Kudos to Miss California!!

Iam so proud that Miss California stood her ground both in the pageant and on the Today Show regarding Gay Marriage. If you haven't listened to her, the link is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DwozFT7n6s
And when Matt asked her if she were to have the opportunity to do it all over again, would she still answer the same way, her response SOOOO honors God. Yes, of course, she would answer the same way because our God never changes...He is not circumstancial. He does not change His views on gay marriage. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. As Christians, we should be bold everyday to defend the faith that we possess, and now Miss California has an AWESOME chance to "tell the hope that is within her." Isn't life worth the living!? AMEN!!!

Quick Trip to TN

This past weekend was the Allinger family reunion in Sevierville, TN. I was really anticipating a lot of "We only see you once a year" stares and lots of people on "that" side of the family that we really do not have much in common with. It started out much the same way with one of the ladies looking completely over me as we walked in and she did not speak. Looking back, I am a little disgruntled to say that, yes, I feel we did a very little to "bond" with our family. But with all that said, what can you expect from seeing people ONCE A YEAR?! I mean, it's not like we even talk on the phone or email personal stuff. The family members who I regularly email from Charleston were not even there, and those who were are people that we really do not share much in common with. I know my church family here in Lebanon better than any of the other family members. I'd be surprised if any of them even went to church on Easter Sunday much less any other Sunday throughout the year, and Lord forbid any weeknight! Just not important to them like our Lord and Savior are to us. The kids played fine together and the adults watched TV and ate well together (whoopdi-do!).

We had hoped to enter some sort of conversation and be a shining light about "the reason for the hope that is within us", but it just did not happen. Jason was asked to say the blessing, which he did share the reason for Easter and for us to even have all the blessings that were on the table before us. So I guess we can be thankful for that. Like I said, it's about relationships and relationships take time. We will know when the time is right, when the season for sharing is upon us. God will give us the wisdom for all that He wants us to do.

Another area that I have been so glad to be studying/reading in is Matthew 11:28-30 when Jesus talks about coming to Him all who are weary and heavy laden. I really like the book Queen of the Castle by Lynn Bowen Walker. My mom gave me the book for Christmas, and on page 89 she shares, "The definition of yoke is a harness that was never intended to be worn by just one. It was designed for two creatures to share the workload. That helps me see how important it is for me to bring my troubles to Jesus when I'm feeling stressed and overburdened. I don't need to walk alone, lugging hundreds of pounds more than I can carry. My shoulders are weak, and He knows that. As soon as I ask Him to, Christ will walk with me, sharing my life and my burdens, taking nearly all the weight from my back so all that's left is an amount I can bear. It is heavy enough, to be sure, but as I walk with Christ, sharing the yoke designed for two, I know it can be carried."

May this last prayer help you as it has helped me as I go through yet another week of being a SAHM and learning to let Him carry my burden and not get stressed out:

"Lord, thank you that neither death nor life nor dirty laundry nor sticky floors nor grocery shopping nor carpooling nor homework nor science fair projects can separate us from Your love. Whether I handle life well or poorly, thank You that nothing I do will make You love me any more, or less. Help me not to be stressed over my imperfections, but to rest in the comforting knowledge that through Christ, I am acceptable to You." AMEN!

Burp, mommy, burp

I have to post some of the funny things Jase has been doing lately and how he is just GROWING UP SO FAST!! He's just crawling everywhere and pulling up on everything. Nothing is off limits! It's amazing how different he is from when Emma Grace was a little tot. Boys are just different AND we have a lot more "stuff" now since there's a little girly girl who loves dolls, bottles, little play shoes, strawberry shortcake house complete with wardrobe and table/chairs.

This is just too funny. Lately Jase has started reaching behind me after I give him his morning bottle and I begin to pat his back and now he's starting to pat ME on the back as if to say, "Burp, mommy, burp!" It's too cute and I almost can't help but laugh now that I realize what he's doing. Maybe he's seen EG doing it with her baby dolls, too. She's such a good little mommy to Rachel and Laura and Suzy and Abigail and Campton (boy doll...yes, she named him Camp-ton like Hampton) and all her other dolls I cannot remember.

And I really do not like that Jase is pushing away the baby food! What?! I think he's seen Emma Grace's plate and he knows that she does NOT have little jars and plastic containers with tops on her plate. This morning he ate some of our cinnamon toast and seemed to like it a lot. UUHH, OH. And seems to love the Special K I have for breakfast. I'm just not ready for a messy meal 3X a day when he self feeds. Well, now I have gone and purchased some of the diced Gerber graduates foods like apples and carrots and stuff and guess what??? I have a 4 year old who says, "I want those apples" or "I want those turkey sticks"! YUCK. Why? I thought one bite of those little fruit puffs for babies and she'd get back to the real deal cheese puffs, but NOOOOOO. She eats the entire bag of Jase's baby puffs in the car! Well, at least they're good for her.

Jase loves the johnny jump up!! Man, he's a monkey, and I'm sure glad he likes the jump up because it's the only place I can really confine him that he's happy. If he's not napping or in the jump up, mommy generally cannot get a shower. He's just too mobile. I may have to bring the pack-and-play in from the car so I can let him be caged in enough to shower. (I keep it in the car for days when we go to the park or the church playground or even to our Sat. night fellowship at Danny and Lily's and he needs something to sit in and play while I push EG on the swing or help her do the monkey bars). He will occassionally sit in the exersaucer for a stint or the bouncy seat for about 10 min. while we eat breakfast, but he does not like them for long periods of time.

He has finally started on whole milk in his bottle. Most of the bottle is still formula, but part is whole milk and the proportions are starting to be more even, thank goodness, because formula is WAY too expensive! I don't know how people do it for 12 months or more!! I'm so thankful to have been able to pump and give him breastmilk for 10 months. His first tooth came in on my birthday, March 22!! YEAH! I thought for sure he was going to be like me and be 15 months before he showed signs of a tooth, but it popped up on my birthday. Wonderful present for mommy! Glad I'm NOT nursing now---oh how I remember when EG got teeth and decided it was time to gnaw. I DO NOT MISS THAT.

We're all doing well...still trying to maintain that balance in church activities later at night and my children's sanity. Pray for me as I try to also walk at least once a week and do my workout tapes 2X a week. It's been difficult, but EG every now and then wants to do the tape with me...please be aware that she is more in the way than she is actually working out, but at least she's active some of the time and it's not cartoons I'm battling on the TV. She knows that is mommy's TV time. :) Ha!

Moved to the Core by Songs!

I have always known that songs are one of the most powerful influences in my life. I literally fall to my knees and cry out to God when a certain song just moves me. Sometimes it’s choruses we sing on Sunday evenings, or sometimes it’s a new song on the radio or an old song on the radio that I recall an especially joyful or sad moment. Lately I have been so touched by the songs on the movie Fireproof and I have looked to find a soundtrack for the movie, but there is no such CD made. Besides the first track that is playing here on my blog (“Slow Fade”) which I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, I also have fallen in love with “While I’m Waiting”. Here are the words:

I’m waiting.
I’m waiting on You, Lord.
And I am hopeful.
I’m waiting on You, Lord.
Though it is painful,
But patiently, I will wait.
I will move ahead, bold and confident.
Taking every step in obedience
While I’m waiting.
I will serve You while I’m waiting.
I will worship while I’m waiting.
I will not faint.
I’ll be running the race,
Even while I wait.
I’m waiting.
I’m waiting on You, Lord.
And I am peaceful.
I’m waiting on You, Lord.
Though it’s not easy,
But faithfully, I will wait.
Yes, I will wait.
I will serve You while I’m waiting.
I will worship while I’m waiting.
I will serve You while I’m waiting.
I will worship while I’m waiting.
I will serve You while I’m waiting.
I will worship while I’m waiting on You, Lord.

That song really speaks truth to my soul. (I need to add it to my blog....think I'll try to find it now!) It’s such a deep reaching tune and the words are enough for me to raise my hands to the Father in adoration every time I play it! (And I did buy John Waller’s CD at Lifeway thanks to mom’s birthday giftcard even if I couldn’t get the Fireproof soundtrack!) We’ve recently been talking lately in Sunday School about moving ahead and not sitting there idly waiting for the Lord to tell you where to go and what to do, but listening intently for the Holy Spirit as you move—for He may move you in another direction and you’ll be called to OBEY and move ahead BOLDLY and CONFIDENTLY. Flexibility is the key when you’re talking about plans and the leading of the Holy Spirit.

While I was in college, my motto was, “I’m running the race!” Ask Michelle J. or Lydia and they’ll tell you that I was constantly on the go and would reply to them, “Gotta run that race!” I think it drove Michelle nearly crazy, but the same motto should still be true today. We must wait for His perfect will and plan, but we cannot sit like couch potatoes and do nothing. Our God is a God of forward moving action. Paul’s ministry was a forward moving ministry, yet He patiently listened and obediently followed the Spirit’s leading. He served while he was waiting; he worshipped while he was waiting. Are we able to be so flexible that we could just pick up and move our family, our lives to another place that same day in order to follow the Holy Spirit?

Over Committed?

You all know I struggle with maintaining balance when it comes to our church activities and family time/structure...I have learned last night that Jason has taken on the youth as another activity for Wed. nights now while Emma Grace and I are busy with Pioneers and MITI (at least they are in the planning stages and he's one of the planners). I just wonder what will become of my little boy during this time. Hope the youth group likes him because that's probably where he'll be if Bibbi and Papa don't come get him. :) I just think with all the activities our church is doing, we really need a paid sitter on at least Sun. and Wed. nights ("oh no", Michele says, "she didn't just say that!" Ha!) for those nights when we are involved in leading our church children, mothers, youth, and congregation. It's just an hour, so I'm not concerned about a sitter for him for an hour, be it grandparents or paid sitter, but I am concerned about when we will eat supper. With Jason not getting home M-R until 6pm, I guess I'll have to start feeding the children at 5:30pm by myself in that rat race it already is because I flat refuse to eat dinner at 7:45 or 8:00. It's not feasible for children who are supposed to be in bed by 8pm or 8:30pm. Jase is WHIPPED by 7:30 or 8:00 when we get home, so we'll have to work out something different or this mommy is going to have to stay home evenings too and let daddy do the work of ministering and being involved. 8th floor psych ward, here I come! (JK)
So I pose the question to you all, do you think you can become what I call over committed to God (that isn't possible since our lives are totally about Him anyway, right?!) and in turn miss out on time with our families and ministering to THEM first before we focus on outward ministry to our church family? When they are involved too (the kids) and when they aren't rocked so much by a weird, altering, unexpected schedule every night of the week (babies are not good at weird schedules and our 4 year old proved that eating dinner at 8:15pm works out very poorly for sleep the other night!), then we as parents can be more involved. Wish the time for activities could be 5:30-6:30 or something like that. I'd love to help out with the youth--I've worked with youth for 8 years so far in my profession--but I'm just not sure how much I can be stretched without popping. Just an item of discussion...

Baby news all around us

It is with sadness that I write this blog...just thinking about and praying for our friends Justin and Megan Pifer who have miscarried this pregnancy just this weekend. Most of you know it was 2 years ago on Thursday the 19th that I underwent at D & C for our miscarried second pregnancy. It was very painful, yet we were strong in the strength of the Lord and He again blessed us with Jase last May. :) So we pray for their peace, comfort, healing, and the joy that comes from resting in His unfailing love.

Also, a baby has been born today! Congrats to Leanne and Jonathan Rambo on the birth of their third son (still waiting to hear final name and stats)! God is sooo good! We also received word that Jason's uncle Connie Fortner and his wife Joyce will be grandparents again in September! Congratulations to Cory and Leah Wilson!! I know it must be such a surprise to them as well(Nate just turned one last month)! In this uncertain world, it's good to know that we have a Savior, a King, a Father, who watches over us and directs our every path. I am not afraid for He knows the plans He has for ME. Thanks be that I am not in charge!!!

End of the Nursing

So we're down to 4 ounces a pump, if even that. I can't say that I'm sad. I'm actually ready for no more attachments, 10pm with Jason looking at me from the couch with the look like, "Are you done yet, woman? It's time for bed!" He's been such a trooper with it---stays up with me while I pump---we always go to bed at the same time and I must say he's usually been an encouragement to continue the breastmilk journey. Jase knows the formula by now and is comfortable with it, and it won't be long now before we start adding in a little whole milk here and there as he nears 12 months. He LOVES, LOVES baby food; like a little birdie with mouth wide open just waiting for food. If I didn't cut him off, he'd probably still be eating endlessly. I have not found even one food so far that he doesn't like...if it's edible, he wants it! He was only 19lbs. 15oz. at his 9 month checkup on Monday (which is the 42nd percentile), but he was 82nd on length, which was like 29 inches long. Gonna be a tall boy!! Well, hope you enjoy his 9 month pics above.