Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

Faith is amazing and a mystery to me. I have many questions and doubts, but I believe in God and I love Him. My faith is strong and it is growing every day, but there is a lot for me to learn about faith.

Children’s faith is even more awesome to me. They know so little, yet their faith can be so much stronger than any adult’s. In Nepal I saw children who had nothing but their faith, and they were truly joyful. They sang praise songs. They prayed fervently. They knew Bible verses. They invited me into to their lives, sharing what they had – faith. I was filled with awe. There is a lot I can learn about faith from the children I met in Nepal.

Watching my own children’s faith grow has been truly a blessing to me. They love God and Jesus. They pray and remind me to pray. They beg for me to read Bible stories to them and sing praise songs. They ask big theological questions all day, and I don’t most of the answers to their questions. They also make profound statements about God, Jesus, faith, and the Bible. It is a mystery to me that they are so little, yet they have such BIG faith. Their eyes are open to things that I could never see on my own. It touches my heart. There is a lot I am learning about faith from my children.

I was overjoyed and honored when my four year old daughter prayed with me and asked Jesus to be her best friend forever.

Last night my two year old daughter asked me to read the story of Jesus dying on the cross. We have read this story a few times, especially recently during Holy Week and Easter. At the end of the story, the book leads a child toward accepting Christ. I asked A2 if she wanted Jesus to be her best friend forever. She nodded, and C4 told her that she had to pray. A2 bowed her head and prayed an unintelligible prayer. I think she asked Jesus to be her best friend! Tonight she asked me to read the same story and prayed quietly again. I’m not sure if this means that A2 is saved, but I do know that the Bible tells us that we are to have faith like little children do.

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14

There is a lot I am learning about faith from my children.

Photo courtesy of H_Elise

Swimming lessons have begun! We took two rounds of lessons last year and decided to take a break. C4 was terrified of the water last year and refused to put her face in at all. It was not worth it to me to force the issue, so we stopped. Besides, my goal is simply for her to be able to swim not for her to compete or anything like that. Waiting was the right choice! She had a great time today, and she wasn’t even nervous before the class started.

We arrived at the lesson early to allow the kids to warm up to the situation. My kids adjust better to anything new if I explain what will happen and answer their questions at the venue. It seems to relax them – and me. I also give important safety information. For example, today we talked about the life guard’s job. I also explained that they might hear a whistle blow, and three blows mean that the life guard wants to clear the pool. My kids are so curious, and they are pretty independent thinkers. They often question the authority figure when they are told to do something that appears confusing. That kind of questioning seems defiant to some adults even though the questions are not to meant to defy authority. I try to avoid having that happen, especially on the first day of a class.

I saw my little girl actually swim from the side of the pool to the rope and back again with the barbells. She splashed in the water. She even went down the slide into the pool. She smiled the whole time, too! She did check with me throughout the class, but there was no sign of distress. What progress! I am so glad to see her enjoy the water now.

Wednesday is A2’s turn with her very first lesson with Mommy. I’ll keep you posted!

Photo courtesyof  bonsaihiker

Life is fragile and can change in an instant.

I remember the night that my life changed. That moment will be ingrained in my memory for the rest of my life. It started with the phone ringing in the middle of the night. Remembering that sound tears my body up even now. The voice I heard was my sister’s, but there was something odd in her voice that I couldn’t pinpoint. Then she said it, and I wish I could have made her stop. I wish I could have gone back to the moments before.

“Mom died tonight.”

“What?!”

“Dad found mom dead in their bed tonight. You have to come home.”

E and I had just seen my parents the day before. They came to our church for our baptism. My dad actually enjoyed the service and felt comfortable in our church. My parents even heard my testimony for the first time that day. We had a wonderful time celebrating with some cake. But I had no idea that I was hugging my mom for the very last time when I said good-bye to her that day.

When I was on the phone with my sister, I desperately wanted to go back to that day. I wanted everything to go back to the way it was. E and I were married for almost two years. We recently bought our first home and got our first dog. Our life together was just beginning. Everything was going as planned, and we were living our dreams. Our life was blissful. As I listened to my sister, I longed to feel comfortable and happy again.

I didn’t realize how fragile life is as I watched my life change in front of my eyes.

This coming summer it will be six years since my mom died. I cannot believe it has been that long because it still feels like yesterday. Last night I was reminded how fresh those wounds still are. It hit me suddenly. After watching a hospital drama on TV, I completely lost it. It wasn’t one specific thing that happened on the show that started it. It was just the relationships and the events that reminded me of how much I miss being comforted by my mother. This is why I avoid watching my favorite “tear-jerker” movies and only watch comedies, much to E’s chagrin. It isn’t that I am afraid to start crying. I’m simply terrified that I won’t be able to stop crying. Last night I overcame that fear, though. I cried on E’s shoulder and confessed that I wanted my mother, that I had an ache in my heart for her, that I needed to be comforted by her and no one else would do. (Now I understand why my own kids cry for Mommy when they are distraught.) E held me tightly and listened. (He’s a good husband!)

After a bit, I was actually able to stop. I am one step closer to healing.

Remember this…

Life is fragile and can change in an instant.

Mine did.

Photo courtesy of sektordua

Live as a mom for a while and learn a lot! Here are a few things I have learned after becoming a mom…

~ I can run errands around the location of the clean public bathrooms. I never know when we are going to need one!

~ I have to take several extra napkins whenever we stop at a food establishment. There is always a spill or a runny nose. Those napkins also come in handy if that clean public bathroom is out of toilet paper!

~ I understand why drive-thru was invented. It’s not for lazy people as I thought before. No, it’s for moms with sleeping kids!

~ I can make a healthy meal out of just about anything in the freezer or the cabinet. It’s amazing how creative I can be when I have two cranky kids desperately needing dinner!

~ Bedtime and nap time are mostly for kids but parents benefit more. Mommy and Daddy need the rest!

~ I have to pick my battles. I don’t have to win every battle in order to win the war. Sometimes it just doesn’t pay to pick a fight with your kids.

~ My parents did do a few things right.  I take advantage of grandparent wisdom every day. My relationship with my dad is remarkably different now because I truly appreciate him and everything that he has done for me.

~ Although I know a lot about children in general, I don’t know as much as I would like to know. This parenting thing is an art form not a science!

~ I need to ask God for wisdom, patience, and guidance all day every day. I cannot parent these children without Him.

Living as a mom has been an on-the-job learning experience.

Photo courtesy of GIRLintheCAFE

Today I pitched in by watching my friend’s three kids for the afternoon. It was a fun day for the kids. They all get along really well, so in some ways, it was easier for me to have them here. The rain even held off long enough for us to play outside for a bit. I rather enjoyed hanging out with the kids today! Besides, that’s what friends are for, right?

One minor problem with having five children in my house is the amount of food that they consume! The only food I had enough of to feed a crowd was pasta. The only fruit I had was pineapple, and a few of the kids didn’t like pineapple. I realized how badly I need to go food shopping, too.

Miraculously three of the younger children napped for two hours. My friend’s oldest daughter was really helpful with this since she sang to my oldest daughter to put her to sleep while I sang to the two little ones (both 2 1/2).  However, I am not used to having kids awake during nap time. I missed my rest time today, but the big kids played quietly for much of the time after I played a few card games with them. It worked out just fine.

Today my friend unintentionally gave me a glimpse at what it could be like to have the large family that I have always wanted to have. That’s what friends are for, right? I discovered that it’s lots of work and seriously exhausting to have a large family. I also discovered that it’s also so wonderful to be a part of a large family.

All in all it turned out to be a great day! Thanks, Jesus, for giving me the chance to take care of my dear friend’s kids to see a glimpse of life in a big family.

I wonder if you and your husband have experienced this same scenario. Picture this.

It’s late at night. We are both tired. We are both snuggled comfortably in our bed. Then we hear a little one cry and call for Mommy. (They always call for Mommy, don’t they?) There is a moment of silence in which you both pretend to be sleeping. The crying continues. Without opening my eyes, I beg for E to go take care of the problem. He reluctantly gets up to see what is the matter. He stumbles through a conversation with the little one, and puts her back to bed. The screaming protest begins. E shuts the door and returns to bed. The screaming continues, so I send him back – a few times. Finally, I give in and get up to deal with the little one. The little one settles down for a few more hours, and mom and dad try to go back to sleep.

The next day we are all exhausted. Is there a better way?

Glitterfy.com – Glitter Graphics

I am a crafty and creative gal, so I love planning our kids’ birthday parties! It brings me back to being a child. I LOVE pretend and magic and all things that make a kid’s party fun. I bake the cake and try to make it special for my kiddos. Last year C4 said, “That is the prettiest pony cake ever, Mommy!” It melted my heart!

This year C4 is turning 5, and she wants a Tinker Bell party. I have been thinking lots about this theme. I watched many Peter Pan videos, read the lyrics for songs, and even visited the Disney Tinker Bell web site. I’ve researched Tinker Bell party games and decided which ones we are going to play. I watched a few how to videos on making fairy wings for our craft. You might like the wings craft found on Kids Craft Weekly or the one found on About.Com I even made my own invitation today. Whew! I have been a busy mommy today.

The goal is to throw a really fun party with an extremely small budget. I am being quite savvy here. The craft uses recycled materials: wire hangers & old nylons. The games require some edible glitter, music, bubbles and imagination. One of the activities involves the children putting together their own goody bags with items they search for on a fairy scavenger hunt. I decided to have the party from 2-5 in order to avoid feeding a crowd a meal. I will simply serve snacks, cake, and juice.

Now I have to get the guest list down to a reasonable number. C4 has 19 children on the list including her sister and herself. We’re having this shindig in our backyard (and inside if it pours) so I want a reasonable number. It may take some negotiation, but I think I can be persuasive!

I am excited about the party! I will keep you posted on how it goes.