Ahoy, Matey!

Meet Jack Sparrow, the cat not the pirate. What's that? You say, he looks familiar? As well he should. Jack Sparrow was born in our house underneath the stairs in a Christmas tree box. So now you know where to place him. Jack Sparrow lives across the street at the Callahan residence, but I think he still misses his mommy,Maybelline. Yes he has lived there since he was only five weeks old and yes he is over a year old but regardless, this is how I find Jack Sparrow nearly every morning. Peering in through the sidelight window as if he is just checking on us making sure we still live here or maybe he just wants to catch a glimpse of his mommy. Whatever the reason, I always like when I walk by and see his cute pink nose on the glass. It makes me go, that's Jack Sparrow and he was born in our house underneath the stairs in a Christmas tree box.

Deep Thoughts And Talking Salad

Okay,I must confess I am just a tad bit jealous that my dear hubby was able to go up in a small cessna with our good friend Derek Kalista!! Derek finished flight training and now he's a "real" pilot, way to go Derek!!! Matt took some really awesome pictures during their flight and I could'nt help but ponder how small we must look to our almighty God. I know what your thinking, "Great, she's pondering again." But, for real, this time I was actually having mature grown-up ponders, well minus the singing cucumber and tomato, "My God is so big so strong and so mighty, there's nothing my God cannot do.....woohoo......."
It just seems like so often I let life bog me down and block my view of God's size and power. The deficieny is in my own faith. I forget that He who is in me is greater than he who is in the world,1 John 4:4. Why can't I grasp the significance of this? An all-powerful God defies my imagination. All-powerful refering to God being able to do anything He wants to do, being the source of all power, physical and spiritual, posessing perfect, sovereign power. Great is our Lord and mighty in power;his understanding has no limit.Psalm147:5
This powerful God is on our side friend, He really cares, He really is in control, He really brings good out of adversity. No problem or person is all-powerful. Only God. The odds in our favor are limitless.
So sing on cucumbers, let it fly talking tomatoes......My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there's nothing my God cannot do........
F*Y*I Our house is on the center street 5th one up from the botttom. The one that looks like a stalk of broccoli is in the yard. funny.

The Naked Mole Rat (update)

So, whatd'ya think? Do our babies still look like little rodents that eat their own poo? This was one of the pictures I had out on Craig's list. The Kaufmann family took two of our kitties and gave them a sweet home. The other three were out on Craig's list for less than 24 hours. I posted the ad at about 6pm on Monday, at 8pm I had a lady and her 4 year old daughter picking out their favorite and by Tuesday at 6pm they were all in their new homes. I miss our little rats. Maybe we will manage to get Mab's fixed before she goes out and gets prego again. Maybe not. Anyway at least we will get a break from the boys building kitten habitats:) Oh, you don't know what a kitten habitat is? A kitten habitat consists of mounds and mounds of pillows and blankets (from all rooms in the entire house)piled as high as they can go with a small empty spot usually at the center but not necessarily, then you pile all of the kittens in there and they nest. Then a small but mighty force similar to a tropical storm comes along and puts his hand in one of the openings and goes awwwwwww.key.awwwwww.key. This usually marks the beginning of the end of the kitten habitat. Until tomorrow. UHHHH.

Has Eight Years Really Gone By????

Happy Birthday Benjamin!!!!! To my beautiful eight year old boy, who has surpassed all of my expectations on what it would be like to be your mom. You are everything I imagined you to be and more. I still remember the very first time I held you and cried,"My baby, my baby," you were a dream come to life. Everyday that I get to be your mom is a blessing and I am so glad the Lord put you in our family. In eight years from now you will be sixteen and I won't even post how old that makes me!!!! Slow down babe, let me hold onto you a little bit longer. I love you more than you could ever know and I am so proud of who you are and who I get to watch you become. Love, Mom

It All Comes Out In The Wash

A plastic tiger,a grape jolly rancher wrapper,a Nerf dart,a red Flipping Frog, a G.I. Joe guy, a few water balloons,a battleship peg,a pencil, a couple of rocks,keys,a Lego helmet,a Chucke Cheese token and some other not as important coins, a tube of sunscreen for lips, a spinner to a happy meal toy, a big black bug, an outer space gun, some sort of hook thing that says "not for climbing" (oh, they don't know my boys),a Shiver Me Timbers braclet, a pretty swirl rock, a guitar pick and the one thing you might expect to see come out of the laundry pile....a dryer sheet.
Camoflauged beneath Power Rangers underwear and in between Old Navy t-shirts,these are the little surprises that accumulate in our laundry pile. These items just linger in the basket waiting to be rediscovered and claimed by the ones to which they belong. Some will be fought over, others tossed aside,and a few will be mindlessly shoved into small pockets only to repeat the cycle. The Normal/Heavy Duty cycle that is;)

Without A Stitch

This is not the way I was expecting Sam to look when I got him up from his nap on Sunday. When he laid down he had on a diaper, a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and when he got up....nothing, nada, zip, zero, zilch. He has expertly learned how to disrobe himself and since Sunday, three more times. I walk in his room and there he sits in his crib au naturel, just a grin on his face. He is very proud of his inventive acquirement and I am equally amused. Is the "miracle of the moment" when I am wiping poo off of bed rails or changing crib sheets again? Maybe the miracle is that I would do this everyday for the rest of my life just to see the charmed little boy smile,to feel his hand in mine while I walk him to the tub, and to tickle his bare naked tummy.

Surviving The Fourth

It's crazy but true, the fourth of July has come and gone, all without a hitch. Wow! It was amazing. The guys put on an incredible show once again, the weather was perfect, tons of food, good friends, and everyone still has ten fingers and ten toes.(all the moms can breathe) The night was fabutastic!!!(my own made up word) Now we just sit around and talk about it until the next fourth. It's kinda like the post- Christmas feeling, only it's 96 degrees outside. A huge hug and thankyou to all who serve this country with courage, today, tomorrow and yesterday and to the One who set me free, I'll serve You, from a humbled, broken, and grateful heart. Relentlessly.