Hi, I'm still here

Sorry I haven't updated this week.  It's been one of those weeks where Hubs was out of town for most of it, I got a strange call from his grandpa who was getting a scam phone call but I didn't know that and made me wonder if Hubs was in serious trouble on the other side of the globe so I spent a good portion of the day trying to figure that out, the boys are waking up in the middle of the night crying hysterically, but I think we've narrowed it down to growing pains and not night terrors, and one of my dearest friends has been with her mother in the hospital for her mom's last days and had to say good bye last night, and all I did was drop off a lousy lasagna at her house. Not my best week, I guess.

Sometimes I just don't have much fun, sweet, adorable stuff at the front of my mind to tell you about, much less the time and energy to blog it, so I just don't write because all that stuff I just told you is crowding my thoughts out. But I guess I'm not keeping it real if I only tell you the cute and funny stuff.  Lousy stuff happens to me, too.

What keeps me going is Jesus.  He's the reason I get up in the morning, the reason I apologize to my two and a half year olds after I lose my temper with them, the reason I dropped off the lasagna in the first place and definitely went over my text message limit this month texting my friend (keeping her company) while she was with her mom.  Jesus knows that I'm doing my best to please Him, to love Him, to serve Him in my current assignment to stay at home with my kids and raise children who love Him, to love my husband and others with the same love Jesus shows me.

Did ANYTHING good happen this week?  Sure, it did.

I invited a new friend over to spend the afternoon with me and the boys.  She blessed me with treats and prayer to calm my nerves.

The boys are making great strides in learning their manners.  Grandmas, you'll be shocked to hear them say "please" and "thank you" next week! 

They are also able to say the whole alphabet and count to ten by themselves - most of the time. 

They are both asking to go pee pee in the potty more often - and actually going!  My mom's M&M method seems to be working.  It worked on me, right?

Another friend and I spent a day together with our four boys, and the BOYS PLAYED TOGETHER.  There were a few skirmishes about a certain fire engine, but, hey that's to be expected.  It was a cool fire engine.  They are making a lot of progress getting along with other kids; i.e. sharing.

Hubs made it home from his European business trip in record time, and with treats for us to boot.  He's such a wonderful man who works so hard for us.  I think he's just the bee's knees.

I tried my hand at homemade bread.  From scratch - no bread machine.  And guess what?  It was delicious.  The whole house smelled wonderful, and we ate most of a loaf for dinner.  Why have I never done that before? 

What's the lesson here?  I don't know.  IS there a lesson besides we need Jesus every day, no matter how spectacular or awful the day is? 

Peace

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. John 14:27

I repeated this to myself as I fell asleep last night.  Because my heart was heavy with my own thoughts and troubles, I tried to convince myself that it's not that bad (because it's not) that life is good (because it is) and that lots of people are having a tougher time than I am (because they are).

As I thought of a person I know who's divorcing, a friend whose mom is battling cancer for the third time, a relative who's recovering from a poorly performed medical procedure, a lady in the checkout who is worried the MN government will shut down and keep her from buying food for her two grandchildren, I felt even worse!

He is the God of all comfort and only His word can bring the peace and comfort our hearts need, whether we are weary, heartbroken, worried, ill, or frightened, He is peace.

My New Busy Mom's Bible

Ninety-nine percent of my blog is re-telling the crazy days spent at home with my ten-month-old twin sons for the benefit of their grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends who live far away - that includes Daddy, who travels often on business.  But today I'm going to talk about something a little different. 

I got a new Bible last month! 

Huh?  That's newsworthy?

Yes! 

First, I'll tell you why the new Bible is such a great blessing in my life right now.  Then I'll review its cool parts.

I used to be very faithful in my daily devotions - I couldn't conceive of a day in which I didn't spend time reading the Bible, memorizing Scripture, and praying.  When I was single and lonely, praying for God to send me someone special, as well as a direction for my life, we got very close.

Then He answered my prayers and sent me Steve, with whom I'll celebrate 8 adventurous years of marriage in June.  My life got immediately more busy after that with our wedding, college graduations, a cross-country move, traveling, trying to get two careers off the ground, trying to conceive, carrying twins...sounds like a long list of excuses, doesn't it?

It is.

We continued to be active in the church throughout all of that, but as my life got busier and I got more exhausted, I found myself reading my Bible less and less.  Why?  Laziness.  NO excuse is good enough to abandon God's Word.  I found that I was only pulling it out when times were tough.  Thankfully, when we are faithless, He is faithful.

My mother, knowing I would love this, sent me an email about Zondervan giving away 5,000 Busy Mom Bibles - she'd heard about it on her local Christian radio station.  Hey, I could use one!  I'm a busy mom and sure need some inspiration to read my Bible.  I emailed my application, thinking it's worth a shot, even though my odds of winning are slim.

To my great surprise, I received a package a couple of weeks later: a beautiful, HOT PINK LEATHER BOUND BIBLE!  And it was a "slimline" size, meaning it was big enough to read, but small enough to carry around without building muscle - like, (gasp!) to church.  It's SO COOL! I thought.  I wish I'd had one like this back in the day.  I would have been stylin'!

Again, what I used to do faithfully had fallen by the wayside.  My excuses?  My church puts the Scripture on the screen, my study Bible is too big and heavy.  Dumb, dumb, dumb, I know.

Here's where it gets humorous: I really AM a busy mom!  The first time I cracked it open last month - and every night thereafter - was when I was hooked up to my breastpump before bed.  It was my only quiet time during the day!  To breastfeeding moms everywhere, that's not funny because everyone multi-tasks while pumping, but to the elite few who have the privilege of witnessing a breast pump in action, it is a downright hilarious sight! 

So there I am in my pj's, hooked up to the most ridiculous-yet-lifesaving-contraption-ever-invented, reading my very-cool-HOT-PINK Busy Mom's Bible.  A sight to behold!

But you know what?

God showed up. 

Every night.

The past month I've spent my last few waking moments each night with my Bible (and pump), reading God's Word, drinking in passages I've known and loved for years, remembering how much I love to spend time in the Word - from a mother's perspective, now.

Here's where I'll review the cool parts (besides it's beautiful appearance, because we all know that God values inner beauty!).

Hands-down, the best Zondervan-added part are the one-minute thought starters.  There are 52 of them on colorful pages inserted throughout the Bible.  When I don't know what to read or where to start (and that's most days!) I flip to one and start there.

For example, I flipped open to this one, found in Ezekiel.  The top pink box says "Beyond Discouragement - A Crown" and quotes Isaiah 28:5, "In that day the LORD Almighty will be a glorious crown, a beautiful wreath for the remnant of his people."  There is a paragraph afterward explaining how God encourages us with His presence "like a beautiful crown, resting on you and strengthening you."

In just one minute, I was encouraged!

Then the devotion goes on to suggest what to read if you have more time.  Um, I'm attached to an electronic appliance, so I guess I'm not going anywhere.  Yes, I have more time.

I could choose to read Isaiah 28:1-6 on page 591 - by the way, I think adding the page numbers is an AWESOME feature for new Christians who never had the benefit of Sunday School and learning the order of the books of the Bible.

OR, I could choose the 5 minute reflect and pray option, where I am faced with questions to answer, like "Who do you think is an example of hope amid dark circumstances?"

OR, I could choose the 10 minute study, where I am directed to turn to page 1157 for additional verses about my emotions.  When I get there, many emotions are listed, followed by related verses.  For example, page 1157 references my absolute favorite verse in the Bible for anxiety - "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Phillipians 4:6.

THEN, I have a word to take with me for the day: CROWN.

Ah, what mom doesn't deserve a crown?

So, Zondervan, THANK YOU for sending me this beautiful new Bible!  I am rediscovering my relationship with Christ daily and becoming a better wife and mother because of it.

And, thank you to Pastor Rob of River Valley Church for your current series on the Dead Sea Scrolls and for changing our church culture by asking everyone to bring their Bibles!  Look for my cool HOT PINK Bible in the back at noon service (hey, I've got twins in the nursery - do you REALLY think we'll make it on time to get a front row seat?)!

And thanks to MY mom for knowing how much I'd love it!

 

 

Home Again, Home Again

Our family loves to travel, but we love to be at home, too.  We've been enjoying the last couple of days just being at home in MN together.  The boys seem happy to be back in their own cribs, but since they adjusted well to the Eastern Time Zone, they now think it's okay to go to sleep at 6pm and wake up at 6am.  By the time they readjust to Central Time Zone, we'll be ready to go back to MI for Christmas. Yeesh.

What have we been up to?  Simple, easy, mundane but important stuff:

• The first thing we did on Sunday was drag out the 6-9 month sized clothes and pack up the 3-6 stuff.  They outgrew their clothes during the two weeks we were gone!
• We made Chex Mix with Grandma A when she was here Sunday.  Good thing I have a turkey roasting pan to make it in....too bad I've never made a turkey in it!
• HUGGIES SIZE 3 OVERNIGHT DIAPERS!  Wow, these things are worth their weight in gold!  The boys have been wetting through every diaper I've tried the last two months because I can't find any "overnight" diapers in their size in the stores.  Well, diapers.com sells them!  And I had a huge box of them waiting for us when we arrived.  Hip, hip hooray, we've had 2 dry nights!  (Side note: if you need to place an order, use my referral code KIMA2436 to get $10 off your first order.  I'll get $10, too. And they do free shipping if your order is over $49!)

• All that other stuff you have to do when you get home from a trip: unpack, laundry, groceries, and upload pictures.  I was using my mom's and Aunt L's cameras to send you pics over the last two weeks b/c I forgot my USB cord, so here are a few you haven't seen:

r

Matthew and Nathan having fun in the big leather chair we used while visiting the nursing mother's lounge at MSP.  What a convenient service for us...the boys got their bedtime snack like normal, then flew off to MI (like normal!)

Matthew and Uncle R on Thanksgiving

My dear old friend B whose daughter M was dedicated the same day as our boys

Keeping a very hungry Matthew distracted from crying during the dedication...there were 15 more children after our two, the first to be dedicated!

Half the family at a delicious Chinese restaurant after dedication

The other half....I didn't specify 1 table when I made the reservation, so I guess I couldn't complain about 2!

Baby Dedication

Today was a very special day.  We chose to dedicate Matthew and Nathan at our Michigan church this morning for several reasons.  First, all the grandparents and great-grandparents live in this area and would be able to attend the service.  Second, our families' church is where Steve and I met and married.  Third, our pastor, who married us seven years ago, is still preaching and did the dedication service today.

It was quite a service!  My family and my husband's family filled up two pews and the whole church was packed because there were - get this! - SEVENTEEN children being dedicated this morning! 

I was worried that my sons would not be pleasant by the end of service because I knew they wouldn't nap well during worship and the message.  But those of you who know me know that I just worry about stuff and get all worked up, then nothing happens.  I guess it's my way of making sure nothing happens. 

Nathan fell asleep on Grandma K during worship and Matthew fell asleep on Grandma A during the message, so they were perfect angels, praise God!  I really think they like church; okay, I think they like the lights and the ceiling fans, but whatever it takes to get them in church, right?  That's what pastor's message was all about: training up your children in the way they should go so that when they are old they will not depart from it.

I just have to put in a good word for my parents and in-laws.  Both families did a great job raising Steve and me and our siblings to love the Lord when we were young.  Now they are reaping the benefits of their labor, as their adult children in their 20's and 30's are serving the Lord and dedicating their babies to Him.  Thank you Mom and Dad K and Mom and Dad A for showing us the way.  I pray that Steve and I can do as good of a job as you did.

Pastor and Mrs. S. anoint and pray for Matthew...Nathan was next, but they were too quick for the camera.

Grandparents K and Grandparents A...and Matthew reaching for Nathan's bink

Got it!

Surprise Me, God

When Pastor asked the congregation who liked surprises, I leaned over to my neighbor and whispered, "Are you kidding?  Surprises cost money!"  She was like-minded and added, "Surprise!  Your refrigerator broke on vacation and all your food spoiled!"  He then explained that insurance companies have conditioned us to believe that surprises are bad - unwelcome "Acts of God," such as tornadoes, fires, and floods.

Matthew's round blue eyes searched mine from behind his rounder, bluer Soothie pacifier.  Aren't Nathan and I God's best surprise ever? he seemed to ask.  I was immediately convicted. "Yes, you are," I whispered, and kissed the top of his warm baby head.

 

Pastor taught us today that God is a God of surprise, not God of the boring.  This is a lifelong lesson for us.  Steve and I continually ask each other when our lives will become "normal," because absolutely nothing about our lives seems to work out the way we think it "should."  God is always surprising us!

Because I cannot possibly recount all of His surprises, I'll just tell you about the biggest one of all.  You guessed it: the day we learned we were pregnant with twins.  The following is an excerpt from the scrapbook I created for the boys while I was pregnant:

November 3, 2008

"The Most Shocking Day of Our Lives"

You two have never known what it's like to not have a twin.  Before this day, the idea of being twins' parents had never crossed our minds!

We had a doctor's appointment in the morning.  It was supposed to be short and quick, so your dad and I both planned to go back to work afterward.  We expected the doctor to say, "Congratulations, you're pregnant," and we'd go back to work like normal.

On the ultrasound screen, we saw lots of black and white fuzzy stuff, but in the middle were two black ovals, each with a fuzzy, blinking center.  Having never been pregnant before, we didn't know that we were looking at TWO six-week-old embryos.  "It looks like there are two in there," the doctor said calmly.

I gasped and clapped my hand over my mouth in shock!  Your dad was silent, holding my hand and staring intently at the screen.  After years of waiting and praying, believing for one baby, it seemed unimaginable that God would bless us with two babies at once.  Your dad's sense of humor kicked in (and thank goodness!  I couldn't speak because I was crying tears of joy!) and he asked, "Are there any more?"

As expected, the appointment was quick and we were done, but neither of us wanted to go back to work.  I was so excited and disoriented that I got into your dad's car instead of mine.  In the parking lot, we laughed and hugged and kissed some more.  We prayed together in the car, thanking God for two miracles growing in my belly.  

Pastor has challenged the church to pray, "Surprise me, God," every day for 30 days.  I'm up for it.  He's proven himself faithful to us time and time again, "giving us more than we could ever ask or imagine" (Ephesians 3:20).  I wonder what kind of surprises he has in store for us this month?

(Stop snickering!  I know some of you out there are thinking I'll get another set of twins out of this!)

I'll let you know how it goes.