My first February post

Do any of you say the word 'Feb-RU-ary' while typing it...just so you don't forget the first 'r'? I can still hear my second grade teacher's voice in my head whenever I am writing the month's full name.







But this post is not about spelling, it's about February. And what a great month it is! My youngest daughter, Kalyna, turned four on the 6th of this month, and I will be turning NOT 6 on the 21st!




We had some family and friends over to celebrate both my girl's birthdays (Annlise turned 8 on Jan. 22) early on this month, so I'm all partied-out. Well, not all partied-out, but mostly.





God has been doing some amazing things in our lives, more specifically, in Alec's life. I hope to one day be able to reflect back on these past few months and share just how God's love has transformed us all through an unexpected ordeal.



Here are some pictures of the Birthday girls!

Puppy love

Literally.

God works in mysterious ways. I have been adamant for the last 10 years that my home will not be occupied by any large animals. I guess God figured I was being a bit too stubborn...and I realize that He was right--again.

Kipper ('Kip' for short) was adopted on January 25 from our local Humane Society. She has already found a lasting place in all of our hearts...and I am grateful for the way she is helping Alec to heal from some of his hurts.

God could not have picked a better behaved puppy for us to love on! She came to us almost fully house-trained, and has the most gentle demeanor I've ever seen in a dog!

At 3.5 months old, she is already nearing 25 pounds....I have a feeling she is not going to be a lap dog when full-grown.

Moving along...

Yikes!

The thing about not writing on my blog very often is that it may give off the impression that I remain feeling as conflicted as my last post indicated.

Which is not the case.

Well, at least I'm not feeling like that all the time....just when the feelings well up inside.

Which they tend to do while I work out my emotions.

And they are working themselves out. In their own time.

Meanwhile, I have an almost-eight-year-old daughter and an almost-four-year-old daughter who are completely and totally addicted to card games. I don't say that lightly. They literally go through withdrawal if they cannot find someone to play 'Go Fish' with them when the mood strikes.

And the mood strikes often.

I made absolutely no New Year's resolutions.....which means that I've already accomplished what I set out to do for 2010: live each day, one moment at a time. Pretty good, huh?

God is always right

I've been struggling with some very real emotions recently. Emotions that make me want to say hurtful things.

In the world's eyes, I'm justified. In fact, in my eyes, I'm justified in carrying out what my emotions want me to do.

However, in God's eyes, I am not excused if I carry out these actions in anger.

As much as I pray that the Lord lifts my hurt and anger, a huge part of me wants to hang onto it. I don't want to forgive this person. I want this person to hurt inside. I want this person to pay for what they have done. I want revenge.

What I have been learning (albeit slowly) is that having God in my life does not make decisions easier...in fact, I'd say that His guidance makes the choices so much more difficult! Yes, that's right. I said it. It's hard having God in my life right now.

Why? Because I cannot deny the Truth of His counsel. I want to react with my human instincts. Before I knew God, I would do just that. I didn't really care if I hurt people along the way....because I felt justified in doing so.

Now that I do know God through Jesus, I am privy to know the 'right thing' to do....and it's so hard to choose the right thing when every part of my being wants to do the wrong thing.

My human urge wants to deny knowing what is right. I have been close to giving in to these hurts...and every time I get near acting them out, I see the cross before me. I have a choice to add another nail or put the hammer down.

I am stuck holding the hammer right now. In tears. I think I know what I will do, but I have not made that decision yet.

God is always right.

Yay!

I made it to 3 blog posts this month! Come on, celebrate with me!

The Christmas break from school began great! We sat down to do our yearly rice krispie gingerbread houses/shapes. So much yummier than the 'real' thing.

Christmas morning was full of smiles and giggles. That was the best gift for my husband and I by far!

....However, I do have to say that my parent's gift of a Dyson Ball vacuum came a close second! This machine is just great! Not only does it have excellent suction...but it has magical powers that make my husband enjoy vacuuming! It doesn't get any better than this....

Our youngest niece, Katie, warmed our hearts with multiple visits this month. Her ever-growing wardrobe keeps all of her extended family exclaiming, "Awwww!"

And, of course, it wouldn't be a true school break if we didn't do some sledding....in our own backyard!!!!

I hope all you blog readers had equally exciting fun at your homes this Christmas season!

An Annlise-ism

The other day Annlise (almost 8) and I were cuddling in the living room and talking about the joys of winter. The Christmas tree lights were on, music playing, and we were both sipping a warm beverage of our choosing.

My focus shifted to the window, and the white fluffy clouds coming out of the furnace exhaust pipe.

"What are you looking at Mom?"

"I'm looking at the exhaust coming from the furnace pipe."

"Poor Furnace!"

"Why would you say that, Annlise?"

"Because it's exhaused!"

I love how young minds work! I look forward to many more moments to sit and cuddle...and to hear how her little thinker ticks over the next two weeks.

When God tests you

...He always makes sure you've been taught the tools to get you through.

The last few months have been something else. I mean, really something else. Like, if I were hearing this from a stranger, I'd wonder if they were just making up drama to get attention....that kind of something else.

But it happened to me--well, my family.

Most of the hardships seemed to be dumping all over Alec. I had moments where I would slump in my chair at the end of a day and ask God, "Really? You think I can get through this??? I hope you are carrying me, 'cause I'm about ready to drop."

And if I felt that poorly...I can only imagine what poor Alec must be trying to process in his young mind.

And then another one hit him.

One of his teachers (he has two that share duties) took out her stress on Alec in early December. She led him to an empty room, closed the door, and yelled at the top of her lungs until he cried....all because he and his friends had been chatting. His blood sugars plummeted --but after the ordeal he couldn't stomach food.

You'd think I'd get a call at this point, right? Well, I didn't. No, the teacher (in front of his whole class) yelled, "Well you aren't calling home or going home, so you better eat something."

After many meetings (where the teacher confessed), a forced apology from the teacher, and calm-but-firm instructions from my husband and I, Alec now is in another classroom. He is also visiting a psychiatrist to deal with the trauma of the event...which is looking like she's been inappropriate from the beginning of the school year.

My heart breaks for everything that he's been through. And God, knowing the intimate details of my pain (and Alec's), sent a message of hope through letters written at the end of last year by Alec's former classmates. In each letter there were compliments on his humour, artistic skill, athletic abilities, and just overall 'coolness'.

Wow. What a blessing just before Christmas!

If these issues weren't enough, my oldest son Ethan came home from school on Monday with an awful tummy ache. We tried everything to make him more comfortable, but the pain just increased.

It was finally decided that we should pay a visit to the Children's emergency room. There the doctor determined that he was suffering from appendicitis! From diagnosis to first cut was 45 min. I guess they don't fool around with this kind of situation! Praise God for all the skilled doctors, and helpful nurses...as we didn't have to stay in hospital longer than 24 hours.

Ethan is resting at home and slowly recovering from his surgery (and getting lots of love and ice cream!).

God still has plans to prosper our family, not to harm us. I plan to have a VERY MERRY Christmas this year. I have so much to be thankful for!

God Bless you as you celebrate Jesus' birthday this year.