Mother's of Faith

It's been awhile since I have shared about mom's group, or now known as "Mothers of Faith."

Our group is so great and it's a privilege to serve the mom's of our church through the leadership of this group.  We just finished going through the book "Give Them Grace by Elyse Fitzpatrick and Jessica Thompson.  It was a big challenge, but so helpful for me as a mom that desperately wants to raise my children in a godly way in the midst of this crazy, sinful world.  

We have now gone back to something we are hoping is a little more practical, Joy of the Word Filled Family, by John Barnett.  It is a great book and one I suggest everyone has on their bookshelf.  It isn't a book you have to read cover to cover.  It is written to both the husband and the wife.  They laid it out according to topic and in a way that you really can just read one chapter to help in the area you need the help in.  It's great and I'm hoping the mom's will read it and I know it will be great to teach out of!  I hope I do a better job of sharing here what we are learning then I did with the last book.

We are in our 5th season and do have our time together down to a good routine.  We've added a few new things and just cleaned it up and really are loving it!

We start at 9:30 with coffee and a delicious, homemade, somewhat-healthy treat and some fellowship.  Usually by 9:40 the kids are dropped off in their assigned spots and we are making our way to our seats for announcements and prayer.  Then we have a yummy recipe and sometimes a helpful tip.  After that we get into the teaching.  Hannah was teaching this day and you can see her in the purple chair.

 We try to keep the lesson time informal, where people can interrupt with questions.  We like sitting in a circle and try to make it feel homey.  As you can see, we have the pleasure of meeting in a beautiful home, that makes the homey-ness possible and delightful!!

While we are meeting our kiddos are out playing!  They have a planned lesson, activity, project and occasionally a time of singing.  They are even memorizing a verse!  They get to play outside on sunny days and run around.  This particular day we had 16 kiddos!!  If the little ones aren't walking yet, they have their own playroom!

This is Izzy.  She's been with us the entire time!  We've gotten to see her grow up as well!  She was 10 when we started, Thomas was about 6mos old.

Here's Allie, she's been with us since the beginning as well.  She was 9, I think when we started!  What a delight these girls are.  They love our kids and are so good with them.  They are a true gift to the moms and to the kids.

Back inside, when lesson time is down, we split up into small groups where we go over memory verses (if we are on top of things), have a discussion time based on the lesson for the day and then a time of prayer.

We continue to work on building relationships with these moms as we all strive to "Walk Like Jesus"

It's a time of blessing to me and I hope we have many more years to come!!

Time For Tea

The last three years, our church's Women's Ministry has hosted a Ladies Tea.  It's always a great time of fellowship including a lesson and entertainment.  This year was lots of fun.  I was able to play greeter and welcome the ladies as they arrived and make sure they found their seat.  I also played table hostess to our young ladies.  You see, each table is hosted by a different woman in the church.  We bring our own china, table linens, silverware, glasses and centerpieces.  It's quite a bit of work, but lots of fun to put our fancy stuff to work!

We meet in a home where we are able to seat almost 60 people in one room!!  It's so much fun to see all the different tables and how they are decorated.

This years entertainment was a wedding dress fashion show.  Women lent their dresses to be worn by our young ladies.  Some of them were over 30 years old.  It was so fun to see all the different fashions and to see just how tiny the brides were!!

Here's the table I decorated.  I was able to use plates that my aunt gave me, candle holders, linens and glasses from my Grandma and our wedding decor as a centerpiece.  Such fun to put it to good use!

The Song

So, the VBS singing station that I mentioned. Well, my son cracks me up. I'm also concerned for what lies ahead. He appears to be a perfectionist. He also does not like to be silly in front of others. He takes almost everything seriously. What does this have to do with VBS singing? Well, I saw this all perfectly displayed during the singing station. Friday morning Thomas was very different from Monday morning Thomas.

During the opening songs, with all the kids gathered together, Thomas simply stood there. He didn't sing, didn't move, just stood there. This continued during the singing time. I just figured, oh well, he will warm up by the end of the week. Tuesday was exactly the same. I tried singing with him, he didn't appreciate that at all. I just figured he didn't want to be silly and that was that. Wednesday, the same continued. Except during the singing station when one of his favorite teachers tried to get him to sing, he cried. Then he was asked to sit at the fireplace. His teacher then asked me to work with him because the kids that didn't sing wouldn't be going on stage. Well, now it was time to have a chat.

I thought about the situation. Was this really a punishable offense? He wasn't being defiant, he wasn't being rude, so far no. Was this really disobedience? Should I expect him to obey my asking him to sing? Or should I even make it an issue of obedience? Jared and I talked about it and decided no on all of these things. The only concern for me was if he just was too cool to sing, but that didn't appear to be the case either. So Wednesday night we talked with Thomas and encouraged him to try. I told him that I would come out with him during the singing station and help.

So, Thursday at the right time I snuck out to his group and watched. He was standing there, watching his teacher, acting shy, but I could tell he was thinking. I simply went behind him and helped him do all the motions. By the second time through each song he was doing everything on his own, but still wanted to make sure I was touching him and helping him. At the end of each one, he jumped up and down, do proud of himself. He even went and high-fived his teacher.

Friday came and I didn't go out, but I could see him from behind and he was a totally different child. He was doing all of the movements, shaking his booty and smiling. His teachers couldn't believe the transformation.

On Sunday he got up and performed with the whole group and was a pro! He wasn't singing, but he knew every movement and did it with a smile on his face! I must admit, I cried. It was that motherly pride, bubbling up with in me squeezing out with a smile and a tear!

Here's the Video:

http://youtu.be/Wg5KQ0DWocY

Thomas is the one in the jeans, center front

So, yes, Thomas is a perfectionist. He doesn't want to do silly things unless he can do them right. This is something I'm ok with, but also something that needs to be re-fined so that it is done with the right heart and in a way that is glorifying to the Lord and not done in a wrong way. It's a great trait one that I pray is used for God's good!!

(I say he doesn't like to be silly, but that's just in front of others. Around the house, Thomas is all sorts of silly!!)

PS as we sat here watching, he was singing along.

Thomas' First VBS

I've been waiting for several summers now for Thomas to be able to attend VBS. There's hardly a summer in my life that VBS was a part of. I attended, I worked, I ran, I visited. Since Thomas was little we've gone to VBS to watch. He was too young and I couldn't work, so we went for the morning singing and skits. This year he got to participate. He was so excited, a little leery, but excited. He's not big on new situations.

The first morning he walked right up and sat down with his friends. Stood for the singing and laughed for the skit. When his name was called for the Tiny Turtles, he proudly stood and followed his teachers. He loved it. At the end of the week he announced that the ice cream was his favorite. But hey, he also enjoyed the games, the projects and the lessons. He answered questions, raised his hand and knew an answer that no one else did. It was a great week. The best part, for me, was the transformation that took place at the singing station. That's a post in and of it self!

Here are a few pictures from the week.

These are Thomas' teachers, but they snagged Benjamin on the first morning before he went down for a nap. (Benjamin hid out in one of the bedrooms during VBS so he could take a nap.)

A wonderful family at our church gives up their property for the whole week for all our kids and workers can turn it into a VBS wonderland. It's wonderful and so generous! Thomas is towards the right of center.

The skits were hilarious! They did a great job with their characters. Thomas was star struck by "big D" The super cool surfer guy in the brown. He quietly said on Sunday when he was there early, "I didn't know Big D went to our church."

Friday morning before everything started, Thomas and his friends had fun hanging out.

Sitting with his friends, waiting for the skit.
At game time. He loved the water fun.

The group of Tiny Turtles. One of the biggest and youngest groups. They were all 3 or 4, many of them have never been to school.

Easter Egg Hunt

Faith Community continues their tradition of an easter egg hunt at the park. Such great fun. Thomas totally knew what to do this year without any instruction. Benjamin even got in some of the action. It really is a wonderful time of fellowship, just enjoying some good ol family fun with the church family!

Here's Benjamin at his first hunt. He collected a whole four eggs!

Thomas getting ready for take off with an empty basket.

Easter egg's were everywhere, he could hardly stand it. He took off in the wrong direction and I should have just left him. By the time he got over to the pre-school section it was almost cleared out. Oh well, his basket was plenty full!!

Checking out his finds with bud J. They've done every hunt together (except the first) and it's so much fun looking at how they've grown.

Faith COmmunity continues their tradition of an easter egg hunt at the park. Such great fun. Thomas totally knew what to do this year without any instruction.

New Bible Study

Tomorrow I start the new Bible Study at my church. This one is going to change my life. All of the Bible Studies I have been able to participate in have been a blessing, the fact that I even get to go has been a blessing. They have all taught me something and changed who I am, but this one is something different. Linda warned us that it was. We are studying the "The Darkness and the Glory". It's an in-depth look into the days before Jesus' death on the cross. About the suffering He truly went through and the spiritual warfare going on.

It's amazing! Already I feel myself more in awe of just what Jesus went through to save me. I'm so unworthy! I really thing I'm just beginning to understand and mean that. Even just beginning to really know just how unworthy I am for Jesus to have gone through what He did. I encourage you to all pick up a copy!

Christmas Sunday

Christmas Sunday is one of my favorite parts of the whole Christmas celebration. I love coming together to truly celebrate the reason, the true meaning of Christmas. When you're there it's all about God's love and celebrating the gift of His son. Santa Claus is no where to be seen or even talked about. It's all about the nativity, the true meaning of Christmas. You get to sing Christmas Hymns with people that understand and know what they are singing about. The true meaning of Christmas is all around you. I have to admit, that I also love getting all dressed up for Christmas Sunday as well!! Seeing all the kids, super spiffed looking so handsome and just adorable. I was looking forward to getting my family all dressed and ready to go as well. I wish I would have seen just how unhappy Thomas looked, but at least I remembered to get us all together!

I hope you were all blessed with a wonderful Christmas Sunday as well. A time all together worshiping our true Christmas gift!

A Great Day at the Beach

Last Monday, Labor Day, a bunch of families from church headed to the beach. We were ready for an adventure and a whole day out of the house. So we loaded up the car and headed out. Unfortunately, that wasn't until 10:00, so by the time we got there the parking lot was packed!! J dropped us off with all of our stuff and drove off to the far reaches of the earth to park. Thankfully Me and both boys ran into some wonderful college kids (from our church) who helped us haul all our stuff down to the group. When I got down there I realized I didn't have the diaper bags. Of all things to forget, that was the worst. Sweet Benjamin had a very full diaper and a very empty belly. Of course, there was no cell phone reception, so we waited for Jared. I had no idea which direction he had driven, so it made no sense to walk and find him. My husband is wonderful. With a slightly annoyed smile, he turned around and headed back to the car and returned with the missing bag.

After that, the day went smoothly. Benjamin managed to get in a short nap and then just hang out on Daddy's lap after Daddy got in a good game of V-ball. Thomas covered every inch of his of his body in sand. I had a blast visiting with friends and watching my boys have loads of fun!

Nothing better than a nap on the beach,

Except maybe watching the action from Daddy's lap!

Thomas' happy beach dance. This was after he finally braved the water. He went up to the waves like it was no big thing and he'd always done it. (He was afraid the last couple of times!)

Such a happy boy! Got his cookie and a beach full of sand!

The youth group kids made this wonderful hole and then turned it over to the little guys for sliding down into, jumping in and around and eventually taking over with all their own beach tools. It was their favorite thing of the whole day!
The day ended with a yummy trip to In N' Out. Yummy!

Name your Caption

and the winner is....

ALEXIS!!!

you totally found a conversation that could have taken place between those two!

Yes, Alexis I'm stealing your idea. I just couldn't help it this picture cracks me up!!

Here's the background info. Thomas is giving that funny look to our pastor. I love how Pastor is looking quizzically at Thomas.

What do you think they just might be talking about?!

Come up with the most clever saying and win! And yes Alexis, I'm stealing your prize idea, too! Whoever wins has the knowledge of knowing they are the most clever person reading this blog.

Easter Egg Hunt

Every year our church has had an Easter Egg Hunt at the park. It's open to the public, but ends up just mainly with church people this year. Probably because it was freezing!! It had been raining the day before and poured the next day. So, no cute easter outfits this year, but boy-oh-boy, there were a ton of eggs. Almost 2,000!! Thomas could hardly wait a moment later when we were home getting ready. We got out of the truck and all he could see were the eggs. He was so excited!! He had to walk past the sand where there were tons, past the grass where there were even more, and then past the playground, which was covered. He just stopped, pointed out several and told me about all the colors. He managed to not touch a single one. The torture only lasted about 10 minutes, which I 'm sure was forever for him!!

My parents came and joined us and had a blast watching all the kids go crazy. Thomas tried his best to play with Papa while waiting, but couldn't really sit still.

Check out that pained expression! He was trying to pray, but really wanted to run.

And off he went as soon as he was released!

We checked out every blade of grass!
It was a great morning! Fun was had by all. The lunch that followed was yummy, too. A fun way to fellowship with church before coming back together to celebrate that HE HAS RISEN!

Vacaville Snow

A certain young lady just turned 13 and her birthday party was last night. I got to go hang out with them for a portion of the evening. The group had a lesson in cake decorating and their cakes all turned out so cute! I stuck around until about 10:30 when some of my friends showed up. We are all turning 30, or just did, and wishing we weren't. Well, their plan was to kidnap the girls, take them out for dessert and then some midnight fun. Well, being pregnant, tired and just getting over a sinus infection, I made the wise decision and headed home. That's the last time I side with wisdom when 13 year olds are on the loose!!!

Check out what we found this morning. Well, technically we found it about 1:25 early this morning. I woke up to Bailey barking like crazy about 1:10, woke Jared but then the barking stopped. Since I was up I made one of my many nightly trips to the restroom, again, I'm pregnant (small bladder and a little slow in the brain sometimes). I laid awake for a little bit wondering why he was barking then, it dawned on me.... TPing!!!! But I didn't hear any giggling and I have this ridiculous fear of looking out the front windows in the middle of the night. Shortly later I heard car doors slamming.... finally woke up Jared, we made our way to the front of the house and saw the evidence that yes, they had been there!! Oooo, I was so mad!! It would have been such fun to catch them in the act!! I was already for retaliation, but we just went back to sleep. I am almost 30 and pregnant after all.

We did wake up early and returned some of the favor...


Thomas' reaction to the wet TP. Notice the tp under his boot... oh yeah, it's everywhere now!
He did think it was pretty cool at first. He managed to pick up most of the cardboard rolls.

What fun it is to be on this end of things. Although... I must warn those other non-13 year olds that participated... they just better watch out. And I'm never sleeping through another one again!

Harvest Festival

One of the first festivities at Faith Community Church we participated in was the Harvest Festival. We look forward to it every year and can't wait for all the new stuff coming next year!!
This year it wasn't on Halloween, but the day after. So, Thomas got to dress up twice. For the Harvest Festival we added some chaps made by his friends Grandma. Super cute and just made his costume all the more fun. Thomas, in years past, hasn't truly enjoyed Harvest Festival.

The first year he was just a cute Octopus that just got taken around. Last year, he was a precious monkey. He had fun watching Daddy play the games and didn't understand that there was candy to be won.

This year was a whole different story. He played every game, walked the cupcake walk for forever, won lots of candy and even got his face painted. He loved checking out all his friends costumes and running around with them. He even learned how to skate board.
What fun it is experiencing life through the eyes of a two year old!!

The Beach

Yesturday was a glorious day spent sitting on the beach listening to the waves crash on the sand. Oh and the sound of kids laughing, people talking, Thomas calling "Look Mommy, look!" and we weren't exactly soaking in any rays. It was overcast and maybe 65 degrees out. But it was a great day! We went to North Salmon Creek Beach, just north of Bodega Bay, with a group from church. We ate lunch, played in the sand, played Volleyball and even flew a kite. The kids climbed up the sandy hill only to roll back down to the bottom, Thomas watched and tried to play along, loving every moment of it. I think the sand was his favorite. As soon as we hit the trail, bucket and shovel in hand, he went to town scooping up as much sand as he could. He had no idea what lie ahead. Most of the adults sat huddled together under blankets and sleeping bags. Some of the kids did make it into the water to push around a giant log and build some cool waterways and dig some holes. So, even in the cold, it was a great day at the beach and we can't wait to go again!

Seminary Graduation

We had the pleasure of attending the Seminary Graduation of the Master's Seminary. It was a beautiful ceremony. Such a God honoring time that made me appreciate the work of a pastor and how awesome it is that these men following the call of God into ministry.

We were there because our Pastor was graduating with his doctorate and we joined his family about 30 or so other people from his extended family and our church. Such fun to be a part of the crowd there to support him. We had the largest group there, so they placed us directly behind the graduates.

So, CONGRATULATIONS Dr. Jon!

A Quality Switch-a-roo

This last weekend the mom's at our church got together for a clothing exchange. This was the first one we had all participated in and it was a blast. It was free shopping!! All the mom's with clothes to give dropped them off at my house at some point on Friday, a couple of the gals and I set them up throughout my house in an organized fashion. We had different rooms designated for either men's, women's or children's, from there they were organized by size. Our goal was to make it look and feel like a boutique, we even had signs for the restroom and a fitting room.

Saturday morning we opened up at 8 for those that had brought close to share and then the rest of the group from 9 to 12. We had breakfast goodies, coffee and juice ready for the shoppers. It was so much fun and a blessing to some of our friends! Everyone walked away with something new to them or for their family. It was so much fun to see one of the gals pick out something for a date night for her and her husband. Her and her husband were both so excited with what she put together. A great way to shop and truly save money!

All the clothes leftover will be donated this week to the Oppurtunity House, which is a home for mother's and their children. It's supported by a thirft shop.
I recommend trying this with your own church! Make sure you let everyone know it's coming up a few months ahead of time so they can start collecting clothes (and so they don't send them somewhere else in the meantime) and then make sure word gets out to remind them in the weeks before. Important things I will remember for next time is the more you have involved the better (we may do whole church). It will give the shoppers more to choose from and offer more sizes and styles. We might even try it with our High School/Jr. High girls and do a fashion show and make overs. Make it a great party and a time to talk about modesty. In this economy it was a great way to have fun for free and get some new life into our closets and a great way to bless our friends with what we didn't want anymore!

Here are some pictures of the event and a few how-to's:

This is the "Women's" section. We have pant on the bench in, T-shirts on the table (separated by size and long sleeve/short sleeve. I recommend just doing by size) and the nice clothes hung and separated by sized (ask for donations of hangers, the more that can be hung, the easier it is for shoppers). We printed out signs (pink sticking up out of the middle) and then taped them to a straw and push pinned them onto the dowels. We used the ladder rungs as shelves for shoes. We bungee corded the closet rods to the ladders and then used the fireplace as the second anchor.

Men's department!

Children's department. Seperated into boys and girls and then by size and type of clothing. This was a tricky section to keep organized, but since we didn't have that many sizes or clothes it worked out ok. I used by shower rod to hang the clothes over by the computer.