Its not always the way we expect...

Lyrics below from Andrew Peterson's Behold The Lamb of God..
It was not a silent night
There was blood on the ground
You could hear a woman cry
In the alleyways that night
On the streets of David's town

And the stable was not clean
And the cobblestones were cold
And little Mary full of grace
With the tears upon her face
Had no mother's hand to hold

It was a labor of pain
It was a cold sky above
But for the girl on the ground in the dark
With every beat of her beautiful heart
It was a labor of love

Noble Joseph at her side
Callused hands and weary eyes
There were no midwives to be found
In the streets of David's town
In the middle of the night

So he held her and he prayed
Shafts of moonlight on his face
But the baby in her womb
He was the maker of the moon
He was the Author of the faith
That could make the mountains move

It was a labor of pain
It was a cold sky above
But for the girl on the ground in the dark
With every beat of her beautiful heart
It was a labor of love
For little Mary full of grace
With the tears upon her face
It was a labor of love

We usually intend to go into the holiday season with a great attitude and that everything will go just the way WE want (cooperative kids, gift items found with ease..preferably on sale :), and just a general sense of the way it 'ought' to be). However, even the best laid plans usually do not turn out the way we plan. However, God's plan is the greatest plan of all through the life of His son Jesus which is the reason as we should not forget what all of this Christmas is and should be about. If nothing else gets done, Jesus was still born, we still celebrate HIS birthday and all of the other 'stuff' is just that...stuff. I am not saying that I didn't purchase, wrap, ship the gifts, I'll make the dinner, and most of all, I will see joy in the eyes of my children which will make all of the "work" worth it. Just as Mary did not expect to have her baby in a manger, in the end, it was all worth the labor of love to be able to hold the maker of the moon and the author of the faith. And for that reason, we'll do it all again, year after year, celebrating the greatest story ever told and perhaps seeing just a glimpse of the joy that must've been felt that night that changed our lives forever.

Santa, God, & Christmas

Most people when they think of Santa do not think of God in the same thought. I will admit, I usually did not either. However, this morning, I have really been able to put them all together. We went to visit Santa on Friday night at Crown Center, downtown Kansas City. We waited in a line that seemed to take forever, and I sat in amazement at the people in front of us, who had a 2 week old baby with them. Seriously people, he is NOT going to remember visiting Santa. After our long line experience, the kids had their chance to sit on Santa's lap. Adam hopped right up there and gave a nice Hello, and the kids began to answer his questions, of what do you want Santa to bring you for Christmas? Emma mentioned her desire for a set of walkie talkies, and Luke mentioned his love for a robot (that he has seen at Bed Bath & Beyond) Adam could not quite answer the question. Hmmmm, back to the robot. Yeah, its $70 and it may not arrive on Christmas morning, I have this feeling that Santa has other plans for our family on the anticipated Christmas morning. When the conversation was brought up yet again this morning, it dawned on me...there are times when we ask God for things in prayer and they just do not happen the way WE would like, His plan is something different for our family. I attempted to explain that even if Santa does not bring the items that we ask for, he is still good, just like God is good, even when he does not answer our prayers the way we want. It pretty much fell on deaf ears and it was more of a pass the Cheerios moment, but hopefully we'll have an opportunity to explore this topic more throughout the week. And I have this feeling that Santa will deliver this week and that our wishes and desires will be fulfilled.....maybe not the way we planned.

How will I "Add to the Beauty"?

Below are lyrics from Sara Groves "Add to the Beauty"
We come with beautiful secrets
We come with purposes written on our hearts, written on our souls
We come to every new morning
With possibilities only we can hold, that only we can hold

Redemption comes in strange place, small spaces
Calling out the best of who we are

And I want to add to the beauty
To tell a better story
I want to shine with the light
That's burning up inside

It comes in small inspirations
It brings redemption to life and work
To our lives and our work

It comes in loving community
It comes in helping a soul find it's worth

Redemption comes in strange places, small spaces
Calling out the best of who we are

And I want to add to the beauty
To tell a better story
I want to shine with the light
That's burning up inside

This is grace, an invitation to be beautiful
This is grace, an invitation

Redemption comes in strange places, small spaces
Calling out our best

And I want to add to the beauty
To tell a better story
I want to shine with the light
That's burning up inside

We have found ourselves full of the "busy" of the Christmas season. I am hoping to "Add to the Beauty" this Chrismas season within our family. I, like many, have found myself caught up in the consumerism of Christmas; managing check lists, purchasing gifts for family members, and finding the time to hide the gifts, only to get them out and wrap them up after the kids go to bed. I so want to hear my kids say, " I love Christmas, because that is when we celebrate the birth of our Savior." However, today, I heard, " I just love Christmas, because that is when we get presents!" Hmmm, we have some work to do that has nothing to do with how much money I spend on a gift for someone, what is on their list, etc., it has everything to do with the shaping of their hearts. We are making some progress though, after I found Luke counting the number of gifts he had under the tree and measuring the size of the boxes, I asked him how many gifts Jesus received when he was born. He thought and eventually came up with the right answer, whichw as 3. Then I followed up the question with "how many gifts do you think we deserve for Christmas?" His answer was a quick, "None." While he is probably right, it lead me to explain that no matter what we have wrapped up for us in a pretty package, it is more than we deserve and that no matter what, the birth of Jesus is the most important gift we all have received. My goal is to have all of my shopping and wrapping done by Thursday, the 18th. The kids are out of school from the 19th through the 7th of January. I want to enjoy this Advent season with them and for them to stop, enjoy and appreciate all the Christmas season has to offer.

Mean Girls....

I was never a big fan of the mean girls when I was growing up and distinctly remember the uncomfortable feeling when the mean girls were mean to someone at school; even if I wasn't friends with them. Now that I am a mother, I want to make sure that my daughter does not become a mean girl and is always a good friend. One thing about Emma is that she is a talker and she will tell me anything. I desperately want to protect this relationship and the trust we have with one another so that when situations get harder as she is growing up, she will always feel comfortable coming to talk to me. Growing up, I would often talk to my sisters and because Emma is the only girl in our family, I want her to be able to talk to me, not that I want to be her sister, but I want her to trust me. Today after school, Emma told me that there was a girl at school who was or in her words...is always...mean to her. Of course my first instinct was to fight...I can take down that 6 year old..you just watch me! Then I flashed back toward reality and asked Emma what the circumstances were and what she thought she should do about it. Her response was great, she told me of several instances of altercations with this child and trust me, Emma is not always innocent of all crimes as we see daily here at home. But in this case it was regarding whether or not Emma was lying or cheating at school. She said she didn't get too upset, because she knew it was not true. How great is that? I would like to have that response to most things in my life. If someone says something about me that I know is not true, God knows the truth and that is all that atters. Emma agreed that she would keep her interaction with this girl to a minimum and then she would not have a reason to be mean to her and after all of the conversation was done, she said, "Mom, is it ok, if we keep this just between us?" Again, I hope she always comes to me with situations and I pray that she continues to keep her eyes on God and trust that He has the truth. How I wish this was the last of the mean girl episodes...but fear they may just be starting. Ugh..she's only 6!

A feeling I hope I never forget

I just went to pick up Adam out of his crib after his nap. I absolutely love the warm cuddles that he gives me after he wakes up and his cheeks are all red and warm from being all snuggly with his "blank" and "beebee" (leave me alone...I have NOT gotten rid of the pacifier yet, the other two did not use one or suck a thumb, so I figure if you average it all out...its not THAT long). Everytime, he so excited to see me. I think it is because he likes me, but it could possibly be that he cannot (at least that he knows) get out of his crib yet. He is already changing so much and is starting to "smell" like a kid, and a boy kid at that, and has lost that sweet baby smell. But more than anything he does not like to be held for very long anymore. Ugh, really, already? I am NOT a touchy feely person...at all! I remember when Emma was just over one and Luke was born, I literally was touched and holding someone all day long and I mean all day long.....nights too! It was enough to make me crawl out of my skin. But now, Emma & Luke do not need to be held much if at all anymore and I sort of miss it. That squishy baby skin, fat thighs and delicious cheeks are beginning to slim down. I do love where we are right now, but I do miss some of the past, probably because at the time, I did not cherish the moment. So when Adam comes running to me with his arms in the air, begging, and pleading to be picked up; I will most likely do it. I do not remember when it happened but I can promise that Emma & Luke do not do that anymore....and it won't be long before Little A won't either.

Out with the old....please new...come soon!

We are in the process of a small remodel in our bathroom. Thank goodness it is small, I could not handle much more. I added a few pictures of the demolition and the "see ya later blue flowered wallpaper". Just so we do not forget how pretty it is! We are scheduled to get everything done within the next few weeks. I will enjoy the new bathroom and getting things back to normal. Stay tuned for new pictures of the finished product.

Ohh...Great news...Emma lost her other tooth lastnight! Woo Hoo. Went without drama...yeah right! :) She flailed for awhile, but redemption comes when the tooth fairy delivers the next morning.

Hanging on by a thread

Here is a picture of Emma after she lost one of her top two teeth. Losing teeth for her has been, well, dramatic. She literally lets them hang on by a thread. The first one, I brushed it out with her toothbrush. She wised up, the second one, Jeremy popped it out (she nearly swallowed that one!). The third one, was bumped out by her brother, Luke. This 4th one, should have been out a week ago...but we hang on to it. She needs to let go of it...for crying out loud, let it go! It got me to thinking, what am I hanging on to? What will I not let go of? Perhaps it is my short fuse temper? Perhaps those around me are saying the same about me...For crying out loud..let go of it already!

Life is always full of Change

Over the past several months, we have watched the election of our new president unfold and while both candidates focused on "change"...I believe we can all agree that was bound to happen. Nothing stays the same....ever. We have a world full of people who I would like to believe are all looking for change; hopefully within their own lives and not just in our elected officials. Why? Because real change and redemption comes from way more than one person on earth, he has already been here and we can continue to pray for that return. And no one is changing us, unless we surrender to the belief that there is one that is in ultimate control. We are all called to work, and to work hard. For me, it is a season of working daily on myself (which I pray is actually more than seasonal) and on the shaping of the hearts of my young children of whom I get to raise for 12-16 more years if that is what I am allowed. That is a short window. I struggle daily with the sin in my life. Most days I would rather just stay in bed, and let someone else do my "changin" for me...yes that does include diapers. Right now, I am working on changing my anger and getting ahold of the anger that gets the best of me, especially from the 6 and under crowd. Not that I subscribe to the "this could be your last day on earth" but again, knowing that I did not get to sign up for a lot of the choices in my life; I can choose to make each day the best I can for my kids and for myself.
I do believe that the people of this country want change. We are an innovative, exciting, relentless group of people that make up this nation and knowing how other countries live; I am so grateful to live here. I want people to change in this country. Some of the change has been so very good and in some ways it has been so very bad. Do I believe that Barack Obama is going to change our country? He had better or the 52% of the people who voted for him are counting on him to do so could be disappointed. He has a 4-8 year window to do so, which is even a shorter window than the opportunity I have with my kids and there are just 3 of them. However, I will still stand by the belief that people are broken and if you choose to disagree with me, try to name someone who has never ever disappointed you. Do I believe that Barack Obama will disappoint people? He probably already has, even amongst the people who voted for him. There is no worse feeling than to be disappointed and that is made extremely clear in my eyes when I see true disappointment in the eyes of my kids. I want to keep them from being disappointed every chance that I get, but knowing that I have had disappointment, I have to guide them through the process. My heart gets broken along the way. Now, disappointment in our house is quite varying: Emma was so disappointed when a playdate got cancelled last week. For Jeremy, he gets disappointed when his business is not growing and he wonders where the next pay check will come from. As we grow older, the stakes get higher, and the disappointment grows. But I choose to trust and continue to build my faith and knowing that like the famous quote states: "I do not know what the future holds, but I do know who holds the future" keeps life in balance, rhythm and extreme perspective for me. I am excited to see what is next, could be markers on a freshly painted wall and it could be peace in a country who has never known peace. I consider it a blessing to be a part of it all. For now in my house, we are going to continue to working on changing the way we react to things. For the kids, although its being met with much resistance; they are going to be working on NOT blaming others for everything that is wrong in their lives. A lofty goal I realize...but actualy quite fitting...what if we all did that? As I describe to them..."when you point the finger at someone else...there is at least 3 more fingers pointing toward you."

This is Halloween!!!

We enjoyed great weather for Halloween this year. Adam enjoyed the festivities to the fullest. His day began by watching his big sister turn into a Rock Star.
After a short nap he went to the school to watch the Halloween parade. I think he enjoyed himself the most by Ooohhing and Aaahing about all the costumes. And he never figured out which one was Luke, he was asleep when Luke got dressed for school.



He made his way to two Halloween parties at school, chose the snacks that were the most appealing, and proceeded to run out of the school as apparently he had enough Halloween parties at the school. One of my more charming moments with two wash tubs filled with leftover craft items, two kids in costume and literally not knowing which way to go get him. Then of course when I caught him...I had to stop and think...Can I spank him? Or will I get turned in? Just to fill you in on my decision...I did spank him and did not feel bad about the decision because what if he runs into the street next time!?!?!
Ok, back to Halloween. We came home and let the kids chill out and we prepared for our evening and baked our jack o lantern pizza that we had missed out upon last year. Papa Murphy's makes this pizza into the shape of a jack o lantern and when I went to pick one up last year for Halloween night, the line was several blocks long, we missed out on it. After much disappointment, we promised them one this year...so...I planned ahead and bought it the day before!
We had a great time taking the kids around to our neighborhood and watching Adam attempt to say Trick or Treat and saying Thank You after each house was just adorable. I'll leave you with a slide show of the kids Halloween 2008. Enjoy!

Adam-isms

I have always kept a journal of the funny things our kids say. There are days that I go back to that journal to remember some of the cuter things that the kids say, and it is true...you do forget. So my advice is to write it down!

Adam AKA "Cookie" (the name fondly given to him by his brother and sister...will also answer to "cook" )is developing quite a language and mostly a language of his own. But again...I do not want to forget this stage of life of his.

CooCoo...Car
BlahBlah...Water or any other type of drink, swimming pool, pond, bathtub, etc.
We'll ask him to say, Emma and he responds with "Sissy" with sort of a -th beginning to it
Shluu...Luke
And my personal favorite: We'll say, "I love you Adam." And he responds with "Too"!
I am sure there will be more....stay tuned!

Great friends, whole lotta moms, Lynne Spears...

Only at the MOPS Convention in Dalls, TX this past weekend. I traveled with 7 other moms to participate in an amazing weekend surrounded by topics just for us...moms of preschool kiddos.
It was 4 years ago when someone stopped me in the halls of our church and said, "Here, sign up for this..." Did I look THAT obvious? Sweet Emma was just about 2 years old, and Luke was 15 months old when we started the MOPS group at our church. Back then, church was the ONLY place I would go by myself with two little little kids. I was placed at a table where I was the youngest mom there, which still seems like yesterday (I'm hanging onto my youth!) I could not believe what a blessing it was to come to hear speakers talk about truly relevant topics all while people watched my kids, and food...unbelievable food! Now starting my 5th year in MOPS, I have served as a table discussion leader, decided it would be a good idea to co-lead the group when Adam was 1 month old, and lead the group last year, and now this year....goin' with the food! I can't tell you how blessed I have been by the moms, mentors and friends I have made through this program and to witness its profound experiences in the lives of thousands of moms this weekend.

We had buttons on all weekend..."Flair" if you will for those of you obsessed with Facebook. The white button with black letters read, SDWSC. After days of waiting it was revealed to us exactly what it stood for "She Did What She Could". It is taken out of Mark 14:8 Often as moms we are judged by the decisions we make from breastfeeding, private school, activities, books to read, need I go on? However, after thinking a lot about SDWSC...I am challenged, that as long as I trust in the words on the pages of that incredible book, continue to be on my knees with my kids and for my kids, and be completely humbled by the job that has been set before me and the job I have done in the past, I would like that to be said of me, "She did what she could."

Throughout the weekend, we heard several fabulous artists performing for our group. Some of the songs are playing now as you read. This is my shameless plug for these artists including, Plumb, Jaci Velasquez and her husband Nick Gonzales of Salvador, Go Fish (great kids music that is quite fun for adults as well).

Overall, I would say my weekend included a great getaway with great friends, more than enough laughter, a few moments of tears, fantastic wisdom, thought provoking ideas and an overall appreciation for this vocation of mothering.

Careful of your Thoughts!

I have always had a flair for the dramatic and those of you who know me are not really shocked by this revelation you are reading on the page. However, sometimes my thoughts get a little carried away and head down a wrong and sometimes destructive path. I believe that I have overcome quite a bit in this area, thanks to a handful of books from Shad Helmstetter including What to Say When You Talk to Yourself and John Maxwell's Thinking for A Change. But once again, last week, it was proof that I am human and do sway off the path of productive change and slide down the slope of horrible thoughts.
Poor little Adam fell down more last week than he had since he was learning to walk. Open road, he'd fall, run into doors, and of course the standard scrapes and bruises he obtains from running down our semi-steep driveway. Well, at first it was not a big deal, but then I began to worry. (Bad idea!) From when he was six months old, he has had what they call benign macrocephaly and for those of you who took med-tech terminology in college it really translates into "no big deal big head". Of course I knew his head was big when he was born and it measured 15cm around....real cool, since we are graciously given 10cm in childbirth. So at 9 months (last summer) we had a full CT scan on his head and it was determined that it was really nothing, just a big head. I think it is charming, but I am partial.
But when he started stumbling all over the place, I was taken back to the place of thoughts I had when he had that scan and all the things that "could've" been wrong. I remember not spending much time there (I must have been reading some of Dr. Helmstetters books at the time). For whatever reason, last week, I was going down a terrible path.

I have a dear friend, who has gone through way more than CT scans with her child starting at age 3 months, brain surgerys, tests beyond belief and I often think of what she does to control her thoughts. This is her reality, it is true and real and fully present in their daily lives. When I was reading one of her blogs, she had gone through so many thoughts of What if this? What if that? And her wise mother told her..."So What?" How true that is? So what? Is it going to change anything? Will we love our children less? Will it turn us to the Lord in prayer more? Will it humble ourselves to trust that God is in control? Sounds like a way better thought process to me. That is why she has the song by Mercy Me, Bring the Rain on her blog.

Again, my point is that I need to brush up on my thoughts and after several good friends and family had told me, "He's probably growing." or "Maybe his allergies are bothering him and he has extra fluid in his ears throwing off his equilibrium" Uh, yeah, WAY better thoughts than mine of "What if they missed something?" No thanks, I'll be reading! Thank you God for good friends, for your word, for your thoughts that I desperately need to be mine.

Happy Birthday Little A

We are so happy to have celebrated Adam's 2nd birthday last weekend. His party was equipped with both sets of grandparents, 17 of his closest friends, their moms and dads and well...a rainy day! But put a few problem solving parents together and we managed to have quite an entertaining birthday party for our sweet little boy. It is hard to believe that it has gone by this fast. It still shocking to me actually! Luke and Emma have been watching the video from when he was born and that has brought back so many fond memories for us. Little A was far from little when he was born, he arrived 4 days late and much to all of our surprise, he weighed 9 lbs. 8oz. Phew...none of us were expecting that. How great it was to finally hear him cry after what seemed like a long time and once the crying began...to finally find out who exactly was on that table...a boy or a girl....a minor detail they did not mention when he was born....I guess breathing was slightly more important.

As I recall all of the reasons he makes our family so special, I want to share them with all of you.
I love that he can say his brother and sister's names...you will often find him yelling "Luuuuuu" and "Sissy". I just love how much he loves them and how sad he is to leave them at school everyday and what joy fills his heart when he sees them come out the door at the end of their day. I love his laugh, his big brown eyes, his hugs, and the wet and sometimes slimy kisses. He is so funny, he loves to investigate, and in my opinion has a future in Public Relations as he will say Hi to anyone who he meets and if you walk by him in a store and do not say hello...he'll keep at it until you do! I love looking at his fat little hands as he points to things or waves to a neighbor down the street. I know those fat hands will not last long...so I want to eat them up while I can! He is a great dancer, a great runner...although that sometimes is a problem and if you can't tell...I think he is just great. Most of all, I am so thankful for the addition of our baby boy to this family. What a blessing he continues to be for our family. Happy Birthday Little A...we love you!

My Brave Little Girl

This week we have been fighting illness in our house. Adam started it with pink eye and then on Tuesday, both of the older kids had pink eye as well. Emma was so bummed out that she would have to miss school, but no one wants to be "that mom" who sends their infectious kids to school. Jeremy and I were up on Tuesday evening with her as she had a horrible earache. But she insisted on going to school on Wednesday and seemed fine all day. Today, when I was dropping Luke off to school, I was giving Emma a dose of her pink eye drops and she mentioned that her ear hurt a little. An hour later, she was in tears at the nurse's office with a terrible double ear infection.
What is my point in all of this? Clearly, not the illness update of the Hagans...but what a remarkable little girl we are so very privileged to raise. From the moment I found out I was pregnant with her 7 years ago, she has been such a tough kid. I was never as sick as I was with her, and her mom was not very tough, she couldn't even keep food down until I was 20 weeks along. But she continued to grow, and to be the strong girl that she is today. Then her mom had kidney stones two separate times. This was not good for the baby, her environment was not "ideal" to say the least. When she thought about bailing out (and coming too early), she decided to stick it out with me; because she is brave, because she is tough and because she is Emma, and she does not give up even under the most undesirable circumstances. I am not going to lie or sugar coat this at all, Emma is hard to raise on many days, but I am beginning to understand that it is her toughness that makes her who she is and with the good tough comes the bad tough. I cannot wait to see what she will do in her life. I am so incredibly excited to see what she will do with that toughness.
I emailed her teacher to let her know that Emma would miss tomorrow and she asked me if Emma had a high tolerance for pain? After a bit of email dialogue, I said, yes, she rarely cries over being hurt or in pain. (Don't get me wrong..she cries a lot over stuff). And her teacher informed me that Emma herself did not tell her that she was ill, another student had told her that she was sick. That little girl was going to try and stick it out even though she has a terrible earache! If I were to fast forward 15 years...I would totally hire her!!!!

Dear Lord,
Please place your healing hand on Emma Grace and heal her from this pain she is enduring and thank you for allowing us to be her parents and to experience this incredible person.
Amen

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

After surviving our first full week of school, Jeremy took the older kids to a Royals baseball game on Friday night. Several friends of ours and some of their children took to the ball park to make it to Fireworks Friday Night (Thanks Mike for offering the tickets to us!). Recognizing that the Royals are not exactly in playoff contention....the Fireworks are usually the highlight if you can last that long. Well, not last night, there were some big highlights before the fireworks began. Daddy fulfilled his lifelong dream and caught a foul ball at a Major League Ballpark. I am not sure if it was the "Rally Cap" look that he and Luke were sporting or what (by the way...the rally cap did not prove to work for the Royals to win the game...lost 4-3)...but WOW is Dad the coolest or what!?!? Apparently Emma was so lovey to her Daddy and was showering him with praises and kisses on how great he was...I better remind her of that when she is 15! It reminds me that it is the simple things and precious time spent with our kids. It does not have to be a trip to Disney or vacation spots around the globe. Jeremy was able to take our kids to Kaufman Stadium and watch a game and the kids loved it. Of course him catching the ball was really cool in their eyes, but so was having the chance to be with their Dad.

If Only The'y'd Be in School....

This is a phrase that I would often say early on in the years when Emma and Luke were little. There would be days that would seem to have no end, the crying, the fighting, the constant needs, coveting of toys...
Today we took Emma to school and it was 8:05 a.m. and she was quick to run into the gym where all of her friends were. Well, I stayed....after all, this would be the first day that I had left her at a school until 3:40 when I can pick her up! She was not real pleased, because after all, "Mom...I know how to get to my class you know!" Then this afternoon, we took Luke to his first day of afternoon Kindergarten. While several of the little ones in his class were having a terrible time leaving their Moms & Dads...not Luke, he sat right down at his chair and started coloring. Do not get me wrong...this is what we wanted...no tears, just excitement for the fun ahead. We spent over a year and a half of him crying and clinging to our legs when we would leave him at church for an hour, I was over that years ago...and apparently, so is Luke.

I am sure that this sick feeling in my stomach will go away, the lump in my throat will soften, and the tears will dry. And to think that those thoughts of "if only they'd be in school" from 3-4 years ago, they are gone too. They are there..at school and they are bigger now, they are confident, ready to learn, and they are so happy to be entering this chapter in their life. Who am I to squash those feelings for them? It does not diminish the memories of how hard it really was when they were 2, 3, etc. But it does make this experience extremely bittersweet. We have so many memories ahead of us for a great school year. It's just 2 hours and 11 minutes until I can pick them up!!! Hooray! :)

Get Rhythm....

We went to Corydon, IA (Jeremy's hometown) this weekend for the 125th Old Settler's Reunion...and after participating in probably 10 of these "events" I might venture to say that this particular one was memorable to say the least. As you can see from the video above, Adam really enjoyed the live music from Saturday night which happened to include a collection of Johnny Cash songs by the artist. Unfortunately...the funniest was toward the end of the night when "Get Rhythm" was being played and Adam nearly fell out of his chair he was dancing so dramatically. Wait, maybe it was me that nearly fell out of my chair laughing at him!

However, as with any true carnival, there is your collection of interesting characters running the "is this thing really safe" machines and we have our 6 and 5 year olds begging us to go on these rides. I had a lapse in judgement and allowed Ms. Independent go on "The Ride" with the 7 year old younger sister of my sister-in-law Malisha. While most of the rides were harmless (if you can disregard the stale human sweat smell that somehow overwhelm one's olfactory nerves), this one was fast and I did not realize how much they really were not strapped in and as Emma is going around and around, I kept thinking, she's going to slip right out of that thing...there is nothing keeping her from falling out other than a bar that she could FIT through! So, that being said, she insisted on going again, because after all...it was SOOOO FUN!! I told her the only way she could is if another adult went with her and sat with her. Well, that sparked Luke's interest, who was just shy of being tall enough, saw other, smaller kids on the ride with their parents....you know where this is going....Jeremy and I took Emma and Luke on the awful (in my opinion) Paratrooper ride. I had visions of the rusty old squeaky thing breaking and poor Adam being left with no family as the rest of his family is forever remembered in the 125th Annual event as the one where the Paratrooper Ride accident took place. Realizing that thought process was more than unproductive.....I stopped thinking through that nightmare and not wishing to completely squash Emma's joy of how much fun she was having, I managed to create a pleasant face. Perhaps I should have embraced the Johnny Cash lyrics....Get rhythm...when you get the blues...get rhythm...

But the night would not have been complete without a funny from our dear Emma...after being "old settlers" for approximately 9 hours on Saturday...we were all in desparate need of a shower...Emma proclaims, "Yeah, one of those rides was going so fast...I wet my pants! Isn't that just hysterical?" After nearly wetting my pants myself...it was confirmed...time was of no matter...shower was absolutely necessary...

Jeremy & Luke listening to music in the park

Andrew waiting for his mom (Amy) to come by with her class of '98 float...or maybe just waiting for candy

Emma at the Big Parade

And if you thought I was kidding...the Big Parade also included Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin

Destiny (Emma & Luke's cousin) on a ride...was THIS the alleged wetting the pants incident?

The ABCs of Rach

A. Attached or single? Attached...usually with a small child...literally!
B. Best friend? I'm like Emma...everyone is my "best" friend
C. Cake or pie? Does the word "chocolate" count for both!
D. Day of choice? Saturday
E. Essential item? Hmmm...I have lots...but Skin Conditioning Oil from Arbonne...it really does heal what ails ya
F. Favorite color? Gold & Black!!!
G. Gummy bears or worms? Bears....but do enjoy the sour patch variety of HFCS items! :)
H. Home town? Red Oak, Iowa
I. Favorite indulgence? Pedicures... . .
J. January or July? July...my birthday and pretty much do not like the cold...ever!
K. Kids? Emma, Luke, & Adam
L. Life isn't complete without? Friends and Starbucks!
M. Marriage date? June 13, 1998.
N. Number of brothers and sisters? Two older sisters
O. Oranges or apples? Apples...can I dip them in caramel?
P. Phobias? Bugs....especially the ones that make their way into my home...we're at capacity here...take up residence elsewhere please!
Q. Quotes? I have learned to seek my happiness by limiting my desires, rather than attempting to satisfy them.
R. Reasons to smile? Happy smiles, laughter of children, hugs and kisses
S. Season of choice? Fall....its football season!
T. Tag 5 people:You decide...
U. Unknown fact about me? I'm an open book....
V. Vegetable? Sweet corn!
W. Worst habit? I'm with Lisa..procrastinating...(But then I do really great work under pressure...but that is hard with 3 small employees in tow.
X. X-ray or ultrasound? Ultrasound....and NOT to find out the sex of our babies, being in a dark room is way to uneventful for such an amazing discovery....but just because it is absolutely amazing to see God's miracles moving around and seing that precious heartbeating!!!
Y. Your favorite food? One food? Today I pick guacamole from Chipotle!
Z. Zodiac sign? Leo

Great Girlfriends

Recently a group of my friends and I went out to dinner for my birthday. We had a fantastic meal and as usual when a bunch of ladies get together...there is usually a lot of laughing! I am so fortunate for the friends that I have made throughout my life. From my childhood friends that I reunited with at my reunion this summer, to my college friends, whom I learned so much from and essentially grew up with, to the group of friends I have made over the past 8 years. While because of the stage of life we are currently active participants in; I do not keep in touch as well with several of these good friends. However it certainly does not diminish the importance of each of them in my heart. What a blessing it is to have great girlfriends from when I was in elementary school, in my 20's and now in my 30's. My sisters and I were discussing once, what it would be like without our girlfriends...each of our responses were exactly the same...we could not imagine it. Thank you to all of my friends for being my friend and for blessing my life in so many ways!

You'll Get Used to Her

As we go through our lives, from the minute we are born, we continuously learn to adapt to our world and this next story is Emma's understanding of that process. Last weekend we were in the car as a family and Emma was asking Adam about all the people he loved. Everytime he would answer with a big head nod for "Yes". He was answering yes to everyone...then it came to Mommy...she asked him and he shook his head and verbally said, "No." While that did not really bother me that much and I am quite secure in his love for me, what made the experience so funny was what Emma said next. She patted Adam on the back and said, "Its o.k. buddy...you'll get used to her." Too funny if you ask me. I have long kept a journal of the funny things our kids have said and this one is definitely part of that collection!

Below is a video of Emma knee boarding at the lake in Nebraska last weekend. We traveled to Ginger Cove (the family home of the Harmons) a total of 10 adults and 13 kids made the weekend journey (Emma being the oldest child). We have been a part of this community group from church for nearly 7 years now. While our group has changed throughout the seven years, we have truly enjoyed journeying through our lives with this group of people. The kids (and adults) had a great time playing all weekend.

Tubing...also a big hit!

Summer Vacation?

I have found myself realizing that certain terms do not always mean the same thing to everyone. For example...Summer Vacation...Here is a phrase commonly used with regards to the famous school calendar each school comes up with. However, in my mind, summer vacation was always equivilent to fun, fantastic, freedom from schedules and routines. After the first 4 days of our "summer vacation" I began to realize that just because the school calendar says summer, and perhaps the sun says summer, does it always mean vacation! We began our summer by driving 6+ hours in the car to Arkansas to attend a family reunion on Jeremy's side of the family; this would be our "vacation". While we enjoyed the weather, the hikes and the conversations with family, Jeremy and his parents enjoyed a whole bunch of MOLD! Grandma's house had flooded (she does not live there, it is a vacation home) and then grew the mold. Jeremy would often be described as a worker by most people, and this was not untrue of this particular weekend either. In my mind we would spend 100% of our time as a family, playing outside, hiking and enjoying one another, which we did do for part of the time. There is the problem, I thought this is what we would do ALL of the time...when do we ever do exactly as we plan 100% of the time? We are continuously putting our lives in a box and carving out boxed time that we believe in a way it should be. Perhaps I should stop taking things so literally and just sitting back and enjoying the "moments".....during what some call vacation!