I said, "No!"

No, it wasn't me that said, "I said No!"

We went to the Touch a Truck event in Carmel and the kids had a lot of fun climbing on all kinds of trucks and honking horns! and more horns! Oh, and the very loud air horn on the snow plow! Plus we came home with lots of free things that will probably end up in the trash...except the beach balls from St V's...they may last a little longer.

One of the trucks the kids got to climb in to, was an Army truck. The boys climb up and I ask Molly if she wants to get in too. She looks at the Army guy and says no ( her face says "I don't want that man to get close to me, he looks scary). I think well, she's probably just saying that and tell the Army man, that sure she'd go up there, so he helps her into the truck.

She smiles for a picture with her brothers and sits for a little bit and then they all venture back down and out. When Molly gets down besides me, she looks up at me and says, "I said No!"

Molly and Lola

It was interesting to watch Molly as she played with Lola. By the way, Lola is Caleb and Laura's dog who Molly attached to right away. Molly loved, absolutely LOVED being in charge of Lola. She loved to tell Lola to sit. She would yell in a firm voice, "SIT!" and then point her finger firmly. She has never had authority over another and enjoyed it....especially since Lola listened to her. Molly sees this picture and says she wants to do it again...."I do again"...." I go there"....

The Pool

Ok, so I am trying to journal more and I had one of those experiences that scare a mother to death and I can't erase it from my memory
....we were at the pool (you probably know what's coming).... and I changed Molly out of her swimsuit into her coverup and putting my coverup on. I have my coverup half on when I look up and say, "Where is Molly?" Hmm, she's not by my chair, I scan the cement looking for her bright blue coverup....can't find her......can't find her....I CAN'T seem to locate her with my "Mom Radar". Drew and Jack are all spread out, Jack has the gate open, did she escape (that's typically not like Molly) she usually stays with me and/or the boys. I didn't even look in the pool because the whistle had been blown and no kids are allowed in the pool without a lifeguard....
...so OF COURSE she wouldn't be there....right? So I glance in the pool and see a little girl swimming (yes swimming underwater) to the side of the pool with a little football in her hand. I reached down and grabbed her out and prayed in thanks to God that her little angel was holding her up and guiding her to the edge of the pool. She said she dropped the football in and jumped in to get it and "I was scared" she said. She kept saying how she was scared. The wonderful thing is she was swimming underwater and didn't even breathe one bit of water. She had held her breathe.
I think she thought she still had her lifejacket on....anyway I keep replaying the event over and over and over in my head....and am just sooooo thankful. I know that in an instant she could have drown. And it literally was probably a second from when I saw her to when she was in the pool...well it seemed that way.

Tattoos

Jack and Drew have been very quiz-a-tive about tattoos lately because some of our new neighbors have them and they have been very curious about them and how they get there, etc....and Jack decided that he wanted one when he grew up. So I asked him what he would want it to be because it would be there forever and he said that we would put "I love my Mom". It was sweet and it just made me laugh....

Family Camp

A fun time at family camp once again! Ron B was nice enough to ask the boys to act in Proverbs Theater. They had so much fun being soldiers and wearing "armor of God" that Ron gave them for the show. I really can't remember the Proverb they acted out, but it was something about how it is easier to win against a fortified city then to win back an offended friend....

We also played family games on Saturday and Drew and Jack enjoyed the water fight!

Friends

Hanging out at the park with friends is soooo much fun. We went to a free Kids Koncert in Carmel and that was a lot of fun!

IronKid

Drew and Jack ran in the Iron Kid in July and placed 5th and 10th respectively. It was a fun experience. I did have to go find Jack during his last leg (running) and run with him (Molly on my shoulders) to the finish line.

Little Pencils in God's Hands

"I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God, who is sending a love letter to the world.”-Mother Theresa

Who has been a ‘pencil of God’ in your life? Think back to the times someone had supported you; encouraged you; been kind, loving or caring; someone who saw the best in you and helped to bring it out; of a person who believed in you ¯ that you would succeed at what you put your mind to. Have you thanked them? Do they know how much they helped you? Have you returned the ‘love letter’ they wrote to you on behalf of God? If not ¯ now is the time to take action. Your thank you note or conversation expressing your gratitude will be a love letter to them from God through you!

What kind of a letter are you writing as the pencil in Gods hand? Are you writing ‘love letters’ to others or little ‘discouragement notes’? Are you critical, envious, jealous or defensive? Do you put others down because you don’t feel good about yourself or because you can?

We are happy, and quick to judge, criticize and evaluate our colleagues, bosses, customers and others with whom we work, but how often do we try to be sending a ‘love letter’ to others on behalf of God? Especially in a work context.

We know we are supposed to love our families and friends, and we are often more successful at ‘writing’ them love letters, although we may not ‘write’ them, or show them our love often enough. We rarely attach this kind of thinking to our workplace.

Do you acknowledge people and what they do? Are you encouraging, enthusiastically supporting and helping others grow and succeed? Do you serve the best you can? Are you grateful for having a job, do your absolute best and give 100%? Even if ‘they’ (everyone else at work) don’t seem to be pencils in God’s hands! Even if they seem to be big black marker pens grading you? If you are surrounded by those who are into ‘discouragement’ notes, or marker pens, be the first to show them how God can use you to write love letters in the face of difficulty, disharmony and struggle.

Are you caring about people, sending love to everyone you meet, everyone in your life and especially your family. Do you give life to situations or suck them and people dry? Are you optimistic, grateful, generous, forgiving and cheerfully enthusiastic with everyone at work. Do you inspire hope, laughter, and spread joy? All these are the messages you can write.

We are all ‘little pencils in Gods hands’ - we choose what we write!

What will you choose to send out in God’s love letter today?

(exerpt from Amanda Gore, "Monthly Endorphin Injection")