friday flashback

October 2002

learning to be me

What a busy week this has been! More football games, a sick child, trying to get caught up on house work and laundry, helping friends, and lots of meetings for work.

Normally, this week would have been overwhelming. Tiring. And I would have become Cranky Mama.

But this week was different. And, oh, so much better than it could have been.

This week, I set aside Monday morning, for three whole hours, to sit in my Father's lap. And talk. Share my heart. Cry. Ask for wisdom. Beg for freedom. And just be ME.

I can't tell you how freeing it was to spend that time and not feel guilty. That sounds so strange, but it's true. I often feel guilty for spending extended time with God, when I should be doing something productive. Accomplishing things. Afterall, other people don't have the luxury of being home alone, spending hours with God. I should be taking advantage of my time and getting more things done.

But, you know what? I accomplished more this week, and with a much happier heart, because I started my week off right.

And God reminded me this week of Mary and Martha, and how Mary pleased Jesus so much when she stopped working and just sat with him.

I have always fought against who I am, how I was created, and wished I was more task-oriented and a go-getter. Our society really values the movers and shakers, the people that get out there and make things happen. I have longed to be that person. But this week, God has been showing me that he made me to love relationships. To be a good listener. To bring peace to the movers and shakers.

I am beginning to embrace who I am. Beginning to. And realizing that I was truly created for relationship with my Father. And I desperately need to spend time in His lap. And when I get up from His lap, I am able to engage this world and be who He created me to be. A lover of people. A good listener. Someone who brings peace to others. And in being ME, I accomplish Oh, so much.

fall foliage with friends

Lauren and Abby Clapp came home from church with us today. Maddie has so much fun playing with them, and today they had the extra excitement of having leaves to play in!


It has taken many years for our trees to produce enough leaves to actually be able to rake into a pile big enough to romp in, but it has finally happened!

WE

LOVE

FALL!

explorer's day

The school our kids go to does a lot of "Curriculum Days" where the kids get to dress up and experience some of what the people of that particular time period would have experienced. With four kids all going through elementary years at this school, we have had our share of costumes for Pioneer Day, Native American Day, Constitution Day, Medieval Day, Roman Day, an so on. Every day that Maddie dresses up is an end of a chapter, as she is our last for each of these events.

This past week was another "last" for us, as Maddie had her "Explorer's Day." The kids had to write a report on a specific explorer, then give a first-person speech to the class. Maddie was Francisco de Coronado. She put together her costume, practiced her speech, and made her map.


She did a fantastic job giving her presentation to the class.

And, with that, another project is in the books.

double the fun

What a great weekend we had! My brother Daron and sis-in-law Tari came from Minnesota with their girls, Ella and Abby. It has been nearly two years since we last saw them...waaaaay too long! Of course, as soon as they walked in the door, they ran off with Maddie, and I had to fight with her the whole weekend for time with them (she pretty much won in this area, but I did get some snuggle time with them here and there!).

Here is Maddie telling a story to the girls during Nate's football game (SUPER exciting game, by the way, and Nate was amazing!)...

All smiles...

Had to include this picture. Ella and Abby are wearing Maddie's clothes from when she was their age. So stinkin' cute, and so hard to believe how long it's been since Maddie was this size!

Ella Bella

Abby loved the braids I put in her hair

More Maddie time. Maddie was amazing with the girls, here she is reading bedtime stories to them. She is going to make one incredible babysitter in a couple of years!

Love me some Micah!

And this one is for Grami... not the greatest picture of Maddie, but thought you'd be happy to see the new do. Just cut it last night!

friday flashback

In great anticipation of seeing these people in a few hours, here is a flashback to October 2007

Can't wait to see you, Ella and Abby, and Uncle Daron and Aunt Tari!

tonight we celebrated...

Yep, it's finally feeling like fall, so we broke out the fall decorations and had a Fun Fall Family Festival (well, can't really call it a festival, but I was on a roll...).

Caleb is not a fan of being in the kitchen, other than to eat. The other kids all enjoy cooking and baking from time to time, but I have to force Caleb to do it every now and then. That's exactly what I had to do to get Caleb to help me make pumpkin bread. He did his darndest to show me how bad he is at baking so he won't have to do it again...


Maddie worked on the spiced apple cider...

Pumpkin bread out of the oven. Sooooo wish you could smell what our house smelled like with pumpkin bread baking and spiced cider simmering. Mmmmmmmmmmmm.
Maddie put up our scarecrow flag this year. So thankful to have a daughter that gets into all the traditions with me!
Finally, hot pumpkin bread and cider, followed by a crazy game of Skip-Bo. Love my family.

more football...

Since the boys haven't had nearly enough football lately, Bob decided to take them to an Air Force game today. This was actually their first ever college ball experience, and they loved it! Perfect fall day for a game, too... About 65 degrees, sunny, with a bit of a breeze. Fourth football game of the week!

friday flashback

sweet swordfish

Micah is working on his ocean unit in science class, and that means it's Ocean Creature Creation time again! This is our third go-around at paper mache creature creating, and Micah did an amazing job! I must admit, when the project began, I thought I'd have a panic attack. Maddie was in one room, gluing Easter egg halves onto poster board to create a helium atom model, calling for me to help her with the hot glue gun, Nate and Caleb were telling me about their football schedule for the next few days, and Micah was asking me to help him blow up balloons to create the base for his swordfish! I had worked all day, and I was at the end of my reserves, so when the balloons popped, so did I!

"I can't do this! How does this help you learn about swordfish?! I don't know how to do this! Why do teachers assign this kind of project anyway??!!!" Kind of lost my cool.

Then, my level-headed 13-year-old coolly said, "Mom, it's no big deal. He can just make it out of foil and call it done."

His words brought me back down to earth, I realized how ridiculous I was, and Micah pulled out the foil and formed a swordfish that was amazing! We mixed up some paper mache, tore newspaper into strips, and worked together to cover his foil form in sloppy paper. And, guess what? We had fun!

The next day, I mixed paint colors while Micah and his friend Michael brought the swordfish to life with color. And, guess what? They had fun!

Why do I make such a big deal out of little things and take the fun out of it? Why do I take things on as my own when it really isn't mine to take on? And why, oh why, do I make things a reflection of me that have nothing to do with me?

I'm learning. I'm growing. And I'm working on changing the way I think.

"Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." Romans 12:2

Pikes Peak or Bust

This week I got to go on my favorite field trip. This was my fourth (and last...sniff...) time on this particular field trip, and it is always so much fun. I traveled with Maddie and her class to the top of Pikes Peak on the cog railroad. The day was amazingly beautiful! 80 degrees at the bottom of the mountain, with a cool fall breeze. We clanked and clunked up the hour and 15 minutes, passing through golden aspen groves, remains of mining shacks, and even a big horn sheep, deer and a red-tailed fox!

Maddie and I love history, especially American history, so this trip was right up our alley! We heard all about the early explorers in the area, the old hotel that weary travelers stayed at on their way to the summit, and stories of gold fever. All the while, watching the beauty of the mountain pass us by.

As the train pulled to a stop, we were greeted by the bluster of the wind, and the 37 degree awakening! Just a little reminder that, though we are enjoying a record-breaking warm autumn, old man winter isn't far away! We fully enjoyed our homemade donut and hot chocolate at the top, took in the vistas (we were told that being such a clear day, we could see 5 different states from our perch! Wow!), took some pictures and perused the gift shop.

Then it was time to hop back on the train and head back down the mountain. Now, where else but Colorado can a kid go on a field trip that takes them to 14, 110 feet?

friday flashback

Almost exactly 8 years ago...