A few weeks ago I posted about a new token system we had decided to try out. I'll admit I was super skeptical at first because it seemed really "Anal Annie" and nit picky. But once we got into it I realized it's actually less so. All the things they earn and lose tokens for are things we had already given them praise or admonishment for. It is all stuff I am repeating like a broken record day in and out, this system just makes them more aware of those things on their own. (Wahoo!!) 

Also, magical things are happening. Because they have to earn and buy things like tv and computer/Kindle time we have gone daaaays without tv or anything screen related.  (Ahhh) Even rainy days!! They have chosen to build forts in the garage and play dress up or read books together or have decided that being outside with less than perfect confitions is just fine. They are learning that playing together nicely for chunks of time is advantageous for them! 

Also, it's been kind of nice for Adam and I in some regards because instead of going round and round with the same song and dance that the girls usually tune out leaving us sighing, we can just say in a matter of fact way: That cost you a token (or five) because that was wrong. On the other side of that it causes us to more aware of their good moments and reward them for those immediately in a way they can see and grasp. 

Last week they got to see some of their hard work pay off. They both wanted to reach the ultimate goal of earning 100 tokens to cash in for $10 to spend on whatever the heck they want (with guidance from Ma and Daddy)

Hannah got herself a small purse and matching wallet (and has been carrying it everywhere she goes).  Abby wanted to buy everything for other people. She picked out some candy for herself and for Hannah and kept finding things she'd love to get Mama or Hannah or brother. I finally convinced her to spend the rest on herself. (But she still picked out a little shark for brother that she dubbed Mr. Bubbles.) So now, NOW that they realize money to spend however they wish is at stake, suddenly it got real up in here. 

Abby has already earned her next 100 tokens and already "totally knows" what she's spending it on. Hannah has decided she wants a scooter. So her goal is to save 300 tokens to earn $30 for a scooter (and we'll help with the rest if it's more)

So you see we are learning life lessons here. Earning, saving and spending. Responsibility, kindness, keeping ones self entertained, etc. 

The only magic the tokens aren't really performing is night-time magic. In fact we are struggling unusually hard in this area lately. At this point though, you win some you lose some. And right now we seem to be mostly winning. (Here's Abby counting out her token stash):

You know what's awesome? Being a little kid we think of the world as this giant, and vast place, and as I get older I find it's smaller and more connected than I ever imagined.  And often times it's because of God and His hand in things.

Many of you already know we recently decided to leave our last church.  This was a huge decision based on lots of prayer, time, frustration, tears and finally out of just making a move to step away and take a break with the hope of maybe coming back.  Only, in the process we found a church we like very much.  This particular leave/move was different and more difficult because we actually found ourselves leaving our actual denomination of sorts.  Not that we've made a giant leap from where we started and were rooted but it was still weird.  It still is weird sometimes.  It's new.  There are some things that are different.  I questioned at first if we were really supposed to make this leap or was it just a temporary thing for the five of us.  But the way God is working and orchestrating things of late it is incredibly obvious this is no accident. 

First of all, the way our girls have taken to the church and the other kids and adults here.  One of the main reasons we left was because of the lack of things children related and it's continuing decline into nothingness at the last church.  It is our job as parents to make sure our kids are equipped with everything they will need to be lovely well rounded people once they are off and running on their own, and this means making sure NOW they have people and examples and love and church and God in their lives so they know how important it is later in their individual lives.  Not just because we as their parents do it and say it.  Since being at this new church for a little over 3 months I have watched the girls grow and participate in church in ways they didn't before.  I have been excited over the opportunities they have for the kids to get together outside of church and for the activities they have had already for them in the time we've been here.  So that was one prayer request answered nearly immediately.

Also, music.  The need for this is so great in my life.  It is often times the only thing that reaches me or can lift and encourage me when nothing else could.  Often you enter a church and it's quite some time before you feel even remotely comfortable enough to approach someone about helping with worship.  Can I just say that this is now the second place we've been, where through the grapevine people find out about your experience with worship and music and you are nearly immediately taken in and put to use. 
But you know what else is awesome?  The way in which it happened.  Honestly I love moments like this where I am reminded how vast and yet how small the community of those who love God is.  Because if God is behind it, if He is in full charge of the story the results are truly amazing. 

So to set it all up for you, He sees this growing church that is and will have a great need to fill soon.  And little by little, people who have the same heart for this need start to show up...and they start to attend the church and make the decision to stay.  All within the span of a few months time.  None of them being aware there is this need.  All coming because of hurts and brokenness from other places and other churches.  He slowly brings them all together to this little church and then once there, the need is revealed.  And you look around and you realize there is NO WAY this happened without God. 

So this last Sunday, I got to stand up with 8 other people to form this worship team of people, most of whom have led at other churches or helped lead or been involved in worship.  The worship team went from one man who decided it was his time to be done to 8 and possibly more, forming several teams to help lead this church in worship each week. 

"O Lord My God...when I in awesome wonder, consider all, the world's Thy hands have made..."

I stood next to these 8 people on Sunday lifting our voices and instruments to God in worship and I nearly lost it.  We had people standing off of the stage there were too many of us to fit all at once!  It sounded like a small choir!  And when you looked at the faces of the church as they saw all these people before them some looked like they couldn't believe it!  Some looked like they might cry, some did cry.  I have to be honest...it was awesome.  The words to the song "Blessed Be Your Name" were sung on Sunday...

 "You give and take away.  You give and take away.  My heart will choose to say.  Lord Blessed be Your Name!" 

 I used to balk at these lyrics.  Part of me went to this place in my mind where He would take something away, and how would I feel.  But this is just the point!  He takes away.  But something better is always given back if we allow Him and open our hearts to it.  We lost our last church.  We lost much of what we loved there over time.  In a sense that was taken away.  But we have been given back this gift of a new church.  He's given us a new family mixed with some of our old and He has indeed done what He said He would by giving us the desires of our heart.  Worship.  People from this church have been praying in new people and specifically people for worship.  And on Sunday there we all were. 

Oh man...I can't write this without tearing up.  Can you grasp how awesome that is!? Do you understand!?  We were specifically asked for and God delivered.  We were a part of an answer to prayer, which was also the answer to OUR prayers. 

This.  This here is God.  Do you see it!?  How can you ignore it!?  This is no coincidence.  Coincidence is just God in disguise. This is God at work in the details.  Working in and among those who believe on Him and have hearts in line with Him, truly seeking His will, His plan, His timing.  This, is what awesome is.

 

awe·some

/ˈɔsəm/ Show Spelled [aw-suhm] 

adjective

1.

inspiring an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, or fear; causing or inducing awe: an awesome sight.

2.

showing or characterized by reverence, admiration, or fear; exhibiting or marked by awe.

I am so tired ya'll. I mean reeeeally tired. This is not a post to complain or compare.  I know there are MANY of us that are so tired.  Weary.  Exhausted.  And lately I feel like I rolled out the wrong side of bed more often than not.  But today, my exhaustion is revealing itself in the form of hilarity.  I can feel it in my head.  You know when you are so tired you can feel the heaviness of your head?  The weight of tiredness pressing on all sides?  I feel that.  I feel it a lot lately and yet today I cannot stop giggling.  And what a great problem to have!  I mean, honestly I wish my tiredness and exhaustion presented itself in the form of being a bit loopy and dissolving into fits of giggles rather than short and snappy and resembling a grumbling dwarf who goes by Grumpy. 
The girls will say something and it hits me just right and I start laughing.  And oh it feels good to laugh.  It really does need to happen more often, yet somehow when we are most tired we can't always access the funny bone like we should.  So I don't know what kind of exhaustion level I've hit that this is happening but it sure beats being tired and something akin to Oscar the Grouch. 
Thing is I think this little one is tired too,

he's been teething, ACTUALLY teething now (notice the drool in this picture) and while he can be lovely and sunny one minute it's not taking much to make him mad, and then he just exhausts himself getting all mad and worked up and he just wants to go back to bed.  And Hannah and Abby have been on a marathon of staying up as late as possible.  Last night they didn't conk out until 10!  10!?  *Sigh.*  Well.  It's household siesta time.  And today.  I'm actually going to take the time to siesta I believe. Let's just hope I don't wake up on the wrong side of the couch.  ;)

I'm sorry, you did what now?

You guys.  I like to blog.  I do.  I like this thing for it's memory value.  I like it for record keeping and milestones and for keeping track of those silly life moments that I can hopefully use as blackmail later in my kids lives.  I am constantly thinking: Oh man!  I need to go type that out so I don't forget it, and I throughout the day compose the blog in my mind but then when I think about actually sitting down to blog it out I can't help but think this:

(Oh my goodness Sweet Brown cracks me up!) 

But you should know I do actually think about it...I just don't get around to it. 

 

So about a month or so ago Adam took Hannah fishing.  While out he taught her the lesson of peeing in the great outdoors in the event a bathroom is not available (or really nasty like the one they stumbled on). 

Fast forward to our trip to Idaho.  Hannah pees in her Uncle Shane's driveway.  Adam has a little talk with her about when and where this kind of outdoor relief is ok.  ...

Fast forward to a couple weeks later.  I took the kids to the park and we were headed home, Abby helping me push Cooper in the stroller, Hannah running ahead.  At one point I see her duck behind a tree but think nothing of it because she's always doing this and then jumping out to try and scare me.  (It astounds her that I don't get scared every time she jumps out at me so she's constantly trying)  As we get up closer to her I notice she's adjusting her pants.  I look at her suspiciously and ask what she was just doing.  In a guilty and sheepish way she admits to nothing.  I give her the eye...She finally sighs and says..."FINE!  ...I was peeing." WHAT THE WHAT!?  I am most sure that people in the surrounding blocks heard me (as we were on a rather main road) And I sternly told her that if she did that again I'd march her to the person's front door and have her tell them she just peed in their yard.  Oh!  Did I forget to mention it was in someone's front yard.  Well there it is.  It was in someone's front yard. 

This is one of those moments in parenthood where you are 2 parts appalled and 3 parts trying not to laugh.  But trying really hard to ignore the 3 parts welling up.  I held it together.  I was good and firm.  I expressed my 2 parts appalled.  But then as we approach home there is my husband standing in the yard.  At this point Abby had run on ahead and I was right behind her and Hannah was still quite a ways behind me being ridiculously slow just because.

 

So I tell Adam what just occurred.  He dies.  He's incredulous as he's had this talk with her previously after she peed in Uncle Shane's driveway but there is that initial moment where you can't help but giggle.  Which gets me started.  He mentions he's glad I told him this now and gave him time to collect himself before she actually reached him.  As I start to walk inside Hannah walks up and I hear Adam ask her: "Got something you need to tell me?"  I had to turn away and duck into the house because I was cackling so hard at this point.  I wish I could have been more supportive in that moment but I could not. 

Adam did a great job of explaining (yet again) why this is not ok.  He restated my statement to her that if an adult did that and got caught they'd be sent to jail. 

What is that saying?...If you give a kid an inch they take a mile? Or is it, Give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach a kid to pee outdoors and all the worlds a bathroom?  Something like that. :)   Ohhhh man....Kids.  Awesomely, fantastically, weird.