Thankful Thursday-My kids

Four very special blessings in my life are my kids…..6and under…..that doesn’t sound as bad as it did last April riht after little bean was born and I had to say 4 4 and under.

 

All four of our children are amazing.  I am not just saying that because I am their mom BUT they are so very special in a very unique way. (and I am the first to tell you that they have MANY faults as well.  I am not the kind of parent who thinks their kids are perfect.  I am well aware that I gave birth to four little sinners)

 

So why are my kids so special.?  Well It is no secret that my hubby is in full time ministry and that I am a syau at home wife and mom!.  I am fully involved as a pastor’s wife well.  But our kids have never been trained to minister to people…They just do. and not just by making them smile or by hugs BUT much deeper than that.

 

Our oldest Son tornado (there is a very good reason as to why he has that nickname)  Anyway he is 6…But as a child of 4 we had a tumult of deaths in our church…..Tornado has a VERY sensitive heart and cried at each telling of one of his dear friends and if he talked to them at least once he counted them as one of his closest of friends.  One specific case we had been having church dinners through the winter months and oneparticular Sunday we sat next to an elderly gentleman and his wheelchair  ridden wife.  Tornado was in his element .  He spoke with Mr I for the whole lunch and it was the only time they ever interacted…..2 short months later Mr I passed away. And Tornado was distraught.  He cried for nearly 45 minutes when i told him.  But the story does not stop there.  He made it a point that the VERY next time Mrs I was in church to give her a hug and tell her that he missed Mr I VERY much.   He Also MADE us tell her the very same thing the day of the funeral.   Tornado also like to open peoples car doors for them which many people do not understand that he is just being a seet boy and he has actually been reprimanded for his acts of kindness.  One one other occaision Tornado went up to an elderly gentleman during a men’s prayer breakfast (which he has faithfully attended since he was  5) one Saturday and asked him “How is your wife doing?”  His only interaction with the P’s was the previous Thursday when they came for dinner.   Mr P’s Heart was melted.  Tornado holds a very special place in many of the elderly families hearts in our church.

Our second oldest is our only daughter Lady bug……she is a sensitive heart to be sure.  She has a gentle spirit and if she knows you are sick or hurt you can rest assure that you WILL be taken care of!!  She will bend over backwards to make sure you are comfortable  and well taken care of.  She is our big helper even though she is only 4 soon to be five.

 

Next comes weasel…(yet again there is a very good reason for the nickname)  He is a lover boy.  He gives lavishly of hugs and kisses and even more so since he had his tonsils out a week ago.  He  has the most amazing smile that warms anybody’s heart instantaneously. And will almost immediately ask if you will be his friend as soon as you meet him….BUT on one occaision he  has helped someone so amazingly.  One of our teens  in our church a hurting very badly and this teen in particular is and has been his favorite since we set fott in our church two years ago.  But Miss B was going through some tough times and after a particularly hrad time  he went running to her flung his arms around her neck and said “My A— My A— you ARE my BEST FRIEND”  How that meant so much to that teen and it was almost as if he knew she needed it!!  And her too has caught many a heart at our church .

 

And lastly Little Bean…at only one  can get almost anybody to smile.  You see he has been pooked and prodded and all sorts of lovely things since about 6 months old and yet he is almost never grumpy.  He has a captivating smile and personality …..and one of the sweetest things about Little Bean is that he loves to hold hands….even this evening as I sat in a chair reading and he was trucking around in his walker. he would come near to my chair reach out his hand for mine.  though it is never very long it is just one way  he shows an amzing spitrit.

 

NAd finally one of the other things that characterizes all three of our children is their desire to pray for others whom they know are hurting….Not just family, friends or church family but for those they hear us talking about in our world’s recent natural disasters…..We have watched their little hearts break as they hear us talk about tsunamis hurricanes, earthquakes tornadoes floods and so much more.   I wouldn’t trade my kids for the most well behaved children on the face of the planet…..NOTHING is better than having children who understand that people need Jesus and are burdened for them.   Because when they love God they love people unconditionally.  And for them I am SOOOOO very thankful that God saw fit to bless me with the kids with amazing hearts!

*SIGH*

As a wife what do you do when you (the wife) was trying to do something that you view as your duty…your job…your responsibility and in the process you ruin something. Not something small nor something insignificant but REALLY REALLY big and very expensive….and did I mention it was replaced 3 years and one month ago? I am in this place and I am frustrated!…And so is Hubby!

Present #3

So today in My day Book Entry i told you about the Christmas present Hubby had gotten me which was this..Or should I say THESE… BUT then I told you that a bigger present was in the bottom of the boot box and asked you to guess what it was and I told you it had something to do with the Boots and hat! Well It’s time for the unveiling It was a home made card..Take a peek and then you’ll know why it is SO much BIGGER than the other two…

So there it is in Black and white it’s a trip. Our first real family vacation in 4 years. The vacation isn’t necessarily the present it’s to where and a girl can’t take here first trip to Nashville TN without a cowboy hat and boots. After this last year we severely need a family vacation. So in the trip We are going to Nashville TN, Petersburg Ky and Pittsburgh Pa …we want to stop off and visit Ron’s Grandpa who isn’t doing so well..Then it’s off to Nashville where we will visit the Country Music hall of Fame Recording Studios the Ryman Auditorium and so much more Then it’s off to Kentucky where we have friends and we will visit the Creation Science Museum AND a National Zoo Pass so we can visit whatever Zoos we wish in the next year…Did I ever mention I have a thing for Zoos Well that another blog post entirely And all along the way we will stop and visit presidents home, battle feilds and so much more. We haven’t traveled like this since we went to Canada with Hubby’s partents and brother 4 years ago! I am SOOOOO excited. What a cool Hubby I have to make his wife’s dreams come true like that!

And By the way Monica was the closest by guessing Horse riding lessons…Mostly cuz she’s the only one who guessed! Thanks for playing along and Yes someday I would LOVE horse riding lessons!

My home at christmas

* Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends. Okay, here’s what you’re supposed to do… Just copy this email/post and paste into a new e-mail/post to share with others. Change all the answers so that they apply to you…. here’s mine….. 1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper mostly 2. Real tree or Artificial? This year real. I was so excited a gentleman in our church gave us a free real tree 3. When do you put up the tree? usually the weekend after Thanksgiving 4. When do you take the tree down? New Years Day 5. Favorite gift received as a child? bicycle 6. Hardest person to buy for? My dad and brothers! 7. Easiest person to buy for? My kids they have such easy likes! 8. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, but is a mostly broken..A hand me down so i didn’t even put it out this year 9. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail and for the last two years handmade cards too! 10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I don’t remember 11. When do you start shopping for Christmas? November 12. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I also don’t remember but I really don’t think so 13. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? butterscotch rice crispie candy with a layer of chocolate in the middle 14. Lights on the tree? Yes definitely 15. Favorite Christmas song? O Holy Night and Carol of the Bells 16. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Travel…that is until my husband gets a pastorate and then we will travel afterward 17. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? Yes – Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Doner, Blitzen, and Rudolf … 18. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star 19. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning..But someday when my husband gets a pastorate we will open stockings Christmas eve 20. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Santa Claus! And how he seems to sound so much like God! You notice that he has a lot of names and seems to be all knowing and ever present – “he see’s you when you’re sleeping, he knows when you’re awake, he knows if you’ve been bad or good”…. that’s worrisome!!! I guess this has affected us more this year than ever before cuz Tornado has decided that God isn’t real cuz he hasn’t seen him on TV GRRRR Frustrating for a pastors family 21. Favorite ornament theme or color? Red and silver with white lights..Lots of greenery around the house and Maroon bows to accent it with 22. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Ham 23. What do you want for Christmas this year? To sleep in …My parents are terrible about wanting the kids to get up! 24. Who is most likely to respond to this? I have NO IDEA! 1. Do you read the Christmas story from the Bible with family? Yes – usually my husband reads it we do it a lot during the coming days but my parents don’t really have that focus 2. What is your favorite Christmas movie? Mine is White Christmas. Danny Kaye is one of my favorites 3. Do you pretend Santa for your kids – NO! Though Tornado thinks he is real cuz he’s seem him on TV we have had a real struggle with that this Christmas 4. Do you hang stockings? Where and how? More like propped under the tree But we do have them 5. Does your family have any birthdays near Christmas? My uncles And Vug’s is near thanksgiving