Membership: Free

Everything else may be out of control around here lately, but one thing has remained consistent and that is that the "Cocoa Club" has met nearly every weekday morning (give or take a two or three days) for the last 4 weeks!! I don't remember when I posted about my quest to do my daily bible study and I can't find it in my anywhere in my archives. So, it must have been awhile ago... But, getting up to do my quiet time before the house begins buzzing has always been a struggle for me. That is until the Cocoa Club formed. What is the Cocoa Club? Two individuals that strive to be in the Word everyday and who meet every morning at 6 am at the kitchen table with a warm cup of hot chocolate/cocoa (skim milk, of course). I will tell you one thing that will keep you accountable - Being accountable to your child. Morgan is my cocoa buddy and what a great feeling it is to be growing in the Word alongside your child!! We strongly encourage you join in! If you join in, a special treat will arrive at your doorstep or in your mailbox to help get you started!! Membership is free and the rewards are priceless!!

In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue...

Talk about timely!! Morgan has been studying the explores at school for the last 4 or 5 weeks. It just so happened that the Columbus Foundation and their two replica ships, the Nina and Pinta, were in Maysville (along the Ohio River) this weekend. So, off we went on an expedition of our own!!

Thankful!!

We all learned in elementary school about the hardships that the pilgrims endured in their first few months of arriving here. Mike shared with me an email he had received this week from the Presidential Prayer Team that I can't help but keep going back to.

Here is what it said:

"....The Pilgrims dug seven times more graves than they were able to build homes that winter....However, the Pilgrims made a choice that we might find unusual. After a year of disappointments, diseases and death, the choice was to be thankful. These hearty settlers chose to celebrate their blessings. Think about that for just a moment. Through all of the incredible hardships and sorrows, they gave thanks."

Wow! Even under such horrible conditions and hardships, these people stood on their faith and were able to see what God had done - A timeless lesson that is still relevant 388 years later.

Happy Thanksgiving from our house to yours!!

Why does...

Why does Spiderman love me? That was Ryan's question to Mike this morning as he saw the Spiderman balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. It took Mike a few seconds to figure out why Ryan was asking the question. Then, it dawned on him...

For those that do not know the sign language sign for "I love you", it is the same hand gesture that Spiderman uses when he releases his web, just in a different position.

Hmmm... Something we had never noticed!

MY Mission Field is the Home

Okay, the family is getting on to me about my lack of blog postings. I have known what my next post needs to be about, but to be quite honest I just have not sorted it all out in my head. I have tried a little to research the topic on the internet, but have yet to come up with any articles or blogs on the topic. So, I guess you are going to get to hear me process the whole topic right here and right now. The topic of the the home being the focus of my "mission field" has come up numerous times over the course of the last few weeks. I know beyond a shadow of doubt that God wants me to be at home with my children. I am grateful that God has provided and know that for now this is where He wants me. I realize that this may not always be the case, but for now it is abundantly clear that the home is my mission field at this stage and in this season of my children's lives. What does that mean? I am still sorting all of that out!! Yes, I spend my days meeting my children's needs, nuturing, teaching, guiding, and doing the things that need to be done. But, I feel like if this is truly my mission field I should be doing more. I really need to sort through what that means for me and I look forward to God showing me what all of this means. Confused yet? Hmmm... So am I!

I'm Like...

a donkey that talks... Yes, that is what my darlin' little daughter told me last night. Nothing like a comment like that to lift your spirits.

Okay, now to put some context to her comment... I was asking her to help me get the dinner table set for dinner and instead of asking her the "typical" way, I spoke to her in an animated voice. That is when she turned around and told me I was "like that donkey that talks"! She then proceeded to tell me that she learned that story at school today. No, we are not talking about the Eddie Murphy role as the donkey in Shrek, but the story in Numbers 22:22 about Balaam and the Donkey. There you have it - bible stories by Rylee!!

Mommy, did you see my lungs?

Can you guess who asked that question after singing in front of the 11 a.m. church service? Umm... If you said Rylee, you would be right! Rylee and Ryan have been "practicing" their song for weeks now, singing it every chance they get! So, we were thrilled to finally hear the song at church! Of course, Ryan did not sing at all and concentrated solely on his flags - it's a guy thing (waffle-ish - can only do one thing at a time). It appeared like Rylee was singing part of the time, but I think she was really just opening and closing her mouth as wide as she could. Being a girl, she was working the flags at the same time. Thankfully, all Morgan had to do was sing and that is exactly what he did! I love seeing the kids perform at church and sadly there will not be many more where they all three will be involved at the same time as Morgan will transition to the youth department next year. Will work on uploading the video this week...