Micah

Here is Micah getting very messy with his PB&J sandwich.

Micah in the middle of a haircut (we called him Two Face off of Batman).

I wanted to share something funny that happened with Micah last week. There was a woman from church here visiting while her son (and some of ours) was at the church for Pioneer Club. As usual, she was holding Micah. Her and her husband have taken quite a shine to him. They say he reminds them so much of their middle son when he was that age. Anyways, Micah was demolishing a honey muffin that I had made - literally. It was crumbling in his hands and all over the floor as he tried to eat it. This woman thought it was funny, and said, "You go, Micah! You go, eat that muffin!" She was saying it like she was cheering him on, but he just heard the words, and got very confused. He scooted out of her arms, and came running to me with big tears building up in his eyes. Then he started crying. This woman and I were trying so hard not to laugh. He had misjudged her words, and thought she was angry and telling him to go. After he was finished crying, he worked his way back over to this woman, and let her pick him up again. It was so cute!

Worrying solves nothing

I am a worrywart. I try so hard not to be, because I know that I am to be "anxious for nothing." So I try, but I end up worrying. Lately, I have been worrying about the future. There are a lot of things to worry about looking towards the future - whether jobs will be stable, income secure, housing available...the list could go on, and on. But I have to remember that I don't know the future - can't even imagine it. I have to remind myself to pray, and let the Lord worry about the future. It's not future to Him, He knows it all. The Bible tells me that today has enough worries of its own. So I am trying to rest in Him, and quiet my heart. God is so faithful, and I know that whatever may come my way, He will give me what I need to get through. His grace is sufficient!

Jeremy & I have been working our way towards healthier eating lately. I have been doing some research on food and nutrition, and have discovered a world of healthier eating with grains and beans. We have cut way back on our sugar intake - we have started using things like honey and agave syrup to sweeten foods. A few weeks ago, I baked some cookies with honey - no sugar - for Pioneer Club at church. The kids loved them! Some ate six of them. Last week, I was going to make soup with our leftover chicken, rice and veggies. I discovered that my chicken was bad (smelled yucky), and I wasn't sure what to do, since I had already started the base. So per Jeremy's suggestion, I made it with rice, barley and garbanzo beans instead of chicken. It was a hit! Even the little ones liked it, and asked for seconds. I was so surprised! So this morning, we had muffins with honey, and for dinner, I made a new soup with black-eyed peas and brown rice with veggies. Jeremy and I are really enjoying the energy that we have discovered by eating healthier. We have noticed that even when we get to bed late and get up early (which has been sort of a routine lately - and not on purpose), that we don't feel groggy. We have also been eating less meat...and enjoying it as well. Beans are so much cheaper than meat, and have more protein and fiber. So if anyone wants a lesson in nutrition, I would be glad to share what we have learned!

Our New Home

This is a picture of the playground on the church property. The boys really enjoy playing on it!

Here is the front door of the church. The doors are beautiful!

This is the front side of the church. The sanctuary is on the right side of the double door. To the left of it are the library, nursery and Sunday school classrooms. Jeremy's office is also to the left (althought, it's along the backside of the church).

This is the front of the parsonage. The windows are very nice. The whole inside has been newly remodeled, and is very beautiful!

I got some pictures of our new home and church yesterday, and thought I would share them.

Here are some pictures of us working on the bookcase. The first two are of the boys being big helpers! And the last two are of the finished product. I am so excited for my husband. It has been great to see him be able to be creative again and enjoy it. It has been so long since he has been able to do any artwork, but I think woodworking will be good for him. And we were able to empty about 7 more boxes - they were all books for the boys, but we didn't have anywhere to put them. And they all fit on the new bookcase with room to spare!

Wrestling

Here are some pictures of Rob, Josh and Silas at the wrestling tournament. They write their weight right on their arms! We learned this week that wrestling is not for families with lots of children. When we signed the boys up for wrestling, it was $40 each for the season. We were surprised, but signed up anyway. When Jeremy took them to the tournament this last weekend, he learned that not only is it $40 each, it is also $8 each for each tournament! Besides that, Silas was bored silly before they even started. I'm glad I kept the others home. I can't imagine trying to keep that many toddlers off of the wrestling mats. It works well for some, but maybe we'll try basketball or baseball next time!

Just so you know, dear reader, that in this blog my plan is to share my heart. I was thinking about it this morning, and the Lord laid it on my heart that if I am going to have a blog, it should be to honor Him. So that said...

Robby and I had an issue last night. He was caught looking at his football cards when he had been told to get ready for bed. Oh, he had his pajamas on, but had not brushed his teeth, nor come out to tell his Dad or I that he was ready for bed. Needless to say, I was not happy. I lectured (yes, Mom, soap box and all) that we would ground him from his football cards if we needed to. I also asked him if he had not felt guilty at all sitting there looking at them, knowing that he was not being obedient, and he told me no. So he walked away, and I started sighing and praying in my heart, asking God to get a hold of him. I know that I can share the Lord with my kids, but I can't make them choose Him. That they have to do for themselves. So anyways, I was disappointed and frustrated. Then after he had brushed his teeth, Rob came back to apologize to me, and told me that he had lied. He had felt bad about what he was doing. I told him that was the job of the Holy Spirit - to convict of sin. Then I gave him a hug and sent him to bed. But that was so exciting to me. To see that the Lord had been working on his heart. I prayed that God would continue to draw him to Himself. I just thought that was too exciting not to share!

Girly Girl

And this picture, simply because I had to show my little girl in a dress! This was taken in Alaska on Christmas (notice the informal attire!)