Love Notes, my thoughts at Valentine’s

Last summer I took several love notes that Tim gave me over the years and arranged them in a large frame and added a title at the top called Love Notes.  I put the framed notes on the wall next to my bed so every morning I would see his words of love and encouragement. 

Likewise, there are a few love notes from my children hanging on the doors of the armoire that holds our computer.  One from several years ago reads, “a little boy love his mom his mom is super and fun.”   Another reads, “Mom is a Butterfly” decorated with a pink smiling butterfly.  

In my toothbrush drawer in my bathroom is a long letter sent to me from a busy mother of nine that took the time to write me last year.  It’s really a love note too. I keep it there to read on days when I feel like going back to bed because I’m overwhelmed or lack passion.

At my homeschooling desk, I keep a card from a friend who always makes me laugh and is always having fun with her kids. The card is humorous about some lady with a tampon behind her ear, but the handwritten part is a love note.  The card reminds me while I’m doing school to stay light and fun. 

I have a few handwritten notes from my dad.  He used to write them weekly when I was a little girl and put them in my lunch bag.  Sometimes he would write them on my napkin.  I always felt weird wiping my mouth on those love notes.  Unfortunately, I was a silly girl and didn’t keep any of them from my childhood but have a few from adulthood.  I have a love note at my sewing table written on yellow tablet paper in unmistakable scribble that my brain recognizes instantly as daddy.

Love notes, lasting little messages that hold encouragement, comfort, hope and intimacy.   Images made with pen and ink that wash away the dust of everyday life. I really never noticed until today that I had positioned all the little bits of love all over my house.  Strategically placing love where I needed it most; ever-present in my day.

For the past few weeks, we (as a family) have been memorizing I Corinthians 13, more commonly known as the Love Chapter.  While memorizing the verses I found myself meditating on them and looking at my own life. I started to think about my responsibility to love others and more specifically how I can reflect God’s love to others.

My answer came in simple words: in little things.  Love is given with a smile, a nod, a thank you; a love note here, a kind word there.  Television, politics and society at large have forsaken kindness in exchange for sarcasm, love for lust, and civility for disrespectfulness. They need some of God’s Love Notes shared from us. 

So my corny Valentine challenge to you is, when you go through the fast food drive-through find something nice to say to that person – something besides “thank you”.  Think of something that would make them go home and say, “A customer said the nicest thing to me today.”   Make eye contact with the mom in the store with the screaming toddler and say something encouraging.  Compliment your waitress at lunch.  The next time someone runs down a friend or co-worker find something nice to say.  Take the time to send that note to a friend in need. Sing Happy Birthday in public very loud to a friend (yes, I did that). Write that note you have been putting off and make the visit you have been meaning to get around to. However you do it, send the love notes.  Let them be scattered ever-present throughout our days, providing comfort, hope, love and encouragement.

I Corinthians 13:1-8

 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

It's been a very busy summer and it's just now slowed down enough to update my website.  I'm not really sure if having a website is really that great for me since I never seem to have enough time to come here.  But I do know I like updating about Ryan and his progress.  I hear from people all the time about how much they enjoy reading about him.

That brings me to my post today.  I've had this on my mind for some time but have not put it into words.  Ryan is six now.  Many people don’t realize how old he is since he doesn’t talk and he is wobbly when he walks.  They think he is a tall toddler.  But in truth he is 6 and should be in the 1^st grade.  He should be playing little league or soccer.  He should be reading his first words and writing his name.  He should be learning to ride a bike without training wheels.  But as you know he’s not.  He’s not even close.  So why do I bring this up? 

I’ve had many people talk and sometimes I think about Ryan and what a story he will have to tell when he is older about all the things he has been through.   I think about what a wonderful story for Christ it would be for him to be able to minister to others after he has been healed or overcome his disabilities.  It makes for a nice story don’t you think?  But over the summer, God showed me that he is using Ryan right now to touch people’s hearts. 

For those who have not had the chance to meet Ryan, well he is the most loving and happy child you will ever meet.  He always gives everyone a big “hi!” and is excited to see anyone we meet.  I’ve watched him yell, “hi” to a elderly gentleman in Walmart and cause a huge smile to come to a grumpy old man’s face.  It happened with only one word.  But it was pure and without guile. It was from a genuine heart of love. 

Recently, there was a man in a group that we are a part of that seemed hard hearted.  As a family, we saw the man sometimes every week.  I watched as the weeks went by as Ryan started to work on the hard heartedness of this man.  It was like the hot sun melting ice on the pavement.  By the end of the year,  I would watch the man’s face change as soon as he saw Ryan.  God had used Ryan to make a place for love in this man’s heart. 

This summer I’ve watched this happen over and over.  It’s Ryan’s gift.  It’s God’s gift of love.  The gift that if it was given by others, would be rejected.  But because God’s love is packaged in a little boy that has a pure heart, who is genuine, and who has nothing to gain, it is accepted.  Ryan plants a seed of love in people’s hearts that makes space for Christ. 

Ephesians 4:18 describes many people today:

“Their moral understanding is darkened and their reasoning is beclouded.  They are alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is deep seated in them due to their hardness of heart.”  All that from a hard heart!  Wow.

I came to realize that God is using Ryan now.  I don’t have to wait until he can talk or “be normal”.  Throughout the Bible God uses the imperfect to do His perfect will.  It’s just the same for Ryan. 

My little guy has a gift, a gift of softening hearts and making room for Jesus and did I mention he is only 6?

Blessings!

Jen

Good morning.

I wanted to take a few minutes to write about some of our Boy Scout adventures.  A couple of weeks ago, the Troop went on a campout that is a yearly competition between Troops.  It’s called Camporee.  Tim had attended a meeting about what the camp would be like and which event would be played.  The events were centered around the “Scouting Around the World” theme.  Tim came back and we had a couple of meetings about the events and we practiced. 

Now to give some background about our Troop, this troop was recently abandoned and the charter was going to expire on March 1^st.  Tim and his little Webelos group moved up on February 25^th to save the troop.  The whole Boy Scout experience was new to Tim and new to the boys.  We had 2 brothers of some of the Webelos join as well.  So all in all, we had a new, inexperienced Troop of 7 boys.  Before we left for camp we explained to all the boys that they needed to know that we were very new group and not to expect to win any of the competitions.  We told them just have fun and do your best. 

So off we go to the camp competition with 7 brand new Scouts and 3 new leaders.  Each Troop was given a country to represent.  We were Italy.  I made 2 large Italian flags for us to carry and we greeted others by saying, “Essere preparato” which means “Be prepared” in Italian.  That phase we also adopted as our yell throughout the day. The boys competed in a variety of events and did very well.  There was geocashing, map & compass, lashings, international flag recognition and a few others.

 As a woman I must interject here that the morning started with a temperature of 19F and the high was slightly above freezing for the afternoon.  For a Texan, it was down right cold. 

 Here’s some great pics of the competitions. 

This is where they did some lashings on some branches and put together a triangle they had to walk and guide to the finish line. This was my favorite because it was the hardest for our boys and they beat the two other groups.  HOORAY!

This was a wrestling contest. 

Map and Compass

International Flags

My favorite picture of my wonderful scoutmaster hubby.

When they day was done. We attended the campfire ceremony and to our surprise we won the “Geocashing” trophy…. then the “Most Authentic Country Representation” trophy…..then we won the “Camporee Grand Champion”  and the  “Golden Axe Award”.  We were in SHOCK and thrilled for the boys. 

All 7 boys with their trophies!

The overall comment of the camp staff was that the boys worked very well as a team and seemed to truly be friends.  I was proud that the thing that was noticed most was their friendship, and that it was the thing that made a winning team. 

Good afternoon.

It's Friday afternoon and my two older boys are off at a astronomy science fair and my little guy is sleeping.  I thought I would steal a minute to give some details of our family life.

I wrote that Tim had won Webelos leader of the year; however, I neglected to say that the same weekend, Tyler won second place in his division in the Cub Scout Pine Wood Derby races.  He was so proud and was excited to add one more trophy to his shelf.  This was his last race since he will be a Boy Scout soon. He came up with the design by reading about all the "tricks" to winning the race in various books.  We all thought it looked more like a wrench than a car, but it won!

Along, with Tyler winning, my car which was PINK with RED flames came in third in the open class Pine Car Derby.  It was affectionately called the "Pepto-Bismol Beauty".  I beat several of the men this year and I was quite satisfied. 

This last week, Ben started his soccer season.  He wanted to play soccer this year instead of baseball.  After playing in the All-Stars for baseball last year, Ben was ready for a change.  He is a forward and has been so much fun to watch because of his speed.  He always has such a face of determination and passion.  I love watching him play.

Announcing……

2007 Cub Scout Webelos Leader of the Year!!!!

Tim was awarded the Webelos leader of the year for our district.  That covers 2 counties and about 25 other packs all with several Webelos groups.  It was quite an honor!  He was so surprised and excited to be picked.  I was so excited for him because he as worked so hard over the past 2 years to make his little group have fun, learn and grow into young men.  They are all crossing over to Boy Scouts this Spring and all with the coveted “Arrow of Light” (the highest award in Cub Scouting).  I just have to give a BIG SHOUT from a proud wife for my husband.  HE’S GREAT!!!!

Hello everyone!

Things at our home have been crazy for the last 2 weeks.  We have too many activities and too little time.  I am usually careful not to schedule too many activities per week, but I must have had thoughts of grandeur when I was adding things into January.  LOL 

The boys are enjoying scouting.  Tyler has just earned his last activity badge for Webelos making the "super achiever" award.  Ben finished up his "Bear Requirements" and went to visit a Falconer that had 2 falcons and one hawk to see up close.  That was so cool.  Especially since we have had some close encounters with birds this week - a turkey vulture in our yard and a owl in one of our trees. 

I've started working out weekdays locally.  It's something that I've wanted to do for a while, but Ryan was not old enough to let me leave him with a sitter daily.  But now he is doing so well, I have found the time to work it in.  I am hopeful that I will soon return to my former 20's looking self, except with more lines on my face, and stretch marks, and broken spider veins and...and...and...so much for hope.  LOL

Tim's business has been slow for December and January so far, but it's starting to pick up.  I enjoyed having him at home with us so much, but it will soon be the busy season once again. 

Ryan's supplements have been challenging to start and keep a schedule, but we are doing our best.  He is such a champ and is learning to swallow all the different vitamins and supplements.  He will be starting 2 more that are specifically for the residual DPT in his body this week.  I am anxious to see if there are changes.  He already learned a new work this week “Ow-side” (outside).  It’s adorable.   

Just for kicks, here's a pic of Ty & Ben w/ cousin Emily while making a 5 mile hike up a mountian in Arizona.

Have a great evening!

~J

What do homeschooling, a cat and a dog, and living in a small town add up to?  Free entertainment. 

As I've looked outdoors the last 3 days we have had several nature, biology and gross anatomy lessons.  For what ever reason, our cat and dog have used their natural instinct to hunt and kill some small, poor animals.  Then they are so proud, they bring it up into the yard and proceed to throw the corpses up in the air and catch them in their teeth on the way down. 

Our cat caught 2 mice, one on Tuesday and then one Wednesday.  She played for close to 10 minutes, throwing, catching, biting and then finally eating them.  Of course we all headed outside to watch, but then promptly left when she started to chow down on the head.  Crunch, crunch.  The whole “eating the fur” thing made me have a tickle on the back of my throat.  Gag.

Today as we were finishing up school, we see our dog Suzy prancing along the road with a large squirrel in her mouth.  The tail hung and dragged the ground as she bounced along.  She acted like a beauty queen on the runway as she showed off her “talent”.  However, she, unlike the cat, had the decency to eat her meal in private. 

Both animals stayed outside for most of the day, but bringing them back into the house was well, unnerving for me.  I feel like using a Clorox wipe on their mouths and bodies.  In fact, while typing this I have the urge to send them back outside; however, it is already below freezing and I’m just not that cruel. 

We did enjoy our free entertainment compliments of our pets; however, I would probably rate it a PG13, for horror and tense situations.  That makes it all the more interesting to 3 little boys.    

Good Morning and Happy New Year!

I'm sitting down to the computer this morning with a bowl of Irish Oatmeal and a warm fire.  We've had a cold start to the New Year with temps in the 20's and for Texas, that's just too cold.  LOL 

We visited Tim's fire station yesterday for New Year's Day since he was at work.  Ben climbed all over the fire engines and got on top of them while pretending to use the hose.  I'll try and post some pictures.  I was using my regular 35mm camera.  Ryan loved the fire engines too because he is a lover of large vehicles.  So he was in truck heaven.  Tim let Ryan run the lights and sirens and Ryan screamed with delight. 

Our main reason for our visit was to....ahem, visit Tim.  Right?  Well, of course, sure, but the fact that Tim's fire station just bought a 60" HDTV and a Wii had a little to do with our trip to see daddy.  Tyler is in love with the Wii and I'll have to say that it was fun.  We were boxing and playing tennis for the few hours we were there.  You can really get a good workout if you try.  So as a result the boys have started a savings plan to get a Wii by summer.  So if any grandparents want to hire a few boys for odd jobs, give us a call.

We are back to school today.  It was a nice break, but I know if I take a longer break there will be no break for later.  And if you homeschool, you know that the spring is painful without a couple of break weeks. 

Blessings!

Good evening.

We have had several days of very hot weather.  It has finally been what we call here in Texas, “summer”, which means hot, humid and over 100’F.  In an effort to keep cool, Tyler and Ben made small fans from mini motors from broken toys,  popsicle sticks, and  AA batteries.  Ben even wired in an old controller from a wire-controlled car so he could turn it on an off with a switch and change the fan direction.  Very “cool”. 

A couple of weekends ago Tyler, Ben and Tim went for a Cub Scout weekend at Space Camp Houston.  They were able to stay in the NASA Space Lab over night and then take a tour in the morning.  They came home tired but excited to show off all the new science experiments they learned.  Their favorite was putting a marshmallow in a vacuum and watching all the air get sucked out and they adding air and watching it grow huge.  BTW, if you put a marshmallow in the microwave it will grow huge and explode in about 15 seconds.  Just something a mom of boys learns through experience unfortunately and feels the need to pass along.   

While I was at my mother’s house recently, I decided to play a little practical joke.  She had a grocery list she was making out, so I added one item in the middle of the list.  Written in my best mother-signed-this-sick-note-handwriting, I added ENEMAS.  Needless to say the next day I get a message on my cell phone from my mother,  “Jennifer, did you write enemas on my list? I asked Graeme and he said he didn’t put them on my list.  Did you write enemas on my list?  I know you did.  Do you think I need an enema?”   I saved the message and laughed for days.   Funny how much one word can make life hilarious.  No offense intended to anyone who needed an enema this week, however. 

We started school this week.  We started off with a bang…literally.  As a surprise, I purchased a bottle of diet soda and some Mentos.  We went outside and placed the Mentos in the soda and bang it squirted up close to 10 feet high.  It was a fun way to start off our year. For our first days of school, things are going well.  It always is a challenge to round up the posse and get them all going in the same direction.  But by the end of the week (with the cattle prod I borrowed from my neighbor) they should be very compliant.  Just kidding!  LOL 

Tyler, Ben and I got up at 4:15am on Tuesday morning to watch the complete lunar eclipse.  We snuggled up on the outdoor bench with our blankets and watched as the moon slowly turned dark red.  It was a memory to tuck away.  Something I hope they will remember fondly when their older and say, “I remember my mom got up with us in the middle of the night to watch the moon.”  That’s the kind of mom I want to be.

Good night. J

~J

Wow, I can hardly believe that I have not come here for months.  It's been a different summer for sure.  It rained here for 3 months with every pond, lake, creek and river overflowing.  If you ask the kids it was the worst summer ever.  But we found some other things to do.  I painted every room in the house.  Tyler put together a large model and read all 7 Harry Potter books.  Ben put together numerous Lego models.  And we all put together a 1000 piece puzzle that is now mounted in our homeschool room. 

Tyler and Ben each attended Cub Scout camps this summer.  Tim took his Webelos group and I helped with Ben's camp.  Fortunately the few days of camp were the few days that it was dry; however, the mosquitoes were horrid.  Tyler looked like he had measles when he came home from camp. Ugh.  Fun was had by all and new friends were made.

Benjamin played baseball early in the summer and made the All Star team.  He is quite the little athlete and never struck out all season.  Yes, he hit EVERYTIME he was up to bat.  Amazing.  His favorite part of playing was that he could run fast and catch fly balls.  I can't wait until next season when they can steal bases....watch out, because he is lightening fast!

I mentioned earlier that Tyler read all of the 7 Harry Potter books this summer.  It took him from July 21 to August 11 to read all 7.  For those of you who don't know about these books, they are LONG.  The last 4 average about 800 pages each.  The kid loves to read what can I say, and it helps that the books are very exciting.  I was/am reading along with him.  I'm only up to book 5.  I keep telling him not to give any secrets away.  He's trying.  Tyler has also volunteered at our town library.  It's been fun for him to help out at a place that has his favorite pastime...reading.  BTW, he just picked up a copy of Moby Dick.  I'll let you know how long that takes.  It's a bit more difficult than Harry.

Ryan as been a happy fellow for the summer, except the fact that he likes to "dough" (GO) all the time.  With all the rain, we didn't "dough" very much.  We did "dough" to a nearby indoor water park, which he loved.  It had a place just for little kids (no big kids allowed) that he could splash and play without worry.  Another place he liked to "dough" this summer was to see the water coming over our lake's spillway.  It was quite possibly a once-in-a-lifetime event.  We also got to view the flood gates completely open as well.  It was amazing to watch. 

Tim had a hard time working at his second job with all the rain.  It makes tree service just a mess.  But now that the rain has finally subsided, he is very busy. He's glad for the business. 

Like I mentioned before, I painted the house this summer.  I'm now working on window treatments and decorating.  My dad helped a great deal with the painting (thanks dad) and I would still be painting had he not helped.  I am very happy with all the colors and now the house is starting to feel more like home. 

Well, I could go on and on about our summer.  But this is a catch up post.  I'm going to try to be better (again) about blogging.  Check out the other pages; I've updated them as well. For now here's a family pic from Independence Day.

Today, Ryan's horse Blaze had her foal.  It was this afternoon when she finally delivered.  I was there right when Blaze was getting up and delivered the afterbirth.  She promptly ate it, while the new foal stumbled around on its new found legs.  It was adorable (not eating the placenta silly, the foal).  I still haven't heard if it was a filly or a colt.  I will find out tomorrow.  But I thought I would add my a picture for everyone to see Ryan's new friend. 

~J

Good Saturday morning. 

We are up this morning getting ready to go a nearby town’s “trade day”.  It’s where different salesman come with their wares like arts and crafts, fine art, and antiques to sell to the public on the square.  We haven’t been to one of these in a long time.  They do it here every month. My FIL is having a birthday tomorrow along with Ryan so I’d like to find something for him. 

Yes, Ryan will be 5 tomorrow.  We are having a big party at the park for him.  I have 31 guests RSVP’s right now, 19 are kids.  So much for that “theory” that homeschoolers are socially inept.  LOL 

This week is a big one for us.  Ryan has a yearly appointment with a local children’s hospital.  We also are going to visit and tour the Federal Bureau of Engraving; this is where they print money.  I’ve heard it is a very interesting tour, so we are excited.

The weather has been wonderful here.  Most days the high has been mid 70’s.  We planted some Texas Bluebonnet seeds out in our yard as it slopes down to the gutter.  I’m hoping they turn out beautiful.  They are my favorite flower.  I love their eye popping cerulean blue color.  We also bought some giant sunflower seeds to plant.  The boys and I thought it would be fun to plant them in a circle so we would have a little secret place inside.  The sunflowers reach 12 feet tall and if you dry them out after they die, you can eat the seeds.

My mom, the boys and I went to the Fort Worth Zoo two weeks ago.  We have been to this zoo several times, but for some reason this time the animals were very lively.   The gorillas were coming right up to the glass, the elephants were playing with their toys, and the birds were eating right out of our hands.  Here are some pictures of Ty and Ben feeding the parakeets. 

School is going well for Tyler and Ben.  They now know all the continents and can name about 20-25 countries in each and find them on a blank map.  They have learned all the oceans, major rivers and bodies of water, mountains, rainforests, and deserts are located.   This year we are studying world geography and culture.  We have learned (me too) so much about so many people all over the world.  We’ve learned their customs, dress, religion, art, music and how they eat.  We’ve made many interesting dishes over the past few months -very tasty.  (For those who know my kind of tasty.)  My favorite part of Ty and Ben’s school this year has been reading biographies about world famous missionaries.  It has inspired me to be more free to share Jesus love to others, no matter where or who they may be.  It also has encouraged me to look closer at what God would like me to do with my faith in my life to bring all glory to Him.   

Since Ryan has come home from preschool, we have had some real fun.  I’ve been taking time to work on some schooling stuff for him using Before Five in a Row  It is a preschool curriculum using excellent quality children’s books.  He loves the stories and it’s a great way to snuggle up and learn. 

Ryan also has been going to horseback riding lessons the last few weeks.  He really likes it!  I was so surprised the first day he just got up on the horse and off he went.  He rides alone with a saddle.  I walk to the side and the riding coach leads the horse.  Ryan really has to work his muscles to stay up straight so it’s very good for him.  Here’s a pic of him riding Blaze. 

That is all for now.  I will try to do a bit better on keeping up with the day to day.  I know now that we have other relatives out of state, I need to make a better effort to write. J 

~Jen

Hello everyone.

It’s been so long since I’ve written I’m not sure where to start.  We have had a very cold but enjoyable winter.  I’m thrilled that the temperatures are going up and the sun is out.  There for a while I was getting a little crazy from being indoors for so long.  We enjoyed many nights sitting by the fire and sipping hot cocoa.  But I’m more of an iced tea gal. 

Tyler and Ben have been working hard in their Cub Scout groups.  Ben is about to graduate to a Bear and Tyler is receiving his Webelos patch this month.  They have checked oil and tire pressure on my van.  They have learned how to administer the Heimlich maneuver and the proper way to retire an old American Flag plus much, much more.  Cub Scouts by far has been the best program that I have encountered for young boys.  I highly recommend it. 

Ryan has steadily been making progress.  He had been attending a public special education preschool, but we removed him this last week.  There were many reasons for his removal.  Overall we did not feel the school was in Ryan’s best interests.   We are looking at private speech and other therapies.  One exciting thing is that we are starting horseback riding lessons for Ryan next week. This type of therapy is called Hippo therapy and it is used for children like Ryan for assistance with balance, strength and improved gait. 

Tim and I are still hanging in there.  Tim’s tree service is picking up again after the winter.  He is Tyler’s Cub Scout leader and is constantly planning camping trips and outdoor adventures.  The boys love it. 

I have been doing more decorating around the house.  I am finally finishing the master bath and bedroom.  One fun thing that I did was take all the love letters Tim has given me over the last few years and mount them in a large frame.  I then hung it on my side of the room, so that I would see them every morning and every night.  Too sweet I know.  But you’re jealous I can feel it. LOL 

Well, that’s about it for now.  Please pray for us and Ryan’s private therapy.  We are submitting it to the insurance with our doctor’s order.  Please pray that it is easily accepted. 

Blessings to you all!

Jen