Paracord for Antigua

The last couple of months I have struggled. 
I have struggled with this mess...

And this mess...

My 10 year old disappears for hours on end to his room.  It is a strange and unsettling feeling to not have him underfoot, running in and out the door.  A little frustrating when there is math to do or books to be read.

Then there are the nights, I go into peak on him and discover him still awake.  Hard at work creating or researching and learning a new pattern.  

But my through it all my heart swells..

Ever since the missions team visited Awana one night to explain their upcoming trip to Antigua to build a hard court at a church he has been a man with a mission.  Their visit to Awana was to drum up excitement for the missions offering to be collected for a month.  They happened to mention that some of the money would be used to purchase prizes for a carnival night during the mission trip.  My young man dreamed of making para cord bracelets for the team to give away.  A dream he has not let go.  So while I do ask for the occasional clean up and vacuum and insist on lights out, I am very proud of this young man.  He willingly takes breaks to do some math and read when I request him to, but when my requests have been fulfilled he is back to work.  He is a young man with a very big heart, generous and thoughtful.  He even sold some creations as a fundraiser to help pay for all the supplies.  Sometimes, he just couldn't help himself and he would just give away his creations just to love on someone.  Each bracelet has a story.  Each made with love and thought to the color combinations and type of pattern.  Though each child may not know all of this, it is our prayer they will be blessed and feel the love of the Lord

His endeavor has created a bond with his oldest sister as she is going on the trip.  They have brainstormed together.  She has patiently listened as he explained each bracelet to her.  She has encouraged him as he questioned whether each was of high enough quality to give as a gift.  Would the color combination be liked?  Earlier this week she took him shopping to buy more para cord.  Something this Momma has stood back and watched.  I have held myself back, not interfering, because it has been a beautiful thing to watch unfold.  To be honest, sometimes when Momma gets involved she redirects and changes the flow unintentionally.  It is a wondrous thing to provide tools, encouragement and stand back to see what will happen.  

There are only a few hours left, and more will be added....  And I am sure I may have to say lights out at some point tonight, but this is what is flying to Antigua tomorrow.  The attached verse is: 

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  

One of the very first verses children learn in Awana...

Reading Joys!!

One of the things I don't enjoy is teaching the kids to read! 
I homeschool.  What is wrong with me?  I hear moms say how wonderous the task is to cuddle up to their child and listen to them discover the mystery of the printed word.  Nope not here. 
KUUUU aaaaaaaaaaaaa TTT 
KUUUU aaaaaaaaaaaaa TTT
KUUUU aaaaaaaaaaaaa TTT
Cat already!!! let's move onto the next word please and it starts all over again. 
5 minutes to read one sentence.  Bring me the super glue and toothpicks to hold my eyes open.  We have read this mommy to sleep more than one afternoon and sometimes morning as we labor through the process. 
It is miraculous. It is wonderful when they learn to read.  But this miracle doesn't happen with the immediate task of sit down and open a book.  It is a process.  A long one in the midst of life. 

Much to my JOY my younger two have been really quick to take off. 
YEs!!! Smiley face does a happy dance.
The next hurdle to tackle is reading one's Bible and Awana workbooks, not to mention all the instructions on one's school work. 
The Man is hard at work.  Today he has discovered he can read the names of the Books of the Old Testament.  You see to finish last years book, one of the things he must do is recite all books of the Old Testament.  A fact I find humorous, some of the names can be difficult for an adult to say.  Take a tooth losing, lisping, & whistling first grader and have him say all the books of the Old Testament.  Absolutely adorable.  I must say, I have had a few chuckles over my kids mis-pronunciations over the years.  The Man had half of them memorized last spring.

 

 

You know what that means, he has to review and re-learn all of them this fall. 
Since he has to wait for me to sit down and work on his mom-led lessons today, I asked him to work on his memory work, handwriting and math. 
I had no idea he had crossed over and could read/recognize the incredibly long and difficult names of the Old Testament books.  But he has!!!!
He has followed me around EVERYWHERE reciting/reading the Books of the Bible. 
EVERYWHERE.  ALL DAY LONG. 
While I tried to teach Middle School Science, he was across the room, "Did you hear me?" 
"Did I get them right?" 
When we were discussing Romeo and Juliet there were murmurs of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus...
When we left the house, I was captive.
Joshua Judges Ruth.....Nahum, Obadiah 
When I go to the bathroom, there is a closed door, but I am still captive, until I flush and wash my hands. First and Second Chronicles
Then the sound of running waters drowns out all other noises.
All through lunch, all through Thursday activities, while I walk into the house, while I put things away, I hear...
First and Second Samuel, First and Second Kings.......Isaiah, Jeremiah....Zephaniah, Malachi. 
"How do you say this name again?"  Genesis.
"First and Second Psalms"  He knows it is not Psalms but for some reason Samuel and Psalms, well they go together like ham and cheese.
Don't forget Judges...
"I will start over;  Joshua, Ruth..."
"Can I borrow your phone so I can time myself?"  34.8 seconds later he has read/recited all the books.
He tries again.  30 seconds!  Best time yet. 
I asked for 3 minutes so I could type this, just 3 minutes of not being talked to and he humbled me so quickly.  In spite of all the humor and truth I kept reminding myself all day, he is the last one.  There are no more kids to follow you around like this.  This will pass all quickly.  This is awesome.  There was the me, that just wanted to not be talked to for just 10 minutes.  I have been juggling 5 conversations and sometimes more and half a million different tasks all day.  1o minutes of brain rest.
In his most endearing way, "Thank you Mom for listening me say the Books of the Bible"

The war of insanity inside me that just wanted a quiet closet for a minute, melted away. 

And now he is back, asking me, "Are the 3 minutes up?"  Sure are.
"Where is my book?"  Where you last put it. (LOL)
And it begins again....Genesis Exodus....

 

Sparks-A-Rama and sweet conversations

This year, The Man begged and pleaded to do Sparks-A-Rama.  We were not sure what to do.  We knew DaddyO would not be available to take The Man.  Serious skepticism that I could handle the venture.  So The Man took it upon himself to come up with a solution.  He went to big sis, Fun Girl.

The Man:  How much do you make an hour? 
Fun Girl: answers...I don't remember the amount
The Man:  Will you take me to Sparks A Rama?  I will pay you lost wages. 
(Fun Girl life guards on Saturdays)

FG could not turn down such a sweet request.  She told him if we couldn't find a ride, she would take the day off.  Well the day came, I was doing better and there were people to help if needed.  So I took The Man.  I loved watching him every minute I was able.  His smile was infectious.  I didn't make it the whole time.  The noise and activity wore me down and I went to the car for the last 30 minutes or so.  It was so worth it. 
My favorite part of the day was when we were driving to Sparks-A-Rama.  He started talking to me about heaven.  He asked some questions. Then there were some more questions.  There in the parking lot we prayed together and he asked Jesus to be His Savior.  So, so, so, happy to have been with him that morning!!

Getting ready to enter the gym!

Lined up and waiting to start Sparky Crawl!

Grabbing the pin !

Duck, Duck, Goose....and many blessings around

Still Counting the things that bring me joy and gifts from God.  In January, the kitchen at church was being cleaned out.  A whole bunch of expired bread was going to be thrown out.  I knew I had a busy day the next day with some lag time in between appointments, but not enough time to do anything productive.  I volunteered to share the bread with the local birds.  I have a favorite spot at Sedgwick County Park on the north end, it is full of these ladies and gentlemen.  One of my favorite things to do with the kids over the years.  Haven't done it for several years. The weather was beautiful.  Something therapeutic about being outside and watching and experiencing God's creation.  Thank you GB for sharing the bread with us.  We had a great time. 
1067.

 

Hockey Player preferred his spot in the van. 

Dad's Bud found a quiet spot to himself and the birds.

Wednesday night quoteables

 Dad's Bud

at Awana asks Commander Evans,

"Do you know what is better than a hug?"

~"Nothing is better than a hug," and he gives her a great big one.~

 

 

At Awana ~ The Man is learning a new verse.

 

Children, obey your parents in the Lord

for this is right.

Ephesians 6:1

He looks at his leader and says,

This should be easy!

 

He thinks super hard.... he is struggling to get the "for this is right"

 

Leader comes to tell me this,

and then she adds, "I just couldn't figure out what part was suppose to be easy."

"The reciting the verse, or living it out."

 

I asked him at home.

Didn't get an answer.

Best to claim the fifth anyhow when you are 6 going on 7.

Counting to 375....

Catching up some from earlier in the year, when I wasn't blogging faithfully
351.  Fun Girl winning in a drawing
352. Gracious zoo personnell extending her winnings to the whole family.
353.  Watching my children feed a rhino
356.  16 years with my Fun Girl
357.  Watching my children be the best of friends and enjoying relationships with one another
358.  Cupcakes
359.  Birthday trip with Fun Girl
360.  Getting to know her friends a bit more
361.  Hanging out with Little Princess while the Teens shop
362.  Water Parks, Girls and Giggles
363.  Whether they are 10 or 16, they are girls and kids and fun to be with
364.  Comfortable hotel beds.
365.  Another birthday for Big O Daddy O
366-369.  More Awana awards to add to our collection

366. Dad's Bud

367.  The Man

368.  Little Princess

369.  Hockey Player gets his Timothy Award.

 

To get a Timothy Award the student/clubber memorizes 423 verses over the span of 4 years. 

(4 books, one for each year)



370.  Cousins at Ft. Larned learning together

371. Learning about Wool Coats in early summer = HOT HOT

372.    Period Dress at Ft. Larned...coming off break.  What doesn't belong?? LOL

373.  Cousins being sworn in as Junior Rangers....even if they are "too old"

374..  Cousins being like Gorillas

 

 

375.  Cousins shopping and trying on shoes.

When I Grow Up...

and get married and become a dad.
Those were the words I heard come out of "The Man's" mouth the other day.
I had to shake the shock and finishing listening to what he was going to do...

When I grow up and get married and become a dad I am not going to Sparks and Awana.  I am going to stay at home. 

Silence from Mom.  He was trying to make a point. 
Then I said, "I am sorry, I will be very disappointed in the man you have become if you do that."

Silence.

Why would he say this?  He loves Sparks.  He loves Awana. 

He has recently discovered a favorite show is going to be on tv on Wednesdays.

I quietly told Big O Daddy O about this conversation in the car.  He chuckled and he told me why.

I guess "The Man" has been making his case to Dad recently when he couldn't win me over.  I had told him, I wasn't willing to lock him in the closet and I had given my word to serve at Awana.  I was going to keep my word.

So as he is making his case to Dad he tells Big O Daddy O,

"I have to watch it on Wednesday! It is a new episode!  Then it will be a re-run and I HATE re-runs!"

There you have it.  When he grows up and becomes a dad he will never probably watch tv because he will only get to watch the re-runs. 

Awana and Crocheting Week One

You would think the two wouldn't go together.  When you are the Little Princess and you have to wait on your little brother, The Man, you find something to do.  Little Princess approached me a couple of weeks ago and asked if our friend Mrs. Z would teach her to crochet. I encouraged her to call her and ask, pretty sure the answer would be yes.  Mrs. Z has her own Etsy store.   I posted several months ago about her birthday present to me.  She is amazing and amazingly sweet!
During Sparks A Rama practice, waiting from the Awana game practice, Little Princess has had her crochet needle in hand with yarn in her lap.  I wish I had had the forethought to take pictures.  She has been learning to crochet.  Week 1, she learned a couple of basic stitches.  The next day, we put her in a van to go to a conference in Tulsa for 36 hours.  She came home with this completed.  She "created" the loop on her own.

I was flabbergasted and impressed beyond belief.  One hour of sitting with Mrs. Z and learning and she had her first project completed.

Awana Games

Not to be outdone by The Man, Little Princess shined in the Awana Games this morning as well.
It was a good morning.  Seeing cousins, aunts, and uncles.  Friendly and enthusiastic competition.  Smiles and giggles.  I slipped away for about an hour to see my parents cause they were down the road just a bit.
Here are some of the pictures "The Dad" was able to snap.

Sparks A Rama !

Sparks - A - Rama was this morning bright and early. 

The Man was Excited !  

His first competition....here are a few pictures from this morning. 

Hockey Player Rocks the Track!

This was Hockey Player's final Awana Grand Prix as a clubber. 
Our Club has started having a leader division the Grand Prix.
So that means next year as an L I T he will be able to compete as well. 
If mom and dad have the time to do help get the car cut out.

 He was going for "Best Paint Job" or "Most Realistic Car"

A McLaren was his choice design.
Set up the laptop, studied pics, took some serious time picking out just the right paint colors.

Then he demostrated a great sense of humor and tremendous grace when the winner was announced for "Most Realistic Car".
He lost to his Silly Monkey Sister's Car. 
Seriously? What is realistic about monkeys driving a car? 

He took it well. 

He wins "Best All Around Hockey Loving Son" award

and

"The Most Awesome Big Brother" award.

Princess Monkey!

Awana Grand Prix was earlier this month. 

We started dreaming and planning the end of December. 
Work started early-mid January.

Little Princess went for Fun.

Banana Yellow with Monkeys riding and driving!

 Who knew she would win the award for "Most Realistic Car"

Check out the monkey holding the steering wheel!

These monkeys are little wowed! by their ride down the track.

The 'F' word and conversations Mom overhears after church

Coming home from church!  Yep, from church.  I hear the following conversation in my back seat.
Unfortunately, I can't distinguish which child said what, so I will just abbreviate AC for another child to introduce the next speaker.
"You said the F word!"
AC:  "You shouldn't say the F word"
My eyebrows are raised and my curiousity is peaked, still listening.
AC (I think Futter Nutter):  "I know what the F word is, it is FAT !! "
AC: But your not suppose to say it.
AC: I know what the S word is!
more eyebrows
AC: Don't say it!
The conversation changes and I am curious.
MOM: What is the S word?
Daddy's Buddy: Loud and Proud :  STUPID!
MOM:  Yep, that is a bad word.  We shouldn't say that one.
Daddy's Buddy:  BUT YOU asked me. 
MOM:  Yes, I did.  That was okay.  But no more.
Daddy's Buddy:  What is cussing?
Mom: Anytime we use mean words to try and hurt someone.  Ugly, mean words.
Children:  ohhh, okay

On the way home from church ! ? !
What were they discussing in their Awana Groups????

AWANA Awards Night

This was the first year for us to have all 5 kiddos in AWANA. Fun Mom works independently on hers while she works as a LIT (Leader in Training) in the Cubbies.
Flutter Nutter has enjoyed having Fun Mom in class with him.
Who would have thought there would be a year when my oldest and youngest would be in Cubbies together!?!
It has been a great treat to see the circle being completed though.
We started out journey through AWANA when Fun Mom was 3. I was searching for a way to teach her scriptures. I didn't know how to break down the verses for her to memorize and to teach her. I didn't know which verses to start with. I cried out to God to teach me how to teach her. HE led us to AWANA. This past year, God has shown me, HE not only answered my prayer, but He is equipping my children with the knowledge and ability to pass on what they have learned.
This makes the following photo even more meaningful to me....
My mom stitched this years ago. Before there was ever four children. Before there was ever 3 children. Before there was 2. Over the years as we added children, I began to see the personalities of my children being reflected in the children she so lovingly stitched many years ago. Then when we had our fourth, I thought wow!! Then when we had our fifth, I was like it doesn't fit anymore. I worried and stewed something would go wrong. Then God spoke to my heart, the meaning was still there...God LOVES you....pass it on....
Grandma looked at this photo this past week, mentioned there was no room to add anymore children. I laughed and said it was okay. The meaning is still there. God is still answering my prayers and cries of my heart. He is teaching my children HIS WORD. HE is equipping them with the ability to teach others. I just keep saying THANK YOU LORD and praising Him for his faithfulness, mercy and love.
Now a video from this very memorable night. :)