Birthday Time!

Lance opening up Toby Mac tickets, his present from us. He was a bit excited!

Is it any surprise that I have multiple journals scattered throughout my house, spanning the past 15 years or so, with the first 3-4 pages written in....and the rest are blank!?

I should've taken note of that before starting a blog 6 years ago.

{{AHEM}}

In September, Lance-Pants as we call him, turned 9. He also answers to Tiny Elvis but that's another story.

We don't have a birthday party every year for our kids. I mean, we have a family thing and either take them out to eat where they choose, or I cook their favorite meal, etc. but as far as inviting kids over and trying to go broke in the process of entertaining them all, no. No way.

On milestone years like 1, 5, 10, 13, etc we will do something party wise. And every year that we've tried to have ANY thing for Lance's birthday, something goes wrong. No kidding- it's either a hurricane, sick kids, or just him acting like a turd.

So we decided that we'd surprise the heck out of him with a party THIS year....he was already planning for his big shebang next year, his 10th and never saw it coming.

We also decided that going broke was not in the plan and had it at home, with just games and pizza in our backyard. Let's just say I'd have gotten off cheaper having it at Pump It Up or some other chaotic, kid infused place. Moving on...

He was surprised and everyone seemed to enjoy it. The weather was beautiful, albeit a bit hot but what can you expect in Mobile at this time of year?! He and Myrick get to enjoy being the same age for a month, which they think is really cool. (They are just under 11 months apart. Yes, that IS close and no I was not pregnant at my 6 week check-up. But almost.)

Lance is a mess and always has been. He is the sweetest kid and can crack some hilarious one liners that will make you almost pee your pants. He can just as easily be stubborn and infuriating! We hope the Lord will show us how to channel all of that into making him an amazing man one day.

Happy Birthday Lance Pants!

**Considering I was the party host, hubby had the job of photographer. Which is why we basically have none, unless you count multiple ones of me walking away or with my mouth open mid-sentence. I don't.

Where 'o where....

Okay, I'm not even going to try and catch up what's gone down in the past 3 months! Let's just say I enjoyed my brief (or not so?) from blogging. This year I'm going to focus more on home schooling so let's start out with our curriculum choices for 2011/2012!

Myrick~ 5th Grade (holy shamoley)

Reading/Lit/English/Spelling/Vocab/Writing: Total Language Plus We will be covering Shiloh, The Whipping Boy and The Sign of the Beaver.

Math: Teaching Textbooks 5

History: Mystery of History I (done through a local co-op)

Science: My Father's World

Physical Education: Family Time Fitness (SUPER excited about this- it's a PE program for home school!!)

Foreign Language: Visual Latin (she is most excited about this!)

Art: Drawing for Children from MFW

Lance: 3rd Grade

He is doing all the exact curriculum as Myrick, except math will be Teaching Textbooks 4. He is only 11 months younger than Myrick but when we enrolled them in private school, we made the decision for Lance to be the oldest in his class, rather than one of the youngest (like Myrick) which put them 2 years apart. He wasn't emotionally mature enough but in every other area he has always excelled. I guess he could actually "BE" in the 4th grade....but we home school. Who cares what label our public school minded minds wants to stick on him (mine included) !!!

Drew: 1st Grade

He is doing the My Father's World 1st Grade program, along with Hooked On Phonics, Mystery of History with the rest of us and Super Star Speech for his speech issues.

Bible we do through our local evening women's BSF classes, where the kids are in a class and I am a group leader. This is wonderful because we will all be studying the same thing! This year it's Acts of the Apostles.

I found this set of character development books at a convention in Memphis back in March. They are wonderful! So beautiful.....this will be a MAJOR focus of our school year. Character development is what Ethan & I both feel convicted of stressing for 2011/2012, over anything else.

Myrick and Lance will also be in a music/choir class through our co-op that sounds like it will be awesome.

This is the beginning of our third year as a home school family (unbelievable) and I think it's going to be our best yet! The first was.....well, horrific. The second was better but still figuring out what worked with each individual kiddo, which curriculum stunk or just didn't 'fit' us....and learning that Mama is sometimes The Teacher. I don't think they will ever get that last one but things are running much more smoothly than the beginning- praise God!!

Help to end MS!

Dear Friends and Family, The National MS Society is kicking off our annual Walk MS. I am planning to be a part of that event and I am asking you to join me in the fight against MS by making a contribution to support my effort. This is our family's seventh year participating in the annual MS Walk. I remember having Myrick and Lance bundled up in strollers as babies, braving the cold wind in Birmingham that first year! Why? Because our dear friend Gina was diagnosed with MS. If you click on the link below that takes you to my personal page, you can then click on the link for Gina's Gang to read her story. Our "gang" has been one of the top 3 contributors in the state more than once! Any little bit helps- if you are unable to give, please commit to praying for Gina and her family! The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is dedicated to creating a world free of MS. They simultaneously fund research for a cure while also helping people who currently live with MS lead more fulfilling lives. I believe in the work they do, and I invite you to see for yourself all the good they've done for the MS community. More than 400,000 Americans and over 4,000 Alabamians are living with MS. Your support can and will make changes in their lives. Please help by making a donation - large or small - to fight MS. Or, why not join me on the day of the event? Become a participant and side by side, as teammates, we can work together to raise the funds that make a difference. Whatever you can give will help! I greatly appreciate your support and will keep you posted on my progress. Sincerely, Mirinda Click here to get to my personal page and make a secure, online donation.

Early and ongoing treatment with an FDA-approved therapy can make a difference for people with multiple sclerosis. Learn about your options by talking to your health care professional and contacting the National MS Society at http://www.nationalmssociety.org/or 1-800-FIGHT-MS (344-4867). Our postal address is: National Multiple Sclerosis Society 733 Third Avenue New York, New York 10017 Email Preferences Privacy Policy

What if we are all wrong?

I've spent the last several days in bed with my husband.

Now, don't go all bugged eye on me- we have the flu. While I love snuggling my man as much as the next person, this was not what I had in mind all those times I've dreamt of taking a vacation in my bed and PJs!!

I had my kleenex and laptop so that when opening my eyes didn't hurt too bad, I could catch up on blogs. I was so thrilled because my Google Reader was so full it's surprising it didn't just explode- or give me the message "Give Up" when I logged on!!

My excitement quickly turned to disappointment. So many posts by my fave bloggers were button pushing issues with the comments being more of a read than the original post. Mind you, this was on several blogs I read over the past few days- not just a couple!

Lately I've gotten a bit of 'vomit in the mouth' when reading some Christian blogs. They try to weave beautiful words together effortlessly, throwing in some 'theological' viewpoints of their own to make it religious and in the end you're left with some feel good post that, in my opinion, takes away from who and what God really is.

The comments are mind-blowing. Everyone states their {Biblical} opinions as fact- and I call them opinions because each person thinks that they are correct in their assessment of how God feels/thinks about X topic. I've seen comments from a little strange to seriously bizarre, like someone who stated they don't even think God's name is God so He doesn't really care how we use it....really??

How about this people:

What if we are all wrong?

What if God is more Holy than we can even conceive? What if His word has been so twisted and misconstrued in trying to make it fit what we want- make HIM fit into the box we need Him to fit in- that we are not even close to understanding it?

God is so big, so Holy that we should never be able to wrap our little human brain around Him. We should be in awe of Him, in fear of Him and be humble before Him.

Not act as though we have Him all figured out and therefore need to tell the world How.It.Is.

Jesus Christ is a real, living person that we are supposed to be in relationship with. He is not some 'being' to be discussed with the same flip-ability that we may use, say, while discussing the benefits of tile over carpet.

He is Holy.....more than we can conceive of. I think the prevalence of "Christian" blogs has made this fact more than a bit muted. So before you click 'post' or go to comment, getting in a heated I'm right/you're wrong debate take the time to think about His holiness, his infinite wisdom....and wonder if we are all getting it wrong- that none of us- even yourself (gasp) has all the answers on any given topic!

Mind you, there are several Christian bloggers out there who are very authentic and humble. I urge you to seek their words out- but most importantly, seek HIS word first and let HIS Holy Spirit speak to you on the issues you are struggling with or curious about. Don't take a bloggers word or anyone else's on what He has to say- learn for yourself!

Just beautiful....

Though I'm guessing anyone who makes their way by here already reads Ann Voskamp {who doesn't?! If you aren't- get over there now} I just had to share her post today. It was so convicting. You see, I have been feeling pretty good about myself for knocking down my idol of blogging/tweeting/etc.

Yet my relationship with Jesus has not improved much.....because of the other idols in my life, mainly myself. I love how she asks the question of how important do I think I am? That my contribution to a clean home {insert your own here- I have LOTS} is more important than getting on my knees.

“It’s my own inflated sense of self-importance, the elevation of my work, of my agenda, that keeps me from prayer-communion.”

Go read....

Remembering my Granny....

"Granny Margaret"

1930~2010

2 months ago today I was in a hospital room, where I had been for the past three days. I had been awake for over 24 hours, holding the hand of my precious grandmother, knowing that soon she would be gone. It all had happened so quickly that I'm still trying to process it all. Still trying to move past having the nightmares of watching someone die, someone you love very much.

She was 80 years old and yesterday would have been hers and my grandfather's 62nd anniversary.

My mother and father divorced when I was 3, my mother taking off for parts unknown. Until my dad remarried a couple of years later, my grandmother was the mother in my life. Actually, she continued being that until she was gone. For the past 15 years or so I've talked to her almost daily. We lived 6 hours apart but my kids were closer to her than any other relative we have! I still find myself reaching for the phone when something happens to call and let Granny know what it was. We often would talk and cry about my Daddy- her son- being gone....the only person in the six years since he passed that I really felt OK doing that with.

The picture above is Granny with my baby, Drew {who turned SIX this week- that is another post} the summer after my dad died. I like to think that my hauling her three great-grandchildren up north that summer gave her great comfort. I know they love her, just as much as I do.

Towards the end she was still pretty coherent. She started 'talking' to people who had already died- her mother, my dad and uncle {her only children}.....that night as I sat awake with her she suddenly looked up and said "Well, hey Mike". Mike is my dad. She was holding my hand and squeezed it, jerking her head around to look at me. "Mirinda! Your dad wants me to tell you something." This was the clearest thing I had heard her say for hours! I almost fainted there on the floor.....when I said 'what?' she said something mumbled that I could not understand. {she had a tube down her throat} I quickly woke my mother up and told her to get over there cause Daddy was talking to us....I was a bit freaked out to say the least.

Funny thing is her nurse said it's common for people about to die. They call it 'visiting'. She said once they start visiting, it will not be long. It wasn't. Knowing she is with her sons, her mother....and her Savior....is so comforting. I look forward to the day when I will be with them all!