Things My Kid Says #1

I am so excited for this ongoing post and series--if only to record for myself to look back on.

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Yesterday, when Caleb woke up from his nap, I said, "You took a great nap! Good job." He responded, "Well, I had a long rough day."

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We call our dog "Lila Pup." One day, Jon walked in the house and said, "Hey Lila Pup." Caleb declared, that he was "Caleb Pup."
We have fed into his desire to call himself that..... The other day, Jon said, "Caleb Pup, play fetch." For the next 45 minutes, Jon threw a ball, and Caleb, well...he fetched.
Yesterday, he said, "I Cay-ub Pup" and proceeded to run around the yard saying, "WOOF, WOOF"

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When he tells us he is hungry, he usually adds where he is located.

example: "I hungry IN mumma's car." "I hungry IN the kitchen."

I am wondering if it is a type of "level system." Do different locations = various stages of hunger?

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I was sitting at the dining room table, checking facebook   working on my laptop. He climbed into the chair across from me and said, " So, how are we doing mumma?"

Are we having a high school, DTR conversation?

Or do I really say that? Well, I do say it, but do I say it often?
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We're ready, but I don't really want to pray that.

This morning, as I was praying, I thought, "you know, I haven't really prayed about foster care in a while." I have been secretly waiting that we would not get a call in the month of June. I guess not so secret...I prayed about, just haven't really talked to anyone about it since we have had our licence.

I found myself praying, and asking the Lord to bring a foster child to our house. I even said, "Lord, I believe that you can make the phone ring right now."  And then quickly, I felt sick to my stomach, guilty, and don't know what else to pray besides, "Lord, we are ready. We are willing. Your will be done."

I guess that is simply what I need to pray. Let the Lord know my heart (as if He doesn't already).

If I get excited about having another child in our house via foster care, it means that there is child in foster care, not with their parents and are experiencing brokenness that I will never know. I don't wish for that. I don't want birth parents to not be able to keep their children. I don't want unexpected pregnancies to happen. I don't want children to feel unwanted or unloved. I don't want abuse to happen.

But it does.

And it breaks my heart.

And I want to be used to bring redemption and healing.

And yet, I don't know what to pray.

It doesn't quite feel right to pray, "Lord bring us a baby tomorrow," when I know the circumstances of how that would come about.

And yet, I know that we live in a broken world, and I know that there are kids in the system now, and they will be there tomorrow.

So Lord, I am not sure what to pray, but here we are. Use us.

What would you pray?

Friends, it was a good weekend indeed.

This pas weekend, was really one of the best weekends we have had in a long time. 

Perhaps it was because Caleb was not there, so there were no tantrums, throwing food, changing diapers, or alarm clock. 

Perhaps, because we weren't thinking about all of our work responsibilities. 

Perhaps because we were surrounded by Lake Michigan. 

Perhaps because we went to Mackinac Island, biked around the island, ate ice cream and had fun with 30 of  our friends. 

Perhaps it was because it was the wedding a dear friend, with an amazing love story. 

Perhaps it was because I was the wedding photographer...and well, let's be honest, taking pictures is so life giving to me, albiet, stressful at times. 

Whatever the reason, we had a blast!!! 

Here are some pictures from Mackinac Island. 

Hey look!  I made it into a picture. This is a rare occasion! 

We went hiking to Arch Rock with some friends. HUGE hills friends, HUGE hills. This is Brendan, Jon's college roommate and close friend..... 

And because Caleb was not with us, I had to take pictures of someone's kid! Meet Breslin (his daddy is Brendan). 

No cars on the island! You can only get around via bike, foot or horse:) 

We made it all the way to Arch Rock!! 

I love this family! Good friends! 

Just a street view

Soon, I will post some wedding pics:) 

It's Summer Time!

We are loving summer. 

It has been great already. Busy, perhaps more busy than the school year, but so good. 

We have put in a patio in the back yard, Jon built a swing set, I did a lot of planting, and want to continue to beautify my yard. My front yard is still a miserable disgrace, but the back is turning into a place of refuge. Still have few more projects that I want to do. 

We have been playing in the sandbox, taking walks, and having outside fun. 

Caleb and I took a trip to Pittsburgh, for the Regional Staff Conference for InterVarsity. 

We have been having parties and bbq's.  

Our house has been messy and sandy. Mmmmm. Not sure why? 

We have to bathe Caleb CONSTANTLY! No one told me summer time + 2 year old boy = 12 baths a day. Seriously. GROSS! 

And....we are working on potty training. And by "We are working" I mean I am trying to coax, bride, plead, at whatever cost to get him to start potty training. IT IS NOT WORKING. I'll save this for another blog post. 

Still to come this summer: 

-Seeing family from California 

-more weekends at the lake 

-Fundraising and planning for InterVarsity 

-possible foster child in our house 

-lots of photography business 

Also, and exciting weekend ahead: 

-We are heading to Mackinac for a friend's wedding. I get to be the photographer, we get to go to Mackinac and have a weekend without Caleb.I can't wait! Pictures overload, beware!

From THAT to THIS- swingset edition

I am hoping that this series will give you a before an after peek the projects we are working on. This past weekend, my lovely hubs put together a swingset for Caleb. It was hot, he was tired, and it took A L L weekend. But it looks great, and Caleb loves it. 

Please excuse my lack of editing these photos. I kind of feel naked, but I am up to my knees in things that need to get done, and editing swing set photos didn't make the cut. 

FROM THAT...

TO THIS!

The Lesson I learned in a cold, lonely dorm room. But mostly a cold dorm room.

I am currently in Moon Twp, Penn. a small town outside of Pittsburgh at a beautiful and hilly (read: CRAZY, working thigh and booty muscles hilly) at the regional InterVarsity staff conference. I love that I can be on staff and still be a mom. I love that I can take Caleb to staff meetings and conference, and still be fully engaged and present with what God is doing in me, through me, and in and through InterVarsity on college campuses.

And yet, bringing Caleb poses its own set of challenges, as I am sure you can imagine.

Last night, I lay in my bed, and Caleb is on a toddler mattress on the floor.

I feared that he would hear every conversation that people would have as they walk by our door and wake up.

I feared that he would freeze....which we all did. I had many layers of clothes on him and multiple blankets to try to warm the poor boy up.

I feared that when I woke up in the morning to shower (community shower, so I had to leave our room and walk down the hall), he would wake up and freak out that he was all alone and consequently wake the whole floor up. (What actually happened was he woke up at 5:30a, so we decided to go to the shower together---and he screamed as if he were terrified of this shower, probably still waking everyone up.)

I feared that he would get no sleep and beat kids up in the childcare room and be naughty with those who have given of their time to watch this precious beast of mine.

I feared that I would be seen as a bad mom.

I would fear that he would throw tantrums in front of my colleagues. He did.

I feared that this would be the conference where I say, "Never again will I bring a child to work."

I feared that this would continue to be my life and attitude, especially as we enter into foster care and will have more children that we are responsible for caring for and bringing up AND in that same season as I step into working more hours with InterVarsity.

Somewhere in the midst of the late night, the freezing room and my fears swirling through my mind, I heard the still, small quiet voice of the Lord. He was so gentle with me and yet so convicting. He began to reveal to me how deep fear is rooted in my life.

Really? I thought we did this. I remember it well. Try the whole year of 2008. No really. I remember. Do we have to do it again.

But He prompted, "But you still don't trust me."

"Sure I do."

"Really? Because you are freaking out because someone might wake up your child. Or he might be cold. Don't you think I know that? Don't you think I care? And if you don't trust me in those things, how will you trust me in the deep parts of your heart? How will you trust me as you enter into a new season of family and ministry? How will you trust me as you embark on a season of fund raising? How will you trust me to raise up students who will follow me as Savior and Lord? I know you say it, but your actions are showing me that you don't trust me. At all."

And so my dear friends, I will never forget the lesson I learned in the cold dorm room. I still have fear in my heart and ways where I simply do not trust the God I serve.

I want to change that.

Beginning now.

Memorial Weekend 2012 as told through pictures

A typical summer weekend, at the lake house with my family:)

Sometimes, our bed is in the basement where no one else is sleeping, so falling asleep on Papa is the next best thing. 

Look at my cute hubby. He is so ready for another baby:) 

Nothing is as much fun as playing with a ball and Aunt J!

Our baby Rae, rolling over

Uh oh. Caleb is teaching her to roll over. I am not sure if he is ready to be a big brother yet. 

Captain Caleb reporting for duty. 

Me: Caleb, tell Aunt Jenna a joke. 

 Caleb: JOKE! HAHAHAHA. 

Obviously it was funny, they both laughed. 

Jalissa scoping out the water, seeing if she is brave enough to ski. She was!

Getting the ski ropes ready. 

Here she goes!

Look at that face of determination. First time skiing ladies and gentleman!

She's up!

Beach babe. 

I can't get over the pink! I LOVE IT. 

Bonfire and smores. Or "fire treats" as Caleb calls them. 

I am actually in the picture. See, I was there! 

He loves baseball, mostly because Aunt Jalissa plays softball. 

Fahj, be careful. This is your third fall of the night. I know I can't speak, because I took a dive too, but at least I didn't take three! 

True love= when your mother laughs at you when you fall out of a chair. 

Opps. I think Aunt J was taking a nap on the deck. Sorry J. No sleeping for Caleb. 

Raegan fell asleep on the deck too. 

I can outside and saw this. Love. 

Great grandma singing "Pop goes the weasel" to her great grandson.