the opposite of old

I am older than the Man With the Yellow Hat.  I am pretty sure.  Ever since I was a little girl I have loved Curious  George.  I had a Curious George stuffed animal (or was it my sister's?) when I was about 8 years old and thought it was wonderful.  

When I had kids I started reading Curious George books to them.  I love to find the old ones at the library.  The ones with lots of pages and big words.  

Last night Matt and five of the kids were at a 5-Day Club and I was at home with Leah and Micah.  I decided to put a Curious George movie on TV.  I sat down with the kids to watch it.  

That's when it hit me.  I am older than the man with the yellow hat.  When did that happen?  He doesn't have one gray hair or bald spot.  He talks like a young man.  He looks like a young man.  Oh dear.  Am I really that old?

Sometimes it's easy to look at the past.  When I was younger.  Looking back can lead to many "what-if" questions.  It's not the best thing to look back, though.  If my purpose in looking back is not to remember all the good things that God has done, looking back can be a wistful longing for the things that were.  No one getting ready to go to college in 19 days.  No second child learning how to drive.  No baby girl going to be in kindergarten.  No baby boy too big to be carried everywhere.  Those thoughts can lead wildly to discouragement as one things build on another.

Matt read these verses to me this morning. Although he read them to me out of the NASB, I looked up a paraphrase of the verses:

This is what God says...
“Forget about what’s happened;
    don’t keep going over old history.
Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new.
    It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it?
There it is! I’m making a road through the desert,
    rivers in the badlands.
Wild animals will say ‘Thank you!’
    —the coyotes and the buzzards—
Because I provided water in the desert,
    rivers through the sun-baked earth,
Drinking water for the people I chose,
    the people I made especially for myself,
    a people custom-made to praise me.

That was so good for me to hear and to remember.  God is a God of the new.  He gave me new life,a new heart, a new song....
Revelations 21:5 says, 

And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.”

It doesn't matter how old I am.  Who I am older than and who I am younger than.  God is not bound by time and one day I won't be either.  For now?  I will remember that God makes "all things new".  So instead of sadly thinking that the opposite of old is young, I will be encouraged that with God the opposite of old is new!  

party club

We were asked by a local church if we would help them with an annual celebration they were having.  It was designed to be an outreach as well and there ended up being around 50 kids there!  It was challenging as there were many distractions,but our team did a great job.  Matt and I were so proud of them for their hard work, joy, great attitudes, and all around performance!

They did Day Five of our 5-Day Club schedule but had to improvise some.  They told the whole missionary story of Hudson Taylor and even acted it out- making me really laugh! I love those guys!

 After lunch they made wordless book bracelets with the kids and did face painting as well.  We use the wordless book colors in both of those activities so the kids get the chance to hear the Gospel while participating.

We are always thankful when God gives us a chance to be used to share His Son with children.  For the next three weeks the kids will do 2 clubs per day.  Please pray for them and especially for the kids that will hear about Jesus- maybe for the very first time!

Leah's Joy

joy and peace in believing

Feeling like I was losing hope, I was prompted to this verse: 

Romans 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

I've read that verse, prayed that verse, and even memorized that verse many times before.  For some reason, today was the first time I ever noticed that it wasn't a prayer for joy and peace, it was a prayer for joy and peace in believing.  

Hope goes hand in hand with believing.  Not just believing that I will get what I hope for, but believing in the God of hope, that He will keep His promises, and that He is good and trustworthy.

I found this old poem written by John Newton.  I'm not usually one who enjoys poetry, but this struck a nerve this morning:


 By John Newton

1. Sometimes a light surprises        The Christian while he sings; It is the Lord who rises        With healing in his wings: When comforts are declining,        He grants the soul again A season of clear shining,        To cheer it after rain. 2. In holy contemplation,        We sweetly then pursue The theme of God's salvation,        And find it ever new: Set free from present sorrow,        We cheerfully can say, E'en let th' unknown to-morrow        Bring with it what it may. 3. It can bring with it nothing         But he will bear us through; Who gives the lilies clothing,        Will clothe his people too: Beneath the spreading heavens,        No creature but is fed; And he who feeds the ravens,        Will give his children bread. 4. Though vine nor fig-tree neither        Their wonted fruit shall bear, Though all the field should wither,        Nor flocks nor herds be there: Yet God the same abiding,        His praise shall tune my voice; For while in him confiding,        I cannot but rejoice. I believe that I can learn a lot from the faith of a child.  She trusts, she hopes, she believes.  Why don't I?

nonuts

Micah has a big sister.  Well, he has three big sisters- but one can drive and has some spending money from time to time.  That sister (who will remain nameless) likes to make baby brother smile, or more like screech with joy, by bringing him home an occasional donut from Dunkin' Donuts. He LOVES his "nonuts"!  (and his sister)  

What's a trying-to-raise-healthy-kids mom to do?  Well, this morning I made my own "nonuts" and you can tell by his face I am now right up there with Big Sister in his mind :) We won't tell him they are baked, whole wheat, and are sweetened with rapadura.  Right?  I want to stay up on that pedestal ;)

5-Day Clubs

It is really hot this week and our team of CYIAers are grateful that this club is at a church.  The first day there were 5 kids , today there were 13!  That was a big jump and encouraging to the team :)

This is just the beginning.  We are looking forward to a summer full of sharing Jesus with kids!

friends

Matt and I are so thankful for friends.  We got together with some close friends on Sunday evening and had such a refreshing and fun time!  It's nice when we meet people that are a great fit for the whole family.  Matt and Sean hit it off right away and Marcy is one of my top favorite people!  Their kids and ours get along super well.  We are blessed~

the perils of basketball

This is old news for most of you, but last week Matt was playing basketball with the boys when he jumped up and then landed wrong on his ankle when he came down.  He ended up with a sprain as well as a small chip/fracture.  It is still really tender and gets sore easily, but he is getting better little by little!

visiting mel

I was so excited at the idea of being able to visit my sister for the day.  It was a stretch at three and a half hours, but the route was very direct and it wasn't difficult.  Brianna, Alissa, Leah, Micah, and I crowded into the Toyota and left early in the morning to head to Melanie's.  It was a relaxing and very enjoyable day.  My favorite part was putting my hand on Mel's belly and feeling Maelyn move!  I can hardly wait to meet my new little niece!  

Callen, Leah, and Micah got along really well and Leah didn't want to leave.  We'll for sure be doing it again!

leah's art

Leah wants to be an artist- so she asked Alissa to teach her.  Alissa gave her step by step instructions, and Leah drew and colored this picture!

two peas in a pod

I am very thankful that we have these two little sweeties.  With one going to college this year and another anticipating graduating high school next year, I am really appreciating having the little ones around. I dread the day a big box just gets broken down and put in the trash or I have to pass right by the kiddie pools at Walmart.  Yes, having young children is sometimes tiring, but it is so worth it!

borrowed words

I have had more going on than I feel I have time for!  Thankfully, I know that God gives me all the time I need to deal with all He has given me- I just need to prioritize and manage my time wisely.  (easier said than done!)

Sunday evening our family went to the park.  It's a hard feeling to explain, but I felt so happy to be with my family.  It was a feeling of such contentment and satisfaction as the older ones hung out with me or Matt and the younger ones ran around and played.  We had great conversations and good laughs.

I saw this recently and although they aren't my words, I thought I'd borrow them as I agree wholeheartedly!

This is from raisingarrows.net and it is listed as

The Top 10 Reasons for Having a Large Family

 #1 – They sure are fun! We have a blast together!  In fact, many years ago that was what drew me to large families.  They always looked like they were having a great time together.  Now, I know that isn’t always the case, but in our family fun just comes with the territory.

#2 – 5 (or 6 or 10) is easier than 2. I often hear, “I can’t handle my two children, I don’t know how you do it.“  Honestly, I didn’t handle my two very well either.  I was exhausted, short-fused, and outnumbered.  But, they grow up!  They aren’t all in diapers all the time.  They aren’t all house-wrecking toddlers all at the same time.  If you are diligent to train them with love and discipline, they grow up into lovely “big kids.”  Which leads me to…

#3 – Many hands make light work. I have a lot of helpers now.  I’m not left to do everything by myself all day long.  I have a 12 year old who could single-handedly run this household if need be, and a 9 year old fast on his heels.  The 4 and 5 year olds are learning and the 16 month old isn’t going to be 16 months forever.  They grow up and take on more responsibility, and there is such a blessing to working alongside a “big kid”!

#4 – There are always enough people to play a game. Whether it is basketball or football or a board game, there are many available bodies.

#5 – If you’re bored, it’s  your own fault. Need I say more?

#6 – You get a lot of attention. Who needs paparazzi?  Unload a slew of kiddos out of a 15 passenger van and see how many stares your attract.

#7 – Filling out paperwork is always interesting. Whether it’s medical forms or tax forms, I get a kick out of always needing to add spaces in order to get all my children’s information listed.

#8 – I never run out of big plastic hospital cups or baby lotion. Frequent trips to the maternity ward keep me stocked up.

#9 – Meals are always full of lively, entertaining conversation. Never a dull moment and never a word edgewise.

#10 – The Bible calls them blessings.

And they are.

I know that not everyone has a big family.  Some are content with one or two kids and some just weren't blessed with more.   I wanted a big family and I am so thankful for all of my children!  So for those of you with big families, you can relate - and for you with smaller families, just imagine :)