Our new home

After 15 offers and hundreds of houses, we have finally had an accepted offer, and a home that we are happy to move into! Our closing date is scheduled for Friday, March 20, 2009. The inspection was yesterday, and was pretty smooth. I am not posting pictures of the inside, because the people have much junk, and we are going to be doing some re-painting and re-flooring. The house, however, is in pretty good shape. It was built in 2001, and it is a one-story that contains 2105 square feet. It was nice to find a 4-bedroom home with family and living room and, for Gary, air-conditioning. Praise the Lord for his blessings. We know that this is the house he wants us in, and for whatever reasons, we are thankful to accept it!

Brooke, an example of child-like faith

Last night was a tender moment for me as a mother. We were driving on our way to the evening church service at Ventura Baptist Church. The three kids were all seated in the back seat. We all noticed the bright, setting sun in front of us; it was a beautiful scene. Wesley remarked, “Wow, that is so cool! I want God to come back right now and take us all to heaven.” There was a bit of a pause, and then Wesley continued….”Wait, not right now, because Brooke is not a Christian.” The boys know that there is only one way to heaven, and Brooke has never accepted Christ as her Savior. This is something that they have mentioned on several occasions….”I am glad our whole family is saved….except Brooke…..” and other such comments. It was not a personal attack against her; they just knew and wanted her to choose Christ as well.

Several days ago, I was talking with Brooke while she was taking her bath. She brought up the subject of becoming a Christian. I asked her if she believed God,why Christ died for her, and if she had ever sinned. She understood some parts better than others, and she believed, but she was also very distracted. Typical 5 year old mind---after a few minutes of discussion, she breaks the topic at hand with something as inconsequential as….”Here, can you wash my back?” or “Ducky is cold” or “I really like pink washcloths.” Such was the case this evening, with one exception----she had really paid attention and really comprehended. I let the matter rest and prayed that she would think about it and that God would work in her heart.

So, with this backdrop, the matter continues in the car. Brooke says, “I want to be a Christian….right now.” I don’t want to push my children into making prayers and claims that they do not understand, so I do not push this area. I remained quiet. Brooke continued, more seriously…”I want to be a Christian.” I told her, “Brooke you can talk to God anytime that you want.” Then I remained silent. The boys were not going to let this rest. Andrew said, “Brooke, you have to pray. Now fold your hands and close your eyes.” Oh, the beauty of the mechanics of prayer! Brooke did exactly as Andrew stated. He then said, “Dear God….” Brooke repeated, “Dear God…” Andrew said, “Come into my heart and save me.” Brooke said, “Come into….” “Wait,” Wesley exclaimed. Andrew looked at him knowing what was coming next: “I forgot the next part,” Andrew conceded. Wesley picked up….”Brooke, you have to believe God and that Jesus died for your sins. You have to tell him that you want to be a Christian and that you want to be saved. You have to ask him to forgive your sins.” I think he covered all the bases. Though driving, I am sure I can picture the looks on all of their faces. Brooke, after a moment’s hesitation, stated, “I prayed!” I asked her if she believed in God. “Yes,” she replied. "Does Jesus love you?" “Yes,” she knowingly answered. "Do you want to follow Christ?" “Yes!” she adamantly stated. I am not sure if she was expecting lightning or some earth shattering sign from God, but she was amazed at the simplicity of salvation. “Brooke,” I stated, “the Bible says that if you believe on Jesus, then you are saved. That is all that it takes.” "Am I a Christian right now?", she questioned, again, amazed at the simplicity of accepting Christ as Savior. “Yeah! Brooke is saved,” the boys were exclaiming in the backseat. “I am a Christian,” Brooke stated, the reality of her new-found faith settling in. With children, it is always hard to discern what is going on in their heart and mind vs. what is going on from the outward appearance. We arrived at church, and I was even more pleased. We got out of the car and Brooke stopped me before running off to her class…”Mom, remember the other day in the tub….. I’ve been thinking about that.” Off she went. Thank you, Lord, for childlike faith. Your word says to have faith like a child. It is good to see it in action in my children’s lives.

Presidential Campaign

Andrew's last book report required him to read a book on either George Washington or Abraham Lincoln. He not only had to write a report on the book but then make a campaign poster portraying himself as the potential President. We had so much fun with this one. I love Andrew's three "goals as President." 1)Stop Pollution, 2)Preach the Bible, and 3)Peace in the world. We laughed over his face being implanted on another speaker's body. I thought you might enjoy a bit of our current Presidential "pursuit."

Our little lady

Brooke had her 5-year old pictures taken this last week. It is nice that she has outgrown the "cry during pictures" phase. Now, she is ready to be a model! I am normally pleased with how the pictures turn out; and these were no exception. Enjoy the photos of our precious, little lady.

It's a puzzle

Gramma sent Andrew a puzzle as part of his birthday package. I am not sure who has enjoyed it the most. We have all had our hands in to get the project completed. One night, Gary was getting close to finishing the puzzle, and I asked him to let the boys finish it. When they woke up the next morning, it was sitting on the coffee table with about 8 pieces remaining. Wesley and Andrew were happy to finish it. I told them we should glue and frame it. They want to save it and do it again. Who thought we could all have such fun with a puzzle? Gramma probably knew we would enjoy it; she is good that way :)

Happy Birthday Party Day

Andrew woke up on Friday morning, and said, "I am so excited. Today is my birthday party day!" Andrew will turn 8 on Wednesday, so we decided to celebrate with his two best friends this weekend. We had cake and opened presents, and then went bowling. It was a fun evening with three very well-behaved little boys (and one big boy and little girl :) ).

Upwards Basketball---Season #3 begins

The boys started their new season of Upwards Basketball. The season actually started last Saturday, but with a super busy week, I forgot to post any pictures. The boys are really excited, as they both made 5 baskets in their game today (but, who's counting??? :) ) It is an excellent ministry in our church, as only 30 of the 185 players are from our church. It is an excellent opportunity to meet families from the community and invite them to our church. The boys have a blast, too.

As I post this blog, it reminds me of my first post, exactly two years ago. This post was also regarding Upwards basketball. I have to thank Danielle for getting me started in this endeavor. It has been a great way to stay in touch with family and friends. Thanks for all who visit and leave comments, too.

Well, here are some pictures from last week. The boys have been pretty excited about football lately, but it was good to see them focus on another sport.

More of our Get-away

Family Get-away

Christmas break ends this next week for both the boys and myself. So, before we all headed back to school, we took one last "HOORAH!" It was a nice get-away for two days. I will show some of my favorite pictures from each activity, but use the slide show to get the rest displayed.

We started with another day at Knott's Berry Farm. Andrew experienced his first "real" roller coaster. It was Wesley's favorite, so he talked Andrew into going on with him. Andrew ended up riding it four times total. The picture below is of the three kids on the kiddy coaster.


After spending a night at a hotel, we went to Anaheim to spend the day Friday. We started at Camelot Golfland and Laser Tag.

To kill some time, we went to see the Angels' stadium.

Our last activity was a hockey game Friday night at the Honda Center to watch the Anaheim Ducks play. I was worried that Brooke would not stay awake during the whole game, but we were all completely entertained for the duration.

Happy New Year 2009

Happy New Year! I use to be an advocate of resolutions; however, after repeated years of not keeping them or feeling discouraged about my failure in accomplishing as much as I had hoped, I threw out the whole resolution idea. This year is different for me! I have set two major goals, which I will not share. They are very personal items that I have set as a target for myself in my own personal life. See, this year is somewhat important to me: the 9's have always been years of significance in my life. Let me explain what I mean:

1969: I was not alive during this year, but my parents got married in 1969 and that was important in my own welfare :)

1979: This was the year that I developed Type I juvenile diabetes. As a young child, my life changed dramatically. I will never know what it is like to be "guilt-free" in eating. I must continually juggle the amount of activity I do with the foods I eat, the stress I am under, and the amount of insulin I have taken. The Lord gave me a disease that I can live with, and He has used it in many ways to bring His name glory; however, 1979 was the start of the lifelong challenge for me.

1989: This was probably one of the funnest years of my life. I graduated from high school and started college at Maranatha. As a young adult, I really enjoyed myself and my new-found freedoms.

1999: This was the year that I gave my birth to my firstborn, Wesley. I love being a mother, and it all started in 1999.

That brings us to 2009. These former 9's, you must admit, were all life-changing and rather climactic events. So, the question looms......What will happen to me in 2009??????

I am not worried, nor am I apprehensive. You see, I am not superstitious, either. I don't think the number of the year plays any role in life events. But....you must admit, it is rather ironic.