Two Little Boys

Jeff and Dawn's little boy~~Andrew James "AJ"~~was born into heaven today. Dawn had a doctor's appt this morning and AJ's heart had already stopped beating. She went home to prepare to be induced and went into labor. With AJ being #4 and so tiny, he came quickly. So quickly he was born at home. We were all at the hospital this evening and everyone got a chance to hold little AJ and love on him a bit. Such a tiny soul. Even Brian and Shawnie were there~same hospital. Same waiting room taken over by the God Squad. Same peace. We buried their son Jesse on Saturday in a beautiful service and will be placing Andrew to rest next to him on Wednesday afternoon. Please pray for all the families.

I just posted this on my fridge. I hang onto it daily since my mom died 4 years ago.

What is your only comfort in life and in death?

That I am not my own, but belong—body and soul,in life and in death—to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my headwithout the will of my Father in heaven:in fact, all things must work together for my salvation.
Because I belong to him,Christ, by his Holy Spirit,assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and readyfrom now on to live for him.

Did Y'all Miss Me?

I am back! Mr Comcastic came today. Still no phone but we've got cable (with the Playboy Channel in Spanish~my question is Why bother?) and internet. So here's what I have done in the days since. . .

July 14~~We were supposed to close on our new house. Yeah, not so much. Mortgage company screwed up so we were left with moving closing to Monday. Pretty Boy Derek feels bad and gets his company to pay for movers for us. Sweet.

July 17~~Funeral for Cindy, wife of Kevin our Director of Student Ministires. She was 43 and died of colon cancer. Very sad. Closing takes place as scheduled. Found a fantastic table and chairs at Costco, counter height, black. Fancy.

July 18~~Movers show up and move all our big stuff. Turns out we have a lot more crap that we thought. Hmm, garage sale anyone?

July 19~~Comcast scheduled to arrive between 1 and 5 to set up all forms of communication. No show. Jen very mad. Very very mad.

July 20~~Still no communication.

July 21~~Went to see the coolest band ever! (Shut up Kary) The getting there was a bit rough. Picture being trapped in a Girls Gone Wild video and you are the only one wearing capris. That was my limo ride there. I saw lots of thongs and a pair of piereced nipples. All I could think was "How do you get them so perky?"

Whoa, we're half way there, whoa whoa livin' on a prayer, All together now! And yes, that's how close we were. Thanks for the pics, Leenie!

This was the first concert I have been to in 15 years that did not involve an altar call. Oh wow. Bon Jovi was awesome. And Nickleback opened and I now love them too. It was SO fun!

July 22~~6:30 pm. Got a phone call that Brian and Shawnie (close friends from small group) had lost their baby. She was 31 weeks along and suddenly no heartbeat. 8:00pm we were all at their house to hug and pray. It was very sad.

July 23-25~~Lots of time at hospital, waiting for name for Baby Girl. Her name will be Kaitlin. More time praying for no C-section.

July 25~~Jesse Rees B is born. Yep, Kaitlin turned out to be a boy. What a surprise! Medically speaking delivery went well so Shawnie will be able to attempt a VBAC next time. (Her first was C-section)

July 26-27~~Still no Comcast. Planning funeral for Jesse. Lots of stuff to do.

July 27~~Grandpa dies in Michigan. Kinda a shock~wasn't really expecting that. Pray all goes well this weekend.

July 28~~Mr Comcastic shows up. And here I am.

I have SO missed you all!! I can't wait to see you guys on Wednesday. And please pray tomorrow for Brian and Shawnie as they bury Jesse. And pray for Jeff and Dawn (other good friends from our small group) as they will be going through the same thing in 2 weeks. Their unborn son AJ is not expected to live more than a few hours.

Thanks for the love and talk to y'all soon! (Blank stare)

You Might Be a Dutch Calvinist If. . .

* You finish the food on your plate in a restaurant even though it is burnt or otherwise unsuitable for human consumption
* You reused plastic margarine containers long before anyone heard of the environmental movement
* You have a two-volume address book. Volume I: A-U Volume II: V-Z
* You have never skipped church to watch the Superbowl
* Your main contribution in increased gender equality was to switch from KING to Wilhelmina brand peppermints
* Your range of restaurant choice is restricted to the contents of a "Buy One Meal, Get One Free" coupon book that you bought to support missionaries in Sierra Leone
* You wipe the last of the butter out of the container with your roll
* Your mother's hairdo is the same at your wedding as it was at hers
* Your closet is divided into work clothes and Sunday clothes
* Your church attendance record is not interrupted by childbirth
* Your Sunday routine resembles this: Church, coffee, roast beef, green beans, a nap, and Church
* You have a front room but never sit in it
* All your cookies taste like almond
* You make the bed in a hotel room
* The last tip you left in a restaurant was "Don't wear so much makeup" and "A little quicker with the coffee
* You have always been to church on New Years Eve
* You can sing "eere zij God" even though you can't speak Dutch
* You think that being progressive means discarding the Psalter Hymnal in favor of the Steve Green songs on the overhead
* Seeing hands in the air during worship causes you to look around for a stickup man
* You are still trying to justify owning a dishwasher
* On summer vacation you couldn't swim, only wading up to your knees was allowed
* At your wedding, everyone was swaying, but no one was dancing
* You have attended worship services at a campground amphitheater
* You know what an afghan is
* You have lace on your windows, but not on your underwear
* Your two permanent Saturday jobs are to wash the car and make sure you have enough single bills for the offering plate
* All of your recipes are adapted to fit into a 9X13 pan
* You can't imagine a funeral reception without ham on buns
* The Usher never has to ask you where you want to sit.

The Best Post EVER!

I don't know about you but I am so sick of the "Mommy Wars" If it's not work vs stay at home, it's school vs homeschool or breast vs bottle or Ezzo vs whatever the opposite of Ezzo is! You get my point. I really enjoy reading Chris's blog~she is the mom of many, 7 I think. She had this post and I just had to share. So here's the link. What do ya think? I think she has hit the nail on the head.

http://www.notesfromthetrenches.com/2006/07/14/the-unspoken-conversations-in-our-heads/

Jana, teach me the hot link! Puh-leeeeezzeee!

Incommunicado

We are moving this weekend and have a wake and funeral to attend. And I have to teach about death at Brickhouse next week. And all our drivers are having temper tantrums. And Amelia has been watching TV for 2 days straight. And Greta was asleep in the high chair for at least 30 minutes before I noticed.

So that's my life now. I will be off-line til July 20. boo hoo

The Dating Game Part Deux

A while back I had a post about Mommy Dating~that search for other Mom Friends to connect with that most of us go thru. We discussed how to meet that "perfect" new BFF. After you've chatted for hours on the phone and maybe even done some IMing. You stepped up to face-to-face meetings at the park, McD's playland, your house, her house, and now quite frankly the thrill is gone. To quote my buddy Axl, "Where do we go now?"

Reach back in your mind to singlehood. Do you remember the guy that seemed so perfect for a few dates and then you saw a flaw? There is an episode of "Seinfeld" where Jerry has the perfect girlfriend until she thinks she sees him pick his nose. After that, it's all over. Even though Jerry vehemently states "No pick!", the belief is there and it's over.

Identify the Problem
Before making a life-altering decision, one needs to evaluate the situation. What bugs you about your new BFF? And can you live with it? Is she a "One-upper"? If your baby has a cold, her baby has pneumonia. If your baby learned to sit up, her's is crawling. You get the picture. While annoying, if all other things are good, this might be something I can live with. Two things are deal breakers for me. Lying is one, especially lying to ingratiate yourself to someone. Like "Oh yes, Muffy and I go way back! I'm her baby's godmother!" Often this will be said with no knowledge that I am friends with Muffy and know full-well she is not Junior's godmother. The other deal breaker is My Child Is Perfect Syndrome. Face it, all of our offspring are little monsters with little or no social graces. I expect toddlers to hit, kick, and scream. What I do not expect is Mommy to turn a blind eye or always assume her Little Precious would never be involved in anything so base as toy-grabbing or hitting.

Now that we have decided that we have an honest-to-goodness ex-BFF on our hands, we need to figure out our strategy. As in all of life, a girl needs a plan. And a cute seasonally appropriate diaper bag.

Option A~~Duck and Run
I am always in favor of the duck and run. And may I also add that Caller ID is a new mommy's best friend. The key here is to suddenly become so swamped that you can't possibly make it to the park, the mall, McD's, whatever. Hopefully, they eventually get the hint. **Complication**One complication of the Duck and Run is the Ex-BFF who really believes that you are swamped and shows up with dinner and cleaning supplies. I actually had one girl come clean my bathrooms because I told her I was so miserably pregnant I couldn't clean my toilets, let alone have a social life. I only felt guilty til I saw my reflection in my bathtub. This is the equivalent of the guy who sends roses everyday and plays "your song" Lloyd Dobler style outside your bedroom window trying to woo you back. While you may enjoy being the object of affection, it is a bit creepy.

Option B~~Honesty
While this option sounds morally superior, it really isn't. Especially for me as subtlety has never been my spiritual gift. You can just sit down with Ex BFF and tell her while you have enjoyed her company you think she could use a visit from Supernanny. How can this be a good thing? While honest, it really isn't very nice.

I had used both of these options with varied success. So that you know I have also been Mommy Dumped, I have had them used on me. One got kinda nasty over breast vs bottle and went downhill from there. Another constantly called her kid "Angel Baby" as he was whacking Caroline over the head with a Barney guitar. And SHE dumped ME!

Hopefully, you will come to a point that you have found some new BFFs who also have great kids. I have found a few newbies myself lately~~if only they didn't live in BFE. . .Now your next task is to intro the husbands and pray they get along!

Finish the Sentence. . .

We are now going to play a game of tag. C'mom, it'll be fun! I will tag someone to post their answers on their blog and so on and so on. . .

1. My home is... still on the market.
2. I am listening to... "Take My Life" by Jeremy Camp
3. Maybe I should... pay attention to my daughters.
4. I love it when... my house is clean and dinner is made.
5. My best friend... (other than Tim) is my sister, Christine, and Kary.
6. I don't understand... why I have to wait for things.
7. I lost... my wedding ring for 2 days once. Tim was mad!
8. People say... I talk too much.
9. The meaning of my blog name is... that is what starts most sentances in our house.
10. Love is... exhausting.
11. Right now, somewhere, someone is... having happy hour.
12. I will always... know that without God I would be nothing.
13. Once upon a time, I... remembered to send birthday cards.
14. I never want to...bungee jump or sky dive.
15. My personal motto is... Ya get what you get and you don't have a fit. Oh, and girls rock!
16. When I wake up in the morning... if the girls are still asleep, I love the morning. If I wake up to screaming girls, I hate the morning.
17. I get annoyed when... people are late.
18. People always... misunderstand me.
19. I sing... loudly and horribly off-key.
20. Hugs are the best when... they're given with little arms and freshly scrubbed faces.
21. Today I... started the laundry.
23. Tomorrow I will... continue the laundry.
24. I really want... to finish the laundry. Have another baby. Start my own business. Take a nap. Have a martini. Meet Jesus.
25. If my girls/boys were born the opposite sex, I would have named them. . .Caleb, Wyatt, and Wilson or Hudson.

OK, now I tag Kary. SOOOO Kary, you need to copy and paste this, delete my answers and add your own. Then tag someone else! :-)