The Climb

We are finally getting into a routine of working at In The Zone, getting the kids to all their activities and trying to work out. We are having the best time with our family membership to our wellness center. The boys said we now live at our house, wellness center and church. I guess that is not a bad thing :) Between all of the boys activities at church we are constantly there and now with Andrew and Kevin both on the swim team and working out, we are always at the wellness center.

Last Friday, we all went to the gym. We had a great time spending a Friday night working out together. And it makes me smile that Andrew can run circles around me on the track. He flies around the track while I am walking. Christopher enjoys playing basketball in the gym while we work out. The basketball gym opens up to the upstairs track and workout area so we can see him while we work out. And then Kevin is in the Kids Gym working out with the kids trainer.

Daniel has already lost 7 pounds! He has had a lot of knee problems and is trying to lose some weight to minimize the weight on his knees. He is on a weight lifting and cardio routine. He also takes his lunch to work and we are making sure we get our meals planned and ready for dinner so we don't eat out as much.

I am walking around 3 to 5 miles about 5 days a week. I am not weight lifting yet because I am taking it easy on my back. I have had scoliosis in my back for years(found it in high school) and my shoulder has not been very mobile lately. I went to an orthopedic last Thursday. He said my shoulder looked irritated on the x-ray and gave me a steroid shot. What a miracle drug that is! My back and shoulder feel so much better now. I am going to see a spine specialist on Monday. I am going to go to him so he can watch my back as I get older to make sure the curve does not progress. I have always had back pain and just lived with it. But over the last year the pain has gotten worse. The walking has really helped minimize the pain (along with the shot). So right now my concern is not necessarily weight loss (but would be helpful) but I am interested in keeping my back stretched out and pain free.

Andrew is working out to better his Cross Country running and muscle strength for baseball and golf. It is fun seeing my teenager work out with his dad. Talk about some quality time? God has truly blessed us with the family membership to the wellness center. The membership just fell in our lap and now we can't imagine not having it. It is so great to know that God is in charge and knows exactly what we need.

Good news in our house is that Christopher won 1st place in the Science Fair and moves on to regionals in March. And Kevin won 1st place for our school PTA Reflections program. He took a picture of Andrew's cross country team praying next to a river before their meet. The theme for the PTA contest was Together We Can. . .  Kevin's picture was called Together We Can Pray. His picture was then turned in by the school for the district competition and it WON! His picture will now move onto the state level.

School is half way over and I am on two committees that are reminding me that my children are growing up and about to move on to new chapters in their lives. I am on the 5th grade Activities Committee and 8th grade Activities Committee. Both which are planning end of the year graduation activities. Christopher is about to move on to middle school and Andrew is about to move on to high school. I can not believe we are already starting the 2nd semester of school. And Kevin is changing leaps and bounds. He is reading and having "big boy" homework. He is not my baby any more at all.

I get a call that Kevin needs money on his cafeteria card. This was a surprise since Kevin takes his lunch to school. Well, apparently Kevin has been eating breakfast at home and school. And taking his lunch to school and buying a school lunch. I asked him about it and he said that they have yummy breakfast and he is tired of eating sandwiches for lunch. Who would of thought that a kindergartner would be so independent. I thought he was going to the auditorium in the morning when I dropped him off but I guess it was the cafeteria. I think life is going to be quiet interesting raising this red head of ours!

I love these boys and they make me laugh, cry, scream and smile! The other night we spontaneously watched The Hannah Montana Movie that happen to be playing on TV. We one by one sat down and got caught up in the movie and before we knew it we had dropped everything and had an unplanned movie night. I love the song, The  Climb, at the end of the movie. We have been climbing a lot of "life" mountains over the past few years and it is nice to finally enjoy the view and take a deep breath. We know there will be many more mountains to climb. But we have really learned to have joy in the tough times and just enjoy the climb and know that God has a plan. I can't say it has been fun climbing the mountains but God has been working on us and I can't imagine where we would be if we lost Faith and didn't have God by our side. We dug into God's Word to try to survive and understand attacks on us. Through this we grew stronger in His Strength and Wisdom. His says I should be thankful for our troubles. This is when He reveals himself to us. I am thankful for the journey and lessons. I am so glad that He has changed us and showed Himself to us. It definitely was not easy but it was worth "the climb." Here is a video of the song, The Climb, from our spontaneous movie night with the boys. *** notice in the middle of the video Miley's dad pointing up to God. What a breath of fresh air to see a mainstreamed show putting a little of God in there.




Just for a little fun. Here is the song that my boys loved from the movie and sang forever!

The Weekend

This has been a busy weekend (I guess as it normally is). We had 7 parties on Saturday at In The Zone which consists of Daniel being at the building from 9am - 8:30pm and me shuffling children to their activities. Daniel is getting the teenagers trained so he is about to get away for a little while at a time.

Christopher had his first basketball game for the season on Saturday. Christopher's team decided to play in a league in the twin city of ours. It is suppose to be a little more competitive than the league we played in last year. The boys did a great job! I kept Daniel informed of the game through text messaging. They won their first game. Here are a couple of pictures I took.  The pictures are from my cell phone so the quality is not that good.

Christopher is in the middle in the brown trying to get the ball away.

Christopher was fouled and shooting his free throws.

After the game, we went to the grocery store and gas station to prepare for an ice storm/ snow coming our way. You never know around here if the power is going to go out. We are not use to this kind of weather. Well, we had some rain, sleet and snow throughout the day. A little stuck but not much. The interstate is closed and they have already closed schools for tomorrow. So we are excited about another day off. Monday is our normal day off from work so we will get to spend some time with the boys. Here are a few pictures of when the snow started.

Most of my Sunday was spent getting Christopher and Kevin's science fair project board completed. Christopher is finding the exact sweet spot of his bat and Kevin is doing a bubble blowing project. Here are a few pictures going on their display boards.

Then the sad part of my weekend is saying good-bye to my 17 year old cat. He has not passed away yet but is truly hanging on to his last breath. If there was a vet open today I would have taken him because I have to let go. The boys have talked to him today and told him they love him and would miss him. I held him for a long time today reminding him of all the fun we have had over the years. I know this sounds crazy but this cat has been at the door greeting the boys home from school and following me around the house for years.

Ribbie has been going down over the last few months and the last couple of days wouldn't eat or drink. And his breathing was very labored. I woke up this morning not expecting him to be with us today. He is just lifeless. This cat has been through everything with Daniel and I. We got him in Palm Bay, Florida when Daniel was playing with the Marlins. He has lived everywhere with us. Daniel and I have been married for 18 years and he has been a part of 17 of it. He has seen 3 children come home for the first time, he has seen many animals come and go from our family. He has listened to my worries and my victories over the years (and he never argued back!). He was truly more of a dog than a cat. He loved to be in your lap and to be where you were. As much as I hate to see him go, I know it is time. I have been praying for my one word, PEACE. Well, I have Peace with Ribbie passing away. A peace I did not have yesterday. I was calling Daniel asking for help. He walked next door to our business neighbors that is a Veterinarian Hospital but they were closed. So we are waiting until tomorrow to take him. But I don't think he is going to make it through the night to take him.  I love this cat with all my heart and will truly miss him.

By the way, Daniel's One Word is PREPARE. He is going to prepare himself to be a more Christlike man, prepare his family for the spiritual battle we are in, he is going to prepare ahead of time (which he doesn't like to do). Daniel has never been big on details. This is what balances us out. I worry too much about details. But he is going to Prepare more, which will involve more details in his life. So please continue to pray for my one word, PEACE as well as praying Daniel's one word, PREPARE.  

The next picture is a picture of Gracee and Ribbie. Gracee and the rest of us will truly miss our family member and friend, Ribbie!!!!!

My One Word

I heard a challenge yesterday that I could not get out of my head. It is called MY ONE WORD. Instead of deciding to make a New Years Resolution on how you are going to better your life or change this year, you pick one word for yourself to pray for a year. Then the challenge caught my attention when the lady talked about choosing one word for your child.

The night before I heard this challenge, Daniel and I had a moment that we realized our oldest son was turning into a young man. Andrew is entering a stage in his life that is taking on a new life of parenting for me and Daniel. Andrew has such a sweet heart and a love for God. He is in a stage of his life where he is making grown up decisions on who he is and who he is going to be as a person. We got into a deep discussion the other day. I had to be a parent like I never imagined before. I had to really grow up myself at that moment and help my son grow up into a young man. I am so proud of decisions he has made and the path he is going down. But it is not always a popular decision. He has had to decide if he is going to follow the ways of the world or God. And he chose God in some tough situations! He told us after the fact and we where not able to dictate to him what to do. It is hard being the parent and not being able to tell your son how to handle a situation. But all the years of parenting and going to church all came together in his decision making. Daniel and I have tried to teach our boys to be different and make a difference. Make people stop and look. This is not always easy to do.  I can see that Andrew knows what kind of person he wants to be but now he is having to learn how to be this Godly person in an ungodly world. I reminded him of God's Word and how God talks to you through His Word and through prayer. Andrew is reading a devotional book for boys and building his spiritual muscle to be ready to fight the spiritual battle he has before him as a Christian man. So through this deep and intimate talk with Andrew I was floored by how real it is and how important it is to raise a child to lean on God. I can't imagine raising a child in this crazy world without Christ in the center guiding our decisions.

I tell you this because it was easy to come up with my one word for Andrew. Which I am not going to share because it is a personal word that Daniel and I want to pray for Andrew. I can not wait to see the changes in Andrew's life in 2011. Now Christopher is a different story. Christopher is changing too but in a different way. He has had some challenges in doing what is right too. We often talk to the boys about the devil whispering in one ear trying to get you not to listen to God's voice. Christopher is really having to knock that devil off his shoulder so he can hear God's voice. He loves God but also loves to have fun. But Christopher has shown me some discipline in his life that I didn't know he had. He has chosen to be in a Bible Drill class on Wednesday nights. I so wanted to say no to this activity but I know I can't. He already goes to our children's mission program on Wed. nights. Now he is there for two hours on Wed. and choir on Thurs. We do not live close to our church. So this is a real challenge to be able to get homework done and be gone this many nights with church and sports. But how can you deny your child a Bible Drill class? You don't! I am so excited for Christopher to have these Bible verses in his heart. As I have seen with Andrew these verses will be needed in years to come. I have a word for Christopher too. But Daniel and I would like to pray this for Christopher without sharing the word.

Then there is my strong-willed Kevin. I have not come up with his word yet. I am waiting on God to tell me. He makes us laugh and want to pull our hair out at the same time. He truly does not realize he is only 5 years old. On New Years Eve the big kids in the neighborhood were lighting fireworks while holding them in their hand and then throwing them. We watched Kevin so closely knowing he doesn't think danger applies to him. As I finally get comfortable with Kevin lighting fireworks with  the help of Andrew and Daniel, I walk away and relax and have peace with the fireworks going off everywhere with lots of kids everywhere. I come back and Daniel is helping Andrew and Christopher with some big fireworks. And there is my 5 year old who has just lit a firework while holding it and throws it. I was not so gentle with my words after seeing this. Kevin responds, "That's how you do it! It hasn't blown up in my hand yet."  So, I know there is a word out there for him but it needs to be just right for this third child of mine!

Daniel is still waiting on his one word. But I have found My One Word! PEACE!!!

PEACE = freedom of the mind from annoyance, distraction, anxiety, an obsession, etc.; tranquillity; serenity.

As I try to be a parent I need to work on Peace. I need freedom in my mind from anxiety that something is going to go wrong or that I have to protect them from all evil in this world. I know I can't control every aspect of their life and that I need to trust God is with them at ALL times.

As Daniel and I start a new business I need Peace!!! I need to have freedom of the mind from distractions, anxiety and obsession of everything being perfect. And that also brings me to financial peace. Daniel and I took a Financial Peace class before Kevin was born. At that time, money was not an issue. If we wanted something we could go get it and not worry. We could tithe and it wouldn't hurt. But it wasn't until we became self-employed that we really learned what it meant to live the life of a budget that didn't add up. We have had to sit back several times not knowing how we would pay a bill but God provided. And he would. The hard part about being self-employed is also thinking about money constantly not because I am wanting to buy something new but because we have bills to pay for us personally and for the business. We have to make our own income. Sometimes you really start depending on your own knowledge and not God's knowledge. The Bible tells us He has already gone before us and fought the battle and won. He protects our backs from past mistakes and protects us as we move forward. I need to have Peace and trust that He really has already won the battle and will provide for our needs (not wants).

I am also praying for Peace for my health and body. I have not had time to work out or take care of myself since we became self-employed. It has been a time and money factor. I have been aching and not feeling so youthful lately. Stress and worry can take a toll on your body. God provided a gym membership in an awesome way. We were approached by our wellness center about trading out a family membership for inflatables throughout the year. So here is my Peace for mind and body! I went to pilates twice this week and I am heading to a stretch/flexibility class tomorrow. I am not worrying about weight loss at this moment. Just flexibility and strength. God once again has provided! So I am working on my Peace through my health and fitness.

PEACE = freedom of the mind!

Peace is talked about all through the Bible. Here are a few Peace Bible Verses that I found.

Philippians 4:7

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.



John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Romans 5:1
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Isa 53:5
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

2 Thessalonians 3:16
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.

Isaiah 26:3
You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.

Psalm 34:14
Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

Colossians 3:15
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

Numbers 6:25-26
the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace."


I will be praying my one word, PEACE, for an entire year. The devil knows my weak spot. He knows how to get into my mind. If I can have freedom of the mind, I will truly be a different person for Christ! I also pray for Peace that I am in God's Will in everything that I do. I would appreciate any prayer for Peace in my life. Can't wait to see what kind of Peace 2011 brings to my life.

Watch these videos on My One Word. Truly awesome!

What would your One Word be?