The Great Christmas Share

This past Saturday our church had an event called "The Great Christmas Share."  It was quite incredible.  Here is what it was: Over the last several weeks our church collected canned goods, boxed food, toys, blankets, and clothes, and some gave money to pay for the food and other items to be given to families in our area.  On Saturday morning some church members got up early and began preparing meals for over 500 people, others organized all the donations of food, clothing and toys that would be distributed.  We came together and each family was in charge of taking a hot meal and age appropriate items to one family in our community.

Our family was given a family that consisted of a woman and her elderly mother.  We picked up two hot meals, blankets and canned goods and headed out.  We prayed for the two ladies before we got to their home and we asked that the Lord would help us meet a need and be a blessing.

Wow.  Were we ever blessed.
Doesn't God always work that way!?

As soon as we unloaded all the items and the boys out of the car we were invited into the home.  We were able to visit a while.  They kept remarking how cute our boys were, and how much they loved watching our children talk and play.  They even asked if they could keep Asa, "Because he is soo adorable."  ha!  Then they insisted that they would like to keep all of them. 

Kenneth prayed for the family before we left and in the middle of the prayer tears were streaming down the older woman's face.  She just kept saying "Thank you."

I wanted to tell her, "No, thank you."
I love that the Lord always seems to bless us abundantly more than the people we are supposed to be blessing.  When we set out to give even just a small amount, it always comes back ten fold.  Jesus talked about that, didn't he?  We have experienced the truth of that so many times in our family and this was no different.

The blessings continue for me.  Each time we drive past the road that we had to take to get to this house, Noah yells "Hey!  That is the way to get to Pam's house!"  Then he will sometimes ask Kenneth, "Does Pam love Jesus?"  Kenneth will say, "I am not sure."  Then Noah will say, "Well, you need to ask her.  Did you ask her?"  Convicting...

My children were touched by The Great Christmas Share.  Noah and Aiden are only 4 years old, and it left an impact on them.  It blesses my heart that my children were able to experience giving to others, particularly in a season where there is so much focus on what you are going to get.  The point is not to receive, but to give.  And in the giving, we receive.  Although that is not why we do it.

Crime & Punishment

Today was one of those days as a parent when you are ready for bed at lunch time because you have had enough.  Thankfully it is well past the boys' bedtimes and I am still standing. 
We are all alive.
I don't know who put what in the boys' breakfast, but they were W-I-L-D today.  And nothing seemed to go according to plan. 

For example, after dropping Noah off at preschool via car line, I took the other 3 to the park.  I knew they all had lots of energy to run off. 
First we decided to do a quick drive by our new house to see if they had broken ground yet. 
Fail. 
Ugh.

Then on to the park across town.  I started to get the boys out of their seats and noticed that Nathan was missing a shoe.  Low and behold it ended up that when Noah jumped out of the car he must have knocked Nathan's shoe off and out of the van it went. 
No playing at the park. 
Fail.

The day followed in similar fashion.  So, after picking Noah up from school, and reclaiming Nathan's shoe, I knew nap time was going to be a killer today.  I could just feel it.  I was right.

The younger three went down okay.  The usual screaming and such. Then there was Noah.  When I say weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth I am not exaggerating.  Everything was the matter.  Finally I told him that if he didn't stop he was not going to get to go to the surprise that Kenneth and I had planned for them later in the evening.  I made it very clear what his choices were and confirmed what the consequences were going to be.
He stopped throwing his tantrum.
Five minutes later he was singing, no, make that screaming, various Bible songs at the top of his lungs.  While I am thankful it was Bible songs, not so thankful that it woke up his brothers who had just fallen asleep.  And that they started crying again.
Fail.

When Kenneth came home tonight we had planned to take the boys to the special surprise.  It was then that we had to sit Noah down and explain to him that he was not going because he had made a bad choice.  It pained me.  I knew it was the right thing to do, but it pained me.  When we threaten our boys, we follow through.  But it hurts us sometimes.  That's for sure.

When Kenneth was explaining that he would be facing the consequence of his bad choice, my heart just ached and twisted as I watched Noah's countenance fall for what seemed like stories.  He was heart-broken.  Crying ensued.  I hate that we had to discipline him and make him miss out on something that I knew he would love.  And on top of that, that he would see his dad leave the house taking his brothers on a fun trip.

We could not help but to think of God.  I wonder if it pains God to have to discipline His children when they mess up?  I am guessing it pains him way more than it pained me tonight.  That hurt my heart too.  Thinking that I cause God that much pain when I sin against Him.  Thinking about how God doesn't want to have to discipline me when I fail Him, but He does it because He loves me and He loves me way too much to let me continue in my sin.  The same way that I love Noah way too much to let him continue in disobedience because I know ultimately it is not good for him at all.

Tonight I didn't get to go on a special outing with my family because my oldest son made a bad choice.  I was a little upset that I was going to miss out on a fun time with my other children because one of them decided to disobey.  I told Noah that it made me sad that his bad choice made me miss out on the fun too. 

Then I got to thinking about how our sin affects more than just us.  When I choose to sin, I am not just hurting myself.  I am hurting others around me. Whether intentional or not, the affects of our sin always ooze onto other people.  Many times, it is a lot more people than we know.  Makes me really think twice for sure.

Although I think my kids have officially fried my brain most days, there are also times that they send my brain into hyper-drive.  I have learned so much about the Lord since becoming a parent.  I am so thankful that He continues to reveal more and more of himself to me, especially through my children.

The Way They Sleep

Have you ever looked at your children when they are sleeping?
It is one of my favorite things to do.
They aren't talking, asking for anything, crying, or hitting their brother.
They are just resting. 
They look like angels.
Makes my heart melt.

I took a few pictures of the boys the other night as they snoozed.

What you can't see are the 54 other stuffed animals Noah sleeps with.  

And Bear Bear, a member of the family, who is under Noah's face.

Nathan has 3 blankets that he loves to sleep with, this monkey, an Elmo, and at least 2 pacis.
Nathan and Noah need to have everything in bed with them.  I even find laundry sometimes.

I have no idea what that is on Aiden's head.  And apparently he was sneaking books in his room.

Looks like I have indisputable evidence to convict him on that one.

And, now, for the best.

Drum roll please....

 

Asa.

He likes the layered look. 

MY FAVORITE.  This taken just an hour later than the above picture.

His best impression of The Wicked Witch of the East.

Well done, son.  Right down to the missing shoes.

Christmas Parade

This Saturday we thought it would be fun to take the boys to the Alabaster Christmas Parade. 
Just as we were about to leave we called the boys in from outside and loaded them into the van only to discover that the oldest two had stepped in dog poo.  Awesome. 
After stripping them in the driveway, throwing the shoes in the wash, and putting new shoes on, we finally got going.  Now we were later than we had hoped and there was no parking to be found.  While we were waiting in traffic we could see the ginormous parade lining up behind the promenade.  Cars and people were everywhere.
Noah yelled in a panic from the very back of the van.
"I'm sorry to say this! But I am freaking out back here!  I left my binoculars at home!  I won't be able to see!"
Insert very dramatic hand gestures.
Kenneth and I were cracking up.

The parade was soo long.  I am not kidding.  It was almost a 2 hour procession.  We left not even half way into it.  The kids had had their fill.  But we are still going to make it a tradition.

Here are a few pictures from the parade.

Noah and Aiden had some pretty good seats after all.

Nathan, not so much.

And this last picture is to celebrate our victory later that afternoon.  UK over UNC.

 Asa is sticking out his tongue because he is thinking about UNC, 

it is certainly not because he didn't want his picture taken.

Go Cats!