Fear, No More

Tonight as I laid  in Archie's arms after a long day, I  felt so loved, so protected.  But as I laid there, I kept thinking about how I haven't felt that love or protection from God lately.  I know that God is loving and He is our protector, but feeling that and knowing that are 2 different things.  Archie has always been so loving and has protected me and our family, but I long for more.  My soul longs for a deepness that can only be satisfied by God.

Honestly, I know and feel love from God on a daily basis.  Just looking at Archie, Madison, Christian, and Caleb I know that I am loved.  Taking notice of all the blessings that I have in my life truly does remind me of how loved I am by God and through my family and friends.  So, what I am really longing for is the protection piece. But protection from what?

Fear.  Fear is what I need to be protected from.  Sometime 2 years ago fear took a hold of me and I have never truly been the same.  Nothing huge happened in my life for it to rear its ugly head, but it came . . . and then it kept coming.  What is there to be afraid of?  I know that God has conquered all and that I should not be afraid, yet, I find myself gripped by it sometimes.  I'm not afraid of spiders or planes crashing, or even the scare of our down-turned economy.  I am afraid of myself or any of my dear family and friends having health problems-I am also sometimes afraid of death.

The reality of mortalness has become so very clear to me these past few years, and the stories I hear and the televisions shows I have watched just add to it. So I become afraid.  But in that fear I always hear God in the background, in a whisper, telling me not to be afraid.  Telling me to hold onto Him and He will deliver me from my fear. Telling me that He is bigger than my fear.  I want to hear that voice, that whisper, know that Truth . . . so fear doesn't grip me, so I am not afraid, so I trust in what God says and Who He is. . . so there is no room for fear to grow.

So tonight I claim these verses and ask God to protect me, to be my strength.

Isiah 41:10  

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

 

(Isaiah 43:1b-3a)

 Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. 

 (Philippians 4:6-8)

Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 

 

 (Exodus 14:13a,14) 

Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.

 (Psalm 73:26)

 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 

(Psalm 84:5,7)

Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion. 

 (Psalm 94:18-19)
When I  said, "My foot is slipping," your love, O Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.


 (John 14:27)
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  

Farewell fears!  I will no longer be afraid of fevers, headaches,  meningitis, fainting, medical issues, cancer, or death and I will hold onto the promises of God.   If my fear does return or if new fears begin, then I will continue to hold onto God's promises because He is mighty and He has already conquered all my fears.   My fears are crushed to Him, so they are now also crushed to me.

--what made me think about this today was a conversation that I had on the phone with a nurse about Madison's fever and meningitis.  God used her to show me that I was being silly and that I was allowing  fear to paralyze and blind me.  I was allowing fear to lessen my trust in my God, my Savior.

God is good all the time, All the time, God is good.

Lead Me

http://www.sanctusreal.com/

Click on this website and listen to an amazing story and hear an amazing song.  God is in the business of changing lives and He leads . . . we just need to learn to follow Him.

TEAM Work

When I taught  5th grade, the school that I was in had shirts made one year which said TEAM . . . Together Everyone Achieves More.  This motto has stuck with me all these years because it really is a true saying.  This Brownie vest shows Archie's and my TEAM work recently.

If you ask me how I am doing, I will almost always give the same answer . . . things are good . . . but they are so BUSY!  Working full time, having 3 kids, being a wife . . . a cook . . . a maid . . . a homework checker . . . etc. along with Archie and all the work that he does with our business and etc.  we truly ARE busy.  Honestly, it's not a bad thing, and I do believe that we have pretty good balance overall, but things are non-stop a lot of the time . . . and just BUSY!  Anyways, one night after I cleaned up before going to bed, I put out Madison's new Brownie vest and all the patches that needed to be ironed on along with the iron out on the counter.  I need to see things so I can be reminded to DO things, so this was serving as a visual reminder for me to get this done and hopefully it would be done the next day.  Lo and behold, to my surprise, I woke up the next morning to the picture that I took above.  Archie woke up early and ironed all the patches.  I know that this truly is a small thing, but it reminded me how  people really do need to be a TEAM to have success AND it reminded me of how great of a teammate Archie is (even though I forget that at times).

Since this time of our life is very busy right now, the Coleman 5 need to be working together as a TEAM more than ever now . . . and I need to make sure that I am appreciating the small things that are done that are truly blessings. 

Small things which have really made a difference recently and which I am thankful for are:  Archie preparing my breakfast and getting the kids ready in the morning, family (Colemans and Beslics) helping out with childcare for a few hours here and there, the kids helping by taking the groceries out of of the car and into the house, my TEAMmates at school, people taking time to pray with/for me, a friend that takes Madison home EVERY day from school, Jenny not only watching our kids-but also putting away dishes and laundry, and ALL the ways that God shows how he continues to provide for and bless my family. 

It's about the kind of heart that a person has; a loving and serving heart  . . . or a selfish and self-serving heart.   I have been served so much out of love from others, and I hope that I am able to serve others back out of God's love.

20 years of Operation Christmas Child

I have loved the Operation Christmas Child program since I learned about it over 10 years ago.  I love watching my children pick out toys and purchasing items for kids their age that they don't even know.  I love knowing that my kids are serving people in need and that they are excited about it.   I love praying with my kids for the little boys and girl that are going to recieve this shoebox.  I love what God has done through this amazing project.

This year I introduced this program to the teachers at my school and we decided to make it our 7th graders' service project.  It's been amazing to see the kids excited to help other kids around the world and to talk about our global community.  Our students have 2 weeks to bring in items for OCC and then a few "chosen" students will have the opportunity to fill these shoeboxes.  Thank you God for this amazing opportunity!

Madison's Heart

Madison asked Jesus into her heart on Tuesday, June 15, 2010 in the late evening.  It was a really sweet moment between God, her, and myself. 

I bought Madison a devotional book early this summer because  I thought that it would be neat to do a devotion side by side next to my daughter and I really wanted to get disciplined in my time with God.  Well, it turned out a little different than I thought, due to her wanting to read with me and me thoroughly enjoying my time with her.  We had been reading and praying through a short devotion for girls and after a few times, I felt prompted to ask Madison a question.  I asked her where God lived.  I didn't know exactly where this conversation would go, but it felt right, so I continued.  Of course Madison replied that God lived in heaven and I asked her if there was anywhere else that He could live.  After a few moments of thinking about it, and I don't know if she recalled it or if I said it, but we discussed how God also lives in people's hearts.  This then lead to Madison asking me if God lived in my heart.  I told her that God did live in my heart, but that He had not always lived there.  I told her just a little bit about my childhood and going to church, and I also told her that I asked Jesus into my heart at the age of 18 when I decided that I wanted to live for Jesus.  She pondered my explanation and then asked if Daddy had God in his heart.  Oh, the wheels were turning in my sweet little Madison Mae's mind, and I thought that I could feel her heart being stirred.   What an "awe"some moment for a mother to experience.

I told her that  Daddy asked Jesus into his heart when he was a young kid and that he has been walking with God and having a relationship with God ever since.   After a few more moments I told her that she could ask God into her heart if she ever wanted to.  She sat there alone in her own thoughts for another few moments an then said "ok."  I asked her what she was "ok"about and she said that she wanted to do it.  After a few more moments of talking and me telling her that I was not telling her that she HAD to ask Jesus into her heart,  she said that she still wanted to do it.  Of course, I cannot be Amy if I didn't continue to talk, so I needed to clarify a few more things and talk a little more.  I wanted to make sure that Madison knew that when she asked Jesus into her heart, that she knew that it was a serious matter and that she was saying that God is HER God and that she would want to follow him and read His Word and obey what He says.  I wanted her to know by doing this, that she was saying that she was a Christian, a Christ follower, and that as she learned more about WHO God is, that her life would be different.  I know- deep theological thoughts that what 6 (almost 7) year old could possibly comprehend, but I felt the importance of saying it.  I was trying to give her just a little glimpse into the significance of what she was saying and doing without REALLY being able to comprehend it at a young age.  Who even really understands it all at an adult age?  After my talking all that time, I thought that she may lose interest; but she didn't.  So eventually I said a prayer with her.  I spoke some words and she repeated them.  I cannot remember the exact words I used but Madison prayed that she was a sinner and that Jesus died for her and that she wanted to learn more and to live her life for God.  In that moment I think I experienced just a fraction of how God feels when his children come home to him.  It was amazing.
After we prayed, I cried and told Madison how happy that I was that she was not only in my "Coleman 5" family, but that she was also in my "Kingdom" family.  We talked about how happy Daddy and Grammy and the Colemans and so many of our family and friends would be since she was now in God's Kingdom.  I think that we may have even talked about the Holy Spirit, but now I can't remember.   It was a wonderful night. 

When Archie came home that night after rock climbing, I told him all about the special evening.  He was just as glad as I was and hugged and celebrated with Madison the next morning.  I don't know if Madison knew how to take the attention with all the hugs and love being poured out upon her, because she started to say "Are you going to hug me too?" with an indifferent tone in her voice whenever somebody congratulated her and told her happy that he/she was.

Since June 15th, I have enjoyed doing more devotionals with Madison and talking with her about her life. I look forward to see how God is going to use my sweet Madison Mae and what God has in store for her  future.  My prayer for her is that she has a moldable and teachable heart and a passion to walk in His ways.  And of course, that she marries a man that loves God with his whole heart along with loving and adoring her, while challenging her along her spiritual journey.

Spring and Summertime!

Beware: this will be a LONG post!

Create a free photo collage

Click the play button and the collage will become larger.

I wanted to document what the Coleman 5 have been doing all this time since I have been so bad about updating my blog, and I found this collage on my friend's blog and thought it was a perfect way to do it.

Top pictures 1-3:
Picture 1- The boys finally got "big boy beds" in July.  I really wanted to get them bunk beds for their 3rd birthday, but it just didn't happen.  The boys had to patiently wait to use their new airplane comforter, train sheets, and "C" pillows that they received from Grammy for their birthday.  After a few months went by, Archie and I were unsure about getting them bunk beds because of safety reasons, so we sort of put off thinking about and buying them new beds.  Who really has an almost 3 and a half year old still in a crib? But when my friend Cathi and my mom saw these great bunk beds at Costco for a great price, we knew that we had to get them!  It is a full bed on the bottom and a twin on the top.  The person on the top can NOT fall off because of its railing and the bed is made with high quality.  After Archie put them together for 3-4 hours and the boys said goodbye to their cribs, they were ready for their new beds.  Christian was super excited that it was getting dark out because it meant that he was going to sleep on his new new bunk bed for the first time!  Caleb is on the top, since he rarely gets up in the middle of the night to use the washroom, but they will switch every month.  So far, so good!

Picture 2- Madison finished her 2nd year of Awanna!  Archie and I both feel that the Awanna program is wonderful, but our church does not offer it, so we decided to have Madison go to another church for it.  Even though she is shy and doesn't know anybody at this church, Madison has been a trooper these past 2 years.  We are so proud of her and love hearing her recite scripture memory verses and the books of the Bible.  It's been a good reminder to us too!

Picture 3- Archie and the kids love to play around and I was able to get a pretty good shot of them all together with the new camera that I got at Kohls.  What a deal: I got my camera for $50 instead of $130!  It's just a point and shoot camera and we hope to get our DSL camera at Christmas, but it's been great to have since my last camera broke and I don't have to always go and use Archie's "work camera."

Middle Pictures:
Picture 1-This is a picture of the kids in the morning going to Vacation Bible School at our church.  It was Crazy Hair Day!  Madison has never wanted to dress up or participate in "Crazy Days" for Awanna, so when she wanted to do this at our church . . . I was SO excited!  I put a small cup on Madison' hair and pulled her hair up and around.  The pony tail and bows, along with a lot of hair spray helped keep it up all morning.  The boys were also able to attend and they wanted crazy hair too.  Christian had bows clipped in his hair that he did not like and ended up pulling out and Caleb decided to wear a an elastic headband with bows clipped on.  They all looked so cute!

Left small middle pictures 1-4:
1- Madison is no longer a Daisy . . . she is now a Brownie!  She was pinned as a Brownie in May at a beautiful "changing over" ceremony for all the girls in her troop.  The ceremony was well done and very personal.  Each of the girls wore their flip fops that they made at the previous Daisy Meeting and each girl was read a small poem where they each had to look into a mirror and then "change" into a Brownie.  Some Brownies from other troops came to help them put on their now Brownie vest.  It was very sweet and brought back so many memories for me when I was a Brownie and Girl Scout.   Madison went to her 2nd Daddy Daughter Dance with Archie this school year with many of the Daisy and Brownie families.  I am glad that she had chosen to be in this, and I do hope that she continues.

2- This was Madison's 2nd summer at a horse camp.  She LOVES horses.  The horse camp is a 4 hour camp in which she learns how to care for horses and gets to ride a horse for a half hour.  This summer Madison invited 2 friends from school and they all had a really good time.  While the boys and I waited for Madison, I went to the Lifetime up that way to work out and the boys each got to ride a pony.  They all enjoyed themselves immensely.  Madison would love to have horseback riding lessons, so we'll see what happens in the next few years.

3- Madison played baseball (Coach Pitch) for her 2nd summer.  Coach pitch is where the coach pitches the ball to each kid.  She has really gotten better at the game since last summer and has started to enjoy the sport more; she even watches it on TV sometimes without us.   It was fun to see her be the catcher for an inning where she was crouched down wearing all this equipment and never got up!   Grandma and Grandpa Coleman went to all her games this summer which even made it more special.

4- The boys LOVE to "help" fix things around the house.  One day when I was on the computer in the basement, they got all dressed up in their Home Depot Tool belts and Caleb in his goggles.  They brought their hammers downstairs where I was working so they could "work" on the basement.  Needless to say, that our basement is not finished yet, but my cute little helpers in their mismatched jammies are so fun to watch!

Bottom Pictures 1-4:
1- The kids and Archie love fooling around together and I love seeing Archie shower our kids with love!

2- The boys were playing in the front of our house on an early Spring day and I asked them to pose for a picture.  They love giving each other hugs . . . and tackling one another.  These boys are such "boys.  Yesterday I found them upstairs playing swords with some of Daddy's tools . . .. Oops!  I really do have to watch what these little guys are getting into.  They are both FULL of energy and they keep us on our toes!

3- Me and my three little monsters!  Madison read for the Ozzie's Reading Club and received a free ticket to the Kane County Cougar game, so we all went as a family.  We really had no idea how long we would stay at the game because it was a chilly evening and since the boys have small attention spans, but we were pleasantly surprised to stay until the 7th inning. 

A few other things that we have done so far this spring/summer:  We got a much needed new (used) car (Toyota Sequoia), I celebrated my sister's 30th birthday with her in Las Vegas, the boys got their first library cards and all 3 kids participated in the reading program, A LOT of playing in the small pool and with Thomas trains and cars, I participated in 2 garage sales and got rid of MANY things- decluttering feels SO good, waterpark with Grandma Coleman, Archie and I celebrated our 9 year golden anniversary at a waterpark without the kids, the Ribfest and LeAnn Rimes, having Back Yard Bible Club at my house and sharing the gospel with kids--soo cool, seeing Peter and Paul pay a tribute to Mary at the Ravinia, helping my mom organize her house so Laura and John can move in, camping in the front yard in tent with the kids when it was 90 degress out, and our annual 4th of July party! Oh my, and my sweet nephew Aiden Alexander Georgias was born in May the day after my birthday!  I was able to be with Laura while she labored until she had a c- section.  The kids and  I have had a lot of fun seeing Aiden and Robbie and spending time with them.

So many memories have been made and we have all had so much together.  We leave for Maranatha, our annual family vacation, tomorrow morning.  I will be driving up with the kids with the waverunners and Archie will be flying.   We'll see how I get around with a trailer attached!

I LOVE Summer

I am LOVING my summer! It has been full and very busy, yet at the same time very relaxing.
I LOVE spending time with Archie and the kids. I LOVE sleeping in and the fact that my kids let me sleep in! I LOVE that I have not worn my watch . . . at all . . . since the week school was out. I LOVE the fact that many days we wake up and just decide on that morning what we are going to do that day. I LOVE that I had a garage sale, made some extra cash, AND cleaned out all the closets and rooms. I LOVE that Madison and I are doing devotions together and that I see her wanting to learn more about God. I LOVE that Back Yard Bible Club was a success . . . and that it is over now. I LOVE that I am ALMOST caught up on all my "People" magazines since I was months behind and I hope to start the 4th book in the Twilight series. I LOVE that I have been able to see/talk to some dear friends this summer and hang out with girlfriends. I LOVE my Growth Group from church. I LOVE that my family is so loving and willing to help with anything when asked . . . or not asked; I LOVE my Mom and sisters. I LOVE that I have been able to spend some time with my adorable new nephew, Aiden, this summer. I LOVE our firepit and 'smores. I LOVE having the extra time to watch my kids grow and learn . . . and to just BE with them. I LOVE that God answers prayer. I LOVE the feeling that I know that I am blessed and that God is truly good. I LOVE that I didn't teach summer school this year. I LOVE summer!

Yesterday

I am slowly getting things done at and for school and am also learning once again to not bring much home. Since January I have been so busy and overwhelmed with school and life, that I have been in "survival" mode. But now my stress level and feelings of being overwhelmed have lessened and I am trying to spend good quality time with the kids. I cannot believe that it is in the middle of February and I still have not brought the kids sledding. Every time we have had some good snow I have had so much school work to do and/or I am exhausted from teaching all day that I never took the kids out. Just the thought of bundling up 3 kids and having to watch them at the sled hill and possibly drag them up the hill exhausted me, so I never tried to tackle that feat. Until yesterday.

Yesterday after school I took the kids sledding. Well, my babysitter, Allison, and I took the kids sledding. I knew that it was going to snow and I wasn't sure if this was going to be the last snow of the year, so I made sure that I would take the kids. I even prayed the day before and asked God for just one more good snow so we could go sledding. Maybe I should start praying for a snow day! We had SO much fun sledding and stayed out for over an hour in the cold. Last year when we took the kids sledding, Caleb did not want anything to do with the sled and the hill. He actually walked around at the bottom of the hill and played in the snow on his own while Christian, Madison, Archie, and I went sledding. He was almost 2 then, but being almost 3 makes quite a difference this year. Caleb wanted his own sled yesterday and he LOVED going down the hill. Allison and I did go sledding, but the kids really enjoyed going down the hill on their own so we ended up sitting on the top of the hill watching them for some time.

Watching them get on the sled on their own and get ready to go down the hill, and then watching them get up at the bottom of the hill and then pulling the sled behind them as they hiked up to the top just to go down again saddened me a little. I realized that my two little almost 3 -year -olds were becoming so independent. It only saddened me for a moment, because in that realization I also find great joy in seeing how much they are growing and maturing. I love those sweet, sweet boys so much and I am so excited to see who they will become in the future. Just like Madison is still my little girl, those boys will always be my two little boys. I cannot put into words the joy and love that I get on a daily basis because of my three little blessings. Thank you God for my three beautiful children. Please help me to live in the moment and enjoy all the seasons of parenthood that you bless me with; the potty training, the disciplining, homework, etc.

I think that it is time to buy a few more sleds so the Coleman 5 can each have their own.

Yesterday we welcomed home one of our dear friends. He has served our country so many times throughout his life and this time he had been gone for a year. A year away from his wife, a year away from his 2 growing children, a year away from his friends and family. Now, he is going to pick right up where he left. His family is still there, his job is still there, and his family and friends are still there. I hope and pray that his transition from Afghanistan to home goes well. We are so blessed that our dear friend is home, but he reminded us that some did not make it. Some people that he loved and cared for did not make it home. He was not supposed to make it home; but he did. Listening to him say these words brought tears to my eyes. It made me feel embarrassed for my discontentness. But that's not how I feel now. Having Tom home reminds me how precious life is. How precious my family and friends are. How precious my relationship with God is.

Thank you God for keeping Tom safe and for being with him and strengthening his faith in you. Thank you for bringing Tom back to his family. It was so good to see Tom and Melissa with their girls. You truly are a good God. Be with Tom as he gets back to life here in America and let him transition well. Thank you that there are men out there to fight for our country. God, thank you for blessing the United States of America.

God, help me with my discontentness and desire for more. I don't feel this way all the time, but when it rears it's big ugly head, help me to remember your blessings. Lord, when I am overwhelmed with getting my papers graded for school or planning, when I want my house in order, or when I don't get the time to do what I think is needed to do, help me to remember your blessings and to also decipher between the urgent and the not so urgent. God, give me time to be with my kids where I play on the floor with them and love them and where I don't push them away because of my "to-do" list. Bless the time that I have with Archie; strengthen our marriage where it needs to be strengthened. You have made me and created me with a Type A personality, the type of personality that is driven and that likes to get things done. . . help me to learn to let things go when neeeded. Teach me how to trust you in all I do. Thank you God for all you do and have done in my life. I will forever praise you!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day and I am thankful for many things, but I am sad today and am wanting more. More things, more money, more time for me, more time with my kids, more time with Archie . . . . just more. I know that I'll feel happier and more thankful later, but right now I just want to feel the way that I feel. It's sad that I want more, but it's the truth. Learning how to be content with what we have is a hard lesson to learn and it's something that I struggle with.

Movies and fun

Friday night was family fun movie night! The kids and I went to the library to pick up Toy Story 1 and Aunt Lori- actually, Uncle John, let us borrow Toy Story 2! Toy Story 3 will be coming out soon, and I would love to go as a family to see it. They love eating popcorn out of their popcorn containers.

Ahhhh! It was cute when Christian laid against Caleb.

Even Daddy got some popcorn! I love this picture.

Today Madison and the boys played "house." Madison wanted me to see how she changed Caleb into jammies and took care of him. Caleb LOVED playing house with his big sister! She even buckled him into his seat. It's hard to believe that we took him home from the hospital in this same seat. Oh, how time does fly! I LOVE the days when Madison and BOTH boys play well together- this was one of these days.

A few things

Since Halloween fell on a Saturday this year, we went to a pumpkin farm in the morning. We usually end up going to this farm to ride horses, pet animals, and jump around in those "jumpy things," in early or mid October, but we couldn't get there until the last day it was open. Oh well, at least we got there.

It was a very cold morning and nobody was there. We practically had the place to ourselves. The kids held baby chicks in which the boys kept repeating, "Ahhhhh, so cute!" in little high pitched voices. We went on the the choo choo ride and the hay ride a few times, and the kids just had a blast running around. The hot chocolate and apple cider donuts were much needed to end our afternoon.

Halloween was fun, but unfortunately I do not have any pictures, since it was easier to walk with the kids and let everyone else take pictures. I'll have to get them soon. Mom, Julie, Katie, Laura, John, and Robbie came with us and we all had a lot of fun. Robbie was a monkey, Madison was a flower girl/ White girl, Christian was a giraffe, and Caleb was a froggie. There were a few falls and a few tears, but the large amount of adults and having the wagon with us was great! We ended the night with pizza at our house.

Today, November 12, 2009, was an intense homework night. Since I had conferences earlier in the week and Madison had Awanna last night, her homework piled up until the day before it was due--oops! Have no fear- Madison did an amazing job! In the beginning of this feat together, I did not think that it was going to be amazing. To start off, Madison began stomping her feet and saying that she hated stupid homework over and over again. It took her a little time to calm down and become alright with doing it. The popcorn that I popped and the reassurance that I would be with her the whole time, was what she needed. We first had to decide on how to decorate a turkey, but not decorate it yet, since we had to write about how we decorated it. After Madison decided to use flowers, tissue paper, and marshmallows, we then wrote a rough draft about that. After revising and editing, Madison wrote her final draft. Madison had a nice break with going to church choir for an hour and then back home for more homework and dinner. What a trooper she was. While eating, Madison decorated her turkey and practiced reading her "baggy books." After all of that was finished, pajamas were put on, teeth brushed and spelling words studied. These spelling words were the "challenge" words and it was our first time even looking at them this week. Another oops! I was so proud of Madison getting all her words correct on her pre-test, but I will say that challenge words are definitely a challenge (for the child and the parent teaching them). I am happy to say that Madison was in bed by 8:10 with ALL of her homework completed and ALL of her spelling words learned . . . and 10 minutes of television. Yes! I am so glad that I did not bring any of my homework home tonight- I am all homeworked out. My little Maddie Mae was such a trooper tonight, but I do not plan on waiting until homework is piled up again.

A pleasant weekend

It's been hard this year going back to full-time teaching and trying to spend good quality time with my kids- and Archie- and the overall family. This weekend was wonderful and I am sad that it's ending. Even though I had a baby shower and a middle school dance to chaperone this weekend, it was an overall relaxing and enjoyable weekend.

Dad and Marsha came over this past Friday night and babysat when Archie went to a worship team gathering and I chaperoned the dance at my school. It was good to catch up and see them. They brought Christopher too, so Madison got to spend some time with her cousin.

On Saturday, Laura, John, Robbie, Julie, and the Coleman 5 went to our annual apple orchard and pumpkin patch. We had such a nice time being together. Archie's parents came out and spent some time with us too! We all had a great time together going on the hayride, picking out pumpkins, and seeing the animals. After our excursion out, Archie and the boys went home to rest so Madison and I went over to spend some time with Grammy and Aunt Julie. It was nice to just sit there and be together.

Today, Sunday, we went to church together and had our family picture- we'll have to see how that turns out. I love going to church with Archie and the kids since it's such a special and important part of our lives. Later in the afternoon, I went to a baby shower and got to spend some time chattting with girlfriends. I ended my afternoon-evening shopping at Jewel and saving our family a lot of $$ by using coupons and watching for the "catalina" specials. This is all new to me, but I have done it two times now, and I feel really good knowing that I am shopping smart using coupons and etc. I don't know how much this will become my every day life, but I think that if I make some time out of the week to look at the BIG sales and coupons, a little will help. To end my wonderful weekend, I spent a little time with the boys tonight before bedtime, I read A Prince and His Horse (?- not sure of the title) by C.S. Lewis to Madison, spent some time with Archie talking about the carpet that we are putting in the basement, and then spent some time on Facebook. It was a great weekend and I will be looking forward for the next one to come!

Yes, our basement is coming along! I really do hope that it will be done before Christmas! I am so excited for extra room for the kids to play and for all their stuff--and for my new reading corner! Yes!

Recently . . . 1st day of 1st grade

It's been a long time since I have written on my blog and a lot has happened: Laura got married (a beautiful day and a BEAUTIFUL bride), our family vacation to Maranatha (much more relaxing and enjoyable since our children are a little older), me being asked to be the co-leader of our women's prayer ministry (YES!) But for now, I am going to focus on today- Madison's 1st day of 1st grade!




Madison is helping me write this.

Madison loved today because she started 1st grade and met her new teacher named Mr. Bornancin. She was a little nervous at first, but then stopped being nervous when she got into her classroom. She liked her classroom and thought that she was acting like a "baby" if she was nervous so she just decided not to be nervous any more. Her favorite part of school was when she had recess and lunch and when she got to see her friends. 2 boys had time outs today - uh oh! Madison behaved so well that she brought home her "Wow Trophy" - a piece of paper to show how good she was. Mr. Bornancin is a cute man that likes to read books and when he grows up he wants to be a principal. He also loves kids and he likes polar bears. Madison wrote her name on paper today and she has a Smartboard in her classroom! (a Smartboard is some of the newest technology that schools have). I guess that's all for today folks!

my thoughts: We started off a little bumpy this morning with Madison falling and hurting her foot and of course LOTS of tears. Through her tears she repeatedly cried " I don't want to go to 1st grade!" I think that she was a little nervous this morning but didn't show it until she fell and then it ALL came out. With a popsicle and some hugs from me, Madison made it to school. We prayed together on our way to school and asked God to help Madison enjoy her day and not to feel scared because God is with her at all times. I love praying with her and helping her to realize how much God loves her and how things are ALWAYS going to be OK because God is with her. When we arrived at her lineup line, I met her teacher and realized that it was the same teacher that I met last year which I had a really good conversation with. I was very glad that my principal allowed me to come into school an hour later!

I think that it's going to be a successful year for Madison. I am so excited for Madison to grow in her learning and reading this school year. I look forward to the stories that she is going to share with us about kids in her class, trips to the library, hot lunch days, and science projects that she is going to participate in. My little girl is growing up right before my eyes and I am so excited for her. Most importantly, I am eager to see how God is going to shape and grow her into a little young lady. I didn't cry this morning when I dropped her off and watched as she walked into her school for her first full day. When I thought of her while I was at work I wasn't secretly wishing she was at home hoping that she would stay young forever. At times I have felt this way, but not today. Today I want to give Madison wings to soar. Wings to fly so high that she can experience new things, new places, and new ideas. I am blessed to have this little girl in my life and can't wait to see what God has in store for her.

Going back to my last blog- with Archie flying me home from Virginia- NO, the weather did not cooperate with us, so Archie did not come and get me in his father's plane. But, we celebrated our 8 year anniversary last week by flying to Pilot Pete's- a restaurant on the airport in Shaumburg, Illinois. That was our first time together in the plane and we really enjoyed ourselves--pics to follow soon!

Stories and pics to come about Madison's last day of kindergarten, my trip to Vegas with my sisters, and the Coleman 5 Family Day. Soon!

TRUST

Tomorrow I am flying to Washington D.C.. I am so excited to meet one of my oldest and dearest friend's daughter- Hadley. I will only be there for a night, but then will be picked up by another dear friend, Jenny, and we will venture off to see Karin in Roanoke, Virgina where Sara will be coming in to visit with us. I am SO looking forward to spending some time away with my good girlfriends from childhood. We have learned and grown so much together- spiritual, emotional, etc. and I LOVE catching up and just spending time together--it's been way too long.

Now, some of you are going to flip out and think that we are crazy for doing this, but since Archie has his piloting liscense now, he is planning to fly down to get me and bring me home in his dad's small plane. I am a little nervous about this because he has never flown 6 hours before, nor have I flown with him for a few years, but I trust my husband. Since we don't have a will---ooops!---we wrote up a legal document stating what our intentions are for our children if something should happen to us. I know, I need to talk to our lawyer and get him to draw us up a real will. This is now on my list to do!

Writing up this document and really thinking about what could happen with our children was difficult and I cried doing it. I even started to second guess if we should go or not, but then I remembered God's promise to me---Proverbs 3: 5,6 This is a verse that has always been our favorite. It says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean onto your own understanding, in all thy ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." I do not want to live in fear and think about what could happen if . . ., I don't want to be bound in fear. I want to trust that God is in control and He has a plan for our lives. Archie and I have prayed about this together and alone for awhile now and we feel good about our decision of Archie taking his dad's plane and flying over some mountains to pick me up in Virgina. This is an exciting endeavor for us to take together! I am not for sure, 100% all knowing that everything is going to go the way that we want it to--but that is why I am trusting God to bring us home safely- so we can see our 3 little precious children again. If things don't go the way that we have planned- we would be in Paradise which is far better than ANYTHING that is here on earth. I just need to remember that God has a plan for me and it is a GOOD one--I just need to trust Him.

Happy Mother's Day

I received this poem from a friend a few weeks ago and wanted to post it-

Before I was a Mom,

I never tripped over toys

or forgot words to a lullaby.

I didn't worry whether or not

my plants were poisonous.

I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,

I had never been puked on.

Pooped on.

Chewed on.

Peed on.

I had complete control of my mind

and my thoughts.

I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,

I never held down a screaming child

so doctors could do tests.

Or give shots.

I never looked into teary eyes and cried.

I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.

I never sat up late hours at night

watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,

I never held a sleeping baby just because

I didn't want to put her down.

I never felt my heart break into a million pieces

when I couldn't stop the hurt.

I never knew that something so small

could affect my life so much.

I never knew that I could love someone so much.

I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,

I didn't know the feeling of

having my heart outside my body.

I didn't know how special it could feel

to feed a hungry baby.

I didn't know that bond

between a mother and her child.

I didn't know that something so small

could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,

I had never gotten up in the middle of the night

every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.

I had never known the warmth,

the joy,

the love,

the heartache,

the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom . . .

I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,

before I was a Mom .

Madison and Me

Madison and I watched Marley and Me tonight and I was touched. I did not know what the movie was exactly about, but I knew that Jennifer Anniston and Owen Wilson was in it and that there was a dog named Marley. Since Archie was working late, and the boys were going to be in bed soon, I popped some popcorn and we sat down to watch the movie.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching this movie with my daughter. Since we do not have a dog, or any pets for that matter, it was fun to watch a family deal with the new changes that a dog would bring. Madison and I watched a journey of life for a family and laughed together. It was fun to see how a family would cope with a puppy, then a baby, then another baby, and overall life happenings. I didn't mind pausing the DVD when Madison had questions about if this was a true story or not and I loved hearing her little remarks during the movie. Things she said that really got me were, " Whoa, that boy really grew up- didn't he? and "that dog was a better listener when he was a puppy, now he is a really bad dog." But, what I really enjoyed was the crying that we did together. That probably sounds really weird, but this is the first movie that we have seen together where we BOTH have cried. Usually it's just me wiping my tears away and her asking why I was crying. But tonight was different. We both embarked on this journey in Marley and Me together and ended at the same place together. It was sweet. We actually held each other for a brief moment with tears gently falling down our faces. I look forward to being my daughter's friend in the future- that will be something sweet.

Do you like the new look/ Disney Trip

Welcome to my new blog page! Instead of posting the pics from Disney and some others that I thought were cute, I found a way to post them in slide format. I hope that you enjoy them- if it's not working, click on "View All Images."

As for our trip to Disney- it was eventful, fun, exciting, magical, memorable, and eventful. Did I say eventful more than once? Eventful is the best way to describe it. My mom, 2 sisters (Laura and Julie), Archie, Madison, Christian, Caleb, and myself all caravanned together to Florida for a week of fun at Walt Disney World. It was Archie's first time there, so I wanted him to really be able to experience it. Laura's boyfriend John flew down in the middle of the week and then drove back with us.

The reason why it was eventful is because of the time of year that we went (HUGE crowds= LONG lines) and because it was difficult with 2 kids under the age of 2. Also, there were a lot of us and we decided to stick together for the most part and there ended up being some miscommunication- as would be expected. We learned to work through everything and people were very generous helping us watch the boys so Archie and I could also have some fun together. All I can say is AMEN for Fast passes and Baby swap passes--and family!

We left for Florida on Friday, the day after Christmas around 2:00 p.m. which turned out to be a good time to leave. We decided to drive through the night since we had so many drivers which also turned out to be a good thing. The only bad thing that happened on the way down, was that Christian threw up from some bad milk that I bought at the gas station (it expired that day and I thought that it would be fine--oops!) Overall the kids did great on our long car trip.

We arrived at our destination near Walt Disney World on Saturday late afternoon and took some time to unpack and relax. On Sunday we went to Sea World. Sea World was full of wonderful shows and animals for the kids (they especially liked the Elmo and Shamu show), and also some rides for the adults. Archie and I decided to leave in the middle of the day so the kids could take naps and then we met up with the gang later in the evening. The Night Light show featuring Shamu was amazing. It was overall a great day.

On Monday we went to Epcot. I said that I didn't have any "expectations" for the day and that proved to be incorrect early on. This was my first emotional "time" for me that week. Not too sure exactly why, but I think that it was because I wanted to do SO many things- but with 2 children under the age of 2- I wasn't able to--and lack of sleep from the night before trying to figure out everything that Epcot had to offer. Julie and Mom ended up taking the boys for a few hours which was WONDERFUL, so Laura, Archie, Madison and I had some time on our own to enjoy. I think that SOAR was the most favorite ride.

We decided to spend 2 days in the Magic Kingdom (Tuesday and Wednesday). Tuesday was our breakfast with the princesses IN Cinderella's castle! We had so much fun there. Archie and Caleb were not allowed to come since there were not enough seats since we had this scheduled for 5 months and that was when we thought my cousin Katie was coming and watching the boys. Anyways, Madison dressed up as Ariel and we met Cinderella and took some professional pics with her. After meeting Cinderealla, we were invited to dine upstairs with othr princesses. What a fun time we had! We saw and took pics with Mary Poppins, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Belle, and I think a few more but I would have to look at all my pics again. The food was delicious and Madison and Christian had loads of fun. My mom, Laura, Julie, and I were treated as royalty so we also really enjoyed it. ALL of the princesses LOVED Christain and gave him HUGE kisses. He ate it up and flirted right back! Madison was given a beautiful wand to make wishes upon while Christain was given a sword to fight with--and he did! The only other things I really remember from Tuesday was that Laura and I left the park early so the boys could have naps and that John flew in that night. Oh and yes, that Thunder Mountain became my mom's and Madison's FAVORITE ride. On New Years Eve I was told that the park reached its capacity at 154,000 people in the Magic Kingdom alone by 11:00 a.m., so we knew that it would be a bad idea to try to take the kids home for naps. So we ended up being at the Magic kingdom on New Years Eve from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. This was a real magical day and night overall. The park looked beautiful and it was Archie's birthday. On New Years Eve, I hit my 2nd and last emotional "time" of the week. Not too bad for everything that was going on. After being hysterically cried and peed on, starving since we were waiting to eat for Archie's birthday dinner, tired from a long week, and the gigantic amounts of people swarming around me- I needed a few minutes to myself. After about 20 minutes of time alone, I rejoined everyone and danced with Archie and the kids in the streets of Disney--which they LOVED. We had awesome seats in front of the castle for the midnight fireworks and ALL 3 kids fell asleep peacefully and missed them. Oh well, the rest of us enjoyed them. We were all together relaxing and enjoying the quietness-all besides Julie. The employees of Disney would not allow her to pass a certain place in the park to sit with us since it was packed, so she enjoyed them from afar.

Thursday we slept in since we were out so late the night before. We all met Jenny Breining and her mom for lunch at the Olive Garden since they were also in Orlando at that time. It was fun seeing Jen and catching up with her. Madison and Jen had fun posing for pics together. After Olive Garden, we went to the Animal Kingdom for the remainder of the day. We would have loved to have spent more time there, but I was told that it wasn't all that great, so we chose to only have a few hours there. Next time we know. The Safari Trip was awesome. We got to ride on a safari bus and search for animals in the wild. We ALL really enjoyed this and got some great pics of wildlife. Christian saw monkeys and decided to act like them- it made everyone on the bus laugh! Everyone besides Laura and the boys went on a roaring rapid water ride in which we ALL got wet. This was the coolest day that we had, so after our jeans got drenched- I was ready to go back home and relax.

Friday was our last day and we went to Disney Studios. What a wonderful day we all had! Madison LOVED the Tower of Terror and convinced her Grammy to go on 2 times. Archie and I really liked the Rock -n- Roll Roller Coaster so we went on a few times with Mom, Julie, Laura, and John. The shows were awesome and everyone had a BLAST on our last day. I think that this was actually our best day since we all REALLY enjoyed ourselves and the boys did great. We got to see exhibits and shows on Star Wars, the Muppets, High School Musical 3, Beauty and the Beast, Fantasia (the night show is awesome!), dinosaurs, Prince Caspian, The Little Mermaid, etc. We were at this park from open to close.

On Saturday we packed up and left and arrived home on Sunday afternoon. After arriving home we wanted to go back and kept thinking about the magic that we felt when we were there- at least Madison and I did. Now it's been almost 2 months and we are content looking at pictures of our time in Disney. We would all like to go back again, but we will definitely wait until the last child is at least 5 years old. My Mom, sisters, and John were SO helpful and it was wonderful experiencing Disney with them.