Rocky the class bear

"Mommy maybe today I will be the star student." Maybe baby, but if not, there is always next week. This was mine and Ashers conversation EVERY Friday, for about the last two months. So this Friday as we walked, he was excited in anticipation of who would be star student. As I walked to my car, I pleaded with Jesus, will you please grant my son the desires of his heart.

See, Noah doesn't care about the title of star student,  all he wanted was the privilege of taking "Rocky" (the class bear) home for the weekend. I have to be honest every Friday, when I go to pick him up and the door flies open with another child holding Rocky, my heart breaks.  Knowing how desperately he wanted that bear and would need to wait another week.

Three weeks ago, I told my husband, I hope this is the week. He said "hon, its teaching him Patience and waiting on the Lord for his time." I said " Really its just a bear, I hope she isn't going in alphabetical order." And that my friends is why he is a better parent than I :/....  I think is teaching me something too!

Friday, I waited outside Noah's class for him to come out. Before the door even had a chance to open, through the tinted glass I saw nothing but a huge smile behind a big ol fur ball. I know that smile. And so it was before the door had the opportunity to open, he was already telling it to the world he was the star student.

Finally Lord... Thank you Jesus,  You have answered even the smallest prayer. So here is the deal, Rocky is supposed to hang out with the family for the weekend, and you are to document all you did with him and take pictures. Driving home , I glanced through the rear view mirror taking notice of the three "bears" in the back seat and I had to laugh. Here is what I was thinking. First, I hope this bear was washed, cuzz he has been around a few houses. Next how can this bear be a teachable moment to our family. And the best you ready.... wait for it..... I wasn't going to be home most of the weekend so, daddy had the luxury of carting this big old bear around. I could not have planned it better.

Noah took to rocky like immediately, it was actually quite odd how much he "REALLY" took care of this guy. He wanted to dress it, feed it, sing to it, and I have to admit I almost bought into this thing almost being a real visitor. I was gone like ALL day Saturday, and daddy had planned before he knew about the visitor to take the kids to a movie and lunch. When I told him he HAD to take Rocky, he looked at me and said "of all weekends, really?" To comfort him I said " Its Gods, perfect timing." Boom! Take that Holiness homie!

Daddy was so perfect, taking them all to the movies and lunch in. the. RAIN! He even used an umbrella and said he knocked a few people trying to get them all seated in the theater. Dads were staring at him, and one even gave him the " Brother, I feel you nod." Hahah Actually I give him BIG props, because I would have left rocky in the car, seriously!

Movies - Wreak it Ralph

This morning, as I was strapping Noah in the car to leave for church, glancing over to Rocky sitting next to him, the Lord spoke. Here was our conversation...

"Noah, do you know what Rocky is?"
"Yes a bear"
"Yes but since Rocky is not staying with us he is a visitor, do you know what we do when we have visitors stay with us?"
(blank stares from both kids)
"um, sleep with them, mommy?"
"Um ok that would be fornication" (what I thought) but what I really said was.... "Son when you have a visitor stay at your house, you host them. You serve them, you feed them, clothe them if they need clothes, you give them blankets to sleep, you ask them if they want something to drink. You serve them."
" Oh and take them to the movies to?"
"Sure, you make sure to put their needs before yours, and when they leave, you thank God that you had the opportunity to serve them."

Tonight as we were laying the boys down for bed. I asked Noah what God taught him about having Rocky in our home. He said, " I learned to serve." I asked him, "why do we serve?" He said "because we love people." I said "why do we love people?" he said "because we have Jesus in our heart."

WOW.. Really? Friends it is that simple.. Seriously we sometimes complicate the gospel and how we are to live and love, but it is just that simple.

Yesterday I was with a group of ladies, and we talked about the very same thing about loving our neighbors and service! The Lord could have not timed it any more perfect to have our little furry friend come visit. You see Rocky became more than just the classroom bear , he became a teachable tool, God used for our family about serving and loving our neighbor..

Here are a few photos that were captured this weekend.

Noah the sugary duck!

His name means comforter. When he was born there was something about him that seemed to just give you a sense of rest or peace.

I'm a little late on this post but going through pictures, I knew I had to blog about this to remember and to look back and not forget. The day before Noah's Christmas break, we were informed that Noah was getting an award. We had no idea what it was, but we were excited.

So there we were sitting in the cafeteria, which by the way seemed way smaller than I remember an elementary cafeteria being. As they filed in with their hands behind their back excited to be outta class I would imagine. When he walked through the door and saw all of us sitting front row, that smile came from ear to ear.

The principle talked about the character counts, that the school had and for the month of November it was "caring" and moments later Noah's name was called.

What I loved so much about this picture, is that when he was called, he looked back at us to give us a thumbs up.. He was so excited. We were proud and a little loud I'm sure.

What we didn't know till that day was that he was getting another award. It was a teachers award for being a "good Samaritan", for helping his teacher and his classmates.

He didn't seem too impressed, he was more excited about doing his little Christmas performance and party. You know you raise your kids and pray that what you are teaching them is sticking. Its times like this that the Lord shows us that they are listening. Giving us hope and encouraging us on this long rough road of parenting.

Straight from the awards assembly we went straight to his class of a little performance and party.

This was a small performance, but here he was saying "the sugary duck began to quack and shake the sugar off his back." The family was saying that for weeks. It was so cute, and he totally got into it. The last photo is my favorite of the day because it is genuine and I love the way he loves to laugh.

"Noah was a just man. Noah was perfect in his generation. Noah walked with God" Genesis 6:9

O Lord may my son walk with you all the days of his life!

Praying with thanksgiving!

Thank you honey for doing the dishes, oh can you please fix the fridge, and when you are done with that can you please clean the bathroom. Thank you, oh and my moms needs help with her car. Also, If you can get to the door that has been broken that I have been asking you to fix.......


How does ths conversation sound to you?

I'm going to write a book, and title it "everything I needed to learn about childlike faith I learned from my kids." The boys love to pray, and sometimes, we are sitting long. Tonite as they individually prayed I was schooled ok that is harsh, but my eyes where opened to what "praying with thanksgiving" looked and sounded like.

You see when they both prayed, they didn't ask for anything. They thanked God for everything from their family, clothes, toys, puppy and even their pastor and church. I stop counting how many times Caleb and Noah said "thank you God" after 20 and I am not joking either.

We never told them how to pray, or "taught" them. We just simply told them to talk to God and thank him for what was in their heart. So like a child they do, thank and thank and thank.... And we sit and allow them to go through EVERYTHING, their heart tells them to, even if it for a dog that is full of batting.

The conversation I opend up this blog to, kinda sounds like my prayers. Not literally, but if I was "talking" to my husband the way I talked to the Lord, it would sound similar to that. My boys reminded me that thanking Him for what we have , should be before any of my request!

Kicking the habit, social media and Siri as our BFF!

I fasted last Friday, only I didn't fast food... I did something much worse, I fasted my smartphones ability to use social media. It's funny how our smart phones are making us dumb. You see as technology get more technical and advances it really leaves us no room to have to think anymore.

Don't believe me, just as Siri, she knows everything. It's sad but siri probally communicates more with it's owner than any other human being. My husband doesn't want to join the social media revolution and it wasn't ever more clear to him it was last week. At a youth workers conference, he sat through studies and workshop as people sat there with their phone glued to their lap, aftaid to miss a tweet, post or instagram picture.

To him he didn't get it, but to me I did. "all things lawful, but all things are not helpful" the bible says. I think social media is good for ministry, good for distant family, advertising etc. but the truth is , to much of it is replacing healthy relationships, become an idol and robbing us of time and blessings.

Friday,  I realized that when I have my nose buried in that phone I am missing the moments I will never get back, the moments of watching my boys play, grow and well be kids. I left my phone on the charger and when I had the urge to pick it up I picked up my bilble. Even if it was only enough to time to read one scripture.

I'm sitting here at Starbucks right now writing watching people meet for coffee and the conversations are in between the phone texting. You don't think you have a problem, try fasting from it, and see if that's truth. It revealed wonders to me.

In other healthy/unhealthy news I am on 9 days of no diet drinks and artificial sweeteners and I have to tell you the detox process wasn't so bad. I do feel much better and hydrated due to more water. May God help us to get healthier in the new year, more to come on that later!

Wasting time, making time & a freight train!

"Hurry... Noah Hurry".. as I glanced back I heard the sound of his tin lunch pail hitting the side of his leg.  His little legs trying to desperately keep up and him gasping for air. "Mommy are we late? Why are we walking so fast?"

The truth is was we were not late, in fact we were early. School doesn't start till 8am and we were racing to make it to the door by 745am. Then he said  "slow down mommy" and in that moment, I needed that reminder.

Walking back to the car, I saw kids casually walking to their classrooms. Talking to friends, laughing looking around and watching the visual breath that was being produced from the coldness of the morning air. In that moment I was jealous, I longed to to walk a slower pace, a pace that is not plagued with what's for dinner, I need to fit running in, I need to get to the market, I need to and on and on and on.

They are simple tasks, surely not enough to make me feel like a freight train trying to get to the next stop.  I got in the car and asked myself, why are you in always in a hurry? And I guess the short answer was this.. Life needs to be busy?

The other day I heard a pastor speak and he said something that totally sat with me. He said this "Don't let life happen to you, let you happen to life." While I am racing to get to my next stop I am missing on the important nuggets that are happening now in the present. The other day I sat at the table looking at a house that needed cleaning, but my heart was prompted to see if a friend was available for coffee.

We sat there and talked for a few hours, never once did I look at the clock. It was such a refreshing time of sweet fellowship and conversation. A conversation that wasn't limited to the amount of characters of a text or status update. My OCD wanted me to stay and clean but my soul longed for more than clean floors.

Tonight It was getting late, and there were lots of things to do before bed. I looked at the boys and instead of the nagging to get pjs on, in the middle of the room we had a dance party. We laughed and I even busted out a kick worm, that I am probably sure I wont move tomorrow. I thought I got pretty high but the concerned look on the boys face tells me that I looked like a lil earth worm that was being dried up by the sun.

Before bed, Asher looked at me and said "mommy that was fun, thank you for dancing with us".  Oh friends, may God help us to slow down. May we just dance in the middle of room in our undies, may we be OK with leaving a dirty house to meet with a friend. May we walk slow to see the beauty that is before us. May we not let the schedules, the to do's and everything in between get in the way of what's important. And that is the people in our lives!

Lets get off the computer, stop with the texts, quit saying lets connect and don't. Lets stop playing phone tag, lets stop being ok with checking in with people on facebook. Lets stop tweeting whats on the heart and share it in person. May instagram not replace the face to face images of each other.

Lets slow down and make time for each other!
Love you all,
Moni