she is ready. i am not.

Well, the day has almost arrived.... the day my precious baby girl heads off to Kindergarten. I thought I would do so much better with her being my 2nd child to head off to the abyss of school, but no such luck. She is MORE than ready and can barely contain her excitement. We are confident in our prayers to our God who is always in control and trust that He will continue to take her hand, even when we cannot. I'm counting down the days in my head, knowing that my emotional capacity is very low at this point. Give them wings... right?

our little zo-zo.... my, how you've grown!

Happy 5th Birthday to our most favorite daughter EVER!

Zoey, it's amazing how much you have changed over the last year to become a beautiful and thoughtful young lady. You always clean the house without being asked, are always more concerned about others having a good time than yourself and you always make sure everyone feels welcome wherever you are. You love art, crafts, cooking, cleaning, annoying your brothers, putting Elijah to sleep, carrying Jacob on your back and cuddling with daddy. You always keep your room spotless and help mama with all her responsibilities each and everyday. You want to be a teacher when you grow up, and we know you would be amazing at that! For your birthday you wanted art supplies and "girl" legos. We couldn't be more proud of you if we tried. Your heart for worship challenges us daily and we know God has incredible plans for you, girl!!!

Church Baptism/Picnic

Thank you Auntie Li-Li for all the amazing pictures!

good-bye summer. you have served us well.

What a fun summer!!!

Only complaint is that it went waaaaayyyyy too quickly.

We did so many fun things....

• Zoey took her 1st ballet class and looked so cute in her leotard. She knows all her positions and is extremely flexible.
• Isaac finished his 1st karate lessons and can now defend himself and me from stranger danger. Kiai!
• Zoey learned how to swim and can swim the length of the pool by herself. She loves to swim underwater.
• Isaac can do a full-front-flip on the trampoline, can get to the top of our climbing rope like a navy seal and has mastered the monkey bars.
• Chris put up 3 new swings on our play-scape, so almost all of the kids can pump on their own. No more "underdogs" needed!
• Both Isaac and Zoey can do pretty good cartwheels. Zoey is close to doing it one-handed.
• Jacob is now sleeping without a crib. He can climb in and out of it in record time.
• Elijah is now going on the potty daily. We are not potty-trained yet, but it is in our near future.
• Isaac and Zoey can quote almost all of Ephesians 6.
• Isaac can now vacuum out the pool on his own.

I am going to miss having my days with all 4 of my kiddies. It has been so much fun learning, playing and hanging together. I am excited to have some more individual time with my babies, though, I do have to say. Good-bye summer.... Hello school-time craze!

Here is the video of Isaac (Zoey's didn't come out well due to her brothers screaming.) We missed a verse at the end, but I am so proud of how much he remembered!

there is none like him.

I have a prayer pattern.

I usually am drawn to a particular song throughout the week and get stuck on it when I pray. I end up praying to that particular song over and over... and probably play it over 50 times throughout the week. My kids understand this madness and never complain. In fact, they know most of my prayer songs because of this reason. This is the one that I am stuck on this week...

"None but Jesus" sung by Sean Frizzell

realistic DIYs

Things I have pinned in the last few months:

• How to make a beautiful housekeepers bucket to inspire me while cleaning.
• How to make a burlap mail/picture holder for the foyer.
• How to make my very own scented misters for outdoor parties during the summer.
• How to make my own lunchables for back-2-school and save lots of money.
• How to make my own personalized concrete bookend for my bookshelves.

Things I SHOULD have pinned in the last few months:

• How to thoroughly dispose of broken glass over your entire family room while you have 4 children running around.
• How to properly medicate a 3rd degree burn on your neck and chest area do to a scorching hot chili incident.
• How to keep a 1-year-old busy in a doctors office lobby for over an hour.
• How to remove chocolate hershey sauce from a microfiber couch.
• How to take a shower when your 4 children have taken you hostage and are threatening unsuccessful nap-times for the next week.

our treasures become trash.

Well, it's that time.

Time to rid ourselves of the baby stuff we no longer use.

It's bitter-sweet.

I can't wait to get it out of the house and out of my way, but each milk-stained item served our family well... for all 4 of our children. We are donating most of our stuff and trashing the things that are no longer safe for human touch.

Bub-bye baby stuff.

I want to cheer and cry at the same time.

1st born.

i'm not significant.

I've always struggled with this "significance" issue.

I frequently ask the questions, "Is what I am doing right now making any significance in the Kingdom of God? Am I, Lori, significant in the Kingdom of God, or could anyone do what I am doing, and do it much better?"

I have been stuck in the book of Isaiah for months.

I can't peel my eyes and heart away.

It has spoke to me in ways lately that have been life-saving.

This week I read Isaiah 49, with an emphasis on verse 6.

"Is it too small a thing for you to be my servant..."

 Wow.

Is serving God in any capacity, not significant in itself?

When you are a true servant, isn't your movement and posture of one to make your master more significant?

Just my daily re-focus from God that I wanted to pass along.

that's not typically how it works

when he grows up...

Isaac: My teacher at church tonight asked me what I want to be when I grow up.

Me: What did you say?

Isaac: First I would want to be a hockey player, then a soccer player and then a Lego builder.... but I did tell him that if Jesus didn't want me to be any of those things, then I would do what He wanted me to do...........Mom, why are you looking at me like that? Are you crying?

as my Nonne would say, "arrivederci"

3 things broke this week that were very important to me.

1.) A vase that I gave my grandmother while I was in college. When she became sick, she wrote on the bottom that it should find it's way back to me once she passed away. I heard a crash and ran downstairs to find it in a million little pieces.

2.) An antique glass measuring tablespoon that my grandma had also given to me. It was my grandpas. I'm not sure what he used it for, but it was beautiful and you could tell it was very old. I turned on the garbage disposal to hear broken glass banging around inside. When I stopped and started to pull it out, the rare shade of golden yellow glass immediately sunk my heart.

3.) An old picture of my grandparents. I found it soaking wet inside the frame. (I know we have this picture scanned and will very easily be able to replace it, but the symbolizm of it being destroyed along with the other things my grandparents gave me made me burst out in emotion.)

I'm not a material girl, by any means.

In fact, I care very little about things to the point that it can frustrate my husband and sometimes look careless to others. I've just never had a huge attachment to anything... expensive or cheap. For the most part, I can purge things with ease and give things away without giving it a second thought. There are, however, things I have that remind me of special people... and people I do care about. Nothing this week was destroyed on purpose. I have 2 boys under the age of 3 that are extremely curious and can climb anything... I am starting to get used to letting things go. These particular things were hard to swallow because for at least 2 of them, I will never be able to get them back... which in turn reminds me that I will never be able to get the people back that gave them to me. It's sobering.. but the reality is that these things don't help or hurt the amount of loss I feel when I think about my grandparents. They are just things that remind me of them. So, as I am collecting myself and debriefing myself on this tragedy with my entry to this blog, please be reminded to hug a little longer today... be a little more patient with the people God has graciously place in your life.... hold on to the conversations and laughs you have with your kids, your spouse, and your family... give thanks to God today for allowing you to make moments into memories, even when sometimes those memories turn into tears.

Selah.

The Wonder Dare.

he's just brave.

Ok, so I know the videos of Jake in the pool are starting to get obnoxious, but I still cannot believe that my 1-yr-old is so fearless. By the time I got my camera, he had already done this over a dozen times and kept telling Chris "again! again!" He is unstoppable!

and in all things... session 46

Things I am thankful for on Friday, July 26th, 2013...

1. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
2. LUNA bars- especially Chocolate Dipped Coconut
3. My new portable phone charger (thank you Chris! I think he got tired of my dead phone)
4. My security in God... on days when I have none in myself
5. Bravery
6. Family time in the pool after work
7. Dinner on the outdoor grill
8. Hope
9. Various "just thinking about you" gift cards
10. Back to School Supply shopping... my favorite!!!

"Don't wait up... we will probably be pretty late."

I don't know who was more excited... Zoey or Chris... but tonight was her "daddy date" that she chose for her points. {We have a point system where the kids can do work around the house,beyond their everyday chores, to earn something they want badly}. She had the night all mapped out and was showered, pampered and prepped by noon. I kept telling her daddy wouldn't get home till 6pm, but she still spent 1/2 the day looking out the front window. They are now off on their date and I was told not to wait up.

our lil fishies

To my village....

As parents with 4 young kids we really shouldn't be able to stop our lives, hand over our kids to others and minister for a week at Champions For Life Kids Camp. To be honest, the most humbling part of camp was when we had people look at us all week and say "who took all your kids?"

Well the answer is simple: our kids were taken in by some of the people that love us and love them the most. People that were even more sacrificial than we were... and our hearts are oozing with gratitude. We literally couldn't have done it without you. You not only allowed us the privilege of pouring our lives into foster children who haven't always had families, but you poured unconditional love into our kids for an entire week... we can never thank you enough.

Whenever I hear the phrase "it takes a village to raise a child," I always think "...and I have the best village of all."

Much love to Dad & Mom for taking Isaac and Elijah.... to Matt & Nina and Keri (whose husband was with us at camp) for taking Zoey... and to Nate & April for taking Jacob.

We love you!!!

10,000 reasons.

We've been singing this song all weekend.

It has put a lot of things into perspective.

I caught Zoey singing this and tried to discreetly record her on my phone from the couch. It's moments like this I could name 10,000 reasons off the top of my head.

Reminding ourselves that the adventure is in the vision of the mission.

the brave and adventurous one... the cautious and steady one.

Both of our babies have different personalities.

Elijah is a little more cautious than the rest of our kids, which helps him be the steady and tenacious one. He is the one who is always looking out for everyone else and is concerned if someone isn't around.

Jacob, on the other hand, is our adventurous one. He is daring, fast, and fearless... and the only predictable thing about him is that he will be unpredictable. Today he jumped off the diving board. It took our older kids years to do that. Lord, give us strength....

how old do you have to be to have it all together?

I'm 34 years old.

I have been at my job for over 12 years, been married for almost the same amount of time and have birthed and cared for 4 little humans for over 7 years.

So how is it possible that I can still find myself huddled in a corner in my office with a box of tissue, nursing a hurt feeling?

I thought by now I would have this insecurity in check and would be able to see things for what they really are. I figured I would finally get to a point where I wouldn't jump into emotional distress when someone's opinion of me doesn't live up to who I really strive to be. I counted on the fact that advancement in age would catapult me into a rock solid mental state that would take a natural disaster to break through.

I was wrong.

The reality is that I still have the same struggles I had when I first realized people weren't perfect... that I wasn't perfect.

So what has changed?

I can see more clearly quicker.

I can trust the God who has sat here with me through many boxes of Kleenex and has loved me through my hurt, my insecurities, and even my self-pity. I'm able to pick myself up faster and grab the truth of God's Word, trusting that what God says about me is more important and more vital than anything man has to say about me. I can dry the tears a little more briskly, holding on to hope, to love and to destiny.

So where are you today?

Do you need a reminder of what God says so that you can drown out the words of the world?

Me too.

 1 Peter 2:9

But you are a CHOSEN people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people BELONGING to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who CALLED you out of darkness in to his wonderful light.

Psalm 138:8

The Lord will fulfill his PURPOSE for me; your love, O Lord, endures forever-do not abandon the works of your hands.

Romans 8:14-15

Those who are led by the Spirit of God are SONS of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of SONSHIP. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."

2 Corinthians 1:21-22

Now it is God who makes both us and you STAND FIRM in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of OWNERSHIP on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a DEPOSIT, guaranteeing what is to come.

So now I'm smiling.

Now I'm hoping.

Now I'm trusting.

I'll probably get my feelings hurt again soon, but I know that God is with me on the ride. He doesn't just want to "put me in my place", or "tell me how it is", or make judgements about me. He wants to change me, lead me, deposit into me.... and that's why I trust what He has to say more than anyone else. His thoughts are good towards me, and any harsh reality He brings into my life is to draw me closer to Him, not push me away. What a good God!

The Bunks Summer REACH 2013... Session 1

Each summer we make a list of things we want to do  to REACH out to the people around us. Here are some of our 1st adventures for our summer of 2013:

Donate Coloring Books & Crayons to the Local Children's Hospital

Last year we brought fun band-aids, and it made such an impression on the staff there, that we decided to do something again. This time we chose to bring coloring books and crayons for the children's surgery waiting room. We also got to visit with the therapy dogs while we were there.

 Leave a Special Package for the Mail-Carrier

We left a special treat and thank you note for our Mailman Dave. He even left us a note to thank us for thinking of him.

Bring a Candy Basket to the School Office Ladies
who have to work during the Summer Months.

This one was so much fun because the school was pretty much empty. The ladies LOVED being thought of after school was over and couldn't wait to dig into the special treats we brought them.

Zoey's Preschool Graduation