The Unlovely

    Recently I've been doing a Bible study about Jesus. I've been a believer so long that I had lost some of the wonder and awe that Jesus deserves, so I decided to do this study in hopes that I could get a fresh, more intimate and deeper love for my Savior. I'm halfway through the study and have been so blessed by it already. Jesus was fully God, which isn't hard to forget, but He was also fully man, which is so easy to say but hard to comprehend. He felt what we feel; loneliness, sadness, temptation, joy, laughter, etc. It's been so fun to go through the book of Luke and really camp on the man-ness of Christ.
    The Bible study is by Beth Moore, so we have daily homework (which is sometimes a challenge to get to with the boys) and then a video session with a group every week. Last week's video really convicted me. She was talking about Jesus going to the other side of the lake, where he calmed the storm in route. (Side note: some commentaries say that the storm was sent by satan in order to keep Jesus from coming to where the demon possessed man was...like he had a chance of stopping Jesus...anyway it's so interesting to find out more than just the words on the page.) Back to the video: she was saying that at times we have to go to the 'other side' to share Jesus and make a difference. The thing that got me was when she said that our American churches are too beautiful. Not the buildings, but the people inside. We want our church congregations to be beautiful and that is not the church that Jesus built while on this earth. Beautiful is not just physical...it means we want our churches to be filled with people who are good looking, have enough money, don't have any real big problems that we have to deal with, do good things, have no big skeletons in their closets, etc. As I sat there listening I was so convicted because I do have tendencies that make me want a beautiful church. If I'm honest with myself I do want the church that is described above; the beautiful, and not the unlovely.

     But when you look at Scripture you see that Jesus didn't bring in all of the beautiful people into his church while on earth. He brought in a woman who 'lived a sinful life', people with all forms of ailments and deformities, tax collectors, formerly demon possessed people and others with all sorts of unlovely attributes and pasts. We've heard this all before but when I really meditated on this and related it to my life and the present church (which we are meant to do with all scripture - none of it is outdated) I realized just how much I don't reach out to or welcome the unlovely. Since that Bible study I've been praying for Jesus to tender my heart to those culture would deem unlovely and to make me a true disciple of Jesus that is drawn to those who are hurting instead of those who can help me with my hurts (which are so shallow).

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- His good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2
    
      The point to all of this is that God has been tendering my heart and even today He used to examples to help change my perspective and view. The first was in Walmart. I had the boys and was trying to get a few things in my basket before the good moods wore off. We were picking out a dog toy and this man walked up to us and looked at Ace, commenting on how cute he was. He was a little unkempt, with longer hair, scruffy beard and several tattoos. The flesh in me wanted to polietly say thank you, do a judgement in my mind and move on. (I'm being honest here...so much in my heart that needs to change I know). But then the Spirit seemed to stop me and open my eyes. There was this man who stopped to compliment my baby and say sweet things. He looked at Ace and told me about his 5 children, 2 boys and 3 girls and said he's ready for some grandchildren now that they were older. I found myself really enjoying this little conversation and really listening instead of just nodding and smiling. As he walked away he say "Y'all be blessed" then paused and said "Actually you already are." My heart melted as I replied "Yes! I am very blessed."

     On a high from the encounter and the fact that we made it out of Walmart without a fit, we continued on to the Post Office. While we were waiting in line a couple of people walked in behind us. One was a man that had some sort of special needs. He immediately started talking to us, asking Cooper to shake his hand (which he did), and commenting on Cooper's baseball shirt. We chatted a little while in line, and as we left he waved by and told Cooper to take care of his mama. I said he would and we waved back. As I got into the car I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed at God's grace to send me not only one, but two truly beautiful people to show me what kind of Kingdom He's building. Not a kingdom filled with people who have it all together and live the American dream, but people who truly Love others and no matter what their circumstances are joyful and happy because they have Jesus...because they need Jesus. Only when we view ourselves as the poor and unlovely people that we are will we be truly open to the love, mercy, grace and abundant life that Jesus offers. I pray that I see myself in a correct light so that Jesus can use all of my weaknesses to make Himself more evident.

"Jesus said to them, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners." Mark 2:17

     I'm going to continue to pray for Jesus to put more of the culturally unlovely people in my life so that I can see their beauty through His eyes. I'm also praying that doors will be opened for me to minister to those people that God loves so much. Also, I pray that our church will be filled with people who are beautiful to Christ even if they aren't to today's culture. I finally get the verse below and can start to appreciate the big forgiveness that God shows to those who've sinned big...instead of feeling cheated because they get the same end result with less 'good behavior' (I'm embarrassed to say that I have thought like that, but again, I'm being totally honest here about my tendencies...my heart still has lots of changing to do) Just seeing this heart that I have make me realize how much I have to be forgiven of my pride! I'm one of those big sinners...except my sins are mostly those horrible sins of the heart that are easy to hide but just as destructive. Thank you Jesus for not giving up on me.

"Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven -- for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little." Luke 7:47 (in reference to the sinful woman who washed Jesus' feet with perfume and tears)


     I know this post has nothing to do with 'daily life on the range' but these are the things that I never want to forget...the eternal things.

"I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent." Luke 15:7

Mine

    

     When Cooper turned two we were a little worried that he wasn't talking much. By that I mean he said just a few words and those were hard to understand. Since then, we've been working with him to say more words and try to say things before grunting, even if it doesn't sound just right. He's been improving a lot. He has gained a lot of words in the last month, and now he tries to say words without our prompting. He's also repeating a lot, so we are learning what we say a lot. For example, I guess I say 'Hey' to people a lot. Now he's picked up on that and says "Hey Mama" "Hey Dada" "Hey" "Hey". This is something I didn't realize I said so much. I'm going to work on Hello more now. I think his second favorite thing to say now is 'Mow'. If we go outside and the grass is taller than a couple of inches he points to it and says "Mow, Mow" indicating that it's time to mow the grass. He also repeats a lot of phrases. I'll say "Hello sweet pea" to Cooper and he'll say it too...he sounds cuter saying it.
     One word he has learned that I'm not too enthused about is 'Mine.' If mow is his second favorite word I think Mine is first. He's learned that word and knows how to use it, unfortunately. He wants cups, snacks, toys, phones, etc. And it's all "Mine." Coincidentally or maybe not so much, this is occurring at the same time that Ace is starting to be interested in little toys. Cooper will see Ace holding something and say 'Mine.' We're working on sharing though, and so far there hasn't been too much grabbing. What will he learn next?
     We play a letter game too and Cooper has been doing great with it. He can point to letters when I ask and can even identify them by sound (point to the letter that makes the 'guu' sound for example). Sometimes we'll be talking and he'll run to the kitchen to get a letter and come back. He knows that C is for Cooper, D is for Dada, M is for Mama and A is for Ace. So cool!

     Speaking of learning, Ace has been learning a lot lately. He can pull the bouncer toy (which I may have mentioned before), hold a teether ring and even pick it up if it's laid just right on the tray. He also has starting sitting in his high chair, which is a big help for me. Now I can plop him in that with a few toys on the tray and he can sit contentedly while I clean the kitchen, or while we eat dinner. As Dalton said, "He's becoming a person and not just a baby."

If Cooper's smile looks funny it's because we now 

have to ask him to show us his teeth if we want him to smile. 

     He can also roll over from belly to back. He did it a number for times in the first few weeks of life, but then never did it again until last week. Now it's official, even though he won't roll on command yet (if ever). He also rolls onto his side from his back, so it won't be long until he's a rolly polly boy.

"Mama, I said I don't want to roll over!"

(I have a happy picture but it wouldn't upload 

so you're stuck with the grumpy one)

     Cooper is pedaling his tricycle now and can go backwards and forwards on it. It's so fun to get to see my boys learn to do new things for the first time. I'm officially into the time of Ace's life when I was working full time with Cooper. So now I get to experience some things for the first time.
     Doors have become an issue in our house because there is no door that Cooper can't enter...including the bathroom. So lock the door when you come and visit. We finally bought some door handle covers that he can't get open...unfortunately it sometimes takes me a good 5 min to get it too. I must admit I miss the stage where we didn't have to worry because he just couldn't reach things or wasn't able to open things. Now we just have to say No and teach him not to do things...so much trouble to actually have to teach him to obey ; ) Needless to say there have been a few more spankings in the house.
     One last funny thing Cooper does is imitate everything! Dalton came in from the garden the other day and had ants on his foot. He swiped at them with his hand and said 'wooshshh those ants are bad' and shook his head. Immediately Cooper bent down, brushed his foot off and said 'shhh' and shook his head. On the opposite end he'll imitate Ace for attention. If I have Ace on a blanket on his tummy trying to talk to him and get him to roll over Cooper will get down on his tummy on the blanket and roll over. What a silly boy!
   

"Hello, I'm three months old now, how old are you?"

     I'm so thankful to have two wonderful, healthy, sweet boys that love each other. It melts my heart when Cooper is looking and talking to Ace and Ace just smiles and coos at him. Seeing them get along already just blesses my heart. God has been so good to us! It's like my new favorite song says.. I have 10,000 reasons for my heart to sing and praise God.

"I have come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly." John 10:10

Around the house in 80 pictures

    Ok, hopefully it won't be 80 pictures, but the title wouldn't have worked with any other number. Sometimes it's the little things around the house that are so fun and sweet and memorable and make the days a joy. So instead of blogging about a single event or topic I'm going to post a bunch of mis-matched pictures together with captions that tell it all.

   Enjoy!

 Growing into the walker (with a blanket stuffed in front)

 Cooper's blocking the view going in and out

 Making Father's Day cookies for Popsey

Loves wearing Daddy's boots and hat

 Daily job of scooping up you know what.. Cooper likes to help

Took him a while but he finally got a piece on his shovel

 He's throwing it over the fence (well, maybe through is more accurate)

Big boy in his Bumbo

 Ace's favorite way to travel 

(until I dried the sling which may have caused it to shrink...

uh oh guess I'll have to lose some weight)

 Gus and Cooper swimming together. 

At first Gus put his nose in, then his paw and before long 

he was playing with Cooper. 

Gus likes to take the toys out of the pool. 

Then Cooper gets out and puts them back in. Fun Game

 Shelling peas with Daddy; he gets most of them in the bowl

 He's actually pretty good at it

 Ready to go to the lake in matching swimsuits. 

Notice Cooper's leg. He almost fell down trying to cross his feet like Daddy. 

He imitates everything..especially if his Daddy does it. Precious!

 Climbing up the boat ladder after swimming with Popsey

 Mere Mere and Cooper getting into deeper water (for Cooper anyway)

Kallie took this picture of suave Cooper 

 "Who are you looking at?" 

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33

Orphans

     We had a hit and run in front of our house the other night...and we lost precious Little Girl. Luckily I didn't have to see her, Dalton found her that morning as he was leaving. He didn't tell me until lunch and the conversation went something like this (he has to be careful when giving me bad animal news..I take it kinda hard).

Me - "What are we going to do with Ursula's kittens? We have too many. By the way I haven't seen Little Girl all morning; maybe she's taking care of her kittens." (She'd had 5 about 4 weeks earlier)

Dalton (with eyes downcast and a serious look on his face) - "I have something to tell you......I saw Little Girl this morning."

Long pause..I'm starting to get the picture now.

Dalton - "She was on the road."

Me - "Oh, no, not Little Girl! She was Cooper's best friend. Why was she on the road in the first place??"

     Then I cried. Pathetic I know, but you are talking about  a girl who cries over most every lost pet. I think there is even a home video of me presiding over a frog funeral...I give quite a eulogy.

    After shedding a few tears, it dawned on me that she probably had kittens still hid away somewhere and I immediately went into rescue mode. We got a flashlight and headed to the shed by the house. We looked under it. No kittens. But I could hear them. Then we tried the water pump shed..bingo. We found 5 lonely, hungry kittens!

They didn't pose well for their group shot

     We got them out, put them in a laundry basket with a towel and moved them to the front porch, where they now reside during the day. At night we put them in the shed for protection. They are hungry little guys. We feed them milk through a medicine syringe and are trying to get them to eat/drink from a bowl. No luck yet.

 Dalt is so excited to have more kittens

 "Feed me now!"

"I'm coming to the milk if the milk won't come to me."

 Look at the cute little kitten...

 "Mom, he's getting a little too close for comfort!"

 "Get him off now!"

"I thought I was the baby of the house?"

    So, as if we needed another helpless creature to take care of at this place, we now have 5. Let's recap our inventory of needy things. One 3 month old, a 2 y/o in the throws of terrible 2s, a huge puppy and helpless chickens that beg to be eaten by whatever comes along if they aren't corralled up and penned at the end of every day; oh and a garden that has to be picked frequently to avoid squash the size of Cooper.

    Fun times! Needless to say we haven't been watching much TV lately; that's a plus.

"I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." Philipians 4:11

Guerilla Warfare

     Lately I feel like I've not been able to keep up around here. It could have something to do with having a very active 2 year old running around and getting into anything and everything that he possibly can. Or maybe it is a result of having an almost 3 month old who spits up 24 hours a day and requires constant attention. Then again it could be related to the fact that I have given up caffeine because it makes Ace restless and fidgety.

Happy Boy!!

     In any case, these past couple of weeks have been a constant state of trying to keep things picked up and clean..unsuccessfully. You know you're in trouble when your husband is picking up around the house on a Sunday afternoon just so he can find a place to sit and relax.
    So I've declared war on my house and chores, as of last week. Not the kind of war that charges ahead and doesn't stop until the house and kids are spotless, dinner is ready and I'm waiting in a cute dress and pearls at the end of the day. No, no my friends. This is guerilla warfare...the down and dirty kind.
     I'm usually awakened each day by Cooper asking for milk or Ace asking for milk (two different sources though, don't worry). Then it's up and at 'em. The next hour is a blur as I stumble around trying to get diapers changed, me changed and some breakfast for all three of us. Then I usually survey the damage and try to figure out where to start. From there it's a gamble as to what gets done.
    So, last week I went back to my best tactic...a to do list on public display. For some reason I respond well to public humiliation as a motivator, so if I publish my to do list for Dalton to see, he can help me keep going. Also, nothing thrills me more than marking something off of my list. I'm a total nerd about it, and I sometimes add things to the list that I've done that weren't on there before, just so I can mark them off. I know...weirdo!
     With list posted, I then start my guerilla warfare cleaning. I don't think I've ever fully finished a task in one attempt since Ace was born, but that's ok. I attack, stop to tend to kids, attack, stop to turn Dora on, attack, stop to turn Dora off because I do have a limit to TV watching, attack, stop for a snack ....you get the picture. For the most part things are functioning well. My biggest problem has been laundry. I enjoy laundry (no, seriously...much better than mopping) but when you have a spitter like I do, it multiplies the laundry by 2 or 3. I can usually get the clothes washed but then make the mistake of piling them up to fold them when the boys are sleeping. In my mind I picture both boys asleep while I fold laundry and watch some TV. Reality...I fold about 1/3 before something happens and so there is still a pile when Dalton gets home.
     Today though I got smart and folded it before nap time. So when Dalton came home for lunch he found a clean house and empty couch to sit on. Success! No more waiting to fold...seize the pile. Also made a note to self...once 2 o'clock hits, no real work gets done. Then it's just keeping up with the evening activities.
     Another issue is toys...we are blessed to have plenty of things for the kids to play with, but once they are all strewn around the house it creates a cluttered mess. And now Cooper seems to be entering a ...get everything out, throw it all around and then walk away..phase. We're working on re-learning clean up tips. Today I put some toys away to hide for a while; that way they are new again when I need something to entertain the munchkins.

He's going through a 'no smiling at the camera' phase

     Then there's the spitting. We've tried one kind of medicine with no success and are now moving on to round two. If this doesn't work it means I'm stuck with a waterfall of a baby. At least he's happy most of the time. It just means that I have a new perfume, and having a constantly wet shoulder is becoming normal. It's pretty sad but I've quit changing shirts after every attack...what's the point right? (Ok, that may have been too much information). Just make sure when you see me to hug me with your face to my right shoulder...just in case.
     All in all though, it's still a  pretty great job, being a mother. Most of the time when I'm sitting among piles of clothes and toys it's because I've spent the time cooing and kissing Ace or tickling and watching Cooper...I'm sure I won't regret these choices later. They are two special boys and I love them lots and lots and more every day!

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

Our Garden

     It's getting to be mid-June and our garden is flourishing, to say the least. We have been so blessed by the growth and produce that we've gotten so far. Not to mention the pure enjoyment of going out to the garden daily to see what has grown and how many veggies are waiting to ripen.

     Dalton is really excited and having fun with the garden this year. I think he checks on it more than I do. Most of all, God has helped us out, sending rain to help the plants, and not sending 100 degree days yet!

     Before I show you pictures of the garden now, I'd like to show a few of 'in the beginning' to give a little perspective. Maybe you'll be as excited about the magic of growth as I am. It's in my genes...my PaPaw's garden would put ours to shame; he's so good.

 Tomato 

 Cute little new plants

Notice the small tomato plants in the cages

     Now that we've recapped the starting stages, here is what the garden looks like now.

 Tomatos to the right, peas to the left

 All of the vines on the right are squash, crookneck, spaghetti, butternut

 Tomato plants; remember how tiny they started out? Amazing!!

Watering the garden..Cooper likes to garden shoeless and pantsless

     Wow, right? Yes, Wow! It's so neat how it's just grown and grown, and all of the veggies on the plants...woo hoo!

     Dalton picked a big bowl of green beans a few weeks ago and when he came in his first words were "God is good." (We may be watching too much Little House on the Prairie). Since then we've picked a couple more big bowls and have frozen about 10 bags of green beans. This week the peas should be ready. It's work picking and snapping and cooking and freezing the produce, but so worth it. And nothing is better than knowing that the food on your table is home grown.

Blooming and growing peas

     We have also gotten some fresh tomatoes from the garden. They are amazing and taste nothing like those from the store. If we get a bunch of tomatoes at once, we hope to try and can them. That will be another adventure and post in itself!

     Speaking of much produce at once, we have squash and zucchini in abundance (I wanted to say coming out our ears but that phrase is overused). I've now made sauteed squash, baked squash, grilled squash/zucchini, zucchini fritters, zucchini bread and next I'm going to try veggie lasagna (with added sausage..we can't have a meal without meat, remember). I'm definitely expanding my recipe resume.

    Last but not least, we have a lot of cantaloupe that will be ready soon. Dalton counted 30! Last year we made about 8 and they were delicious, so if these are the same we'll be in cantaloupe heaven. It may be time to set up a roadside stand with veggies, cantaloupe and eggs...then again maybe not.

   Dalton is so ready to pick one; it's just eating him up that we have to wait. He's like a kid at Christmas. (He may be getting seeds for Christmas this year)

Gus: "I sure would like to dig in that cool, wet dirt." 

    So, that is our garden update. It's so fun and a source of joy and entertainment for us...which is good because way out here we don't have too many of those. Next post I'll introduce you to our milk cow, Josie. Just kidding..I have to keep some reason to go into town!

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."  Ephesians 3:20-21

1st Swim in the new Pool

     Cooper got a pool from Nana and Paw for his birthday. Yesterday we filled it up and Cooper tried it out. It was a big hit! He did a lot more splashing and getting in and out than 'swimming' but that's the fun of a backyard pool, right!

     Gus really wanted to get in with Cooper, but I didn't let him. Maybe later in the summer he can join in the fun. Instead he watched from a distance.

     Ace fell asleep while I got it all ready, so he had a nice little nap while I watched Cooper play.

     I caught Cooper with his face in the water a couple of times, and almost panicked but then realized he was getting a mouthful of water. After getting the water in his mouth he would get out of the pool and go spit it out. Boys!

     As I watched Cooper play in the pool while holding sleepy little Ace and listening to Christian music praising Jesus I felt this overwhelming sense of contentment and happiness. What a blessing it is to be able to sit and watch my child playing, knowing that I have a healthy family, a nice house, plenty of food and no real needs that aren't met. On top of that, and most importantly, I have God's love, Jesus's grace and the Holy Spirit's guidance in life. And this is why I sleep so well at night...well, when Ace isn't ready to eat and Cooper isn't coming in to snuggle.

     Of course later than evening when Ace was screaming and Cooper was sitting beside me going "ahhh ahhh aaahhh choo" over and over the relaxed happiness could not be found. But a God-given contentment was still there, along with a prayer for patience.  Did I mention that God is good?

"But my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19