2 urgent prayer requests

My sister Lori is 24 weeks pregnant and went into labor (her water broke etc..) Miraculously, the Lord has done a miracle and she has gone from being hooked up to the i.v.'s and them prepping her for c-section, losing enough blood to miscarriage the baby etc.. Well, through a few days of prayer, she's still bleeding, but not as much and she's gone from not being able to move and being hooked up to everything, to being in a more stable place. Pray for her..the baby is still doing great..oh man..Lord please don't let her have a premie. She also has 2 little ones, a 3 year old and a 1 year old.

My second urgent prayer request is this letter written today by my friend Celia: I humbly write this email to ask a favor. We had our house painted over seven weeks ago and something strange has happened in it. Because of this we have been unable to live in it since.
We (Larry, Torrie and/or I) all have ongoing low grade symptoms and every time we are inside for even a few hours we get sicker than we already feel. We have tried a huge variety of solutions
and so far nothing has seemed to help. So we have been living here and there for the seven weeks. We now realize we need to move to somewhere semi-permanent for awhile in order for our bodies to heal.

My favor is this: one, would you please pray that God would heal us as well as make our house so it is livable again. Two, we are wondering if any of you know of
a vacant (and preferably furnished) apartment, condo, house, or boat in the San Diego area that we could live in for a month at a reasonable cost...one that has not recently been painted!

Happy Birthday to Me (how else do I put it?)

Bridget's youngest Soshianna (Soshie) ..sorry bridge if I misspelled it.. shares my bday and so Bridget threw this girly party for me and for Soshie..it was really sweet. She even had all the gifts wrapped up with to: soshie from Skye, etc., etc...we didn't even bring gifts..totally fun. The kids had a blast.
Alan went ahead and picked up this special order cake from Cheesecake Factory!!
He just sat here nibbling on this breadstick, it was pretty amusing
This is what was sitting across the table from me! Three very great gifts.
Bridget Wisner and me (bbstudy buddy)

I should have been buying others presents as a thank you for hangin in there with me after all these years. Day started off very rough. HOA stuff, feeding the kids bfast in the tub, one meal consisted of eggs, which some is still sitting int he bottom of the tub. I never made it to the shower stall, but rather got the kids looking/feeling fresh and wrapped my hair up. (a little powder goes a long way!) These things were happening all at the same time and all within about a minute of each other:

1. cell phone ringing
2. home phone ringing
3. me naked trying to get dressed
4. 1 child in tub, one child naked playing on the floor
5. doorbell rings
6. other child crying because he wanted to get out of the tub
7. running late for bbstudy

hmmm.. let's just say at that moment that "happy birthday to you" was NOT one of the things in my head. After changing my tune (ha, that was a good one!) I finally got out the door, house looked like a bomb went off (or an egg bomb I should say), and got to bbstudy, where I continued to discipline my child for the first 20 minutes of bbstdy. Finally, things calmed down. Phew.

After spending $100 at the grocery store (I feel more guilty about spending a lump sum of $100 at the grocery than I do spending $20/night if we eat out!) , loading it up the car, unloading it and putting the kids in their separate corners for downtime/naps, I decided I better clean a bit. I also decided that instead of moping around because Ididn't have a big party to go to, I'd cheer up and make a nice meal for Alan. Just as I was cutting up the asparagus..oh ya baby... Alan called to tell me to meet him at Gordon Beirsch for dinner (that is one of my fav places, if not my fav). It's one of those beer restaurants where they make it onsite and inside the restaurant is noisy, fun and big. My favorite there is southwest egg rolls..black beans, chx, corn..spice and everyting nice..oh man! When I arrived with 2 kids, Alan already had a booth, our drinks ordered and within seconds of sitting down, the appetizer showed up. I mean, who doesn't love that? WHAT A BLESSING!!

I received a few gifts today, all were very much appreciated. Here it is:
4 decorative plates with coffee drinks on them..dark colors..so beautiful..with matching table mats..woven..really fun
1 bedroom gift
1 bathnbody gift card
1 simon gift card (for a lot of places, but accepted at our mall!)
1 lotion/scrub set from that all natural company..can't remember the name..sooo yummy
2 over the top cards.
1 card/book thing that said a lot of really kind words.
1 cardboard box with a little scribble of LISA on it, taped up with a birthday hat inside and a drawing of a 'fast train momma" "with smoke" honestly, I think that was my favorite gift! hee!!

This year I felt badly about sending out a mail stating what I wanted, but I didn't get any gifts that I didn't want..so that was well worth it.

Here are some pics. My friend Jen has more to send me, but I'll post those later. All in all a very, very memorable bday

Good Birthday so far

So far I've received a nice gift card in the mail from my mom (with a gorgeous, gorgeous card) a nice bday card from dad and my friend Jen took me out tonight..so we got childcare for my 2 kids and her 3...now isn't that rare? We went and got pedicures and then ate hamburgers at Fudruckers..weird, eh? But all other restaurants that we tried we either decided they weren't good or they were packed(yah, try over an hour at P.F.Chang's) Jen wanted to try that restaurant and I told her that would be fun. Now my belly hurts cuz I ate some onion rings.
I'll post more later.

Easter pics

a very, very tired momma
two very tired guys..notice the toothpaste on the cheek and the thumb just suspended
sorry Lee and Skye..not the greatest shots..Kristin (my cousin's) bfriend
Skye wanting me to take his pic with his basket on his head

Chase opening up his little basket and loving Aunti Ann

Easter Day

Woke up to a baby crying and hungry family members. I was up last night till almost two not being able to sleep and trying to get my house cleaned. I wasn't feeling very 'eastery' as I could have slept till noon and ordered bbq chicken pizza. I had to work in the nursery, but was very blessed to be able to serve all those who were able to go to service.
We took Zane with us..which was really exciting to me as he is our friend who lives upstairs. His parents are not believers yet and every chance I get we love on him.

We then hustled back here and got ready for Easter dinner. Hid eggs, finished the ham, made a "to die for" potatoe leak casserole (of course it had loads of fat in it) and my one cousin Krissy brought garlic green beans (that were nicely done and not overcooked) and my aunt brought hot cross buns. We also had corn on the cob, and I had 3 different kinds of mustard (one was a brown sugar pecan mustard...oh my!) and Alan made an orange/tangerine jalepeno glaze for the ham too. Then I made a lemon vanilla pound cake with raspberry/lemon compote, fresh blueberries, natural raspberry ice cream and a dab of whip cream..we also had cherry pie for those who didn't want the other. I had made some really yummy natural pomegranate sun tea (steeped it all day yesterday in that gorgeous sun) then added oranges and a hint of sugar..oh yum. We had wine, pop and coffees too. I love the food aspect.
Alan was SUPER helpful. We had a Good Friday Communion Meal with random folks from church (they had sign ups) and so I was able to use some things from that meal from Friday. We started arguing at one point and just stopped and said, "this isn't what we want our day to be about" like it was good to be able to say we were both a little stressed getting everyting done with the kids and prep..and then turn our minds back on Christ.
I'm so tempted in those moments to just lose it, altho I don't, I still just want to go back to the old selfish me (like 7 years ago) and how we fought, and then I remember that Satan is out to kill and destroy and doesn't want anything to do with Easter, good thoughts, happy marriages..had to change my focus right away and not care that my floors were filthy, sticky fingers prints everywhere. I had to remind myself that being stressed out a little and busy is better than not having anyone at all and being in a rest home.
O.k. must go. Skye is still up (company just left) and I need to go to bed..Chase just conked out and didn't eat dinner, just a late lunch and a big bottle..he's gonna wake up at some point.

What Easter Means to Me. An article by Lisa

Easter means these things to me (some of them aren't so spiritual, so bear with me)

Tulips and tulips are my favorite flower, so I do love Spring
Color. I love color and seeing all the blooms everywhere is an absolute miracle to me
LIttle tiny hummingbirds peeking their big beak out of the tiny nest in my walkway
Singing the song, "Up from the grave he arose!" I love that song. My mom told me that either when she was little or when my sisters were little (can't remember) it went, "up from the gravy a rose"
Coloring/dyeing eggs
Thinking of how scared Mary must have been when she saw Jesus not there (a little freaky to me)
Thinking of how fast Peter must have run to tell the others Jesus body was not there
Thinking of how freaky it must have been to be eating upstairs, in a locked room and He just comes through the wall..I probably would have been the one to say, "Jesus..you TOOOTALLY scared me"
Thinking about His heart taking on my sin and that I'm worth it to Him.
Wanting to wear my new dress that always seems to be a little lacking in fabric and I'm cold
Being excited that most of the cold is gone and daylight is longer

Easter was a gift. You are a gift. You are worth it. He really did it just for you!

One more cute picture

My friend here Bridget Wisner gave him this little flower power toy. It's so great. Has 3 settings..simple, yet great. Anytime he pushes the flowers they light up and sing. He doesn't really show overwhelming amounts of enthusiasm, but for this one he does.

Invasion into my world

So I like my world to stay controlled..a moderate 70 degrees, some sun and some friends. I like honesty, I like kindness, I like treats. I don't like mean people. I hate Satan. So, you're thinking..why are you posting this Lisa..here's why. I'm so in turmoil about the outside world invading my inside world.
When we came here to this condo complex, we had no idea how God was going to change our lives. Sure, we've gained a few pounds, added another kid and payed off another 10K on our mortgage..that's life change enough, isn't it?
We thought that bringing the occasional cookie to a neighbor and conversing with them in the breezeway would be enough. We thought smiling at those that gave us the finger was going to be a 'radical' way to show them Jesus. We thought sharing our toys at the pool and being gracious when they didn't share back and broke them, would be enough. We thought bringing someone's expensive camera that we found in the mail room was going to be a way to share the gospel. We thought that not calling the police when weekend after weekend those around us were partying and making noise all the while we were trying to work 2 jobs and raise a newborn was going to 'heroic' and almost martyr-ish.
This is the start of my blog on this subject. I'm suppose to be doing other things such as marinating chicken and cutting up potatoes for Easter tomorrow. I can stay up late doing that. I need to start this so I can begin to process this big idea of true ministry to the unloved and downright mean and hateful people.
It makes reading the scripture to Skye at night, mean that much more. Jesus died on the cross for someone that wants me to die. For someone that slams my husband and says completely false things about him. For someone that tries to run my kid over in the parking lot. For someone who leaves me with their 3,4,or 5 kids to watch at the pool, all the while not coming back for an hour+ and acting as though that's "normal". For those who mock HIS name, for those who HATE him and say so to my face. For me.
Before I add what it's done to me, I think I should talk about what you might think, or debates i might have had. I have always wrestled with the Jim Elliot story and mine. He went into this place, with a family, and served these people and died because of passion? stupidity? was it on purpose? did he know? What's being wise in the middle of ministry? What does that mean? How do I balance ministry and my family. What happens when my neighbor knocks on my door at 10pm.? Am I suppose to say, that's my time with Alan and don't answer? What about those verses that talk about our children and how we are to raise them? What about not being with the unwise, so we don't become unwise? What's the balance? How often am I suppose to be ministering? Once a week? What if I don't get my chores done on account of ministering to one of these people? Then what? oh man..I gotta go..I'll continue later..

My first 2 teeth!

Here are my first 2 teeth..can you see them?

Skye and the dentist

Just had to say that Skye had to have 8 cavities filled. Partly because he has some enamel issues, and mostly because I couldn't be a 100% mother while i was pregnant, which took up a year and a half of his life. That was really hard for me, seeing my background, and just knowing that in the 'normal' day to day, I never forget to have him/me brush his teeth and care for him..it's really something I pride myself in. (I know that's not a good way to put it, but I really love to make sure the kids are clean and groomed and hair fine-tooth combed and nails clipped daily and lotion on..etc..) I also knew that I didn't ask for miscarriages, I didn't ask for terrible pregnancies. That's something God gave me to bring me to Him and teach me stuff. I had to be o.k. with Skye needing fillings. Andyou know what? He said it didn't hurt. The doc said he was the best patient they've had! What?! He did all 8 in 2 appointments (and one was a crown). I'm still a little mixed up inside about all that, but I'm grateful for the money and for a kid who chose to make it not a big deal.

Grateful For..

1. Healthy and normal delivery of my friend April's NEW BABY GIRL!! (Chloe Grace)
2. Legos. It's really amazing how connected I can stay with my growing child, just sitting on the floor in the mornings and playing legos together.
3. After my cycling class, I always go and walk on the treadmill a bit. I stand in front of head to toe windows and look out on a grassy area, then the street. The sun streams in the window and I see nothing but blue sky. Every time I'm there, there is a jet flying overhead and it leaves a nice "smoke" trail..jet con, jet stream..whatever you want to call it. I am able to breath easier and better just looking out there at that. I know that I won't always have that feeling or view.
4. Having these conversations and happenings with my 4 year old today:
.."please do not throw the water over your shoulder out of your cup sweetie" (after he was done brushing his teeth, he filled up his water cup and did this!)
.."please do not kick the ball into Chase's head"
.."please be wise with your body" (as the stroller AND packnplay come bolting out of the back of the van..then I see Skye tumbling out with them) I say, "r u o.k.?" he tells me he has done this on purpose and please don't touch him! eh-hem.
.."Skye, please don't roll in the spit up" (as I am cleaning up prunes and spaghetti that Chase has just spit up)
..telling him I love him the most and him asking me, "don't you love God the most?"
..asking him to tell me another bbverse and then he can have another "Dips" ice cream nugget and he says, "God loves us all--so"
..asking him if he used the restroom and him telling me.."you don't ask me that anymore momma..I'm old"
.."yes, you need to wear this hat" and him telling me no he won't wear it because it's a church hat (it's plaid bucket hat) and he wants to wear the army guy hat..
..telling him he must put his shirt on and him telling me he doesn't want to wear that "baby" shirt any longer. I ask him why a blue shirt with a surfboard and an old fashioned truck is like a baby and he says because it doesn't have anything cool like a monster on it.
..please finish your avacado..and him telling me, "no, momma, remember I hate "marcados"?!"

Even tho I'm exhausted just typing this, I am so grateful for this passionate kid. He just blesses me beyond measure. He asked me today how we can love "Mr. Tim and Ms. Jen" (HOA) if they're the bad guys. We got to have a real talk about it. And then his prayer request last night was, "pray for Zane that i would play with him and he would love God." What is he going to be when he grows up? I have more than hope that this is all worth it..all the times I hold my anger in, all the times I "bite my tongue" and all the times I tell myself that I'm not going to lose it and that I will pray right then and there instead. Today I was reminded of how precious and fragile life is and how miraculous God is and how He really is with me.

Crawling and Spiders

Today Chase started to crawl. Yep--up on the hands, knees bent and then a little rocking at times and scooting. It's very exciting to me, as I thought he might start that at 15 months or something. I noticed that on my old alma matter (how do you spell that?) website that there is a position for a business manager for the whole missionary school (800+ kids). I'm so tempted to send in an application for Alan. Wouldn't that be cool? Of course, I'd have to get used to the roaches, spiders and a very different life than now.
Speaking of spiders...I asked Skye to close his eye lid as I noticed a black speck on it...and didn't want it falling in his eye. He said, "what momma?" I said, "you have a black speck on your eyelid and I need to get it off". He says, without missing a beat, "oh, that's just a squished up giant spider". He's so full of ????? Not sure!! oh my Piercy! Oh my!!
Alan's at the HOA meeting. I'll post more about that later. Thanks for continued prayer.

A little long but well worth it

Why I'm At Home

by Heather Koerner

I can't tell you the exact moment I made the decision to be a stay-at-home mom. I can remember a few of the moments that I acted on it — like when my husband and I started sacrificing for the "baby fund" or the day I handed in my resignation and said good-bye to almost 40 percent of our family income. But those were the action points, not the decision point. I think that at different times in my life, I just started to know. I'm sure it started in my own day care experience. After attending a group day care for much of my childhood, I took different jobs during my college breaks as a child care worker and nanny. Though most of my co-workers were nice, sweet ladies who tried to make the day pleasant for kids, I still began to see that there was something unique and special about a parent's love that a child care worker could never duplicate. Even with my one-on-one time as a nanny, I saw that, as much as I cared about my job, it was still that — a job. But what about me, I would wonder. I'm a well-adjusted, productive member of society and I came through day care just fine. What's the problem? I thought about that — hard. Then the answer came to me in three little words: in spite of. Day care had not made my childhood happy. My childhood was happy in spite of my time in day care. It was my parents' individual attention each night and on weekends that helped me to thrive. It wasn't that the days were always bad, but that my parents' love was always best. I started to ask myself the hard questions: Who is going to raise my child someday? Will the nights and weekends be enough? At times like that, I sometimes just longed for explicit biblical instruction. You know, some verse that would just settle the whole debate: "Thou shalt be a stay-at-home mom" or something like that. I realized, though, that I was asking the wrong question. Instead of asking for a sign to point me down my specific road, I should look at God's roadmap for motherhood. What did He expect of me? What did He want me to know? I was already familiar with Titus 2 and Proverbs 31, but now I read them with a different eye. Instead of dismissing them as chauvinistic or as historically isolated (as I was prone to do as a girl-power collegiate), I looked to try to learn what God might be telling all women, including me as a future mother. At that time, it wasn't so easy to hear. But I found that I was to work hard for my household. I was to love my husband and children. I was to make sure that those under my roof were clothed, fed and instructed. I was to be busy with the work of the home. Though Proverbs also describes a woman who bought fields, had profitable trade and made garments to sell, there was still the overarching idea that she did these things in the context of her household. Her work enriched her family and her home, it didn't conflict with them. In short, raising my children was one of my primary responsibilities. But, the question remained, would I take care of that responsibility myself or would I delegate it? In considering that question, I found guidance in much of Scripture, but I remember finding it one place I didn't expect — in Matthew 15, the account of the Canaanite Woman whose daughter was possessed by demons. Desperately, the mother cries out for help from Jesus. "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs," Jesus tells her. "Yes, Lord," she says, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." Jesus commends her faith and heals her daughter. Hardly a commentary on today's motherhood issues, huh? After all, Jesus is making the point that the gospel was to be given first to the Jews. But I was struck by two things. The first was the mother's tenacity to do what her daughter needed, no matter the cost. The second was Jesus' phrase: "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs." Jesus is talking about priorities. In His analogy, the child is understood unquestionably to be more important than the dog. The child gets the best and the first. That led me to question my own priorities. Would my child get the best and the first or would my job? As a Christian, I knew that not only would my children be little human beings, they would be eternal souls. Their bodies would have physical needs. Their minds would have emotional and intellectual needs. But their souls would need much more: an introduction to our Lord and instruction in His Word. I finally decided that nights and weekends were simply not enough. I had absolutely no desire to criticize women who chose differently. I just knew that when I faced my Maker and had to give account of how I had spent this season of my life that, no matter the sacrifice, there was only one thing to do. Though relieved to have made the decision, I also felt that my choice had plunged me, quite unwillingly, straight into the "mommy wars." I figured I would be judged and be assumed to be judging. I thought that moms were divided into two camps — those who agreed with me and those who absolutely did not. The truth, I've since found out, is very different. A study by Pew Research found that only 10 percent of stay-at-home moms think that a full-time employed mom is the best situation for children — hardly a surprise. What was a surprise to me is what working mothers think — only 11 percent of them believe that a full-time working mom is the best situation for children. The two groups, portrayed to be at war with each other, really have very similar ideas as to what is best for children. It seems that God has given women — all women — something that draws them to their children. Those numbers got me to wondering two things. First, why hadn't I ever heard this before? For years, I had been encouraged by educators, the media and the "women's movement" to choose a career and pursue it vigorously. Why hadn't they told me that, when children arrive, almost 90 percent of working moms find that full-time careers are no longer the ideal situation? And second, why the disconnect? If both groups of women generally agree about what is best, why aren't we doing the same thing? The answer, for most of the moms I talk with, is money. "I just never considered myself 'stay-at-home' material," my friend Leslie told me the other day. "I liked my work too much. I liked adult conversation and interaction too much. I just never thought I would want to stop working." But Leslie now wants to stay at home and is trying to make her family's budget work and their savings stretch. She's making it, but isn't sure how much longer she can. Leslie's advice back to her 20-year-old self? "Save! Save all you can, so that you've got options." My advice would be very similar. I'd tell 20-year-old Heather that there's a 90 percent chance that she won't want to work full-time and that the number one stumbling block to staying home will be finances. I'd tell her to spend less, to avoid student loans and tight mortgages and to live on one salary from day one of her marriage. And then I'd tell her to go for it. I'd tell her not to be afraid. I'd tell her that staying at home will help her family to work — and to work very well. Dr. James Dobson has a wonderful quote about motherhood: "No job can compete with the responsibility of shaping and molding a human being in the morning of his or her life." I think that is a beautiful word picture of infancy and the toddler years — the morning of one's life. I've stayed at home for seven years and I'm so thankful that I've been the major part of my children's mornings. My husband and I could have planned better, but we're thankful that we had a plan and chose to raise our children at home. Others we know didn't plan, but are making huge sacrifices to do the same thing. Still others we know want to raise their children at home, but feel that their financial commitments have left them no choice. Maybe you're already in one of those groups. Or, maybe, you find yourself in the blessed situation of being able to make decisions now that will give you options when you become a mom. I wish that someone had told me how much my babies would drastically affect my ambitions and desires. So, that's what I want to do: to tell you. Not to inspire guilt, but to inspire hope. Motherhood is a wild ride, but it is completely worth it. "... but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children." 1 Thess. 2:7

So many posts, so little time!

I think I can do this..we'll see. First a couple photos.

Crackled Red and Playtime

sorry so blurry..I was trying my best to shoot steady.

Today as I was sitting across from my son in the water I asked him, "what color are mommas eyes"..he responds, "crackled red". !! hee.

Here's some shots of playtime today.

Hail

Just as we were closing down shop for tonight, Skye and I were reading his bible and we heard this very, very loud sound outside. It was hailing!! It's such a treat for us. We never have snow, hail, hard rain, that sort of thing, so we were all jazzed. Alan still hasn't gotten his convertible top replaced (someone smashed it, so it's still completely open)...soooo, he scooped up some of it off his car for Skye. He was snoring and I abruptly woke him up to send him outside to move the car to the garage where I park. Oh my!! What a rude awakening. So, he brought Skye back a big cup full of hail. We even microwaved it to see what would happen! Science lesson at 8:00 at night!!

SeaWorld and 9 months

Things about my 9 month old
1. He is getting his first and second teeth..lower center (called the central incisors) and weighs in at 19 pounds and wears size 12-18 month clothes (that's Gymboree sizing)
2. He will smile at anyone, anywhere, on cue and is still a pretty content baby
3. He loves daddy holding him and often prefers daddy holding him
4. He sits up unassisted, pretty good
5. He loves to watch Praise Baby
6. He is trying to pick up those little gerber puffed cereals with his little finger and thumb..sometimes he gets it in his mouth!
7. He likes to stand up holding onto my fingers, altho he isn't stable and often times locks his knees and sticks his butt out a bit..really cute
8. Today he ate beans and rice and potato bacon soup and yesterday I partially ground up a homemade chicken, carrot and cabbage egg roll and he ate that. He isn't that interested in baby food anymore. He will only drink 4 ounces of bottle at a time..ergh.
9. Loves to eat my hair and pull it
10. Says, "dadadadda"

So my kids and I went with Jen and her kids to Seaworld. Her twins, Alex and Aiden are 1 year old this weekend and Chase was 9 months old!
We didn't get much heart to heart talk, but it was good to see the kids playing together and thinking of days gone by and future times.
What I love about Jen is how positive and loving she is. She often thinks the best of others. She took her niece with her and had all 3 of her kids too. She lives with her parents, as her husband abandoned her, and she is raising her kids, helping take care of her niece, helping take care of her special needs brother all the while going to school to become an ultrasound technician. She doesn't make things bigger than they are and is always asking me to keep her in check..she is very humble. Thanks Jen for your example to me.

I owe you...

some info on my Chase Ray. He's trying to crawl and is getting frustrated. Now all he wants to do is roll, scoot, get up on all 4's, sit and stand (with me holding onto his little chubs) I'll take a pic on Friday and post, as he will be 9 months old. Phew. 9 months old and all is well. Thanks Lord for this perfect creation. I'll give you more pics and perhaps more video on Friday. Plus, all the laundry is done, so perhaps he'll even be wearing a cutie outfit!

This pic is a sign of our times, eh? I started giving Chase his first juice...carrot!! So, here's Skye's glass and Chase's bottle. Cute, eh? Gotta keep that hair orange!

My sweet Piercy

The hair is sweaty and sunscreened to the side! oh cutie pie.

This is a shot of my little kids creation. Can't see it too well, but you know it's a good story, right? Or at least I think so!
He kept asking me if he could have a tootsie roll and I kept telling him to finish his carrot juice. I was going about doing housework and I kept noticing him hiding under the table, playing around. I then came over and ONLY noticed the tootsie wrapper..hmmm..where had the tootsie roll gone? So I said in a very corrective/accusatory tone, "piercy, what did momma tell you about eating the tootsie roll before drinking your juice?" He jumps up from under the table and is beeaming! All the while telling me that he hasn't eaten the tootsie roll and then proceeds to show me this creation. He has transformed the tootsie from a log to a misile ship. Hmm. WHO TAUGHT HIM ABOUT SHIPS LIKE THIS? How does this little person come up with such ideas? Oh my sweet Piercy!! I LOVE, love you.

One more thing

Forgot..a funny Skye story.

"Skye, what's your teachers name (sunday school) again?"
" Um, don't know..is it "M" "O" "Z" momma? What does that spell momma?" "M-O-Z?"
I say, "moz"
He says, "what? moz?", "like mows the grass?"
I laugh!!

Convicted....as always!

Just wanted to share my heart a little. Not really wanting to go too deep, as I feel I'm pretty 'all over the map' right now. Don't know why I'm feeling so confused and so frustrated about so many things on so many levels. One, I'm not being consistent with my quiet times and two, I can't seem to keep my household running smoothly. I know, I know..don't stay up late. This is the first night I've been on this thing in a long time. Just thought you deserved some verbage, as I like to say. I've really been missing my sisters and my dear friends lately. Just wanting to hang out and lay low. I'm increasingly less and less patient with the H.O.A. stuff, altho things are really changing..more about that later (who wants to read about that anyways!). This morning one of our pastor's taught about Judas betraying Jesus and how when we don't trust Him to be God, how we betray God, in some sense. It starts with small decisions and builds. I was totally convicted. I realized I was very angry at God for making me live here (in this condo, not in S.D.)and all the HOA stuff and not near much family, etc...so I had to have a little talk time with God, which was great. He also talked about shame and how we just pile it on and how that's not what God wants for us. We had communion family style (tables set up in the front vertically and you file in with a pastor at the head and facing another person and the bread/wine is in the middle, then we break and eat and dip together and hold hands and pray together..pretty powerful). Our regular worship band is in Jordan and so we've had fill-on bands. We had a good time worshiping this morning, me and Alan.
I'm gonna list some requests here and if you can pause and pray for one of these, that would be great.
1. Lots of birthdays right now..just thanking God for all of these people in my life: Lauren, Alyssa, ColeJaxx, Seth, Micah
2. Dear friend has her dad moving in with her, due to his failing health. she has lots of children of her own..you can imagine what to pray.
3. Dear friend has a husband in prison, who will be there another 2 years, she has 2 boys and is (thankfully) being helped by her parents, but still living in a teeny studio..you might know what to pray
4. Father and mother are separated by job
5. Sister is very sick, preg with 3rd, 2 small children at home, husband works/plays a lot
6. Sister is in need of life change and job.
7. 2 good friends here are delivering their 3rd baby this week. Another neighbor in thsi complex delivering end of March..pray.
8. Just went to visit 2 neighbors here in the hospital this week. One was very open to sharing..continue to pray for our relationships with these folks
9. Aunt's husband (my uncle) passed away a few months back..would have been his bday this week..they have 4 adult kids..pray for comfort, pleeeease.
10. My bbstudy and the women in it
11. Chase has had a cough since Dec. 24th. I don't know what to do. Doc says nothing..I don't think that's true..pray for direction and wisdom
12. Sister in law had twins..husband is back at work (didn't take but a couple days off work) she already has a 9 year old, 3 year old and now twins.
13. Mother in law still has bad health..still bad bronchitis..
14. Alan's job stuff..didn't get raise like we had hoped..does he ride it out? apply for another? direction...just clear direction.
15. Planning a family vacation..pray that we would know what we all need and plan that, instead of the cheapest, easiest option.
16. We've both started a new exercise chapter in our lives..pray for endurance and discipline.
17. Church devotion..where to put our time/efforts?
18. Tim, Jen, Grace, HOA stuff
19. Mr. Omar (our friend here that has recently become a Christian) pray for continue strength to stay committed.
20.MomSpace..my bbstudy on Fridays..pray for direction, new moms..etc..
21. Friend Jen..husband who abandoned their family (she has a 2 year old and twins..all boys) she is in school, trying to fight for her kids etc..please pray for God's healing, guidance, endurance, creativity, strength and love.
22. Pray for those in my life that are not yet believers that my shortcomings and sin would not prevent them from seeing the cross in it's purest light.
Thanks for praying. How can I pray for you?