Hey, a little more Coney

This is my all time favorite... well, there's so many but I do love this one too.

Thanks again, Kiki..

Conan

Thank you my sister for finding this. I know that there is at least one other person who reads this who is in love with Conan. Enjoy!

Pray loud!

Whatever you are doing right now, just stop look at this picture of these precious babies. They need your prayers. They both are struggling right now with serious issues. They have bleeding in the brain, and have a long way to go before we can rest easy. Please, right now, say a prayer for them, and their wonderful Mommy and Daddy who are going through so much hurt and confusion right now.

We love you guys so much and we're claiming God's promises.

Service above self

This was one of the key points in yesterday's sermon at our church.
As I was listening totally and gleaning insight from the message, my husband was obviously not taking this time seriously...

He said that if I had been an apostle at the last supper, Jesus would have cut his hands on my toenails as he washed my feet, and been so ticked off that he would have just said, "forget it." "forget the whole thing".

Of course my husband is a big kidder, that's why I married him.

I guess I need my annual pedicure...

Worth a thousand

They are here and they're grrrreat.

The special additions(s) to our church family arrived last night. Check out my link to the rights to learn more about the quads, and their family, and birth.

Praises!

Pray!

The quads are coming today people. As of right now, I don't know the specifics, but they are coming at any minute. Please, please, pray for them!

Ding Ding...

That's the sound that the girls have been waiting for. Me, falling, sweaty, and beaten down, onto the mat. Whew. Who knew that three little girls could be so vicious to each other? I don't think I've ever encountered a more contentious environment than perhaps, the backseat of my minivan...

Kayleigh "Get your legs off of me"

Taylor" NO! I'm stretching them out, and they look pretty"

Kayleigh: "Well, they're hurting me, and I'm moving them"

Taylor: "No you're not, or I'm going to knock you out"

Kayleigh: "MoooooM, Taylor is threatening me"

Ella: "BE QUIET, YOU'RE HURT MY EARS!"

Me: "Girls, be quiet or there's no computer time for you this afternoon"

(Girls keep yelling amongst themselves barely fazed by my attempt at threatening)

Baxter: "Hey, guys, listen to your Mother!"

Girls in Unison: "Okayyyyy"

30 seconds later...

Taylor: "Now you get your legs off me Kayleigh"....

I don't know why this is happening to me, but it's been like this constantly for the last week or so. It's always a variation of this, and no it's not just in the car. It's over toys, food, the television. Baxter is just about as put out with them as I am. We've gone through phases like this before, and what we have to do is just be super consistent with our punishment, but dang if it doesn't make us just want to go in our room and lock the door and let them just fight it out like we didn't even hear them. Then, we'll obviously congratulate the last one standing.
You know, I think I'm going to invent a time out room for them with some nice pink rubber walls. And then maybe one for myself too...

Band Geek

Last night, I went to the Dallas Wind Symphony with one of my best friends, Holly. After my experience, I've got to tell you, the musician in me was screaming to be let out.

Although it's been ten years since I've been a member of any musical group where I've performed, I realized that I'm not used to being in the audience watching while other musicians perform for me. It was a different experience, and while at first I focused a lot on watching the musicians do what I used to do. i.e. (blow air through my horn in the few bars before I come in, subtle goof offs during the rests, horn swaying when something awesome happens in the music). Yes, I'm a band geek. I love sitting in the middle of the music. It really does sound different when you're in the middle rather than sitting in the audience. You feel the rhythm with all the other musicians and you become one giant musical machine. And all the sounds around you are so rich and they fill you up. It's hard to explain, but there is nothing, absolutely nothing, like it.
I did eventually relax and just enjoy the beauty of the music and appreciate the talent of those performing.
I don't think I'll ever get back to being able to join a group like that again, maybe when the children are older, we'll see. But for now, reliving my memories is almost enough.

If you've never gone to see this group perform, I highly reccomend it. It was also a (rare) great mid-week outing for me. Thanks Holly!

It will not change me!

I will not follow my government's example and try to get more money in my family's bank account by going out and going on a spending spree with Visa. When has that ever worked? I will not avoid my bad decisions by sweeping them under a rug and forgetting they ever happened, and I will not put all my hope in someone on this earth to make everything okay.

I will not allow this bunch of half brained, corrupt, short visioned, dummies to affect how I spend my life. I cannot believe what is happening in this country this year, but I will plunge forward, confident in the fact that I am guided, not by a political agenda, not by the pursuit of money, but by a Savior. I am loved, protected, and comforted. I will do what I can to love others like I want to be loved, and I will use my energy in a constructive manner glorifying God. That is all I can do, and all I can control. I will teach my children to TAKE RESPONSIBILITY for their own actions, and to learn from their consequences and to cling to God at all times good and bad.

Jesus loves you, there's nothing you can do about it.
That's my new mantra.

Relevance in my old age.

I hit the point where I'll officially call myself "old". I figured this out around last year when I realized I don't know more half of what is playing on the radio the "kids" listen to these days.

I mean, hey, I try. I throw a little MTV on when my kids are in bed and I watch "My Super Sweet 16". (Boy, has MTV changed since I used to spend all day watching "Real World" marathons and listening to ... well, my mind is drawing a blank because apparently the music I listened to was just as forgettable as what I hear on the radio today. But I digress) I'll throw on Power FM when I'm driving around with the teens from youth in the car, although I'm not able to scream along with them or bang my head into the air like I used to. (Boy can you get a sore neck the next day)...
So, I wonder, how do you stay culturally relevant when you are past the point of being able to enjoy any of these things. I don't wanna be old. I want to be able to ignore the mediocrity in the music that I'm listening to, and just enjoy it because everyone else does. And I want to overlook the ridiculousness of a 16 year old getting a brand new hummer for her birthday because she saw it and it was "oh ma gohsh" so pretty. And please, let me go back to being able to stay up till 4 am and not having axe murderous tendencies the next day... I can't handle these lock ins anymore...

But there you have it. I have to admit it. I am (deep breath) old. I guess my love for discipling teens will have to keep me young. And I can live vicariously through them. But can I stay culturally relevant in the process? And how?

Fitness and accountability post 1

So, I just ran (with spurts of wheezing and walking) 3 miles...

I'm on my way!

Goal and accountability

In the 4 seconds I have right now to spend blogging while the children are entertaining themselves, since I've almost reach my ideal goal weight, I just wanted to publicly post a blog about my fitness and fitness goals. I want to..

1. Make the gym a more consistent routine than I have in the last month.
2. Be super fit by the end of the spring.(this means running in 5 mile stretches)
3. Encourage at least 2 more people to get active and healthy.

Now, although having a six pack set of abs will look incredibly strange with all my pregnancy stretchmarks, it doesn't mean I can't still dream about it.