Random Stuff

I like to share things I find interesting, especially when I can include links, so here are a few of my recent online finds:

Friend Brandi (hey, girl!) is now selling games called Simply Fun. I don't know anything about them but I'm attending my first game party (hopefully) May 8th, so I'll let you know. But here's the link to her page so you can check them out: www.brandimason.simplyfun.com.

I am trying to read my Bible through this year, though I have a feeling it may end up being a 5 year plan (just kidding, God!). I was surfing blogspot one day and ran across a Christian mommy's blog of her commentary while she reads the Bible through this year. She went to seminary and has great insight and communicates even the most hard to read into something interesting and helpful. For instance, I'm stuck, I mean reading, Leviticus right now. Read the first four chapters and tell me that ain't almost useless info (Sorry, Moses). But seriously, that is THE hardest book in the Bible to read, in my opinion. But this chick really explains it so well that I actually understand a little of what I'm reading. So now I read Leviticus with her blog pulled up to the chapter I'm reading so I can read her summary of the chapters along with. Check her out at http://shannans365bible.blogspot.com/. Did I mention she's funny?

Here's an ode to Beth: www.etsy.com. I think she lives on that site, though she has yet to buy anything from it. It's a collection of people selling stuff they made or created, some of it really cool. Just makes me try to think of ways to sell children online, since that's about all I've created worth selling. Shut up, Louise.

Okay, on to a few of my fave subjects: music & books. I recently downloaded about 13 songs from Walmart.com (most were only .88) by Mandisa. You may remember her from American Idol a few seasons ago. I think she was on with Chris Daughtry. Anyway, she was such a great Christian witness on that show and went on to make a Gospel cd. She now has three cds out, including a Christmas cd, and I downloaded my faves and ended up with 13 songs. If you love upbeat music with a great message, and a voice to sing it out, check her out at http://mandisa.sparrowrecords.com/music/. My all time favorite song right now is "He is with You." The words to the chorus change each time around and are amazing. I woke up with that song in my head for almost two weeks straight. It gives me chills :) Also check out "My Deliverer" from her Freedom cd and "Only the World", from the True Beauty cd.

As for my 2nd love, books, I discovered a new author named Kristin Billerbeck (http://www.kristinbillerbeck.com/). She does Christian Chick Lit that rocks. I just finished What a Girl Wants, which is the first in a series about a single girl in her 30's looking for Mr. Right. She also has a series called The Spa Sisters and I plan on reading that one next.

So there you have it...a few of my new favorite things. Now don't say I never gave you anything!

The One That Got Away...

My lovely husband took me fishing yesterday for the first time in almost a year. I was so excited to try out my Christmas present, a shiny black & pink fishing pole. See, my dh (darn husband in this case) wanted to get me a fishing pole last summer and I requested that it at least have pink on it. A small part of me though this would be nearly impossible, which means he'd have to find something else to buy me for Christmas...like say, a shiny new camera. But my industrious hubby found a black & pink pole, slapped a bow on it and WALLAH...Merry Christmas to me.

Truth be told, I like to fish. I LOVE to catch fish. If I don't catch something within the first 20 or 30 minutes, I start whining. Or reading. Or taking pictures. But I forgot my camera yesterday, which was a big mistake. I had to not catch fish for an hour. Fun...not so much. But I did enjoy my time with dh (darling hubby in this instance), and learned a lot about his passion for fishing and nature.

For instance, right after I hooked one of his favorite lures in a tree and had to cut the line, I noticed he was just staring into the water, not reeling in his lure like he had taught me to do. So I asked what he was doing, and he said, "I'm crying...on the inside." See? Who knew he loved nature so much that it brought him to tears?

Now, I like to fish, but I do not TOUCH fish...which wasn't an issue yesterday, as I didn't catch one. But I also don't touch slimy moss & seaweed, which I caught a lot of, incidentally. Now, my loving hubby was kind enough to take the Nasty Stuff off my lure a few times, but when he started lecturing about how I need to learn to do it for myself, I got creative. Being the genius that I am, I pulled out enough line till the lure was laying on the gravel road next to the lake, then used my tennis shoe to rub the muddy stuff off my lure. Never had to touch it with my hands...how smart am I?! Chad must have thought so too, because he gave me a long look of love and then walked away real fast, like he was afraid to let me see how proud of me he was.

I will say that I'm not sure my dh (dear hubby) is as smart about fishing as he claims to be. On my first cast I had a bluegill try to take the bait, but it was too big for him. Come to find out, I had "bass bait" on my line. So I ask,

"Are there any bass in this lake?"

"A few."

"Oh, well are there a lot of bluegill in here?"

"Oh yeah, a ton!"

"So are we fishing for bass or bluegill?"

"Bass. Duh."

Um, what? So after many more questions like this, I find out that apparently it is more fun to fish for the few, bigger fish than the smaller, more abundant fish. Boys fish for quality but I want quantity! Makes sense, right? I don't care how big that little sucker is, just as long as he kicks a little when I reel him in and I catch a lot of them. But not so with my dh (dumb husband). He would rather take a chance on not catching anything in search of the Big One, rather than catch a bunch of small ones. Where's the fun in that, I ask you!

I also learned that throwing a lure where you just saw a fish splash is called Wave Chasing and apparently only girls do it. Um, that is because we are the smarter sex. Duh. I noticed he wasn't running in the opposite direction when they jumped out of the water, so I maybe I taught him a thing or two about fishing :)

The good news is, he caught one, which means A Very Good Day for Chad. I didn't, which means A Whiney Amy. Nah, just kidding. I really did have fun hanging out with my BFF. And apparently he really enjoyed it as well: after I snagged a 2nd lure in the tree and had to leave it there, I noticed he was packing up the poles and had that Seriously Lovin' My Wife face on. I gave him a big hug, saying,

"Wasn't this fun, Babe?"

To which he replied, "Want to know how much this fishing trip cost me?"

For a second I thought he was referring to the two lures I had lost in trees but then realized that couldn't be it, because there were tears in his eyes. He was obviously crying over how much fun we had on such a cheap date...only two lures and the gas to get there. Now that's what I call a good date!

One other thing I learned about my dh (darling husband) is that fishing makes him miss his children a lot, which I thought was really sweet. As he stacked our poles in the truck, I heard him muttering under his breath about how he might as well have brought Micah & Ben fishing.

Isn't that sweet?

I didn't have my camera so I used my cell phone to catch a couple of pictures.

This is the pond we were fishing in. I would have "lost" another lure to have my camera there!

This is Chad "wave chasing" :) We were pulling out when a huge non bluegill jumped out of the water. He slammed on the brakes faster than Beth when she sees a couch sitting near a trash can, trying to get The One That Got Away.

Thanks, Babe! Can't wait to do it again!

Ben Lee Day

I took several really good pictures of the Ben lately but haven't had a reason to post them until now. Enjoy! And trust me, he only looks sweet and innocent! Well, he pretty much is that sweet most of the time, but never ever innocent ;)
And for spastic Aunt Beff, yes, I plan on doing one for each of the kids eventually, to make it fair. Geez!

Ben loves cereal milk and stole mine here. Got milk mustache? Check!

He just recently discovered hats...and the Browns. Obviously his head was made for hats ;)

He posed for this one, saying, me wanna sit heah, mommy!

Mommas, don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys....but how can you resist that sweet smile?!
Happy Ben Lee Day!

Weekend Report

Weekends tend to be a little more hectic around here, so here's the weekend in a nutshell:

It hit 88 degrees two days in a row, Friday & Saturday, so I had to break down and buy some short sleeves & shorts for the kids, until I can sweet talk my dh (darling husband) into going through our bottomless pit of a storage room & finding all of our summer clothes. I am looking forward to it, mostly, as it's kind of like shopping for free - awesome, right? He, of course, does not have the same eager anticipation :D

Also due to the weather, I gave the boys their Spring Hair Cuts and I must say, they look so much better! I was almost afraid I had been raising the wrong kid when I started in on Ethan...he had so much hair on that little head! I'm hoping that explains & improves some of the constant whining that pours out of his mouth. It could happen!

We also did some four wheeling, yard saling, and sprinkler hopping (kids only). It was a gorgeous weekend, even though it was June weather in the middle of April. Pollen is high and really working on Micah's allergies, but it's all good.

Here are some before & after pics of the hair cuts:

Here's my almost 8 yr old, Ethan - this photo doesn't do his hair justice...it was crazy! I prolly could have braided it!

Here is Aunt Beth helping - notice she is on the phone while buzzing his hair, talking to her bf, Clifton. She had to leave right in the middle of the cut, for reasons I can't post here. But feel free to ask her about it, BCBS coworkers :)
See how he's looking sideways? He was terrified of the bee hovering around the porch, which is why i don't have an after shot of him.

Aw, Baby Ben. I still think of him that way. Finally fixed the back to match the front, so he doesn't look like a little retarded boy anymore. Yay! (Yes, I know, totally un-PC...I don't care) This is an after shot - he moved too fast for a before.

How funny is he?! This is his response to me saying, SMILE, Micah! Ask for a forced smile, get a forced smile. You could swim in those eyes, though. This is an after shot, as well. The younger two just got touch ups.

I don't cut Katie's hair anymore as I do not want to pay for the therapy that would entail. But here's a recent one of her to keep it all equal :)

Yes, I know my kids are gorgeous. No, I will not give or sell you one. Today. Try me again tomorrow :)

So this is what a good day looks like!

Yep, it was a good day today. No mud wrestling the boys. No running naked through the yard - me or the boys! Just a good, sunny day. 80 degrees - what was that about?! I think I had the heat on night before last!

Today Louise & I decided to act like "real" mommies, aka "fun" mommies, and take our kids to the park. Generally speaking, I'm not a park fan. #1: I have gorgeous babies so I'm always on the look out for pediphiles & such. #2: my kids never play on the equipment like they are supposed to, so I hear a lot of "Just wait till that little boy quits walking UP the slide, baby, then you can go DOWN like you are supposed to." Then I have to go and tell my "bad" boy, "Good job, Micah...way to think outside of the box and walk UP the slide!" Which of course gets the other moms ticked off at me and next thing you know we are hurling insults left & right while our kids stare at us like we belong in a circus. Or on Dr. Phil.

Parks are like the jungle watering hole. All the animals walking cautiously around each other, sniffing out the weakest link. Except moms are sizing each other up to see whose kid has the nicer clothes (Gymboree or Walmart), which mom is wearing designer clothes or Target's clearance rack. From five years ago. Which mommy's little sweetheart is going to throw the first punch, instantly being labeled a bully.

Too much pressure!

So, after 30 minutes of sniffing each other like dogs, God had mercy and sent a few raindrops. Louise & I took it for the gift it was and herded the kids up in the van with threats of lightning and thunder.

Mission Accomplished. Fun Mommy Badges pinned.

That badge is good for a year, right?

And what's a day at the park without a few pics?!

The leaves looked like they were glowing! He had to run across the beam, freaking me out.

Ben wouldn't even creep across - and no, he didn't pee in his pants, Beth.

Someone loves the camera ;) She has become so good at taking direction and not making those goofy faces she used to make when she saw a camera. Seriously. If I could find one, I'd show you!

Just loved the contrast of that vivid red with the glowing green leaves. God did good again!

And those, kids, are proof that I did take you to parks when you were growing up :)

Dear God,

Okay, so maybe I shouldn't have used such a sarcastic tone when I said thanks in that last post. Obviously You decided I needed a lesson in thankfulness, which is why You allowed me to talk myself into taking SIX kids with me to pick Katie & Ethan up from the bus stop, 2 minutes after that post. Six kids under age 6. Must be why You didn't remind me to take my purse. And then You sent that train. After I crossed the tracks. Blocking my way back home. With EIGHT kids in the van with me. Mini van. Oh, and I had a headache. I'm not blaming you for that one, I'm just saying. I had a headache.

I admit, I needed to be more thankful for my kids, especially those 2 muddy boys. Point well taken, mission accomplished. Thank you very much for my four kids. And only four kids. I know You don't give me more than I can handle - though, personally, I'm not sure I am handling the four I have. But You obviously think I can, so, I will. I will also strive to keep that sarcastic tone out of my voice when referring to the blessings You have given me (those four wonderful kids).
Thank you for making that train move when you did, 20 minutes later. I'm sure you saw how high my blood pressure was and heard the bad thoughts I was having toward Louise's kids. I didn't mean it and I'll watch that too, in the future. Just please do not stick me at a blocked railroad track with 8 kids in the van ever again, and I'll do my best to cut the complaining about the mud. I love You.

And yes, I'm totally sucking up :) I'm sorry.

Yours truly & thankfully,

Amy
(Katie, Ethan, Micah, & Ben's mom)

Irony

God has a sense of humor. How do I know this? Because He gave me not one, not two, but three boys. When mom used to lock us outside and say, go play!, I was the one that sat on the porch, or under a tree, or even in the car, to read a book. I hate dirt and never went barefoot or made mud pies, never wanted to get wet or hold snakes. I am a G I R L! A girly girl. So what does God do?

Give me three boys.

And not the kind that likes to read or stay clean. No, these little monsters like dirt and mud. Lots. Of. Mud. So, all that rain we got last week? (Thank you, God!) Well, it left a little mud puddle right at our back door. (Thanks, God.) Might as well just put a big neon sign over it: Ben & Micah's Playground, aka Amy's Personal Hell Hole.

Exhibit A:

Doesn't Micah look like he is just having the time of his life? Doesn't Ben look so excited for HIS turn? What a mean mommy, to make him stop! Truth be told, I didn't immediately. First, I took pictures :) Now comes the torture & revenge part of the story...

It just so happens that Chad was off when they did this monster truck/mud ring act the first time. So guess who got to clean them up?! Yep, my momma didn't raise no dummies. Well, she actually did, I'm afraid, but I'm not one of them!

Ben thought this was going to be FUN. He was WRONG.

Micah knew it wasn't going to be good, and he was right. Now, I'm sure this looks like Chad was enjoying torturing his kids....he was. But I should tell you it lasted less than a minute, then they were herded into a warm shower. See, we learned a lesson a while back. If you put them straight into a warm shower, that equals MORE FUN. Mud bath + warm bath = The Best Day Ever for Ben & Micah. So, we had to give them a little incentive to stay out of the mud. For a week after this, if they so much as LOOKED at that stupid mud puddle, I'd yell "Who wants a cold shower with a water hose?!" And they'd take off running. Away from the mud.

Until today. About an hour ago I realized they were being very quiet. Quiet strikes terror in the heart of a mom. Especially a mom of 3 boys. This is what I found:

It appears they have been eyeing that mud hole all week and have come to a conclusion: They can play in the mud, then take off their clothes, give themselves a cold water hose bath, dry off in the sun, and no one will be the wiser. They were wrong :)

Thanks, God.

P.S.

I have since been told that there is no actual scripture that says Jesus went down into Hell to take the keys of Death & Hades from Satan. Talk about needing therapy! I've heard that one my whole life!

But to clarify, there are scriptures that say Jesus now has abolished death (2 Tim 1:10), and now has the keys of Hades (Unseen or Hell) and of Death (Rev 1:18). Hebrews 2:14 & 15 says that Jesus "destroyed him who had the power of death, that is, the devil."

So we infer from those scriptures that 1.) Satan, at one time, held the power (or keys) of death and Hell. 2.) Jesus now holds those keys!

How you imagine that all came about, whether he actually went down into Hell, as some believe, or Abraham's bosom, as I believe, or if the keys just supernaturally transfered to Heaven/God...it seems to be open to a little interpetation.

I love discussions like this! I appreciate Cassie asking for the actual scripture. I want to know why I believe what I believe, and where to find it in God's Word. I will strive to include more references when I talk about the Bible. This is how I learn from others, and I hope I can do the same for someone else.

God bless!

Dad for President 2012

Kids have selective hearing, and they always select to hear at the most inopportune times. Which got me to thinking about some to the things Dad has said, and how I had some 'splanin' to do later.

Like, for instance, this past Easter Sunday. I already mentioned the really awesome Plan of God sermon he preached. It was towards the end when Dad tells how Jesus went to Hell and took the keys from Satan. But all my 7 year old heard was, "JESUS WHEN TO HELL." The look on Ethan's face was priceless! Chad leans over and says, "You're gonna have to fix that one!" but I'm already on it - I'm quick like that, Babe!

I lean over to tell Ethan, "Jesus didn't stay in Hell, more like a visit. He just went to take the keys from the devil." This makes total sense to me so I'm patting myself on the back when he says..."
Hell has keys?" Big eyes again.
Me: "Um, yeah, I guess so."
At this point his eyes glazed over and I knew I had lost him already.I'm pretty sure he now believes that Jesus was a BAD boy and had to go to Hell (cause that's where bad boys go, according to mommy), where there was some kind of four wheeler race that Jesus apparently won cause now he has the keys to Hell. That'll work for now, right?

Then there's the time Dad is talking about Spaz & Bandit, the two dogs living on his front porch. Bandit is ours and Spaz is Melissa's, but lives with us? And we feed him? And play with him? But I digress....Dad is supposedly not fond of dogs, especially dogs that eat his food, sleep on his porch, and poo in his yard. They actually don't do that last one, but try telling Dad that :) But that's another story. So, anyway, Dad is telling how he would eat Bandit in a heartbeat if we ran out of food. Now, we are all laughing, as this is totally a joke.

Obviously we are eating the fattest neighbor first.

But from the back row where Beth & I are sitting, we see Katie's blonde hair fly as she sits up fast as lightning and whips her head around to look at me with a big HEWANTSTOEATMYDOG!? look on her face. Priceless! She actually shed tears over that one, which was Not So Fun.

Thanks, Dad.

Life is never dull around our house, and neither is church, thanks to Dad. It'll probably land him a lawsuit or arrest warrent one of these days, but that's okay...we'll just have church in jail :D

Pictures of the Day

This one's for you, Grandma!

This little guy kept flying into the window - if he only knew what goes on inside, he'd be flying to get away from it!

After one time too many, he fell to the ground and stayed. Chad & Aaron carried him around for a while, playing with his mohawk, basically ticking him off. Then hid him in the bushes. Hopefully Bandit doesn't find him... he's an avid bird chaser. And bee eater. Jessica's hero ;)

PS He loved the camera, kept checking me out. He's so rock star :D

Overheard:

A certain sister that spoils my kids way too much: "Bolt bandaids?! OMG, I'm totally going to buy them so Ben will love me!"

9 year old deep thinker : "Wouldn't it be weird if President Obama went to a Hannah Montana concert?!"

Two loving brothers:

Micah: "Fine! You not my budder! E ah (Ethan) my budder (brother)!"

Me: "Micah, Ben is your brother no matter how mad he makes you. I'm sorry."

Micah: "Fine, Ba! You not my buddy!"

Easter = Pictures :)

Last Sunday I heard one of THE best sermons on the plan of God, beginning in Genesis and ending up in Revelations. I cried, laughed, and basically sat on the edge of my seat through it all. Koodos to Dad :) And God. Good team!

So after service, we had the annual egg hunt where basically half of the adults show the babies where all the eggs are, the other half snap away with their cameras, and the kids try to figure out which eggs have candy or money, chucking the losers over the fence.

Then, it was PICTURE TIME....my fave ;)

With us Smiths (not our real name...it's an open blog, people!), that can be interesting!

Ever seen The Princess Diaries? I've seen bits & pieces as I rarely get to finish a movie from start to finish, and never uninterrupted. But apparently you know it's a Really Good Kiss if your foot "pops". So, being us, we take, turn it upside down, and make it our own.

Exhibit A:

Jessica & Josh with the Classic Foot Pop

Chad & I with the Leaning Foot Pop (thanks a lot, babe!)

Tim & Louise with the Hyper Foot Pop

(guess who the girls get their drama gene from!)

And then the Gotta Be the Center of Attention Foot Pop

Not to be out done by....

Josh & Aaron with the Brother's Foot Pop

(aka the GAY Foot Pop)

Poor mom & dad...they gotta wonder where they went wrong!

the "Smiths"

Now that was a ball of fun!

God can forget?!

Okay, I have a lot going on in my head today, so I'm trying to get it all out. It helps me sleep :)

Want to know what keeps me awake at night?

Genesis 8:1 > "And God remembered Noah..." STOP.

God forgot Noah?! Seriously? Does this freak anyone else out?! He had ONE earth covered in water at that time (so we assume), ONE ark filled with only EIGHT humans. Was it that hard to remember what was going on with his favorite human, Noah? I'm thinking, um, NO. This is the God of the universe we are talking about. Yet, that's what the Bible says.

And God remembered Noah.

So, yeah...it keeps me up nights. And because of this, there are days I literally raise my hand and yell, "God? Remember me? Remember where you left me!?"

Don't get me wrong. I know He has us here still for a reason. 3 months before we separated from the Air Force, we were still sweating our decision. What if he couldn't find a good paying job? Where did we even start looking? And after months of praying for guidance, God gave me total peace one Sunday morning in church. In the middle of the sermon, overwhelming peace, the kind that makes no sense, flooded my soul. That God was in control and as long as we were seeking HIS will, we would find it. He isn't trying to hide His plan for our lives from us. He wants us to prosper and be at peace where He plants us. Wherever that may be.

But that was 10 months ago. So occasionally, yes, I feel the need to remind God of where I am. Living under my parents roof: me, hubby, four kids, one lab/shephard dog, and a bearded dragon. Oh, and the other 7 other people.

Remember me, God?!

Photography soothes me. Show me a great photo of something in nature that my God created and all is well in my world for another moment. That said, here's one for today:

Isn't He good?!

PS

I have worked on the title picture for over 2 hours & I quit! If anyone can tell me how to center it, either with a program or on blogger, please let me know. Quick. Before I hurt someone.

P.S.S. Check out my sister Louise's blog...she's funnier than I am. And younger. But I'm smarter. Ha! (just kidding, Weeze!) www.weeziepeazie.blogspot.com (I came up with that name, thank you very much!)

Oh, and if you have the time, click on one of those little ads on the right. It pays me in pennies. Remember? I'm LIVING WITH MY PARENTS. Every penny helps :D

God bless!

All About...ME!

So this is my very first post and I already have writer's block...not a good sign!

A short description for those who happen on my blog by accident:
I am a 32 year old stay at home mom, with four kids. I've been married to my BFF Chad for 10 years next month (but feels so much longer, right Babe?!). Chad separated from the Air Force last July, after serving 6 1/2 years, and we've been living with my parents ever since. He has a great job...it you are single or have no kids, no dream of owning your own home, or eating anything besides ramen noodles & hot dogs for the rest of your life...and we have all of those!

So, here we are. 10 months, 17 days, 22 hours, 12 minutes later. Remember me, GOD?!?!

Focus. Breathe. Moving on...

Oh, the best part? 6 months after we moved in, so did my sister & brother in law, Jessica & Josh(love you guys!). Add in the the usual hangons: Josh, Aaron, & Casey. Mom & Dad (love you mom & dad!!!!). Did I mention my kids? All FOUR of them? Yep, that's 13 people living under one roof. Granted, there are six bedrooms, but come on! Would you do it?!

I've always communicated better through writing, and there is therapy in writing down the things that are worring me, stressing me out, making me scream. I write a to do list every single night. Then ignore it the next day. It's therapy. It keeps me sane. Sort of. Whatever!

Remember that survey that said women need to use something like 50,000 words a day, whereas men use about 4,000 (not counting grunts & whistles, my husband says)? I am prolly way off on the numbers, but the point is, I haven't been meeting my quota.

Thus, the blog :)

Let the insanity begin.