Thomas Tic Tacs

COPY CAT!!!!

2011-08-20T10:48:00.000-07:00

I think I'm a lot like most people, particularly most women (who would be honest)in how I compare myself to those around me. I might see the inside of a friends house and think "wow, I do not have that kind of talent to decorate so trendy!" or "HOW does she keep her house so clean!!???" or "look at the SIZE of that master bedroom/bathroom!!!!!" I don't think I even need to put down in words the kind of comparing we do with each other's bodies ...or do I? Oh come on..you know EXACTLY what I mean!!!!

Ok but this post isn't exactly about that but rather what kind of heart attitude I'm instilling in my children because those little people are watching and hearing and....mimicking!!!! I'll prove it. Ready?

I have a history of dealing with eating disorders. 15 years ago I spent time in a hospital recovering and I've had countless hours with therapists, shrinks, counselors, friends, pastors, mentors, and parents working through it and trying to see myself the way God sees me. I've come A LONG way. Ok but fast forward to the present time. I can honestly say without hesitation that I never complain about how I look or how I FEEL I look when I'm around my children. Doug gets an earful when we are having pillow talk or on a date alone with each other but I guess I just had enough sense that I knew if I let my kids hear me talking about it (particularly because I have many girls) it would certainly rub off on them. So why is it that my oldest daughter constantly feels insecure and FAT???? Why? Because they not only hear, they watch....then they mimic.

I have too many examples of my kids hearing me and then mimicking me but I'll save that for another post (gulp!).

But this post isn't supposed to be all dreary. Let me encourage you with a sweet story of how they also can mimic behavior. The other afternoon when I got my kids up from their naps, I heard Sage (age 4) holler "WOW, Mommy!!! This box is SO beautiful!!!!" so I walked towards her in the bathroom thinking Lily must have left her jewelry box in there or something and she's pointing to a new box of TISSUES (Dollar General brand I'm sure!) on the back of the commode. I took my phone out of my pocket and snapped a picture because it was hysterical to me but I just said "well, thank you Sage!" It doesn't take much.(Notice in the picture how some of the cardboard even ripped off while I took off the lid!!!!) It instantly brought me back to a trip I took with Lily when she was the same age. We traveled to Chicago and were staying in a TRASHED out hotel but I was on serious budget. I walked in holding her hand and instantly saw a huge stain on the rug and was disgusted. Before I could even say anything (and believe me, I was about ready to GO OFF!!!!!), Lily hollered out "OH MOMMY this room is SO gorgeous!!!!!!!". I wish I had a picture to post of that hotel room floor. I took out my camera and snapped a picture and I do have a copy of it somewhere but it's in a box stored away...someday I'll come across it again but I remember thinking, in that moment, WOW God...help me be more appreciative and thankful like this child!

However, we have all seen and heard ungrateful children and it's such a sad thing to see or hear. Even though I have these two precious stories, I also have a list of stories where my kids were NOT grateful and appreciative and those are U-G-L-Y moments. However, I think where we go wrong as parents is when we allow it to go unchecked. We just shake our heads and say "Oh, kids!!!!" or worse, the kid says something that obviously points to the fact that they have heard the same attitude and/or words come out of my mouth or Doug's mouth or that by my actions I have demonstrated that attitude. Perhaps I've huffed and puffed while sitting in a restaurant if the waitress takes just a few minutes too long in refilling my tea or maybe while sitting at the red light the guy in front of me doesn't MOVE right away when it turns green and I give a "friendly" honk that is followed by some mutterings or perhaps I rant about how the dishes my husband washed for me are still caked with grub or the grocery store is out of cilantro...how DARE they run out of CILANTRO!!!???

This pours over into the areas I started off talking about with comparing ourselves with those around us. It's challenging to teach my children that they won't always have what others around them have. One of my daughter's said the other day how great it would be when Daddy makes "all the money in the world" so we could buy a bigger house and I said "why do we need a bigger house?" and she said "so we could all have our own room and have bigger play areas" to which I said "even if we had more money, we would not go buy a bigger home for THOSE reasons" and it was a good teachable moment. It's hard to teach my children that there will always be someone bigger or smaller than them, smarter or dumber than them (yes, I did just use the "d" word), funnier or less funnier than them (I did NOT use the "s" word!!!!), wealthier or poorer than them but I am going to keep trying! I'm also going to keep trying to demonstrate acceptance of how God designed me and demonstrate thankfulness for where God put me to live and demonstrate gratitude for the gifts God placed in me and demonstrate awareness of the things that God did NOT place in me and hopefully turn out some pretty awesome kids that have balance. Kids that aren't wallowing in self pity but also kids that are not prideful brats.

I love the Monster's Inc movie and Doug and I often find ourselves quoting from it. I love where Roz says "I'm watching you Wazowski. Always watching." My kids are always watching. Always.

My FATHER is a biochemist....

2011-08-13T04:10:00.000-07:00

I love how adoption has impacted my family. My oldest child was adopted by my husband 5 months after we got married. She was 5 years old at the time. We have now added 4 more children to our mix giving us four beautiful daughters and one baby boy. We think we are done birthing children (we have taken it into our own hands with some help from a urologist however it's totally NOT in our hands) but are hopeful about the possibility of adopting or at the least fostering children in the future.
The above mentioned child, Lily is now 11 years old and she will often say "who do I get that from?" in reference to a personality trait someone might point out or the length of her legs or the color of her eyes or the fact that she N-E-E-D-S a lot of sleep, etc.
The other day we were driving and she said something witty and laughingly asked "so who do I get THAT from?" and I said "your daddy for sure!" and we both laughed...then a few seconds of silence went by and she said "you know, sometimes I REALLY wonder about it" and I said "wonder about what?" and she said "well, it has got to be coincidence that I am artistic like daddy but I wish I really DID get somethings from him" and I had a teachable moment staring me straight in the face.
Before I continue with what I proceeded to tell my wondering daughter, I know that I will be confronted (even if not verbally) with skeptics. What I'm about to say won't make sense theologically or scientifically but when God speaks truth into your heart, it doesn't really matter what man might say or think. This is what I love about about the LIVING Word of God. You won't find a direct response in God's Word to every gray area in the world today but walking with God and staying connected to the vine and allowing Jesus to fill you and manifest life through you, gives you revelation after revelation of His Love and Grace for your lives and even for the sin that snares us that we must confess and live out consequences from.
Wow..it was so awesome. I told Lily to listen closely to what I was about to say. I told her that God destined for Doug to be her daddy. God superseded the human understanding of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA and YES I used that word because she learned about it last year in homeschooling!) and placed specific traits in her when she was formed that were found in the DNA of her earthly father, Douglas Milton Thomas. I told her that it's no coincidence that she is artistic like her daddy, and witty like her daddy...and needs SLEEP like her daddy...and the list goes on. Is this scientifically provable? Um, I think not. What does the Bible say about it? Hmmm...deep thoughts. The Bible is full of adoption stories! Moses was adopted by Pharoah's daughter (Exodus 2), Esther was adopted by her cousin (Esther 2), Samuel might not have officially been adopted by the priest Eli (I Samuel 1)but it's pretty close I would say! Our own Savior was adopted by his earthly father and his mother was his surrogate.
Ephesians 1:4-8 says "For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding...
Just as we are given a new name, a new heart beat,and become a new man when we are adopted by our Lord so Lily was given a new name when Doug took her as his own...but I believe it was predestined that Doug would be her daddy therefore our amazing God hard wired Doug's DNA into Lily when she was conceived in my womb regardless of how that conception came to be. THAT is just how loving and redemptive and GRACIOUS the God that I love and serve is. THAT is why I know that my story is a story of grace and forgiveness and I pray it continues on for generations to come in the lives of my children and their children.
I still remember standing in the courtroom when we were finalizing Lily's adoption and the judge explained to us how serious this decision was. An adoption is more final than birthing a child according to the words this judge used. She said you can disown a child you give birth to but you can't do that with a child you adopt (perhaps this is different state to state...I don't really care. I just know how serious the whole process was). Before this moment I had never seen Doug cry and it was a very beautiful moment. He has never shed a tear watching his four other children come into this world but he did shed a tear when his FIRSTBORN took his name permanently.

So, the way I see it, my earthly father is an naval reactors engineer (I'll tell you all about that awesome man one of these times...) but my HEAVENLY father is a biochemist....or a forensic scientist or a genetic counselor or something fancy like that. The point is, HE created my family and did a tremendous job. I'm so glad I let Him figure it all out!

the art of blogging....i do not have....

2011-08-12T11:56:00.001-07:00

Yea so like I said in my FB status today, I REALLY fail at a)posting on my blog and b)reading other blogs! I'm totally at peace with this for the MOST part....there must be a small percentage of me that hates the fact because otherwise I wouldn't comment about it...right??
So, my "favorites" is filled to the brim with blogs that are GOOD blogs to read...funny, useful, spiritual, insightful, sad, knowledgeable, helpful...etc...but I have to have TIME to read them. That is my biggest problem. Yea yea yea..I know we all have the same 24 hours in a day but it has to be free time that I use in order to do this, correct? My day is filled with things that all moms and/or housewives need to do. Cleaning, cooking, laundry, sorting, meal planning, grocery shopping....I also make it a priority to BE with my kids as far as talking to them, listening to them, going outside with them, taking them places, reading to them, watching movies with them, researching with them....homeschooling them....So, basically from sun up to sun down I have something that needs to be done with few increments of time that is "free". This is why I LOVE Facebook...because I don't have to really go deep. I can post a few funny or insightful thoughts or read a few funny or insightful thoughts...I can keep up with pictures of friends and their families or post pictures of my friends and family....I can reconnect with people and have a way to contact them for further relationship if I want. Blogging, however, requires more than what I can do in "increments of free time". First, I can't concentrate when I'm reading unless it's VERY quiet in the house so this only happens before 6:30 am or after 9pm and I really enjoy time with God or Doug. If not spending time with those two, I might be meal planning (which also requires quiet for me) or homeschooling planning (um..yea...REALLY quiet please!!!!) or talking on the phone (which I MUCH prefer to blogging) or having coffee (or Dr. Pepper) with a friend in person...again, MUCH prefer that to blogging!
However, some of my friends(or family) are not close enough to meet with in person or they have schedules that aren't matching mine so they can't talk before 6:30 am or after 9pm. THOSE are the blogs that I mentally try to keep up with. I know there is a plethora of information to be had out there and once in awhile a friend might send me a link to a great article or I might come across something in my travels online and I often am so blessed by it but I do not save any more websites in my "favorites" or make any promise to follow someone or anything like that.
So, why am I actually taking the time this afternoon to blog???? Because the saddest thing happened today in the store and I wanted to share....also, because Doug won't be home for dinner tonight so I'm not using my "free" time this afternoon to prepare a hot and HEALTHY meal (something he GREATLY appreciates, needs, expects (this sounds negative but it's not) and something I make a HUGE priority around here... So, I'm blogging....
There is a cashier in my local grocery store that I have seen several times since I was pregnant with Cedar and the store opened. I will never forget her although she doesn't seem to recognize me. She made awful comments to me while pregnant regarding how much she "loathes/hates girls" and how she doesn't envy me with FOUR girls and how lucky I better be to finally have a boy. She's made comments that made Lily cringe and so I really avoid her line if I have the kids (although that will now change). I don't see her often anyway because this store isn't one I frequent very often. Anyway, today I had a few things to get and I ran in...with the five kids (which I have to state for the record...five is NOT a lot of kids to me....) So we have THREE carts that we are pushing (for only about 12 items...(that's another post)...and as we are checking out I asked Lily to go sit over to the side with Cedar while I was checking out. This was because this cashier is always flinging mud so I was not really wanting Lily to hear anything nasty. So I was standing there with the other three and the lady greeted me nicely and warmly and said "Wow, these kids are so well behaved and lovely! They are doing amazing!!!! Are they all yours????" I told her they were and I thanked her for the compliment and she continued to say "Wow...five kids. I would slit my wrists if I had five kids". This lady was in her late 40's I would guess and she has already told me in the past that she has two boys that are teenagers. I sorta laughed it off when she said that because I was literally speechless (WHY????) and she looked me smack in the face and said "I am NOT kidding". She looked like a ghost. I had this bubble well up inside my stomach and I teared up. I just can't even imagine what she's so upset about inside but I will not be avoiding her line anymore. I am going to be praying for her and looking for opportunities to bring my children through her line and be a blessing to her. May God shine HIS light down on her through me and my family...and other families that go through her line.
Thanks for reading today. It will probably be another 9 months or more before I post again but I'll try! :)

We welcome a son....

2010-10-01T10:53:00.000-07:00

....September 23, 2010 at 8:59am our fifth child...our first son....Cedar James Thomas.
He certainly arrived with a bang at a whopping 10 pounds 20 3/4 inches long. He was born at home with a midwife and things were great but it was certainly not as smooth as my other labors although Doug would say it was....All I will say is 2 pounds make a HUGE difference in delivering natural! HA!
Anyway, I haven't posted in months and quite honestly I'm too tired right now to post much (even though I have an excellent sleeper on my hands!) but I wanted to at least announce it and post some pictures of the boy that has stolen my heart in one weeks time....

Happy Mother's Day 2010

2010-05-08T18:39:00.000-07:00

I have much to celebrate this Mother's Day. I will be having my first SON in September. I can hardly believe we are having a boy! It's normally very exciting for us to wait until the actual moment of delivery to find out our baby's gender but things changed this time around...long story. That's all you need to know. Ha!

I have the most amazing mother and God has allowed us to be in closer proximity so we have gotten to spend more time together this past 15 months since we moved here to Maryland and my girls have enjoyed that tremendously as well.

My girls bring so much joy to my life and although it's very tiring and seems like the work is never done (even ON Mother's Day!), I just love having the job of being their mommy!

The last thing I want to say is that we are not a traditional family in terms of celebrating things the same way it seems everyone else does and I'm not necessarily saying I LIKE that but it's just how we are. I did receive this beautiful video from my dear husband, however, and I love him for making it for me. What a treasure!

I'm done being CRABBY today!

2010-02-11T14:41:00.001-08:00

Our sweet neighbor called around 11:30 today to see if he could bring lunch over to the girls but they were already in their chairs eating so he said he would make it a snack for them for later...I asked what it was and he said "oh just some Maryland crab cakes"....I just froze.
I did NOT grow up eating seafood. I do NOT like the smell of seafood of any kind. I did NOT want him to bring it over here...but I DO love George dearly and it was such a special offer. So, 4 hours later he called over here asking Lily to come over to help him get here (since we have snow on the ground and he's very slow going) so off she went and I was VERY grumpy here at the house just waiting for it to drift into the house. I was busy in the kitchen making the Pioneer Woman's Olive Oil Cakes and trying to not think about the little fishes that were about to enter my house....ok, crustaceans...whatever!
Well, in they came and sick I quickly became from the smell (my pregnant body is in total morning sickness mode right now!) so Doug herded the girls to their chairs and I quickly retreated to my room to regain composure. I didn't want to hurt his feelings...I came out and decided I was going to at least take a bite...and then another bite...and then another bite...and WOW I liked them!!! The smell I could DEFINITELY live without. It was like a wet dog smell mixed with a sick child smell....THAT defines the smell of seafood to me....but I can get a clothes pin or something...I mean, crab is really great stuff! He prepared them so nicely and served them with tomatoes (like they do in the restaurants he said) and he brought a big bag of potato chips because he couldn't find french fries....what a sweetie! I thanked him over and over again and told him I never would have tried them otherwise. The girls mostly enjoyed them...Holly and Sage took a few nibbles but mostly scarfed down the tomato and chips...Lily and Aspen LOVED them...I know Doug ate some so I'm assuming he liked them too.
So, this is my survival of the fittest story for today. I did learn a lesson in trying new things.
I think you all should go out and have some crab cakes today! If you come visit me, I'll try to make them!
Thank you George!

How many arrows does a quiver hold anyway?

2010-01-27T10:28:00.001-08:00

Does your quiver look like this:

Or like this:

4 weeks ago Doug and I were surprised to find out we were expecting our 5th child!!! The truth is, I cried immediately and spent several days numb to this whole idea. We did want more children but due to some personal circumstances in my life that I'm not one to really blog about at this time and also due to the change in our financial situation at our current job, this wasn't the best of news. I had a tremendous amount of guilt over the tears. I love children. I want a lot of children. But the reality of this new baby coming scared me tremendously. Doug woke up a few mornings later and told me, "Lisa, it's time to get excited about this new baby!" So, we spent several moments talking about if it would be a boy or a girl and what names we would pick and how exciting it was going to be. I decided to call some friends and tell them the news although it's still very early to be sharing this news. Lily was thrilled to hear that she would be a big sister again but she's very upset that we won't find out the sex of the baby until it's birthday. She's so funny about that!
Doug and I talked about Psalm 127 where it says
3 Sons are a heritage from the LORD,
children a reward from him.

4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are sons born in one's youth.

5 Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their enemies in the gate.

So, how full is a quiver anyway? I have had many families tell me over the years that 5 is a full quiver but just today I had someone tell me that her husband is an archer and it's 8 that make it full. My research is showing me that some carry 2 or 3 and some carry 15.
I've had a lot of people tell me I'm crazy to be having another child and that I must never want to sleep again. I've had people say "WHOA" or "GOOD GRIEF WOMAN"...I'm never one that does well at hiding my responses but seeing as I definitely take the cake in hearing the most ridiculous comments as a pregnant person, I've gotten very good at biting my tongue. But these comments have got me thinking and I've finally decided how I really feel about this whole thing.
Children are gifts and rewards from God, not burdens. They are not just a result of sexual intercourse. Nowadays, man thinks he can control conception by abortion or using fertility treatment or even natural family planning methods of counting your fertile days, etc, but the Bible teaches that conception is truly a gift from the Creator, Yahweh.
Who decides how full your quiver is? I'm here to suggest that you allow the Creator and the originator of life to continue doing what He's always done best. He knows our days (Psalm 139:16) He knows the plans for each one of those days (Jeremiah 29:11) He knows what we will come up against and gives us a measure of faith to use to help us (Hebrews 11:1) He promises to help us in our time of need and exhaustion (Matthew 11:28)
I'm not suggesting that you and your spouse never use birth control or have 18 kids but I am suggesting that you seek God with this decision just like you do with all the other decisions of your life (hopefully). I think a lot of people trust that God can answer their questions regarding jobs or schools or homes or friends or finances but they don't trust God to show them the plan in this area. I can think of countless people who have told me "I wish we had decided to have more children!" but their child bearing years are long gone. Society seems to say how many kids we can have based on our income or status in the community, etc, but why is no one asking God what His plan is?
I had a friend recently tell me she was "weak" because she only wanted 2 children and it really tore me up. Does that make one weak? I think if someone believes God has spoken to their situation and said "your quiver is full with two" then that shows great strength.
I encourage you to seek the Lord regarding this topic. Forget about the job you have or the paycheck you don't have or the house you live in (or don't live in) or the stress you have. God does give us the responsibility to manage our life and to make decisions in our life so there is no shame in deciding how many children to have...or is there? I'm seeing it demonstrated that the family that has 1-3 children are looked at as more responsible than the family that has 4-18 children...I'm done trying to figure it out. I don't know how full a quiver is but we are up to 5 it looks like and I'm thankful for each one of them. It's a blessing to have them. It's not more spiritual, it's just more opportunities for blessing through them and because of them.

Arachnophobia

2009-10-15T10:53:00.000-07:00

Ok, I hate spiders as much as I hate frogs which is saying a lot because I HATE frogs. Anyway, Lily and I have had this game going for over 3 years now with a fake spider that looks real...at least to me it does. I'll attach a picture to this post so you can get a good laugh out of me and roll your eyes if you want at my "realistic" spider..!!!
Anyway, so the game is we are allowed to hide this spider on each other and there are no rules...it can be anywhere...even in food! So, we have had a lot of good screams and laughs over the years. I think Lily's best so far was hiding it in the refrigerator on top of something..I can't remember what but I owe that one to my sister Rachel. She caught wind of this game and gave Lily some pointers. The ONLY rule with this game is neither of us are allowed to hide any other sort of fake creature at all...NOTHING. No fake snakes or bugs or anything and since I hate to be scared (LOATHE IT) we also are not allowed to scare anyone in this house. Period.
Well, since our move I haven't seen the spider. I've thought of it over the past 7 months or so but never knew where it was. Until today.
I went to put on a pair of shoes and felt something...I immediately pulled my foot out and threw the shoe across the room (no screams yet) and sat and pondered what to do. Doug is at work so I knew I MUST do something otherwise whatever the mysterious monster was would be on the loose. I got my courage together and picked up the shoe and hit it against the floor and out came the spider however in MY mind it was a REAL spider and I screamed so loud and felt my heart stop all at once. I HOLLERED for Lily to "GET YOUR BUTT DOWN HERE YOU ARE SO DEAD" and she came running....by the time she got to me I was laughing but poor Lily burst into tears when she saw that I was kidding with her. She literally thought I was mad at her..!!! So we both collected ourselves and she walked away feeling pretty proud of herself. She said "mom I did that A LONG time ago!!!"...she had even forgotten about where the spider was!!!!
I called Doug to tell him this story and he said that we must make the spider go "bye-bye" so that he doesn't come home from work one day and find his wife dead from heart attack. I don't know if he's serious or not...we'll see. But WOW...I've had enough excitement for today.
Ok so don't be getting any great ideas all you cyber friends...if you scare me, you might not be my friend anymore...ha!

Bless The Broken Road

2009-08-31T21:00:00.000-07:00

I've always enjoyed this song and I believe my sister danced to this in her wedding...either way, it's a great song and so many are familiar with it and have claimed it as "their song". I don't have a song with Doug. We didn't dance at our wedding...in fact, we've never danced together. Doug doesn't like to dance. I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything, at least not now. I just enjoy sitting together with him over a cup of coffee or hot tea. I enjoy lounging on the couch while we talk till wee hours of the morning and he rubs my feet. I often wonder how we don't run out of things to talk about. He truly is my soul mate. I don't spend time thinking about this much at all but recently I was thinking about my past with relationships. I've been through so many broken hearts I can't even believe it. I had a high school sweetheart that I thought I would marry, I married once before and that lasted less than a year, I was engaged again after that...and sprinkled in between all those heartaches were other boyfriends. I have learned that those relationships were a quest to find true fulfillment and love....two things that can only be found in a relationship with God. It wasn't until I fully surrendered my broken heart and broken life to Jesus Christ that I was even in a position of having eyes to see what real love is all about. I "wasted" a lot of time and years on boys and men that were meaningless. I don't mean to say that those people were meaningless because some of them are great people and I was guilty of hurting some of them...but because my heart was not surrendered to God, those relationships didn't stand a chance. I pray often for my girls and pray that they will be secure in who they are in Christ and that they will not follow in my footsteps. That's another topic all together...shew! Anyway, I wanted to post these lyrics to a song that just sums it up. It sums up how I feel about my relationship with God first..but it also sums up the love and appreciation I have for my marriage to Doug and I'm so thankful that God has honored me in such a way as to bring us together. Doug was hand carved for me. And I was hand carved for Doug. I often wonder how God would have brought us together had I just remained single my entire life until I met him...it's just a mind game I play sometimes for fun...the "choose your own adventure" kind of thing..wondering how our paths would have crossed...but anyway, you get the point, right?
This picture was from our honeymoon spot in PA. Hope to return there someday...feels like we've been together forever. I love you Doug!

"Bless The Broken Road"

I set out on a narrow way many years ago
Hoping I would find true love along the broken road
But I got lost a time or two
Wiped my brow and kept pushing through
I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you

[Chorus:]
Every long lost dream led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like Northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

I think about the years I spent just passing through
I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you
But you just smile and take my hand
You've been there you understand
It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true

[Chorus]

Now I'm just rolling home
Into my lover's arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you.

Values...

2009-08-17T20:28:00.001-07:00

I love having Doug around. I really would be "ok" with him being home all the time...heh...of course we wouldn't have food to eat or money for rent...hmm...too bad you can't live on love. I've heard women talk about how irritated they get when their husbands are home too many days in a row, but I don't really understand. Don't get me wrong, sometimes Doug is gone for the evening and a teeny tiny part of me enjoys that I don't have to cook. The girls and I are HAPPY to eat peanut butter and jelly, in particularly me, since it's my favorite thing in the world. When Doug isn't home, we eat sandwiches and fruit for dinner..or perhaps just chips or something...(yikes!) Doug likes a good hot meal on nights he is home. Ok, back to the point of my post...
When I met Doug he was working about 13 hour days and many weekends. This became a big problem for me when we got married. At some point, it was cut back to about 10 hours and occasional weekends. Before we left Florida, he was working 8 hour days and never on the weekends....yes, this might sound nice, but the thing that was retarded was he was salary so back in the day when he was working 13 hour days, he was making the same as when we ended that job and he was there 8 hours a day....
Ok, now we are in Maryland...not only is he doing a job he loves and that he is MADE for, he is home SOOOO much more. We all eat together every morning and he's home in time to watch the girls while I make dinner. He has 2 days off a week and Sundays he just works during church hours...needless to say, we are together a lot as a family. It's such an amazing blessing. This might not last forever. Perhaps his job will become more involved or perhaps he'll have to get a second job if the economy keeps going down...or perhaps he'll change jobs entirely and life as we know it now will change. For now, we are enjoying what we have and we find ourselves thanking God weekly for it. We would choose family time and unity and peace in our home over the big bucks ANY day. I mean, if he could make a ton of money working a 35 hour week..fine, we would happily receive (ha!) but from what we've observed...the people making the big bucks are working considerably more than that and they are taking their work home with them and seem very distracted most of the time. This post is in defense of the comments I have gotten about his lack of drive, etc. The way I see it, Doug DOES know what he wants, and he's ran after it hard..and it's got eternal rewards.
The truth is, I don't know a more hard working father/husband than Doug. He's by far the most hands on father I've ever seen or heard of. Not to say there aren't others like him, I just don't know of them. There are many times when I think that he knows more about the girls than I do. Yet, he still feels like he doesn't do enough or that he's not a good enough dad, etc. It blows me away. Perhaps it makes ME lazy or unmotivated...I want to be like Doug when I grow up...

Happy Anniversary to US!!!!

2009-07-03T20:51:00.000-07:00

WOW, I'm so terrible at updating this blog!!!! I think I'm W-A-Y addicted to facebook and it sucks all my energy/time..haha. No but seriously...tonight Doug and I went on a date to celebrate 4 years together! Our anniversary was yesterday but we had the pleasure of having friends from Florida stop through for a visit so we went out tonight. Before we left Florida, I had 2 friends tell me that they were beginning to pray that I would meet great Christian friends here in Maryland and find someone quickly that I could trust to watch my kids...and find someone I could share my heart with, etc...I'm sure there were others praying but I specifically remember 2 friends telling me that.
WELL, God answered that prayer...I've actually met several really great folks here that I could ask for help but the one friend in particular, Kristen, is just exactly the kind of person and friend that I truly prayed for...She was a real gem tonight (and her mom too!) and I was able to go out with my sweet husband and enjoy a really nice dinner and some shopping and just some quality time talking..we laughed because it was our first date in 4 years without a nursing baby in tow or a baby in my belly...haha!
We went to PF Chang's...our favorite...!!!..then we continued on to REI (YAY!!!) and then of course, Walmart..I don't think we can go on a date without hitting Walmart!!!
I just want to say that I feel like the luckiest girl alive to have such an amazing husband who is so involved in my every day life and loves our girls so much and is attentive and excited to be with us as much as possible. He's truly a gift from God and I can't believe it's only been 4 years. I feel like we've walked together for many many years. Our relationship is such a picture of God's grace...we both have quite the past behind us...stories of brokenness and heartache and sin and disaster...but we lay awake just about every night basking in the beauty of our relationship. It's not typically all mushy and lovey dovey...but the way we communicate and interact is truly a gift...I know I take Doug for granted most of the time and I thank God for anniversaries to really make us stop and thank HIM for the blessing of our relationship and to reflect on all we are so graciously given through one another. I hope our relationship is a light to others...to our children first and foremost and then to friends and relatives and even strangers.
Walking with Doug is a blessing...it's comforting...it's relaxing...it's safe...it's undeserved and I'm so thankful...
"Thank you God, for every minute that I'm able to spend here on earth with this man. I hope to honor you, O Lord, through my relationship with Doug..."

All about me...according to my 8 year old daughter, Lily

2009-04-22T11:23:00.000-07:00

I shared this on facebook too but since it was time for an update on my blog, I figured I would post this...I'm lacking the creativity to come up with something new!
I'm sure you'll figure out that my private comments are the ones in parenthesis!
Enjoy!

1. What is something mom always says to you?
"Be quiet the babies are sleeping!!!!"

2. What makes mom happy?
"when someone babysits us and you can go on a date with daddy"

3. What makes mom sad?
"when the freezer door won't shut"

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
"when she starts breakin' down in the kitchen" (oh my goodness!!! busted, trying to dance!!!!)

5. What was your mom like as a child?
"goofy on christmas morning"

6. How old is your mom?
"32"

7. How tall is your mom?
"I don't know that stuff!!!!"

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
"laying out in the sun with me"

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
"clean and take care of babies"

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
"basketball"

11. What is your mom really good at?
"cooking"

12. What is your mom not very good at?
"ooh that's hard! nothing really..." (Lily must be easy to please!)

13. What does your mom do for her job?
"stays home and takes care of us"

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
stonewood grill (decent guess but not exactly the case)

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
"when she drives us safely to virginia and back" (Lily doesn't know about my speeding ticket since it wasn't a cop pulling me over, it was the photo type)

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
"something awesome!"

17. What do you and your mom do together?
"cook and schooling"

18. How are you and your mom the same?
"we like to bake goodies and we look alike"

19. How are you and your mom different?
"you like math and I hate it" (um...I hate math too..shhh!!!)

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
"because you take care of me"

21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
"rita's" (um..i've been once)

the secret of being content

2009-03-15T16:39:00.001-07:00

You know, with all this talk about recession, I really wasn't sure I was feeling the effects of it. Sure, I was hurting when gas was 4$ a gallon and it makes me really sick when I see the price of orange juice or bread and peanut butter going sky high...but honestly, I've never been rich...well, I realize that is a relative statement because compared to most the world we are very wealthy. My point is, even when Doug and I first got married and things were "normal", we pinched pennies because we had to. Doug allowed me to stay home and with that came sacrifices financially because Doug's line of work wasn't exactly bathing us in dollar bills. We had what we needed to pay the rent and all the bills we had and occasionally go out for dinner and even take day trips to Miami Zoo once in awhile ...but really, those treats were when Doug was getting quarterly bonuses from his boss. Those bonuses stopped about 2 years ago. Now, we are in a different state, in a different house with a different job and a very different pay check amount. With the amount of our income decreased and our bills the same (and in some cases, increased) we are going to have to get creative as this makes no sense on paper... I haven't really felt like the recession is cramping my style at all because we've always been in a position where we had to really pay attention to what we were spending.

This is how I felt before tonight.

Tonight at dinner Lily starts talking about how she wishes we could go out to dinner more and she wishes she could go get ice-cream all the time, etc. She said that she doesn't understand why we can't make more money so she can have all the things she wants. I started to get really annoyed with how she sounded but then it dawned on me that deep inside I was actually feeling that way. I do miss going out to dinner every week. I do miss having enough play money to be able to swing through the drive thru and get a cup of coffee or take the kids to Chick-fil-A. I needed to actually admit that to myself. Thanks to the child in my life who doesn't really think before speaking, she helped me see where my heart was at.
It was a good opportunity for her and I and Doug to really talk about where we all are. We all admitted that we do miss the luxuries we had and we do hope that someday things will look brighter and we can take more trips and plan more outings and eat out at our favorites places . For now, we will make a point to thank God for what He IS giving us daily in those moments where we feel like whining or feeling sorry for ourselves. That is a commitment Lily and I made tonight. What's so funny about this whole situation is the other night Lily was saying "wow, mom, I love that we moved here and we are doing fun things here that we never did in Florida like making s'mores all the time and having fish stick and french fries for dinner!!!" (ha!!) but then tonight she was saying "whoa is me"...so really, she was just being a kid. That is how children are...but I was able to see in myself that I still behave in those childish ways and if she had not voiced her mind tonight, I might not have seen how discontent I was growing. I reminded Lily (and myself) that one day things may be so tight that we won't even be able to buy ingredients for s'mores. I taught her that s'mores are NOT a need (I know many of you may argue that point and say that chocolate IS one of the food groups!!!) but something we want. We are blessed to be able to have things that we want. Doug and I, as her parents, want to bless her with things she wants....and God wants the same for Doug and I as HIS children. We may not be able to eat out once a week or splurge on curtains and new furniture(and the list goes on) but God HAS given us good gifts in other ways. I am close to my parents...Doug is working a job he has a passion for, I'm STILL able to stay home with my kids(and that list goes on too).
David was famous for saying "Bless the Lord, O my soul"....I can't remember where I heard it (maybe my mom..?) but someone told me that David had to command his soul to bless the Lord. It wasn't always a voluntary thing. He was down and out many times and I doubt he was complaining because he didn't get his Chick-fil-a fix for the week!
So with that, I will command my soul to Bless the Lord in all my circumstances. When I have little and when I have much. When I have Cracker Barrel for dinner or when I spend the day preparing meals for my family. When I am able to go the mall and splurge on new clothes or when we spend hours in the Goodwill hunting down what it is we truly need.
I want to be like Paul when he says "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances"...Paul knew what it was to have little and he knew what it was to have a lot. I can't say I've ever truly been in need...There may come a day when that is the case and I hope I can trust God as much as I do now...I thank God for providing ALL our needs. With that, I'm going to go enjoy a cup of coffee and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich...for those of you that know me, THAT is the royal treatment!!!! I would choose PB&J over the finest of restaurants....now who's living high on the hog???!!!

Fresh perspective...

2009-03-05T19:50:00.000-08:00

Well, that last post left a lot to be desired...yikes! I was in such a terrible mood...but I was feeling humorous as well...
Today I'm feeling like things are more normal than they have been in quite some time. The girls are all sleeping all night without waking up to wail for no apparent reason. Aspen is sleeping 12 hour stretches so I feel like a new woman! It was pleasant today in terms of temperature and I could see a silver lining. I wish I could rejoice even when all is gloomy and I'm irritable but hey..we are all a work in progress, right?
We have decided to continue home schooling Lily. Our other options didn't really work out and I figured out some of the hoops I needed to jump through in order to keep doing what we were doing in Florida without having any major issues. I am slowly making some new acquaintances that are home schooling and I'm confident by the fall we will have a lot of the resources that are available to us figured out and can feel a bit more connected here.
Doug's job is going well. He's got a big task before him but I'm confident he will be able to do it (with God's help!) and it's great to see him enjoying his work for the first time since I've known him! Praise God for that!!!
So, that's it for now folks...here are some more pictures that were taken in Naples before we moved..enjoy!

Warning...I'm not in the best of moods...

2009-02-24T12:37:00.000-08:00

When I leave a cup of ice water on the counter/table and return an hour later, it's still a cup of ice water....not a melted, sweating cup.

When I leave butter on the counter to soften so I can bake with it, it doesn't soften.

When I bring a mug of coffee in the car on the way to CBS and leave it because I don't have enough hands to carry it in with, it's iced coffee when I return to the car instead of being warm like it was when this would happen in Florida.

When I open my car door to get in or out of the car I have to hold the door pretty securely or it might just rip off the hinge...I'm not kidding. This has happened to people we know.

I never needed GPS in Florida, nor wanted it. Doug bought me one for Valentines Day after I got lost on one of my first outings.

I find myself staying in pajamas all day on many days. The thought of going anywhere in this cold is anything but appealing.

Sage throws a complete tantrum whenever I try to put her winter coat on. She sits in her car seat and looks so stiff and...well, basically ticked off.

My hands are borderline numb as I'm typing this...I'm not exaggerating. Do they make heated keyboards?

I have to remind myself every day that GOD brought us here. Otherwise I would be hauling butt back to Florida.

That is all for now.

Home sweet....house

2009-02-13T11:03:00.000-08:00

Well, we are here trying to set up our home but it's still feeling like I'm on vacation or something. I'm not living out of my suitcase anymore, in fact we are all unpacked except Aspen. I need a dresser for her room so she's living out of a suitcase but I don't think she minds! She's been SUCH a trooper....good girl, Aspen!
Holly and Sage on the other hand are still out of sorts quite a bit. Holly doesn't do well with change and Sage has become quite attached to her daddy since he's been off work for about 6 weeks now. She calls him "Doug" which is hysterical to hear...
Lily is doing pretty well but she R-E-A-L-L-Y misses her friends! Speaking of Lily, Doug and I are contemplating sending her to the school that is affiliated with the church Doug is working for. They have a small Christian school...her class has 7 other kids in it. She went the other day to check it out and loved it so now we are just waiting on the Lord as to whether this is what we should do. The homeschooling laws are a bit more regimented here in Maryland and I've been completely overwhelmed since Aspen was born (with the move and stuff...she's an easy baby!) and so we will probably send her to traditional school for an indefinite amount of time. I'm thankful that we have the option....!
Doug has only been to work for 4 days now so it's hard to tell how the job will be but so far he's loved it. He's like a kid in a candy store. I'm SO thrilled...
The house is great. We are adjusting to not having a garage, which is really a pain to me but hardly seems like something to complain about. We need a lot of new furniture because our old living room stuff won't fit here. We have it in the living room but it's really too big for it..our original plan was to put it down in the basement but the movers (and Doug and my dad) couldn't fit it down the narrow halls/stairs...RATS!
For those of you that don't know, I do NOT like to decorate and shop...it's stressful to me...crazy huh?!!
We have had mostly decent weather since arriving last week. Yes, it's been cold but not unbearable, however the past 2 days we've had terrible wind and apparently much of the country has had it as well so we aren't alone but it's been very strange/eerie to hear it. Even after living downtown Chicago, I have never experienced wind like this!
I'm starting CBS (Community Bible Study) next week and I'm so excited to get plugged in again with that ministry. I am going to be teaching again but I'm not sure what age I'll have yet.
The move itself was a nightmare and one that is still not over..we are trying to work out a lot of issues, like fees and unexplained charges and damaged items.. all this is what is contributing to it not feeling like home yet but I know in time and patience we will be feeling warm and cozy! I have been reminding Lily that although these times are hard because our friends and family aren't right here, we have each other. This is one of those rare times when a family is really forced to stick together much more than any other times when friends and family ARE right at our doorstep all the time. We have had to come together and really encourage each other in the last couple weeks because it's been very difficult. Leaving Naples was one of the hardest things I've ever done...
The folks at our new church have been MORE than helpful and welcoming to us and I'm excited to get more involved. I actually had to call there today and ask one of the ladies for directions because I was out looking for Wal-mart and got lost! I couldn't find Doug on his extension so I called the receptionist...it was so funny. I really need GPS!!!!!
So, that's about it for now. God is awesome and still very faithful and taking really good care of us! My children are healthy and happy and Doug and I are stronger than ever together...!
The picture of our entire family was taken in Naples before we left...what a great memory!

would you LOOK at that tree!!!!????

2009-01-19T19:29:00.000-08:00

So, Doug and I had a WONDERFUL time in Maryland scoping out the land and the church...it was a whirlwind! We almost weren't even sure we would both be going because the girls all got the flu the day we were leaving but thanks to some awesome friends of ours who took our sick kids (the O'berski's ARE amazing!) we went! Doug and I both were sick like dogs on the plane so we traded baby Aspen back and forth....thankfully the entire back of the plane was empty besides us! All the realtors turned us down and no one was much help at all when we were up there and on the day we were to leave to come home we were pretty discouraged! We KNEW God was calling us to this church but where were we going to live??!! Surely God wasn't calling us there just to have us staying in a tiny apartment? Was He? Well, we were willing...I had really resolved myself to apartment living because I was just so excited for this job opportunity for Doug and I fell in love with the church upon sight...
God had this cute little cape cod house up His sleeve for us! The landlady called us in just the nick of time and we drove out to the country (but only about 15 minutes from Target so it's OK folks!! haha) to see this adorable house...when we pulled up and saw this enormous chestnut tree in the yard we about had heart attacks. Lily prayed very specifically for a house with stairs in it (she has a love of stairs...?) and she also wanted a big tree she could climb. The ladder was just another way of showing His incredible love for us all...it's just sitting there waiting for Lily to climb up! He is so good to us.
I really could go on and on about the weekend trip but truthfully I'm still digesting it all and I'm so extremely tired these days. Aspen is completely bucking the system with us...the other 3 girls were all "trained" to sleep through the night by 6 weeks of age and she is just not about to comply. Between that and all the packing and the planning and the organizing and the WORRYING (because although I cast all my cares upon Him, I still have this thing for worry....blah!) I am so exhausted! But I really did want to update this and let everyone know that God really does care about us. He is a personal God..not some "big man upstairs". For those of you that don't really understand having a PERSONAL relationship with Him, wow...ask me about it! Let me share with you about it because things like a tree in a yard of a house with 2 sets of stairs is just the beginning. He manifested Himself to Doug and I in so many ways these past 2 years in search of the job that would allow Doug to do what he has a passion for doing.
The journey isn't over. In fact, there are still PLENTY of obstacles to overcome with this new job and as with most new jobs, we are on a probation period so by the grace of God, this will be a great opportunity for Doug.
We plan to pull out of Naples on February 2...with many tears being shed. I can't bring myself to think about how painful it will be to not be "pajama distance" from my "Ant" Barb...and all the friends and family we are leaving behind...ahh!! But we know we are following God...with that, g'night folks...more to come!

I'm going to freeze....

2009-01-08T21:13:00.001-08:00

So, the interview in Maryland seemed to go really well..they offered Doug the job and now we are just praying and seeking God in this and together we are flying up this weekend to check out housing and the area a bit more. Also, Doug wanted me to see the church and meet the people and see what my thoughts/feelings are on the whole situation.
So we have spent the last week gathering warm clothes for Aspen and I. Doug seems to have what he needs since he used to spend a lot of time out in Colorado but I gave all my warm clothes up years ago...I've been blessed with friends that have hooked me up with things and also Aspen has several friends sharing with her too! :)
I'm really nervous about the trip (mostly because my baby, Sage, was sick this week and I'm really wondering if the other girls will get sick and my dear sister in law is going to be staying here with them all weekend and I just really hope it is a smooth weekend....) but I really am excited in a way too because this might be the start of something new and I'm wanting to absorb it all and just enjoy every moment.
Be looking for another post in a week or two when we decide if this is the next step...
Oh and I just think this picture of Aspen is hilarious. She still loves to sleep and it doesn't take much at all for her to just crash. Of course, she still thinks 10pm is the time to wake up and party all night...

New Chapter...

2008-12-30T21:02:00.000-08:00

...Well, after years of wanting out of Pinnacle Pools, we find ourselves there...out of a job. Not exactly how we planned but we knew this day was coming. Doug's last day of work was yesterday and today he is in Maryland interviewing for a job with a church up there...I'm not really sure what will come of it and I'll be sure to post with any new information. But for now, I'm caring for our four girls and missing Doug like crazy. This picture of us cracks me up...for those of you that are wondering (and I know some of you wacko's ARE wondering) we are fully clothed in bathing suits in this luxurious picture...haha. And my mom is in the background of the picture holding Aspen and she will back me up in this story!
I really love my husband!
I really want to get some pictures of the girls all together to post. How hard can that be???? AHH!!!
Ok, well I'm not COMPLETELY exhausted anymore because I'm getting 3-4 hours of sleep at a stretch now instead of 2..WOOHOO!
Until next post....

exhaustion..

2008-12-14T19:45:00.000-08:00

I am still completely exhausted. I hardly know what I'm doing these days. The days are just flowing together, I am lucky to get a load of laundry done once in awhile. Holly and Sage have been sick so our nights are very, VERY long. Lily hasn't done any homeschooling in about 3 weeks and she's bored to tears being cooped up with sick siblings. My mom is here which is great as far as having her to help me during the day when Doug is working but it's not much fun to be sitting around with sick, CRANKY kids. She's being a real trooper.
I have friends who are bouncing around like Tigger within days of having babies and I have no idea how they do it. Physically I feel fine, as far as I am not having any pain from the delivery, etc...but I just am so run down in every other way and it's all we can do to get through another day. I have been feeling kinda down because I love this time of year and yet I feel it's passing me by and I'm not enjoying it. We love to take walks and enjoy the lights in the neighborhood and that hasn't happened once yet this year. We love to drive and look at lights and bake cookies for friends and neighbors and make Christmas cards...none of these things have happened yet either and I'm sure they won't.
My eyes are loaded with bags under them and I can actually FEEL them!
Yet, through it all, we are so blessed to have sweet Aspen here with us and I realize that in a few weeks, this will all be behind us and we'll be healthy and sleeping and probably talking about baby number 5. Ok, did any of you have a heart attack over that statement?
Well, this is about all I have time for now. G'night and I'll be back when I can!

Blogging after Aspen....

2008-12-04T17:27:00.002-08:00

I am a complete zombie.
I ate at least 4 servings of dessert today.
Hope you enjoyed the update.

Aspen Rain Thomas

2008-11-29T06:35:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update...our new baby girl is here FINALLY!
Aspen was born at 5:33 on November 28 and weighed in at 8lb 5oz (my second biggest baby...Holly was 2 ounces heavier...Sage and Lily weighed the same at 7lb 14oz) and she made a very, VERY quick entrance into the world! I was still questioning whether I was in true labor at 5:06 (I made a phone call then, so I have it documented on the time!) and by 5:33 she was here!
We are so thrilled with her but at this point I'm completely exhausted but I did want to let everyone know!
More pictures to come...my girlfriend took video/pictures but she is putting them on disk for me so I won't have them for a couple days but here are a couple that we had from our camera....
Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers these last couple weeks!

No, it's not a baby post....but I've been tagged!

2008-11-25T19:25:00.000-08:00

I have been tagged by my friend Rhonda to share the following information with you about my husband:

1. Where did you meet? Doug says he sat next to me in a restaurant when I first moved to Florida...I was way pregnant with Lily at the time and NOT interested in talking to him or any other man...SO I don't remember this conversation but he said he thought I was the most beautiful pregnant woman ever...he is tooooo kind! I guess he didn't realize we would be spending the first 3 years of our marriage pregnant so I'm glad he likes me that way! Anyway, we were at a restaurant with a bunch of singles from church...so we were friends for a really long time before we dated...THAT is another long story for another post....
2. How long did you date? Let's see...started dating in June 2004, got engaged that December and married July of 2005
3. How long have you been married? almost 3.5 years
4. What does he say that surprises you? That he loves my cooking. I mean, I'm not a terrible cook but I'm not "AWESOME" like he says...but I guess it's in the eye of the beholder so I will accept his compliment :)
5. What is your favorite feature of his? His bald head!!!! He's SOO happy I feel that way too. I had no idea how insecure he was about it until he started dating me and realized I wasn't lying about how much I liked it!!!
6. What is your favorite quality of his? He is so honest and a hard worker. He is a very devoted father and spends just about every free moment he has with his kids and me...he's all about the family. I also love how he truly tries to please God with everything he does.
7. Does he have a nickname for you? no
8. What is his favorite color? he loves me and the girls in a very specific shade of purple..it's hard to describe and harder to find!!!!
9. What is his favorite food? a grilled hamburger with baked beans and watermellon on the side! oh and steak fries!!
10. What is his favorite sport? I never thought I would live to see the day when I said that I'm SO glad my hubby doesn't like the traditional ball sports! He's into mountaineering, cycling, kayaking, things like that (although he's given it up for now in order to raise a family but he still loves it!)
11. When and where did you first kiss? I can't remember when as far as the date I just remember it was after he came back from a trip to Colorado. He was gone for about 10 days and we had been dating several months by this time and really didn't plan to kiss at all until we got married....BUT, after having him gone for that long we both realized we never wanted to be apart like that again (we weren't engaged yet but certainly knew we would get married after this trip took place!). I picked him up from the airport with his friend and drove them to my house for dinner....he left to take his friend home but came back immediately and I burst into tears when he showed back up (I guess I was too embarrassed with his friend there to do that when I first saw him!) and we kissed....
12. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? I would say traveling..although we don't do it much with our expanding family...but when we have had weekends away, it's the best! Even a trip to Ft. Myers on the weekends with the kids is fun for us...SO, definitely traveling!
13. Do you have any children? Lily, 8 1/2, Holly 2 1/2, Sage 1 1/2 and due for baby 4....Ok, so I'm officially overdue as I'm typing this....thanks for the reminder! BLAH!
14. Does he have a hidden talent? He will kill me for revealing that HE is my pedicurist.... Oh and most people don't know he's an incredible artist!
15. How old is he? 43
16. Who said, "I love you" first? I waited for HIM to say it first!
17. What is his favorite type of music? Jazz
18. What do you admire most about him? How much he loves God, me and our kids and how hard he works for a company that doesn't appreciate him...
19. Do you think he will read this? eventually...

I have no idea how to tag more friends..I'm still new to the world of blogging.....!!!!!

These last days...

2008-11-19T04:42:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to enjoy my last several days (hopefully days, and not weeks!) of being a mommy to 3...I look at Sage and can't imagine that she won't be the "baby" anymore! It's kinda hard to enjoy the days though when they are filled with Braxton Hicks and very painful kicks and tired joints and ...well, I'm sure many of you understand or can remember your 9th month!
So, I just wanted to leave a little blurb letting you all know we are still anxiously awaiting our new blessing. We finally have names picked out...the boys name we are "for sure" on and we have 2 names picked for a girl and Doug will just make that decision when and if we pop out a girl! (which is what we are all expecting!)
What a wonderful time of year to be pregnant too! It's so nice and cool here in SW Florida! YAY!
Keep checking back...I think I'll be very quick to post a couple new pictures as soon as possible when this little one arrives!

WE LOVE FALL!!!!!

2008-10-29T20:39:00.000-07:00

So, this post is just for fun! I have seen, over the years, gals who would have their belly painted during pregnancy but I never had been THIS pregnant when October/November would roll around so it never worked out...SO I was very excited about doing this. Lily sat and painted her pumpkins, instead of carving them...which Doug and I were THRILLED about, honestly. Blech! I didn't feel like dealing with all that mess! And Doug had a great time creating his pumpkin on ME. It was hilarious because the baby was inside just jumping all around and Doug would say "quit moving!" and it wasn't ME!!!!!
What a great memory for this pregnancy!

Who she is in Christ....

2008-09-23T11:25:00.000-07:00

My daughter Lily is quite an amazing girl. I think she is beyond her years in many ways, possibly due to her mama expecting WAY too much of her back when it was just her and I living the crazy life of working full time and running all over the place trying to get things done and so forth. One of the teachers in our Bible study today (CBS) told me that Lily is the smartest one in the class and she also is one of the sweetest with her manners and behavior. It's always nice to hear this type of feedback from others that are working closely with your kids. As a home school family, I often wonder if she's getting enough and learning enough and so forth but the more we go, the more God opens my eyes to what truly is important in life and although we do believe in a strong education, I don't believe that a strong education is exclusive to math, science, history, english, spelling, etc...I want my kids to be good homemakers, good stewards, well respected among adults (and children), lovers of purity, but mostly lovers of God. I want them to know who they are in Christ. This is something we purpose to instill in them on a daily basis...my husband is probably better at this than I am...
I often get questions from friends or strangers that wonder if we are sheltering our kids by homeschooling. I have yet to understand the meaning of this so I never have a very good answer however based on some things that have been happening lately in LIly's personal life, I have been absolutely convinced that the road we are currently on is the best for this time. Will we always homeschool? I can't say. I don't pretend to know the future and I wouldn't say that I'm a die hard homeschooler (there are some that literally scare me with their passion for it and perhaps I'm one of those people to some of you reading or some others in my life!! haha)
Lily has had one particular friend in her life comment on her weight, color of her teeth and most recently her "terrible handwriting". I literally just sit in shock when Lily tells me what her friend is saying. Why? First, i can't imagine what 7 and 8 year olds should even be aware of "yellowing" teeth...don't we spend enough of our adult years worrying about how we look and compare to those around us? (not that we should but we do) Don't we spend the majority of our adolescent and adult years worrying we are too fat or too short or whatever....why should this be starting as early as 7 or 8? My jaw really hit the floor when she said this friend is telling her she has terrible handwriting....I think she has amazing handwriting, better than my own at times...perhaps because she spends more time actually writing when i spend more time typing. Anyway, I look at my daughter's face as she's telling me these things and she is amazing in her strength. I won't say that these things haven't hurt her deeply and affected her greatly. My 8 year old now is concerned every day with how she looks and if she looks fat...etc. This only began after comments from this friend. Am I blaming the little girl? No. I think perhaps my own feelings about myself might factor into this picture although I try to never comment on my weight or looks when I'm around my kids (oh but my poor husband has to hear about it!) or perhaps the enemy just thinks he can have his way with my child but look out...Lily's parents are on a mission to save her soul from this terrible lie. (1 John 5:18)
So, although these comments have affected her, she is so loving in her response. She tells me that her inner self wants to lash out and say something ugly back to her friend, yet she calmly says "well that's fine that you think so but it's the way I am" or she says she just shrugs her shoulders and changes the subject. I am proud of her. I don't think it's sheltering her to want to teach my child how to respond to such things. Most of the things I hear coming out of kids mouths at the pool or malls or even in the churches are not exactly becoming. Where is the standard? Who are we looking to for what is and isn't appropriate? I hope the standard we have in our home is satisfying and pleasing to God and will eventually rub off on my children and stick. Ok, so does this mean Lily is always perfect in her responses? Absolutely not. But this post isn't about her shortcomings. I'm sure there will be many opportunities for that but you know, when I read God's Word, I don't see him harping on all my shortcomings. He lifts me up. He speaks words of adoration to my soul and my spirit. He speaks words of truth and LIFE over me and it encourages me to press on. And it also gives me the humility to admit when I've totally blown it. I have a daughter who admits to me when she has lied or when she has been tempted to do something I've told her not to do even though I'm not there to see. She will tell a friends mom that she's not supposed to watch a certain program or walk away from a group of people that are speaking about things that she shouldn't be hearing. I thank God for my Lily and I know that she is beautiful. God called her that before she was even formed in my womb...(Psalm 139)

Lil' Miss Can't Be Wrong....

2008-09-18T16:39:00.000-07:00

....Ok, so Sage....she's always been quite the chubby baby but as a newborn and thru her first year she wasn't much of an eater....although I had friends (I WON'T mention any names....) that thought I might be nursing her too much.... :) Ok, well once she hit 13 months she started chowing on just about everything in sight. She likes everything except bananas... (go figure..don't all kids love bananas?)
Well, she was not so happy today when she found a chocolate chip cookie on the floor...and took a nice big bite...only to find out it was a plastic toy one!!! Hmmm....sorry Sage. That would have ticked me off too!!!

STRETCH!!!!!

2008-09-13T19:23:00.000-07:00

Well, tonight I was asking Doug "I can't even see under my belly anymore do I have stretch marks...WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH". And he said "nah" and I said "well, yes I do but they just aren't red and very noticeable" and he said "FOURTH baby...FOURTH time this belly has stretched, I think you are looking quite amazing for that!!!" and it really hit me smack in the face....I can't believe I am carrying my 4th child. What a miracle. It's no less of a miracle the woman who is carrying her 1st child either. It's all just so amazing. I'm more amazed at it with this one...you would think it would become routine or normal or even boring...but no. The miracle of life just makes me weep. Sincerely.

We are the couple that sits on the couch and watches my stomach bounce all around and become all disfigured looking while we are drinking our hot tea...even on the FOURTH pregnancy! Some might say we have "no life" because of our hum drum night life....ha! I say we are filled with life and the little foot poking thru my rib cage attests to it! It's cheap entertainment, I'll say that!

I feel more beautiful today than I did 9 years ago before I ever got pregnant the first time. I hear friends talk about how different their bodies look after kids and how they are going to get tummy tucks or boob jobs when they are done, etc....and to each his own but I just relish in how God created our bodies to do exactly this amazing task. I'm sure the beauty I feel today has more to do with the love I have been given and the relationship I have with God but boiling it down to the bottom line of "physical beauty", I love my pregnant belly. So, even though there are stretch marks (and I really was being silly when I was asking Doug about the stretch marks) and even though my love handles will NEVER go away, I count myself BLESSED to be a bearer of blemishes all in the name of bearing children! I think I am in a family of good genes though too..THANKS MOM!!!

So, with that, here's my latest picture. 30 weeks pregnant and blossoming more and more every day. My sister, Rachel, once asked me in a past pregnancy "Oh my gosh, is that baby standing UP in there?????" I will never forget her asking me that. It certainly looked like she was standing up, my belly was SOOOOO huge.(that was my pregnancy with Holly I think but I looked the same with Sage too!) I think I was right around 36 weeks at that time and THIS year when I'm 36 weeks, it will be around Halloween and Doug is going to paint my belly like a pumpkin and I'm SOOOO excited to see how that turns out. Stay tuned for pictures of that...you'll inevitably get a good laugh!

I believe I can fly....

2008-08-31T19:05:00.001-07:00

Today I had a very special thing happen...and after reading this you will see that it really was just a small thing that was designed for me....

For those of you that don't know, Doug is doing an internship at a church in town where I actually was attending when I first moved to Florida and was single and pregnant...a long story made short is that we left the church we were attending and where we met and got married to go back to this other church so Doug could learn more about technical worship and so forth in order to hopefully become more qualified for a job in this field....it was definitely a career move to do this but we also believe we are following God and His leading. It's a great opportunity for Doug, as this church is much more advanced in these areas. HOWEVER, I have felt like a fish out of water...I left all my friends and comforts behind and although things weren't "just right" at the other place of worship, to leave it all behind and go back to this other church that is about 20 times larger than where we were is very intimidating and overwhelming. My kids are thriving in the children's programs and that part of it I am very thankful for! But Doug is busy doing his "thing" every week so I am sitting alone in services and doing a very good job of being a wallflower.

This week we decided to stay for a small group and try to get more involved and I was so blessed because the one we chose happened to be the husband of a woman that used to babysit Lily when she was only a baby when I was attending this church as a single parent. I immediately recognized her and said "HI" and she looked at me with a blank look so I continued to tell her who I was and her jaw hit the floor and she just hugged me...I don't really think she knew what to say because here I was standing with my 2 youngest (Lily was still in her class) and pregnant...I gave her a brief re-cap of the last 7 years and then went on my way but after the class she came up to say goodbye and by then Doug was with me so I introduced them and she about started to cry and just said what a blessing it was for her to meet Doug and how she had prayed for him way back when....and how she had prayed for my situation, etc.

She didn't go into any more detail than that and we just continued on, (she was talking with a friend) knowing we would get to see her more as we continued in this small group.

It really warmed my heart because there were so many folks at this wonderful church praying me thru some very tough years and praying for a future husband that they might never meet....praying for the life of a small baby that they would never see grow up most likely and I was able to see just one of them today.

God really does care about the thoughts we have, the concerns we have, the feelings we have. I think that most of us just don't always want to acknowledge them ourselves much less verbalize them. This is just one small example of a way God demonstrated His love for me today. If I pulled myself out of myself for another moment and looked around, I'm sure I would see many, many more.

So although I still feel like a fish out of water, it's really ok. Aren't there some fish that actually fly?

2008-08-28T19:44:00.000-07:00

I wondered how well of a job I would do at blogging....I think about posting all the time but I just never feel like I have anything of substance to say! So, this will just be an update on things. Nothing serious, just random thoughts and things.

I'm now just about 28 weeks pregnant. I can't believe how fast this is going. I can't believe we will be welcoming a new family member soon. Some days it feels like the weight of the world on my shoulders but most days I feel like I don't even know how to accept such a blessing.

I've been taking birthing classes with a dear friend of mine who asked me to go with her. She's due in about 4 weeks and her boyfriend wasn't really interested in doing the classes and she didn't want to go alone. It's been hysterical....Everyone in the class is on their first pregnancy and scared out of their minds. I am the "pro" and I don't have alot to offer because I'm scared out of my mind too....silly huh? Noone in their right mind looks forward to the pains of childbirth. Yes, I know how to cope with it and I feel very confident in all that...but it's not fun. However, I am going to be taking a hypno-birthing class which I'm very excited about. My last 2 births were all natural and I felt in control of the pain and stuff but like I told my mom the other night...I had my moments where I was having some very unholy thoughts crossing my mind and not to mention some very unholy words.....SO, after viewing many births that were done with this hypno thing, I'm going to go for it and see what it's all about. My friend wants to do it so I'm sorta going to help her but I'm personally really looking forward to it. Don't worry, I won't be one of those people that puts my birth on YouTube or anything....I can't see myself blogging about it either so if you are interested in how it goes, ask me after I give birth!

We are starting back into homeschooling very soon....second week of September. That is when all the homeschool programs that Lily is involved in start back up so we have really been milking every moment of free time that we can....we probably should have started but I just received the last of her books in the mail today so I still need to review some of them to figure out what we are doing! I have had some die hard homeschooling moms look at me like I had 3 heads when they see me with a 2 year old, a 1 year old and pregnant and they hear me talking about wanting to homeschool my 8 year old. I guess I have my work cut out for me but I'm just taking it one day at a time. I know I'm called to do it, by God, and therefore I trust that He is going to be the one empowering me, not my good planning or preparation.

Hurricane season is upon us. It seems the rain will never end. I didn't realize how much flooding our area had from Tropical Storm Fay until today and that was over a week ago! I was driving up north just a few miles today to Bonita Springs and saw so many houses that were vacant due to flooding. Lily and I just looked in shock at the devastation so close to us. Now as there are several other areas forming, we just continue to pray that they would divert out to sea....

There is no new news in the job department for Doug. He is applying for a couple jobs so maybe something will come of those but in the meantime there is still peace in our home concerning this situation....a continual miracle.

Holly and Sage....what delights they are. Sage is walking and in many ways seems older than Holly. She is ready to take on the world. Holly is so laid back and cautious and just a sweet spirit and takes any chance to crawl up in my lap for me to read to her. Sage wants to tear up the place. She wants to dive in the pool with noone holding her. She wants to go down the slides head first...and she does. Ooops. She will probably be ready to potty train before Holly even cares that she's sitting in her own mess. It's funny to see how different they are. They laugh together and play together and squeal together for an hour or so after they are put to bed. There is never a dull moment in our house when they are both awake.
Lily makes comments about "all I ever do ALL day long is take care of babies..SIGH!!!" and I just laugh. She says she "ONLY gets 3 hours of free time per day...SIGH" In case you wondered, she's full of bologna but it's funny because about an hour into nap time for Holly and Sage, Lily is saying "Mom, can I go wake them up????". So, for all her whining, she really loves being with them. I'm looking forward to some of her homeschooling programs starting up so she can be around kids her age, but I am so thankful that she is the best big sister to those two.

2008-08-09T20:01:00.000-07:00

Doug and I were talking last night as we were trying to drift off to sleep...we got talking about the fact that his job with the pool company is ending in less than 5 months and we have nothing on the radar scope for a job in the ministry that he desires to be in...I was asking him what his "plan b" was if December rolls around and there is no job yet. He said he doesn't have a plan b...and we both sat there quietly and then I realized that I wasn't anxious about it. Big surprise for those of you that really know me. I worry about everything. When I told this to Doug, he said the same thing...though he doesn't tend to worry about things, when it comes to providing for his family he cares very much and is a planner and the fact that he has no plan SHOULD be making him lose his mind...or at the least, be putting out resumes to any place in Naples that is hiring...but, there is peace.

Not the kind of peace that we just expect a job to come knocking on our doorstep. Not the kind of peace that we just know God is going to provide the perfect job at the perfect timing...not the kind of peace that says "throw caution to the wind and be carefree"...but rather the kind of peace that is mentioned in Philippians 4:6-7. I can say that I am truly experiencing this and so is my husband and it's amazing. We have laid our petitions before God and believe that we are following the call that He put on Doug's life over 18 months ago when we sought hard after what it was Doug was "made" to do. I believe God has guarded our hearts and minds when it comes to being concerned about the future, just like He promises to do in these verses. I am not a scholar or a teacher of the Word of God. I haven't done my research on the surrounding verses and the context etc. of this particular passage. I know that God has told us to store up His Word in our hearts and He brings these particular passages to mind in times like these. I believe the Word is alive and speaks to us in particular times for specific purposes. Sometimes it might be in a deep study where the context is important and I believe other times it is for moments like this: Moments of wonder at how I'm laying here at peace with a very disturbing situation that is coming upon us very soon...and in my spirit, a verse that was memorized long ago (and is heard alot in church and other Christian circles) comes to life.

We are all living in the same times right now. We are hearing how terrible the economy is and so forth and even with all that, I'm not worried about what is to come. I believe God is speaking the truth when He says He will provide our daily bread. I don't particularly want to find myself IN that type of situation, but I believe what He says and I am not too proud to call upon those promises if need be, come December 31.

I know that Doug needs my support right now. I know it means the world to him that I am standing firmly with him during this awkward time in our lives. I sat wondering what might have come from our conversation if I had whispered "Doug, I'm really scared and I'm thinking you need to start looking for jobs, blah blah blah". I guess I was as surprised at Doug's peace as he was at mine.

Here are the verses:

Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Itchy!

2008-08-06T10:58:00.000-07:00

So, 2 weeks ago, my husband was grilling chicken for us for dinner..I love it when he does this. All I do is marinate the meat and he does all the work and it's wonderful :)
Anyway, so I'm watching him flip the meat and then he walks out the back lanai door to trim some bushes around a banana tree we have that has been overrun with weeds...I was getting annoyed because whenever he gets distracted cooking, it normally winds up that the chicken gets too dark and it's not so tasty. I picked up our house phone to call his cell to nag him about not forgetting to flip the meat but I decided I didn't want to be that nagging wife and if our chicken ended up burning...I could live with it. So, a bit later when he brought in a plate of very black chicken, I just smiled and we ate it.
Two days later, he breaks out in a rash...poison oak/sumac rash. It's definitely not poison ivy. He knows too well what that looks like based on past experience but he's admitted to not knowing about the other 2. Well, once again, I wanted to say to him "well, if you would just focus on grilling while you are grilling instead of weed-wacking, this wouldn't have happened" but again, I bit my tongue because I felt so sorry for him...He's had to go see our doctor and get all kinds of creams and drugs because it's blistering and oozing and completely nasty. It even took his appetite and for those of you that don't know, Doug can eat anytime, anyplace...even when he's sick. SO, I knew he was pretty bad.
Ok, well 2 weeks have passed and suddenly I'M breaking out in a rash. So, supposedly it's not contagious after the rash appears but in the beginning when he has the oils and stuff on him it is and that was in the first 2 days when we weren't aware of it...why it took 2 weeks for mine to start I have no idea but I'm NOT happy about it. It's nothing nearly as bad as his..mine aren't blistering and oozing so ..once again, I will not nag him. :) However, I guess when he reads this post he'll know...HAHA. (I LOVE YOU DOUG! You are the BEST hubby!) Anyway, the moral of this story is....stay away from poison ivy,oak, sumac. Duh.

Lisa

Daily Life

2008-07-30T19:52:00.000-07:00

Many of you have asked me "what do you do all day?" or "how do you get everything done"...so I thought I would post about my normal routine. Exciting huh?

I start my day at 6:30 when my husband comes in to pray with me. He wakes me up and I roll over and he prays for our family and our day and our needs and whatever else is on his mind. He is usually done and on his way to work by 6:45. I then lay there for another 15 minutes wishing I could drift back to sleep....I've decided to start getting up by 7 and having a quiet time because I'm realizing thru trial and error and also thru others that have gone before me that I can't possibly tackle my day without spending time with God first. If I don't, I wind up being a grump for a mom, a grouch for a wife...by 7:30 my kids are all awake. Lily, my oldest, knows she's not to come out of her room before 8am unless I come open her door. Holly and Sage are still in cribs so I hear them chattering away and hollering for me or crying depending on how full their diapers are or how completely starved they believe they are...

By 8:15 we are done with breakfast. I try to stay busy in the morning with "fun" stuff if possible whether that is a trip to the library or meeting friends to swim or play at the park... because by 11:30 we are home for lunch and Holly and Sage need naps and Lily needs to be doing school (or now that it's the summer and I'm pregnant, I usually nap and she entertains herself) but after naptime I am usually preparing dinner and doing chores around the house. Doug gets home from work fairly early compared to most guys and he likes to eat when he gets home so dinner in our house is usually around 4:30-5 and then we have family time. We go for walks or run errands together(which we like to do now so that I am not running around like a chicken with it's head cut off during the day) or sit and play in the sandbox or the kiddie pool that we have...simple things that don't require money or much thought for that matter. We just like to be together. Holly and Sage go to bed at 7pm and Lily is in bed by 8. Even when I was a single parent and working full time, I always put Lily to bed by 7. It seemed no matter what time I put her to bed, she was always up at the same time in the morning and kids these days don't seem to be getting the sleep they need. I realize there are many differing opinions about this but what annoys me is when people say "WHAT, you put your kids to bed that early????". I didn't realize it was so abnormal. But, it works for us and it keeps my kids healthy and happy for the most part so we are going to stick to what works. Doug and I also go to bed early compared to most folks...however, many nights I sneak out of the room when I hear him snoring because I still do have alot of "night owl" in me! It gives me time to blog or catch up on emails or read my book! I also enjoy making phone calls to my mom or sister who stay up late too!

So there is my "exciting" schedule. :) I love to sit and read books to my small kids. I enjoy baking and cooking things for my family. I like walking and talking with my husband while our kids are playing outside. These are things we "do" in our free time. I sell things on ebay mainly just for a hobby. I read my friends blogs so I can keep up with their....daily routines! I want to be an excellent wife, a gracious and loving mother, a best friend, a dependable volunteer, but mostly a faithful servant to God. In keeping with these goals, I find myself doing the above routines, trying to keep things in order of priority and not cluttering my life with things I can do without. I guess there isn't alot of excitement in it.....IF YOU AREN'T ME! I love my life!!!!

Lisa

2008-07-28T12:09:00.000-07:00

I have made several attempts over the years to start a blog. I have no idea why it's been so challenging for me to keep up with it. I love reading blogs, I am GREAT about keeping up with my facebook account and my flickr account...but now I feel the need to make this blog work. Why? Because I'm going to be the mommy to 4 very soon (our baby is due in November) and I already am not really able to spend time catching up with friends and family on the phone. During naptime when it's quiet, I spend the time reading or sleeping or just enjoying the quiet. I don't want to sit and jabber. My mouth wants to stay shut (unless I'm eating my lunch...it seems I can never eat my lunch during "lunchtime" for the kids...i'm too busy getting them what they need that I often just wait till naptime to sit and enjoy mine!) and I have found that I'm really in need of downtime where I'm not concentrating on what someone is talking to me about. If I don't get this time, I'm usually not too fun to be around the remainder of the day when naptime is over. I miss catching up with friends and hearing about their kids and husbands and what God is doing in thier lives, etc. I have enjoyed the blogs of many of my friends and it helps me stay in touch. When September rolls around, my quiet retreat during naptime will be filled with homeschooling my oldest daughter, Lily. She is entering 3rd grade, she's 8 years old and our 2-3 hour of quiet in the afternoon is our time to do school. It's extremely easy to punch out an email or publish a post. It takes me minutes to do either one and I can do it even when I have 3 children awake and hollering or singing or talking in my ear. It's quite a bit more difficult to have a phone conversation while this is going on. I have friends that do it but I am not wired that way. I need quiet in order to really concentrate on what someone is saying to me on the phone. I often wonder how people can sit and watch television while they are talking to me on the phone...I guess if it's just a constant noise that one is accustomed to hearing, it is not a big deal. So, all that to say, here I am, once again trying to get this blog off and running. I hope to figure out how to make it look more appealing (I think my wonderful older sister is going to be helpful in that area!) but if not, at least you'll have a place to come and read about my life and see what's new with us, if you care! I realize that making a blog invites many people into my life that normally wouldn't even know I exist but I'm really not concerned about that right now. Maybe I'll be able to be an encouragement to other moms out there...other homeschooling moms, other moms that are completely up to their ears in kids, other wives that want to love their husbands in a godly manner, other women who are trying to be good friends....

Thanks for stopping by!

Tic Tac...Toe?

2007-10-31T11:25:00.001-07:00

My sister, Rachel has been hounding me for years to start a blog....well, here you go.
Short and sweet for now until I get the hang of it....Enjoy.