Ashlock Family

Random Funny Stuff

2011-02-22T20:21:00.003-06:00

Daniel was telling a story at dinner and said, "Grandma called." Richard asked which Grandma and Daniel replied, "Our Grandma."

The kids were playing "store" with a bunch of toy groceries and a cash box with fake money. Richard just came in the room with his massive nerf gun and the cash box and said, "The kids' store just got robbed at gun point."

I only caught part of this conversation, but Daniel said something about it taking a century for something. Nathan said, "You couldn't do that. You'd never live a million years!"

Chocolate Thief

2011-01-04T21:40:00.002-06:00

As I was putting up the Christmas decorations, I kept finding chocolate candy wrappers in odd places. There was a wrapper under our livingroom table. In helping the boys clean their room, I found a couple of wrappers under Daniel's bed. This wasn't completely unusual because wrappers sometimes get forgotten in pockets.

At dinner, I was telling Richard and Nathan that I had been finding chocolate wrappers in weird places. And I noticed our candy dish by the front door was completely empty. That candy dish doesn't get eaten out of very often so that was weird to me. Jokingly, we asked Nathan if he was sneaking candy. Nathan said no but he can't keep a straight face for anything so we were telling him we didn't believe him. Although the truth is, Nathan has never proven to not be telling the truth. He is a fact teller almost to a fault.

By shower time, Nathan called me in the bathroom to show me 5 candy wrappers on the floor. He said he opened the cabinet to get a towel and the wrappers fell out! Now I knew who my culprit was and that I wasn't going crazy. There was a chocolate thief! We called Daniel into the bathroom and I asked him how those wrappers got there. Without hesitation, he didn't answer my question but quickly said he would throw them away. I said, "No. I want to know how those got in the cabinet. Did you sneak candy and hide the trash in the bathroom cabinet?" That poor child knew he was caught and didn't know what to do about it. He tried to hesitate but finally said, "Yes." After Richard and I collected ourselves to keep from laughing so hard, we had the whole honesty talk and everything. But I still keep laughing about this thinking of what he must have looked like trying to sneak all that candy. And why hide the wrappers? Doesn't he know enough to at least put them in the trash where we'd never know?

Things Not to Say to a Woman

2011-01-02T21:00:00.002-06:00

These are a couple of conversations that took place today all with Richard trying desperately to explain to the boys that these are all things that should NOT be said to a woman.

A little background information that will help you fully appreciate these conversations: During the summer, I did Weight Watchers and lost a little over 20 pounds. I weigh now what I weighed before I had children. Yay!!

At lunch, Nathan looked at me and said, "Mom, are you still doing Weight Watchers?"
Richard said, "that's something you shouldn't say to a woman."
Nathan said, "She's not a woman. She's a full grown lady."
Again Richard said, "That's something you shouldn't say to a woman either."

Tonight, Daniel asked me what I would do if I had another baby. Of course, I assured him I will NOT be having another baby. He reached over and patted my stomach and said, "Well, you're tummy is getting a little bigger like you're going to have a baby."
Richard intervened before I could say anything and said, "Daniel, this is something you should not say to a woman!"

Who are you and what did you do with Nathan?

2010-11-02T20:33:00.002-06:00

Tonight after dinner Nathan took his plate to the sink (which is not unusual) and asked if he should put it in the dishwasher. Of course I said yes. Then he suggested that doing the dishes after dinner should be one of his regular paying jobs. So we started discussing it and came to the agreement that he would be on trial for one week. I would train him to do the job and he would have to be patient because there would be some things I would still do (like put up leftovers and wash the pots and pans). After one week, if he still wanted the job and had learned what to do, we would add this to his chores and he could start getting paid for it.

So, he and I continued to clean the kitchen and I showed him several things about cleaning up. The last thing we were doing was putting soap into the dishwasher. At that time, Daniel came in the kitchen and asked if next time he could do that. Nathan said, "Daniel, no. I'm applying for a job."

Catching Up

2010-11-02T20:14:00.006-06:00

Well...obviously...it's been a while. We have been incredibly busy. Both boys played baseball this fall so we were either practicing or playing baseball or at church EVERY NIGHT. School starting was extra stressful as all my classes are brand new with no curriculum so inbetween everything else, I've had to find time to do lesson plans. With any extra spare time, I've put together some photo books of our China trip to give to our church. We also teach 10th grade Sunday school and Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University on Wednesday nights. I'm sure there are other things we've done that took up so much time!

In October we took at trip to Searcy, Arkansas to visit friends and Harding. We had not been back in a long, long time so it was really great to reconnect with friends and see how much the campus has changed. The picture on the blog is of us standing at the football field in front of the bison statue.

School is going great for both boys--Nathan in 3rd grade and Daniel in Kindergarten. They are having a great year and just moving right along doing everything right!

For Halloween they were Phineas and Ferb. If you've never seen the show on The Disney Channel, you must check it out. It is really funny and we all enjoy watching it. We got to hairspray their hair different colors and I think that was their favorite part!

Our other big adventure this fall was following the Rangers all the way to the World Series! The four of us were very blessed to be able to go to the American League Division Series and see them play against Tampa Bay. Then Richard, Nathan, my brother Chris, and my brother were at Game 6 of the American League Championship Series when they won against the Yankees clenching their spot in the World Series. This was probably the coolest game I've ever been to. Then, Richard and I, Janet, and our friend Brent were at the World Series Game 5. We were at Game 5 which was the deciding game and we saw them lose to the Giants. But, even seeing a team win the World Series was amazing! Definitely the opportunity of a lifetime!

Nathan's Thoughts on China

2010-08-05T08:46:00.002-06:00

I asked Nathan to write in a journal during our trip. Here are some excerpts from his journal: (I did correct spelling.)

When we go to China we're going to have lots of fun. We do need to be prepared. My mom is on a diet. Well she can't stand not having any dessert so she is off now.

Okay, so we're on the plane now, but we're having a 15 minute tire delay. The tire was flat, so we're not leaving at 6:30 which was planned. The tire's about done, so we're off!

Right now we're flying over the Pacific Ocean. The coolest part is that I've never gone out of the United States of America. I bet China is the best out-of-the-country trip ever! We're in the clouds now. It's gonna be cool and long. I have to go to the restroom and the seat belt sign was on.

Now we're finally in our apartment room. I don't really like the couches and chairs. Flat Stanley was eating duck tonight at dinner. I'm not hungry so I don't eat. We are having a good time tonight. I really want to go to sleep. I've been tired all day because I woke up at 4:00.

We are in church right now. I don't understand words so I'm writing in this. I'm going to a class in a little bit. It's so weird that we are listening to Chinese preach.

Today we went to the Temple of Heaven. It was cool. We got to see where the Emperor comes and prays to some god. I think it's a little weird anyway. Right now we're at KFC having training. I do nothing but play my DS. I just got this DS card that has 30 games on it. It's awesome!

While we were at KFC a boy that only speaks Chinese asked if I would like to go over and play with his dinosaur. Also another friend came to our apartment and played. Mom suggested I show him my new Bakugan. He seemed pretty interested in them. It was hard to get his attention off of them. Then we played my DS. He hliked Backyard Baseball 10 but he loved pinball. He liked to watch the pinball go up and down.

We went to the Great Wall of China yesterday. It was pretty cool. Me and Dad went up 1,197 steps. That was huge! The Great Wall of China has four sections. Two of them connect. But the other two don't connect. At least Granna made it. Then we went to the Forbidden City. We also went to where the emporer lived. After dinner we went to where they had the summer olympics and water olympics.

Then we had a party. We taught them some baseball.

Today we went to the zoo. We saw panda bears and even golden monkeys! Golden monkeys don't live in America, but they do live in China. After I ate, Dad and I went for a run. We went to the old part of China.

Today we went to the pearl market with Mom's LST team she trained.

Me: What was your favorite part of the trip?
Nathan: The Great Wall

Me: What did you learn about teaching others about God?
Nathan: If we keep training them, they will know more and they will want to get baptized.

Readers Say the Funniest Things

2010-08-04T09:52:00.001-06:00

It is such a blessing to be able to laugh at the differences in our language and culture. When we can laugh at ourselves and even when we misunderstand something, it brings us closer and creates joy between us and our readers. Here are a couple of quick funny stories that we have enjoyed telling and laughing about:

One of my readers was having trouble understanding the word "servant." We were talking about the relationship between a servant and his master. I explained a servant might do the cooking, cleaning, wash clothes, shopping, etc. He said, "Oh, like a housewife!"

Another reader seemed unable to believe Jesus was born with animals. She did not understand the word "cattle" and insisted it didn't mean cow. She told me several times it meant cradle or carriage and Jesus was not placed in a box but a crib. Oh dear...

I showed a reader pictures of ourselves and one of them was the picture of all of us with our empty tomb shirts on (the same one at the top of this blog). She told me this did not look like the same person (talking about me). She said the one in the picture was fatter. I think I'll take that as a compliment.

New Sister

2010-08-04T09:50:00.001-06:00

We are rejoicing today as we celebrate a new sister in Christ! My friend, Rachel, who I wrote about in the last email, was baptized today! We are thrilled and she described herself as feeling the same as the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8, "very happy!"

She has had many influences throughout the last year but LST was her start to believing in God. She did not read with any other teams this past year, but God led her to our church last Sunday and we reconnected. I spent an afternoon with her touring her area of the city and catching up on our year apart. Today she came to church again and attended our party we held for readers. After the party she wanted to talk about baptism more and we read some scriptures in Acts about different people who chose baptism. I simply asked her, "Why not today?" She had no reason not to! She spoke with Andrew for about an hour and we filled our bathtub in our apartment with water and now we have a new sister in Christ. We joined in her first communion together and shared our favorite scriptures for encouragement. I read Colossians 3:1-4 to her.

There is no doubt in my mind she will continue to be faithful and help lead others to Christ. She has already started doing this. God's been working on her all year, He just allowed us to witness His work. In Christ, there is no boundary of language, country or culture. We have a bond that cannot be broken and even if we never see each other again, we will be together in Heaven!

A Week in China

2010-08-04T09:47:00.001-06:00

We are finishing our first week in Beijing and things have gone very well. We have connected with many readers and seem to daily be making more connections as others hear what we are doing. Last year, all of our readers were brand new so we were going through the same lessons with each one of them. This year, because some have been reading throughout the year with other teams, our readers are all on different lessons and different levels spiritually. This has allowed us to have deeper discussions about faith issues with many of them and connect with them more as we show Jesus.

I have had the opportunity to reconnect with about 4 readers that we got to read with for the first time last year. This has been a truly amazing blessing as I have been able to witness their progression both with language and faith. For example, I have one reader that I got very close to last year but she has not read with any other teams this year. She occassionally comes to the church here but not often. On Sunday, she was there. I was so excited because I thought she had stayed connected with Andrew and Jaime. Come to find out, she hadn't been there in about three months and Jaime thought I must have emailed her and told her I would be there, which I had not. God is at work here.

She and I met this week, but she didn't want to go through the lessons, she just wanted to catch up. So we talked a long time about many things. She told me she goes to a Christian church every Sunday and faithfully attends their Friday night socials with people her age. She is bringing her friends because she cannot tell them why she believes in God, she just wants them to see, hear, and listen for themselves, as she told me. She said she had not been baptized because she doesn't think she knows enough. I promptly told her I don't know everything there is to know either! We talked a lot about baptism and what it means and about following God. From my perspective, she answered everything with the full knowledge of God, and I truly believe she is ready to be baptized. She is staying in town to go to the party on Sunday and she agreed to talk to Andrew more. In the meantime, she and I are going today to visit her church and spend more time together. I intend to share with her stories of the people in Acts who were new believers under Peter's instruction and they didn't know everything either!

Nathan is having a wonderful time. He is a magnet for the Chinese people--they are so interested in him. All the girls think he is a "pretty boy!" I think he is enjoying the attention even though he acts a little embarrassed. He has been able to play with some of our reader's children. One of the church members here who also teach Andrew and Jaime Chinese, came over to give him some Chinese lessons. She brought him workbooks for him to practice writing Chinese characters. He now knows much more Chinese than all of us. He is not afraid to learn and try to speak it. The church members game him the Chinese name, "Fe Ma" which means Flying Horse. He was born in the year of the horse and he is very fast. He quickly learned how to say, "Hello, my name is Fe Ma." in Chinese. He uses that easily even with those who don't speak English.

Night at the Ballpark

2010-07-03T10:39:00.004-06:00

Last night we were graciously offered tickets in a suite at the Rangers game. So, although at 6:30 it was pouring down rain when we left, we trekked off to the ballpark. The tarp was still on the field and we got to see a new event--taking the tarp off and prepping the field! After a 2 1/2 hour rain delay, the first pitch was at 9:30 pm. Of course, the game was a lot of fun topped off with a fireworks show afterwards. We didn't get home until almost 1:30 am! I love that we are at a stage in our life with our children that we can do things like this and it's ok.

Now, about the children. I'm labeling last night the "What were you thinking?!" night for them. At one point, they were standing between two suites under a steel beam with their heads to the ceiling, mouths wide open, catching drops of water in the mouths. Did they not know this water was dripping from an air conditioner???? That time I denied they were my children!

They went inside and got bottles of water which were iced down in a bucket. Both of them opened their waters, took a drink and put it back in the bucket! At least Nathan stood his up, but Daniel just threw it back in. Did they not know this was not their own personal cooler???

The funniest story of the night comes from another girl that was there. We were telling her about a time when a home run ball almost hit me in the head one time when were sitting in centerfield. Luckily, a man a couple of rows ahead of us caught the ball. I told her I would not look this beautiful if he had not caught that ball. She offered to us that her mom had her nose worked on so much that if they took all the money they spent on her nose, it would be a million dollars! Now they call it the Million Doller Nose!

Uncle Chris

2010-07-01T12:06:00.002-06:00

We figured out how to play Mario Kart Wii online with Uncle Chris and Aunt Alissa. This morning the kids wanted to play with him but he was sleeping (he works nights). Nathan said, "He's going to be nocturnal now! I really hope he doesn't turn nocturnal." Daniel said, "He's not sleeping. He gets up at 5 in the morning to go fishing!"

Do they know their uncle or what?

The Birds and the Bees

2010-06-25T22:09:00.001-06:00

Daniel asked where baby birds come from. Nathan was trying to explain but thought he was telling more than he should get into. So he concluded, "Well, we're all mammals. People are all mammals. Well, not all. Some are vegetarians."

The Empty Tomb

2010-06-21T11:54:00.003-06:00

Yesterday for Father's Day we went out to eat at Chili's. Toward the end of lunch, I look over and Daniel is drawing on the wall with his crayon! Shocked, I walked over to him and said, "What is this?" He looked at me with the most pouty eyes and said, "The empty tomb."

Now what I am supposed to do with that? Allan said we are supposed to spread this symbol all over the metroplex. Daniel's only doing his part to spread the gospel of Jesus. Should I punish him? Richard and I couldn't agree on a consequence because we were laughing so much at the fact that he drew the empty tomb!

He did have to give me one of his favorite toys for the day and help me clean it off the wall. And, we had the normal talk about respecting other people's property. But, at least if you're going to put graffiti on something, he was painting Christian graffiti.

Climbing Mt. Everest

2010-05-27T10:28:00.003-06:00

Nathan said if anyone climbed to the top of Mt. Everest, they would die. Of course, we dispelled that myth and said that many people have climbed Mt. Everest and it takes several days to do it. Nathan said, "So, they'd like have to pack a lunch?"

Mother's Day

2010-05-09T20:58:00.002-06:00

What a great day (and weekend really)! Richard and the boys cleaned my car, inside and out, so it looks like a new car again. I love it! Daniel gave me a bracelet that I found at Mardel's. I gave him a big hint that he needed to tell Daddy to come back and buy that bracelet. Amazingly, he did it! Nathan gave me a cross necklace. We spent the day with my Mom in Daingerfield. The kids hadn't seen Granna in a while so it was definitely a treat! Chris came in for the day also and we spent the afternoon at the hospital with Dad. It was nice to all be together.

This morning at church, we had a very unique event. A family was baptized together. They have 6 children; the mom, dad and the four oldest children were baptized this morning. Tim compared it to the Phillippian jailor in Acts 16 when Paul baptized his entire household. What an amazing event! I've never seen that happen before. Truly amazing!

I have the best boys ever. They are amazing, caring, empathetic, loving, sweet and adorable. Nathan is a life-long learner and is good at everything he does. Daniel is carefree and keeps us laughing all the time. I can't believe they are about to be in the same school together and I know as brothers, they will be a great team. I look foward to summer so much because I get to be with them. I truly have fun with them and enjoy each day together. They are a joy!

The Andy Griffith Show

2010-05-02T11:58:00.002-06:00

Mark and Debbie were at our house last night and we were watching The Andy Griffith Show, which to my knowledge, neither of the boys have ever seen. Mark said he had some questions about this show. Like what happened to Opie's mom? Where are the grandparents? Nathan said, "And why is it in black and white?"

Catching Up

2010-04-19T18:58:00.002-06:00

It's been a very long time since I've posted. Maybe I can catch up a little here. The boys have both started spring sports. Daniel is playing soccer and Nathan is playing baseball. Both are having a blast and they are so much fun to watch. Right now, this is our life. It's either practice, a game or church.

The week after spring break, my dad had a massive stroke. He is paralyzed on his left side, but has slowly begun making some progress. There is still no movement on his left side, but he has much more core strength and is talking much better. The speech therapist dismissed him last week so that's definitely progress. He still has a long way to go, but I know he's working hard in therapy to get there. It's been physically and emotionally draining the past couple of weeks, but I feel things getting better. Mom has gone back to work and is getting to a bit of a routine again. We were there Easter weekend and I got to visit again this past weekend. I took him a photo album so he can show off the family.

Because of all this, Easter was very abnormal this year. The picture on the blog was us dressed up for Easter Sunday. Our church was promoting the Empty Tomb Gear and we had all planned to wear our shirts. We were in Daingerfield for Easter but we wore them anyway. We didn't get to make our rice krispie eggs or really do anything extra special. Daniel told me Easter morning, "You know what happens on the real Easter day? The Easter Bunny comes!" I couldn't bear to tell him that it was the real Easter day since there had been no visit from the Easter Bunny. But, when we got back home that Sunday night, we had been "egged." Some dear friends of ours had hidden eggs all over our front yard. Daniel saw that and said, "The Easter Bunny did come!" I think God just gave us really special friends!

We are preparing for another trip to Beijing, China this summer. Our team is us and Nathan, Janet, and my mom Donna. She is still planning on going which I think is a smart decision. Her family and church will be more than willing to take care of Dad and anything else while she's gone. Plus, after being home with Dad all summer, she'll need the two week break. We are fundraising right now. I'm repeating the phrase, "God will provide" over and over to myself. In such hard financial times right now, I know it's difficult for individuals to give financially to our trip. But, I am convinved that God is working and doing something even if I don't know quite what it is yet.

To close, here are a couple of stories from the past week.

Daniel told me that when he grows up he wants to work at the Texas Rangers. He wants to hand out things at the park. Like hot dogs. He wants to be the hot dog man, "Hot dogs! Get your hot dogs here!" he yelled. He told me that if I want a hot dog, he will unzip the box and sell me a hot dog for $2.

Nathan told me he wants to be a preacher because he likes to be in front of people and he likes to talk about God. "Mom, will you come to my church when I'm the preacher?"
"Of course I will!"
"Well, you might be too old and might not be able to make it."

Magic Tricks

2010-03-31T12:29:00.002-06:00

This morning on the way to school, Nathan was performing magic tricks. Daniel gave Nathan his fruit snacks and wanted him to turn it into a penny. Nathan put the fruit snacks in a cup and told him, "You can only have your fruit snacks or a penny, but not both. Which do you want?" Luckily, for Nathan, Daniel said he wanted the fruit snacks. So easily enough, Nathan produced the fruit snacks from the cup. Now, Daniel decided he wanted him to turn them into a dollar. So, Nathan took the fruit snacks, put them in the cup and repeated the deal, "You can only have your fruit snacks or a dollar, but not both. Which do you want?" Figuring there was no way Nathan could pull off the same trick twice, we weren't surprised by Daniel's answer. He wanted the dollar! Nathan pulled out the fruit snacks and gave them over to Daniel. Daniel said, "This isn't a dollar!" Nathan said, "It's Asian money."

Daniel is being a character!

2010-01-29T13:30:00.003-06:00

I told Daniel my lesson for Bible class on Sunday is about Noah. Daniel said, "I knew him."

A while back there was a coyote that attacked a lady's dog while she was walking it near our church.
Nathan: "Do you remember when that coyote ate that lady's dog?"
Daniel: "That's why we don't bring dogs to church."

Last week while playing hockey in the hallway (at mom's disapproval)....
Dad: "Score!"
Daniel (as casual as possible): "Awww nuts!"

Daniel eating dinner (buffalo chicken sandwich and salt and pepper chips): "I make myself hot."

Daniel's Funny Collection

2010-01-29T13:27:00.002-06:00

Daniel is in the ongoing process of collecting words for his funny collection. Here are a few:

bonut (accidentally said one time instead of donut)
diaper
chicken
canpackes (another accident said instead of pancakes)
That stinks!
Aww nuts!

Quotes this Week

2010-01-11T18:20:00.002-06:00

Nathan: "I don't know why but I've just really hit the road with my singing voice."

Nathan: "Can I represent at the talent show basketball? Cause I can really represent. I'm good at that."

I sat down at the computer and noticed our Internet wasn't working. Out loud I said, "What's wrong with our Internet?" From the other room Nathan immediately responded, "Go to finallyfast.com."

(I won't reveal the person we were talking about in this story.)
Nathan: She's not married.
Me: She's not? I thought she was. Does she have any kids?
Nathan: She can't have a baby until she has sex with a boy.

Venn Diagram

2010-01-05T09:31:00.001-06:00

The boys got hula hoops for Christmas. Nathan called me in his room and was so excited to show me how he had made a Venn diagram! He had overlapped the hula hoops, put shoes on one side, clothes on the other and a sock in the middle.

Most children are engrossed in video games; my child creates Venn diagrams. We're so proud!

Marriage by Nathan and Daniel

2010-01-04T20:36:00.002-06:00

While grocery shopping at Wal-Mart Daniel told me he would not ever go grocery shopping when he gets big. I asked how would he get food to eat and all the things he needs. He said he'll tell his wife to go do it.

At dinner we had corn on the cob and Daniel said he didn't like to eat corn. Nathan said, "Well you better get used to it because your wife will probably fix it."

Cowboys and Homeboys

2009-11-01T19:45:00.002-06:00

Cowboys

Richard and Nathan got to go with our friends to the Cowboys game today. Nathan told Richard he saw a lot of cool things today. I was getting ready to go to the game (we were given 2 tickets) when Richard told me they were playing the Seahawks. Nathan's flag football team was the Seahawks. I looked at Richard and told him I couldn't go. He needed to take Nathan. Nathan has been obsessed with football lately. When most 7 year olds wake up on Saturday mornings and watch cartoons, Nathan turns on a recorded football game and watches that.

Homeboys

Tonight Richard made the comment that he has cut someone's head open before. Of course they were already dead. Nathan said, "Homeboy was dead."

Daniel the Songwriter

2009-10-29T19:53:00.001-06:00

At dinner, Daniel announced, "I made up a song, but it has a bad word, so we can't sing it. We have to skip the word."

When pressed to tell us what the word was, he wouldn't do it. Then he said he made up another song, but it was full of bad words.

Where is he learning this stuff? And what exactly does he consider a bad word?

What's Been Going On?

2009-10-29T11:59:00.003-06:00

Way too much. That's why I haven't written in a while. Nathan is playing flag football and absolutely loving it. He runs so fast! In one game, he scored four touchdowns. He doesn't get his flag pulled very much because no one can catch him! Daniel is busy in pre-school. He actually has homework - cutting pictures that start with letters of the alphabet out of a magazine. He has a different letter each week. We had to have a conversation about cutting out the entire picture, not just a corner of it. Just because he knows what the picture is doesn't mean everyone else does.

Daniel is a cowboy for Halloween complete with cowboy boots (which he loves to wear). He turns into a dancer with those on. It's a cross between the hoedown throwdown and tap dancing. Nathan is Ben 10. He really just got a toy Omnitrix to wear on his wrist and he's wearing a black shirt. Not our best effort at a Halloween costume but he's enjoying the toy.

Nathan has worked on his school science project - creating a hat to represent the word mass. He and Richard got out the power tools and they made a scale and screwed to the top of the hat. I'll get a picture on here soon. It's pretty good. I found out they got to pick their words this year and before I could get out, "What did you pick mass for?" (in a not-so-nice tone), Richard saved me by asking, "Nathan, what made you choose the word mass?" Nathan's answer was, "I didn't know what it was and I thought it might be interesting to learn something about it." Such the GT kid. And now, Richard's decided he needs more power tools for projects like this. Guess I know what he'll be getting for Christmas.

Daniel's been a little sick this week. He and I got to stay home on Monday. He's only been running fever and has a little cough. I called the doctor and they didn't want to see him unless his fever went above 101.8 and wouldn't break with Tylenol. So he was fine by Wednesday but Wednesday night he started feeling bad again, so I took him home early from church. When Nathan found out he wasn't feeling well, here was the discussion he had with Dad:

Nathan: "Well, I just think we need to take him to the doctor. I mean, the doctor said not to come unless it's over 100...101...108...well, his fever is up then it's back down I mean we just need to take him. It's 100 then it's 99 then it's 100 again. We just need to take him to the doctor.

Richard: "We don't need to take him to the doctor because the kids at the doctor are really sick and Daniel's just a little bit sick. Right now, he probably just has a cold that his body has to fight off and he'll get better. We don't want him getting sicker from the doctor's office."

Nathan: "Well, what kind of disease does he have?"

And, one more story from Daniel. This one is potty humor though, so if it offends you, don't keep reading. Daniel was using the bathroom while I was getting ready one morning (we're all sharing one bathroom right now). He said something and I didn't understand him, so I asked him to repeat it.

He said, "I wasn't talking to you."
I said, "Oh, well then who were you talking to?"
"The poo-poo."
"Oh. Well, what did you tell the poo-poo?"
"I said, 'Will you just hurry up, please?'"
Then, I heard him "go" and he said, "Thanks."

Quotes this Week

2009-09-16T06:32:00.003-06:00

We were walking in to Nathan's indoor football practice and it was raining. Nathan said, "Mom, you know why I put my mouthguard in my mouth? So it won't get wet."

Daniel: "Mom, I changed my mind of what I want to be when I grow up and no changebacks. I want to be a potty worker."

The Life of Joseph

2009-09-01T16:01:00.002-06:00

We have family devotionals each week but got off schedule because of China and getting back in our normal routine. Last night we just reviewed the life of Joseph we've been studying this summer. Nathan made the observation that Joseph's life (in his words) had a lot of ups and downs. Something good would happen then something bad would happen. I asked him how he thought Joseph dealt with all these ups and downs. What did Joseph have that helped him? I thought I was prompting for the answer "God," but Daniel quickly answered, "A stick!"

Daniel's quote for today: "Perfect makes practice!"

When I Get My Own Room by Daniel

2009-08-11T19:23:00.001-06:00

"I'm going to have my own nightlight and my own animals. And I'm going to make a sign with a person and a lock and the number 4. For 4's only!"

(Should I tell him he'll be 5 before we get into a house with his own room?)

Too Much Food Network

2009-08-11T19:14:00.001-06:00

The other morning I made blueberry muffin bread and went in to take out of the oven and get it ready. Nathan called out to me, "Mom, are you plating yet?"

Final China Journal Entry

2009-08-10T16:37:00.003-06:00

The trip was home was a little harder then going over there. We had a three hour flight to Tokyo with a five hour layover there. Ordering a meal there was much harder than ordering any meals the entire two weeks we were in Beijing. Then we had the 12 hour flight to Detroit. In Detroit, we only had about 2 hours to go through customs, recheck our bags and get to our gate. Then we had the 2 hour flight to DFW.

We saw two sunrises and two sunsets in one day. I think we added up that it was Saturday for 40 hours. We had the privilege of sitting next to a really distraught young lady on the last leg of our flight. Apparently, she had been "flexible" with Delta many times that day trying to get home from Budapest and she was ready to be home! When they announced that the flight to DFW was overbooked and they asked for volunteers to stay an extra night, we all were ready to get on the plane and make sure we had a seat! This lady had the window seat which meant she was watching as they loaded our luggage. She saw one piece of her luggage not get loaded and she became really concerned! The flight attendant assured her everything would be ok. She told her, "I wish someone cared about me the way you care about that piece of luggage." I don't if all her luggage made it to DFW but I hope she is a little more peaceful now.

Coming home was wonderful. All our families were there and the boys made signs to greet us with. They were super excited to see us and we were glad to be home. Making the adjustment is much harder coming home than going there. Over the past week, I'm the only one who hasn't had to go back to work and it would have been better if I had. I kept napping every day which made my adjustment a little worse. On Friday, I took the kids out for the afternoon and we shopped and ran errands all afternoon so I wouldn't nap. I didn't nap, but I also spent money!

As for our readers, we ended up reading with a total of 32 people over 116 hours. I know Andrew has already had one follow up party where 7 of our readers attended. I'm really anxious to continue to hear about their follow up efforts and try to connect with our readers through email. This has been an amazing experience and I would highly recommend it to everyone.

China Journal - Friday, July 31

2009-08-10T16:30:00.002-06:00

Our final day. This is certainly bittersweet. There is still so much that can be done but our time is through for now. We finished today with just a few readers and encouraged them to follow up with Andrew and Jaime.

Our spare time today was spent packing and finishing paperwork for LST. Tonight we went out to dinner with Andrew and Jaime and Mark for our end meeting. We went to a different part of Beijing that was built specifically for the Olympics. The restaurant - The Blue Frog - was in an outdoor mall type complex. It was full of restaurants, stores and offices. For a little while you would forget you were even in China!

The food was very delicious! We had a hamburger and fajitas. They served ice with their drinks and we had a brownie with ice cream for dessert. Yum!

We just spent some time talking about the weeks and what we thought went well or needed to improve for another team. Most of this we had mentioned to them before. We talked some about our readers and the ones that really stood out to us as those who were serious about follow up work and study.

After dinner, the guys played a game of pool and the girls laughed at them and took pictures. We came back to the hotel to clean everything, finalize the budget and paperwork and finish packing. It's 1:00 am (again) and we leave at 6:00 am!

China Journal - Thursday, July 30

2009-08-10T16:23:00.002-06:00

Sometimes the reading sessions are so unpredictable. When you think you are going to have a full day of reading, several cancel at the last minute. When you only have a couple of sessions, you end up signing someone up spontaneously!

I ended up only having readers tonight and because of a cancellation, I was able to read with Carol again. She is such a joy. She seems to believe so strongly but hasn't taken the step to becoming a Christian. She shared about the difficulty of talking about Christianity with her parents because of their belief in Buddhism. She also told me when she saw me at church the first day, she thought I looked so happy and told Jaime she wanted me to be her teacher. I was so tired that first Sunday--God must have been shining through!

It has been fun having Mark here today. He took some pictures of us and hung out all day. He joined us and Andrew and Jaime for lunch. We went back to the restaurant where they meet for church (which was my favorite place to eat). We ordered all of my favorite dishes from our first lunch here. The waitress didn't like our order though and tried to get us to order something else because everything we got was sweet.

When Carol and I prayed together tonight, we held hands and I said the prayer. When I finished, she held my hands tighter and she led a prayer for me! That touched my heart so much! Cathy and I prayed tonight but I think that's probably the first time she's ever prayed. She didn't really know what to do. There's so much work to be done!!

Tonight, we visited in Mark's room, played with the Beta fish - if you put it in front of a mirror, it gets really defensive. I got to chat with Debbie for awhile. Richard and Mark listened to Michael Jackson songs and played with a rubrik cube. As I write, Richard is catching up on his reader's notes but it is very late - almost 1:00 am. I don't feel that sleepy. A thunderstorm came up and it's been relaxing to listen to the rain. I also don't really want to leave yet. I know everyone's ready for us to come home and I miss the boys. It's kind of similar to that vacation feeling when you don't want to get back to the daily routine and chores and it's like the camp spiritual high you feel when you know there's important work to be done and you're feeling God's presence every minute.

China Journal - Wednesday, July 29

2009-08-10T16:14:00.002-06:00

Excursion Day - We started very early leaving at 6:30 am to go to the Great Wall at Badaling. It took about 2 hours to get there. This is the most famous section of the Great Wall - the one you see in all the pictures. A common myth which I also thought, is that the Great Wall is one, long continuous wall. It is not. It is made up of sections. I also did not know how steep it would be to climb the section we did. That was so hard! It was really cool to get to the top and see the landscape. But there were times I was almost bent completely over walking up a steep hill or felt like I was walking straight up a flight of stairs. Very cool sights though!

After a couple of hours there, we drove back toward Beijing and stopped at a mall for lunch. We all agreed on this restaurant where you order all the ingredients and they cook it and serve it to you in a big bowl. You also have to tell them the level of spice you want. We chose 3 out of 7. Too hot!! Eric and I couldn't eat very much. It tasted great but was way too spicy!

Then we travelled a little more to the Summer Palace. It looked similar to the Forbidden City but smaller and much more beautiful landscaping. It was built for the Empress. Unfortunately, there more stairs to climb! But it was worth it as we made our way to the other side of the main palace and down to the lake that was built in the middle. Except for the hundreds of people and this annoying whistle sound that everyone seemed to be blowing, it was really quite beautiful and could be very romantic and peaceful especially around the lake.

After a couple of hours here, we went to a nice restaurant to eat duck which we've never had before. We ordered a few other dishes and it was all very good. Today was quite a bit more relaxing and slower paced than last Wednesday and it was not nearly as hot.

We got back to the hotel and took showers then Eric and I worked on budget stuff again. Around 9:30, Mark got here!! We talked to him for awhile. I'm so glad he's here. It's refreshing to add someone new as we are winding down the trip. We are all tired and probably a little cranky after spending so much time together. This could possibly be the longest Richard and I have spent together continuously. That's quite an adjustment not to mention being with Eric and Tarah so much also! This has been so much fun in every way possible. It's certainly had it's struggles and stresses but I've grown so much through this. More than anything to get to teach people about God who are so eager to learn and have many questions is worth everything. And to serve God with your spouse can do nothing but strengthen your marriage. I would not hesistate to do this again.

China Journal - Tuesday, July 28

2009-08-10T16:09:00.002-06:00

The morning was slow for me because my normal morning readers couldn't com today. Everyone else had readers so I sat and caught up on some notes on readers, journal writing and texting confirmations to readers.

Tomorrow is our excursion to the Great Wall and Summer Palace so Tarah and I went to the bank to get cash for our day. We ate a quick lunch then Jaime met us and took us to the Pearl Market. It is like the silk market only a little smaller and calmer. From what I could tell they had a lot of the same products and of course pearls. At least two floors were just jewelry. Tarah went to specifically get some gifts and pick out her anniversary present. Jaime knows one of the shop owners so she took us there. Here the quality is good and there is very little bargaining. I picked out two necklaces and Tarah got a pearl ring.

Richard and I looked around more and found the boys' T-shirts, Richard got a magnet and we bought another Christmas ornament. We had to go back earlier because we had late afternoon readers. We read with two readers then the four of us got some dinner. Richard and Tarah had another reader so Eric and I came back to the hotel to put our purchases up and talk about budget.

Tonight, I had to say good-bye to two of my readers because it is the last time we will read together. Eric and I read at 9:00 with our married couple, Leo and Amy. They are just so much fun! She gave Tarah and I each a colorful bracelet and gave Eric a replica of some Terracotta soldiers and me a plaque of a traditional Chinese opera figure. We prayed with them and said our good-byes with the promise of prayer and emailing. I do NOT like saying good-bye!

China Journal - Monday, July 27

2009-08-07T08:59:00.002-06:00

Today started with our regular readers. My friend, Rachel, has started asking more questions about baptism. She understands a lot when it comes to learning some of the symbolism and what the Bible means but I'm not sure she understands the purpose of baptism. She is very enjoyalbe to visit with and talk to.

We tried a new place for lunch--Mr. Lee's Noodle House. One of Richard's readers, Chen, came with us, and I'm glad he did. Ordereding by ourselves is not too bad as long as we point to a menu. The problem is understanding what we are ordering exactly (beef, pork, chicken). For example, at KFC, I successfully ordered a chicken and fries combo but got spicy instead of original. So Chen was able to tranlsate for us. It was a lot of fun visiting with him. He explained a few things to us. On the walk from the hotel, we had seen these writings with big circles around them on the buildings. We considered them grafitti of some kind. Turns out, they are markings meaning those buildings will be torn down and new, nicer, bigger buildings will be built. Most of these buildings hold small "mom and pop" shops but since they face a major freeway, the government wants a nicer look. Just like in America, the government will pay the shop owners to move so they can build something new there.

Chen also tried to help us with our chopstick skills. Richard has always been pretty good with them and I manage to eat with them but I know I don't use them correctly. Richard asked Chen to grade us on how we use them. He said Richard was the best, Eric was better, and I was the worst! That's OK. I don't leave a meal hungry and that's all that matters to me.

In the afternoon, we finished with readers so we tried to balance our budget. We are not balanced! Lesson learned here: Get a receipt for everything. Balance everyday no matter how tired you are. Do not mix/replace personal money with LST money. We did this in the beginning becasue we couldn't exchange money until a weekday and I think it made it confusing from the beginning.

Our evening continued with more readers. My friend, Cathy is very careful about what she believes. She is interested in history and seems to question about fate a lot and wonders if some people are just not chosen to believe in God. We talked a lot about choices and sometimes we are simply living the consequences of others' choices (like our parents). But as we mature and grow the choices become our own.

Eric and I are reading with a husband and wife, James and Amy. They are delightful. They have been married for 2 years, are Christians and are trying to have a baby. They are lots of fun to read with and always buy as a drink and usually some type of dessert. Tonight after our reading we sat longer with them and visited while they ate dinner. They taught us a little more Chinese but mostly we just laughed because we all have such a hard time pronouncing the language.

About 9:30, Richard and I met with Rachel and her friend Caroline. Rachel had called earlier and wanted to meet because they had questions about Christiantiy and baptism. They asked some very tough questions that even those who have been Christians for a long time struggle with. I hope they got some clarification on what a relationship with God truly looks like. Caroline doesn't seem to be too fond of structured church assemblies but we talked about why attending church is important and gave them some advice and encouragement on how to look for and find a church home. We also discovered Caroline calls herself a Christian but hasn't been baptized. So we also talked about the importance of baptism. We talked until almost 11 when they kicked us out of the mall! We prayed with them.

China Journal - Sunday, July 26

2009-08-07T08:48:00.002-06:00

We went to church this morning. Six of our readers were there. For 4 of them, it was their first time to be at church. For two others, last week had been their first time. The service was primarily in Chinese. One of the brothers sat with the four of us and translated into English. The message was about God's anger versus our anger. God's anger is always in response to sin. Our anger is usually in response to how we are treated by others.

We then all went to a different restaurant for lunch and the party. There were 16 of us so we were all around one large circle table and ate off about 16 dishes. for the party, we served some snacks and desserts: chips & salsa, trail mix, Snickers, M&M's, Dove chocolates, Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookies, and Oreos. We played 3 games. The first game we wrote on a piece of paper our age, shoe size, favorite color and favorite drink. We put the paper in the balloon and blew it up. We mixed up the balloons and picked one from the group. We popped the balloon then had to find the person who wrote on the paper.

For the second game, we got in groups of 4. Each person told 3 truths and 1 lie. The people in the group had to guess which one was the lie.

The third game was probably the most fun. We sat in a large circle and whispered a phrase to the person next to you and it gets repeated all the way around the circle. The first phrase was "The black cat climbed up the green tree." It ended with "The green pack." We played twice more and they turned out much closer to the real sentence. The last time we played, we said a Chinese sentence. For us, we had to listen then repeat phrase by phrase and it still didn't come out right. The sentence was "I hope you like China" and it ended with "I like your gold mine."

For dinner, Richard and I travelled about 45 minutes from here to meet Gary and Denita Jackson at Peter's Tex Mex. These are friends of Mark and Debbie's and mentors to Andrew and Jaime. The food was very good and the cinammon rolls for dessert were delicious. The Jacksons were wonderful company. They shared a lot from their experiences of living abroud and the decisions they've made along the way.

Today was Eric and Tarah's anniversary so they went out on their own to dinner and to the Temple of Heaven. When they got back, Eric managed to reserve Mark a room for when he comes later this week. Eric is not timid when it comes to communicating with others here even in a different language!

China Journal - Saturday, July 25

2009-08-07T08:37:00.002-06:00

Today was not as busy as we thought it was going to be. We all started with almost full schedules but as the day progressed, more began to cancel or reschedule. I think many of them thought Saturday would be open but just like all of us at times, we get busy running errands or get invited to do something and we reprioritze. Richard had the most readers of all of with 5. But this was a small blessing for us because we got a little extra time to spend resting. Richard especially needed it so he can get over his head cold. He is never one to get down because he is sick, but a short nap can go a long way to recovery.

We met with the couple from Canada today. What a sweet family! Sarah, the wife, isn't sure what she believes even though her husband is a believer. I pray they realize the importance of having a common belief to pass on to their son. As we invited them to the party, we found out they share the same wedding anniversary as Eric & Tarah - tomorrow (Sunday). We also discovered they live in the same apartment complex as Andrew and Jaime in the next building. Hopefully, they can continue a relationship.

Cathy, my reader who is so interested in history, asked some tough questions today. Why did God make Jesus? Do you believe in fate? Did Jesus and God have their own feelings and thoughts? How do you know when you work on something on your own or ask God for help? Did Jesus feel things like compassion? It is an almost surreal experience when you can literally hear God speaking answers in your head to give. That's how I felt today. Cathy is a radiologist and reads CT scans and MRI's at a cancer hospital. She is well educated and I can tell she has to work out the information in her head and analyze it very carefully. I pray she does work it out with God.

Tonight we went to Andrew and Jaime's house to pick up our laundry. They had attended a marriage seminar so we go to hear some things they learned there. One thing they learned was that women are emotional. Hmmm...I think we all knew that!

We finished up late preparing everything for the party tomorrow. I'm looking forward to introducing our new friends to Andrew and Jaime. It will be hard to leave here next week. We are getting into some deep discussion and "meatier" topics; I just wish we had more time with our readers and new friends. They are such a joy to be with.

China Journal - Friday, July 24

2009-08-07T08:26:00.002-06:00

Today Tarah wasn't feeling well but thankfully had a very light schedule of readers so she was able to rest. Richard also has a cold he is working through so our prayers were focused on health today.

Our phone and subway passes are pay-as-you-go and they were all out of money. My first priority this mornign was to add more money on those while Richard and Eric read.

We all had afternoon readers today. One of mine read with me for 2 hours. She is very smart and seems to know all the answers to even some of the symbolic questions. For example, she explained to me that baptism is washing away sins--a rebirth. Although she has this knowledge, I' mnot sure she sees the importance eternally. She bought me a snack while we were reading that is supposed to "take the fire out of your body during the summer." It was a cold dish that had the look and consistency of cranberry on the bottom layer and white beans on the top. It took one obligatory bite and that was all I could handle!

During an afternoon break, Richard and I walked to Andrew's house to do laundry. We put our clothes in a suitcase and rolled it over there - in the rain. What would have been one load in our machine was 3 in their small washer. And they don't have a dryer so it has to hang dry. Richard stayed to take care of that while Jaime and I went to a supermarket to finish shopping for the party. This store is much like our Wal-Mart and has a lot of food we like to eat - even chips & salsa.

Tonight while I was reading, a couple overhead me talking and went up to Richard to ask what we were doing. They were very interested and we go them scheduled to read. This is the advantage to reading in a public place (like a fast food restaurant) because you occasionally get curious onlookers.

One of my readers asked me if I believe the Bible is true. I said I did and I asked her the same question. She said she thinks it is easy for someone like me who was born believing in God (raised to believe) but for her it is very hard. She has to study and learn more and be convinced of evidence. She has also been to Israel and Jerusalem so she has some background knowledge. Many of her questions are centered around the historical importance and what it means.

Tonight, Eric and I read with a married couple who are Christians. They attend church with a different congregation. It is refreshing to meet with new Christians who are so excited and passionate about learning more English and about God.

China Journal - Thursday, July 23

2009-08-07T08:13:00.002-06:00

We are throwing a party for our readers and the congregation here on Sunday so that was on our minds today. We brainstormed a Fiesta theme with a pinata but that quickly became complicated so we switched to an all-American theme with red, white and blue and a sample of our favorite snacks--at least the ones we can find here. We decided to play some games and Tarah and I shopped for some of the food today. Lesson learned: Plan the party before the trip. We could have done so much more and shared more of Texas. But, we are doing the best we can.

Again we had readers this morning and evenings. We are inviting them to church and to the party. So far we are getting good responses. One of my readers tonight immediately told me she believes in God and is so excited to learn more. She is not a Christian yet but she sees God working in her life. To paraphrase her words: 'I learned about God when I was 10 but forgot about it. Then after college my best friends believes in God and tell me I need to. Then I met you.' Later, when we talked about the church here and I showed her a map, she said it was very close to her house. I asked her if she knew what that meant. She said "Yes it is amazing." God is working on her heart.

Because our afternoons are still slow, Richard, Eric and I walked around outside the mall and found 2 new readers. This husband and wife moved from Canada and have a 2 year old boy. The husband has attended church in Canada and is a believer and has very good English. The wife is Chinese and was so excited to know of someone who would help her with English for free. He really wants help with Chinese. What a wonderful addition they might make to the church here and maybe partner with Andrew and Jaime in the future. Again, God is working!

The skies got very dark very quickly and it started pouring about 5 minutes after we walked inside. Richard and Eric were browsing in the mall and began talking to an English speaking sales clerk. in one of the stores. They exchanged information and she should begin reading soon.

As we have been recruiting readers by talking to them on the street, I have wondered how do you decide which complete stranger to approach? It really seems to have an eternal effect. Do we not approach someone based on appearances or some preconceived judgment? We learned quickly that people walking alone who are younger have been the most receptive. But does that mean we only target those types of people from now on? Or does the Holy Spirit guide us to those whose hearts are open and might be willing to listen? Is this the answer to the prayer we prayed before we left for God to prepare those we would meet? Is He guiding us to those who have been prepared?

China Journal - Wednesday, July 22

2009-08-05T08:17:00.003-06:00

Day off - excursion day

We met Andrew and Jame at 8:00 this morning to do the typical tourist things. We went to the Forbidden City first. Andrew knowws so much history and Chinese culture! It was nice to have a personal tour guide. It was amazing to see such a large city built completely enclosed withing walls and with such massive doors. To compare to Bible times you can imagine what it might have looked like for the city to trust their walls for protection and for the elders to sit at the city gates and conduct business.

Right before we went into the Forbidden City, we heard a lot of commotion and people pointing to the sky. We looked up and were able to see the solar eclipse!

We came in from the back of the Forbidden City so when we walked the length (about 2 hours) the entrance faced Tiananmen Square. Now it is an open concrete square with only a couple of statues and the mausoleum where Chairman Mao lies in rest. After we spent time here we went to a mall for lunch. I was so hot and tired! Today's weather was like soup--you immediately were drenched in sweat and the skies were covered in a fog like pollution. Most of the day we felt wet and sticky.

Then we traveled by subway to Olympic park. We saw the indoor stadiums and the bird's nest and water cube. Richard paid to go in the bird's nest - that's where all the track events were held. It really is a magnificent architectural structure.

After this, I really needed to use the restroom which I try to avoid in public because I don't know how to use a squatty potty. But today, I couldn't avoid it. So with a few tips from Jaime, I went and was successful!

Then we travelled by subway to the silk market. Richard described it as "Canton on steroids." This mall has floors and rows and rows of products--all knockoff brands and very cheap. The name of the game is bargaining. We learned the phrase for "too much." We bought our souvenirs here for probably more than we should have and I made one lady really mad because I bargained but wouldn't buy. Richard laughed because I was speaking English but with a Chinese-like accent. This place is stressful and exhausting because the vendors attack you from all directions wanting you to buy their stuff.

After a couple of hours of shopping, we went to Tim's BBQ. It is supposed to be authentic Texas BBQ. The restaurant is decorated in western and Texas decor - even Texas Longhorns! We had the beef sandwich and the food was pretty close to authentic. They even turned on country music for us!

Long, long, hot day but very enjoyable. It was nice to build a friendship with Andrew and Jaime and see some of Beijing's most famous sites. Throughout the day, each of us had experiences where other people wanted to take our pictures with them. They think Americans look fascinating!

China Journal - Tuesday, July 21

2009-08-05T08:10:00.002-06:00

Today was a very full day of reading. Some are very good and we can see relationships forming. A few are hesitant and more reserved.

We met Andrew and Jaime and one of the church members, Connie, for lunch. Then back for more reading. Tarah read with Connie then I joined in on the conversation. She is a new Christian and is eager to learn more and more. She wants her 13 year old daughter to belive in God but she is resistant.

We had a couple of hours break this afternoon to work on accounting and party planning for the readers. Tonight we all had a couple more readers. Before we came back we shopped around the mall a little.

It is actually a little easier to communicate than I thought it would be. You just do a lot of pointing and stick to basic words. I even made a purchase which feels like such an accomplishment!

Now I undertand why people said we would learn just as much as our readers do if not more. Some readers ask very hard questions: Why can God can do anything? Why do you have so much faith and confidence the Bible was written by God and not changed by man? I worry about death. Did God cause these bad things? Did God do evil?

China Journal - Monday, July 20

2009-08-04T20:28:00.002-06:00

Our first day of readers. Our team met for our devotional then walked to the mall at the food court where we will be reading. We all had readers for a couple of hours. This was much easier than I thought it would be because they are so eager to practice their English and they are so friendly!

We met Andrew and Jaime for lunch at Pizza hut which was much better than it is at home. All the food here has been very good.

We exchanged our money. Andrew and Jaime walked around with us some to get us familiar with the area and took us on the subway. The subway line we use was built before the Olympics so it is new, very clean and everything is translated in English.

Richard, Eric and Tarah went out in the afternoon to look for alternate reading places. Eric and I worked on our budgets and accounting. Because we couldn't exchange any money until today, we owed a lot of money to Andrew and it took a while to get everything straight. And because we all use Dave Ramsey, we didn't feel we could function until we split the money into envelopes to stay on budget. Now things will run much smoother each day.

We all met back at the mall for dinner and then more reading. One reader told Richard he had a cute haircut. It reminded her of a bonzai. Those who weren't reading did another English corner. We now all have 8-10 readers each.

China Journal - Sunday, July 19

2009-08-04T15:41:00.002-06:00

Andrew picked us up from the hotel in taxis and we rode to the restaurant where their church meets. There were 17 present including us. Everyone was very friendly. It was a bilingual service in most part.

After service some members stayed and ate lunch together. Several dishes are ordered and the food is put on a large "lazy Susan" for everyone to eat from - communal eating. I was thankful Mark and Debbie had taken us to an authentic Chinese restaurant before so this was familiar to us.

Then we walked to Andrew's house to start registration for readers. We had a pretty steady flow of people and we met some new friends.

Afterwards, the girls all went to Wal-Mart and the guys went to the hotel. We were supposed to be switching rooms to ones with no mold. On our way to Wal-Mart, Tarah got a phone call from one of our readers. She kept saying "yes" and "uh-huh." The taxi driver was making fun of her and mocking the way she was talking. It was quite funny but he kept doing it all the way to Wal-Mart!

We met back together for dinner and found we couldn't switch rooms - "tomorrow" they said. Andrew felt pretty confident they would continue to play this game so we decided to switch hotels to the original Orange Hotel. So the guys and girls split again. The guys went to move us into the new hotel and the girls went to do an English corner. An English corner is just time when you walk around a park or an area where there are gatherings of people and ask people if they know how to speak English. If they do, you offer to sign them up for time to practice their English. This is how we recruited readers for the two weeks.

Finally, we made it to bed in a much more comfortable environment. This was a long, busy first day and we had no time to rest. We definitely hit the ground running!

China Journal - Friday & Saturday, July 17 & 18

2009-08-04T15:36:00.002-06:00

23 hours to travel from 11:00 am Friday to 10:30 pm Saturday. We immediately saw an answered prayer when all flights were on time with no problems and we received all our luggage! We passed through all security checks with no problems and customs and quarantine check.

It was very late and we were very tired when we first met Andrew Hill. But he was full of enthusiasm which immediately made me feel more at ease. He was surprised because he didn't know Lindsay wasn't coming so he had made some preparations for five people. The next surprise was that he changed our hotel in an effort to save money.

We got to the hotel and it was more authentic than the one we planned to be in. It had a king size bed (all the mattresses here would be called very firm), a couple of chairs and a wardrobe. The bathroom was interesting. There was no divider betweeen the shower and the rest of the bathroom. It reminded me a lot of camp bathrooms. The water was lukewarm at best and there was very little lighting. The only thing that was unacceptable was the large presence of water damage and mold.

It was very clear another prayer had been answered because Andrew and Jaime had gone to a lot of effort preparing for us. They stocked our room with breakfast food, fruit, juice, peanut butter and jelly, dishes, coffee and medicine. The get an A+ in hospitality.

Subways in China

2009-07-15T20:34:00.001-06:00

Nathan checked out a book at the library about China. He was reading to me that most people travel using subways and buses. I asked him if knew what a subway was. He said, "Yeah, it's a restaurant!"

Let's Start Talking

2009-07-13T17:37:00.005-06:00

On behalf of Legacy church of Christ and Let's Start Talking, Richard and I leave soon to go to Beijing, China to teach people English using the gospel of Luke. We plan to give updates as we are able so you can see God working and we can communicate specific prayer requests.

Our main prayer at this point is the preparation that is going on right now in Beijing. Our host missionaries are finalizing our accommodations and scheduling readers for us to work with. Please pray they will have a good number of readers for each of us. And pray for those who we will be reading with that their hearts and minds will be opened not only to improve their English but to meet Jesus.

Other prayer requests:

Safety in travel
The strength to leave our boys (to me, this is the hardest)
Everyone's health - right now, Daniel has strep throat. We caught it early and he's already on medicine but we would prefer no one else get sick.
The preparation of our hearts and minds that we will shine with the glory of God and represent ourselves as Christians and as members of Legacy to the best of our ability.
Thankfulness to all of you who are supporting us. Many have generously provided our funding, and family and friends have come through to help in many areas, but prayer is the strongest support we can have and we are very thankful for the countless prayers that are being lifted on our behalf and on this effort.

Fractions 101

2009-07-09T19:06:00.001-06:00

The boys and I found a yummy cookie and icing dessert at the store and decided to get it and share after dinner. During dinner, the boys were concerned how three of us would share a circle cookie. So I asked, "Do you either of you know how to cut a circle into thirds?" Without hesitation, Daniel said, "With a knife."

Stitch

2009-07-06T16:30:00.002-06:00

Having two boys means it is almost certain that we will end up in the emergency room. Last Tuesday night, Nathan was playing in the livingroom with a blanket over his head and ran head first into our fireplace. We have a guard on the straight edge of the fireplace but our bricks also go up on each side and that's where we think he hit. At first all I saw was blood but Dad got him in the bathroom quickly and saw the gash in his head. Thank goodness for the Cook's Urgent Care clinic about 2 miles from our house!

Nathan had to have 5 stitches in his head and an X-ray done. The doctor that took care of him was a former patient of Richard's. I figured as long as Richard was nice to her, she would be nice to Nathan! When it happened, I almost had dinner on the table so none of us had eaten. Daniel and I went to eat with our friends, Mark and Debbie, and we brought dinner back for Richard.

Afterward, we went to McDonald's to get Nathan something to eat and to Chick-Fil-A for a milkshake. He said he felt sick and the got sick on the sidewalk of the Chick-Fil-A drive thru! With not eating and the shock of everything, we weren't too worried, but then he couldn't keep anything down after that. So, Richard and Nathan went back up there for a CT scan. Finally, after midnight they came home and everything was fine but we were all exhausted!

Nathan's new nickname is stitch. To help keep him distracted while they were at the clinic, he and Richard came up with some stories to tell people what really happened. Nathan said they were riding the Titan and when they went down into the cave a bear jumped out and attacked him. Richard said maybe they were just going so fast on the Titan that a piece of his face flew off. Richard also suggested that he beat up a 12 year old!

This weekend, we went to a Rangers game and one of the workers asked Nathan what happened to his head. Without missing a beat, Nathan said he beat up a 12 year old! Now, when someone asks him what happened to his head, he doesn't know which story to tell!

Where is Mom?

2009-06-28T06:46:00.002-06:00

Setting: Sunday morning. I woke Daniel up and talked to him about breakfast. Then, I got breakfast and came in the computer room. Daniel called for me a couple of times, but I didn't hear him. Richard went to see what he needed.

D: Where is Mom?
R: I don't know. I think she went to New Mexico.
D: No, she didn't. She doesn't know where that is. We have a state puzzle!
N: No, we don't. Mommy got rid of it. Well, she might have kept it.

Quotes by Daniel

2009-06-24T19:33:00.002-06:00

"That was so wicked!!!!"
- After riding the Sombrero hat ride at Six Flags

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!! I just became my mother!"
- During a fake light saber fight with Nathan

Mom vs. Dad

2009-06-22T16:09:00.002-06:00

I'm sure every parent has experienced the timeless problem of kids asking Mom and Dad the same question and getting different answers. Here's one of those examples:

I was in the shower and Daniel knocked on the door. He asked if he could have a piece of chocolate and I told him he could have one piece. Later I found out that Nathan had asked Dad for a piece of chocolate and he said no. Then Dad saw Daniel with a piece of chocolate already opened, but he hadn't eaten it yet. When Dad found out what had happened, he told Daniel that he didn't really think it was fair to take it from him since he had asked and been told he could. But, he explained to Daniel that Nathan was told he couldn't have a piece and asked Daniel what he thought the fair thing to do was. Daniel thought for a minute then said, "I think I should eat it before it melts."

That is MY child!

A Glimpse Into Our Conversations...

2009-06-18T07:36:00.002-06:00

These quotes all came from separate conversations:

Nathan: I'm an open waker. (Translation: He gets up early in the mornings.)

Daniel: My Daddy works on computers.

Richard: My birthday present was of biblical proportions. (He got a new Bible cover.)

What are you doing this summer?

2009-06-11T18:58:00.003-06:00

We're a couple of weeks into our summer break and we've been busy some days and spent others relaxing. Our first week is always filled with errands, dr. appointments and general things you put off until summer. This week the boys started swimming lessons. Our typical morning is spent playing at the park while I walk then home for me to quickly shower and change then off to swimming lessons. Then home for lunch and nap/rest time then housework or out again for more errands.

This summer has been a little different because Dad is home on Tuesdays. So, not only did the boys and I have to adjust to being around each other all the time, we throw Dad in the mix one day a week. On Mondays, we adjust from the weekend, fun day with Dad on Tuesday, and on Wednesday, we adjust again from not having Dad around. Thursdays and Fridays are probably our best days as far as all getting along!

Since Richard is off on Tuesdays, we try to use those days to do the big family fun stuff. This week we went bowling. We'd still like to spend extra time at Chisolm water park, Six Flags, and NRH2O.

This week our coolest outing was on Wednesday. Grandma and the boys and I got milkshakes and went to Founder's Plaza at DFW airport to wach the airplanes take off and land. They have a really nice area with picnic tables where you get a really great view of the planes. They also have the control tower speakers on so you can hear their directions. Very cool, free, and fun activity! (P.S. There are no bathrooms out there--go before you get there. We did not. Therefore, we did not get to stay as long as I would have liked.)

With my extra time, I'm reading a great book by Francine Rivers and I'm determined to finish two scrapbook projects: my digital book of our New York vacation (which was last year) and Nathan's book from Kindergarten and 1st grade.

We did not plan a vacation this year for two reasons: We are saving for a down payment on a new house. Hopefully, that will happen some time next spring. And, Richard and I are going to Beijing, China with Let's Start Talking. We are so blessed to have gotten all our funding ($6,000). We are busy training with our teammates, Eric and Tarah Doughty, and gathering as many travel tips as we can from those who have travelled internationally before.

Last year, I had a big house project to strip the kitchen wallpaper and paint it red. This year, I think I will repaint our kitchen and bathroom cabinets. This is something that must be done before we put the house on the market in the spring and I think it's something I can tackle myself. All the trim in the house also needs to be repainted, but I think I'll save that one for sometime when several people can come over and help.

Of course, we can't forget all the Rangers games we'll go to this year. We've already been twice and watched them a lot on TV. The boys enjoy pretending to play baseball in the house (since they've already gotten in trouble for throwing and hitting the ball in the house). It's funny to hear them call the Rangers' players up to bat: "Up next is Nelson Cruz! Now it's Ian Kinsler!" And I heard Daniel say, "Salt-a-mac-chia!" I think he left out one or two syllables there! Well, you know it's summer when all they play is baseball!

We're so proud of Nathan!

2009-05-22T11:39:00.003-06:00

Nathan has had a really wonderful week this past week so I wanted to highlight why we're so proud of him!

Trustworthiness
Nathan was honored this morning at a breakfast at his school for being chosen as an outstanding student in his class. Students are chosen for displaying specific virtues and Nathan's teacher chose him this six weeks. He was given a special picture of himself framed with the virtue words, a pencil, virtue tag (which he connects to his backpack), and two certificates. His teacher wrote how wonderful he is and that she wished she had a whole class of students like him!

Stewardship
Nathan has been saving his commission from his chores each week for a Nintendo DS. We've been very impressed with his ability to stay focused on this goal. We have an envelope for "Save" and on it he wrote "Nintendo DS." Along with his money and quite a bit of help at his birthday party, he was up to $104!

Some friends were visiting from out of town last weekend and the conversation turned to the Nintendo DS. I told Nathan to tell our friend, Kyle, what he had been saving for. Kyle said that he was actually trying to sell his. Through their conversation they agreed Nathan could buy it for $75. Nathan brought him the cash, Kyle mailed it when he got back home and Nathan got it yesterday. I'm thankful for Kyle's generosity but I'm especially thankful for Nathan's ability to save toward a goal then be rewarded with a great deal! Part of his money was a $15 Target gift card so we plan to go this weekend to let him buy his first game.

Sportsmanship
Nathan's baseball team has gone an entire season without winning one single game. Last night, they won their game 11-9!! We were all so excited and the boys just couldn't contain their excitement. Nathan hit everytime at bat and once scored all the way from 1st base. He dodged a close out by thinking quickly and landed a perfect slide into second base. He's been nicknamed "Speedy" because he is so fast! One mother asked if we'd been giving him energy drinks! These boys were so excited to finally win! Most of all, we are proud that Nathan has had a good attitude through all the struggles and had not ever wanted to give up. He has worked hard, improved, and persevered through a disappointing season.

Responsibility
Nathan has learned that prayer works. Last week, he was told by the librarian that if he didn't turn in his library book (checked out for the past three weeks), he would have to pay for it. We didn't realize he hadn't turned in a library book, but we turned our house upside down and looked everywhere for this book. He told me one night that he was really upset because he would have to pay for the book and that would give him less money to save for the DS. This broke my heart as the days went by and we couldn't find the book. Nathan was faced with having to pay for the book, and I really didn't want to enforce those consequences. But, I'm most proud that HE is the one that came up with the consequence, not us. Although we would have enforced it, we are not the ones that said he would have to pay for it. We're proud he is taking responsibility (good or bad) for his actions.

Prayer
Guess what Nathan found over the weekend? His library book. He came running in to my room early on Saturday to tell me he had found the book. It had been stashed in an old backpack when they were playing one day. We were all excited! Later he told me that he had prayed that God would help him find his library book.

After Nathan's winning baseball game, Nathan also told me he had prayed that God would help them win their game. We're proud Nathan is praying and asking God to help him with things that are important to him. I'm thankful God is answering those prayers so Nathan can learn this incredibly important lesson.

Caring
One night we went to eat pizza and we let the boys go play games. I gave them two quarters each. Daniel came to me bawling because he broke his bouncing ball. He showed me the big gumball machine and told me he got a ball out of there and threw it on the ground to bounce it and it broke to pieces. (Ok, lots of laughter in the background over this, but he was heartbroken!) The real bouncing balls were 50 cents and he was down now to only one quarter. So, of course, I gave him another quarter. Well, he ended up doing something else with one quarter then wanted a ball, but this time I couldn't give in on another quarter. Nathan, however, played some game that took the quarter but then gave it back when he won whatever it was. So, he was happy and still had his 50 cents. When he saw what Daniel was wanting though, he shared one of his quarters so Daniel could get his bouncing ball.

These are all virtues that we are so proud Nathan possesses. We pray he continues to shine and be an example to others. These experiences are life lessons to Nathan and we pray he continues to experience life lessons that teach him to grow in these virtues. We love you, Nathan, and we are so proud of you!

Boys and Girls

2009-05-14T19:51:00.002-06:00

Nathan: Someone made fun of me.
Mom: They did? What happened?

(Pause for a couple of minutes of interruption while we poured syrup over waffles and discussed which yogurt they each picked out at the store.)

Mom: Ok, Nathan so what happened?
Nathan: Oh, I forgot. It was in my brain but then I lost.
(Mom's thinking: Oh good, it must not have hurt to much or scarred him for life.)
Daniel: Well, you shouldn't have waited so long.
Nathan: No, I remember! At our field day, Ellen made fun of me. I couldn't open my water bottle because it was too tight. And I should have asked you, but I asked Ellen to open it for me. She went and told Ryan that a boy couldn't open his water and a girl had to do it.

I laughed, unfortunately, which probably did scar him for life that I would laugh at this confession of his. Thankfully, Richard took over the conversation and explained that she probably was just kind of teasing although it might have felt like she was making fun of him. Then I walked out of the room to go blog the story!

You Be Nice!

2009-05-13T20:11:00.002-06:00

Nathan and Daniel were ready to go to school with their backpacks on standing on the edge of the carpet between the livingroom and the entry way. They were playing their made up game, saying "1, 2, 3!" and the first person who touched the tile or the carpet wins. Daniel said, "1, 2..." and Nathan interrupted with "1, 2, 3!" and jumped. Daniel objected and said, "Nathan let me do it." But, Nathan ignored him and kept playing the game. Which prompted Daniel to keep whining about wanting to do it, you never let me do it, and I'm not going to play with you. This went on for a while as Nathan kept jumping back and forth.

Daniel said, "You need to learn to be nice," to which Nathan responded, "I already know how and you have a lot to learn." Daniel repeated himself, "You need to learn to be nice." Nathan said, "I already know how." Daniel said, "Nuh-uh, 'cause you're not doing it now." Nathan responded, "That doesn't mean I don't know how."

Budgeting

2009-05-13T20:05:00.002-06:00

Richard and I were discussing our efforts this month on our "cash only" budget per Dave Ramsey. We were reflecting on how we didn't budget for special occassions like this month: Mother's Day and our anniversary. So he was running down the list of months and what special occassions we have to be aware of in our budget. He said, "February, we have Valentine's Day, March, Nathan's birthday, April, nothing, May, Mother's Day and our anniversary..." and he continued until he got to October. "October, nothing..." Nathan interrupted with "...Halloween, and you forgot Passover."

To Tell the Truth or Not Tell the Truth

2009-05-12T06:52:00.001-06:00

The boys always fight over who is going to say the prayer. At dinner last night Daniel said the prayer. (Richard was not with us when we prayed.) At bedtime last night, Richard asked who said the prayer at dinner. Daniel pointed to Nathan and said, "He did." Of course, we all knew Daniel had. I said, "No you didn't! Do you always tell the truth?" He said, "Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't!"

Daniel on Aging

2009-05-05T19:29:00.003-06:00

Richard was riding with his mom and Daniel this morning to get a donut before preschool. They passed a retirement home and Daniel asked what it was.

Richard: That's where you go live when you're old.
Daniel: No it's not.
Janet: Sometimes they need help and they can't live by themselves. But when I get old, that's not where I'm going to live. I'm going to live with you. Is that okay?
Daniel: Yes.
Daniel: But you look old.
Janet: Hey!
Daniel: Just your face looks old.

I'm not sure she bought him a donut after that.

Up, Up, and Away

2009-04-22T20:04:00.002-06:00

We stopped at Sonic and got a kid's meal for Daniel before church. They brought out a red balloon. We were very careful when we got out of the car to go to church, but weren't as careful getting back in the car. All I heard was shrieking as the balloon flew out of the car and up into the air. Daniel was very upset. Now, I'm not sure why I said this, but I asked, "Did your balloon go to heaven?" A few minutes later, on the way home, this was the conversation:

D: "Mom, when you go to heaven, can you get my balloon?"
J: "Well, we'll see."
N: "No one really knows where heaven is."
D: "Yes, Granna does."
N: "No she doesn't!"
D: "Yes, it's at her church."
N: "No, it's not."
D: "It's in a room."
N: "Some people say it's in outer space. But, there has to be a door to outer space."
D: "If they give me another balloon and it's not orange, I'll be really sad."

Kid Stories

2009-04-20T11:19:00.002-06:00

Richard commented that I haven't posted much about the boys lately. I just don't remember the funny stories when I sit down at the computer. So, here's a few that happened here lately:

Daniel walked by my Mom and looked at her shoes. He said, "Nice kicks."

We heard the boys arguing in the bathroom last night over flushing the toilet. I heard Nathan say, "Yes, Daniel! You flush it--it's yours!"

In a less than organized dentist appointment today, Richard had to leave Daniel in the waiting room while he went next door to check on his patients. He told Daniel if they called his name to go back with the nurse (they don't let parents come back anyway). The nurse came out to the waiting room and called his name but no one answered. She walked up to Daniel and asked, "Is your name Daniel?" He said, "No." The nurse had to call Richard to ask what he was wearing so she could make sure she got the right kid!

We were trying to explain to Nathan that it's okay if you strike out in baseball. You won't hit the ball every single time, but if you don't swing you'll never hit it. I said, "You know, even Josh Hamilton strikes out sometimes." Nathan said, "I heard he's the best hitter in baseball." Really? I wonder where he heard that from.

Garage Sale and Easter

2009-04-13T11:18:00.004-06:00

What a busy weekend! 5 families came together and had a garage sale on Saturday. It was massive! We decided to spend Friday evening getting everything organized and finished pricing. Evening turned into night then early morning as my friends and I worked all night. We had so much stuff! It covered the driveway and entire yard.

During the sale, Richard and I went back and forth from the sale and two ballgames witht boys. But, it all paid off as we made around $1300 total! We could not believe it! Each family made anywhere from $200 to $600. Someone said, "If you every do that again, let me know." Yeah, right. I'm not doing that again; I'm exhausted!

Easter was terrific. My family made Rice Krispie Treat eggs which we dipped in choclate and sprinkles. It was so much fun and they were delicious. When we finished making them Saturday night around 8:30 (after the garage sale), I looked at the mess on the table then at Richard and my Mom and said, "I'm done." I couldn't hold my eyes open any longer. They cleaned up and I got some sleep.

Church was a wonderful service then we had the entire family over for a traditional Sunday dinner with roast and vegetables. Then a much needed nap and up again for Small Groups. One of our friends brought a "Bunny Cake." It was also delicious and very creative!

Prayer Update

2009-04-03T06:44:00.004-06:00

One week later, here's an update on prayers I offered last week:

Missions Sunday - We did blow our goal out of the water! Legacy gave over $250,000 in money and pledges last Sunday!! It is very clear where our church's heart and desire is--to preach the gospel and help others around the world.

Small Groups Kick-Off - The breakfast with all the co-leaders went wonderfully. Richard and I were honored to sit at a table with such highly esteemed men and women and offer our thoughts on small groups. Now, we are fully ready to meet our new group this Sunday night.

School - 8 more weeks to go--so the countdown says. I have also realized I must do some personal research on some delicate topics (I hate to put it here for fear of getting tagged or linked to material I don't want) so that I'm not so naive and ignorant about such things.

Our House - the saga continues. When the plumber came out to do his inspection, he found a sewer leak. We had another plumber come out and he determined there are 3 leaks all in our master bathroom. The leaks have clearly been there for years because there are roots growing into those pipes. We must get this fixed within 60 days or void the foundation warranty. Oh, and the extra damage in our master bathroom showed that there was previous damage but was very neatly patched up by the previous owner undetected by us. Whoever said, "Oh, the joys of home ownership..." was wrong. It's not joyful. The house will not be on the market at least for another 6 months.

China - We have made the final decision to go. Now to start the process...passports, fundraising, getting kids in the right places, Let's Start Talking training...all starts with a lunch at church on Sunday to know more.

Prayer Journal

2009-03-27T13:16:00.002-06:00

I haven't taken time to blog lately; there has just been so much going on. Since writing is a stress reliever, I decided to post a list of what's been on our minds, and in our hearts and prayers lately. Giving these stressors over to God is the best therapy we can have.

Missions Sunday - this Sunday at Legacy where our funds for the entire year for missions comes from this one contribution. Our goal is $200,000 and I pray we blow that out of the water! We won't all "GO" out to all the world, but partnering with others through prayer and funding does help spread God's kingdom.

Small Groups Kick-Off - new small groups start next Sunday and I am ready. There is a certain anticipation of starting new groups with new people and some returning people. Saturday is our kick-off breakfast and Richard and I have been asked to participate on a panel for discussion. I pray we have the words that will encourage others and show a Godly example of this ministry.

School - only 9 weeks until summer but my patience is wearing thin. I actually do like my students but it's tiresome to be on presentation every single day. I pray for continued strength and perseverence to get to the days of summer with my kids.

Our House - not our home. It has never felt like home to us and now that we've decided to move, we still continue to hit every speedbump out there which is par for this house. We had foundation repair done. It was definitely needed but it took every dollar we had saved up to this point for our down payment. And, it caused more damage to our master bathroom than we started with. We still have repairs to do before we can put it on the market, but we're out of money for that. So...it may be another few months before we sell. I can accept a "not right now" answer from God, but I am sick of spending money on this house that we won't recover. It's been like that from day one. I pray God will clearly show us the path and give me peace along the journey.

China - we might be going to China this summer to work with the Let's Start Talking ministry. We have a great team we would work with, but we'd be gone for three weeks. That's a long time in mommy time to leave your children. In future years we can take them, but not this first trip. I think it will strenghthen our spiritual lives and form a foundation of a love of spreading the Gospel for our children. There's lots of details to work out still, but I pray it becomes reality.

Spring Break in Review

2009-03-19T22:35:00.003-06:00

It's been way too long since I've blogged so it's time to do a little reflecting on our week of Spring Break....

Staying up late and sleeping late - Daniel takes after me. This morning he woke up around 8:00 and crawled in bed with me where we slept for another 45 minutes. I'm not exactly sure what Nathan was doing...I just know he's the early bird and thank goodness for DVR cartoons.
Cleaning goal this week - the spare bedroom. Done by Thursday afternoon and very excited. My playroom now has an entire corner dedicated for garage sale stuff but the spare bedroom looks great!
Spontaneous event - went to the park with friends yesterday. It was a beautiful day and rather than finish cleaning then, we went outside. Every five minutes the boys were asking to go home though. Unfortunately the Wii is really addicting.
Nathan's Birthday Party - we celebrated with friends Tuesday at the bowling alley. That was the easiest birthday party I've ever planned. Very well priced and the kids had a great time. We had 10 wonderfully mannered boys there and was very impressed with all of them. Next, we get to have a family party Sunday with everyone. He will be 7!
Funniest moment - after we got home from church last night, Daniel turned toward us to put his Bible up and held it up flat in one hand and said, "Pizza! Pizza!" What a character!
House update - spare bedroom looks great; if I could sell the house on just this one room, it would go very quickly...foundation repairs...inside repairs...down payment??... painting...probably all the reasons why I can't sleep tonight.
Self-indulgance - kids will go to grandma's tomorrow and I'm off to run errands, but a pedicure is on the list of things that must get done tomorrow.
The countdown to summer has begun!

Ten Things Tuesday

2009-02-17T11:38:00.002-06:00

A quick list of blessings we are thankful for:

1. Our boys - precious, sweet, fun
2. Laughter - heard multiple times, daily
3. Our health and life - everyone is doing well
4. Our jobs - Richard and I know we are not immune to the possibility of not having one
5. Prospect of moving - coming soon!
6. Dream Dinners - I'm not sure how we would get fed otherwise
7. Bible study - even a well known story of Noah creates curiousity questions from us
8. Small Groups - I can't wait to get started again!
9. Josh Penn was baptized last night!!!
10. Forgiveness through the blood of Jesus

TCEA Conference, Austin, TX Day 2

2009-02-05T10:55:00.004-06:00

More observations and lessons learned:

Your cell phone will deactivate your hotel room key.
To get a new key, all you have to do is give them your old one and tell them the room number. I would have been more comfortable if they asked for ID or something.
Getting into downtown Austin is much harder at 8:30 a.m. than 7:30 a.m. Next year, I will not sleep in at all no matter how late I stay up.
Optimism is at its best among teachers, I observe sarcastically. While standing in a VERY long line to get into a session several people would comment as they walked by, "Ya'll are never going to get in there." Ha! I did.
The guy behind me is apparantly talking to his toddler about not throwing fits while he's away. I just heard, "What do you have a gun for?" This must be iPhone at its best because I can now hear the toddler and there is obviously a video. I have children, but this is a little too far--now they're blowing kisses at each other. If I hear potty talk, I'm leaving. Oops, I just heard, "One M&M? Good job!" If you have kids, you know that's code for pooping in the potty. "Those are real bullets," the kid just said. I might have to call CPS.
Hybrid - A hybrid is the combination of two or more different things, aimed at achieving a particular objective or goal according to Wikipedia. I also learned that a hybrid vehicle using two different power sources. In computer terminology, a hybrid is a program that is downloaded on the computer but uses the Internet for tutorials, interactivity, source information, etc. Examples are Google Earth, Worldwide Telescope. This makes sense because we know that Google Earth does not work properly if you do not have Internet connection even though it is a downloaded, installed program on your computer.

TCEA Conference, Austin, TX Day 1

2009-02-04T23:09:00.003-06:00

I have the privilege of attending the Technology Computer Education Assocation (TCEA) Conference in Austin today and tomorrow. Here are a few observations I have made today:

In a room full of 150-200 chairs, lined in rows, people will sit on the ends until they are full. Then everyone else will be forced to climb over those people to sit in the middle seats. But, they will always skip a seat between themselves and someone they don't know. Until someone strongly suggests that everyone move in toward the middle to make room for others still coming in. Now, why don't we start in the middle chairs and work our way towards the end? Wouldn't this be so much easier?
Austin's highway 183 is just as bad as Ft. Worth's 183.
Cell phones CAN and SHOULD be used in the classroom. Amazing.
AT&T will not interview a candidate until they have set up a facebook account and met those they will be working with--on facebook.
Digital Citizenship - the rules of being part of a digital community. We all need to learn them.
Next year, I plan to come for more than two days.
Next year, I plan to present...something.
Lisa Ling (our keynote speaker today) is incredibly powerful and insightful. She was a host for Channel 1 news when I was in school. I knew her as co-host on The View. Now she works for National Geographic and Oprah. Her stories are very inspirational. She had us all crying when she showed clips of her story on "The Lost Girls" a story of Americans adopting Chinese girls.
If I didn't know it before, I know it now. Excel is amazing!!! The capabilities and applications of what we can use it for in the classroom is truly never ending.
When you are presenting, you should be very aware of how to adapt your speech for the make-up of the audience no matter how engaging you are as a presenter. Telling a group of educators probably ranging in age from 30-50+ that monitoring your kids activity on facebook is weird is probably not the smartest statement you could make.
And finally, there is nothing less flattering that sitting down in the restroom and looking up to see yourself in a full length mirror. Gross!

Ten Things Tuesday

2009-02-03T21:56:00.002-06:00

It's been awhile since I posted a blessings list, but I'm sitting alone in a hotel room in Austin. This means I have the time and it's quiet enough to think long enough to write a list of ten things:

1. Nathan and Daniel - always a blessing. They are a joy each and every day and I am thrilled to be their Mom.

2. Grandparents - are awesome! All of our parents are alive and are willing to help anytime it's needed and love their grandchildren!

**These first two are especially noted this week because I attended a memorial for a baby and a funeral for a beloved mother over the course of three days. It certainly makes you appreciate what is so special in your life.

3. Our jobs - the economy is scary for a lot of people right now. Every week we hear of several who have lost their jobs. While we recognize we are not immune to a slow economy, Richard and I are blessed to be in positions that are fairly secure. We certainly recognize this blessing.

4. Lifelong learning - As an educator, it's in my nature to always learn. Richard had the opportunity to attend a seminar last weekend in Houston and I am in Austin this week to attend a technology conference.

5. Friends - I got to see my best friend, Mary Brown, yesterday. Even if for a few minutes, it was great to see her again. Tomorrow I plan to see a friend I haven't seen since my wedding 10 1/2 years ago. It's so exciting to reconnect!

6. Bible Study - we have committed to have a weekly Bible study with Nathan and Daniel. We realized it is no one else's responsbility to teach our children but ours. Bible classes and programs are good, and some are great. But, they are a supplement, not the primary source of learning. To my surprise, Daniel has memorized the same Bible verses as Nathan. I've been impressed at their hard work to learn Scripture.

7. Internet - I'm addicted. And it's nice to sit on a bed with a laptop and relax. I don't personally own a laptop so this is a real treat!

8. Scrapbooking - I love to scrapbook and it's actually getting more fun as the boys get older. I've started a book just for Nathan starting with his Kindergarten year. I had no idea he would think that was so great. He often wants certain things in his book. It's exciting to think down the road how much he will treasure and appreciate (I hope) the many hours I put in on these scrapbooks.

9. Church - the community we have with other Christians is so important and vital to spiritual growth. I can't wait to get back into Small Groups and have that closeness with a small group of people. I love hosting in my home and I love learning and growing with a group that needs each other for different reasons. I love the uniqueness of each person and the dynamic that evolves when we're all together.

10. Unity - I see our church, guided by our elders, moving toward a spirit of unity and oneness in the name of Christ. When we read Jesus' prayer in John 17, He prays for unity. How, in a church membership of over 1,000 people do you achieve unity? I think our elders are headed that direction. It challenges some of our traditions, but I think it moves closer to what Jesus prayed for all of us.

Join Mrs. Brownstone and others to share in Ten Things Tuesday.

Where were you when...

2009-01-20T11:41:00.004-06:00

the 44th president, Barack Obama was inaugurated as the first African-American president of the United States?

I was sitting with my 4th period class at Haltom Middle School in Ms. Lindsey Courtney's class watching it on TV. I was wondering if my students truly knew the significance of this day in history. I was reflecting that when I was in 8th grade, the Persion Gulf war began and we watched that coverage the day the war began. It was signigicant to me because then my uncle was sent to war. What do these 8th graders think about today? Will it be years from now before they realize the significance? I thought of Nathan and wondered if he was getting to watch it. To him, it will be some vague memory, if that. This will be normal to him by the time he is old enough to vote.

Richard was off today and listened to it as he waited to get to eat with Nathan at school. I wonder if he talked to Nathan about what happened today.

Regardless of political views, today is truly a day that many thought would never come. It is fitting that yesterday the nation paused as Martin Luther King was honored and today the very cause he fought for was realized.

I am thankful for our freedom and in the democratic process where we elect our leaders. I am thankful for Rick Warren's prayer before the inauguration to give President Obama the wisdom to lead our nation. I am thankful our ultimate leader is God and our faith rests solely in Him.

Straight from the Boy's Mouths

2009-01-12T22:03:00.002-06:00

Here are a few things we heard from the boys tonight:

Nathan to Daniel in the shower, "It won't hurt!--very bad."

Richard went to check on the boys taking too long in the shower and as soon as he opened the door, Daniel looked up and said, "He did it."

Our family devotional was about Adam and Eve. Richard was stressing how important it is that we were made by God. He asked, "Do you know where some people think we came from?" Daniel whispered in my ear, "We came from Arkansas, right?"

On the way home, we saw a fire truck go by with its lights and sirens on. Nathan said, "There's a fire!" Daniel said, "Just because there's a fire truck doesn't mean a fire came, Nathan."

I Declare...Kitchen Duty!

2009-01-06T11:45:00.002-06:00

Last night at dinner, Nathan got up to get some yogurt and a spoon. There were no more "kid" spoons so he came back to the table, showed me the big spoon he got and told me, "Look's like you need to do some cleaning."

I was speechless. Richard was proud. What do you say to that?! I told Richard he needed to coach his son in how to be a good husband. Here was Richard's rendition: "Nathan, if you are ever going to say that to a woman, you need to be at least 15 feet away and really you need to be in the other room."

Obviously, that wasn't good enough for me, so I took over the conversation. I asked them whose responsibility it was to keep this house clean? (Now, I do have a house cleaner to help me out so secretly I was hoping no one would answer with, "Ms. Amy!") Fortunately they didn't and figured out it's everyone's responsbility. So I declared at that moment that we are starting Kitchen Duty. Each night the kids will rotate helping me clean up the kitchen. Since Nathan started this, he got the first night. He did very well although he was hurrying because he really wanted to be playing football with Daniel and Dad.

Now, for the record, Richard is very helpful in the kitchen. He can cook an entire meal and clean up afterwards if the need arises. I've never demanded any help cleaning the kitchen because we've had to share that responsibility on many occassions. However, I will not have children to later marry and not be able to do the same for their wives!

Do you trust me?

2008-12-30T19:16:00.002-06:00

One of my biggest pet peeves is when I say we will do something or the kids can have something, that's what I mean and I don't like them constantly asking. They've even NOT gotten dessert before because I told them they could have it in a little bit and they kept asking. My students at school do the same thing and I really want to get across that when I say something will happen or give permission for something, the time will come when I will follow through. I even went so far one day to tell my 7th graders, "Do you think I'm serious or do you think I was just blowing smoke?" That actually got their attention.

At dinner, I told the kids we would have cookies when we were all finished with dinner. Daniel got up to go the restroom and when he got back he asked if he could have a cookie now. I said, "Do you trust me? Do you think we are going to have cookies or do you think I was just talking to be talking?" He answered with, "Just talking to be talking." Richard also mumbled, "That's what I thought too." I guess that tactic doesn't quite work with 4 year olds (or husbands). By the way, they got their cookies.

Nathan on Marriage

2008-12-29T19:40:00.001-06:00

Nathan: What does it mean when you aren't married and you have to find a man or a woman?
Mom: That's called dating. You date different people until you find the one that is right for you.
Nathan: Someone that loves God?
Mom: That's the most important thing.
Nathan: And someone that loves Texas Longhorns?
Mom; That's the second most important thing.

Christmas in Review

2008-12-28T14:17:00.003-06:00

The past week of Christmas events have been a lot of fun. The kids have been a joy and we've had some slow, lazy days together which almost never happens anymore. Here are a few memorable moments from the past week:

Most Laughter - had to be at my brother's. We went to Chris and Alissa's house in Sherman this year. They have now been married one year as of the 15th and this was the first time for the them to host Christmas. We were especially thankful Dad felt well enough to travel and we were able to go through with our plans. My cousin, Mark and his wife Belinda and their almost 2 year old son Gavin joined us. Gavin kept us laughing hard all night. He goes crazy all over the house non-stop. Gavin's talent is putting olives on his fingers and eating them.

Most Hated Gift - the stomach virus. Nathan had one the week before Christmas but he was fine by the weekend. Monday after we all got home from my brother's we found out that almost everyone was home sick with the stomach virus. I would have a hard time believing it came from Nathan but who knows. I was sick, but Richard and Daniel thankfully escaped it.

Most Anticipated Gift - the Wii. We finally got one and have had it for almost two months. But, we wanted it to be a gift at Christmas to the whole family, so we didn't hook it up until Christmas Eve. Although it wasn't from Santa, he did take time to stop and create a Mii for himself! The boys unwrapped the box and were very excited. We've had lots of family time and fun playing bowling. Richard and I also got Guitar Hero and two guitars so we've enjoyed battling each other. We decided to limit how much exposure the boys have to this game after both of them started walking around the house belting out, "I hate myself for loving you!" and "Sweeeeeeeeeet Emooooooooootion."

Other favorites - Richard managed to gather over $200 in cash and gift cards. I got a lot of scrapbooking supplies and a digital picture frame. Nathan got a lot of new books and a Bakugon. (It's apparently the hottest new toy, but he pronounces it "Baklugon.") Daniel got a couple of new Diego toys, Handy Manny and some Wonder Pets.

Most Cried Over - the Wonder Pets flyboat. This morning at breakfast, Daniel climbed up in my lap and cried, "I just didn't get a flyboat from him." (Santa). He doesn't know it yet, but the gifts are not all over with and I think that is in his near future. Thank goodness.

Family Fun - bowling. Real bowling. We took the boys and Grandma and Cousin Noah out bowling for real. Where Richard can easily break 200 and Daniel has scored a 167 in Wii bowling, none of us broke a hundred for real.

Family Fun #2 -Twister. Nothing like having your rear ends in each other's faces to bring you closer together as a family.

Most Cherished Friends - Trey and Katie Kordsmeier. It was great to see them. We played Twister and Seinfeld Scene It. They were here the night I got so sick, so I didn't get to see them off the next morning. Thankfully they all stayed well.

Small Groups - ornament exchange and kids book exchange. The most creative gift was a snowman with a picture of Mel on it and the most prized gift was an ornament with everyone's initials on it. The night was filled with laughter and great fellowship as we are bringing our year together to a close. We have definitely all grown together and definitely cherish each friendship.

What's Next? We still have a full week before going back to school so our agenda includes: going to see Bolt at the movies, playing with a project Nathan got as a gift, taking down all the Christmas decorations, a dentist appointment, New Year's Eve at Legacy and lots of time playing games together.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-19T22:13:00.002-06:00

Happy Holidays from the Ashlock's!

Little Tidbits

2008-12-17T21:14:00.003-06:00

Daniel has been walking around the house singing the wrong words to the song, "Life is a Highway." He sings, "I want to drive it, all my fault."

Nathan is playing an imaginary game called Legendary Rage. Last I heard he was on Level 27. In an effort to involve Daniel in his imaginary play, Nathan told Daniel he could be a princess. Daniel said he didn't want to be a princess. Nathan told him that princesses are cool!

Santa Claus came to Nathan's school today. But, he didn't get to come in the helicopter like he did last year. He just came in a van. Richard and I figured the times must be tough for him too. He apparently also got chewed out by the bailout committee and was forced to sell his corporate helicopter and ride like the common person in a van.

Nathan has a watch that shows the time in several different time zones. Richard explained that CHI meant Chicago, etc. The only problem is his watch is off by about 20 minutes. So today at 5:00 he hit the button on his watch and announced, "In New York it is 6:20." He keeps forgettng that CHI is Chicago; he thinks it's China. So later I heard, "In China it is 6:02."

Nathan came to me crying that he hurt his toe on the wall. I asked if he put a hole in the wall. That didn't cheer him up so I told him we would have to cut his toe off. Daniel joined in without missing a beat, "I'll get the pliars!"

Apparently Sarcasm Runs in our Family

2008-12-11T07:03:00.003-06:00

This morning I made the comment that this sore on the corner of my mouth will not heal because every time I open my mouth it cracks it back open. Richard started to say something but was interrupted by Nathan, "Maybe you should keep your mouth closed." Richard was so proud.

Ten Things Tuesday

2008-12-09T18:16:00.003-06:00

1. Childhood discoveries - After a weekend at my parents, my kids got a mini anatomy lesson when they saw a picture of a heart on my dad's "heart pillow." Last night Daniel said in amazement, "My heart is beating! It's pumping blood all over my body!"

2. Brotherly love - Yes, it does happen every once in a while when Daniel and Nathan are very civil to each other. Last night we let them take a shower together. Nathan was coaching Daniel through every step of how you take a shower properly.

3. Curiosity - Nathan has kept his nose in books for several days now. He LOVES to read and I am so glad.

4. Days off - I got to take off and go on Nathan's field trip with him last week on the Polar Express. He got to wear pajamas and we rode the train in Ft. Worth. Then we went to the park and had a picnic. It was a beautiful day!

5. the Griswald's - I kid you not we had a classic Griswald moment tonight. Richard worked all day on hanging Christmas lights outside for the first time ever. He was still out finishing up late tonight. I walked out in the back when he plugged them in and ---nothing. We laughed but he quickly remembered he had turned off the breaker. So this time, although I had already put the kids to bed I got them right back up because he was ready! I bundled them in blankets and went out to the driveway. He waited until we were all in position and he flipped the breaker. Tah-dah! They were great; we all cheered. 5 seconds later they went off. Hmmm....we stayed out in the freezing cold a few more minutes but he couldn't find the problem. So as I laughed my head off, I brought the boys back in and put them back to bed. They had their own theories though--Daniel said the problem was because it's not Christmas Day yet. Nathan started crying and told Richard he was sorry that all his hard work today didn't work. I'm sure he mistook my laughing to be laughing AT Richard. That's okay. One of these days he'll watch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and he'll understand why we laughed so much!

6. Dream Dinners - I go once a month to Dream Dinners and prepare 6-8 meals. I take them home, freeze them and pull a couple out each week to eat. I LOVE this process. It saves so much time and we get to eat things I would have never fixed on my own.

7. Small Groups - Our church has small groups that meet in homes every Sunday night. We've been together for almost a year and our time together is coming to a close. I've developed friendships with people from our congregation that I probably would have never become close to otherwise. People of all ages have come together and I'm very thankful my children have other adults to look up to as role models.

8. Secret Santa - At work we are doing "Secret Santa" for the 12 days of Christmas. We drew names and are exchanging gifts until next Thursday. This seems so silly, but it is truly a delight to wonder what treat I'll get each day. It's also fun to sneak a gift to my person each day!

9. Job Security - I know of three people close to me who do not have a job right now. I am thankful for my employment and thankful that it is secure.

10. Decorating Christmas Trees - Richard put the lights up on the tree last night and the boys decorated with all their special ornaments. We have a tradition to buy them ornaments each year and they can hardly wait to get their hands on "their" ornaments and put them up. This year I didn't even add my usual blue and white ornaments. Their decorations were so sentimental and special, I left the tree just the way they dressed it.

Ten Things Tuesday & A Really Rough Week

2008-11-25T17:39:00.003-06:00

Ten Things Tuesday takes on a whole new meaning after the week I've had this past week. To get to the thankfulness, I have to go through the bad news.

First, I got to school last Monday to find my computer lab had been broken into. About $6,000 worth of equipment was stolen. My walls, floor, desks, papers, and projector screen were all vandalized with gang messages. It seems to have been just random gang or gang related activity. Even so, for three days I had an awful, nervous feeling that someone was watching me and was afraid it was going to happen again. I was not very nice to my students and just felt violated. Someone had been in my space and it wasn't right.

By Thursday and I was feeling better and we were getting good reports from the police. Friday night I went scrapbooking at church and left around 1:15 am. While driving home, Mom called me and told me Dad had a heart attack and they were air lifting him to another hospital. The next two hours were spent with phone calls and tears. When we knew he was stable at the hospital, we were able to get a couple of hours of sleep then left for the hospital early Saturday morning. We spent all day there and I stayed with Mom that night. Dad had quadruple bypass surgery Sunday morning. All day Sunday was spent waiting for news about the surgery then waiting for him to wake up. The surgery went very well and by 6:00 pm he was awake, sitting up and talking. We felt comfortable to leave then.

Dad is now in a hospital room and should go home in the next couple of days. There is a long recovery ahead. He will be out for at least six weeks with no pay. Mom will be his primary caretaker and Dad does NOT make a model patient. So prayers are definitely still needed.

So, this brings me to Ten Things Tuesday. There is so much to be thankful for even in the midst of this past week.

1. My dad is alive. He has been given a second chance. God granted him more time on Earth. God's purposes are not finished.

2. Family. It seems the sad times always bring families back together again. We got to spend two solid days with my extended family that I rarely see. We should do that more often, but during good times, too. That part of it was fun.

3. Extended family. Church family. I didn't worry one minute about the boys. Grandma took them Saturday morning and our dear friends had them for a large part of the weekend. I knew if that didn't work, they had about 1000 more people they call (meaning our church family). In the waiting room during the surgery, I counted 23 people there at one time. They all missed church to be there with us. That was a powerful statement to me. We actually commented that the preacher should have just come there to preach because no one was at church!

4. Cell Phones. What did we ever do without them? They were our communication lifeline in the middle of the night and all weekend. When Mom's went dead, it was almost panic mode because we knew people would be trying to call and not be able to get her. Can cell phones be used in church? At my parent's congregation, one of the deacons was calling about every 20 minutes to get updates to they could report it to the rest of the congregation.

5. Hospitality. My best friend, Mary, opened her home to Mom. She lives closer than my mom does, so Mom has stayed there this week. It eased my mind that Mom would not be traveling as far, save on gas, give her some home cooked meals, and provide company to her. Thank you so much, Mary!! That was one of the biggest blessings.

6. Shared experiences. When something happens, you think it's never happened to anyone else before. But suddenly, you begin hearing stories that it actually happened to many people. I've heard of so many others who had experiences with being robbed. And many others who went through open heart surgery. It is actually comforting to know others have been there and understand.

7. Quality time. It's important to make time to be kind, listen, and enjoy each other. You don't know what will happen tomorrow. Our life is but a mist.

8. Prayer. It provides a peacefulness and allows us to petition God. He listens. He cares.

9. Doctors, surgeons and police officers. Now that's a list. All of these people have chosen to use their talents to help others and this week I have needed all of them. I'm thankful they are there. I'm thankful they didn't call in sick that day. I'm thankful they enjoy their job and don't "halfway" do their job.

10. Normalcy. You don't realize how much you enjoy the day to day "same old" until its not that way anymore. It wasn't a good feeling to have things in disarray after the break in. It wasn't a good feeling to put everything else on hold until Dad was better. It does make you thankful for the "little things in everyday life."

Say an extra intentful prayer tonight and give your family an extra hug.

If I had one day...

2008-11-14T09:18:00.002-06:00

Daniel and I are home today because of sickness in the babysitter's home. So, we get a free day! It's amazing how I never feel like I have time to get everything done I want to and then I'm granted a free day! But, then I realize I only have X amount of hours, and you can't get everything done, so what do you choose to do? Here are some thoughts...

1. Mop the floor (but the housecleaner is coming next week, so why would I do that?)
2. Change the sheets (need to do because I just found out I'm allergic to dust and need to be more diligent about keeping my sheets changed, but I won't be dusting because again the housecleaner comes next week)
3. Have lunch with Richard (will do--today's his last day at his job)
4. Laugh with Daniel (will definitely do all day)
5. Clean out boys clothes drawers (will do as much as I can because they have way to much to fit in their drawers)
6. Scrapbook (would like to do but may run out of time)
7. Pick up Nathan from school (will definitely do because I rarely get to do that)
8. Christmas shopping (a little hard to do with the little one around)
9. Grocery shopping (yuck-probably not)
10. Waste time on the computer and blog (doing right now)

Okay, I guess that's enough of a to do list!! What would you do with a free day?

Happy Birthday Daniel!

2008-11-08T22:06:00.003-06:00

Daniel is turning 4! I really can't believe it. I told him he would be a big boy when he turns 4 and now it's here. We had his party today and it was an absolute blast. It was a beautiful day, we had about 9 kids total and all the grandparents at the house. But, the best part was we had Scooby Doo!

That's right! Scooby Doo! Yup, I have to pay for this one big time. Richard got to watch a football game uninterrupted with no obligations to taking care of the kids Sat. night. Then, he played an Xbox game, which I can't even remember the last time he did that. And, the big one--I exempted him from going to see Backyardigans Live next weekend. The kids really loved it though. I took each friend's picture with Scooby and he handed out Scooby treats and snacks.

When he got to our house, you could see just the top of his head through our door window. Most of the kids started laughing and headed straight for the door, but Daniel backed up against our fireplace and wouldn't budge. Then, he ran from the door when Grandma started to open it. But, as soon he saw it was really Dad, he was okay and went right to him. Thank goodness it had the face cut-out or we would have some really upset children!

Blessings too Good to Wait Until Tuesday

2008-11-01T08:27:00.005-06:00

Richard got the job offer we were praying for late Wednesday afternoon. After a really late night analyzing salary options and insurance benefits, he counter offered Thursday morning. Late Friday afternoon they accepted his offer and he got what we were praying for in that respect. I can't help but recall a dear friend's prayer concerning his negotiations: "God, may Richard have supernatural favor that only comes from you." Richard told me he felt much more confident than he expected he would during his conversation while negotiating. I said, "It's because people were praying for you, of course." Richard's boss's reaction to his resignation: "Okay, thanks!" Wow.

And, my housecleaning help starts this Wednesday! I am so excited to finally get a little (no, a lot of) help here. Of course, I have to do a little cleaning this weekend before I can function to do anything else! I even went crazy and cleaned my drip pans in my stove last night. I even lifted the stove top and cleaned under that. Who does that? Richard offered to answer my question, "What is wrong with me?" but I didn't let him.

2008-11-01T08:27:00.001-06:00

Nathan's Science Project

2008-10-28T20:17:00.003-06:00

For his first official science project, this was a pretty challenging one. He had to decorate a hat to illustrate a chosen science word. His word was boil. We had to think on this one for a few days. Richard came up with the idea of a pot boiling with water. I came up with using a top hat and bought one for $2.49 at Party City. I thought we could cut out the top part of the hat and use clear balloons to represent boiling water. Turns out, nobody sells clear balloons. At Wal-Mart we searched for an alternative and Richard came up with using Bubble Wrap and orange and yellow tissue paper for fire. We were stuck on how to create a handle and that's where Nathan came up with the brilliant idea of using a toilet paper roll painted black. How smart he is! So with a little hot glue and lots of dicussion with Nathan, here is the finished project. I think we're all proud of it, but I'm most proud of Nathan for working so well with us in a team. This was actually a relatively easy word to illustrate. I wonder what the other kids got; I'm anxious to see their creations!

Oh, on the topic of procrastination--it took a little persuasion to get Nathan to work on this last night and tonight. It's not due until Thursday so he questioned why we had to start now. "I have until the 30th!" I'm really trying to make sure he's NOT a procrastinator. I'm also proud that Dad worked on it two days earlier than it's due also. That's a big step for him too!

Spidermen

2008-10-28T20:12:00.003-06:00

For Halloween, Nathan was black spiderman and Daniel was red spiderman.

Ten Things--Addendum

2008-10-28T19:51:00.003-06:00

Well, I only thought things were better than last week. After I wrote my list, I came home. The kids screamed at each other for almost an hour. Completely interrupted my meeting with the Merry Maids lady. Daniel slammed Nathan's hand in the doorway--which by the way, Nathan couldn't even remember which hand it was 10 minutes later. My house was completely cluttered in every room which embarrassed me when we did the house cleaning walk through. The quote for the cleaning was really too expensive. I'm not trying to justify the money. It's a choice. I definitely need some help, but how much I help need is decided by the pricetag unfortunately. I'm not happy because I'm not exercising like I was in the summer and I miss it. And I feel fat. Yet Halloween candy is going fast in my house because I'm eating it! My to do list is getting longer and longer and I can't get it all done. We haven't gotten the job offer we expected yesterday yet--although we do know they are checking references, but I'm just getting impatient. --I actually typed inpatient there which was actually humorous to me considering the situation.

What's the answer? I don't know, but I was pretty much ready to go hide under the covers until I decided to check my email while Daniel played in the bathtub. I read our church's daily email and it pointed me to http://www.chetmcdoniel.com/ and his blog entry "Only You Can Ruin Your Day". Suddenly I noticed Daniel softly singing in the bathtub and I heard Richard and Nathan working on his science project. These are sounds I didn't hear before because the thoughts written above were screaming too loudly. This is something I definitely have to work on almost every minute of every day. But, I'll work harder at it. Check out Chet's website and read about his story. He reminds me that I have nothing to be unhappy about.

Ten Things Tuesday

2008-10-28T11:10:00.002-06:00

It's that time again, even though it's been a couple of weeks since I've blogged. Last Tuesday was a bad day and even though I should have, I just couldn't bring myself to blog about blessings. This week is much better!

1. Okay, that's blessing number one--this week is much better! Last week seemed to be very trying and I really can't put my finger on why, but so far so good this week.

2. A cool Trunk or Treat at Legacy this weekend. I'll post the kids Halloween pictures later. Nathan got to bring a friend, so I let go a little bit and let the three boys go off by themselves and do their trick or treating and play games. They are growing up so fast!

3. Nathan is so smart! We are working on our first science project together. Dad and I came up with the basic idea of what needed to happen but we were stuck on one piece of it. We asked Nathan what he thought and he actually came up with a great idea that worked!! We praised him so much for it, he kep interjecting his "best ideas" as he called them, but all in all it's going to work out. I'm just so proud of him for being creative and most of all for being able to work on a team. He understood how to brainstorm, give his opinion, praise us for our opinions and efforts and come to an united conclusion. What a great skill to have!

4. Daniel is learning more every day. Last night at baseball practice, Daniel and I would think of a word, sound out the first letter and then call out what it starts with. It's so exciting to see him putting pieces of information together and learning.

5. Fall season - It's finally getting colder and it really feels like fall. I'm getting so excited about the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons.

6. Christmas--I'm ready for it. The boys looked through a Toys-R-Us catalog last night. It is so much fun to hear the oooohs and aaaahhs. Although from them it's more like "Awesome!" and "Wow!"

7. Outsourcing. I'm getting a quote on housecleaning tonight. We already have help with mowing our lawn, now I get a little help, too. I'm so thankful! Funny story, though--last night Nathan told me he brought home his lunchable box because they don't cut for free at school anymore. (It has game pieces on the back of the box that he would cut out.) Apparently, there is someone who would cut things out for them at lunch. Now, I guess you have to pay. He thought it was silly to pay for something he could come home and do himself for free. Dad asked me the same thing, "Why would you pay for something you can do for free?" Hmmm...

8. Our jobs. Such a blessing to be employed and hopefully making a difference to others.

9. Having a network of people to call on for help. I can't imagine not having family (including our church family) who we can call on for "the little things" that help so much.

10. Having children to hold you accountable. Daniel asked us last night why we don't say a family prayer before bedtime anymore. Ouch. The truth is it got very annoying because the boys would play and laugh while we were trying to be serious. The reality is it's our responsibility to teach them not give up because it's too hard. So we resolved to continue that tradition no matter how they are acting. God definitely speaks through the little ones.

Join Mrs. Brownstone and others at XBOX wife to see more Ten Things Tuesday.

Ten Things Tuesday

2008-10-14T16:42:00.002-06:00

I changed my blog background for fall and it's gotten me in the mood to think about being Thankful. I'm thankful for...

1. The rain--we so desperately needed some.
2. My boys--they are such a blessing and encouragement.
3. My husband--he is so supportive and grows as our leader every day.
4. Friends and Family--to call on for fun or when we need something.
5. Financial Blessings--it's such a blessing to be able to care of all our needs without worry.
6. Doctors--we got flu shots yesterday and I am seeing a allergy specialist tomorrow. I'm glad we have those who can help us get better physically.
7. Service Opportunities--it's special when someone asks me to help out. It lets me know I'm needed and I can use my talents for something good.
8. Church--we have a great church that is growing in every way and provides the majority of those service opportunities.
9. Holidays--I really enjoy the holidays and everything surrounding them: food, family get togethers, laughter, (and presents).
10. Prayer--it is our doorway to God's throne, our way to call in times of need, and our means of praise and honor.

Join Mrs. Brownstone and others and create your Ten Things Tuesday list.

On Blogging

2008-10-14T14:25:00.004-06:00

This was shared by a colleague. He got this from www.despair.com. If you've never seen the website you need to. If you like The Office, you will like these items. If you know Richard, you will know these items reflect his overall view of life.

God's Free Gift and Popcorn

2008-10-11T22:12:00.004-06:00

Our church, Legacy church of Christ, is passing out thousands of microwavable popcorn bags to our community. Each side has a sticker with basic information about our church, one in English, the other in Spanish. Our charge is to hand them out to neighbors, friends, the community and inviting them to church. Easy. I took 30 bags with the intention of passing them out at Nathan's baseball game today.

Have you ever tried to give somebody something for free? Not easy. People think you are crazy. They are convinced there is a catch, it costs something or it's poisoned. One lady told me, "I don't allow popcorn in my house." Really? I simply offered popcorn to everyone in the stands. I did talk about church, I didn't ask for a scheduled Bible study, I didn't call on Jesus' name to come down and save us all. I just offered popcorn. The information is on the sticker, they can't help but read it and I prayed God would plant a seed. A popcorn kernel if you will.

But some looked at me like I was crazy. I figured out the trick was to get Daniel involved. See people more readily took the popcorn from the three old, but not from the adult assuring them it was absolutely free.

Do we act this way with God's free gift of salvation? All we have to do is accept it. God must be standing there looking at humans asking, "Really? You don't allow me in your house? You don't accept that it's free? You think it's poisoned or there really is some catch?" There's no catch, all we have to do is accept His free gift of grace and salvation. Of course, out of gratefulness we act upon receiving that gift. Because we accept, God begins working on us and we are changed in accordance with His will.

I got home and gave a couple of bags to my neighbors who were standing outside. They accepted it with laughter and a smile and pleasant conversation. You know what I think it is? Relationship. I know my neighbors. They know my kids. We wave and make general small talk and talk about each other's yards. It's not much, but it's a relationship. I didn't know those people in the stands beyond the past two weeks we've been playing ball. While it's true, a bag of popcorn can certainly start a conversation and a relationship. But having a relationship first certainly creates an atmostphere where we willingly accept each other's gifts. God wants to give us His gift of salvation AND He wants a relationship with us. We should want a relationship with Him too. Once we accept His gift, we should seek Him out and yearn for a relationship.

How were your experiences with handing out popcorn? Did you see a difference between those you have a relationship and those you don't?

Pondering Thoughts by Daniel

2008-10-11T22:08:00.002-06:00

In the car, Daniel asked why his fingers were all together.
Me: "Who?"
Daniel: "That guy at the Diamondbacks game."
Me: "Oh, Uncle Toby [he has a birth defect on his arm and hand]. That's how he was born. That's how God made him. You know the guy at church that led singing and he didn't have any arms?"
Daniel: "Yeah."
Me: "Well, that's just the way they were born."
Daniel: "But why were his fingers all together?"
Me: "I don't know. That's just the way he was born."
Daniel: "I know why. I think he can spin a web."

Ten Things Tuesday

2008-10-07T10:39:00.002-06:00

This is a list of blessings we count each week and I have not been good at keeping it up. But, my heart is a little mixed today and I feel I should write today. Not only blessings, but prayer. Prayer is one of the biggest blessings we have. The ability to enter the throne room of God through the blood of Jesus. My Ten Things Tuesday will center around prayer requests that have been on our minds lately with the attitude that God will bless each and every one of these.

1. Richard's move to Southlake. Life has been much quieter and there has been much less drama.

2. Our friends, David and Olivia Nelson. Today, David had his wisdom teeth taken out. In a few days, they travel to Kharkov, Ukraine. They have received their Visas and secured temporary housing and are fully supported monetarily.

3. Our friends, Cori and Emily Mullins. In a few weeks, they will travel to Australia. They have also received their Visas and are continuing to prepare for their departure.

4. Financially, we have recieved some unexpected blessings and want to make sure we are doing God's will and living to His expectations in being good stewards.

5. Stephanie McCord is the widow of our friend, Keith who passed away a little over a year ago from brain cancer. She has a two year old son and continues to walk daily in a life she never imagined. She is a school teacher in Houston. She recently endured Hurrican Ike with no damage to her house. God is watching over her, but she has a tremendous journey that not many can even imagine. She is a source of strength to many and I cry and pray over her blog frequently.

6. New babies. We recently found out two of our friends from Conway are pregnant, about a week apart from each other. We also found out one of our friends had a miscarriage. God gives and takes away, but we continually trust in Him.

7. Mark and Debbie Hooper. Selfless, Christ-like, missionaries, friends. They have taught us that everything we have is God's; nothing is ours. Mark came home last night from a two week trip to Cambodia and Singapore while Debbie endured work pressures and being a "single mom" for a while. We are so blessed to be in their lives. We do whatever it takes.

8. Nathan. Every day his mind explods with new things and curiousities. His physical abilities are strengthening as with each baseball game he improves more and more. He is fast and sharp.

9. Daniel. He is sweet and tender yet has his own mind of what should be done. He is learning boundaries and how to be empathetic. He is a sponge as he learns new things at Circle of Friends and sings all the time the new songs he is taught.

10. Our marriage. There is no one else who could endure what Richard puts up with daily. Yet he is with me continually and does the best he can every day. He is amazing with the boys and works hard to provide for us. He is a source of wisdom and calm when my life seems stormy. He is a spiritual leader and provides the best example he can for his boys.

Join with me as I pray over these blessings and remember them continually. Also checkout Mrs. Brownstone's blog and other's Ten Things Tuesday.

Dinner

2008-10-07T10:36:00.003-06:00

We had a great surpise last night when we got a call from a close friend from Conway, AR. He was in town for a conference and asked us to meet him in Addison for dinner. So, we reluctantly forgot about the house cleaning we were going to do last night and packed up in the car to go eat. Richard convinced Nathan we were on our way to Arkansas so he should settle in for the long ride. I'm not sure Nathan was ever fully convinced that we were NOT in Arkansas.

At dinner, we were getting ready to leave and take Chad back to the hotel. That is a phrase which my kids have made us laugh everytime they say it--"Back to the ho-tel" with a drawn out southern accent. Then, Nathan said he knew why they call it a hotel. He said it's because people ho a lot and tell a lot.

No comment.

Interesting Facts

2008-09-21T20:21:00.005-06:00

I've been tagged by Kipi to answer this alphabetical questionnaire. Normaly I don't take time to do these types of things because it's just too crazy around here. But right now is the first time I've taken two breaths and relaxed in the past two days so I thought I would indulge in this one. --Side note--Richard just turned on the final game at Yankee stadium--**sigh**. All the more reason to go back to New York for the new stadium!

A - Attached or single? Attached and wouldn't trade our craziness for anything.

B - Best friend? Yes, God has blessed me with many close friends along the way that each hold a special place in my heart.

C - Cake or pie? Pie--anything chocolate but nothing citrusy, like lime or lemon

D - Day of choice? My wedding anniversay, May 23. Richard always either plans something big or at least makes sure we get to do something special.

E - Essential item? My computer. I guess since that's what I teach, I always feel a little lost if I don't have access to one.

F - Flavor of ice cream? Reese's

G - Gummy bears or worms? Niether--they're disgusting.

H - Hometown? Lone Star, TX

I - Indulgences? Scrapbooking--I spend once a month staying up entirely too late (or early in the morning) and once a year over an entire weekend preserving our sweet memories of our family.

J - January or July? July because I'm off during the summer and have a blast spending time with my kids.

K - Kids? Yes, two boys

L - Last movie I saw in a theatre? Fly Me to the Moon--Nathan's choice, and it was cute. It was also 3D which I don't think I've ever seen one in the movies theatre before.

M - Middle name? Lynn

N - Number of siblings? One younger brother--a police officer in Sherman so make sure you don't speed when you go through there.

O - Oranges or apples? Apples, pink lady

P - Phobia or fear? Fear…of being alone

Q - Quote? “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and He will make your paths straight." Psalms 3:7-8

R - Reason to smile? My children who constantly make me laugh

S - Season? Fall--when you can smell it's time for football (I would like spring when it's time for baseball more except my allergies are really bad in the spring and I spend most of the time sick or on medicine)

T - Tag four more. Mary, Katie, Lindsay, and Olivia and David--okay I snuck in a 5th

U - Unknown fact about me? In college I became a ham radio operator. Studied really hard for a test over things I had no clue about and even learned a little bit of morse code. KC5RVN. I would talk on the ham radio on my trips home from college. That was before the time of cell phones if you can believe it.

V - Vegetarian or oppressor of animals? Oppressor of animals

W - Worst habit? Probably too much TV although I'm really loving Prison Break right now and even got Season One for my birthday yesterday!

X - X-rays or ultra sound? Ultra sound

Y - Your favorite food? Asian and anything chocolate and peanut butter

Z - Zodiac? Virgo

Tardies

2008-09-15T20:05:00.002-06:00

Last week, Nathan was tardy to school. Richard told me they were and that he had just lost track of time in the morning until Nathan told him that he was supposed to already be at school. So when I questioned Nathan about it, I asked what happened. He said with a big sigh, "Because of my Dad." I asked what Dad was doing and he said, "He was just working really hard and he had crack."

Now, I happened to know that Richard has a crack in his windshield, so after I finished laughing hysterically at what he just said, I tried to clarify. Nathan said, "Yes, when you have a crack it's just hard to see. But I told my teacher that we had a wreck. Well, no I actually said we didn't have a wreck but that my Dad had a crack."

I really wonder what his teacher thinks about us!

What do you want to be when you grow up?

2008-09-15T20:04:00.003-06:00

Nathan wants to be an astronaut. I asked, "Why?" He said, "Because I want to discover some planets." I asked, "What makes you think you want to be an astronaut?" He said, " Well, I watched Mission to Mars but that doesn't really teach you anything."

First Day of School

2008-08-25T17:09:00.002-06:00

Nathan started 1st grade today. He did: reading, sat down at his new desk, rested, went to lunch, recess, bathrooms, had new lockers, took our time doing my octupus and morning work, coloring a teddy bear that said "I love first grade", met new friends, had some friends in my class that I knew, and there is a couch beside our lockers for reading or you can go up a ladder and read up there, and that's it. I'll have fun next year in second grade.

My first day wasn't quite as fun as Nathan's but it did go by fast. The morning was pretty chaotic but it got better. I don't quite understand the scheduling process that happens because some of my students I either had last year, or they aren't in the right grade for the class, or it just plain doesn't make sense. But I guess sometimes you just have to play the hand you are dealt and move on. This year will be completely differnent because my classroom is almost brand new. I even had air conditioning today which was wonderful!

Richard and Daniel got to have a special day together. After they took Nathan to school, they had breakfast with Richard's dad. Now, Richard is cooking dinner and later we get to go out for ice cream! What a treat to end our first day!

On another note, the Olympics apparently had quite an impact on our family. As I am typing this, Daniel said, "I'm going to do diving." As I turned around in my chair, I realized he had gotten on the bed and jumped off in a diving position. Oh dear.

Toothless Wonder

2008-08-20T21:03:00.003-06:00

That's what Nathan's being called now. He lost his upper left front tooth. I'm glad because it was starting to look a little weird out there all by itself.

Our friends David and Olivia were over for dinner and we asked Nathan if he would like David to pull it. I think Nathan must have been really ready to get it out because he agreed (and we reminded him the tooth fairy would come!) Daivd gave it a couple of tugs, we heard one "Ow" and it was out!