A Jordan Update...

I have been meaning to announce the following...

Jordan finally lost her first tooth! 

She was eating an ice cream sandwich (of all things!) on March 29th and loudly exclaimed, "It's out!".  She had been watching the loose tooth for weeks with GREAT anticipation.  I love to hear her make "s" sounds now.  :)  She asked me if she could sing that tooth song at Christmas now that it was gone, lol.  (All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth)



Just wanted to share the news.  :)

Ashes, Shoes, and a Toddler...

You know the scene in Cinderella where she's singing while she gracefully washes the massive terrace floor?  There's a place near the end of her song where you see Lucifer, the mean cat, as he comes in to listen to her at first, then he spots the big pile of dirt Cinderella had just swept up and left in a neat pile by the broom.  He gets an evil look on his face and sticks his paw in it, and then proceeds to destroy her beautifully washed floor by jumping around with his dirty paws. 

Well, I kind of felt like Cinderella last night when Rachel rushed in to tell me that Ellie had gotten something (she didn't know what) all over the den.  I walked in and saw mounds of old ashes from the fireplace dumped... not sprinkled, dumped... ALL over the den.  From the clean clothes I had just folded on the couch (which most were then unfolded and on the floor), to her daddy's favorite recliner, to the loveseat, and all in the carpet, there were piles and smears of black ash.  She had apparently figured out that her pink Buster Brown shoes could also double as shovels, so she deiced to play Ellie-the-bulldozer.

Needless to say, we spent the next half hour or so vacuuming and cleaning up.

As I was taking all those freshly washed clothes back to the laundry room, I thought to myself, "This will be one of those stories I will tell her about when she's older and has a mischievous child of her own."  I tried to smile.  Emphasis on the word tried.  She was also quick to say, "Mommy, I sorry.  It was a a-see-dint."  Yeah.  Accident, my foot. 

I just wanted to share this with you fellow parents out there.  And if you have an open fireplace and a bored toddler... well, you may wanna keep it cleaned out really well when it's not in use.  :)

Enduring the Night

The first thing God created was the morning.

He spoke into a vast nothingness of an endless black void, into a place that had never seen any color or shape, into what was quite possibly devoid of heat or warmth of any kind, and the first recorded words of God split the quiet of  what had been up to that point an eternal, dark night...

"Let there be light."

He forever separated the darkness from the light, and it was good.  What was good?  His beautiful creation.  What does this tell us?  From the very beginning, the night had to come first.  It's kind of like God's answer to the age old question, "Which came first; the chicken or the egg?".  Only it has to do with something much more important than a delicious bird.  The night has to come before the morning.  It's just the way it's always been.

I could go deep into this subject, but instead I just wanted to plant a seed in your minds, dear readers.  Think about it sometime.  Your night has to come before your morning, but your morning IS coming... it has to.  Since the dawn of time there has always been an answer to each nightfall, and it's called daybreak.  There has never been an endless night, although we've all been through what seemed like an endless night, no doubt.  The darkness will leave, and the morning sun will shine again.

I had an inspiration for this thought.  It's a verse God has laid heavy on my heart the past few weeks.  It's found in Psalm 30:5, "For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning."

You're not alone in your dark time, and it won't last forever.  Always remember, the first thing He ever made was the morning.  Whatever it is that you may be going through, just hold on...

here comes the dawn.

  

"Repeat" and be Baptized!

My second little girl, Jordan Elisabeth, was baptized in the precious name of Jesus two Sundays ago, January 27th!  Words can't express how proud of her I have been over the past few weeks.  She is only 6 years old, but her understanding of the Scriptures is enough that she comprehends the need for water baptism in Jesus' name.  I believe we all need a little more of that child-like faith Jesus spoke of in the Bible.  We don't need years of study and more degrees than a thermometer to simply understand the need for Salvation.  Jordan has been taught this truth from infancy, and she decided on her own that she needed to "repeat" (as she first called it) and be baptized in Jesus' name.  We asked her a few more questions to gauge her understanding of the subject, because we as parents don't want our children to just mimic and go through the motions.  We want them to comprehend.  There was no doubt that she understood, so we set the date!

During this time, her father and I were in the middle of a Daniel's Fast as part of our church-wide corporate 21 days of fasting and prayer. (see www.ultimatedanielfast.com).  Our girls had been watching us, taking notice of the fact that we were not eating and drinking the same things they were and they had lots of questions.  Rachel, our oldest daughter (8), asked specifically why people fast and pray, and after we had a talk about it at the dinner table she told us that she wanted to fast and pray for her sister to receive the Holy Ghost. (see Acts chapter 2)  Jordan was also listening, and she wanted to participate as well.  So the next day she and Jordan, of their own free will, chose to forgo breakfast with the main purpose of Jordan receiving the Holy Ghost.  I can't tell you how that made me feel.  I don't think I have ever been any prouder as a mother than at that very moment.

 Here are a few more pictures...

   

She was so small, we had to use a metal chair for her to stand on.  :)

 

On a side note, Jordan was baptized in the very same homemade dress that Rachel was baptized in.  It was first intended for a Bible character costume made for Rachel by my husband's grandmother (AKA "Bikkie").  I thought it was sweet.  :)

They had been playing dress-up with it among their other play clothes, but I have now pulled it out of the box and put it away.  Maybe we'll baptize Ellie in it in a few more years.  :)

Jordan is presently seeking the Holy Ghost, and we pray she will be filled with God's Spirit very soon!

Stinky Business

Forgive me, dear readers; but I had to share one of my proudest mommy moments.  My youngest, Eliana ("Ellie"), just had a major victory.  She finally "stinkied" in the potty for the very first time, lol.  Yes, I am posting this on my blog.  :)  No words of wisdom, no deep thoughts, no lessons learned that can impact my life in a major way today, nothing humorous (other than the fact that I actually posted this).  Just me being me.  I am Mommy.  And I am a proud mommy.  :)  Yay, Ellie!!

Chalkboards in the Morning

It seems as though I haven't had any inspiration for a "year in review" post.  Yes, much has happened.  And yes, there are many goals I have in mind for the year ahead.  But unlike last year, I don't have the desire to do a month by month walk back in time.  Last year was quite different; our lives had completely changed.  This time, I prefer to keep my thoughts tucked away about 2012.  Besides, those closest to me who actually read my blog know the main highlights anyway.

To wrap it all up in one neat, little bundle that I could stuff in a tiny shell and send zooming over the information highway directly to your screen:  God is merciful.  That's all that really matters.  His mercy is from everlasting to everlasting, mercies that are fresh and new each morning.  When day breaks the darkness of night and the sky awakens slowly from pitch black to a hazy gray to a beautiful light blue.  His mercy likewise changes the color of our heart's horizon.  And as sure as the sunrise, as sure as the kiss of dew on each blade of grass, as sure as dawn of another day, we are given the most valuable prize ever won:  the chance to try again.

My Dad once made what I believe to be one of the most awesome points I've ever heard on mercy.  Remember when soda companies first started the trend of prizes won under the cap or at the bottom of the can?  So many times we read over and over, "Please try again", to which my Dad taught that was the greatest prize we could ever win in our lifetime:  the chance to try again. 

I am reminded of my old 4th grade classroom chalkboard.  It was actually several huge chalkboards fitted together that covered an entire wall.  Mrs. Harris chose a student at the end of each school day, right before the last recess, for the coveted (yes, coveted) job of washing the boards.  The lucky student would go fill the old tin bucket with soap and water, and with a huge, over-sized sponge he or she would wash clean all the writings and lessons of the day.  I have no idea why it was such a desired occupation rather than going outside to the playground for that last spin on the merry-go-round with the boom box blaring in the center, that last game of kick ball with Principal Wood, that last swing on the swing set while singing to the top of one's lungs, that last opportunity to catch a yellow jacket in the half drank can of grape soda.  I waited and waited for what seemed like an eternity to my 8 year old mind for my chance to wash the boards.  Finally, it came.  I was never so happy to clean something.  (How I wish I still felt that happiness while doing housework!)  I dipped that giant sponge in the pail of tepid, sudsy water, stepped up onto the stool designated for the washer, and from top to bottom, all the way from one side of the wall to the other, I wiped clean every mark.

 Forgive my simple mind, but I see each new year like that chalkboard.  I think that the prospect of washing it all clean should be exciting, something to look forward to, to be happy about while we're doing it.  I also believe that the start of a brand new year is the perfect time to do a little soul searching, a little praying, a little fasting.  It only makes sense to me to do these things as the precious gift of the "chance to try again" is set before us.  Let the water of the Word wash you clean.  Detoxify your physical and spiritual self in a good fast.  Spend the dawn of each new day (beautifully painted with that fresh mercy!) on your knees in prayer before the rest of the world wakes up around you.

So once again, I find myself on that step stool at the chalk board, damp sponge in hand, the powdery scent of chalk in the air (because there's a lot on the board), and a smile on my face.  I'm remembering the past year I see written before me.  I see lots of laughter, lots of tears, a few achievements, a few mistakes, lessons learned, and a ton of blessings I could have never deserved.  So many memories.  Some I never want to forget, others I wish I could.  And through it all, another year of my life gone forever, there is one beautiful constant:  My God stayed the same.  The same He will be today, the same He will be tomorrow.  I take hold of my gift, and I start washing the slate clean, yet again.  I claim my prize brought with another new year wrapped in new mercy.

I will try again.

            

Bridges and Gates

On the ride home from our annual family check-ups, my husband and I were talking about what we usually talk about more than any other topic:  our three girls.  You parents know how it works.  Just about anytime you and your spouse are able to talk about anything without much interruption, no matter how far away from the subject of children the conversation starts, you inevitably end up talking about the kids somehow.  No getting around it, it's just the way it goes.  But this time, the subject went a little deeper than normal.  The topic shifted to innocence and how easily it can be lost in the most unexpected places.

As parents, we can try so hard to protect our children from outside influences, from harmful situations, from dangerous scenarios.  But so many times, we tend to overlook what should be one of the most obvious sources of innocence lost:  animated films.  No, this is not a blog post harping on the horrors of TV; though in my opinion, it isn't worth rummaging through the trash in order to find a piece of cake so to speak.  But how easy is it these days to plop our little ones down in front of a screen, pop in (or flip to) a "good cartoon", and then walk away to do other things?

My husband pointed out the fact that it seems like a lot of parents think that anything animated is perfectly acceptable for young eyes to watch.  But let me ask you this:  Have you ever sat down to watch one of these films or cartoons and found yourself laughing at a scene more than your kids?  Why is that?  Because a lot of the time, the content is more mature than we realize.  Way too many DVDs and network episodes, all supposedly for kids, have more adult humor in them than we really realize.

Innocence is one of the most precious gifts we are ever given as children.  But once it's gone, it's gone...forever.  My dad once wrote a poem for me as a then 15 year old girl.  He wrote about how my innocence was priceless.  I can't quote the poem from memory, but one of its phrases will forever remain imprinted upon my mind.

...that bridge is crossed, then burned.

Parents, we have one shot—just one shot—at doing our best to get it right with our kids while they are still young.  Every birthday we celebrate marks another year gone that we will never get back with them.  You know as well as I do how quickly the time zooms past us.

Imagine with me, if you will, our children's innocence as bridges.  These bridges connect to many other bridges that lead to many, many places.  Now imagine those bridges sealed off by strong iron gates...gates with locks...intended to be opened at a later time but that need to remain closed for now.

Mom and Dad, we are the gatekeepers.

When we expose our children to new things, we unlock the gates.  Then, they can cross over.  Once crossed, the bridges are never again operational.  They serve their purpose no matter how prematurely they were crossed.  Then, they are burned.  These bridges are one-way bridges.

I understand that children can be exposed to horrible things from which parents can not always protect them.  We live in a sick, dark world full of sin and perversion.  Innocence can be stolen.  But what I'm talking about today are the things that we as parents CAN control.

The next time you have the chance to watch a cartoon or film with your kids, take a closer look.  Pay attention to the seemingly innocent jokes and humor.  Some things are truly funny that make all of us laugh, and that's great and can be a bunch of fun.  But take notice if there are any times that you laugh, smile, roll your eyes, or "get a joke", that your children don't.  There's a reason for that.  It wasn't on their level, or it shouldn't have been.

Pay attention to the images, as well.  These worlds may seem fantastic to you, but they are much more real to your little ones than you realize.  Would you let them watch the very same thing if it were not animated?  Would you let them watch the very same thing in real life?

You as an adult have already lost your innocence.  They haven't.  Hold the keys.  Guard the gates.  Shield the children.  Stand in front of those gates until the day comes when the time is right to step aside.  I challenge you today.

Be the gatekeeper.