I have the greatest kids on the face of the earth.

It seems as though the same ole same ole happens everytime at bedtime for the kids. We kiss them all goodnight and shut the door. Within a few seconds they are whispering or making sounds. The other night I heard a loud thumping sound so I went in there only to find Hannah crying. She had somehow hurt her finger. When I asked her why Micah and Abbi begin explaining that Hannah was hanging from the bottom of the bed like a monkey. Well she wouldn't admit to it so I comforted her hurt finger and put them back to bed. A few minutes later I heard Hannah crying again. It was Buffy's time to go in the room. She talked to Hannah and come to find out she was upset that she had lied to me. She wanted to tell the truth to me. So after all of that she went to bed.

It almost made me cry after hearing that she was upset she lied to me. I know someday they as teenagers will probably have no problem lying to me. I am going to cherish this moment and proclaim that I have the greatest kids on the face of this earth.

TGIBF

For many today it is "TGIBF" (Thank God it is Black Friday). Already I have read about accounts of people waiting in lines outside stores an camping out. All of this to save a few dollars on a TV, MP3 Player or toy. I actually saw an interview with a couple of people playing Scrabble while waiting for a store to open. I can spell out a word for them : GETALIFE. LOL!

I know...I know it is just all part of the holiday rush. Wouldn't it be great if people were that enthusiastic about church that way?

Thankgiving Holiday

Why is it that Thanksgiving seems to disappear from retail store radars? It seems like the minute the Halloween decor goes down the Christmas comes up. So in essence you leave the seasonal department one day hearing ghosts and enter it the next hearing Santa Claus is coming to town.

So this blog entry is dedicated to Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a traditional North American holiday to give thanks at the conclusion of the harvest season. Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States and on the second Monday of October in Canada. The earliest Thanksgiving events were held in the British Colonies, at present day Berkeley Plantation in Virginia in 1619 and at Plymouth in present day Massachusetts in 1621.

Now with that boring information out of the way lets evaluate the first couple of Thanksgivings. During the first few years the "Pilgrims" spend time Thanking God for his provisions and their freedoms.

We all have the traditional idea of the Native Americans and the Pilgrims sitting down and eating together. Unfortunately the Native Americans didn't exactly get along with the new settlers. There was a new people on their land that was taking natures resources from them. So there were some massacres that happened in the early years.

But in 1621 we see the Native Americans and the Pilgrims sharing Thanksgiving meals together. There came a time when the Native Americans helped the Pilgrims learn to grow corn and fish for eels. The Native Americans even harvested deer as a gift for the Governor of the area.

With all of that said we go back and see a time where we came from a land where we were forced to practice a faith we did not believe in. Heading to American the Pilgrims came to a place with harsh environments and people that didn't want them on their land. After time things began to work out and the Pilgrims began to flourish.

So this year we need to be Thankful to God (most importantly). He has provided so much for us. Also we need to be thankful to the Native Americans. They befriended us and allowed us to live on the land that was once theirs. Although we don't think of the US as foreign soil it is a land that was taken and not given. So to all of those who might read this post that have Native American blood. Thank you!

Most importantly we give thanks to God. He has provided us with so much when we deserved so much less. So it Grace and Mercy should lead us to Thanksgiving.

"All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God." - 2 Cor 4:15

You can only do so much.

Sunday the our youth lesson was from Matthew 7. This is the all to familiar don't judge others scriptures. The reason I say it is famous is because people Christian and Non-Christian alike use this as ammo. They use it as an excuse to sin simply because others can't "judge you" due to the fact they are sinners as well. While this is true it is not an excuse to blatantly sin and I am afraid most use it for that reason.

While I am not a sin pointer I also know that blatant sin is wrong. I might not have the "right" to point out others sins but I do have the right to move away from it. During the lesson there was one verse that seemed not to fit at first. You come from the Judge not section into this verse and then into the Ask, Seek and Knock verses. This little verse is in the middle of it all:

Matthew 7:6 "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces."

Finally after studying and really searching the scriptures I found it fit very well. Remember before I was saying that you don't have to hang around people blatantly sinning? Well this verse explains not to waste our time on those who don't listen or want help. AA won't change an alcoholic unless they really want to change. Therefor trying to help others deal with sin won't work unless they want the help.

I decided to post this today. I have somewhat felt guilty that I haven't posted a scriptural post in awhile. Then God gave me this little nugget that I felt compelled to share. God's timing is perfect!

Ding Dong the pile is gone...

For you that might frequent my blog you will be happy to know that our piles of donation items has left the building. After 3 trips to town in two different vehicles everything is in it's rightful place. Very few of you actually got to see the Sanford and Son spot in our house. We had basically black bagged clothes, toys and other items to donate for Christmas. The altitude of the bags were so high that baking cakes would be difficult compared to normal sea level cakes. So after herding away MTN goats I removed the gianormus pile. I actually had a lady at the donation spot happy to see me. She wanted some of the stuff for her grandkids (she was not a worker there).

All of this to prepare for Christmas 2007. For some reason I am more excited about this year and feel more festive. Although the Christmas Holiday is upon us let us not forget Thanksgiving. I plan to make a Thanksgiving blog entry soon. Until then have a good eve.

It's no Baja Buggie Sandra.

Every Thursday night we have an open Gym night where all the youth show up and use the Gym for all different events. We have food, fellowship and a devotion each night. We have a wonderful young lady that drives the van and picks up loads of youth and transports them to and from church. I must say we couldn't do it without her. With that said.....

A lady that will remain nameless (aahheem..cough Sandra...cough ..Fender) decided to try getting the van under the pavilion a different way. I know backing the vans into a small area is a bit unnerving so she made an effort to cut through the church grounds and go in forward. Apparently she didn't notice that the ground was semi-swamp. So taking the ole' Ford 15 Passenger V-10 through the muck caused a small snafu in her plans. This failed attempt to Baja in the church van resulted in a bit of a sticky situation. So I get this call last night and when I first here her I thought she might have wrecked it or hit a deer by the worry in her voice. After hearing what she did I chuckled and explained that was no problem. I have done much worse and probably will continue to do so.

So this morning I come over the hill and this is what I see:



After Closer Examination I see this:



Finally I went I could go no farther because of the alligator in the swamp I saw this:



Well Sandra and those who might read this. I really enjoyed seeing this and I needed a good laugh today. So thank you! Oh and a quick thank you to my secretary Carol. We couldn't figure out why her computer was burning CD's with no sound on them. You know what...the speakers were not on. LOL!

Again to my fellow sisters. I appreciate all that you do for the Lord, the church and me. It is great to sit back once and a while and just smile and laugh. Great medicine I say.

Crazy Pi Man and Cheese Cams

I was listening to the news today and heard the story of a man that is memorizing Pi (3.14...). I was like you have to be kidding me. And then I heard him rambling numbers at a speed even an ADD kid on caffeine couldn't catch. Here is some info on this man:

"Akira Haraguchi (born 1946), a retired Japanese engineer, currently working as a mental health counsellor and business consultant in Mobara City, is known for memorizing and reciting digits of Pi.
He set the current world record (100,000 digits) in a straight 16 hours, starting at 9 a.m (16:28 GMT) on October 3, 2006 having recited by night time 83,431 digits, stopping with digit number 100,000 at 1:28 a.m. on October 4, 2006. The event was filmed in a public hall in Kisarazu, east of Tokyo, where he had five-minute breaks every two hours to eat onigiri rice balls to keep up his energy levels. Even his trips to the toilet were filmed to prove that the exercise was legitimate." -Wikipedia

Now doesn't that make you feel like an idiot? I mean it is hard enough for me to memorize birth dates and phone numbers. Then for this man to spend a whole day rolling numbers from his tongue in ways that would cause your tongue to catch fire. Madness I say...Madness.

Then on this crazy news cast I also found out a place that allows you to watch cheese age. I couldn't believe this either. What is with the world where people actually visit a website with wheels of cheese and what appears to be a teddy bear from some street gang.

Here is the link if you are REALLY Bored:
http://cheddarvision.tv/


On a side note:
If you happed to come to our house within the next few days. No we have not pilled trash in our kitchen floors. We have officially cleaned out closets and are headed to the toy boxes. Donations will be made to the Angels Attic and Lifehouse Pregnancy Care Center. We have so much stuff to donate that our house will probably sit higher after this week.

Hardi' Burger

Today a gentlemen at our church showed me a gift his family had for us. It war wrapped up so I didn't have time to look at it at the time. On the way out to the van we looked in the bag...which turned into a cake box which turned into this:

That is right folks! A huge cake burger. It was awesome looking and I had to try one of the fries as soon as we opened it. As a matter of fact we all tried one. That is why you don't see very many fries. Anyway we headed home and took it out of the box. I wanted pictures of it because how many people get a huge cake burger? After eating some of it I was again surprised. It tasted good as well. The reason I state that is because pretty cakes don't always equate with taste. But it was good.

The greatest thing though the fact that someone thanked us. Mark, Karen and Landon you will never know what kind of encouragement that cake is. It pleases my soul as well as my stomach. Thank you!

Extreme Makeover Edition "Patrick Henry Hughes"

Today I received an email from a past youth that is attending University of Louisville. She was excited to announce that the ABC show Extreme Makeover Edition had chosen one of her fellow band mates home as a project. She sent me pictures and a link to check it out.



I will give you a quick summary of his story from the site :

"Patricia and Patrick John Hughes’ eldest son, Patrick Henry, (19) was born without eyes and without the ability to fully straighten his arms and legs, leaving him unable to walk. The wheelchair-bound Patrick Henry has not let obstacles stand in the way of achieving his goals. Patrick Henry showed extraordinary abilities at a very early age despite his physical challenges.

Patrick Henry is an amazing pianist. By the age of two, the toddler could play songs on the piano after hearing them only once. The gifted young man is not only a university student, but also plays a wide array of musical instruments, is an accomplished singer, and an exuberant trumpet player in the University of Louisville School of Music Marching and Pep Band. The remarkable Patrick Henry has commented in previous interviews he feels he’s “been blessed” and is grateful for his abilities.

His father, Patrick John Hughes, works a night shift so he can accompany his son to university classes during the day, providing visual aid to the eager student as needed. Inspired by his son’s “can do” attitude, Patrick John also guides the wheelchair, keeping pace with the other 220+ marching band members during practice and game formations. So many of Patrick Henry’s accomplishments are made possible with the additional, inexhaustible support of his mother, Patricia, and brothers, Jesse and Cameron. "(Elite Homes Site Info)

Just reading this story makes your eyes tear up. You can check out the construction and photos at - Construction - Photos .

All of this can be found on the website linked numerous times but here is the direct link:

http://eliteextremedream.com/index.html

In a world full of sorrow these days it is great to see tears of joy.

The day our heart stopped.

This date 6 years ago we brought our girl home from the hospital. This was not her birth date but it was the day she came home. Our oldest girl Abbi was born soooo sick. The minute she was born we could tell by the way the Dr and nurses was acting that she wasn't doing well. At that very moment it felt as though my heart was stopping. Nothing at that time mattered it seemed as though everything that was going on was a blur. The nurses and doctors began telling us things but all I could do was focus on this little life.

This picture was taken immediately after her birth. You can see towels and blankets thrown on the floor in the rush. I still cry looking at this.

I remember rushing to the nursery while Buffy was still in the delivery room. Her every breath was a struggle. Her little chest moved up and down so hard. At that time it seemed hard for me to breath as well. It was as if for that moment my lungs were in sync with hers. The monitors, the beeping, needles and tubes were hooked into her so fast. I felt so helpless. I tried to pray but that even seemed impossible for my focus was on Abbi.



After the initial panic was slowing I could tell that Abbi would have to fight for her life. As people came to see her we were still in the nursery closely watching her stats and just standing there helpless. While Buffy's family came to visit she went outside the nursery and they looked through the glass. All of a sudden Abbi tensed up and her stats dropped so rapidly. I felt as if that moment was the last I would see her to be honest. The nurse rushed while working on her and called the Dr. I wanted to throw up but at the same time I would not. Finally her stats jumped back to normal and the Dr. reassured us that she had a seizure. Although that was bad I still felt some better.

Abbi had Oxygen, IVs, monitors hooked up to her and at the same time she had jaundice.

That night we tried to rest. I couldn't the very minute I would fall asleep I would wake up in a panic. I would rush to the nursery and just watch her. Her little chest continued to move up and down so hard (aspirating). The minute they would try to take her oxygen down her stats would drop. I wanted to cry but couldn't. I can still hear that machine beep as her stats would drop. I would pray that her levels would stay high but nothing ever happened.

Well each day would come and go and the same stats each day. Finally one night a nurse named Rena was bound and determined to help her get off the oxygen. She sit right by Abbi's bed all night and just continued to work and work with her. The next morning Abbi was off Oxygen and oh was that the greatest relief. I could breathe at last. I praised God for listening to my mumbled prayers. He knew what we needed and he answered them. We finally got to take her home and that day to me was almost worth celebrating more than her birthday. As each birthday comes and goes for Abbi I can't help but remember those scary moments.

She is six! (B-day Picture)

Now Abbi is a strong and beautiful little girl growing so fast. She is becoming a young lady way to fast but in the same breath I praise God she is. Once again thank you God for our little miracle!

Halloween 07

Another Halloween has come and gone. It was yet another rush day for me. We had a church Fall Festival so I only got to go halfway through the kids Halloween travels. They were all excited and ready to go yesterday. Micah was a mummy and playing the part very well. Abbi was a Cheerleader and I noticed she isn't allowed to wear make-up until she is 30. Hannah was Minnie Mouse which was very cute with her little eye lashes and black nose. Finally little Chloe was a bunny. The amazing thing with the bunny is her ears stayed on almost all night. That girl doesn't keep even a clip in her hair for more that 5 minutes.

So they all loaded up an junk and candy and we will spend the next few months eating candy. At the end the same ole thing happens. You look down into the bottom of the bowl and find tootsie rolls, Those weird peanut butter gooey candies, fake bubble gum, butterscotch candy and mints. We all wind up throwing them away at the end anyway. Why not go ahead and chunk them the first night?

Side note: I did not post a blog entry about Abbi's Birthday the 27th. Yes she turned 6 years old but I am waiting until Saturday to post her's. Have a great rest of the day all!