Bible Study

How much do I love that when Sydney came over yesterday the first thing the girls wanted to do was go outside and have “Bible study”? Sydney walked into the house carrying her (brother’s) New Testament and our baby went immediately to her room to grab hers, too. Love it.

Weekend in Fort Worth

This weekend we spent some time with some of our dearest friends in Fort Worth. Here’s a quick recap of what we did (complete with pictures).

We started with a trip to the Amon Carter Museum in the cultural district of downtown. They had a great exhibit on snapshots and a nice collection of modern art.

Then we went back to the hotel for some indoor swimming. The plan was to let the kids play in the hot tub while the adults sat around keeping close watch. Plans changed when James decided to go swimming in the deep part in the middle by himself – Matt went in to get him.

From there, we went back to the park by the Trinity River to ride the small train. The ride lasted about an hour and was very cold. The kids were troopers considering that we did not dress them appropriately at all.

We ended Friday night by celebrating Mary’s birthday. I can’t believe that she’s four! It was so fun to be able to be at her birthday party at her Aunt Heidi and Uncle Lucas’ house.

The next day we took a trip to the zoo. We had so much fun seeing all the animals with our friends, although I think my own children may have been a tad disappointed. On the way to the zoo we asked which animals they were most excited to see. She said, “A panda bear!” and he said, “A whale!” I don’t think that they understood that the Fort Worth zoo didn’t have every animal.

We ended our time together with a trip to Pappsito’s (yummy… my favorite!) and the Botanical Gardens where we took some pictures of all the kids. (Does it seem like Fort Worth has a few more things to do than ol’ west Texas?)

We lined all the kids up in their birth order to get this cute shot. As you can see, we missed a few people who we wished were able to be there – number 5 and his sister number 9 were noticeably absent. Suz, Joe, Evan, Maren, and Kenny didn’t get to hang out with us this weekend and we missed them. I look forward to the next time when we’re all able to be to be together.

Fellowship Kids

We’re spending with weekend with some of our best friends. I love that the love we have for each other as adults also transfers to our kids.

Monday Nights

Monday nights have turned into my favorite night of the week. This semester I signed up to mentor a college student, so every Monday, Bekah comes over for dinner and fellowship. Our time together is so refreshing for me and a great way to start my week. We are studying I Corinthians together – really getting deep into the word to see exactly what Paul was saying to both the church in Corinth and to Christians in the 21st century – and she has wisdom that far exceeds her 20 years. I am supposed to be discipling her, but I come away learning so much instead.

In addition, my children love Mondays, too. This is really the first time in their lives that we have had adults at our house that are not accompanied by children of their own. It is so much fun watching them to relate to adults that are not their parents or their friend’s parents. Both kids look forward to seeing Miss Bekah (and want to know if she can spend the night). Even better, she seems delighted to see them, too.

I signed up to serve a college student, instead I have been abundantly blessed. I am overwhelmed by the goodness of God. I encourage all of you to find someone to serve – maybe your service will be blessed, too.

On the Farm

This afternoon we went to our friends the Burts’ house to play on their farm. It’s not an actual working farm, but they have chickens and a dairy cow which is about as close to a farm as we get. The kids both had a great time – they got to pet the calf, who is only 5 days old, and watch him nurse from his mom, and in the pictures above you can see her feeding the chickens, and he helped gather the eggs.

They played on the trampoline, with the toys, and with all their friends who live there (did I mention the Burts have nine kids?). And, what would a day at the farm be without a little blood – baby girl got her finger bitten by an overly hungry chicken and the boy got his first bloody nose on the trampoline. Overall, though, it was a great day and we can’t wait to go back.

Next time, we’re going to help bottle feed the calf.

Neighbors

We have lived in our house for 5+ years. We know none of our neighbors.

I feel like we have tried to reach out – we took a meal next door when we saw baby blue balloons on the mailbox beside ours, we wave at the ones on the other side as they pull in or out of our driveway. But it’s like a fine art that I have no skill at – I have never been taught how to meet neighbors.

Yesterday, on our way to church, we drove around the corner we have driven around thousands of times. “That’s my friend from Bible study,” the boy hollered out. I put the car in reverse and backed up toward the children playing in the driveway. I know the mother thought I was one of those judgmental people warning her of the dangers of letting her children play that close to the street. Instead, I rolled down the window and yelled out,

“Do you happen to go to BSF?” (that’s Bible Study Fellowship).

“Yes, I do.”

“Oh, my son thought he recognized your son. They’re in the same class.”

“So your son is five, too?” Then, spotting the baby girl in her car seat asked, “How old is your daughter?”

“Yep, he’s five and she’s two.”

“My daughter’s two, too.”

So, to sum up, we both have five year old sons, two year old daughters, we are involved in our churches, and we attend the same Bible study. We are both questioning where to send our sons for kindergarten and we have a friend in common (one of the boy’s buddies at school goes to church with her). And, she lives around the corner. I have finally met a neighbor.

Mr. Inappropriate

Last night, we had our new friend Carol over for dinner. I met Carol through my Bible Study Fellowship group – she’s super fun and is working on finishing her thesis. Last semester, I prayed for her as her mom battled brain cancer. When her mom died in October, I prayed for peace and healing for Carol. I think it’s great that we have become friends.

Carol is a great cook, and last night she offered to come over and cook some deer sausage for us. Matt was thrilled, but anyone who knows me knows my hesitation about all animals not purchased from the supermarket. I tried to be a big girl and resolved in my mind to try what my friend had brought for us. We sat down to eat and the boy asked a question he has never asked before.

“Does sausage come from an animal?”

“Yes, it does,” I replied.

“What animal?”

“A deer.”

“Oh. Do they cut it up?”

My stomach dropped as he continued to inquire about exactly who cut up the deer, what that job was called, and if could he do it. We got him onto another subject and continued with our dinner. Then he turned to me with his second inappropriate question. (Keep in mind that he has only met Carol once before and knows nothing about her background.)

“Momma, is your mommy alive?”

“Yes.”

“You should talk to Miss Carol about that,” he says pointing to her under the table.

Where did that come from?!?

Anyway, I was nice to have Carol as a friend if even for a brief amount of time. I am considering getting future dinner guests to sign a waiver before allowing them to meet our children. They just need to know to expect the inappropriate.

Six Months

Six months ago today, our friend Wendy went to be with Jesus. Just 30 years old, the mother of 4-year-old Lauren and 16-day old Mason, her heart failed her and she spent a week on life support. When her amazing husband, Matt, made the agonizing choice to say goodbye, we were there to support him.

It seems like it was an eternity ago that we were at that hospital saying goodbye to our friend. So much has happened since then: Lauren is making great strides letting go of the anger of getting a baby brother and losing a momma within two weeks of each other, and Mason doesn’t even resemble the newborn he was then – he is chunky, sitting up on his own, and the proud owner of his very first tooth.

I have been blessed to see a community come together – meals were delivered, the house was cleaned, and childcare was offered up. Our Sunday school class and church as a whole had ample opportunity to minister like the early church did – without programs or books, providing only what we had to offer at the exact time it was needed. And Matt, who two weeks earlier was uncomfortable receiving meals brought to new parents, humbled himself and accepted the care that was offered with thanks and appreciation.

At the same time, it seems like just yesterday that we were at that hospital. The wound still feels so fresh. As a momma, I struggle almost daily with the fact that I am able to hold and kiss my precious children and watch them accomplish the milestones of childhood, but my friend is missing it. As a wife, I am so grateful to have a partner who loves me and makes this road of life worth traveling, but my heart aches knowing that Matt is doing it alone. At church, we will sing hymns that long for heaven, and I will shed tears because she is already there. I wonder if there will ever be a day when it doesn’t feel like a punch in the gut to hear Lauren say, “I don’t have a mommy.” And, if that day comes, will it be because enough time has passed or because we have grown calloused to the harsh reality that will follow her for the rest of her life? Should I find comfort in knowing that she may have precious memories that her brother will never share, or should I fear the chance of her forgetting everything wonderful about her mother?

It breaks my heart that the six-month mark comes just before the holidays. Christmas was Wendy’s favorite time of year and I know that Matt is already struggling to get through it – marking this day will just make it harder. The only thing that makes it any easier for any of those of us who knew her is the certainty that Wendy is celebrating with Jesus himself (what a birthday party that must be!). Wendy loved Christ and dedicated her life to Him. She knew that she was a sinner (we all are), but she also recognized that He had taken her punishment because He loved her so much. Her peace with her own salvation was evident in her eyes and her smile.

This Christmas, I am trying to absorb everything, knowing that my next breath is not promised to me. I am praying that Matt will feel love coming from his friends and family that surround him, while knowing that it will not replace the hole that is evident in his life. I am remembering that Wendy is missing (and missed), but it is only her body that is gone – one day we will celebrate Christmas together in the presence of the one who was born for us that day. And I am trying to remember that Christmas is about more that the decorations and the gifts – it is about the family that will surround me, and just what a blessing they are. Six months can change everything.

Why I love blogs

Once upon a time, when we first moved far away from everyone we knew, we spent most of our time with three other couples (basically the only people we knew in town). That’s right, before we developed the most amazing group of friends from our Sunday school class, before we had even found a church – there were just four newly-married couples who would hang out from time to time. In the past six years this small group of friends has seen:

• one wedding
• eight showers (both wedding and baby)
• eight babies born (with one more on the way)
• four graduations (one bachelor, two masters, one M.D.)
• five job changes
• three fourth of July parties
• innumerable birthdays (including seven 1sts and six 30ths)
• six house purchases
• hundreds of dinners
• countless prayers answered
• and, four moves across (or out of) country

It’s that last one that is the hardest. Although I feel daily blessed by the other friends that we have made since moving here, there is something about sharing so many major life experiences with a group of people that forever bonds you.

Anyway, they’re all finally here. I love blogs because this is the way that I can stay connected to these people who I love so much. If you have time, I encourage you to meet the Fellowship: Joe & Suzanne Tomas, Jamey & Gretchen Bowling, and Ken & Kim Gassiot. It’s good to have them close again.

It’s Addictive

My friend Kim has caught the bug. After a few failed attempts at a family website (Ken is busy with work and whatnot), Kim is taking over and has started her own blog. Check our her site as she blogs about being the mother of three kids 3 and under. I am so excited that she has taken the plunge. I warn you, Kimbo, it’s addictive.

Jamey, you’re up. (I know that there’s no way Gretchen will do it.)