It Was Like Being in a Cave with 100 Children

Last night was our Harvest party at church.  Every year we hold a carnival for kids to enjoy getting candy, playing games without being outside in the cold.  Plus it's an opportunity to hear a gospel message.

We do it on AWANA night so kids will know that something happens on Wednesday nights that they can come to, but also a chance for our AWANA kids to get dressed up and get candy!

Typically we have about 65 kids at AWANA each Wednesday night.  Last night we had 95 kids.  Our gym was finally rebuilt after the snow storm of 2008 and this is the first year we've been able to hold it in the new facility.  I actually lost part of my voice because you had to yell to talk to the person next to you.

It was fabulous.

I got to meet many of my kids's parents, D & E each had friends from school show up for the night and some people from the neighborhood just stopped in because they saw something going on.  Not to mention Zoe got to jump in the bounce castle like 6 times!

It was an amazing night of fellowship and laughter.  For months I've been praying that God would grow our AWANA group.  Even though there is no guarantee that we will have an additional 30 kids show up next week, God answered my prayer last night. 

Replaced

Every Wednesday at AWANA, my mom and I lead the beginning time.  We sing songs, play games, recognize birthdays and generally get the kids all riled up for the night.  It's been so fun seeing all the kids jumping around and having fun. 

It's also a great opportunity for us to get to know some of the kids in the other groups that we don't work with. 

Last week I stayed home because I was coming down with a cold, that is still lingering by the way.  I always thought the shelf life of a cold was 7 days.  Apparently this one likes to put in overtime.  Overachiever!

Anyway, I was gone last week.  My mom brought up my replacement.  She's about 3 feet tall and LOVES to sing.  Zoe is usually in her room during the opening time, so she's never really been around.  Until last week.  She got a taste of the stage and fell in love. 

She was telling all the kids what the songs were, she was the loudest one singing and I heard that other kids were watching her to know what to do. 

She woke up before I had to come to work this morning and asked if she could sing on the stage tonight.  Apparently the excitement of it was so much she woke up an hour early. 

I think I've been replaced.

You Can't Eat Diapers

Last week my friend Becca had to come up with an idea for a baby shower at her work.  She asked for some help, so we came up with the idea to make a diaper cake.

When I told Zoe that Aunt Becca was coming over to make a diaper cake, she furrowed her brow and said, "but mom, you don't eat diapers!  You can eat frosting though."

In our first attempt to make a diaper cake, it was actually surprisingly easy.  I think it turned out pretty darn cute.

The Dam Joke

One of my favorite things about N's new job is the "dam" jokes that I can use.  I learned this week that I'm not the only one who enjoys using them.

After school, Grandma took Zoe to lunch at a restaurant with a play area.  As it turns out a couple friends from school also went to lunch there.  Zoe got to play with her friends.

One of her favorite things is pretend play.  Often times I'm Zoe and she's the mommy.  Or I'm Zoe and she's the teacher.  It's really quite cute.

At lunch she decided to do some pretend play and she annouced to her friends that she was going to her "dam job."  I'm positive the 3-year old crowd doesn't really know the different types of the word dam, but I know their parents do.

Grandma was quick to share that daddy works at a dam.

I guess it's safe to say that the dam joke is on me now!

Germ-A-Palooza

I think I'm going to get shirts made soon.  It seems like we've gotten tickets to Germ-A-Palooza and I didn't even know it was in town.  I was warned that when Zoe started school to plan on her being sick.  I had zero clue what that meant.  Apparently in the world of germs, that includes pneumonia, a stomach bug and the start of a cold. 

The poor girl has been sick for almost three weeks with something. 

There is one thing she didn't catch and I couldn't be more thrilled.  About 6 weeks into the new preschool routine we received a letter from the teacher.  Some child in her class had lice.  I can handle vomit, boogers and all the other stuff that comes from being sick.  Small bugs in her hair?  That is almost too much for this mommy.  Given that Zoe compares having her hair combed to having her nails pulled out with pliers, I'm so grateful that the lice stayed away.

I'd like to say we're on the mend, but she has preschool, AWANA and tap class all within the next 48 hours, so I'm just praying we don't get more sick!

We've Created a Legacy

One of the highlights of my 6th grade year was being selected for Cabinet.  At my elementary school, a select group of 6th graders ran the student government for our entire elementary school.  We would run the assemblies, facilitate the candy sales, host movie nights and sponsor any fundraiser.  Only 12 students were selected to be on Cabinet and it was a very prestigious position.  You had to submit your application and wait to see if you were selected.  Usually around the middle of October a letter would come in the mail letting you know if you made it or not.

I was fortunate that my best friend also made Cabinet.  Some others in the group weren't so fortunate.  It's an important life lesson in empathy and compassion.

You have to sign a contract with your parents that you'll keep your grades up and still maintain your responsibilities on Cabinet.  I missed many hours of actual classroom time by being on Cabinet.  It was one of the best things of my childhood.  It taught be about writing speeches, presenting, organization and leadership.  The tools that I learned with Cabinet have carried me through much of my life.  Miss Wagner, the librarian who runs the program, is someone I still keep in contact with.

A certain 6th grader in our family received her letter this weekend.  D is officially on Cabinet.  I couldn't be more thrilled for her.  She's entering the age where being socially accepted is critical.  I know she's struggled with friendships and other things at school, so when this news came I just praised the Lord.  I think it's exactly what she needed at this point in her life.  She's growing into such an amazing young lady and my prayer is that her time on Cabinet will help her continue to grow, but also give her that feeling of acceptance that I know she craves and needs.

I love having something in common with her.  I love being able to see her excitement as her mom told her she was accepted.  While we may not be related by blood, we are by Cabinet.  I wouldn't want to share this honor with anyone else.

On the Altar

For several months I’ve been earnestly praying that God would shape my heart to be a woman who serves Him well, a wife who serves N well and a mommy who serves our girls well. It started one night when I felt completely inadequate to be any of those things. Zoe was showing her independence, we had just had D & E for a weekend and I was easily frustrated with them, N wasn’t doing what I thought he should and I felt completely incompetent to be a wife and mom.


As I sat in prayer, I knew it wasn’t N or D or E or Zoe that was the problem, it was me and my heart. I realized that as long as I tried to control things, I would continue to stand in the way of all the things He could and would do for my family.

So for months I prayed for God to take my heart, mold it, shape it and make it His. While I’ve still got a long way to go, I know my heart is starting to change. My desire to control isn’t as strong as it used to be and my patience level has dramatically increased.

One thing, one story keeps coming to mind. It’s found in Genesis 22:1-22. It’s the story of Abraham offering Isaac as a burnt sacrifice. First off I just want to say how grateful I am that Jesus died on the cross and shed His blood so that we don’t have to do any kind of sacrificing. I don’t even like touching raw meat! Can I get an amen?



What I find most fascinating about this story is how it’s written to be so matter-of-fact. It lays out what Abraham was told, how he prepared, where he took Isaac and that God saw Abraham’s faith, stopped him and blessed his descendants. There is no editorial to the story. There is nothing that says Abraham’s men saw he was burdened. That Isaac had fear in his eyes as his father bound him. Nothing says Abraham didn’t sleep for three days or that he was often seen crying. As a parent, I’m convinced if the story was editorialized, those things and many more would be in it.

What strikes me most about this story is that Abraham was willing to give Isaac to God, no questions asked. As a parent, that’s how we’re supposed to be with our children. God didn’t give us D, E and Zoe. He put them in our care, but they are and always have been His. Zoe looks like me and can wiggle her toes like N, but she has never been ours. She is completely His.

Every day God calls me like He did to Abraham. Every day He asks me to put them at His feet, to trust Him enough with the most precious gifts in my life. I can honestly say there are many times daily, or even every hour, that I fail to accomplish this. My heart’s desire is to trust Him completely with my heart as a parent, with my heart as a wife and with my heart as His child.

There are times when it would be easier to say that I know better, that I cannot possibly do what He’s asked me to do. Yet, just like Abraham, we have to trust that His plans are greater than our plans. While I’m still discovering this truth, still learning how to trust Him completely and how to give up my heart for His heart, I am in awe of the things He’s doing to my relationships. I can honestly say I love deeper because of His hand in my heart. If that’s the blessing that comes from laying myself and the girls at His feet, I can in some ways understand Abraham better.