Happy September

Yeah for September! Just one more month until my favorite month of the year! I'm enjoying the cool, fall-like weather already.

According to Beth Moore's suggestion, I have decided to not add any more verses for the year, but instead to try to really memorize the ones I have already picked. There are over 24 of them already since I memorized some of them in pairs, so I'm not really cheating. (Not that you care, but I do!)

I hope everyone's September is full of fun and wonderful surprises!

Verses Remembered

I promised to backtrack and post my verses for July. Here they are, still as applicable as they were in July...

2 Timothy 1:7
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but of a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.

Titus 2:3-5
Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

August Verses

Since I've been a blog-slacker lately, I'm going to go ahead and put both verses for August. I'll have to backtrack later and tell you the verses for June.

Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

1 Pet 3:15
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.

If you click the links, you'll see I copied them from BibleGateway.com. It's a great place to look things up, see different translations, etc. Check it out!

June Verses

Here's what I've been working on...

James 1:5 (NIV)
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.


And for the rest of the month...

Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV)

²⁰Now 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, ²¹to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Lucky Mom

Sorry I haven't been posting more. We've been busy lately, but I don't want to be too scarce, so I promise to do better!

My first official Mothers' Day was great. It started with church. Although we don't go to a traditional church, we did the traditional "mothers please stand" thing. I must say that I've always hated that. Anyone with me? I know that my mom always hated standing up because she didn't want anyone to look at her. I hate it because of all the years I wanted to stand, but couldn't. Then there was last year when I had a referral and had to go through the whole "Should or shouldn't I?" conversation in my head. I did decide to stand, but wondered how many people were talking about me and wondering where my child was. The year before that I totally skipped church just because I didn't want to burst into tears when they asked mothers to stand. So a word to those who have a say in whether or not their churches ask the moms to stand--please don't! You can honor everyone while they're still sitting down. The nicest non-moms day I had was a few years ago when all the women were given flowers, whether moms or not, because they recognized the mothering nature of all women. Somewhere in every congregation is that woman who, whether she wants to stand or not, desperately wants to be a mom, but isn't yet. That poor girl feels bad enough, so please don't make it worse!

Standing or sitting, there are moms in our lives that deserve to be honored. My mom is one of my best friends. I wish I could spend more time with her and have the best time when we do. There is probably no one in the world who is more like me--except maybe John! She was an excellent role model growing up and still is. She is a wonderful grandmother to Will. The best compliment I ever got was that I was the perfect mix of my mom and dad. I should say more, but how can you put into words all your mother means to you?

My grandmothers have also been a great blessing to me, spoiling me and teaching me. Grandma Tilly (Apple) adores Will and is wonderful with him. They had an especially good time making pretend apple pies just a couple days ago.

John's mom has been a blessing to us. She is a great example of generosity and putting others above herself. She too loves Will with all her heart.

This Mothers' Day, as with those past, I hoped to do a little something for the moms in our life, but fell short as always! But as a mother with a child finally here in the flesh, I felt that I didn't really need to be honored. It goes back to the old question, "Should we really be honored for doing our job?" It's my job to love Will with all my heart, provide for him, and help him be the best person he can be. I do that with the best of my ability. Although I knew it would be demanding, it's a lot more consuming a job than I thought it would be--and a LOT less sleep! But when the day is done, it's my job. That's what I signed up for. I would not trade it for anything. Instead, I just wanted to spend Mothers' Day thinking about how lucky I was just to finally be a mom. How lucky I am to have, who we feel, is the cutest, sweetest, smartest little guy in the whole world. Without a doubt, you can count me among the luckiest moms in the world. Will is my present. I am just glad he was here with me this year!

Regardless of that feeling, John and Will did make Mothers' Day extra special. John did not miss any chances to direct Will to give extra hugs and kisses. In addition to what John got me, he took Will to pick out which scrapbooking or quilting magazine and num-nah (candy) mommy would get. We knew Will would get into it because the night before Will had grabbed his own basket and meticulously looked over the items at the dollar store, deciding wich things to keep and which to put back. I must say that, with Daddy's help, he did a great job on my gifts.

I also hoped to get something Will had made to remember my first Moms' Day. At church they decided to have the smaller kids make footprints. When we picked up Will they told us that he wouldn't do it. He was the only kid in the class who wouldn't. As a matter of fact, he started shouting, "Ew! Ew!" when they tried to paint his feet. He even got the rest of the kids to chime in shouting. That's my boy--the instigator!

To all of the lucky moms out there, happy belated Mothers' Day!

I mentioned a few months ago that I have a slew of pictures of me with a big cheesy grin showing how happy I am to be a mom. Here is a couple of my favorites...


China


Halloween

And here's my verse, only a week late!

Isaiah 54:13
All your sons will be taught by the LORD,
and great will be your children's peace.

Random Cuteness

Birthday Bike compliments of Grandma Apple (named for always giving Will apples),
Construction Bike Helmet and pads--too cute for words!

I always hoped that when I had children, they would be full of spunk and personality. That's exactly what we got. I just didn't expect it to start at such a young age.

Will loves his music. His newest trick is to yell, "Song!" when we are in the car and a commercial comes on. If he doesn't like the song that is playing, such as Taylor Swift, he will also yell, "Song!" He even knows when a song is getting ready to go off and will start yelling, "Song!" in anticipation. If I'm watching something on the DVR and skipping through the commercials, he'll hear the jingle and start yelling, "Song!" so we have to go back and watch the commercials. He yells "Song!" with all the strength his little body can muster and, when the song is finally over, the end is often met with tears. His love for music and dancing has even earned him a standing invitation when Big Boss Man, is favorite blues band, plays at Cielito Lindo, the local Mexican restaurant.

Will and Daddy have written a number one hit (in our household) which is actually being sung to me now and played on the ukulele. We call it The Family Song. It is basically a list of the names of everyone in our family, but no other song compares. Any time we ask Will what song he wants to hear, he breaks into The Family Song. We hear Will singing it to himself throughout the day.

Will also has to go hear the worship at church and screams, "Song!" as we carry him screaming past the sanctuary so that he can go to his class first. Luckily we go to a church where it is okay that Will dance on the chairs as he worships. It was confirmed this weekend that Will is either going to be a head banger, or he was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Another thing that has amazed me lately is Will's uncanny sense of direction. Whenever we are in the general vicinity of Guitar Center, Will starts yelling for Daddy or Daddy's Car (another of his fascinations). We were driving by Joseph Beth the other day, coming from the opposite direction we usually approach from, and he started screaming, "Choo choo! Choo choo!" because that is where he goes to play with the trains.

When Will first came to us, we tried to comfort him by speaking a little Chinese. I am pretty sure that what we said didn't sound too Chinese. (I am reminded of trying to speak Spanish to a little Mexican girl in my class. She started repeating the Spanish back to me, just like she did when I taught her English. She was totally unaware that I was trying to speak Spanish to her!) As time has gone by with Will, we have slacked off on the Chinese. Recently I have made a more concentrated effort to tell Will, "Good night. Mommy loves you!" in Chinese before he goes to bed. According to our adoption guides, this sounds a lot like, "Wo o. Mommy eye knee." As I was saying this to Will the other night, he began laughing uncontrollably. I was not sure what was so funny until he started screaming, "Night night, knee!" over and over. Now it is a nightly ritual that we must tell not only our knees, but all of our body parts, especially our elbows, good night. I heard him telling his stuffed animals, "Wan an!" (good night) this morning.

Will has lots of Mommy time, so Daddy time is very special to him. If John is around and I try to push the cart Will is in, change his diaper, or give him a bath, I get Will's version of "talk to the hand." That would be the hand extended up in the stop position, with Will screaming, "NO!" at the top of his lungs while rapidly shaking his head. Who knew "talk to the hand" was an innate expression? I must admit that I like it when he tells me Daddy must change his diaper.

We went out to eat a few weeks ago and someone came up to our table to tell us hello. John immediately thought it was someone I had taught with over the years. I immediately thought it was someone had gone to church with. Will immediately said, "Doctor!" and he was right. I guess when you spend enough time screaming at someone, their memory gets seared into your brain.

Yesterday Will got his kicks by trying to pick my nose. Never a dull moment.

I hope I don't bore you with my little Will stories, but he continues to amaze us. I always knew I'd enjoy being a mother, but I never knew it would be this much fun. As John said earlier tonight, we are going to have to stop talking about how cute he is in front of him all the time because he is going to catch on pretty soon. Or do you think he already has???

So for here's my Mothers' Day verse, which is also my excuse for scrapbooking verse (National Scrapbooking Day--May 2, 2009):
Deuteronomy 4:9
Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.

Happy Mothers Day to all, but especially to those first time moms and those still waiting! And Happy National Scrapbooking Day!

Verse Time!

I heard this verse in Bible study this week. It was presented with this teaser--"Do you want to know what God's will is for your life? Well, here it is..."

^{1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)}

¹⁶Be joyful always; ¹⁷pray continually; ¹⁸give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

April Fools, Friends, and a Verse

It is with a very heavy heart that I must inform you that John's new job has fallen through. We had to take the dog back after he ate 2 of the neighborhood cats. My new job has also fallen through , so I will continue staying home with Will. He is very upset about not getting to participate in the explosions and dances. The new weight loss show has been canceled. Our maid quit--even she could not stand the mess. Unfortunately, the children we were adopting will have to stay in Val Verde. And in case you did not figure it out, yesterday was April Fools! But remember...there is a grain of truth in every lie (except for maybe the one about the dog).


Friends
A few important updates...

Please keep praying for my friend Doug. He has a long road to complete recovery. Also pray for his wife and daughter who are adjusting to him not being at home.

My friend Marion's job is possibly in danger with some new legislation. Please click here and scroll to the bottom to sign this petition and help a friend of a friend (me!). You will also be helping students get competitive loan rates for higher education.

I have another friend who has also been working hard to create a new blog to help mothers. It's got lots of good information on it and links to helpful resources. Check it out here.


My New Verse
I can't back down from a challenge, but I sure can slack off. I hit the first 2 or 3 verses hard, but since then I haven't been memorizing my verses. I am going to get back at it. We are only on verse 7, so surely I can catch up, but only if I start now. Regardless, it has still been good to see that God always has something to say about right where I am. Here is my newest verse...

Hebrews 12:1 NIV
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

Better Late Than Never

I'm 2 days late with my post, but here's a convicting verse for me...

It is for FREEDOM that Christ set us free! Stand firm then and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Galatians 5:1 NIV

5th Memory Verse

Unfortunately, I'm falling behind in my memorizing a bit. Please pray for me to stick with the memorizing, not just picking them out!

Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.

February is usually a big month for us with Valentine's, birthdays, the first glimpse of sunny days, plus those last exciting bits of snow. This month was good, but we have some friends (more than one) who have had some hard times this month. It has been a bit of a wake up call for us, realizing our humanity and that bad things happen to good people. Sometimes I need a reminder that God is going to reward our faithfulness, even when things seem bleak for a time. More important than my reward, I need to remember that I have to keep having faith to please God. He's got his own timing and can see the big picture even when I cannot. Although it is sometimes frustrating, I find it refreshing to realize that I am not in charge of everything!

Prayer Request and Verse

Most importantly, a prayer request...please pray for our very good friend Doug. We won't go into detail for their privacy, but he is in the hospital and very sick. Please pray for his recovery and for his family who loves him very much.

Now for my next verse...
1 Corinthians 6:12
"Everything is permissible for me"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"—but I will not be mastered by anything.

My 3rd Set of Verses

For this reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:5-8

The part that really stood out to me this time was "in increasing measure." I may have some of those things, but they are not always increasing. My hope is that in memorizing what I am to work on, I won't be so stagnant in my walk.

My 2nd Set of Verses

It's amazing what you can accomplish when motivated. For some reason, I have finally, after 14 years, been motivated to memorize scripture. (Now if I can only get motivated in a couple other areas!) I actually memorized both of the verses that I previously listed (John 15:7-8). So I went ahead and picked a couple more verses that I needed to hear--and remember.


2 Corinthians 9:10-11 (New International Version)

10Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

My First Verse

I finally chose my first verse to memorize. (Better late than never.) I'm posting for a little accountability. Technically, this is 2 verses, so with my late start, I'll still have 2 memorized by the end of January.

John 15:7-8 NIV
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.