Hmmmm.....


When you see blank spots where you KNOW you put great summer reading books for Zander...

You'd best go looking! I think he's a mite young for reading in the tub. ::snort::

Sundays are busy. Today was no exception. Mike preached in both services. We had a reception for the L family. I managed to keep track of the three youngest solo...meaning all the older kids are gone.

The girls are in Houston. Mike is duty chaplain. We couldn't get away. BUT Josiah drove Jamin, Jared and Arielle up to Houston to meet up with them. Arielle will sleep in Bre's room. The boys will sleep in rooms of Master Commission boys. I look forward to hearing about their reunion - if the young men will TALK. I bet Arielle will. We shall see.

I got a call today from one of the ladies planning Leadership Weekend. I really am going to have to slow down enough to THINK. I thought I was flying out Friday, but it appears I am flying out Thursday. I would think I could remember this. ::snort:: I'm excited to meet the other ladies on the regional board and to be in a bigger group of PWOC ladies.

That's it for tonight.

©2008 D.R.G.

4th of July!

One of the highlights of my day was getting my inside fridge cleaned...shelves-taken-apart cleaned. LOL

Seriously, we had the joy of hosting a new chaplain's family and Bill and Jesse from our contemporary worship service yesterday. I do not have a lot of photos to share because I forgot to ask the L family about posting photos of their minors on the blog and most the shots are "mixed family" shots. Ch. L is fresh into the Air Force. He and his family (four children) moved here this week. We find that we usually have one or two children that are the "right" ages for most families we meet. This was no different.

We had dinner. We visited. Cy and Jamin got home from work.
(Should have taken the Nikon - but even then we don't get EXCELLENT fireworks shots). We all headed out to the Lake to watch fireworks. We were able to get RIGHT up FRONT - as near the water as possible - to watch the fireworks. Stacia and Zander missed the last two years of fireworks (weather and flying) and so this was the first set they remember. It was a lot of fun. They were amazed. Stacia loved them; but thinks they are colorful bugs.
The L family brought a watermelon and we all enjoyed it at the lake. Alas, in all the lake photos of Ch L, Mike, Bill & Jesse they are making strange watermelon eating faces...and I won't post those sorts of photos for any of my non-family members or they won't want to hang out with me any longer. LOL

Tammy had enough of these glow sticks to pass around to all the kids. They were amazing....bright arcs of color....but the camera froze the action....Why doesn't it freeze action this well when I WANT it to? ::snort::


5th of July

Jared went on a CAP flight and enjoyed getting the controls a bit of the time.

I updated a few blog things and played around with the idea of a new URL for the blog...but I must be sure I won't lose THIS blog and body of info when/if I change the URL.

Mike met Josiah for breakfast after taking Jared to the airpor and then worked at the office all day.

I picked up some stuff for a reception tomorrow and drove it up to the chapel. I hung a few posters at the chapel. I dropped off a load of boxes at the base recycling.

I swam with the kids.

Josiah dropped by and picked up Jared. He and Jamin are spending the night at the apartment tonight.

That's all for the day.

©2008 D.R.G.

MORE MOVING DAY PHOTOS

OK - enough about Super Size Saturdays already ::snort:: here's the really big news in our family this week. MORE PHOTOS OF JOSIAH'S MOVING DAY!

We have a storage unit. Mike and I have spent some time trying to remember WHAT was in the storage unit. We saved the swing set that the older children brought for the younger ones - there is no room for it in this yard...but what ELSE have we been storing.

We remembered a futon and a couple of computer desks. Cy can have the futon, and one of the computer desks. We'll bring the other one home for Jared to use as he is losing his desk to Arielle. Cy wants the TV (x-box action) - we haven't used it for years...sure take it.

Imagine our surprise when we discovered that MOST of the things in our storage unit are the GIRLS. ::snort::

You never know when you may want to drill through ice and do a bit of ice fishing in TEXAS! ::snort::

Mike found a PRINTER we forgot we owned - it was in the girl's room.

Zander was appalled when he opened Cy's fridge! "THIS is ALL you have to eat? BUTTER and CHEESE????"

After the storage unit we headed home and found that these two had been taking Jared's bed apart.

We had dinner and gave Josiah some house warming gifts....some lamps and a mattress pad. AND a gallon of milk that Zander insisted we buy for Cy.



We drove to his apartment. Hmmm....we lost the hinge to the futon. Never fear - Mike found one on the internet. It will arrive shortly.

Mike and Jared cleaned Cy's windows.

I scoped out the pantry. Here are Josiah's favorite organic treats, lovingly purchased via co-op for a son who is moving out on his own.

Here is what I found on the TOP shelf. ::snort:: He promised not to feed Zander any of it.

MIKE told Josiah that I will not check out his pantry again. Who agreed to THAT?

Zander checked the fridge and was happy to discover that Cy had gone grocery shopping.

We circled up and prayed - photo previously posted below.

We all said goodbye.


We all sweltered in the van while Mike gave Cy a few last bits of pre-move-out-fatherly advice....and as we waited....I GRABBED THE CAMERA! I love these men! I've decided not to post these photos - too personal.

Back at home Jamin measured his new bed. He's coveted this and will now have a double for at least a full year. ::snort::

Jared is thrilled to be away from his old bunk - his nose was 2 inches from the ceiling fan - hey you make the house work. He seems to be sleeping better.

The boys' room seems much bigger. Jared's bed/desk had been along the left wall.

Jared's bed/desk is now in Arielle's room. The trundle bed is back to a single. Stacia informed us that she was glad she had her "own bed" because "Arielle wakes me up ALL night and Arielle snores at me." ::snort:: Not QUITE accurate...but telling nonetheless. Here's Stacia in "all my own princess bed".


One less child to stalk with the camera on a daily basis...even *I* am not enough of a shutterbug to stalk an adult child at his apartment....at least not yet. LOL

©2008 D.R.G.

Joyful Mothering!

“He makes the barren woman abide in the house as a joyful mother of children. Praise the Lord.” Psalm 113:9 NASB (though I know it best in KJV)

Years ago a godly gentlemen pointed this verse out to me. He felt it was a “word” for me…and he was proven correct. He gave it to me during a time when I’d been told I would never carry a child to term, had miscarried our first child and was pregnant with BreAnne. I was skeptical. I did carry Bre to term and have since had 16 pregnancies and am thrilled to be the mother of 9 “children”. On many days God has used this verse to gently remind me to, as we say around here, "adjust my attitude".

Over 23 years ago God began to speak to me about being a JOYFUL mother of children. This goes against the norm of our society. I cringe when well-meaning parents make disparaging comments about children being home for the summer in the presence of their children. Or when folks say ,“You are DONE aren’t you”, or “I would DIE if I had another child”. What are we communicating to our children? I want my children to know that I joy in my calling as their mother and that I praise the Lord for each and every one of them.

A lack of joy really expresses ingratitude for our circumstances. We need to consciously choose to count it a blessing to be training and loving our children. My joy is in being with my children each day – not necessarily in our huge daily accomplishments. ::snort::

As I surrender the day to Jesus, I learn to BE a joyful mother instead of focusing on my never ending “to do” list.

Jackie Wellwood, writing in “101 Devotions for Homeschool Moms”, (Which would be good for any mother I would think and is a book we discussed on SHS years ago) asks some great questions as Food For Thought on this very topic. They are so good that when I decided to write about this verse I REMEMBERED that I had a book around here with some questions on the verse (OK, really I remembered I’d made a list about this in a journal, found the journal and found the name of the book the idea for the list came from ::snort:: ). I plan to make a new list today. Without further ado: Jackie's Food for Thought:

1. Have I accepted my role as a mom and embraced the calling as my ministry? Why
or why not? Does this bring me joy?

2. What are some joy-stealers in my life?

3. Take a piece of paper and number it from 1 – 25. List ways your children bring you joy. Make another list of ten ways the children could bring you more joy if you relaxed a little and let yourself BE a mother instead of DOING so much (example: sit down and let a child tell you what he or she is thinking).

I love that the list focus' on MY attidue and not on what the chidlren can do to "make me" more joyful. ::snort::

This post began as an SHS devotional, but I've decided to use it here as well for a Super Size Saturday entry.

For more Super Size Saturday posts click here.

©2008 D.R.G.

Super Size Saturdays

THANK YOU to Kate and Liz who have played around with my ideas and created a visual graphic. Thanks to Cindy who came up with the idea of topics I may write on spewing out of the box...I was stuck with the gruesome picture of children's faces. Thanks to all who are so encouraging.

I may yet get a post up today, but regardless, help me vote on the graphic you like best. They sent me oodles and these are my top 3 favorites.



Choosing Joy on the box is too much script.....what do you think about the blue box with the blog title? Of course life would have been simpler if I'd thought about it and set the blog up as choosingjoy.blogspot but I didn't. ::snort::

©2008 D.R.G.

Yesterday was FULL.....

and culminated in leaving Cy alone at his new "partment". I'm sure I'll write more or at least post photos. I won't think about it NOW - I've got to pick up produce in 30 minutes and tears are not in fashion. ::snort:: Back in the day Cy would go to the produce terminal with me early every Friday. We'd barter at River City Produce and then head to McDonald's for breakfast while they filled our order. He was only 11 or 12 then and I thought we had years and years ahead of us before he grew up.

Zander woke up early this a.m. and asked if we could please go to Josiah's home. Not now, buddy. Not now.

Yeah - it is a bit like a commissioning service (Yes, we were all there though some are hidden).

I'm determined to celebrate a new season and not begrudge our young adults flying the nest. This is why we sharpen them afterall - so that they can be used in the kingdom. Arielle has figured out that the balance of girls/boys around here is improving. In a few years we'll be at 1/2 and 1/2. ::snort::

©2008 D.R.G.

A Younger Brother's Love

My second favorite memory of the day (The first would be Cy opening the door to his first apartment).

Zander pounded on the front door, barged in and said, "Cy, every day I'm going to knock on your door and give you a present."


That's a lot from Zander - he doesn't share warm fuzzies often...and especially not with Cy.

©2008 D.R.G.