Today is a happy day!

Sixteen years ago today, my eldest daughter Michelle attended a children’s outreach service at our church and at the end she walked the aisle and gave her heart to the Lord Jesus as her Savior & Lord.  I can clearly remember sitting with her in the back of a dimly lit sanctuary along with Dan & her baby sister Amy as we watched a puppet show that shared the simple message of salvation -

1. God loves you more than you can ever know (to the moon & back) & He wants to be your friend
2. You are away from God because of  the  ”bad” things you do
3. God sent Jesus, His only son to the earth to die (take your ”time out” or spankin’) for your sins
4. If you believe in Him and speak out of your mouth that Jesus is your Lord….you will be His friend  & get to live forever!

When they asked the kids to raise their hands if they wanted Jesus…Michelle’s hand shot up with no hesitation and she and her daddy walked to the altar where she prayed.  I was bouncing Amy in the back of the sanctuary with tears of joy rolling down my face as I watched my child trust in my Savior.  Yes…..Oh happy day!

Having myself been raised in a Christian home and never remembering a time that I did not believe in Jesus (although I clearly remember a life changing event as a teenager when I fully committed my life to Him), we wanted to be sure to memorialize this moment for each of our children…knowing that while there would be different levels of knowledge & faith as they grew and matured this would always be the foundational point of their spiritual lives…the moment they first believed.  So we celebrate each and every year the day that they trusted in Jesus for the  first time.  

Today Michelle has a vibrant & strong faith in her Lord that she strives to “live out loud” each day of her life… and nothing brings me greater joy! Oh Happy Day!

Ok, so we don’t “do” Halloween…

Now before you get all stressed out that I am depriving my kids of fun (or candy) I am just a “stick in the mud” or that I am somehow condemning or judging those who do choose to observe Halloween…take a deep breath & RELAX.

1. I really have no opinion on those who observe Halloween in any way they choose (with the exception of doing evil or immoral activities that harm others).  Dress up, don’t dress up. Go to a Halloween party or don’t go to a party.  Call it a fall festival or Trunk or Treat…I have no comments or judgements at all….really!  It is just something that we have chosen to basically ignore as part of our family life.
2. Do not worry that my kids feel deprived or like they have missed out on something special.  Those that know us well…know that the Lambdin household is one ongoing party and that there are multitudes of opportunities for fun!  We dress up many times throughout the year (Daniel has been a cowboy for a month) and in fact we have half of a closet completely devoted to dress up clothes.  There is also plenty of good eating going on in this house (too much if you judge it by my waistline) We even watch “It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown”.
3. I love the fall season – our house is fun & festive with decorations, we eat yummy soups, breads & baked goodies like pies, apple & pumpkin dump cakes, cookies, popcorn balls & more!  We go to Apple Hill & the Pumpkin Patch for special family outings.   Since a “picture paints a thousand words” – look at the fun – these kids don’t look deprived!

Ok, maybe I am a “stick in the mud” for wanting to pass on the stress, cost, time & work of arranging costumes & schedules (I can see how costuming can be fun I just need my creative juices for other endeavours), the temptation and rules to enforce that come with  having WAY too much candy in my home the week after Halloween, fighting the crowds at the church festivals & trying to keep track of my little ones & play games while really wanting to just chat with the adults there, passing out candy to kids with fake blood coming out of their mouths (although I love seeing the cute costumes!) or those who look like they are in their late teens & not even in a costume (or maybe it was a “gang banger” costume)…to name a few of the things I get to avoid by just not participating.

And for those inquiring minds, yes  Dan and I do have personal ideological views on Halloween that have been the foundation of why we choose to ignore this particular holiday. (and I am more than willing to share that with you if you are interested)  How we observe Halloween is just like most Christians observe religious holidays like Ramadan,   Yom Kippur, Vesak or Maha Sivaratri, they simply are not a part of their family life. Or you could compare it to how most Americans do not celebrate other countries national holidays (nor do they even know them for the most part). Halloween is just a another day in our home.

That said…I do feel most people do not know much about Halloween other than the basic – dress up in costumes, trick or treat, or adult Halloween parties. (by the way when did Halloween become such a HUGE adult thing??….back in “the day” it was mostly a kid holiday with a few side adult features…not so much anymore…but I digress) 

Halloween, which should be correctly said as “All Hallows Eve” is the night before All Saints Day, an important day to Christian Catholics, when they pray for those who have passed on from this life. (like Christmas Eve is the night before Christmas day, All Hallows Eve is the night before All Saints Day). For Christian Protestants today is Reformation Day. The Reformation began on October 31, 1517, when German monk Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the Castle Church door in Wittenberg, Germany. This was one of the most influential events of the past 1,000 years.

Martin Luther made a translation of the Bible from Greek and Hebrew into German. Soon all the countries of Europe followed his example by translating the Scriptures into their languages. For the first time in history, the recently invented printing press made the Word of God available to all the people.

So….

•  to my Christian Catholic friends…Blessed All Hallows Eve & All Saints Day!
• to my Christian Protestant friends…Blessed Reformation Day!
• and to all Christians (especially those of us who enjoy living in free countries) may you celebrate with great thanksgiving the fact that the Word of God is in print and as close as your bookshelf, bedroom or computer and that you can read it anytime you choose.  Why not take some time to open up that life changing book and do some reading today and everyday?

I grew up in a family who ate dinner together….

at the table…

with the TV turned OFF…

every night…

at 6pm. 

My Mom and Dad raised four children who were active, healthy, drug, alcohol & tobacco free, high academic achievers, student leaders with solid moral standards and a strong Christian faith.  Now while I don’t think that eating dinner together regularly guarantees you parenting success, the statistics are pretty convincing that this sacred ritual is something worth making a priority in our homes.

Research by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University consistently finds the more often children eat dinner with their families:

• The less likely they are to smoke, drink or use illegal drugs  (100 – 191% less likely)
• The less likely they are to have sex at young ages
• They are at lower risk for thoughts of suicide and depression
• They are more emotionally content and have fewer behavior problems
• They have healthier eating habits
• They do better in school  (academic performance went up 38%)
• They are more likely to talk to their parents about a problem (40% more likely)

 And yet even with all these powerfully convincing statistics – I have found that many of my friends simply can’t seem to make it happen for their families.  We do live in a different world than the 60’s & 70’s when my parents were raising their family.  So many things have changed and there are so many challenges as well as activities “eating up” our time.

• Many families have two working parents and are exhausted at the days end and trying to get a meal on the table and sit down together is overwhelming (I wrote a post last fall that might help this challenge – you can read it here)
• Many families are split up – putting an amazing amount of pressure on the single parent as well as often times having the children going back & forth between two households
• Many parents are working “odd” shifts” – swing shift or graveyard making it hard to share a meal together
• Many children are involved in after school activities, clubs, sports, church youth groups etc… (and parents are transporting them to these activities, coaching or chaperoning) often making it a logistical nightmare trying to get everyone together
• Even the parents have a long list of volunteer activities, book clubs, ladies & guys nights out, Bible studies and even home based businesses that take up night time hours

And yet…I believe if we really want to make it happen we can and we will!

This fall is especially challenging in the Lambdin household as we have three girls playing on soccer teams with varying practice schedules each weekday in the late afternoon/early evening, the high school girls are on the school volleyball team coached by their Daddy and that carload does not walk through the door before 6pm.  The first time we are actually all in the house consistently each evening is at 8pm.  Now that might work in a family without little ones….but my two year old is simply not going to wait to eat dinner that late (besides my metabolism won’t work as well eating a full meal at 8pm). 

As I began to work on our fall calendar this past weekend and realized our current dilemma I began to feel a bit frustrated that our schedules at this season of life are so complicated (you mommy’s of wee ones – be thankful for the less complicated season – hard, yes – but scheduling logistics, much simpler!).  I immediately began to brainstorm our options that would still give us time to sit down & take in a meal together -

• 8pm dinners - NO,  for the reasons stated above
• Give it up and just settle for dinner together on the weekends - NO, I am not the “settling” type of gal
• Have a family breakfast together instead – NO, this would have to happen at 6:30am which means the high school girls & Dan would have to get up 30 minutes earlier than they already do, I would have to get up really early to prepare and mornings are not my best friend, not too mention dragging the 2 year old & 6 year olds out of bed would be a disaster

That is when I came up with this idea.   I will have dinner ready & out in the kitchen for the family to grab and eat from 4:30pm – 6:30pm.  Crock pot type meals that can stay warm and be ready to eat when needed.  (I welcome crock pot recipees – do share!) Paper plates or bowls for easy self clean up. They can eat at the table, at the desk doing homework, in the kitchen or while watching a DVD. They can eat by themselves or with whomever is around at their personal dinner time.  Then around 8pm every night we will all sit around the set table, candles lit, dinner music playing and have a light snack together with coffee or hot tea.  We will alternate between fruit & nuts, cheese/dips & crackers, light appetizers and desserts.  We will offer our prayers & blessing on the food, share stories of the day and enjoy sweet fellowship with the family.

We began last night as this is our first week of the craziness of our fall schedule and will continue this routine Monday through Thursdays (yay for weekend dinners together at 6pm!) until mid November when soccer and volleyball come to an end.  It was a perfect solution and everyone loved it!

Let me encourage you to make taking in a family meal together a real priority! (at the table, with the TV off  –> nice dishes, candles & music are a bonus!) If it helps even a little to keep your kids healthy, off drugs, not depressed, academic achievers with fewer behavior problems as well as more likely to talk to you – it is worth the effort…don’t you think?  Besides it is so enjoyable to spend time with those you love and the memories are priceless!

  Yes….where there is a will…there is a way!

Today is Palm Sunday….the day set aside to remember the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. It marks the beginning of Holy Week for Christians around the world.  Holy Week that culminates in the observance of Christ’s death on the cross (Good Friday) and His amazing resurrection (Easter Sunday) is truly the foundation of Christianity and my faith.

I hope and pray that Christians who are reading this blog will be purposeful this week to use it as a time of remembrance, observation, teaching, training & celebration.  If you want or need some ideas or inspiration I blogged last year about all of our Lent, Holy Week & Easter family traditions here – Easter Season - there are 12 different entries that may inspire you.

This afternoon after church we began our Holy Week observances with our traditional Palm Sunday celebration (for details read here).  We enjoyed a yummy brunch before reading the scriptural account of Jesus entering the city of Jerusalem, singing the song “Hosanna” and blowing out the first of six candles that will remain burning until Good Friday at noon.  Here are some photos of our Palm Sunday celebration.

The girls (minus Michelle who is carrying on the traditions in Apartment 7B6 in New York), Daniel and our friend Maddie Hale.

Daniel blows out the first candle of Holy Week.

Having some fun rein-acting the triumphal entry!

I would love to hear about any of your Holy Week traditions….please share with us all.

This past weekend we celebrated a Rite of Passage with my second wonderful daughter Amy. We held a special Mentor Dinner on Friday night and a ceremony on Saturday. It was another amazing and momentous milestone in all of our lives.  This process began 18 months ago at a luncheon for Amy and her eleven mentors. (you can read about that here)  Many of you may not have been reading my blog that long ago so let me catch you up on the “what & why’s” of a Rite of Passage.

What is a Christian Rite of Passage?

 It comes from Jewish roots – the Bat Mitzvah – meaning “daughter of the Commandment”.  In the Jewish community, the Bat Mitzvah is a period of instructing the child in her faith and traditions, culminating in a ceremony that recognizes entrance into adulthood.

 1 Corinthians 13:11 says “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.  When I became a man I put away childish things.”  The Jewish Bat Mitzvah is a strong connecting point for the young woman between faith, traditions, family & the community.

There are four main goals of the Christian Rite of Passage for a young woman:

1. To provide instruction on what  it means to be a godly woman.
2. To create a point in time for the child to accept responsibility for her own spiritual growth. The child will enter into spiritual adulthood and we, as parents, move from being teachers to coaches.
3. To establish mentoring relationships with adults – to teach, encourage and guide their child in their walk with Christ.  They are the child’s accountability team.
4. To extend a parental blessing

We were blessed to stay with Jim & Janet Weidmann several years ago in Colorado. They are the authors of the book – Spiritual Milestones: A guide to celebrating your children’s spiritual passages  and at that time they were completing their daughter’s Rite of Passage.  We were so inspired by them and by this concept and we knew that we would implement this as an important tradition in our family.  I am so thankful that we have done just that as it is truly an awesome program with long lasting and life changing results for our children.

Amy has met for a month long session with each of her mentors going over the the following spiritual disciplines and topics -  Prayer, The Word of God, Evangelism & Missions, Purity, Biblical World View, Outreach & Service, Godly Friendships, Christian Leadership, Marriage, Family & Children.  Her mentors ranged in age from 19 (her sister Michelle) to 60+ and were both single and married.  They were women who were hand picked because of their commitment to the Lord, strong faith, different gifts and personalities and desire to be an influence in Amy’s life.

The culmination of her time with her mentors came this weekend as we gathered together just with Amy and these amazing women for a Mentor Dinner on Friday night.  Each of her mentors quizzed her in the subject they met with her on and then their was opportunity for all to share wisdom and insight.  It was truly an incredible night of fellowship, inspiration and challenge for us all.

On Saturday night we hold a very important and special ceremony.  We hold it at the chapel in our church and send out invitations to our family and friends.  It is a “dress up” affair and Amy looked beautiful in her formal dress. 

 The evening program is as follows:

• Welcome - Dan got up and shares the purpose of the Rite of Passage and thanks everyone for sharing in this special time together
• Prayer – The next eldest daughter – Kristen – opens in prayer
• Worship – We had an inspirational time of worship led by our church worship leader – it was heavenly!
• Introduction of Mentors – Amy introduced all her mentors and shared how she knew them & what topic they had discussed
• Mentors Affirmation & Prayer – This is the most touching and meaningful parts of the service as each of her mentors got up & encouraged, exhorted and spoke words of affirmation about dear Amy.  They then prayed a blessing over her. Many tears were shed at this point by both the mentors, Amy, her Dad and me as well as many in the audience.
• Parents Blessing – Dan and I each got up and gave a formal blessing over Amy.  I love this part as I believe that the Lord will truly honor the blessing we each gave her.  Here is my blessing –

Amy, I bless you with………….

• A heart that always seeks after & loves the Lord your God
• Joy and a positive spirit
• Wisdom to make good choices throughout your life
• Physical strength, energy, health & a long life
• Moral courage to always do the right thing
•  Unconditional love
• Great leadership & incredible influence over & favor with  those you lead
• Humility & servant hood
• A close circle of faithful Christian friend
•  A Godly husband who is your friend, beloved & partner in ministry
•  Many Children….Gods gift to us & our future legacy
•    A ministry that will affect the lives of others for all eternity!

• Amy’s Confession of Faith – Amy gave a wonderful message and boldly proclaimed her faith in the Lord and her commitment to serve Him throughout her life. 

• Video Presentation – A video of her life from birth to now – lots of laughter, smiles and tears during this presentation

• Gift & Closing Prayer – We choose to give our child a special gift  of a cross pendant that will always remind them of this milestone in their lives. 

The evening ends with a celebration & dessert reception for everyone.  Here are the pictures from Amy’s Rite of Passage. 

I can not encourage you enough to do a Rite of Passage or something purposeful like this with your children.  If they are still young you have plenty of time to plan and prepare.  If they are already teens or perhaps even about to graduate from high school – you can still pull off something for them signifying their entry into spiritual adulthood and giving them adult mentors who will be there to give instruction, wisdom and accountability.  It is so worth the time, effort and energy you will put into it.

With the next daughter, Kristen just 17 months younger than Amy, we will be starting anotherRite of Passage in just a couple months. (and Rebekah is just right after her…whew!)  And yes at times it seems hard and overwhelming. And no it doesn’t always go smoothly (ALL day last Friday I was at the hospital with my six year old who was getting fluids from IV’s after a week of very high fevers & vomiting – I had the mentors all coming over at 6:30pm for dinner and when I finally arrived home from Kaiser at 4pm – I gave up my perfectionist bent and had the dinner catered and got the house “clean enough”). And yes….it is WORTH it all!

 If you have made it this far in this lengthy post – then you might want to read Amy’s speech from Saturday night (which she wrote  by herself, from her heart and delivered it very well!)

Right of Passage Declaration!

To start off I would like to thank all of you here for coming.

Each one of you here have been individually invited because at some time in my life you have made an impact on me, so I want to thank you for that and for coming and supporting me with this.

 Being mentored by these women of God has meant so much to me. I have really enjoyed getting to know each of them better. They have  supported me a lot these past eighteen months and the only illustration I can think to explain it is this; I have seen it as me dribbling a soccer ball down the field with the goal in front of me, and these ladies are behind me as my defenders. They are pushing me and encouraging me to go forward to my goal, and when I lose control they are right there to kick the ball right back to me and put me right back on track toward my goal again.

 I would like to share with you three things that I have learned:

1. The first was about being hungry for the Word. My whole life I have heard that you need to be hungry for God’s Word. So I would get up every morning and read the bible, but occasionally I would miss a day and then I would go through the entire day feeling guilty for not reading the bible. Then I would have a test and fail it and think, oh man…. if only I had read my Bible, when really I should have studied the night before. I would think the whole day that God was mad at me and punishing me for not reading the Word. But really He’s not mad at me at all. Think about it this way, if you miss a meal during the day you don’t go through the entire day feeling guilty that you didn’t eat! You go through the day yearning to get home and eat something. I learned that I need to start doing that with the Word.
2. The second thing I learned was about defeating the devil with the word. In Matthew chapter four it talks about Jesus being tempted by the devil three times and each time Jesus quotes scripture to him and eventually the devil flees and leaves Him alone. I learned that I need to do that when the devil starts tempting me, which means I need to know the Word to do that.
3. I also learned the importance of forgiving others. God says that we need to be continually forgiving one another. My mentors taught me that when I do something wrong God forgives me but I also need to forgive myself. I’d like to tell you a story about one of my friends who taught me to forgive no matter what! My friend had done something in her past that was wrong but some of her friends and people around her wouldn’t forgive her for it. One night we were talking before she had to leave for college and I told her that I would really miss her when she left, she told me that she would miss me too, but honestly she couldn’t wait to leave and go where were no one knew what she had done. Hearing her say that just broke my heart! The people who would not forgive her were Christians and we are commanded to forgive. Ever since she told me that I have made it my personal goal to try and forgive everyone. This can be hard for me because I like holding grudges and getting revenge!  

One of my teachers told me once that what we do today effects what we do tomorrow and what we do tomorrow effects what we do the next day. What I have done these past eighteen months with my mentors will effect my next eighteen months and my next eighteen months will effect my next years. And no matter where I go I will always remember what these ladies have taught me.

And now I would like to say:

I’m ready now! I’m ready for when the day of evil come so that I can stand against the devils schemes.  I’m armed with the belt of truth buckled around my waist, with the breast plate of righteousness in place, my feet are fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace, I take up the shield of faith with which I can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one, I have the helmet of salvation placed upon my head, and the sword of the spirit which is the Word of God. I declare Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior; I am His servant, ready now and willing to do whatever my Lord asks of me! 

Just a reminder on this 12th Night of Christmas that January 6th is the Epiphany – the celebration of when the Wisemen came.  Even if you don’t have the time, energy or motivation to celebrate with a big Epiphany party at least take a moment to read the account in the book of Matthew 2:1-12 and share with your family what gifts you would like to present to the Lord this year from your life.  It is regular discussions and devotions  like these that help build a firm foundation of faith in your children.

If you want to read about what we do I posted our traditions here.  Just today I also typed out the Indian Shrimp Curry Recipe for anyone interested – it is under the comment section of that post.

We are looking forward to another grand Epiphany Celebration.  I just might post pictures after the event, if you want to come back and see our party!

Here are the photos -

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

The Preamble to The US Constitution

Having just spent a day in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania…the birthplace of the United States of America, I was inspired all over again by the incredible providential history of our awesome nation, the brilliant leaders who were our founding fathers and the eloquent and influential words that have stood the test of time in our Declaration of Independence and Constitution.

As I stood and took this photo of my husband, Dan and my two eldest daughters Michelle and Amy, I was motivated to write on my blog how important it is for us, as mothers and fathers, to instill patriotism in our children by not only teaching them the history of this great nation but also by motivating and influencing them to be actively involved in this constitutional republic. 

We, the people of this great USA, must not only be involved and active in the government of our cities, counties, states and nation ourselves but we must teach and train our children to be involved as well….if we are to secure the blessings of liberty to our posterity!

I will confess that this comes easy to me, as a product of a military family where things involving the government, politics, citizenship and patriotism were a part of our lives growing up. (Ie: My Mom & Dad did a fabulous job of teaching & training their children!)  It also doesn’t hurt that I am a passionate person and am always 100% involved and intense in the things I believe strongly about. I will also admit that during election years I am a bit “obsessed” with the governmental process and often need to pry myself away from election news. (I recently realized that political talk radio was on in my house and car constantly when my five year old daughter asked last week….”Mommy, Who is Joe the Plummer?” )

But even if you are not as passionate as I happen to be, I still believe that it is important to teach your children to be involved in the process.  Here are a few things that we have done with our family:

1. Praying for our country and our leaders.  This is something everyone can do.  Whether it is around the dining room table during your daily meals or at the foot of the bed before saying goodnight, take some time to pray with your children for Gods blessing on our nation and for His direction for our leaders. We always attend a National Day of Prayer Event in May as well.

2. Talk with your children about our nation’s history, our past and present leaders and the governmental process.  Listen to the news or radio during election season and talk with them about the issues.  Don’t assume your children are too young or not interested….you may just be surprised. 

3. Make it come alive by going on “field trips” to historical places and government offices – there is nothing better to fan the flame of their interest and generate enthusiasm than by actually being there.  If you live on the East Coast – you have it made – with multitudes of places to visit but even those of us in other parts of the country can go to our city hall, state capitol or visit a local government official.

Michelle & Amy in front of the Liberty Bell

4. Teach them patriotic songs like Our National Anthem, God Bless America, She’s a Grand Old Flag, Oh Beautiful, My Country Tis of Thee and one of our family favorities – I’m proud to be an American. Music inspires and uplifts but it also is a great teaching tool.  We remember easily things we sing about. (If you don’t think so – just put on a song you listened to decades ago on your youth & see how easy it is to sing every word!)

5. Get them involved in the election process! These pictures tell the story of how I have had my children be involved.  We take a day or two every election season to help distribute campaign materials.  My eldest daughter even was a volunteer for our local Republican Central Committee Office (as an 11 year old!).  This past June my four eldest girls distributed pro-life election literature to local churches.  And as a senior in high school, Michelle volunteered to work at our local polling place.  There are truly multitudes of ways to be involved in the process that don’t take much time at all.

Joy, Grace & Daniel outside of our local Republican Office

Joy helps pick up some lawn signs & bumper stickers to pass out to our friends one afternoon

6. Take your children to the polls with you when you vote.  We have done this many times over the past two decades.  It is a great way to role model voting to your children as well as have some great discussions as to why it is important to vote. (even if you live in a state that is sure to go to a candidate other than who you are voting for – you should still cast your vote)  I share with them often how men and women have fought and died for the right to vote and that we need to be diligent about expressing our freedom by voting.  This year since we will be in New York on election day….we voted absentee for the first time.  This did not stop me from making voting an “experience” for my children!  Here they are mailing off Dan & my ballots last week.

And after this week in Philly, I was inspired to add another idea to the list –

7. Have them memorize some or all of our countries great documents.  As I read the words once again, I decided to have my homeschool age children memorize the Preamble, sections of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence (High school & College age daughters feel free to join us!) And don’t think for a minute that this is too hard for children to accomplish!  Not at all!  I have been amazed as my girls in past years have memorized entire chapters of the Bible, The Apostles Creed as well as countless scripts for plays they have had a part in simply by reading it over once a day! I can’t wait to get started with them.

Here’s to all of us securing the blessings of liberty to our posterity!

May God Bless America

Happy 16th Birthday my dear Amy Girl!

You’re all ribbons and curls,
Oh, what a girl!
Eyes that twinkle and shine,
You’re sixteen,
You’re beautiful and you’re mine.

How quickly those 16 birthdays come and go –

1st birthday – pretty & pink baby girl

2nd Birthday at the Pumpkin Patch

3rd Birthday – you began your love of horses!

4th Birthday – at Chuck E Cheese

5th birthday – my princess

6th Birthday – the magician came to our backyard

7th birthday – another “dress up” party

8th Birthday – celebrating with Daddy for his 40th – a hoedown!

9th Birthday – the camping birthday (when the squirrels ate part of the cake!)

10th Birthday – Decade Day! (and Mom’s pregnant & feeling sick)

11th Birthday – A trip to Florida & South Carolina with Mommy

12th Birthday – The year of the beach boardwalk birthdays!

13th Birthday – Surprise Party!

14th Birthday – the “Nerts” Party

15th Birthday – the low key freshman girls sleepover

And today —

You’re sixteen,
You’re beautiful and you’re mine.

Yes my dear, sweet, special Amy girl!  I love you.

Yesterday was our annual trip to the pumpkin patch - love it!

The day was beautiful (although a bit warm for the end of October) and we enjoyed all of our family traditions – dressing in fall colors, taking lots of beautiful photos, walking through the patch, taking a hay ride, petting the animals, picking wild flowers and eating pumpkin ice cream before coming home to a delicious dinner of chili & cornbread.  Daniel was quite active this year…it is hard to believe that he wasn’t even walking last year at the patch!  He was busy rolling in the hay, throwing dirt, hitting the pumpkins with a stick and devouring as much ice cream and popcorn as he could. Boys! Yes, they are different than girls and I am enjoying every minute.

This is our nineteenth year of going to the pumpkin patch on a fall Friday afternoon in October – why family traditions?

Besides creating wonderful family memories to be looked back on fondly and fabulous photos, it also gives your children a sense of belonging, security & uniqueness.

Belonging – Children have a strong desire to belong to something important. We see this being played out regularly in our society in the negative form of gangs and peer pressure.  By doing family outings they get to experience that sense of belonging & togetherness.

Security- When you go have outings and events that your family participates in on an annual basis it gives children a strong sense of security.  During difficult or tough times or when they are going through major changes emotionally, physically, psychologically or in any area of their lives (ie: going to a new school, moving, joining a new activity) they get that security from knowing some things never change.  It is a warm safe, comforting & reassuring feeling.

Uniqueness – What makes your family special? It is your specific traditions, rituals, activities, events and outings that are unique to your family.  The more you have…the more your children will be connected to your family.  You want your children to enjoy family life and being together.  You want to foster relationships with their siblings. You want them to think…”Wow! Our family is the best”  or “Our family is fun” so that they do not so easily look for “fun” in undesirable activities. Annual outings are a great way to achieve this!

Enjoy the slide show of our day at “the patch”.

This is a tale of two practically perfect days.

A week ago last Friday was our traditional family fall outing to Apple Hill and when I came home that evening I posted my status on my face book account that it was the end of a “practically perfect” day!

We got up early on the first cool crisp morning of the fall…made a quick Starbucks stop for a Pumpkin Spice Latte and we were off.  Highlights -

• touring the historic town of Coloma – I love history!

• panning for gold on the American River

• a delicious picnic lunch  at Apple Hill overlooking the beautiful mountainside and trout pond

• enjoying the fall weather and colors while making memories with my children

• yummy caramel apples

• a leisurely drive down the hill watching the first rain of the season come down on the windshield and blaring music loud in the van while singing along!
• coming home to a warm bowl of cheddar cheese soup with several friends joining around the festive fall candlelit table before heading out to the perfect Friday night activity - a Jim Elliot football game (bonus - they won!) and having my teenage girls want to sit with their Mom and Dad.

• and finally enjoying a freshly baked apple pie ala mode on the couch with Joy – my 5 year old “night girl” (the only one that didn’t “crash” before the pie was done)

I lay down to sleep that night perfectly content that I had enjoyed a thoroughly memorable day with my favorite people on earth doing some of my favorite things and enjoying some of my favorite foods.

The  next “practically perfect” day was last Tuesday when life as I knew it stopped.  Instead of going, going, going from dawn to dusk – homeschooling the girls, driving to and from a multitude of sporting events and practices (we currently have three soccer players, two volleyball players and a cross country runner), tutoring a dear friends son, taking Grace to reading class and Rebekah to play rehearsal (I drive over 75 miles every Tuesday) and in between trying to keep up with my work for Creative Memories, Jim Elliot Christian High School, Cornerstone Co-op Administraton on top of being a Mom/Wife (getting food for all to eat, managing the house and getting in a quick phone call to the college daughter and having a conversation and a goodnight kiss with the dear darling hubby) – everything came to a screeching halt when baby Daniel was in the hospital and my life was quickly pared down to one assignment – being Daniel’s mommy. 

And I have to say despite the staph infection, the hospital surroundings and the lack of sleep it truly was a practically perfect day!

• We cuddled, cuddled and cuddled some more!

•  We ate all our meals together (cooked, delivered & cleaned up by someone else – bonus!). We read books, played ball and watched cartoons together.

• We even chatted on the phone together to big sister in New York.
• And while he napped I read my online devotions and daily Bible reading (that I sometimes try to say I am too busy to read….excuses, excuses) and I prayed.
• My friends took over my life – driving my girls to their practices, tutoring schedules & rehearsals.  They brought me a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks and fed my family delicious home cooked meals.  And everything the “needed” to get done for JECHS, CM and co-op just didn’t happen.  And you know what?  Life went on.

As I laid in the crib/cage that night scrunched up next to my precious little boy I was fully content that my day had been so simple and truly enjoyable - just caring for my son and time with my Lord, a few visits from dear friends, my girls and the love of my life.

You may be thinking – “how can being in the hospital with your very sick child be a practically perfect day?”  It is because I believe that truly is not what happens in your life each and everyday that counts – it is how you view it and how you respond that makes the difference.  I choose to see and live life not through “rose colored glasses” as the saying goes but through the filter of Gods word that says -

“All things work together for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose.”

“This is the day that the Lord has made…Iet us rejoice and be glad in it!”

“In everything give thanks for this is Gods will for you in Christ Jesus.”

“Rejoice in the Lord always again I say rejoice.”

 Two very different days but both practically perfect in many ways.  It is all in how you see it – a lesson we could all take to heart and teach to our children.