Precious Questions

"Does God laugh, Mommy?" "Did God wear work gloves when he made the world, Mommy?"
And of course, "How many more days until we go to Idaho?" And then there's this one, "When Daisy gets grown up, can we give her away and get a new pet like a bird or a kitty?" I said, "We will keep Daisy until she dies. And yes, someday we might get another pet." Phoebe: "Oh, good, then when I die and go to heaven, I can see her there!" (Do I need to touch this theological mammoth...I don't think so!) Anyway, this is the age I would freeze Phoebe in if I could. She is a wonder, and ever saying adorable things.

The girls are packed for Idaho!!

And the Littlest Shall Lead Them!

First thing this morning Phoebe and Ellie came to me to show me that they had packed for our trip to Idaho. They had these cute little backpacks that Gran gave them for their birthday, for their baby stuff, and had put in jammies and clothes and underwear (I think just one pair of each because the packs weren't very full). And declared themselves Ready! Actually, Phoebe had pre-packed the other day, so I think she inspired the packing this morning for Ellie. Everything these days seems to be about getting to Id and our sweet family and friends there. Things remind us of people we love, the girls only want to wear or play with special things that are from someone that they love. "I need the jammies from Nana." "Who is this FROM, Mommy?" "Do you know why I am sleeping with this toy? Because it is special to me, from Gran." And they are renaming all of their special toys with family names. In anticipation of being able to hug our family, the girls walk around hugging the toys from them. If you all could feel the loving being shed upon the toys...!

"Light is sweet, and it pleases the eyes to see the sun." Ecc.11:7

....EXCEPT when you have been to the eye doctor and he dilates your eyes so that sunlight is so bright that you are expecting searing pain at any moment.
I recently went for an eye exam to have my prescription adjusted and I actually chuckled out loud and had to explain myself because of a comedian's routine about visiting the eye doctor and having to choose between the two 'different' views which start to all look the same! The comedian is Brian Regan and he is HILARIOUS, if you haven't heard of him, you need to! (http://www.brianregan.com/)
Everyone we have listened to him with has belly laughed, he is really funny, without being nasty or crude. Our children love him also and can quote him, Nate can impersoNATE him very well. :)

"We do not remember days, we remember moments. Make each moment worth remembering."

Counting down until MT Macs depart MT ~Destination: Idaho family and Friends!

~~2 days~~

Pip, pip and CHEERIO!!!

We started the day with plenty of CHEER and didn't go bananas, but did eat some! We had some fun, gathered up our school things and said, "Cheerio", CHEERfully, as we headed off for a short day of school before Thanksgiving vacation. ~~
Although we MISS our precious family mightily, we are thankful to be going to see them for Christmas, Lord willing. And we are thankful for kind friends giving us invites for tomorrow's feast. We are looking forward to some fun and sweet fellowship with the Beautiful, Bountiful, Beloved Bantas! (THX Bantas!)

John and I

Here's a brand new photo of John and I! And of course, Daisy May Flower, aka Billy Goat, Lazy Daisy, and sometimes we even call her Daisy- Doofus, but with a sweet voice! Isn't she adorable!

"A Mom's Life", Delia Ephron

Okay, another excerpt and I hope I am not driving y'all crazy because I don't know if I can stop! :)
This one gave me a LAUGH...so I am not the only one who's day goes like this? No wonder there are times when I am sick of the sound of my own voice!!
"Take your plate into the kitchen, please.
Take it downstairs when you go.
Don't leave it there, take it upstairs.
Is that yours?
I'm talking to you.
Just a minute, please, can't you see I'm talking?
I said, don't interrupt.
Did you brush your teeth?
What are you doing out of bed?
Go back to bed.
You can't watch in the afternoon.
What do you mean, there's nothing to do?
Go outside.
Read a book.
Turn it down.
Get off the phone.
Tell your friend you'll call her back. Right now!
Hello, she is not home.
She is still not home.
She'll call you when she gets home.
Take a jacket. Take a sweater.
Take one anyway.
Someone left his shoes in front of the TV.
Get the toys out of the hall.
Get the toys out of the bathtub.
Get the toys off of the stairs.
Do you realize that could kill someone?!
Hurry up.
Hurry up. Everyone's waiting.
I'll count to ten and then we are going without you.
Did you go to the bathroom?
If you don't go, you're not going.
I mean it.
Why didn't you go before we left?
Can you hold it?
What's going on back there?
Stop it!
I said, Stop it!
I don't want to hear about it.
Stop it or I'm taking you home right now.
That's it, we're going home.
Give me a kiss.
I need a hug.

That cracks me up! Some we don't have yet and we could a add a few, but - TOO Funny!

Anyone need any suggestions for Christmas gifts...? How many times do we shower the children with gifts and they have more fun with the boxes and tissue paper that the gifts came in? HA! ~~Here's Phoebe's latest obsession. It's a taxi, and she guards it with THE LOOK. No, no, I can hear you all shaking your heads at me, "Who, Phoebe?! A LOOK? No, surely not!" I know it is difficult for you to believe, but she is very aptly described as Beauty AND the Beast! As you can see, Daisy is the passenger, unwilling and yet without a choice. The will of the beautiful Beast shall be done, as beloved Daisy is, alas, just a pet and she has very little say in her destiny! And I say, what good is a pet that doesn't snuggle with the boys and play house (or taxi) with the girls!! As you can see, I have very little sympathy for the pet's plight!

Picture A, B, or C...cast your vote as to how you think John will be spending his birthday! If you chose A,B,or C, you are Right! There he is, the birthday boy...Ellie said, Daddy it's really sad how you have to have a hurt leg on your birthday. He said, oh, it's okay, I was planning on spending my birthday just relaxing anyway.

How precious are baby feet!!
And here are our niece and nephew, little Anna Marie and her big brother, Isaac Gracin McNamara. Family is a blessed thing!! Love you! xoxo

Here is the McNamara family, August 2007. We met up just outside of Yellowstone in Island Park, ID. We had SO much fun.

Here is my beautiful niece, Madisen Bailey Cirell, age 7. Love you, Madi!! xoxoxo
Hope a new pic of her little bro, Mason, is on the way!?!!

I read this on another blog and it really touched me...wanted to share it!

I’m invisible…….

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I’m on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I’m thinking, “Can’t you see I’m on the phone?”

Obviously not. No one can see if I’m on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I’m invisible.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?

Some days I’m not a pair of hands; I’m not even a human being. I’m a clock to ask, “What time is it?” I’m a satellite guide to answer, “What number is the Disney Channel?” I’m a car to order, “Pick me up right around 5:30, please.”

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude -but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again.

She’s going … she’s going … she’s gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress;it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, “I brought you this.”

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn’t exactly sure why she’d given it to me until I read her inscription: “To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.”

In the days ahead I would read — no, devour — the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals– we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, “Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.”

And the workman replied, “Because God sees.”

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, “I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you’ve done, no sequin you’ve sewn on, no cupcake you’ve baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can’t see right now what it will become.”

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don’t want my son to tell the friend he’s bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, “My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand-bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.” That would mean I’d built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home.

And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, “You’re gonna love it there.”

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we’re doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Revelation Dance

Jacob admitted to me on the way to the cast removal appt. that he was excited...and a little scared. The Dr reassured him that the blade of the saw does not turn it just vibrates and it won't hurt, just tickle.
Aaannd...TA-DA! Whew! All healed up! It's a little stiff and tips slightly to the right, the x-ray looked good. A little follow up taping and one more check-up in 4 weeks and this medical landmark for our family will be in the past!

Here they are! Phoebe ballerina princess fairy, Ellie was Cinderella during the day and Sleeping Beauty at night, so she covered two princesses in one day. Nate is Man on Vacation. :) And I don't know what the Web-slinger was up to when we caught him in our family pic! Fighting crime, I assume, except we haven't seen the 3rd Spiderman yet, and it seems like the black Spidey is a bit twisted! John wore the wig all day working at a house on Main Street, he said he got much attention, and then he got more attention at Awana, which ,those of us who know and love John know, attention is what he LOVES! So, job well done!!

Here is Ellie and two sweet friends, Sydney on the left, and Bailey on the right. Three beautiful girls!

We are all excited! Yesterday, the Missoula Children's Theatre was here. They held auditions for a production of The Little Mermaid. Jacob and Ellie auditioned and got parts! Ellie is part of a group of seahorses and Jacob is one of the town criers. Only 1st grade and up, Phoebe was very disappointed. Nate prefers only to ham it up in front of those he knows, but he knew a couple of the ones who signed up to be assistant directors and thought maybe he would try that next year. His Reading class is learning a play right now and he is the narrator and he likes the idea of being a stage hand. SO, this week we will be busy with rehearsals and Saturday there will be two performances of the play! FUN! FUN! FUN! More to follow...and pictures, COMING SOON!

My Wish, Rascal Flatts

I know this song isn't really doctrinally sound, but I do love this song and pray most of it for so many of YOU! Love you!~Adrian (scroll down to listen to it from my playlist!)

I hope the days come easy and the moments pass slow,
and each road leads you where you wanna go,
and if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose,
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.
And if one door opens to another door closed,
I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window,
if it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile.
But more than anything, more than anything...

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
your dreams stay big, your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
and while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

I hope you never look back, but you never forget,
all the ones who love you, in the place you left,
I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,
and you help somebody every chance you get,
Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,
and always give more than you take.
But More than anything, yeah, more than anything...

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
your dreams stay big, your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
and while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish. Yeah.

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
your dreams stay big, your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
and while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

"Tag ~ MeMe"

We have been tagged ~ this means a friend, my sweet and precious friend, Vicki, has named us in her blog to answer the request she was tagged to answer! This Tag was to tell seven true things about ourselves.
So, let's see...
1) We love to watch movies repeatedly and then quote them to each other.
2)I, Adrian, am a 70's music junkie. It is like a happy pill to me. John groans,I get giddy.
3) John likes 80's music, and any junk food, calls his pop 'soda', spoils me, loves working with his hands, can name any car year, make and model in about three seconds and is a Chicago Bears die hard fan (he was born there and his Dad was born and raised there).
4) John and I did not get to go to our senior prom together because he wanted to go with someone who wasn't just a friend, but someone he might have a future with! HA!(No, we had not begun to date yet, yes- i already loved him and wanted to marry him)
5)I LOVE CALVIN AND HOBBES, it makes me belly laugh!!!!!
6)I played the violin from 3rd grade through 8th grade and now dream of brushing back up on it and being able to play with an orchestra!
7)John's truth offered for the list is that he is the most easy-going person you could ever meet. True! While I can't say I have always appreciated this character trait, I am thankful for it and do believe it is the only explanation for his being able to put up with me all these years!! TRUE!
And for my tagging, my friends and family who do not yet blog, can please enter their tag here under mine in comments!(or let me know where yours will be!) :) Tag~ Jamie Treu, Stephanie, Sheri, my Mom, Mike and Amber, MomMom.

Pumpkins!

We visited the "pumpkin patch" (with a big blue A over it) today. We...well, I, the chil'ns didn't say a word, I miss our past trips with friends to the (real) pumpkin patch to pick our pumpkins! And yet... This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!! Psalm 118:24
Our love to you!

The Cast

And there he is, with cast! This morning when I said here is a new bag for your cast when you shower next, this evening or in the morning, he said he doesn't want to take another shower until his cast is off! HA! Hey, he's nine years old, what do you expect?! October 2007

Girls and Daddy

The girls got out one Saturday morning and got some soccer practice in with Daddy. September 2007

Fall with Phoebe

Who doesn't love Fall!?

Today, Phoebe stayed with dear friends while I helped at Jacob and Ellie's school with picture day. My sweet and, I have to add, talented friend, Vicki Banta took some of the most wonderful, beautiful pictures of Phoebe! They are precious and heart-warming!
Thank you, Vicki!

John and his bros!

John, Mike, the Middle Child!(he insisted on sitting in the middle b/c he is the middle child), and Jakey, the Baby :)

Grandchildren & Grandparents ~August 2007

Our kids and their cousin Isaac with Gran and DadDad. In August we met up with our family in Island Park. Yeah!

Ellie

Here is the bright and beautiful Ellie, after haircut, she has since lost that other front tooth!

Family Picture...Fall 2005

This is small, but if you click on it, you get the huge version!

Latest News

Jacob and Ellie are/were in soccer. I say were b/c Jacob fractured his fourth finger on his right hand and is now in a cast, unable to participate the last week or so. He was really enjoying it though. And a flyer just came home for basketball...of course he wants to play, but we will have to see when the cast will be coming off.
Ellie loves soccer. She has the potential to be a great player, she also has the potential to star in her own daydream right in the middle of the game! And she isn't thrilled with the boyishness of the soccer clothes, so if she plays next year we will looking for pink/sparkled soccer socks, pads, ball, etc! Hmmm...
John has been working 4 ten hour days for a few weeks now. They have been in landscaping season since about mid-July. They will continue until the ground freezes. He likes it, but it is physically exhausting. We have begun to count down to Christmas, all are anxious to hug on our family and friends in ID!
I have been enjoying one more year with Phoebe before she enters Kindergarten. We don't know yet about next year, in regards to public school vs. home school. This year is going well, praise God. Phoebe and I get to help in Jacob and Ellie's classes and help at the library. We also are enjoying Story Hour at the Library and have made some new friends. We found an Awana club that just started up last year and even joined it late last year. This year I am co-directing Cubbies with a dear, sweet friend God has blessed me with here! And in a Women's Bible study. And surprisingly, find myself leading a Moms In Touch Int'l prayer group, praise God. So, I didn't know how I was going to fill the time with the children in public school, but we are very busy! Oh! I even applied for substituting to fill in for the librarian at Nate's school one day, which I found very enjoyable!! Maybe an idea for the future...

The Pheebs

There she is...Phoebe. The cherry on top...how can I put her into words? She comes like a thief in the night and steals the hearts of all who meet her. She is precious and sweet, she is Beauty and The Beast! What new parenting conundrums can come at you with number four? Ohhh, baby, she's a whole new ball game. She is amazing, smart little cookie, yet still wants to be held. Beautiful.

Ellie in a nutshell!

This picture is worth a thousand words! She adores her Daddy and he adores her. She loves to play princess and be the Beauty, but see the twinkle in her eye...and the TOAD in her hand! She is by no means a sissy-girl (like her mom!), she wants to know what the boys are doing so she can join them if it sounds like fun! And she is one of those pretty girls who is not afriad to look or act silly, eyes crossed and all! She will do it for The Laugh! (Her Daddy's daughter!)

The Cubster

Jacob Anthony, some call him Jake, I like to call him Cub. Short for Cubbie, which was a little ditty when he was a baby....Cubbie Wubbie was a bear. Cubbie Wubbie had re-e-ed hair! Cubbie Wubbie was a cutie, yes, he was, yes, he was!! Hey, babies love that stuff! In fact, he still gets a huge grin on his face when I say that! Jacob absolutely wants to be a comedian when he grows up, thankfully we have moved out of the made-up jokes era...that was a little rough. He is so happy to make me laugh, and he is developing a great sense of humor! He also has a tender heart and enough energy to some day Save The World!

Nate-nate-bo-bate

This picture is also not the most recent, but here he is...the Nate-man. He, along with his siblings, have followed in their father's footsteps, and love to make people laugh! Although he is, at this stage enjoying being a source of irritation to his dad, I think he is quite hilarious and get a kick out of him! He really enjoys reading and also taking piano lessons. Right now, he and his brother are planning to be stand-up comedians, but he also wants to work in the greenhouse business. ;) Hmmm, he used to want to be a computer tech....where could he be getting these ideas?

About 2005?

Okay, there they are! This picture is about...1 1/2 years old, but I'm working on it!