9/17/07

Guess what fell from the sky??

(See my entry on some of the needs we've had met lately.)

A friend from church last night gave us 2 big tubs full of maternity clothes. Her baby is about to turn 1 in late November so she had several things for fall/winter and I could actually wear some of them! Another need....another provision!

Very thankful today!

9/14/07

Kids say the darndest things

I saw this on a message board I frequent. The person posting called this "Not what you learned in Sunday School":

Can you imagine yourself to be the nun sitting at her desk grading these papers all the while trying to keep a straight face and maintain her composure! PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THE WORDING AND SPELLING. IF YOU ARE EVEN REMOTELY FAMILIAR WITH HOLY SCRIPTURE, YOU'LL FIND THIS HILARIOUS! IT COMES FROM A ROMAN CATHOLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEST. KIDS WERE ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS. THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS ABOUT THE BIBLE WERE WRITTEN B Y CHILDREN. THEY HAVE NOT BEEN RETOUCHED OR CORRECTED. INCORRECT SPELLING HAS BEEN LEFT IN.

1. IN THE FIRST BOOK OF THE BIBLE, GUINESSIS. GOD GOT TIRED OF CREATING THE WORLD SO HE TOOK THE SABBATH OFF.
2. ADAM AND EVE WERE CREATED FROM AN APPLE TREE. NOAH'S WIFE WAS JOAN OF ARK. NOAH BUILT AND ARK AND THE ANIMALS CAME ON IN PEARS.
3. LOTS WIFE WAS A PILLAR OF SALT DURING THE DAY, BUT A BALL OF FIRE DURING THE NIGHT.
4. THE JEWS WERE A PROUD PEOPLE AND THROUGHOUT HISTORY THEY HAD TROUBLE WITH UNSYMPATHETIC GENITALS.
5. SAMPSON WAS A STRONGMAN WHO LET HIMSELF BE LED ASTRAY BY A JEZEBEL LIKE DELILAH.
6. SAMSON SLAYED THE PHILISTINES WITH THE AXE OF THE APOSTLES.
7. MOSES LED THE JEWS TO THE RED SEA WHERE THEY MADE UNLEAVENED BREAD WHICH IS BREAD WITHOUT ANY INGREDIENTS .
8, THE EGYPTIANS WERE ALL DROWNED IN THE DESSERT. AFTER WARDS, MOSES WENT UP TO MOUNT CYANIDE TO GET THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.
9. THE FIRST COMMANDMENTS WAS WHEN EVE TOLD ADAM TO EAT THE APPLE.
10. THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT IS THOU SHALT NOT ADMIT ADULTERY.
11. MOSES DIED BEFORE HE EVER REACHED CANADA .. THEN JOSHUA LED THE HEBREWS IN THE BATTLE OF GERITOL ..
12. THE GREATEST MIRICLE IN THE BIBLE IS WHEN JOSHUA TOLD HIS SON TO STAND STILL AND HE OBEYED HIM.
13. DAVID WAS A HEBREW KING WHO WAS SKILLED AT PLAYING THE LIAR. HE FOUGHT THE FINKELSTEINS, A RACE OF PEOPLE WHO LIVED IN BIBLICAL TIMES.
14. SOLOMON, ONE OF DAVIDS SONS, HAD 300 WIVES AND 700 PORCUPINES.
15. WHEN MARY HEARD SHE WA S THE MOTHER OF JESUS, SHE SANG THE MAGNA CARTA.
16. WHEN THE THREE WISE GUYS FROM THE EAST SIDE ARRIVED THEY FOUND JESUS IN THE MANAGER.
17. JESUS WAS BORN BECAU SE MARY HAD AN IMMACULATE CONTRAPTION.
18. ST. JOHN THE BLACKSMITH DUMPED WATER ON HIS HEAD.
19. JESUS ENUNCIATED THE GOLDEN RULE, WHICH SAYS TO DO UNTO OTHERS BE FORE THEY DO ONE TO YOU. HE ALSO EXPLAINED A MAN DOTH NOT LIVE BY SWEAT ALONE..
20. IT WAS A MIRICLE WHEN JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD AND MANAGED TO GET THE TOMBSTONE OFF THE ENTRANCE.
21. THE PEOPLE WHO FOLLOWED THE LORD WERE CALLED THE 12 DECIBELS.
22. THE EPISTELS WERE THE WIVES OF THE APOSTLES.
23. ONE OF THE OPPOSSUMS WAS ST. MATTHEW WHO WAS ALSO A TAXIMAN.
24. ST. PAUL CAVORTED TO CHRISTIANITY, HE PREACHED HOLY ACR IMONY WHICH IS ANOTHER NAME FOR MARRAIGE.
25. CHRISTIANS HAVE ONLY ONE SPOUSE . THIS IS CALLED MONOTONY

9/9/07

Blessings abound

Lots of cool stuff going on around here! God is great!

1 -- Mentioned casually at a picnic several weeks ago of the things we need for the upcoming baby. There's a couple at church who has a crib mattress (one of the things on our list) that they said we could have....

2 -- A co-worker of Jonathan's just gave us a backyard play thing for the kids. Kinda like a slide and club house type of thing. We've got 90% of it here in pieces but we should get it put together this week....

3 -- I had said for maybe a year or more that I'd like to have a desk for Nathan to do his school work at since he has problems with distractions if he's sitting on the couch and I need the table to work with the little ones. Friends of ours are moving and gave us an old desk earlier this week....

4 -- Our next door neighbors are preparing to move. On a family walk a few weeks ago, they asked us if we needed bunk beds and we said no, that Nathan & Caleb just got bunk beds and it'd be 2 years, maybe longer, before we'd need another set. The set they were going to get rid of is currently in our attic waiting for those 2 years to pass (WITH the mattresses -- will they survive their time in the attic?!?! Hope so!)....

5 -- I just said to Jonathan about 8:45 this morning on the way to Sunday School that I was going to have to buy some of those plastic drawers to start putting baby stuff in since we're out of drawer/closet space. We had talked about buying a new dresser or some under-the-bed drawers but don't have the money for something like that right now. Same friend moving that gave us the desk walked up to me at church today (less than an hour and a half later) and said "You wouldn't happen to need a dresser for anyting, would you?" I about fell over!

We were also able to get Nathan some much needed new shoes tonight, thanks to Jonathan's parents. God is so good to us (maybe one of these days we'll tell you how we came to be the owners of a 2000 Buick). You don't think some fall/winter maternity clothes could fall from the sky, do you?!?! (hee hee!) =)

9/7/07

Our poor children

They've inherited their allergies from their Dad (everyone but Nathan, that is) and they are all (Jonathan, too) having a very rough week this week. Caleb, in fact, started having trouble several weeks ago and just wasn't getting better. That, coupled with a rash on his leg and something on his feet, we decided it was time for a trip to the doctor today. The cough is just allergy related which is the good news but the bad news is that since it's not getting any better, that means the OTC Claritin isn't working any more. So, now we switch to prescription Zyrtec. The good news there is that our kids have complete prescription coverage so we don't have to pay anything for that. The bad news is that Zyrtec will be OTC within a year, the doctor said which, of course, we'll have to pay for. We found out the hard way that the kids (Caleb, Elizabeth, and John) are allergic to something in the generic brand of Claritin so we have to use the name brand which runs $10 a bottle. With 3 kids getting a tsp every night, we were running through a bottle every week. So, this will lighten that load some, at least for a little while. The rash on his leg is excema which we know how to treat. On his foot, however, is athlete's foot. I've never heard of a child this age getting that! No one else in the house has it so why does he? Where did it come from? We don't know....but, we'll treat it and hope for the best. He just has sensitive skin.

Speaking of feet, though -- could someone please tell me how to keep my children from wearing out their shoes so fast??? Caleb and Nathan are both in desperate need of a new pair and John and Elizabeth really could use one as well. Elizabeth, in fact, could use church shoes, too, as she's out grown all her dress shoes except for 1 pair (which happens to be black -- all the ones she out grew are white or sandals). We used to save shoes for hand-me-down play shoes but now that Nathan and Caleb are starting to wear shoes longer because their feet aren't growing as fast, they're not leaving us much of a chance of saving them. Oh well, comes with the territory, I guess you can say!

9/6/07

Good blogger

Check out this blog: www.TheUpstreamCurrent.blogspot.com. (You'll have to cut and paste that into your address bar -- I still can't figure out how to add the active link thingy.)

Tony's our former teaching elder (think pastor). When we first met Tony, we (me more so than Jonathan) thought he was crazy for his views on salvation, talking about election, God's sovereignty, etc. It took a while but we eventually got it. Now, I'm not saying -- and we have been accused of being a "man follower" as opposed to God followers -- that Tony has it all figured out, that he's perfect, that he knows all there is to know about God. Not even close. He's a man, folks, and that's all he'll ever be. BUT, he was able to show us and the others we were blessed to fellowship with for 3 years how election is in scripture, plain as day. He was able to "blow the lid off the box" that we, like many "Arminian" Christians, had been keeping God in. The one image that I'll never forget, that really helped me to "see", was him saying to imagine God going "Oh, they've been shown salvation -- I hope they accept me as their Savior" or "I'm so glad I know all things and that I know he/she will accept me". Makes God seem pretty helpless to think that He had to wait on us to accept or reject his gift of eternal life. Many people will say that election or predestination simply means that God knows who will accept and who will reject Him and His salvation. That's just not true. I sit here as someone who stinks at writing, who can't help this make sense to those who think "I accepted Christ! I prayed that prayer!". Yes, we had a part in our salvation although I personally think "accepting" is the wrong word. Some people, especially from where I'm from, say that they are saved and that's a little better. The reality is this -- before the foundation of the world, God knew each and every person that He would ever create (God is the One who causes conception to happen, who gives the breath of life, but that's for another blog), and He CHOSE or ELECTED or PREDESTINED some of us. Yes, it is His will or His desire that all should come to salvation but we all know that doesn't happen. We all know people who are currently lost or, even worse, know people who have died who we are certain died without Christ. Why didn't God choose them? I can't answer that question. I'm not God and I don't know why He chooses the way that He does and I don't believe that's for me to know. Why did He choose us? Are we better than those that die lost? Absolutely not. We're all sinners, worthy of only one thing and that is hell. All I can say for sure is that my salvation isn't in my hands at all -- I did NOTHING when I was saved, except fall subject to the Sovereign God who saw it in His plan, in His love and grace, to offer me mercy. God did it all. It wasn't an "accepting" moment on my part -- it was the moment when the scales fell off my eyes and I saw myself for the wretched sinner I really am and was forever changed by the gospel, by the truth of the Creator of the universe who chose to give me eternal life. Yes, I prayed a prayer but that was in response -- that was me saying "Yes, Lord -- I see now! I'm a sinner. I'm lost without You. I need you."

I hope I haven't done any harm with this post. I know it's a sticky point for lots of people and I probably stink at explaining it. What prompted this post was Tony's post on God's sovereignty in response to a blog he saw on the Minnesota bridge collapse. I encourage you to check it out.

9/4/07

I'm so excited I can hardly stand it!!

I hope it's the sign of things to come!! Some of you may know, some of you may not, so let me enlighten you -- we have been having a HORRIBLE time with potty training in this house! Nathan was a breeze....it's taken us FOREVER it feels like with Caleb and we're not even there yet! For several weeks, maybe even 2 months now, we've been able to keep him dry during the day but only IF we reminded him to go. Accidents, he blamed on US for not reminding him to go. As far as staying dry AND clean, forget about it, until just a very few days ago. While my Mom was here, we got him to go poop in the potty a few times but we still had more accidents that not. Well, guess what happened today?!?! First of all, he came up to me about 11:30 right before I was about to remind him to go and TOLD ME HE HAD TO GO! I was blown away but reminded myself not to get too excited. Well, then, during school time, he stopped halfway through what he was doing and told me he had to go and -- here's the best part -- actually made it to the potty AND pooped ON HIS OWN!! I don't know what to do with myself!

As for Elizabeth - I think my Mom was convinced she'd get Elizabeth started while she was here. People are constantly telling us "You need to take that girl to the potty -- she's asking to go!". True, indeed, she does ask to go. However, as my Mom can now testify to, she sits there for just a few seconds (although my Mom did get her to sit a little while longer) and, 9 times out of 10, nothing happens. Absolutely nothing. Not even right after waking up, not even right before a bath with the bath tub filling up with water, absolutely nothing! As the old adage goes, "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink". I don't know what to do!! So, we walk around looking like neglectful and lazy parents when our daughter tells others (like Sunday School/nursery workers) that she has to go and they take her to find she's still in a diaper. We've tried pull-ups with her but I'm telling you -- they aren't as absorbent as diapers. With Caleb, we had no problems - he wore pull-ups forever day in and day out and rarely did we have a soaking-through-his-clothes kind of accident. Not with Elizabeth -- can't figure out if it's her or the pull-ups. Anyway, if anyone has any advice on what I might be able to try OR wants to reassure me that I just need to wait a little while longer (even though she says she has to go and even though she's already 3), please drop a comment! And pray for us, too -- maybe we can get her at least a little trained before the baby comes! =)

1 day down....how many more to go?!?!

Well, it's the first day day of school with the Stevens Clan. So far, so good!! =) My hubby told me my organization was inspiring -- I reminded him it was only day 1!!! We started KONOS today with our friends. Our best friends are homeschoolers and Nathan and Fionna (you've seen her in a few pics already) are the same age so, when I started homeschooling, we decided we'd get together and co-teach a few days a week. We were worried (still are -- like I said, it's only day 1) about how difficult it would be this year since I'm pregnant and Kisha started baby-sitting again and now has a 2-year-old and baby in tow. But, today went smoothly. I think it might actually work. Won't be as easy as last year and won't be as frequent but life changes, families change, and that's one of the many reasons we homeschool -- FLEXIBILITY!! KONOS, in case you're interested, is a unit study based on Godly characteristics. I probably could explain that but I find it easier to give examples. The first characteristic we studied was Attentiveness. With each characteristic, there are units -- with attentiveness, for example, we studied the ear and hearing (you need that to pay attention!) and did a unit on men like Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone. Last year, we finished up Attentiveness and did Obedience and Orderliness and studied things such as who authority figures are in our lives (including the One to whom we should always be obedient to, God), Kings and Queens (thus the Medieval Feast we did on Saturday), horses, alphabetical order, why it's important to put things in order, creation, etc. This year, we're starting Inquisitiveness and are starting this unit off with Ancient Egypt. If you'd like more info, feel free to email me (Sing2PraiseHim@hotmail.com) or visit www.Konos.com (can't get the link thingy to work!). This is also the first year that I'm working with more than one student. The little ones have always joined in with school activities we did during the morning but then I'd put them down to nap and do the bulk of Nathan's school work during nap time. Caleb will be 5 in December which means he's technically not in kindergarten yet but I wanted to go ahead and get started with some basics for him. He's already proficient in his colors and shapes, of course, so we're working on our ABC's and the letter sounds and some basic handwriting and math skills. I dabbled a bit with him last year and he LOVED it but this year, I hope to go full throttle with him all year. Today went very well. Elizabeth and John are just along for the ride at this point but they like pretending that they're doing something real important!! Don't you just love 'em??

Bottom line - first day went off without a hitch! Stuck to the schedule, got all the work accomplished, and feeling optimistic about day 2!! Happy school year!

Labor Day Weekend

How was your holiday weekend? Ours went smoothly. We started off the weekend with soccer and our school year kick-off party, the Medieval Feast. Nathan gave reports on King David from the Bible and Peter the Great. He also played the role of a bard and recounted the story of Robin Hood. His friend, Fionna, gave reports on Jezebel and Queen Elizabeth and played the harp. They pulled "swords" from the stone to assign themselves new names for the day. Nathan was Sir Burger of Bun, Caleb was Sir Sand of Castle, Elizabeth was Lady Apple of Juice, and I can't remember what John was. They designed their own coat of arms and then we played some games. We finished the day with balloon jousting and a game of Catch The Dragon's Tail. Here's some pics -- the cake I made (supposed to look like a shield and has Eph. 6:16 on it for the "sheild of faith"), Nathan and Fionna in their costumes, and then
Jonathan and John in Nathan's masks.




Also this weekend, we went to a church softball game. Jonathan get up to bat 3 or 4 times and actually hit the ball every time!! Check out this action: