Memorial Day - Charlie's View

Okay, so I know this is yet ANOTHER post about something that Charlie said, but...

Today is Memorial Day, and my parents and I (and the kids) were driving down to Silverton. On the last part of the drive, we took a short-cut, which took us past the cemetery that many loved ones (great-grandparents, great-aunts, great-uncles, etc...) were buried. As we slowly drove past it, we were overwhelmed with the fact that there were flowers on almost every single grave. It was very touching.

"Wow, Charlie... what do you think of THAT?" my dad asked.

Charlie looked at it, and his eyes got wide and his voice went high, "Ohhhhhh... wow! I think there's gonna be a party!"

Another Charlie Moment

I've been told that I should write this one down, and the easiest place to write is here on this blog. So here goes...

A couple of months ago, Tessa, Charlie, and I were in the grocery store. We got up to the check-out, and Charlie says to me, "Ummm... Mommy... That man," -- he pointed at the man behind us in line -- "That man is my father."

I said, "No, Charlie... Daddy is your father."

This is when he repeated emphatically and loudly, "No, Mommy... THAT MAN, RIGHT THERE... He's my father!" I had no choice but to just laugh, and explain to the man behind us in line, that apparently he must look like a "father" to my son. Fortunately the man thought it was funny, too.

May... So Far

I just have a few updates...

Charlie has been saying some pretty funny things lately. Every chance (I mean EVERY chance) the weather permits, I taken Charlie and Sydney on our usual walk to New Seasons. It takes us about 45 minutes to an hour each way, because of stopping to look at ladybugs, honey bees, dead slugs, etc. etc.... Well, this last time around, the sun was a little hotter than I was expecting, and we tried to find every piece of shade we could. However, today I noticed that Charlie's feet had gotten a little bit pink. In the midst of quite a bit of activity going on in our household, I asked him, "Oh, Charlie... did your feet get a little bit sun burned?" He was quiet as if he didn't know how to respond. About five minutes later, he came back to me and said, "Mommy... I think my feet got light hurted." In case there's any confusion: "light hurted" = "sun burned"

Sydney has recently gotten quite confident and (for lack of a better word) kind of cute-bratty. It's that kind of cuteness that's sooooo difficult to discipline, but you know you have to, because you know what that "cute" thing will turn into. Anyway, it's not really WHAT she does, but the way she does it... head tilting from side to side as she tells me why she doesn't need to do what I told her to do. That sort of thing. It's just too funny for words...

I'm 25 weeks along in my pregnancy as of today. At my last appointment, my due date got moved up by a week. So now our due date is August 31st! The baby is VERY active, and I can definitely feel the kicks, squirms, and rolls! My ribs started aching about a couple of weeks ago, and I know that that feeling is here to stay. It's as if someone is grabbing the inside of my lower ribs and pulling them outward. I think all of my babies just like to wedge themselves up in them or something. Oh well! It'll all be over before I know it, and I really am trying to enjoy the journey this time around. So if ribs hurting is all I have to complain about, that's really not that bad, right?!

Oops! Forgot the "Baby Update"

I totally missed the "Baby Update" part of the last blog post, so I thought I'd add just bit. I'm now 19 weeks along in my pregnancy, and have been feeling the baby kick for about three weeks now (although, the kicks are definitely stronger and more pronounce now). Last night I had a dream that I have octouplets (I can't figure out how to spell that word... argh!)... seven girls and only one boy. Hmmmm... not sure if it meant anything! Lol! I think we'll probably do an ultrasound sometime next month, just to make sure that everything has developed the way they should. It feels like the weeks are just flying by this time around, and I know that at times, I forget that I'm even pregnant, due to how many other things we've got happening in our lives right now. At least I'm obviously showing now, so that when I forget I'm pregnant, all I have to do is look down at my growing baby bump (more like a baby PLUMP, though... lol). Anyway, at my prenatal appointments things have looked good so far! They said that I needed to get more protein in my diet, though, and get into a regular exercise routine. So... that's all for now!

Charlie, Sydney, and Baby Updates

Charlie's birthday is on March 22nd, and Sydney's in on March 31st, so we thought it'd be fun to throw them a joint birthday party! David's parents came into town for their birthdays and brought Asha and Heidi with them.... so that was an extra treat! I was overwhelmed at the outpouring of love that everyone showed our kids! Thanks to everyone, Charlie and Sydney had a wonderful party.

Since then Charlie's been telling EVERYONE that he's now four. When I tell him not to do something, he even says to me, "No, Mommy... I can do it, 'cause I'm four." He's been really coming out with some pretty funny statements lately... usually all from the bathroom. The other day I heard him shout from the bathroom (with pure delight at his new discovery), "Mommy! My peepee is like a waterfall!"

When we were sitting at the table eating pancakes today he said, "Oh my! I have to go peepee, Mommy!" Then he tilts his head to the side and adds, "I think pancakes make me have to go peepee." After running to the bathroom, we heard him shout really loudly, "DON'T EAT MY PANCAKES!"

Sydney has now undergone an entire week of "potty training", and she's doing great! She's having very few accidents now, and is even getting the hang of taking her underwear off BEFORE she sits on the toilet to pee or poo now (lol). It's going to be nice to get a break from changing diapers for a bit before our next little one arrives. Both Charlie and Sydney were in diapers for the first year of Sydney's life, so it's been just over four years with NO breaks, so I'm kind of ready for one!

Matthew 6:25-34

Thanks to my cousin's knowing her Bible references so well, she was able to give me the exact scripture passage that I was talking about in my previous blog posting. Thanks Stephanie! I thought I'd share it all with you, because it is such an encouraging passage.

Matthew 6:25-34

²⁵ “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
²⁸ “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; ²⁹ and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
³¹ “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Faith

I figured it was about time to update my blog, since it's been awhile (sorry about that). Our family has been very busy lately, which is just the result of God blessing our efforts in our businesses! I've gained six students over just this past month! David's business has turned a wonderful corner, and is growing and growing! Yes, we're grateful for all that God is doing in our lives financially right now.

In addition to the financial, He seems to be expanding the limits of my faith in Him in many other areas. I'm realizing that I have "trust issues" in many different areas, and He is helping me to overcome them... one at a time. Last year, on the weekend of March 16th, a wall that had been built up between myself and God crumbled! Over this past year, I've had to make conscious decision after conscious decision to put off all those things that Satin would try to remind me of in order to build up that wall again... to remind me of the reason to be distrustful of God. It's been a work in progress... a painful death to my belief in my own ability to control my own life... a death to "me" and so much life and true security in Him!

To add to this, back in October of this past fall, I realized that I'd been set free from my "trust issues" concerning my marriage relationship. This was HUGE! I was feeling, for the first time in many years, true joy in my heart... and more importantly, I was feeling myself falling in love with God... something I had thought wasn't possible to regain. It appeared as though the pieces of my own life were beginning to come together again. I was happy. David and I had a plan to get out of our financial mess, and we were going to make it!

Then at the beginning of January I found out I was pregnant. This threw me for a loop! What was God thinking?! We were on the right track, and now.... really, God, NOW? I was afraid that my faith in God was going to go away... I'd finally found it again, and now what was going to happen?? This was (in my mind) bad timing! I mean, it was fine if He wanted us to have another baby... I wasn't upset about THAT. I was just upset that He hadn't waited until our finances were in order first! What was He thinking???

Well, over the past couple of months, my faith in Him has expanded yet again... As I've been struggling, He's sent someone or something that would speak to that doubt. I've been worried about how we would be able to provide for our existing family, and now how would we do when this new little one arrived? I'd gotten rid of all (I mean ALL) of our baby things. I just didn't see how we were going to be able to do it. Then he sent me the scripture where Jesus is telling His disciples that if His Father in Heaven cares enough to provide for the birds of the air and the lilies of the field, then how much more does He care about you to provide for you? It really spoke to my heart, and I've been holding tight to this scripture (I really need to look up the exact reference, though... Lol!)

Well, I'd found it! Rest... ahhhh, yes... now I thought that I could finally rest... ummm... nope! He wanted me to face yet one more thing. Church. We'd been going off and on since about November to this church (Gresham Bible Church). We liked the worship and sermons, and liked the people there a lot. And THAT scared me! I kept suggesting that we go try out another church here... another church there... but we always left those churches knowing that it just wasn't where God wanted us to be. Well, it all hit me this past Sunday that the reason I wanted to keep Gresham Bible Church at arms' length was because of another TRUST ISSUE! Lol! I was sitting there trying to figure out why it was that I kept coming up with reasons to avoid Gresham Bible Church, when in my heart I felt drawn to it. Well, the obvious reason that would come to most minds would probably be that I'd grown up in a cult, and that maybe I was afraid that I was only drawn to this church because what if it was the beginnings of a cult too... but no. That wasn't it. The reason I wanted to push away from this church, was simply this: I'd lost all my friends twice. Both times was the result of leaving corrupt churches. I was afraid of going through that pain again. I didn't want to connect with people in a church because of that... and it was just easier to go to large churches where there would be no connection. The people at Gresham Bible Church were friendly... there were those that wanted a friendship with us... this was what scared me... connection. Wow! What a revelation! I'm not saying that I've overcome this one yet, but it's one that I'm working on, and I have total faith that God will lead me through this fog.

I just wanted to bring across the point that God is faithful, even when I'm doubtful. I'm excited to see that He seems to be in the process of causing my faith to grow, and for that I'm truly thankful!