It sounds like a storybook, doesn't it? Trust me...this is no storybook.
I don't like reptiles. I mean...I REALLY DON'T LIKE REPTILES! So you can imagine the fun in our house when Nathan yells "Mommy, there is a lizard in the bathroom." I thought he was exaggerating but decided that I just might need to check. Low and behold, there was a scampering little lizard that set my heart a quivering and made me want to scream like the girl I am.
Unfortunately, my dear husband wasn't home and my boys weren't offering to dispose of the lizard. Sooooo, I got my handy dandy dust pan and attempted to scoop up the little guy. It didn't exactly work as planned. Needless to say, this lizard and I danced around the bathroom until I finally got him on the dust pan. I knew I could never make it to the front or back door with him, and I didn't want to take the chance of setting him free in my living room. So I did the unthinkable. I flushed him down the toilet...and then flushed about 10 more times to make sure that he wouldn't reappear.
I don't know where the lizard came from, but Brian did see a frog the other day. I hope our new flowerbeds and mulch aren't going to invite unwanted reptiles into our yard or house! After all, we already have moles in our front and back yard. We have nice little tunnels all through the yard. I would love to say "At least we haven't seen any yet..." but we no longer think that is the case. The other day Nathan came running inside to tell me that he had seen a mole. He said it was black with a face like his and it came out of hole. I am not so sure about the face thing, but I have a sneaking suspicion that Nathan probably saw one of our moles. While the mole encounter didn't phase Nathan, the thought of coming face to face with a mole causes me great trepidation.
David is helping me out though. After the lizard episode, he prayed that I would not be afraid of a little thing like a lizard that wouldn't hurt me. Since he feels that way, David is going to be in charge of lizard removal next time!
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Saturday, March 17, 2007
The Life of a Youth Minister's Family
Brian took the week off since it is also my Spring Break, and we have spent the past week breaking our backs, knees and muscles we didn't even know existed relandscaping our flower beds in the front yard. (And yes, we were trying to fix the bushes I killed last fall!) In spite of the hard work, it was worth all the effort because they look much, much better. It was a very productive week...with one exception.
Last night we woke up hearing noises outside of our house and found this:
Last night we woke up hearing noises outside of our house and found this:
Ahhhhh yes....the life of a youth minister at its best! :-)
The boy next door was mortified that someone would do this to our house after we had spent so much time digging up shrubs and getting the beds ready to plant stuff. While he and his sister helped us clean up, we had to explain that they do this in fun and didn't do it to be mean (we think).
The funny thing is that these teens think they got us. Little do they know that revenge is such a sweet, sweet thing!
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Soccer Time
Before I talk soccer, I was clicking on the link to the video in the last post and apparently the video was gone from the link I used. I have updated it with a new link, so if you clinked on that link and only saw some ads for some pretty risque links, I am so SORRY! I turned red when I saw them! Now you can go back and look at the other video and hopefully it won't go away!
Now...on to soccer. Nathan has started playing soccer (or something like that) and his team is hilarious. We have Nathan. I thought Nathan would be in the middle of things playing his heart out. Wrong! Nathan is the kid that likes to lay down on the field. I don't know if he is meditating, playing dead or trying to stop the other team from scoring, but in all honesty, he doesn't accomplish any of the above.
Next comes Canton. Canton is the boy that comes running onto the field and jumps in front of the coach and starts doing the growling-muscle showing move. Unfortunately, a couple of minutes later, he will run off the field in search of his mom and cannot be coaxed back onto the field.
Then there is Kelby. Kelby just keeps on running. He stays on the field and plays hard. He doesn't have the same natural ability as some of the others when it comes to soccer, but he definitely gets the 110% award, and I predict he will do well in sports.
Ben is the only boy that has scored. He is really good but isn't sure about getting on the field. The coach has to coax him on the field and keep him interested in the game.
Caleb is the most cuddly little four year old you have ever seen. He still has that baby look to him, and as long as you hold his hand, he will do anything you ask.
Rounding up our 6 man team is Trevor. Trevor is probably the best athlete of all of them. Unfortunately, he has yet to make it on the field. He is pretty shy and has showed no interest in playing. He reminds me of David when David played soccer.
And of course, I cannot forget the coach. Oh My! The coach is an out of shape, middle age woman who knows NOTHING about soccer. Oh wait....I AM THE COACH! And yes...all of that is true. The coaches we played last week were talking about corner kicks and were line Nazis. I am out there shouting hurray when our kids kick the ball in the wrong goal. I did tell them that it was the wrong goal, but they were so excited. I gave them high fives and told them they were great!
I have enlisted the help of Savannah, who was one of our youth group kids and played soccer in high school. She is great and helps with some of that soccer lingo. Together we do okay, but we have a big problem with keeping kids on the field. We have yet to score as much as the other teams. We don't keep score, but David does. (After the first game, he decided that girl coaches were no good because we were the losers!)
I think we have five more games, which may be all I can handle. Nathan thinks its great and enjoys getting dressed up to play and always seems well rested after the game.
Now...on to soccer. Nathan has started playing soccer (or something like that) and his team is hilarious. We have Nathan. I thought Nathan would be in the middle of things playing his heart out. Wrong! Nathan is the kid that likes to lay down on the field. I don't know if he is meditating, playing dead or trying to stop the other team from scoring, but in all honesty, he doesn't accomplish any of the above.
Next comes Canton. Canton is the boy that comes running onto the field and jumps in front of the coach and starts doing the growling-muscle showing move. Unfortunately, a couple of minutes later, he will run off the field in search of his mom and cannot be coaxed back onto the field.
Then there is Kelby. Kelby just keeps on running. He stays on the field and plays hard. He doesn't have the same natural ability as some of the others when it comes to soccer, but he definitely gets the 110% award, and I predict he will do well in sports.
Ben is the only boy that has scored. He is really good but isn't sure about getting on the field. The coach has to coax him on the field and keep him interested in the game.
Caleb is the most cuddly little four year old you have ever seen. He still has that baby look to him, and as long as you hold his hand, he will do anything you ask.
Rounding up our 6 man team is Trevor. Trevor is probably the best athlete of all of them. Unfortunately, he has yet to make it on the field. He is pretty shy and has showed no interest in playing. He reminds me of David when David played soccer.
And of course, I cannot forget the coach. Oh My! The coach is an out of shape, middle age woman who knows NOTHING about soccer. Oh wait....I AM THE COACH! And yes...all of that is true. The coaches we played last week were talking about corner kicks and were line Nazis. I am out there shouting hurray when our kids kick the ball in the wrong goal. I did tell them that it was the wrong goal, but they were so excited. I gave them high fives and told them they were great!
I have enlisted the help of Savannah, who was one of our youth group kids and played soccer in high school. She is great and helps with some of that soccer lingo. Together we do okay, but we have a big problem with keeping kids on the field. We have yet to score as much as the other teams. We don't keep score, but David does. (After the first game, he decided that girl coaches were no good because we were the losers!)
I think we have five more games, which may be all I can handle. Nathan thinks its great and enjoys getting dressed up to play and always seems well rested after the game.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
CAN
Have you ever had a time in your life where you just seemed to be touched by the small things in life? Or have you had those days where you are truly inspired by the actions of others? I have really been feeling this a lot lately. We have had a lot of stuff going on, but in the midst of it, I have found great inspiration in simple acts (and not so simple acts) of true sacrafice.
I came across a video online today about a father and son. I had heard their story before and Brian had told me about the video, but I had never gotten to see the actual video. The father and son are named Dick and Rick Hoyt and here is an excerpt from their website:
Their website goes on to tell a remarkable story of a young man whose father wanted him to be able to do more than just imagine. He wanted him to feel like a winner and went to great lengths to provide that opportunity to his son. Their website shares a touching story, but seeing it on this video is absolutely inspiring and just reaches to the very core of you.
It makes me want to be more to and for my kids. It reminds me to sacrifice so that they can be all that they can be. While I may not have to carry them physically, there may be times they need me to "carry" them emotionally or spiritually just like my father in Heaven does for me. They may need me to travel with them as they forge new roads or cheer them on as they take off on their own. They will need me to hang on to them and they will need me to let go of them. All these take sacrifice, commitment and most of all, they take a love like no other love. They take the love that Dick Hoyt has for his son. They take the love I have for my sons.
David and Nathan...you have my word...for as long as I live and am able, I will be with you, beside you, behind you...wherever you need me to be...so that you can.
I came across a video online today about a father and son. I had heard their story before and Brian had told me about the video, but I had never gotten to see the actual video. The father and son are named Dick and Rick Hoyt and here is an excerpt from their website:
Dick and Rick Hoyt are a father-and-son team from Massachusetts who
together compete just about continuously in marathon races. And if they’re not
in a marathon they are in a triathlon — that daunting, almost superhuman,
combination of 26.2 miles of running, 112 miles of bicycling, and 2.4 miles of
swimming. Together they have climbed mountains, and once trekked 3,735 miles
across America.
It’s a remarkable record of exertion — all the more so when you
consider that Rick can't walk or talk.
For the past twenty five years or more Dick, who is 65, has
pushed and pulled his son across the country and over hundreds of finish lines.
When Dick runs, Rick is in a wheelchair that Dick is pushing. When Dick cycles,
Rick is in the seat-pod from his wheelchair, attached to the front of the bike.
When Dick swims, Rick is in a small but heavy, firmly stabilized boat being
pulled by Dick.
Their website goes on to tell a remarkable story of a young man whose father wanted him to be able to do more than just imagine. He wanted him to feel like a winner and went to great lengths to provide that opportunity to his son. Their website shares a touching story, but seeing it on this video is absolutely inspiring and just reaches to the very core of you.
It makes me want to be more to and for my kids. It reminds me to sacrifice so that they can be all that they can be. While I may not have to carry them physically, there may be times they need me to "carry" them emotionally or spiritually just like my father in Heaven does for me. They may need me to travel with them as they forge new roads or cheer them on as they take off on their own. They will need me to hang on to them and they will need me to let go of them. All these take sacrifice, commitment and most of all, they take a love like no other love. They take the love that Dick Hoyt has for his son. They take the love I have for my sons.
David and Nathan...you have my word...for as long as I live and am able, I will be with you, beside you, behind you...wherever you need me to be...so that you can.
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