My Rocker

Rocker is my life loving, passionate, adventurer. 3 years ago he and I flew to China on a missions trip. Even at 5 he had more energy and excitement then most adults. He never complained, never broke down just kept trucking along. He absolutely knew the importance and urgency of our mission for the Lord. He was such a blessing and joy to have. Always positive and rolled with everything they threw at us, even taking a 15 hour train ride into mainland China. To this day he tells my husband and I he is going back. He wants to write books and travel the world telling others about God.
Rocker to this day is my passionate, compassionate one. Totally an Evangelist. Always seeking to tell others about Christ. Seeking the things of the Spirit. His heart is tender and pure. My positive one when all things seem to fall apart. He is also my adventurer. Rock climbing, mountain biking. All things fast and furious. He can also be very fiery, too much like his mama.

I love him dearly. Not just my middle child but a vital part of our family. I am truly blessed as a mom and could not ask for a better son. You Rock my love!

Calling All Moms Using Baby Sign Language

Just a quick question. I am looking for materials on Makaton Sign Language for the Special Needs Program my church. Does any one use them and have resource information we could look at? I am also wondering if those of you who use Baby Sign Language would have resource materials like the actual signs or videos we could also look at.

Some of our children can not verbally communicate yet and I was researching Makaton Sign Language as a way to introduce communication skills in our Friendship Station ministry at church. The materials are expensive but if I could see what they are and what they look like we might be interested in them and could purchase them. I just need to see if it would help us or not.

Thanks guys. Leave a comment if you know of or have used this type of sign language and how it worked.

6 Word Memoir:Meme

I was tagged by Wheres the Box to write a six word memoir of my life. I am no English major so hopefully I can do this. I thought I would post a humorous photo of myself living up to my 6 Word Memoir. Although I think my husband should have shot the picture from a different angle. :)Let's see..

Life loving, passionate pursuer, of Christ.
So here are the rules:

Write your own six word memoir

Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you want

Link to the person that tagged you in your post

Tag at least five more blogs with links, and

Leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play!

And here's who I am tagging:

Classic Mama

Promises

Beautiful Grace

Many Blessings

Hands Free Heart

My Drama King

I wanted to take some time and journal about my boys and the blessing each of them are to me and my husband. Today is Drama Kings turn. My prophet, my dynamo. He reminds us daily his middle name is "Paul" which means little dynamite. He is full of life and unending energy. My dramatic one. He isn't that out going but can be as soon as he warms up to you, then he turns into a ham. Drama King also needs down time away from people. He is a mixture of extrovert and introvert. He is very social and loves to be around others but then he must retreat into his solitude to decompress for a while. It has been interesting to watch this dynamic in him.

He has many prophetic tendencies that continue to amaze my husband and I. The things he declares and then we watch as they comes to pass are phenomenal. He likes to sing all the time and play our small child drum set. One time when I was struggling with something major going on in my life he sat down at the drum set and started pounding away at it. He than sang "God is all powerful, God is all powerful" over and over again. It snapped me out of my funk and got me to refocus on the Lord.
He is also very black and white about life. He takes life at face value. I see him as a giant sail filled with the wind of God blowing him on into his destiny. We pray for anchors though. He needs to be very grounded in the Lord so that he will never blow off course. Drama King is my spontaneous one that can roll with the punches, well if not overly tired. We can just pick up and go and hes off running ahead of me. My love, my precious young man. Handsome to boot! I was excited when last week he asked for a Mohawk again! I am so happy to have the privilege of being his mother.

Someone Stole our Car!!

Last night after a very long week my three boys and our young guest were all in line at the bathroom getting ready for bed. After I stood there for sometime I realized I had to go too so I told everyone to keep getting ready, I was just going to run downstairs to our basement bathroom. It is the bathroom no one else uses except my husband who endearingly calls it his sanctuary of silence. It is stocked with his fishing and National Geographic magazines.

Being so exhausted I actually picked up a NG magazine and became quickly engrossed in an article. Then to my horror Rocker burst in on me. He opened the bathroom door in a frantic state and then realized I was sitting on the pot. He screamed and I yelled and told him to get out. Quickly after Rocker turned a few shades of red he shut the door. The strange thing was he was still hysterical about something and tried yelling through the door. Finally I finished (and yes I washed my hands) and tried to calm him down. This was our conversation that followed, I think we all were a little tired...

Rocker: Mommy someone stole our car!!!!(very dramatically)

Me: What are you talking about? (also very dramatically)

Rocker: Our car is stolen!! It was outside a minute ago and now it's gone!!!(As he drags me upstairs to see what's wrong)

Me (Realizing what was actually going on and how completely this was blown way out of proportion) I asked: Rocker do you realize daddy is also gone?

Not getting my meaning Rocker answered: What they stole daddy too?!?!

Rubbing my head in complete dismay: Rocker daddy went to take the movies back to Blockbuster. No one stole the car or daddy. It is OK!!

With in two minutes of the whole drama taking place Rocker finally got it and went back to getting ready for bed. My question is why didn't he just assume daddy went to the store or something? Why did we automatically jump to the conclusion that the car was stolen and so was daddy? I mean it's not like we live in some horrible neighborhood or anything. Oh, brother it's been a long week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Reality Check About the Times We Live In

Last night my Knight headed over to our school for a Parent/Teacher conference for Rocker. It went really well. He his excelling in his school work and his behavior is great. My Knight told me his teacher had nothing but good things to say until the end of the conference.

He shared with me what happened next. His teacher very seriously explained that Rocker has been talking to children about Jesus and explaining to them his beliefs about Creation. They are studying dinosaurs and evolutionary theories in science. Yes this is only 2nd grade. He then raises his hand to give the creation account and let the teacher know he doesn't agree. She told my husband Rocker is no longer allowed to share with his classmates about Jesus, God, or the Holy Spirit and to not discuss Creation in class.

Both our hearts sunk as we heard this. My husband handled this very well and explained to her he would share with Rocker the importance of respecting the teacher but we will not tell him to never share the gospel with others. We would encourage him to share during lunch, recess or on the bus but to be sensitive to the teachers wishes in class. He also said we would talk to him about responding in class to evolution but that we would not discourage him about Creation. These are our core beliefs and values and we will not teach Rocker to stay silent because it gets the children in his class questioning evolution. No one was upset his teacher just finished with expressing that their are many faiths in the class and she is afraid that the children will return home with his information and get the school in trouble. So who is that all about?

Well times have changed. This young woman is very nice and I would not hesitate her teaching any of my children it is just so sad that she has come under the influence of fear. We talked briefly to Rocker this morning and will talk more in depth tonight. The thing we stressed the most is to lean on the Holy Spirit for the right times to talk. The Lord will show him when to open and reveal truth and when not too. We would like to share with Rocker some more on this later today. My children are now facing the small ripples of persecution within the public school setting. It has become a giant reality check for my husband and I.

A Must SEE Film!!

Expelled
with actor Ben Stein

I am not one to promote movies but I have been drawn to this one from its inception a couple of years ago. It opens this Friday April 18th in select theaters. Not sure if there are any in this area yet.


The movie specifically calls out the Darwinian Science community that has been persecuting and black listing scientists for their approaches to include Intelligent Design. It also shows those scientists who have lost their jobs not because they personally believe in Intelligent Design but because they crossed the line and questioned the Darwinian theory.


I have looked into this topic and done some research. The news media is having a hay day with it and most of the movie critiques are slamming it. I have no idea if they are correct in it being to long and drawn out or if it isn't great cinematography but I personally want to see this.


This list of scientists and professors who have been expelled from the scientific fields is true. They are then black listed and cannot find jobs within in their fields. Some of the questions I heard on the clips and media sites are good strong questions about why do we hold to Darwinism when so much is unexplained or unclear. I am going to check this movie out and I would highly recommend some more research for those of you interested. This is the link to the movie's official site. Go ahead and check it out.

Sister Paul

No not a new saint the Catholic Church is trying t canonize, but the name of Drama Kings baby sister. For a year now he has been praying for a baby sister despite the reality physically we cannot have any more. We haven't told him that. His determination and persistence has increased my husband and my faith to believe again for this to happen.

Last night was the best. Drama King asked "When is she coming, it is taking forever."

I replied with "Very soon honey." (smiling at my down trodden child)

He then declared to all of us "I have the best name, we will call her Sister Paul."

The older boys laughed and after seeing Drama Kings reaction from them my Knight and I tried very hard not too. So I asked him why Sister Paul.

His response "My middle name is Paul and she is my sister.I want to give her my middle name because I like it."

Me: "OK, but how about Alexis Katherine. That's a pretty name."

Drama King: "No only Sister Paul!!"

Well the conversation went on for some time with no resolution. I guess we still have time. The funny thing is the Lord did remind me it was Drama King who started the fire burning in our hearts for one more. Does that give him the legal right in naming her? Hummm....got to think about that one. :)

Going Nuts!!!

So Saturday we decided to get the boys bikes out of the shed, get our rakes and gardening stuff out and check on the lawn mower. My Knight also got my flower pots out just to prepare for spring. He came across one filled with leaves in it and neither of us could remember putting them in there. We just assumed one of the boys must have.Well low and behold when my Knight dumped out the container two little baby squirrels tumbled out onto the ground. The boys were going crazy with excitement on our new find.



Everyone was excited and happy until these little guys began to sing and their crazed mother almost jumped my husband and chased the boys around the backyard. Quickly we scooped them back up, put them back into the flower pot, leaves and all.
We had to keep an eye on the mother because we were not sure how close she was going to come. A couple of times she ran up to my husbands feet. He began dancing around trying not to dump the pot again. It was quite the scene with the boys yelling and screaming and running wildly in the back yard. My husband kept yelling at me "Where is she? Is she going to get me?" I just took pictures and laughed. They are now back in our shed. We will leave them alone for another 3 weeks before they get evicted. By then they should be old enough if they haven't moved yet. We hauled all of our stuff under the over hang beside our house not to disturb them again. Yup, just another crazy day here!

I Survived!!!!

I made it with no problems. Everyone who left the comments about how easy it was, was correct. The only difficulty I had was with the liquid I had to drink the night before. I couldn't get all of it down and stopped taking it as soon as it started coming back up the wrong way. YUCK!!!! After the nurse woke me up I asked her if there was anything else they needed to poke and prod because I wanted to go back to sleep. She just laughed probably thinking the anesthesia was still working not realizing I was serious. I told my husband that's how they should do women's yearly exams and mammograms. Knock you out and let you sleep through it all.

The procedure was quick and peaceful, thank you for your prayers. Right now they do believe it to be colitis. They are analyzing two biopsies that were taken and a polyp that was found and removed. The next step is to go back in a week once the results of the biopsies and polyp are determined. I am going to be starting the diet Patty K. has been on. I am really struggling with how this is going to work but I don't want to go down the steroid and heavy prescription medication route. I also just don't want to be experiencing the pain and problems I have been having this past year. I want to be healthy and live better. I would rather see the Lord heal me miraculously and through this nutritional diet. The big thing will be getting my Knight behind me on this. He doesn't have a problem with the diet it's just everyone adjusting to the changes I have to make. I am also going to be cooking healthier for them too.

So now I stand for healing as I mentally prepare myself for this new journey.

Very Hungry!!

Well, nothing exciting to post I am just really hungry since all I have had to eat today is Italian Water Ice and broth. No not trying a new fangled diet just preparing for a colonoscopy. Tomorrow I head to the doctors to see what's up. Ha , Ha, Ha. It's been hard not eating. I went to make Drama King a PB & J sandwich and got jelly on my fingers. I so wanted to lick them and then stuff my face with jelly. At breakfast this morning Drama King was upset that I was having desert (Italian water ice) instead of cereal. After trying to explain why that was, he blurted out with "I want a colonposey too." Oh, brother.

The bottle of liquid I have to drink is just sitting there staring at me on the counter. I start that at 7pm tonight. I don't know how Natalie and Patty have done this in the past. This is my first time and I hope it to be my last for years to come. Well off to get more broth and begin the cleansing process. Tomorrow will be fun.:0

Just When I Want To Give Up.....

It is funny how God works. Not funny at the time but humorous now. I have been dealing with this one woman at church for some time. Nothing really obvious but just one of those woman who you could say hi too and they would never bat an eye at you. I have prayed and prayed and prayed and even gone after my own healing because of how offended I would get by her actions.

But there was nothing I could say or do exactly because there was nothing she was doing exactly but just being rude and stand-offish to others. I may be quiet and reserved at times but I will not shrug someone off or be completely rude. So this battle has been years since attending CCC. This woman also has been given leadership type roles in church and it would bug the heck out of me how she treated everyone around her.

Well here's the kicker. I finally gave up. I told the Lord "Fine you won't let me get away with anything but you let her get the spot light and she treats people like crap. I am not going to even try anymore." Ugly stuff I know. So I did. I gave up trying and even began blatantly avoiding her.

So now she comes up to me and starts a conversation recently. I think my mouth fell open and I looked around just to make sure she wasn't talking to someone standing close to me, but no it was me. She even joked around with me. WOW!!! We had a good conversation, not bringing up any of her faults.:) I walked away so healed in my heart through it all. All the prayer and the tears paid off in a moment of time. Will she continue this friendly attitude? I don't know but for that one moment I saw a piece of her heart and connected with someone I have struggled with for so long. There are many people in my life that I said I would never like or get along with and they are the very people the Lord has brought specifically to me to have a close relationship with. This was not the first time I have dealt with this and it probably will not be the last. I am not saying we will be best of friends or that she will even talk to me tomorrow but we started some where. It was a good moment and makes the battles worth fighting.

Oh, 7 Favorite Movies...

I haven't been with it lately and when I read Classic Mama's meme post I thought she tagged me for the other meme "7 random things" not realizing it was for 7 favorite movies, so here goes.....

In no particular order:

1) Henry the Fifth with Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson when they were still married.

2)Ben Hur

3) Batman Begins

4)Spiderman (1,2 & 3)

5)Master and Commander

6)Band of Brothers (not really a movie but series, much caution if you watch)

7)Lord of the Rings (the Trilogy even though Tolkien never intended it to be a Trilogy) :)

There you have it my strange top ten movie list. I would have loved to put the little pictures next to the movies but still don't know how to with this new computer. You will just have to go online and look them up if interested.

Movies that are also note worthy (I could have a longer list) Much Ado About Nothing, Taming of the Shrew (older version with Elizabeth Taylor) Othelo and Hamlet with Mel Gibson.

Another "Meme"

OK before I start someone has got to tell me what the heck is a "Meme"!!! Update: Meme is actually Greek in origin and HandsFreeHeart left a link to its definition. Thank You Thank You HandsFreeHeart!!!!

Any way I was tagged by OhMyWord and Classic Mama for this Meme. I have to choose 7 random things to tell about myself. So let me think.....


1) I love PutPut Golf and have played it since I was knee high, hence the photo above. I hate regular golf and actually got kicked off a golf course in high school for playing in cowboy boots. So nobody told me that wasn't good golfing attire. I think the lady at the front desk would have at least noticed the ten gallon hat and huge belt buckle, but no. I got as far as the 9th hole before the told me I couldn't play.

2) I have helped over 100 lambs come into this world. I have actually pulled lambs and calves out during births. I almost broke my arm pulling out a calf as my arm became pinched between the cows hip bones and the calf. She began to push and my arm was sandwiched in between. That hurt. Sheep were easier you just shoved the lambs back in flipped them around and pulled them out. Yeah, now having three kids I would be more gentle.

3)I love to water ski. My Knight taught me up near his parents farm. They own a cabin by a river and we go water skiing during the summer.

4)I love to fly fish. My favorite part is tying the fly's.

5)I love climbing trees with my boys and hanging upside down on the limbs.

6)I am supposed to wear contacts or glasses but never wear either. I can see but if you are standing across the way at church and wave I am not being rude I just probably can't see you.

7)I am not a domestic diva. I hate cleaning, cooking and house work altogether. I do it to survive but I am so outside as soon as it warms up. I keep everything clean just for my poor husbands sake and yes I do cook so my kids don't go hungry, but I would so rather be doing something else.

So there you have it. Please would someone tell me what is a "Meme". Is it French for something?! :)
BTW I think I am out of people to tag so I will just end the insanity here!!

Locked Out!!!

Last night was not such a good night. My Knight has been away in Virginia this week on business. I had the job of taking the boys to Wed. night church so my older two could attend a Baptism class. They are excited to be Baptized on April 19, so they had to attend this class. Being very tired, because I have not been sleeping well this week, I stepped out of the house to go to the van. I thought I had put my keys in my purse. As I began to search I realized they were still in the house. That's when it happened. Shaggy came out and shout the door.

We were now locked out. My Knight who had the only other key was 3 1/2 hours away and I didn't even have keys to drive my van any where. We tried calling friends but being a Wed. night everyone was in service or heading to church and not answering their cell phones. I finally called my husband in a panic. Our Realtor who we rent from told us it was after hours and they don't come and open the homes up at that time so if we wanted to get back into our house we would have to call a locksmith. Well standing on the side of the curb with no telephone book made that a little difficult. All the neighbors we know were still at work or out for dinner so the street was empty. Finally we got a hold of some dear friends who were skipping church for the evening and they picked us up and took us to church. The boys made it to the class.

We tried breaking in to our house later but we couldn't try to hard since we rent. I didn't really want to have to explain that to my Landlord. My dear friend Terry E. told us we could get a locksmith but they would charge us after hours fees also being so late at night. We just don't have any extra money right now so the E's had us back to their house for the evening. My Knight had already started home so by 11pm he came rolling in to rescue us. We flew home. I threw the boys in bed without their teeth brushed and didn't even change them into their PJ's. I know that sounds horrible but you should hear the stuff they do when they go camping with their father. :)

So now everyone is very tired and warn out. My Knight is off to Delaware today for training and hopefully will make it in time for Church tonight. Tonight is the CCC School of Ministry Prophetic Presbytery so I might just have to go without him. I hope not because I don't really want to go and am not looking forward to this at all.

So now I need to go and get an extra key made and I am going online to start looking for a house to buy. I absolutely have had it with renting. This has just been the longest week. ARRHHGG!!

A Personal Journal Entry

My heart is yearning for more of You, but how can a heart long for something it holds at arms length. Nothing in this world compares to You oh God, but how can so much become idols of worship in my life. Fear, rejection, anxiety, and worry rule my life where Your throne should stand. I no longer want the daily routines of life. My life needs to be extraordinary for You or nothing at all. What is life if it is not in You? I live with no time to spare knowing so many worthless things take up my spare time. Things that are worthless only because You are not there in the midst. I haven't invited You. I haven't spent time in Your presence. What meaningless life I live if it is without the One who gave me life.

More. More of You. Tare down the idols, lay low the gods I have placed before Your face. If I cannot shine with your glory then life is meaningless. Take all I have and all I will be for Your Kingdom. Take my children and my husband for their lives apart from Your will is meaningless. Through You will they only find peace and joy and life abundantly. Take it Lord. It was Yours to begin with and I declare it all belongs to You once more. Whatever it takes to break the vileness from my soul do it. Dangerous prayers are my only hope. You rescued me in my darkest hour of need. Now again I am faced with oppression and war. My complacency is more destructive then my desperation. My life will have meaning in You or it will be nothing. Lord move like You have never before in me so that I will blaze with Your fire of Truth and all will know Your Glory!

Take the Quiz here!

Growing Up Is Hard To Do

Shaggy the young man in the red shirt right side of the picture is our oldest. He is just a great kid. They all are. Shaggy is now 9 and reminding us every day he will soon be turning 10 in the fall. I can remember the day he was born, his first steps, and his first words. Things were easy back then as a parent. Yeah, you were tired and run down a lot but the discipline and rearing was pretty simple. You needed to teach them the basics of life and watch them grow.

Today we are faced with the harder issues and allowing them to stretch their own wings. I can honestly see how parents fall into the trap of controlling their children and stifling their development. I ask for wisdom every day from the Father about Shaggy. Shaggy is stretching and pushing back the boundaries, not in a rebellious or disrespectful way, but reminding my husband and I each day that what worked yesterday may not today. Here is the hard part. I want my children to have their own experiences with God. They need their own encounters and their own understanding of God's Word. They need to come to their own conclusions of life's toughest issues not just rely on what mom and dad believe. To allow them to only run on our spiritual fumes would be certain doom. They need to fill themselves up. But here is the tricky part. You need to ask lots of questions instead of answering them all. I want to just tell Shaggy why and what to do, but that would only handicap him in his physical and spiritual growth. My Knight and I have to rely on the Lord to supply Shaggy's needs. We still have boundaries he needs to stay in and we still impart our own wisdom, but we also need to be flexible and allow him the chance to become a young man. It is all a learning process for us as parents too. While Shaggy's wings spread and grow our parental wings are growing also. My heart wants to desperately equip my children for life not live it for them.