Why so downcast oh my soul?

Today the words of the psalmist are resonating within my soul. Though I am personally discouraged--it ebbs & flows, I'm okay, really... . I see the awesome news from my friends Brandy & Carey (see One Family's Journey link at right) that they get to go pick up their kids in Africa soon. God is good. My family is healthy. God is good. My needs are met. God is good.

So... Why are you downcast, oh my soul?

Thanks, Patty....

Thankful for the weekend

I am so thankful for weekends--especially now that I'm working more hours each week. I wish this whole deal would instantly make me more organized, and an instant neat nick, but no, things pile up, and I hate it that I don't discipline myself better. On the other hand, I am definitely more about enjoying time with my family, and not hassling so much over a neat house. I personally feel better when it is orderly, but hate getting it done. Ugh. Saturday is coming, and the kids each have their assigned zones to clean. I have laundry to get caught up on (again) and should be about getting prepped to paint Hannah's bedroom. All in due time, I guess...

For now, I love Erma Bombeck's famous quote, "Cleaning house while you have kids at home is like shoveling the driveway while it's still snowing." I like Erma...

Created in Memory...

Since we had to put our dog down, I created this "poster" for the kids in her memory.

Co ed 08 09

Daddy Daughter Routine 08 09

Tough weekend for a birthday

We've had a tough weekend here. It started Friday afternoon when we had our dog put down. It was sadder and harder for me than I thought it would be.
Over the last year, Muffin has been becoming more aggressive towards people who weren't our family. We just couldn't trust her anymore, with little neighborhood kids running around and potentially getting bitten. One of Hannah's friends was nipped at pretty hard last weekend, and that was the last straw that unfortunately sealed it.
It's been weird since...a couple of times on Saturday, I thought I heard her barking, so did the kids. And we've definitely become used to her heralding the arrival of visitors, because now when people knock on our door it's completely unexpected.
The kids are asking to get another dog. I don't know if we're up for that just yet. I think we'll take our time and do some careful searching for just the right animal for our family if we do choose to adopt another.
So as far as birthday weekends go, I think Peter and I would put this one towards the bottom on a scale of 1 to 10. In spite of the sadness, I wish Peter a happy birthday, and am amazed again and again at the things he's taught me. Here's a few pictures of his early childhood--see if you notice a pattern!

Climbing in the window...

Climbing on the door...

Climbing on the toilet tank....

Climbing on the high chair tray...

But who can resist those eyes?

And the "final" word is...

Yay! Mom finally officially heard from the doctor's office! The numbers are headed in the right direction--down, so that's good. However, they still aren't' in the range that they should be, so she needs to have labs drawn in a month again.
I'm hoping with this "good" direction that things won't get as "bad" in her head as they did this time. I"m clinging to that information, so will update you in a month... .

"The Only Thing that's Good in Me is Jesus"

Recorded by Michael English

I heard someone say the other day

They’d seen in me true love displayed

Blessed by something

I had done for them

No sooner did they speak those words

I found myself somehow disturbed

Uneasy as I took their compliment

‘Cause I know the heart inside this man

I know the truth of who I am

The only thing that’s good in me is Jesus

The only thing that’s good in me is Jesus

I’ve lived long enough to know

No matter what this life may show

The only thing that’s good in me is Jesus

If you could walk the hallways of my heart

And see things as they really are

I wonder if you might be surprised

Seeing faded walls of pride and fear

Rooms I’ve filled with faithless tears

And corners where I’ve stood in compromise

But you’d see the work His grace has done

You’d know just how far I’ve come

In a thousand years

When the dust of this world clears

And I look back on my life

And see in perfect light

Tee-hee! Let's hear it for persistence!

Okay, so if I think about this too much, it does kinda make me laugh. My mom called today, she found out that her "numbers" are heading in the right direction, but that the doctor is still not happy with where things are.
Now, the WAY they found this out is the humorous part. They were running errands today, and found themselves in the neighborhood of the doctor's office, so they went in and REFUSED to leave until they had some information! Way to go, Dad & Mom! Unfortunately, the doctor is lagging behind on his schedule some how right now, thus the delay in finding anything out. So, pray that he soon shuffles through the swamp of stuff he has to do, so that our family can get going on what needs to get gone on...or something like that.

No news is good news?

We still haven't heard any results from my mom's blood tests. She has called, not received return calls, and just generally hasn't heard anything. So we wait.

The good news is that her spirit seems more settled now. So thank you for keeping her and us in your prayers. When I know something, I'll try to post it. For now, keep praying!