliant, yet can't remember the simple things. I love it. I wonder if George Washington was the same way. Did Martha get frustrated with him because he would pack to go away, but then she'd find he didn't pack underwear?





Still, I am a better person because of Dan. So what I've probably missed out on a few other events because I never got the invite. We've been together since my freshmen year of college, and I truly have learned so much from him. I just do my best to help him remember. Isn't that what a "helpmate" is for?

Dan with a sleepy face Christmas morning ... (sigh)

... makes my heart go pitter-pat ...

New Kitchen Floor! Yippee!!

HOORAY!!!!!! I am getting a new kitchen floor today!!!! YIPPEE!!!



Have you seen my current kitchen floor? It's atrocious, especially since I have refused to mop it for the last few weeks because I know a new floor is coming.



You may be grossed out by that statement, but I can honestly tell you that a good mop job on the current kitchen floor makes no difference. It still looks horrible. I don't enjoy cleaning and I especially don't enjoy it when you cannot enjoy the end result because it looks no different. I do vacuum it quite regularly though because if I didn't we would be knee deep in dog hair, but that's besides the point.



I honestly don't even know what the original color of the floor was. It's original to the house. Our house was built in 1985, 23 years ago. Lanoleum just doesn't stay pretty for that long.



I like our house. There are very few things I would change if I could, but overall I really like our house. I think it suits us perfectly. The only thing I have not liked about our house is the kitchen floor. This wouldn't be a problem if I wasn't in the kitchen for the majority of my waking hours. But, every day there it is looking dirty, gross, and outdated, screaming at me for an update. A friend of mine even commented after we moved in that she thought it was just dirty. Nope, just faded and looked dirty all the time.

I have pictures, but I'm at the library right now so I'll have to post them later.

In the meantime, my new floor is being installed as I type this and I really do believe I may hug the man when he's all finished. Then I will just sit or lie on the floor for a while soaking in the newness and cleanliness of it all.

Another fun evening ...

Poor Elijah has a sinus infection :( I hate when the babes are sick. I know all mothers do, but I still have to say it.

I had a 4:30 appointment for him to see the doctor. We didn't get out of there until 5:15. We still needed to pick up his meds, hit Walmart, etc. so poor Dan was on his own for dinner before his meeting tonight.

I don't know what it is about the evening hours, but the conversations are the best! On our way to Walmart I asked the kids what they wanted for Christmas. Madelyn says a Webkin and Elijah says a snowman.

"Do you want a stuffed snowman?" I asked.

"That sounds like a good idea because then you won't get cold when you hug it!," says Madelyn.

"I want one that is made out of snow and jelly." ... Yeah, that's what he said. Won't that be a bear to wrap!

We then went to Walmart and thankfully found a winter coat for Madelyn. It's been on my list of things to do for about 2 weeks now. I've looked. We just haven't found the right one. I do over think these things. I'll admit it, but when I know I am going to have to be looking at this coat for the next few months in the dead of winter when life is generally just a little harder, I want it to be the right coat. Okay? Okay. (Do I have issues?)

The coat from last year (and the year before that) was a little small on her this year. The sleeves were showing way too much of her arms, but she loves the coat and was even showing a little resistance tonight at getting a new one. She doesn't like to try things on either so I think that was part of it too. I finally told her she didn't have to get a coat and that I would try to find something cute for myself then. She changed her mind.

So, I had it in my head that her current coat was size 5T. So, naturally, I'm looking at size 4/5 and 6 to see which fit her best. Well, they were all so big and bulky on her. She wears a size 6 pant, but the coats just seemed so broad on her at the shoulders. I didn't know what to do because I didn't want to buy her a new coat from the toddler section that would already be small on her.

Finally, I looked at the size of the coat she had been wearing, and well, let's just say it wasn't a 5T. It was size 3T!! My daughter is 6 years old wearing a size 3T coat. Oh my. I could not believe it. She probably should not have even been wearing the coat last year! I don't know. We were laughing about it though.

It all worked out because we ventured over to the Toddlers section and found some cute coats that fit her really well, size 5T, and best of all it only cost $18. The Girls section had coats for $35!

Madelyn is thrilled too because it has Sleeping Beauty on it. It is a pretty coat. It's pink with some yellow. I'll post a picture when I get one of her in it. She can't wait to wear it to school tomorrow. She even said she would wear it for the rest of her life if she could, but changed her mind when she realized she would be really hot in it at the beach.

She even made a comment about how happy and excited I would be if it were my new coat. Too funny.

We then ate a healthy dinner at McDonald's. We went inside and ate which is always a treat for them. The worst part about that was there was a tv in there showing cartoons. Do restaurants think I don't want to engage my children when we go out to eat, or to the grocery store, or anywhere for that matter. Do we really need tv every where we go?? I hate that. So, we sat and ate and I pretty much just watched my kids eat while zoned into the muted tv showing some horrible cartoon. I would have moved, but I realized the other side of the room was showing Fox News with soldiers making some raid on a place with huge machine guns, etc. Oh well.

It was still a fun evening with the kiddos.

Side note: I don't know what it is about Sleeping Beauty, but Madelyn really likes her. I mean all the girl did was get cursed, prick her finger, and then sleep for 100 years until a prince woke her up. I asked Madelyn tonight why she liked her so much and she said, "She's a princess." Plain and simple. It's a good thing she likes her because that was the only princess coat in her size.

She used to love Cinderella when she first became interested in princesses, and we do talk about the attributes of the different princesses. Cinderella is responsible, always doing her duties even though she doesn't want to. Belle is the smart one because she reads all the time. Jasmine just needs to wear more clothes, and there's just not much to say about Sleeping Beauty or Snow White. Ariel is terribly disobedient, but girls love her. On election day first grade held an election for the best princess and Ariel won.

I take Madelyn's friend Jadah home with us once a week, and she happen to come home with us on election day. They were telling me about the princess election and how they both voted for Ariel. Then Jadah says, "Poor Cinderella only got 2 votes."

"That's a shame," I said. "She's the responsible one. Ariel is so disobedient."

"She's independent," says Jadah.

"i.e. rebellious and disobedient. Her father tells her not to do things and she goes ahead and does them anyway. Not to mention she gave up her voice for a boy! Her voice!"

"OH! Now we understand sweet mother," they said in unison. "We see your wisdom and will change our ways."

Okay, not really, but I can dream can't I?

Dads

I love Dads who are more than willing to care for the children while the mom goes out. And, I love moms who can totally relax in these situations even though they know that things won't be done quite the way they would want them to be.

I like to think I'm that kind of mom, but there are times when I do just shake my head.

Times ... like these ...

I think it was the night I ran over to the library to pick up a book or something before they closed. Dan got bed time started.

When I arrived home and went upstairs to Madelyn's room what do I find? Dan and Madelyn lying on her bed reading while Elijah stood in Madelyn's dormer COLORING ON THE WALL WITH A MARKER!!!

I freaked out.

I said, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?? YOU DON'T COLOR ON THE WALL!!!" Poor Elijah starts crying because he was just "drawing a ghost," and Dan says ... (I still can't believe he said this) ... "Madelyn said they could." ... That's right. I'll give it a minute to sink in. I sure needed that minute for it to sink in after he said it.

I think I stammered and stuttered before I was able to get out a "WHAT???" I half expected Dan to pull out a marker of his own and show me the pretty picture he was able to color on the wall! Just kidding, but that would have been funny.

Come to find out, Madelyn thought it was okay to color on the wall because the markers are washable so you can easily wipe them off after you are done.

Okay. Now I am understanding the logic, along with why I had been finding towels with what looked like ink or paint on them.

The problem is that not all of her markers are washable and neither she or Elijah will know which ones are or aren't as they are coloring. So, I made this point clear to them, along with telling them they were forbidden to color on the walls.

A few days later what do I find? A little stick person drawn in black above Madelyn's bed with smears around it like she had tried to wash it off.

She was on restriction for a week.

But, the cute part is that later she tried her darndest to wash it off. She was singing the whole time. I thought she had been playing upstairs because she was singing away, but when she came down she said she had been trying to wash the wall. She said, "I used so much soap and so much water and only a little was able to come off." I said, "Well, how 'bout we just don't color on the walls anymore. Deal?" "Deal." She had learned her lesson.

Okay, back to Dads. A few weeks ago when I went away to GA I came home to a messy house. That's okay. It took a bit to get it back together, but my kids were healthy, fed, and safe. At one point I said to Madelyn, "Have you brushed your teeth?"

She hesitated. Dan just stops and looks at her. She looks at him. Then after a moment he says, "We talked about it." ... Oh my.

It's okay though. Dan is wonderful with the kids. He is like the "fun uncle" only he's their Dad. The kids have so much fun with him, especially at times like yesterday when he is making up a song about having broken legs. Madelyn loved it so much he had to sing it for me later in the car so I could hear it which then started a whole series of made up songs from all of us. Elijah's song just consisted of weird noises and happy squirms.

So what if he doesn't brush their teeth for 3 days (bleh, bleck, shiver) I know he is loving on them like crazy, taking them to the park (of course letting them do more dare devil things than I would, but that's okay), feeding them lunch (even if it is 3 pm), reading to them, talking with them, and teaching them about stars or something with technical words I don't even know the meaning to. He's their Dad who gets loads of joy from spending time with them.

I praise God regularly for providing me with such a wonderful husband and father to my children, and I am going to do my best to let him take care of them the way he wants to when he has them all to himself. They will be blessed from the time as much as he will. And, I'll try to not bring up the tooth brushing thing years from now when we have to start dealing with cavities ;o)

A Night Out

Last week the kids and I went out to see Hannah's topiary display at a local cafe.

We had so much fun. The kids were in great moods and were cracking me up, mainly Madelyn.



Dan was at a board meeting and didn't make it home before the meeting so when we were leaving Madelyn asked where he was. I told her he had a meeting and wouldn't be home.

"Sad huh?" (I said in a sad voice)

"Mommy, he doesn't read to you at night!" As if I shouldn't be upset he wasn't coming home :)

We got to West Reading and were waiting to cross the road to the cafe. For some reason the light wasn't telling us we could walk so we waited extra long. Madelyn started hailing a cab, cracking herself up. She said, "I don't see any taxis!" So Elijah then joins the fun, "I don't see any taxis either!" They thought they were so funny.

We still needed to eat dinner so on our way home we stopped at Panera Bread. I LOVE their creamy tomato soup (which reminds me I want to find a recipe for that) so while I waited for the food Madelyn went to the bathroom. I peeked in on her at one point to make sure she was okay (I hate sending my children into public restrooms alone) and went back to waiting for the food.

When she came out she said that a voice in the bathroom scared her. I realized she was referring to the man who announces when the food is ready. You can hear the announcement in the bathroom as well. I said, "Oh, I know. You can hear it in the bathroom too. It probably caught you off guard didn't it?"

"Yeah ... (pause) ... But, Mommy, it really scared me because it came on every time I started to sing." Ah, I love my girl.

I giggled and said, "You are a little song bird." She smiled and hugged me so everything was alright again.

Madelyn sings ALL the time.



A friend of ours was at the school one day last year. She went into the bathroom and heard a little girl singing away in the bathroom only to realize it was Madelyn. She does have a happy little heart.

So, it was fun to realize she was going to sing at Panera Bread in the bathroom too.

Overall, just a fun time hanging out. I love to hear what's on the kids' minds in the car when there is no radio on and they tell me their thoughts on things. Apparantly, Elijah loves to ride in the car when it's dark out, and Madelyn does not like long car rides no matter what time of day it is.



If only I could bottle up these conversations, keeping their little voices exactly as they are now. Time just goes by way to quickly.

Silly kids ...

That's sidewalk chalk on their faces. They were "clowns."

Animals

I love animals. Most people I know know that about me.

So, look at this video ...

I just want to hug and squeeze this cat. He is so fluffy and seeing his legs and tail all sprawled out when he slides across the floor is so adorable! I love it.

So, the other night at Bible Study we got on the subject of animals. I won't go into all the details, but it had to do with should we kill animals. Is it biblical to kill animals?

This is what I learned ... God created the animals for fellowship. The animals lived in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. Actually, it seems that God made the animals for Adam to have some company, but then made woman because let's face it, what would this world be without women right? ;)

So, it wasn't until Adam and Eve sinned that animals were killed to provide covering for them. Animals were then affected by the fall of man into sinfulness.

I also learned that the lambs that were slain for the Passover were in the people's house for 4 days before they were slain. This gave time for the family to bond with the animals before having to slaughter it to show the sadness of having to sacrifice for the sake of our sins. That would be devastating. Can you imagine?

I came home and discussed all of this with Dan. I told him this gave me a new perspective on animals to which he replied, "As if you need that." I really don't. I still cry over my poor little Liezl dog who we had to have put to sleep. Ugh. I hate reliving those days. I know. She was "just a dog," but really, they do become a part of your family. You can't deny that, and she was so sweet!

Now I have Daisy whom I just love like crazy. If I could clone her, I would. I want to have her forever!

Think about it. Animals were created for our fellowship. Studies have shown that people who own pets live longer. It is therapeutic for people to sit and pet an animal. That's why taking animals into hospitals and nursing homes is so beneficial for the patients.

I love coming home and being greeted by my excited dog. She is always so happy to see me. My cats love to sit on my lap any chance they can. I love it and they love it to.

Dan is right. I didn't need this new perspective. It's making me think twice about eating meat, and I want to get a rabbit for Madelyn. When I was looking for a dog to adopt she kept saying she wanted a rabbit, and she still says that. So far Dan is saying no which is probably good. I can just imagine what my mom is saying too if she is reading this.

That doesn't mean I won't keep trying for Madelyn :)

History

I love that our country just had such a huge day in our history. I love the fact that we have our first black president. I love that so many people were inspired to vote. I loved hearing about the 109 year old woman born in 1899 who never thought "colored people" would see this day.


I just wish his beliefs were a little (okay a lot) more in line with what I believe. I also wish I was able to vote in this election.



Elijah on the other hand will always be able to say that he voted in one of the most historic elections of our time. That's right. He pushed the vote button before I was even able to finish voting. Thankfully, I had already pushed the button for who I wanted for president. I was just going to push the button for Attorney General when I heard a long beep. I was done voting. (sigh) Why do they put the "vote" button right at eye level for little children?

That's my boy!

Dreams

I always have had very vivid crazy dreams that I can usually remember.

Last night was no different. I also fell asleep extremely early so it allowed for some extra dream footage.

I played a game of cards with Jack Nicholson, and one of the waitresses at the bar (I don't even hang out at bars) told me she would pay me $50 to introduce her to him (as if he and I were buddies). But, I did and she gave me $50.

I also hung out with Sarah Palin and her family at the house they were staying in. They were all very busy with campaign activities so I didn't get to know any of them particularly well, but it was fun to observe.

I dreamed that Obama won the election, but it seems he was celebrating a bit early because the day wasn't over yet and there were people set up all over the city doing election coverage.

This is the kicker. A Larry King type guy was set up on a street corner doing his tv show. The tv monitor he had was full of apples. I tried to sneak over and get one out to eat it. He yelled at me so I said I would just go home and eat one of the ones I picked the other day.

Now, I haven't gone apple picking, but apparantly this is something that's been on my mind because at Sarah Palin's house I was struck by the fact that they had a fresh bushel of apples that they had picked. I wondered how they were able to fit that in being they have been campaigning so much lately.

Anyway, later in my dream I walked back by Larry King's show and I thought it would be funny to try to toss my apple core into where the monitor was filled with apples. I totally missed, twice, but since he had received such a hard time from people who witnessed him get mad at me he just chuckled at the fact I was back throwing apple cores at him. Pretty funny.

Crazy, but I love dreams. Sometimes they are creepy. Most of the time for me they are funny.

A few weeks ago I dreamed that my neighbor was pregnant and then Sunday she came over and said she was pregnant! So fun!!

Yes, dreams are fun.

My Redeemer Lives ...

Do you ever go to church and feel like the Pastor is talking directly to you? Thankfully, this morning wasn't a conviction kind of deal. It was actually really really cool.

God has been teaching me a whole lot lately which is so great. I am doing a Bible Study on the book of John. I'm doing it both online and with a couple local groups here. It truly has been an amazing experience.

First of all, I love Jesus. Studying Him so thoroughly has been such a great experience. He is just amazing. Words just don't even do Him justice. The way He loves people, heals people, talks to people, and shows emotion is just very moving, truly striking in so many ways.

So, through this study I was led to a passage that speaks about our journey of sanctification. I don't believe Christians are mindful about that enough. Christianity is not just a "hey I prayed the prayer I'm goin' to heaven" kind of thing. It is a journey.

If you are a Believer, can't you look back on your life and see how far God has brought you? That is sanctification, the process of making one holy, being cleansed, made new. What a gift!

So, this morning in church the pastor was speaking about prayer and making a point to pray more for the kingdom instead of just praying for healing or safety. I think part of this is praying for ours and other's sanctification. He touched on that too.

Also, a friend recommended a book recently that she thought I should read. He referred to that book this morning!

Just yesterday I was in Philippians 1 reading these verses ...

21For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
22But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose.
23But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better;

I love these verses. I starred them in my Bible after reading them yesterday. For those of you who know me well, you probably know I am very much so looking forward to being in glory with Jesus (see verse at bottom of my blog). Now I don't have a death wish, but I know where I'm going and I can't wait to get there! At the same time I know there is work to be done here and typically God doesn't give us the easy way out so I do my best to keep plugging away with the tasks given me here on earth.

Well, guess what the passage was this morning in church ... That's right. Philippians 1.

Loved it! It was so fun!! I thought, "Wow God. You just never cease to amaze me." I was so thankful to God for using this man to just confirm and add to the things He has already been teaching me.

Studying God's Word and learning His truths are so filling. That's the only way to describe it. After sitting down and doing my inductive Bible study I walk away feeling filled. After discussion time with our weekly group I feel filled. After times like this morning in church I get the same feeling. It is the best feeling in the world knowing that my God is alive and well. He loves me, teaches me, and is ever faithful, even when I am not. Praise God for that.

O God,
Thou hast taught me that Christ has all fullness and so all plenitude of the Spirit, that all fullness I lack in myself is in him, for his people, not for himself alone, he having perfect knowledge, grace, righteousness,

to make me see, to make me righteous, to give me fullness;
that it is my duty, out of a sense of emptiness,

to go to Christ, possess, enjoy his fullness as mine,

as if I had it in myself, because it is for me in him;

that when I do this I am full of the Spirit,

as a fish that has got from the shore to the sea

and has all fullness of waters to move in,

for when faith fills me, then I am full;

that this is the way to be filled with the Spirit, like Stephen,

first faith, then fullness, for this way makes me most empty,

and so most fit for the Spirit to fill.
Thou has taught me that the finding of this treasure of all grace

in the field of Christ begets strength, joy, glory, and renders all graces alive.
Help me to delight more in what I receive from Christ,

more in that fullness which is in him, the fountain of all his glory.
Let me not think to receive the Spirit from him as a 'thing'

apart from finding, drinking, being filled with him.
To this end, O God, do thou establish me in Christ,

settle me, give me a being there, assure me with certainty that all this is mine, for this only will fill my heart with joy and peace."

~ FULLNESS IN CHRIST, The Valley of Vision

Halloween

I don't know if you can see him, but Elijah carried a Woody doll around with him all night.

Halloween is the perfect opportunity to tell how completely opposite my children are. Madelyn, my quiet and reserved girl, walks up to a house, picks out candy and quietly says, "thank you." Elijah goes up to a house saying, "TRICK OR TREAT! I'm Buzz Light Year! Madelyn is Princess Beauty (aka Sleeping Beauty)! THANK YOU!" After each house he would say, "We can keep going!" Whereas Madelyn would say, "Are we going home now?"




Madelyn was so excited after school to go trick-or-treating, but when it comes right down to it she really doesn't like all the interaction with strange neighbors. Dan feels exactly the same way. Madelyn wants the candy so she's willing to do it, but she's much happy staying at home (in her domain) and handing out candy. Elijah would probably still be going around to different houses if we let him.




Elijah did like passing out candy too though. When kids would start walking up to our door he would say, "People are coming! People are coming!" He would give them candy, but often times he would get distracted by the scary costumes. He would then just stare and blindly reach for their candy. Eventually the kids would get candy in their bags. He would then clap his hands and wave good-bye. It was pretty funny to watch. He cried when we ran out of candy to give out, but I told him he could eat some of his once he went inside. He got over it really quickly.





Madelyn on the other hand got cold in her dress so she ended up getting warm pjs on and wrapped up in a blanket to sit outside. It didn't help that at the beginning of the night she fell as skinned her knee pretty good. That put a damper on her evening. She's happy to have all the candy though.

All in all it was a fun evening.