Conference

It has been so long since I have had the opportunity to listen to a great speaker and know that my kids were being lovingly cared for. I had the pleasure of going to Cobo Arena friday and saturday to hear Beth Moore speak on friendship with man and with God. I went with my mother-in-law (I got it for her for Christmas) and I had a great time. Worship was good and Beth Moore was excellent. She definitely touched on some things that were relevant to my life and she does it in such a humorous, non-judgmental way that it makes me want to change. Stacey, my sister-in-law, stayed with the boys friday evening and saturday morning, which I am so thankful for. I know she was exhausted but the boys love her. So despite a sleepless night for me on friday night due to Nolan, it was a great time.

Boys Will Be Boys (Part II)

Hopefully this is a phase that will pass but the stories are memorable. Last night Ty took Caleb to his Christian Ed. board meeting which is only supposed to last a few minutes but as many meetings go, he was in there for some 20 minutes or so. After only a minute or 2, Caleb whispered to Ty that "his penis was bothering him." So Ty took him out in the hallway to adjust himself. About 5 minutes later this was repeated, this time a few more people overheard his issue and giggled. The next time, Caleb was a bit louder and some ladies on the opposite end of the room overheard and were asking each other if they really heard what they thought they had heard. So when it came time for Ty to speak, he addressed Caleb's current fascination which had the board in stitches with one gentleman saying, "don't put that in the minutes".

BRRRRR!

Schools in the area are actually closed today because of the extremely frigid temperatures. So we are holed up inside trying to stay warm. Just looking outside makes me cold and our old house has old, leaky windows, so when you walk by them you can feel the cold air seeping in. On the inside (yes, the inside) of our bathroom window, there is ice. Ty was saying that going out in this cold actually makes him angry and I can understand why. When will it end????

On lighter news, I am quite excited that the Super Bowl was last night and marked the end of the football season. I was reminded that it will be short-lived with the draft occurring in the spring, but I am thankful for the break and I rather enjoy watching March Madness.

Boys will be boys

So the other night, Ty and I were awakened numerous by a child. Oh no, not Nolan as you might think, it was Caleb. He was complaining that his pe... hurt. Alright, whatever, it is something I will never understand but we showed him how to adjust himself and that seemed to work. Fast forward to today when we were at the library when he stuck his hand down his pants to "fix it". I was quite mortified. My house is full of boys, and sometimes I feel very out of my element.

Addictions

Sounds foreboding does it not? But really, I think we all have a bit of an addictive nature, some more than others, of course. I think on the scale of addictive personalities, I would rank in the med/high range. My latest addiction (which I happily share with others) is this crazy game-Settlers of Catan. Why I enjoy frivolously spending many hours upon hours playing this game, I have yet to figure out. It is the perfect blend of strategy and chance where every game is different enough that it holds my interest. It doesn't hurt to win every once in a while, as well.

In addition to that, I am addicted to 24 (the television show) and LOST. Nothing inherently wonderful about these shows, but they are different from your average sitcom. I like trying to figure things out and form my theories. So, there you have it, my addictions of the moment. You are absolutely welcome to join me in my madness. Come watch 24 or LOST and then we'll play Settlers!

Jungle Java and the New Tooth

Sounds like a great title for a children's book, right? Nope, just today's happenings. Caleb and I went to Jungle Java along with our MOPS group today. That place is a kids' wonderland of climbing fun and they have great coffee as well. Caleb enjoyed playing with lots of kids and running all over.

In Nolan news, we have not been sleeping well for several nights and today the culprit is rearing it's ugly head. Yes, a new front tooth is straining it's way through his little gums. That would make anybody wake up crying in the night. We just feel better knowing there is a reason for the madness.

Preacher's Kid

To preface this story, Caleb has been asking where Jesus is and where God is. We tell him heaven (but what can that abstract thought mean to a 2 year old) and that Jesus lives in your heart when you love him and invite him to live there. To which he responds, "My love Jesus". So, of course, Jesus (and God) live in his heart.

So the other day, Caleb comes running up to me crying and amidst the tears points to his chest and asks me to kiss his Jesus and God. After asking what?!? a couple of times I found that he had apparently hurt himself by falling on his chest, so of course, mom, you must kiss it and make my Jesus and God all better. Which, I did.

Poor kid is going to have some messed up theology.

Pondering preschools

I have been researching preschools for a couple of months now. What a hard thing. I want Caleb's first school experience to be positive, fun and exciting. I know he will love it, I'm not worried about that. I am just debating what will lead to the best possible situation for kindergarten and beyond. I love the school where I taught prior to having the boys but I also enjoy Southfield Christian. So then do I have him participate in a christian preschool or one in my school in Birmingham. Decisions, decisions...don't get me started on whether I am working or not next year, can't go there yet.

Vomitus Maximus

the title says it all, pretty much sums up the life of my household the past few days.

Enjoying versus enduring

I read a MOPS email this morning that struck me. So much of my time is spent enduring dirty diapers, nighttime wakings, cooking, laundry and all those other mundane chores. When I really and truly am very thankful that I am at home with my boys. I want to enjoy every moment with them because time marches on far too quickly. I know that Nolan will only hold onto my fingers and walk for a very short time and while I may want to get the dishes cleaned up or fold the laundry, I need to remember that each stage of their childhood is so short. Caleb is full of energy but will only play when I'm in the vicinity. If I move rooms, so must he. But someday, I will be knocking on his bedroom door wondering when he will grace us with his presence. So I choose to enjoy today and not just endure it. I will not just look forward to bedtime. I will look forward to playing basketball, peekaboo, and drinking "pretend" hot coffee.

Inspired

Since the last time I blogged, many friends have taken up the hobby of writing thoughts and sharing them and I have once again been inspired to sharing a few thoughts of my own. (Disclaimer: I make no promises, this may be the last one).

Also, since my last post, Nolan has graced our family with his presence. We are incredibly blessed. So we shall see what this next season of blogging brings!

I'm Baaaack

Don't ask me how but my blog was lost in cyberspace for some time and my feeble attempts to try to find it over the past few months have been thwarted at every turn until tonight. Probably because tonight I actually need to be studying for a reading specialist certification test that I am taking in the morning and now that I have found my blog, I don't think I will be doing much more of that.

Anyway, the biggest news is that our family is going to enjoy the addition of a BOY in March. So excited! He has given us all kinds of problems, worries, and issues so I am expecting him to be a perfect little gentleman when he arrives. Here is a cool 3/4D ultrasound picture of him at 25 weeks.

Enjoying the end (so sad) of summer

Dinosaur fun at the park

Guess Who?

Aaaah, so much to say and so little time, but at least I am posting. Anyway, tomorrow will be the 10 week point for baby lemke #2. It seems that some of the early ultrasound scare is working itself out and things are looking much better. At least I have some cute pictures of the little one. I will certainly try to be a better blogger but now I am going to work on getting some photos on here.

Online again...Just couldn't wait to get online again

Thanks Tony for being a computer wizard! I am actually online and...alas...no pop-ups. Can cyberspace really be this peaceful? It has been so long since I have blogged that I almost forgot my username and password-for shame! It has been fun reading and catching up with all the blogs out there.

My life since disappearing from cyberspace has been busy but very enjoyable. So very much enjoying the nice weather-even the heat! We've had the pool out and are going for walks every day down the Berkley streets. Unfortunately, Ty is hating life working construction. Luckily, we are going to get some time off over 4th of July weekend-Yeah!

Caleb is a crazy kid. We realized/remembered yesterday during a sermon at church that when Caleb was born, we read the biblical story of Caleb and prayed for him to be bold and courageous. So far, God has blessed him with those traits ( sometimes to my chagrin). He is a bundle of energy, always busy, always movin' and groovin'. I love him lots.

Time Warp

It's been a loooong time since I posted. My main excuse is that Caleb is walking and the computer office area is not walker-proof but that is probably only part of the story.

As for the time warp I was in this past weekend, we saw friends from college and it felt altogether very nice and very strange. We see some of these friends a couple of times a year and others very infrequently. It was really good to see how this "circle of impending doom" has panned out and expanded with children and spouses. It was refreshing to be with people that Ty and I could see ourselves keeping in touch with for years and years. Fun times.

Round 1: Complete

Ty has returned from his business trip to Florida. He had fun but it was a long week for Caleb and me. Caleb was great, well-behaved even. It was a trial having my grandma here. She just does stuff, like starts feeding Caleb all kinds of foods he has never had and changing his schedule and cleaning my house. It was nice to have some company but she was here about a day and a half too long. But now it is over and Ty is home for a week then round 2 begins and it's even longer. I think this would all be more tolerable if it was warm and sunny outside but alas it is not so. I think I need to just change my attitude but I just want to get through it.

Hello-o-o (echo)

So Ty has left me for sunny Florida. He has accompanied SCS' senior class to Florida for the week. And of course I am home taking care of Caleb and Caspian wishing for Spring to come. Caleb is being super good (so far) but I get a little bored and miss my husband terribly. Although I think I would rather join him in Florida than have him come home. Anyway my grandma is coming to stay with us today and I am feeling a little conflicted. I love seeing her in small doses so this may be a bit trying for me.

Oh and I don't know if this is curiousity or anxiety but Caleb keeps grinding his teeth and it just makes me cringe. Why does he do this? Doesn't it hurt? Eeeee! I consulted one of the many baby books we have and it said that it is normal. I guess it is one of those 'normal' things I could do without.

Appreciated

I realize that I don't need to be validated by people but it sure is nice when it just happens. This week the principal from the school I worked at called me. He just wanted to know if I was planning on coming back to work next year or if I was going to extend my leave. He made me feel like he appreciated me and my hard work was validated. I hated telling him that I wouldn't be returning because a part of me would like to go back to teaching part time and I didn't want to disappoint the nice man. Anyway, he went on to tell me that he would try his best to get me back to the school when I did choose to come back. That phone call pretty much made my week. Sigh. Oh and of course I cried when I got off the phone.

Thank you Beth Moore

I resisted this bible study with Beth Moore because I had my hang ups but I am soooo glad that we are doing it. We are doing a study called Believing God. Mostly it is helping me to be disciplined about reading and studying the Bible again. I am so bad at that. And it doesn't matter how many times I hear the same truths over and over, I still get something new from them. Anyway, I was doing my homework this week for the bible study and I came across this story about a miracle that really struck me and is serving as fuel for my faith in the way that I pray and approach God. Anyway, here it is, I pray that your faith may be fueled by this man's testimony.

Rick Jones was a pastoral minister who was diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic carcinoma in 1990. This godly family wept together after receiving the report. The Rick asked a question he believes, in retrospect, that patients are better off not asking:"How long do I have?" The doctor replied, "Ninety days at the most." He assured Rick and his family that he would do wnay thing he could to make him comfortable. Though he had issued the diagnosis, something inside the Christian internest compelled him to reject it relentlessly. After much research the doctor discovered a kind of radical surgery that was showing marginal results in slightly extending the lives of some patients with Rick's diagnosis. The most important factor for even marginal success was the absolute inactivity of cancer in any other location besides the pancreas.

The internist found an experienced surgeon who was willing to perform the radical procedure, but on opening Rick up, they found cancer everywhere. The deflated surgeon told those attending him that nothing else could be done and to close him up. Just moments later when he walked away, a man put a hand on his shoulder and said, "James, you can do this surgery. I gave you the talent. What would you want them to do with you?" He turned to see who was talking to him, and no one was there. He returned to the operating room and announced they would continue the procedure. After removing as much infected tissue as possible, he turned away to take several sips of orange juice. When he turned back to his patient, every visible sign of cancer in Rick's abdomen had disappeared. This is a documented event that was caught on videotape. In fact, the sight was so dramatic that the doctor looked straight into the camera taping the procedure and said, "What you've seen here is the hand of the Great Physician." Furthermore, after tissue samples were sent to the lab, the surgeon received a message saying they must have received the wrong samples. The patient whose tissue they received had no sign of ever having had cancer.

Amazing, God is truly amazing. I don't know this Rick Jones guy but knowing there is documentation certainly helps the unbelieving skeptic in me. Thank you Beth Moore for using this story to reveal to me how big and loving our God is.