Beautiful Day

A couple of Sunday's ago, Jilli and two of her friends sang Beautiful Day by Jamie Grace as part of our service.

The girls really didn't have much practice time between when they were asked and when they had to sing.  There was a little part where they lost where they were at, singing with a live band is totally different than singing with the song on YouTube! But... I think they did GREAT!

One Generation Away...

These past few weeks have been really busy for Kevin and I.  I will show you what took up all our time, but before I do, I need lay out whats been on my heart for the past few weeks.

It all started with something that was preached on a few weeks ago that hit both Kevin and I.  We are working our way through the Bible and we were learning about Moses and the Israelites.  I am sure most of you know the story.  The generation of people who left Egypt never saw the promised land because they disobeyed God except those that were 20 years and younger and Joshua and Caleb.  So you would think that the children that suffered through the dessert and then came to live in the promised land would not forget to pass on the faith to their children.  But they didn't. This is the quote that has really stuck with Kevin and I.

"We are one generation away from forgetting our faith."

I have thought on that for many other things like, how the depression era generation would be mortified to see how much we waste everyday.  Normal everyday activities like keeping a large garden, canning up your produce, mending clothes, darning socks... besides gardening which has seen a comeback, we have lost so much wisdom.

I was raised by a mother who was raised by a mother who was a girl during the depression.  Many of the skills my Grandma passed to my Mom.  Canning was a yearly thing, making all our meals from scratch was normal.  Store bought cookies were very rare and so was going out to dinner.  I learned how to make bread from my Mom, us kids all had our own loafs that we would kneed and roll out and sprinkle with cinnamon.  My Mom never wasted food and even though we had a postage stamp sized city lot, half of it was taken up with a garden and an apple tree.  Now even though my Mom canned, that is a skill I never learned.  I think us kids were sent outside to play since it was a sometimes dangerous undertaking and so time consuming that my Mom didn't need any of us underfoot.  However, in the last few years my Mom and Dad have assisted me in the canning strawberry jelly and canning applesauce.  Hopefully I will be canning much more this year as I am putting in a large garden.

The depression era stuff has my attention and I am totally intrigued with anything I can get my hands on about this time period.  You know the depression rocked this country to the core, but most of the people had the skills required to sustain life, even though it was a very hard life.  You can't say that about my generation if placed in the same situation.

All it takes is one generation not to pass their knowledge onto the next generation and that knowledge is gone forever.  The same is true with our faith.  If we don't actively pass on our knowledge of God onto our children, that knowledge is lost.  The generation after the Israelites entered the promised land needed to be punished again because they disobeyed God, they didn't pass on their faith to their children.  Don't the Israelites ever learn??  Do we?

Looking back over the generations in my family I have an amazing legacy of faith.  Faith that has been carefully taken care of and passed down to each generation.  I didn't receive the sock darning knowledge but I did receive the Jesus Loves Me knowledge... darning a sock isn't going to give me everlasting life, but Jesus is!

Being intentional to pass down this knowledge to my children has grown more urgent as they have grown older.  Probably because I see the clock ticking, they aren't going to be under my roof much longer and I need to make sure they have a firm foundation to build their life on.  I am even intentional about talking about their future families, the spouses they choose, how they choose to raise their children.  We even talk about other religions, what they believe and why.  My kids ask hard deep questions that are insightful into their train of thoughts.

Kevin and I have been on an interesting faith journey for many years.  It has brought us to different churches, we have questioned what we believe and why we believe it.  We have taken a break from corporate church.  We have been stretched and changed in so many ways.  But we have never walked away from our faith.  Our kids have been on most of that journey with us.  They see us question and test and talk through so much, so I think they have a healthy view of what it is to walk by faith.  I am sure that they will each have their own faith journeys, but it is our greatest prayer that as they grow into adults, they will never forget their faith, that they will continue to pass the most important knowledge onto their children because we are only one generation away from forgetting our faith.

Now, to show you what has kept us busy...  It kind of goes with this post in a round about way.  VBS is an amazing way to teach children about Jesus in a fun way.  It is a way to continue to pass Jesus down to the next generation.  Kevin and I were asked to build the set for this years VBS.  This past Sunday was our church's VBS kickoff and we needed one of the set pieces completed to get the kids excited about what is to come.

The Theme of VBS is Mt. Kilimanjaro, think African Safari....

 Our finished product... The jeep stands at about 7 feet tall and it's about 8 feet wide (from rock to green plant).  The headlights are those battery operated push on lights.

Kevin and I projected the outline onto wood, we traced it out.  The actual cutting out of the jeep and building it on it's stand was all Kevin.  The painting was all Jilli, Tyler and I.  We are pretty happy with the end result.  Now to start on the stage pieces...

One last thought... There will come a day when we all stand before our Maker.  Whether we believe in Him on this earth or not.  I want to hear the words "Well, done good and faithful servant."  I want my children to hear those same words, I want their children to hear those words as well.  May we all be intentional about passing on our faith to our children and teach them how to pass it on to their children so that it won't be my generation or their generation that is the last generation of a family of faith.  .

Our Surprise Weekend to Racine

Kevin decided that a trip to Racine Wisconsin was in order, but this trip was going to be kept a secret from the kids.  We were not going to tell them that we were even going anywhere until the morning we were leaving and even then, we were only going to tell them what to pack.

The day before we were leaving I baked 3 loaves of cinnamon bread because I can't disappoint my nephews and niece and not bring any.  It would be like me going to Racine and not buying any Kringle.  Just.Not.Going.To.Happen.

Friday morning dawns a beautiful day.  We tell the kids to pack and we get the house ready to leave.  They tried and tried to figure out where we were going for the weekend.  At one point Tyler says, "if Mom takes that cinnamon bread then I know where we are going!"  I had to hide the bread in my overnight bag so they wouldn't know I took it!

We left and the kids kept trying to figure out where we were going.  There were a few times, we thought they would get it when they saw the signs, but nope.  We hit Chicago and they thought we were spending the weekend there, until we were through the city and we hadn't stopped.

It was as were were exiting off the highway onto Hwy 20 did Micah finally guess we were going to their cousin's house.  Then he quickly exclaimed "The Land of Kringle!"

Weekends together always include, late nights, breakfasts of cinnamon bread and kringle, lots and lots of games and this time....

Yup we went roller skating.  I think it had been at least 20 years since I had donned roller skates.  I thought for sure I would end up on my butt!  Thankfully I didn't, but I was close a few times!

Now Andy... Well, he is the guy that flies around the rink barely moving his feet, he crosses his legs back and forth, he skates backwards and everything... he has skills.  I tried to get is hair blowing out behind him as he came around the corner, but my iPhone just couldn't capture the flowing locks.  But I think we can all agree that he could pass as Jesus on roller skates.

This is some of the "group" coming around the corner.  Carey doesn't usually skate like this... she was putting her moves on for the camera.. neither does Kevin for that matter...

Then I tried to be all awesome and take pictures of everyone behind me while skating... They are blurry but they make me smile.  As I was trying to take them, more and more of our group tried getting into it so I had to keep raising my phone higher and higher... so only my forehead is in them.

Here is one of just us adults... Kevin snuck into the picture just as I was taking it.

This is Tyler.

Here is a picture of all the kids.

Oh I almost forgot!  Before we went skating Andy made us all cotton candy.  How many roller skating Jesus' do you know that have their own cotton candy machines?!  So we sugared them up to take them skating.  Worked out beautifully.

Here is a picture of the girls.  They could either be found in Emily's room or in the basement dancing to a wii game.  Not once did we hear "I'm bored" or "we have nothing to do" they are just like their Momma's.  Carey and I could keep ourselves occupied for hours as girls... even if we were just laying on a bunk bed giggling.

Ok, one last picture.... it's the ceremonial picture that must be taken every time Carey and I are together.  We started this tradition I think when we were pre-teens??

The weekend was too short and flew by too fast.  We are already planning our next time together... hopefully it will be longer than just a weekend (hint, hint Andy... aka Jesus on roller skates... the pond awaits your exploration)!!

My Crazy Tyler Turns 11yrs old!!

Tyler's Birthday party was the first to be celebrated in our farm house.  It felt so good that there was a place for all to sit, even if it was the floor.  The only thing I miss about the old house was the finished basement.  It was just another place for the kids to spread out.  Aiden kept asking to go see the basement.  It took us awhile to figure out that he was looking for the old basement with all the toys.  Sorry Aiden, most of our basement toys are still boxed up in the garage!

We ordered pizza and Tyler wanted a clown cake for his birthday.  He wanted "Crazy Tyler turns 11 yrs old!" written on it.  After all the hoopla of the birthday party most of us got ready to go to our church for a special event called Tiny Circus.  The kids all seemed to have fun and even us adults got a kick out of some of the acts.

It was that evening that a snow storm moved into the area and dumped quite a bit of snow on us, it lasted until early Monday morning.

Tyler and I headed out to the back forty late Monday morning.  Let me tell you, walking through snow drifts up to 2 ft deep was quite a workout.  We made it all the way back to the pond.  Here are some pictures after the snow stopped and the sun showed it's rare face to us.

This is one of the pond and the little bench that sits on the dock.

I couldn't get over the blueness of the sky.  I guess when you don't see it for months on end, it looks extra beautiful!

One last picture of the birthday boy who spent about an hour hiking in snow with his Momma.  We were both worn out by the time we got back!

Blessings!!

A New Chapter Begins

There are points in life when there is a life shift.  Sometimes you see it coming and sometimes you  don't.  This time I saw it coming.

It was like walking down a road in the middle of a moonless night, when up ahead you see a truck racing towards you with it's bright lights on.  You can't miss it, it blinds you.  You know the minute, the second it arrives.  That blinding light transports you into a new season of life... Our new season...We are no longer considered a "young" family.

Oh my, the tears just well up at the thought that my baby is old enough to now be called a teenager.  Officially it happened at 5:36pm Sunday night and let me tell you, he was not officially 13 until 5:36pm.  His party started at 5pm so all who love him could celebrate this momentous occasion with us.  Our house was filled to overflowing.

I think your 13th birthday is one of the biggest, if not the biggest of your childhood.  It's one of those birthdays you remember for life.

His birthday weekend didn't start off so great.  Things that had been planned were cancelled (due to weather).  There were other situations that caused Micah disappointment.  We adjusted, made changes and as Uncle Andy always says "when life hands you lemons, make lemonade" and that is just what we did!!  I think Micah will forever remember his 13th Birthday.

Micah's cake is comical to us.  He originally wanted me to make his cake.  Kevin and I felt it wasn't really possible with the oven that currently resides in our house, so he was gracious and said that Costco could make his cake.  Micah and I went there to pick it out and this is the one he selected.  I thought it was hilarious being that he was turning 13, and never told him what "over the hill" was referring to.  After Daddy saw it and started laughing did he enlighten his son to the meaning behind the cake and we all had a good laugh about it.

His birthday continued after everyone left with a sleepover with his cousin Nicholas.  Kevin and I went to bed just after 9pm and gave the boys free reign over the house, bedtime, and activities.  Funny, they were in bed by 9:45pm.  Micah gave into sleep around midnight and Tyler just informed me that he and Nicholas talked until 2am (Sorry Toni!!).

Now I'm going to get all sentimental...
Sunday night was beautiful to me.  This old house has seen hundreds of birthdays over it's existents.  Even though the floors cause you to walk like a drunken sailer until you get used to it's ebb and flow, the staircase would be more efficient with a fireman's pole it's such a vertical climb, I have a bucket in the basement catching the water that drips from the shower, but Sunday night it held family and friends together in the celebration of the life of Micah Alan Peters.  There was room for all 30+ people to break bread (pizza) together.  There was space for the kids to run and be crazy.  I love that I don't care if a ding goes in the wall, I love that greasy pizza hands ran up and down the steps and their greasy hands joined the greasy hand marks of children over the past 100 years.  It was night full of memories... Like the paper ball fight that went on around Micah as he opened his gifts (it was Kevin against every other kid here... we were picking up paper balls long after everyone left).  I will always hold this birthday party close to my heart, new friends were included, old friends maintained there steadfast presence and family were all here to surround our family with love.

4 Years of Hard Work!!

He was eight years old when he walked into class for the first time.  He was timid and shy.  My heart was breaking for him as he walked into a room full of people he didn't know.  A man came up to him and welcomed him into class, he took him to the back of the room and stood next to him the whole class period.  Teaching him the very first building blocks the next 4 years would be built on.

Over the next 4 years I watched this boy slowly mature into a young man, I watched him work hard at learning all he needed to know.  Over the last year he was gearing up for the final test.  There is a full year from becoming a brown belt to becoming a black belt.  There are tests and requirements that must be met.  There was an essay that needed to be written and a 128 question test on the origin of Tung Soo Do Kyohoe Kwan (that is the style of karate), many of the Korean words used, the history of the DoJang (karate studio), the meaning of the parts of the Korean flag, and the list goes on.

To say getting a black belt at Crusader Martial Arts is time consuming is an understatement.  Hours upon hours were spent in the studio or at home studying and working on all the different requirements that were needed.

As the end was approaching Micah came down with influenza and was sick the whole month before his black belt test.  He even missed the written test and had to make arrangements to take the test at a later time (he passed his test 85.5% Whoo Hoo!!).  He also was assigned a mentor to help get him ready for his physical test, but because he was sick, he was unable to meet with him at all.  A week before his physical test he was still recovering from the sickness.

The physical test is a 4-6 hr test in which the students are tested on everything they have learned since becoming white belts.  It is physically exhausting test.  I know this not only because I sat and watched the sweat fly from the faces of the students but because Micah had the chance to go to the Cottage Bar afterwards for lunch and he turned it down to go home, shower, and lay on the couch.

Micah's test lasted just over 4 hours and the reason it was one of the faster blackbelt tests was because all of the students knew there stuff so well, there wasn't much repeating techniques.  Watching I couldn't help but be over the moon proud of Micah.  He was nervous going into the test, which is understandable, but during the first shio (rest period) Sah Bum Nim Lisa (his instructor) came down from the judges box and told Micah he was doing an amazing job.  She would continue coming to him during his shios telling him "you got this Micah, your doing great", it was nice to have her reassure him that he was passing the test.

Each student had to break 5 boards.  They preselected the type of kick, strike, or block they were going to use.  At times it can be painful to watch board breaking because if they hit the board wrong... well lets just say it can be very painful.

Micah was getting ready to do a knee strike and DoJaNim joked with him about getting Sah Bum Nim Duane in the stomach. Sah Bum Nim Duane is Sah Bum Nim Lisa's son, you can see her in the back laughing about this too.

After the the test was done, we waited while the judges conferred with each other.  They made the students stand at attention then gave the news that they all passed!  Micah's reaction... "I DID IT!"

Sorry, poor picture quality, it was my phone

This next picture is Micah with his current instructor Sah Bum Nim Lisa and the man who took Micah under his wing his very first class... Kyo Sa Nim Nick.  It was a pretty special day that may or may not have included tears.

Flash back... Micah and his buddy Dan have gone through this whole process together.  They have been partners for different techniques, they have studied together, and pushed each other along on this journey, so I thought I would share a picture I found of two little boys who were white deputies getting their yellow belts.  Picture is dark, but hopefully you can see Dan on the left and Micah on the right.

and now....

Then for a whole week we had to wait until the potluck for Micah to receive his new belt.  It was a long week for him.... he couldn't wait! His black belt being tied by HuimJaNim Jaci

DoJuNim gets his hug!

The newest black belts!

Then pictures again with all the important people... except the two that paid for all of this... we never got a picture with him.  Hmm....

I now officially have a black belt living in my home.  He has decided that he is going to work towards his 2nd Don which takes about 2 years.  His ultimate goal is a Master, which would take about 9-10 years provided he passes all his tests.  In the meantime, he has applied to be an instructor which requires him to go through more training.

--

Micah, I have watched you grow from a little timid boy to a confidant young man.  God has given you this desire to take your skill to the next level and I am so excited to see you continue to mature into the Man God is molding you into.  You will go far in life as long as you always remember that everything you have and everything you are is a blessing from God.  Without Him you are nothing, with Him you are Everything!!  Keep working hard, I love you Micah Bean!!

A Year Ago Today

**I had written this post yesterday, but forgot to publish it, so it's a day late**

Hard to believe that last year I babysat Lina for the first time at a coffee shop just down the street from Melissa's work.  She slept most of the time, but about 30min before Melissa got back she woke up and just had to sit on Aunt Lynny's lap and talk to me.  She took her bottle and we waited for Mommy to come back so we could go grocery shopping for Daddy's birthday dinner.

Lina at the coffee shop

After Melissa found us we decided to make our way to Whole Foods to pick up what we were going to make for dinner.  As we were walking through the aisles Lina started to get a little fussy so we quickly finished picking out what we needed (which included sweets, because what is a birthday without sweets!) and started our walk back home.  

In New York you don't go to the store and buy a weeks worth of food.  There are multiple reasons why but a big one, is that you need to carry what you buy home.  Now I don't know how far it is from the grocery store to their place, but I'm going to guess that it's about a mile, but I do know that Lina's stroller held most of the food, but my arms held the rest and by the time we made it home they were tired.  Most people in New York have small carts that they use to go shopping, unless you push a stroller, then you load it into that (the strollers in New York are like their cars).

Once home we all rested for awhile and then us ladies started to make dinner.  I can't remember what exactly we made... but I do remember that Melissa taught me how to make pico de gallo and I do remember that dinner was very good.  Oh Wait I remember... we made tacos!!  Then for Birthday dessert it was an assortment of treats.  Not exactly birthday cake... next time I'm in New York I think I will make Tim birthday cake, even if it's for no ones birthday.  The poor guy misses out on it over a dozen times a year and every time he is home he talks about birthday cake.

It was present time... He was a very capable dad and held Lina the whole time he opened gifts.  

Lina even made him a birthday card! I'm sure it's the first of many she will make him over the years.

 It was a pretty low key day, but I think it was a good day, Tim's first Birthday as a Daddy!!

**OK, so I wrote this yesterday but I have to add that last night we faceTimed Tim and Melissa (Lina was in bed already) and they were showing us videos of Lina walking.  It's just amazing to me to see How much she has changed in one year!  Since I only get to see her at the most 3 times a year, but probably only like twice a year, the change is so much more obvious.  Just looking back at these pictures reminds me how quickly time flies... make the most of each moment, because one day your holding a brand new baby, you blink and she is walking and sprouting the cutest curly little fro.** 

Never Would Have Thought...

It's midnight, there is a dark figure standing next to my bed.  As I slowly awaken from a deep sleep I hear... "Mom, I texted you, why didn't you come to me?"

Welcome to the year 2014 (almost 2015).  It used to be my name being called in the night.  There have been times of bells ringing if I was needed and calling for me was painful.  But texting??

Now my phone sits next to my bed, ringer as low as it will go so that if my children need me during the night, they can text me.  That feels funny just typing it.  But over the last few days, we have been waging a war against influenza.  Thankfully I have escaped it's grasp so far, but the rest of my family hasn't been so lucky.  Micah, not one to want to bother me, will usually either handle things on his own or come downstairs and quietly ask for my help.  The other two... Well they stay in there beds and send me messages as to how they are feeling and I send reply's.  Sometimes, my reply's get me out of going upstairs and sometimes they don't.  Two nights ago, I think I climbed our stairs 20 times throughout the night. 

I am praying we are over the worst of it and over the next few days we will slowly regain our health and our ability to join the community again.  Although our sickness did interrupt Christmas party plans, New Years plans, and spending more time with Tim and Melissa while they were here, I am not complaining that it has forced us to stay home and spend time together as a family.  That was a real blessing.

Praying your family had a Wonderful Christmas Celebrating the Birth of Our Savior and will enjoy the Blessings of a Happy New Year!

A Trip to Midtown

While in New York Tim and I took a night and went up to Time Square.  When people think of New York City, this is what I think people picture.

I took this picture moments after Tim and I got off the subway.  Just for memories sake... I need to note that while Tim and I were waiting for the train, there were rats running over the track.  Tim's comment to me was that they were small ones.  I was very excited that for the remainder of my stay in NY, I never sighted any "big ones".

Tim took this one of me in Time Square.

If you have never been to NY everything is bright and flashy.  Neon signs are begging at you to look at them around every corner.  It can be stimulation overload!

Tim and I did a lot of walking that night.  We hit all the main touristy things.  This is me by Radio City

It's kind of hard to see the sign... you can see it a little better in this picture.  It's a vertical sign that looks kind of pink in this picture and it's just to the upper right of my head.

Rockefeller Center skating rink. Notice the Lego store in the back left corner.  I sent that picture to Micah, he could have cared less about the skating rink, he just wanted to see the Lego store.

Of course you have to get a picture of the Today Show.

The next place we walked to was Grand Central Station.  If you are ever in NYC, I highly suggest you go see this amazing building.  You will encounter crowds, but don't let that stop you!  It is an amazing historical building that is well over 100 years old.  It started as Grand Central Depot, then the name changed to Grand Central Station and now it's name is Grand Central Terminal.  But most people still refer to it as the 1901 name... Grand Central Station.  

Pictures just don't do this this building any service at all.  The architecture is amazing!  

I don't even know how many miles we walked that night, but I had a lot of fun seeing all the sights with my brother!