The M&M Story

Days have flown. Time is disappearing. Deep breath I keep telling myself. School started weeks ago and I have yet to download pictures from my camera of the two snazziest boys I know. Everyone is doing well, though I think they would rather be half day. Both have complained at how looong the day is - oh, honeys, it is only beginning. We've got jobs, allowances, and strict bed times (which I'm currently trying to enforce EVERY night between negotiations). We have soccer practice, homework, and new friends. Ahhhh, elementary school. I used to think it was easier, but I'm not so sure about that - all the kids to filter, work to do, and bosses to manage, sans the mortgage and cost of gas.

The Meme of Fives Game My friends Amy and Deb both tagged me for the Meme of Fives Game. Here goes... How it works: 1. Post the rules of the game at the beginning. 2. Each player answers the questions about themselves. 3. At the end of the post, the player then tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read the player's blog. 4. Let the person who tagged you know when you've posted your answer. What were you doing five years ago? I was a mother of only one. What are five things on your to-do list for today? 1. make lunch for my little peeps 2. finish Sin Boldly 3. work out 4. finish laundry 5. draft baby video What are five snacks you enjoy? 1. almond butter and pretzels 2. apples 3. trail mix, all sorts 4. energy bars 5. grapes What are five things you would do if you were a billionaire? 1. Take a deep breath and smile once again at God's provision 2. Give to

Yesterday as we rode in the car listening to a CD, M pipes up from the back. M: Hey, Mom. I know what that means. S: What are you talking about, buddy? M: The song. It was the VBS CD. The song currently playing, which I assumed was the one he referenced, was "Never Let Go" If I recall the lyrics correctly, they go something like this - "Never Let Go, never let go, oh, Lord, you never let go. Oh, Lord you never let go, thru the calm and thru the storms. Oh, Lord you never let go of me." M: The Lord never let go of Luke. S: (I'm thinking Luke Beachy and trying to guess what in the world he's going to say) Luke who, honey? M: You know, Luke when he was in the snow storm. He was, of course, referencing the great hero, Luke Skywalker, in his near death experience on the remote planet of Hoth. What a little dude. Love that he gets it.

On a swingset, singing to his friend: "Mommy doesn't have to push me anymore. Mommy doesn't have to push me anymore. I can pump! I can pump! I can pump!"

Wow. I can't believe how quickly the glory of summer slips into my memory. I have a stack of photos to load of flickr from our summer. VBS, Colorado, trips to the pool, swimming lessons, play dates at the park, lightening bugs, staying up late, ice cream, bike riding, visiting friends. We've had a good one, filled with laughter and activities and experiences. We've discussed God's Word, seen a ghost town, and hiked through the jungles of St. Louis. Now we move to apples, football games, cozy sweaters, and campfires. The beautiful inns of this life. With school in sight, we've begun to brush up on our math facts and reading and have already purchased new school shoes. M is going to 1st grade and full day! (Deep breath) And B, he's off to JK. Seems like only a moment ago they both had sippy cups and a brand new Piggy and Tiger.

It's been awhile. I'll catch up on our happenings at another time, but a quick note about Briggs. Recently, we went swimming at a friend's house and all of a sudden Briggs comes over to me, in angst, showing me something which looked like a splinter in his hand. He pulled it out and then started wailing. I wasn't sure what was up - splinter in the water? He kept crying, " I have a water poke. I have a water poke." He did calm down, but there was a little spot, small, but a spot resembling a bee sting. And sure enough, a few minutes later, a bee was hovering next to the wall.

A friend recently shared this Puritan prayer with me. I can't get it out of my mind. Christ Is All O lover to the uttermost, May I read the meltings of thy heart to me in the manger of thy birth, in the garden of thy agony, in the cross of thy suffering, in the tomb of thy resurrection, in the heaven of thy intercession. Bold in this thought I defy my adversary, tread down his temptations, resist his schemings, renounce the world, am valiant for truth. Deepen in me a sense of my holy relationship to thee, as spiritual bridegroom, as Jehovah's fellow, as sinners' friend. I think of thy glory and my vileness, thy majesty and my meanness, thy beauty and my deformity, thy purity and my filth, thy righteousness and my iniquity. Thou hast loved me everlastingly, unchangeably, may I love thee as I am loved; Thou hast given thyself for me, may I give myself to thee; Thou hast died for me, may I live to thee, in every moment of my time, in every movement of my mind, in every pulse