Spring in Wisconsin

Spring in the Midwest is a little different than the Spring that Jim and I were used to growing up. I would think that my kids, who have known nothing else, would be used to this, but this is what they have to say about it:

Kylee - "Mom, I asked Jesus to stop sending us snow, but sometimes you don't always get just what you want."

"I will not go out and play in that snow, I just won't do it!"

Kaden - "I don't know why Jesus keeps making snow. I think Jesus is very funny!"


Colson - "This is taking a long time. Is Summer ever going to come?"

Uncle Jim

Nathan was so sweet with Jim


He seemed to like to study his uncle Jim's face

During one of the days that Bee and I were out, Hailey ended up
falling asleep next to Jim on our bed.

I have always loved seeing Jim as Daddy to our kids, and while we had the privilege of having my sisters out, as well as their kiddos, I got to see him as a devoted uncle too... which doesn't happen too often. He is so good with kids and seemed to have no problem watching all of them while my sisters and I were out enjoying one another. I feel so blessed that my husband is such a natural with little ones and that I can trust him completely with their care. He's simply amazing to me!

A sweet Easter evening

After the kids got home from their early evening bike ride with Daddy, we sat down to eat left overs from our Easter lunch. During the course of our dinner, a snowstorm came in full force, delicately covering the already 18 inches of snow on the ground from Good Friday. The kids gathered by the back door to watch the snow fall, once again, and were soon wrapped in each others arms. My heart always swells to see such love and tenderness in my kids' relationships. Before long, they had moved their close knit trio to the fire place to watch the flames jump about and feel the warmth against their faces. It was one of those moments that I will keep forever in my mommy's heart.

Happy Easter!

"He is not here, He is risen!" Is the verse (Luke 24:6) that my kiddos have been shouting about the house this week since we learned it for AWANA earlier in the week. As always, I love to hear the thoughts of my children in regards to this Easter celebration, no matter how strange they may be.

With so much talk about Jesus dying on the cross and rising again, Kylee asked me if He had to die again for our sins. I carefully explained that He only had to die one time, but every year on Easter we celebrate what He did for us by dying and paying the price for our sins.

Kaden asked me if Jesus died for the Easter bunny too. Well, I reminded Kaden that the Easter bunny was just pretend, but Easter was about Jesus who died for us and is now alive! Even though I am not a fan of the Easter bunny (or his friend santa claus), I continued to answer many questions in regards to him and his relation to this precious holiday.

Colson told me on a few occasions that, "Jesus has 2 names, God and Jesus!" And Kylee, also understanding that Jesus was fully God, was perplexed by Jesus' statement that He was returning to His Father. "Jesus' Father is God, but Jesus is God too, Mom!" she stated with a furrowed brow. I can just see the wheels turning in her little head as she tries to figure it out.

And as we get excited for our kids to continue to learn the significance of Christ's death and resurrection for those who believe, Jim and I (on a lighter note) continue to wonder if we'll ever adjust to "spring" in Wisconsin:

This is life together!!

For a good 3 days the visits from 2 of my sisters overlapped so that we could all be together out here in Wisconsin! It was wonderful, though a little crazy at times with my three kids, Brandee's youngest, Hailey, and Sheila's 7 month old Nathan. We got in as much talk time as we could in between feeding and napping the kiddos, but got the most uninterrupted time, of course, when the kids were all in bed in the evening. The cousins also had fun together and we loved seeing them interacting and enjoying one another. It was such a blessing to have our home full once again.


Me with precious little Nathan

Cuddling with sweet Hailey

Kaden, Cole and Nathan

Sheila with Nathan and Brandee with Hailey

Colson entertaining Nathan

Sheesh and Nathan

A wonderful dinner served by Bee and Sheesh to celebrate an early birthday for me, even though it's not until May. :O)

Jim with Nathan one early morning

Hailey smiling at Nathan

Kylee and Bee baking an early birthday cake

Some of the girls

Kaden and Hailey playing a game

The only 2 girl cousins cuddling on the couch

Bee with Hailey

Colson loves making Nathan happy

Me with Nathan and Bee with Hails

"Mommy! You have to share Aunt Bee!"

What a day to remember! Yesterday afternoon, the kids and I picked up my sister, Brandee and her daughter, Hailey, from the airport. We had a fun evening of catching up and getting to know the kids in their current, but always-changing stages. Last time we saw little Hailey, she was 10 months old. Now she is a walking, talking, feisty little 18 month old with pigtails! She is just adorable!

Well, today Jim decided to spoil my sister and I and we were sent out of the house as he stayed behind with all 4 kiddos. As we left, Kylee expressed her disappointment in our departure and I explained our need to have time together as sisters. Kylee looked downcast and stated, "Mommy, you have to share Aunt Bee!" It was so cute and I explained that we would certainly be back and that she would most definitely have time with Aunt Bee as well, and then we were off!

Our first stop was at a spa where Jim had arranged for us to have relaxation massages side by side. It was wonderful! Then we were off to my favorite Italian restaurant for some lunch and then off to the mall for shopping and a break for some coffee. The entire day was full of giggles and laughing, talking and tearing up and just enjoying each other and the relationship that goes back nearly 3 decades!!! We talked about the challenges and joys of raising our children and though we totally enjoyed the break from them, we were eager to get back to them and to be smothered by their hugs and kisses again, after 6 1/2 hours away!

We were so grateful to Jim for giving us this time to relax and enjoy one another and for doing a wonderful job with the kids while we were away. He is such an amazing, thoughtful, generous and understanding husband and I am blessed beyond belief that he is mine!

Where'd you get those moves??

One of my kids' favorite things to do with me is to blast fun music and dance wildly about the house. I grew up in a home full of dancers and we frequently danced about to music in the living room. Sometimes we even got our friends and neighbors to join in! Somehow, whenever we sisters get together again, there always seems to be some sort of music and dancing combination, no matter how old we get!! I know my older sister and I (so far) have already passed this tradition on to our little ones and here I got to capture my little ones dancing about. It really is a lot of fun, and a pretty good work out too! I love to see the moves they make up as they go!

Seize the Day

"Seize the day, seize whatever you can, 'cuz life slips away just like hour glass sand."

The words to this Carolyn Arends song back in the days of my youth have been running through my head all week long as I've been preparing for my little girl to turn 5. I feel as though I've heeded the advice of Mom's who have gone before me and have tried my best to just treasure and enjoy my little ones while they're yet little, but somehow the time still has flown by. The baby girl I brought home just (what feels like) yesterday now can memorize scripture, go to school, carry on delightful conversation, show compassion to the lost and needy, give advice on doing the right thing, say things like, "What is going on here?" or "Well... isn't that interesting!?" or "Mom! You're the best! This is fantastic!" and can also dream about her future. She is amazing and I thank God every day that He allowed me to be the mommy to this precious child. Though I look so forward to watching her grow up and achieve all that she aspires to do, there's a part of me that really wants to keep her young and small. When I asked her if I could just keep her 4 years old, she said, "Well, even if you say I'm just 4 I will still have a birthday and I would still turn 5 anyway!" Even my little girl can remind me to seize each day because there is nothing you can do to freeze or stop time!

We started off her day with a very sweet "Happy Birthday" song from the boys who got as close as they could to their big sister. She is doing her typical tender thing with them, stroking their cheeks. She's been doing this as long as I can remember.

After she was all done getting ready I let her open 1 gift. She was delighted to find horses!!

Then we were off to school, where the boys and I got to spend the entire 2 1/2 hours. First, I was helping the teachers then I got to serve the birthday cake that Kylee picked out.

After cake, Kylee got to have her sharing time, showing the class her photos and sharing her favorite stuffed animal (a horse from Nana) with the class.

Then the class got to dance around and play games of Kylee's choosing. It was so much fun!

The rest of the day was spent talking to family members on the phone, opening gifts, going out to dinner and preparing for her princess/pony party tomorrow. Happy Birthday my sweet, sweet girl!!!

Three year old Theology

At that time Jesus said, 'I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure' (Matthew 11:25-26)

I am always amazed at the child like faith I see displayed in my children. As I watch my boys grow in maturity and understanding I am always so touched to hear their thoughts regarding spiritual matters. There are many truths that my little boys cling to already that I see consistently displayed in their words and actions. To start quite simply, they have become aware of how to spell God. When we practice letters and we get to the "G" they declare, "That's God's letter!" It just makes me laugh.

More importantly, they know that God made everything and that He made everything beautiful. They know, too, that they were made by Him and that they are made in amazing ways! If one boy calls the other a not-so-nice name, the offended will often say, "No I'm not, 'cuz God made me in amazing ways!" I wish I had that same confidence!

Although they can be a bit legalistic about praying before eating, they do know that God always hears them whenever they talk to Him. For example, we have to cross train tracks to go to Kylee's school. The boys are always hopeful that we will see a train, though it rarely happens. When they are surprised by a passing train, they will shout out, "Thank you, God!" And I have often heard spontaneous prayers in the back seats asking God if He could please send some more trains our way. I love that they are not afraid to bring anything to Him.

Both Cole and Kaden, within discussion and in attempting to memorize John 3:16, have also learned that Jesus is God's son. Today, Kaden's version of the verse was this (with italics indicating much added volume):

"For God so loved the whole wide world that He gave His only Son, who is Jesus! For whosoever believes in Him in his heart will not die but will live forever in love!!"

They also know that Jesus had to die on the cross, though they don't yet grasp why it was necessary. Of course, I don't really expect them to understand that yet, but I am excited for the day when they will realize that Christ's death on the cross was to save each of them personally from their inability to live a life worthy of God on their own. And that His death and resurrection allows them a life on earth filled with hope that will not disappoint (no matter what comes their way) and a life in heaven that will be beyond anything they can imagine.

Frequently, my boys will announce to me that, "I love God!" or "I love Jesus!" Afterwards they sometimes inform me that because of this they intend to be kind and good and self-controlled. The other day I was surprised when Colson said, "Mommy, I love Jesus! Can I marry him because I love him?" Kaden was quick to announce that he could not marry Jesus because Jesus was a boy, not a girl. After a little discussion between the two over the matter, Colson decided that he would just marry me, since I was a girl after all. So simple and matter of fact. I just can't get enough!

Lastly, my boys understand that the Bible is God's word and that all the stories within are true. Of course, learning the truths, promises and expectations revealed throughout will take a lifetime of learning, but they've started! And for that I'm excited!

In the world today...

Our family is officially licensed as a foster family! We are excited and anxiously awaiting our first call for a new child to love!

My cousin, Trisha, recently welcomed her new baby boy into the world. Carter Lee Scheldon Medina was a whopping 8lbs. 6 oz. and is welcomed by big brother Gavin, almost 4!!

Our friends, the Hayworths, just arrived in Korea where they will be meeting their new daughter, Naomi, for the very first time today, and bringing her home on the 11th!

My parents are in Venezuela working with Campus Crusade, teaching in a local church, leading students to Christ, meeting with students to mentor and disciple, and loving every minute!

My nephew, Connor, had an appointment at the Children's hospital and his counts are within normal limits, despite the larger dose of chemo he started to compensate for his growing body!

My sister, Sheila, and her husband, Paul, are graduating from the Missions Institute through New Tribes next week! Paul will then start a linguistics program to better prepare him for language acquisition and translation in Indonesia, where they will be serving starting in the summer of 2009.

So many things to be excited for and to pray for! I know there are also many friends and family members who are pregnant, sick, or hurting. I am praying for you too!

*My little star*

Kylee is the Star of the Week at school this week! She is totally excited to have her above created poster on the bulletin board in her classroom, also surrounded by multiple photos of her family, as well as a few of her drawings (one horse family pictured below). The excitement climaxes on Friday (her birthday) when she gets to share all her pictures with the class, have her own personal show and tell, and serve cupcakes to all the kids in celebration of being 5!! What a wonderful week for her!

The *star* off to school!