Good Summer.

We had a great summer and were so busy - doing nothing - that I didn't take any time to blog.


Jared and I traveled out of the country to Cancun for our 10-year-anniversary. We had the time of our lives. Our wonderful parents watched all 5 of our kiddos so we could take a very much needed breath of fresh air.

Our good friends Doug and Christina were also celebrating their 10 year and traveled down to Mexico too. Doug and Christina were our duplex buddies at OSU. The trip reminded us so much of, the good 'ole days. Thanks friends for such a good time!!!

And honest to goodness, I don't think we did anything else. It was a great summer.

So now here we are, starting a new journey.... Homeschooling.

We started our school year on the 13th and now have 2 weeks under our belt.

Red Day - First Day of School - Will, 1st Grade & Jet, PK
Not sure what in the world Will is doing, but Spike looks really cute in this picture

Anabella's hair is doing it's own thing - we didn't cut it.

So far, So good. We are all having a really good time and I think all 3 of them are learning a lot. A quote from Will, "You know one of the best things about homeschool mom?" "No Will what?" "We're never late." 

Confident of His Goodness,

Lela

I do.... Again.

10 years ago today as I stood next to two of the best friends that a girl could ask for, Kaitlin Jones and Kari Vermeire and in front of my God and all of my friends and family I said "I Do" to an amazing man.

 My Dad and Mom and Jared's Mom and Dad

 Kaitlin Jones, Kari Vermeire, Tyson Hodges, Brandon Patton, Jason Ryker, and Corbin Anderson

The Beginning of the Rest of Our Lives.

On our way to our Honey in Cincinnati.

First I have to start with this. If you recall from earlier posts, I have mentioned loving a good celebration. My husband has given me that this week and my heart has melted every day. On Monday he treated me to favorite take out, Ocean China and I ate while watching my favorite show The Bachelorette with one my favorite people (my cousin Amanda). On Tuesday for the first time EVER, he sent me favorite flowers and a throw back to our wedding, Tulips. I literally bawled. I called him to thank him and couldn't even talk. Wednesday we danced in our backyard to a song that was sung at our wedding, Thank You for Loving Me by Bon Jovi. I cried and cried. On Thursday after watering the flowers I came in the kitchen and he had made me the punch that was served at our reception. And today, he had planned a dinner at Ruby Tuesday - the first restaurant that we ate on our honeymoon.

I have tears in my eyes as I write this because I have NEVER EVER felt more loved or appreciated or adored!! Jared, thank you for making this a big deal. Thank you for being so thoughtful and putting so much time and energy in making our 10 year anniversary one of the most special times in our marriage. I am a lucky girl.

I'd be lying if I said that we had the perfect marriage and never fought and everything is always great. We've had our ups and downs like every other couple. However, one thing that I have learned as of very recently is that the grass isn't greener on the other side, the grass is greener where it is fertilized and watered.

Jared, I say "I Do" again to everything that Life has brought us in the past 10 years....

Worry and fret over that final Spanish Exam in college, Late night laughs with the Glenns, Grief over our old lady landlord, "No Butts about it" job search, Graduating College, OSU football and basketball games, The adoption of our first furry children and the heart break over burying one of them, Our first house and our Second house, 3 C-Sections, Moments of fear and depression when life just seemed to be unraveling, Setting huge fires with the Crouchs, Late night games with the Stewarts, Wearing out our recliner with our first born, The joys and the pain of raising a child with special needs, Hilarious Karaoke Parties, the birth of the sweetest little girl that ever was and so many more memories.

Deciding on OSU Football tickets... Decisions, Decisions....

My OSU Graduation - That's right, I graduated with Honors. :)

Will and Jared's spot from 5:30 till 10:00 at night for the good part of a year. 

Me and One of the Greatest Blessings that has come in my 10 years of marriage, Jet.

Baby Anabella, A Constant Reminder of how Faithful my God is.

You have been my rock, my best friend, my constant companion, my everything.

I still look at you with disbelief that you're mine. You are just so darn good looking!!! I consider it pure Favor from a God that loves me very much that I have you in my life. 10 years ago I knew that you were amazing but I had no idea how madly in love with you I would be 10 years later. There are good dads out there, but none as good as you and there are good husbands out there, but none as good as you.

Thank you for making all of my dreams come true and Thank you for loving me.

Happy 10 Year!!!! Here's to another 50!

I love you!!!

Confident of His Goodness,
Your Wife

For my Mama.

Proverbs 31:31

"Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her good works bring her praise at the city gates."

2000

First Church of the Nazarene High School Graduation Party

I wanted to be just like her growing up...

I would watch her write notes and be so mesmerized by her penmanship. She had such beautiful handwriting. I remember being around 5-years-old and someone had asked me what I wanted to be like when I grew up and I distantly remember saying, "I want to learn how to write cursive and write it fast." 

I would follow her around the house. It was just her and I at home. She was a stay-at-home mom until I was in the 6th grade. I just carried my toys from room to room.  I just loved being in her presence. 

She always wore perfumed lotion. So, everything in the house smelled like her. All of her clothes and the sheets. I loved that.

She was and still is such a warm spirit. She is so kind, patient and gentle. I don't think I have one memory of her yelling at me. I'm sure she did, but I don't ever remember her doing it. I do remember her chasing me around the house with a hair brush. I'm sure I deserved it. 

I have also had the privilege of seeing my mom fight. Not in a bar or in a boxing ring. But I have seen her fight for her life. And let me make something very clear, she is not a quitter.

In the summer of my 5th grade year, I watched her fade in-and-out of consciousness. She was admitted to the ER with a brain tumor and she fought for her life. She was much more close to death than any one of us wanted to admit. She had "most" of the brain tumor removed and had a miraculous recovery.

When I was about 3 months pregnant with Will, her fight continued. Because the doctor wasn't able to remove all of the brain tumor, it had grown back. She faced a second brain surgery, only this one was a lot more complicated. No one in this state wanted to operate, so we made the trip to LittleRock Arkansas. Her second brain surgery went fine, but complication after complication seemed to arise.

After one of her brain surgeries, Will was somewhere around 18 months at this time, the surgeon came to tell us that she had hemorrhaged during the operation and they didn't know if she was going to make it. They needed to go back in and stop the bleeding. They wheeled her out of the elevator so that my dad and I could see the state that she was in. It was unbearable. I melted.  Of course, my dad said - "Do whatever you need to do."

My dad and I found the chapel and we prayed. I remember my dad saying, "This might be her time." And I said, "NO!!!!" "No it is not her time. I need her too much. I need her to be my babies nana. I need her." And you know what, she made it through.

7-years later, a back surgery and too many brain surgies to count she is still fighting. The road has been long, especially for her. She has had to fight really hard. But once again, she hasn't quit. 

Through the good times and the bad times my mom has given me an amazing example to follow. A woman that at 30-years-old I am still trying to imitate.

Mom, I am so proud of you and I am so thankful to spend another Mother's Day with you. I love you so much!!!!

Confident of His Goodness,

Lela

Finally... I can tell everybody.

After months and months of serious prayer and Jared listening patiently to my endless ramblings, we have decided to homeschool. It may be for a year or it may be until they graduate. I'm sure we'll take it year by year.

All of my curriculum for Will and Jet is bought. I have officially withdrawn both boys from school. Within the next couple of weeks I will start lesson planning.

For those of you that are interested, I'll discuss what curriculum I chose in another post.

But for now, for those of you who think I have lost my mind, I'll list my top ten reasons for homeschooling.

#10. As mentioned in my previous post, my kids are growing up so fast. The years that I have them at home are so short and I truly want to suck in every minute that I can.

#9. Jet would continue to be in Special Ed next year. I have nothing against Special Education and thus far our experience has been really really good. However, I do not want Jet to be 'labeled' Special Ed. I feel that it would a self-fulfilling prophecy.

#8. I have an invested interest in my children's future, obviously. It is important to me that they have an amazing education. I want to know what they're learning, what they're struggling in, what courses we can advance in and places that may need review. I won't have to wait for a parent-teacher conferences to know exactly how they are doing.

#7. The past 2 years have been hairy-scary around my house. Poor Anabella has grown up in her carseat. I am averaging 200 driving miles per week and it was even more when we were going to therapy everyday. I am honest to goodness sick and tired of the daily grind.  I am really excited to have fun with my kids. We are going to go on a field trip once a week and I am so looking forward to making those memories with them.

#6. Freedom. We will actually have total control over our schedule. We don't have to be some where everyday at a certain time. We can go on vacation in September. We can live in tin-buk-tu if we wanted to.

#5. When you homeschool you get to decide what you study. That is one of the things that I am most excited about for Will. For science, we are going to study Zoology. For music, Jared is going to teach him guitar. My curriculum is very eclectic, so I can learn how he learns best. At this young age, I want Will to be excited about learning. I think that in and of itself will take him a long ways.
  
#4. I think that there is eternal value in homeschooling. All of my curriculum is faith based. We will be doing scripture memorization. As their parent, I will ensure that they have solid foundation in scripture. Proverbs 22:6 - Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.

#3. Right now, we really only get to see Will for a couple of hours a day during the week. And during those hours, everybody is tired. We've ran here and there and Will has worked his tail off at school. I am excited to be giving my best to my kids, not my leftovers.

#2. I asked Will why he wanted to be home schooled. He put it best... "I want to spend time with my family. I like my brother and my sister."

#1. This is something that I have felt a prompting from the Holy Spirit to do. We as a family have said "yes" to that still, small and quiet voice (1 Kings 19:12).

So there you have it. Now everybody knows my little secret. Here's to a new adventure.

Confident of His Goodness,
Lela

Get out your flyswatter.

My 6-Year-Old is turning into a man. :(

He lost his first tooth.

The tooth fairy brought him a $2.00 bill. Will said she did that because she is the Twoth Fairy.

He has learned to ride his bike without training wheels.

And he has learned to fart with his armpit (and he does it constantly). I told him he at least needs to put some sort of rhythm to it or something. So, he made up a song about farting, pooping and peeing. The mind of a 6-year-old is so complex.

I'm pretty sure my 2-year-old is cussing. She says, "D*** it." I have no idea where she learned it. We honest to goodness don't say words like that. They don't watch shows that have naughty words in it. It's actually really funny. I have to tell myself not to laugh.

And my sweet 4-year-old is just doing amazing. His gross motor is improving so much. He LOVES soccer now. He goes on the field by himself and smiles and laughs. I'm so very proud of him and am loving watching God move in his little body.

We just celebrated Jared's 31st birthday. It's hard to believe that I've loved him since he was 16. Oh my... time flies.

Confident of His Goodness,
Lela

Pop Goes the Weasel.

One of the reasons it takes me a few weeks in between blog updates is because I drive myself crazy thinking of what I want to write about. Do I want to go deep, do I want to just do a random update on how funny my kids are... blah, blah, blah - you get the picture. Once I think of something that makes me really excited to write about, I'll usually run with it.

So here is where I have landed today.

Of course I love my family and my passion in life are my kids and my husband. I have devoted my entire being to them. That is something that I am really proud of and truly what makes me, me.

However, there are other things in life that I really enjoy. So here are a few of my favorite things...

PUGS

In case, you haven't figured it out yet. I love pugs. I even have entire board in pinterest dedicated to my love for pugs. If I happen to see one, I'll go out of my way to say "hello" and introduce myself. One day, when my kids are grown - I'd like to operate a pug rescue.

STARBUCKS

Need I say more? No.

EASTER

Thank you pinterest for the cake idea. I love Easter. It's my favorite holiday!! 

Besides Easter, I enjoy celebrating just about anything. I get tired of the same 'ole thing everyday and when given an opportunity to party or celebrate (especially our Risen King) - I'm all about it.

GARAGE SALES

I am a total nerd and I love garage sales. I enjoy going to them but more importantly I love having them. I love getting rid of clutter and spending hours organizing my junk - but more importantly - I love that people pay me money for me to have clean closets. I mean - come on - can it get any better?

PAMPERED CHEF

I won this at a Pampered Chef party that I went to last week. Do you have any idea how long I have wanted these bowls? Years!!! I try and host a party every year. I love getting free products. But most importantly, I love cooking with Pampered Chef.

A Good DIY Project

This was my latest DIY project. I whited washed my brick fireplace, applied a glaze, painted the fireplace insert and the mantel. I never can remember to take before pictures. Always too excited to get started. I like the feeling of accomplishment that the finished project gives me.

And lastly - the highlight of my week - something that I always look forward to....

MY LIFE GIVING AND AMAZING CHURCH,

LIFECHURCH OF BARTLESVILLE

I love my family at LifeChurch. I love all the little kids at LifeChurch. I love my Pastors, Mark and Linda. And all the other people there that keep the place running. I love my life group and my new friends that I have made there.

God is doing awesome things at my church and I am so excited to apart of it.

We held 2 services Easter Weekend at the Community Center. We had just under 1900 people in attendance. Somewhere around 200 first time visitors and over 300 people gave or recommitted their lives to Christ. Can you believe it? How awesome is that? Very!!!!!

As always, thank you for reading. I enjoy writing when I have the time and a good idea. :) Hope you enjoy reading.

Confident of His Goodness,

Lela

Noah, was he crazy or what?!

One of the reasons that I didn't blog for several months is because I was knee deep in a study of healing. I was learning so much and taking in so much information - but couldn't form a complete sentence on exactly what it was that God was teaching me. So, one tiny book about healing and countless nights of me reading the word to discover what God had to say about healing - here is where my heart is.

I could talk for hours about why I believe my son will be healed - but it boils down to this piece of scripture.

Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (NIV)

and my favorite version (NLT)...

Faith is the confidence of what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance of things we cannot see.

I don't know when we will see Jet fully healed. I wish I did, but I don't. My hearts desire is to see my son blossom and to hear his sweet voice. God's word says that if we delight ourselves in the Lord, that He will give us the desires of heart (Psalm 37:4). And you what, I believe His word is the truth and I know that my God will not disappoint.

In all honesty - it is difficult to believe that our son will be healed. But His word says that it has already happened (Isaiah 53:5 - But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed) and even though we can not see it with our eyes - one day we will. One day I will hear Jet's voice. One day, things will not be as challenging as they are for him right now. One day to the amazement of all us - his body will be whole.

I don't believe that Jet's "current condition" is God's perfect will. We live in a fallen world and crap happens. Satan came to kill, steal and destroy. Jesus came to give us life in abundance. However, because our God is so good and because He loves us so much - to all of evil's dismay - He will use Jet's chromosome duplication and cerebral palsy to show all of us that He is still a God that Heals!!! 

Can I hear an Amen!!!???

Confident of His Goodness,

Lela

Merry Christmas... Oh No, wait a second... Happy St. Patrick's Day!

First of all, I'm sorry I bailed on blogging. I found Pinterest and have been stuck there for the past 3 months. Second of all, thank you very kindly to all my friends that asked, "why haven't you been blogging?" That makes me feel very special.

I'll do both of us a favor and not recap the past 3 months. Quite frankly, I don't remember it anyway. Ha!

However, there is something that has been life changing and I will dive deeper in another post. A few weeks before Christmas we had one of our pastors and a few others in our amazing church lay hands on Jet. We are believing that God is going to heal him. Pastor Linda said to be watching for his healing to take place. One of the first areas that has been healed is his gluten intolerance. That's right... Jet has been eating Gluten for a couple of months now. You have no idea how huge this is for our family. It's beyond words.

Let's talk about today.

Jet and Will both had their first soccer games. And it was such a bittersweet afternoon. Will did awesome, of course. He had a tremendous amount of fun and we all had a lot of fun cheering him on from the side lines.

Jet's practices have been difficult on so many levels. Once again, too deep to go there this very minute.
I knew the game would be hard for him because he's NEVER been in that type of situation. The coach and I had a discussion about what I thought the first game would like for Jet and I honestly told him that I had no idea because this was so new for him.

He was terrified. He didn't know what to do. He was crying. He was confused. It was awful and heartbreaking to say the very least. Will tried telling him he'd do okay. Anabella was bringing him his water bottle to try to make his tears go away. And then finally, God showed His Grace once again. The coach from the opposite team said "come on in with him." Thank you so very much coach that I don't know. You made a very difficult situation bearable. I didn't want to go in with him, so I sent my first born in with him.

I can not put into words how proud of Will I was. He held his hand and took him up and down the field. He showed restraint in not kicking the ball when it landed right in front of him but encouraged his brother to kick the ball. He let go of his hand to give him independence when he found it necessary, but took it back when his brother wasn't sure which direction to go.

Will showed a tremendous depth of character today. He saved the day!!! I love you Will.

Confident of His Goodness,

Lela