Monday, December 20, 2010

Thats what little boys are made of.

Rolling down levee hills,
spitting on ant piles,
playing 'tag' with the dog,
peeing on trees, and
having their mom be QB over and
over and
over again....
that's what MY little boys are made of. :)

KaBoom Rocks!





Benches, picnic tables, walking path, and an awesome KaBoom playground.
What an awesome experience.
Im blown away by the KaBoom organization and
Im humbled by people near and far that came to help this all come together.
Im grateful for those that kept the kids entertained from 8am till 3pm and
Im impressed at the restaurants that donated food.
Im delighted to have had an opportunity to engage with neighbors this way.
It was a very cold day but that not only didn't stop us, we kept smiles on our faces through it all.
Today, we have professionals laying the padding on the slab.
A great Christmas present for Gentilly, dont you think? :)

(Lastly, shouting out to the neighbors that volunteered to be captain of a team or
those neighbors that gave of their time to be apart of weekly conference calls for the last month and a half....thank you, thank you, thank you!)

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

- A Really Good Find -


From Mandeville, you get on a bike trail for a little over 4 miles and run into a phenomenal playground. Did you catch that adjective? Seriously, it was impressive.
After you are done on the playground....


...you ride further down the trail, about another 4 miles, and run into a quaint town with a wonderful restaurant/brewery. The restaurant has large portions and since I don't care for beer,
we settled for root beer:)


Across the street from the restaurant is a very cool fountain that the boys played in. Do I even need to mention that they had a blast?


It was good family time. We sang, 'the ants go marching' to the ant piles. We talked about Brutas (another post for another day:) We watched dad relive his childhood by popping wheelies. We got to watch a giant dead tree get cut down. A good time! Even our bodies thanked us, but our butts had something else to say about it.
(I guess no family event can be absolutely perfect!)

Monday, November 22, 2010

Annie!





Canoeing on Bayou St. John


Once upon a time there were two brother, Iberville and Bienville.......this was an educational AND fun field trip for Athan and his class. The guides taught them some history on how New Orleans was founded, why we call it the Crescent City (the crescent of the river:), and they even had a treasure hunt where they found an "old" map that took them to some "treasure"!!!


Old ruins of the Spanish Fort


When I heard that 25 kids in Athan's class would be canoeing down Bayou St John, I was a bit apprehensive. In all honesty, I did not know where Bayou St John was! All it took was a little googling to find out that it was in our "backyard" Bayou St John runs along City Park into Lake Ponchatrain. (We drive next to it every day taking Athan to school) So, I was relieved that my child was not going to get swallowed up by any alligators!


They had a great time and made some great memories.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

I Heart Kindergarten


There is something so special to me about this year. It is a year where our babies become kids, and it is a year where they learn SO much in such a fun way! It is a book end to the many school years to come.


Alf and I got to go share in a Thanksgiving Feast with Aiden and his class yesterday. You can see in the pictures that they made center pieces, place mats, name tags, labels for the food, menus.....Things started off by the kids singing some cute songs and then we dined with two other kids and their parents. The company was enjoyable and the food was yummy!



I chose to bring something simple (veggie plate and corn). My favorite dish that was there was a "pizza" that was made completely from raw foods, even the crust! I am hearing more and more about this wonderful (but tasking) way of eating. Dont know if it is just new to me or it is new all around?


Anyway, look how cute!! The vest where they implemented pattern, shape and color. The head piece had feathers in the back and each one was a different color that symbolized something (red for kindness) and they had to earn their feathers. A bracelet that told the story of the pilgrims and indians! Yes, I did get him telling the story on video:) And of course the necklace that said - He who loves his Brother.
When we were coming home from school, he was trying to figure out what birds all the feathers came from. I had to explain to him that not ALL feathers these days come off a bird created by the hands of God:)
(The picture below is Aiden describing to daddy about the feathers)



Where is waldo??

Aiden is in the back standing up next to the tee pee!
His teacher is the lady to the left, with her assistant next to her. The lady on the right is a student teacher from Tulane that is with us for the semester. (His teacher reminds me of my Kindergarten teacher:)
I have had a wonderful time getting to volunteer in the class and going on field trips. It is an adorable group of kids! There was a kid that told me he wanted to be a paleontologist, one of the boys wants to be a football player (by the looks of his hands, he just might), a little girl in the class reminds me of punky brewster, and I have a serious crush on the red head - oh my goodness!


Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Sunday, November 7, 2010

45 Life Lessons

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste your time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It is more healing then crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is your brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come....

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up.

44. Yeild.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

I got this in an email from a neighbor. Supposedly, a 90 year old wrote this. To celebrate growing older, 45 lessons life taught her. Hope you enjoyed it!

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Go Saints!


Tonights the night, the ni-i-ight, o0O! We're going to make it right tonight... (Who sang that? Phil Collins?) Well, tonight is the night in New Orleans, Louisiana and hopefully we will make it right by winning our first season game. The festivities begin with a small parade strolling through downtown at 5 - with the players on the floats, then the game starts at 7. Lest we not forget the concert that will be taking place in the downtown square tonight as well - Craziness!!

These pictures were taken at the third preseason game in which we were very fortunate to go to recently. Tonight, I am happy to say that we will be watching the game in the comfort of our own home:) Athan actually got a hold of my camera and took a lot of fun pictures. I have spared you from the plethora of Drew Brees Pictures!

I talk my sweet Aiden into going to such events as a family by bribing him with cotton candy, $4 cotton candy, that is! It is truly what he lives for when he is at such events. Wonder if he will ever love the sport, or be like me, and just deeply love the PEOPLE that love the sport. Well, Im sort of leaving something out....I love the music at the games - hee,hee!


So, if I were to be a Debbie Downer in this post, I would the enormous amount of traffic that will take place, the numerous streets that will be closed, the schools that are getting out at 2 so the buses can avoid the madness and get kids home safe.....but I am not going to mention such things. Oh wait, I just did! So sorry, I just cant leave that stuff out.
Ok everyone, now go get your black and gold on (even if the heat index will be 105 today) and wear it proud! And remember, it is not Who Dat any more - it is Two Dat baby!

Monday, September 6, 2010

Athan gets Baptized...finally!!!



When looking at these pictures, you are just going to have to imagine your looking at in rewind mode! Anyway, we are so happy for Athan. He has wanted to do this for the last year. I didn't mean to put it off for so long, but I'm glad it worked out the way it did. It was a beautiful night, and a time for our church plant to worship through baptism for the first time. A sweet time!







As a family earlier that day, we talked about baptism and what its significance is. Alf used the passage, Romans 6: 1-14 where it talks about being buried with Christ through baptism (the dunking part:) then being raised up with Christ (coming up from the water.) It is a beautiful way to proclaim that we have received the gift, the gift of God's eternal grace. I am filled with joy that Athan is choosing to take the step of faith and proclaiming it to others. He chose to tell everyone at the baptism that he wants to follow Jesus and recited his favorite verse, Proverbs 3:5 and 6. You go, boy!!!

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Seafood Lasagna

Saute 1 bell pepper, 1 onion, 3 stalks of celery, and some green onions in a stick of butter for about 20 min.
Add crawfish tails, shrimp, and crab meat (imitation crab meat is fine.)
Also, add cream of mushroom soup
Now you have you MIX.

Take a 9 by 13 pan and begin by putting the lasagna noodles down, then the MIX, then mozzarella sliced cheese, then noodles again, MIX again, and top with grated cheddar cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 min.

A very easy recipe (that you can even make ahead of time) with fairly pricey ingredients. So you might want to save this for a special occasion.

EnJOY!!!

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Family Reunion

Alf is the oldest of four!

Things began to get exciting when Alf's brother, Ronnie, called us a couple years ago to tell us that he was going to turn himself in, in hopes of eventually having family again and living a somewhat normal life. We had not heard from Ronnie in years (maybe five or more.) The last time we had seen him was at his five yr old daughters funeral. Alf would occasionally look in the obituaries b/c no one we knew had heard from him.

Having contact with him now, Alf continued conversation with him. During his time in jail Ronnie would call to keep us posted on court stuff, share with us things he was learning, and would sometimes have a few needs. We did what we could to let him know we love him and would try to encourage him. His time was shortened so now two years later he is a free man. He has his girlfriend, a three and a half yr old daughter they share, and his girlfriends eight yr old daughter - neither of them allow him much personal space:)
We would hear regularly from other family members how Alf's sister and half brother (Theresa and Jerry)were doing. We never looked in obituaries for them:) We knew they were around taking care of each other, they simply did not have much to do with family.....for a looooong time (maybe seven years.) The last time I saw her was at their grandmothers funeral.
For Alf and I, moving back to New Orleans has not been to just plant a church. It has been to reconnect with his siblings again. B/c of facebook, Jerry and Theresa found Alf and we immediately jumped on the opportunity to see them since we now live near them.
Tomorrow will be a week that Ronnie has been out of jail. So one evening this past week, we had the privilege of having him (and girlfriend and kids) and Theresa over for dinner. (Jerry chose not to make it in fear of being late to work.) It was a good time. We sat around talking about how other family members were doing and listened to Ronnie and Theresa reminisce about some of the past (like when they were 13 and 15, Ronnie stepped in to help Theresa from getting beat up by a group of girls.)
The kids had a blast on the slip-n-slide outside, playing basketball, eating sugar cookies, etc.
I hope that this is the beginning of many more evenings with them!
It has been interesting to hear all of their perspectives of childhood. They all grew up together in one house but have very different views of how life was. A lot of it has to do with the age differences, some of it has to do with choices made. Ronnie, his girlfriend, and I had a brief time of talking about how Alf's life panned out and why he is not in many of the memories that Ronnie and Theresa share.
Why God chose to pull Alf away from it when He did, we do not know. We live in HOPE and FAITH that God, as he has been doing, will continue to show His immeasurable love and do more then we can ask or imagine in this life. May I trust Him in every step. I love Alf AND the family that came with him:)

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Look! Look! Look!



It came, we saw, and it flew away. It was beautiful.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Receiving End


I have been on the receiving end this year, in many ways. These particular pictures are of the boys enjoying a camp that took place at a park down the street from us. The group that did the camp was from Alabama. They came here to do mission work. Little did they know that they would minister to someone in ministry. They were such nice people and glad to do it. The boys had a fantastic time and made friends with a little boy that lives near by!

As I was benefiting this day from mission work, my husband was out facilitating another mission team in town. During the summer, fall breaks, and spring breaks you start to notice "church buses"on the streets or large groups in restaurants around the city.
It is an amazing change that has taken place in this city, post Katrina.

Friday, July 30, 2010

Caterpillars and Zinnias

When watering the bushes last night I found some pets for the kids! Having done a little homework, I just need to keep them fed and clean their poop and with time we shall see butterflies (fingers and toes crossed).
Athan named his caterpillar - Athan. Guess what Aiden named his caterpillar? Yep.

The simple pleasures of our backyard this summer. I decided to plant zinnia seeds for the first time and was successful! (dont ask me about the vegetables I tried to plant:) Anyway, here is a bouquet I picked for my sister-n-law....

Saturday, May 1, 2010

book, book, books


We are wrapping up our school year (three weeks left!!!) And before I pack away our books I thought I would record for myself some of the wonderful books we read this year. Feel free to look through the list and one may inspire you to sit down and read to your child.

Missionary Stories with the Millers by Mildred A. Martin. What a wonderful book! I would recommend this book to any family. It has a bunch of really short stories of different missionaries from all over the world that encounter very adventurous and challenging obstacles to overcome. God is in all of it! (each of the stories is based on an actual happening from the lives of real people.)

Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater. This book at times really got the boys giggling. A very unrealistic event that is fun to imagine.

Mrs. Piggle Wiggle by Betty MacDonald. A lady that lives in an upside down house that the children are all attracted to. Mothers in the neighborhood seek Mrs. Piggle Wiggle's advice on ailments such as there child hates taking baths, or eats way to slow. Mrs Piggle Wiggle cures them all!

A Child's History of the World by Virgil M. Hillyer. A Fantastic book to read with your child! It is such an easy read. It is a lot to read (600 pgs) but it is a survey of the world's history where you can refer to it and fit it into further historical studies. It really brings those stories told in sunday school more of a reality (I loved that the most)

Charlotte's Web by E.B.White. Must I say it? This one is one of the first we read and it captivated them. Almost made us cry...almost:)

Follow My Leader by Garfield. This was a great book to educate the boys on what it is like to be blind. A great story of a boy becoming blind as a child, getting a blind dog, and thriving in the world despite his obstacles.

Greek Myths / Usborne. I was dreading this book at first, even joked with Alf about taking care of this one. It proved me wrong. We even acted out some of these stories and had a blast doing them. I think our favorite was the Myth of Icarus and Daedalus. It allowed for wonderful imagination.

Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher. It took some time to get into this one but so glad I trudged on. I may have learned more from this book then the boys did:) How to help your kid think for themselves, to work hard, and the value of responsibility.

The Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong. Making dreams come true.

Lastly, many of the science and history books came form Usborne. Highly enjoyed the beautiful pictures and the amount of information that was covered.

Almost forgot! Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. I had the privilege of helping my five year old learn how to read this year. There are not many things in life that top that! What a joy it was. If I can do it, you can too!

Sunday, April 25, 2010

LOL!

Not that you can go on and on about my kids, but that I know how as parents that we can go on and on about our children.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

My Jewels


"One day a very rich Roman woman was visiting C
ornelia and showing off all her rings and necklaces and other ornaments, of which she had, she asked to see Cornelia's jewels. Cornelia called to her two boys, who were playing outside, and when they came in to their mother she put her arms around them and said: "These are my jewels." But...."
A Child's History of the World by Hillyer

Who is this Cornelia? She was the daughter of Scipio. Who is Scipio? Scipio played a huge part in defending Rome which in part made Rome 'the new champion of the world.' This all took place around 100 B.C.

First of all, isn't history great?! Secondly, do you wake up in the mornings and think that your children are the finest jewels you own?

I am so thankful for my boys. They teach me so much about life and about myself. Over time my love for them has grown stronger and deeper. (Even having them home with me this year 24/7:) When they were babies we had dedications for them. My kids are a gift from God and dedicating them is a way of mentally giving them back to God, expressing to God that I will raise them for His glory and trusting God in the plans He has for them. Recently, dealing with some life stuff, not only was I struggling to trust God in the circumstance but it dawned on me that the root of it was that I was not trusting Him with my children's lives. When I realized this, it was as if some fog had cleared.

What material jewels teach you patience? self-control? or how to love well (not just mushy love)? to completely rely on the One that is ultimately in control. We are in a place of trying to connect with others around us. My oldest is holding me accountable to this (not even knowing it.) He has a list of neighbors that he wants to have over for dinner (mostly people without children) and it is to the point that he annoys me about it. But I am thankful b/c he motivates me. It is neat to see how God is using them.

Now, the real point to the story of Cornelia's sons was that Rome had gotten to a place where the poor were getting poorer and the rich were getting richer. Her 'jewels' saw the misery of the poor and in trying to do something about it, the rich got rid of them. Thankfully we don't live in Roman times anymore!

I could go off on how I love my 'jewels' (and so could you:) but I will close for now. Be thankful today for the JOY that they bring to life! (don't focus on the exhaustion - ha, ha!)


Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Intimacy vs. Reverence

What is on my mind this morning is a lesson our cute little church plant discussed a couple weeks ago. Are we intimate with God? Do we give Him the reverence He deserves? Do we have a healthy balance of the two?
Intimacy is something much easier for me to grasp then reverence...these days...most days. Intimately, I talk to God about anything. I love that I have the freedom to go to Him and praise Him, thank Him, but even wrestle things out with Him. He is my Father. His love is pure, unchanging, and eternal. I go to Him confidently knowing He is always there.
There are quite a few things that just have not gone the way I would have liked in the last few months, so I have been wrestling a bit with God. A devotion I read this morning has opened my eyes to my lack of reverence...

You trust me when things go well, when you see Me working on your behalf. This type of trust flows readily within you, requiring no exertion of your will. When things go wrong, your trust flow slows down and solidifies. You are forced to choose between trusting me intentionally or rebelling: resenting My ways with you.

Friends, that word resenting really stood out to me this morning. I have truly been resenting God. It hurts me deeply that I would be so...humanly frail. (sigh) God deserves my reverence. God is holy. He is right. He is good. He is powerful and mighty. I go to him and proclaim who God is but sometimes deep down I just don't believe it. Sometimes I feel like He is screwing things up. Has anyone else felt this way?! This morning, I go to Him with pain but also joy. Pain, b/c I realize how frail I can be and I don't give Him the reverence that He deserves. Joy, b/c he is gentle and gracious to me in spite of my flaws. May I, with Gods graciousness and power, practice a healthier balance of intimacy and reverence.

Psalm 34
"I will extol the Lord at ALL times; his praise will ALWAYS be on my lips ... I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears ... The angel of the Lord ENCAMPS around those who fear Him ... Taste and see that the Lord is GOOD ... those who seek the Lord lack no good thing ... The Lord redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in Him."

Saturday, April 3, 2010

The simple things of life...


Eli, the farmer


Pumping water down a half pipe to make a rubber ducky go is hours of entertainment!



Eli eating one before he goes for another one :)


Strawberry Pickin'


The boys both really got into it and could not wait to eat them.


(these pics are all backwards!)
Ms Heather told a story of how you grow strawberries. She has Aiden, Zach, and Sam's attention. Athan and Eli prefer to look at each other.


Mrs. Melissa (who came up with the idea to pick strawberries), Crystal and all the boys.