Out of the Mouth of Babes

Recent sayings from Abigail and Gabriel that I sure don't want to forget:

I was one of four of us who took a turn being sick last week (just a cold, apparently).  When it was my turn, Abigail clambered up into my bed, squeezed her eyes shut, bowed her head, clasped her hands together in front of her and said, "Dear Lord, thank you mama feel better.  Amen!"  It was the first time she had spontaneously prayed like that...and it was precious.



This is a big - if somewhat sad - development:  Abigail has started pronouncing "banana" correctly.  She has always called them "banas."  As in, "May I have a bana, please?"  But the two days ago she busted out with, "May I have a ba-NA-na, please?"  (And she emphasizes the second syllable like that.)  It is so cute!  And so sad!  To my knowledge no one specifically corrected her, she just spotted the difference and fixed it herself.  Yay!  And (sniff)!



Gabriel was #4 to succumb to the cold last week.  It had him sneezing a bunch for a bit there, and he asked me, so perplexed, "What keeps sneezing me?!?"

Lauren and For King & Country

We recently were blessed to attend a concert with Lauren Daigle and For King & Country.


To be honest, I was more looking forward to Lauren Daigle.  I knew the name For King & Country, but couldn’t have told you what they sing.  After we purchased our tickets, we watched a bunch of youtube videos and realized time and again, “Hey, we know that song!”  and “I like that song, I didn’t know they sing that!” 

It turned out that Lauren was the opening act.  She sings beautifully, and she did great.  But she just stands there…singing.   And then I was disappointed when she left after only singing a few songs. 

But not for long, because then…..the real show started!

Wow!  Does For King & Country ever know how to put on a show!  These two brothers from Australia are great showmen!  I really believe it was the best concert I’ve ever been to (and I’ve been to a few: Janet Jackson, Back Street Boys, Milli Vanilli!!!, Michael Bolton, George Strait….who could beat those?!?)

They started with their rendition of Drummer Boy.  And my little Drummer boy sat in my lap, simply mesmerized! 

Another song they played that night that we *love* is Baby Boy:

But it turns out we love all their songs!

The Proof of Your Love

Fix My Eyes 

Priceless

It’s Not Over Yet

Glorious

Shoulders



And it is precious to hear Abigail going around the house yelling, "Ceasefire!!"


Ceasefire

After we bought tickets, Jas ended up being in CA that whole week and missed the concert, so we took our (13yo) friend Jadyn with us instead.

One of the wonderful things about going to concerts for Christian artists is that you are surrounded by....Christians.  A precious family with 11 children sat in front of us.  And a sweet homeschooling family with 3 children sat right beside us.  They fell in love with A, and the feeling was mutual.

In fact, she sat in the 17yo daughter's lap for a while:

Here is a video I captured early one morning (before everyone else was up) a few days after the concert, when G and A were constantly going around singing and asking for Drummer Boy (A calls the song "Rock a Poc Poc"):

We highly recommend you see For King & Country if you ever have the chance!

The Move

On Thursday, September 29th, the 26-ft U-haul arrived in our driveway.  

Gabriel was *enthralled*.  He wanted his picture taken with it...

...and then he had a heyday taking pictures of the truck himself:

These are just three of the approximately 50 he took.

Jas, Robert, my dad and myself went back and forth talking all day Friday about whether all our stuff would fit in this van.  It was the biggest they offer...we hoped for the best.

Saturday morning, mom (Lao Lao) came and picked up the youngest three.  Papa stayed at the house to help us.  

And then at 9 a.m sharp, about 15 men friends showed up to help.  Our pastor (who also came to help) took it upon himself to be in charge of arranging this crew.  Friends new and old.  Community group members.  This was such a huge blessing. 

Here is some of the moving crew

We didn't really need that many helpers.  But it sure was nice.  Two or three guys (always Jas) were up inside the van, with others keeping a steady stream of boxes and furniture out to them.  The ones in the van were fitting things together like Tetris.  It was amazing how much they were able to fit in there!  It took less than two hours to get this part done.

And yet...it still didn't all fit.  So while all the guys headed home (they had done all they could do), Jas and Robert headed to rent a smaller U-haul trailer to haul behind the big moving van.

And then it was night before we actually headed out on the road.  8:46 p.m., to be precise.

Jas drove the moving van hauling the trailer:

Robert drove Jason's truck:

This truck is 15 years old now....we bought it in CO and moved it to GA with us 14 years ago!

And I carried the most precious cargo with me in the Silver Bullet:

It didn't take long at all for the kiddos to conk out.

We drove for several hours and then parked in a Kroger's parking lot and slept for about 5 hours.  Or not slept, as the case may be.

But at 7 a.m. we were raring to go again:

We stopped about every 2-3 hours for a gas/potty break.  (That 26-ft van guzzled gas, of course.)

We made sure to have fun along the way.

One thing we did NOT do on the gas/potty breaks?  Buy food.  We did buy drinks (water/100% fruit juice)...but never even needed to buy any food!  We just kept snacking on the food that we brought along.  It worked out BEAUTIFULLY.  Even better than I imagined!

We ate healthy.  We ate much more economically.  And I cannot even imagine the time we saved by not stopping to go in and eat somewhere at every mealtime.

And then at about 9 p.m. or so on Sunday evening, we pulled into a Hampton Inn in St. Louis (Hamptons are our fave place to stay) to spend the night.  Got adjoining rooms...and all fell into bed so tired.  This was the best night's sleep I'd had in *weeks*!  

When I climbed out of the shower in the morning, I discovered Jas was gone from our hotel room.  He'd received a call that our moving van was about to be towed...so he raced outside to move it.  He joked that this was quite a "wake-up call" and he didn't need any coffee to get him going this morning!

Moving van safe again...we had a great time at the free breakfast buffet:  eggs, bacon, fruit (I'm pretty sure we ate our weight in bacon).  And the kind employee in charge of the buffet packed us a couple bags of apples "to go" when she discovered our cross country adventure.

And we headed back out on the road at 8:30 a.m....all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed:

Approximately 10 minutes later, in the middle of St. Louis I-70 morning rush-hour traffic, the trailer came off the hitch of the moving van.  The only thing securing it to the van was the emergency chains (there for just that purpose)..the trailer was dancing ALL OVER THE PLACE!!  Watching all this a few vehicles behind Jas was about the scariest thing I've ever witnessed!

Praise the Lord, Jas was able to get over four lanes (everyone was trying to give him plenty of space...lol!) and get safely off on the right shoulder.  Robert and I did too and parked behind him.  When Robert reached Jas, the first thing he did was give his big brother a big 'ol hug.  It still brings tears to my eyes.

How no one was hurt/killed during all this I have no idea.  No...I do.   It was the Lord.  Period.


The guys then spent the next hour fixing the connection so that we could get back on the road.  Jas is way smart and Robert works with cars, otherwise we would have had to rent a replacement trailer and unpack and repack the whole shebang.


And...we are so glad Jas got the insurance on our rentals, because there was damage!  

Yes, that is rush-hour traffic, going about 70mph, whizzing by, a few feet away.

The rest of the day was very anticlimactic after our way-too-interesting Monday morning...and for that we are very thankful!


So at about 11 p.m. (mountain-time) Monday night, we finally pulled into Nai Nai's driveway.   52 hours after we pulled out of our GA driveway.

We hugged Nai Nai...and then fell into beds and slept good.

And when I got up the next morning, I walked outside to make sure we were really here, and it wasn't just a dream.

We are home!

The Backstory on our Move to Colorado

As I said in my last post, we felt when the Lord moved us here to the deep-south from Colorado it was for a season.  We have prayed many times during the past 14 years, checking to see if it was time to move back.  We have gone through several (very serious) cycles of praying...and fasting....and  a few times Jas put out feelers about jobs.  And the answer was always the same:  It wasn't time.  Yet.

But a year and a half ago as we were pulling out of Colorado, we knew that we knew: It was time to start working toward moving back.

And we have been slowly working on it for the past year and a half.  Praying at each step along the way for the guidance that we so desperately need. Praying for His wisdom.  Praying for His timing.


We told only a small, small circle of friends.  Jas had 4 people praying with him (including our pastor), and I only told two of my closest friends.  (Our children have only known for not quite 3 weeks now.)


Near the beginning of Jason's job search, he looked into franchise opportunities.  We were intrigued by the idea of owning our own business...and he spent hours (and hours) pursuing this line of thought.  But after all the research and reading, we knew that none of those opportunities was right for us...and we abandoned that idea.

May 2016 - Jas was contacted by a company.  After seeing his resume online, they thought he would be a good fit to own and run one of their offices.  When Jas came home that day and told me about it,   immediately it just. felt. right. Peace.  Excitement.  We both could totally see him doing this.  From that first conversation we were both very intrigued and wanted to continue pursuing this path.  He then spent hours and hours (and HOURS) reading, researching, and finally...studying.  He had to take 8 exams in order to become licensed to run this office.  And...he had to take the tests in the state of Colorado. Most people take some exams, study more, and then take more exams, etc.   But with Jas needing to fly across the country to take them, he had to do this differently:  He studied HARD for almost 8 weeks...and then...

8/24 - Jas flew to CO, took 4 exams on Thursday, spent all day Friday meeting with district staff, took the remaining 4 tests on Saturday, and flew home that afternoon.  (btw - He rocked all the tests, finishing in record time!)(We told the kiddos that daddy was on a business trip...which was the truth.)

8/28 - Jas arrived back home in the wee hours of Sunday morning.  We had a full day of church and community group on Sunday (like normal) and didn't have a chance to fully debrief.

8/29 - When we finally got to talk (alone!) on Monday morning before Jas headed to work, he said it was looking like we would move to Colorado in January, and he would open the doors of his new business on March 1st.  My words were, "Hmmm, if we know for sure we are moving, my preference would be to "rip the band-aid off" and go ahead and move.  I hate knowing it is coming, but just hanging around several more months."  Famous last words.  When Jas got home from work that evening, my friend Amy and I were sitting at the kitchen table chatting (and crying).   Jas had an interesting look on his face, "You want to rip the band-aid off?  We can rip it off."  A new office of the company had become available, a turnkey opportunity.  Ready to walk into. A great fit all the way around.  It would require us to move in October, and Jas open his doors November 1st.

9/6 - Jas talked to his boss at the bank and turned in his letter of resignation.  That night we told the children we were moving.

9/7 - It was announced at Jason's bank.  We let all our family and friends know (the ones we didn't want to find out on FB.)

9/8 - We posted on FB-land that we were moving.  And a couple hours later, almost as an after-thought (but was really the Lord's plan), I posted on FB a pic and short blurb about our house being for sale.  16 minutes later I had a message, "Can A and I come look at your house this afternoon?"  And over the next few hours, four other couples were interested in coming to look also.  But that first couple who contacted us were the first to come and view the house...and gave us a binder check.  Done.  Less than 10 hours after I posted on FB, our house was sold.  (We totally intended to list our house with an agent, but when we called him on Wednesday afternoon, he was out of town and couldn't come to see us until Saturday....so I went ahead and posted it on FB, thinking it couldn't hurt to try, until we met with Jonathan on Saturday.  This was another not-so-little detail in how the Lord has been working everything out, a "detail" that saved us five digits!) (And no, we didn't have our house way under-valued...we had it appraised several months ago, getting ready, and we sold it for right at the appraised value.)




FAQs


Where will we live?

At first, we will live with Jason's mom for a bit.  We don't really know how long...but it seems that it will likely be 3-6 months.  With Jas just starting his business, we'll need three months of paychecks before we will be able to be considered for a mortgage loan.  

Yes, Linda is basically a saint for taking in 8 of us (EIGHT!).  But I think(hope?) she is as excited as we are.  When we first told her about moving back and asked if we could live with her for a bit, she immediately said yes.  And then when we talked with her next (a week later), she'd already taken a bookoodle bags of stuff to Goodwill, cleaning out closets and making room!

She is living alone in a 4 bedroom, 3 bath house.  The three boys will share one room, the three girls will share another.


Will we have cows/chickens?

No.  We are so, so thankful that the Lord allowed us this season out here on these 2.5 acres to live out this dream.  And now this season is over.  Sad...and not sad.  We'll be glad to have less land/animal work to do.  Our weekends were consumed by work.  So glad we (and our children!) have had this opportunity and experience...and now we'll move back to an approximately 1/8 acre lot in town.

We intend to live in a neighborhood.  You know, the kind where you can reach out from your window and practically touch your neighbors' house.  Our kiddos are so. very. excited. about this.  They have dreams/visions of running around playing with neighborhood kids.


Are you doing school?  Will you continue homeschooling?

We began school early this year (mid-July) because we knew we'd need to take off time (sometime) during the school year to move.  We have already completed 8 weeks of school, but now we're taking time off to accomplish the move.  We plan to get started back the first Monday after we arrive in CO.

We intend to continue homeschooling.  There will be many (MANY) more options available to us now...so things may look different in the future.  Cottage schools? (2-3 days in a school, the remainder at home), homeschool co-op (for actual academic classes, instead of just for fun as we have been doing), etc, etc....  We'll see.  We will continue to pray every year and seek the Lord for what he has for our children for the coming year.


How are you getting to Colorado?

Jas reserved the biggest Uhaul truck there is, and he will drive that to Colorado.  We are flying Jas' middle brother Robert here, and Robert will drive Jason's truck.  I will drive the Silver Bullet.  We have sold/given away so much stuff (ALL our family room furniture, two of the 6'x6' Ikea Expedit bookshelves, kitchen table/chairs, crib, computer armoire/desk, riding lawn mower, trampoline, etc.), and we are hopeful that everything/everyONE else will fit in these three vehicles!


How are the children taking it?

The youngest five are thrilled.  E took it harder.  Much harder.  She has made such sweet, precious friends....she is so sad.  The others are sad about leaving friends too...but with E being the oldest (and a girl) it just seems different for her.  But she is ok with it now.


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This is all so very bittersweet.  We aren't wanting to leave Georgia. (It would be so sad if we did!) But we very much know that we are supposed to be in Colorado.

I keep thinking that I wish I could just fast-forward through this next 3 months?  6 months?  12 months?  This is so hard.  Emotionally.  Mentally.  Physically.

Saying good-bye.  The actual, physical move.  Starting the business.  Finding a church.  Finding a house.  Moving again when we find our house.  Finding new health care providers (I just counted: we need at least 9 different doctors for the special needs we have going on).  Finding a homeschool co-op (or maybe not in this season of our schooling life?).    Finding a food co-op (or will Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Sam's  and Costco eliminate my need for a food co-op?).  FINDING FRIENDS.

But when I get right down to it, I don't really wish to skip ahead (I think).  The Lord has guided us and worked things out in amazing ways (ways that everyone around us can see!) and we are so excited at what He is doing.  When my head starts to spin thinking about all that needs to be accomplished and all the (HUGE) decisions that need to be made...I come back to the fact that the Lord already knows All The Things.  And He will most certainly reveal His will and plan to us...as we need to know it (and not before!).  We just need to "do the next thing"...and trust Him.


This process is hard, and good...and I don't want to miss anything He has for us.  I want all the lessons.  I *need* the lessons.  The good, the bad and the ugly.

So....Colorado

When the Lord moved Jas and I here to the deep south from Colorado 14 years ago, we knew it was not a forever move.  We knew it was for a season.  And now...the season is over and He is moving us back.

I intend to post the backstory on our move, because I need to document it for us.  I know from experience that I will forget all the amazing things that He has done that right now I can't imagine ever forgetting.  (Like, how He sold our house in less than 10 hours 5 days ago.)

This has been coming for 18 months, but it just all got nailed down two weeks ago.  We have been in "Wait...wait....wait..." mode for over a year, and now all of a sudden we are in "GO! Full-steam ahead!" mode.

We plan to pull out on Oct. 1st...18 days.  Time to get back to packing....

Our Littles Memorizing James

I mentioned in this post a few weeks ago that we are memorizing the book of James over the course of this school year.  I assumed "We" meant the oldest four children and I.  But just hearing us review the verses at mealtimes, G has picked up quite a bit!

He shocked us when he started spouting off verse...after verse...after verse.


I finally captured him on video...





(We are using the ESV translation.  Also, it may look like Gabriel is reading the verses...but brother doesn't even know all of this letters yet...I promise he is not reading.)





And....not to be outdone.....

Abigail wanted to give it a try after Gabriel got done.  She actually does have the whole 1st verse memorized.  (Watch how she asks for the index cards also (like she can read!).  And watch her "side-eye" at the 20-second mark.  And she got mortally offended when I prompted her to be done (and started BAWLING when I stopped taping):





They are watching.  They are learning.  The good and the bad.  They are like little sponges.  This is encouraging and very scary - all at the same time.

Miscellany Monday, August 22, 2016

This (empty) bag?

Ingredients:  organic mangoes

Saving my life right now.  

I am still trying to decipher what foods my body can tolerate - and which are contributing to my autoimmune issues (Hypothyroid).  I haven't had any dairy in months.  I only have eggs once a month or so (and I'm not entirely sure I should even be having them at all).  This is in addition to the regular things that are not allowed on GAPS (all grains, sugar, etc), because we are 6 months into doing GAPS again.  "Treats" are hard to come by with the restrictions I have right now.  So this "treat" that feels totally indulgent and "illegal" but is so totally legal?  Wonderful!

This bag of dried mango (organic, non-GMO certified) is HEAVEN for me right now.  I buy one bag a week...and I won't tell how quickly I scarf them down...

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WHY had none of my (so-called) friends let me in on the "secret" of how wonderful "Fixer Upper" is?

HOW did it take us so long to discover this show?  The four oldest kiddos and I are having a BALL watching it together!  After the two youngest are tucked in bed, we head to the family room to snuggle up and watch the next episode.  

Joanna is so very talented...and beautiful (and the fact that she is 1/2 Korean is not lost on my Asian kiddos...it is nice seeing your race represented).  And Chip is crazy with a capital C!  (The ROACH!)  They are so funny and so great together and their four children are precious.  We love trying to guess which of the three houses the current couple will choose to buy and renovate.  And then we love to follow along on all the feats and foibles of the demo and construction and decorating.  

The only bad part?  We're almost caught up on the past episodes.  :(

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We have about one acre of pasture that is fenced in for the cows to roam on.  They have not been able to keep the growth down in there lately.  I love mowing, so I planned to do it...but Jas said it would make more sense for dad to drive his tractor down the road and cut it for us.  

G was so happy we went with that plan.

That boy loves him some "might machines"!

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Back story:  We began the process last month of trying to get Chelsea pregnant again.  We didn't like her being so big pregnant through the hottest part of the year with George Franklin...so we planned to wait a little longer than normal (leave her "open" a little longer than normal) to try to avoid doing that again.  Well, it's time now.

We were hoping that A.I. process took. 

But when I was out in the pasture with Dad and Gabriel (someone had to open all the gates to let them from one paddock to another and such), I witnessed firsthand that Chelsea is apparently NOT pregnant yet.  I will spare you the details, but GF made it apparent that Chelsea's hormones were telling him she was not pregnant.  

Jas called our A.I. Tech guy and he came out Friday night and again Saturday morning (two visits - approximately 12 hours apart - is standard procedure for the actual insemination part).

It took two rounds (exactly like this - one that was artificially prompted, and the second where she appeared to be in "standing heat") when she became pregnant with George Franklin.  We are hoping to get good news in a few weeks!

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This photo was taken at church two Friday nights ago at a special worship service at our beloved church.

While I love (love!) the picture of G getting his worship on...

....when I look at this picture I see the man in the top left.  

That is Mr. Rodney.  He was helping with the AV team there in the back of the sanctuary.  We were sitting just to his right, and I noticed he was singing his heart out (along with everyone else in the room), even though he was "working".  

Two nights after this event (so, Sunday night), he and his precious wife were in our Community Group meeting.  

One night after that, he was gone.   Absent from this life...present with the Lord.

A driver going the opposite direction went off the shoulder, overcorrected, and ran head on into Rodney's truck.

We never know when.  We never know.  We must be ready.  Am I ready?  Are you ready?

Vow Renewal

To celebrate our 20th anniversary, Jason and I renewed our vows.  

Our family and closest friends met us down the road, at the dock on mom and dad's farm.

I have been thinking for 7 or 8 years that it would be wonderful to do this at our 20th.  I wanted our children to witness it...and be involved.  

And I am so glad they were...even if (ahem) some of them were a bit rascally and ended up in mine and Jason's arms.

I didn't know much back when I was 23 (even if I thought I did), but I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Jas.

I had no idea what that "life" would look like.

Now I do.

And if there were do-overs...I would do it all over again, exactly the same.  

Our Pastor officiated our ceremony.  Chris spoke about biblical marriage and said a prayer over the ceremony, and then we said these vows...

I Did (Jason)

At our wedding ceremony, I chose you to be my spouse.


I promised to live with you according to God’s holy Word.


On that life changing day, I promised to love you,


to comfort you,


to honor and keep you.


I swore to stand by you
 for better or worse,


in sickness and in health.


At our wedding I renounced all others
and promised to give myself to only you, so long as we both shall live.


The pastor said, “Will you take this one?”


And I did.




I Do (Joli)

Today, I choose you to be my spouse.


I promise to continue living with you according to God’s holy Word.


On this ordinary day of our life together,

I promise to keep on loving you,


to keep on comforting you,


to keep on honoring and keeping you.


Today, I am standing by you


for better or worse,


in sickness and in health.


Today and every day, I renounce all others


I give myself to you and only you,

so long as we both shall live.


People may ask,

“Will you take this one?”


And, you must know, I do.





I Always Will (Jason and Joli)

Tomorrow and everyday God gives us,

I will choose you to be my spouse.


I will continue living with you according to God’s holy Word.


Every day we share by God’s grace,

I promise to always love you,


to always comfort you,


to always honor and keep you.


As long as I have breath,

I will stand by you
for better or worse,


in sickness and in health.


I will always renounce all others


and always give myself to only you,

so long as we both shall live.


Our great-grandchildren may ask,

“Will you take this one?”


And, you can count on this, I always will.


I did.

I do.


I always will.







(Pastor Chris)

Jason and Joli, When you first joined in marriage 20 years ago, you did not know what life would bring you.

You promised to love, honor and cherish one another through it all. And while life has brought you both wonderful blessings and difficult challenges over the years, here you are today, having fulfilled the vows to love, honor and cherish each other. And God is smiling on you!

As you celebrate your renewed commitment here today, and as you reflect on your life together as husband and wife, do you now wish to reaffirm the vows you took 20 years ago?

WE DO

Please face each other and join hands.



Renewal of Vows Ceremony

Jason, will you continue to have Joli as your wife and continue to live in this happy, loving marriage?

Jason: I WILL

Do you reaffirm your love for her, and will you love, honor and cherish your wife in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for better for worse, and forsaking all others, be faithful to her for as long as you both shall live?

Jason: I DO

Joli, will you continue to have Jason as your husband and continue to live in this happy, loving marriage?

Joli: I WILL

Do you reaffirm your love for him, and will you love, honor and cherish your husband in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for better for worse, and forsaking all others, be faithful to him for as long as you both shall live?

Joli: I DO


Exchanges of Rings

Jason and Joli, on your wedding day many years ago you exchanged rings as a symbol of the never-ending circle that connects you to the eternal quality of God, unending strength, and unending love!

May you always wear your rings as a reminder of your vows to one another, and your commitment to continue to live in unity, love and happiness. To remind you of this commitment, you will now renew your vows.

Jason, please place the ring on Joli's hand and say the words, “With this ring I renew my pledge of love and commitment.”

Joli, please place the ring on Jason's hand with the words, “With this ring I renew my pledge of love and commitment.”

Involvement of children:

One of the great blessings of marriage is the joy and responsibility of raising a family. Jason and Joli have truly been blessed to be the parents of Elisabeth, Noah, Daniel, Lily Kay, Gabriel and Abigail.

As Jason and Joli renew their vows today, they also renew their commitment to be loving, caring parents to their children, recognizing with gratefulness the the happiness and fulfillment that they have brought to their marriage and family life.

(prayer)

Pronouncement

Jason and Joli, today you have renewed the vows you made to each other on your wedding day. You have symbolized this renewal by the joining of hands, the taking of vows, and the exchanging of rings.

It is with great pleasure that I conclude the ceremony of renewing your vows of marriage. Please celebrate this renewal of vows with a sign of affection….you may now kiss!

Empty Tomb

Praise the Lord for that empty tomb that secures my salvation!

He is not here; He has risen, just as He said. (Matt 28:6)

Praising Him and thanking Him for this wonderful Easter day where we celebrate the resurrection of our King!