Heaven can Wait...

First day of Gigi's Cupcakes...had to buy some!

I was out on my deck the other morning in the pre-dawn glow, still wearing my pajamas, an old sweatshirt and some flip flops.  I pulled up the Google Sky app on my phone to get a bearing on which direction was North...and then I waited.  And just as predicted, at exactly 6:35 AM, there arose from the horizon what looked like a bright star, moving steadily up and across the sky.  No, it wasn't a bird, or a plane....it was the International Space Station.  We'd read about it in Carter's science book a couple of weeks ago and I had never realized how easy it is to spot.  It's the third brightest object in the night sky and orbits the earth every 90 minutes, giving frequent opportunities for viewing.  You can even sign up for email notifications at the NASA website, Spot the Station!  I was trying to comprehend the space station flying at such an astounding speed (17,000 mph) around the earth, whizzing past whole continents in minutes.  And as I stood there watching the space station go over, I began to feel very small.

Perspective... I've really been trying to work on my own perspective this summer and the way I perceive things around me.  It's so easy to get wrapped up in the day to day craziness, in things that seem SO important, and forget about what is truly important.  I've been trying to adopt a more eternal perspective in the way I live and the things I make a priority.  Driving down the highway last weekend, I was behind a tractor trailer that was hauling coffins.  Weird thing to come across, I know.  On the back of the truck was the statement, "Drive carefully, Heaven can wait!"  I guess if you drive a coffin truck that's about the best crack at humor you can offer.

For whatever reason, that phrase stuck with me all week long.  I kept thinking about it and about the journey I am on, as a Christian.  Heaven is waiting for me at the end of this long and difficult road.  When the going gets really tough, I have that hope, that never-fading hope, in my future forever Home.  This world offers but a speck of the joy I will experience when I get there. I want to paraphrase the message I saw on that truck the other day...

"Live carefully, Heaven is waiting!"  I don't ever want to get so obsessed with my own self-seeking motives that I squander the opportunity I have right now to make a difference in the world.  I don't ever want to forget that the God of the Universe gave me this chance to live, to choose to follow Him, and to eagerly anticipate my reward at the end of the road, Heaven.

Heaven can wait, but only so long.  At times we are given somber reminders of this, at how fleeting and fragile life can be.  God gives us complete freedom in how we choose to live our lives, how we spend our time and our money, what we choose to believe in...

Live carefully...think carefully about the choices you are making every single day.  Heaven awaits, but will you first choose to make it your destination?

1 to 100

We had a very special visit from some of my Bible Study friends today and were so blessed to enjoy the company of Miss Sally who is well on her way to her 101st birthday.  The kids really enjoy talking with her and she always has good questions for each of them to answer.

We were sitting down for lunch and she asked us to pass the big bowl of watermelon down to her.  Sienna immediately piped up, "Don't eat the whole bowl!"  That got everyone laughing.

I hope that if I live to 100 I could have the same wit and humor and zest for life that Miss Sally has!

Birthday Bash

 We had a great day for Sienna and Lawson's 1st and 3rd Birthday Bash.  Three monarchs decided to hatch before the party so the kids all enjoyed that.  We did an Elephant and Piggy themed party with some story time and of course a pinata.  I made it this time, just want everyone to know!!

I can't even believe Lawson is 1 already and Sienna is 3.  They both bring us so many smiles and laughs every single day!

Sienna loves her new Bubble Mower!

1 Year Old

 I've said it before and I'll say it again...boy did that year go by quickly!!  Our little Lawson has blessed our lives in SO many ways over the last 12 months, I absolutely cannot imagine life without him and his sweet little smile.  God saved him for this very time in my life when I needed an easier baby and one who brought so much joy and so many smiles in my days, even on the really tough ones.



Love you little Lawson.  Happy 1st Birthday and may the year ahead be filled with blessings for you!!

Peace

I can't seem to climb out of this valley.  The more I try, the harder I exert myself...the more I dwell on it, make plans, try to execute, I continually find myself slipping back down into the mire.  I'm having a hard time praying lately, I'm having a hard time climbing out from under this too-heavy yoke and letting Him handle it for me.  But I know that is exactly what I must do.

I saw this quote today that made me really stop and think about my perspective on things...

“Peace is the result of retraining your mind to process 

life as it is, rather than as you think it should be.”

― Wayne W. Dyer

I keep waiting for things to "get better" but maybe the issue isn't my circumstances by my perspective.  Maybe this is exactly the way things are supposed to be.  Maybe my perception of the "right" way my life should be going isn't right at all.

Isaiah 55:8 keeps running through my mind again and again...

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your 

ways my ways," declares the LORD.

How can I know the mind of God?  How can I expect to understand His complex workings in my life? The difficult truth is, I can't.  So I must keep surrendering up my will, my desires, my demands to Him and ask Him to give me His peace.  I have to trust that He knows what He is doing with my life and the lives of my loved ones.

When I thought I couldn't take one more piece of bad news, one more difficulty, we found out this week that Reese probably has Lyme Disease.  She also was hit with Bell's Palsy which has stricken one side of her face with paralysis...for how long?  We aren't sure and it's upsetting to me.  I feel like I've failed as a parent to catch this more quickly...I must have missed something, should have done something differently.  I'm even reading a book every day that was written by a woman who is battling Lyme Disease...it is so ironic.

When I come to these moments of desperation, when I realize my human strength is really no stronger than a toothpick, I find myself falling on my face crying out to the Lord for answers.

And He answers, as He often does for me, through scripture and in songs...

My Grace is sufficient for you for My strength is made perfect in weakness...

I will keep hanging on to that Truth for today...

Birthdays and Bad Haircuts

This has been a busy but fun couple of days as we celebrated Sienna's 3rd Birthday together yesterday.  I can't believe we've survived 3 years with Sienna...wait did I just say that??  Well, if you have read this blog for more than a week you know my 3rd child keeps us on our toes!

 We also had a visit from some longtime family friends from New Jersey today, which was so fun.  This morning I ran a 5K and bettered my last time by 17 seconds, crossing the finish in 24:48.  Carter did the 1K kids fun run and finished 1st place!

And yesterday, in preparation for his 1st birthday, I decided to give Lawson a little trim.  Actually it was completely growing down into his eyes and so I was meticulously clipping at it piece by piece, trying to get just a bit trimmed back so he could see again.  He was quickly losing patience and Derrick came in to help me and immediately asked, "Why don't you just cut straight across it?"  "No I can't do that!!!!"  I quickly told him...because in my mind every time I think of bangs cut straight across I think of Jim Carrey in Dumb and Dumber.  And who wants to think of Jim Carrey when you look at your sweet, adorable 1 year old??  But Derrick took the scissors and he chopped away...and I'm sorry to say, it isn't pretty...

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 I know, I know...it's not THAT bad.  But I can't help thinking of this when I see him now...

Critters

 In the middle of another monarch release this afternoon, we were so surprised to find a little box turtle crawling in the yard.  The kids were absolutely ecstatic!

Lawson and Sienna were ecstatic to get a birthday box from their cousins in the mail today too.  I just LOVED their reactions about the paints and paper and the pinwheels.  I can't believe my babies are almost 3 and 1!!!

Orange is the New Black

 We've been seeing a lot of orange around here this week, and I don't just mean our monarch butterflies.  We did have another successful hatch and release today and the kids all enjoyed getting a good close-up look at the butterfly before we wished him a good journey to Mexico!  Hard to believe something so small and delicate can make it that far.

 We had a lovely time catching up with the Hellers yesterday during their weekend visit to Pittsburgh!

And the final "Icing on the Cake" this week was that we FINALLY got around to cracking open the can of paint we bought back in February for Carter's room . You may remember my hesitation about allowing him to choose the color.  Well, you will never see a happier kid that my son the minute we finished painting his lovely pale blue room a new shade of bright "Home Depot" orange.  He has been wearing orange all weekend to celebrate.  I guess, in the grand scheme of things, there could be worse colors...but it may take some getting used to...and a good pair of sunglasses whenever I go in that room!

Field Trips

 We've had a very busy couple of days here with some exciting field trips for the kids.  Yesterday was a trip to Youngstown, Ohio to Mill Creek Park where we toured a working Mill and visited their beautiful public gardens.  The kids got to see the enormous 14 foot tall water wheel (unfortunately under repair) and tried their hand at grinding some corn.

 Today's adventure was a trip to the LST Warship that is currently docked in Pittsburgh.  The kids got a real look at a historic WWII ship and saw a number of WWII Veterans their touring the ship.  Carter loved the replica of the ship built with 70,000 legos.

 Pop Pop enjoyed reminiscing about his days on a Navy ship during the whole tour.  He said the cafeteria trays were the same ones he had to use when he was in the Navy.