We're home...

One three hour car ride, two 6+ hour train ride, 3 flights, one over night in Madrid, and one sick little boy later we are finally home from our trip to Morocco. Piles of laundry threaten to cut me off from civilization for months and the number of emails I need to respond to is well, its ghastly. So, I will tell you all about our trip, I promise. There will be photos galore. (We took close to 600 I think!) Just give me a day to catch my breath. Whats one more day of waiting right?

Oh, Before I forget!

Some people have been waiting for pictures of the little guys, which I of course promised and then forgot about (sorry Lani). I have new pictures on our camera but no time to get them off, so here are some from a few days ago. More to come after our trip, this time I mean it!

And We're Off!!!

The bags are packed, the boys sleeping and Joey and I sit doing last minute things. In less than 5 hours I'll be waking up to gather everything and head out. Our flight leaves at 7:50 so we want to get there early, not the mention the fact that we are a party of 17 - 6 of us children under the age of 3 - yah, so like I said we want to get there early.

Off to Morocco we go. I am so excited I can hardly stand it and yet it feels sort of surreal. We're really going. I woke up this morning and realized I should pack, I was going on a trip tomorrow. Oh, and what about all those things I needed to take care of?! Shoot, better get to the store and take care of those things! Well, we're ready now and off to bed.

We'll talk again when I get back. It is going to be one crazy trip let me tell you! Full of all sorts of adventures. Wish us luck, better yet pray for us like crazy! It will only be by the grace of God that we make it out of this alive :-)

"Chunk" The Second

Since Josiah was quite small we've been calling him "Chunk". It started with "Chunk-master 5000" and simply got shortened. Now you may be saying "my word, that is so cruel to call your kids such mean names" but its not mean, its just true. He entered the world at 10lbs, 7oz and hasn't slowed down for a second. He is now almost 18 months old and about 30lbs. So, the name Chunk sticks.

Well it looks like his little brother isn't too far behind him, Benson entered the world at 7 lbs 14oz, however he was 2 1/2 weeks early. I took him to the Dr. yesterday for a check up. He is weighing in at 17lbs 14oz and is 27 1/2 inches long. My sister Kati has a little girl who is 9 months old and Benson and her are the same size! Now my niece Kynlee isn't small, Benson is just huge. He is "Chunk the Second"!

I'm not sure how many more Chunks there will be, only the Lord knows that, but its lookin' like I may end up with a full Defensive line!

*pictures to come soon!

A Whole Lot of Love

I was talking with a good friend a couple days ago about her aunt and uncle whom we both know and love. They are really quite amazing people. I met them last year when they came to visit us overseas with a team of volunteers. We loved having them and their team. They were so helpful and full of joy.

Anyway, my friend and I were talking about how they have amazing children who love one another and are just great (I could go on and on about them). They live in a small house, never having much and constantly give to others. My friend asked them what the "secret" was to having such great children. Her aunt simply said " a whole lot of love, a whole lot of love".

Its one of those answers you know, the kind where you're like "great thanks for that. I figured you loved your kids, but tell me the 12 step plan to having wonderful children". I want it easy. Do A, and B will follow.

But ever since I've heard that I've been thinking about what it means when she says a "whole lot of love". What does that look like? How can I do that? The Bible says that "love is patient, kind, not envious, not boastful, humble, not rude, not self-seeking, not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrong, rejoices with the truth, protecting, trusting, hopeful, always perseveres." (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) Right we've heard that all before, and we're suppose to love people. Great, but...am I honestly doing that with my children? Is that my approach to parenting? As I look back over my days, am I patient? kind? humble? easily angered? Am I living a life of love as an example to my children? What about in my relationship with Joey? Or my general attitude about things going on in life? Am I hopefully?

Studying this out there is so much here. God is love, he is our example. So I need to be like him. But He is not just love he is also justice and truth. He is not wishy washy, he does not change, he is consistent. He is patient and yet there is a line. He gives grace and also has a standard. He gives a way out when we are tempted, but does not tolerate sin. Love is all of these things also.

Ultimately the more I think about this, the more I know its what I want. To live a life with a "whole lot of love". To raise my children in a way that they can look back and say there was a "whole lot of love". To be like Jesus in every area, every relationship, ever moment of every day. I have a lot to learn and a long way to go. It would be easy to say I can't do it. But I guess kinda like the running thing. I can take it a minute at a time. Eventually (hopefully before all my kids have their own children), with God's help I'll be able to go the whole day with a "whole lot of love".

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" Philippians 3:12-14


"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus through out all generations, forever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21

Just wanted you to know, I went down and back again. Two days in a row...little by little :-)

To the Stop Sign and Back.

Last Friday Joey and I went on our bi-weekly date night to see the movie "Run Fatboy Run". Its a pretty funny little film about a guy who leaves his pregnant fiance at the alter because he's scared of responsibility and doesn't think he can hack it. Its full of great British humor (which I love) and a rather predictable ending (which I also love).


In the Movie "Dennis" is trying to win his ex-fiance back by running a marathon. He is not a runner and not very fit at all actually. Most of the movie was about him trying to get in shape to run this marathon with the help of his best friend and his landlord - a chubby Indian man with a large spatula (so funny!). Well as a result of watching the movie I've been inspired. No, I'm not going to run a marathon, I'm not that crazy. But I am going to do my best to run to the stop sign and back.


Down our road is a stop sign. It is roughly 4 miles to the stop sign and back, round trip. I have been setting all sorts of fitness goals and trying all sorts of fitness diets since we've been back from overseas. See, I lost quite a bit of weight while we were gone, but having two babies and then not doing anything to tone my body has left me, well...flabby. I could still stand to loose quite a lot of weight and get rid of as much of my flab as possible. (I know, something we all could probably stand to do).

Being a confessed lazy bum, I tend to set goals and work at them for a week and then decide that it is too hard so I better set a new goal that will work even better and not require quite as much work. The simple truth is that it is hard work to get in shape and I need to have some self control and just do it. So I come before you with my last and final goal. Now that I've told you I can't go back on the deal and when I do complete this goal - Which I will do, I promise you. You can all celebrate with me and praise the Lord that he took this lazy bum, got her on the road and running!

So here is the plan: I am not a runner, and I want to work up to this a bit, but I also want to make sure I am really working myself. So I have decided that I will go to the stop sign and back everyday no matter what. Even if I end up walking some or most of it. Yesterday I went for the first time and took a kitchen timer. I set it for 1 minute and ran a minute, walked a minute. I'll do that for a couple days and then move it to run 2 minutes and walk a minute. I'll keep adding minutes to the running, and only walking a minute each time. Hopefully it will help me work up to it.

It was hard work yesterday, but when I was all done I felt so good that I had gone down and back, rain or shine and I had completed at least my daily goal of going to the stop sign and back! Praise the Lord!
The boys are waking up, so its time for me to get them fed, grab my timer and get on the road running. Pray with me for self control, discipline and quick feet! Off we go!